TERMINAL SURRENDER [Zeke]

[Ben Merasska]

“No, no, no, no, no!” He shouted, running over to the droids operating the loading machinery. “Those go over there, and those go over there.”

His name was Ben Merasska, and his official records labelled him as a 'freighter pilot', and his ship was designated the Albatross. Though many would have laughed and substituted smuggler as his occupation, he truly considered himself a freighter pilot, and refused to call himself a smuggler, even when he was forced, more often than he liked, to smuggle things.

He worked for a large company, and he knew the boss, an indomitable woman who though intimidating, was still a very nice lady when she wasn’t angry or interested in you.

“Tell them to load those crates according to destination, not according to size,” Ben griped to a protocol droid overseeing the operation. “Not everything’s going to the same place.”

“Of course sir,” the droid said, but was cut off before it could issue the command.

“And where’s the rest of this stuff? I have passengers who’ll be arriving soon and I have a schedule to keep.”

“I’m sorry sir, but I do not know, as I do not oversee cargo distribution, only the loading process.”

Ben groaned.

“The only good part of this stop was dropping off baby food,” he sighed. “I’ll go and find out then. Make sure they load the cargo according to destination-”

“And not size, yes sir,” the droid cut him off. He was left with his finger in the droid’s visual receptors and nothing to say, but he couldn’t just let the finger drop without saying something.

“...Good,” he said finally, and stalked out of the landing pad to a desk manned by beings, not droids.

“Hey, listen, I need some cargo located...”

[Zeke]

Once, when she was a little girl, Cassandra asked Zeke why heroes in action films and games would clutch at their sides and hobble in the exact same way when injured. Zeke had shrugged and told her not to worry about it, and just enjoy the entertainment. Today, he knew the answers. After a big combat encounter like what he'd just endured with Ana'Sera Beliq and her troopers, YOU HURT EVERYWHERE! His lightsabers were safely hidden in an inside pocket of his coat; every time they bounced against his ribs, it made him wince. His right knee was trying to give out, but with his family's safety on the line, he made it behave. They'd abandoned the Sassy Wench as well; with the Imps possibly on his trail, they couldn't afford to be caught in a ship without weapons or even supplies.

The Saska family walked into the spaceport's cramped bureaucratic office. The male Twi'lek stood as they entered. "Sorry, sir, we're closing now. You'll have to come back in the morning." He got ready to move around his beaten and chipped desk to usher them out when Zeke passed a hand in front of his eyes.

"You're more than happy to stay a little late and help us," he said with a weary sigh. The Twi'lek sank back into his chair with an identical exhalation.

"I'm more than happy to stay a little late and help you," said the clerk. "So, what do you need?"

Zeke looked to his family. Carol had one hand clamped over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud, the elbow of that arm supported by her other hand to hold it in. He looked to Cassie; she was gaping. "Really?" she mouthed. Zeke flicked his eyebrows upward in a "Yeah, really" kind of expression, then turned back to his new friend.

"I'm looking for Ben Merasska and the Albatross. You know where they headed?"

[Ben Merasska]

"Attention customers. Port Security has raised the level of alert to Level 2. Please be cautious, and cooperate with Security Personnel. Thank you, and have a great day."

"You'll have to go up to level three and take it up with them, Captain Merasska," the clerk said, bringing up the information he'd wanted. "But they are delayed, and..."

She trailed off as Ben walked off, ignoring the last part of her statement.

"...There's nothing there," she finished.


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Imperial Agent Sander Veribek (http://littledragon869.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/vito.jpg) walked out of the holocom terminal and motioned for an officer to join him.

"Sir, I was under the impression you were leaving," the nervous man said, matching his pace.

"My orders have changed," he said. "A member of the Rebel Alliance, a smuggler, has escaped Imperial elements and fled here."

"A Rebel?" the Imperial officer scoffed. "We can take care of him easily, sir. There's no need for you to involve yourself."

"This is no normal rebel," Veribek answered. "Go through the security footage and search him out."

"Yes sir."

[Zeke]

"Captain Merasska and his ship have moved to another spaceport, a few klicks from here to load new cargo and take on passengers." The clerk scribbled the coordinates on a scrap of flimsi and handed to it to Zeke. "Have a nice day, sir."

"Well, looks like we still need the Wench," Carol sighed. "And I was so hoping that he'd have laid over here in this spaceport for the day."

"He could've been off-planet. Then we'd be super-boned," Cassandra answered tersely, looking about nervously as they walked back out into the spaceport. They reached the shuttle's short ramp right on time to hear an announcement.

"Attention customers. Port Security has raised the level of alert to Level 2. Please be cautious, and cooperate with Security Personnel. Thank you, and have a great day."

"Think they're onto us?" Cassie asked.

"They might have caught Merasska. Or else they haven't caught anyone, and this is just a blanket action to prepare them for our arrival. Which, we already have, so that means we're ahead of the curve," Zeke answered. "C'mon, let's move."

[Ben Merasska]

"I'm not kidding man, I totally managed to get that twilek dancer into bed last night," he said, holding the portable voxcomm to his ear.

Ben shifted as the lift continued to rise, trying not to look or listen to the conversation unfolding next to him.

"I'm not lying man. Totally banged her. All night long."

"Level 3. Cargo loading areas, and planetary shipping warehouses."

Ben left the lift, striding up to a terminal and typed in the information he needed, and was treated to a blinking line noting that the cargo wasn't there, and wouldn't be there until the next morning, local time.

"Attention. The spaceport is now raised to Alert Level 3. Report any suspicious activity to the authorities."

"Uh oh," Ben muttered, looking up at the ceiling. They'd be locking down the port soon, if this kept up. He needed to get out; he'd let Meorrrei know what had happened once he was safe from becoming a casualty of this lockdown, or worse, the target. "Xerxes, lock up the ship. Don't open for anything. If somebody other than me tries to get on board, power up the shields."

"Understood, Ben." Xerxes' voice echoed tinnily from the communicator in his hand. "May I inquire as to what you will be doing?"

"I've got to check up on this missing shipment. They had to have messed up the log or something."

[Zeke]

Zeke nudged the throttle on the Sassy Wench and she took off low and slow towards the port where Ben was supposed to have gone for his deliveries. He wanted to rush, really burn out the Wench's fuel and render it unusable for the short-term should the Imps get their hands on it. It was a shot-range shuttle, not meant to travel long distances. They'd used it to ship small orders simultaneously with Curvy Lady's larger ones, or to drop passengers on nearby planets while the Lady went on to do her business, but this? He'd already stretched the poor shuttle to it's limit. Refueling would take too long, and he was sure they'd find some way to track her transponder. No, best to start over. There'd always be more ships.

At the rate he was going it took nearly an hour to reach the border of the next spaceport. As soon as he was in transmission range, they received a hail.

"Attention incoming shuttle. All Foless spaceports have been placed on Alert Level 3. Please proceed to the berth indicated to be searched and detained for questioning."

"You got it," Zeke fired back. Already his mind was racing with possibilities. Come out swinging? Play coy? They'd find his lightsabers for sure; he couldn't risk hiding them on the ship and then having it captured. No, best to try something subtle. "Mind Tricks, then," he decided to himself.

[Ben Merasska]

"Sir, we've come across footage from earlier concerning the rebel in the spaceport in Fondu*."

Agent Veribek nodded. "And?"

"He made contact with a freighter pilot named Merasska, sir. Merasska is still on planet, picking up cargo and passengers."

"Anything suspicious?" Veribek asked. The officer shook his head.

"Some parts and supplies, and passengers for the Meorrrei-Koensayr Corporation. Scientists and engineers."

"Bring him in for questioning. Our rebel may be coming back to find him."

"Yes sir."


---------------------------------------------


"Kriff!" Ben sighed, staring at the piles of unloaded materials. "Is this really happening? How could this get worse?"

"Ben Merasska, Captain of the Albatross?"

He turned around, and looked into the face of an Imperial Stormtrooper.

"It's him. Come with us."

Ben whimpered and two of them grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away.

[Zeke]

Meanwhile, at the landing pad, Zeke was faced with a simple gathering of security officers and two Stormtrooper guards.

"Look, buddy, I don't mean to be rude," the lead security officer was saying, "But we gotta check you guys and your ship. There's supposed to be some kind of Rebel activity and we can't have that. Bad enough we all got called in outta dinner for this. If you'll cooperate we can be on our way sooner."

"I understand," Zeke replied, and raised one hand. "You can take my word though, and go home right now."

"Or...we could take your word, and go home right now," repeated the lead officer thoughtfully. "Whaddaya think, boys? Go home now?" There was a general murmur of assent from the security team. Already they were cranky and hungry; this wasn't a difficult trick to do, even across so many people. But the Stormtroopers were grouchy, too. They were well-fed, well-rested, and bored stiff from the day-to-day humdrum of guard duty.

"No, we're gonna check your shuttle, smart guy," one replied.

Zeke waved again. "You're gonna go check another ship," he said confidently.

"Except for the part where no, we aren't," snapped the Trooper. "Hands in the air!"

Zeke drew his lightsabers and quickly reflected the two blaster bolts back into the black, flexible joint armors of the Troopers. They went down with ragged screams and the security team scattered. "So much for that," Zeke snarked. "C'mon! We've gotta get to the Albatross. Maybe Merasska isn't swept up in all this mess." Together, the Saskas pounded off across the port.

[Ben Merasska]

"Good evening, Mr Merasska," the agent greeted, sitting down at the table. Ben didn't look up, but continued looking down at his hands, which were in binders.

"Mr Merasska, you're not in trouble," the agent began, but Ben cut him off.

"Sure seems like it," he quipped, lifting his arms and waggling his wrists, letting the binders jingle slightly.

"I only have a few questions for you, about your work, and a man you met earlier today," Veribek looked at Ben intently. "You fly a WR-542. That's a fast ship."

"My boss doesn't like me being late," Ben answered.

"Your boss? You work for Meorrrei-Koensayr Corporation, don't you? A company that does quite a bit of business with the Empire. What do you do for them, exactly?"

"I..." he paused, put off by the Agent's relaxed demeanour. "I do mainly courier jobs for them. They move people around a lot, and sometimes some pretty important things need to go somewhere fast. There's a couple other pilots like me who work for her like that."

"I see. So you don't smuggle contraband into and out of systems?"

"Not that I know of," Ben answered.

"That's interesting," the agent said, and tossed a pile of flimsis towards him. "Because this man - Ezekiel Saska - was stopped in the Neelanon system carrying a fair amount of weaponry hidden in crates of baby food."

Ben's eyes widened.

"This is a fairly serious charge here, but I think you can help me here, Captain Merasska," the Agent said. "Saska escaped the Neelanon system, and we've trailed him here, and I think it's so he can find you. I want you to help me catch this man, Captain. Do that and you may find the charges are much less than you thought, or even perhaps nothing at all."

Ben's eyes drifted down to the flimsis, showcasing him, Zeke, and his daughter standing on the pad, overlooking the transfer of the cargo.

He looked back up to Agent Veribek, and opened his mouth to answer.

[Zeke]

Zeke found the Albatross under guard. He'd disengaged his lightsabers before entering visual range of the ship and was glad for it now, but he was sure he'd be recognized by now. They needed a way to get the information without Zeke walking up. Together they huddled behind a line of boxes and barrels containing the necessary tools for quick ship maintenance and conferred.

"Cassie, go ask them where your boyfriend is," Carol suggested.

"Excuse me?" replied the daughter, indignant. "I met him for all of five minutes, and all I did was glare at him. Death glares are not date invitations, Mama."

"What she means," Zeke said testily, "Is you should go pretend you know him so you can figure out where he is. If he were anywhere around he'd be hopping about fretting over those guards. He doesn't like Imperial entanglements." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Just go!"

The youngest Saska walked out from behind their cover and found her chest had become an array of laser sights. She nervously raised her hands and approached slowly, calling out. "Hey, I'm looking for my ride off this rock! Have you guys seen the pilot for this heap? Oh, what, Captain Merasska?" Her parents traded eyerolls with each other. Trust Cassandra to go off-script.

"He ain't here! Captain Merasska has been detained for questioning! Move along."

Cassie pouted. "But!" she sputtered. "Where is he being detained? How long is it gonna take?" Puppy eyes weren't mind tricks, but it seemed to be working fine. One guard shuffled his feet nervously.

"Relax," scoffed another. "He's just in the security building. Shouldn't take long. Go to the diner and grab a bite. We'll remind him to call you or somethin' when he's done."

Cassie nodded, thanked them, and went back to where her parents were crouched and walked behind the stack. Quickly she filled them in.

"Okay, you two go hide out somewhere nearby. Come back in fifteen minutes. Hopefully by then I'll have Merasska out of the security building and we can jet out." He pecked them both and began to wind his way across the landing zone to the corner where the low, sturdy security bunker was. His family went the other way, strolling as casually as they could without looking back at him.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben gasped with pain as the Agent pulled his fist from his stomach, and without pause threw a hook into his face, making him see stars, and nothing else.

"I'm disappointed, Captain," Agent Veribek said conversationally. "Need I remind you of the charges you're facing? It could very well lead to execution."

Ben moaned into the table, not even bothering to pick his head up.

"Take him to a cell and leave him under guard," the Agent said finally. "We'll see if we can't bring our Adept friend to us."

"Adept?" the ever-present Imperial Officer asked, watching the pilot sit bonelessly in his seat.

Veribek shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said. "Take him to the cells. Let's make this visible."

[Zeke]

Zeke opened the door and approached the counter. The surly, elderly gentleman seated there made an awful, throat-clearing garble and addressed him.

"Sir, have you come to report lost possessions or lost people?" The old man's tired drone spoke of years of verbal abuse from customers and weariness with dealing with the non-personnel who entered that door.

"People," Zeke said smartly, not wanting to drag this out. "Looking for Ben Merasska, is he here?"

"Captain Merasska was detained for questioning some time ago. He's in there now, I expect."

"Well, can I see him?" Zeke asked, trying not to show too much impatience.

"Yes, sir," monotoned the wage-slave. He's over there." The old man pointed: Ben Merasska was being paraded through the security building like a trophy. Veribek had wanted him visible, and had succeeded. Zeke approached, all smiles and winning confidence.

"Gentlemen, where are you taking this man?" he asked, saving his Force persuasion for a later moment.

[Ben Merasska]

"Security business," one of the guards responded, holding up a palm to stop Saska's approach. "Step aside."

"No, I think he does have something to do with this," another voice said, and the leader of the procession stepped forward. "Drop the Captain. Here's the man we want."

Veribek looked at Saska seriously.

"You're surrounded. Be smart about this, and surrender."

[Zeke]

"Begging your Majesty's pardon," Zeke said with a wry smile, "But I wouldn't be where I am today if I had made any smart choices." The Jedi reached into his coat and drew The Last Argument of Kings, slicing the binders off Ben before the gold blade had even fully extended. He stepped aside and drew the man to a position where he could be defended. "Now, let's see if you can make a smart choice. Surrender your weapons and comms and go lock yourselves in the detention area. There is nothing you and your men can do to harm me or my friend."

[Ben Merasska]

The soldiers around them all lifted their blasters, and the Agent settled his arms behind his back.

Ben spun, going back to back with the Jedi, and gulping as a blaster barrel was pushed almost into his nose. He looked up into the helmet of stormtrooper and he paled.

"Oh, I'm afraid there is," Sanders Veribek answered, and the soldiers fired.

[Zeke]

Zeke's gold lightsaber sliced around behind himself to cut the barrel in Ben's face. The weapon's owner, frightened of having his hands removed, jerked back and didn't fire. The Jedi drew his second lightsaber and powered it on, using each weapon to reflect blaster bolts back into weapons and floorboards. Zeke stood, one weapon in hand, the other floating patiently before Ben, facing down Veribek with a smile.

"Except for the part where, no, there isn't."

Zeke pushed hard in a wave of Force energy, scattering the soldiers. He shoved against Ben's back, urging him to run, and neatly stole the blaster pistol out of the shaking clerk's hand as he rose to make a feeble attempt to stop them.

"Thank you, sir, you've been most helpful," Zeke said jauntily, escaping out the front with Ben.

[Ben Merasska]

The Agent wasn't foolish. A lightsaber meant only one thing. His eyes narrowed and focused on the Adept attempting to escape.

He smiled, and gestured. A group of people were pulled toward the two, hindering them, but not completely, and they continued to run.

Agent Veribek looked at the soldiers and security officers surrounding him and gestured to the fleeing fugitives.

"Well? Go get them!" he said, and watched as they all nodded and ran after Zeke and Ben.


---------------------------------------------------------


Ben stopped after turning a corner, and staggered off to the side, coughing and panting.

"You're a Jedi?" he gasped, looking at Zeke incredulously. "Aren't you supposed to be on the brink of extinction or something? Why do I keep running into you guys?"

[Zeke]

"Well, yes, but clearly I couldn't tell you before because you know more Jedi?" The absurdity of it! His crazy luck was--wait, not crazy luck. He'd gotten too used to thinking as an ordinary being. The Force had Its will. Zeke's eyes narrowed as he focused his command of the Force on Ben. Yes, this man was steeped in the Force, though it seemed he couldn't wield it himself. He was, on some scale Zeke couldn't imagine, important.

"Good. You can make up for that fiasco with the weapons disguised under those babyfood jars by taking me to them. Here's a blaster. You know how to work a blaster, right?" Zeke spoke all in a rush; he didn't expect his little diversion to last long, and Veribek wasn't disappointing him. The pair took cover behind a parked skiff as Veribek walked out with his troopers. The Agent's bearing was something like what you'd expect out of a father watching his children at play as he watched the troopers begin their search.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben looked at the blaster warily.

"Uh, you point the blaster at someone, and pull the trigger, right?" he said, taking the weapon gingerly in one hand. It was heavy, and it took him a moment to compensate; the last time he'd used a blaster, he'd been running from another Imperial agent of some kind.

He focused on the blaster and shunted the memory away.

He pointed the blaster off to the side, his hands slightly shaking.

"Pyew pyew, bang bang, right?"


-------------------------------------------


"No sign of them yet sir."

"Have you located Captain Merasska's ship?" Veribek asked, seemingly unconcerned.

"We have its location, and two squads of Stormtroopers are headed there now, sir."

He nodded.

"If there is anyone on that pad, pacify them, but do not kill them. Have them set up lookouts and place heavy weapon emplacements covering the door. Have them notify me immediately."

The Imperial officer frowned.

"Is that kind of weaponry necessary, sir?" he asked. "It seems a bit much for only two people, sir."

"This is no rebel agent or small time smuggler we're chasing," Veribek answered smoothly and patiently. "We are dealing with a Jedi. Any Jedi who has managed to survive this long is dangerous."

The officer still wasn't convinced completely, but the Agent's experience with Jedi and Adepts far outstripped his own. He saluted, and turned away to carry out the Agent's orders.

Veribek's mouth twitched into a smile, and he closed his hands into fists.

"Very dangerous," he said, looking at them. "Very dangerous indeed."

[Zeke]

"Yeah, pretty much," Zeke said grimly. "If you gotta fire into melee, do it. You can't hit me." Zeke squatted, his deactivated lightsabers resting lightly in his palms, and leaned back on the speeder. He shut his eyes, took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, then backflipped over the parked skiff, lightsabers igniting in fountains of gold and blue color as he smoothly hacked through the laser rifles of the troopers that had been mere moments from finding them. He spun a circle, swinging his lightsabers like twin smashball bats as he swatted two more shots back to their origins. To escape meant disabling the troopers and their leader. Zeke was prepared to do so. Without the cover of darkness sneaking about was not an option. He set his resolve and went about his defense, eyes locked on Veribek.

[Ben Merasska]

"If you gotta fire into melee, do it. You can't hit me."

"I seriously doubt that; even with your magic or whatever it is, I might what do you mean if I have to fire into melee and there he goes."

Ben sighed, watching the smuggler/Jedi jump from their speeder and start batting away the blaster bolts fired at him by the Stormtroopers and the Port Security officials.

"Why do I even try?" Ben muttered, shifting his grip of the blaster pistol in his hand to allow the sweat suddenly coating his palms to get fresh air. "No one listens to me anyway. 'Sure Ben, I'm just a family man who hates ration bars and did I forget to mention I'm a member of a group that was supposedly wiped out twenty eight years ago? Oh, I'm sorry that I got you dragged into a stand-off with Imperial Stormtroopers and some scary dude who can tell them what to do. Now let's go fight them instead of running away.'"

He peeked from his hiding place to where everything had gone still, Saska surrounded and facing Agent Veribek with his laser swords.

"Oh hells," Ben grunted, ducking down and looking for an avenue of escape. Settling down onto his stomach, he checked for anything he could see underneath the line of speeders he was hiding behind, but the only exit was near the end of the line. How was he going to get out of this one?

He poked his head back up to see if anything had changed.


-----------------------------------------


Veribek regarded the Jedi with a calm eye, one hand still in his pocket, the other raised, commanding the men under his command to cease their fire.

"Brave, Jedi," Veribek said. "But foolish."

Saska seemed confident, and Veribek began to settle into a stance when his commlink beeped noisily. He raised a finger, silently asking for a moment.

Sir, we have everything set up in the bay. And, we caught sight of the girl standing next to him and Merasska on the holovid we have of them, and an older woman nearby the landing pad. The girl's escaped, but the woman is in our custody.

"Very good," Veribek said. "Continue to search for the girl. Patch through a voice link to the woman, and alert all personnel that a level 1 combatant has been engaged in my area."


-----------------------------------------


Ben dropped, chewing his lip mightily, and glanced under the line of speeders worriedly. He stopped, and looked up at the speeders themselves, before slowly raising his head for one last look.

Seeing that everyone's attention was still on Saska, Ben opted for a quick retreat.

'I'd be as likely to hit him as any one of the guards,' Ben thought to himself as he started crawling underneath the speeders to sweet, sweet freedom.


-------------------------------------------


Veribek nodded and gave the Jedi his full attention once more.

"Sorry," he said. "You know how needy underlings get."

He walked, slowly, around the Jedi and stopping once he stood between Zeke and escape, making sure his attention was on Zeke, before he settled into a stance, hands held ready, but no other weapon was visible.

"Now, I recommend you surrender. It will make things go much more easily. I'd hate for things to get messy down by the landing pad."

[Zeke]

Zeke felt no fear at the threat to his family. "I have no intention of rescuing my family. They're in good hands." He paced to as Veribek did, allowing himself to be set up in the shooting gallery of the Agent's Stormtroopers and let Veribek block his way. "I also will not be surrendering. Escape is not my plan. Yet." Zeke took another deep breath and took his own stance. "Now, I believe we were fighting."

He lunged across the space at Veribek, thrusting with his left blade and chopping with his right, intending to trap the Agent between the blades and cut him deep. Veribek swayed and stepped under the thrusting blade and spun with a knifehand attack, sweeping his arm with augmented speed and strength. Zeke crouched and turned to power another lightsaber strike, one that was turned to defense as the Stormtroopers found the Jedi standing between them and their leader and opened fire. Zeke pushed Veribek away with telekinesis, the better to prevent a flank, and returned the red bursts in short order. The troopers scattered to cover, granting Zeke reprieve, and the Jedi turned to his opponent to try his horizontal cut again.



-----------------------------------------


Cassie crouched in the shadows outside the range of the landing pad's floodlights, grateful that the blasted things threw the shadows around the pad's loading zones into such sharp relief. The spaceport droids that had assisted Ben's little complement of workers stood there unmoving and silent, waiting to be powered back on for their next assignment. She hugged her knees and looked out between the forest of droid legs as they marched her mother out to stand before the nose of the Albatross. Carol stood straight-backed and unflinching, but Cassandra couldn't hear her voice or see her face for the sounds of the Stormtroopers and the harshness of the lights. At least she was still alive. "Dad, I'm gonna kill you!" she swore, feeling impotent. She wished she had a weapon, or an ally, though she was also rational enough to understand that she didn't have much chance against all the troopers. Her dad had taught her to shoot, just in case, but had never given her a blaster. "When you're older," he had said. Cassie thought that after all she'd been through, she'd earned it, old enough or not. She looked in the direction of the security bunker, and though she could see flashing lights, she couldn't make out any people. "Please..." she whispered as she put her forehead to the droid legs. "Save her."

[Ben Merasska]

"We were, weren't we?" Veribek replied, smiling. Zeke's lightsaber came across in a horizontal cut, and Veribek put up a hand. "You're not the only one with training, Jedi."

The blade had stopped mere centimeters from the palm of Veribek's hand. Veribek's hands flashed, one slicing forward to knock back Zeke's arm, and the other pushing forward in a palm strike; the move to Zeke's arm missed, but the palm strike landed completely, and Zeke flew back, batting away a few stray bolts fired by the security personnel and Stormtroopers.

Veribek nodded in admiration.

"Well done," he said, shaking out his arms and straightening the cuffs of his tunic's sleeves. "Shall we continue?"


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Ben stopped as he reached the end of the parked speeders, and gasped in relief. He peeked out from underneath them, glancing warily around, and seeing Zeke surrounded and fighting the Agent, Ben felt guilty, but he stamped down on the feeling and scooted out from the speeders and into the doorway leading to the turbolift, and the landing pad which contained his ship.

Only, when he exited the turbo lift, he was greeted by a line of blasters.

"Um," he said, raising his hands. "I give up?"

He was grabbed roughly and shoved out of the way; the group of security officials piled into the turbolift and the doors closed, leaving Ben, both relieved and confused. With a shrug, he placed his hands in his pockets and made for the landing pad. He typed in the code, and felt the breeze as the landing pad entranceway opened, and he was greeted with the sight of dozens of powered down droids.

That is, until a blur latched onto his legs, causing him to fall and cry out. A hand slapped against his mouth and he blinked when Zeke's daughter, Cassie, came into focus, looking desperate.

"Hrffrfmhfmr?" he asked.

[Zeke]

Zeke stood at the ready, releasing the lightsaber in his left hand as he studied Veribek. Okay, so Force-augmented strength and speed, AND telekinesis.

"Guess you ought to be warned," Zeke said testily, "That telekinesis was my specialty in the Clone Wars." The floating blade stayed in place as Zeke stepped in with a quick spin, his gold blade lancing diagonally up from Veribek's left hip to right shoulder. Behind him, his floating saber defended him from blaster bolts, zinging some to their origins and felling more troopers. Others passed on to Zeke, who used his Ataru training to its fullest potential. A cartwheel allowed him to evade as Veribek paced around, swaying under the saber and kicking at Zeke's knees. The Jedi spun in air, swatting the red death beams from the air to pepper the duracrete as Veribek continued to circle, avoiding them all by the smallest margins as Zeke landed and took a bold step in and to the side, tanking a knifehand strike on his arm as he grinned. "There we go," he said with a hint of triumph as the deep blue blade of Roaring sped in to strike at Veribek from behind in tandem with a fresh chop from his gold blade.


----------------------------------


"SHH!" Cassie hissed, slowly taking her hand away from Ben's mouth. Her eyes were fiercely angry and desperately frightened, locked onto his with determination. "Get over here!" She pulled him behind the deactivated droids and huddled down. "This is your fault! My mom's out there like a prisoner waiting for execution, and you're slinking around like a womp rat! At least you've got a gun! Now, what's your plan for saving us both? And where's my dad!?" The shift in their position revealed shining highlights in her eyes, tears she was keeping in check. "This sucks so much! We were having a good life until yesterday! Now fix it! Help me get my mom back!"

[Ben Merasska]

Veribek's smile dimmed in concentration as he focused on his movements; one hand flashed out and grabbed the levitating saber, and smoothly brought it up to block its partner.

With the block came another Force Push, which threw Zeke backwards once more. Veribek stood, and made a few test swipes, judging the weapon's heft and balance.

"Show me," Veribek said. "Before you die. Show me the vaunted and legendary strength of the Jedi!"

He leaped forward, turning into a front flip and using the momentum of the movement to lash out in a devastating downward slash onto Zeke's defenses.


-----------------------------------------


"Will you help me?" Cassie asked. Ben looked reluctant, but nodded. "Okay."

She dropped her hand from his mouth.

"Ahhh!" Ben yelped, only to be smothered by Cassie's hand again.

"Don't do that!" she gasped. "Now, do you promise to not make any noise when I take my hand off of your mouth?"

Ben nodded ashamedly, and the girl dropped her hand once more.

"That hurt," he whined lowly, and rubbed his nose.

"Will you help me?" Cassie asked again. "Please?"

"...Fine," Ben sighed, standing and offering her his hand. "Give me your arm."

She stood and Ben grabbed her arm firmly but not painfully, before he pulled her onto the landing pad, both of them blinded by two spotlights turning on. Two heavy repeater blaster nests on either side of the entrance trained on them, and a dozen blaster rifles and pistols all were raised and pointed at them.

"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa!" Ben called. "What's all this? That's my ship!"

"Are you Captain Merasska?" an officer called back, lowering his pistol slightly.

"Yeah, that's me," Ben answered, looking much different under the harsh lights. He pulled Cassie closer and in front of him, showing her to the Imperials gathered around the entrance. "I think you're looking for this one?"

[Zeke]

Zeke spun to the outside and guided the blue lightsaber--his opponent's blade, for the time being--away from his body. Zeke stepped back to get his limbs clear of the blade and snatched with his left hand, yanking Veribek off his feet before stepping in to cut the Imperial strongly. Agent Veribek rolled back swiftly, several times as Zeke pursued, then bounced up to take the defensive as Zeke pressed on, striking in time with a series of quick spins, turns, and flips. Ataru was, after all, the Aggression Form, and in a one-on-one fight it excelled. He used his telekinesis on the man's limbs, dragging the lightsaber out of line when he tried to counter, buffeting it aside when he moved to defend, and harrying the man's feet and knees to keep him off-balance. "Like what you see?" Zeke asked through teeth gritted with exertion and determination.


-----------------------------------------


"What are you doing!?" Cassie hissed. "You damn coward!" She struggled against him, breaking Ben's grip and stepping away...right into the arms of a waiting Stormtrooper. Another advanced, his carbine levelled at Ben. "Surrender, Merasska. You're not leaving Foless today."

[Ben Merasska]

"Hehehe," Ben laughed nervously, looking at the blaster pointed at him. "I have a deal with your boss. He didn't like the sound of it then, but I don't think he's complaining now, right?"

The stormtrooper halted, before looking back at the officer, who looked to be thinking over what the freighter pilot was saying.

Ben glanced at Cassie and Carol; Cassie was glaring at him heatedly before the stormtrooper holding her pushed her over to her mother. Carol didn't look at him.

"Let me contact him, and we'll see how true your story is, Captain," the officer said finally. Ben shifted nervously, while stormtroopers surrounded him.


------------------------------------------


"Yes," he said. "This is what I wanted: a test of true skill, instead of all the weaklings I'm normally set after."

Zeke's skill was unquestionable. Veribek chopped down with his borrowed lightsaber, and knife-hand chopped his arm when the Jedi moved to block. A rapid succession of kicks and punches, interspersed with attacks from the lightsaber, kept the fight mostly even.

"But I'm afraid this is getting routine already," he said, his mouth open to continue speaking until a tell-tale chime interrupted him. He frowned, and gestured to the soldiers surrounding him, who raised their weapons and fired as the Agent turned and walked away from the Jedi.

Sir. Captain Merasska has arrived at the landing pad, with the girl from the holo. He claims to have struck a deal with you for his freedom in return for the girl? We have her in custody.

Behind him, a soldier was picked up and tossed into his companions. The Jedi made to run for the Agent, but had to stop from an increased volley of fire from the other soldiers.

"Well, isn't that interesting," Veribek murmured with a grin. "Let him go. We have who we want."

Very well sir.

Veribek turned back to the Jedi.

"Now, where were we?" he said conversationally, idly swinging the lightsaber back and forth. "Oh, yes. This."

Veribek's hands raised, palms up, and he pushed, a massive wave of the Force racing toward the Jedi. Veribek walked along behind it, noting that the fight was moving out of the security area, and into general spaceport terminal.

[Zeke]

Zeke's lightsaber flashed and spun, returning laser blasts with greater and greater accuracy as the troopers tested his skill and forced him to hone it. The Jedi advanced only a few paces, laying out the remaining troops with a flippant wave of his left hand as he brought it back to his lightsaber to make a two-handed grip. Veribek turned back at that moment and shoved out with the Force. Zeke stood his ground, feet planted, shoulders squared, and threw his chest out against the Force Push with a hard look at Veribek. The wave did not move him. "We were here!" Zeke rallied back, throwing Veribek into the air with an upward flick of eyes and chin. The Agent did not long let his surprise last; he drew back a fist and Zeke came sailing through the air, turning his uncontrolled tumble into a flipping attack that brought lightsaber to lightsaber with a crash of sparks and harsh crackle of buzzing energy. The men tumbled in air, spinning, flipping, cartwheeling, rotating on every axis, each attack cancelling out one from the opponent. Fists, elbows, knees, and feet came into play soon after, reaching through gaps in the lightsaber strokes to pummel chests, stomachs, forearms, thighs, necks, and temples. It was inelegant, brutal, not a method well-suited to either man. It was hard to tell who was having a better time.


------------------------------------------


"Ya damn coward! You stinking Hutt's ass slime! What kind of a man are you, sacrificing women for your own skin and leaving a good man to fight for his life!?"

"Cassandra Nicole." Carol's voice cut through the noise of the pad like a vibroblade. She was outwardly calm, eyes focused stoically forward, but...her voice. For all that it matched her body's tranquility, it carried such a strong undercurrent of anger that it cowed her daughter out of her own fury and made the troopers guarding them shift uneasily, their armor clattering in the sudden quiet. Cassie straightened and sighed, sparing Ben one last glare before standing quietly beside her mother, waiting for the whirling mass of blue and yellow plasma to arrive.

[Ben Merasska]

The Jedi landed a kick on the Agent's shoulder, effectively separating the two as they hit the floor and rolled to their feet. Veribek didn't rest for long, instead opting to charge at the Jedi, and releasing a push that sent him tumbling through the door, and into the open space-terminal, on a floor which was mainly acting as food-court blaconies for people eating from the many restaurants and wanting a view of the lower floors.

The Jedi recovered easily, and Veribek breathed deeply while the Stormtroopers and Security officers fanned out behind him and raised their blaster rifles.


------------------------------------------


Ben largely ignored the girl and woman, keeping his eyes fixed on the Imperial officer while he spoke to the small hologram of the Agent. After a moment, the officer nodded and shut the commlink down.

"...Very well, Captain Merasska," the Officer stated. "You may leave."

He nodded to the Stormtroopers, who lowered their carbines and stepped back. Ben smiled in relief.

"I'd say it was nice doing business with you, but it really wasn't," the pilot said, backing away from them and toward the ship. The rest of his statement was lost in an explosion fireballing from the terminal nearby.

Everyone looked up, watching the largely gas-fuelled explosion slowly dissipate. Well, everyone except for Ben, who backed away from Cassie and Carol with a nervous expression.

"You're, ah, probably going to want to get down at some point," he said to them, glancing up at the large hole in the terminal building that was still burning. Cassie opened her mouth to speak, but was shushed once more by her mother. Ben waved and entered the WR-542, the loading ramp closing as he disappeared.

[Zeke]

Zeke stood, a little wobbly from the stress of the battle, and took in the measure of the opposing force.

"Phew. There is just an acre of you fellas, isn't there?" he gasped. But he knew he was close to the landing pad. Cassie and Carol should have been here waiting. Zeke was sure that they were in good hands with Ben. Behind the column of gunners, Zeke could see the exit that would lead him out to the landing pad where Albatross waited for him. "Well, then, let's begin." He leapt in a high arc to the railings above and Veribek followed. Zeke hopped down, swinging his lightsaber wildly. The Agent laughed as he easily defended himself from his perch on the upper deck's hand rail.

"Are you even trying, Jedi?" he taunted. "Have you at last run out of clever tactics?"

"Got one more," Zeke grimaced, cutting the rail on either side of Veribek's feet and pushing him with the Force. Veribek spun out over the gap and pulled himself to the opposite side, clearing himself from every line of fire. Blasters chewed through railings and floors, raining debris to the lower level as Zeke ran ahead of the weakening structure. A small cluster of troopers aimed ahead and pinned Zeke between the incoming fire. Soon the pincer would close, and the Jedi would be a mass of charred flesh, unrecognizable to anyone. One soldier, eager to end the Jedi's life, fired a rocket-propelled grenade at him. Zeke deflected it upward out of the terminal's skylight. Seconds later, a blast of thunder rocked the building, breaking in the walls and starting the structure on a slow crumble. Zeke and Veribek caught sight of the fireball through the skylight as each jumped to the bottom floor and raced for the exit, their glowing sabers flashing, humming, and crackling as each continued to match the other.


------------------------------------------


"Mom, why do you keep trying to quiet me down? It doesn't matter what we say or do, we're dead! You could at least let me insult him one more time, or something. We're going to be tortured and killed because of him!"

"No, we are not, and he is going to get his own, so don't worry about Merasska," Carol said, trying to sound soothing in spite of the predicament. "While you were asleep on the shuttle, your father spoke a little Jedi philosophy to me. He said the Force has a will, and that he didn't think we would be dying anytime soon. I believe that the Force speaks to him, and that our safety is assured."

Behind them, the Albatross thrummed to life, her engines whining briefly as they started up. Nobody turned to look except Cassie, still bitter, wanting to make one last rude gesture at Ben-Hutt's Ass-Merasska. She was astonished by what she saw.

[Ben Merasska]

Veribek was just a bit faster than his opponent, but both were getting tired, and it showed. The Imperial Agent was willing to assume that the Jedi was the more exhausted of them; he pushed himself just that much harder, and executed a flip, spinning at the same time to land facing his opponent with the tip of the lightsaber and the same muted smile he was wearing at the beginning of the fight.


------------------------------------------------


"Sorry kid," Ben called over his shoulder as he walked up boarding ramp, and it closed, cutting off any response she may have had.

"Xerxes," Ben said quickly, "Get the shields up as soon as possible. We're getting out of here."

But Ben. We haven't picked up Lady Meorrrei's full shipment yet. Are you sure you want to leave now?

Ben paused, and looked down through the cockpit viewport, steadily more conflicted. Finally he sighed, and activated the Albatross's laser turrets, which popped down from where they were hidden just beneath the cockpit itself.

"Shut up, Xerxes," Ben said, interrupting the AI's question before it had finished the first syllable. "I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing."

He opened fire on the assembled Imperials on the landing pad.

I was just going to remind you we haven't lifted off, and ask if you were sure you wanted to initiate hostilities while still in landing configuration.

Ben stopped, and thought about it.

"Keep the shields up. We won't lift off just yet," he said finally, going back to strafing the Stormtroopers and assembled Security officers. "I'm going to get in so much trouble for this. I know it."

[Zeke]

Behind Veribek, Zeke could see the ensuing chaos on the landing pad. He needed to get through. He stepped and did a tight spin; Veribek blocked and replied with a thrust. Zeke sideslipped and Veribek pushed his lightsaber in to lock with Zeke's and the two spun around each other to their starting positions. The Agent pressed the Jedi back a pace or two with sweeping horizontal strikes before losing the ground again to Zeke's retaliatory upward swipe and subsequent flipping downstroke. The Jedi ducked low and stepped in close to Veribek's body as he lunged. Zeke stood, Veribek turned and swung his arms like a club, and Zeke staggered sideways and back to where he started. He was starting to appreciate Agent Beliq's difficulty in moving him from the ramp.

"Oh, DUH," Zeke berated himself, thrusting an arm forward to throw Veribek through the doors and out onto the walkway to the landing pad, moving through them and pressing on with his attacks.

On the pad, Cassie and Carol were lying face down, heads covered as Stormtroopers scattered and tried pitifully to beat down Albatross's shields with their rifles. Cassandra, ever bolder than she needed to be, peeked and noticed a blaster pistol by her elbow. It was Ben's! When did he drop it? She decided to worry about it later and snatched the weapon up, firing from prone on the fleeing trooper. Blue rings of energy zapped through the night to stun Troopers and batter the pad as she fired without much time to aim. She noticed at the periphery of her vision the floating bars of energy in the dark by the terminal; her Dad was coming.

"You were right," she said grimly to her mother. "I think this is gonna work out."

[Ben Merasska]

Veribek ignored the chaos behind him, instead focussing completely on the Jedi he was fighting. Despite the calm exterior of the mystic, Veribek knew things were still on his side, even with the smuggler captain laying waste to the soldiers on the landing pad. The captain couldn't open his ship to the women and Jedi without opening to the Stormtroopers as well, most of whom had found cover behind crates and durasteel.

And the longer the captain sat on the platform, the more likely the terminal would get a tractor beam in place to hold it there.

Veribek's smile grew fiercer as he fed of his enjoyment of the battle and pressed home his own attack, their lightsabers flashing and spitting as they moved back and forth on the walkway. The Jedi stepped forward; Veribek did so as well, and their blades met with a flash of light before locking into their stances, each attempting to push the other off balance. Zeke stepped forward, pushing harder, and Veribek answered with the same movement as the Jedi before spinning around the man and launching a knife hand to the back of Saska's neck.

Around them, the battle between the freighter and the Stormtroopers continued, even as more Troopers and security officers filed onto the walkway.


-------------------------------


"Uh," Ben hummed anxiously as he strafed over a couple troopers aiming at Cassie and Carol. As much as they didn't like him, the pilot's seat of a freighter was pretty much the only place he'd ever done any good; and now that he was in the pilot's seat, things were looking up. "This is not good. So very not good at all."

[Zeke]

Zeke's head was a storm of pounding sound and flashing colors as Veribek smashed him at the base of his skull. He staggered, breathing hard, and turned to face his opponent one last time. Veribek was pressing in, a manic grin on his face, prepared to take the Jedi's head off and end the battle then and there. Zeke allowed his fidgety right knee to crumple and dodged the blade with his collapse. The Agent, finding no resistance, stumbled over Zeke's body and tripped. Zeke grabbed the man's belt and hauled himself up, giving Veribek a solid punch to match the knifehand attack. With them both staggering, the battle began to lag. Zeke stepped and swung an overhead chop that was powered more by gravity than by muscle. Veribek swiped it aside with a sloppy parry and dragged his stolen weapon back along that same path. Zeke waved his arms and their sabers clashed with a burst of sound like a dead comm channel spitting static. No Stormtrooper turned to the battle, busy mounting their own defense against Ben and Cassie. Zeke called the Force and began to push Veribek toward the pad with his own physical strength and his telekinetic prowess. "Give...up," Zeke gasped. "With that ship's weapons brought...to bear...and the shield...up...it's a matter of time...before you and your men...are all dead, wounded, or surrendered." Cassandra's blue stun rings burst wildly over their heads, making their hair stand on end. "At best, you'll all be out cold."

[Ben Merasska]

Veribek's manic smile didn't leave his face, and he stood aside, as the Stormtroopers and Security officials raised their weapons and drew beads on the Jedi.

"Numbers, Jedi. Numbers, and location. Can you escape? No," he replied. "This terminal is locked down. You'll be shot down by anti-air and ships in orbit before you leave the atmosphere. Fire."

The Stormtroopers and Officers fired.

"Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire!" Veribek commanded, running and leaping over the field of fire and landing behind the embattled Jedi, his lightsaber raised to strike his enemy down once and for all.


------------------------------------------


"Whoops!" Ben said, noticing Zeke buckling under concentrated fire from soldiers in the entranceway. "Can't let that happen. The wife and daughter will kill me."

The Albatross's repeating blasters took aim and fired at the Stormtroopers and Officers, causing them to duck and hide. Ben could fire at the Agent; not with Zeke in the field of fire.

"Don't die man, or that little girl will shoot me in the back of the head," Ben murmured.

[Zeke]

Zeke stood planted like a tree, lightsaber whirling and flashing in air. His arms had given out. So, too, had his legs; he fell to kneeling and looked out at the landing pad, at his family and the Albatross wreathed in flashing red fire. He took a deep, painful breath...in through the nose, out through the mouth...and let go that pain. He let go his dear family and his new friend and ally, Ben. The Force filled him like an empty vessel, and he could feel everyone on the pad. He knew Veribek's manic anger, the thrill of a victory, the anticipation of glory and prestigious rank. He felt the fear of his family, thrust into this sudden danger, and their growing resolve to live in spite of it all and get back to their ordinary lives. He witnessed Ben's fear of danger, his driving need for normalcy, safety, and the growing seeds of hope and heroism buried deep in the fertile soil of his noble soul. He knew all intents, and the Force knew the resources it needed to enact its will.

Zeke breathed deep, and blaster fire that had scattered to the cover and the ground found marks in white Stormtrooper armor. Red bolts scattered over Veribek's position, forcing him to combat roll aside and stand in silhouette behind the glowing fire of his troops. Cassie pointed her pistol at his hunched, heaving back and pulled the trigger with a defiant, quiet curse.

[Ben Merasska]

Veribek barely held back a roar of anger as the suppressive fire from the Stormtroopers and Security personnel was interrupted by the smuggler and his ship; it was no matter, though. The Jedi was kneeling, facing his fate with courage and peace.

Veribek respected that. He felt a burst of intention behind him and moved, but he was too tired to move completely; he spun, but the edges of the stun-blast caught him and nearly toppled him.

It was only his will to victory that kept him standing on the quieting pad. His eyes locked with the girl's, and he smiled at the fear she projected.

She would be -

[Zeke]

Zeke sensed his moment and leapt in a long arc, snatching his lightsaber into his hand as he did. The gold blade tracked his movement through the night air, turning away all projectiles in one smooth motion, then lanced through Veribek's saber arm. Zeke caught Roaring as Veribek's disembodied hand uncurled, and Zeke spun around the man, sabers flashing. The remaining troopers were dead by their own guns, and Veribek's body tottered helplessly, his face a mask of pain and rage and confusion. Then, with the slightest twitch of a smile, Veribek's torso came free from his waist, the pieces toppling in opposite directions to land in a bloodless heap. Zeke turned and stalked slowly to Albatross's ramp with his family right behind him, watching him warily as the lightsaber blades retreated into their hilts. Once they were aboard, Zeke toppled into the co-pilot's chair next to Ben and breathed heavily. Apprehension hung heavy in the air about them.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben kept his eyes studiously off Zeke and the women as they entered the cockpit. Instead, he chose to keep his eyes on the dismembered corpse of Agent Veribek out on the landing pad's walkway.

"So, this was fun, right?" he asked, spinning to face three very non-plussed passengers. "Yes. Very fun, but I've had enough, and I think it's time we headed out of this place, yeah? Yeah."

He spun back to face the piloting controls, and started lift off.

"Now we just have to dodge the tractor beams, anti-air missiles, and lots and lots of picketing ships and maybe even a cruiser or two out in orbit."

Ben smiled weakly.

"You know, fun."

[Zeke]

Zeke reached up with his right hand to take the hands of his girls in it. His left stretched out to rest heavily on Ben's shoulder. He took one of his deep breaths; the rest of the people gathered in the cockpit did the same as he channeled the Force through them, bringing them calm. "You are a leaf on the wind," he said to Ben. Looking up at his family, he smiled briefly. "Watch how he soars." Then he let them go and fell unconscious in the chair as his body gave up and succumbed to his wounds and exertions.

"Ben," said Carol steadily, "Do you have gunner turrets? Something we could use to shoot back?" Already they were under fire: a set of anti-air missiles detonated early, rocking the poor Albatross. A warning light and sound alerted them to a tractor beam operator trying to get a lock on them.

[Ben Merasska]

"Sister, this is a Sienar courier ship, not a damn Corellian freighter; we've got two laser cannons and that's it. No quads, no missiles, and no chaff; just those laser cannons. She's built to avoid fights, not win them!"

Ben grunted as he pulled at the controls, sending the Albatross into a barrel roll and pulling up hard on the yoke.

"I am a leaf on the wind," Ben said. "Watch how I soar."

He frowned.

"What does that even mean? I am a leaf on the wind?"

His confusion was interrupted by a close call from an anti-air missile, and another alarm sounded, indicating that the spaceport had brought its surface-to-air laser batteries online.

He swallowed the knot in his throat and urged more power from the Shooting Star, and the engine's whines grew louder and higher pitched.

[Zeke]

"Well, if there's any way one of us could shoot those cannons for you so you could focus on flying, that'd be amazing," Carol answered. "As for the leaf on the wind, go by instinct, I think is what he meant. Trust the Force, it's what he's been doing all this time, apparently." There was just a hint of snide derision in her remark, born of the growing idea that she really didn't know this man at all. When they were safe and had their wounds treated, she'd confront him about it then. Packets of lethal energy came shrieking up past the ship now, clustering above and below the cockpit. Warning shots; the next few would puncture the hull if they didn't set down. At least, that's what the communication from the spaceport would've said, if any of them wanted to accept the transmission.

[Ben Merasska]

"Just strap in!" Ben yelled as the ship shuddered from a direct impact from one of the laser cannons on the ground. "There isn't time to discuss it in a committee!"

The Albatross broke through the atmosphere, into the deceptive calm of orbital space, where a couple frigates (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Light_Corvette) were moving in on their position and to cut their escape route off.

"Oh come on!" Ben shouted, turning sharply and skimming the atmosphere, desperately trying to gain some distance for a quick shot out of the planet's gravity well. The ship bucked again.

[Zeke]

The ship shuddered and bucked as the women strapped in behind Ben's seat.

"If you almost kill us again, I'm gonna make you wish you'd succeeded!" Cassandra groaned through gritted teeth as she gripped her seat for her life. The small calm Zeke had afforded them had been burned through already by the high speed chase. Two wingpairs of TIEs screamed by overhead, trying to force Ben down towards the atmosphere and in the direction of the frigates. Albatross tracked them with her guns, firing and scattering the TIEs.

[Ben Merasska]

"Not good," Ben muttered, checking the scopes for the frigates. "Oh, not frigates. Corvettes. Even better!"

Frigates were, usually, slower than corvettes.

Ben. TIE Interceptors are converging on our intended course.

"I know that, Xerxes," Ben answered, desperately urging the Albatross for more speed. She had it in spades, and now was the time he needed every ounce of power.

Imperial Customs Corvettes are no longer gaining, but each is powering up ion weapons. Evasive manoeuvres are advised.

"Right!"

Ben turned the ship sharply, all the occupants thrown to the sides of their seats as the inertial dampeners struggled to keep up with the pilot's demands.

They rocketed into outer orbital space, TIEs and Corvettes both racing after them.

"We don't have time to plot a hyperspace jump with these guys on us. Xerxes, do something about those TIEs!"

The ship shuddered as the Interceptors fired, the shields dimming before coming back to full power. The Corvettes were being left behind, but now with the ship back in sights, they were powering up their ion weaponry again. Ben set the coordinates and turned to face the Corvettes.

"Let's hope this works," he said. The Albatross's laser cannons fired, scoring a glancing hit on one Interceptor and pushed another off course. The Corvettes fired.

Ben waited until the ion bursts were almost on top of them, before catapulting the WR-542 below their trajectories and below the Corvettes' fields of fire.

"Activating hyperdrive," Ben announced.

Entering hyperspace in five... four... three... two... one...

The stars elongated in the viewport, and the engines blared their power as the ship left realspace and entered hyperspace.

Ben collapsed bonelessly into his seat.

"We're alive," he said breathlessly. He then laughed. "We're alive! Ha ha ha, we're alive!"

[Zeke]

The rear seats erupted in joyful screams as Carol and Cassandra cheered for their good fortune. Carol leaned around the back of Ben's seat to kiss his temple. "Thank you, you asshole!" she exulted, hugging him tight around the shoulders. She leaned across to kiss her husband's cheek. Zeke slept on, oblivious to the noise. "So!" Carol said with a sigh as the adrenaline started to wear off and the noise died down. "Where we going, Ben?"

[Ben Merasska]

Ben's smile dimmed somewhat.

Our heading will take us to the planet of Somov Rit, Xerxes said helpfully through the speakers in the cockpit. It is sparsely populated and mainly agricultural; a logical place to make our decision about our next destination.

Ben's smile widened again. This Somov place sounded right up his alley.

"That's where we're headed," he said. "I can drop you off there, or maybe take you to another planet, as long as it's not far away."

[Zeke]

"Whatever's fine," Carol answered as Cassandra got up and moved to the back. The mother looked after her daughter, then turned back to Ben. "Gonna go see how she's doing. Let me know if Zeke wakes up." She moved back as the hyperdrive engaged, and Ben was alone with the unconcious Jedi for several long minutes. Zeke sat up slowly, groaning as his body resisted the movement.

"Don't," he grunted as Ben shifted in the chair. "Let's you and me talk for a bit."

[Ben Merasska]

"Uh," Ben replied, the thought immediately entering his head that Zeke knew he'd sold them out back on the planet and was preparing to rip him apart for double (or was that triple?) crossing them.

"Yeah?" he asked, gulping down a knot in his throat. "What about?"

[Zeke]

"I want to know how you know so many Jedi, and if you know a way I can get in touch with them," Zeke replied, oblivious to Ben's nervousness. "It's incredible that you should know even one Jedi during this time." Zeke rolled his neck out and squirmed in the chair. Comfort was an impossible notion with his injuries untreated. "I looked covertly for Jedi for years and never found any sign of it. They must be extremely well hidden, or you must be some kind of investigative genius."

[Ben Merasska]

"Genius?" Ben asked, relief flooding his system such that he felt much cooler, the climate in the cockpit becoming much more comfortable. "I like that. Genius."

He shook his head with a deprecating grin after a moment.

"I'm surprised you've been working for years and haven't at least had a brush with the Rebellion," Ben said. "The Rebellion's hiding the Jedi, for the moment at least. They've got a big ol' convoy that jumps around to keep hidden. As far as I can tell, there's about one hundred or so. Though only a few of them know all about what they're doing. The rest are students or something like that."

He checked a read-out and flicked a switch.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a drink and something to eat. Nothing gets my appetite going like a hair-raising, death-defying adventure with a Jedi, his family, and some crazy Imperial dude with durasteel fists and lots of Stormtroopers."

[Zeke]

"Hate to impose on you, but would you bring me something to drink? I'd prefer not to move until we get a med bay. And if you'd at least offer something to my girls, that'd be great, too." Zeke settled back and sighed. At least a hundred Jedi, predominately Padawans, constantly on the run. Not ideal, but it was a start. Actually, constantly moving was brilliant, tactically. He had nothing but support for that. He reminded himself that Ben likely didn't have the full picture. He made priority one finding a Jedi to give him the full measure of the situation and pushed aside the nagging dread of the coming confrontation with his family about their new lifestyle.

[Ben Merasska]

"Uh, sure," Ben responded, standing and stretching. "Keep an eye on the ship, Xerxes."

"I am always 'keeping an eye on the ship', Ben. But I do understand the real meaning of your query. I will warn you if anything happens."

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," he said, walking out of the cockpit and into the common area of the ship.

"So!" he said with a clap of his hands and a much too cheery tone. "Who's hungry? We have ration bars, some freeze-dried, vacuum-packed meals that only barely resemble what they once were, and water."

[Carol Saska]

"Water, please," Carol answered from a small, cushioned bench where Cassie lay curled up on one end, back to the room. She thanked him as Ben filled a glass and offered it to her. "I feel like I should apologize for the way I got upset at you before. I understand now why you did what you did--pretending to give us up for capture to gain an advantage. At the time, it was very frightening, and it hurt to be seemingly betrayed by a new ally. I promise I won't harp on it anymore. Thank you for saving us." "No promises here," Cassie grumbled quietly, clearly fighting exhaustion. Carol offered another apologetic smile and mouthed "Ignore her" at Ben. Out loud, she asked, "What about Zeke? How's he doing?"

[Ben Merasska]

Ben laughed to cover up the rush of guilt and anxiety as the Jedi's wife pretty much gifted him with an excuse. Sure, he'd used the position he'd gained for their advantage, but at the moment the only thing he'd cared about was getting out of there alive.

"Water," he said, moving to the tiny galley to get some tumblers. "And I don't know if that man's made out of durasteel or what, but he's still breathing. A man doesn't get much tougher than that."

[Carol Saska]

A non-committal "Mmm" was all that Carol had as reply. It seemed there was no limit to the strange and wondrous powers the Force could grant a being. She found herself wondering idly had he been covertly using the Force aboard the Lady, or if he may even have used them on herself or Cassie. She squeezed her daughter's calf to show her some comfort and affection.

"There are so many questions I have for him," she said at last. "I don't know how I'd go about asking. I don't want to just dump all over him, or sound accusatory. I just..." she threw her hands up and let them fall to her sides on the bench. "I'm overwhelmed. I keep saying it, I know, but I don't know what else to say. Is it always like this with Jedi?"

[Ben Merasska]

"Lady, I grew up thinking the Jedi were a fairy tale," Ben answered, filling two of the tumblers and turning to the two women. "So when I say I'm constantly overwhelmed by them, it's mainly because I'm looking at a... a person who could choke me to death without touching me."

He walked back to the galley and filled two more tumblers.

"This is water, before you go and inform me that it tastes weird. It's some weird kind of water that has a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals and amino acids and all it doesn't have is..."

He picked up and waggled a protein bar.

"I guess they wanted to make sure the galactic economy keeps chugging along," he said, taking a bite of the bar and picking up the two cups in front of him. "You may want to sleep for a bit before we get there. Chances are we'll be up for a while afterwards."

[Carol Saska]

Cassie was already asleep. Carol smiled a bit at her. For once, the mother was happy for her daughter's ability to sleep anywhere, at any time, for longer than she needed to.

"I'll try, but I don't expect to sleep much. My mind is racing but I'm not processing anything." Carol drained her glass in one long pull. The water actually tasted pretty good. "You know, I don't think a Jedi would ever choke you with his brain. Not if they're the force for good that we're told they are." Silence fell, and Carol found herself starting to nod after a long few moments. "Ok, well," she said awkwardly, stretching and slouching into the corner of the seat to be comfortable. "If Zeke needs us, get us. Let us know when we arrive. Thanks again, Ben. You're a hero, even if Cassie doesn't see it."

[Ben Merasska]

"Okay, listen here, lady," Ben answered, his guilt and anxiety translating into frustration and anger. "I'm no hero. I'm a freighter pilot. Normal. I don't do heroic stuff. I fly cargo back and forth for money. Calling me a hero is an insult to heroes, actually."

He stopped, seeming to think twice about letting loose, but unwilling to step away from what he'd just said.

"So don't call me a hero, all right?" he finished, and turned to enter the cockpit once more, running away from whatever her answer would be.

[Carol Saska]

Carol's eyes drooped shut of their own accord as Ben launched his emotional retort. She sighed deeply and missed his exit as she answered back, "You don't choose being a hero. It's just something that you are."

She shifted, still not quite comfortable, and decided to at least pretend to sleep. She settled into quiet and listened to the ship hum. Back in the cockpit, Ben's arrival jerked Zeke into semi-wakefulness.

"S'sup?" he grunted, not opening his eyes.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben collapsed into the pilot's seat, finally off the all too familiar rush that came with near death experiences. His arms and legs felt like jelly, and it was a miracle he didn't spill the water he offered Zeke.

"Uh," Ben answered. "We're... probably still a good ways off until we reach Some of Rit."

"Somov Rit, Ben." Xerxes spoke up, albeit quietly.

"Yeah, there. So other than that, and the fact that I'm carting around a Jedi, his teenage daughter, and his wife, after being beaten up by some scary Imperial and running for my life through a death trap of a space terminal, nothing much."

Ben paused, gulping down almost half his water.

"You should sleep," he continued. "I'll wake you up when we get there."