Private Burning Rocket Fuel

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus grinned as he lifted his datapad. He had seen the alert through his implant and could have read it there, but it always seemed polite to let people know when he was engaged with another device.

The meeting was going well, he thought, given the change in tactics. He could act like a grown up, hold a conversation and be away into space. After he had become a 'snack' of course. He wasn't going to let that turn of phrase be forgotten.

"They're actually on world having a little look around. Bix has never seen snow so I'm sure that will keep her entertained for..."

Asmus frowned.

"...is it normal to see volcanic activity?"

"Not uncommon," Durvin said.

Asmus heard the tremble before he felt it. The windows rattled in their frames. The cutlery rattled on the tables.

"To feel it?" Asmus added.

"No, not like that," said Durvin, who was suddenly reaching for his own datapad.

 

[Kaile Vera]

​

“What was that?” Kaile asked although a chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the frozen environment.

[Statement: That was seismic activity. ] Jay replied with his robotic voice. The lack of tone did not hide the concern he'd convey.

"Och, just... a rumble, right?" the owner would ask, a bit of worry in her tone.

"Hey, does anyone monitor the volcano then just in case? Have a contingency plan in place?" Kaile asked, while Bix was far too busy trying to play with the fluff of snow accumulating on top of Jay's smooth droid dome.

"Well, nothing too fancy. Like I said, we ain't never had any issue before." the owner explained, which worried Kaile. Anyone who didn't worry about any potential pitfalls made Kaile even more concerned.

"Find out just in case. Because if there is any chance of that erupting, you'll need an evacuation plan in place just in case... because either the hot ash will get you... or the lava will." granted, that was in the worst case scenario, but there was still the hot gasses or the potential smoke concerns.

"Let me get Carks on the comm."

Off in the distance, the plums of smoke only grew darker.



Back at the warehouse, Durvin would connect with Sei Psk. A deep frown would etch over his dark face. "We are getting more seismic activity. Looks like a lava collector might have been damaged because of it."

"The volcano has been active for decades but it hasn't erupted past its normal flow, the chances of it --"

Another rumble caused the table to shake.

"..."

Kairon glared, "Might have picked up in odds, I'd say boy."

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[Asmus Janes]

Kairon was more opportunistic that Asmus. His moral code was strong, but he had done things in his past that he would never speak of to Asmus. His nephew had always been soft at heart.

"Durvin, I've got the biggest ship in that dockyards. Pay me now and I unload the containers and make space to evacuate. The dolls will be fine unless the entire town collapses and they won't be your biggest problem if that happens."

Durvin gave a nod.

The dolls were small business to him. He could unload them easily enough at a cut down price, but he had made the personal invitation to see Asmus again. Now, as his interests were threatened, he had larger problems on his mind.

So did Asmus.

He stepped away, going for the comm.

"Kaile, are you there? Get to the ship."

His heart was pounding. They were the love of his life together. He'd never put them both in such danger before.

 

[Kaile Vera]

​

"Kaile, are you there? Get to the ship."

"Aye, hear you. I saw the smoke. Folks are saying that they are thinkin' of evacuatin'," Kaile replied back, giving a quick nod at the shop owner, who had indeed called Carks only to find out that there was an incident at the depot. They were already evacuating that now.

"Sensors are pickin' up a deep disturbance underground," Kaile added, "Seems that the obsidian tunnels and minin' areas they have here had been sensin' an increase in steam pressure, but they didn't think anythin' 'bout it because they thought it was just gonna pass." Idiotic for sure. When dealing with mother nature, one had to be cautious. Complacency led to deaths.

"Seems like they don't have much of an evacuation plan that's been updated in a while..." the concern in her voice was evident, but it wasn't like they were Alliance members anymore or SIS to request assistance. They had very limited capabilities.

"You and Kairon, okay? I'll head on to the ship with Bix and Jay."

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[Asmus Janes]

"You and Kairon, okay? I'll head on to the ship with Bix and Jay."

“We’re on the way, get the Twins to start unloading the cargo. We’re going to get as many passengers on board as possible.”

Asmus was out of the restaurant first. He was still carrying his mug of caf. He sipped it as he walked and talked, his gazes heading for the distant horizon and the mountains.

Asmus dropped his voice.

“Kaile I’m not going to put Bix at risk. We’ll get Durvin to contact authorities and direct some people to us, but I’m not taking us anywhere to land if that thing is going off.”

He threw back the rest of the caf and tossed the mug aside. The ceramic landed in a pile of soft snow, remaining in tact. The cafe had more to worry about.

“Got no water taxis. We’re looking for a bridge.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

​

“Kaile I’m not going to put Bix at risk. We’ll get Durvin to contact authorities and direct some people to us, but I’m not taking us anywhere to land if that thing is going off.”

Kaile felt the knot tighten in her throat, a sharp, aching pull that wouldn't let go. It took her back to another time, another planet -- a chaotic mess where everything had gone wrong. The natural disaster should've been enough, but it was the aftermath, the panic and stampede, that ripped everything away from her. The memory of losing her first child still haunted her, ghosting around the edges of her mind when she least expected it.

But she couldn't dwell on that now. Not when survival was the name of the game.

"I know," she said quietly, nodding more to herself than anyone else. "We won't." Her voice had the hard edge of someone who'd seen too much and lived through worse. She and Asmus had promised themselves they'd put family first, no matter what. They weren't Alliance anymore, weren't SIS either. They were out here on their own, scraping by in the black with a kid to think about. Bix needed them sharp and steady, not weighed down by old wounds.

No more missteps. No more taking risks they couldn't afford.

Her gaze flicked to the muddy stretch of cityscape outside, searching for a way to make this drop without setting foot in a mess they couldn't clean up. "Is there a spot I can bring the ship closer? Drop a line or something? You think you can climb up?" Her tone was measured, but there was a twinge of unease in it. Kaile wasn't sure how the deal had gone down. She didn't know if they'd be ditching the cargo in a rush or if things had gone smooth for once.

In this life, nothing was ever guaranteed. Negotiations could shift quicker than a slipstream, and they had to be ready for anything. So Kaile kept her nerves tightly coiled, mind running through contingency plans even as she waited for a response. Out here, trust was a rare commodity, and every decision hung on that razor-thin line between survival and ruin.

Now it was a matter of getting themselves, Jay, Bix, and her to the ship asap. And if there weren't any water taxis...

Right from the corner of her eyes, she spotted an airspeeder. Well that was one method.

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Asmus Janes
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[Asmus Janes]

"If the worst happens I'll climb a fucking rope," Asmus declared. "Hopefully it won't come to that."

He didn't want to think about the worst case. Where that mountain suddenly exploded and he had to ask Kaile to take Bix and go. Their daughter came first.

"There'll be some people coming. Durvin is paying, but I think that's for some evacuation help more than the dolls now."

In the situation he said it how it was, even with Durvin jogging alongside him. The man was tapping at a datapad as they went, trying to secure as many of his people as possible. His whole little empire was at risk. Asmus didn't know if there was an insurance policy for this.

"If you get rushed maybe just take off and we'll work something out," he said "I trust you. Always."

"Durvin! You must have a car?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

​

It took some finagling, but the storekeeper agreed to get her son to drive them to the ship with the compromise of getting them to the evacuation area. At this point, whatever would get them to the ship fast enough to get Asmus and Kairon.

Listening to Asmus's comm, Kaile gave a short, humorless laugh. Bix was too busy pointing out the dark plumes in the distance and asking Jay who was cooking such a big meal. Ahh, innocence.

"We might have a few more bodies of our own. Had to get to the ship somehow and haggling the use of an airspeeder was the only way."

Kaile would watch at the distance and after opening herself up to the Force did her best to try and discern if there was any chatter that indicated the gravity of the situation.

"I'm not leaving you alone." Kaile told him. "We'll get to you."

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Asmus Janes
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[Asmus Janes]

"I'm not leaving you alone." Kaile told him. "We'll get to you."

"You..."

He was going to argue. What could he possibly say that she didn't already know? That Bix had to come before him?

It would just be a waste of breath and it was starting to look like he needed to run.

The ground shook, interrupting his stride. He stumbled, his hand shooting out to push off the nearest wall. Asmus grabbed Kairon's shoulder, keeping him on his feet too.

I love you. We'll get to you.

Asmus switched to his implants.

"Bridge!" Durvin cried out.

Asmus accelerated. The bridge was old. Dust fell from the walls with the next wave of tremors.

I'm not going to die here

He couldn't. Not after everything they had been through to get here. After all the time apart, all the heartache. He wasn't going to die to a bloody volcano. They deserved a break, to be a family. And now with a babysitter a little time to make good on some missed promises.

They made it over the bridge. He grit his teeth and ignored the harsh sounds of stones grating against one another as the old structure was shaken.

They reached the port and Asmus felt a flicker of fear. There were crowds trying to make their way inside.

Durvin called out and Asmus realised part of the crowd was made up of his people. They had a security guard with them. The wealthy businessman had greased the wheels for his key staff to get off world.

Another sudden shake caused screams. Behind them, the volcano cracked open. Asmus kept his eyes forward, heart thundering as he saw the familiar outline.

"I'm flying!" he cried out as he rushed up the ramp. There were over two dozen people in his wake.

 

[Kaile Vera]

​

"Daddy!" a young girl's voice rang out, high and clear above the din. It was Bix, still clinging tightly to Jay, her little arms wrapped around his neck like a lifeline. Kaile was right behind them, her face flooding with palpable relief as her chocolate-brown eyes darted over Asmus, scanning him up and down. He looked alright, at least for now.

"Alright, I'll keep things situated here," Kaile said, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "Jay, take Bix to our cabin. Keep her safe and strapped in tight." She barely had a second to brush up against Asmus, planting a quick, reassuring kiss on his cheek before locking eyes with him. "Get us out of here!" she urged, her trust in him unwavering. She knew if anyone could pull this off, it was Asmus.

Kairon was hot on Asmus's heels, navigating through the panicked crowd. The urgency of the situation weighed heavy as they herded everyone to their seats. Asmus had that look in his eye -- the one that said if things went south, he'd be piloting with some wild, gut-twisting maneuvers. And they'd all better be ready for it.

"Listen up, folks!" Kaile called out, her voice cutting through the noise like a blaster shot. "I need y'all to strap in and secure yourselves any way you can! We're getting off this planet, and it's gonna be a rough ride!"

Her words were met with frantic movements as passengers scrambled to buckle in, the ship humming with tension and the promise of whatever came next. All eyes were on Asmus now, their only hope of making it off-world in one piece.

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[Asmus Janes]

He had flown many mission against the First Order after the collapse of the Alliance. They had frequently been dangerous, coming with a low chance of survival. He had become accustomed to the routine and just kept flying.

This was different. When he heard Bix's voice, it struck him to his core. He had to fly them out of here safely. He couldn't avoid thinking about the consequences of failure and that was what made it different.

His hand went to Kaile's waist. A firm tug and a sharp nod of his head was his only reply. Asmus pushed on ahead, Kairon behind him.


Lights were flashing, warning alarms barring. The sensors were alive, scanning the skies. A plume of dark smoke had risen, dispersing particulate far and wide. The sensors couldn't decide in they were failing or if an enemy fleet was descending.

Asmus hit several switches to manually confirm atmospheric disturbances and it changed its pattern of scanning.

"Put the intakes to minimum!" Asmus called out, taking the seat.

"I'll scratch your fucking eyes out before we crash if you mess this up."

He hadn't even seen Mai, but out of the shadows - and he assumed a sense of self preservation - she had appeared. He remembered the start of the day and 'daddy is a snack' and realised how far they had come in just an couple of hours.

Asmus' left hand gave a faint tremble as he reached for the controls. He closed his eyes for the count of three and willed the tension away on his next breath.

A deft touch and the bulk vessel lifted straight upwards.

"Kaile," he called over the intercom. "Get a handful of people on the starboard side moved port side."

The balance was only a touch off, but small margins could be the difference.

 

[Kaile Vera]

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Kaile could feel the bulk vessel shudder as it flew, its weight groaning against gravity. The eruption was close, and the clock was ticking.

"Kaile," he called over the intercom. "Get a handful of people on the starboard side moved port side."

Kaile's head snapped up as she heard Asmus' voice echo through the crowded cargo hold. Her instincts kicked in, honed from years of tight situations and quick decisions. The murmurs of fear from the evacuees around her were growing louder, the panic palpable, but there was no time to coddle.

"Alright, listen up!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the rising anxiety. "I need five of you to move to the port side, now! Family of three, you first. You two -- go with them."

She moved through the crowd, nudging them gently but firmly toward where they needed to be.

"Come on! When I say move, you move! Every second counts!" Her voice had the sharpness of authority, the kind of voice that got people's feet moving without question.

The ship jolted suddenly, the durasteel floor vibrating beneath her boots as a thunderous boom reverberated through the hull. Kaile braced herself, grabbing onto a nearby railing as her stomach lurched. The volcano had erupted, sending a shockwave of ash and molten debris skyward. The air outside was thick with chaos, and the sensors began blaring warning lights across the control panels.

Screams errupted in even more panic and more than a few ducked down to grab at what they could. The situation was spiraling fast, and she could feel the ship's tremors as the ash clouds and seismic aftershocks began to mess with the vessel's systems. Jay had Bix safe in the cabin, but her mind kept darting back to their daughter. She had to focus though. These people -- they were her responsibility now.

Another shake. Kaile steadied herself, eyes darting between the frightened faces. There was no room for fear. Only action.

"We've gotta get outta this atmosphere before it gets worse!"

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