Caught in the Middle

[Jacob Crawford]

For a moment Jacob wondered what she was doing as she reached for the radio on his belt, but it instantly clicked when [member="Irajah Ven"] turned the volume down. Jacob cursed silently in response. A lapse of judgement that shouldn't have been, added to the fact the warehouse was empty making it incredibly echoey.

"Good thinking," he said, giving her a grateful nod. Especially so given she was the one of the two that was currently in pain, and yet had the clarity of thought to minimize the noise.

Jacob listened as Irajah mentioned about moving, his eyes instantly lingering around the building. Though it was swiftly interrupted when he heard the doctor hiss in pain, turning back to her in time to see her attempt to sit up. A silent look was shared, both knowing that Irajah wasn't going to be able to move by herself still.

He nodded, quickly grabbing her bag and hoisting it over his shoulder, before he picked her up into his arms again. Jacob began to look around, eyes snapping over to where Irajah had indicated. First the stairs, then over to the other side of the building, where he suspected there was a back door hidden in the darkness.

He bit his lip in thought.

On one hand, there was a high chance that there was an easily accessible exit nearby, but equally possible there wouldn't be. That and the fact Jacob didn't want to leave, he still needed answers on who their attackers were. That however had the potential of putting them both; though Irajah more importantly, in danger. Ultimately though, he wasn't going to be dishonest with her.

"We'll move to the office. I-" He paused, looking down at the woman in his arms. A thoughtful look in his eye, yet also a glint of determination too. "I need to know. Who these people are, who their boss is, and why. But this means we'll potentially end up cornered if they do come in here." It would've been simpler for him to just not say any of it. He had the control here, he could just agree about the office and move. And he probably would've done if it were anyone else; if it weren't Irajah. "You are the one that's injured here, I won't do so unless it's alright with you." Jacob waited for her answer, letting her pondering on it for however long it took. It probably shouldn't have surprised him when she finally did. Jacob knew her to be kind and thoughtful, despite herself.

In the wake of that, he moved. Heading to the stairs and carefully ascending them. Each step was kept as quiet as possible, ensuring Irajah was safely against his chest as he carried her. They eventually reached the top, to what was essentially a network of catwalks, that led over to a small office on the far side. Jacob made his way over to it, testing the door initially before pushing it open with his body. A light suddenly snapped on, but Jacob immediately moved over to the switch and dimmed it down.

The room was sparsely decorated, obviously picked clean whenever the warehouse had been abandoned. All that was left was a couple desks, an office chair, and some random items spread out everywhere. Jacob carefully helped Irajah down onto the chair, being the only real comfortable surface available and placed her bag onto the table next to it.

Silence fell over them. The radio itself had been relatively silent, but they could now hear the sounds of people moving outside. Though they weren't near enough to hear what they were saying to each other. For now they were at peace, and it meant Jacob's mind was now occupied with something else in the meantime.

"Why?" It had been eating at him, and now it was finally spoken. He looked at Irajah, his eyes a mix of emotions; worry, concern, confusion. Then he squinted them shut and shook his head. "Sorry, that was-" Rude. Left unsaid, but still clear what he meant. "What's going on Irajah? This...fixation with blood. Not wanting it to be spilt, ensuring if anything had blood on it - needed to be taken with us. And the need to check the liver...I mean I get internal bleeding can be an issue, but something tells me that there's something more to it than that."

 

[Kuzo]

She was silent for a long moment, her eyes closed tight. The pain of course was part of it, but part was also preparing the clinical litany of Gideon. She spoke it rarely, but it was important- the distancing she needed to explain the virus and what it was doing to her necessary to allow her to speak of it at all.

Irajah did not consider lying to him. While retaining privacy, simply not telling someone, was perfectly acceptable- Maw, even lying to a stranger- she would not baldly lie to someone she considered a friend.

Not when she despised that act so much in others.

The rare occasion, the few people she had explained it to, some of them had been disturbed by the clinical recitation. The matter of fact tone. Irajah suspected that, since Maena, [member="Jacob Crawford"] would have no problem with it.

"Nearly a year and a half ago, a manufactured virus was unleashed on my homeworld."

She opened her eyes, but the gaze was distant.

"I won't bore you with the details. But I have carried it since then. I have spent the last year, working toward a cure- but also keeping it contained within my own body. With the Force. Which is the only reason I survived. The virus, Gideon, has a nearly 100% casualty rate. Without the Force, there would be no way to keep it contained."

Slowly, she reached up with her left hand. Three functioning fingers hooked the edge of the high neck of her tunic and tugged it down. Dark, angry bruises, clearly not caused by today's scuffle, contrasted sharply with the paleness of her skin. She let go, the fabric slowly returning to place as she continued.

"I use the Force to move the virus around my body, contained to a single organ at a time. Currently, it is in my liver- an organ I find particularly useful because of it's own regenerative capacity. My blood is only dangerous in truth at the times I am moving the virus between organs- or, if my liver had been..... well. You see my concern. Gideon is aggressive. And the idea of accidentally unleashing it on Coruscant was more important to me than anything else."

She looked up at him then, her face carefully neutral- how much effort that took would be clear in her eyes. Haunted. That careful neutrality was a mask.

"I spent five months, trapped on my homeworld after the virus was unleashed. Alone. I would not knowingly do that to another planet."

Alone. Surrounded by the dead. It didn't need saying. Just as she did not feel the desire to list the symptoms, just how they died. That would risk too much emotion in the retelling. And that she couldn't afford.

 

[Jacob Crawford]

To say Jacob hadn’t expected what was said would be a grand understatement, although he wasn’t sure what he was expecting to come out of [member="Irajah Ven"]‘s lips anyway.

Just not that.

The steadily raising of his brow, the slight gape in his mouth throughout her explanation. There was no doubt he was shocked, surprised, astonished even. And then, when Irajah had finished his lips thinned into a neutral expression. He saw the haunted look in her eyes, and he nodded to her. A subtle shift of the head, his eyes sharpened with understanding.

For he truly did, to an extent anyway. In the wake of [member="Matsu Xiangu"]‘s help in ‘clearing his mind’, Jacob remembered his time in the Netherworld. All of it. He knew the feel of being alone, surrounded by nothing at all. In his mind though, Irajah had it much worse, that the dead around her had most likely been people she knew; family and friends.

Jacob exhaled, not necessarily a sigh, just the breath he had been holding in since Irajah had started talking.

“That…” He was at a loss for words. Jacob opened his lips to speak, but nothing came from it. Then he frowned to himself, feeling something swirling within. A flutter of something that settled itself in his gut. His eyes lingered to Irajah’s now closed wound, and the imagery came to him. It felt like someone had stabbed a blade into his stomach, and were twisting it around.

Anger began to well up, aimed with the intent to lash out in multiple directions. Why was he feeling like this? What could have caused this to happen with Irajah? Did someone cause it?

Then words finally slipped out, quiet, almost a whisper but loud enough to carry over to the only other occupant in the room.

“Why did you not tell me sooner?”

Realizing he had said it out loud, Jacob’s eyes suddenly flickered over to Irajah. There was a flash of hurt in his gaze, before it was concealed behind his usual stoicism.

 

[Kuzo]

She looked up at him. Until his words had slipped out, she hadn't been, her eyes focused on a fixed point in the distance as she did her best to sanitize the narrative. So she hadn't seen the play of expressions across his face at first. The surprise on her own face at the tone in his voice was clear.

"At first, you had your own problems to deal with," she said quietly. "After getting you off Dxun there was no way I would have laid that on you, not after everything you'd been through. I was your friend, yes, but I was also your doctor, Jacob. And there are responsibilities that we take very seriously in my line of work."

She paused, the silence stretching. She knew exactly why she didn't after that. And try as she might, there was no polite way to say it. No way that it didn't sound like an accusation or just plain rude. But then, the bluntness in this new Jacob was one of his defining features. Instead of beating around the bush, she leapt fully into it.

"And after, well. I wasn't really certain that you would care."

There is was. Her tone was neutral, matter-of-fact. There was no accusation, no hurt in the statement. She had accepted the new Jacob for exactly who and what he had become. But she also didn't pretend he was the same person she had found on Dxun.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

At first there was nothing but the usual stoic expression on Jacob's face, as he looked at [member="Irajah Ven"]. There was no outward clue to tell her what he was thinking of feeling, other than the basic fact he was lost in his own thoughts.

He saw it, he understood it. The logic and reason why she had never told him about Gideon, and in general not keeping in contact. He even appreciated the fact she was straightforward about it, no beating around the bush, no sugarcoating the words. Just straight and honest truth.

There had been a spark of anger, but it was quelled by rational thought. That feeling of hurt lingered, but Jacob pushed it aside. To him, emotions had a consistent tendency to make a person act irrationally.

And yet...

Jacob couldn't deny that certain ones remained resolute, even within him.

His expression softened as he walked up to Irajah, stopping just before her and looked down at her.

"Oh Irajah..." He raised his left hand up and gently placed it against her left cheek. "I might be cold..." A contrast to the fact his hand was quite warm against her skin. "But I'm not that heartless. Of course it matters to me. I'd never forget, and always be there." He gave her a smile, a genuinely one. "But I understand your reasoning, why you didn't say." Silence fell after that, and he just stared into her eyes. And then he saw it, in his mind he saw before him the different versions of Irajah he had seen.

The one who he first met. The one he found on the Maena beach. And finally the one that was sitting before him now. That, and for a fleeting moment he felt as though this wasn't going to be the last version he'd see.

But Jacob's thoughts were filled with another matter. Something had changed, something drastic during that period time, between each version. He remembered seeing her on the beach, silently noticing how she fidgeted with her hair quite a bit back then. Instinctively, his hand moved, ghosting up the side of her face and brushing aside her hair, and looked upon the scar that was hidden beneath it. His gaze shifted, looking down at Irajah, towards her cybernetics, then back to her eyes.

"Something happened." He nodded slightly, a look of understanding in his eyes, he wasn't going to pry nor ask her to explain what exactly happened.

 

[Kuzo]

Ever so slightly, she flinched when his hand brushed her hair away from her forehead- but she didn't draw away or try to stop him. After all, after sharing Gideon, there was no much that was really a secret. And while she had kept the events on Panatha to herself at first, it wasn't because they were a *secret* but because she was *terrified*. She had known, without any doubt then, that if she told he would kill her. The one who had left those scars. Despite how far she had come, she was still afraid of him, but it had warped into a fear that galvanized, rather than paralyzed.

Oddly, she felt no fear for the man who had orchestrated it, merely for the one that had implemented. For him, no. Not fear. But a low, long burning fury.

She nodded, brushing her hair back down over her forehead as his hand withdrew, more reflexive than anything else.

"The Zambranos happened," she said, biting out the name. "It's a long story, and I suspect that now..... isn't really the time."

With Gideon, at least, she could be calm and professional. To a point. But on this topic? It was challenging, at best, to contain her anger. And she felt like neither of them could be distracted more than they already were in this moment-

They both froze as the sound of the warehouse door opening below them echoed. Hazel eyes sought his face, breathing so still she almost held her breath.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

The Zambranos...

It was a name Jacob was not overly familiar with, not at least after his return to the galaxy. But it was one that had cropped up a couple times during his time learning on Maena.

The thought occured to him to bring it up with [member="Matsu Xiangu"] when he saw her next. She was likely more knowledgeable about the matter, unless there was in fact time for Irajah to explain amongst the chaos that was today.

But now had a name to direct his anger towards, at least some of it anyway, the ones who had physically harmed Irajah to the point of taking limbs.

"Agreed, right now is now the best ti-"

Jacob was interrupted when the radio buzzed to life, now quieter due to Irajah's earlier action.

"We found something...we may have a problem."

"And what exactly is it you found?"

"One of the radios are missing."

There was a silence both over the radio and between the two occupants in the office. It only lasted for a few seconds however.

"Cut the chatter, deactivate your radios now!"

A soft crackle followed as the men outside followed the order and their line of communication was disconnected.

Jacob cursed silently, his mind already thinking of what to do next; they would need to escape, there was no doubt in his mind that they'd be searching now. And as if on cue, the warehouse's door slid open, the sound of it echoing across the empty building. Jacob froze up slightly, his eyes meeting Irajah's as both their breathing seemed to suddenly stop. He however was thinking different to the doctor. Instead, Jacob thought of an opportunity, and working up a plan in his mind he dashed over to the stretched window that ran across the length of one of the walls. He peered through it to see one of the men was cautiously making his way through, the lights below lighting up in his wake.

"I'll be right back..." He said, not elaborating as he suddenly; and quietly, left the office from the door they had entered. The lack of lighting over the catwalk shrouded Jacob in darkness, hiding him mostly from Irajah's view beyond just being a silhouette in the dark.

Jacob waited within it, watching as his target slowly came to realize the light from the office was on. His attention immediately shifted towards it, and he began to move towards the stairs. It seemed like this particular mercenary lacked experience, as he didn't call in that he had discovered something. Instead he lined himself up perfectly for Jacob, who at the moment he was near enough below, leaped over the railing.

To Irajah there was nothing but sound. The initial impact of a weight landing on another, followed by the sounds of flesh striking at flesh, finished with silence. It lasted for maybe half a minute before the sounds of boots hitting metal echoed out. Someone was ascending the stairs, one by one until they were heading towards the office. Who they were only became apparent when the door swung open with the mercenary standing there.

Only to get a boot to the arse sending him crashing to the floor. Jacob stepped back into the office, his right eyebrow sporting a bit of a cut and bruise, having taken a blow from their brief scuffle. The merc tried to get up, but Jacob delivered a heavy boot to his ribs, winding him and keeping him grounded enough for Jacob to settle his own weight down against the man, pressing his cybernatic hand over the man's chest.

"Talk."

[member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Kuzo]

"Karking maw."

It was muttered savagely as she lowered the blaster pistol she'd manage to clutch in her shaking left hand. She slumped back against the desk, shooting him a look that was both relieved and annoyed- none of which he saw as his attention was on the mercenary.

She'd been about to open fire when he'd kicked the man forward, and it had been a near thing too.

"Little warning next time," she muttered- while the tone was dark, she was mostly joking. Mostly.

Wincing, she leaned heavily, focusing on the man [member="Jacob Crawford"] had dragged up here. The man's eyes flickered over to the dark haired, pale faced woman for a heartbeat, looking for something. Maybe mercy. Maybe understanding. Maybe softness to combat the hard of Jacob's hand and voice.

He found none of that in the cold expression on her face. There would be no help for him from her quarter.

"Better tell him," she said evenly. "Or I'll cut out your liver while you watch. Seems only fair, after all."

His eyes flicked down to the blood stained and torn tunic and then back up to her face. Did she mean it? Sort of. Irajah was angry. Furious at how close she had come to unleashing Gideon on this world. Some of it was personal guilt, yes. But so much had changed in these last months, so she laid more of the blame where it truly belonged.

On these men.

 

[Jacob Crawford]

With the mercenary been held down, Jacob took the moment to look over at Irajah. He gave her a curious look, in part surprised at the reveal of the blaster moments ago, and yet at the same time he wasn't entirely shocked. It was always a smart idea to keep at least something to defend with, and from the looks of the fight earlier, Irajah had been trained since the time between now and their last talk on Maena.

She had held herself fairly well, up until she got stabbed. Then again, training can't necessarily prepare you for how unpredictable an attacker can be. He gave her a small shrug in response, timing had been crucial, not enough to explain what he was going to do before he had left.

Jacob returned his attention to the captured mercenary, the man's eyes flicking between the two of them. He could see his attention drifting to Irajah's bloodied and torn tunic, Jacob could practically feel the man's body tense as he listened to her.

"I'd listen to the lady if I were you, she's quite handy with a blade." To further dig in the point; and the fear, Jacob reached with his free hand and unsheathed one of his daggers. With a deft flick of the wrist the weapon flipped around so the hilt was facing outwards, specifically towards Irajah as he stretched his arm out towards her.

Whether she took the dagger or not, it didn't matter. As it had its intended effect in scaring the mercenary.

"Okay, okay! I'll talk."

"Wonderful. First question, were you the ones who attacked me on Tatooine?"

"Y-yes, one of the men was sent there to recruit some of the locals to help. But after that failed, it was decided to send a whole group of us after you next."

"How have you been following me?"

"I-I don't kn-" The man was interrupted as Jacob pushed his hand and weight down against the man's chest. "A-all I heard was that she has some way of tracking your ship."

That made Jacob think. When he had first taken his father's ship, he had done a full sweep of any potential bugs and trackers, and yet it seemed like he hadn't got them all.

"She? Is your boss the one talking over the radio?"

"No, not really. That's uh, the leader of our little group. Our boss-boss was the one who put her in charge."

"Then...what is her name." Jacob began to increased the pressure against the man's ribs, the point of them breaking. "Answer me!" The words escaped his lips like the hiss of serpent. But the man refused to say, at least initially. Jacob continued his 'torture', pushing down with all his weight against the man's chest, until a the resounding snap of a couple ribs echoed out.

"Crawford. Lillian Crawford!"

Jacob froze, almost looked like he had practically deflated at the revelation. The weight was lifted from the mercenary's chest, but not enough that he could escape. Jacob's brow furrowed, his mind already trying to work out if the man was lying or not. But he wasn't, the desperation in his voice was evident of that. Jacob tried to work out who this 'Lillian' was. He knew his father once had family, but the last he knew most - if not all, were dead. Other than that, the only answer that came to mind was-

A dark looked crossed Jacob's face, he audible cursed his father's name and in one swift motion, he slammed his cybernetic hand down against the man's chest crushing down into his ribs that punctured the heart.

Silence fell, but the anger in Jacob's eyes didn't dwindle as he glared down at the now dead mercenary.

[member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Kuzo]

There was a time before when Irajah would have been horrified by that moment. But instead she just watched him, her gaze thoughtful and serious, but with no condemnation in those hazel eyes.

This, she had realized when the man uttered the name, was Jacob's Gideon. The ghost he had been hunting for so long, only to discover that it was not everything he had expected it to be. She knew all too well the anger, the hurt, that went with such epiphanies, and she didn't blame him for lashing out even in the slightest.

It was an answer, of sorts. But it opened up a thousand more questions.

Why couldn't anything ever just be straight forward?

There was a certain sympathy in the expression on her face, but it was subtle and ran deep. Though she didn't know that he was specifically cursing his father, the lies and sins of 'family' were long something she had battled with herself. The memories of that idyllic childhood clashing with the weight of her parents' lies. The Crawfords, it seemed, were not so different from the Vens, and it left both of their children wondering just what revelation would come crawling out of the past next.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

After a few moments Jacob's head snapped up and he looked over at Irajah, his eyes a sickly amber colour. The unadulterated rage in them refused to falter, but it was not aimed at Irajah, not in the slighest. Instead it was more of a window into the rage and fury that was currently swirling within him. A stark contrast to the innocent and naive version of him she had met on Dxun and cared for on Dosuun. This was him having accepted the darkness in him, nurtured by the spidery fingers of Matsu Xiangu.

Jacob slowly stood up to his full height, his left hand clenching into a fist several times as he breathed deeply. Slowly his eyes returned to their normal green colour, the anger not leaving but instead becoming less raw. Rather it was concentrated as Jacob curled it around himself, letting it simmer beneath the surface.

His eyes shifted away from Irajah and down at the dead mercenary. He frowned slightly, thoughts lingering on a potentially premature death. More questions could've likely been asked, but his rage had decided the interrogation was over. Jacob made a slight shrug, he had enough to go on at least. He now knew the name of who was following him and the fact she had a way of tracking him.

There was every possibility that this 'Lillian Crawford' could be an aunt or a freaking grandmother for all he knew. But something in the back of his mind said otherwise; no this Lillian was in fact his sister.

Full or half, he had no idea. Hell, it could be that it was simply a false name and whoever was truly behind this had done it to particularly piss him off.

For now he didn't know, but he was already making plans for that not be so, soon enough.

Jacob turned to look at Irajah again, but as he did, he paused; hearing the sound of the warehouse door closing. Not opening.

He cautiously stepped towards the window, only to quickly duck when a blaster bolt suddenly shot through it shattering part of the glass.

"Don't shoot you moron, he's needed alive!"

Jacob poked his head up hearing that, knowing he wasn't going to be immediately attacked. It gave him the opportunity to take in the sight of about seven more mercenaries all lined up before, various ranged weapons aimed up at the office.

"You and you, get ready to take the stairs on my mark. Everyone else, prepare to fire. We'll flush him out."

Cursing, Jacob quickly moved back over to Irajah, he looked at her briefly before his eyes started flying about looking for a possible escape.

[member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Kuzo]

Sure, she wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for Jacob. Not merely here on Coruscant, but from the moment she'd set foot on Dxun, events surrounding the man had been, at best, messy. Sometimes the messy of a full kitchen or awkward conversation, sure. But just as often the kind of messy that led to exploding beaching and getting shot. If she had taken a moment to weigh it all out, well....

But instead she was looking right along with him.

She wasn't going to be running *anywhere* however, and there was a certain grim line to her mouth as she debated telling him to leave her there- After all, if they wanted him, chances were they'd follow him and leave her. Chances. Maybe not a good chance, but something at least. A better chance than he'd have getting out of here carrying her after all.

"Jacob-"

She only got as far as his name before they both saw the boarded up window and he took matters into his own hands.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob could hear it, the sounds of the mercenaries readying their weapons down below. He couldn’t pick out what exactly they were using, but that was hardly a needed detail in the larger scheme of things at this point. What was clear however was the fact they had no qualms with blasting up this place to just get him to leave. Run the risk of harming him a bit in the process? Probably, they wanted him alive not necessarily unharmed.

But Jacob had no intention of them being in the room when the shooting started.

“Wait!” He shouted, his voice easily carrying across the office and out into the warehouse. Nothing happened for a moment other than the rising tension.

There was no gunfire, just silence. Jacob glanced over at Irajah, noting the look in her eyes. She seemed to know what he was seemingly planning, and wondering if he was really going to go through with it. He said nothing however, not even his stoic expression betrayed what was going through his mind. Instead he walked away, stepping towards the now broken window.

“And why should we wait Jacob? Do you mind if I call you that, it’s rather odd referring you as ‘Crawford’ given you know…” The man let the sentence linger. And Jacob just knew there was an irritating smile beneath the helmet. “Perhaps because you’re protecting someone?”

Jacob’s expression twitched, though the mercenary took that as a sign of surprise.

“We’re not fools Jacob, we know you. You’re not the type to stick around when the numbers are against you. Instead, preferring to retreat to try and gain the advantage. Taking the radio, sticking not too far away...all signs there’s someone else up there with you.”

He said nothing. It at least answered his query of whether they knew about Irajah. Not like it was going to change his decision.

“If you come with us, we’ll leave ‘em alone. We’re only here for you after all, got no issue with whoever you dragged into this.”

Jacob turned his gaze away from the mercenaries below and looked over at Irajah. Again he said nothing, but there were obviously gears going in his mind, drawing up a plan.

Of course, it had crossed his mind almost immediately to ‘sacrifice’ himself. Let them take him away in order to keep Irajah safe. It was noble and heroic deed, one that would be crowned with a clap on the back for being a good person. But he had also thought of the other possibilities, what other factors went into this.

“Give me five minutes...and I’ll come down willingly.”

“Two minutes.”

Their boss was someone who knew him, well enough that they know about his arm and had supplied the latest group with an EMP. Sure it wouldn’t have outright disabled him, but it would’ve disoriented him enough to gain an advantage. There was also the fact they knew how to find him, something that infuriated him and made a mental note to do another sweep of his ship for bugs.

That didn’t even go into the fact this person was a relative of his, and if Jacob’s assumption was right, it wasn’t for a happy reunion. That’s what drew further concern for Irajah. What would stop the mercenaries from harming her, or taking her too? They might not know her, nor her connection to him. Though it wouldn’t be that much of a leap to figure it out. And what better than to have a bargaining chip to dangle over his head.

Then again, Jacob was no hero. He was admittedly selfish, and wasn’t about to let himself get captured.

He swiftly moved over to Irajah, grabbing her satchel and looping it over her shoulder so the bag rested on her lap. Jacob then moved over to the second door, peering out the window to see the catwalk stretched out across the way, then hit an ‘L’ turn and continued on. He could just about see some illumination shining down on the metal.

acob returned to Irajah’s side and he looked her in the eyes. They were going to run again.

“Keep yourself close, they’ll be shooting at me but I have no doubt some are going to stray.” Jacob leaned down and scooped Irajah up into his arms. There would’ve probably been a moment to check on her, to ask if she trusted him. Time however, was against them. And he gave Irajah a bit of time to adjust her position before they were off.

Jacob slammed his foot into the door, kicking it open with a loud slam. It was like a flint igniting a fire, as the mercenary yelled out a shout and the men readjusted their aim. Jacob didn’t pause for a second as he ran, boots slamming against the catwalk as he sprinted. The mercenaries began to fire soon after that, and he could feel each streak of heat as it zipped past him. The right angled turn was what nearly did him in, a couple of the blasts nicking his side and another outright struck his left knee. But Jacob gritted his teeth, funneled the pain into action and pushed along the final stretch. There was a window ahead of them, sizable enough to go through. And were Irajah to look up at this point, it would probably dawn on her just what was about to happen. It was as they neared it, that a thought occurred to Jacob.

I hope there’s a dumpster out there, otherwise this is going to hurt a lot more…

As if on cue, a blast struck his back and Jacob roared in pain. He almost stumbled, but managed to remain standing. Jacob shifted slightly, angling his left shoulder forwards as he slammed into the window, shattering it.

Then there was nothing but the sensation of falling. Jacob twisted his body around so his back would take the impact. He twisted the pain he was feeling into the Force, wrapping it around the both of them to the best of his ability. They weren’t particularly too high, but the moment felt like it dragged on.

Until the resounding slam of Jacob’s body hit a metal dumpster below.

[member="Irajah Ven"]