Survival With A Pyne

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

The Sith whirled around as soon as the engines jumped into life, his cloak snapping loudly as he moved.

Cenric popped his head up just in time to see what happened next, bright blasts from the laser cannon soaring across the room. The Padawan's eyes bugged out for a moment, watching as the bolts struck the ground in front of the Sith in quick succession before quickly enveloping him in a small explosion. Debris cast out, small pieces of the metal decking that the man had been standing on.

Smoke rose as the hangar returned to it's silent state.

The Padawan's heart beat quietly, his fingers fidgeting as he slowly slid to the right and fumbled for his lightsaber. For a moment he watched quietly, slowly using the wall behind him to push himself off the ground. The smoke within the hangar bay began to dissipate, and then he saw him. The black robed figure still stood within the middle of the room, his hand outstretched in front of him, an odd sort of barrier forming directly beyond the very edge of his palm.

Cenric gaped.

What in the hell was that?

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya leaned forward to stare at the terminal as the dust and smoke began to clear, only to see the Sith still standing, his covered hand outstretched, completely unharmed. There was an odd sort of shimmer that pulsed outward. She scowled angrily, her nose recoiling in disgust by the sight of his defiance to just die. Damned Forcers! It was impressive, but in all the wrong ways. For her, there was little more she could do but hope that she could somehow overwhelm him, or at least prevent him from moving long enough that Cenric could scoop himself off the ground and surprise him while he focused on the laser cannon, and Mariya.

You want more? I'll give you more!

Her finger squeezed down hard on the triggers, once more the howl and squeal of the guns came to life, firing another volley of blasts straight towards the Sith that stood between her and Cenric.

There wasn't a whole lot else she could do, short of trying to ram the ship into him, but that could very well lead to also crushing the Jedi, so she simply continued trying to gun down the Sith.

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Blast after blast struck the invisible barrier that the Sith held, smoke and debris shooting into the air and raining down as Cenric tried to pull himself together. Pressure from his wounds built in his chest, his body felt heavier than usual, and his vision was a little hazy. Slowly however he managed to stand by his own two feet, flipping the lightsaber within his hand so that the emitted pointed forward.

The Sith's attention was almost entirely on Mariya and the turret she operated, the mask fixed just ahead.

Cenric watched as the man deactivated his lightsaber and put a second hand up behind the barrier, the thin film of nothing oddly seeming to thicken as he added more of his power to it. Even then he could see the man tense slightly, Mariya's continued barrage clearly having an effect. For a moment the Padawan simply watched slightly mystified. Then slowly he pulled himself from his stupor. His fingers tightened for just a moment and then he took a deep breath.

He had a shot, he just hoped Mariya would time this right.

Squeezing his eyes shut Cenric thought as hard as he could. There was really no other way to describe it. Telepathy was...impossible for him, at least it always had been, but he had to try something or else this would be complete suicide. He thought and thought, attempting to give Mariya some sense of what he was about to do.

Then he broke into a sprint, bounding forward and directly towards the Sith's back. His lightsaber jumped into life, stabbing forward directly towards the mans back. His hope being that it would finally bring the man down.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The Sith wasn't budging. Mariya couldn't tell whether that was good or not, but if he wasn't moving forward, it meant he at least had to concentrate on her, right?! Perhaps that would give Cenric the chance to catch him off guard, and, hopefully, do the smart thing and end that thing's life, instead of that merciful Jedi thing that Mariya found absolutely idiotic, and try to force him to surrender or subdue him. The Jedi was already hurt, already out of options, and already much less skilled than his opponent, so she simply prayed to the goddesses that he would do the smart thing and put his lightsaber through the Sith's back while he was focused on Mariya and the laser cannon.

Blast after blast she saw the small silhouette of the Sith standing, the glimmer of whatever kind of Force barrier he had managed to call forward.

Then she felt something invasive, in her mind.

At first it was simply some kind of strange tingle that sent her hair on the back of her neck standing up. She felt goosebumps, and then the faintest calling, or suggestion in her mind. Her free hand raised to her head to steady herself, and in that single moment her finger released the trigger, halting the continued volley of fire as Cenric ran towards the Sith.

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Cenric felt his lightsaber slide through the Sith.

It happened within the blink of an eye, a single heartbeat, fast enough that The Padawan wasn't even sure that it had actually happened. The bright Cyan blade passed through the other man's form, the training saber simply piercing the Sith's body. A loud echoing scream jumped from the man, the pain of the odd static charge that the blade produced jutting through his entire form. A scream seemed to echo within Cenric's mind, a screech that seemed to echo through the force itself.

The Padawan took in a breath, his eyes slamming shut as he steadied himself.

Then the Sith dropped to the floor.

Somehow Mariya had received his message, somehow she'd stopped firing her weapon. As the Sith dropped onto the floor so did his barrier, disappearing in an instant. Cenric braced himself to be obliterated by laser fire, scrunching himself and half recoiling into an odd sort of ball in hopes of saving himself. Half a second passed, and when nothing came The Padawan finally looked up, his expression a mixture of relief and wonder as he stared at the ship in front of him.

Slowly, he let out a sigh of relief, glancing down at the Sith Lord before looking back up at Mariya.

He let a moment pass, then gave her a small wave.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya leaned forward, looking out and down towards the now slain Sith, and the Jedi that somehow still possessed all of his limbs, and life intact. Her hands relaxed on the controls to the turrets, and upon seeing Cenric wave, fell back into the chair with a relaxed sigh. The moment was brief, knowing well that they were still in serious danger and needed to be on their way sooner than later, especially now. Pushing back the brunette slipped out of the chair and barreled her way through the ship towards the ramp, boots clanking against the grated metal as step after step carried her out and back into the bay, rounding the corner to face the Jedi in training.

He looked tired, exhausted even.

"You alright?" She asked, pushing the body with her foot to ensure it was dead. Once she was satisfied that the singular hole through the man's chest was sufficient enough to make permanent his demise she leaned down and scooped up the scarlet blade. Despite having no training or understanding of how a lightsaber functioned, she could only assume it would be better off in their hands than anyone else here finding it. The midnight hilt in her hand was examined for a moment, before she lifted her head to address the Padawan. "We're almost rid of this place, the ship is just beyond there."

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Cenric took in a slow, deep breath. For a moment he simply had to look at himself, check if he actually was okay before he could answer her.

For some reason he didn't feel okay. There was the pain in his side of course, the new bruises that surely decorated his skin, but that wasn't it. Looking down at the Sith body he couldn't help but feel...wrong. Killing was not the Jedi way, even when you were facing the greatest enemy you had ever encountered. He frowned for a moment more, then slowly looked up and shrugged at Mariya. ”Could be worse.”

A lot worse in fact.

The man had been too egotistical to see Mariya and him as a real threat. His overconfidence had been his undoing, something that Cenrics master had said was a quality of most Sith.

”I think…” He trailed off, then glanced back towards where they came from. ”I think we better hurry.”

The ship was nearby, but he doubted that the Sith was alone. They had to get out of here.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya studied Cenric's silence and body language as he observed what had happened in those last few moments. He seemed somehow disturbed or upset about it, as if there had been any other option, or potential avenue to work with. Were all Jedi this stupid when it came to saving their own skin? Did they really feel like it was some moral high ground not to kill someone vying to kill you? What sense was there in that? No, she would never feel guilt or regret for pulling the trigger on someone that was about to do the same to her. It wasn't logical to think any other way. It wasn't sensible. It was idiotic and silly. It would get him killed someday, that much she was sure of.

Jedi. All so damned righteous.

"Yes, we should."

Cautiously but expeditiously the girl trekked towards the opposite corridor that awaited them, hopefully leading to her ship, and to the safety of anywhere but this station thereafter.

So long as they found no more obstacles or interruptions blocking them from doing exactly that.

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Cenric nodded, pulling himself up and following after Mariya as she headed towards the door.

The odd feeling that had pickled along his skin just before the Sith had arrived was gone, but a different sensation still remained. He didn't know the force well enough to say what it was, but it felt...off. He frowned as they walked across the hangar bay, both of them pulling back against the wall as they opened the door into the hall. Cenric peeked around the corner and then nodded, slipping forward while keeping himself as low as possible.

The hall where the Sith had come from was empty, no sign of bodies or anything of the sort.

Yet as they came upon the next doorway Cenric could hear the sound of a loudspeaker, followed by someone shouting and a multitude of people talking in a hushed murmur. He frowned slightly, and then motioned for Mariya to come closer. ”Do you hear that?”

His voice was a low whisper.

There was no doubt in his mind that someone was beyond the doorway, but there was no telling who.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The brunette crept closer and knelt down beside Cenric, leaning herself closer towards the door to try and get a read on what was being said. The thick plating of the blast doors prevented her from picking up on the actual words being said, but he was right, there was definitely at least a number of people beyond, speaking about something. What it was though she didn't know. What she did know, was if they were about to get into another fight, they were severely outnumbered and outmatched.

Looking down to her side she had only her blaster pistol left, having left behind the expended rifle she'd picked up earlier in the scrap.

Biting her lip she looked around, searching for someplace to hide and observe those that may be coming through. There wasn't much, at least nothing preferable. They could duck down behind a few crates, but at the right angle or even a modicum of searching would easily reveal the two where they were. Cenric could use the cloaking device, but it wouldn't help Mariya remain concealed. She pointed towards the crates all the same, and began to sneak her way over, assuming the folks beyond would shortly be on their way through.

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

He frowned slightly, following after Mariya slowly.

The young Padawan wasn't exactly the best when it came to sneaking around. He was big, clumsy, and generally tended to run in before anyone could suggest the option of 'stealth'. Here he knew that was foolish, but as he crept along he couldn't help but feel out of place. Even with the cloaking device his movements seemed loud, obnoxiously so, and he half cringed as he found his way behind the crates with Mariya.

He motioned for her to stay low, his head slowly raising as he peeked up over the edge of of the crates.

Beyond the small hiding spot he saw something that finally made sense to him. Alongside what he assumed to be Mariya's own ship was another one, one that was distinctly Imperial. Standing in front of it were dozens of Stormtroopers, not the odd black armored men. In a large mass, just beyond the Troopers, stood nearly a hundred men and women, all of them civilians. They were very obviously being directed by the Troopers, one of the soldiers striking an uncooperative man in the back of the head.

Cenric grit his teeth, pulling himself back down behind the crates.

"They're taking those people onto the transport." From his tone it was more than clear he wanted to do something about it.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

She looked at him, her head twitching slightly as her shoulders rolled, "So what? Who cares?"

Clearly Mariya was far less concerned about what a bunch of Stormtroopers were doing with the civilians on the station. They were likely being taken prisoner, or forcefully relocated elsewhere, or perhaps they were now the most recent involuntary volunteers for the imperial army. In any of those scenarios however, Mariya wanted no part in said story.

All she wanted was to get to that ship and make off this karking station.

Not to be the champion of the galaxy.

She wasn't a fething heart-on-the-sleeve Jedi.

"Let them do their thing and we'll escape when it's clear. We can't fight an army!"

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

"Who knows what they're going to do with them!" Cenric spoke almost too loudly, and almost as if he noticed it himself he clamped a hand over his lips. A frown touched his expression for a second, and then he shifted, whispering this time. "They could be enslaving them!"

Clearly it was a rather big deal for Cenric.

Mariya was right that they couldn't fight an army...but they couldn't just leave them behind either. "We have to do something!"

Of course, the reality was that they couldn't really do anything. They were severely outnumbered, three Star Destroyers still sat in orbit around the station, and there was no telling if the Sith had been by himself. For all they knew a dozen more of those black robed men were stalking the station looking for them.

It was only a matter of time before they found out.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"Are you insane or just stupid?!" She barked under hushed protest. "There's nothing that we can do for them! Wherever that transport is taking them I am sure you don't want to be going too!"

If he wanted to risk his skin for a bunch of people he neither knew nor had any connection with then that was his priority, but she wasn't sticking around any longer than absolutely necessary. An entire regiment of Stormtroopers was more than enough reason for her to simply wait for them to be boarded and away before she traversed the bay to her own ship. The odds weren't just not in their favor, they were completely and entirely guaranteed to fail if they tried anything. Mariya had a single blaster pistol, Cenric had a lightsaber, but was already injured. They had no armor, no cover, no vantage point, and no means of escape save for her ship which just so happened to be on the opposite side of the stormtroopers.

So there was nothing to be done but to wait.

She shook her head "I'm not going out there. And if you do you're going to get yourself killed. And that's still not going to change their fate."

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

Cenric felt his heart beat in his chest. Everything that he had learned about Jedi, everything that his father had ever told him, everything that Cedric had taught him. It all rushed through his mind as he tried to make a decision. He knew that Mariya was right. He knew that they stood no chance. There was no possible way that they could actually do anything for these people, in fact they were more likely to get some of them killed trying.

But it felt wrong.

There was no other word for it. There was no other way to put it. Running away felt wrong. It felt like he was betraying everything that he had worked for, everything that he wanted to be. How could a Jedi walk away from people in need? How could he just leave them behind?

Because if he didn't he would die himself.

That was the answer, and Cenric knew it as well as Mariya. Fighting wasn't the right move here. The only correct move was to leave, and even that was half-way to impossible. The young Padawan cast one more look over the crate, watching the people as they were pushed and herded like cattle onto the transport. Then slowly, he turned to Mariya. "Alright."

He sounded defeated.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"Just wait for them to leave. That's all we can do. My ship is right there."

Loaded with stowed away Isotope-5... She still hadn't shared that small bit of information, but what's a bit of illicit cargo lifted from the hands of Sith when it meant giving it to systems that could use it to fight back? "By the time they realize another ship has taken off we'll be in hyperspace. They'll never catch us with those slow destroyers they've got." And she could out pilot those grimy tie's any day of the year. The last time she'd gotten into a scuffle with imperials she shot the ship into hyperspace while inside one of their stations, presumably causing quite the bit of damage, but she'd eluded them then, she could do it again.

"Once we're aboard, just guard the ramp and hang onto the railing on the left. I'll get us out of here."

They just needed to get aboard...

That was the troublesome part, if they didn't leave on that transport rather soon with their prisoners.

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

"Okay." Cenric said quietly.

The Padawan looked down at the ground, either because he couldn't stand to look at Mariya or because he was staring at the bare reflection within the floor. He felt an odd sort of hatred for himself at the moment, a prickling rage that made him want to punch whatever was closest to him.

Cedric had told him that emotion was the way of the Sith, that letting anger and fear control you was the path to the darkside. Yet right now it was the only thing he could feel. He was angry with himself, angry that he couldn't help those people. At the same time he was scared, scared for what would happen to them, and scared that he and Mariya wouldn't make it. Impotently he listened as the civilians were herded onto the transport, pushed and thrown into what had to be cages aboard the Imperial ship.

His fingers curled into fists as he heard one of the troopers confirm the ship was full, his entire body began to shake as he heard the sealing of a ramp.

What else was he going to do?

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Mariya waited, casting short glances at Cenric's notably visible disdain for what he was watching.

Why does he care so damn much about a station?

Believe it or not some places enjoyed Imperial rule. Not all were oppressed, despite common myth. Though she supposed it all depended on where you fell in the grinder. Folks who fought back typically found themselves in a less favorable way to the empire she presumed. What would become of these folks though? Who could tell. Maybe they'd become fodder for the Imperial Navy or something, maybe they'd be shipped off to industrial worlds to work, or maybe it was something else, they had no way of knowing.

Either way, the ramp sealed shut with a hiss, and Mariya signaled for Cenric to get up.

"Come on, now is our chance." He had the cloaking unit still, she didn't. "I'm going to run, you use that." She said, pointing to the device. "I'll fire the engines and get us out of here, you just watch our back."

[member="Cenric Marus"]

 

[Cenric Marus]

[member="Mariya Pyne"]

He gave her an empty nod.

There was really no other way to describe it..Cenric didn't want to go. He didn't want to run away, but he knew that he had to. There was no way they could fight, no way that they could escape this. Still, a part of him wanted nothing more than to activate his lightsaber and charge in. It would have been the height of folly, his master would have admonished him, but who would he have been if his impulse was anything else? He just wanted to help these people.

”I'll be right behind you.” He said quietly.

The words were almost disingenuous, but he was telling the truth.

His finger flicked across the cloaking generous. Staying behind would do him no good, and he knew that. His gaze flickered over towards the transport one last time, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his lightsaber. They had to run, but he didn't have to like it.

The Imperials would know once they fired the engines, and then it would turn into a race.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

She pushed off into a sprint, racing across the open bay just underneath the slowly rising shuttle that still thankfully faced away from her. Perhaps even covering her from the potential of the docking engineers in the tower from seeing her rush across the floor towards her own ship. That was as much as she could hope for anyway. Luckily for her she was quick on her feet, reaching the ramp to her own ship before the shuttle had completed its turn about.

Fingers pressed against the button to release the hatch, and with an angry hiss the metal flooring lowered and clanked against the ground.

Up she went, running through the cargo bay through the tunnels towards the cockpit.

Hopefully Cenric wasn't far behind.

Jumping up her hands grabbed hold of the ladder, feed sounding off against each rung as she stepped quickly one after another upwards. The cockpit had been as she left it, thankfully, untouched. Without waiting to hear from the Jedi she flicked her hands forward, fingers, pressing buttons and flipping switches that would, in short order, ignite and start the rumbling of the engines. You had better get aboard real fast, Jedi-boy.

Of course once he was on board it wouldn't take long before he noticed the cargo in the bay. It wasn't entirely discreet.

[member="Cenric Marus"]