Dorn: A Star Wars Story

41. Those Who Remain

Khomo piloted the Basilisk over to the coordinates Peek grabbed from Horran's last transmission, and we found out that they had gone inside of one of the nearby buildings to try and cut off as many of the attackers as possible and cover our escape. Khomo engaged the rockets on the droid and let us ride up to the roof, where I lowered our only tow cable down into the open hole in the room where a stary rocket had exited. 

"Grab on!" I shouted so that they knew where we were.

I felt something grab the rope and before long, out came Nyra. I could see a spot on her side where it looked like a shot had punched through her armor, and judging from the way she crawled up the rope with pained grunts, I figured she had been. I came at just the right time, to my relief. I grabbed her as Khomo tried his best to keep the hovering droid steady. The rope jerked again and I soon saw Horran starting to climb up towards us, narrolw avoiding shots from the guards below. Nyra fell into the Basilisk, holding her side as she writhed on the seat behind me. She pulled her hand away and I saw a thick coating of blood on it and her eyes met mine. I saw it before, on Aurek's face on Mimban.

"Dorn," her voice was small, "I think I'm dying..."

"Not if I can help it," I nodded to her. "We're getting you back to the ship. Just stay conscious for me while I get Horran, alright?" I tried to keep my voice calm and level to try and have her stay the same. The last thing she needed was getting anxious and hyperventilating on me. "Keep pressure on it. It'll hurt like a shab, but you'll make it." I saw her nod as she pressed her hands to her side with a grimace. I turned my attention back to Horran as he was shimmying his way up the rope as quickly as we could, his torso also showing signs of blaster shots.

He made it up to the point where I was reaching for him before the rope tremored and snapped as a stray blaster shot ripped through it and bounced off the Basilisk, hitting Horran's chest in the process. He shouted as I seized ahold of the Basilisk and grabbed him with my free hand, giving a shout of pain as my bad arm tremored hard at Horran's weight as he gripped my arm as hard as he could. "Horran!" I clung hard to his wrist as I tried to pull him up, my shoulder not responding the way it actually needed to. "I've got you! Hold on..."

"Naven!" Nyra screamed behind me and tried to stand, but Khomo shoved her back down.

"Don't move!" Khomo shouted at her, "You'll bleed out before you can help him! The Bes'ulik can't take that much weight on one side!"

"Vengeant," Horran looked up at me with a shake of his head, "you have to pick between me and the squad. You know what you have to do. Nyra's hurt. She needs you to get her out of here."

"No one gets left behind on my watch! You made it through one war, you can make it through this one!" I snarled as I tried again to lift him, my shoulder once again giving more and more, Horran never getting any closer to safety.

"It's not your call to make, Dorn," Horran shook his head again, his locking with mine with the same look I saw on Osk's face when we last saw each other on Endor. "It's mine." He released my wrist, all of his weight falling on my arm that pulsed angrily and spasmed, forcing my hand to spasm open and release his. "Long live the Empire."

"Horran!" I screamed as I tried my best to reach for him, watching helplessly as he pulled out a thermal detonator and primed it as he fell back into the storehouse. As he vanished into the blackness, the whole section erupted. Windows exploded outwards with fiery plumes of debris and smoke as fire rushed up through the opening in the roof, licking at the tail of the Basilisk and prompting it to give a grinding whine and rise slightly higher.

---

The whole flight back was silent. Even Peek had stopped beeping as the Basilisk landed safely in the Summa's hangar. Khomo and I grabbed Nyra and hauled her out, her head lolling to the side, barely conscious from blood loss.