Kylo Ren

XXIX

Vona swung through the air, wind cutting through her thick flight suit like a lightsaber through, well, anything.

She was dead.

She was dead.

She could already feel the pressure of the planet squeezing her as she descended to the core.

"By the Force, you could give me some help here!"

Vona looked up and realized there was a hand holding her wrist!  "Pát!"

"The one and only.  Now give me a hand.  Heaven knows I need one."

It was then that the pilot noticed the woman's limp arm.  "Get my hand onto the lip of the door.  I can do the rest."  She didn't add that she wasn't sure it'd even work.

Pát grimaced and planted her feet on either side of the door.  "One.  Two.  Three!"

She pulled with all of her might.

Vona hung by both hands on the edge of the doorway.  "Keep a lookout.  Wouldn't want either of us getting shot."

"On the contrary, Captain.  I'd quite enjoy that."  Pát laughed.

She was sobered by her superior's glare.  "Right."  The fighter turned and got her blaster ready.

Behind her, Vona kicked at the air, before swinging herself to gain momentum.  When she had enough force, she used it to launch herself up onto the deck.  She steadied herself with Pát's shoulders.

The soldier let out a hiss of pain.

"Sorry!"  Vona looked down the hall.  Spotting an abandoned stormtrooper blaster, she took it.

"What's the plan?"  Pát asked, closing the door so that the wind no linger pulled at them, and that strange urge to just turn and jump, for no reason at all but to do it, was gone.

"We go to the hangar.  There should be a couple ships there."

"But we need a pilot!"

"You're looking at her." Vona spun the girl around.

"Well, technically, I'm looking at a dead stormtrooper, so that doesn't help us much."  Pát's way to deal with the trauma of the battle was to crack sarcastic jokes.  However, that wasn't helping them escape.  Rather, it was hindering them.

"Pátriciá, I can leave you here alone, so you can try to find another way out of here."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

The two women snuck down the halls to the hangar.  "Okay.  Do you see that ship there?" Vona asked.

"The DP20 frigate?  Are you sure it still works?"

"No, but we can hope."

The remaining few troops were loading onto their vehicle.  Vona sat behind a box, and pulled the overly-eager Pát down next to her.

"Wait," she hissed.

There was a sound of the rocket-like engines, and the Troop Transport vehicle was gone.

"Alright.  I doubt they left anybody here.  We're going to the frigate, it's fast, it will hold two people.  Nothing else here will.  Got it?"

"Got it."  Pát touched her shoulder gingerly, took a deep breath, and watched Vona as she slowly stood.

Vona poked her head up over the side and watched for any stormtroopers.  When she found none, she stepped out, blaster at the ready.

The two women ran, crouched, to the frigate.  Usually, there was a crew of ten required.  Hopefully, they could make do with two.