Kalon - Han Solo [1]

Chapter 9 : What's Your Operating Number?

The last of the blasting died down and Tasha surveyed their handiwork. About five guards lay dead around them, blaster holes in their chests. Han stormed around the edge of a console, pulling a body from a data pad next to a microphone.

"Lets see what cell this princess of yours is in," he said, his voice twinged by the helmet that still sat on his head, while he scanned through the cell list.

"Here it is," said Tasha looking over his shoulder and catching Leia's name on the list, "cell 2183."

"You go get her," said Han, "we'll hold them here," he pulled the helmet and shook out his scruffy hair. The microphone bleeped, making Tasha jump uneasily, pulling her own helmet off. Luke ran off down the cell bank, the starched white of the stormtrooper suit standing out against the dark metal of the walls.

"everything's fine now, situation normal" Han said into the microphone, his voice sounding less than convincing and with seemingly no knowledge of imperial code procedures.

"What happened?" came an almost confused voice at the other end of the line. Tasha's mind spun on a sudden inspiration.

"Weapon's malfunction" she whispered into his ear, and he parroted it without missing a beat.

"A slight weapon's malfunction, but we're all fine now. We're all fine now, thank you. How are you?" he cringed as he said and Tasha face-palmed nearly laughing out loud despite herself. A quick glare from Han just made her laughter harder to keep in, snickering slightly.

"We're sending a squad up," came the voice, and Tasha's laughter abruptly stopped, and Han glanced to her for what to say. She shook her head frantically, mouthing 'No!' to him urgently.

"Uh, no, no. we have a reactor leak here, now. Large leak, very dangerous. Give us a minute to lock it down." He said, obviously panicking, speaking far faster then it should.

"Who is this?" said the voice, obviously realising what Tasha had done seconds before: there was no way for a reactor leak to reach this level, "what's your operating number?"

"Oh, go kiss a Wookiee!" Tasha snapped angrily down the microphone. Han looked at her incredulously and Chewie let out an almost startled growl before Han shot out the receiver.

"Really?" he said through gritted teeth, "now we're gonna have company."

"Believe me flyboy; you managed that all on your own." She snapped, waving her blaster in the air. "'how are you?'" she mocked, almost giggling slightly at her own imitation. Han looked very unimpressed.

"You go see what's keeping him," he said after a moment. She nodded, chasing off down the cell bank, cursing at the uncomfortable cut of the stormtrooper suit.

"Leia," she breathed, rushing through the open door of the princess's cell, "we have to go." The young woman stood up, crossing her arms over her white dress.

"Nice to see you too, sis," she said with a devastatingly icy glare.

"Now is not the time. We're here to rescue you. I've come with Ben Kenobi." Her voice was still hard but it had an almost pleading tone to it that Leia was sure to mention later.

"Ben Kenobi? Where is he?" she demanded, frantically jumping forward.

"Come on," said Tasha, grabbing the princess's hand and pulling her out the cell, Luke hot on their heels.

"I know how to run without you holding my hand," Leia growled, pulling her hand out of Tasha's grip with another savage glare, "I'm not still 12, if you haven't noticed!"

"We can't get out that way," said Han, meeting them halfway.

"You seem to have cut off our only escape route," Leia said coolly.

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, your highness?" Han replied, not used to dealing with that sort of attitude. Not until he met Tasha, anyway. A blaster shot just above their heads made them all dive for cover, Luke, Leia and Tasha on one side, Han and Chewie on the other. Tasha fired a shot back in retaliation. Luke shouted into his COM link over the noise of flashing laser blasts.

"There's no other way out!" Luke shouts a moment later, seemingly shaken up by the constant fire.

"Well I can't hold them off forever!" Han shouts back, "now what?!"

"This is some rescue!" Leia says sarcastically, "when you came in here didn't you have a plan for getting out!"

"She's the brains, sweetheart!" Han shouted, gesturing to Tasha. Leia's eyes slid coolly over her sister.

"I might've known," she muttered barely above a whisper, but Tasha knew what she said, and shot the girl a glare to rival her own. Leia's chocolate eyes darted around the small space before ripping Luke's blaster out of his hand. She shot toward Tasha at a small grating about level with her knees. Han, who had not been expecting this, startled, throwing an angry glare at Leia.

"What the hell are you doing!?" he exclaimed.

"Someone has to save our skins!" she replied, blasting her way over to the other side of the hallway, "into the garbage shoot, flyboy!" Han looked over his shoulder at Tasha as Leia slid down the hole in the grating. Tasha just shrugged, continuing to shoot at the overwhelming onslaught from the stormtroopers. She pushed Chewie in front of her towards the grate. He growled in response, shaking his head.

"Just get in there you big furry oaf!" Tasha shouted at him as he hovered above the opening, "I don't care what you smell!"

"Look Chewie just get in there and don't worry about it," Han said, kicking the Wookiee before he disappeared.

"Wonderful girl, your sister," he said, and Tasha could here the sarcasm dripping from his voice, "either I'm gonna kill her or I'm beginning to like her."

"I know the feeling." She replied, letting another blast rip from the laser gun. "Luke, you go!" the farm boy nodded in response, dashing across amidst the raging gunfire. He dove down into the rotting stench that had started to reach Tasha.

"You next, princess!" he shouted to her and she obeyed without thinking, diving into the darkness.