STAR WARS: Gray Jedi

Chapter 24

TORMIR. OUTER RIM.

All was silent. Neema opened her eyes and returned her gaze to Maas. He was confused. So was Neema. Maas didn't fire that shot. The girl was still alive. So what happened? Everyone looked around, bemused. 

"Who fired that shot!?" Maas shouted. 

No one spoke. Then, they all saw it. One of the Stormtroopers to Maas's left was wobbling as he looked to his own chest. There, seething into his white armor, was a black burning hole from a blaster shot. The Stormtrooper looked up to his comrades and fell back to the ground like a rag doll, dead.

Then suddenly, a rain of blaster shots flew through the air at Mass and his squadron of Troopers as local militia and Resistance fighters charged forward from the direction of the city.

"It's the Resistance!" Dedra yelled.

Neema looked behind her and saw dozens of Resistance fighters come, shooting out a hailstorm of blaster shots as Maas and his Stormtroopers retaliated. 

"Return fire!" Maas shouted.

Neema ducked as a blaster shots whisked past her head. She couldn't believe it. An entire battalion of Resistance fighters appeared out of nowhere, and just in the knick of time. She dropped low, trying to keep beneath the exchange of blaster fire. Her head moved on a swivel as she searched frantically for Bozin, Dedra, and the children.

"Neema!" a voice cried.

Neema turned to her left and saw Dedra calling out for her. She was with Bozin as they both tried to cover the children from the blaster fire. A few of the Resistance fighters joined them and helped them move to cover towards the forest that lied at the city's edge. Neema's instincts told her to move towards them, but she stopped herself. She looked around for Maas. She spotted him, retreating with his Troopers towards the back of Dedra's home as he fired his blaster. A shot grazed across Maas' left shoulder and he staggered back. Then she saw it. The holocron fell from his hand. It rolled towards her. She moved quickly and stood and ran for it, diving forward towards the holocron and grasping it in her hand.

Neema saw Maas as he tried to fire at her with his blaster, but there was too much incoming fire from the Resistance fighters. He retreated into cover with his Troopers. Neema stood again, keeping low, and ran for Dedra and the others.  Maas yelled out to his Troopers. 

"Break through their line!" he shouted.

Neema skidded on the dirt floor, sliding into cover behind a large Tormirian tree trunk with Dedra, Bozin, and the children. Dedra pulled her in close.

"Told you help was on the way," she said.

Neema smiled. Neema peered around the trunk and saw Resistance Fighters holding off Maas's First Order Stormtroopers. Tie Fighters and X-Wings swooshed above in the sky in multiple dog-fights. The entire city was becoming one large battleground. 

Neema turned to one of the Resistance fighters close by. "You!" she yelled. The fighter turned. "I'm Neema Kin, intelligence officer for the Resistance! We need to get these children to safety!"

The Resistance Fighter took one look at the children and nodded. "Right." he said. "We're on it." He turned to one of his comrades beside him. "Johnson! Get these children to the evacuation ships." Johnson gave a quick Yes, sir! and began escorting them away from the fight and deeper into the woodland. The first Resistance fighter spoke out to Neema. "We have transports hidden beyond the forest. Follow Johnson. He'll take you there."

"Roger that." Neema acknowledged.

"Take this," the fighter said as he handed Neema a small blaster.