The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 101 - Jedi on the run

Nomi was making her way slowly, using every possible cover to avoid being conspicuous. Where she was walking she influenced the surveillance cameras and the minds of the stormtroopers she was passing. But she was sure that it won't stay this easy. If they realize she wasn't in her cell any longer the hunt would begin. Then she would be the prey and every single crew member would also pose a danger to her. It won't be easy or nearly impossible to influence all those minds with the Force. The Jedi Master slipped in a storage room when the siren begun to blare. They had discovered her escape earlier than expected. She cursed inwardly hearing the heavy footfalls of stormtrooper boots. The commander looked around in the storage, but there was nothing which would support her. There wasn't even an access to the vents.
The footfalls were passing her hiding place and went away. Reaching out with the Force she assured herself that the coast was clear before she sneaked out and continued her way to the hangar bay.

On the bridge Canady was staring at the stormtrooper who had informed him that the prisoner had escaped while the sirens were blaring. The commodore had difficulties to keep his composure and not to yell at the trooper. He turned his back on him and barked orders in his comm. He couldn't believe that the woman was able to escape the cell where she was hold prisoner. Something must have been wrong with the Ysalamiri he had situated in the detention block and the interrogation room. Now the Jedi was on the run and able to use her full power. Sweat trickled his forehead and spittle was flying as he was barking more orders. He wouldn't allow the commander to escape, not when he had the chance to get her husband, who was her second in command as well. His subordinates hurried to obey his orders.

Meanwhile the Jedi Master continued to walk toward the hangar bay. She would have laughed if she would have known how troubled the commodore was because of her escape. Moving forward Nomi kept a wary eye at her surroundings constantly in danger to run in a stormtrooper squad. All her senses were on high alert and the adrenaline was running through her veins. She used a relaxation technique Luke showed her once and calmed down. It was better to keep a level head. The Jedi Master reached out with the Force. There was a trooper ahead, only one. Time was running out and the troopers stationed onboard the dreadnought were closing in on her threatening to cut her off from the hangar and the Aquarius; her freighter that would be her way to freedom. She decided against influencing the trooper's mind and drew the vibro knife she had taken in the armory. Her future victim was totally unaware of the imminent danger he was in. When he was passing the corner where the Resistance fighter was hiding, he had been attacked out of the sudden. Nomi jumped at him and cut his throat after a short fight. She cleaned the knife in haste before she continued her way. The sirens were blaring in her ears and she was well aware that the whole ship was in turmoil now.
She turned the next corner and saw the entrance to the hangar bay in front of her.
The hangar bay was heavily guarded. Canady wasn't stupid and expected her to go there. In the hangar bay were her only chances of escape. Either the battered freighter she came in to the pirates who betrayed her or one of the TIEs and shuttles.
The commander unhooked her lightsaber and changed the blaster to her left hand.

As Nomi was preparing to fight her way to the Aquarius, the rescue fleet was falling back in real space only a few kilometers away from the First Order dreadnought. All ships were cloaked and would show no signature on the scanners. Tasherit was grinning when her fingers were dancing over the Trader's Luck's weapons controls. The enemy would pay dearly for holding her mother captive. She reached out with the Force nudging her mother for a brief moment, not knowing about her current situation. Nomi smiled feeling the subtle touch in the Force and nudged her daughter back. Tash turned her head and looked at Jaden.
"Mama is here and alive," she told her fiancé and called her brothers in the Force to tell them the good news. She had to rely on this since all the ships had to keep comm silence until they would uncloak and attack.
As soon as the triplets got the good news, Dash Jr. tapped at his father's shoulder. The elderly man was busy to make the Outrider ready for battle and looked up from his work. He saw his eldest smile and knew that he had good news. The young Jedi nodded his head.
"Yes, Mama is alive. Tash just told us in the Force and we can feel her presence as well."
"Those are good news, Dash, this means she must be out of her cell already," his father responded and continued the preparations with stoic calm. He didn't want to be distracted since there was too much at stake. The pilots of his assembled fleet had their initial orders; so far so good. Everything else he would decide at a moment's notice.

Nomi moved forward without causing any noise and used the Force to catch the troopers' attention who were guarding her freighter. The most of them abandoned their post and searched for the source of the noise they had heard from an adjacent room. The commander took her lightsaber in a firm grip and moved forward using every cover she found. Only a few steps and she would have reached her way to freedom. Only a few steps and two troopers still standing guard at the Aquarius who could hinder her to escape. The Jedi Master sneaked up on the first trooper, activated her lightsaber which came to life with a snap hiss and drove the blade right through the man's back. She caught him so he didn't make any noise going down.
Before the second trooper was aware that his comrade was just killed the commander was wielding her lightsaber and the trooper's head fell to the polished hangar floor.
Nomi deactivated the saber and punched in the access code. The freighter's hatch opened and the ramp lowered. Smiling she ran up the ramp, entered the ship, retracted the access ramp and closed the hatch.
It wasn't too early. As the commander hurried to the cockpit, she heard shouting and blaster fire. She slumped in the pilot's seat, activated the engines and shields. Looking out of the cockpit window she paled seeing troopers bringing an E-Web cannon, followed by Commodore Canady who was barking orders. Her fingers were flying over the controls on her console when she activated the board cannon. She pushed the fire control button and destroyed the E-Web cannon, killing those troopers operating it. The same moment she launched, telling her children in the Force that she was on the way. She strapped in when the Aquarius shook violently while breaking through the magcon field.
Canady cursed seeing his former prisoner enter space.
"Deploy the TIEs!" The commodore yelled and his subordinates hurried to act on his order.