Collan, Nightshade, Nill, Nim, Trax: Raid on Horuz

[Keshani]

Keshani took the pistol back and checked it over quickly to make sure it was working correctly.

"Anyone have a spare power pack?" She asked the room at large.

She may not be very good at *shooting* blasters but she could hold her own with handling them and making sure they would function properly...

[Collan]

Collan nodded to Charrua, "We have a ship that we're all getting out on, including you," he paused, his heart nearly breaking because of what had to be said, "Charrua, this will likely be hard to bear and possibly break my heart were I have to hear it, but we won't be able to rescue your people enslaved here. I'll leave it to you all to decide what you will do but our mission is clear-we have to rescue the prisoners who could lead a rebellion and restore the Republic."

"'Damaria,'" Collan was clear he didn't buy the name, "I respect your privacy but you need to understand something as well. The Jedi is our friend. If you come with us, please don't get any ideas. Between Charrua, tarffarh, and us, you'd be traveling with some experienced soldiers and warriors. You're going to be far safer with us, even in another firefight, which we hope to avoid. Just keep your head down, okay?"

[Keshani]

Again that stare. It was focused and intense - as if the teenage girl were staring right through Collan.

She knew he didn't believe her. But she didn't really care right now. She just wanted to get out of here.

She crossed her arms and her lip turned up a bit into a slight sneery look that teenagers were so good at giving - that look like they were talking to the biggest idiot in the galaxay (because who would know better than a teenager, right?)

"If you really think that you're going to have me follow you all without ANY way to defend myself then the stories are true and the Jedi really HAS turned you mad." was her retorted reply. "If you give me some spare power packs then at least I can help protect myself."

It was attitude to be sure. Attitude the Rebels did not need right now. But there was an undercurrent of fear, as well. The girl was obviously terrified at the thought of not having a way to protect herself, as well...

[Collan]

Collan wanted to sigh in exasperation but checked it. The kid was in a bad place...most likely.

"No one is taking your weapon. I prefer you armed; we need all the hands we can get in case things get pearshaped," the word hairy was going to escape his lips but he checked that too, "I'm suggesting you stay out of a firefight because I can tell you're not experienced with blasters," he held up a hand to forestall the typical teenager response, "It's how you hold it and how you fired your weapon just a moment ago."

Collan let out a breath, "Look. I'm not going to tell you that I understand everything in your head right now but it's clear you're scared and not sure what to do next. And that's another reason to keep your head down. You have to be able to control your emotions."

he offered a small smile, "But it's also okay to be scared right now. The Force knows I am. it's what you that matters. Demaria, can you do this?"

[GM Craig]

Collan nodded to Charrua, "We have a ship that we're all getting out on, including you," he paused, his heart nearly breaking because of what had to be said, "Charrua, this will likely be hard to bear and possibly break my heart were I have to hear it, but we won't be able to rescue your people enslaved here. I'll leave it to you all to decide what you will do but our mission is clear-we have to rescue the prisoners who could lead a rebellion and restore the Republic."

The wookies confer for a few moments.

[Keshani]

She chaffed at Collan's words.

"I'm not going to tell you that I understand everything in your head right now but it's clear you're scared and not sure what to do next....You have to be able to control your emotions"

Her jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth practically biting her tongue to prevent a reflex reply.

How DARE this laser brained IDIOT presume to lecture her on emotions. She could take care of herself. She'd been doing it her whole life. Who was he to tell her what to do.

Keshani's face flushed slightly red in anger clashing rather dramatically with her dirty blond hair.

But she held her anger and her tongue (as well as the blaster) in check.

"Fine". She said. "Are we going?"

[Collan]

"We need to wait on the Wookies. They have a hard and terrible choice to make," Demaria could see the pain on Collan's face at that thought.

"And it's good you're ready. At about this point when I escaped, I think I might have sprayed anything that moved with a blaster. I was a wreck and barely holding it together."

[Keshani]

He was speaking words, but they just weren't sinking in to Keshani. The last few weeks (months?) had been brutal on her and she just wasn't at a point right now where she could think any further beyond the here and now and more importantly how it affected her.

She wasn't an awful person. It wasn't that somewhere inside of her there wasn't still care for others. But through her experiences here she had had to do an emotional "triage" of sorts and all of her energy was focused right now on how SHE would manage to survive.

"Maybe you don't know everything." she replied shortly and turned away from Collan.

She needed to get away from his pain and his so obvious attempts to put her at ease; to empathize with her.

She didn't need anyone but herself, her subconscious mind reminded her. People always just stabbed you in the back in the end...

She would stay with these people to get out of here and then she would escape them, as well. And once again she would truly be free....

[Collan]

Collan shook his head at her departure. Poor kid. He waited on the Wookies.

[Nim Naja]

"I'm fine." Trax replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Worry about the old man.  I helped save his sorry hide once, not sure I'm inclined to do it a second time."

The rebel strode forward towards Nim leaving Niil behind.

"I'm sorry." he said softly, raising his hands almost as if he was surrendering.  "I didn't mean to snap.  And I didn't mean to be an asshat and force you to stay in the back.

No, that's not true, I did mean to keep you back there.  I just..."  want you to be safe.

"I'll work on it."  Trax wanted to add the condition that she agreed to keep her head down or move away to safety the next time fighting broke out, but he bit his tongue.

Nim blinked, genuinely surprised at Trax?s apology. She hadn?t expected the sort, at least not in the middle of a mission of this calibre.

I?ll work on it is what did her in.

"Thank you," she replied just as softly. She slung the rifle and laid a hand on his chest, looking up to him with pale blue eyes. There was a smile on her ruby lips.

?The fact that I can't stay mad at you for long is a bit frightening. You?ve already won my babies. You just might be winning my heart too.?

[Niil Spaar]

Niil blinked at Trax's brusqueness, then shrugged and turned to other matters.  Trax's attitude was starting to grate on Niil's nerves again, and that was a distraction or emotion that he couldn't afford right now.  "So," he said to no one in particular, "the location of the senators?  I'm afraid my slicing skills aren't up to snuff, and I'm afraid we're rapidly running out of time here."

[GM Craig]

The wookies finish conferring. Charrua comes to Collan, and growls at him. He can't make out most of it, but it's clearly a good by. It looks like the Wookies are going to part ways, in an attempt to free their people. They wish you luck, and as a group they head off to where the latest group of Stormtroopers came from.

Ch'lana, his face grim, starts in the other direction. "We should get moving," he says. His voice is tense. "It won't take them long to send reinforcements here."

[Collan]

"May the Force be with you Charrua," Collan said as means of farewell.

He ran over to the others.

"The Wookies are going to attempt to free their people," he informed the group, "I hope they succeed but it will help us no matter what."

Collan looked to Nim, "Sooooo? Where do we go?"

[Nim Naja]

Collan looked to Nim, "Sooooo? Where do we go?"

Nim didn't turn but her other hand raised and was nearly shoved in Collan's face as if saying, "Talk to the hand" while she was busy and focused on Trax.

[Trax]

Trax was completely dumbstruck.  There was no witty or smartass remark that would come to his mind, and that was definitely a first.

Nim meant a lot to Trax, she'd not only saved his life, but what little progress he'd made in dealing with past events was solely because of her.  But it was more than that, much more.  He wrapped his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.

Collan's interruption and Ch'lana's voice broke his silence and he sighed a little before speaking.

"They're right, we need to get moving." he said, not letting go of her hand.  It was obvious it's not what he wanted to say.

"You've got the map, you lead.  We should ask the girl to have a look while we move.  In case there are access hatches or maintenance passages."

Trax finally looked away from Nim and turned towards the girl.

"We have to make sure she gets out of here safely."  There was a specific tone in his voice that Nim had only heard him use when talking about one other person.  Even though the resemblance was slight, she could easily tell that when the man looked at the girl, he saw Mariah.