Trax calls out his warning, but it is cut short as one of the guards is upon him, force pike raised to strike. The guardsman attacks, thinking it will be an easy kill against a helpless opponent overcome with pain. And the rest of you believe that as well. Yet somehow, from some hidden reserve, Trax finds the strength to roll out of the way, and the force pike strikes only deck.
Trax struggles to keep it together as the pain fades, all too slowly. His head is up, but he is on his knees, doubles over.
Unseen by Trax, Collan leans heavily against a bulkhead, grasps a support strut with his left hand, and rests his blaster rifle on it, taking careful aim.
Ch'lana, seeing Collan is well-braced, gathers himself for some sort of heroics.
Keshani, inspired by Trax's efforts, rises to her feet. Snapping her arms down and screaming in defiance, she throws herself against the barrier. The tone of the scream changes from anger to pain as the barrier resists and the charge courses through her. But she has been a slave a long time, and she is no stranger to pain. She hesitates, as if about to give up, then grits her teeth and pushes harder. The field begins to deform, and in a moment she is through, collapsed on the desk and gasping for air as the aftershocks wrack her body, smoke rising from her skin in lazy curls.
It is a long shot for heavy pistols, but Niil aims both at the guard attacking Trax. It is extreme range for the pistols - a touch shot even against a stationery target. However, the target is not aware of Niil, which makes it slightly easier. Both pistols roar. The first bolt hits the guard on the shoulder, spinning him to the left and forcing that hand to loose it's grip on the force pike. The second shot hits mid-abdomen, punching through armour. The guard doubles over and collapses to the deck where he lays, not moving.
Trax glances at the unexpected shots, and spots Niil with a smoking blaster in each hand. Trax can see Collan behind him, and Ch'lana.
Nightshade breaks into a run, circling around one of the cells. He gets close to the last trooper, but not within sword range just yet.
Nim, conscious of her vulnerable position and beyond the range of her pistols, keeps herself and Danny under cover.
The last guard, surprised at the arrival of new opponents, steps sideways to a control panel and activates something. Immediately, the deck and all surfaces in the cell area become energized. Screams come from inside the cells.
At the same moment, some sort of shield pops into existence. It encloses the entire bay in a dome. You are not sure if it is an energy shield, particle shield, or both, but it looks powerful.
As the shield stabilizes, red lights begin flashing, and an alarm sounds.
[Actions?]
Trax, Keshani and Nightshade are under the effects of an 8D stun field. Unless they can overcome 8D of stun damage, their muscles are not operating. The senators and the old man in the cells are all under the same effect.
The guard does not seem affected by the stun energy flowing through the deck.
