"Get us out of here, T3" said Klyn as he ran toward the Bridge.

"Rynn, get ready to fire at the control tower if anything hold us."

With a flying long-legged leap, Lyla was back in the blessed safety of the Handree. Quickly, she spun about, checking the entrance to the hangar and that it was clear of last-minute Stormtroopers bursting in. Then she slammed the airlock down shut and locked it tight. 'Okay, gun it! Blast off! Let's go!' she chimed in after Tera, then began a desperate flight back to the Bridge where she could man weapon turrets if need be.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:26, Fri 19 June 2015.

Desperately the Handree lurched forward as T3-M8 engaged the manoeuvring thrusters and the gunship tilted closer to the docking bay floor. Then with a burst speed the starship  dropped clear of the Star Destroyer's hangar bay. In the front of the starsip in the blackness of space is the Bespin system and a twinkling of stars. Checking the rear view screens the Desolator vanished into hyperspace. The Rebels had recovered the Handree and the medical supplies.

The Star Destroyer no longer a threat the Rebels could breath easy for a moment as they gathered together at the Bridge and considered their next move.

As the whole ship lurched violently, Lyla clutched at a wall panel to save herself from stumbling, not knowing what was going on. Had they escaped? Had they been hit? Her heart was leaping into her tails, her stomachs were turning somersaults, and she felt the desperate chill of a predator behind her.

As the deck levelled out again, Lyla picked herself up and hared off again, pelting up to the Bridge, just in time to see stars and the destroyer disappearing into them. She could hardly believe they'd escaped, they were free, by the skin of their tails. 'Is that it? We're free?' she asked, hoping for confirmation. 'Where's the Star Destroyer going?'

Tera looked sheepish, almost embarrassed as she responded to Lyla "Well, I kind of thought to myself, is there anywhere in the galaxy that the Empire truly deserves to own. A special place where no matter how tight the Empire holds, all it gets them is more trouble." her eyes glimmered with amusement as she knew Lyla already knew the answer to her question. "Tattoine" she confirmed the destination.

"I sure hope that's it. But just to make sure we should check the ship for tracking devices and set course for destination via an indirect method. I think we need to drop off the medicine before we go back for the Alabeck's gold." Tera suggested.

This was a close call... but they were becoming used to that.

As he arrived to the bridge, Klyn could see the empty space around them.  A very pretty enjoying sight to be said.  Free of imperials.

"I don't think they expected us to come back to the ship... and even less to flee with our ship, but better safe than sorry. You are right on both counts. Let's to this quickly for we have only gained time, and they will need as much time as they can to get out of the planet before the starship is back.

T3, could you give us an estimation of the time we have until the starship goes out of hyperspace?"

"Honestly didn't think we'd be getting out of there." Rynn said, laughing through his voice modulator as he lounged in the captains chair. "I mean, I'd all but settled on a short life on Kessel."


"So, assuming we aren't being tracked, where are we going to be heading?"

Lyla grinned as Tera revealed the new destination, liking it a lot. Tatooine was like the punch-line of the galaxy. She only wished she could see Grendreef's face when he saw it come up on the monitors. 'Nice. If they fall for it, they could spend years searching for a secret Rebel base in the desert. Let's just hope they don't remember the real Isis coordinates.' The twi'lek slumped into a chair, adrenaline fading with relief. She was exhausted after their desperate flight and fight, the tension of an hours-long flight alongside Stormtroopers. Being strapped to a chair and drugged and interrogated. Goddess, she'd come so close to a nasty end.

She could cry later. Trying not to tremble, she said 'We need to go back to Isis immediately, one way or another. We need to contact the base ASAP, warn them they don't have to evacuate after all. If the Rebels pull out, we might not get back, and we'd've have lost the base anyway.' The Rebels were "we", not "them", she realised. She was a part of the Rebellion now, she'd cared, she'd fought, she'd suffered for it. There was no quitting now. ''Sides, I doubt this crate is in any shape to run the blockade around Polmanar.'

Cheerily T3-M8 beeped that the Desolator was a slow starship and would be in hyperspace for days, it gave Klyn and the old droid plenty of time to do the much needed repairs to the Handree and finally give the Rebel gunship back into hyperspace. The other Rebels had the run of the ship, it offered them lots of rest, refreshments and the use of the medical bay.

Punching in the Isis Coordinates Klyn had them homeward bound without a hitch, a rarity for the crew of the Alabak's Gold. To make the team complete they just needed to get back to Neskroff and be reunited with their trusty jumpship. After the streaks of hyperspace had faded away the familiar crystal planet loomed. Flying planetwise the comlink chatter was excited and by the time they had landed many Rebels were in the hangar to greet them. Lowered by repulsorlift they floated to the ground and received a great cheer.

They were relieved by a crew of Rebels who quickly prepped the Handree and got ready to send it off on its original mission. It looked like the crew would finally be given some rest and relaxation. Looking around the hangar there was no sign of the Alabak's Gold.

The rescued Adar Tallon, now dressed in a Rebel uniform, gave them the thanks of the Rebel Alliance for their heroics and also offered them his personal thanks saying he would do all he could to reward them, passing them each a keycard.

OOC Everyone is fully rested and healed. You are free to explore the Rebel base alone or in groups. Just let me know what you want to do and I'll add threads.

Tera jaunted around the base. A spring in her step that hadn't been there for years. She'd voluntarily exiled herself on Tattoine at the suggestion of the rebellion, but the Empire had muddied her name so profoundly that most rebels believed the propaganda. She was finally free of the stigma. While they might doubt her for many reasons, Tera was convinced that they'd never doubt that her loyalties any more.

She smiled broadly to all in her path. The memories of the blaster burns a distant past after spending some time in a bacta tank. Tera was at peace with the world and she felt it to the core of her being. Also helped by the Handree setting it's course to help those beleaguered rebels needing the cargo of medication.

She knew at some point there would be a need for them to join together. They might lose some old faces to other missions that needed them more desperately, or there might be new faces to replace the lost ones. She was expecting to spend some time in meditation and finding herself, but there would be time for that later. She went to the cantina more for ambience and atmosphere than the consumables available there. A datapad in her hand with the last few months of scientific journals...and one or two celebrity gossip subscriptions would see her spending a very pleasant afternoon.

Once they got back underway, and all seemed safe and well, Lyla slipped off to the disused – and now disarmed – officer quarters, finding one with a nice big bed. How long had it been since she'd slept? Not since she was aboard the Alabak's Gold, seeming like years ago. This one long hard day had seen her survive a crash, trek through the crystal wilderness, chase and battle Imperial scouts, spend hours in tense waiting, be taken prisoner, endure drugs and interrogation, make a desperate escape through an Imperial prison, sit tight beside Stormtroopers, and finally fight her way off a star destroyer. Sooner or later, those drugs would have after-effects, her body ached all over, and even with the legendary endurance of a Ryloth-born twi'lek ranger, she couldn't keep her head up forever. And now, she didn't have to. Grubby boots, all-temperature cloak and all, Lyla collapsed on a bed and fell into a deep and much-needed sleep. She didn't wake until they were back at Isis, being shaken awake by Tera.

The rest passed in a blur, a waking dream of cheers and congratulations and thanks from Rebels in uniforms, of tedious debriefings and reports, of medical exams and bacta treatments. She could hardly believe it, that she'd come so far, that all these high-types were praising and accepting her. If only they knew, but would they care? Lyl'arahn, the orphaned survivor from Ryloth; Little Lyls, the notorious spaceport thief and stowaway; Lily Petals, the hot nightclub dancer and mistress of the Twi'lek Twirl; Lyla Rahn, the rugged ranger and tracker of Tatooine; was now Lyla, Rebel scout, heroine of the Alliance, bane of the Empire.

Finally, she was given fresh clothes, disgorged from the system, set free on the base. And she was lost, shocked. After running and fighting and surviving so long, how could she just stop now? Maybe it was PTSD. And more – she'd been interrogated, drugged. Okay, tortured, even if they'd not stuck a blade in. She'd not broken, she'd kept the secrets of Isis. She'd been ready to die. She'd been willing to do anything. She'd even faced the Gutretee's apparent fight-to-the-death. What did that mean?

Wandering the streets of Neskroff, she found a cantina, deciding her answers would be there. She needed a drink. Or two. No, she needed several drinks, and a massage from tail to toe, and a cute guy to treat her tenderly. Or two. A newly minted Rebel heroine ought to get all that right? And a medal too.

OOC: sorry for the delay, last week at school is always very busy ^^

As they finally reached Isis, Klyn couldn't believe it.

The trip back consisted mainly on checking the cargo, healing their many wounds... but no death, as incredible as it was.


He also worked with T3 to repair the damage caused by the imperial team... and the damage caused by the fights.

The arrival proved to be too much for him.  He supported smalls close groups, but not such a crowd.  As soon as he managed, he left and went on the first task in his mind. Especially since he didn't see it as they landed: Where was his ship?

sadly he wasn't very good at talking with people... a bit too rough around the edges...

Should T3 have free time, he will enroll him in his quest.

Tera looked up from her journal as Lyla arrived, with a smile she raised her glass in a salute. Her face in the brightest dazzling smile, she seemed perfectly relaxed and comfortable sitting at a side table in the cantina. "What brings you here?"

Lyla looked around, the scout feeling lost for once. Her eyes settled on a familiar face, Tera, and she drifted over to take a seat. 'Mmm. Beer.' she mumbled. 'For a start.'

Tera smiled, waving for the bartenders attantion. "A beer and a fruit juice please." she finished off the last of her glass. "A good start to rest of the day." she leaned forward to confide in Lyla "They call it fruit juice...but honestly I doubt there's any real fruit in it. It only tastes vaguely of fruit." Tera grinned before taking a professional look at Lylas face and head "Looks like you've healed up nicely. Any tenderness? lingering pain?"

Beginning to take stock of her injuries, Lyla rubbed her bruised lekku, wincing. She realised the big Gutretee Iponta's punch to the brain-tail had been the worst she'd suffered since coming to Isis, and the battering they'd taken in the crash had been more disorienting than anything else. She'd gotten off lightly, really. 'Tender, but the flashbacks have stopped. And whatever crap that interrogation droid pumped into me doesn't seem to have done any damage,' she grimaced. 'That I know of.'

Before, there'd been the stun grenade escaping Tatooine, and the force-pike in the back and the blaster bolt in the shoulder in Adar Tallon's fortress. Earlier injuries had been toughed through and healed up by Tera and her bacta patches. That didn't leave scars, only memories. She tugged aside the shoulder of her tight shirt, exposing the patch over her last blaster-shot wound. 'I think this won't scar... Thanks for patching me up all the time, Tera. I wouldn't want to go back to dancing with blaster scars.' she said with a grin.

Receiving her beer, she pulled open the can, saying 'What about you?' She supped her beer, not caring much for the taste, but was eyeing the board for some Rylothan beverages.

"I did a thorough screening for toxins in your system. After I put in some agents to counteract the effects of the chemicals it gave you, I didn't see anything in the last scan I took of your blood. All I could find were some residuals from tissue repair. I think we all got off rather easy if I'm being honest." Tera amirked as she leaned across the table to whisper confidentially to Lyla "I think that they might give us enough cash for what we've done that you'll never need to dance again. Having said that need is a different thing from want..and you seem to enjoy the attention." Tera grinned as she opened with a mild dig "What were you thinking, when you got naked approaching that fortress? Going to blame if on heat exhaustion?" Tera stood up lifting up her shirt to expose her midriff, and what appeared to be a nasty case of sunburn on her right side "I got a lot of blaster burns, but some time in the bacta tank and now it only hurts when I laugh. I take some painkillers to let me sleep better, but I don't like it during the day, makes me too fuzzy headed."

She smiled sipping at the juice. "There are many mysteries left to uncover. What happened to the Gold? Can we salvage that scout ship? I'm actually thinking of taking a sabbatical to go see the Gutretee. They have a wealth of culture and history. It might be interesting, though I'd need to learn their language. Assuming of course, we have the time before they bring us in to something else...." Tera shrugged. "In the meantime, we should just relax and enjoy every single moment that they're allowing us to rest and heal up."

'Thanks.' Lyla said to Tera for all the medical attention, as much as she might have fussed at the time, raising her can in salute to the doctor.

She shared Tera's smirk as she brought up the naked scouting thing. Well, Oglo wasn't around any more, so she could admit the truth. 'The rocks were orange, I'm orange – it seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, it worked, didn't it? Either Tallon's boys didn't see me or didn't believe it.' She lowered her voice, alongside a dirty grin. 'But, between you and me... I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.'

She threw herself back in her seat, bursting into giggles like she was a little girl again. Though it was morning, she hadn't that much beer, yet, and a Twi'lek's three stomachs meant she could handle a lot of booze still. She was just finally enjoying this time off from the Rebellion, a chance to relax and not be shot at.

'Sorry, I shouldn't make you laugh.' she apologised half-heartedly, seeing Tera's burns across her belly. 'Though speaking of getting naked in public...' she commented wryly, noticing eyes on the two women comparing their scars. She pulled her shirt up over her back and turned to show the livid red line that marked with Zardra had cut her with a force-pike. Later, she realised the doctor had already seen all her injuries anyway. Maybe it was just more exhibitionism.

Calming down, she swigged some more beer as she listened to Tera's plans, nodding in agreement. 'It's probably still parked upside down in that canyon... Yeah. But, you know, I might go with you. You'll need a guide, and I have to keep you alive for once... 'Sides, I need a walk to clear my head, the kind where I disappear into the wilds for a moon.' the scout sighed. 'So long as I don't get have to get hit in the head by a Gutretee again. I don't know how you won that.'

After moving through the cheering crowd Rynn moved to report back to Corporal Tessus, who had originally sent him while he was paroling to check out what had turned out to be the Imperial survey team. "... Then Tera switched the coordinate to take the star destroyer to Tatooine. Tee-Three and Kyln made some repairs and we jumped back here."  He said out loud while typing it into the report. Pushing back from the desk he looked up at Tessus and signed. "You thought it would just be a simple bit of space debris, and it damn near killed me a few times over."

Tera spoke in a low voice commiserating "You don't need to tell me. I lived on tattoine for a year. If I never see sand again I'll be happy. Why you think I send the desolator there?" She raised her fruit juice "To the desolator may they spend months on Tattoine looking for a secret rebel base that doesn't exist"

Tera looked around and turned bright red tucking her shirt back in. "Well...ummm, I wasn't naked naked, just showing my tummy a bit. You show off more when you're fully clothed!" Tera said chuckling "It might be fun to get out of this place for a bit, though my survival skills can best be summed as using a commlink to order food. If you think you can tolerate having me around I think I'd like to go to meet the gutretee again. My secret was simple.....and you might not believe me....but I asked him to let go of the rope....and he did"

Lyla raised her can in a toast, cheering 'To Admiral Grendreef, may he get sand up his backside too!'

Surprised at Tera's words, she looked down at herself. She was only wearing a plain white t-shirt, though it did hug her curves well, and shorts, which still left a lot of shapely orange leg. She'd always picked her regular clothes for practicality, to stay cool, but they showed her curves as well. She nodded, accepting that.

'We'll make it a hike then, or a camping trip, depending on how far away the Gutretee village is. We'll need to take a lot of food; we can't eat crystals.' she noted, already planning the journey. It would be like the Nightlands of Ryloth, with its crystal forests, but would be much warmer with a lot of glare from refracted light.

'You... asked him?' Lyla repeated, confused. 'To throw a match to prove the worth of his tribe? And he just did it? You mean, I didn't have to get walloped in the tail?'

Tera nodded "We'll let everyone know where we're going and when. There's no point to being unnecessarily risky and pack some comm-links too." she shrugged with a smile at Lylas last comments "I don't know. Maybe the Gutretee are an exceptionally polite people? Perhaps Iponta got confused by my request and forgot what he was doing? Or maybe it was just fate and destiny" Tera nose wrinkled in amusement "I think sometimes you need to get walloped in the tail. It's life's way of saying don't play with 8 foot Gutretee made of muscle and sinew." Tera suggested "Though honestly, I don't think anyone in the galaxy could have happier than me when I saw you heading towards me in the control tower. I actually thought for an isntant I might be left behind on the Desolator."

Lyla eyed Tera for a moment, wondering if she was covering something up, if there'd been something more than merely asking, but she couldn't think what it could be. 'They weren't made of muscle and sinew. More like crystal and rock.' She rubbed the top of her tail, uncomfortably reminded of the bruise to a very tender spot. 'I didn't want to fight him, I was trying to trick the old chief out of it. I wanted to have a half-arsed fight with you, then say I'd take your life later, or make it a Wookiee life-debt or something... Fortunately, they must have some funny idea of what "taking life" means...'

'Not a chance. No one gets left behind.' Lyla promised her friend, reaching over the table to touch her hand. 'At least, I wasn't going to leave you there alone.'

"They most certainly do. I've lived a life on Isis in my head. Seen a million wonderful things here....unfortunately I also have a strong desire to eat crystals that I somehow manage to get over after trying to eat one or two." Tera laughed loudly echoing around the bar. "I swear they must think we've had too much already." Tera smiled appreciating the gesture as Lyla touched her hand "I know. It's just when I heard the countdown, and I thought I was going to be left behind it gave me quite a fright...but I know. We stick together. We weren't going to leave you in that interrogation cell either. I wish we could have stopped them taking you there, but we were powerless at the time and lucky to escape." Tera nodded thoughtfully "We stick together. No-one gets left behind." Tera said those words like they were a promise she was making to herself.

Lyla laughed along with Tera, raising her voice so all in the bar could hear. 'We haven't started yet!'

'You know there's no time like the last second... Actually, I kinda wished you'd waited a few minutes before barging in like that. I was getting Grendreef to tell me his plans. I thought I could talk my out of there, or...' She trailed off guiltily, not wanting to say the "or", that she'd tried to seduce Grendreef, the last resort of the Twi'lek slave girl. She shrugged. 'I was desperate. Maybe it was the drugs. Probably a good thing you came when you did...' She broken off, grinning, forgetting. 'You should've seen me earlier. Another badass speech.'