Thanks to Flurry's efforts of destroying the generators, it sent a ripple effect throughout the factory and the rest of the base. All throughout the factory, all throughout the outpost, the electric cuffs, braces, shackles started to deactivate. They unlocked on every prisoner and slave, whining down as they powered off. The workers in the factory soon realized this, and one by one, their faces started to brighten. For the first time in a long time they felt something other than worry and pain.
“Hey, hey, what’s going on here?” One of the Death Watch guards yelled, seeing some of them stopping production. “Get back to work!” He looked at one of the prisoners, a female Rodian with a chipped ear who stood there, taking their situation in. “Are you deaf? I said get back to work!”
The guard was about to swing at his back until the Rodian turned around and gripped the metal baton with her hand, giving an angry glare to the wretched Mando. The Rodian slowly stood up, and when the Mando tried to hit his finger on the shock device, nothing happened. No pain was showing, nothing was affecting the prisoner.
And then he noticed two others standing right beside him; the Wookiee and Equestrian man assigned to that workstation joining his side. Both of them towered over the Mandalorian, snarling in anger. Before he could take his chance, the Wookiee grabbed him by the arms and slammed him against a wall, bellowing out his anger on him.
"Wait, wait no please! DON'T! STOP, IT REALLY HURTS, AGHHHH!!!"
The Rodian and the Equestrian both looked away, cringing and shivering at the disgusting noises that followed after, not wanting to see the graphic violence behind them. They did see one arm fall on the ground behind them, and they could only imagine where the other one was, not that they wanted to know.
Another Death Watch guard tried to attack a poor woman and Yakyakiee, but this time, G-G was the one who intervened. Raising a blaster cannon from his dome, he fired a shot at his head, killing him at once. This didn't go unnoticed as some more guards fired upon the gold streaked R4 unit, forcing him to hike his wheels up and run as fast as he could out the open doors. And unfortunately, even when he did, there were multiple officers and guards who noticed, immediately opening fire upon the dark-colored droid.
G-G zigzagged back and forth, desperately trying to avoid being shot, but there were too many of them, and unfortunately, the one path he could run to, the guards blocked off. He was forced to a halt, with two of them aiming their blasters at him. However, it did not stop him for long, as the cannon above his head aimed at them and fired quickly, spinning around and taking out the two of them. Getting the courage, he turned around, and charged at a few guards that were trying to electrocute Yakyakiees that were forced to haul out some engine parts, but failing.
"BWEEEEP!!!!"
The cries of his binary beep alerted them, and watched as a speeding R4 unit raced towards them. G-G continued to shoot at them, hitting a few blanks on the hollow engine. But the distraction was perfect for two of the Yakyakiees to yank the guards and slam them into the ground with their raging strength.
"Yaks no longer abused! Now Yaks return the favor!" One of them bellowed, slamming his chest as he jumped up and down, sending soft tremors on the ground.
More of the Yakyakiees began to fight back, slamming guards, officers, and troopers into the ground. A few of them destroyed their helmets from how hard they punched, others were killed just from their punches. And a few of the Yakyakiees got the idea to take weapons from the downed troopers, and turn them around on the officers. Another one, getting an idea, took a Z-9 rotary cannon from its mounted stand and began to fire, its barrels spinning around.
G-G spun around as he bumped himself into another trooper, pushing him to another angry Yakyakiee who slammed his head into his helmet.
"Astromech droid help Yakyakiees!" One of them called, raising a fist to gather the others around. Eventually all the prisoners from the factories gathered as well, hearing the call from the bigger friends.
"Bwoop boop!" G-G waved, looking at them excitedly. "Bweoop boop, brrrt brrrt brrrt bop."
"Help your friends?" One of them asked, wanting confirmation.
"Boop!"
"How can we help, astromech friend?" One of the Yakyakiees asked.
"Whoohoo!!!!" Flurry Heart whooped and hollered on the back of Yona. The Yakyakiee was running on all fours, with an army of angry prisoners behind her; all of them at charging at full tilt. Above, Gallus held onto Sandbar while Smolder flew right beside them, the group ready to mow down the Death Watch and Imperials that lay ahead.
"Run them over! Tear them apart! Show these terrorists what happen when you burn friends homes!" Yona shouted.
"Look out, we got shoretroopers coming up!" One of the prisoners pointed.
A platoon of shoretroopers were running across the shallow waters, blasters aimed right at them as they opened fire. A few of the running prisoners unfortunately bit the dust, but the majority of them weren't taken down so easily. Yona's horns headbutted into the armors of a few leading the attack, paving a way for the rest of their friends to come through. Others fought with their fists and feet, taking their weapons once the troopers had lost control of their weapons.
"I've never felt so alive!" One of the prisoners yelled, punching out one of the shoretroopers with an ecstatic grin.
"Come on everyone, we must help our friends!" Yona rallied, urging everyone to just trample and move on.
The rest of the courtyard continued its chaos with multiple forces moving in to try and apprehend the Jedi, but with no luck. Death Watch came flying above in the air, on the ground, and moving right alongisde the Midnight Trooper Corp, and various other forces and platoons in the area. They were everywhere, completely boxing in the Jedi, and the droids.
Cheep and Spike kept lifting themselves from their barricades, trying to get whatever shots they could from the little pistols they could clutch, but not much luck came with their targets. Cheep did take out a few officers through the legs, but they kept moving so it was hard to lock on target. IG-11 continued to swing around, unloading all of his tricks and spins on the troopers, but even he was starting to reach his limit. The continuous firing of his blasters were making them heat up, and there was only so many people he could hit. A few of them were even hitting him back, three bolts hitting his shoulder and his chest. One more shot did the trick that sent him falling to the ground, back laying against a piece of cargo.
Bon Bon used her gauntlets to block the metal dagger that Commander Dust attempted to use on her; the metal protecting her skin. Lightning Dust's anger kept growing with every swing, infuriated with how quickly this Mandalorian and her Jedi friends managed to get help.
"Commander, we have a problem! The prisoners--"
"--Not right now!" Lightning yelled into her coms, swiping from the bottom left side of Bon Bon's vision and failing.
"But Commander, they're--oh god! They're breaking in, they're YEGAH-AGHH!!!!"
The transmission cut off, but Lightning was too busy.
"You're not going to live long, slowpoke," Lightning cackled as she made a slash against Bon Bon's armor again, hitting a small fraction of skin through the cut cloth. "Getting old, are we?"
"I'm not old... I prefer the term experienced!" Bon Bon performed a round-house kick to Lightning Dust's chest, kicking her away briefly. She returned back to a fighting stance, ready as the commander came at her again, this time using her jetpack to jump up and try and kick the Mandalorian back, using both of her feet with a harder punch. Bon Bon nearly lost balance, and when she was open to strike, the Death Watch leader slashed her again, and sent Bon Bon flying back as she landed on her back, grunting from the pain. Her hand reached for her cut sides, seeing the metal above her wrist painted with blood. Nothing too serious to keep her from fighting, but it hurt badly.
Taking a chance to bring her down, Lighting Dust was ready to curb-stomp the Mandalorian into the ground. What she didn't realize was someone was flying straight at her. From behind, and swatting at her with an electro-baton, a buzzing noise flew over her head as her body was hit with a pulsating shock of electricity as she fell to the ground. The commander was hurt, but not for long. Getting back up, a powerful force lifted her off the ground without any physical hold.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing!?"
Looking to where the source was, Bon Bon watched as Lyra kept the fake Mandalorian in the air, trying to restrain her momentarily. Her efforts were cut short as multiple troopers saw her, and opened fire on her, forcing her to let go. Losing temporary balance, it gave Bon Bon a chance to come back around. This time however, she decided upon an easier way to temporarily take her out; aiming a blaster at the commander and firing a stun shot at her body, finally subduing the leader of the outpost.
"That's not going to keep her for long, will it?" Lyra asked, deflecting another blaster bolt to her face.
"I bought us a couple of minutes, if she gets back up, stun her again. She's too dangerous on the field," Bon Bon called back. Zipping around, the Mandalorian mama watched as Lightning's extra attacker came back around, landing on her feet. However, the bounty hunter noticed something that made her concerned.
"Your wing... are you okay?"
Ocellus looked behind herself, raising her wing that had a very sizable snip cut out.
"I mean it hurts, but I can still fly," Ocellus reassured her.
Just then, everyone stopped as they heard a massive amount of tremors and rumbling shake the ground. It wasn't enough to make anyone fall or the crates to fall off their stacks, but everyone was feeling the shake. Across the shallow waters were a stampeding army of prisoners from the slave camp, led by Yona running on all fours. Flurry held onto the armor straps on Yona's back as she ran, with the teenager firing a blaster in the air like a cowgirl, whoopin' and hollering like a child getting to play a rangler for the first time.
"Let's kick some, Yona!" Flurry cheered as the Yakyakiee made another jump across the waters, moving to the sandy beaches again. Everyone bellowed as they started to fire their weapons at their former captors, taking a stand for the torture and abuse they were forced to take.
A Trandoshan and a Wookiee slammed themselves into a trooper, even batting the blaster out of his hands. The Trandoshan gripped the soldier tightly as the Wookiee took his anger out on his armor. Another Lurmen, riding on the back of a Twi'lek woman, fired at some officers who were ready to shoot the poor woman in the back, and so he quickly moved, blasting him in the arm to subdue him for the count. A Zabrak man, grinded his legs against the ground as he made a running charge to a woman he saw; a woman who abused him and battered him to no end. He looked like he was about to tackle her, but instead lowered his head, and rammed his horns into her stomach, puncturing her skin and making her cry out in pain. He backed away after he saw he made a perfect wound; not enough to kill her, but enough to get the signal across.
One of the prisoners was even an RA-7 droid of all beings, with cloth fashioned around their hips to form a sarong-type skirt and even wrapped around the chest. They held a large backpack, and hands gripped onto a Z9-rotary cannon, finger locked onto the trigger as they fired at a barrage of shoretroopers coming in from a nearby tidal creek.
Gallus and Silverstream swooped above, moving to take on a flying Death Watch soldier from above, keeping his focus locked onto them so he didn't see who came next. Soon as his attention was off, Smolder came soaring at ramming speed, breathing fire as she let out a burst of flame onto him, sending him out of control as he slammed into the ground, reduced to a burning body.
Flurry Heart dodged most of the incoming soldiers, taking cover behind some boxes. Thinking carefully, she aimed her blaster to focus on the legs. With a few shots, she missed a few of them as they ran, but after calming herself down; she pulled the trigger and got a shot, making a trooper fall over and smack down on the ground. The unexpected trip sent another trooper falling on top of him, but the others went around them, simply passing it off as defective troopers being clumsy.
As her eye focused on another trooper, she saw a new sight that made her put her weapon away; an angry horde of Yakyakiees charging with some more freed prisoners riding their backs. Smiling proud, she watched as the Yakyakiees stampeded over another platoon of shoretroopers, coming in to help attack.
Some Death Watch members stood their ground and kept fighting, even swinging lassos at some of the running Yakyakiees, tripping them as they fell. However the armed soldiers were apprehended by more of the slavers who fought back, pushing them down after they tried to trip their friends.
Sunset Shimmer kept deflecting the blasts from many of the Midnight troopers as they surrounded her, and Rainbow Dash. Applejack managed to get back up, although it was hard for her to contribute to the fight as her shoulder was in massive pain. Which was why Rainbow and Sunset stood on two sides of her, trying to keep her protected.
"Looks like we got some help after all," Applejack noticed with a grin. "I haven't seen that many Yakyakiees rounded up like the cattle on a drive."
"Never change, AJ," Sunset joked as she kept her eyes on another trooper.
G-G, swooping around the battlezone, moved himself behind a barricade for cover, where some mre of the slaves were taking cover. A few of them were concerned, up until he raised a small blaster cannon above his head, and started to fire at the more brutal troopers who were trying to beat up a poor slave who had fallen over. One of them in particular turned around to look at the group of slaves hiding behind the barricades.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? NONE OF YOU MAGGOTS COULD EVEN TAKE CARE OF THESE LITTLE JACKASSES BEHIND THE BRICKS!!? MO-RONS!!!!! WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH THEM, I'M HAVING EACH OF YOUR ASSES FOR DINNER--"
RG-G1 did not hesitate to shoot that sergeant in the head with his cannon, giggling mischievously from the shot.
As the fighting continued, Flurry looked around her. All of these troopers were completely focused on fighting her friends, her parents, and the slaves. It seemed like almost all of them were here, just trying to focus on them. Could it be...?
Pulling out a pair of binocs, she looked across the shores, seeing the massive fuel refinery; the primary source that gave any of the TIE Defenders power. But as she looked around the area (hidden in a bush), she didn't see any guards or sentries keeping an eye on the place. If that fuel refinery was what the Defenders needed to get off the ground; then it had to go.
Moving out of the bush, she ran over to a nearby spot where a few speeder bikes were parked. Not looking back, she stepped onto the speeder bike and raced off across the shoreline, heading straight for the refinery. Unbeknownst to her, a knocked out Mandalorian slowly pulled herself up, growling as she saw their one major asset about to be in danger...
Flurry stepped off the bike, seeing the massive fuel lines in front of her. But how was she going to take them out? The bike couldn't blast them all apart. There weren't any walkers around, at least, none she could grab in a few minutes and take back. How could she take them out? Grenades probably wouldn't do the trick, she needed something heavier.
Looking around, she tried to find something, anything she could do to rupture them. Maybe use her lightsaber and cut into one? Possibly, but what if it exploded upon contact? The heat from her weapon could do more damage to her than it, no sense risking that. Maybe slicing the supports holding the massive fuel structures up? No, it could possibly break and roll, right into her, and she wouldn't escape.
Unfortunately her train of thought was delayed with the sounds of rockets flying above. Quickly, she got back up and turned around, heart pounding against her chest when she saw the Death Watch leader there in front of her. She removed her helmet, letting it drop on the ground next to her as she faced her. That wicked look in her eye said it all.
“I’ve had to kill a lot of insurgents in the past few weeks,” she said, rather callously as she put a toothpick in her mouth. “Now, I really don’t want to kill a kid, but you’re making it a bit more desirable right now,” she said with a sadistic smile. “I’ll do it if I have to. Surrender now, and I leave you unharmed.”
Flurry tried to stay calm and not hyperventilate. She kept her breathing steady, but her heart was still racing.
“I’m no Jedi, but I can tell you’re pissing your pants just being in front of me, huh?” The Death Watch leader snarked with a malicious grin. “Now are you going to drop your weapon, or am I going to have to hack you to pieces?”
Flurry didn’t know what to do. No one was out there with her, and no one could help her right now. Looking at Lightning Dust, she quickly drew her weapon and fired a few shots at her, which deflected off the beskar plated armor.
“Wrong move kid. And you know what? I was hoping you’d make it,” Lightning said, reaching for her side. She pulled out a blade, and ignited it. A crackling blade of blood-red plasma erupted from the emitter of the lightsaber with a hiss of energy; to Flurry's surprise, two other, smaller plasma blades, also extended from vents on the side of the saber's emitter. “This lightsaber once belonged to a Sith cultist. And now I finally have a chance to use it.”
Flurry gulped. “That lightsaber looks a little dangerous, looks like a little kid made it…”
“This lightsaber belonged to a Sith who tried to form an Imperialistic movement a long time ago, much like ours. Unfortunately, his reign was short-lived… but the Empire is stronger. Which means, this lightsaber belongs to the might of someone as equally strong. Perhaps you might be the first person to die by its blade?”
Flurry realized she had to make a stand, and it had to be now. Reaching for her side, she pulled out her lightsaber and ignited it; letting the green light reflect in her eyes. The Death Watch commander couldn’t help but snicker.
“You say my blade looks childish? Yours looks nothing more than a pile of junk.”
"At least I made mine," Flurry snarked back, standing in a defensive position. "You just stole yours."
"You're full of it, kid. You're not a Jedi," Lightning twirled her blade around. She raised her blade up to try and strike Flurry from the middle, which Flurry blocked right away. Lightning then moved her blade to attack from the side, but Flurry blocked as well. Soon, both of them were clashing their sabers intensely, the blades bouncing off each other as they fought.
The Death Watch leader however, had more advantages in their duel. Using her rocket boots she leaped up into the air, and landed back down, trying to strike from above. Flurry jumped out of the way, but had to roll across the ground quickly to avoid a secondary attack from the commander. The commander ignited a flamethrower, trying to set Flurry on fire but failed to do so. Unbeknownst to her, she had an idea. Waiting for her to strike again, Flurry ducked out of the way as the flames barely scorched the outside metal protecting one of the fuel cannisters. The commander however caught on, and reduced her flame spewing, switching to a more advanced weapon; whistling birds.
Small little metal darts came flying out, charging at Flurry who moved out the way while deflecting another one of them to avoid being hit.
"For someone training to be a Jedi, you sure are a coward. Most people would actually try to defend themselves against my weapons," Lightning snarked, slashing the ground as she paced herself going to the teen.
Flurry gripped her saber tight as she moved into a different defensive position, trying a different strategy to face her opponent. Lightning attacked again, forcing Flurry to block and use all of her strength to push the commander back. However, the older woman was stronger as she forced the teen back, spinning her weapon around to use the smaller plasma blades to try and burn Flurry's skin. She pressed herself harder, trying to get the blade further and further against the girl.
Thinking quickly, Flurry used one of her legs and kicked Lightning Dust's leg out of nowhere, getting her to lose her balance temporarily so she could move away and get some space to try and stand. Lightning growled even more as she raised her saber up to strike down, only to stop as a blaster shot from the side hit her shoulder, and then her arm, getting her to drop her weapon. Both Lightning Dust and Flurry looked at the sources; Team Six.
Gallus held a DC-17 blaster rifle, aimed at Lightning Dust. The others were gathered around to help fight, ready to help bring the terrorist leader away. Following their plan, Silverstream and Ocellus launched themselves into the air, getting the commander to follow. Silverstream whipped out her blaster pistols, and Ocellus loaded hers as well, both shooting at the commander who was racing towards them. Ocellus zipped away to avoid getting another section of her wings clipped, and Silverstream swooped away as well. The Arisian flew around like a fighter, swooping and whipping around the refinery to keep the commander's attention on her so the others could form the rest of their plan.
Lightning Dust kept firing at her, until one of her shots hit Silverstream's wing, a nasty shot that sent her spinning out of control. Silverstream kept whipping around out of control but she wasn't worry when she pushed herself to aim at the water. Her entire body flashed before their eyes, turning into an aquatic form as she splashed into the seas, plenty of room to escape. Seeing she was out of the game, Lightning Dust turned back at the others, not seeing the Draconoid charging at her.
The scaled Rebel pounced on her, sending her straight back down to the ground, even clawing at her helmet. Her nails dug into the metal, scraping the paintjob and even going so far as to use her fist to try and punch the helmet, denting part of it. Her fist did smash the visor, cracking part of it to see the inside a bit and the deathly stare of the woman underneath. Nearly losing balance, Lightning pushed the Draconoid off her body, but not out for the count. The Draconoid landed on her feet, hands ready to slice or clutch for a claw attack. But it was clear the helmet was beyond repair; there were too many dents, and the visor cracks were starting to fall and break, leaving it useless. Enraged, the commander pulled it off her head and slammed it on the ground, breaking more of it in the process.
Turning around, the commander watched as Yona charged at her on all fours with intent to ram her horns into her, with Sandbar riding on her back like a cowboy, blaster in the air and aimed at her as he opened fire. Lightning Dust jumped up with her jetpack, avoiding being ran over by the hulking Yakyakiee, and swiftly activated one of her gizmos; a wire cable that wrapped around Yona's legs, tangling them up and sending her rolling out of control and crashing into the sandy dunes. Sandbar got off just in time, but couldn't run over to help, as the commander jumped in the way.
Gallus and Ocellus moved to help Yona, while Sandbar moved around in a standoff, waiting for the Death Watch commander to make her move. She ran closer and went to throw a punch, but Sandbar evaded it by moving himself back. She swiped from the right, and he dodged it as well. She even pulled out a blaster and tried to shoot at him, but Sandbar evaded being shot at, aside from a scrape to his suit. Even when she fired again, he simply ducked down and rose back up, firing back at her, hitting a shot on her chest armor.
"You used to be Imperial, didn't you?" Lightning remarked, recognizing the skills he displayed. "I haven't seen anyone on your side show those kind of moves in a while."
She charged again, swinging her leg up to kick the blaster out of his hand before grabbing him and sending a series of punches to his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Sandbar tried to get back up, but couldn't as she dropped him to the ground, with the former Imperial trying to get himself back together. She readied her blaster to finish him, until a burst of heat came flying at her from the side, coming from Smolder. She breathed some more flames, trying to inflict some of her attack, but she just deflected it with her force-shields.
A blaster bolt hit her jetpack, forcing her to drop it entirely, a critical cell destroyed from the shot. Growling, Lightning Dust turned to focus on Gallus, charging at him. The Griffon fired more shots, most of which were deflected by her armor, before she jumped up to tackle him to the ground. Gallus lost grip of his rifle, but it didn't matter, he could take her. Gallus spun himself around so he would be on top, pinning her down with his claws and his pawed feet. She tried to push off, getting some movement despite Gallus's best efforts.
The Griffon pecked at her face, giving her a nasty cut on her cheek. Raging mad, she screamed as she bashed her head in against the Griffon's skill, a massive headbutt that got him to let go, dropping off in pain. Yona's restraints were finally free, and she came charging in again, but Lightning Dust was ready for her, punching her face as she tried to attack, sending her crashing into the ground again.
Ocellus and Flurry tried to think of what to do to help, watching the commander reach for her lightsaber as she walked towards Yona. Smolder came back to fight, along with Silverstream, but Lightning Dust moved faster than they could, blasting at Smolder's shoulder, sending her divebombing on the ground, and scaring Silverstream away with her flame attacks. Grabbing her lightsaber, the commander ignited its blood red blade, walking towards the Draconoid.
"I was considering turning your Yakyakiee friend into some fresh cuts... but I think your wings will suffice for a victory. She pinned her foot down on her back, with the Draconoid struggling to get away, but the pain and weight of her boot was hurting her too much to move.
"Agh, stop! You're... breaking... my back!" Smolder cried.
At first Flurry didn't know what to do. But when she saw how close she was to getting ready to cut her wings, she didn't hesitate. She ran at Lightning Dust, adrenaline and anger mixing to make her more determined than ever, and she activated her lightsaber; not saying or screaming as she ran.
Just as the leader of the Death Watch got ready to make the strike to permanently render Smolder flightless forever, a powerful strike slashed against her skin. The arm holding her lightsaber suddenly dropped to the ground, making the commander scream at the top of her lungs in agony. Her foot let go of Smolder, giving her a chance to stand back up and turn around. Flurry Heart stood there, shaking as she realized what she had done; seeing the steam coming from the fresh cut arm of Lightning Dust.
The commander screamed some more until she dropped to the ground, falling unconscious from the overwhelming pain. Her screaming went on for a few more seconds until she finally stopped, dropping to a dead silence. The others gathered around, slowly recuperating from the attack.
"I... I-Is... I-Is she dead?" Flurry asked.
Gallus kept his claws on her as he leaned his head down to listen. "Nah, she's still breathing, she's fine."
Flurry shakily clutched her chest, feeling her heart pounding more than ever. Ringing hit her ears as she tried to keep it together, her friends voices echoing around her. It felt like her senses were starting to drown out everything from the stress and panic, she couldn't smell, taste, or even hear anything. It felt like an eternity as she stood there, paralyzed with fear.
"... urry? ... Flurry! Flurry, you okay?"
The ringing suddenly faded, and the world came back into focus, as Flurry Heart jolted to realize that Gallus had his hands on her shoulders. The young Griffon was facing her dead on, and he looked gravely concerned. The other young Rebels were gathered around her, though trying hard not to crowd in; even as much as Silverstream looked like she wanted nothing more than to rush in and give her a big hug.
“What?” Flurry repeated. Her mouth felt oddly dry, and it was hard to get even the simple question out. She wondered, numbly, what had happened to the lightsaber in her hand.
It was the wrong thing to think about, as, all too sharply, the memory came screaming back to her: Lightning Dust, about to break Smolder’s back; the plasma blade in her hand; not thinking, but taking the swing; hearing the hiss of plasma, the sizzle of burning flesh and bone, the other woman’s scream, and oh gods, the smell—
"I... I... I almost killed her... I nearly killed someone..." Flurry trembled.
"She's a terrorist, I don't think anyone's going to miss her!" Smolder argued.
"It's not that simple, Smolder," Ocellus intervened. "I think I have a good idea why she's so shaken up," she frowned, looking at her scared state.
"S-She nearly... and I... oh no..." Flurry felt her back slam against the wall of the massive fuel hold, her hands cupping her face as she tried not to break down. She was still breathing heavily, but her friends waited quietly before they said anything.
"Flurry?" Sandbar questioned. "You've... never really been in any real combat, haven't you?"
Ashamed, worried, and scared, she shook her head to answer him.
"I know this is really hard, and it won't get any easier but... this is unfortunately what happens when you're in war," Sandbar started. "The way you're shaking right now; that's exactly how I felt when I made my first kill."
"Yona had to fight Midnight troopers back home. Troopers nearly kill my papa, and Yona... Yona impaled one by accident," the Yakyakiee admitted, her hoofed hands clapping together softly.
"I went berserk on my first employer; a-after he ordered me to make a nuclear device," Gallus added, sadly looking down.
"I set a lot of invaders on fire when they were burning down my home," Ocellus meekly continued, her little wings fluttering at the thought.
"I couldn't control myself when an Imperial tried to attack my brother. I flew into a rage and... I pecked him to death," Silverstream whimpered.
And last of all, Smolder chipped in. "My horde and I, we... we burned a lot of really bad people who were set on skinning us."
Flurry wasn't sure what to really say. They were right, but she couldn't think of anything to argue against them, or what to really say. She still found herself conflicted, even as she looked, checking to make sure the commander hadn't moved an inch.
"We've all had to do horrible things that we aren't proud of," Gallus continued on. "And I know it may not look like it; but we don't like it when we have to be extreme to stop anyone, it's not who we are. But sometimes, there's only so many times you can give someone mercy before they... need to be put down."
Flurry's eyes didn't move from Lightning Dust. "I know it's not smart. But I really don't want to kill her."
"You don't. You stopped her," Silverstream reassured. "You don't have to do anything more than that. Well, except for making sure she can't go anywhere."
"I... I never hurt anyone in my life. I shouldn't be questioning this right now, but... what am I doing?"
"Flurry, listen to me," Smolder gripped her shoulders, getting the teen to look the Draconoid dead in the eye. "You didn't kill her. You stopped her before she could kill me. You saved my life. You saved me, and didn't kill her. I won't lie and say that will happen again, but you did save me today, and I think you should be proud of that."
Still receiving no reaction, the Draconoid pulled Flurry in for a much needed hug, hoping that would do the trick. Flurry slowly embraced her back, feeling slightly better, but not much.
"It'll be okay. I promise," Smolder said, rubbing her back.
"I hate to breakup the sincerity, but we have a mission to finish?" Sandbar interrupted.
Flurry and Smolder broke from the hug, and Flurry looked back at her friends, dropping the fear. She couldn't be scared now, they had a job to do. But how? Any of her attempts to destroy the fuel would only get themselves killed in the process, and suicide runs were not an option right now. She looked to her friends who were struggling to come up with an idea, and Flurry gazed past two of the fuel towers, seeing the tarmac beyond; a few ships parked on there, with no one near the platform... no one near the platform?
The teen got an idea. Racing past Team Six, she jumped onto one of the speeder bikes that were parked nearby, revving the engine.
"Uhhh mind telling us your plan!?" Smolder protested.
"Get out of the fuel lines. When I'm ready, I need one of you to grab me from the air!" Flurry said.
"What!?"
"I'm taking one of their ships; we can't let any more get made! Just promise me you'll catch me," Flurry pleaded.
It took a few moments, but the idea soon registered to all of them.
"Ohhhhh...."
"But what if there are flyers in the air with you?"
"I'll do what I can. Can you guys make sure there aren't any more unarmed prisoners in the way first?"
"I think your droid might have taken care of that already," Smolder pointed.
"Um, what do we do with her?" Silverstream asked, looking at Lightning Dust who was temporarily knocked out.
"I say leave her," Yona growled.
"I have a better idea," Flurry pitched.
Lightning Dust's body dragged across the ground as they walked to a section of the beach, far from the refinery. And so they cuffed her remaining arm to a pole, ensuring she wouldn't be leaving so easily.
"There, now she can't do any damage," Sandbar brushed his hands clean of any sand.
"So, what now?" Ocellus asked.
Everyone looked back at the compound, and then back at Flurry who had raced over to the tarmac where the TIE Defender lot was. Silverstream and Gallus nodded, both taking off to race towards the teen's direction, as part of her plan. The others simply shrugged, racing after them to help. Sure not all of them could fly, but if she needed help, they were going to help in any way they could.
Bike parked to the side, Flurry climbed up a ladder that was hanging off to one of the Defender ships. Turning around one last time, she looked to see the hordes just beyond the tarmac fighting at the main compound, blaster fires flashing and small sparks lighting up like fireworks. She took a deep breath, knowing full and well what she was about to do. Climbing into the hatch, she placed herself inside the TIE fighter seat. She took a moment to get acclimated to her new surrounding, doing a quick study of the controls. Pulling the hatch down, she moved her legs into the pedals and strapped herself in. By her side was a spare pilot helmet which she placed on her head, making sure she had some protection.
She flipped the toggles and switches, bringing the fighter to life as it hummed with power. Gripping the controls, she slowly pulled them back, trying to lift the fighter up nice and gently. The Defender slowly lifted from the ground, softly bumping into the step ladder in the process. Trying to get used to the controls, Flurry accidentally veered forward, slamming into another Defender, pushing it off its parked position. Carefully, she pulled the ship up, slowly rising up from the tarmac to have enough space between the ground and the other ships.
"Okay, let's see, blasters aren't too different, let's hope they can't defend themselves right now," Flurry worried. Her thumbs slid over the triggers, and with a brave face, she pulled them. Twin blaster bolts fired straight at the TIE Defender on the ground, penetrating it's armor and scratching one of its wings. Grinning, she pulled the trigger again and again, until the TIE Defender in front of her was completely in pieces, wings dismantled and engines on fire from the destruction.
Her destruction didn't go unnoticed, as a few troopers watched as the Defender was swiveling around the tarmac, destroying more of the prototypes they had laid out on the ground. But they couldn't react to move, because the Rebel slaves that were retaliating got sucker punches in.
Two more Defenders were blown up from the destruction, leaving only four more remaining. Flurry didn't hesitate to fire upon the others, setting them ablaze. All of them exploded gloriously, making a few prisoners beyond the tarmac cheer as they watched the war machines they were forced to build were being burned before they could make their mark.
"Whoohoo!" Flurry cheered inside the cockpit. "The Defenders are gone, guys. Should I take out the refinery now?"
"Not yet. We gotta make sure we can still leave when this is over," Gallus said in her coms. "I can check in with everyone, but I suggest nuking the main factory floor, and or possibly the ground defenses."
"Ohhh okay, I think I see where you're going with this. Okay, I'll do a little more damage before moving to the refinery."
Pressing down, the Defender soared off across the air around them. A few more troopers and slaves noticed the Defender, but couldn't look for long, knowing a fight down on the ground was more important. But her presence didn't go unoticed; Lyra's head suddenly going up as she gazed intently at the Defender, feeling as if her daughter was... in the ship!?
Flying lower to the ground, Flurry opened fire on the few turrets she could see, obliterating them before they had a chance to activate and focus on her. There weren't that many, only a few that she could see; but they had to be taken out, especially if they were going to leave Scarif when this was all over. The first turret was gone, and not too long, the second one was gone. Three more were found on her radar screen, forcing her to turn around to go after them.
Realizing the tide was turning against them, some Imperials and Death Watch soldiers outside of the base started to make a run towards the ships still intact on the platforms. The Gauntlets began to hum to life, while a Gozanti-class freighter lifted itself off the ground. One of the Gauntlets, still not locked into flight mode, kept a ramp extended as it moved towards Commander Dust's position.
One of their soldiers was helping free the commander from the pole she was cuffed to, helping her stand on her feet. Although she was still in pain, she didn't focus on the fact her arm was gone; rather wanting to see the status of the situation. As she was lifted onto the ramp of the hovering Gauntlet, Lightning turned around to watch as their last Defender was being used to spin around the base, taking out the defenses. Turrets being blown up, ground cannons being obliterated; the Death Watch were losing their base very rapidly.
"No... she's destroying everything. Turn the Gauntlet around, take that brat down!"
"Commander," one of the soldiers said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "We've lost. If we fight back, then we die." Just then, the ramp underneath her closed, getting her inside the ship completely intact.
"I'm not going to be a coward, I can't let the Empire's most valuable project go to waste!"
She struggled to fight back, but the pain in her lost limb made it hard for her to push away, especially after she had been kicked and attacked by Team Six.
"Not to call you a coward, Commander, but sometimes cowards do survive," another subordinate said, finally getting her to stop fighting back.
Lightning Dust watched from the cockpit as the teen continued to fly around the base, now opening fire upon the factory building, lasers destroying the property where it stood. Hunks of metal and parts broke off like petals on a flower. That child brought an entire factory down to it's knees. That Rebel brat... all of those Rebels were responsible for destroying the factory. If Admiral Thrawn had found out, no, he wouldn't. Lightning was going to make sure he never would.
"This isn't over... some day, I will end that brat. I don't care if it means I have to die as well, I will choke the life out of that kid," Lightning growled ferociously.
Only four ships had left the tarmac; three Death Watch Gauntlets, and one single Gozanti-class ship containing the remaining Imperials who had ran away, knowing they had lost the fight. Once all four ships were off the ground and far away from the Defender, they all jumped into hyperspace together, leaving to fight another day.
Sunset and the Rebels watched as the Imperials jumped out of the atmosphere, fleeing the planet.
"Commander Dust has vacated the planet's atmosphere," IG-11 reported, scopes watching the skies.
"We won?" Rainbow asked.
"I think so!" Sunset squeaked. "Flurry, just blow up the fuel lines and we can go home!"
"Roger that, General!" Flurry euphorically called!
The TIE Defender spun itself around, rockets bursting with flame as Flurry drove straight for the fuel lines. One last thing to blow up, and she would be done. As the ship hurled itself to the fuel lines, Flurry pulled the trigger, firing multiple blasts towards the lines. Upon contact, the lasers began to blow up the fuel, bursting with flame as each one of them set off an explosion that was bigger than the other, sending a mushroom-cloud of fire in the air.
Unfortunately, the Defender was near inches from the explosion, sending it hurling in the air as the explosion impacted it. Multiple alarms and red lights flashed in the cockpit, telling Flurry that she was in immediate danger of being killed, not that she really needed to be told. Quickly thinking, she grabbed her lightsaber and sliced part of the top open, sending it flying away as the ship began to crash. She unbuckled herself, and jumped up, escaping the fighter as it spun out of control. Soon as she was out, she began falling... and screaming.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Flailing out of control, Flurry was about to plunge right into the seas; worse, the shallow waters. The waters would not break her fall, and she was afraid of it. But as she screamed, she was suddenly grabbed mid-air by something in flight. She screamed for a few more seconds before she realized that she wasn't falling anymore. She looked down, seeing her arms clutched by pink-bluish fur and claws. And looking up she saw the adorable smile from Silverstream.
"Hi!"
Flurry giggled as she looked back at her friend. But Silverstream stopped mid-flight as she looked back, watching the explosion finally calm down from it's bursts, now one giant flame of ash that billowed into the air. The tremors shook the ground, making everyone almost fall. Both girls couldn't help but just watch as the refinery was completely reduced to nothing but parts and ashes.
The last of the Imperials were rounded up, hands in the air to surrender; the Rebels and the prisoners had won this battle. And all the while, no one could help but gaze back at the massive explosion beyond the compound. It was hard to miss the sounds nor the sight of a massive flaming cloud billow up to the air, along with the crashing of the last Defender prototype. Everyone just looked in awe, taking in the destruction of the Imperial property. The Rebels had no issue seeing Imperial machines get blown up; but the Imps? Some quietly seethed, some growled, and others wanted to speak up.
"You... idiots... do you have any idea what you've done?" One of the officers glared. "You just destroyed all of our hard work!"
One of the prisoners, a Twi'lek woman slowly looked at the woman who had the audacity to accuse them, her eye twitching.
"You lost all right to accuse us of wrong doing, especially after everything you did," the woman growled. "You enslaved my people."
"You burned my farms," another prisoner spoke up.
"Beaten my son to death."
"Jailed my spouse for speaking out against your bullshit."
Everyone started throwing the accusations back at the Imperials, making them feeling smaller than ever. Not because of any self-realization, but they could tell they weren't going to win anything by speaking, or fighting til the end. Stepping through the crowds was Sunset Shimmer, holding onto her shoulder from the laser bolt wound. She looked at them, glaring intensely, enough to get them to back down and stop talking.
"In another world, I would have given the okay for all of them to beat you all up right here and now," Sunset panted, trying to catch her breath. "And if anyone else was in charge, I'm sure they would just order your execution. But I'm bigger than that. Until any of you decide to give us anything useful... I'm afraid you're coming with us."
One by one, each of the remaining staff was given a pair of cuffs, ensuring they couldn't leave. One by one, they started to make their way towards the Gozanti-class cruisers for takeoff (no other ships available to take since they couldn't fit everyone on the Sweetie Drop), and the freed slaves helped each other walk towards the ships as well. Sunset sat on a crate as one of the prisoners, a medic, worked on patching Applejack's shoulder from the blaster bolt wound.
"Thanks for coming to save us," the medic said softly.
"All in a day's work, sir," Applejack humbly smiled. "Just happy we came here in the nick of time."
Sunset silently watched as the rest of the prisoners reunited with each other, happy to be freed from the torture; the pain, and the malnourishment. Everyone was feasting on the food that the base had been hoarding away from them, which none of them hesitated to chow down on; they were hungry as all get out.
And over at a nearby corner, Flurry Heart was walking back with the rest of Team Six to catch up with the others. Some of the prisoners looked back, recognizing the little girl that had been seen jumping out of the Defender.
"Hey, that's the kid!"
"That's her?"
"She blew up their ships!"
"How old is that kid!?"
Flurry awkwardly smiled as a few of the allies looked at her and her friends.
"Heh, heh... i-it was nothing, really," Flurry rubbed the back of her head.
"Kid, you helped save us," one of them grinned. "That's not nothing."
"And cause of you, the Empire's not going to have any major projects off the ground for a while," another person added.
"Come on guys, let's give her some space, she almost died several times today," Smolder said, getting everyone to back away, politely but sternly.
Pushing through the crowd, Flurry could see where her moms were. The moment the two of them saw her, they dropped their conversation and immediately rushed over to check on their child.
"Oh my god, sweetheart are you okay?" Lyra worried. "Are you hurt?"
"No, mom, I'm okay," Flurry reassured.
Both moms gave their daughter a needed hug, something Flurry didn't hesitate to give back, embracing them both.
"I'm so proud of you, kiddo," Bon Bon softly smiled, pushing a loose strand of hair out of her daughter's eyes. "You did amazing today."
"If I can be honest, I was really scared. I thought I was going to die out there," Flurry admitted.
"Now you know how your mother and I felt every day," Lyra said with some sass.
"... oh sweet Solaris..." Flurry cursed.
"Don't worry kiddo, you'll get used to it," Bon Bon reassured, patting her on the shoulder. "And you six? Great job today."
"Thanks for watching out for her," Lyra complimented.
"We're her friends. Friends stick together!" Yona smiled adorably as she lifted Flurry up so she could sit on her shoulders.
Sunset smiled as she watched Flurry surrounded by her new friends. Aside from the fear and danger from flying a fighter, she still made it out okay. And best of all; thanks to her newfound friends, she managed to live and they saved the day. The cute little blushes and giggling from the teen reminded her of a time when a particular friend she had way back would act whenever they had any big adventures.
"She really is like her auntie," Sunset softly said, folding her arms as she leaned against a pole. "You did good kid."
Her train of thought was interrupted by the walking of a Lurmen, standing before her. Looking down, Sunset gave him her undivided attention.
"General, I really think we should head back to base. It's Mint, she's in desperate need of medical attention, now," the man requested, almost begging.
Sunset's eyes bulged. "Shoot! Oh, okay, gather your men into the cruiser, we're gonna leave in a few. "Everyone! Grab whatever supplies and materials that you still have here, and make your way to the Gozanti cruiser. We're going home."
No one groaned, but immediately started to move their way down to the platform where the ship was parked. After everything they went through, they were completely on board with just going home.
Everyone's supplies were loaded into the ships, ready to leave. All hatches sealed, all engines prepped, and so the Gozanti-class cruiser raised itself up from the ground, primed and ready. It took off into the atmosphere, helmed by a slave who had plenty of pilot experience over the past couple of years. The rest of the slaves took shelter among the halls, or quarters, wherever they could get comfortable. The rest of the Imperials that had been captured, were taken down into holding cells on the cruisers, where they quietly seethed at their losses.
On the Sweetie Drop, Flurry sat with her friends, enjoying a small celebration with blue milk and cookies as Lyra and Bon Bon sat in the cockpit, the biggest grins on their faces. They couldn't remember the last time they felt so good in battle before. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but look forward with warm expressions, confident, brave, and proud of themselves for surviving, and winning their first battle back as fighting Jedi.
Both ships gave each other the signal, and with a single hyperspace jump, they vacated Scarif's atmosphere, leaving the site desolate as it should always have been.