Chapter 2: Forges of Ithyari

[Ender 8]

Having finally regained consciousness, Jaim sat up and looked over at his rescuer.

"So... where we going?" he asked.

"I'm going to take you back to your super-mysterious squadron of ex-convicts." Jysella said. "Nice bunch, from what I've seen."

"Yeah, it's interesting. You'd probbaly know the third-in-command, what with your predilection for overly self-centered men."

She scoffed and went back to flying the shuttle. Smiling, Jaim pulled out his comlink.

"Revenant Squadron, this is Twelve. I'm off the ground, where do we rendezvous?"

Edited April 28, 2008 by Ender

[Vergere 1]

"Revenant Squadron, this is Captain Fae. I have Officer Secura and Officer Brǽnen in my shuttle and heading back to Base Camp. Stay clear of the space base for a time, I'm about to blow her up. Eleven, come to Base Camp as well for squadron rendezvous." With that, Brier began to head towards the upper atmosphere as she remotely activated the explosives she'd put on the space plant, making it explode brilliantly as she came up high enough to see it.

[Princess 35]

Nima was treating Szen as fast as she could, but she still felt Szen fading. It was time for desperate measures, she slapped Szen across the face. "Don't you die on me damnit!" She loaded up another shot of stim and injected it into Szen's leg. She put on more pressure bandages over the bacta bandages. "Come on Szen. This is all I can do for you until we get to a medical frigate. You have to want to live!"

[Vergere 1]

Not getting any response from any other members of Revenant Squadron, Brier flew out of the atmosphere and headed back to base as fast as she could so that Szen could get the best medical attention possible as soon as possible.

[Ayingel 24]

The colours stopped again. Szen still felt herself soaring. There was no more brightness, these colours were dull, blurry. She caught a glimpse of purple before reality hit her again. Szen screamed.

[Princess 35]

"Shhhhhh! It's okay Szen. We'll get you to a bacta tank soon. Just hang on a little longer." Nima prepared a syringe full of painkillers and injected them into Szen. "Brier! How much longer until we're at the medical facilities?"

[Drake 53]

Aeric ran out onto the landing platform as fast as his legs could move. Jya was there waiting for him beside her X-Wing. She looked up when he approched.

"Go! We need to go!" He shouted. They only had a few minutes left before the explosives he set ignited the factory's fuel reserves. However, that wasn't his main concern at the moment. From farther behind him ran half a dozen Stormtroopers, their blaster fire peppering the ground around his feet.

Jya provided cover fire as they both scrambled into their fighters. Neither were injured but their X-Wings took a few scorch marks to the paint jobs. Within moments, they were in the air. Szen and Nima's starfighters tailing along behind them as their astromechs piloted, slaved to Jya's systems.

The timer ran out and the factory far behind them detonated into a massive ball of blue and orange flame.

Over the comm, Aeric breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good work, Jya. Now let's rendezvous with the others and go home."

They set a course for the base camp.

[Vergere 1]

She glances at her watch. "Five and a half minutes. I'm moving as fast as I can."

[Princess 35]

"Thanks Brier. She's lost a lot of blood and I need to get her into a bacta tank as soon as possible. I don't think that I'll be able to save her arm. And I need to see if there's any eye left."

[Vergere 1]

Brier visibly shuddered at that, then there was a slight jerk as they came out of hyperspace. "Alright, we're here." She commed down to base so that the medical facility knew what to expect and prepare. "They're ready for you." Another slight thump as they gently landed, and Brier opened the doors for them.

[Princess 35]

Nima ran along with the hoversled that was carrying Szen. "Get me an OR now! Type and cross 4 units of blood, she's lost a lot of blood in the explosion. I'll also need an amputation kit and a neurological set. Get her prepped, I'm going to scrub in." Nima let the surgical team take Szen into the OR and she hurried into the scrub area to change into a sterile gown from her battle stained combat gear. She washed her hands thoroughly and passed through the sterile field into the operating room. "Ah Szen, what shall I do with you?"

Szen's right arm was a mess and the hand was totally missing. There were full thickness burns up to her elbow. Nima took her laser scalpel in hand and assessed the arm. "Burns up to the shoulder, some down to the bone. The cleanest spot will be right here, a few inches below the shoulder." She took a deep breath and made the first incision. "Sorry that I couldn't save your arm Szen, but just think about it, now you're going to be a bionic woman." Nima had a look of total concentration on her face as she worked on the arm. "Someone clean those burns up and put some bacta bandages onto them until I get this arm and eye taken care of and we can get her into a tank to heal the burns fully. This is going to take a while."

[Ender 8]

Jysella set the shuttle down in the clearing, and the two of them stepped out to wait for the rest of the sqaudron. Jaim sat down on the ground and fell to his back.

"Ahhh... life's never dull with this group," he said.

[Vergere 1]

Brier just sat in the shuttle, leaning back in the pilots seat and staring up at the ceiling, lost in thoughts and memories, and really trying to get the sight of Szen out of her mind.

[Drake 53]

Revenant Squadron rendezvoused back at the base camp. There was little time to share their experiences with one another as finally getting off the planet was on the forefront of everyone's mind.

Captain Tunon ordered the camp to be torn down and everyone to get ready to leave.

It was under an hour before the accompanying support ships were reloaded and the squadron was back in the air.

No Imperials harried their departure out of orbit. Captain Fae had already blown up the orbitals and the destruction of so many industrial plants were no doubt keeping the Imperial's collective hands full.

Once they were out of the atmosphere, they began plotting their jump coordinates. A small scout group of TIE fighters came up on their radar but they were too far away.

The Revenants, and their escorts, jumped into hyperspace to make the first leg of their multiple-jump trip back to Altagak Base.

They had a nice, long period of rest, recovery and shore leave to look forward to. Not to mention a shower and a cup of caf.

END OF CHAPTER 2