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The officer squinted at Cloud. His scrutiny didn't lessen, "Where are you taking this....thing?"
Chewie lurched aggressively. Aerith nudged his arm.
"Prisoner transfer from Block one-one-three-eight."
"Hmm. I wasn't notified. I'll have to clear it." The officer walked behind the console and began punching buttons. Aerith looked between Cloud and Chewie. Cloud nodded in the direction of all armed gun turrets, pressure sensor pads and cameras. There were three other troopers here. Easy enough... though the mercenaries in Mos Eisley hadn't been joking - the death star was as close to impenetrable as it could get. Getting in was easy. Escaping with one of the Empire's prisoner's would not be.
Cloud counted from three, and unfastened Chewie's cuffs.
She lowered her voice as many octaves as she could, "LOOK OUT! HE'S LOOSE!"
"Move! He's gonna tear us apart!" Cloud jumped backward, pointing his blaster at Chewie and firing - deliberately missing him.
The troopers behind the console duck. One of the shot they fired at Chewbacca hit the camera. She fires point blank at the imperial officer and his troopers - killing them before blasting away at the cameras and the electrical outlet powering the turret. Cloud raced behind the console, and frantically responded to the status report request buzzing in from the Prison Block's superiors.
"We've got to find out which cell this princess of yours is in!" Aerith yelled. She scoured for the name. Tifa Organa. "Here it is... cell twenty-one-eight-seven. I'll go get her. You hold them here-"
"-Little busy already! Go!" Cloud snapped at her. He forced himself to calm down before responding to the buzzing alarm, "Everything is under control. Situation normal."
The voice from the intercom responded, "What happened?"
Cloud furrowed his brow, his eyes widened in panic. On the hot seat to come up with a lie, "Uh uh... Slight weapons malfunction. But, uh, everything's perfectly alright now. We're fine. We're all fine her, now, thank you. How're you?"
Cloud you idiot.
"We're sending a squad up."
Beads of sweat dropped from his forehead, "Uh negative! We have a reactor leak here now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large mako leak. Very dangerous..."
"Who is this?! What's your operating number?"
Cloud fired hid gun at the intercom and the panel exploded.
"Boring conversation anyway. Aerith, we're going to have COMPANY!"
She heard him as she jogged the metal grates over the pipes and wiring - going from room to room and peering through the window of the cell doors. Finally. 2187. She shot the lock mechanism.
The panel smoked and sparks spat out from around the key pad. The door slid open, though she couldn't through the smoke yet.
Tifa Organa was laying on her side, with her head cocked and an uncomprehending and un amused expression on her face.
It might be polite if she closed her mouth and stopped staring at her, too. Thankfully she still has her helmet on.
Red eyes survey her. "Aren't you a little short to be a storm trooper?"
Busted. She pulled the trooper helmet off, and her auburn bangs fall around her face. She offers a smile.
Tifa's eyebrow arches and she smirks, "Is this a joke?"
"What? Oh... the uniform. I'm Aerith Solo. I'm here to rescue you." Aerith replied. She looked anxiously back down toward the entrance of the detention block. They didn't have much time before the next squadron broke into the prison block.
The woman white didn't trust her, that much was evident.
"You're who?"
"I'm here to rescue you. Look, I have your R2 unit." Aerith stepped forward. Here wine colored eyes were still wary. Cautious. "I'm here with Ben Kenobi."
Tifa jumped from the bed. She shoved Aerith out of the way and stepped into the corridor, "Ben Kenobi is here?! Where is he?!"
"Chewie!" Cloud shouted.
Chewie jumped back from the locked door. That buzzing sounded like the artillery had arrived on the other side of it.
"Don't stand there and look pretty, get behind me!" Cloud snarled from where he was crouched. Chewie ducked behind a wall.
An timer beeped and an explosion made light work of the elevator door - infantry started jumping through the hole. Through smoke and flames - they shot their blasters while running backwards down the hallway. The sound of hurried footfall didn't register in Cloud's mind until-
Crash.
Cloud tripped over Aerith's boots as she and Tifa caught back up with them.
She and Cloud fumble for a second before Cloud helps her up and he gestures for the group to follow him, "Can't get out that way."
Tifa scoffed, "Looks like you managed to block off our only escape route!"
A feisty princess, okay. You're more intriguing the more time passes- "We can return you to your cell, if you'd prefer. Your Highness-" Aerith winked at her.
Blasters fire down the hallway, and Aerith throws Tifa behind a large pipe for cover. Cloud and Chewy crouch into an alcove in the wall opposite.
Cloud groaned in frustration and reached for the comlink transmitter in his belt. "C-3PO? C-3PO!"
"Yes, sir?"
"We've been cut off! Are there any other ways out of the cell bay?"
The response over transmitter was garbled and Chewy fires aimlessly through smoke plumes.
Cloud impatiently pressed the button again, "What was that? Running out of time here!"
The robot answered promptly, "I said, all systems have been alerted to your presence, sir. The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out; all other information on your level is restricted."
"There isn't another way out?" Aerith shouts.
"We can't hold them forever, now what?!" Cloud cried back between firing the pistol.
Tifa shoves Aerith's arm out of the way so she could see all of her rescuers. "This is some rescue. When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?"
Aerith laughed and pointed at Cloud. "He's the brains, sweetheart."
Cloud looked over his shoulder and offered a hopeless grin. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well I didn't..."
Tifa huffed. There were stormtroopers edging toward them as the crossfire continued and each second creeping closer to capture. She'd really rather postpone the next time she's reacquainted with those she's wronged over the years in Prison. Tifa turns into a white blur and before she can do anything to stop her, the Princess has her gun and fires point blank at the grate on the wall beside them. They're showered in more sparks and she flinches under her arm.
"What the hell are you doing?" Aerith asks, bewildered.
Tifa glared at the three of them, "Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, wise ass."