Nothing • Tech

25.Aalar (Feel)

    "How much time do we have?" Hunter asked, resting a hand on the floor to feel the power surge through.

    "I estimate less than two minutes." Tech determined.

    "What do we do?" Omega asked quickly.

    Wrecker was nervous, shaking his head while searching for a solution. "Uhm, what about plan 7?"

    Echo gave Wrecker the dumbest look under his helmet. "Plan 7 has nothing to do with this situation whatsoever." He sounded so done.

    "Well-well you think of something!"

    "Let's blow this place up while we're inside of it." Malaina chimed, glancing at the crate of explosives resting by Wrecker's feet.

    Hunter pointed a finger at Malaina, realizing she was onto something. "Hang on," He began, turning to Tech. "Can we use the explosives from the armory to disable the engine?"

    "It won't cause a large enough reaction to affect the thermal chamber." Tech began, shining his flashlight up. "But if we place a series of charges around this cone, we may be able to break away from the cylinder while destabilizing the core."

    Omega frowned. "Break away? You mean fall? All the way down?"

    "It's that or be incinerated." Echo responded.

    "Being burnt alive is painful, probably the worst way to go. Almost happened to me once, I'm a reliable source." Malaina chimed, earning a concerned look from Tech. She shrugged innocently. "I'm alive and functioning, nothing to worry about."

    "Malaina." Hunter sighed, at a loss for words. He reached into the crate, pulling out the round devices. "Everyone take an explosive. Tech, Omega, up top with me."

    Malaina grabbed one, running off to the right side of the large cylinder and setting the explosive. She ran back to the center, arriving 2nd just after Wrecker.

    As soon as all the explosives were set and the entire squad was back in the center, the ion engine completely kicked on and the scolding hot blue fire shot out of the core.

    "Everybody get down!" Wrecker shouted, falling onto his stomach between Tech and Echo. Hunter laid on top of Omega, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Malaina was between them and Tech, hands brought up to cover her head.

    Wrecker pressed the button and the explosives began going off one by one, milliseconds after each other. And then the cone broke off from the rest of the ion engine and the squad began falling along with it.

    They hit the ground once, the impact strong enough to break the cylinder in half, dividing the group in two.

Malaina finds herself falling with Hunter and Omega, reaching a hand out and calling for Tech before he's out of sight.

    The broken cylinder began rolling in the other direction. Malaina began uncontrollably tumbling, curling up into a ball to protect herself as much as possible.

    She knew at some point she had even gotten separated from Hunter and Omega. They had fallen out and landed on the ground somewhere.

And then the cylinder collided with half of a smaller ship, coming to a complete stop. Malaina stood up with a painful groan, cradling her bruised rib as she began walking in the direction of the Marauder.

    She could see its wings sticking up, the highest point of the ship. But she noticed two other ships there, one she easily identified as an Imperial transport.