Warrior ◊ Star Wars

chapter five; flying again

"Run!" Mara shouted, already getting a head start in front of the other two.

Really, after all this time, they find me now? And it just happens to be on an already crappy day. Wonderful.

Rey and the stranger had caught up to her as the troopers started to open fire. Ducking mid-sprint to avoid her head being shot clean off, she yelled back to the droid," C'mon BB-8!"

The astromech was rolling as fast as his spherical little body could take him. Mara looked back at the path in front of her, watching as their pursuers' shots hit the trading tents around them. Sand was kicked up in their way as the ground was pelted by blaster fire and Mara remembered something that brought her a small piece of comfort.

Stormtroopers can't aim. This gives us at least a portion of a chance.

Then a shot whizzed past her ear, the sound echoing in her conscious. Okay, perhaps The First Order was starting to refine it's training methods. She continued to sprint, ducking under a down tent pole while Rey and the stranger stayed relatively close to her.

"Let go of me!" Rey yelled over the sound of pounding feet and blaster fire. They kept going, turning a sharp corner in hope to lose the troopers. More sand flew into their faces, but the shots had gotten less accurate the more ground they covered.

The man looked back to see where the pursuers were, ignoring Rey's prior comment, "C'mon we gotta move!"

"I can run without you holding my hand!" Rey swung her arm, trying to rid herself of the Resistance member's hold. Another few shots came down.

Mara barely dodged two, which defused in the ground as she kept running. She looked over at the others, ducking under a tent for cover as she shouted back, "Just let her be!"

Finally, Rey broke free of the man's handhold, yelling back to the persistent droid following them, "BB-8 stay close!"

The ball was a few yards behind, struggling to keep up with the fast ongoing chase. He was doing his best though, keeping away from shots and fleeing close to the tents, which provided him cover.

Mara, whose lungs were now telling her to catch a quick breath, started looking for a definite way to lose them. Thinking about the layout of the Niima post, she realized they were actually quite close to their regular washing station. That was located in a series of other tents and pathways that should give them a quick moment to catch their breaths and form a better plan then just sprinting everywhere.

Grabbing onto Rey's clothing, Mara tugged her east, the way to their regular station. Rey knew immediately the route, calling back to the man, "This way!"

The four turned a corner with the two women leading the way. Weaving through the intricate placings of quick corners and other trading tents, Mara realized the shots weren't pelting them like before. Though they didn't stop sprinting when they knew that they lost them, the small delight of relief washed over her.

They all reached the station, slowing down to hunker beside a nearby seller's tent. Trying not to hyperventilate, Mara attempted to control her breathing from growing erratic. The stranger was quick to busy himself by searching through the different variations of junk that littered the surrounding tables.

"They're chasing all of us." Rey huffed, dumbfounded by the events that just took place. The man continued to pry through the rusted goods laid in heaps across the workspace.

"You guys have been seen with me. You're marked." He hurriedly told them, almost knocking Mara down moving to the next station to keep looking.

Rey kept coughing up grit and sand, turning to him with a menacing look, "Well thanks for that."