Better than Gasoline, Attn: Maki

[Quorl Moranth]

Twist ducked back beneath the table as soon as he had loosed his grenades. Maki had made it back to the computer housing and was digging through the floorboards for a ‘Plan B’ and Jax was still breathing through his mask. The Kel Dorian’s wound looked bad but he had been untouched by shrapnel, that was something at least. Maki was digging gamely through the shards of computer wreckage but the Ubese held out little hope he would find a suitable escape route.

While the Selonian sought a backdoor Twist set about clearing away the front. The soldiers had smartly moved back from the door after the first wave of grenades, leaving his shrapnel as ineffectual as their blaster fire. He had hardly given up though. The launcher he held looked like a cut-off blaster rifle with an enlarged barrel and Twist was a surgeon with it. Loading a grenade he readied the weapon and took careful aim. The guards’ fire was still a danger but they couldn’t get close enough to aim without exposing themselves and he settled comfortably to pick the right angle for his shot. Two quick pops rang out followed shortly by a pair of explosions. He had aimed off the hallway wall for a pair of rebound shots bouncing to each side of the door. He doubted the guards had accounted for a grenade launcher in their slight retreat.

Twist wasn’t sure of his own results but upon ducking back behind the table he caught sight of Maki’s success. The Selonian had found or made an entrance into the hollow beneath the computer housing and was already draggin Jax towards the new exit. The man was far too sentimental but in this case it was definitely the right move, leaving a rebel in the hands of the Confederation was dangerous for the whole Alliance.

Twist waited for the two men to slide their way into the narrow passage before placing one last grenade in the hall and diving in after them. The passage was narrow and dark but the Selonian was in the lead and his race had keen senses, Twist just followed. There was little room to get lost anyway, getting stuck was a far more realistic fate. The tight passage was a great metaphor for the whole mission, he wasn’t their first choice, it didn’t quite fit and they were cutting it close but it hadn’t failed yet. It was also the end of their mission, one way or another. If they got trapped or lost they died and failed, if it proved true and they broke free then the data cards and computer servers tucked away in Twist’s armor proved the success of their mission. Twist’s bleak nature wasn’t giving that latter option very good odds.

((Does Twist kill or delay their attackers? Do they all make it into the passage? Does the passage lead anywhere? Are they pursued? Do they escape?))

[Xira Stone]

(( Twist doesn't kill anymore Confederates, but he does keep them at bay long enough for all three Alliancers to then make their attempt towards freedom. They all make it into the passage, but the tight confines make for slow travel and give a very claustrophobic feel to the route. Eventually it leads around to another part of the base, a server room where computer maintenance and the like is done. They'll still have to find a way out of the actual base, but at least now they're away from the danger. Temporarily, anyway. ))

[Makivesc]

While he looked at the access hatch he had found, Maki could hear Twist loading a grenade into the launcher that he carried. There had been no screams from the last salvo of grenades and apparently he was going to make sure that they Confederate soldiers were kept at bay. Knowing Twist for the short time that he had, he also knew that the Ubese was going to make sure that the soldiers were nothing more than a splattered mess to be scraped off the wall. Shuddering slightly, the Selonian poked his snout into the small tunnel and looked around a little bit. Jax would not be able to move through the tunnel in his current state, and Maki doubted that Twist would be able to drag the Kel Dor along behind him. This was going to prove to be quite a problem.

Several blaster bolts seared their way into the room and impacted on the walls, but it seemed that Twist was doing a good job of keeping them at bay. What the Selonian had found was comfortable enough for him. Being what he was, he was used to cramped quarters and was more than capable of moving at a decent clip through the cramped tunnel. After thoroughly examining whether or not he and the others would fit in the cramped space, Maki raised his head just as Twist lobbed a couple of grenades into the hall at opposite angles in order to kill the Confederates outside. Even so he could not hear any screams following the explosions, and in the chaos the Selonian moved quickly over to Jax and Twist.

“I have found a tunnel, but space is tight and I’ll have to drag Jax through. Follow me quickly while we have the enemy at bay.”

Unsure of whether or not Twist had heard him through the confusion of battle, Maki grabbed the Kel Dor by the collar of his shirt and started dragging him towards the opening he had found. Sliding in backwards first the Selonian bit the collar of the Kel Dor’s shirt and pulled him in after. Pulling his comrade backwards through the tunnel, Maki could hear Twist entering and let go long enough to tell the Ubese to close the hatch behind them. Whether or not the Ubese actually did was lost to the Sergeant as he continued to pull Jax along through the tunnel.

Even being use to the tight quarters the Selonian was having a difficult time with navigating his way going backwards and dragging Jax along. Despite the trouble they were having, Maki eventually came along another opening and found himself in another computer room, though this one appeared to be used for maintenance. Maki pulled Jax up after him and he sat in the room waiting for Twist. While he waited, the Selonian moved to the door and tried to pick up any sounds outside.

(Does Maki hear anyone outside?)

[Aella Taridon]

(( There's the sound of running feet and shouting far off in the distance, but the area immediately behind the door sounds clear of sentient obstacles. ))