Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

The way she started had Killian looking the glass and wishing it was alcoholic. She was going to tell him she couldn't do it. Breathing in slowly he lifted his gaze. "It does?" He'd never thought that there was a problem with the kind of work. At least not that kind of problem. The lady made some points that he didn't know what to make of. Mostly they were things he hadn't thought of in that way before. Nervously he looked at her after she finished. "I uh...." Killian looked down at his glass again. "Never asked questions about what we were transporting. Not good business to."

Before she could say anything more he held his hand up. "Originally I made this deal to get my name cleared. This was how we were going to get our freedom. Transport and fight as we had to for the rebellion and in the end of the war we live as free men. Pardoned." Killian poured more of the cider for both of them. "From the looks of it the rebellion is going to lose. Alliance was going to have at me either way. I'm looking at heading into one of the unexplored territories. Somewhere they don't have a warrant out for myself and the crew." Killian slid one of the maps toward her. "I want to go there. Planning to steal an mid sized Alliance cruiser." Still he hadn't answered one of her questions about lines they were never going to cross.

That was where things got even more shaky for him. "Star...What lines?" He couldn't think of a single line that he hadn't crossed at some point in his life. A promise not to kill any crew member of his own and he'd done it before. Never going to take a woman on board and he did that twice now. Vowed to never have a kid on board and he had that too. These were all private things that he'd never told anyone but, he still had broken almost any kind of rule. "I honestly never saw a problem with the deal we had or the weapons until you put it that way."

Killian couldn't even look at her. He knew this sounded bad. "I quit limiting myself a long time ago. There is no line I won't cross. Only thing I have is a list of what I will do. I will do anything to protect you. I will do what I have to, to get us out of this place and I will do whatever is necessary to survive. From there it turns into a list of goals. How I get there hasn't mattered. You shouldn't be my conscience but, I want your input."
 
Star put a hand on his own, smiling lightly at him. The way he had been so completely open and honest with her, even with things that sounded bad, made her want to kiss him. She understood. She knew what it was like to do whatever it took to survive. In the gangs, some of the lines she had crossed she'd never forgive herself for...lines she never ever wanted to cross again. "I understand." She said softly. "When I was in Hell's Angels, I did whatever I had to do to survive. Some of the things, I'll never forgive myself for...there are faces of people I hurt, that I'll never forget. Losing my memories, my past...I had a chance at a new future, a better one. Even now, though my memories are back, I feel like a different person, and I don't ever want to do some of things I did again."

Star searched his face. "From now on...how we accomplish our goals...what we do to survive...it needs to matter. There are plenty of gray areas, I get that...I do. Perhaps I spoke to quickly in saying "not crossing some lines, matter what." Because I understand, there are times when defending the crew comes above everything else. But there are times...like now, where we need to take into account the consequences of our actions...and allow for the ethical implications to affect our decisions. I'm not going to tell you what lines I'm not willing to cross. So many of them depend on the situation, but I need to know that from now on, you're going to work with me to make the best choice we can morally. It has to matter."
 
Instead of looking at the woman he kept staring at the empty glass and listened to her. Killian didn't know what to say. There wasn't really anything to say about what her experiences were. Some of them were similar to his and some of them would never be the same. It was odd that all this time he wanted to do better and here was someone sitting in front of him who not only understood, but had the mind to know some of these things better. She wasn't so stuck up that she couldn't stand him just because she found out he was less than ideal.

Half in shock he raised his head when she started to lay out a plan. Listening to her more intently now he held a steady gaze with her eyes. His own searching her face to know if she was telling him the truth. Star avoided the idea of giving absolutes. That was probably the best. An absolute was almost always broken given the right circumstance. Such as a no killing policy. Carefully pulling his hand away from hers he poured another glass for himself and the woman. "Alright then." Taking a sip out of it he felt a little better. "If we have time we talk about it. Just because you have an opinion or thought doesn't meant that I'll always do it that way though." Glancing down at the map and then to her he smirked. "We have time. Lets talk." It was sort of nice to have a person he considered his equal when it came to authority in the ship.

"I already told you I wanted to steal a ship from the Alliance and just try to get out of here. Anything wrong with that besides the potential of killing a few Alliance soldiers?" Killian figured this one was pretty cut and dried. That was the worst that it could get in regards to morals and ethics.
 
"They'd kill us on site if they saw us, so no...I don't have problem with that. Let's just do our best to make sure no civilians are caught in the crossfire. That, I do have a problem with." She looks back up from the map and touches his cheek, causing him to look at her. She leaned forward giving him a kiss. "Will you be my boyfriend, Killian?"
 
"Well I can't help it if civilians get in the way." Killian smirked at her. "I'll try not to shoot them." It was doubtful there would be any civilians around an Alliance ship. Often the kind that he wanted to steal would be something that would be on a base or near an operations site. Civilians fled when they saw the cruisers coming in. Otherwise a scout ship would meet their needs. It would be crunchy for space. A little surprised by her touch he looked at her sharply. Then she kissed him. That wasn't so bad. "Uh huh. I think I'd be up for that."
 
She grinned and kissed him again. "Ok. Well, I'll let you get back to work then. I'm uh...going to try and concentrate on making some food for the crew." She smirks and stands, her heart soaring. She felt like she was walking on sunshine.
***
Food was taken to Kato in his room by Andy who kept him company during dinner while Timo took his food to Mike's room. This left the newly proclaimed couple, Killian and Star, by themselves at the dinner table. "My favorite color is blue...my 2nd favorite is red." She says, stirring some butter onto her peas. "Then you mix them together and get my third favorite color purple. I know...its silly, but it makes me happy." She smirks. "What about you? Favorite colors?"
***
Kato propped himself up on an elbow as he quietly at his meal. Part of him was annoyed that Andy was there. He just wanted to wallow in self-pity by himself for a bit. But the other part was glad for company. Aside from tending to wounds he was pretty much invisible on this ship. Not that he cared...at least he tried not to. He glanced up at her. She seemed to have a far away look like she was thinking about something. "What are you thinking about?" He asks, trying to break the silence.
***
"I can feed you if you need me too." Timo offers innocently. It was one question among many shot out quickly. "How's your arm? Do you need anymore pain medicine? I can go get some."
 
Andy collected food for herself and decided to take some to Kato. She watched him push up on his elbow. It seemed to cause him pain and yet it he would have asked for help if he needed it. At least that was what she thought. A quiet musing took place in her mind while she ate. Mostly she was wondering what it would look like in the shops now and how different the machines were. Then she was interrupted. "Oh I was thinking about the shops. Thought about a few of the people I used to work with. What about you?"

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Having an injured arm didn't warrant nearly so much attention as Timo was awarding him. Mike shook his head and grinned. "I don't need anything and I can feed myself just fine." Setting the plate on his lap he used his good hand and arm to poke at the food with the fork. "My arm will be fine." The older man's face got a strange expression. Putting the fork aside he lifted the plate and stared at the food. Now that he had the boy's attention a smirk started to grow. "Or I can eat like a monster." Growling he nearly planted his face in the food and took a few bites. They were truly terrible manners but, he figured a boy Timo's age would know better than to use such a display in front of others. Of course it got a bit of a laugh. Mike only took a few bites like that before he returned the plate to his lap and then resumed eating like a normal person. "Now what do you want to do? Have you talked with the captain yet?"

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After such a serious talk earlier it was almost funny to have Star asking him such a childish question. "Umm. Orange is my favorite then green and blue." Maybe they weren't exotic colors but, they were the ones he liked. This kind of small talk always felt elusive to him. It was as if he couldn't think of anything else to say. So he gave it his best shot anyway. "What you think of the weather?"

Killian couldn't help laughing after he asked her the question though the laugh was cautious for the sake of his ribs. It was a lousy attempt and there was hardly an excuse for that kind of blunder. "Well I tried." Picking at the food with the fork he let his right hand gradually shift under the table so he could hold onto his ribs. They were still sore and his head still hurt off and on. It might have had something to do with the lack of sleep, hits to the head or the fact that he had a concussion. Soon as he finished the meal Killian got up from the table and took the dishes to the sink. "I'm gonna go get some rest."

For the rest of the day he laid in his room and tried to sleep. It was impossible though with Kato in the room. The doctor was a noisy little sleeper. It was half tempting to haul his little rear end down the stairs to the storage room or back to the medical bay. Not to mention the floor was starting to feel hard. By evening the captain was curled up in the blankets and finally comfortable enough to sleep for at least a few hours.
 
"Oh, just the food." Kato shrugged, then winced at the gesture. "Its nice to have Star taking over the cooking again. She always manages to make the best meals out of the simplest things." He smiled off into the distance then refocused on his food. "Thankyou, by the way. For keeping me company. It's appreciated."
***
Timo snorted at Mike as the man attacked his food like an animal. He couldn't help the laugh that immediately followed. The boy handed Mike a napkin so he could wipe his face after the display, then shook his head at the old engineer's question. "No...he's been busy. And every time he's not, he's with Star." The boy shrugs. "I just want people to stop getting hurt."
****
"Really? The weather? That's the best you got?" Star laughs along with him. "Seriously though, my skin is aching for a few hours in the sun. I'm probably pale as a vampire by now." She chuckles, then stands to help him with the dishes. She bids him goodnight then goes to get some sleep herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four days later​

The crew made their last goodbyes to the ship that had been their home. While for some, it had only been home for a couple weeks, for others it had been their home for several months. For Killian and Mike...it had been their home for years. It was hard saying goodbye. Timo looked especially sullen, knowing it was his fault they were having to leave it this way. Star stood back with Timo, Andy and Kato (was healing well and walking around again), allowing Killian and Mike to have a private moment.
"You got everything you need?" She asks, looking down at Timo. They had each packed only what they could carry. For Star it was one crate and backpack with less than half her clothes (Andy had the other half) and few precious belongings such as her journal and musicplayer. Timo had his own crate with his clothes and a few personal belongings as well. They hadn't found Comet. Star tried to reassure that boy that she'd probably bolted from the ship when the soldiers had come aboard. She came up with a story that some nice man had found her and was treating her like a queen. That seemed to make the boy feel better, but she knew this was just one more weight on his already over-burdened mind.

Killian and Mike finally joined them with their own belongings and few other necessities. Killian leads the from the junkyard and Star falls into step beside him. She wasn't using her cane anymore, but she was still sensitive, having to watch her step carefully on uneven paths. "You ok?" She asks. "I know this can't be easy."
 
After they had all rested for a few days Killian started to get packed. The most important would be having enough warm clothing. Probably the best was to put on his heaviest coat and a few layers. He could strip them off as needed and wear his newer boots. Part of the logic was to wear as much as possible to avoid making the pack any heavier or full of bulky items. Medicine and food were the most important. Loading up a pack for Mike he helped the older man slip it on so they could avoid doing any further harm to his lower arm.

Mike winced a little as the pack brushed his arm when he slipped it on. Overall the guys needed less clothing so they planned to carry the majority of the food and other supplies. "I got the medicine and a few extra blankets right?" Glancing at the captain he made sure that was what he was carrying. Then he grabbed a small handgun and stuffed it into the holster on his side. "And I got the handgun." He couldn't actually use his other much. It was still too damaged to get much use.

The captain pulled his pack on. At least by now his ribs were done with the horrible bruising. They were lucky that the bone and tissue revitalizing scanner had been left. It got the doctor walking and Killian's ribs were back to normal though there was still a tender spot. Looking over the group and then back at his ship he sighed. In some ways it was an exciting thing to finally leave the smuggling behind. The other half was terror. Killian hadn't thought that he would ever get to the point that he would be leaving his ship forever. Carefully he started to pick a path through the junkyard. Feet scrambling over the metal sounded behind him and he glanced over his shoulder. There was Star trying to keep pace with him like usual.

Gradually he slowed his pace so that it was more reasonable. He'd almost forgot that though Kato was walking he wasn't going to be quite able to keep a rigorous pace and there were others too. "Hmmm?...Yeah I'm fine." Killian let out a long breath. "Feels strange." They were a long ways out from anything. He could hear the fighting but, they couldn't see anything. "We might be camping out for a few nights. I wanna get out of here first."

A junkyard could provide protection like none other but, it was also dangerous. There were blood beetles and other creatures that clung to the ships when they rested too long in one place. Killian didn't want to have to deal with blood beetle bites. They were nasty things. Part way down the trail he stopped for lunch. Kato was looking pale, Mike was frowning, and Star she was looking flushed in the cheeks a bit. "Feels good to get outside eh?" Taking his pack off he handed a small ration to all of them. "Just one ration each." Peering at Star again his eyes widened slightly. "Hold still..." Standing up he reached over her head and snatched a beetle off her back. Flicking it onto the ground he stomped on the beetle till it stopped moving and then shuddered. "Hate those things."

They barely made it out of the junkyard only to be faced with another mountain. The fighting sounded much closer. Killian shifted his weight from one leg to another several times while he gazed at what was ahead of them. Finally he spoke. "We'll wait here tonight and part of tomorrow. I'd rather take a ship in the dark." It would give them the element of surprise, maybe.

Though the idea of stopping was to rest he couldn't help that he jumped almost every time a shot rang out. Killian curled in a blanket and laid on the outside of the group. They had all mashed close together for shared body heat. No fires with the war going on just the other side of the mountain. Early the next morning a screech sounded in the sky above. Killian didn't remember falling asleep but he started to scramble immediately to get his pack on. "We got to move now." The shell dug into the ground only a few meters away.

Beneath them the ground started to shake. "Just leave it." Blankets at this point were not his concern. "They'll be dropping reinforcements anytime." How they had managed to pick the reinforcement drop was ironic. It made all this worse though. Right now they were behind enemy lines. Even if the battle was raging on the rebellion was on the other side of the planet. "Hurry up." Pulling Kato off the ground he almost threw him over his shoulder. It would be faster to move that way and he doubted the doctor would be running just now.
 
The hike through the junkyard wasn't the most pleasant experience between the uneven footing, blood beetles, and the stench of rusting metal and rotting garbage. Several times she had to grab onto Killian's arm to keep herself upright. Kato and Mike lagged behind, both in pain but neither complaining. Timo kept getting distracted, wanting to collect all the little gadgets he was finding. More than once Andy had to pull him back to the group and make him drop yet another piece, reminding him they couldn't carry that much.

When they stopped for the night most of them were too tired to talk and immediately went to sleep despite the sounds of fighting in the distance. Star took a little longer to sleep, staring at Killian's back. She could tell by the way his muscles bulged in the back of his neck he was feeling tense. She was too. There was nothing pleasant about sleeping under the stars stuck between a junkyard and a warzone. She scooted closer to him, pressing her own back against his own. There something comforting about having him there, as if she were safer because of it. Eventually sleep took her.

A painfully loud whistling sound pulled her out of a restless sleep. She sat straight up as Killian yelled for them to get moving. The dirt, mere meters from their location, exploded as something impacted it. Bombs!? She scrambled to her feet, pulling Timo up by his arm. The boy looked around, terrified and confused, clutching his belongings to his chest. She moved to gather the bedding but Killian ordered her not to and started ushering them back down the path. Kato did his best to hurry, but his stiff back made it difficult to do more than a fast walk. Killian moved to pick up up but he stopped him, grabbing the man's massive arm. "Protect Star, I'll be fine." He urged. "Go! I'll keep up."
 
Star had the boy and Mike was hurrying fast as he could while Andy took on the older man's pack. They would be able to keep a moderate pace but, Kato couldn't. The captain shook his head at the doctor. "To damn bad... You're part of the crew and I'm not leaving you here." Bending down he tucked one shoulder under the doctor and wrapped an arm behind Kato's knees. Another rocket went over head and he flinched momentarily. Killian had never been this close to an actual war zone and he didn't like it. There was a serious difference between this and the fighting that would go on in the streets.

That gave him an idea. "Go for the mine!" There was a massive opening in the side of the hill and he raced for it. While there was bombing outside the captain figured they could take shelter there until the majority of the soldiers had passed. Running into mine behind the others he set the doctor down and waited near the entrance. Already there were some ground troops moving up the side of the mountain.

It would have been impossible for Kato to have made it up the mountain in time. Besides they needed the doctor and Killian wasn't about to lose a perfectly good crew member for something stupid. Peering around the edge of the mine shaft he took a deep breath. It could be a while waiting for the troops to pass. Killian pulled his head back in and waved for them all to go further into the mine. "They got men moving this way." Whispering to Star he couldn't help some of the worry. Going underground was a fearful thing. What if the mine collapsed? There were so many things that could go wrong and he felt irrational about anything that had to do with being underground. While the others moved further into the cave Killian kept watch. Clenching a fist he worked his fingers into the palm of his hand.

Silently he willed the men to go around the cave. Still they moved closer until he was forced to move into the shadows. Scooting further back he felt along the wall as if it were a form of assurance that he wouldn't get swallowed by the earth. Finally he stopped. Killian couldn't make himself go any further and he his heart sat in the back of his throat. Pulling his gun out he was ready to shoot when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Mike shook his head at Killian. "Not now." Even as the man started to pull the captain further into the tunnels with them he could hear soldiers begin to inspect the opening of the cave. The older man had never seen the captain like this. He pulled at Killian and felt a reluctant tug in return. The sound of soldier's feet grew more faint and then it was silent. Slowly the two of them started back the way they came. A light sizzling sound came to his ears and Mike rushed behind Killian to push him further into the cavern. "Move move! They've set charges." There was no way they could get out the front without being shot. As it was Mike was more comfortable with the idea of possibly escaping through the cave than he was with getting shot or buried by rock.

The entire cavern shook. Pebbles danced on the rock floor and dust permeated the air. Killian watched as the light disappeared and then slumped against a wall and buried his head in his hands. His entire body quivered involuntarily. Occasionally he would take a shaky breath. "Nooo....no." Almost silently he repeated the words to himself through clenched teeth. It was completely black and impossible to tell if they were up or down, standing or laying. None of it made sense and it was just easier not to open his eyes.

Digging into his pack Mike started to look for a lantern or some other source of light. "There we have it." Pulling a light out the older man felt a sense of relief wash over himself. Already he was feeling disoriented with the lack of sight. With a simple flick of the switch the flashlight came on. Andy was huddled near a wall holding onto it as if she should fall at any time. Killian was still huddled into a ball shaking, his fists balled up tight and head shaking while he muttered under his breath. It was not the first that Mike had seen a man snap. Shaking his head at Star he added, "Leave him be for just a few." Hopefully Killian would be able to refocus soon. As it was for the time Mike took over ensuring that everyone was alright.

Moving over to where Andy clutched at the wall he offered her his good hand. "We'll just wait here for a few minutes. How about you pull out some of those rations." With something to do the little woman began to open the pack and dig through while Mike checked on the others.
 
Star yelped as the entrance of the mine was destroyed. She curled herself over Timo, protecting him as he hugged her waist tightly. Finally the shaking ended. "Everyone ok?"
Mike found a flashlight, and she breathed a sigh of relief that no one was buried under rock. Then she saw Killian. She'd never seen him this way, in a near panic. She pushes Timo into the arms of Kato who was standing nearby and moved to check on him, but Mike stopped her. "Leave him be for just a few."
It went against every instinct within her to leave him alone at this moment. She would personally want to be held and reassured. But Mike knew the Captain better than she did. If he said it was better to wait....it was better to wait. Reluctantly she backs away, deciding to help Andy with the food distribution instead.
"You ok?" She asks the girl who was clearly shaken.

Kato looked up as Mike came over and asked if they were ok. "Fine." He nods. "Not an optimal situation we're in, but better than being dead." He says with brief smile. He looked down at Timo who was doing surprisingly well and looked up at Mike "I don't like it here? When are we leaving?" He sounded annoyed more than anything.
 
Andy nodded her head when Star came to her. "Yeah I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting it." Shakily she grabbed a small ration packet out of the bag and handed it to Star. "Take two and I'll take two. We can come back for ours." Snatching two of them she took one packet to Timo and one to Kato. She knew that more than likely Star would want to talk with Killian and Mike. Sitting between beside the doctor she tried to examine his face for any sign of pain. "Is your back alright?"

Taking the packet of food from Star the engineer smiled. "Oh I'll enjoy this. Great excuse for more food." They hadn't eaten too long ago but, he knew that they would need something to distract those in the cave from their fear and he would have to start some scouting out. Mike couldn't help noticing the extra pack in her hand and he followed her eyes to the captain. "I'll take it to him. There's no telling what a man will do when this happens. I've seen it happen a few times." Walking over with the packet in his bad hand he nudged Killian's boot with his own.

Killian unfurled and pushed away just enough to get the space to stand. Immediately his eyes scanned the area and he began to rub at his left forearm. Taking the packet of food from Mike he quietly moved back over to the wall and sat down again. A broad line of sweat had formed above his upper lip. At least inside the mine it was warmer than it had been outside. Still it was cool inside.

The reaction had been a little less violent than Mike had expected. Seemed that Killian was pulling himself together. They would need a few more minutes before Killian was back to himself. Taking a seat the engineer motioned for Star to come sit by him. "He'll talk when he's ready. In these kinds of situations you don't coddle men. We need the captain to get his head back on and do what he has to." Holding the ration with his injured side he dug into the bag with his good hand and brought a bite to his mouth. Star asked a funny question. Well perhaps he should have expected since he was one of the few who hadn't been shocked by anything just yet. "Oh I wasn't always a smuggler. Started out as a family man. We had a little toy shop. It was back when the first rebellion started. You were probably a very little one. Got recruited to the army. I didn't last long. Never was much of a killer I was more of a thinker. Eventually I moved up through the ranks. My wife got pregnant while I was gone during the wars. She left with another man after I'd been gone for 2 years."

Mike shrugged. "So when the war was over they gave me a letter of dismissal and a small sum to pay for my services. There wasn't anything to go home to. I lived on the streets and stayed there in the slums to drink away my life. Eventually I decided I wanted to go home but, the shop was closed so I found employment where I could. Worked as a ship mechanic and then I was accused of killing a man. Wasn't much for law in the area so I started running with Smugglers." A grin came to his face. "Then I met a grubby faced kid with a limp. He was big even then. Heard he was a captain looking for a crew. I figured I'd humor him and see if he was just another little street urchin. Looked like one. Turned out he'd taken over a ship single handedly. Out of curiosity I stuck around. He weathered a mutiny." The man almost looked ashamed as he told her the last part. "I didn't take sides. Just locked my engine room and told them I'd stick with whoever won in the end. Since that day I've thrown my chips in with him. Turned out my little grubby faced captain was a smart lad. Didn't rely completely on his brute strength. This is the first I've ever seen of him breaking. Every man has his limit. What's most important is if he gets himself under control. I'll wait long as it takes. If you let a man fail you've destroyed him."

Sitting back on his haunches he took another bite of the food. Mike almost had to hummm with pleasure. "The food is good." It all became quiet except for the crinkling of the small foil wrapping. Finally Killian moved from his spot and came to squat near the two of them. "We haven't run out of air yet. There's air somewhere. Mike what do you know about mines."
 
Kato nodded at Andy with a light smile. "A bit sore and stiff. Nothing to worry about. I'm just looking forward to us getting out of these mines." He takes the packet eating the protein inside.
"When are we leaving?" Timo asks again. So far no one had been able to give him an answer.
"Soon, kid. Promise." Kato pats his shoulder then looks back up at Andy. "I wonder what sort of mine this is. Coal, gold...."
"Oooh, I hope its gold." Timo's eyes light up. "I've always wanted to see real gold."

Star nodded as she ate and listened to Mike. She knew they went back several years, but it seemed liked they had a whole lot more history than either of them had let on. She wanted to ask more questions about their past when Killian finally appears in front of them. He still looked terrible but seemed to have regained himself. She nearly leapt off the ground to hug him in relief but restrained herself.
"There should be multiple shafts." Star interjects before Mike. She looks between the two of them awkwardly. "I mean, it only makes sense right? To have multiple exits in case of something just like this. Not to mention different access points with which to haul out whatever they were mining. They should also have maps on different walls telling the miners where they are at different points in the tunnel network."
 
Mike was about to answer and then the woman blurted her answer. "Yes there are multiple shafts only problem is that there isn't always alternate escape routes. Some of the shafts will only go deeper into the ground." As for the maps it may depend on how old the mine was and what kind of mine. If it had been abandoned for long there was no telling if the maps would be in any kind of shape to read. "There could be an alternative escape route." Peering at Killian he waited for a moment before saying anything else. "What's your order captain?"

From the sounds of it their only way out was to explore and Killian didn't like it. Leaving everyone in the black wouldn't do them any favors and he didn't want the one person with a light to be lost somewhere. "Do we all go with you?"

The older man nodded. "You'll have to. I can take up the lead and I'll be turning the lantern out at different points to be sure that I can see if there is any daylight at all." Cautiously he started to get himself up off the ground. He was a little sore yet. "Whenever you think the group is ready." Mike wanted to be sure that the captain took the lead on this one. If the rest of the crew was going to respect Killian they had to see him weather this as well.

Killian stood up and beckoned to the others to stand up. "Time to move. Mike's taking lead and I'll follow up in the back to make sure we don't have any stragglers." Slowly the group started on their way toward the first shaft. The light scanned and the engineer turned away from it toward another one. So far he hadn't found any kind of maps hanging on the walls. This shaft made an obvious turn up and it looked more hopeful. Seemed that the higher they got the more strange noises they heard. It was as if a heartbeat was in the ground itself. Dust fell into Mike's hair and he turned the light off. There wasn't any kind of daylight, but he knew the sounds were from above the ground. Maybe they were close enough with how long they'd been climbing to get through. "Captain I need you up ahead."

Joining Mike at the top of the tunnel, Killian frowned. "Its all solid rock."

"Not there." Mike moved the light to point it at a small wood hatch. "Can you reach it?"

Killian walked down a few feet and he couldn't quite reach it. "Andy or Star come over here." They were the only two left that could possibly put enough force into this if they would trust him. "Probably Andy I need someone with good balance." He felt bad saying it, but it was true. When the little woman came over he got down on his knees. I need you to stand on my shoulders and I'll hold onto your ankles. You just brace against the hatch."

Carefully Andy stepped onto the captains shoulders and she felt his hands wrap around her ankles. Wavering slightly she put her hands out and then grabbed for the hatch. Pushing on it with all her might seemed to get little done. Grunting she gave it another shove and a trickle of gravel and dirt started to pour in. "One more time." A flood of dirt covered the two of them and a small flower dropped its head just on the edge. "We ruined a garden." Andy almost seemed disappointed but she reached her hands out and crawled out of the mine shaft. It was strangely quiet looking at the house. As if no one lived in it.

"Here take this." Killian passed a gun up to her. "I need you to take watch while I get there rest of them out." Next he grabbed Mike and helped the man get out. After Mike Killian passed Timo up and Star. For the last person he sent the doctor. Kato was probably the least stable of them all and the captain struggled to get him high enough for anyone else to help pull the doctor out.

Being the last person had a few challenged. "Clear a spot for my hands." Killian jumped and grabbed the first time for the clear spot but his hands slipped. Trying again he got a better grip and kicked a few times with his feet to give himself the momentum needed to get one hand moved to the other side. Now with a hand on either side he swung a little more till he pulled his knees up to his chest and was able to brace his feet on against the opening. Swinging one leg over the side he almost fell back into the shaft but he felt someone grab onto his hand that had been slipping. Pushing up from there he rolled to the side and then cautiously peered around. "I think we're still behind lines."
 
Star stood on her tiptoes peering through the window of the house as the rest of the crew helped Killian out of the mineshaft. "I don't think there's anyone in here." She says, looking back at the crew.
Timo was picking strawberries from the garden and eating them. "Timo..." She shook her head at the lad, who looked up at her with red juices dripping down his chin. "Want one? They're sweet." He offers a couple in his hand.
She shook her head. "Allergic." Timo shrugged and turned, offering them to the rest of the crew.
In the distance mortar shells continued to go off and gunfire was so frequent she'd begun to tune it out. "At least we're above ground...but how are we going to make it to the shipyard with fighting as intense at this?"
 
Killian stared at the strawberries being offered by the boy. "No I don't want any." He couldn't help being relieved with getting out from under the ground. Still there was all the shooting and it was making him feel nervous. Anytime they could expect to be found. Not that he would do anything to attract attention. Then there was the question of obtaining a ship. They had to before the battle was over. Chaos may afford them a chance to escape. If they waited till after the way getting off the planet was too risky.

Looking over at Star he shrugged. "We don't as a group." Looking to Mike he nodded. "We'll go. Star you and Andy take control here. Stay in the region long as you can. Mike and I will be back."

*********************************************************************

The figures of the two men almost made Andy nervous. She hated to admit it, but she didn't feel very safe with just the few guns they had. "How many days will we give them before we should get worried?" That was one question that she hadn't figured to ask. They told the girls 2 days. Still that felt like a long time. It could take longer or possibly less. There wasn't any specific guideline given. "I'm not a criminal you know." Andy drew in the dust with her fingers. "Never had this kind of thing happen to me before." Looking over at the other 3 she sighed. "So we wait here and if the Alliance finds us what do we do?" There wasn't anyplace to run away to since they were behind lines.
 
"You guys can't go alone! We're a crew. We should do this together!" Star protests. "Splitting up is a terrible plan."

She hated Killian's argument but finally relented. She threw her arms around him, holding him tightly, her face twisted in worry. "You'd better come back. Both of you." She looks at Mike sternly.
*************
Star was resting her chin on her arms which rested on her knees. Timo was napping on Kato's nap, his belly full of strawberries. She looked up as Andy expressed her concern. "We'll just have to hope it doesn't come to that. They'll be back." She says nodding determinedly, trying to hide the concern she felt. She didn't know quite what they would do if they didn't. "If they alliance comes, we go back to the mines. It'd be our only chance." She moved and took a seat by Andy, putting her arm around the young woman's shoulders to comfort her. "We're gonna make it. Once we get that cruiser, we're leaving this system and going someplace safer. For all of us."
Kato nods. "If they aren't back within 4 days, I recommend trying to steal just a small shuttle for ourselves. Fly to a safer place on the planet and purchase passage away from here from there."
 
Killian glowered at Star. She was putting up a fight over something that shouldn't even be argued. "How do we hide Kato, Timo, Andy and you while we try to go around enemy lines? We can't. We'll be lucky if both of us can get around them. Mike knows how they move and that's our best shot." The captain held his gaze steady on Star till she finally relented. Apprehensively he let an arm wrap around her and then released her as she pulled away to give a stern glare at Mike.

"Do our best and that's all I can promise." Mike nodded to Star. "You be careful."

***********************************************************************************

Andy shrugged Star's arm away. "I'm not a child." Even if she was tiny and her pixie haircut looked like it, it wasn't so. "I don't like being lied to either. There is no guarantee that we make it out of this alive and if we go into the mines then we might as well die. The ships going over head could be them or could be someone else. They won't have time to land here and dig us out."

As if in response to her concerns Kato had to pipe up with his brilliant plan. Shaking her head she peered over at him. "Because we've seen shuttles all around here and who here do you think would do the flying and what about supplies or fuel? Do you even know where the nearest planet is?"

********************************************************************************************

Mike pushed Killian into the ground. "Stay down." Bullet whizzed over their head. The older man looked at the bodies of the Alliance soldiers laying nearby. They were close to his size so he pulled the clean looking clothes off of them. "Sorry you're too big for these." Actually in general Killian was hard to disguise. That was single worst thing about having the captain go anywhere. Everyone knew him almost immediately cause of his browned skin, black unruly hair, green eyes, and then his size. Scrambling into the clothing Mike then looked at Killian. "Sorry I've got to do it." Whipping his gun out he hit the captain with the but of the weapon right in the head.

A while later Killian woke up to a blinding headache and a little bit of blood trickling down his face. He went to reach up with his hand and found he was in cuffs. "What?" Jerking at them anxiously he looked over and noticed that Mike was calmly sitting near him.

"We're just waiting for a transport. They'll be here soon enough." Picking at what was left of the charred grass Mike threw it a ways and turned his gaze toward Killian. "Just keep on fighting. Its what you do best."

*********************************************************************

That night Andy woke up with a start. "I think I hear a ship." Pulling her jacket up over her head she barely peered out from under it. "Keep your heads and hands covered. We don't want them to see any skin." Skin was often what gave people away when a light shone into a building. The beam crossed over the window and back again. Turning her head she caught Kato's eye. "Have you got a chance to see anything?" He was able to maybe see the window better than herself.
 
Kato peered out the window as the light passed by. "Its impossible to tell if its them or not...but I can't imagine why a random ship would land here if it weren't them." He looked over at Star who was already getting Timo up. She too went to the window to peer out.
"Killian...Mike, that better be you. Just in case though..." She hands them what few weapons they had.
 
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