“No,” Luke gasped. “We’ve gotta do something!”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Jayne growled. “I ain’t goin’ gallivantin’ around this death trap lookin’ fer yer girlfriend.”
“Why Jayne,” Zoe said dryly. “You chivalric fool.”
“What’d you just call me?”
“Minute ago you said you were up for a fight.” Mal smirked.
“Walkin’ into the detention level ain’t exactly what I had in mind.”
“We can’t just let ‘em kill ‘er!” Kaylee implored.
“Better her than us.” Mal said. “We’re stayin’ right here till that tractor beam’s out o’ commission and then we’re out o’ here.”
Luke opened his mouth to argue, but Mal shot him a look. “No use arguin’ what’s already been decided kid.”
Luke despaired, then decided to change tactics. “She’s rich.”
Mal frowned. “Rich.”
“Uh huh, rich, powerful, if we were to rescue her, the reward would be-“
“What?” Mal challenged. He hated having his orders circumvented, but truth to tell he didn’t like the idea of someone gettin’ executed by the Imps either. And damn his conscience but he was already going through plans.
“Well,” Luke foundered. “More wealth than you can imagine.”
“I can imagine quite a bit.” Jayne smirked. He had made no moves to rise from his seat.
“You’ll get it.” Luke promised.
“You speakin’ fer royalty now?” Zoe asked. “Luke this is a big station. With guards all over the place, not to mention internal security systems.”
“Her planet’s just been blown up.” Mal said. “You think she could still pay the fare?”
Luke’s face screwed up. “The Alliance would pay. She’s important to them, I’m sure of it.”
“Mal,” Jayne started, scowling.
“Cap’n?” Kaylee queried, a hopeful look on her face. She knew her captain well. She knew he wouldn’t let them kill the princess.
“Sir,” Zoe, inscrutable as always. “Do you have a plan or are you just gonna wing it?”
Mal looked down at the corpse of the officer Zoe had been thoughtful enough to drag into the room, and at the bodies of the techs. At the same time, Luke’s eyes fell upon the wrist binders that came with the storm trooper uniform.
*****
“This ain’t gonna work.” Jayne growled, shifting his arms uncomfortably in the wrist binders.
“Why didn’t you say so before?” Luke asked.
“Ah did say so before.” Came the answer. Jayne shot daggers with his look at Luke. The shorter of the storm troopers, then glowered at Mal, resplendent in his borrowed officer’s uniform. At least he could take comfort in the fact that the captain looked even more uncomfortable than Jayne did.
Mal had very little liking for the Empire. None at all in fact, and even during his stint as a soldier for the Independents, he hadn’t much cared for officers. But they had a job to do, and like it or not, this had been his plan. Well, half his plan. It was Luke’s idea on how to get Jayne in the cell block.
With Luke and Zoe in the Storm Trooper armor, Mal in the Officer’s uniform, and Jayne in the binders, they were off to effect a daring rescue, and hope to somehow make it off this junk heap alive. With Kaylee and the droids monitoring in the hanger bay terminal.
Zoe grinned under her helmet. Mal had been right about one thing. They’d had to trade the officer’s jacket for one of the techs’, because of the big blaster burn decorating the officer’s. But Mal had assured them that all anyone would see was the fancy hat, and the officer’s ribbons. So far, he’d yet to be proved wrong.
The lift doors slid open on the cell block, and they strode confidently out. Moderately confident.
“Where are you taking this…man?” the officer in charge sneered, adding sarcastic emphasis to the word man.
“Prisoner transfer from cellblock 42-F.” Mal bullshitted.
“I wasn’t notified,” the officer said. “I’ll have to clear it.” He never reached the comm. Jayne grabbed the blaster rifle from Luke and shot the officer.
“Hey!” Luke objected. He was ignored as Jayne and Zoe made quick work of the guards and sensors.
Mal pulled a dead guard from the terminal. “Let’s find out where this princess of yours is and get the gorram hell out of here.” He pointed to Luke. “Cell 23-A. Go get her, we’ll hold here.”
Luke dashed to the cell, and left Mal to hold down the fort. A job which immediately proved complicated.
“Cell block 41-A, we read weapons fire up there what’s going on?”
Mal rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. Flipping on the comm, he answered; “No need to worry, we had a weapons malfunction up here. But every thing's fine now.”
“I’ll send a tech up, you’re lucky no one was hurt.”
Jayne swore quietly.
“What was that?” the guy on the other end of the line said.
“Minor reactor leak.” Mal said, still calm. “Better keep away, big leak, uh, very dangerous.” Clearly, subterfuge was not Mal's forte. Maybe if they'd been playing Sabbac.
“Who is this? What's your operating number?”
Mal sighed, and blasted the console. “Boring conversation anyway. Luke! We're gonna have company!” He counted his blessings. Which at the moment was simply that there was only the one elevator it seemed. It meant that the Stormtroopers would only be able to come in that way, and only a very few at a time. Of course that also meant that their only escape route was effectively cut off.
The sound of the lift alerted them to the arrival of trouble. “Get to cover!” Mal ordered. Jayne took cover behind the console, while Zoe fell back to the corridor where there were alcoves to hide in. Mal stood front and center to draw attention.
Jayne swore. “Damn. Shoulda brought some grenades.”
“Remember for next time.” Mal smirked humorlessly. The door to the lift exploded outward, driving the captain and Jayne back. Soon enough, a pitched blaster fight was raging in the cramped quarters.
Luke meanwhile had located Leia, and they soon joined her would be rescuers. So far, she was not impressed. “Looks like you've managed to cut off our only escape route.”
No one spared her a glance. Zoe however remarked “Maybe you'd like it better back in your cell.”
Luke pulled Leia behind the cover of one of the struts in the wall, where Jayne was exchanging fire with the troopers. Frantically he pulled out his comm-link.
*****
“Threepio! Kaylee! Is there any other way out of the detention block?”
Kaylee didn't like the tone of Luke's voice. He had sounded so sure of himself up till then. The near panic did not help her nerves. That and the blaster fire, and the alerts on the computer.
She and Artoo worked together to try to help their friends.
“This ain't lookin' good.” she said unhappily.
“Sir I'm afraid there's bad news. All systems-”
“What was that? I didn't copy?” Luke interrupted.
“I said all systems have been alerted to your presence sir.” Threepio continued, relaying what Ms. Frye and Artoo were telling him. “The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out. All other information on that level is restricted.”
Suddenly, there came an insistent banging on the door to the control room.
“Open up in there!” someone demanded. “Open up in there!”
“Oh no.” Threepio and Kaylee squeaked.
*****
“There isn't any other way out.” Luke informed his companions unhappily.
“We can't hold them off forever sir.” Zoe said, seemingly calm. Only Mal and Jayne detected the stress in her voice.
“This is some rescue.” Leia reprimanded them, frustrated. And things had suddenly seemed to be going so well. “You came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?”
For some reason, Jayne thought she was talking to him. “I ain't the brains sweetheart. I mostly just kill people!”
Mal wasn't sure what amused him more. Jayne's sudden introspection and moment of honesty, or the shocked silence of their critic. He'd have smirked if he'd had the time.
What kind of people have I just gotten myself mixed up with? The Princess thought.
Satisfied that he'd avoided all blame for the fiasco, Jayne went back to killing the Stormtroopers. It was actually kind of fun, if it wasn't for the imminent death thing.
Luke didn't seem to be hitting anything, so Leia grabbed his blaster from him and blasted out the cover for the garbage shoot. She supposed in all the hustle and bustle it was understandable that they'd overlooked it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jayne demanded.
“Someone has to save our skins!” she retorted. “Into the garbage shoot hotshot!” Proving that she at least was willing to get her hands dirty, she dove in first.
“Wonderful girl.” Jayne growled. “Either I'm gonna kill'er or I'm beginnin' ta like 'er.” He jumped in after her, not needing much prompting.
“Luke, you're next!” Mal ordered. Then after Luke, he sent Zoe in, bringing up the rear himself.
*****
The garbage shoot deposited them right where you'd think. And it smelled about as good as everyone had expected.
“The garbage shoot.” Mal grumbled. “Great idea. What a wonderful smell you've discovered.” At least they had a brief respite. “Let's get out of here.”
“No wait!” Luke shouted, a moment too late. Mal fired his blaster at the door, but the shot ricocheted off the walls endlessly, sending them ducking for cover. It finally struck harmlessly a piece of debris.
“Forget it!” Luke said. “I already tried it, it's magnetically sealed.”
“Put that thing away before you get us all killed!” Leia added.
Mal hoped she'd yelled at Luke when he'd tried it. “So we're stuck. Seems to me our situation ain't improved much.”
“It won't take them long to figure out what happened to us.” Zoe agreed.
“Well it could be worse.” Leia grumbled defensively.
Something in the water below them growled.
“It's worse.” Mal said.