Aria was frowning deeply as Yerbol joined her in the back of the shuttle, having overheard the Knight’s talk with Kilik through their bond, she was currently perched on the very edge of her seat, one leg crossed over the other with her chin rested on her knee. She almost looked as if she had swallowed something terribly sour, her frown was so severe. It seemed to brighten slightly as Yerbol reappeared, though she seemed as wary as he was about their approaching the convoy. 
“No, it’s not just you.” she confirmed quietly. “I’ve got a BAD feeling about this…” something didn’t feel right. Everything was too easy, the three shuttles surrounding them didn’t even have artillery railguns, or even standard laser canons (or if they did, they were not made show of and there was certainly no firing upon their little transport as they approached the triangular ship). Regardless, they were here now and they might as well keep going with the plan. It didn’t sit right, but there were five people being taken to their certain deaths on that ship just for being Force sensitive, and that couldn’t be allowed to happen.

_______________

They breezed effortlessly through the deserted hangar. No shuttles, no troopers, hell, not even a single astromech droid. This was really, really weird. It made the hairs on the back of Aria’s neck prickle uncomfortably, warning her over and over again alongside the hollow pit in her gut that this was a bad situation and they needed to get out of there, NOW, but she pushed it to the back of her mind so they could press forward.
“Not a single armed personnel anywhere…I don’t like this, at all.” she whistled softly as the hangar bay doors ‘whooshed’ open in front of them and presented them with three choices as to their next path, Yerbol turning towards her and making light mention of the result the last time he had made that choice. Smirking, Aria patted his forearm and stepped in front of him to stretch out her senses and try to scope out the hallways.
“Wuss. So what, if it goes wrong this time you can just blame it on me? Fine, I’ll pick.” blowing out another breath, she stepped towards the left-most corridor. “I think they circle around and join up on the other side of the wall. Elara said the prisoners were on the left-hand side, so let’s go left.” they trudged carefully down the hallway, but found it just as deserted as the hangar bay, and Aria’s predictions to be correct. They arrived on the other side of the previous wall without a hitch, sticking to their ‘keeping left’ approach and soon coming upon a doorway branching off the main hall. On the other side of the doorway faint Force presences could be felt. One, two, three...yes, five. Definitely five. Immediately beside that entryway was a smaller one, presumably the doorway leading to the terminal they would need to de-activate the fields with. Holding out a hand to place against Yerbol’s chest, Aria would halt his step and call his attention to the arrangement. Slipping into the smaller room, they would find the code on the security terminal was frightfully easy to crack (which should have been another red flag in and of itself, in hindsight…), the energy fields cutting out abruptly as Aria and Yerbol entered the room to rouse the half-dazed Force users from their deactivated restraint receptacles. 
Sharp spikes of fear permeated through the room as it took the prisoners a moment to realise what was happening. At first, they assumed the worst. That they had arrived early and they were about to be executed. 
Aria smiled gently as she hauled a frail-looking Twi’lek carefully onto his feet and murmured.
“Eti aan ily. dan ohk karkirjae guo. Gan cahsinark tlaran dan bo geo ar Koyis Kkita, ootay korjin cahsinark garei cloyan dan.”
[hider=translation]
Aria: It’s alright. You’re safe now. We’ll take you with us to Wild Space, where they won’t ever find you.
[/hider]
It would take some more gentle coaxing for the five to stumble after them back towards the shuttle, but with some patient urging they made it, and managed to communicate their friendly intentions. By the time they rejoined Abbeth and Kilik on their escape shuttle, the five Force users were noticably calmer though still unsteady due to no doubt barbaric restraint techniques or drugs that had been used to incapacitate them. They would need considerable time to recover their strength in a medbay upon return to Zinuthra.

Aria leaned on the back of the co-pilot’s chair, having volunteered to stand around in the cockpit to allow the prisoners to have the rest of the shuttle’s seating area to themselves in order to help them remain settled and not stress them further. 
“I don’t like this.” she whispered again.
“So you keep saying.” Kilik huffed, apparently annoyed (or perhaps so worried that he was snapping, as well?) by the duo’s constant fear-mongering. He sighed heavily again as he took the controls and they steered away from the transport, Yerbol inputting Zinuthra’s hyperspace co-ordinates to the navcomputer. “That was WAY too easy.” Kilik would nod, though their attention was focused ahead and they would not see the rest of the armada behind them uncloaking briefly as the crafts’ hyperdrives hummed to life in pursuit of the shuttle. 

Soto’s features would spread into a broad grin as the comm system’s dialtone faded away and Saresh’s voice answered on the other end. 
“Inform Lord Bracknell that we will be moving imminently. They took the bait.” 
______________

A snout bumped at Roan’s hand, gently at first, and then harder. Again. An urgent, chuffing grunt followed as the Tuk’ata tried to rouse its pack leader from the strange Force-trance that seemed to have gripped him like icy cold fingers. 
Nothing was vividly clear, the brief glimpses overlaying one another: the scream of multiple hyperdrives, blaster fire echoing off walls, walls not made of metal, lightsabers humming to life, Bracknell’s face twisted into a smug sneer as he proclaimed: “This ends NOW.”

Jolted from the vision as the Sith hound barked again and threw itself into his side, Roan got to his feet and bent to give it a reassuring scratch behind the ears. It was not a well-known fact, but apart from their intelligence, there were a few mutated Tuk’ata that were known to be mildly sensitive to the Force as well. The only two that remained since Korriban’s distraction, his ever-faithful companions could sense it too. The lingering sense of doom. He could not be certain, but if it was true...it would have to happen, or the duo would never have the strength to do what was needed to end this war.
“If this is what the Force wants for me, then it must be so my friend.” he murmured, striding out of the meditation room to locate Voldon, Jungze and Cheriss. 
“Ah, Roan. Just in time, we got a call in, they did it.” Cheriss informed him as he slipped into the room. 
“...Tell me that I’m not the only one who felt it.” was all Roan could say, his yellowed gaze moving between his comrades.