"Heads up."

By now all the Liberators on the escort detail were wise to the danger at hand. They all tried to keep a low profile even though they were on high alert -- Vannin even managed to quiet himself, expecting imminent trouble. Trouble came.

Slooga shook hands with the local contact, and the local contact didn't let go. The facade bled away in an instant -- muzzles left their holsters on both ends of the square. The contact raised his voice.

"You all know the game," the man said loudly. "Sooner or later they get us all. Imps pinched me three weeks ago, and I walk if I give them the hutt. Walk away now, we'll do the same."

"Bastard!" Slooga bellowed.

"You can shoot it out if you like," the contact continued, ignoring his new prisoner. "Their frigate is already enroute. You can make it out if you run, but not if you fight. Just walk away. Leave the hutt with me, and one of you can take his place, I don't care. We can do this nice and easy, or we c..."

The contact stopped short. He let go of Slooga's hand, and crumpled to the ground with an audible sizzling sound. Slooga turned to face his men, a disruptor pistol smoking in his left hand. [b]"Kill them all!"[/b] he roared.

The battle erupted in a flash. Pirates from both sides opened fire. Vannin sprayed a hail of bolts at the high rise opposite their position, then loaded a fresh cell and advanced, crouching and weaving his way towards Slooga, who was already flanked by troopers. Lt. Byron was there, letting loose with a heavy pistol and trying to speak calmly into his communicator. He was doing a poor job. Vannin snatched it out of his hands and screamed, "Nerf just shit the bed, get over here and clean it up! [i]Now![/i]" A hostile ran towards them, and Keller pitched the communicator at him, then brought up his rifle and took him down hard. 

"We need a plan!" Byron shouted.

"We need to bug out!" Keller agreed.

Slooga was barking orders. His pirates might have heard them, but Byron ignored them entirely. "Corporal!" he yelled, grabbing Vannin's shoulder. "Secure a path to the shuttle!"

Vannin nodded. "Give me three minutes. And send the slug now! He'll slow you down!" He tossed a grenade into the hostile end of the square and turned on his heels. "Hayca! Fish! On me!" The three of them moved into the alley. The squad was surrounded -- but not for long.

Meanwhile, Lt. Byron labored in vain to separate Slooga from the front line of the firefight. By now the friendlies had gained a slim edge, but more enemies were pouring in, and stormtroopers wouldn't be far behind. Confounded, Byron spotted Tadia nearby. "Doc!" he called. "We gotta get him moving [i]now[/i]. You're in charge. [i]Get. Him. On. That. Shuttle![/i]" Someone called out a flanking move by the enemy, and Byron's attention was absorbed once more in the shooting. He slid into cover a few meters away, and tried his luck giving orders to Slooga's pirates. Slooga, furious but at last realizing the futility of prolonging the issue, growled and cursed, and at last began to cooperate with his Alliance team. 

"Get me out," he muttered.