"Yeah, yeah.' She slung Takree's arm around her shoulders, propping him up with her other arm as she peeked at the boy's wound.
"It might hurt now, kiddo, but you're going to be fine. Trust me." Takree grunted in response, Neta laughing inwardly at his sudden need to play the tough guy. Probably needed to feel better about himself after his friends effectively slammed his character in front of a bunch of women. 
"Right then. Lead the way, Aria." 

_____

Outside the hangar bay was Manso furiously typing at a console next to the massive steel doors, his face furrowed with concentration. 
"What's the word, Manso? Any luck on the lock?"
"Getting there...long decryption keys, faulty UI, bad...ah, there it is." He looked to the trio with a relieved smile.
"Without the cover you guys gave me, I would've been toast." 
"And without you, we ALL would have been dead." The Padawan stuck his chest out at Yerbol's affirmation, pressing a key on the security panel keyboard. The hangar doors slid open slowly, Yerbol muttering:
"Stay close and fight together."
"I don't know if I can..." Janika whined, retreating a few steps back.
"Jani, listen to me: we've got the drop on THEM this time. No one else is going to die today, ok?" 
"Die? Wait, who di-" Udike glared at Manso, who mouthed "What?!" before shrugging and getting his apprentice blade ready. 
"Remember: focus on your own energies and channel that instead of the chaos around you." The Padawans nodded, Yerbol igniting his saber as the doors fully slid open. 

There were a few shuttles parked near the exit to the bay on the right with a handful of Republic Shock Troopers, Imperial Special Forces and gunner droids stationed around the shuttles. The droids let out a squawk as they clambered their way forward towards the intruders, the combined force opening fire on their position while a few of the troopers charged ahead, double bladed vibroswords in hand. Yerbol threw up a wall of energy to deflect the droid fire, the Knight shouting:
"We take out the droids first!" 
"But what about the-"
"THE DROIDS!" The vibroblade soldiers bounced off of the barrier as Yerbol made his way forward with the Padawans in tow, Manso and Janika slicing through a couple of the machines flanking them before Yerbol dispelled the wall of energy, knocking the troopers on their backs for a moment, giving him time to throw his saber at the last remaining combat droid, effectively cutting it in half. 

Saber now back in hand, the Knight dodged a now upright trooper's stream of blaster fire, thrusting him backwards with a powerful burst of the Force. Another came towards his right, vibroblade in hand, only to be taken out at the legs by Udike, who finished the trooper off with a solid blow to the ribcage. Yerbol spun around, delivering an elbow to another oncoming enemy when he heard a shriek of pain echo through the hangar. He then saw Manso gripping his left leg, blood oozing onto the floor. Janika threw herself towards Manso, hoping to help the now injured Padawan, but the same soldier that had shot Manso in the leg had delivered a couple of bolts to the right shoulder of the female Padawan, who dropped to the ground, eyes closing. Yerbol leaped towards the younglings, crouching in a defensive position, deflecting whatever bolts he could, but a rogue bolt hit Udike in the torso. 
"Close in." One of the troopers flatly commanded, a ring of soldiers forming around the injured Padawans and their lone protector. As the ring tightened in formation, Yerbol heard the whimpers of the fallen Padawans, their blood needlessly spilled, their lives crushed underneath the heels of the Sith. He had to make sure they would survive. No matter the cost. 

Yerbol closed his eyes, feeling the emotions he had been wrestling with, trying to suppress coming to the surface. Anger. Sorrow. Confusion. Rage. Loss. They were begging him to act. To abandon restraint...just this once. For Tython. For Lysa. 

A visceral cry ripped from his throat, eyes snapping open as he threw his arms to either side of his body, throwing the troopers backwards. Exploiting their momentary lapse, Yerbol dashed forward, slicing two troopers cleanly through the torso, dashing to another and jamming his saber in the troopers back, rushing forward to allow the armor of his latest victim to absorb the incoming fire of the now capable soldiers. He ejected the body off his saber, ducking to the ground and throwing his saber at the legs of three troopers, shins separating from upper legs as Yerbol projected another burst of energy at the remaining members of the squadron, sending them flying against the wall of the hangars, their necks snapping. As the saber returned to Yerbol's hand, he found one trooper left, one leg forward, one leg pointed back towards the shuttle. The Knight threw his saber to the ground and jumped forward at lightning speed, delivering a powerful fist to the trooper's helmet, which cracked underneath the pressure of Yerbol's strike. Two punches to the gut and another to the chin sent the former assailant to the ground, Yerbol sinking to both knees on top of the soldier, his eyes wide as Yerbol slammed his left fist into his cheek. Then his right.

Left.
Right. 
Left. 
Right. 
Left. 
Right. 

He stood up, blood coating his knuckles and hands, staining his tattered clothes. Breathing hard, he retrieved his saber and clipped it to his belt before bending over at the waist, hands on his knees. 

[i]Ari...get here...please[/i]