CH-75

"Harry, I'm reading nearly a dozen ships in the city itself," Ahsoka informed him as her fingers moved confidently over the sensor controls adjusting and examining the information as fast as she could.

Her voice was intense but not panicked as she continued, "Mostly freighters, but they look to have a modified assault frigate with them as well."

"There hasn't been a slave raid like this reported in years," Aayla interjected. Her voice had also become calm and was modulated in a no-nonsense tone.

"Well, there's one going on now. I'm taking us in. We have to help the Wookiees in the city," Harry replied, his eyes narrowed as his fingers flew across the controls.

"Dobby! Lock everything down. Things are going to get bumpy," Harry called out.

There wasn't a response but it didn't look like Harry was expecting one. Silence descended in the cockpit as all three occupants alternated between glances at the planet which nearly filled their view and the scanner readouts Ahsoka was continually pouring over.

"Four minutes to the city," Ahsoka announced as they blasted into the atmosphere. "Harry, I'm reading that one of the larger transports has lifted off… No, make that two of them are outbound."

"They've got their captives and are escaping before any help can arrive," Aayla said tensely.

Her voice was bleak. She knew that there were no Republic reinforcements close enough to respond to the crisis. She couldn't help wondering how many families were about to be torn apart. "We might be able to stop one of the ships… but there's no way we can get both ships. Much less help those in the city at the same time."

"Like hell," Harry replied with a growl, "Ahsoka, what are their outbound vectors?"

Ahsoka's voice was steady with a trace of anger as she responded, "One's headed straight for atmosphere, in this direction, and we'll have intercept in about a minute and a half. The other is flying away from the city and vectored away from us and gaining altitude far more slowly. Judging by their slow speed… best bet is their engines aren't strong enough for the pure vertical lift."

Harry's face was a scowl and his voice came out tersely. "Ahsoka, you flew this pretty well back at Nar Shaddaa when the bounty hunters were taking pot shots at us. Can you fly as well in atmo?"

"Yes, why?" Ahsoka asked, taking a moment to turn her attention from the display to look at Harry.

"Take over," Harry said and immediately keyed a few buttons on his station then promptly stood up. Ahsoka's station gained the primary flight capability and she took over the piloting immediately without a hitch. "Vector us toward the ship that's trying to escape more slowly, don't worry about the one headed this way, as long as we'll pass reasonably close its fine."

"Okay…" Ahsoka did as she was told.

Harry had grabbed his long coat out of a storage compartment in the side of the cockpit and glanced at her, "What's our time to intercept?"

"We'll pass the other ship in a little over a minute, now," Ahsoka replied as she continued to guide to the ship into the atmosphere.

"That's fine. We're still flying over the rest of the fighting in the city right?" Harry clarified, as he slid on the coat quickly.

"Yes, three minutes on that." Ahsoka replied, anticipating his next question.

"Blue, you know how to work a ship's guns?" Harry stopped to look at her a moment. When Aayla looked nonplussed, but nodded. "Good. You're going after the ship that's headed away from us more slowly. Don't let that ship leave. Hit their engines, the guns should be powerful enough to stop it."

"What are you going to be doing?" Aayla demanded.

"I'm going to be headed to the ground and work on stopping the fighting and keep any other ships from taking off." Harry replied, sliding an odd looking belt with several pouches around his hips.

"Is there anything we can do about the ship headed this way?" Aayla asked, and then shook her head slightly. She knew that if they managed to stop one of the two fleeing ships, then it would be considered a miracle.

"Passing them in forty-five seconds!" Ahsoka called out. She already recognized the tone in Harry's voice. It was the same one he had when he had seen the bartender take a blaster bolt in the chest.

Harry scowled but rather than address Aayla's question, he turned away from her toward the cockpit entrance, "Dobby!"

There was a second's pause and Dobby appeared. He bounced on his feet and looked up at Harry, "All secured, Master Harry Potter, sir!"

Harry waved the comment off, "Dobby, we're about to pass a ship in…" he looked over his shoulder at Ahsoka, who didn't need to turn and see him to know he was asking for an update.

"Thirty seconds, in visual range now!" Ahsoka supplied immediately.

Harry turned and pointed toward the cockpit window, "Dobby, that ship has bad people who are trying to make people slaves against their will."

Dobby followed his finger's direction and focused on the ship that was growing bigger by the second. His eyes narrowed in response and his entire body uncharacteristically stilled.

"Your life is paramount, then the captives. For the duration of this mission, all other orders are rescinded. Don't let that ship escape. After you stop it and everyone who is inside of it against their will is safe, you can come back here and see if Ahsoka or Aayla need more help," Harry said in a voice was direct and serious.

"Yes, Master," Dobby said grimly without a trace of his normal excitability, instead his expression was set in a look of determination.

Harry nodded in approval and pointed toward the ship that was quickly growing larger, "Go."

Dobby looked out the forward viewport and could see the ship coming towards them, though its vector was angled up to fly above them. A moment later he disappeared with a pop. Harry turned and didn't even bother giving the ship a second glance.

"Harry are you sure…" Aayla's comment trailed off, as she realized that if the little being could even delay them it would help. Though she was also very starkly reminded of the hangar bay where she had first met him, and the pile of naked people stacked up.

"That ship's not going anywhere, especially when they're still this far into the planet's gravity well. Dobby won't let it," Harry stated confidently, "Ahsoka, how long until we pass over the city?"

"A minute and a half," Ahsoka replied instantly.

"I should go with you. I'd be more helpful on the ground," Aayla said after a brief hesitation. Harry glanced at her with a raised eyebrow for a full five seconds before looking over at Ahsoka.

"Can you shoot and fly at the same time?" He asked. The controls on the ship were set up to do so, after all he was flying solo most of the time.

K̾o̾-̾f̾i̾

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