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<blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2693627" data-attributes="member: 10079"><p><strong>Chapter 16: Level 2. First Pass.</strong></p><p></p><p>Even through the thick, stone walls of the Great Temple, the screaming of the TIEs outside could be heard...which did nothing but cause the younger students to panic as they were urged to the turbolifts. It was only a matter of minutes and one was full. Reaching that point meant there was a decision to be made that none of the four apprentices wanted to make...but all knew it had to be.</p><p> </p><p>“You take them,” Cira said to Gant and Esah over her shoulder as she urged the other students towards the turbolift that was empty at the other end of the hall, “We’ll take the next group down and then get the next level below.”</p><p> </p><p>It was Esah who nodded and said in her watery voice, “We’ll take the level below that. Go quickly.”</p><p> </p><p>She didn’t need to say the last part. All of them, probably even the children, could feel the urgency through the Force itself. As the turbolift door, with Esah, Gant, and the first group of probably ten students ranging from age eight to close to 14 inside, slid closed, Cira and Cowan turned and started to herd the rest of the students to the opposite end of the hall. They were running now. All of them. No words were necessary to tell everyone to run...even the youngest students with little training could feel the need to.</p><p> </p><p>They were all in the turbolift in just a few seconds, and the moment that Cowan was in, Cira hit the switch. The door slid shut, and the turbolift shot down...then stopped suddenly a level below, the door opening again. Confused children started to look around and ask questions, but Cira said firmly, “The others will be with you at the underground levels. You’ll be safe.”</p><p> </p><p>She then stepped out of the turbolift tube, grabbing Cowan’s arm and yanking him out as one of the children took charge and hit the switch to go down. There was a short glance between her and a small Duros boy, his large reddish eyes somehow showing fear despite having no eyebrows or pupils to hint that he was even looking at her...but the door slid closed and the turbolift left.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing?!” Cowan finally growled out.</p><p> </p><p>“They’ll be fine!” Cira yelled over her shoulder, now already heading for the other doors and checking to get anyone out who was still inside, “It’s the students still here we should worry about! Come on!”</p><p> </p><p>Cowan grumbled something to himself that she didn’t hear, but he was soon helping her to check the doors. This level was emptier than the one above. They got halfway down the corridor and still had found no one. Fed up with how much time this was taking, Cira turned and ran as fast as she could to the far end of the corridor to start checking rooms from there to meet Cowan somewhere near the ‘middle.’</p><p> </p><p>And then what they’d been hoping would have waited longer happened.</p><p> </p><p>At first, there was a deafening boom that lasted only half a second before neither Cowan nor Cira could hear anything. Then the entire temple shook...and a moment later the roof and walls began to collapse and a great explosion of white hot flames erupted from the ceiling above. That was about when Cowan blacked out, but Cira stayed conscious long enough to feel herself slam face first into the stone floor.</p><p> </p><p>Neither knew how long it was when the blackness faded into a muddied and dizzy consciousness. Hearing began to return as slowly as sight did, and Cowan even managed to push himself up from the stone floor slightly. He felt a mix of stones and other rubble fall off of his body, but thankfully none of it seemed to have been large enough to crush him. He felt dizzy though...and the small patch of red on the stone where he had lain was probably partially responsible for that.</p><p> </p><p>But then he noticed the intense heat and the loud roaring all around him. Eyes focused more and he saw that the brown stones were tinted bright red...and it only took looking up some to see the entire corridor engulfed in thick flames. Or at least, the part of the corridor he could see. There were huge piles of debris all throughout the hall, and he was amazed at looking up that he couldn’t actually see outside. The top level shouldn’t have even been there anymore...</p><p> </p><p>Feeling a tinge of something through the Force, Cowan was once again snapped into the moment...into the burning, destroyed high level of the Great Temple. At the top of his lungs, voice scratching at his throat and hurting as he spoke, Cowan yelled, “Cira?!”</p><p> </p><p>He thought he heard a cough from farther away. He was sure, though, that he heard Cira through the flames when the sound traveled through the inferno, “You’re alive, too?”</p><p> </p><p>Typical of her to act like that...so typical. She was just...just...</p><p> </p><p>The words that Cowan said next slipped through as his mind argued with itself, “The whole corridor is on fire!!”</p><p> </p><p>There was a long pause before Cira responded, and it even seemed like the roaring of the fire got louder. Then, though, the flames were drowned out by Cira’s voice, “I bloody well noticed!”</p><p> </p><p>Cowan managed to get to his feet now, a hand resting on the hot wall next to him to steady himself. He did his best to peer ahead of him at the debris and the flames, knowing that was where Cira’s voice had been. But before he could say anything, her voice yelled through the flames, “Get to the turbolift on your end! Meet me on the level below!”</p><p> </p><p>“But what about this level?!” Cowan nearly screamed at the fire, now suddenly angry again...despite his head spinning slightly, still.</p><p></p><p>“Cowan,” this time, Cira’s voice was somehow quiet and yet still could be heard over the flames, “Nothing could possibly be alive on this end...and unless you found anyone on yours...”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright!” he snapped, just to shut her up and not have to think about what it looked like on the other side of the rubble...at the same time curious of Cira’s actual condition. But something stopped him from asking anything else, and he simply turned and headed for the other end of the corridor, trying to ignore the fact that he had to actually push through some flames and what very well looked to be a body part...they shouldn’t have missed anyone...but...no.</p><p> </p><p>Focusing as best he could away from that, he got to the turbolift to find it, thankfully, still active. Cowan quickly hit the switch(which was scorching hot like the walls themselves), and waited for the lift to return...distantly, above the sounds of the roaring flames around him, Cowan could hear the screams of the ion engines of the TIE Bombers above...and the sounds were growing louder again.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ankh-Morpork Guard, post: 2693627, member: 10079"] [b]Chapter 16: Level 2. First Pass.[/b] Even through the thick, stone walls of the Great Temple, the screaming of the TIEs outside could be heard...which did nothing but cause the younger students to panic as they were urged to the turbolifts. It was only a matter of minutes and one was full. Reaching that point meant there was a decision to be made that none of the four apprentices wanted to make...but all knew it had to be. “You take them,” Cira said to Gant and Esah over her shoulder as she urged the other students towards the turbolift that was empty at the other end of the hall, “We’ll take the next group down and then get the next level below.” It was Esah who nodded and said in her watery voice, “We’ll take the level below that. Go quickly.” She didn’t need to say the last part. All of them, probably even the children, could feel the urgency through the Force itself. As the turbolift door, with Esah, Gant, and the first group of probably ten students ranging from age eight to close to 14 inside, slid closed, Cira and Cowan turned and started to herd the rest of the students to the opposite end of the hall. They were running now. All of them. No words were necessary to tell everyone to run...even the youngest students with little training could feel the need to. They were all in the turbolift in just a few seconds, and the moment that Cowan was in, Cira hit the switch. The door slid shut, and the turbolift shot down...then stopped suddenly a level below, the door opening again. Confused children started to look around and ask questions, but Cira said firmly, “The others will be with you at the underground levels. You’ll be safe.” She then stepped out of the turbolift tube, grabbing Cowan’s arm and yanking him out as one of the children took charge and hit the switch to go down. There was a short glance between her and a small Duros boy, his large reddish eyes somehow showing fear despite having no eyebrows or pupils to hint that he was even looking at her...but the door slid closed and the turbolift left. “What are you doing?!” Cowan finally growled out. “They’ll be fine!” Cira yelled over her shoulder, now already heading for the other doors and checking to get anyone out who was still inside, “It’s the students still here we should worry about! Come on!” Cowan grumbled something to himself that she didn’t hear, but he was soon helping her to check the doors. This level was emptier than the one above. They got halfway down the corridor and still had found no one. Fed up with how much time this was taking, Cira turned and ran as fast as she could to the far end of the corridor to start checking rooms from there to meet Cowan somewhere near the ‘middle.’ And then what they’d been hoping would have waited longer happened. At first, there was a deafening boom that lasted only half a second before neither Cowan nor Cira could hear anything. Then the entire temple shook...and a moment later the roof and walls began to collapse and a great explosion of white hot flames erupted from the ceiling above. That was about when Cowan blacked out, but Cira stayed conscious long enough to feel herself slam face first into the stone floor. Neither knew how long it was when the blackness faded into a muddied and dizzy consciousness. Hearing began to return as slowly as sight did, and Cowan even managed to push himself up from the stone floor slightly. He felt a mix of stones and other rubble fall off of his body, but thankfully none of it seemed to have been large enough to crush him. He felt dizzy though...and the small patch of red on the stone where he had lain was probably partially responsible for that. But then he noticed the intense heat and the loud roaring all around him. Eyes focused more and he saw that the brown stones were tinted bright red...and it only took looking up some to see the entire corridor engulfed in thick flames. Or at least, the part of the corridor he could see. There were huge piles of debris all throughout the hall, and he was amazed at looking up that he couldn’t actually see outside. The top level shouldn’t have even been there anymore... Feeling a tinge of something through the Force, Cowan was once again snapped into the moment...into the burning, destroyed high level of the Great Temple. At the top of his lungs, voice scratching at his throat and hurting as he spoke, Cowan yelled, “Cira?!” He thought he heard a cough from farther away. He was sure, though, that he heard Cira through the flames when the sound traveled through the inferno, “You’re alive, too?” Typical of her to act like that...so typical. She was just...just... The words that Cowan said next slipped through as his mind argued with itself, “The whole corridor is on fire!!” There was a long pause before Cira responded, and it even seemed like the roaring of the fire got louder. Then, though, the flames were drowned out by Cira’s voice, “I bloody well noticed!” Cowan managed to get to his feet now, a hand resting on the hot wall next to him to steady himself. He did his best to peer ahead of him at the debris and the flames, knowing that was where Cira’s voice had been. But before he could say anything, her voice yelled through the flames, “Get to the turbolift on your end! Meet me on the level below!” “But what about this level?!” Cowan nearly screamed at the fire, now suddenly angry again...despite his head spinning slightly, still. “Cowan,” this time, Cira’s voice was somehow quiet and yet still could be heard over the flames, “Nothing could possibly be alive on this end...and unless you found anyone on yours...” “Alright!” he snapped, just to shut her up and not have to think about what it looked like on the other side of the rubble...at the same time curious of Cira’s actual condition. But something stopped him from asking anything else, and he simply turned and headed for the other end of the corridor, trying to ignore the fact that he had to actually push through some flames and what very well looked to be a body part...they shouldn’t have missed anyone...but...no. Focusing as best he could away from that, he got to the turbolift to find it, thankfully, still active. Cowan quickly hit the switch(which was scorching hot like the walls themselves), and waited for the lift to return...distantly, above the sounds of the roaring flames around him, Cowan could hear the screams of the ion engines of the TIE Bombers above...and the sounds were growing louder again. [/QUOTE]
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