We Do This For One Unifying Cause: Justice
Chapter V | Episode XI | 5/1/2020
“Actually, Twil, we need to make one stop before you can go back to base.” Draven cut in, inputting a new set of coordinates.
“What’s up?” Twil asked, concerned, but readying the ship to jump all the same.
“I’ve gotta return to my own crew.” Draven replied, as the ship made the short jump to an empty sector of space.
There, waiting for them, was a ship identical to the one Draven had crashed into the Detainer.
“Wait.” Rath cut in, clearly confused, “You had two of those things?”
“Of course.” Draven said with a laugh, “You didn’t really think I’d sacrifice my actual ship and crew like that, did you?”
As Twil struggled to comprehend what was happening, Draven’s ship docked with the Sovereign, and Draven headed towards the docking ring.
Draven stopped just short of returning to his own ship, asd he turned to face Twil and the others, who had followed him. “My time here has come to an end… But yours…” He stopped to look upon each member of the Sovereign, stopping on Rath, giving the Chiss a smirk, “You still have plenty to write. This final chapter that’s to come isn’t mine.”
“You’re leaving?” Twil asked, heartbroken.
Draven simply smiled, and hugged Twil tightly. He then said his goodbyes to the others in the same manner, except for Rath with whom he simply shook hands.
Heading towards the entrance of his own ship, where his crew was waiting, Draven turned and said, “I may not answer right away if you contact me. But you know already, I have a track record to show up when it matters most… Be sure to give ’em hell, and a few explosions in my honor.” He ended with a wink.
As the door began to close, he shouted out one last thing, “We may cross paths again, but you were all truly my best friends… I’ll be thankful for that, and I’ll never forget it… Besides, you’ll always be with me, since I’ve got this dope jacket from Twil, the best in the galaxy!”
Twil let out a sad laugh, as he watched Draven struggle to shout out the words in time before the doors closed completely. Seconds later, Draven’s ship detached from the Sovereign and departed on its own way.
“That guy picks the best times to appear, and the worst times to disappear.” Rath muttered.
“What do you mean?” Twil asked.
“I’ll explain once we’re back at base.” Rath answered, heading back to the cockpit.
Once safely back, Rath wasted no time getting to his main holoprojector. “there’s something you all need to understand.” He began, “To count, we have taken down two Imperial Interdictor Cruisers. That is a feat that I’m fairly certain cannot be claimed by anyone else in the galaxy. However, what we’re up against now… Well, it’s better if I just show you.”
With a quick stroke of the keys, Rath called up a series of images on the holoprojecter, “This is an Interdictor Cruiser. The Immobilizer 418 and the Detainer were both of this model of Imperial madness. And this… is a standard Imperial Class Star Destroyer, such as the Solicitude, to scale. As you can see, they are quite a bit larger than the Interdictor Cruisers. One thousand meters larger to be precise.
“However, the Reaper is no Imperial Class Star Destroyer. In my line of work I come across millions of rumors on a daily basis. I do not have the time or resources to chase every single rumor. Such an act would be foolhardy. The Reaper is one such rumor that I chose to dismiss, because the absurdity of such a thing could not possibly be real. I dismissed it as Imperial fear mongering propaganda. I was clearly wrong to do so… this is the Reaper.”
Rath was silent as he pulled up a scale image of the Reaper, a so called “Executor Class Super Star Destroyer,” to compare with the other two ship models currently on the screen.
He heard a series of gasps and utterances of curses as the others attempted to comprehend the sheer size of the monstrosity before them.
Zanroy was the first to speak up, “Rath… how do we…?” He trailed off, still unable to fully comprehend the trial that lay before them.
“I don’t know.” Rath answered honestly, “The Sovereign barely survived the last battle with the Detainer, and that was a much smaller threat.”
“Well, obviously we’re not going to fly in guns blazing.” Idozzi remarked.
“Obviously.” Rath replied dryly, “But look at that thing, no matter how we attempt it, there is an extremely good chance things will go south, very quickly.”
The others were silent, realizing the truth of things.
Suddenly, Twil spoke up, “We need to contact the Rebels.”
Rath turned to face the Zeltron with incredulity, “Are you kidding me?” Rath asked, exasperated, “The Rebels have barely shown us any support in the past, and when they have, it’s been, at most, a handful of single man starfighters. You really think they’re going to aid us in this?”
“I know.” Twil replied, “But think of all we’ve done for them. Our credentials are a lot better now, then they were back then. They know us now, they know what we’re capable of. Besides which, I just had a vision.”
Rath sighed, knowing this could not possibly bring good news, “What did you see?” He asked.
“I saw Ota…” Twil began, “He was bloodied and beaten. He was in a bad state. And I saw Mon Mothma.”
“Was she in danger, too?” Idozzi asked.
“No…” Twil answered, “I just saw her face.”
As if on cue, R5, who was busy fixing the Sovereign with Rackett, called in over the base’s intercom, informing the crew that the Sovereign was receiving an incoming transmission.
“Patch it through to the base, R5.” Rath replied.
R5 beeped the confirmation, and Twil headed towards the base’s massive communications suite with Rath.
Rath gestured for Twil to take the call, saying, “I’m sure you’re the one they want to speak with.”
Twil nodded and answered the call. Much to his surprise, none other than Mon Mothma’s image appeared before him. “Chancellor Mothma!” He greeted the Chancellor and Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance with great surprise.
“It is good to see you well, Captain Twil.” Mon Mothma greeted him in turn, “I wish I could say this is just a social call, but I come to you now to request your help on a mission of the utmost importance.”
Twil let out a slight laugh, and said, “I have a feeling our interests may just coincide, Chancellor.”
Mon Mothma tilted her head, but continued, “Captain, our spies have uncovered the truth behind the Empire’s next great weapon.” An image then appeared on the screen, replacing Mon Mothma, “This is the Death Star II. It is the latest, in a series of weapons constructed by the Empire, in the Emperor’s mad quest for complete, galactic domination. Captain, this behemoth is significantly larger than the first Death Star, and I need not tell you the unmatched devastation it will bring upon our galaxy should it reach completion.”
“How many planet killers do those bastards need?” Rath whispered.
“Captain, the Rebel Alliance is fully committed to taking down this weapon, this crime against the galaxy, but we first need the plans. Without the structural details, we will have no chance. We have a small, elite team of Bothan spies currently aboard a stolen Imperial shuttle. They have clearance codes to board a certain ship. This ship is the only known location that houses the plans for the DS-II. My team is unparalleled, but they cannot do this alone. They need someone of your crew’s skills. Particularly you.” Mon Mothma said, narrowing her eyes on Rath, “We know that there is no slicer in this galaxy more skilled than you. We need your help. Without you, we will surely fail.”
Twil turned to look at Rath, whose eyebrows were raised higher than Twil had ever seen before.
Rath quickly regained his composure and asked, “Chancellor, is this ship by any chance called the Reaper?”
Twil turned to look, it was now Mon Mothma’s turn to be surprised. “How did you know that?”
Rath let out a chuckle, and said, “As my colleague already said, our paths are aligned.”
“We will happily help you in this, Chancellor.” Twil replied, “You just give us the time frame and rendezvous coordinates, and we’ll meet up with your team.”
For the first time, Mon Mothma let a slight smile spread across her lips, and said, “Thank you Captain, the Rebel Alliance shall forever be indebted to you.”
“But there’s something more you should know. The Death Star is not the Empire’s only project going on right now. I’ve got some stories to tell you…”
While Rath and Twil were busy regaling their tales to the Rebel leader, Zanroy decided to spend his time differently. Heading off to a spare room, Zanroy sat on the floor, cross legged, and began to meditate.
Using the Force, he sought out a certain person. The person who had first taught him to harness the powers of the Force: Elaiza.
Through great strain and struggle, it seemed as though he had actually succeeded. He found the woman. She was alone in a nondescript room. A variety of objects were splayed out before her. Weapons, tools, various miscellany of no seeming importance. He watched as Elaiza picked up each item, and, suddenly, he was no longer in the room with the woman, but was met with a series of visions, as if he was watching the history of whatever item Elaiza held. Its creation, its use, where it had been, what it had done. Each time Elaiza set an item down, he would be flung back into the room with her, the old woman seemingly unaware of his presence. And each time she held a new item, he would be greeted with new, chaotic visions.
Eventually, Elaiza sat the final item back to the ground, she then looked up, as if she could perceive Zanroy. As if he were standing before her in the room. “Zanroy.” She greeted him, “By the time you see this, I am unsure where I will be. However, because you are here now, it means you are finally ready to learn the last lesson I have to share.”
Zanroy simply stood his ground, surprised by the old woman being able to sense him.
“Psychometry is a rare and special gift, a power in the Force accessible only to a certain few. The ability to sense echoes of the Force within objects. To know their history from a simple touch. To know the essence of its wielder, to know its use, to know its creation. It is a powerful ability. One that the Jedi Order foolishly feared. It is a power latent within you, Zanroy. And now, as my final lesson to you, I shall pass on this knowledge so that you may unlock its power to its fullest extent.”
“Captain…” Mon Mothma began, with the entirety of the Rebel Alliance’s commanding eleite now standing behind her, listening to the tale Twil had told, “This information is invaluable. You have done far more for the Rebel Alliance than I could have ever hoped for. We are forever in your debt.”
“We want the same things.” Twil replied, “And don’t worry. Tomorrow we will be on our way to meet your team. We’ll get you those plans.”
“Thank you Captain.” Mon Mothma replied, “My people and I have much to discuss. I wish you great fortune on your mission. May the Force be with you.”
With that, the call was ended.
Twil then let out a sigh and said, “Looks like our choice was made for us.”
“I know what you’re thinking.” Rath replied.
Twil raised an eyebrow, “You sure you aren’t picking up a little Force sensitivity yourself?”
Rath shook his head, “Your powers are what kept us alive on Ilum. Had we the time, it would have been nice if we could have found the other data crystals for that holocron of yours.”
Twil nodded, “Yeah… it would have been nice.”
“But this is our only chance.” Rath continued, “If we want to get on the Reaper, and put an end to Dac Diggersby… We’re never going to have another shot like this one.”
“You’re right.” Twil nodded, resigned.
Suddenly, Zanroy reappeared in the main room, walking past the two, muttering, “I don’t understand…”
Twil saw this, and saw how physically ragged the Human suddenly looked, and leapt to his side, “Zanroy? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t understand.” Zanroy repeated.
Twil looked him once over, and said, “Come on, let’s get in the hot tub. You look like you could use it.”
“Yeah… Sure…” Zanroy replied.
Zanroy was actually appreciative of the Sovereign’s most bizarre feature, as the warm waters and gentle jets soothed his aching body. The vision he had of Elaiza… was it a vision? He wasn’t sure what it was. But it had drained him both physically and mentally. More than he had realized.
“So, what’s up?” Twil asked.
Zanroy tried to process how to explain what happened. Finally, after minutes of silence, he said, “I had a vision, I think, of Elaiza. She saw me. It was as if we were in the same room. She spoke with me as clearly as we are speaking now. Yet, it felt as if she was speaking to me from the past…”
“What did she say?” Twil asked, excitedly.
“She taught me a new power. She said it was always within me. I just didn’t know how to access it.”
“What is it?”
“She called it…” Zanroy had to think to remember the name she had given it, “Psychometry.”
“What?”
“She said it was… Like, you can read people right? You know their thoughts, their emotions, you can see their memories?”
“Sure.”
“Apparently, this Psychometry power allows me to read things.”
“Things?”
“Inanimate objects.” Zanroy explained, “If I touch something, I can see everything about it. Its creation, its use, its handlers, its history.”
“Whoa!” Twil exclaimed, “Wait right here.”
He then jumped out of the tub, giving Zanroy the first chance to realize that the Zeltron was not wearing any sort of bathing suit. Zanroy just sighed and shook his head.
Seconds later, Twil was back in the hot tub, with his old blaster in hand. “Let’s give it a test run.” He said eagerly, “Do you mind if I watch what you see?”
Knowing what he meant, Zanroy shrugged and said, “Go ahead.” He then took the blaster in hand, and accessed the power through the Force as Elaiza had taught him.
He was soon bombarded with a slew of familiar images from years ago. Their time on Mos Shuuta, Ryloth, and a number of other adventures flew through his mind.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually he stopped, deciding that the test was successful enough.
“That was amazing!” Twil yelled, excitedly.
Zanroy shook his head, and said, “Yeah.” Only now realizing how draining this new power was on his physical endurance. A new idea overcame that weariness, though as he asked, “Do you still have the compass?”
“Oh, that’s brilliant!” Twil replied, jumping out of the hot tub once more. Seconds later, he returned, with compass in hand, “You ready for this?”
Zanroy nodded, and took the compass in hand. He was suddenly bombarded by images that were much clearer, and yet, completely obscured at the same time. He could see the compass being created, as strips of hot durasteel were bent around the tiny frame. He could not make out its creator, though. It was as if the figure was composed completely of a dark, shadowy mist.
The scene shifted as he saw the same shadowy figure approaching a younger Elaiza. The shadow offered the compass to Elaiza, willingly.
The scene shifted again, he now saw the compass being taken from the robes of a dead Zes Codiscious.
And with sudden abruptness, the visions came to a halt.
“That was weird.” Twil said.
“Yeah.” Zanroy replied, “What do you think it means?”
“I think Elaiza wasn’t always true to the Jedi’s path.” Twil replied.
“Guess it doesn’t really matter at the moment.” Zanroy said, feeling great exhaustion from using the power.
“True.” Twil agreed, “This doesn’t really have much to do with what we’re about to do now. And on that note, we better get some rest. Got a big day ahead of us.”
Zanroy nodded. Bigger than anything they’ve ever done, he was certain about that.
“Mind if I ask you something?” Rath spoke up to the Muun who was sitting quietly in a corner, almost trying to blend in with the furniture.
Morrow jumped at the sudden interruption. Rath had been currently hard at work applying his stealth tech to the new deathtrooper armor, and so the Muun clearly wasn’t expecting him to suddenly strike up a conversation.
“What is it?” Morrow asked, hesitantly.
“What can you tell me about the serum?” Rath asked.
Morrow grimaced, “It’s a foul, evil thing. The Empire concocted two versions of it. An inhalant mist, and an injectable fluid. They preferred the fluid because it lasted far longer, the mist only had short term effects.”
“Is that what happened to the others on the Detainer? That mist they got sprayed with?” Rath interrupted.
Morrow nodded, and said, “It’s very short term though. They’re in no danger now.”
Rath nodded, now, and asked, “How does it work?”
Morrow shook his head, “I was never privy to the details. All I know is that the Imperial scientists were just so proud of their achievement. It was programmable, on a molecular level. It forced the victim to believe a certain order or command. Apparently it was an evolution of tech they had used during the Clone Wars, some sort of datachip implant. I don’t know. This is just stuff I’d overheard.”
Rath listened with intent, and asked, “So, theoretically speaking, if I were to use this serum on an Imperial, someone like Dac Diggersby, it would not force him to suddenly obey my commands. It would just force his mind to follow the programming set within the serum itself.”
Morrow scoffed, and said, “That’s assuming you could even get close enough to someone like Dac Diggersby.”
“It was just a hypothetical.” Rath replied, annoyed with this intruder in his base.
“But, no, it would not work like that.” Morrow finished.
“I see.” Rath replied, “Do you know who produces the serum?”
Morrow shook his head, and said, “All I know is that we received countless shipments of it, when I was on Ilum.”
“Was Kor Gorensla involved in any way?”
Morrow looked at Rath, and said, “How… how do you know that name?”
“One of the millions of bits of rumors I’ve found in my quest to discover the truth behind Project Aura.” Rath replied with a shrug.
“Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing a number of crates bearing that name.”
“But you’re not certain?”
Morrow shook his head, “I wasn’t privy to the contents of anything.”
“Looks like another lead I’ll need to investigate later.” Rath replied with a sigh, “Thanks for the information.” He then returned to his work on the new armor.
As Twil and Zanroy returned to the base, Twil spotted Rath at his workshop, with Nox hovering over his shoulder, offering advice, he guessed, as the Chiss worked on a set of deathtrooper armor.
“We’re calling it a night.” He called out to Rath, “I suggest you get some rest too. Big day tomorrow.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rath replied, with a wave of his hand.
Twil just laughed softly, shaking his head, as he headed towards his temporary chambers.
As morning on Brentaal IV arrived, Rath donned his new suit or armor. Much more powerful than the old retrofitted stormtrooper armor, this new armor now possessed all the upgrades his old armor once held, and then some. Testing out the stealth suite, Rath let a grin play on his lips as it seemed even better than before.
His tests complete, he headed out, only to find Twil already in the living quarters’ kitchen. The Zeltron had prepared a literal feast during the early hours of the morning.
“What is this?” Rath asked, half annoyed at the sheer amount of food that would surely go uneaten.
“Can’t battle the Empire on an empty stomach!” Twil replied, grinning.
Rath just shook his head, exasperated.
A couple hours later, and it was time to depart.
Rath approached Nox and said, “I’m leaving K9 here, to assist you.” Nox was about to protest, but Rath raised his hand, “You know full well, that in a situation like this, the fewer the better. Besides, you need all the hands you can get, here, taking care of them.” He finished, gesturing towards the medical bay.
Nox let out a short sigh and said, “Just come back in one piece. They’ll want to see you again.”
“And you?” Rath asked.
Nox shrugged and said, “I’ve had my fill.”
Rath laughed and gently punched Nox on the arm.
Nox laughed as well, pulling Rath into a tight hug and said, “Just come back safe. You once said that you couldn’t bear to say goodbye to me, again. Well… same goes, little brother.”
Twil watched the display, and couldn’t help but feel the warmth. He had no idea what they were saying, but the emotions emanating from the two were all too clear. Rath was never so unguarded and happy, as when he was with his family, Twil noticed. It made Twil think that this was the true Rath that no one ever really got to see. Not even Rath, these past few years.
Knowing where they were headed now, he hoped greatly that the same effect could be applied to the other members of his family. Zanroy and Idozzi both stood to gain the same amount of peace Rath had finally found by resolving their own family issues. Albeit, in Zanroy’s case, in a very different way.
The trip to the rendezvous took a matter of seconds. Wherever the Reaper was located, it was very much in the Inner Rim, an area Twil had not been to in some time.
The Imperial shuttle was there, waiting for them, as scheduled. A hail from the other ship instructed that they would soon be docking.
Twil and the others made their way towards the Sovereign’s docking ring once more, this time, so they could depart themselves.
R5 beeped in protest.
“I know buddy.” Rath replied, getting down on one knee, “But we need you to take the ship back to the base. If we need you, we’ll call you. Okay?”
R5 let out another annoyed beep.
Rath laughed and said, “He’s not that bad. I mean, he couldn’t be as annoying as Vex, right?”
R5 beeped in agreement, made a few more beeps and boops, and rolled away.
“Everything good?” Twil asked.
Rath just shook his head, amused, and said, “R5 just doesn’t want to be left alone with ‘that new droid.’”
Twil laughed, but was cut off as the doors to the docking ring opened, revealing the interior of an Imperial shuttle awaiting them. Inside were four Bothans dressed in stormtrooper armor, and one disguised as a prisoner.
As Twil looked closely, he realized that one of the Bothans looked very familiar. “Ota?!” He asked.
Ota turned to face Twil and the others with a smile, and said, “It’s good to see you again, Captain Twil.”
As the crew boarded the shuttle, Twil asked, “Ota, what are you doing here?”
Ota laughed, “Did you forget that the Bothan spy network is allied with the Rebel Alliance?”
“Well, when Mon Mothma said an elite team of Bothans… I guess I just didn’t make the connection.” Twil replied.
Ota’s fur ruffled, as he laughed, and said, “Ah, Captain Twil, who would have ever thought that that ragtag group of renegades I met on Ryloth all those years ago would grow into one of the most important crews in the galaxy.”
“What do you mean by that?” Twil asked.
“This mission will determine the fate of the entire galaxy.” Ota replied, much more seriously, “If we succeed, then we stand a chance at bringing an end to the Empire. And our success will rely heavily on you.” Ota finished, turning to face Rath.
“I get that a lot.” Rath quipped.
“We know there is no better slicer in the galaxy, than you Rath.” Ota continued, “While I am accessing the datafiles of the Reaper, I will need you to combat any firewalls, trackers, or other traps lying in wait in the ship’s systems. If they so much as catch a hint of what we’re up to, they will set their entire army upon us. Can you handle that?”
Rath smirked and said, “I love a challenge.”
Ota grinned and said, “That’s what I like to hear!” Grasping Rath’s hand, he shook it vigorously. He then turned back to Twil, “As for the rest of you.” He then stopped and looked Twil over, “Deathtrooper armor?! This may work better than I hoped.”
“What’s the plan?” Twil asked, grinning.
“We will be acting as a security force to deliver a prisoner.” Ota explained, gesturing towards the one unarmored Bothan.
“Make that prisoners.” Twil added, gesturing towards Morrow.
“Ah.” Ota replied, “I see. Well, that should be fine. Anyway, as I said, we will be delivering these prisoners. The path towards the brig will take us right through the area with the terminals we need to access. Once we’re there, it will be up to my men and yours to keep that area clear. We cannot allow anyone to see what Rath or I are up to. If they do, we’re all doomed.”
“Understood.” Twil replied.
Ota nodded, and said, “Alright then. If we’re all ready, my men will make the jump.”
Twil nodded and donned his helmet, the others followed suit. And with a nod from Ota, the ship launched into hyperspace, only to exit seconds later.
The sight awaiting them was one Rath had been trying to mentally prepare for ever since hearing the name “Reaper.” But even he could not have fathomed the sight of an actual Super Star Destroyer.
Flanked by dozens of standard Star Destroyers, the behemoth eclipsed them all. It was a testament to the Empire’s madness. That any superpower would need weapons of such untold size, capable of such unimaginable devastation. It boggled even Rath’s mind.
Without even being consciously aware of his own actions, Rath began muttering the mantra of his house under his breath. A habit he picked up years ago, when he first began working real missions for the Ascendancy. Whether he was unconsciously doing this as a defense mechanism or as a way to psyche himself up, he wasn’t sure, but he hoped it was for the latter.
Zanroy looked out the view port with awe. Rath, who was now muttering something completely unintelligible, had not been exaggerating earlier. Zanroy’s surprise was quickly replaced with sheer rage, though. His father was aboard that monstrosity. The man who had made his young life a living hell. The man responsible for the devastation of entire species. The man behind Project Aura. The man who would not live to see another day.
He listened eagerly as the Bothans transmitted the clearance codes. He breathed a sigh of relief as the codes were accepted. He watched with interest as the insignificant shuttle approached the massive ship, docking in a hangar large enough to fit an entire Star Destroyer with ease.
As they departed, the crews played their parts well. Ota especially knew his role. Taking no question lightly, he acted like he belonged, and somehow got the group past multiple check points with no interference.
Filled with anticipation as Zanroy was, the sheer immensity of the ship was not lost on him. It felt like they had been traveling for miles before they finally reached their destination.
There in the middle of a clearly well worn corridor was a large terminal, with four ways of entry, and even more beyond it.
“This is it.” Ota announced, “Rath, the terminal I need you at is around that corner.” He said, gesturing.
“I’m on it.” Rath said, activating his stealth suit.
“Captain, we’ll need your people to cover these other entryways, no one gets in” Ota finished.
“Done.” Twil replied, “Idozzi, you take that one.” He ordered, gesturing to the far exit, “I’ll take this one.” He said, referring to the door they had just entered, “And Zanroy-”
“I’ll cover Rath.” Zanroy finished, heading to his post.
“Great.” Twil replied, “And the other Bothans can cover the south exit, then.”
With their orders clear, the group dispersed. As Zanroy reached his entrance, he notice it connected to another perpendicular hallway. Anyone could easily walk by, but in the armor he had, there was no chance they would actually try to get past him if he said otherwise.
Behind him he could hear Ota shout, saying, “Alright Rath, this is your chance to shine!”
Rath had encountered every manner of encryption and security during his time as “G’ecnsi Morcasi,” and yet, even he had never encountered defenses such as these. Working as efficiently as he could, he managed to disable the first firewall, fairly quickly, but he could tell a swarm of subroutines would be coming soon to combat his work. And this was only the first step.
There was no doubt about it, this would be his greatest challenge yet. And if he so much as slipped up once, they would all be dead.
The minutes passed like hours as Ota and Rath worked furiously to disable the security of the Reaper, and obtain the plans to the Death Star II.
Twil had been on edge the entire time. He had already had to help the Bothans out of an argument with a legion of passing stormtroopers. And he had overheard Idozzi managing to scare off an Imperial Officer. All was quiet on Zanroy’s side, but he was sure it was simply Zanroy’s intimidating stance that kept passersby at bay.
Now, however, it seemed it was Twil’s turn, as the doors to the entrance he was guarding slid open. Much to his chagrin it was no trooper or officer that greeted him, but an IG bounty hunter droid, and behind him, three Zeltronian women, bound and gagged, being dragged by a rope.
His heart sunk as he knew there was nothing he could do to help them.
“Stand aside.” The IG unit ordered.
“This area is off limits.” Twil replied, standing firm.
“Repeat command.” The IG unit replied.
“We have contaminated slaves in this area.” Twil replied, “You are not permitted to enter here with other slaves. They risk contamination. Find some other way to the brig.”
Twil held his breath, hoping his bluff would pay off. Unlike actual people, he knew his mind tricks would not work on a droid.
The droid whirred and clicked for a few moments, before he replied, “Very well, understood.”
Twil sighed with relief as the droid turned, and headed a different direction. But that relief was quickly replaced with grief as he saw the slaves being dragged behind him, renewing his realization that there was nothing he could do for his fellow Zeltrons.
“Amost there, Rath!” Ota called out from the other room.
Rath was physically sweating at this point. He had never encountered such encryption as this. The work was actually physically taxing on him. But with quick reflexes and even faster thinking, he had managed to defeat the final defense.
“Got it!” Ota cried out.
Rath leaned back and sighed with exhaustion and relief. He quickly regained his composure, closing out of the systems, as he returned to meet with the others.
“We have the plans!” Ota cried out again in triumph, “Thank you Rath, it would not have been possible without you. Without any of you.” He corrected, looking around the room. “I also found something that might be of interest to you.” He finished, by displaying a holomap of the entire Reaper.
“That will come in very handy.” Rath replied, plugging into the system to download the schematics.
“Captain.” Ota said, turning his attention towards Twil, “I know this is not why you came here. I know you have other business. But we need to get out of here. We need to get these plans to the Rebel Alliance as quickly as possible.”
Twil raised his hand and said, “You do what you need to. We will do what we came here to do.”
“We will wait for you as long as we can.” Ota replied. He then said his goodbyes to each member of the crew of the Sovereign.
As he said goodbye to Twil, Twil pulled him into a hug and whispered, “Don’t wait for us. As soon as you’re on the shuttle, get out of here.”
Ota gave Twil a knowing nod, and led his men back the way they came.
“Ktah!” Rath shouted.
Zanroy had been around Rath long enough to know that that word was not a good sign. “What is it?” He asked.
“The damn schematics were booby trapped.” Rath said, closing out of the terminal.
“What does that mean?” Twil asked.
“It means the entire ship knows something has happened here. They won’t know what, just something.” Rath explained.
“Then let’s get moving.” Zanroy said.
Without waiting for anyone else’s approval he began heading deeper into the ship. He didn’t need schematics. He knew his father was here. And strangely, he felt as though his father knew the same about him…
They had traveled for what felt like miles, yet again. Rath did his best to direct the crew in the right direction. The ship was now on lock down. No ship was allowed to leave. Patrols were being diverted. Chaos ensued. Which made the perfect cover for a group of deathtroopers and their “prisoner.” Rath just hoped that Ota and his men escaped before the lock down occurred.
Eventually they reached the largest turbolift Rath had ever seen. Aside from a thin circular platform surrounding it, the room was nothing bu a colossal tube going both ways. Beneath the platform was a massive emptiness. Rath wondered just how far down it went.
At the doors of the turbolift were two deathtroopers. “State your business.” One of the soldiers commanded.
Before anyone could even answer, Rath watched as the two troopers were lifted into the air. They were then slammed against the wall of the cylindrical room. Their bodies met the durasteel with a sickening crunch, as they plummeted down into the fathomless depths below.
“Let’s get moving.” Zanroy said approaching the turbolift.
Naturally, the lift was locked down tight, and it was once more up to Rath to slice the systems. There was only one problem. The ship was on complete lock down, no matter how stealthy he worked, he knew that his work would be detected. Instead, he decided to simply brute force his way past the security. the time for subtlety was long past, as Zanroy had already proven.
As the doors whooshed open, new alarms began to blare.
“They’re going to be coming for this place now.” Morrow said, concerned, “We need to barricade that door.”
Rolling his eyes, Rath headed towards the door they had just come in from, sealed it shut, locked it down, and then pulled out his goo gun, setting it to adhesive, he applied layer after layer of the incredibly strong glue to the door, sealing every crevice.
“That won’t keep them out forever.” Morrow replied.
“Then what do you suggest?” Rath asked.
“Leave me here. Give me any weapons you can, and I’ll hold them off.” Morrow replied, leaving Rath actually surprised.
“Wait, you want us to leave you here?” Twil interrupted.
“Someone has to watch your back.” Morrow shrugged, “If you’ve got any spare thermal detonators, it’ll let me keep them occupied longer.”
They crew exchanged looks, as some offered the Muun any spare munitions or weapons they could afford.
Rath simply watched on, surprised by this virtual stranger’s willingness to die for them.
As the Muun set himself up against the side of the turbolift, sitting, facing the door, with a heavy blaster in each hand, he said, “Kill Dac Diggersby.” Before the door slid shut, sending the others on their way up.
Zanroy breathed heavily, anticipating the coming moment. They had been travelling upwards for ages now, he lost track after the hundredth story. How was such a massive ship ever deemed necessary? Or even Practical? He wondered. But his thoughts quickly returned to the present as the turbolift finally slowed, and stopped.
As the doors slid open, two more deathtroopers were at the door, guns ready.
With a swipe of his hand, Zanroy sent the two troopers flying against the wall, just like the last two. He rushed into the room, and saw, at the top of a small set of stairs, his father, Dac Diggersby, along with another Imperial officer, and six more deathtroopers.
Zanroy let out a feral yell as he charged forward. The others following close behind him.
However, his momentum was halted as an invisible force pushed him back. It pushed them all back, even flinging Rath against the back wall with some force.
“I suggest you all stop right there.” Dac said in a commanding voice, his arm outstretched.
Zanroy’s vision went red as his long held suspicions were confirmed: Dac Diggersby wielded the Force. As he looked at his father closely, for the first time in years, he noticed something else the two held in common, from his eye, to his arm to his leg, his entire left side was comprised of cybernetics.
“Did you fools really think you stood a chance?” Dac continued, “Tell me, Zanroy, did you really think you could take on me? Ever since I heard that my failure of a son was gallivanting about the galaxy, I have made it my life’s mission to finally put an end to you.”
Retrieving the lightsabers from their hidden compartments, Zanroy readied for a second charge. But he was stopped as he saw one of the troopers pulling out a hostage.
Throwing the creature on the ground in front of Dac, Zanroy could see clearly that it was Rath’s old friend, Kor Zoroc.
“Now, now, Zanroy.” Dac, said, holding a gun to the Shistavanen’s head, “Let’s not do anything rash.”
Rath’s heart sunk as he saw his dear friend being paraded about like a bargaining chip. He did not spend all that time rescuing Zoroc once before, only for him to be in this same position, again.
“And you. Chiss.” Dac continued, directing his attention to Rath, “Turn off your cute little cloaking device. It will do you no good against me.”
Infuriated, Rath’s eyes met with the Human’s and he gave him a universal hand gesture, shouting, “You see this?!”
Dac was about to respond, but it was too late for him. Rath’s plan to distract the bastard had worked. While he was busy watching his childish reaction, he was not watching Twil, as he used the Force to fling Dac’s gun far out of his hand. He also was not paying attention to Zanroy who was now flying through the air, with lightsabers spinning wildly.
Zanroy yelled with fury as his first saber strike hit his father’s cybernetic arm. The blade did not, however, fully cut through, much to his shock. It was then that Zanroy recognized the telltale sign of cortosis weave in Dac’s overcoat. Cortosis or no, though, the sheer force of the strike did enough damage, rendering the arm nonfunctional.
Dac yelled in frustration as he grabbed Zanroy’s other arm with surprising strength, causing him to drop his second lightsaber.
“Wretched little whelp!” Dac spat, I should have killed you when I had the chance all those years ago.”
Zanroy struggled to get free of his father’s surprisingly strong iron grip.
“How can you fools not see that the Empire is this galaxy’s only hope?!” He continued, “Only we can bring order to this pathetic galaxy!”
“The only thing you bring is destruction and devastation!” Zanroy spat back.
“And you think you’re any different?!” Dac replied, “You’re just like me. Like father like son!”
“I am nothing like you!” Zanroy yelled.
With a powerful push of the Force, Zanroy shoved Dac away, freeing himself, and flinging his father into the adjoining room.
“Twil?” Rath asked, as he watched as Dac’s minions began fighting among themselves. He noticed the other officer, Moden Canady, if his memory served him right, was nowhere to be found.
“That should keep them busy.” Twil said, finally returning from his trance.
“Zanroy and ‘daddy dearest’ took the fight into the other room.” Rath said.
“Then let’s get after them!” Twil replied.
“Right.” Rath agreed, but his movement was halted as he heard the turbolift behind him begin moving again.
Checking the security feed available from the connecting console, Rath spotted at least twenty more deathtroopers forming a circle. In the middle of the circle, was the broken and bruised body of Morrow Cantillis.
“Damn.” Rath muttered.
“Everything okay?” Twil asked.
“Go.” Rath replied, “I’ll handle this.”
Rath had no way of knowing whether Morrow was alive or dead. But that many deathtroopers were not something they could handle at the moment. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Rath said, “I’m sorry, Morrow.”
Slicing into the console, he deactivated the turbolift’s power, causing the lift to plummet all one hundred plus stories.
Shaking his head again, Rath turned to join his friends.
As Twil and the others arrived in the next room, they found it to be a massive, towering engine room. Precarious platforms and walkways dotted the area, as giant, churning machinery roared from below. At the center of the room, standing nearby a console, was Dac Diggersby, while Zanroy stood at the entrance, lightsabers drawn, breathing heavily.
Twil looked on as he saw Dac kneel to the floor, he yelled out in primal rage, as giant arcs of lightning began to emanate from his fingertips. The arcs writhed and lunged as they made their way towards Twil and the others.
Twil let out a yell of his own as he flung up a protective shield of Force energy, causing the bolts of lightning to bounce off harmlessly and dissipate into nothingness.
Zanroy watched as Twil and Idozzi began to take shots at the man. Drawing a lightsaber of his own, crimson red, he deflected the bolts with ease.
“He’s not going to win this fight! Not this time!” Zanroy yelled, as he drew on the Force, it propelled him through the air, this time, knowing the protection offered by his overcoat, Zanroy aimed for the opening on his chest. With one flick of his saber, he batted away the lightsaber of his father, and with other blade, he plunged the weapon deep into his mostly cybernetic chest.
Dac Diggersby screamed in pain, lunging for the nearby console, he shouted, “Stop! If you want your precious filthy Bothan friends to live, you will stop!”
Zanroy halted his movement, and stared at his father with disdain.
Dac began to laugh, slowly, breathing hard, “The second I lift my hand off of this button, your friends will die. So I suggest you all think very carefully about your next move.”
“And I suggest you study your enemies more closely, you overconfident bastard!” Rath shouted from a nearby platform.
Before Dac could react, the massive glob of adhesive goo that Rath had already fired found its mark. The white adhesive encompassed the man’s entire hand, keeping it pressing down on the button, permanently.
“No!” Dac shouted as he tried in vain to free his only working arm.
Zanroy slashed at the trapped man’s legs, forcing him to his knees. He watched as his wretched father looked up at him with pain and regret in his eyes. He watched as that expression quickly turned to rage. But before the vile creature could utter another word, Zanroy took both blades, and in a swift scissors-like motion, decapitated the bane of his existence, once and for all.
Before Zanroy could so much as breathe, his moment of peace was shattered by a new voice at the entrance of the massive room, shouting “Kill them!”
He turned to see a platoon of deathtroopers standing at the entrance with the other Imperial officer apparently leading them. As a firefight broke out between the troopers and Twil, Idozzi, and Rath, Zanroy noticed the pathetic man slink away.
“No you don’t.” He muttered.
Launching into the fight, he assisted the others in finishing off the new attack. As he approached the entrance though, he was forced back as two new figures appeared. Kor Zoroc was being led forward. To his side was none other than Aari Diggersby, Zanroy’s mother. Behind them both, wielding a blaster in each hand, was a face he hoped to never see again.
“You have all come a remarkable way.” Thrawn said, entering the room behind his two hostages, “But this is where it ends. And I will do what that pathetic man never could.”
Before Zanroy, or anyone else, could react, Thrawn pulled both triggers, shooting both hostages in the back of their heads.
Zanroy thought he could hear Rath scream in anguish, somewhere in the background. But his voice, in fact all sound, seemed to be muted. He could hear nothing but his own uncontrolled fury.
With a scream of his own, Zanroy unleashed will all the power of the Force he could muster. Thick, blue bolts of lightning suddenly sprung from his fingertips. The lightning enveloped the vile Chiss, and sent him flying back into the first room.
As he, and the others chased after him, much to Zanroy’s shock, the Chiss was somehow back on his feet, and attempting to flee.
“Not this time!” Twil called out from behind Zanroy, as Thrawn’s body was lifted off the ground, and flung into a nearby wall.
Zanroy watched in shock as Twil approached Thrawn’s broken body, with lightsaber ignited, “You have hurt my family enough!” He shouted.
“Twil! Stop!” Rath called out, finally reaching the other room.
He watched as Twil looked back with shock.
He then said, “This one is mine.”
Walking past the others, he stood before Thrawn’s broken form.
Thrawn laughed as he spit out blood, “You’re no better than any of them. You’re no better than me. You’ll kill anyone who gets in your way.”
Rath removed his helmet so he could look Thrawn dead in the eye, and said, “You are so very wrong. Everything you’ve done, every crime you’ve committed! It was all for you! You don’t care about anyone else in the entire damned galaxy! And that is where we are different! Everything I have done… I have done for my people! For my family! For my friends! I have always had something worth fighting for! And it was always something with far greater worth than myself!
“You are nothing! You are no one! I am of House Ahnkylos! And we of House Ahnkylos have a strict code of conduct!”
Rath then sent one of his mechanical arms into the left shoulder blade of Thrawn, piercing it through, saying “We are born in the shadows!”
With another mechanical arm, he pierced the right shoulder, and continued, “We fight in the shadows!”
With a third arm, he pierced the left side of Thrawn’s waist, saying, “We die in the shadows!”
With his fourth and final arm, he pierced the right side, and hoisted the broken Chiss’s body up to eye level, continuing, “In the shadows, we do this for one unifying cause!”
With his actual hands, he loaded an explosive cartridge into his gun, and shoved the barrel into Thrawn’s unwilling mouth. He then finished in a whisper, “Justice…”
Pulling the trigger, he held the writhing body against the thick dursteel wall. Seconds later, the man once known as Grand Admiral Thrawn was reduced to nothing more than a shower of blood and viscera as the explosives triggered within.
Staring at the bloodied wall before him, Rath continued, “That’s for every single one of my people, family, and friends that you have hurt, you kriffing son of a bitch.”
As Rath stared off into nothingness, overwhelmed by the knowledge that he finally put an end to the man responsible for the fall of his people, he could hear Idozzi shouting in the distance. “Hey guys! They’re still alive!”
Realizing the meaning behind those words, Rath rushed back to the other room. Somehow, some way, both Aari and Zoroc were still breathing. But only just.
“Twil! Medpack!” Rath called out.
As Twil tossed him the supplies, Rath got to work on the both of them. First stabilizing Aari, then Zoroc.
Much to his shock, Zoroc was actually still conscious. He looked up at Rath with a weak smile, and said, “Good work, kid.”
Rath couldn’t help but allow tears to fall, as relief overwhelmed him. As he continued to work, he said, “Listen, you old space dog, I can’t keep saving your furry butt every time you run into the Empire.”
Zoroc attempted to laugh, but stopped short with a hasp of pain.
“Alright, enough of that.” Rath said, “We’ll get you back to base, and get you fixed up proper.”
“Rath?” Twil asked.
“Yeah?” Rath asked, back, still working.
“We’re still missing someone.” Idozzi cut in.
“Exactly.” Twil replied, “Weren’t Idozzi’s parents supposed to be here too?”
“Oh.” Rath replied.
He was silent for a minute. Twil recognized the look, he was accessing datafiles in his implant.
Rath then looked around, spotted a side door, and said, “They should be in there.”
Twil and Idozzi rushed towards the door that Rath had pointed out. As Twil opened the door, he watched Idozzi rush in.
Inside were three holding cells, two of which were empty. Twil was beginning to feel disheartened, but then he heard a voice.
“Idozzi? Is that you?”
“Can it possibly be?” Another voice asked.
Twil watched as tears streamed down the face of Idozzi as she disabled the holding cell, and two older, much more frail Twi’leks staggered out, putting their arms around his friend.
“Hi mom. Hi dad.” Idozzi managed to eke out, as she held her two long lost parents.
Twil simply smiled, his heart warmed over by the much needed sight.
The moment was ruined all too quickly as a blood soaked Rath ran into the room, “Oh, good you found them.” He began, “Uh, Twil, we gotta get going. Every trooper on this ship is heading this way.”
“What?!” Twil asked.
Back at the console where Dac’s headless body lay, Rath had accessed video feed of the ship’s security logs. Waves upon waves of stormtroopers were approaching the turbolift en mass. Much to Rath’s shock, they were all being stopped. As Rath switched video feeds, he found, stacked on top of a mountain of trooper corpses, Morrow Cantillis, shouting at the top of his lungs, firing multiple heavy blasters into the literal wall of Imperials.
“He’s alive!” Rath muttered in shock.
Unfortunately, that statement was not to remain true. Rath watched as the Muun was finally overwhelmed by firepower, nearly evaporating under the barrage.
“Damn.” Zanory muttered from behind.
“He died a martyr.” Rath said.
“He died a hero.” Twil replied.
“They’ll be attempting to fix that turbolift any time.” Rath said.
“Then we need to get out of here.” Twil replied, “Is there any way out?”
Slicing slightly further, Rath said, “There’s an emergency escape hangar connected to the other room, but the shuttle’s gone. Probably stolen by that Canady fellow.”
“Can we get another ship up here?” Twil asked.
“The Reaper is still on lockdown.” Rath answered, “But from here… Yes, I can call a single shuttle. Shouldn’t be a problem. They’ll think it’s Dac issuing the order.”
“Do it.” Twil ordered.
As Twil and Rath were discussing escape plans, Zanroy thought back to his interactions with Elaiza the previous day. Dac was gone. But there were answers Zanroy could still get from the wretched man.
Using his lightsaber to sever the glued hand from the body, Zanroy removed the cortosis overcoat from his father’s corpse. He would make use of his newfound powers later to find some answers to his lingering questions.
Twil watched the Imperial pilot wander off in a daze. Grateful for his powers to come in handy even now.
He then turned his attention back to the turbolift, “You ready?” Twil asked.
Zanroy nodded, and reached out. With unbelievable power, he managed to crush the lift’s structure up to multiple stories down. “That should keep them busy.” Zanroy said with a smirk.
“Let’s make it a little more devastating.” Twil replied, pulling out a thermal imploder he had been holding on to for a very long time. Setting the timer for one minute, he tossed the imploder down the broken shaft.
“Let’s go!” Twil shouted rushing towards the shuttle where the others were already safely aboard.
“Ready for launch Twil.” Rath announced.
Twil jumped on the controls and began piloting the ship out, and away from the doomed Super Star Destroyer.
Counting down to the second, Twil and the others watched as the massive bridge tower to the even more massive ship exploded into a fiery pillar of massive death and destruction.
With a unison of cheers, Twil set the ship to jump, and the shuttle was gone. The crew was safe. And the madmen behind Project Aura had finally been stopped.
Of course, they knew this fight was far from over. But for now, they would celebrate the victories they had achieved, and renew their fight another day.
