THE CLOUD LEGACY
Part 2: A Friend in Need
An even longer time ago, in a galaxy just as far away...
The Republic Cruiser 'Jewel of Corellia' is docking with the battle-scarred remains of a strange looking frigate of unknown origins. "Bring us alongside her, nice and steady now" Admiral Loche's voice boomed across the bridge deck. A stout man from the distinguished line of a military family, it was said that his ancestors even served on Bastila Shan's cruiser – the Endar Spire – that was shot down trying to defend the once bustling city world of Taris against a Sith attack that ended up levelling the planet whilst the Endar Spire was believed lost with all hands. "Admiral, she's listing heavily. See the plasma venting from the port coolants?" The plucky young Ensign was clearly new to Admiral Loche's crew "Whats your name boy?" slightly bewildered, the young ensign stated his name simply as 'Fuse' "Hmph! Strange name for a military man! Nonetheless, my order stands Mr. Fuse. It is our duty to check for survivors, and that is exactly what we shall do when we board her." The Jewel of Corellia groaned and creaked as she fought to stabilise the trajectory of the other vessel, before a metallic slam echoed around the bulkheads of the vessel confirming to all that she had successfully docked with the mysterious craft. This flagship of the Republic Fleet had been on patrol in the Outer Rim playing host to a troop of cadets when they detected a faint automated distress signal. Being a man of honour, Admiral Loche knew his obligation was to attempt a rescue. Although a seasoned veteran of the Republic Fleet, Loche was unfamiliar with the appearance of the craft whose distress beacon they had come to investigate and this made him uneasy. "Admiral..." The young Ensign piped up "Admiral, we're receiving a transmission from the vessel" instinctively; the Ensign transferred the signal to the holo terminal as he attempted to boost its strength. Through the ensign's efforts, a signal image soon appeared – though still highly obscured as much visually as it was audibly "Republic... Lieutenant... critical... help..." Admiral Loche studied the holo image for any more information that the fractured sound couldn't offer.
Captain Althearia Cloud coughed and swore under her breath as another control panel blew out on the bridge of her freighter, showering her and Bowdaar with sparks and filling the cabin with smoke. The ships main power was down, red emergency lighting cast eerie shadows through the smoke and darkness. Bowdaar ran through the corridors like running though the trees on Kashyyk as he desperately tried to reach the hyperdrive before it overloaded. Moments later the ships corridors were filled with the hum of systems coming back online, the lighting flickered back into life as the environmental systems began to clear the smoke. Althearia slumped back in her seat and let out a heavy sigh of relief before calling back to the approaching Bowdaar "Good job Bowie, that's another one I owe you!" which made Bowdaar chuckle, at least as much as a wookie can chuckle. Closely behind Bowdaar, Cutee the medic entered the bridge to ensure everyone else was without injury. Althearia however, was more concerned with the nature of the unprovoked attack on them by the strange craft. While she looked back through sensor images trying to identify the craft, Cutee timidly approached the captain "Alth, it was a CEDF destroyer". Althearia paused her search, still staring directly ahead at the monitor. She knew the CEDF only by name, since her friend Cutee had told her in the past that she was once a field medic with her native Chiss military. The elusive CEDF very seldom ventured beyond their own borders, and given their allegiance to the Empire it was an even stranger sight for them to be this far across into the Outer Rim. Althearia slowly turned to face her friend, eyebrows raised in anticipation of a further explanation. Cutee could nowt but shy away from her captain's stare. Much to Cutee's relief another power conduit blew out in the next room clearly having been damaged in the attack to the point where full operation was too much for it, this drew Althearia's attention back to the matter at hand "It's no use Bowie, we're gonna have to set her down for repairs. Set course for Nar Shaddaa". Bowdaar growled grudgingly at this instruction since he did not have fond memories of the 'Smugglers Moon'. "And Cutee, we'll talk about how your former employers tried to blow up my ship later".
"Attention Republic Cruiser, my name is Lieutenant Thrawn of the CEDF. I am on a critical recovery mission and under article 7-1a.2.5 of the Treaty of Coruscant I request your help in achieving my mission. With your permission, I will abandon ship and board your vessel." The full message now transmitting clearly from the vessel and whilst Admiral Loche was dubious about bringing a Chiss officer on board he felt duty-bound to oblige. In the Jewel of Corellia's war room, the Admiral sat, quietly observing his guest as he attempted to explain his predicament. Whilst his story of pursuing a military doctor who abandoned their post during a time of crisis which led to a cantina gunfight with Trandoshans, then culminated in his ship being left crippled by an XS class freighter years later was dubious at best... yet it was not implausible. "Please Admiral" begged Lieutenant Thrawn "Help me bring this deserter to justice so that those men who died in this doctor's care may rest in peace". For the first time during this meeting the Admiral appeared to shift uncomfortably before rising from his seat and pacing the room, encircling the Chiss in the process "Whilst you have my deepest sympathies in having to deal with this treacherous lout Thrawn. The fact of the matter is that I'm in no position to offer the aid you seek. We simply cannot spare the troopers needed for a manhunt on this scale". Thrawn's face dropped at the sound of the Admiral's words, yet the young Ensign Fuse suddenly perked up as an idea hit him "Maybe we don't need to Admiral". Admiral Loche shot a look at Fuse with as much shock at a young officer having such gall as to jump in like this as with curiosity. "Admiral, I believe Havoc Squad is on tour in this sector – I know their commanding officer – Major Storrm. She's second to none when it comes to manhunts!" Loche's eyes narrowed as he considered Fuse's suggestion. Whilst he did not approve of squadron's like Havoc who have such a free reign to act as they see best, he was familiar with Havoc's work and could not argue the results achieved by this Major Storrm. His gaze fell upon the expectant looking Chiss once more "What do you say Thrawn? We'll get this Havoc Squad on the case. Would that satisfy your needs?" "Most certainly Admiral, during my time in the Galactic Core even I have heard tales of this Major Storrm and her Havoc Group." Admiral Loche turned once more to young Fuse "Ensign, make the call".
Althearia fought furiously against the controls of her wounded freighter as she broke through Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere. The ship left a trail of black smoke in its wake as it careered towards the city-moon's surface. With a final heave and an encouraging smack against the side of the pilot's console, the vessel's stabilisers kicked in just in time to cushion the ships landing as it skidded to a halt on the landing platform. Captain Althearia and her crew were met by her old mechanic friend – a portly old rodian who appeared as someone who had just crawled out of a hyperdrive core. Althearia paced impatiently as the mechanic looked over the damage to her beloved freighter's engines. With a sharp intake of breath, as only a mechanic can do, he turned to Althearia "You sure did a number on her this time didn't you Captain" to which Althearia simply mumbled inaudibly under her breath "I can make the repairs of course, but it will cost more than even you have accumulated this time, methinks" By this point the mechanic wore something of an evil grin. Althearia turned to him "Just do what you gotta do, you know I'm good for it" With that she turned sharply to Cutee "And it's coming out of your cut little Miss CEDF! Now come on, I need a drink! Oh and Cutee, you're paying for that too!"
Whilst sitting back in a quiet corner of the Slippery Slope Cantina on Nar Shaddaa's relatively glamorous Promenade, Althearia listened intently as Cutee attempted to explain the hidden history that had led them to this impasse. As it transpired, the young Cutee served with the CEDF from a very early age and since she showed a natural flare for medicine she had always trained as a field medic. Her first posting as a cadet was with a seasoned platoon of bloodthirsty warriors stationed on the treacherous ice planet of Hoth, and it was during her time on Hoth that she found her life taking a new direction. Cutee's unit had been despatched deep into the ice fields to root out and neutralize a suspected enemy listening post buried deep within a network of Wompa caverns. Upon arrival at the caverns however, it turned out that it was not a listening post but in fact a refugee camp for orphaned Talz children and lost families. Her unit attempted to act on its orders regardless of this development, leaving Cutee facing a moral dilemma. Following multiple pleas to the unit's commanding officer Cutee was eventually forced to gun down her entire unit to defend the lives of the innocents in the refugee camp. Knowing she could never return to the CEDF and that the refugees would not be safe to remain in the cavern, she led them across the ice fields to the eventual safety of a Republic barracks where she turned herself in to the authorities after ensuring suitable care was provided for the refugees. The trooper she turned herself in to was a young Mirialan who clearly was as fresh from training as Cutee herself. She told her entire story to the young trooper, who felt highly sympathetic towards Cutee's dilemma – to the point even of agreeing to help Cutee escape Hoth – giving her transport as far as Port Nowhere.
"And the rest you know!" Cutee said turning back to her friend and Captain, Althearia, who continued to stare at Cutee with a somewhat bemused look on her face before chiming in "Wait so... when we first met and you told me you used to serve with the CEDF, you had literally just left them?! By which I mean of course, you had just gone AWOL?!" Cutee nodded her head sheepishly, finally feeling the repercussions of her actions catching up with her all these years later "When you found me in that cantina at Port Nowhere, I was drafting a letter to my brother explaining what had happened and not to come looking for me. He was a few years older than me see, and being a senior officer with the CEDF I knew he would want to try and track me down". Althearia was momentarily surprised by this mention of Cutee's brother as she had never talked of him – or any of her family – before "You think he would have tried to come to your aid Cutee?" "Not exactly, he was as strict as our father and twice as proud of his military service. I knew that once he discovered what I had done that he would try to come looking for me to drag me back before a court martial... and in the CEDF, a court martial only ends one way!"
By this point in the conversation, the recollection of past events was visibly affecting Cutee as she struggled to fight back the tears. "Well" Althearia continued "I can't say I blame you for doing what you did. It was a tough call, and had it been me... I'd have made the same one". For the first time all day Cutee could see a smile appearing on her friend's face, which she found reassuring and was able to force a smile herself too as a result. Perhaps prematurely as Althearia's look quickly grew sterner once more "But Cutee I gotta say, we could've saved a lot of trouble if you'd just told me about this sooner" "I know Alth and believe me, I wanted to tell you so many times! But after everything with your pregnancy and the twins, I just never seemed to be able to find a good time to lay this on you." Althearia reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Cutee's, as she looked up at her friend once more she recognised Althearia's usual cheeky smile and sensed that the impending joke would be at her own expense "C'mon, let's go see how heavily you're about to invest in my legitimate shipping company!" With that, they left the cantina and headed back towards the landing pad where the mechanic was working on Althearia's ship.
Althearia and Cutee walked out onto the landing pad with Bowdaar following close behind as he so often did. As they approached her ship, Althearia felt it strange that her Rodian mechanic friend was not waiting to greet them and collect his fee but she brushed the feeling off quickly as she knew he did have a short attention span. Just as they started up the ramp into the ship however, a huge red and white war droid appeared out of the main door ahead of them and trained its weapons directly at them. Neither Althearia, Cutee nor Bowdaar was able to draw a weapon quickly enough to counter this colossus droid's appearance and found themselves each frozen on the spot with their hands hovering over their weapons. As they stood there paralyzed by fear the distinctive sound of multiple rifles, blasters and cannons warming up could be heard from all around them. "Hold it right there criminal scum!" The droid spoke with an unusual amount of character. Althearia threw a quick glance at Bowdaar "Just as I thought today couldn't get any worse, eh Bowie?" Bowdaar growled and grunted in response, clearly equally disgruntled by this latest turn of events. As the three of them turned to face the rest of their captors, Cutee's face visibly lit up as she set eyes upon them "Storrm?!" she exclaimed as her eyes met those of their leader "Storrm... it IS you!" she continued as her excitement built. Storrm's face dropped slightly as she realised her instincts were right and the deserter she'd been despatched to bring in was none other than the young medic she helped escape from Hoth all those years ago. Storrm already knew she would be facing a moral dilemma not dissimilar to that which led to her first meeting with Cutee "Havoc Squad stand down" She ordered. All the blasters and rifles that only moments ago were heard powering up, were now heard powering down. "I knew – as soon as that Chiss Lieutenant appeared on the holo – I just KNEW it was you they were sending me after, Cutee". Cutee looked thoughfully back at Storrm, with whom she sympathised at being put into such a position again, but still feeling an element of guilt from bringing the firefight to Althearia's ship in the first place Cutee felt she had one course of action available and so she stepped forward towards Storrm with her hands raised above her head "Take me back then, just promise my friends can go free". As Cutee stepped forward into the custody of Major Storrm, Althearia desperately wracked her brain to try and come up with a way out of this for them. Getting desperate she shouted out at her friend "Cutee don't do this, you know they'll kill you!" Cutee paused mid-step as she considered a response to Althearia's statement – one which she knew all too well to be accurate – but instead only letting out a heavy sigh as she lowered her head even further and continued into the waiting arms of Havoc Squad, who quickly worked to disarm and secure their new prisoner before leading her away.
As the rest of Havoc Squad escorted the imprisoned Cutee away from the landing pad, Storrm held back until the rest of her squad were clear. Before making her own way off the pad, she turned to Althearia "Don't worry about Cutee, I wouldn't let her hang for being a hero back on Hoth and I won't do so today". With that she turned and walked away from a now bewildered Althearia who could but turn to Bowdaar with a confused look on her face. As Storrm caught up to her squad she signalled her XO – Elara Dorne – with a simple nod of the head, at which point the squad quickly deviated from their established route and headed off towards the spaceport instead of their landing pad. Cutee immediately picked up on this change of direction and for the first time since leaving Althearia's company, she raised her head once more in curiosity and in doing so caught the eye of Storrm who leant in close to whisper "it's not safe for you here anymore Cutee. As long as you're in Neutral territory you will be hunted by this CEDF Lieutenant and his new Republic allies." As surprised by this turn of events as she was confused, Cutee looked Storrm square in the eye "I almost daren't ask but... where are you taking me?" "I'm putting you on a shuttle down to Hutta. The Republic army has no standing on the planet below, so you will be safe for now. Once there you will be met in the spaceport cantina by an old friend of mine – Mako – she's there as part of a team searching for a Bounty Hunter to to back in the Great Hunt. Mako will help forge you a new identity as a competitor in the Great Hunt" "But I'm no bounty hunter!" Cutee scoffed. With a wink Storrm calmy replied "You are now."