Chapter 5: Ondar Nebula
Mists of red and blue clumped against the blackness of space. Twinkling stars surrounded the universe. It was beautiful. There really wasn't any other word that could describe it. And I wasn't going to be the one and try.
"Magnificent…" Kash let out a breath, taking in the Nebula.
"It's worth the price of admission, that's for sure." I slowed the engines to take a good look. This is what space travel is all about. Nothing but the stars and a ship. What else did a man need?
The nebula was a haven for luxury cruises and travelers from all across the galaxy. Not far from it, a small brown globe sat like a clump of mud on a wedding dress.
"There's Onduu." I gestured to the planetoid, checking my sensors again. The nebula could gave off an occasional radiation flux, distorting sensors and communications. Perfect place for an ambush.
"As soon as we get out of the nebula's radiation cone I'll download the Pride's schedule. We made some great time. I'd guess we're about five hours ahead of Mentol's ship." He studied a terminal display then looked up at me. "And looking at the timetable, that should give us enough time to get planetside and on board."
"Strap in. I'm setting in the coordinates to land on this mud ball," I increased the thrusters slightly to compensate for the atmosphere of Onduu. There really wasn't much atmosphere to compensate for.
Onduu was more an asteroid than planet. It's thin atmosphere and ugly landscape didn't really stir up images of a resort, but then again it was only an overpriced transfer station for the cruiseships. Not much more than a space station nailed to the ground.
As we sailed into the weak stratosphere, I hailed Traffic Control to set up a landing vector. Without incident or fanfare we eased pass the magnetic shield onto the rocky landing pad.
The main terminal was filled with people. Rich socialites from across the galaxy, valet droids in tow, vacationing from their stressful lives of counting their fortunes, waited to board the ship.
I stood in the middle of this display of wealth and power, shaking my head.
"Look at all these rich people. Just being this close to them makes me itchy." I walked passed a small kiosk and bought two cigars. Handing the vendor some credits, I pulled out my lighter. It had been so long since I'd had one that I was getting cranky.
"Relax. We've only have to wait a little while before they start boarding." He handed me my boarding pass as we took a seat on a bench.
"You were going to leave without me, weren't you?" I asked. Kash shot a peculiar glance my way then looked back toward the crowd of passengers.
"You said an hour. I waited a good twenty minutes longer." Kash's face looked focused and stony.
"Twenty minutes? Oh well then. I guess I should be grateful." I rolled my eyes. "Have you figured out a way on this scow, yet?"
"I'm working on it." His face scanned the scene. "Got it."
"What?" I looked for whatever caught his attention. He stood up silently and started walking off. Confused, I followed behind, limping slightly. My knee still throbbed slightly, but Doc did his best to fix me up on the ship.
Kash slowed down behind two security officers. They wore a simple uniform of gray with a thick flack jacket and riot helmet. Prominently slung on their hips were heavy blasters. They were the only ones in the terminal allowed to carry weapons. Even Kash's vibroblade wasn't allowed into the spaceport. Kash gave me a quick look for me to stop as he confronted the two men. The trio were out of earshot but within seconds of initiating a conversation Kash was leading them into a side room.
I hurried behind, far enough not to be noticed and as they entered the room I waited at the door, trying my best to look casual. A few moments later the door open and Kash ushered me inside.
The room was a small conference room of some sort. The two guards were unconscious on the floor. Kash was already stripping one down, putting on his uniform.
"Don't just stand there. Get dressed. The Pride leaves in a few minutes."
- - -
"FINAL BOARDING FOR THE NEBULA'S PRIDE AT GATE THREE," boomed the public address system, "DESTINATION ONDIIA, ONDSAA AND CONDRAN. FINAL BOARDING"
"That's us." We walked along with the other passengers, giving a fleeting glance to the boarding agents. They nodded as we walked pass. I tipped my helmet to them as I strode up the boarding ramp.
"No wonder Mentol's going to hit this ship. They have no security at all." My uniform was a little baggy but not enough for anyone to think I was anything but Security.
"Shut up and act natural, Starr." As we entered the ship I was surprised to see how clean and white it was. The Nebula's Pride was a state of the art Mon Calamarian Luxury Liner. The enormous ship held every type of entertainment and wish its passengers could ask for. Cafés, meditation chambers, shops of all kinds selling wares from all over the galaxy could be found. The hallways were wide and spacious. Passengers of all types, mostly rich socialites, mulled around in the main foyer saying their farewells to friends and family
"Just wander around and look official. I'll meet you on the Engineering Deck as soon as we take off." Kash split off from me, disappearing into the crowd.
"Wait! What about…dammit." I shrugged my shoulders, moving along the massive corridor.
People were finding their staterooms and getting settled in as I felt the minute lurch that indicated the massive ship was on it way to tour the system. Several passengers asked me for directions, assuming since I was Security, I knew the layout of the ship. I said whatever sounded correct and sent them on their way.
"Hold Precious, dear." A small yippee murt was tossed into my arms. It growled and snipped at me as a rather larger older woman with several valet droids attempted to open her stateroom door. She wore an expensive fur with garish jewels that must have cost a fortune. Her three droids guarded over dozens steamer trunks. The murt looked like a shaven womprat with huge bulging eyes. Its tiny sharp teeth bit at my flack jacket while I just stood there stunned for a moment. Irritated, I turned to my left and saw the small door next to me. I tossed the annoying critter into the opening. I could hear his yapping trail off as I looked into the opening marked REFUSE. He disappeared into a main collection reservoir and I hurried off.
" Precious? Precious?" I could here her voice as I quickly turned a corner. Stepped into a turbolift and sighed. I hate rich people.
As I exited into the lower decks of the ship, Kash caught my attention.
"I said an hour." Kash looked perturbed and I just shrugged.
"Relax. We've got nothing but time. These guys probably won't show for another…" An explosion rocked the ship. Kash stumbled a little while I fell to my knees. Klaxons rang, warning of a hull breech. The lights flickered and then went out. Only the red emergency lights allowed us to see.
"Looks like they're early. Let's get moving." Kash grabbed my arm, hauling me up on my feet. I shook off the fall as we hurried into a nearby room. Electrical readouts and data displays filled the room. A few scared technicians looked our way when we rushed inside.
"Status report!" Kash ordered.
"Uh…half dozen ships have surrounded the Pride and a Corellian Corvette has secured itself along side," fear filled the stunned technician, a young man probably just out of the Academy. "Looks like we've been boarded. Scanners say several hundred pirates have entered the ship. Smaller craft are circling the ship, providing cover. Captain's prepared to turn over the ship."
"That's if they haven't killed him already. Where'd they connect to?" Kash never lost his composure as he talked.
"Deck thirty-seven-dee-fourteen."
"Looks like we've got work to do." I frowned slightly as we ran to meet out fate.
- - -
Passengers were mulling around in the hallways, still confused and unaware of the events unfolding. We found it difficult to maneuver through the swarms of people.
"Don't be alarmed. Return to your rooms." Kash screamed to the people as we ran toward a crowded ballroom. Blaster fire erupted and everyone, Kash and myself included, hit the floor. Six pirates had entered the room, demanding everyone stay still. I noticed Kash pull his blaster slowly, as he lay prone to the floor. I had my own blaster in my hand in a flash and with a slight nod I signaled to Kash.
Quick as lightning, we squeezed off a half dozen rounds, one for each pirate and they fell like sacks of laundry. They didn't even have time to return fire, it happened so quickly. Several people screamed at the sight of the pirates getting hit, but Kash silenced them with an intimidating stare.
"You there! Help us with these three." Kash yelled to a rugged looking steward. Surprised at the order, the young man hesitantly stood and dragged one of the dead pirates into the room Kash had selected by kicking in the door.
I grabbed my own pirate and we tossed them in a pile as Kash closed the door behind us.
"Cover that door. Anyone comes in, shoot them." Kash handed one of the pirate's blaster to the steward. He held it cautiously, the barrel visibly shaking.
"You sure like giving orders," I offered as I started stripping out of the Security uniform.
"You just listen to them and you'll stay alive. I know what I'm doing."
"I trust you." Oddly enough, I actually did.
Quickly we changed from respectable patrolmen to despicable pirates. The clothes smelled horrible and looked worse.
"Cover that hole up, Garic." Kash pointed to the burned blaster hole in the center of my chest. I swapped shirts with the other dead pirate
"There. How do I look now," I spun around like a model, bowing slightly.
"Beautiful," Kash sneered. "Let's get your damn robot and get the hell out of here."
"Oh, after you, fearless leader." Kash, blaster ready, yanked open the door and we went back out into the crowded hallway.
As we neared the boarding area, the more pirates we saw. They were corralling every passenger they could into the large theater room, using it as a brig. A few pirates gave us unusual glances but none of them stopped us as we approached the conduit.
The connecting tunnel was guarded by a dozen men and even more waited on the other side. With a grunt the last pirate gave a look at me limping along, but again, nothing.
"That wasn't so bad." I commented.
"They're not looking for anyone to sneak onto their ship." Kash took a cautious step into a side room. "We need to find a terminal and see where your droid is hiding."
After a quick check of some rooms we found a terminal. Its screen was dilapidated and cracked but it displayed a quick floor plan.
Kash punched keys, scanning the stream of data flashing across the display.
"This is interesting," he said absently. "This is very…I knew it!" Kash punched the screen and pulled out a recorder disk from a hidden pocket.
"What?" I tried to look at the screen but whatever information he had shouted about had passed or I just didn't notice it. "What?!"
Kash put a finger to silence me as he stared intently at the screen.
He popped the disk into a small slot and downloaded some information. "That son of a bitch. I've got'em this time."
"What are you talking about?" I demanded but he didn't say a word until the disk ejected from the terminal.
"There she is in the main repair bay. Looks like she's scheduled for a memory wipe. Better get in gear." Silently, he ran out into the hall toward the turbolifts.
"Are you going to tell me what's happening?" I hated being left in the dark. I was about to grab Kash and make him tell me what was going on when the ship lurched slightly.
"They can't be done already. It's only been," I glanced at my chronometer, "twenty minutes!" I was amazed at how much time had elapsed since the attack. "Maybe they are done. That doesn't leave us much time before they make the jump to light speed."
Pirates were known to empty a capitol ship in thirty minutes with the right crew. Mentol's bunch was famous for their cold efficiency. It was definitely in the realm of possibility that they had cleaned out The Nebula's Pride.
A group of five pirates met up with us at the turbolifts. They looked suspiciously at us. One, a Sullustan, was leering close in particular.
"Nub na nie, ya tama?" The mousy pirate poked at me as he spoke.
"Hi," I gave a nod, not knowing a word of Sullustan.
"He says he doesn't know you." a human pirate raised his blaster slowly. Sullustans had photographic memories and never forgot directions or people. Usually that was a good thing. But this time it really became irritating.
Without hesitation, Kash lifted his gun, firing. My quick draw caught up with Kash and we both managed to blast the group.
"Kash…! You're gonna get us killed." I spun on my heels to face him. He shrugged as the lift doors open. A surprised Twi'lek gurgled a comment but Kash was able to knock him unconscious with a chop to the Twi'lek's meaty neck.
"Let's get moving." Kash waved he in to the turbolift.
"You drink too much caffeine."
- - -
The main level had the bridge and the main repair bay. As the door opened Kash pointed down the hallway. The walls were dingy and the hall smelled like an old footlocker.
"Main repair bay is that way," he pointed to his right as he headed off in the opposite direction.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I've got something I've got to do. I'll be back before you know it. Meet me at the lift in," he glanced at his chronometer, "five minutes ought to do it. We don't have much time." And with that he ran down the hallway towards the bridge.
"Damn fools going to get killed." I shook my head as I hobbled toward the repair bay, my knee getting worse from all this hustling around. The door was locked but with a quick pop of the control panel and the touching of a few wires, it opened easily.
Arms and legs hung from the ceiling and along the walls. If they had been human it would have been a gruesome sight. Heads lined the shelves and a few chest plates could be seen exposed on a workbench.
Among the mess stacked in one corner was a familiar face. I rushed forward to see Ezra's head lying sideways on a box full of old servos and photoreceptors. The rest of her body was nowhere to be found. I picked up her head, gently placing it on the workbench. I pushed a tangle of wires and plating aside, grabbing a portable power supply jack and I plugged Ezra in.
With a flicker her photoreceptors flashed then came on.
"Captain Starr! Thank goodness you're here. They're going to disassemble me!". I smiled sadly, rubbing my chin.
"Think I'm a little late, Ezra."
"What do you…oh my! What will I do now, sir?" Fear and doubt filled her metallic voice. I patted her head and lifted it up, looking her straight in the sensors.
"Will find ya a new body, Ezra. Just relax a bit and we'll have you as good as new."
Sirens blared, startling me. The jolt made me drop Ezra, her head bounced off the floor, rolling under a table.
"Sir!" Fumbling on my knees, I reached under the table to retrieve Ezra's head as klaxons continued to scream.
"Sorry," I said absently as I rushed out of the room into the hallway.
Surprisingly the corridor was empty and I stumbled towards the direction Kash had hurried off to.
The bridge door opened and the lack of activity surprised me. I was expecting crewmembers to be racing around, the captain shouting out orders. Instead I was meet with a barren room. From the corner of my eye I saw two legs lying on the floor, the body hidden by a control panel.
"Holy shit…" I said absently looking at the specks of blood trickling down the grimy walls.
"Goodness Gracious Captain!"
The crew had been dealt with, and swiftly. The dozen or so bodies were either laying on the floor or still sitting in their seats, slumped over their stations. On the main view screens three Ondarian Patrol ships had entered from hyperspace. The reason the alarms sounded. They were in attack formation, bearing down on The Asylum. Voices from the adjoining captain's quarters grabbed my attention.
"He sold me out!" Kash shouted.
As I ran in, Kash looked up, enraged. Clutched in one hand was Tark, the other his blaster covered in blood. Tark's face was bloodied and beaten. He tried to speak but he was close to falling unconscious.
I hurried over to Kash as he stood over the battered pirate anger rippling from his body. I could feel it like a dark wave wash over me. Touching Kash's shoulder he shuddered slightly. He was trembling; his eyes were full of fear.
"They'll never let me forget." He muttered helplessly, throwing Tark aside like a ragdoll. He stared at me and then seemed to zone out. His eyes were distant and cold.
"We've got company. Let's go." I was still shocked at the sight but I knew there would be time to explain later. An explosion rocked the ship.
If we live that long!
- - -
As we raced down the halls Kash seemed to return to himself. We managed to get to an escape pod as the ship rumbled with another barrage. The pod's door slid opened and Kash quickly entered when I heard a loud thundering coming down the long hallway.
Fire blossomed at the far end of the hall. Flames and smoke spewed into the air. Another explosion started a chain reaction as explosion after explosion chased after one another.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I watched the flames approach. My legs went on autopilot and I dove in to the pod. The pod sealed behind me and jettisoned as flames licked at the small craft. Looking out the viewport we could see the Corvette explode into tiny twinkling lights, then vaporizing into the nebula itself. Patrol ships fired at the smaller fighters fleeing for their lives. I sat back in the seat, exhaling loudly.
"Too close." I smiled. Kash looked at me and nodded, his mind elsewhere. After a few awkward silent mintues I spoke.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Nothing to say."
"You said they'd never let you forget. Forget what?" Kash snapped a look at me and then his face sunk a little.
"The Empire. I wasn't completely honest with you, Garic. I was in Covert Operations. But I wasn't a typical soldier. I was an assassin." His eyes turned toward the window.
"I was trained for special assignments." He shook his head slowly. "Training isn't the right word. I was programmed to kill. They made me a machine. I've been fighting for over fifteen years to get my humanity back. Today was a…setback." He was disappointed and angry with himself. He rubbed his neck idly and then put his face in his hands.
"Every time I feel close to leaving that life behind… It haunts me, Garic. I've been trying to ignore it but they never let me forget. Never. I never know. Will this be the day it's gone? But it eats at my soul. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to control it. They'll always own a piece of me." He sat there stoic, not making eye contact.
"Sometimes you have to play the game to the final hand, Kash. But other times you can fold your cards and walk away. You'll never be free unless you let yourself. That's why you work yourself to death. Guilt." He looked at me a little confused.
"You could be trying to get rid of the guilt but instead you add to it. You need to find away to dump these bags off ya so you can live again. I'm not sure what that means. But you're never going to be free going down this road."
"Maybe your not as stupid as I thought, Starr."
"I couldn't possibly." I smiled, as did he. We laughed a little and waited to be picked up by the patrol.
It wasn't long before one of the Ondarian fighters hailed us and secured the pod with a tractor beam. After a short discussion with the commander and a large Corporation check they brought us back to the SlingShot.
Sitting comfortably in my chair, I lit my cigar and pulled back on the engines. We lifted up slowly from the launching pad into the darkness of space. I tossed a glance at Kash and gave him a million-credit smile.
"Looks like we've managed to get everything back to normal. Anaidni should be pretty happy with us," I said.
"Not when I get through with him."