A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY...
A moment of repose has fallen across the restored Republic. Supreme Chancellor Mon Mothma has brought peace to the galaxy with the cooperation of the ambitious Moff Fel, who successfully withdrew the Imperial remnant from the Core Worlds to the detriment of the Moff Council. Democracy thrives as lives find balance in the shifting chaos.
Vice Chair Leia has instigated an expedition through the galaxy to spread the Republic's goodwill and fortune with worlds devastated by the galactic civil war. Unfortunately, these peaceful excursions have been hampered as several Republic Runner vessels have disappeared in the last three weeks.
Now, deep in the Outer Rim Territories, one of the missing Runners activated its distress beacon. The Corellian cruiser Nerf Herder, helmed by a reckless Admiral, dropped all communication with Republic Fleet Commander Ackbar and has decided to pursue the signal in direct violation of their mandate...
ONE
Space was placid above the frozen, barren planet of Belsavis. Clouds swirled in the atmosphere as the sun peaked, ever so slightly shimmering across the planet's crest. The fierce snow storms that raged across Belsavis was only one of the planet's many renown feats, tales whispered through cantinas suggested that Belsavis' hazardous wasteland was just a shell for its ulterior existence.
Perhaps those secrets were what led a Republic exploratory vessel to the edges of the Outer Rim, deep within the ninth quadrant of the Bozhnee sector. Such a ship and its crew had been given but one mandate; to spread the restored Republic's goodwill across the galaxy, and hopefully instill faith among the systems left devastated and disheveled during the Civil War.
Whatever reason brought that exploratory ship out here did not matter to the massive Corellian cruiser that egressed from hyperspace in an echoed, thunderous clap. Emblazoned with the crest of the restored Republic, the cruiser lovingly christened Nerf Herder was friendly to its exploratory comrade. That was the whole reason Nerf Herder had gone off course and ventured so far beyond its intended trajectory; the exploratory ship had dropped a beacon. And the Admiral of the Nerf Herder had no intention of abandoning his allies.
"This is Nerf Herder hailing Republic Runner Inquiry, do you copy?" the Admiral asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
From his perched chair, the Admiral could rotate and directly communicate with every officer on his bridge, just the way he liked it. The large, cylindrical bridge's entire roof was an open view to the stars, he could easily set his sights and scrutinize every detail personally, if he so wished. Even with all that freedom and authority, he was still unsettled by the blank static that hummed on the frequency.
The Admiral rubbed his rough palm across his face and squished his cheeks up towards his eyes, sighing heavily as his hand fell away. The bridge fell silent, one could hear the drop of a pin onto the plated floors, the crew surveyed their Admiral.
Uhura, a young woman sitting at the communications computer swiveled in her chair. Her green eyes revealing the anxiousness that she buried, everyone here knew the stories, that's why they watched the Admiral so closely. He was the only one who could return to Coruscant without being tagged as insubordinate or unruly, the Republic had accepted his recklessness, but this was more than that. A fear greater than being court-martialed; several Republic ships had vanished during Outer Rim explorations in the last few months, perhaps Inquiry was another victim.
But the Admiral argued; Inquiry was the first ship to drop a distress beacon. It had to mean something! So he ordered all communications with Fleet Commander Ackbar dropped, and disembarked toward the signal. Yet when they jumped out of lightspeed, nary a blanket of debris welcomed them. Silence, an eerie quiet. Would the Nerf Herder fall prey to the shadows next?
Uhura waited, and when no one spoke she finally addressed him; "Admiral Solo, the signal's dead. The beacon's been destroyed."
Han Solo shifted in his chair, laying his arms atop one leg and angled his head toward the officer. His short, cropped hair revealed the full, rugged features of a scoundrel that had seen far too much death, including the destruction of an entire planet. Han's gaze was blank as he stared at the woman, apparently inspecting her, sizing her up, did he intend to turn this into a physical altercation? The other officers didn't know, all had heard stories about him, so instead of speaking up with the woman they just squirmed quietly.
As an Admiral, Han presented himself more professionally than you might imagine for a pirate, which is what made the stories so incredible. Here was a man adorned in a pressed, long sleeved black jacket, buttoned with a folded collar. The left breast decorated with medals and rank, he was a veteran of one of the galaxy's most costly wars, and he wore his service proudly. Solo's black pants were tucked into one of the cleanest pairs of boots that, apparently, were spit-shined by the Admiral himself.
The only indication of this man's past as a pirate, or scoundrel, was that of his trusted holster strapped against his right thigh, cradling Han's highly modified DL-44 blaster pistol. Easily one of the most dangerous weapons in the man's arsenal. Second only when you put Admiral Solo behind a ship. He was one of the Republic's finest pilots and admirals, he had an uncanny knack for ships and command that translated well into his career.
Han's brown eyes finally darted around the room, then returned to the comm officer. "Do tell me where the beacon's remains are, then!" Han said, gesturing out toward the cold stillness of space. "'Cause maybe you see something I don't."
Uhura inhaled. "Admiral, this is against our mandate, now the Inquiry is not here. It's gone."
"Sir," officer Janeway interrupted. "Perhaps we should launch a probe?"
"I've got this," Han said, raising an open hand at the woman. The Admiral then leaned over his chair and whispered to a young man; "Fire a probe to Belsavis, see what comes back."
Admiral Solo leaned back in his chair, gritting his teeth as the officers returned to work, both women sighing in annoyance. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Our people are out there. Nothing can hide forever."
Han did not know if he was saying that for the benefit of his crew or for himself, to shake out the itching feeling that he may have made a mistake. The Admiral contemplated his next course of action if the probes were to report back with no findings, he observed intently as the Nerf Herder shot several probes, each ejecting from the ship in a flash of white light.
The probes became barely a speck against the backdrop of the frozen planet before fading into obscurity as they descended upon Belsavis. If the storm didn't obliterate them, then maybe those worthless piles of junk might finally prove useful, Han thought. He despised droids.
For a moment the crew sat with baited breath, an odd sense of hopeful dread hung in the air; maybe the ship wouldn't be found, and those crewmen scolded themselves for entertaining such a thought. But then they wondered what it meant if the ship was discovered on Belsavis.
A red light on the comm station began blinking rapidly, one of the probes was reporting in, its encoded message layered with a live video. The deck awaited instructions from the Admiral.
"On everyones screen," Han ordered.
Janeway obliged, dispersing the report across the bridge, every screen displayed exactly what the probe had immediately started recording on the planet below; caught in a blizzard on Belsavis, faint but clearly visible; the Inquiry. A smoking pile of debris and ruin. The crew sank in their chairs and lumps formed in their throats. Their hearts raced and pumped as if it was going to burst from their chests. That ship had been obliterated, in combat.
A rifle fired and the crew nearly jumped out of their skin as the probe detonated during the recording; a security precaution, all probes were designed to self-destruct if they came under any fire, and this one did exactly as its programming instructed, but it still caught everyone off guard. This rescue mission had become something far more, but none knew exactly what yet.
"Damn it," Han cursed. "Pull us back."
As the Nerf Herder tipped its nose away from the planet while the crew frantically inserted navigation coordinates, a single blip on the radar echoed across the deck. Han squinted his eyes in annoyance, looking down at the bothan situated at the radar's controls.
"What now?"
"It's- it was behind the moon, sir," young officer Kirk revealed.
Han's face drooped into a sad, awkward expression. His lips frowned and his body tensed at every muscle. Hanging nonchalantly in orbit; a moon capable of hiding a small assault party, what a clever strategy, Han thought. The Nerf Herder was completely vulnerable, having put the moon behind them.
The Admiral wished Chewbacca was here.
"Find out what's tailing us!" Han barked.
"Scanners are picking up a single ship in the vicinity, sir," Kirk noted.
A lone ship caused all that mess?
"A super star destroyer, Admiral," Kirk added with dread.
The crew knew it; they would all die here.
"No," Han breathed out.
"Maybe they just want to ask us some questions," Uhura said dryly.
"Jump to lightspeed!"
"We're not ready, our coordinates-" navigator Janeway started.
"I don't care," Han shouted, hopping over his command post. "Get us the hell outta here!"
As the Nerf Herder made final preparations to jump, its rear was directly in the sights of the approaching dagger-shaped dreadnought. Its mere glint eventually over shadowing even Han's mighty ship.
"Put all power in our rear deflective shields," Han yelled, throwing one of the Herder's pilots out of their seat. Han was taking manual control.
A massive laser fired at the Nerf Herder, the initial shot bursting through its shields, heaving the ship. A second blast struck the Herder's stern and instantly annihilated four of its engines, crippling Han's ship. The force of the blast sent shockwaves cascading across the hull, there were more than a dozen breaches, and the entire engine crew had no doubt been killed instantly.
"Our hyperdrive engine is gone, Admiral."
"What good news," Han said between teeth. "I couldn't have guessed."
Taking control of the ship, Han strained the Herder and pulled it back, rearing it upward. The vessel howled and creaked as a volley turbo lasers from the Imperial dreadnought flickered across the black space and darted along the entire hull of Han's cruiser. The bridge was lit by a massive red strobe light in response to the heavy fire.
"Shields are gone!"
"Tell me something I don't know," Han snapped.
The crews faces contorted into sheer panic as their cruiser's bridge view quickly filled with the massive image of the enemy ship.
"Are you going to hit it?" Kirk wondered.
"Not exactly," Han answered.
A painful, frightening shrill plunged into the ship as the crew covered their ears and protected their faces from the bursting computers, Han was pushing the Herder too far. He rammed his cruiser along the port side of the dagger-shaped threat. Skidding right across its body, but missing the enemy bridge entirely. He didn't want to blow himself up, just buy some time, and this would shake up the Imperial crew, at least for a moment.
As Han prepared to bark a round of orders, he was flabbergasted when the dreadnought had the guile to rotate its port side upward, puncturing the Nerf Herder and sending it careening toward the moon. Hurling the innards of the Republic ship about like rag dolls.
"Evasive maneuvers," Han said, crawling back into his chair.
Sweat poured from Han's face as he took the Herder into a sharp turn, just barely missing the moon, but scrapping off the last of his viable engines. Straightening out the ship, Han dived directly toward Belsavis just as the destroyer opened another salvo of fire.
"Everyone to the escape pods," Han demanded. "Don't release until I give the order."
The crew just watched him.
"Now!"
The officers reluctantly obliged, Han was not sentimental, and now was not the time to bid a mourned farewell to their brilliant Admiral. Instead, they all rushed out, dashing through walls of flames that threatened to ensnare them.
Heat warnings from the core rang in the Admiral's ear; The ship was entering the atmosphere too hot, and Han was knowingly not allowing it to vent properly. Enemy fire was raining down on the Herder's rear as it started to shed its plating, shaking itself to pieces. Han's board flashed green as the crew confirmed their escape pods. This was his only shot to save them.
In one of the Admiral's finest efforts, Han arched the Herder up, pulling it out of the suicidal nose dive. A lurching cry filtered into the bridge as stress splintered the deck's support beams. The glass finally erupted and Han ducked beneath the pilot's station, shielding himself from the loose shards. Recognizing the breach, the Nerf Herder encased the bridge in a thick blast shield. Han carefully crawled out from beneath the computer, his hands layered with cuts from the glass.
He slumped his shoulders and sighed in a moment of repose, wiping his bloody palms clean on the butt of his pants. The warning beacons noted incoming turbo laser fire, his meters pleaded for venting. His baby was about to give. But the Nerf Herder's belly was facing the planet below now, and that's all that mattered. Admiral Solo rummaged through the debris, determined to reach the communication station. Throwing aside bursted remains, Han pressed a button and leaned toward the microphone.
"Ready," Han said over the static comm. "Now!"
Han observed the jettisoned escape pods and allowed a sigh of proud relief. As the turbo lasers pelted his hull, Han relayed a desperate holo to Coruscant. While his rescue attempt may have been in vain, Han had drawn out the enemy. Admiral Solo's recordings would be enough to stir the senate into action, they could finally get off their butts and acknowledge these disappearances.
The Nerf Herder fulminated above the skies of the snow blanketed world of Belsavis, debris raining down on its inhospitable landscape. The brilliant detonation hid the falling escape pods from any prying eyes. With luck the enemy wouldn't consider investigating the wreckage. Han had saved what lives he could. And, hopefully, pulled at the string that would unravel the sharks that waited in the depths.