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Hask stood on the bridge of the Corvus. Tall and sharp-faced, his blonde hair was cut to regulation length and his expression inscrutable. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stared at the BHCI console, two blinking red Imperial symbols indicating the positions of Del and Commander Versio. Although he would never admit it, he disliked waiting here while his teammates were in danger. However, as an Imperial Officer, he obeyed his orders.

'Lieutenant Hask,' Enlistee Arrion said, from the communications station. 'Inferno-1 has secured Lieutenant Aviss and is requesting extraction...'

'Set Condition 1,' Hask ordered, turning to Leading Rate Cosz who was manning the navigation console.

'Commence landing procedure. Order security team Alpha to assemble in the Troop Bay. Ensign Torranti, you have the bridge...'

##################

Luke stood in the middle of the holocomm suite, where the image of a tall, dark haired main with a neatly trimmed moustache was being projected in front of him.

'You sure about this, Luke?' he asked and Luke nodded.

'Yeah...'

'...okay. I'll meet you on Dantooine in 2 days...'

'Right,' Luke said, the holocomm shutting down, just as the door hissed open, admitting Ulic, Kay and Nomi.

'You're really leaving?' Nomi asked and Luke nodded.

'Yeah. Yeah, I am...'

'We'll miss you, farmboy,' Nomi said, wrapping him in a hug. 'You'd better write...'

'I will,' Luke said, turning to Ulic and Kay, putting an arm around their shoulders. 'Kay, try and keep him out of trouble...'

'Hey!' Ulic said, shrugging him off and Luke grinned.

'I... need to say goodbye to Master Altis. Meet me in the hanger in an hour...

##################

Han slapped the door control, stepping back as the hatch hissed open to reveal a tall, sharp-faced human dressed in the dark grey uniform of an Imperial Officer, his peaked cap bearing the insignia of the Customs Bureau. Flanking him on either side were two helmeted Stormtroopers in their distinctive white armour, E-11 carbines held against their chests.

'Lieutenant Morask,' the Officer said, striding through the hatch. 'Imperial Customs. Present your ID, flight plan and cargo manifest...'

'Here,' Han said, handing him a datapad and Morask took it, flipping through the screens quickly.

'Captain Solo,' He said. 'Millennium Falcon. Transferring passengers, supplies and equipment from Tatooine to Sullust. For what purpose?'

'I don't ask questions,' Han said and Morask's eyes narrowed.

'Why not?'

'Because I don't care,' Han said, with a shrug. 'I already got paid...'

'Lieutenant,' the petite woman said, producing two ID cards. 'My name is Guro Nyhanji and this is Huy Charposz. We are employed by Adarta Mining...'

'I see,' Morask said, taking their IDs and running them through his reader. 'And, what is the purpose of your trip to Sullust?'

'We've received reports of a new vein of Hfredium being discovered during recent seismic activity. We've been ordered to survey the site and report on the viability of further mining operations. It's probably just another rumour, but we go where we're sent...'

'I see,' Morask said, returning their IDs with a tight-lipped scowl. 'Until you re-enter hyperspace, you are still within Imperial jurisdiction. As such, infractions may result in the confiscation of your vessel and any suspected persons being transferred to an Imperial detention facility...'

'Thanks,' Han said, as Morask turned on his heel and marched out, the hissing shut behind him.

Pfft...

##################

The Ghost settled down onto the battered, dingy hanger deck and Hera shut off the drives, turning to the squat, blocky orange and white R5 unit behind her.

'Keep the engines warm, Chop,' she said and he beeped an indignant affirmative, plugging himself into the data port behind the pilot's seat.

With a grin, Hera headed aft to the loading dock, where the others were waiting. Zeb was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, while Ezra was sitting on a packing crate, turning his stormtrooper cadet helmet over in his hands. Only Kanaan appeared calm, leaning on the railing with his eyes closed.

'Where's Sabine?' Hera asked, just as the door behind her hissed open and she turned to see an orange haired, armoured human woman, carrying a helmet with a t-shaped visor in one hand. Her chest plate and gauntlets were a deep purple, while her pauldrons were different colours, one grey and one orange.

'Sorry I'm late,' she said, slipping on her helmet, gesturing to her grey pauldron, which sported a chequered pattern. 'I was just putting the finishing touches to the paint job...'

'Alright,' Hera said. 'These miners can be...touchy about outsiders, so keep your eyes open. Let's go.'

Hera punched the control and the ramp ground open. With a glance at Kanaan, she lead the down the ramp to the hanger deck, where a grey-skinned Mon Calamari was waiting. An aquatic species, Mon Calamari were distinctive due to their webbed hands and fish-like heads, including their protruding eyes that gave them excellent peripheral vision.

'Hera Syndulla,' He said, as she descended the ramp.

'Grusrukbor' Hera replied. 'Good to see you again...'

'Yes, yes,' he said. 'The cargo is ready for transport,' he added, gesturing to four cargo containers that sat on the hanger deck a few metres away.

'And the payment...?' Hera asked, Grusrukbor reaching inside his tunic and pulling out a small stack of credit chips.

'As we discussed, half upfront and the rest when the delivery is complete...'

'Always a pleasure doing business with you, Grusrukbor.' Hera said, glancing over her shoulder at Zeb and Ezra. 'Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get these crates loaded...'

##################

CR-90 Corvette Aurora

Correllian Trade Spine

'What's going on, Captain?' Leia asked, as she strode onto the bridge. She was dressed in a crisp white tunic and trousers, her hair pulled back into a tight bun.

'Princess,' Captain Mutarrif said, turning away from the viewport with his hands clasped behind his back. Tall and broad-shouldered, his dark skin was in contrast to his piercing blue eyes. 'We've received a distress call from a civilian freighter that is under attack by pirates and we are moving to intercept...'

'How long until we're in range...?'

'Five minutes, your highness...'

'Carry on, Captain...'

'Yes, your Highness. Sound Action Stations. Order the Y-Wings to prepare for launch...'

##################

Hask felt the faint thump as the Corvus touched down, pulling on his helmet as the ramp lowered. Activating his visor, he zoomed in on Commander Versio and Lieutenant Aviss where they were crouching behind the rocks, exchanging fire with a dozen pirates. As he watched, Iden snapped off a shot that caught a Quarren in the stomach, doubling him over p.

'Inferno-1,' Hask said, activating his comm. 'Fall back. We'll cover you...'

Iden and Aviss broke cover and Hask sighted up on a pirate who was carrying a repeating blaster, killing him with a shot to the head.

'Covering fire,' Hask ordered and the security team opened fire, driving the pirates back as Iden and Aviss sprinted up the ramp.

'Medic!' Hask ordered, as the ramp ground closed and he felt the engines fire as the lifted off. 'Are you alright, Commander?' He asked, helping Iden to her feet as the medic's knelt next to Aviss.

'Yes, Lieutenant,' Iden said, grasping his hand as she pulled off her helmet. 'Excellent timing, as usual...'

'Thank you, Commander,' Hask said, as Iden tucked her helmet under her arm. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her jaw set firmly.

'Inferno-3,' Iden said, activating her comm. 'We're outbound. Extract and rendezvous with us in orbit...'

'Acknowledged,' Del said. 'I'm returning to my TIE now. Inferno-3, out...'

##################

Tarag looked up as the armoured figure with the t-shaped visor strode towards him, resisting the urge to reach for his scatter gun below the bar. Mandalorians usually spelt trouble and his only consolation was that, with this Mandalorian, the trouble probably wouldn't be aimed at him.

'Kal,' he said, picking up another glass and wiping it with a dirty cloth. 'I've got some saurian brandy in...'

'Another time, Tarag,' Skirata said, resting his elbows on the bar. 'I'm looking for Jarion D'Sib. Do you have any idea where I might find him...'

'I'm a busy man, Kal,' Tarag said. 'And business is tight. I don't have time to keep tabs on every lowlife in the lower levels...'

Skirata sighed, reaching into his belt pouch and taking out two credit chips, laying them on the bar. Tarag hesitated for a second before scooping them up and tucking them into his tunic.

'I can ask around, Kal. It'll take some time, though...'

'24 hours, Tarag,' Kal said, taking out a piece of flimsy and scribbling down one of his untraceable comm codes that Mereel had set up. 'You know how you can reach me...'

##################

'Dar!' Niner yelled, snapping off a shot from his Deece at a battledroid that broke from cover, metal joints clanking as it advanced. 'You taking a nap or something...?'

'Don't rush me,' Darman shouted back as he placed the charge, wiring in the detonators. 'I'm working as fast as I can...'

'Work faster,' Niner snapped, as Atin ejected his gauntlet blade, punching it through the chest of a droid that got too close.

'Done,' Dar said, connecting the last wire and flipping the primer switch. 'Thirty seconds. Time to go...'

'Move,' Niner yelled, breaking into a run down the corridor, his HUD showing that Dar and Atin were right behind him. Ahead of them, more droids appeared and Niner opened fire without slowing down, destroying two droids. A blaster bolt struck his shoulder and he grunted in pain, but the bolt did not penetrate his armour. Three more droids fell to Dar and Atin's rifles and he smashed the last one aside, shouldering open the door ahead of them.

'Out, out,' Niner yelled, shoving Dar and Atin through the door and barrelling after them, slamming the hatch shut just as the charge detonated. Even through the sealed door, the noise of the explosion was loud enough to force his helmet's audio receptors to shut down for a moment. When the noise died down, he looked up to see a cloud of black smoke rising from the jagged remains of the roof, allowing himself a satisfied grin.

'Omega to Majestic,' he said, activating his radio. 'Mission accomplished. Requesting extraction...'

'Acknowledged, Omega. Gunship is en-route. Stand by for co-ordinates...'

##################

'So,' Master Altis said, as Luke sat cross-legged in front of him. 'You have made your decision...'

'Yes, Master,' Luke said, regarding Altis uncertainly. Despite his white hair and lined face, his back was still ramrod straight. Even though he had known him for as long as he could remember, he was still unsure how he was going to react.

'...very well,' Altis said. 'Whatever happens, you will always have a home here...'

'Thank you, Master...'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.