Tania was resting on the Black Pearl's small medical bay area with now having the procedure for her new robotic right hand just finished up as Ulysses was touching it up. The medical bay area was a small room near the cockpit of the freighter and you would pass it when entering the hallway from the center entertainment area. The area had two small stretchers that had been thoroughly cleaned, an array of cabinets with medicines, instruments and some pieces of scrap laying around; specifically being prosthetics pieces. To finish up the sweep of the area, medium 2 meter wide fluorescence lights hung above the room, illuminating the room.
It had been a couple weeks since the incident with Felucia and Tania was now getting her robotic right hand. As Ulysses finished up touching up the robotic arm and proceeded to run through a calibration test with her.
"OK Tania, I am have to do some *snort* calibration tests with your new arm to make sure it's *snort* running at 110% efficiency"
Tania nodded her head.
"Ok, Phase 1: Raise your hand up and put it into a high five form." replied the ugnaught.
Feelings her Twi'lek, real nervous system connect with the synthetic nerves and wires, she raised her hand and without struggle, put it into a five high form. The Ugnaught saw this and recorded something onto a clipboard.
"Ok, now take your new hand and fist it for me," the ugnaught addressed next then following after his piggy snorting and squealing.
Tania had stifled her laughter after he squealed because even though they had been friends for nearly three years, she still found his squealing hilarious to her. Ulysses gave her the death glare when he recognized that she was holding in laughter and just responded with, "Yea, yea I get it, laugh at the squealing pig man. Just remember that I won't be afraid to set off the self destruct sequence in that arm."
Tania quickly shut up and her mouth agape in shock and surprise, wondering if the ugnaught was pulling her leg or being dead serious. Ulysses said this with all seriousness and started bursting out laughing in hysterics, snorting and squealing everywhere the moment he saw her face. It took him awhile to get ahold of himself before responding with, "I am of course just pulling your leg Tania, you should've seen the look on your face though. Priceless!"
Tania quickly grew embarrassed and punched him in the arm with her new robotic right hand and the ugnaught quickly jumped back in pain as he clutched his right arm but was still chuckling a bit.
"I can see that that arm is performing well already because, I, for sure felt that and deserved it," Ulysses responded to her punching him.
The pair joked around for awhile before Hailey walked into the room and looked at the two before saying, "Karus. Need both of you. He does," before walking out of the room and heading back towards the nearby cockpit of the freighter. Now something about Hailey was that her voice always when speaking normally was soft and gentle. Something about her upbringing made her speak very little common or that is what Karus had told them. The two looked at each other completely confused and unaware to what was happening before soon following after Hailey and ending up in the cockpit alongside Hailey, Karus, and Isslarok. Once the group was gathered in the room besides Heat as he was recharging himself, Karus spoke to the crowd.
"Ok now that everyone is here, let us get down to business: We have just received a transmission a couple hours ago from Polis Massa and you're not going to like the contents of it."
Karus soon pressed a small red button near them and a small hologram of a man in workers uniform appeared to them. The message started:
If you are receiving this transmission, then you need to know that Polis Massa is lost now. We've tried to hide ourselves from the Empire but they found us! If you are hearing this and your with the rebellion, please help us.
The man looked dead ahead next and a horrifying expression took his face before ending with,
Dammit! They broke in! Help us! HELP U-
The Transmission cut out after that and the cockpit fell silent quickly before Tania spoke up.
"We need to investigate that now Karus. Those workers are in serious danger and need our help!"
"Yes, I understand that young Tania but you felt it too didn't you? Something felt wrong about this Transmission," the older man spoke.
She couldn't deny that one bit about Karus wise words: something felt incredibly off about this transmission but she couldn't place her finger on it. It tugged at her force aura and would until Isslarok spoke up and said, "I think it isssss a trap Karussss."
Her Twi'lek face grew angry after the old trandoshan said this and spewed back, "How could this even be a trap Isslarok! You saw the panic in his face! He was scared!"
"Calm Tania NOW! Do not let your anger take control of you. I think what Isslarok is saying is that before you came in this room, we checked the finer details of this distress message and noticed that it didn't have a date sent on it. Which I have to agree with my aura and that, itself, is very much suspicious," Karus said affirmatively.
Now Tania couldn't lie or be angry over that fact of the matter. If there wasn't a timestamp on the holotape then that in itself is very suspicious. Although they knew it was probably a trap set by the Empire, just in case it wasn't and the workers needed help now, they still had to investigate the recordings and Polis Massa now. The big question is who was to take the Spectre shuttle ship to investigate and who would stay back.
"I think the best course of action right now is to have two of us investigate Polis Massa *snort* right now and have the rest of us stay back and have the Pearl ready to leave and be ready if this is a trap," Ulysses advised to the crew.
"I agree with Ulysses here," Karus replied back to his statement, "So I think Hailey and Isslarok should go, I would say you Tania but you just got your new right hand."
"Doesn't that make me more viable to go on this mission Karus? I need to test this hand out to make Ulysses didn't actually put a self-destruction sequence in it and that it doesn't fail on me later," snapped back the red twi'lek.
"That makes you more less reasonable to go on this and not even adding the fact that you snapped on Isslarok just now. I need you to head to your room to meditate now and I'll meet you there in a while. Do I make myself clear Tania?" commanded Karus.
"I promisssse not to let you down Karusss," he said directing towards Karus as he turned to hailey and spoke in Trandoshan, "You ready to go out right now?"
Hailey spoke back to Isslarok in perfect Trandoshan, "Yes I am ready when you are ready Isslarok."
After Hailey finished her sentence, the two made their way towards the ladder in the common area that led to the docking bay for the Spectre shuttle ship. They boarded the smaller vessel that was attached to the Black Pearl and prepped the shuttle for lift off before the sound of engines was heard and the pair was off towards Polis Massa. The Black Pearl followed suite behind the spectre as both of the ships kicked into Hyperdrive and flew to Polis Massa.
As the two starcrafts reached the Polis Massa System, the Black Pearl stayed idle while the Spectre took flight into the meteorite that was known as Polis Massa. As The Spectre landed on Polis Massa, there was a certain eerie feel to the entire system and Isslarok tried to radio in.
"Polisssss Masssssaaaa, thisssss issss Ringer 3 from FR cell, do you copy, over?"
Static. Absolute static.
Polisssss Masssaaaa, Thisssss isss Ringer 3 from FR cell, do you copy, over dammit!"
Even more static.
If it wasn't creepy already to the pair, then now it was completely unnerving to the human and trandoshan. They ended up landing the shuttle onto docking bay 1 of 6 and killed the engines when they had came to a complete landing.
"This is really creepy Issla." Hailey spoke nervously as they exited the shuttle. They noticed that the gravity field around the singular space station was still active and running which, to most, would provide some sort of security to the pair, only if they hadn't just heard a rather disturbing holotape come from the comms relay of the station.
They walked down the grey metallic like pathway that led towards the common area of the building which when they got closer, noticed that the door was wide open. Isslarok investigated this and came to confusing discovery about this.
"Thisssss door wasssss opened or rather, jammed, sssssome time ago… that'ssss weird."
Hailey took a look at the forcily jammed opened door and came to the same realization as Isslarok did: the door did, matter of the fact, been jammed forcibly opened by a most likely, a strong individual. The pair stayed on alert as they entered the complex and came across a horrifying discovery inside: there was skeleton littering throughout the common area with furniture thrown about room and alongside with dried liquid that could only be concluded as blood, splattered everywhere. At the sight of this, Hailey opened up her Bo-rifle and opened up it to turn into dual-sided melee weapon with the ends of the weapon sparking a sickly yellow colour that coursed throughout the pongs at the ends. They readied themselves for anything that could surprise them at that moment.
Now the common room had 2 ways to go from where they were right now: they could either turn back and leave the system of Polis Massa and give a meager report to the crew or they could take the door about a couple meters northeastern to lead to a coded-door that lead to the comms relay. They decided to chose the latter of the options instead of the former. As the pair made their way towards the door, it automatically opened and revealed…
Back on the Black Pearl, Ulysses was checking out the systems of the freighter to make sure that they were prepped and ready for a quick escape, just in-case. Now as the ugnaught was doing this, he decided to check the holo-net about any recent attacks near the system of Polis Massa and uncovered something utterly confusing.
Wait… It says here that Polis Massa was attacked a year ago under the suspicious of it being used as a comms relay on the Outer Rim for the Rebellion. Wait, that makes no sense. Why would we receive this transmission just now if they needed our help? Unless… Oh KARABAST!
He quickly press the button to signal the small comms devices they had on them but played static.
"Karabast! Dammit," the ugnaught shouted at the top of his tiny lungs as he slammed the console.
Karus soon responded to this unusual outburst of the small pig man and came in, asking him what was the problem.
"Karus they walking into a damn trap," as he tried to gesture him to press the button that connected them to their smaller comms devices, Karus press the button and noticed what he realized was the same static as the station had, their comms were jammed. They knew it was a trap but then, 3 Imperial Star Destroyed dropped out of Hyperspace around the crew but luckily they had masked their signature before dropping into the Polis Massa system.
… revealed Imperial Agent Riser Mack standing there with a squadron of soldiers in dark black metallic stormtrooper armour but noticed that they also had equipped, jetpacks. Isslarok quickly drew out his dual DL-18 blaster pistols and immediately pointed one at one black-trooper and another at Riser. The dark troopers pointed their E-11D Model Blaster Rifles at them before two Terror troopers appeared at the sides of the squadron, one on the left and right.
Now these terror troopers were quite a terrifying sight to take in, in the fact that these troopers were something they had never seen: A slimmer physique to match their light dark grey armour that they wore. While most Stormtroopers were given blaster rifles, these troopers had razor sharp protruding claws built into their hands and a stun blaster along with it. Take in the fact with their orange tactical light near their skull resembling mask, they were terrifying.
"Well, well it seems the trandoshan and oh, A blind human?" Riser inquired.
He thought that it could be potentially a Miraluka but he remembered learning about their extinction centuries upon millennials ago, by the Sith Empire, at one of their colonies named Katarr. How was it possible that they still live? No matter, Miraluka or not, they needed to be captured or, if needed, to be killed.
"I will give you this chance to surrender to the Galactic Empire and I promise you will be given a fair trial," the agent said.
"That isssss a bunch of Rancor ssssshit and you know it!" Isslarok clapped back.
The agent sighed sadly and proceeded to answer back to his response with, " Kill them."
Blaster fire from the Dark troopers blasters immediately commenced and just in time, Isslarok hid in cover and Hailey was deflecting blaster fire with such ease that it would put most padawans to shame. Finding the exact time she needed, she ran towards a section of the soldiers and did a flip as she came down with a followed through strike to incapacitating two of the dark troopers before twirling her bo-rifle around her and behind her back and deflecting even more blaster. The trandoshan sighed loudly before poking out and getting a couple shots on the enemy.
He shouted, "TAKE COVER," as he lobbed a terminal denominator in the halls and the explosive went off, causing catastrophic damage to the hall and huge cracks within the reinforced glass panels that lined the hallway. He rushed into the hallway and found himself head-to-head with one of these terror troopers who quickly followed through with a claw strike to his face. He jerked his head back quickly before pulling out his vibro-axe and swinging at the terror. The trooper faded from the spot he just was to being right behind and swiped at his back which fortunately had his rifle still attached on its sling, so he just stumbled forward a bit, then the trooper faded again. He quickly looked over at Hailey's predicament and saw she incapacitated all the dark troopers and was facing the other terror and Riser both. He wanted to run to help her but found when he started to head her way, the terror trooper that was fighting him returned and swiped at him.
Hailey was deflecting all the shots that were directed towards her back at her senders and before not long, it was just her, the agent, and a terror trooper. She figured it be more helpful to defeat the terror trooper before taking on Riser but found that she was facing both opponents. Trading blows against the terror and Riser, she found a while longer after defeating the terror, it was just her and Riser. She took no time to connect her bo-rifle with his razor-sharp vibrosword and jumped back before force propelling herself forwards and connecting the two's weapons with more power, causing the agent to stumble back. She took this opportunity to hit him with one of the electrical pong end and caused sickly yellow electricity to course through his body before she pulled away. As she pulled away, the agent fell to his knees in clear pain and anguish.
"Where are workers," the young human shouted.
"Workers? They have been already tried for treason against the Galactic Empire and the decision to exterminate them was made a year ago," The agent responded, a bit confused.
Hailey was getting angrier and angrier and was about to finish him before Isslarok grabbed her shoulder and spoke in trandoshan, saying, "There are 3 Imperial Star Destroyers here, we need to leave this system now!"
"But what about the prisoners? We can't leave them," responded the Hailey.
"That was a ruse to lure us here, the Empire killed them a long time ago," replied back to her.
She looked behind them at the skeletons and nodded her head slowly before taking off towards the direction of the Spectre shuttle. They dodged TIE Fighter lasers directed towards them and boarded the Spectre shuttle ship. Isslarok quickly started up the engines and lifted off with a quick takeoff. They entered space a little while afterwards as TIE Fighters were hot on their tail and were only barely managing to dodge their laser fire. Isslarok picked up the comms system and tried reaching the Black Pearl but only got static.
As TIE Fighters got a lock on there shuttle, they for surely thought they were done with until red laser fire passed them and explosions were heard off next to them. The Black Pearl passed overhead them and they soon followed suit. After awhile of avoiding laser fire directed towards them, the Spectre managed to dock in its docking port.
Ulysses saw on the panel that indicated whenever the Spectre was in the docking bay or not, was lit green, he soon quickly strayed into deep space and jumped quickly to hyperspeed. Sooner or later, Isslarok and Hailey joined them in the cockpit of the Black Pearl Karus and Ulysses were waiting.
"So I am guessing it was right that it was a trap?" Ulysses questioned.
The pair just nodded their heads before going down the ladder in the cockpit the lead to the living quarters of the crew. Ulysses sighed deeply and so did Karus before he said, "When will we get a victory I wonder?"
As Riser picked himself up after the two rebels had left him all alone in the now destroyed hallways of the station, he wondered what the human meant by, "alive workers." He wasn't even told about this, all he was told by Thrawn was that he was setting up a trap for Riser to spring on the Rebels and wanted him to be down on Polis Massa to captured and/or kill the rebels if necessary. He took out his communication device and got in contact with Grand Admiral Thrawn to report his failure, but more like Thrawn's failure.
"Thrawn, your plan didn't work like you said, the rebel known as Isslarok, Ex-Bounty Hunter, has escaped."
Thrawn sighed with much annoyance and replied to his response with, "Head agent, I thought I already told you, that I don't accept incompetence. You better have good news to me, being it minor or not."
My incompetence! You're the one who thought of this plan! Riser thought to himself.
He remembered quickly soon about the blind woman and perked up and said, "Well yes, I have come to tell you that the Freedom Ringers have an unknown 7th member of their little rebellion cell."
"Oh," Thrawn said with cold enthusiasm, "and who would this new member be, hmm?"
"A Blind human sir. It seems that in, some way, she can still see even with her bandages covering her eyes," responding to his enthusiasm with this information.
"Ah, a Miraluka? Well that certainly makes things more interesting now, does it agent," Thrawn said with concern in his tone and ended off with, "Fully debrief me in my chambers and we'll speak of your punishment there," and with that, the call ended and Riser sighed, thinking what was in store for him.
So this one was a wayyyyy longer one: Over 3000+ words :o! Expect the chapter to be this long between 1900-3000+ words. I want each chapter to feel complete and organize and unless I am doing a many part series to lead up to a grand finale ( being the end of the story or a major plot point in the story ), you should expect this. Anyways, I had fun writing this one and I hope you all have a fantastic day!
Regards
~Sskullz