Just a heads up, the Thing won't show up for a couple more chapters, but once it does get loose, choas will ensue!
As always, feel free to leave a comment/review and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Achilles453 Yep, Predator is one of my favorite films of all time, so expect to see more from it. I hope you like this next chapter too!
Jayfeathers Friend - I know, there aren't really any good Predator/Star Wars crossovers. This is primarily a The Thing crossover, but keep an eye out for more Predator later on.
Peary Station, Arctic, February 7, 1970, 1300 Hours
Ahsoka stared in shock at the woman before smiling brightly, "Kaedan! What are you doing here?"
Kaedan Larte chuckled, "Well, Vartan's the science officer here and he offered me a job as an assistant/secretary. The better question is..." she smirked, "What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were the personal pilot for some hot shot general."
Ahsoka laughed, "Well, your 'hot shot general' selected me to fly a bunch of special forces guys up here. By the way, how is Vartan?"
Kaedan smiled, "Why don't you ask him?"
A deeper, masculine voice spoke from behind her, "I must need glasses because I swear that's Ahsoka."
Ahsoka smirked, "Long time no see, eh old man? Still bald I see."
Vartan smiled, "You sure haven't changed."
Kaedan turned to Vartan, "That reminds me. Commander Fox wanted to see you, Vartan."
Vartan nodded, "Thank you, Kaedan." He turned back to Ahsoka, "Well, it is a pleasure to see you again, my dear. We must catch up sometime soon."
Ahsoka hugged him, "I'll be looking forward to it."
As Vartan walked away, Kaedan grabbed Ahsoka's arm. "Come on. I'll give you the tour."
Kaedan indicated the room they were currently in. "This is the common room/mess hall. Most of us come in here to eat, get some coffee, or just relax." She pulled her friend through a door, "This is the kitchen if you need to cook anything."
The two women walked out the kitchen into a hallway. Kaedan pulled her along before knocking on a door. A large man opened it and smiled, "Hello Kaedan."
"Hi Selda." Kaedan motioned to Ahsoka, "This is my friend Ahsoka. She flew the research team in."
Selda smiled and extended his hand, "I see you're in the Navy as well. Petty Officer First Class. Name's Selda. I'm the radio/radarman."
Ahsoka shook Selda's hand, "Airman Ahsoka Tano. I'm a helicopter pilot."
Kaedan smirked at Ahsoka, "Selda's also our unofficial bartender. He's quite the renaissance man."
Ahsoka chuckled, "I look forward to a few drinks. What can you tell me about the crash?"
Selda scratched his chin, "Well, it fouls up communications and radar in set intervals. Kind of like a beacon. You were lucky that you flew in on a clear pattern. I don't like it, and I hope you're special forces can put an end to it."
Kaedan nodded, "Amen to that." She turned back to Ahsoka, "Come on. Thanks Selda."
Selda smiled and waved after them, "See you girls later."
Selda closed the door as Kaedan pushed open a door across from the radio room, "Here's the supply room. Everything we have is right in here."
She closed the door and they continued down the main corridor until it branched into an intersection. Kaedan pointed to the left, "This is the women's dorm. The guys live on the other side. There's usually only two of us, so we only really use a room with two beds. And with the arrival of all the special forces guys, you won't be able to have a room to yourself."
Ahsoka shrugged, "I can sleep on a couch."
"Just like old times?"
"You got that right." Ahsoka said with a chuckle.
Kaedan laughed, "There's a couch in our room, although I don't mind splitting a bed."
Ahsoka felt her cheeks blush, "Uh... I'm fine with the couch."
Kaedan smirked, "Was that hesitation I heard in that sentence?"
Ahsoka facepalmed, "I hate you."
Kaedan laughed even harder, "Feel free to move in anytime you want." She jerked her thumb down the corridor to the end. "That's Fox's office. Come on."
They walked down to the junction, where the corridor branched off in two opposite directions, making a T against Fox's office. Kaedan pointed to the right, "The greenhouse is down in that direction." She then pointed to the left, "Vartan's lab and the medbay are in that direction, as is my secretary office."
Ahsoka smiled and placed a hand on Kaedan's shoulder, "Thanks for showing me around."
"Anytime. Come on, let's get some coffee." The two women walked back towards the mess hall.
A few minutes later, both Kaedan and Ahsoka were sitting in the common room with two cups of coffee. Ahsoka spoke first, "It's been a while since we were able to just sit and talk. How's Miara been?"
Kaedan sighed, "Miara's doing alright. She's had a dream of flying and is trying to become a pilot. Last I heard, she went into the military a few months ago. The last letter I got from her said that she was flying cargo via helicopters."
Ahsoka nodded, "The non-combat missions only rule for women kind of suck don't they?"
Kaedan asked, "Miara never exactly told me how she got in. How'd you get in the Navy?"
Ahsoka smirked, "Well, the hotshot general who I went away with is married to a Senator. They pulled a few strings and got me an assignment under an Admiral named Yularen. As for Miara, Anakin heard that a woman named Miara Larte was trying to become a pilot. He recognized the last name and asked me if she was indeed the Miara who I had grown up with."
Kaedan's eyes had widened during Ahsoka's story, "So Miara has you and Anakin to thank." Ahsoka nodded and Kaedan's response was a simple, "Wow."
Ahsoka shrugged, "What are you up to?"
Kaedan smiled, "I'm trying to go into nursing and medicine. Vartan's been helping me as the science officer and I assist the medic here on station."
Ahsoka scratched her chin for a moment, "I don't think I've met him. I've run into you, Vartan, Selda, two soldiers named Boil and Waxer, and I know Commander Fox is here. So who is the medical officer?"
Kaedan smirked, "Look behind you."
Ahsoka's eyes widened and she shook her head laughing, "Not again." She turned around as Kaedan smirked at her.
Ahsoka's eyes widened even further in surprise as she saw who the medical officer was. "Impossible."
-0-
Meanwhile, the entirety of the special forces group, Dr. Vindi, and Vartan stood in Commander Fox's office. Fox addressed the group, "So that's the plan. We'll fly up in two helicopters, inspect the crash site, and recover what we can. I'll fly one chopper, while Airman Tano will fly the other.
"The Ranger squad will set up a perimeter around the crash. Cody and I will escort Dr. Vindi and Vartan in the airplane so they can recover what they can. Any questions?"
Rex's brow furled. Why was Cody going with the scientists? That's odd.
Hevy spoke up, "What about Soviets? What do we do if we encounter survivors?"
Cody responded, "Capture the Soviets if possible. Kill them if they fire at you."
Hevy nodded and Fox said, "Alright then. Get some food, we leave in a couple hours."
Rex was about to leave when Vartan called out, "Captain Rex. Can I speak to you for a moment?" Rex raised an eyebrow, but he could see a concealed urgency in Vartan's eyes. Vartan turned to Fox, "Commander, when you see Kaedan, tell her that I'd like to see her in my lab." Fox nodded as Rex followed Vartan out the door and into his lab.
Rex crossed his arms and was about to speak when Vartan said, "Close the door." Rex raised an eyebrow, but did as he was asked.
"Why the secrecy?" Rex asked.
Vartan sighed nervously, "Captain, I need someone I can trust. Commander Fox has been acting suspicious lately, and I'm getting the same feeling from the SEAL and that doctor you flew in."
"Suspicious? How?"
"I think they're hiding something about the crash. For one, Selda said the aircraft was going way to fast for it to be a conventional airplane. And it's trajectory was not one of any plane I've seen."
Rex shrugged, "It could be experimental. Or a meteor."
Vartan shook his head furiously, "No! It's not! Fox doesn't believe me, but I know it's not. He confiscated the radar data and told us not to talk about it after you leave. He said it was to protect us from Soviet agents, but it's clear to me that there's something... unworldly going on."
-0-
Kaedan frowned as Ahsoka's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the medic. It was clear they knew each other, but how? Kaedan had never seen her until they met here at Peary Station.
Ahsoka stuttered, "Barris? Oh this... this is just insane."
Barris Offee looked over and her eyes widened in recognition of the Navy pilot. "Ahsoka?" Barris smiled and said, "I'm going to assume you're here because your General sent you up with those Rangers, right?"
Ahsoka dropped her head into her hands, "How many people from my past am I going to run into here?"
Kaedan asked, "And how do you two know each other?"
Barris chuckled, "Ahsoka made the mistake of allowing General Skywalker to fly her helicopter and it... ended badly."
Ahsoka sighed, "When I was 19, he recklessly flew into a flock of birds and we crashed. I ended up with a few broken bones and a concussion while Anakin suffered a few severe burns. Barris was 23 then, and was one of the medics who patched me up. We became good friends and stayed in contact."
At that moment, Commander Fox walked in, "Ms. Larte, Vartan wants to see you in his lab. Airman Tano, we leave for the crash site in one hour."
Ahsoka saluted, "Yes sir." Fox nodded and walked away.
Kaedan met her eye, "Come on. I'm sure Vartan wouldn't mind." Ahsoka's eyes widened as Kaedan practiced dragged her out the door.
Barris laughed as she watched Kaedan drag Ahsoka out the door. "Catch up with you later. Alright, Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka yelled from the hallway, "Yeah, sure!"
Barris shook her head laughing, this would be a long week.
-0-
Vartan and Rex jumped as they heard the knock on the door. Vartan called out, "Who is it?"
The response was, "It's Kaedan. Fox said you wanted to see me?"
Vartan unlocked the door and allowed her in. He and Rex were surprised when Ahsoka walked through the door as well. "Ahsoka? What are you doing here?" Vartan asked.
Ahsoka shrugged, "Kaedan dragged me here."
Rex and Vartan eyed her suspiciously, and Vartan spoke, "It pains me greatly to ask you, but can we trust you to keep this secret?"
Ahsoka frowned, her brobrow furrowed in confusion. "What's going on? What are you talking about?"
Vartan looked over to Kaedan, "Kaedan, can you grab the info from your drawer please?"
Kaedan nodded and left and Ahsoka glanced between the two men in suspicion, "What's going on you two?"
Rex spoke carefully, "Before we begin, did the General tell you anything about this mission? Anything at all that he didn't tell us?"
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, "Why?"
Vartan stepped in between them, "Kaedan and I have had suspicions about the crash just east of here. Commander Fox is acting strangely, confiscating all information on the crash. We're getting the same feeling from the SEAL and the doctor you flew in. We have to know if you know anything about them."
Ahsoka shrugged, "I only met Cody at Eielson AFB in Anchorage and I didn't know anything about a doctor."
"What do you mean you don't know anything about Dr. Vindi?" Rex snapped.
"I was in the cockpit firing things up when your group climbed aboard. Then you guys all jumped out and into the station here before I got out. I've never seen him!" Ahsoka shot back. She glared at both of the men before her. "Am I being interrogated or something?"
"No, but I don't know if you know something you're not telling us."
Ahsoka yelled back, "Well, you're obviously hiding something from me! All I was told was to fly your squad up here. I don't know anything beyond that."
Rex sighed, "Look, I trust General Skywalker, but only because I've worked under him for years and he never hid anything from me. I don't have the experience of working with you."
Ahsoka flung her arms open, "So you don't trust me? What do you want me to do about that?"
Rex responded gruffly, "Nothing. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"
Ahsoka mulled it over in her head before nodding to herself. She then took a step forward and swung her fist at his face.
Rex was caught unprepared and staggered back from the blow.
The door opened, "What the hell?"
Everyone turned to see Kaedan standing in the doorway with a box under her arm.
Rex recovered, looked at Ahsoka with a grin, and laughed. "Where'd you learn to punch like that?"
Ahsoka chuckled, "Daily fights and spars with General Skywalker."
"Just remember, in my book, experience outranks everything."
Ahsoka crossed her arms and smirked, "So if experience outranks everything, then I better start getting some."
"Ahem." Everyone turned to Vartan, who had his arms crossed, "Now that we've all settled down, can we get on with why we're here?"
Everyone nodded and Vartan turned to Kaedan, "You got the info?"
Kaedan rolled her eyes, "Yes, dad. I have it." Ahsoka chuckled as Kaedan handed it over.
Ahsoka spoke up, "Before you begin, do you mind telling me where we're going?"
Vartan nodded and pointed to a map that Kaedan had brought, "Forty-eight miles northwest."
Ahsoka nodded slowly before shaking her head, "Wait. That's disputed territory. It could spark a war if we engage out there."
Vartan sighed, "I know. So does Fox and whoever he's reporting to."
Rex cut it, "The orders said that an airplane had crashed. Is that what we're looking for?"
Kaedan sighed, "We don't know Captain."
Rex crossed his arms, "I'd like to know what I'm looking for."
Vartan looked at him sternly, "So would I, Captain. So would I."
Rex sighed, "Well, just give me the information you have."
Vartan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm sorry they can't be more specific. Commander Fox confiscated everything, but luckly I had made some copies. Kaedan, can you please read my notes."
Kaedan opened Vartan's notebook and began to read. "February 5, 1970. 6:20 AM: Sound detectors recorded explosion northwest of here. 6:24 AM: Magnetic dials revealed twelve point three deflection. Such deflection is only possible if a disturbing force equivalent to twenty thousand tons of steel or iron ore had impacted within a 50 mile radius."
Rex shrugged, "Sounds like a meteor, doesn't it."
Vartan responsed, "Yes, a lot like one. Except for our photographic evidence. Boil acts as our photographer and maintains the teloscopic camera. They were running during that time. Here is the film taken between 6:13 and 6:17. Kaedan, let Captain Rex take a look please."
Kaedan switched on a light in a moviola box and ran a strip of film slowly through it. Rex and Ahsoka took turns looking into the box.
Vartan spoke as they observed the film. "You will note the small dot low on the film. It is moving west to east. At 6:15 AM, the dot moves upward. At 6:16, it drops to the Earth and vanishes. A meteor might move almost horizontally from west to east, but never upward. If that travelling object caused the explosion we picked up, it is in the ice 48 miles from here. The sound reached us about four minutes after it disappeared. That gives us the approximate distance from here of about 48-50 miles east."
Ahsoka hummed a thought in her head before saying, "Twenty thousand tons of steel is an awful lot of metal for an airplane."
Vartan nodded, "It is for the type of airplane we know, Ahsoka."
The unsettling statement hung in the air. Suddenly, the room seemed heavier.
Rex glanced up at the clock, "Come on. We should get going."
Rex left the room to get his equipment, followed by Vartan. Ahsoka was about to leave when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned to see Kaedan, who just said, "Please just be careful, Ahsoka. We don't know what we're up against and I don't want you to get hurt."
Ahsoka smiled softly, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." She turned away and walked down the hallway, but stopped halfway and looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "You want me to get you a souvenir?"
Kaedan laughed and shook her head. "No thanks. I'm fine." Ahsoka laughed as well as she entered the door to the common room. Kaedan shook her head again, at least Ahsoka was the same as she always had been. Kaedan just hoped that whatever happened, she would be the same Ahsoka afterwards.
Already, some of them are holding secrets. And don't worry. Some action coming up in the next chapter.
