"Niko's dead!"
"Get out of here! We can handle ourselves!"
""""""
"What is it?"
"Sev..."
"""""""
"Imperial, drop your arms. Now."
Boss
"How? He was killed on the Destination."
"Boss, we have a problem."
I pulled my eyes away from the frozen body of Sev, and answered the comm.
"What is it Fixer?"
"Rebel soldiers entered the tunnels and caught us. No sign of Tread, but we found his..."
A grunt from the other end caused me to jump slightly, then the comm cut out.
"Fixer? Fixer!"
There was no answer, and I turned back to Scorch and Hyde.
"We have a problem. Fixer and Kevin have been taken by Rebel soldiers, and Tread is officially Missing. Fixer said they found something of his, but he was cut off before he could finish."
"Let's go, then!" Hyde said, but Scorch refused.
"I'm getting Sev out of here. You guys go."
I nodded, and Hyde followed my as I charged back through the corridor leading to the ice box.
I stopped before the turn, and laid out the plan..
"Stay here, and provide cover fire. I'll get them out and come back, but If I go down, get Scorch."
He nodded, and took his position. I rolled out pressing myself against the wall.
I fired, and a soldier's head snapped back as the bolt took him in the center of the forehead.
"Take cover!" The rebel officer's voice rang out, and the remaining men dropped out of sight behind their barriers.
I fired a few more times, along with Hyde, then hurled a flashbang grenade.
I averted my eyes, and after the brilliant flash was over, I ran in.
There were a couple smart ones in the bunch, and had protected their eyes and ears against the blast.
Their fire was absorbed by my shields, and a few good shots eliminated them.
I vaulted over the low wall, and smashed my gun into the temple of the nearest man.
My knife dispatched a third, and a short burst of fire established my dominance.
The four remaining rebels surrendered, along with their captain.
"Where are you keeping the commando?"
"He's over there." The captain said sullenly, and I walked over, leaving Hyde to guard them.
Fixer was bleeding from a head wound, and his helmet was nowhere to be found.
I administered bacta to the injured commando, and he soon was staggering to his feet.
Kevin was also revived quickly, and we returned to where Hyde was guarding the prisoners.
Only there were no prisoners.
I knelt by Hyde, and saw that the Stormtrooper was dying.
"Boss... It was...wasn't them... It... it was..." The body dropped back, and I pulled the helmet off, testing for a pulse.
There was nothing, but with the way his throat was slit it was no wonder why.
"What did he mean, 'It wasn't them'?" Kevin asked, glancing over at me.
"The rebels weren't the ones who did this to him." Fixer said, looking down the hall.
"Then who did?" Kevin snapped.
He and Hyde had been raised together, joined the Empire at the same time, and had always been close.
"Look over there." Fixer said, pointing.
I looked, and saw one of the rebel soldiers sprawled on the ground.
Another was leaning up against the wall, and I jogged over.
I touched his shoulder, and he slumped over completely.
"Lightsaber..." Fixer said, staring at the circular, cauterized hole in both of their chests.
"The Skywalker boy, maybe?" Kevin said, his grip tightening on the blaster he held.
"Kill his own? No, this has Vader written all over it." I said.
"But the slit throat, the silence. Vader's not usually so... Discrete. He goes more for widespread havoc." Fixer pointed out.
"Does it matter? We have a angry, murderous Force user hunting us. We need to regroup." I said, holding up a hand to forestall Kevin's protest.
"It's too dangerous, Kev. Not worth it." His head dropped slightly, and I patted his shoulder.
"It'll be alright. We'll find whoever did this. I promise."
We turned, and I led the was back to the room full of frozen bodies.
I opened the door, and the young man stood there, holding a knife to Sev's throat. "Who are you? Where am I?"
DeGriz
Reed and I were heading quickly back the way we came, both of us alert and ready for anything.
"The others are no longer responding to my calls, James."
I turned back. "The Commandos?"
"Yes. I can't tell if it's jammed, or if they just aren't responding." Reed shrugged.
I glanced around as we reached the breach we'd entered through.
The rebel bodies strewn everywhere, as well as the body of Hyde, his throat slit, didn't bode well for our allies.
"Boss! Kevin!" Reed hollered, but there was no answer.
I noticed the lightsaber burns, and glanced quickly around, hoping that Vader was nowhere around.
Not that Skywalker was any better, but at least he wouldn't kill you for smiling at the wrong time. Poor Wiheim...
The metallic voice coming from behind me snapped me out of my reprieve.
"Commander Degriz. I see you have gotten sidetracked from the assault."
I turned, and scrambled to salute, as did Reed.
The massive metallic form of Darth Vader stood there, and I bowed.
"Lord Vader. We found the complex, and investigated to determine if the Rebels were utilizing it."
"They are not. Come along."
"But Lord Vader, the commando..."
Vader spun, slashing quickly and leaving Reed dead on the ground.
"Commander DeGriz, you will come with me now!"
I blinked in shock, then felt him reach out with the Force, pushing in to crush my will.
I fought back, and Vader glared, raising the blade.
He swung hard and fast...
Alive: Boss, Fixer, Scorch, Kevin, Vader, Frozen man
Dead: Vin, Tread, Ed, Will, Niko, Hyde, Reed
Unknown: Spider, Cal, DeGriz, Sev
