The Mouth of the Chimaera

Secrets revealed! With the use of stolen Separatist technology, Rebel forces have been able to locate a mysterious satellite located deep within Wild Space far away from any Rebel or Imperial outpost! With the Confederacy of Independent Systems symbol printed on it, it was soon deduced that the box hidden within it was of Separatist origin and of vital significance.

After all attempts to open it failed, Captain Forx Ghethib decided to bring it back to Corellia for further investigation. Unfortunately, the vicious General Krenin has caught wind of this and, with the help of Captain Pellaeon and the star destroyer Chimaera, is now on his way to intercept and capture the box for himself! What could be the reason for this act…

Deep space

"We are almost done assembling our fleet and will go into hyperspace very shortly" said Captain Forx Ghethib (a green male Mon Calamari) as he stood before a hologram of Lei Sarke and Rahm Kota aboard an MC80 Liberty type star cruiser.

"Can you show me the box?" asked Sarke.

"Here it is" said Ghethib whilst lifting up a small silver metal box o the hologram's height "But we've found no key to open it and attempts to pry it open have so far failed. We considered more extreme methods of opening, but we feared it could do damage for what was inside"

"The sooner we get it back here, the better" said Sarke "Whatever secrets it holds could prove vital to us"

"And catastrophic if it were to fall into the wrong hands" said Kota.

"I assure you; if and Imperial wants this, they'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands" said Ghethib.

"I fear that may be way too accurate" said Kota.

"Captain, we've detected incoming ships from hyperspace" said a Mon Calamari officer "They appear to be of star destroyer class"

"Imperials!" exclaimed Ghethib "How did they get to us so quickly?"

"I have suspicions of possible double agents within the Alliance" replied Sarke "These things are hard to track"

Meanwhile

A group of Imperial star destroyers, being led by the Chimaera, came out of hyperspace. General Krenin stood aboard the bridge looking down at the Rebel ships.

"General, we've arrived at the location" said Captain Pellaeon as he walked up to him "What are your orders?"

"Open fire on the ships to keep them busy" replied Krenin "Meanwhile, I'll enter the ship with a boarding party and take them out from within. Do you have recognition of the ship it is on?"

"Yes sir" replied Pellaeon.

"Perfect" said Krenin "Commander!" Commander Cody, dressed in his clad black armor, walked up to him.

"Yes general" said Cody.

"Rally your men, we're going to board a ship" said Krenin.

"It will done, general" said Cody.

Meanwhile

"We have no time for this" said Ghethib "We have to get out of here before it's too late"

"Captain, the Imperials are boarding us" said a rebel trooper through the bridge's comlink "We're going to be overrun!"

"It's too late" said Ghethib "All troops, man your battle stations. Imperial troops are boarding us as we speak and the bridge will no doubt be their target. Be ready for anything. We need to stall them as long as we can"

Meanwhile in the hanger

Rebel troopers ran into battle as Imperial boarding pods descended down and blocked the hanger doors.

"Stop those pods!" yelled a rebel trooper commander as countless stormtroopers poured out and filled the hanger. As the rebel troopers fought back, Commander Cody leapt out and began to shoot them down.

"Eliminate them all" said Cody "The general has requested for there to be no prisoners" Countless stormtroopers who were followed by AT-STs and AT-MPs began to overrun the rebel troopers really quickly until only a few remained. "And to think that they're a threat to the Empire" Suddenly, the rebel trooper commander sprung him from behind, tackled him to the ground, and pointed his blaster at his head. Suddenly, a purple lightsaber lit up from the dark shadows of a boarding pod and was thrown from it, slicing the rebel trooper commander in half at the torso. The lightsaber flew back into the cybernetic hand of Krenin who leapt out and cut several rebel troopers down in his path.

"It's General Krenin!" exclaimed a rebel trooper "Stop him!" The remaining rebel troopers began to open fire upon him, but he deflected the shots, killing a lot of them in the process. He then sprinted forward and cut several of them down from the knees, force-pushed a group of them away where they got shot by stormtroopers in mid-air, force-pushed a crate over which crushed several of them, and finally impaled the last three into the wall.

"Rebels, so predictable" said Krenin.

"General, the area is secure" said Cody "What is our next move?"

"Stay here and guard the hanger bay, commander" replied Krenin "I will go to the bridge and retrieve it myself"

"Sir, is that wise?" asked Cody. Krenin gave him a bloodthirsty stare. "I do not doubt your strength or fighting capability; I am merely stating that rebel troopers can provide a threat whilst in numbers. It would be better to take an armed escort to assist you"

"I need no escort" said Krenin "What lies in the bridge is something I can retrieve myself"

"Nevertheless, it would be wiser to not go in alone" said Cody.

"Who said I was going in alone?" said Krenin. A group of Imperial riot troopers emerged from the boarding pod and walked up to him in an orderly fashion before activated their electrostaffs.

Meanwhile

"You have to get back to Corellia, now" said Sarke "We cannot risk this item to fall into Imperial hands"

"I think we both know it's too late for that now" said Ghethib "The Imps are already here and they're on their way to the bridge as we speak. Worst of all, I've heard reports of General Krenin's arrival; and we all know that isn't a good sign"

"Surely you could still escape via transport or escape pod?" asked Sarke.

"The hanger is overrun by now" said Ghethib "Even I did manage to get ahold of something; I'd probably be either shot down or intercepted before I had the chance to escape. Running isn't going to solve the problem"

"I see" said Sarke "Is the precaution in place?"

"It is" replied Ghethib.

"Are you completely certain?" asked Sarke.

"I made sure of it myself" replied Ghethib.

"Then we'll have to turn to that then" said Sarke.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kota.

"We'll discuss the details later" said Sarke "If this is the way it must end, then so be it. We remember your sacrifice" Ghethib nodded.

"Incoming!" said a Mon Calamari officer. Krenin's lightsaber struck through the door and began to encircle an entrance.

"Close the blast doors!" said Ghethib. The blast doors closed over.

"That won't hold him for long" said the Mon Calamari officer.

"It doesn't need to hold forever" said Ghethib "We just need to hold it long enough to prepare ourselves" All the Mon Calamari officers grabbed blasters and aimed them at the door. "Just remember to avoid the blade" Suddenly, the blade struck right through the blast door and slowly finished the circle and was pushed off with a powerful force blast. Krenin stepped through with his riot troopers.

"Kill them all!" snarled Krenin "But leave the captain for me" The Mon Calamari officers opened fire but most of their shots were deflected by the riot troopers' electrostaffs. Krenin leapt up to the strategy table and found Ghethib cowering behind it. "Cowering in fear as your men take all the pain; I never thought I'd see this amongst the Rebel Alliance" Ghethib leapt up and pointed his blaster at Krenin, only to get his hand sliced off. Krenin then grabbed him by the neck and slammed him head first into the strategy table. Seeing the box in his other hand, he snatched it off. "You have done a great deed for the Empire this day. Valuable Separatist items like this would be out of reach for standard Imperial technology; but with your stolen Separatist technology, you have just given it straight to me. At the very least, you make good delivery boys. With the secrets this holds, this war will be tipped in the Empire's favor"

"I'll die before that happens!" snarled Ghethib.

"You say that as if it's a difficult option" said Krenin. He struck his lightsaber down and slashed him in the chest.

Later on Corellia

"Running isn't going to solve the problem" said a holographic recording of Ghethib

"I see" said Sarke's voice "Is the precaution in place?"

"It is" replied Ghethib.

"Are you completely certain?" asked Sarke's voice.

"I made sure of it myself" replied Ghethib.

"Then we'll have to turn to that then" said Sarke's voice.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kota's voice.

"We'll discuss the details later" said Sarke's voice "If this is the way it must end, then so be it. We remember your sacrifice" Ghethib nodded.

"Incoming!" said the Mon Calamari officer's voice. The recording ended.

"That was the end of the transmission" said Sarke "As far as we know, Captain Ghethib is dead and the box is now in possession of General Krenin"

"There's something that's still bothering me" said Luke "How did we require the Separatist technology to find the satellite in the first place? I thought the Confederacy of Independent Systems was dissolved long ago"

"Not so much dissolved as fragmented" said K'Kruhk's hologram "At the end of the Clone Wars, the Separatists went there different ways. As you know, the Banking Clan was granted amnesty for the part they played in the galactic economy. Some of the Separatist forces, like the Neimoidians, bowed down to the Empire and were spared. Some of them, like the Geonosians, were enslaved. The rest formed the Separatist holdouts, various small factions who provided a nuisance for the Empire for years. By the time of the Corellian Treaty, what was left of them were asked to help form the Alliance; half of them denied it and have not been seen since, the other half however complied and gave us access to their technology"

"Still, it can't just end like that" said Luke "There's got to be some way out of this"

"I doubt it" said Ackbar's hologram "This transmission was almost half an hour ago and I doubt they would stay in the same position for long. It would take too long to discover where he's taken it too"

"Fortunately; it is not like that, Admiral" said Sarke "There is another way"

"Yes, this precaution he spoke of" said Kota "What is it exactly?"

"I saw that there were risks so I made sure he planted a tracking device on it" said Sarke "Wherever he's taken it too, we'll get it back; and hopefully, capture him as well"

"That was awfully convenient" said Zatt.

"A tracking device?" said Ackbar "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"I wanted the order to be direct so I made it myself" said Sarke "It must have…slipped my mind to inform you about it"

"I'm not sure about this" said Luke "I put a tracking device on Krenin before, but he realized and used it to lure me into a trap. It seems to me like history's repeating itself"

"This wasn't a quick implant like yours, Skywalker" said Sarke "I made it clear that the device was to be given the utmost precision and be hidden from visible view. Given the time he would've had since I spoke to him upon his discovery of the box, I'd imagine he used his time to implant it carefully"

"It still seems very risky" said Ackbar.

"Then make sure you're prepared" said Sarke.

"I will admit that you're right to a degree" said K'Kruhk "If this is all true, it's too great an opportunity to turn down; especially when General Krenin's involved. We'll assemble a fleet immediately. Skywalker, Ganodi, Zatt; you'll be in charge of leading the attack"

"Got room for two more?" asked a voice. Everyone turned to see Han and Chewbacca standing in the doorway.

"Always, Han" smirked Luke.

"Heard Krenin's involved" said Han "I was wondering when that Cyber-Lizard would show his face again. This time, I'll make sure to finish the job"

"Your addition would be most admired, Captain Solo" said K'Kruhk "May the Force be with us all"

Meanwhile in hyperspace

As the Chimaera zoomed through hyperspace, Krenin walked down a corridor near the bridge with Pellaeon following him behind.

"Sir, I simply want to know what the box contains" said Pellaeon "I partook in the war that saw the Separatists' downfall, I should at least be given some right to know what's inside that thing"

"I appreciate your assistance in obtaining the box, captain" said Krenin "But what you need to understand is that this information is need to know. I understand you're a veteran, but that doesn't give you reason"

"I just wonder what Lord Vader would think of this" said Pellaeon.

"Ah, your old war self is sinking back in" said Krenin "Say what you will about the Separatists, but they had innovation. Whatever secrets they held to the grave are worth salvaging"

"You seem to know a lot about that box" said Pellaeon.

"I've been studying it for a long time, ever since I heard the story" said Krenin.

"And what story would that be?" asked Pellaeon.

"A story that involves what lies within this box" replied Krenin.

"And what is within?" asked Pellaeon.

"Whatever is in here is for my eyes and my eyes alone" said Krenin. He turned to leave.

"You can't just go chasing stories like this" said Pellaeon "Need I remind you that you are on my ship" Krenin turned around and walked right up to him, looming over him viciously.

"It is true that I am merely a visitor here and that you are my host" said Krenin "However, Vader gave me the rank of high general whilst you are merely a captain. I am above you, better than you; and whilst I am around here, I call every shot. Is that clear, captain"

"Transparent" replied Pellaeon

"Good" said Krenin "I hate when I have to speak down to my men" He walked forward and passed a pair of stormtroopers who were standing in the hallway. "I mean, these threats are unnecessary and only slow everything down"

"Filthy skink lizard!" said one of the stormtroopers. Krenin stopped in his tracks and turned to the two stormtroopers.

"What did you say?" said Krenin. The two stormtroopers stepped back. "No, you're not getting out of this one!" He stepped forward causing the two stormtroopers to pull out their blasters at him. Suddenly, Krenin extended his arm out and force choked the two of them.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Pellaeon. Krenin didn't reply. He ran up to Krenin to stop him. "You can't just—" Suddenly, Krenin punched him into the face with his other hand. The two stormtroopers dropped to the ground dead. Pellaeon carefully got himself up whilst wiping the blood away from his nose. "What in blazers was all that about?"

"An insult like that cannot go ignored" said Krenin "What business is it of yours?"

"Those were my men you killed" replied Pellaeon "You can't just go around killing them"

"I can and I will" said Krenin "As I said before; while I am here, I am in charge; which means you do not get the say that I do, including on your mens' lives. Now, if you'll excuse me" He stomped off and entered a small room at the end of the corridor, making sure to lock it and disable the security camera. He pulled out a small keycard and inserted it in a small slot on the top of the box, opening it up to reveal a small holodisc inside. He gently lifted it out and examined it for a moment. "For years I chased rumor after rumor until it led me to Utapau to discover the truth behind it. The war kept me from investigating further leading me to lose hope in it; but now, the rebels have delivered it to me" He got out a hologram projector from his belt and inserted it in. "Let's see what secrets lay within" A hologram of General Grievous appeared.

"This is General Grievous, Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army, and if you are hearing this it means I've failed" said Grievous "Or at least that's what the Republic thinks!" He began to laugh evilly. "Lord Sidious has requested that I move the Separatist leaders to the planet Mustafar, claiming that the Republic army is about to attack. I will comply with this order, but he no doubt has an ulterior motive for this action. Whatever it is, I won't risk pure defeat. I have created another holodisc that contains the schematics for various weapons and war vehicles that have halted production due to the Separatists deeming them to be too expensive. The more precise coordinates are on disc so follow it carefully. I send this message to any Separatist remnants who survived the war in hopes that our glory may be restored; give the Republic, or whatever they are now, absolute HELL!" As Krenin paused the message, an extremely unsettling grin which stretched across each side of his head appeared on his face. He placed the hologram projector back on his belt and sprinted off to the bridge.

"Set course for Serenno!" said Krenin.

Later above Serenno

The Chimaera and some other Imperial ships came out of hyperspace above Serenno.

"Here we are, captain" said Krenin "Serenno, former homeworld of the Dark Acolytes"

"General, we're detecting various rebel ships coming from hyperspace" said an Imperial officer.

"How did they…" snarled Krenin. He held up the box and looked it over several times until he noticed a small bump on the bottom. He scratched it until he the silver paint that covered the extremely small tracking device was rubbed off. With a vicious snarl, he furiously slammed the bottom of the box onto the table, destroying the tracking device. "That little fish planted a tracking device and I was foolish enough to ignore it! Tell the ships to go on the offensive. I've come too far to let my plans be ruined like this"

Meanwhile

As Home One and the rest of the rebel fleet came out of hyperspace, the Rogue Shadow flew out of the hanger and towards the Chimaera with X-wing and Y-wing starfighters following them behind.

"The tracking device's signal just went out" said Luke "He must have found it" Chewbacca groaned.

"Everything makes you unhappy, Chewie" said Han "Where was it last?"

"The bridge" replied Luke "But I doubt he'd keep it there for long"

"I don't see any ships or escape pods" said Han "That's a good sign, right?"

"He could be simply setting a trap for us" said Zatt.

"There's no denying that" said Luke "It wouldn't be the first time"

"Why would the Imps come here, anyway?" asked Han "Serenno's never had a big part in this war, why start now?"

"Obviously it has something to do with the box" replied Luke "And I intend to find that out" At that moment, a hologram of Ackbar appeared.

"Commander Skywalker, I've just analyzed the ship for details and I believe it to be the Chimaera" said Ackbar.

"The Chimaera?" said Luke "What can I tell you about it?"

"Only that it's a star destroyer that's been upgraded to the new Imperial II-class" said Ackbar "This means it will have increased shielding and armament which will make it more difficult to handle. It is under the command of Captain Gilad Pellaeon" A hologram of Pellaeon appeared next to him. "He was a Republic officer during the Clone Wars who has gone on to serve the Galactic Empire. He was transferred to the command crew a few years back and has since been promoted to captain"

"What can you tell me about him?" asked Luke.

"Only that he doesn't seem to be a megalomaniac like most other Imperials I've either met or heard of" replied Ackbar "From what I've found out, he seems to be genuinely trying to make the galaxy a better place"

"Well, too bad he picked the wrong side" said Han. A squadron of TIE fighters flew out of the Chimaera's hanger and flew towards them.

"Looks like we've got TIE fighters" said Luke.

"No kidding" said Zatt "Ganodi, do you see this?"

"How could I not?" said Ganodi out of his comlink.

Meanwhile

Ganodi led the X-wings and Y-wings in her ARC-170 starfighter.

"We'll keep them busy whilst you guys land inside the ship" said Ganodi "But be careful; it's crawling with Imperials"

Meanwhile

"You're acting as if I don't already know that" said Zatt.

"Just try to be careful" said Ganodi.

"Brace yourselves!" said Luke as he sped towards the TIE fighters, shooting at them.

"Y'know, I must admit; you fly almost as good as I do, kid" smirked Han.

"Try to leave the snarky comments for later, Han" said Luke. He zoomed towards the hanger, shooting the turrets in the process. "And here…we…go!" He landed into the hanger.

"What are we waiting for?" said Han "Let's give them a welcome before they give us one" They exited the ship and walked out into the hanger.

"Intruders!" yelled a stormtrooper captain "Fire!" Luke and Zatt ignited their lightsabers as the stormtroopers started shooting at them.

"It's right off the bat, isn't it?" said Han as he and Chewbacca shot back until there were no stormtroopers left. "Well, that settles that; hey Ackbar, hanger's secure. Time to send in reinforcements"

"They're already on their way" said Ackbar through his comlink.

Meanwhile

A group of LAAT gunships rose from Home One's hanger and flew off to towards the Chimaera.

"Looks like the second phase has begun" said Ganodi into her starfighter's comlink "Let's hold off those cannons" She led the rest of the rebel starfighters against the TIE fighters as the LAAT gunships flew towards the Chimaera. Some of them were shot down along the way but the remaining ones successfully landed in the hanger where the rebel troopers walked out of them.

"Now that we're all here, let's get this plan into motion" said Han "So who's going where?"

"Han, you and Zatt will lead the troops straight for the bridge and try to take it" said Luke "Meanwhile; Chewie and I will stir up as much trouble on the other side of the ship"

"Seriously, you two alone?" said Han "No backup of any kind? You do realize that you'll become too easy a target"

"That's the point" replied Luke "Krenin and I have earned some history together so it'll make the option of taking me all the more tempting. I've fought with him before; believe me, you don't to take him head on. Some remote Jedi action ought to grab his attention—"

"And make capturing him more easy" said Han.

"It's going to be far from easy; but yeah, basically" said Luke.

"Just try not to fall for anything he pulls" said Han "Ahsoka told me all the stories"

"I'm sure she has" said Luke. He handed a small hologram projector out to Han. "Here take this; it's a map of a star destroyer, it should get you to the bridge"

"I know my way around a star destroyer" replied Han "Besides; it's not like I don't have a lightsaber backing me up"

"Dually noted" said Luke "Okay, let's go; PROXY, stand guard. Alert us if any Imperial approaches the ships"

"Understood, master" said PROXY.

Meanwhile

"Captain, several rebel ships have docked in the hanger" said an Imperial officer.

"What kind are they?" asked Pellaeon.

"Most of them appear to be LAAT gunships; but the one that's leading them appearance matches that of the Rogue Shadow, a former Imperial transport under the supervision of Lord Vader" replied the Imperial officer.

"A rebel boarding party" said Pellaeon "Send out patrols to find them and stop them"

"No" said Krenin "This boarding party is here to retrieve the box from me, and we can use that to our advantage. I have a better idea"

Meanwhile

Ganodi flew her starfighter throughout the masses of TIE fighters.

"TIE fighters" said Ganodi "Those damn screamin' things get on my nerves" Suddenly; a squadron of TIE bombers flew towards Home One. "Oh; I have a bad feeling about this. Admiral, there are a bunch heading for you right now"

Meanwhile on Home One

"I see them" said Ackbar "Shoot down as many as you can. I'll handle the rest"

"Got it" said Ganodi through the ship's comlink.

"Set the bridge's shields to maximum" said Ackbar.

"Yes sir" said a Mon Calamari officer.

Meanwhile

"Now remember, allow the rebels to come into the bridge; and once they're here, press this" said Krenin whilst handing Pellaeon a small remote.

"And what would this be?" asked Pellaeon.

"A gift from Lord Vader" replied Krenin.

"It's…It's not a bomb, is it?" asked Pellaeon.

"Of course not" replied Krenin "The bridge is the brain of a ship; destroy it, and the ship is rendered brain-dead" He turned to leave.

"And where are you going?" asked Pellaeon.

"I'm going to the other side of the ship to deal with the Jedi" said Krenin. He left the bridge.

"Jedi?" said Pellaeon.

Meanwhile

Ganodi flew her starfighter towards the TIE bombers from behind with several other Starfighters joining her.

"Alright everyone, target the bombers" said Ganodi into her starfighter's comlink "We can't let them reach Home One" She and the other starfighters opened fire at the TIE bombers and began shooting them down until there was only two left. The remaining TIE bombers reached Home One's bridge and bombed it; but due to their smaller number and the shields being set to maximum, the bridge received little damage and was knocked around from the impact.

"Stop those remaining TIE bombers before they can regroup and mount a counterattack" said Ackbar into the ship's comlink.

"Got it" said Ganodi out of the ship's comlink.

Meanwhile

Ganodi pulled her starfighter up and chased after the remaining two TIE bombers.

"Alright, T/Bs; time to face a Jedi in action" said Ganodi. She steadily targeted onto one of the TIE bombers and blasted at it. "One down, one to go" The remaining TIE bomber flew to the side and sped away. "Oh no; you're not getting out of this that easily" She flew off after the TIE bomber, steadily aimed at it, and blasted it away. "I got the last TIE bomber, admiral"

"Good work" said Ackbar through her starfighter's comlink. Suddenly, a laser bolt flew past Ganodi. She looked back and saw that a squadron of TIE fighters were flying towards her.

"These guys just keep coming and coming" said Ganodi whilst pulling around and firing at the TIE fighters.

Meanwhile

Luke and Chewbacca walked through the hallways of the Chimaera, without a single Imperial in sight.

"I don't get it" said Luke "Why aren't there any stormtroopers, or dark troopers, or even the occasional droideka. Imperials keep their ships heavily guarded in chase of intruders" Chewbacca groaned. "At this rate we'll never be able to draw out Krenin"

"You're looking for me, right?" said a voice. Luke turned around to see Krenin standing before him.

"I guess I spoke just too soon" said Luke whilst igniting his lightsaber. Krenin slowly walked up to him. "To think; here I was thinking I needed to cause havoc to get your attention"

"Oh; you don't need to do that to get my attention, Skywalker" said Krenin "I can sense you anywhere on this ship; you're like a surge in the Force, it makes tracking you all the more easy" A group of Imperial riot troopers appeared from the shadows.

"I see you brought some company" said Luke.

"They're just a precaution to keep you from running away" said Krenin "I've got you into my rasp now; I'm not letting you out again" He ignited his lightsaber and summoned an electrostaff to him, activating it. Luke ran at him and the two clashed violently. "I can sense that you're looking for something, aren't you? Something that I have"

"More like something that you took" said Luke. Krenin leapt back.

"You mean…something like this?" smirked Krenin whilst pulling out the box. Luke froze in his steps. "Yes, that's it!"

"Hand that over, Krenin" said Luke whilst pointing his lightsaber at Krenin "I'm sure the Alliance will go easy on you if you assisted us with this"

"If you really want it, you'll play my game to earn it" said Krenin.

"What game?" asked Luke.

"Just a little game I've set up for you" replied Krenin "If you're willing to play it, meet me in the hanger. But you'll have to get there first. Riot troopers, attack!" The riot troopers activated their electrostaffs and walked over to Luke and Chewbacca. Chewbacca roared furiously as he fired his electrostaff. Luke lunged towards a riot trooper and began to duel it until he finally decapitated it. A riot trooper lunged at Chewbacca, but the Wookiee was able to grab onto his electrostaff with both hands, roared furiously, bash the riot trooper in the face with it, and pulled it from his hands, using it against the other riot troopers. Luke dueled with the last riot trooper until he slashed it in the chest.

"Whatever Krenin's planning we have to find out" said Luke "We can't let him or that box get away again" He and Chewbacca ran back down the hallways.

Meanwhile

"We're almost there, bridge is just this way" said Han. At that moment, the sound of rolling was heard down the hallway. Han sighed as two droidekas rolled up towards them. "There's always something, isn't there?" The droidekas reached them, uncoiled, put up their shields, and started firing at them shooting several rebel troopers down. "These things are only wasting our time; we have to get rid of them and keep moving" Zatt looked over and saw a group of thermal detonators on a rebel troopers belt.

"Captain Solo, how's your throwing skills?" asked Zatt.

"Pretty good" replied Han "Why do you ask?"

"If I lift up the droids through the Force, can you roll those thermal detonators gently so they are underneath them when I put them down?"

"Well, let's find out" said Han "Hand me some of those thermal detonators" A rebel handed him three thermal detonators and Zatt lifted the droidekas up through the Force. Han gently rolled the thermal detonators across the floor towards the droidekas. As soon as Zatt placed the droidekas back down, the thermal detonators exploded within the shields and destroyed them.

"Nice job, Captain Solo" said Zatt.

"That was actually a good plan" said Han.

"What can I say?" said Zatt "When things go badly, fight technology with technology. But we had better keep moving"

Meanwhile

Luke and Chewbacca ran into the hanger to find PROXY stabbed into the side of the Rogue Shadow with an electrostaff.

"PROXY!" exclaimed Luke. He ran up to PROXY, ripped out the electrostaff, and gently helped him down. "PROXY, are you alright?"

"Master…I…I failed" said PROXY.

"What happened?" asked Luke.

"He came in…" replied PROXY "I tried to stop him…like you said…but he took me by surprise…" Luke looked off and saw that the box was lying a few feet away from him with an enviro-suit and Krenin's cape lying beside it.

"Chewie, take PROXY back inside the Shadow" said Luke "I'm going to check something out" Chewbacca nodded, helped PROXY up, and took him back inside the Rogue Shadow. Luke ran over to the box and examined it. It was wide open and empty except for a small comm device. He reached in and took it out

"Your droid wasn't too much of a match for me" said Krenin's voice coming from the comm device.

"Where are you?" asked Luke.

"Looks outside" replied Krenin. Luke looked up outside the hanger. Standing just outside the hanger was Krenin with his mask on.

"How did you—" said Luke.

"When the Kaminoans reconstructed me for second time they gave me experimental cybernetics that protected my body from the vacuum of space" said Krenin "Added with my mask's breathing capabilities, I can now walk freely out here"

"What was inside the box?" asked Luke.

"It was just a holodisc" replied Krenin "Here" He lifted up the holodisc.

"What's on it?" asked Luke.

"Do you really I would just tell you?" replied Krenin "No; if you want to know what is on the disc, you'll play my game" Luke sighed.

"What do I have to do?" asked Luke.

"You'll notice that beside the box is an enviro-suit" replied Krenin "Put it on and we'll…discuss terms. Meet me at the top of the star destroyer, don't take too long" He leapt up and disappeared.

Meanwhile

Pellaeon looked down at the trigger than Krenin gave him.

"Is something the matter, captain?" asked an Imperial officer.

"General Krenin has proven to be very difficult to work with" said Pellaeon "I mean, I've heard the stories but they never prepare you for the reality. Earlier today, I saw him kill two of my men; he didn't even think of sparing them. And now he's given me this remote telling me to activate it when the rebels arrive. He tells me it's not a bomb, but I don't know what to believe anymore"

"I've heard the stories too" said the Imperial officer "In many ways he's worse than Lord Vader. With Vader, he'll at least give you chances; with Krenin, you're a dead man the moment you make a mistake"

"It's people like him that give the Empire a bad reputation" said Pellaeon.

"Do you mean Non-Humans?" asked the Imperial officer.

"No, of course not" replied Pellaeon "Cruel sadists who show no remorse for their own men. I've lost a lot of good men to those rebels over the years; these people don't make it any easier" At that moment, Han and the rebel troopers arrived in the bridge.

"Hold it!" said Han. A pair of stormtroopers aimed their blasters at him, only to get shot by him.

"What do you want, rebel?" asked Pellaeon.

"Right to the point, that's good" replied Han "Anyways, I'll keep it simple; there's this Imperial general named Krenin. About this tall, reptilian, mechanical, wields a lightsaber; he took something from us, a small metal box" As Pellaeon looked down at the remote, he remembered what Krenin told him earlier. "Can you tell us where the box is?" Pellaeon didn't reply. "Could you please answer what I said? Can you tell us where the box is?" Pellaeon closed his eyes and pressed the button on the remote. "What's that supposed to do?" At that moment, E7-3S zoomed into the bridge and activated his flamethrowers.

"Time to fry!" said E7.

Meanwhile

Luke had dressed himself in the enviro-suit and was scaling the side of the star destroyer. At the top he found Krenin waiting for him. He walked up cautiously towards him.

"I thought you would accept my offer" said Krenin.

"Let's cut to the chase, Krenin" said Luke "Show me the disc" Krenin pulled out the holodisc. He ignited his lightsaber. "Now hand it over"

"You're a bigger fool than I thought" said Krenin. He broke the disc in half and broke it several more times.

"This was all a trap, wasn't it?" said Luke.

"It was" replied Krenin "And because of you were too thick-headed and obsessive as to drive straight into it. However, I will nonetheless tell you what it contained. First, the disc told me to come here to Serenno; as for the rest, I memorized it. The only copy of the information left is in here" He gestured to his head.

"A single copy is a copy still" said Luke.

"Smart thought, poorly conceived" said Krenin "Even if you do capture me, I won't talk. But if you're truly willing to go through with it, I'll give you this one chance…" He ignited his lightsaber. "…if you can survive, that is!" He swung towards Luke and the two clashed blades together.

Meanwhile

As E7 blew flames all over the bridge, a group of stormtroopers and dark troopers moved in and started shooting at the rebel troopers.

"I thought the whole point of Luke's job was to make ours easier" said Han.

"Krenin obviously planned this out" said Zatt whilst blocking the shots with his lightsaber "And we played right into it" At that moment, E7 landed in front of him and charged up his flamethrowers.

"Time for some burned seafood!" said E7. He blew his flamethrowers at Zatt who extended his hand out and just managed to block the flames out with the Force. "Maybe I should turn it up a notch!" He increased the firepower of his flamethrowers. As Zatt desperately held his own, he deactivated his lightsaber and used his other hand to blow the flames back at the manic droid, whom merely laughed insanely. "Seriously? Don't you know that I'm fireproof?!" He laughed even more insanely.

"I just hope Luke isn't having something like this" said Han.

Meanwhile

Krenin viciously slammed his blade continuously against Luke's. Luke quickly peered past him and noticed the fragments of the holodisc still floating around in the same place. Suddenly, he was driven back tremendously by Krenin.

"Daydreaming?" said Krenin "Poor timing" Suddenly, an X-wing flew down and started shooting at the Chimaera, causing the two of them to duck and cover. Luke took a deep breath in as he stood himself up and ran over to the holodisc fragments. He summoned as much as he could to himself and then turned to face Krenin, who had disappeared. Suddenly, Krenin leapt on him from behind and pinned him to the ground.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Krenin "How a thin layer of glass is all that protects you from total oblivion" He began to point his lightsaber down at Luke's glass helmet. "I've always wondered what it looks like to suffocate in space" Luke desperately wriggled out of Krenin's grip, got himself up, and ran off, only to find himself at the tip of the star destroyer. "No place to run, Skywalker…" Krenin walked up to him. "You're all mine now!" He quickly extended his hand out and force-pushed Krenin, only for Krenin to do the same thing as well causing the two of them to fly off the ship. Krenin shot out a cable from his cybernetic hand which helped him reel himself back to the star destroyer. Luke however quickly used his jetpack to help stabilize himself.

"Commander Skywalker, is that you?" asked Ganodi from his comlink.

"Ganodi, where are you?" asked Luke into his comlink.

"I'm just outside the star destroyer" said Ganodi "I've got a visual on you so I can pick you up if you're quick enough. Don't worry; I'll try to slow down. Watch out for those TIE fighters, though" Ganodi flew her Starfighter down towards Luke and slowed down. Luke used his jetpack to grab onto the wing and pull himself up. "Alright, let's go" She flew off. "What were you doing out there?"

"Krenin set a trap for me, and I went straight into it" said Luke "Oh no; Han! Han, can you hear me?"

"I can" replied Han through his comlink "But can this wait? Little busy right now"

"Han, you have to—" said Luke. Suddenly, an out-of-control X-wing flew rocketed past them. Krenin stood next to the ripped open cockpit holding an asphyxiated rebel pilot in his hands. He threw the pilot's body away, shot his cable out at Ganodi's Starfighter, and zoomed his way onto it. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"Shut up and die!" snarled Krenin. He ignited his lightsaber and slashed towards Luke. As Luke's blade met his, Luke looked around at his surroundings and came up with an idea. Luke rolled underneath him onto the other side of the Starfighter.

"Ganodi, tilt the ship to your left" said Luke "And make sure it's quick"

"But what if you fall off?" asked Ganodi.

"I'll be fine" replied Luke "Quickly, do it!" Ganodi quickly tilted her Starfighter to her left. Luke held onto the wing and Krenin used his cybernetic feet to hold on. "Oh no you don't!" Before Krenin could react, Luke force-pushed at him; this caused his feet to rip off from the starfighter and made him slip off, clawing onto the wing until he finally fell off completely. As he floated away, he extended his cybernetic hand towards the starfighter. "Quickly, go!" Ganodi zoomed off, leaving Krenin behind before he could shoot his cable again.

"Blast!" snapped Krenin. He looked over at the Chimaera, realizing that he was now floating near the bridge. He shot out his cable again and zoomed towards the bridge.

"Han, you have to get out of there now…" said Luke as he and Ganodi sped off.

Meanwhile

"…I've…found what we came for" said Luke through Han's comlink "You have to go"

"Got it" said Han into his comlink "Everyone, back to the ships" He and the other rebel troopers turned to leave, only for E7 to land in front of them.

"But we were just getting started!" said E7. He extended his arms out again and charged up his flamethrowers. Zatt extended his hand out and force-crushed both of them. "Darn!" Zatt suddenly force-pushed him away down the hallway.

"C'mon, let's go!" said Zatt. Suddenly, Krenin smashed in through one of the bridge's windows, leaving it open and sucking the oxygen out until it closed over.

"You weren't planning on leaving, weren't you?" said Krenin whilst his mask retracted back into his cybernetic neck.

"Everyone, leave!" said Han. As the rebel troopers evacuated the bridge, Krenin force-summoned two rebel troopers to him and broke both their necks at the same time.

"Solo, run!" said Zatt "I'll hold him off"

"You kidding?" said Han "He's crazy"

"We can't discuss this right now" said Zatt "Run!" Han nodded and disappeared through the door.

"I've already been robbed of one Jedi kill today" said Krenin "Now, you've just handed yourself over to me. I feel I should thank you" He ignited his lightsaber and lunged at Zatt and the two clashed violently.

"I won't let you get past!" said Zatt.

"I never even asked" smirked Krenin. Suddenly, he kicked Zatt in the stomach and he slammed against the strategy table. He then walked up to him and strangled onto his neck with his cybernetic hand. He slowly moved his lightsaber towards his face, only getting prevented because Zatt was holding his arm with both of his. "Die!" Suddenly, Han leapt out from the side of the door and shot at him, only for the blaster bolt to get deflected and sent towards him.

"Woah!" exclaimed Han as he quickly swung to the side to avoid the shot. The distraction allowed Zatt to pull himself free and run to the door. "Hurry!" As Zatt ran through the door, Han quickly jumped out, shot the door controls, and ran out just before the door could close over. Krenin ran up to the door just as it closed over and slammed his fist furiously against it.

Meanwhile

"I told you to run" said Zatt.

"You're welcome" said Han sarcastically. At that moment, E7 flew up to them from behind.

"You're not getting away from me!" snapped E7.

"Oh yes we will" said Han. E7 pulled out his chaingun and began firing at them randomly.

Meanwhile

"We're losing men out there like crazy" said Pellaeon "General, we have to retreat"

"No, we only just arrived!" snarled Krenin.

"If we send out any landing craft now, they'll shoot you down" said Pellaeon.

"Fine then" said Krenin "Commander, assemble all available troops to the escape pod area"

"What purpose is this for?" asked Cody from his comlink.

"I'll tell you when I get there" said Krenin.

"You can't be serious" said Pellaeon "They'll overpower you the moment you reach the ground" Krenin grabbed him by the collar.

"Then make sure they're busy!" snarled Krenin "Stay up here and keep those rebels busy until I finish my task on the ground"

"We can't hold out forever" replied Pellaeon "How do you expect us to hold out when you won't even tell us what you're even doing down there?"

"You tell me" replied Krenin "After all, you're the captain" He pushed Pellaeon away and strutted off. Pellaeon sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

Meanwhile

"The hanger is just this way" said Han as he and Zatt sprinted towards the hanger door.

"I'm coming to get you!" laughed E7. Han and Zatt ran through the door into the hanger, where he saw Chewbacca and the rebel troopers holding off stormtroopers and dark troopers.

"Chewie!" said Han. Chewbacca growled when he noticed Han's arrival. "Don't worry, we're coming" He and Zatt ran aboard the Rogue Shadow. "Wait; where's Luke?" Chewbacca growled in response. "What do you mean he wasn't there? He just called me a few…oh, what the heck; I'll call him now"

"Hurry, we don't have much time" said Zatt.

"Yeah, yeah; what else is new?" said Han "Luke, where are you?"

"I'm in Home One" replied Luke through his comlink.

"Home One?" said Han "What are you doing…never mind; let's just head off. Chewie…" Chewbacca nodded and helped pilot the Rogue Shadow out of the hanger and back towards Home One, with the LAAT gunships following him.

A few minutes later

"…and then she brought me back here" said Luke.

"That's quite a story, kid" said Han.

"This is all that remains of the disc" said Luke whilst showing the remains of the holodisc in the palm of his hands.

"Have you talked to Ackbar about it?" asked Han.

"I have" replied Luke "It still doesn't make it easier. I mean; deep down, I knew it was a trap the whole time and yet I still chose to go into it"

"We all make mistakes from time to time, kid" said Han "Believe me, I've made plenty over the years; isn't that right, Chewie?" Chewbacca growled in response. "It's just something you've got to live with and something you need to remember the next time"

"Maybe you're right, Han" said Luke.

"Maybe I'm always right" smirked Han.

"Attention, all personnel" said Ackbar through the intercom "Attention; the Chimaera has just released all of its escape pods"

"Krenin" said Luke.

"All personnel must rally to the hanger to investigate the planet" said Ackbar.

"Looks like I'll get to correct that mistake after all" said Luke. He stood up only to almost fall down due to an injured ankle and shoulder.

"More like a trip to the Redemption" said Han whilst helping him down "Just let us handle this one, kid"

Meanwhile

Krenin's escape pod rocketed towards the surface of Serenno.

"I have years for this" said Krenin to himself "The future is almost mine!"

Hellman76: She was in chapter 6; she just doesn't have an active role during this particular point in the series.