Chapter 3

Din/Mataro Import-Export, Administrative building
Rudrig Main Spaceport
30:03:16

Veil Corpus met with Ben Goodman the next day and they entered the secret underground base once again. This time he led Veil Corpus to a part of the base where he hadn't been before, a part heavily secured by several droid sentries and thick durasteel doors.

"This is our research department", Ben Goodman said, "But, as you can imagine, we are a little understaffed there."

Veil nodded. The labs were designed in a typical fashion, with white-tiled floors and walls and bright lights everywhere. He noticed several animals held in cages, screaming and trashing, but the sound-proof transparisteel windows absorbed everything.

They reached what Goodman called the 'main lab'. Clinically sterile like all the others, this one was by far the largest, with an enormous cage at the opposite wall and a similar large operating table in the center. Around it several FX-droids and medical equipment were arranged. Coprus could see the back of a person working on the table, while another, larger creature was being 'worked' upon. The working person had blue skin, pointy ears and a bald head. The most prominent feature, however, were large, membranous wings beneath the person's arms.

Ah, a Night-Soarer, Corpus thought, Interesting…

When the door to the lab opened, they were greeted by an inhuman scream of pain from the creature on the table. However, it didn't stop the other person from continuing her work. Medical instruments whirred and clicked and went deeper into the creature's flesh.

"Dr Alari? Dr Alari?" Goodman shouted over the screams.

The Night-Soarer stopped her work and turned around and stomped towards the two newcomers. "Who disturbs my work?" She hissed with deep, smoky voice, "I gave strict instructions to be left alone! My work is in a crucial phase!"

Goodman smiled. "Dr Alari, this is Agent Corpus, a guest from High Command."

"Don't call me doctor, you idiot!" Alari hissed, "And I read the memos, despite what your meagre intellect believes!"

Goodman ignored all this; he was obviously used to this. "Agent Corpus here might have a mission for you. Agent Corpus?"

"I need a ghost", Corpus said.

"A ghost? Ah, yes, an infiltrator!" Alari made a disgusted face, "How come that I am still the only qualified one around here? You knew for years I'm not interested in that!"

Goodman cleared his throat. "Despite her antics", he said, "Miss Alari is trained in Echani and can be quite quiet, when required. And since our leader has decided to drastically decrease the recruitment efforts, she is still our only infiltrator."

"I think Miss Alari is qualified for the mission I have in mind", Corpsu said diplomatically, "But tell me, what are you doing here?"

"Ha, finally someone who shows a little interest", Alari said and let the agent towards the operating table, "I do research here, Agent Corpus, research and science! My works in neural interface technology will change the galaxy!"

She pointed at the table. "This is my best work yet! Neural Experiment NX-A34! When finished, he will be able to handle even the most sophisticated computer systems."

"He's a gundark", Corpus said in a matter-of-fact way. On the table was a large, four-armed furry creature that had been cut open on several locations and bionic implants had been inserted everywhere.

"Isn't it ingenious?" Alari dreamily said, "Such a primitive beast and my work will transform him into a masterpiece of coordination, perception and reaction!"

"Is that the reason why you have that in your lab?" Corpus said and pointed to the large T4-B tank at the labs wall. With all the medical equipment around, the military machine looked quite out-of-place.

Alari shrugged. "I have to work with what I have", she said, "Normally, a T4-B requires a crew of three, but NX-A34 will be able to handle it on his own. Admittedly the cockpit also required some modifications. But it will be glorious!"

"Now that is all very interesting", Corpus said, "But before we come to the mission, I have another question, just out of curiosity: Why do you refuse the title of 'doctor'? From what I've seen, you certainly qualify."

"My own modesty, really", Alari replied, "I was working on my doctor thesis when I joined this cell and although it is finished by now, I has yet to be published and approved. My ignorant colleagues from back then said I was too arrogant and self-serving and I don't want to prove they're right by claiming the title."

She paused for a moment, "But when my work is finished I will throw it in their faces and laugh when they realize I was right the whole time! Ha, ha, ha!

"Ahem", Corpus interrupted, "Now about my mission…"

Imperial Garrison – Guest Quarters
Two days later

Arkyn felt relaxed. 904's suggestion had been proven to be a good one: He had joined a basic electronics course. While many things taught there were still familiar to him from his hobby days on Kidriff 5, it was interesting to see everything from a different, more scientific perspective. And he had made some friends, too.

He had been invited to a party tonight. While he certainly looked forward to it, he still had to consider his choice of clothes. Since no one of his new friends new that he was a Dark Jedi working for the Empire, he couldn't appear there in his standard clothes. He had brought some civilian clothes with him, but not much. He would have to go to the city later and buy something adequate.

Worst thing is, I still have some good clothes on Byss, he thought, Maybe I should consider travelling with a little bit more luggage…

The door opened and 9A1-RA-7 came in. "Milord", the droid said, "A call for your from the Night Warrior."

Oh, right… Helsak is still here. Maybe he's getting bored, too…

"I have good news from home, milord", Helsak's holographic image said. Arkyn had gone to the communication center, where the small hologram of Commodore Helsak had already been waiting for him.

"What is it?" Arkyn asked.

"First, Admiral Gordon's promotion to High Admiral has finally come through", Helsak said with a bit of pride, "There will be a big ceremony on Cyphar and everyone with the rank of Commodore or higher is ordered to be present."

"With the expansion of the fleet, that wasn't unexpected", Arkyn said, "A well-deserved promotion, though. And the other thing?"

"My squadron is the next one scheduled to be augmented", Helsak replied, "Which means we have to return to fleet headquarters at Telemita as soon as possible."

Arkyn thought for a moment and then answered. "Well, I certainly won't stop you. Things are quiet right now. And we have another Sector Fleet here that'll help us out if we need anything. May the Emperor smile on you, Commodore."

"And on you, milord", Helsak said with a bow, before the hologram vanished.

Outside the chamber Tel was waiting for him. That was a surprise, since he hadn't seen his friend for a few days now.

"Caybasi called in", Tel said, "I was in the middle of a simulator session, no idea how he got that com-channel…"

"What did he want?" Arkyn asked.

"Oh, there has been a robbery, a break-in", Tel replied, "At the Professor's mansion. Nothing valuable was stolen, but Entaka and Caybasi are… concerned. Everything else at the institute – now."

Was I wrong to send the fleet away? Arkyn wondered, But no, it wouldn't have made a difference.

"Let's go", he said.

Institute for Xenoarcheology – Conference room C102
Later

"According to the preliminary police report and Professor Zillcen, the only things stolen were several datacards."

The conference room had only place for about a dozen people, but it was barely filled to the half. Apart from Tel and Arkyn, there were only Captain Entaka, Lieutenant Caybasi, Professor Zillcen and his secretary, Cee Lenn. IMP-904 was standing in a corner and for the moment remained quiet. Commodore Xieng was present, too, this time as a three-dimensional hologram transmitted from the Carrack-cruiser Na Kuri. Professor Zillcen was very concerned about this. After all, it had been his house and his work that had been stolen.

"What was on these datacards?" Arkyn asked.

"An automated translation program I have written; for Rakatan languages", Professor Zillcen quietly said.

"Don't we have droids for that?" Tel asked.

"No we don't!" Professor Zillcen replied, slightly irritated. "Translator droids come only with living languages. Dead languages don't sell well."

He leant back and sighed. "Besides, the only droids we have belong to the Xim Department."

"So, whoever this program now has, can translate any Rakatan text?" Arkyn asked again.

"It's not finished", the Professor replied, "Almost finished. There are still some glitches, but it's a great help if you understand the language. And before you ask: Yes I have a back-up. Several of them, in fact."

"About possible suspects…", Arkyn began.

"The only… witness", Caybasi carefully said and Arkyn noted how the Professor winced a little on that, "could not give us reliable information. So far we have no evidence that this incident is related to our project and we can leave this case to the local police."

Everyone on the table nodded.

"With that would like to conclude this meeting", Captain Entaka said, "I like to remind everyone, that Professor Zillcen will present the first results about your artefact this afternoon. The presentation will be held at the S040 Seminar Room."

Din/Mataro Import-Export, Administrative building
Secret Rebel Base – Conference room
Same time

"Let' recapitulate, shall we?" Ben Goodman said. "Please report."

Alari's mission last night had been a success, although not everything had gone smoothly. For the debriefing, Corpus and Alari were here, of course, as well as Ben Goodman and Ulmar Din. The latter had a very sour face, indicating that he wasn't happy with the outcome.

Alari sighed. "Hokay, everything's in the report anyway, but here we go again: I went to the mansion, deactivated the alarm, snuck past the sensors into his working room. There were a lot of datacards and computers, so I searched and sliced around until I found something interesting – and then I left. Clean and easy. Now can I go back to my lab?"

"Not so fast", Corpus said, "The mission was a partial success, but it was unfortunate you couldn't find anything of the artefact we were looking for."

"I guess the Professor is smart enough not to bring any top-secrets projects home", Goodman commented.

"Well, it was to be expected", Corpus continued, "But I heard there was a witness… And the police reports give a surprisingly accurate report of your species. Night-Soarers aren't very common on Rudrig."

Alari sighed. "Look, it wasn't my fault! Everything had gone smoothly, but then this kid showed up and stumbled into the room. How should I have known she couldn't sleep?"

"An unfortunate incident, indeed", Corpus agreed, "but the Empire now has a very good description of you."

"I scared the kriff out of her (and she of me, too), and we both ran off", Alari explained, "How old was she? Seven?"

"Five", Goddman added.

"See?" Alari said, "She probably doesn't remember much anyway. So the police will think the girl saw the burglar and thought it was a ghost. She got scared, ran off and her mind made something up. Case closed, just like all the others. Now, about my lab…"

Corpus looked up. "What 'others'?"

"Maybe I can explain", Goodman said. "Over the past years, Miss Alari had been on several missions, of which not all had been a success. Since she had been only spotted from afar and never been caught and due to her distinctive racial feature, she has entered the local… myth scene as the 'Wraith of Rudrig'. Of course many of the associations you might find with her have spawned out of pure superstition."

"I like it", Alari said, "Gives you the feeling of being special, or in my case even more special. And, according to Mr Goodman, provides a good cover if a mission should not go as planned."

"Although this gives us the opportunity to operate a little bit more freely", Goodman said with a half-angry, half-concerned look to Ulmar Din, "We tend not to strain our luck. In the case we have here, it is most likely that the police will write it off as another ghost-sighting and look for a regular burglar."

Corpus thought for a moment. "Maybe you are right", he finally said, "But you should keep a low profile for the time being."

"I promise, agent, I won't leave my lab", Alari said, "My true profession is science! And in the end, not even the Empire can stop true science!"

After Goodman and Alari had left, Din took Corpus aside. "Agent may I have a word with you?"

Corpus nodded. "Yes, commander, what is it?"

"While I understand that your mission is vital to the Rebellion", Din began, "I ask you to not initiate any further missions."

Corpus was a little surprised. "Well, we certainly have to do something, otherwise we cannot call ourselves a 'rebellion'", he diplomatically replied.

"But you have to understand our situation here, Agent", Din replied, almost pleading. "We live under constant danger! The Empire is all around us, one false step and we all might die! I have spent the last years – ever since Strike Fear – to keep my people save, to prevent another disaster! So please, Agent, do not threaten all that I have achieved!"

Veil Corpus suddenly remembered what Goodman had told him a while ago. May he was right and Din had become too afraid…

"Well, commander", Corpus said once again in a diplomatic tone. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with overly cautious local commanders. "I understand your position completely and I promise I won't do anything stupid."

Din let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Agent, thank you."

With that, the topic was closed, but Corpus wouldn't his mission be hindered by this. So far he had achieved not much: One translation program that he would immediately transfer to Gan-ma-ki. But he had yet to make contact with Professor Zillcen and try to recruit him, but his hopes weren't high. From what he could tell, the man was a loyal citizen.

Hopefully Gan-ma-ki is more successful in recruiting Dr Antilles…

Institute for Xenoarcheology – Seminar room S040
Afternoon

The room was larger than the conference room where they had been this morning. It had room for a lot more people and was used for teaching, too. The Professor was here, as well as Lenn, Caybasi, Entaka, IMP-904, Xieng (once again via hologram, this time from the Na Kuri's galley) and six others. They looked like students to Arkyn and he wasn't sure if they should be allowed in here, but apparently neither Caybasi nor Entaka seemed to be bothered, so it should be all right.

Two of them were non-humans, one was a male Zygerrian and the other was a female near-human, with pale skin and black eyes. The others were all humans, one of them female and – as Arkyn thought to himself – not unattractive. Now that he thought of it, she had been the first thing he noticed when he had come here. He wondered why…

Arkyn shook his head and looked back to the front. Focus Arkyn!, he told himself, You are on a mission here.

"Good day, gentlebeings", the Professor began his speech and the first images appeared from the projector, "As you all know, I will now present the first results of the artefact recently unearthed on Regal IV.

"This artefact dates back to around 32,000 years Before Empire, roughly three-thousand years after the establishment of the Rakatan space nation, the so-called Infinite Empire. It is a mass data storage device with a semi-intelligent computer system, currently inoperable. It was meant to be used by the higher cast of lore keepers, so the whole programming had been done in a programming language only used and understood by them.

"The lore keepers of this era were the highest instance of the Empire and their rulers and also the only ones who could use the force. Every other Rakatan found who was force-sensitive was either taken in at an early age or killed."

"Similar to the Jedi", Captain Entaka commented.

"Yes, indeed", the Professor continued, "But that is of no relevance for us now. The sources tell us that this cast was extremely elitist and paranoid, constantly fearing the betrayal of their own servants. Which was, of course, what finally happened: A slave uprising brought the end of them around the same time this artefact had been created."

"Excuse me, Professor", Caybasi asked, "But to what I have read, the Rakatan Empire did not begin to decline until two-thousand years later. How is that possible?"

"Ah, a good question", Professor Zillcen replied, "Slave revolts and civil war did indeed bring the end to the Infinite Empire, but not this one. The lore keepers were extremely oppressive and ruthless, not to say bloodthirsty. This slave revolt came together with an uprising of the own Rakatan populace which overthrew the lore keeper's regime. After that, a new Rakatan government took over and the Empire continued to exist – until their ultimate downfall.

"Now for this artefact: The whole Rakatan culture was thriving towards superlatives and this artefact shows us nothing different: Apparently there had been a project, called the 'Eye of the One', which had been planned as another show of Rakatan culture. However, during the uprising, the keepers decided to abandon this project and concentrate on more… political pressing events."

"So, the whole thing is nothing but a thought experiment?" Arkyn asked, "There is no hidden superweapon out there?"

"To be honest, I don't know – yet. Apparently several parts of the program's code had been removed. The cuts are to clean – every time at the right place – that we think the parts had been deliberately removed and possibly hidden."

"And where?" Tel asked

"Well, we have sent the included Star Map to Rear Admiral Lo-Zhen of the Astrogation Department. So far, we haven't received any results. What we know, however, is that the project was abandoned after the uprising. The new government was still an oppressing, enslaving and exploiting culture, but it tended to be more on the creating side: While the keepers worked their slaves to death, the new government nursed them, fed them and actually cared – albeit little – about their safety. While the keepers tended to create massive weapons, the new government created factories or other non-destructive symbols."

"That sounds almost apologetic, Professor", Captain Entaka said.

"Don't get me wrong, Captain", Professor Zillcen replied, "I'm glad their rule is over, but one has to admit that the Rakatans had made some very impressive achievements."

"In any case", Arkyn spoke, "I think that was a very interesting overview, Professor. But if I got you right, we still have to wait for further results before we can make any further decisions."

"I'm afraid so", the Professor replied.

After that there were only a few questions left and the group dissolved quickly. On the way out, Lieutenant Caybasi overheard two students talking.

"Did you hear about last night?" One of them said. It was the Zygerrian. "Break in at the Professor's house and the rumors say it was the Wraith!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" the other one, a young woman, said. "She's a myth!"

"Say what you want, Aturia", he replied, "But I know she's real!"

"Excuse me", Caybasi interrupted them, "But I happened to overhear your conversation. What did you say about the Wraith?"

"The Wraith of Rudrig, Sir", the Zygerrian said, "Don't tell me you haven't heard about her?"

"I have, although my knowledge so far is limited to the rumors."

"Well, then let me tell you the whole true story", the Zygerrian said with a theatrical tone.

"Superstitious nonsense", the near-human student said as she walked by. The other girl – Aturia – raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"I think I'll agree with – as strange as that may sound", she said, "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

"Ignore her… Lieutenant, right?" The Zygerrian said and Caybasi nodded. "The story begins during my first semester. When I started studying here, I also joined a Echani martial arts course – and there she was: Alari: The Wraith of Rudrig!

"Although it pains me to admit it, I never got to know her very well. She was an instructor for the advanced classes and I wasn't very advanced at that time. But whenever I saw her, I was fascinated: This blue skin, these wings – Night-Soarers are a really fascinating species, don't you think?"

"It sounds to me", Caybasi replied, "that you had quite a crush on her, Mr…"

"Wua'lin", the Zygerrian replied with a shrug, "Greg Wua'lin. And maybe I had. But like I said, I never changed more words with her than the occasional greeting. She was generally very reserved and did not come very often – At least not to the beginner's course. Maybe it was more of a personal fantasy than anything real. And then there was the accident…"

"Accident?"

"Yes, once again during my first semester: She was a doctoral candidate at a biological department, working on cybernetics – I think. One day, when I came to practice, the trainer announced that she had died in a fire the night before.

"We were all shocked – of course – especially those who had known her better. And that's it. Alari had died – but her soul remained on the campus – haunting us from time to time."

"Very interesting, indeed", Caybasi said. So this myth has a real core – not unexpected. Maybe I can find out more in the archives. "Can you tell me anything else?"

Once again, Wua'lin shrugged. "Stories, rumors – anything. I have kept track of her appearances just for fun. Of course there are others, who are more… obsessed. There is even a forum on our holonet. I can give you the address."

"I would appreciate that", Caybasi replied.

"You're welcome", Wua'lin replied, "But don't take everything there for granted. She has become a myth and myths tend to grow to more than they really are."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Shuttle Shang Shou Yi
Near Rudrig
Three days later

Commodore Xieng came up from the back cockpit to the passenger section. "Well, that was the Na Kuri. Where do we head next?"

"According to my information, corvette Fha Huang is closest to us", GY-IPS1 said. Otherwise known as 'Gypsy', this meter-high GY-I droid was the information center of Xieng's staff.

"We could visit Oupost R7 again", Line Captain Ngyin Ho Fai said. The chubby and round-headed man had the post of the Vice Squadron commander. Known to be life-enjoying and easy-going about practically everything, he was everybody's friend.

"Maybe we could return to Rudrig", General Xia Hou said carefully. Despite being a General and Chief of Starfighter operations, she was very shy and reluctant in social activities. She was only here because Xieng had practically dragged her out of her office onboard the Ku Ro Hai. Nevertheless, she could become a ruthless fury behind the controls of a TIE. "Maybe we could see Captain Entaka?"

"Hmm, maybe", Xieng replied. "Other suggestions? Saito?"

Saito Kurushagi looked up beneath his helmet. He was not a member of the Imperial military: He was a mercenary and a close friend of Lee Xieng. Ever since he first appeared during Strike Fear he had not left the Commodore's side. The story behind him was still unknown to all staff members. "Wherever you want to go, Lee", he said with a deep and quiet voice. "It's your fleet. But there was this nice Lieutenant onboard the Tagayashi."

"The Tagayashi is currently near the fourth planet", Gypsy commented. "Estimated travel time five hours at maximum MGLT."

"Well, maybe", Xieng said. "But I think we…"

He never had the opportunity to finish the sentence as the intercom interrupted him. "Cockpit to Commodore Xieng" said the voice of the shuttle's pilot, "Commodore, come in please!"

Xieng sighed and pressed the response button. "What is it?"

The pilot's voice seemed unsure. "Uh, sir? You better come up here!"

If we're under attack, the pilots would have sounded the alarm, Xieng thought, So what is it now?

He walked back to the cockpit and saw what had the pilots so startled: Before the green orb that was Rudrig, a white dagger-shape weapon platform and symbol of power floated in space: An Imperial-class Star Destroyer.

"What the…", Xieng begun. "I thought the Night Warrior had already left!"

"Uh, sir?" the co-pilot said, "This is the Guen Hen Dao, Moff Makao's flagship. And he's not very pleased."

End of Chapter 3

Author's notes:

-This chapter shows that both sides – the Rebels and the Empire had made a little progress towards uncovering the Rakatan weapon.

-The part of the Rakatan Empire's history shows that even in a galaxy-wide empire, nothing remains constant.

-The Astrogation Department is a part of a Sector Fleet responsible for updating hyperspace routes and planning of jump vectors. It's the equivalent of a Systems Force, although it has a pure support character.

-The last part introduces Xieng's staff members, apart from Captain Entaka. Each member, no matter on what side of the conflict, is an individual.

-The name of Xieng's shuttle, Shang Shou Yi is the only one among the all the pseudo-asian names that has a meaning: Leader One. The other ones are just made up. If they can be translated at all – it was not intentional.

-I hope you enjoyed the story so far and if you did, feel free to leave a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985.