Chapter 30: Crew Skills
A/N: On our way to Hoth. Despite suffering snow blindness, I enjoyed playing on this planet. Fitting, since half of the States are suffering from crazy winter weather right now.
Songs in order of appearance: Kiss ~ London After Midnight, Can't Get You Out Of My Head ~ Kylie Minogue, Sith Nightmare ~ Boyd Scott Kulick
Ask some people and they act like you could instantaneously travel from one side of the universe to the other in thirty seconds or less. Travel to Hoth was going to take a little over three weeks, even with 2V-R8's engineering improvements. My crew and I fell into our usual routines - bridge duty rotations, shared meals, and lots of down time.
Pierce approached me early in the trip as we passed each other in the back passageway. I was heading for the cargo hold and he was just leaving.
He shot me a cheeky grin. "Every friend I've commed to brag about this post has already heard of you. Never served under a Sith Lord before, let alone one who is part of a special order. I know how their promotions work. Not sure how the rest of the Sith do promotions, though. Heard a few tales."
I shook my head. "How do you think things are done on Korriban?"
"Seems like there's one way to make it and a hundred ways to screw up," he said after a moment. "Might have been easy to get this far. Might have been a war. Either way, good story."
"Picture the worst and then double it," I replied, only half teasing.
"Bet you had to keep your eyes open the whole way. Not so different from the military. Cross the wrong people and they assign you to some graveyard swamp like Taris."
Or Balmorra, I thought.
"That post was a dead end. Got out by threatening to blab about Moff Hurdenn's Rodian mistress."
I shook my head, laughing a little. "You discovered Moff Hurdenn's weakness and exploited it. No wonder he practically threw you at me."
"To get here, best career move I've made yet," he admitted as he passed me and continued down the hall.
###
He returned to me later that same evening, looking agitated. I was in the conference room, working on some required paperwork and jamming out to music. He tapped on the door jamb and then walked in. I had my feet up on the table, ankles crossed, and a stylus in the corner of my mouth.
"Know I've said this before, but I kept my mouth shut a while now. Time to speak up," he started.
I pulled the stylus from my mouth and swung my legs off the table, reaching forward to turn the volume down on the music.
"Quinn's dead weight. Can't do anything without his approval. He's slowing us both down," he said with some venom.
I sighed and looked at him, giving him the sternest face I could muster. "As far as I'm concerned, Quinn is your superior when we are here. Answer to him or you answer to me."
He grimaced, but I noticed his shoulders slump slightly. "Noted. Just hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the arse. Wrong crew can make or break a mission. In black ops everyone knows their job and does it. No room for screw ups. We were the go-to squad. Assassination of Moff Tarrik? The massacre at Haruun Kal? Operation Force Crush? All us."
"The rest of your team must fight like you," I remarked with humor.
"Good team. Hitting the right targets – we were gearing up for some serious targets before we were shut down." His stance had changed now that he was talking about his former team. He'd perked up. "Like the Bastion. Huge Republic military complex on Corellia. They say it can't be taken. We would have done it."
"The Empire will reach the Bastion eventually," I stated.
He nodded. "Need clearance first. And the rest of the team to pull it off." He looked around, realizing he'd strayed from the original topic. "Should get back to work. Bent your ear about this long enough."
I nodded and he turned and left me to my work. One of these days I was just going to ask them what caused such strife between them.
###
About half-way through, Vette, Jaesa and I were all hanging out in the workshop. Vette was still working on that strange piece of junk she'd pulled from the wreckage of the Endar Spire. Today, she had on a strange pair of glasses... goggles. Each side had different lenses that could be dropped down or moved up in layers to change the view of each eye independently.
Jaesa and I were working on our lightsabers. We were cannibalizing parts from the recent Jedi kills. It was not often that we found spoils of war that had some better technology than we did, but every once in a while, we found a gem of an emitter or a rare crystal or such.
"Right, re-attune the energy gates to the new calibration of your power cell or you'll risk overheating and shattering your crystals." I guided Jaesa through the delicate process.
She gently used the small tools and did as instructed, looking up at me when she'd finished.
I nodded. "Perfect. I think you can close it up and go test it in the cargo hold."
She smiled and put the cover back on her hilt, bounding out and across the passageway.
Vette looked up and smiled. "So, Tivva landed on her feet. I got to speak with her a couple of days ago. She's started seeing a Moff stationed in the Outer Rim." She pushed the goggles up onto her forehead. "He's apparently like sixty years old, though. I don't know what to think."
I smiled ruefully. "All that matters is how they get along and feel about each other."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway, Moff Old Guy apparently has all sorts of contacts in Imperial Intelligence and I guess he's helping her find Mother. I have dreams about the night they took me from her. Came in the night, pulled me from my sleeping mat. I just screamed and screamed." She frowned at the memory.
"I can't imagine how horrible that must have been," I said with sincerity.
"Yeah. Not fun." She shook her head as if clearing it all away. "Anyway, let's not go there right now. I've got galactic history to crack open." She grinned and turned back to the metal object, sliding the goggles back down.
###
With one day until we arrived at the Hoth Orbital Station, Jaesa and I were having a heart to heart in her bunk.
"I've been having nightmares. I'm wearing the plain brown robes of a Jedi, but wield a red lightsaber and I am wearing my Sith battle make-up. When I wake up, it's because I'm laughing. I think I'm having a mild existential crisis. I've always despised those who pretended to be what they were not. Now it seems I've joined their ranks."
"Do not think of you service to Shadow Guard like that," I tried to explain. "Our plans are to serve the Empire – no matter the cost. And I have no doubts which side you fight for."
"I know the truth, I think I've been so used to the black and white of Sith and Jedi that to know there is another way is still hard to swallow. I was worried, as well, that my appreciation of you had put me at odds with the precept of the Sith way. It is expected that an apprentice will eventually seek to overthrow her master. Again, our brothers and sisters of Shadow Guard have shown me a better path. I am pleased I will never have to worry about that."
I grinned at her. "I'm glad to hear it."
###
A chime sounded. I was just stepping from my refresher, towel wrapped around my hair and in my undergarments.
"Come in," I called.
The door opened and I heard a polite clearing of a throat. I smiled and turned to see Quinn standing there, looking above and past me. "My Lord, we've docked at the Adamas Space Station. When you are presentable, I'll patch us through to Darth Baras."
"Thank you, Quinn. I'll be out promptly," I replied, watching him back out of the doorway as it whooshed closed.
A few minutes later, I was in the common room standing in front of the holoterminal. My crew had gathered around and Quinn activated the call to Baras.
As his form appeared, I spoke. "My lord, I am docked at the space station above Hoth."
"Very good. Now that Admiral Monk and the War Trust have fallen to your might, all that matters is Jedi Knight Xerender. Xerender has dedicated himself to the Republic like no other, he's led our enemies to many cunning victories. Not only is he a symbol of inspiration for the Republic, he's been a thorn in my side for a long time."
"Is he a legitimate target for Plan Zero or am I just running a vendetta mission like Noman Karr was?" I asked.
I saw Quinn shoot me a quizzical look. I admit that was a little bolder than I normally was with Baras.
"Why can't it be both?" Baras answered diplomatically. "The satisfaction will be compounded when he is no more. Intelligence reports suggest that he has brought his troop of elite special ops to seek a secret super weapon. I can uncover no information about this weapon, only that it was lost in the wreckage of one of the crashed star ships from the war."
"Maybe we could use the Republic's toy against them," I surmised.
"Perhaps," he said, nodding. "If Xerender wants it, it must be very powerful. His death is the goal, but if the weapon can be salvaged, all the better. Your contact on the surface will be Commander Lanklyn. He's been tracking Xerender and should be ready to meet you at Dorn Base. The Commander occasionally bites off more than he can chew. But he's been warned that this mission can not afford anything less than perfection. Xerender is the last of your targets." He pointed at me in emphasis. "Report to me when you know the nature of this super weapon he seeks. Get this right, apprentice."
I bowed my head. "Don't I always, my lord."
He made a huff noise and then cut off the transmission.
"Hoth," Quinn said with some scorn. "Back in the day, I managed to escape assignment here. It chills my bones just to be in orbit above this frigid planet."
"Um... yeah," Vette chimed in. "You should," she coughed into her hand, "leave me on the ship. I," she coughed again, "think I'm fighting off a cold."
I looked at Quinn and then her, trying to not smile at their obvious reluctance to venture planet-side.
"Forget these cowards, my lord," Pierce said, staring at Quinn as he spoke. "A little snow won't stop me. I'm ready for action."
I saw Quinn narrow his eyes at the open insult.
"The soldier mirrors my attitude, master," Jaesa agreed. "I want to consume every experience I can."
"Your requests have been considered, but we're all going down there," I said. "Quinn, download everything you can on the local species and the current Empire and Republic situations."
He gave me a small salute and departed to the bridge.
"Vette, go gather some of your gizmos – the ones you think will be useful in cold weather."
She smiled and ran off to the workshop.
"Adam, Jaesa, go gather what equipment we have for cold weather from the cargo hold. I don't even remember if we have any, but please check," I requested.
They both nodded and headed that way. I looked over at 2V-R8 and shrugged. "Just keep the ship safe Toovee."
"Of course, Master. Always."