Assault Hanger, Imperial I-class SD Insertion, unknown space
"This concoction smells most foul, sir." Bridge Commander Volt complained to Captain Halser. "Are you sure this stuff will work?"
"I know it's pretty disgusting, but the Quill was able to get two short hops out of a TIE/bc with it. I'm hoping we can beat that with our Gamma-class assault shuttle here." The Captain indicated the large craft in front of them. Several flight deck crewmen were busy rolling up barrels full of grease and other flammable liquids that had survived the jump. Other crewmen were occupied with siphoning the contents of the barrels into the shuttle's fuel cell.
"If you are assured, Captain, then that is enough for me. These craft will take quite a beating before they quit on you. I'm positive we can get a minimum of three trips to the planet's ring before the engine gives out." Actually Volt had no idea how the craft would perform. As ISB Major Eritech his training had been in infiltration and psychological operations as well as political ideology, not in starfighter classes. From what he had overheard from the flight deck crew they were positive the thing would be lucky to pick up its cargo and deliver it to its destination only once. He was starting to understand that the Gamma's engines were a bit more delicate than the TIE series.
The Captain had insisted on going ahead with his plan to aid the Fleet, and had even promised that all the ore they recovered would be brought to the refining starship the Carbon instead of the Insertion. The Captain had made the disgusting promise of putting the Fleet's needs before their own. As Eritech, the idea had revolted him, but as Volt he had gone along with his Captain's plan.
The flight crew signaled that the Gamma was topped off and the fuelers started gathering and stowing their gear. The Bridge Commander and Captain had to move out of the way a few minutes later as a quartet of Zero-G assault troopers made their way across the hanger and up the ramp of the Gamma. Within the shuttles cockpit Eritech watched as a pair of pilots saluted the Captain as they raised the loading ramp. The Captain saluted them back which made Eritech cringe when he witnessed the symbol of imperial servitude being used by such obvious traitors.
The hanger wasn't evacuated as it had been aboard the Quill. Their own docking shield had been deemed to be powered to sufficient levels for normal flight operations. Eritech knew personally that it was only at fifty percent efficiency, but evidently that had been enough for FlightOps to say it was safe. He kept one eye on the path he would have to travel to the nearest airlock in case of emergency anyways.
Everyone in the hanger stepped well clear of the shuttle as it started to power up. The engine started its low whine as its sublight drive engine went through the normal rotations of its operations. Maybe this could work, Eritech thought. Suddenly all eyes turned to the craft as it let out a horrendous roar. The scream of its engine filled every corner of the hanger, and Eritech was sure that his eardrums were almost to the point of rupture. He tried to scream a warning to the Captain, but found his voice was smothered by the deafening banshee of an engine. Abruptly there was the noise that sounded as if a large sheet of metal was being ripped in two followed by a thousand clanks and grinds as the engine slowly came to a sputtering stop.
Flames were seen coming from the craft's undercarriage and firefighting crews ran forward to battle the engine fire. Eritech watched the scene in silent contempt for his Captain's wisdom. Another crewman reached the landing platform and used a scissor looking pry tool to release the exit for the men trapped inside. The ramp dropped with a loud thud against the flight deck and a SpaceTrooper clumsily rolled down the ramp. Smoke poured forward from the passenger compartment of the shuttle above the trooper. Flight crew helped the man up as the two pilots and the other SpaceTroopers made a more dignified exit of the craft. The Insertion would have to find another way to help the Fleet get underway again.
"Captain, I believe things are well in hand here. I suggest we retire to the Command Bridge and think of a new plan." Eritech suggested.
The Captain could see he was just getting in the way of the damage control party and retreated to Eritech's position further from the stricken shuttle. The fire seemed to have died out under the foamy assault of the fire crew and the smoke even appeared to be thinning out across the hanger. Eritech made a note to have this particular uniform cleaned as soon as the starship's laundry was operational again. "Yes, I agree, Commander. There's not much the two of us can do here. Deck Officer!" The Captain yelled at a nearby officer. "I'll need a full damage report as soon as you can compile one. I'll be on the bridge."
"Yes, sir, right away, sir." The man replied before moving back towards the crash site of the Gamma.
The air was remarkably cleaner as the two men entered the passageway leading away from the hanger. Several damage control parties on their way to the bay snapped to attention as the high ranking officers made their way past them. The Captain just waved them forward, and Eritech found his annoyance rising again, as he would have had the junior crewmen wait until they had passed by.
With the turbolifts still out of commission, the two of them had to make the long climb back to the Command Bridge through a series of steep maintenance stairwells. It was with no small matter of pride that Eritech found the exercise exhilarating while at the same time he listened as the elder Captain wheeze several times to catch his breath. He had to stifle a laugh of contempt when he remembered the starship's gravity was still only set at 0.75g to save on power.
The bridge was his new domain and was starting to feel more like a home than his sparse quarters a few decks away. It was with a small amount of relief whenever he stepped back on its deck. He had the opportunity once again to find out what these traitors to his Emperor had been up to since he had left for a fool's errand in the hanger bays.
"Captain Halser, there is an encoded message from the Quill coming in." A hyperwave radioman reported from the crew pit.
"Fire up one of the holoprojectors." Eritech ordered.
"It's in Aurebesh, Commander." The man answered.
"Command screen three, Commo." The Captain countered, but to Eritech it sounded more like a suggestion. Not the proper spirit at all he thought. Instead of showing his displeasure he moved over to the screen to read the message.
The message was strange. The Quill was requesting help from five Star Destroyers in the assault line, in moving a CT-11 Space Tug forward towards the flagship. The Captain seemed to know what the Quill was asking them to do well before Eritech had a clue.
"Bring the tractor beams online, full power." Halser ordered the room. "Divert power from decks 12 thru 34 and drop all nonessential power sources above twenty five percent of starship operability. Have a Gonk standing by near the tractor beam power cells." Sailors jumped at every one of the Captain's commands and Eritech wondered for a second what it would be like to weld such respect.
"Bridge Commander Volt do you want to take this one?" The Captain asked.
"Yes, sir. Crewman, where is the CT-11 right now?" Eritech was slowly coming around to what had been asked of the Insertion.
"Sir, it is currently alongside the prison transport Manacle." A voice came from the pit. "The Kuat's Desert will be passing her along to us in forty five standard minutes."
"Once the tractor beams are powered up put them on standby." Eritech ordered. "Monitor the CT-11 and notify me as soon as the Kuat's Desert is passing it forward." Eritech silently tried to remember each ship's position in the Fleet. The CT-11 would start well in the rear of Tarkin's Fist inside of Moff Culter's Anoat Squadron. He supposed the Moff had enlisted several of the craft to move around large terraforming equipment he had brought along for the maw. Next the tug would be moved though Seco's Ploo Squadron till it was passed off to two Kuati destroyers. After that it would be handed off to the Insertion, and then punted up to the Quill for whatever nefarious purpose Fleet Admiral Yos had for it.
Forty five minutes later Eritech was guiding the Insertion's tractor beams onto the huge spacecraft being guided forward by the Kuati's beams. The second the computer system confirmed that the Insertion had a successful capture the Kuat's Desert cut the energy to its own gravity weapon. For five long minutes Eritech directed the space tug forward past the Insertion's superstructure and several dozen other waiting warships. Eritech felt a momentary urge to fling the tug as hard as he could at the flagship ahead of him, but stopped himself when he wasn't sure if it could even penetrate the flagship's armor. Another time he told himself once again.
The computer core signaled that the tractor beams were pulling against the Quill's and Eritech ordered the Insertion to power hers down. He watched the forward viewport as the giant space tug glided silently alongside the Quill.
"Cut all power to the tractor beam power cells, and return ship to previous power levels." The Captain ordered. Eritech was surprised to find his superior standing over by the communication station. "Commander Volt well done. Can you come over here and see what you make of this?"
His curiosity peaked once more, and Eritech hurried over to Halser who was holding one earpiece of a commo headset to his ears. "We picked up a strange signal while you were busy with the tug." The Captain informed him. He handed Eritech another headset. "What do you think?"
Eritech listened to the garbled message. He recognized the sound instantly. "It sounds like some kind of binary code, sir." He lied. It sounded exactly like an Imperial Viper Probe Droid. His first thought was they had been found, but if that was true he needed to get his hands on that droid to signal the ISB before they attacked and destroyed all of his work.
"The Insertion should be the ship that investigates that signal, sir." Eritech suggested.
"I'm sure the Fleet Admiral will assign the proper forces for retrieval, Commander." The Captain answered.
"Sir, I believe the Insertion has the best chance of a successful retrieval. You witnessed our abilities with the tractor beams a few moments ago."
"Yes, Commander, but the Insertion is currently incapable of even turning around. How do you suggest we get to whatever is causing this signal?" His training as a spy failed him when he sought an answer regarding ship engines.
"You are correct of course, sir." He tried to hide his frustration. "I just have a feeling, no, wait . . . I know that, that signal could be the source of a lot of answers for everyone." The Captain just searched the spy's face looking for his meaning.
Eritech wasn't going to tell the fool a thing.
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Mid-Continental Mountain Range, Small Landmass, Undiscovered Planet, Unknown Space
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He had been driving the large fuel carrier for the past eight hours and only had another six to go before he reached the refinery. Storms in the southlands as well as talk of another war on the other side of the planet were driving up prices once again. He made his way through one mountain pass after another. Every now and then he would fiddle with the carrier's satellite radio as reception would fade in and out frustratingly.
He had made this route perhaps a hundred times over the past few years, and never recalled the static as being so bad. Only a few other vehicles were out this late at night or this high up in the mountains. A few times he was tempted to pull over his conveyance and get some rest, but the thought of the credits he would receive at the end of this haul kept him going.
As he slowly made his way up another incline he was stricken by how many stars were visible tonight. Stars were something of a memory after settling down in one of the planet's distant cities. The thought of his wife and home drove him on through the darkness as well.
When he reached the peak of the next mountain the static on his commo suddenly became a rush of voices from afar.
". . . need working blasters, prisoners control decks five through . . ."
". . . a probe of some . . ."
". . . never be ready when the Grand Moff calls . . ."
". . . spectrometry readings show a tremendous opportunity in the nearby . . ."
". . . was screeching like a mynock . . . Fierfek . . . more Gonks . . ."
The voices went on and on. Some of the voices were calm and rational followed by ones in total panic and fear. The driver kept driving for hours listening to the strange sounds and wondering where on the planet they were coming from. Sometime towards dawn the fuel carrier descended from the mountains and the voices once again returned to static.