Chapter 9
"Of War Stories and Betrayal"
Aaron took another sip of his recaff and laid back into his chair. It had been an hour since he was released from the infirmary and no one bothered to give him any assignments. What with the inquisitor and agent Kallus being in a closed door meeting with the Grand Moff and the minister not giving a sign of life, most likely being drowned under the amount of administrative work the inquisitor was putting on her. Seeing that he had some time for himself he decided to relax with a nice cup of recaff, or tea as these people called it in the messhall.
"Ahh not too shabby." He muttered to himself after he took a sip from his recaff
"Ahem..." A voice called from behind
Aaron turned to look at two stormtroopers standing behind him, a sergeant and a normal trooper "Can I help you?" he asked
The senior stormtrooper groaned "I can't believe you already forgot us." Holt said
"Ohh, sorry guys, its just that you all look the same."
"I know... May we?" Holt asked looking at the spare seats around the table
"Go ahead."
They seated themselves and took off their helmets. Red was quick to begin "I believe you owe us a story."
"Beg your pardon?" Aaron asked. He didn't remember being indebted to anyone
"On the last night that you spent on the Avalon you promised to tell one of your war stories to the crew." Holt clarified
"Ooh that, well I don't see any of the crew and I sincerely don't feel like telling any story right now. All I wanna do is sit back and enjoy my recaff until the inquisitor starts bossing us around." Aaron replied sarcastically laying further into his chair
"That's just unfair man..." Red muttered
"Nothing in life is fair, get used to it." Aaron replied
"Come on Krask, don't be so hard on the kid. He's been worked up to hear what story you'd tell from the day you left, and quite frankly I too." Holt said
Aaron sighed before replying "You'll have to do better than that to get me to talk buddy."
"I could pay you." Red said
"No, I'm not telling stories for money." Aaron replied
"Then what do you want?"
"Nothing." Both troopers were visibly annoyed by Aaron and he took pleasure knowing it. Chuckling he continued "Tell you what, I'll go get another cup of recaff and then I'll consider your demand." he said rising from his seat
"Yea!" Red almost shouted. Several other troopers turned to look at him with questioning looks before returning to whatever they were doing
As he was filling his cup Aaron was considering what story he should tell. In truth he did want to repay his debt, considering that Holt was no liar but he wasn't prepared to tell any tale... Might as well tell them my first assignment... No one can forget their first. he grimly thought to himself. It wasn't a tale that he held dear to his heart but it was the one that marked him for the rest of his life.
He went back to their table, seated himself and smugly said "So I've come to a decision..."
"What is it?" Red asked hopefully
"That I'll entertain you guys."
"Oh yea, how much I've waited for this!" Red said with a childish glee.
How old is he again? 17? 18? Aaron thought to himself. He did see a part of his younger self in the young man. The part that was always impulsive, to always do something or listen to something. It had its uses but in the end it would do more damage to the trooper than it was worth. Much like it cost Aaron during his earlier years.
"Alright, I'm gonna tell you the story of my first assignmee-"
"Oh come on, first assignments are always boring." Red cut in
"Shut up, this isn't like you'd think." Aaron replied "So how I was saying, my first assignment. After my squad and I graduated from schola we were assigned to the freshly formed 680th Cadian and sent straight to the world of Armaggedon."
"Sounds ominous." Holt remarked
"You have no idea... It was during the second war for that planet and it was the biggest war the Imperium was facing at the time. We were part of the reinforcement to relieve the beleaguered forces on the planet and arrived in the year 942 of the 41st Millennium."
"Damn... almost 42 thousand years of history..." Red muttered
"Yea, anyway we were fighting against the Orks of WAAAGH Ghazghkull." Aaron said shouting the last bit. More head turned to look at their table. Most were questioning and confused while those closer to them were more curious.
"Why did you scream?" Holt asked confused
"Its the way the Orks say it." Aaron replied shrugging before continuing "We got deployed in the Balboa Mountains to the east of hive Helsreach... Is there a problem if you don't know the exact locations?" he asked
"Its no problem, continue." Red reassured.
Aaron nodded and observed that several troopers were now paying attention to his story "We were deployed to destroy two munitions depots the Orks had set up to supply their troops and to destroy the artillery lines they set up shelling the crap out of the city. The first depot was a walk in the park. We managed to rig their munitions undetected and retreated to a safe distance and watched the camp go boom. The second wasn't so easy... A fraking Trukk carrying some Orks going to resupply spotted us making our way towards the camp and alerted the Orks there... It was the first time I fought against the Greenskins up close and that experience taught me two things... One that no matter how much training and litanies you go through, it never prepares you for your first fight. And two, that the Uplifting primer is complete groxshit..."
"You lost me at the Uplifting primer. What is it?" Holt asked
"Its a book that supposedly teaches the soldiers of the Imperium all they need to know about their equipment and their enemies. Its total propaganda and even if there are some useful entries in it, it mostly tells false information just to keep the morale up... can't believe I believed all of it for the whole duration of schola..."
"You're kinda deviating from your story." A random trooper spoke. Aaron turned and saw that he had gathered quite the crowd that were listening to his story.
"Right, we did manage to destroy the second depot but not without casualties. Around 200 guardsmen out of the 1000 sent there were killed, regardless of our losses we pressed on. Thankfully the rest of the operation went smoothly as the artillery crews mostly consisted of the occasional Ork mekboyz and their gretchin slaves."
"Slaves?" Holt asked
"Yes, but don't let that fool you. Gretchins are much like Orks, filthy monstrosities that deserve nothing but gruesome death. Only difference is that they're smaller and more cunning. Lost quite a few friends to gretchins sneaking up on us. After we dealt with the crews and destroyed the cannons we expected to join in the defense of the hive. We were wrong. We were recalled out east to join an Imperial army amassing to retake hive Tartarus."
"Another name that's ominous"
"Moreso than the last. Tartarus fell early in the war and was being used by the Orks as a staging area to attack and resupply. Along the way we joined a convoy on their way to the meeting area. It was during this trip that I learned that this army wasn't a regular one, but rather it was led by the famous Space Marines themselves. The legendary Commander Dante of the Blood Angels was amassing troops to retake the city. Rumor was that the leader of the Orks, Ghazghkull Thraka was touring the city, inspecting his boyz. We met with the rest of the force around the Hemlock. It was here that we ran in the first true defense as the Orks dug in on both sides of the river. While it took us one night to clear the Balboa mountains here it took us two weeks to break through their defenses and that was only because of the assistance of the space marines. Without them it would of taken months to dislodge the orks and break through."
"How many Orks did you kill?" one of the random troopers asked
"I stopped caring when the number went over the amount of fingers I have." A couple of chuckles were heard from the crowd. By now most of the people in the room were seated around him listening to his story. Aaron looked around his spectators and to his surprise the inquisitor was standing in the back.
"Inquisitor?" Aaron asked
Every trooper turned to look at the woman. A silence quickly fell in the room as the troopers were eyeing the woman. Aaron could feel the tension around the troopers and clearly see the visible hope that she wouldn't just drag him off to give him an assignment.
"Do you have orders for me?" he broke the silence after a couple of seconds
"Yes I do but they can wait a little, do continue." she replied
"Uh huh, anyway we broke through-" Aaron began but was cut off almost immediately by the inquisitor
"Are you not gonna tell them how you almost drowned yourself in the river?" she asked smugly. Aaron on the other hand was raking his brain trying to remember what she was talking about and then he did.
"Ohh... That..." he said a little embarrassed
"You gotta tell us that one man." Holt began with a smile
Aaron sighed and began "We were protecting a munitions convoy alongside a squad of Salamanders on the upper reaches of the river where Ork activity was supposed to be minimal. Even if we were going to run into Orks they should've attacked frontally without cohesion. Instead we were caught in a masterfully crafted ambush. Ork Kommandoz timed it perfectly as the convoy was passing along a narrow path right by the riverbank. Their coordination was surreal by their standards as they blew the first and last vehicles effectively trapping us in. Next thing we knew a Ork mob was upon us with slugga and shoota boyz charging frontally while tank bustaz and kommandoz were going after our support vehicles. I was around in the back of the convoy but that didn't mean shit as the volume of boyz was too large. Little by little we were pushed into the river with little to no cover. Now you people know my lasgun, back then and almost all the times back in the Imperium I used a hellgun which is a more powerful version of the lasgun. Its magazines aren't your conventional chargers you strap in but rather large backpack powerpacks to stop the need to reload and hold much more ammunition. Combine the weight of that pack with that of your armour, mix in some strong currents and you'll sink in faster than you'd realize."
Aaron looked at the inquisitor only to find her snickering "Something funny?" he asked annoyed
"Just remembered the footage of you squirming underwater trying to get rid of your pack."
"Wait, you saw the footage from my dataslate. You know this story already." Aaron replied accusingly
"Not all of it, I skimmed through random moments during your early years until I learned everything I needed about you but still, I know the most important part of this war for you." she replied smugly
Aaron's face dropped "You do?" he asked
"Yes, but we've not reached it yet so please, continue."
"Fine, the only reason I survived was because a Salamander pulled me out just in time. Despite their terrifying black skin and appearance, they're some of the nicest marines there are."
"Whats wrong with being black?" one of the random troopers asked
"Nothing, and I mean no disrespect. There is nothing wrong with the natural brown colour of humans. Its just that the Salamanders chapter and the people of Nocturne have developed a complexity that turns their skin completely pitch black and their eyes completely red giving them a more terrifying appearance." Aaron elaborated
"Ohh that explains it, rather unnatural." Red said
"Anyway back to the story, after we breached the Ork lines we continued on our way towards Tartarus occasionally coming across scattered Ork outposts and mobs. With the Marines to support us it was relatively easy to fight our way to the hive's outskirts. That's when the legendary Commander enacted his plan. Taking all of the marines present in orbit and performing a mass drop pod operation inside the city. As we watched the rain of steel only one thought crossed our minds 'The Orks are in a world of pain now'."
His spectators seemed cheered by his story and some even began whispering to themselves what space marines would look like. "The marines got the easy part though. For us guardsmen our job wasn't as simple. We needed to take the outer walls... or what was left of them. The greenskins created lines upon lines of batteries and kill zones that shredded our forces. It was only because of the marines intervention from behind the Orks lines that we managed to break through. The whole rumor about the Ork leader was false but it did pay off the gambit that we took. We secured our way inside the city... Boy were we the next to be in a world of pain."
"What do you mean?" Red asked confused
"The Orks fortified almost every single street and building of the city. We fought like animals and died in droves just to secure passage through streets and alleys..." Aaron's reply silenced everyone in the room as full attention was returned to him
"By then only roughly 100 soldiers remained in our company. Imperial Stormtrooper squads act differently than normal guardsmen. We fight as one, we're what some could call a family. Only with big guns." Aaron said lightly chuckling to himself although his face soon fell into sadness "The squad I grew up with thankfully remained intact. That couldn't be said about all the others, my first commanding officer, Lenna received orders to join a push towards the factory in the western part of the city. Several squads including our's were relegated to scout and reconnaissance duty to gather information about the Ork defenses. Unfortunately during one of those trips my impulsive and reckless demeanor got the better of me. I thought I found a poorly defended Ork munitions cache inside one of the surrounding buildings around the factory. I took my finding up to my superior and after some arguments she accepted that taking out the cache would weaken the orks hold on the factory... Boy did I doom us all..."
"I have a feeling something bad happened." Holt said
"Indeed it did. Lenna commandeered two other guard squads and together we set off at night to destroy the cache. Ork sentries are lousy by default so infiltrating their lines wasn't a hard thing. Things got complicated when we neared the cache as at that moment an Ork armada was passing through the area moving towards the center of the city where the Blood Angels were making their push. A group of nobs which are pretty much the senior commanding orks spotted our group in the rubble and quickly signaled the others. Since we were right in the middle of the ork lines there was little cover available to us so we made a mad dash to the closest building. Of course inside we found more orks and some very brutal melee combat ensued. Caught inbetween the greenskins we were forced to do our last stand but unfortunately skill means nothing if your enemy numbers in the hundreds up close."
"How did you survive that?" Holt asked
"Through the divine intervention of the Blood Angels. Two tactical squads were operating in the area without anyone's knowledge, no doubt to destroy the ork armada. When we were pinned they saw the opportunity and acted, quickly blowing up the munitions cache and destroying a a good chunk of the ork force. Immediately after they let loose their bolters into the unsuspecting orks decimating them."
"Sounds like you got lucky." Red remarked
"Quite the contrary, it was the single most reckless act I've done up until then and cost me the lives of my closest friends and family... My punishment was rather fitting I suppose..." Aaron replied sadly
"What? Demotion?" Holt asked
"No... I had to watch my closest friends get butchered and cradle the remains of the woman I loved as she was gurgling the last of her words... couldn't even understand what she was trying to say..."
"Wait... you mean you and Lenna were...?" Red asked
"Yes... we were."
"That's depressing..."
"It is, but its all in the past now. I've gotten over it." He knew he lied and he knew the inquisitor was giving him the most disapproving look under her helmet but he didn't care. As long as he didn't show weakness everything was fine.
"Although I don't like being the guy to point it out Krask, I find your former relation with your commanding officer rather ill thought. Military relationships are forbidden and almost everyone looks down upon them." Holt began
"It might be here but in the Imperium things are different. A guardsmen is expected to serve until his death so relationships and marriages are an occasional sight in the guard."
"But what about the possible children? What happens to them?" Holt replied
"They immediately get conscripted and become 'whiteshields' or conscripts as it is also called."
"So they don't get a choice in that matter." red said
"Not a lot of people in the Imperium get to do what they want. When you're asked to do something you don't say no, you immediately salute and get to work. Hell, even I didn't have a choice. I was only six years old when my parents died and I was plucked and sent straight to schola." Aaron's reply surprised everyone in the room except the inquisitor.
"What do you mean you were only six? You didn't join when you reached the minimum age required?" Red asked looking aghast at the whole concept
"No, and I don't think there's a required age to join the guard."
"That's extreme..."
"Continue your damn story so we can get on with our day Aaron." the inquisitor demanded impatiently
"Very well, although there's not much left to tell, for the remainder of the war I fought for the factory and the city. It was a complete stalemate with the factory proper constantly jumping between our forces and the orks. By the 10th time we recaptured the damn place we simply stopped using sandbags and started piling up corpses as cover. Thankfully the orks were trapped inside the city and slowly but surely they ran out of food and ammunition and were quickly and mercilessly put down."
"Damn..."
"So yea that's the whole story about my first deployment."
"Wait, soo... what happened? Did you guys win or lose?" Red asked looking confused
"We won, but it was a pyrrhic victory as the population of the world was decimated and the infrastructure completely destroyed." Aaron replied rising from his seat. He then turned to move towards the inquisitor. The rest of the troopers began dispersing, going back to whatever they were doing. "What orders do you have for me?" he asked
"I wish to discuss your next assignment in private." she replied
"Very well." Aaron then motioned his two subordinates to stay put as he and the inquisitor left the messhall. As they were moving through the corridors to her chamber she began to chuckle lightly
"Something funny?" Aaron asked frowning knowing full well why she was laughing
"I find it funny that you did not tell the troops the full name of Lenna Krask, Aaron." she replied
"I don't wanna talk about it." Aaron replied
"Oh? You don't want to talk about how you use the name of a dead person as your simple nickname? How would Lenna feel to know that her name was being used by a failure such as you?" the inquisitor replied smugly
"I said I don't want to talk about it." Aaron replied sternly "Why do you even care anyway?"
"I don't, but it does serve to remind you of your failure to protect those close to you."
"Just like you and that holocron with the jedi?" Aaron shot back
"How did you found about that?" the inquisitor stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Aaron
"The grand inquisitor was rather vocal about you before he perished. Told me quite a few things." Aaron replied smugly
"This conversation is over." without another word the inquisitor turned and marched on. Shrugging Aaron followed to her chamber. Once inside Aaron took a moment to observe his surroundings and to his surprise the room was on a whole new level of clean. Regardless he turned to the inquisitor and spoke
"So what is my next assignment?"
"That will come in due time. I've been severely questioned about the legitimacy of your story regarding the death of the grand inquisitor by the Grand moff. He pointed out the ridiculousness of a simple child managing to best both you and the grand inquisitor and to release his own master and not only that, he also pointed out one very crucial detail. The grand inquisitor's death coincided with the arrival of the rebels Aaron."
Aaron frowned as he processed the information he was give. The idea of the Grand moff finding out about what he did scared him and if that information got out to higher authorities or even the false Emperor then his career in the Empire would abruptly come to an end.
"This isn't good at all..." Aaron muttered "What do you suggest I do?"
"What you'll do is also your assignment. The Grand moff summoned you and the minister tonight for a face to face discussion aboard his temporary star destroyed up in orbit."
"Wait, why is he summoning minister Tua for? What did she do wrong?"
"She failed in organising her garrison and defend vital Imperial assets. I share the Grand moff's opinion on her. She isn't capable in commanding a military force and I believe she'll be replaced very soon."
Aaron frown deepened. While what the inquisitor said was true in regards to the minister's military skill, she had become something akin to a friend to Aaron and the thought of her being replaced saddened him. Perhaps it is for the better assuming that my secret my be found out... Aaron thought to himself
"Does she know?" he began
"No, we'll inform her once this conversation ends, now. What will you do to testify your credibility to the moff?" The inquisitor asked
"I don't know... most likely I'll describe the event in a very descriptive way, and if that doesn't work I'll think of something."
"I hope it doesn't come down to you on the run again with the Empire after you. It would be a waste having to track you down again... only this time there wouldn't be any prisoners." the inquisitor replied
Aaron's frown deepened even further. Not only was she feigning innocence, she wasn't even a little grateful for him carrying out her plan... and then he realised something. He was taking the fall for her... for a person he hated. It angered him knowing that she wouldn't have a second thought about hunting him down...
"Lets hope..." Aaron muttered through gritted teeth
The inquisitor instead chuckled "Cheer up, everything's being taken care of, don't worry. Now come along, we've gotta inform the minister." without another word she left the room. Aaron instead remained for a couple of seconds pondering his position
"Yea... Don't worry..." he muttered angrily to himself before moving after the inquisitor. The trip to her office was short and they found her working on a data pad at her desk. Once she saw them she put away her datapad and stood up.
"Inquisitor, agent Krask, is there anything that I can do for you?" she asked
"The Grand moff wishes to know the current situation regarding the rebels."
The minister sighed "Look, I've exhausted every resource to find information about the rebels but there is nothing to be found! What more does Governor Tarkin expect?!"
"He expects this world to be punished Minister. His own personal Star Destroyer was nearly destroyed by those rebels. He took that quite personally." the inquisitor replied
The minister groaned slightly "I've set up checkpoints, doubled patrols, established curfews, I honestly don't know what else to do..." she said sitting back into her chair
"You can bring that up with him tonight minister, when you and my assistant will attend his meeting."
"W-what? To-tonight? But that isn't possible inquisitor. I'm needed here, I can't possibly get away!" the minister pleaded although it seemed her plea fell on deaf ears
"Don't worry minister, Agent Kallus and I will manage in your absence. I'll leave the two of you to prepare." then without another word the inquisitor left leaving Aaron and minister Tua alone.
The minister looked terrified by the prospect of their meeting as she buried her face in her palms, no doubt fearing the possible replacement.
"Don't worry minister, whatever happens tonight I'm sure everything will work out." Aaron tried to reassure her, knowing full well the possible outcome of their meeting
"No, it won't..." she replied looking sadly at Aaron. Then almost instantly her expression changed from scared to determined "There's something I gotta do agent Krask. If you could leave I'd be very grateful." she began
"Very well, see you tonight." then without another word he as well left, going back to the messhall. Damnation... This is something I don't need right now... Damned Empire and their laws... Aaron thought to himself angrily. Why didn't the Empire just kill those abominable things was above him. They already relegated them to being inferior so why not take the extra step? Oh well... such is the nature of the unenlightened that do not know the word of the God Emperor. Aaron thought reentering the messhall. Thankfully his subordinates were still seated at his table.
"So, what's the job?" Red asked
"The Grand moff called me and the minister tonight to discuss some things." Aaron replied sitting back in his seat
"Oh man, does that mean we're on guard duty tonight?" Red continued
"No, you're coming with me."
"Its still the same though, we'll be standing around while the rest of you talk!" red exclaimed
"Calm down red, you'll get your action when we go after the rebels." Holt said before turning to Aaron "Say Krask, do you still have your uplifting book thing? I kinda wanna read it." he continued
"Nah sorry. The last day I spent in the Imperium was work day so we left our personal belongings on our bunks. Pretty certain its been buried with the rest of my things."
"At least you still have your armour and equipment though." Red pointed out
"But for how long though. In time it will get destroyed and then what?"
"Then you'll get new armour, simple as that." Holt replied
"It isn't as simple as that, the quality won't be the same..."
"I know what you mean. Every time I saw you shrug off shots it made me envious of your armour. Our armour doesn't do anything to protect us while your's simply absorbs everything."
"The might of the ceramite." Aaron proudly replied
"Hold on a second, ceramite?" Red asked
"Yea, what about it?"
"I heard of it before. Two days after you departed while being on guard duty I overheard two deck officers talk about a project the Empire has just begun. It went by the same name." Red explained
Aaron frowned as he processed the information. The project no doubt started because of the spare flak armour of the dead that came alongside him although it made no sense. There weren't any minerals that could composite in the making of ceramite in this galaxy. Perhaps they found a workaround... a similar material He thought to himself
"That's good I guess" Aaron replied before rising up "If you'll excuse me I think I'll retire for the rest of the day."
"Sure no problem, what about us though?" Holt asked
"Go pester the inquisitor, I'm sure she'll find a good use for you." Aaron replied before turning and leaving. He heard a loud groan coming from Red and a smile appeared on his lips. It quickly dissipated as his mind wandered to more important matters.
"What the frak am I gonna do..." he muttered when he entered his quarters. It wasn't as if he had any other choice, it was either testify his story's credibility or be convicted of killing the xeno inquisitor. How much he wanted to just turn the second sister in but he knew that he would be also be convicted as he carried out the plan. He nearly screamed at his own bad luck as he fell into his bed.
"Why God Emperor?... Why?" he asked out "Why am I being punished like this?... Why do I have to follow these twisted laws of this false Empire and the unenlightened..." Aaron wondered "No... I can't let this happen. If push comes to shove I gotta be ready..." A wave of determination filled him as he started formulating plans after plans of how to escape if it came down to it. Unfortunately he realised one crucial thing. That he was yet to learn how to pilot a ship. That meant that all he could do is take a escape pod to the planet and hide in the populace, at least until a means to leave arose.
"Perhaps that is the best I can do for now... Maybe I could barter with the rebels for safe transport in exchange for more information..." Aaron wondered. While the idea of relying on rebels disgusted him there was little else he could do to escape.
"Well now... might as well recite my shitty story until the time comes." and so he did for the rest of the day. Making sure to go over every single detail that he could 'remember'. Unfortunately time wasn't on his side on this one as night fell faster than he realised and so he went and collected his squad and went to the capitals space port. Why they needed to use the civilian space port was beyond him as they could easily use the complex's many hangars but oh well, he wasn't one to question the Empire's logic. They were unenlightened fools anyway.
"Where's that damned pilot..." Aaron said to no one in particular as he was pacing impatiently around the area. It had been around half an hour since they had arrived and had to wait for the minister. Their pilot was even lazier than them as he hadn't even showed up.
"I'm sure he'll come." Holt replied from where he was standing in front of the entrance
"Easy for you to say, you don't have a meeting with the Grand moff." Aaron shot back
"Alright calm down, I'm gonna go do a sweep around the area." then without another word the sergeant left to patrol the area.
Seeing that frustration target no. 1 left Aaron turned to frustration target no. 2. Red simply shook his head and turned away. Seeing that none wanted to put up with his shit he resumed his pacing around the place. Thankfully it didn't take long for the minister to a appear in a grav car driven by agent Kallus.
"What in the Emperor's name is he doing here..." Aaron muttered to himself. Whatever the agent was doing was not something he cared about. He had other things more important at hand. "Sergeant return from your sweep, they've arrived." he waited for a response but none came "Sergeant?"
The sergeant appeared from the other end of the street tapping the side of his helmet indicating his comm was not working. Faulty equipment... Aaron thought before turning to look at the incoming grav car. It stopped by the entrance and the two disembarked. The minister looked as if she was scared and anxious at the same time. He couldn't really blame her as he himself was feeling a little off.
"Thank you agent Kallus but there is no need for an escort." the minister began
"The inquisitor asked me to make sure you reach the Grand Moff safely minister." Kallus replied
"So you are our pilot?" Aaron asked
"Yes I am."
Aaron nodded and turned to look just in time as the sergeant returned. "Alright lets get a move on, we're late as it is."
"Krask, the meeting's in two hours. We're not late." the minister replied chuckling nervously
"I know but punctuality is a key aspect when going to meetings."
"I didn't know you had political skills agent." Kallus said
"I was supposed to be a clerk in the Administratum before the drill abbots realised I could shoot straight."
Thankfully the conversation ended there and as they entered Aaron couldn't get his eyes off the sergeant. Did Holt get a little thinner? Aaron thought to himself and then it clicked
"Hey, hold on a second... You're not the sergeant!" Aaron called out. Everyone turned to look at the suspicious sergeant
"Hey!" a feminine voice called from the street. Everyone once again turned to look at the newcomer to find the mandalorian rebel crouched in the middle of the street with her pistols drawn. She immediately opened fire prompting the imperials to seek cover inside the hangar while the suspicious sergeant shot the control panel of the hangar effectively closing it and trapping himself and the imperials inside before revealing himself to be Kanan by using his sorcerer powers to throw everyone except the minister away.
Aaron flew into a stack of crates but thankfully the impact wasn't as painful as the one on the sovereign. He scrambled to his feet and took aim only to stop when he saw that the minister was taking cover alongside the jedi.
"Wha-what the frak?" he asked bewildered
"All units move in! We got them now!" agent Kallus shouted into his comm somewhere in the back "Take him down!"
Kallus and Red opened fire on the jedi having at least some caution as to not hit the minister all the while Aaron looked on confused and bewildered. The minister's deserting?! How can this be?! he thought to himself. He was brought back into the world when Kanan opened fire towards him prompting him to take cover behind the crates he smashed in.
"Watch out for the minister! Don't hurt her!" Aaron shouted to his allies. They at least tried to take his advice as they continued to shoot. He was about to open fire on the jedi when a couple of weak shots connected with his back plate. He turned to look at the rest of the rebel band, minus the Lasat xeno standing next to their shuttle.
"We've been outflanked! Regroup!" Aaron shouted
Seeing that they had been encircled and outnumbered, the imperials regrouped and took cover on the right side of the hangar utilizing whatever crates were laying around as cover. Kanan and the minister saw this as their chance and broke into a sprint and rejoined their friends.
"We can't let them take our shuttle!" Red shouted jumping out of cover and sprinting towards the rebels
"No don't!" Aaron called out but it was already too late. The trooper didn't make it more than five steps before being shot twice by the mandalorian girl crumbling to the ground. "You dumb frak!" Aaron shouted angrily letting loose his lasgun at the rebels.
Seeing that they were suppressed the rebels broke into a sprint to the shuttle with the minister being the first to enter. And then it exploded throwing the rebels all around the room.
"MINISTER NO!" Aaron cried out in desperation. This was what he was rewarded for getting close to people. From the young trooper that reminded him of his younger self to the one person in the Empire to show him empathy this was what he was subjected to. Having to see them die and not be able to do a thing about it although there was a single feeling and question left in his mind as he watched the wreckage How did this happen...
"You've done this!" Agent Kallus shouted at the rebels rising from his cover.
Aaron then heard as the hangar's doors opened and a squad of stormtroopers entered alongside a rather convenient camera droid. What is going on! Aaron thought completely confused.
Just as easily as they were thrown away by the explosion the rebels quickly regrouped and took cover while a civilian ship descended and landed right next to them. "Open fire damn it!" Kallus shouted to the troopers. Everyone opened fire towards the rebels and the ship but despite their best efforts the rebel ship managed to escape.
Kallus immediately started barking orders to the troopers while Aaron was fixated to the now burning wreckage that was supposed to take them to the Grand moff's ship. "The rebels didn't do this..." he muttered to himself before turning to look at the agent. Just by looking at the man Aaron felt his anger swell with every waking moment. He quickly marched to the man with high hopes that he could explain what transpired here.
"I hope you have an explanation for what happened here agent..." Aaron said through gritted teeth
The agent turned to look at the man with a confused expression "I don't follow what you're trying to say Krask, what is there to explain? Don't you already know?" he asked
"No. I don't." Aaron sneered
"The minister came into contact with the rebels and was going to defect sooner or later. We couldn't just let her do that so we came up with this trap... Didn't the inquisitor tell you already?"
"No she didn't! The only thing she told me was that things were going to be taken care of..."
"But that doesn't make sense... She told me you already were informed and were supporting this operation!"
"She lied to you, I was kept in the dark the whole damned day! She told me that I actually had to go meet with the Grand moff." Aaron all but shouted
"Damn that woman! If I knew I wouldn't approved this op and detained the minister then and there!" Kallus shouted angrily before his comm started beeping "What?!" he asked impatient. It was a gunned of an AT-DP walker who engaged and disabled the rebels ship inside the city.
"Perhaps we can still salvage the situation..." Kallus muttered before turning to Aaron "I know you and the minister were close but you must understand that sooner or later she would of defected and gave vital imperial information."
"I know but it still doesn't make me feel any better... Why in the Emperor's name was the shuttle rigged to explode is I may ask?!"
"In case the Rebels would've used it to escape it would detonate with them inside... I guess it didn't work that good."
"It didn't..." Aaron said before turning and making his way towards the exit
"Where are you going?" Kallus asked
"To have a nice long chat with the inquisitor." Aaron replied darkly. He was thankful that his face was hidden behind his helmet as his scowl screamed murder. He paused just outside the hangar to look back at the wreckage, taking a moment to honour the dead minister. After the moment passed he immediately set towards the imperial complex, deciding that walking there would lighten his anger. As he walked by the first alley he saw the nearly naked unconscious body of sergeant Holt. Aaron frowned at the sight before him and continued on. This wasn't something he wanted to deal with. The only thing he wanted to deal with was the inquisitor's manipulation of everything that went on today. He also wondered if the Grand moff knew about what was going on but put it at the back of his mind. As long as he wasn't being questioned for what transpired on the Sovereign he was fine.
Unfortunately, nearly two hours of walking to the complex weren't enough to calm his anger as he entered the complex. The only peace he got was when he was walking through the empty corridors of the complex. With how the entire garrison had been dispatched to hunt the rebel group the complex was rather barren much to his pleasure. Unfortunately his peace was disrupted as he came close to the command center as even with its doors closed he could hear a heated argument going on inside. Stormtrooper training kicking in he sneaked near and listened on, thanking the Emperor for his Forceless being. Inside he could hear the inquisitor having a conversation with another person, both of them having their voices distorted by their helmets.
"- sure of this claim Second sister?" a deep male voice said
"Yes lord Vader, he had personally confessed to me this morning after he was released from the infirmary."
"I've already told you that he who doesn't serve Lord Sidious doesn't serve the Empire and this individual is no exception. You should've eliminated him the moment you found him." Vader continued
"He has served his purpose well." the inquisitor argued
"And he became something close to a loose cannon. His actions aboard the Sovereign speak for himself."
"Forgive me my lord but I have modified the orders you have given me to make sure he perished alongside the minister. If all went according to plan he should be dead by now."
"And if he isn't I want you to hunt-" Aaron didn't wait to see where the conversation went as he slowly made his way back around the corner before sprinting into a full sprint to the nearest elevator. Frak, frak, frak! What is with today! He thought as he frantically set the elevator to take him to his room's floor. After he entered his room he quickly set to fill his pack with all the things he considered valuable to him. After he filled his bag he made to leave but immediately froze when his comm beeped.
"Aaron, I was informed by agent Kallus that you wish to speak to me." the second sister began
Keeping his cool Aaron replied "Yes, I'm making my way to you right now." he lied
"Oh? And where exactly are you right now?" she asked
"Just entered the complex right now. Making my way to the command center." he lied
"Oh really? And why do the security cameras show you just exiting your room?" she replied
Aaron turned instantly to look at a camera at the far end of the corridor which was fixated on him. He cursed himself for being so reckless before breaking into a sprint to the nearest elevator.
"There is no point in running away Aaron. You know you're just prolonging the inevitable." the second sister said smugly
"So this is what you meant by 'Everything's being taken care of?" Aaron asked as he set the elevator to go to the ground floor
The inquisitor in response laughed out loud "Do you honestly think I'd let any loose ends get in the way of my redemption? You were nothing but an asset from the very beginning Aaron. A tool to be used and discarded and I maximized your use to your highest." she replied smugly
"Damn you heretic!" Aaron shouted in anger
"Don't you dare compare me to your fellow savages from your galaxy Aaron. I am nothing like you monsters."
Aaron didn't reply and instead deactivated his comm unit and dataslate. Who knew if she could slice into his blessed machines. As he exited the elevator he had the misfortune to find the inquisitor at the far side of the corridor, lightsaber drawn and ready. He immediately let loose a burst but to his own expectations she deflected them without trouble. Seeing that he was in a tough spot considering there wasn't much room to maneuver he instead broke into another spring away from the inquisitor, occasionally looking back to see her simply walking after him as if she had everything in control. She didn't even use her sorcerer powers on him to stop his attempt at escape which he was thankful for even if slightly.
After countless corridors he had ran through without meeting anyone he finally ran into the first troops so far. They looked at him confused but to their own shock they were quickly gunned down. He was finally nearing the hangar, no one would stand in his way to escaping.
"Why are you running?" the inquisitor asked awfully calm from behind.
Aaron didn't reply, instead focusing on escaping. After a couple more corridors and no other encounter he finally entered the hangar. Most vehicles had already been deployed in search of the rebels but a few still remained, mostly troop transports and speeder bikes.
"Attention all remaining units in the complex" The inquisitors voice came over the intercom "My former assistant has been found guilty of murdering the Grand inquisitor. He is to be shot on sight."
There goes any chance of fooling the troops he thought to himself as he watched several troopers and engineers draw their weapons at him. He quickly opened fire faster then them, quickly killing several under precise lasfire before taking cover. How the frak don't I manage to hit the rebels with the same accuracy... Its as if they're protected by some kind of magical shield... he wondered to himself before peeking up again and taking out another trooper. The inquisitor shortly after entered and immediately began walking in Aaron's direction
"There is no running from the inevitable Aaron. Surrender and I promise to make it quick."
"Never!" Aaron shouted setting his lasgun on the highest power setting. He fired and of course the inquisitor deflected it but not without some mild struggle. Seeing that the highest setting had a chance at doing something he fired several bursts of lasfire at the woman. Of course she deflected each one but every time she deflected a shot she was pushed slightly back and couldn't deflect his shots back at him. Despite the small feeling that he could escape it was quickly crushed when the inquisitor moved stopped playing around and moved at inhuman speeds and sliced his lasgun in half.
Anger flowed through him as he watched the only weapon sanctioned by the Imperium in this galaxy being broken in half and with a speed that only imperial stormtroopers were known for he smacked the inquisitor on the side of her helmet with the butt of his now broken weapon. It seriously disoriented her giving him enough time to run away. He quickly remembered there were still some troopers in the hangar just waiting for him to peek out but he didn't care, wounds themselves could be mended, death couldn't.
And so he waded through the shots of his former allies until he reached the closest speeder bike. He quickly got on the bike and fired it up, quickly exiting the hangar. He didn't look back as he ran, instead focusing on getting as far as possible as he could.
After driving through several streets and back alleys away from the complex he came to the conclusion that only the troops in the complex had been notified of his 'betrayal' and so he acted quick in order to be able to protect himself. He quickly searched the surrounding streets for any troopers and quickly found two soldiers standing guard in an intersection. They didn't show any hostilities and he took the chance, stopping next to them. Funnily enough they saluted him.
"Agent Krask" one of them began "There's nothing to report from this area sir. The rebels must've gone in some other sector."
"Actually... We've engaged them some ten minutes ago and my weapon got destroyed. I need one of you're guns troopers." Aaron lied
The troopers awkwardly looked at one another before shrugging "Sure no problem." one of the troopers said handing Aaron his blaster. Underneath his helmet a wicked smile formed on his face as he gunned down the bewildered and shocked troopers. Climbing off the speeder bike he decided that moving on foot was better than on a bike as every so often a gunship would pass in the distance.
He kept to the shadows and avoided any patrols that passed around him. From the chatter he heard he deduced that now everyone was looking for both him and the rebels.
"Fraking hell... This is the last time I serve a Emperor forsaken inquisitor..." he muttered darkly as he passed through an alley. To think that he broke his oath to the Imperium thinking that he could continue serving mankind... He was no doubt a heretic in the Emperor's eyes but right now surviving was all that mattered. He could repent later.
After many more close encounters in which he was almost spotted he finally got to the part of town which was mostly abandoned. The residents no doubt deported or arrested by the Empire. There was surprisingly a lot of imperial activity in the area which didn't surprise Aaron, after all what better place to hide other than old abandoned houses.
As he passed through a small street he saw as a squad of stormtroopers rounded the corner and were interrogating some civilians. Thinking quickly he doubled back on the street and took shelter inside a small house. It looked abandoned from the looks of it with dust covering everything. He slowly inspected the living room finding nothing of worth other than a what looked like a deactivated astromech droid. He then inspected the rest of the rooms finding them in similar shape. Satisfied that he was alone and no homeless or drug filled junkie would jump him he fell into the living rooms sofa, kicking a ton of dust in the process although he didn't care as in that moment the only thing that preoccupied him was how would he leave the world and escape from the Empire.
He sighed and laid back in his seat. I should've seen it coming... I should've damned seen it coming. He thought. He knew the inquisitor was only out for herself but he didn't expect her to get rid of him right away. All the times in which she congratulated him only seemed to anger him all the more. And not only that but she also broke his lasgun... She would pay...
He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. Too much was going through it right now and it wasn't healthy for the trooper. After a couple of minutes of clear silence he heard something, something from down below. It sounded like someone was climbing a ladder. Quickly inspecting the the small round table he found out that it could be moved by accidentally moving it slightly. All motion ceased and Aaron slowly grabbed his blaster and prepared to shoot whoever was down below. He didn't get the chance as the supposedly deactivated droid came back online and charged him.
"Whoa! Wait!" Aaron exclaimed but to no avail as the droid slammed into him screeching in binary
This somehow gave the signal to whoever was hiding down below as the lasat xeno of all things burst through the trap door and snatched Aaron up and threw him down the hole. Down he found the whole rebel crew primed and ready.
"Wait! Hold on!" Aaron tried to plea but was thoroughly ignored as the xeno's foot slammed into his head with enough force to knock him unconscious. His world went dark.
When he came to he was bound without his weapon and helmet down in the hole with the rebels looking at him. The lasat and the mandalorian were the ones guarding him while the rest stood nearby
"Hey, he's finally awake." the mandalorian girl announced
Aaron grimaced at his situation he found himself in. "Of all the houses that I could've picked I took the one with you of all people... Just my rotten luck." Aaron sneered at the group
"Nice to see you too." Ezra replied sarcastically "But seriously though, what are you doing here?"
"What does it look like? Hiding from the Empire." Aaron replied
"Pfft, as if we'd buy that." the lasat xeno said "You were all nice and dandy with agent Kallus not two hours ago."
"A lot of things happened in this time I assure you."
"Such as?" Kanan asked smugly, no doubt knowing why.
Aaron groaned as he looked at the jedi "Go ahead Kanan, no point in hiding the facts."
"Told you so Krask."
Everyone in the room turned to look at Kanan "You didn't tell us his name Kanan." The twi'lek xeno spoke
"Only because he's not one of the good ones and certainly not one of the stablest." Kanan replied crossing his arms at Aaron
"Hey I've done what was asked of me." Aaron replied frowning
"What did he do?" Ezra asked
Kanan turned to look at his friends and sighed as if he was about to take something heavy off his heart "I didn't eliminate the Grand inquisitor. He did." he said pointing at Aaron
"You did?!" the mando girl exclaimed "How did that happen?"
"I was doing something for someone who didn't deserve it, and was foolish enough to believe she wouldn't backstab me and make it as if I was the only one responsible."
"It still doesn't forgive you for what happened today." The twi'lek almost growled at him
"Today was a disaster and I mean it, I was kept in the dark for the whole day thinking I was supposed to meet with the Grand moff with the Minister. Kallus was made to believe that I was alright with the whole operation and went ahead and approved it."
"And the rigged ship? what was that about?"
"A ploy to get rid of me and the minister... I was a loose end for the inquisitor and the Empire found out the minister collided with you people."
"She only contacted us once. When she wanted to flee."
"Its still classified as collusion." Aaron argued.
"What are we going to do with him Kanan?" the lasat xeno asked impatiantly
Kanan remained silent as he pondered the question "The better question is what will he do if we release him Zeb." Kanan replied. Everyone turned to look at Aaron as if they were expecting an answer but he himself found none. He wasn't part of the Empire anymore and by definition he was now a 'rebel'. Although the concept of working with the ones he fought so many times didn't stand well with him he couldn't deny the opportunities were many. The rebels could get him off this world and away from the Empire. After that he could find his own life.
"Right now... I don't want anything but to get away from the Empire." Aaron replied after what felt like a lifetime
"Still though" the mandalorian began "What do you offer for us to help you?"
"Alliance of convenience I see. I can give you whatever inquisitorial codes they gave me in exchange for getting me out of here. Hows that sound?"
The rebels pondered his offer and seemed to accept it "Definitely not what we came here for but we'll take what we can, besides, Inquisitorial codes are incredibly hard to come by." the twi'lek said
"Its still not enough." Ezra said crossing his arms
"What? What more do you want kid?"
"An apology for all the times you've done something bad to us."
Aaron groaned at the childish antiques of the kid. Still, if it got him away he was okay with it "Fine, I'm sorry for all the times I've done something wrong to you people, and I'm sorry for shooting you several times... And I'm sorry for headbutting you mando... And I'm sorry for almost killing you lasat xeno..."
"We have names you know..." The xeno grumbled crossing his arms
"Sorry but I don't really care... Is that all kid?"
"Not by a long shot but its a start."
"If we're on the whole apology thing I'm sorry for shooting you in the head Skull guy." the mandalorian girl said
"What the frak did you just call me?"
"What? Don't you have a fetish for skulls?"
Aaron's frown spoke volumes.
"I guess not."
"Can anyone please release me? I promise I won't do anything to hurt you." Aaron asked
The lasat ripped his bound ropes and Aaron slowly rose up not making any sudden moves. The rebels eyed him with suspicion until he raised his hands up to show them he was no threat. "Can I have my helmet?" he asked
"Here's your bucket." the xeno replied handing him his helmet
Aaron quickly donned his helmet and almost instantly felt better. The xeno's smell was already slowly driving him insane. The rebels were about to return to whatever they were planning when their mechanical nightmare piped in from upstairs beeping frantically
"They found us?!" Kanan explaimed
"We gotta get out of here!" Ezra said pointing to a small air duct
"Can we fit in there kid?!" The lasat xeno asked
"Probably?" the kid replied awkwardly
"Its the best we have, Chopper come down here." the twi'lek xeno said
The droid used its small jets to fly down the hole. Then they started climbing into the air duct with the lasat xeno and Aaron staying behind to push the mechanical menace
"Alright xeno push!"
"I have a name you know..." the xeno replied
"I don't care. Now push!"
Together they pushed the machine as far as they could before it actually started moving on its own. "Ohh the little...!" the xeno exclaimed. Aaron ignored him and made to enter the vent only to be stopped by the xeno
"I get to go first mister Imperial." the alien sneered before entering the duct himself. It looked like he had problems moving at first but then it went smoothly. Aaron crammed himself in the vent with much more ease than the alien and quickly made his way up to the roof where everyone else was situated in a small circle. Just as he exited the vent a large explosion was heard from ground level, no doubt the house they were situated in was blown up.
"So, where's your ship?" Aaron asked as he joined the group
"Back with the fleet... the one we came here was destroyed a little while back." the twi'lek replied
"So you're stuck on the planet."
"Not if we steal an Imperial shuttle." Kanan replied
"Where from though" the mado girl said tapping some keys on her wrist dataslate and a hologram appeared from the droid "All of the Imperial airports are under lockdown."
"What about the Imperial Complex?" Kanan asked
"The Imperial complex? Are you crazy?" the twi'lek asked
"He actually makes sense though." Aaron replied getting the attention of everyone "Every soldier in the garrison was deployed to find us so the complex is practically barren."
"Hmm" the mando girl began "Considering their troop placements cutting off all exits of the city and all the patrols the safe bet I'd say the least activity would be near the factories... There are landing platforms outside their supply hangars. They're our best chance if we're gonna find a shuttle."
"I'm already dressed for the part." Kanan piped in
"I still find it off putting that you wear my sergeant's armour..." Aaron said
"And does that matter that much to you?"
"Not really anymore, Holt's loyal to the Empire so he'll no doubt shoot us."
"Well then, lets get this show on the road."
If there was one thing Aaron hated now more than ever was how he had no say in how the rebels created their plan. Ezra had sneaked in and stole some cadet clothes alongside a cargo platform with a bunch of crates. One for each, thing was he had to share his with a xeno... Funnily enough, having to watch the xeno hold his breath as to not smell itself was a rather pleasing sight for Aaron, him being blessed with a built in rebreather. Embarrassingly enough he had to listen to the child's failed attempt at a mind trick before Kanan stepped in and averted a catastrophy. It didn't take long for them to reach a safe place in a armory to get out of their crates and when they did the lasat xeno was the loudest.
"Great, couldn't you be a little louder xeno?" Aaron asked sarcasticaly
"Karabast, how come you're not affected?" the alien asked
"Built in rebreather, smelling the same stale air from back in the Imperium." Aaron replied
"Not that his shouting matters that much, you were right skull guy, no one's around." The mando girl said from the door
"Seriously if you say that name one more time I'm gonna stop being the nice guy." Aaron warned prompting the mando to raise her hands in placating gesture
"Alright, Sabine you know where to go from here right?"
"Hold on..." she replied tapping at her dataslate "Alright, we need to go through there, follow me."
As the rebels started piling to leave Aaron took one of the blasters from the racks prompting the group to stop and stare at him suspiciously.
"What? You wanna get off this planet. An extra fighter would add a lot to the equation." he said to the group
"Just be careful where you aim that thing... Don't wanna end up being shot from behind..." the lasat xeno grumbled
Aaron ignored the xeno and went alongside the group. Just as before the complex was incredibly empty and devoid of any personal save for the occasional two man patrols that the rebels simply knocked out.
"Why don't we just kill them?" Aaron asked
"We don't do this kind of things Krask." Kanan argued "It would destroy what we stand for. Peace."
"Sometimes to achieve peace you gotta get your hands dirty..."
"Quiet you two!" The twi'lek whispered harshly at them "We're getting close now."
True to her word they quickly exited the Complex out into the factory levels with large open areas filled to the brim with machinery, equipment and ships, mostly fighters and to their own luck a Lambda Class shuttle stood on a landing platform just waiting for them. He should've felt good but instead Aaron felt as if something bad was going to happen. It had been too quiet and too easy for his own liking. Where was the inquisitor? She had hunted him with little to no problem throughout the complex but now there was no sign of her.
"There's our shuttle! What did I tell ya." Kanan said looking at the ship
"You did good Kanan." the twi'lek
They broke into a sprint towards the shuttle with only Sabine stopping to check something on the left "Hera! Come over here!" she called out in a hushed tone. The twi'lek quickly went over and inspected what they found.
"Military grade power generators." Hera said with a smile "This will definitely turn this day around. The fleet could really use them."
"Everyone, Get as many as you can." Sabine said to the group
Everyone, even the metal menace moved to take the generators and quickly transported them to the ship. Ezra and Kanan paused just outside and shared a look.
"Do you feel that Kanan?" Ezra asked
"Yes... The anger..."
They turned to look at the hangar's door only to see the second sister standing at the entrance with her blade drawn.
"Uhh Krask? Is she?" Ezra asked
"Yes, she's the new inquisitor... Kill her!" Aaron shouted taking aim and firing at the inquisitor. Of course she deflected the bolts with little to no effort and slowly started moving towards them
"I must admit I've been incredibly ecstatic to know that not only did you return in record time but you've also brought the whole rebel group. Outstanding work Aaron. Its only a shame you'll have to die now, nothing personal." the inquisitor said
"Who's Aaron?" Ezra asked confused
"That's my actual name..." Aaron replied "Aaron Webb..."
"You've lied to us even about your name?" Kanan asked
"Its the only false information I've given you. The rest was always true."
"It doesn't matter if its false or true, You'll be dead before you know it." the inquisitor smugly said
Kanan and Ezra activated their lightsabers and got into their defensive stances. Out in the back of the hangar more troops started pouring in.
"Looks like we're in for a nasty fight!" Aaron shouted taking cover behind some crates alongside Sabine and the lasat xeno. Hera and her metal menace quickly boarded the shuttle to prepare it to launch.
"Well then, shall we get started? I really wish to see for myself the skill of the jedi group which caught the attention of the Empire." the inquisitor said smugly before falling into a combat stance. Immediately she launched herself at Kanan swinging her sword in a deadly arc. Thankfully Kanan's focus on defense proved fruitful as he parried all the while Ezra tried to slash at her lower body. She quickly jumped out of the way and used her powers to throw the young boy to the ground. She then once again launched herself at Kanan as the two joined in their duel of light slashing, parrying and dodging one another while Ezra started providing some cover to his friends from the Stormtroopers.
"Blast the rebels!" A familiar sounding sergeant shouted as he entered the fray with his squad
Aaron soon came to the realisation that he would have to kill his old sergeant if he were to escape. Quickly rising from cover he shot several troopers that had just entered the fray
"How come when you fought against us you fought like a true stormtrooper but now you can actually aim well?" Sabine asked
"That's something I've been wondering myself kid." he replied killing another trooper
"Krask! You'll pay for your treachery!" Holt shouted over the blaster fire
"Friend of yours?" The xeno asked
"The guy Kanan stole his armour from." Aaron replied before peeking to shoot again scoring another trooper. He was forced back into cover as he came under fire from Holt and his men. On the other side Kanan was having difficulties standing up to the inquisitor as her aggressive nature in combat proved to be a little too much for the jedi. Seeing this Ezra quickly joined the fray with a wide and clumsy swing which the inquisitor easily parried and retaliated by smacking the kid in the head.
"You cannot hope to defeat me like this child, you are weak, I can make you strong if you join me." The inquisitor boasted
"I'm more comfortable with Kanan than you." Ezra replied
"Unfortunately Jarrus wont be around for long to teach you, and when he's gone You'll either join me or die."
"I'm not afraid of you!" the child replied
"We'll see about that!" the inquisitor mocked and used her powers to raise Ezra high in the air and throw him straight into the wall. He slammed with enough force that he lost the grip on his lightsaber and crumbled to the ground. As he weakly got to his feet he was stopped when a stormtrooper sergeant kicked him to the ground.
"Its over jedi!" He shouted taking aim only to crumble to the ground with a shot in the head
Looking back Ezra saw that it hadn't been Sabine or Zeb which took out the trooper but rather Krask as he stood with his weapon pointed at the dead trooper. He quickly scrambled to his feet, retrieved his lightsaber and turned to see Kanan being slowly pushed back by the inquisitor. He quickly rejoined the fray and together they actually started pushing the woman back.
In the meanwhile Hera came down the shuttles ramp "Alright people! We gotta go!" she shouted over to the rest
"We need a way to block those frakkers!" Aaron shouted shooting another trooper
"There! Those walkers!" Sabine replied taking out a bunch of thermal detonators "Do you know what I do in sticky situations?" she asked the xeno
"Blow stuff up!" the xeno replied with a laugh
She handed the xeno and Aaron a bunch of bombs and took aim "Aim for their legs!" They threw their bombs with adequate accuracy and to Aaron's surprise they stuck to the walkers legs before exploding. Seeing the explosion Kanan and Ezra took their chance and combined their power to throw the inquisitor away just as the walkers came down on her.
"This is our chance! Lets go!" Hera shouted ushering everyone on board. Aaron and the rest quickly boarded the ship with the jedi taking a little longer. "Alright Chopper get us out of here!" Hera continued.
As the ship ascended Aaron looked out the open ramp to see the inquisitor climbing out of the wreckage unharmed. He quickly took aim and fired several shots before the ramp closed. All of them were deflected. Sighing he turned to the rebel group and took the farthest seat from them. Unfortunately Ezra had other plans and took a seat next to him.
"Thanks for saving me back there." Ezra began "For all the times you've made us problems you're not a bad guy."
Aaron in turn scoffed "You're naive kid. Just because I help you people doesn't mean I wanna join you."
"Why not?"
"There are many reasons but the most important one is that I'm no rebel. I don't fight for the xenos of this galaxy and certainly don't hold the idealistic ideas of your 'democracy'. Now if you'll excuse me I have a list of codes to make."
Ezra frowned but got the message, rising from his seat and going over to his friends. The twi'lek came back from he cockpit and addressed everyone "Alright people, looks like we're in the clear for now. We can't just leave the planet right now, there's a blockade up in orbit just waiting for us."
"And this shuttle is slow, with barely and weapons and shields" Sabine began "it looks like we're gonna have to be smuggled off the world for a change."
"Smuggle you say... I think I know the right man for the job." Hera replied
Kanan and Ezra shared a look before turning to the twi'lek "Not him!" they said in unison
"Who's him?" Aaron asked confused
"Some smuggler by the name Lando Calrissian. He helped us in the past." Hera replied going back up into the cockpit
"Small emphasis on helped." Ezra replied sarcastically
Aaron slowly shook his head and went back to work. As long as it got him away from the Empire he didn't care. To his own amusement the rebels had to trade half of their power generators in exchange for the guy's help and he wasn't even on the planet. Instead he redirected them to his small farm land he no doubt used as a hideout for his merchandise. Thankfully it took all night for them to get to his place giving Aaron enough time to complete his list of imperial codes. They weren't many but it was more than enough to give the rebels a small edge.
As they descended down the shuttles ramp Aaron couldn't fail to notice the large black smoke coming from the distance. Ezra was fixated on the sight and before anyone knew he jumped on one of the speeder bikes laying around and sped off towards the smoke
"Kid wait-!" Zeb began but it was too late. The kid had already left
Of course Kanan had to follow his apprentice jumping on another bike and speeding away in the same direction. Aaron sighed at the sight, Most likely a town the Empire burned... he grimly thought.
"Zeb, Krask, wanna help me with these?" Sabine asked pointing to a bunch of transponders
"What do you wanna do with those?" Aaron asked
"Simple, I'll change their signature imprint to be the same as our shuttle. That way we can spread them around the atmosphere to confuse the Imperial destroyers and mask our escape." she replied smugly
"That... That actually sound like a good plan." Aaron replied surprised
"Heheh, it sound more like a lousy Sabine plan." Zeb joked
"whatever you say xeno."
"Would you stop calling me that?! Its really racist!" Zeb growled
"Oh, I don't think I will." Aaron replied smugly fully expecting a fight to break out. Zebs anger seemed to swell at his reply as he nearly launched himself at him. Thankfully the mandalorian stepped in to stop the two
"Would you please stop this? You can fight after we escape! For now focus on the job!" she said in a stern tone
As much as he wanted to argue Aaron stood down as well as the xeno. It still didn't fully diffuse the situation as the alien was still angry.
"This isn't over bucket head." Zeb warned darkly
"Ohh, I know..."
An so they went and worked on the transponders, although most of the work was done by Sabine with them mostly whatever she instructed. They were done in less than ten minutes giving them some time to relax. Aaron on the other had used this time to contemplate his situation. He had sinned in the eyes on the Emperor... He had renounced his oath to the Imperium and served another Empire in the hopes that he could continue his service for mankind only to be used by sorcerers and xenos and then tried to be discarded and eliminated. The only thing he wanted to do now was to disappear from the face of the galaxy. Where can I go so no one can find me... he thought to himself. There were several planets that people went to run away and disappear, most notably Tatooine and Nar Shaddaa or any planet in Hutt space. A scowl formed on his face when he thought of the oversized slugs. Creatures so disgusting that dwell in decadent and hedonistic palaces. Surrounded by armies of thugs and mercenaries they were the biggest crime lords in the galaxy.
"A rather fitting place to repent..." he muttered to himself
"What place?" Sabine asked coming next to him
"I've just made my mind where I wanna go if we escape."
"After we escape." she corrected him
"You're sure your plan will work?" Aaron asked
"Certainly, now what planet you wanna go to?"
"Nar Shaddaa." Aaron's reply elicited a groan from the kid "What?" he asked
"Whats with everyone that wanna disappear and that place. There are countless other places in the galaxy where you won't be found."
"There may be but for my crimes Nar Shaddaa is more fitting."
"Wait, what crimes? The Empire betrayed you, not the other way around."
Aaron shook his head "Not the crimes I've done to the Empire. They can rot in hell for all I care, the true crimes I've done are against the Imperium and the God Emperor..." he replied in a sad tone
"God Emperor? I know you're not from around but I don't think I follow."
"You don't need to kid. All I can say for sure is that planet is the only place for my sinful kind."
"You haven't done any crimes though. You've just adapted to your surroundings, even if they were bad."
Aaron contemplated what the young woman said and came to the conclusion that she was right to some degree. He did join the Empire thinking that he was helping mankind although that didn't change the fact that he renounced his oath of duty without much of a second thought. For that he was still a traitor to the Imperium.
"As much as I like to think that I did what was right that doesn't change a thing. I've still served under xenos and sorcerers and done their bidding."
"Whatever you say Krask, I've just tried being nice."
"I don't think I deserve that name anymore..."
"Seriously? First Kanan tells us your name is Krask which you lied about, then the inquisitor drops by and calls you Aaron even if you insist that your name is Krask and now you say you don't deserve that name? You have to be the most confusing person I've met."
"Krask was my nickname and codename but now I don't think I deserve it anymore... Not after everything that happened."
"Whatever floats your boat." Sabine replied turning to look as two speeder bikes came into view "They're back!" she called out to everyone. The jedi parked their biked and swiftly made their way to the group
"What happened out there?" Hera asked
"The Empire burned Tarkintown." Kanan replied
The reply shocked the rebel group "Did anyone survive?" Sabine asked
"The population's been captured." Ezra replied.
Zeb seemed riled up as he growled "Lets go bust them out. Where's my rifle?!"
"We can't... they'll be waiting for us." Kanan replied before turning to Hera "You were right, we gotta leave Lothal."
"For the good of Lothal."
"So... whats the plan for getting out of here?" Ezra asked
"Lando had these old transponders laying around. We changed their signatures to match our shuttle, we'll drop 'em in the atmosphere to draw the Empire's attention away while we make our escape. Krask, did you make that list?" Hera asked
"Yes but I'll give it to you only when we've escaped."
"Fine by me. Did you make your mind where you wanna go?" Kanan asked
"Nar Shaddaa." Aaron's reply didn't surprise the jedi. Instead Kanan looked like he had expected that answer
"You'll fit right in the the scum of that planet." The jedi's reply was meant to be an insult but Aaron accepted it for Kanan spoke the truth.
"Well then, everything's ready lets go." Ezra said moving towards the shuttle.
Everyone followed suit and before long they were up in the air dropping Transponders all over the place. After they dropped all of them the transponders they went as far away from them as possible.
"Alright, looks like the Empire's taking the bait, their fighters are breaking off to intercept our fake signals." Hera said over the intercom. For a xeno she knew what she was doing.
"We'll be long gone by then... Exiting orbit now." Kanan added
"We're already home free now, entering hyperspace now."
Aaron felt a slight headache signaling they entered the hyperspace and sighed. Freedom finally... He thought to himself before rising and making his way to Sabine
"Here's the codes." He offered the small datapack he filled with imperial codes.
"Thanks, you really held your end of the bargain."
"Just like you people did." and without another word he went back to his seat waiting for the ship to exit into realspace. It took them several hour to get to the heart of Hutt space and when they arrived Aaron was very intrigued about the sight. A moon sized city that put most hive worlds to shame he wondered just how many people lived down below.
"You sure you wanna do this Aaron?" Ezra asked
"More than sure... Certain." Aaron replied not caring someone used his actual name. After all, what would Lenna say if she saw him now... A traitor to the Imperium and the tenets of the imperial creed. He didn't deserve that name.
"Docking now." Hera said over the intercom
"Well then, now's my que." Aaron said rising from his seat and moving to the exit. He stopped to look back at the group "I wish you good luck in your fight against the Empire." he said respectfully
"I wish you good luck in your new life Aaron." Ezra replied "I hope we'll meet again."
Aaron snorted "I very much doubt it." and without another word he went down the ramp and disappeared into the alleys
"That guy has some serious problems." Zeb noted shacking his head
Their astromech droid hastily came from the cockpit beeping frantically
"Chopper whats going on?" Kanan asked. The droid continued to beep
"Whats he saying?" Zeb asked
"He's saying that there's a transmitter that just activated on our ship!" Sabine replied worried "We gotta find it before going back to the fleet!"
Kanan on the other hand remained awfully calm as he walked out of the shuttle and looked around "I don't think its mandatory to return in this ship." he said pointing somewhere to his left
Everyone quickly went to see what he was pointing at finding a civilian freighter parked right next to them
"Seriously Kanan?" Hera asked
"What? Besides, we could really use another ship."
"I worry about you sometimes..."
