Republican flagship RSV115 "Emancipator", command post.
Judd had eaten and drunk half of what he brought. He could hear Youlia on the intercom as he heard the admiral remained prostrate on the chair brought to him on the bridge.
"Hold especially your position. I'm sending you everything I have left"
She hung up, and announced in a loud voice:
"Evacuation of the command post! Only helmsmen, navigation and a transmission operator should remain! The others descend to zero level or an assignment will be given to them! Immediate execution!"
The operators began to shut down their workstations. Judd froze without really understanding the meaning and consequences of what was just said.
Yulia turned her head to the bridge:
"Admiral, the entire hangar fell, but we managed to stop the Imperials at the bottom of the castle"
"Well, well..." Rousseau replied in a soft voice.
"Hoth's Revenge II has just arrived. The "Space Queen IV" will be there in five minutes. The hardest part is past"
She saw Judd on the bridge and ticked.
"Lieutenant, I said everybody!"
"I'm the Admiral's aide-de-camp; you don't have to order me around!"
"Oh, yes, I do! In an emergency, I have full authority! Get out at once!"
Judd turned to the admiral, but the admiral seemed completely indifferent. He made a vague hand gesture, as if to say goodbye.
All that remained was to obey. With rage in his heart and fear in his stomach, he saluted and left the station.
Youlia returned to the transmission console.
"Tell the frigates that all we have left is the castle. Tell them not to send anyone to the airlocks of the bunkers!"
"It's not possible Colonel" replied the operator, "it's all still blurred"
"Damn it! I had forgotten! Stay tuned!"
"Copy that, Colonel"
She relaxed a little anyway. The imperial offensive had reached its extreme point, the counteroffensive was about to follow.
Republican flagship RSV115 "Emancipator", starboard command post airlock.
The commando entered the airlock, Crebs the last.
The specialist hit the keypad and the outer doors closed. They heard the vibration of the pumps that filled the room with air. At last the green light came on, and the soldiers removed their combinations while the Death Troopers folded their shrouds.
Isse repeated the final instructions.
"No shots! Only edged weapons! If a grenade is thrown by the defenders you will cover it with your body! Do you understand me?"
"Loud and clear!" replied the members of Internal Security, securing their weapons.
They weren't wearing their uniforms, but recovered Republican outfits. One of them was securing a large Bowie knife in a holster under his jacket while his neighbour slipped a truncheon up his sleeve.
Isse then turned to the Death Trooper.
"You, hide for now"
He added:
"At my command, you will play the turtle and bring the package or you know. Crebs and I will act as liaison between groups"
The "blacks" approved in silence.
Everybody got in place, the Death Troopers stood back, and the electronics man opened up the corridor on the main command floor.
The disguised troopers gradually discovered the corridor. It was a real beehive. The operators that Youlia had expelled were grouped in front of the elevators to take up their combat posts.
They went out and entered the aisle.
There were five of them.
Isse had selected them with the help of the colonel from Homeland Security. The first one, the scout, walked ahead almost in the middle of the corridor. The remaining four followed on each side, in groups of two, about three steps behind. That way, they could cover each other in case of trouble.
They moved forward at a carefully planned pace, neither too fast nor too slow. They had to blend in, become an ant among ants, drop into the stream...
They arrived at the first gathering. The first judgment. Serious things began.
One operator turned his head to the lead trooper:
"Hey, boys! Where are you from? Do you have news from below?"
"It's holding. They've stopped moving, we've blocked them off around the main elevator"
Faces around here relaxed.
The trooper continued:
"Is the Admiral at the command post? I have a message for him"
"Yes, he is still at his post. He sent us downstairs to strengthen the cordon"
"He did well" replied the trooper with a broad smile. "Don't hang around especially!'
The elevator arrived at that moment and the doors opened.
"Well, I'll leave you to it, concludes the trooper. I have my message to bring!"
The four others who had remained silent smiled discreetly. Then they set off again, taking up the same formation.
The hallway had begun to empty. There were only a few people left behind in front of the elevator doors, including Judd, who was the last to leave the command post.
The leading trooper arrived in front of the starboard access to the command post, which had remained open after the departure of the operators. He pressed the button of a discreet transmitter at the bottom of his pocket and entered without hesitation.
Assault frigate "Hoth's Revenge II", command bridge.
At first, everyone was reassured to see the flagship fill the bay of the command post. The large vessel appeared to be intact and the enemy vessel below, shifted to starboard, had shown no sign of hostility since the frigate had entered the channel.
"Still no radio?" asked the captain.
"Always not" replied the console concerned.
"Optical and thermal?"
"We zoom in at most. No sign of fire"
The hold console announced:
"Space Queen IV" announces that they're sending the shuttle back to us"
"How did you know that? I thought everything was jammed!"
"We're communicating on an extra-short wave, Commander. Short range, but difficult to blur"
"That's right" confirmed the transmission. "It would cost the Imperials too much power to cover it all"
The commander thought for a moment and then turned back to the transmitting station.
"Can the shuttle listen in on these frequencies?"
"Yes, Commander. It is not its primary function, but we can send instructions to the crew to scan this spectrum"
"Baffle it. Tell them to approach the flagship and go into radio standby"
The navigation officer noticed:
"It may be dangerous, Commander. If the batteries wake up..."
"We don't have a choice. We have to figure out what the hell is going on this damn ship"
The transmission received the acknowledgment, and the small bright spot on the shuttle appeared in the main bay.
"They'll be on site in five minutes, Commander" announced the navigator.
"I want contact every 30 seconds. Check the transmissions"
"Copy that"
The captain then turned to the internal security officer.
"Are your guys ready?"
"They're in the cargo hold, Commander. At your service"
Everyone turned to the bay. The bright spot was heading towards the flagship's castle. The silence was made, just chopped up by the transmitting station's acknowledgments.
The point came to a standstill. Nothing had happened.
A green glow appeared and began to flash on the small box that Isse was watching. He looked up at Crebs on the other side of the doors and said:
"They're coming in. Go, it's clear"
Crebs got up without a word and walked down the hallway. Judd, who was waiting in front of the elevator, saw him coming and said:
"Who are you? Who are you? I've never seen you before..."
The former Jedi pushed him out of the way.
"No time" he muttered.
Judd watched him pass, a little surprised. Crebs arrived at the command post after the commando.
The action had just begun. The five soldiers had fanned out to the positions still occupied. The leading trooper had advanced to the foot of the bridge where Youlia and the admiral were, had saluted, and was about to speak, when Youlia interrupted him:
"What are you doing here? Who gave you the order to enter?"
"It's the main barricade colonel" said the trooper as he approached. "They…"
Youlia stepped back and drew her blaster.
"Your name and your unit!"
The operators had raised their heads, taken aback, without realizing that the soldiers had just placed themselves right next to them.
That's when Crebs came home.
Yulia turned her eyes to the newcomer. This was what the trooper at the bottom of the footbridge was waiting for.
A dagger flew and got stuck in the colonel's left shoulder. Youlia fired immediately, and the soldier was hit in the head.
In the same movement, she fired at the four intruders, but they had already plunged behind the consoles, overpowering the operators. There was only one wounded, the one in charge of the transmission post, which allowed the technician to discreetly activate the continuous broadcast.
So Crebs says:
"Hold your positions. I'll take over the bridge"
Youlia tried to grab the Admiral, but his left arm was already almost unresponsive. She kicked the chair hard. The Admiral barely reacted.
She kicked again.
"Move, damn it! Get up! "
The admiral finally woke up and leapt to his feet.
"Come out to port! Quick! The survival pods! I'll cover you!"
Crebs smiled and said almost without moving his lips:
"What a beautiful panic..."
He made a quick movement with his right wrist and a green dart sprang from his fist. He walked slowly towards the bridge with his arms outstretched, in no hurry at all.
Youlia retreated towards the exit, ensuring the rearguard of the admiral.
She fired on Crebs. From his lightsaber, he deflected the shot towards the ceiling. He didn't even slow down.
She fired, again and again. Each time, the light blade twisted the shot.
The Admiral, fully awake now, had reached the corridor and was activating the escape pods. The door opened, and he rushed in without looking back.
Youlia was pulling back without stopping firing. She saw out of the corner of her eye that the admiral was gone. Her adversary continued unabashedly advancing, still smiling. She screamed:
"Daemon! "
Crebs came up against her, grabbed the blaster with his left hand and took a right hook with his other hand. With the lightsaber handle acting as a brass knuckle punch, she immediately collapsed, but still managed to remain conscious.
Then she felt lifted by the collar and pressed against the wall of the corridor. Then she heard the renegade Jedi whisper in her ear:
"Don't fear... death is good... death is sweet... death loves you..."
He had cut his lightsaber and brought the handle close to his temple as you press a slaughter gun on the cattle forehead.