Exegol Imperial Base, 11 ABY
Presenting a briefing to superior officers was nerve-wracking for junior officers. One had to make sure there were no mistakes in their presentation and that the information was accurate and timely. The presenter also had to be aware of possible questions that would be asked of him. Checking his notes one last time, the lieutenant sighed heavily and entered the briefing room. Inside the room was a long rectangular table. On the far side of the room, starlight streamed through the room. A computer terminal sat near the table, which was occupied by four people. The nervous junior officer did not know their names, but he recognized their ranks and branch service. All four officers were Imperial Navy captains. The lieutenant saluted the officers, his arm bent at a rigid forty-five-degree angle.
The officers nodded at him and he proceeded to the computer terminal, where he inserted a datacard into the slot. The terminal buzzed and accepted the item. The projector attached to the ceiling cast harsh white light against the wall. In black block lettering, the Aurebesh words for Project Reclaimer appeared on the wall.
"Two years before the Battle of Yavin, the Imperial Navy sent exploration probes into the Unknown Region and Wild Space to find planets that were suitable for the Empire's needs. Most of the probes' data were never recovered and the data was lost. The ones recovered found planets that were unsuitable and too far away from the galaxy. However, we received telemetry data from a probe inside the Red Nebula."
The slide switched to show the pictures recorded by the probe. Scenes of snow-capped mountain ranges, lush forests, and vast deserts flashed by. The architecture of various buildings and towns was also shown, but it was the sight of people that interested the officers. Most of them appeared to be human and the technology they had was a bit advanced.
The final picture displayed was an army of four-legged drones marching across a paved road. Covered in silver armor, the Imperial officers watched as the drone army attacked an enemy force. Splitting into three groups, the drones set their sights on annihilating the enemy. Skirmishers consisted of small groups of four, relying on hit-and-run tactics to corral the enemy. Meanwhile, long-range artillery bombarded their position with precise shots, which only drove the enemy further into the kill box. Finally, the berserkers unleashed their fury on them, firing numerous missiles and bullets into the concentrated mass of people and machines. The battle was over within two hours and the only sign of the enemy was a black field of charred corpses and burning metal. The three groups regrouped into one single army and marched forward, leaving behind their work of carnage and ruin.
"Upon reviewing the footage, it was presented to the Ruling Council and the Emperor. The Emperor was intrigued by this army but expressed no desire to claim its technology. Nonetheless, the Emperor instructed the Navy to send a reconnaissance team to investigate and bring back material. The team was assembled and dispatched from the ISD Crossfire. Designated Team Gamma, they went to the planet and carried out the mission. They returned to Imperial territory within one month and reported for debriefing. The debriefing report was recorded and classified as Alpha Plus."
The slides switched to the debriefing. Sitting across from the Imperial officer was a man wearing a blue military dress uniform and a wide-brimmed cap. Splotches of blood, dirt, and oil covered the uniform. His face was gaunt with hollow cheeks and sunken brown eyes. Hands shaking, the terrified man would occasionally slam his fist onto the table to his hands from shaking.
"What happened, Gamma Leader? What went wrong?" the officer asked calmly.
"They attacked us after completing the mission," the man stuttered. "Something went wrong with them. One moment they're marching in a straight line, then they started shooting." His eyes widened and he clutched his head, crying as he relived the memory. The Imperial officer was nonplussed by the man's breakdown. If he was concerned, he hid them behind the cold mask of his monotone voice.
"So, they began shooting after returning from a mission. What did you do next?"
Gamma Leader's breathing became labored with short whistles of air being inhaled and exhaled quickly. "I shot back, firing my rifle at them. T-they came in waves, skittering toward me. We retreated to the main plaza, where the others were. We waited for new orders, but they never came. The high-ranking officers were all dead and there was no one left to stop them."
"Couldn't someone have been promoted to a high-ranking position immediately? Why wait?" the officer interjected.
"You don't understand, sir. The way their promotion system worked was archaic." the man said. He shook his head wildly, "It was archaic, ancient, and completely backward."
The officer frowned at the man's statement and continued. "So you retreated to the plaza for safety and reinforcements. What then?"
"There was mass panic and hysteria. People were screaming at each other. Some broke down into tears, crying for their mothers and fathers. Others just stared blankly at the coming swarm. I left them behind and ran into the sewers. By the time I got out, the city was burning and they were swarming the palace."
The debriefing concluded with the man arriving at the extraction site and left the planet. The final image showed a picture of the planet surrounded by red clouds.
"After submitting the report, the Navy and the Ruling Council deemed it a failure and shelved the report into the archives." The projector's light vanished as it slid back down into the table. Stepping in front of the table, the lieutenant cleared his throat. "Any questions, sir?" One of the officers shook his head, "You're dismissed, lieutenant." Saluting the officers, the lieutenant left the room, relieved that his task was over. Had he turned around a few seconds later, he would have seen the de-facto leader of the Imperial remnants enter the room.
Inside the meeting room, there was silence until the door slid open once more. This time, all four officers stood up and saluted the newcomer. Dressed in a white uniform, the newcomer's rank was symbolized by a small rectangular plaque dotted with several blue, red, and yellow squares. Though her frizzled hair showed signs of graying, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane was still a force to be reckoned with.
"If you have any questions, ask them now," she said softly. Captain Vudarn, commander of the ISD Vanquisher, raised his hand. "Why are we targeting a world that failed to control its technology? What makes you so sure that we control this drone army?"
"You are correct about the planet. Normally, we would not commit any Imperial resources to extract technology or resources that are too dangerous for us to control. I concede that there's a chance we will fail this mission," Vudarn bristled at the grand admiral, his fist balling up. "But, these are unusual times and they require desperate solutions."
Rae stepped toward the computer terminal and entered a command. The holoprojector on the table projected the hologram of a slim rectangular item. "This item contains a modified version of the CIS master control program, which was used to control the droid army during the Clone Wars. Our plan is to capture and release a single drone. Once we have captured a drone, we will install the program and release it back to its army. The program will infect the army and turn it to our control. Once it falls into our hands, we will begin upgrading, mass-producing, and deploying the army into rebel territory. Slowly but surely, we will regain our strength and win this war."
"Win the war? All due respect, we're low on everything. Manpower, ships, weapons - we can't risk losing a single ship." another captain countered.
"That is true but securing this asset is worth the risk. For this mission, I will send the Assertor task force to secure this technology." Their faces blanched when they heard the words leave her mouth. Assigning an entire task force to a single planet was insanity. A single Imperial Star Destroyer was enough to cower a planet's citizens into obedience.
"I do not intend on sending the entire task force at once. For now, five ships will be deployed: the Vanquisher, Perseverance, Equerry, Nova, and Umbral Knight will be sent to the planet. Vanquisher and Perseverance will be responsible for reconverting the technology asset. Equerry will jam communications while Nova will use its gravity wells to prevent stray ships from escaping. The Umbral Knight will hunt down and destroy the stray ships."
"According to intelligence reports from the Umbral Knight, no rebel forces were seen near the Red Nebula. Their patrol paths are concentrated on the northern and central borders of the Unknown Region. If there are rebels, it will most likely be corvettes and frigates." Sloane said confidently.
Crossing her arms, the grand admiral stared at the officers. "This mission must succeed, gentlemen. Failure to convert this asset to the Empire means dooming us of a chance to strike back at our foes. Captains, prepare your ships. Your mission begins at noon tomorrow." Saluting the grand admiral, the four captains quickly left the room and jogged down the hallway. Tapping her wrist comm, she spoke, "Send the admiral in, I have a mission for him."
Christophsis
He was finally here. Stepping into the concourse, Juse Erba stretched his arms, the tension disappearing almost immediately. Dressed in a yellow field jacket, blue jeans, and steel-toed boots, he scratched his scruffy brown hair. The transport shuttle had been cramped with passengers, but he made it. The young Corellian headed to the luggage section, where he picked up his orange duffel bag. From his back pocket, he pulled out a black holopuck. The hologram of the Lodestar Company's recruitment ad flashed into existence as Juse checked it.
"Head to Terminal Six's concierge station and wait until the contact arrives. Follow the contact's instructions until you reach the destination," he murmured aloud. It did not take long for him to find the terminal, where he was greeted by an old protocol droid. Its rusting arm creaking, the droid simply pointed to the room inside, where the others were sitting. Taking a seat by the corner, Juse fell asleep and dozed off.
The air inside was stuffy and dry, but it didn't deter the ten recruits inside the room. Juse gasped when someone woke from his nap. A young woman wearing a white robe with blue flowing accents stared at him. In her right hand, she gripped an oak walking staff while shouldering a brown synthetic leather bag. She would have been a beauty if it weren't for the pupilless milky white eyes. It looked like she was a blind woman.
Nudging his leg with her oak walking stick, she asked him her question. "Is that seat next to you free?"
"Ah, yeah, of course," Juse stammered. Dropping her knapsack on the tiled floor, she sat down next to him, her hands gripping the oak staff tightly. For a while, neither Juse nor the woman spoke until he decided to break the silence.
"So, where are you from?" he asked her. "Arkania" she answered. Her answer shocked Juse, who immediately recognized the planet and its species. "That's interesting. I thought most Arkanians didn't go exploring."
She frowned at Juse and shook her head, "No, there are a couple of explorers in the galaxy. Back in the Old Republic, we were everywhere. We did everything: from charting new hyperspace routes to diving head-first into unknown territory. Nowadays, we're just arrogant people because of our skills."
There was a hiss as the door slid open. Whistling a ditty, a Pantorian wearing a red tailcoat with a blue dress shirt glanced at the recruits as he counted them. The blue-skinned humanoid nodded his head as he consulted with his wrist comm and clapped his hands loudly.
"Greetings, recruits! I am Charl Chass, your guide and merchant extraordinaire for the Lodestar Company's Third Branch." He bowed to the recruits, most of whom were impatient. Lumbering toward the merchant, a scaly Trandoshan bared his fangs at him. "Take us to the trial" raising his hands in protest, Charl nervously chuckled at the Trandoshan and beckoned the group to follow him.
"By the way, what's your name?" Juse asked. "Ina Vang, doctor and amateur historian. And yours?" she said over her shoulders. "Juse Voss, former culinary student," he said. Ina raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, "A culinary student? Why did you quit?" Juse sighed, "Let's say I got my own reasons for that."
The ride to their destination was uneventful. When Juse exited the airspeeder, the smell of burning incense flooded his nose. Covering his face, he could see they were in a large open circular field. Crystalline-like trees surrounded them, their leaves fluttering lightly in the breeze. Two braziers of burning incense stood in front of a cave entrance. Assembled in a semicircle was a small fortification made out of durasteel and permaconcrete. Various blasters laid on the ground, where the recruits were choosing their weapon. Wandering over, Juse examined each one carefully. Most of them were old, the paint flaking around the edges. Picking up a worn-out DH-17 blaster, he gripped tightly in his hands and lined up with the others. Beyond the fort was a cloudy mist. He could see silhouettes dashing across the clearing in the mist.
"Has everyone chosen their blaster? Good, good. Now, if you would wait just a moment." Charl pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew on it, the shrill cry echoed inside the cave entrance. A few minutes passed when a trio of people came out of the cave.
The first person to leave the cave was a droid. Its tan conical head spun from left to right, a blue photoreceptor gazed over the recruits. Burnt welding marks left the droid's torso with patches of silver spots. Two small blaster pistols were magnetically locked to its metal thighs, while four cylindrical objects jingled from its waist.
The next person to leave was a woman wearing black armor. Her armor reminded the recruits of Imperial TIE pilots. Unlike the TIE pilots, she was more heavily armored with gray plastoid plates covering every part of her body. The black cogwheel-like insignia of the Galactic Empire shined brightly under the sun's rays. A sniper rifle was slung over her left shoulder, her blaster rifle cradled across her chest. A small seeker droid followed behind her, its red eye sending shivers down the recruits' spine.
The last person to leave wore a mixed set of armor. Worn over a tattered black robe, the gray chest piece of an Imperial officer's battle armor was covered with scratches. Gray plastoid plates from an unknown variant of stormtrooper armor covered his right arm, while a silver-grey pauldron, vambrace, and gauntlet covered the left arm. It looked anachronistic, the gray modern plastoid armor was a sharp contrast to the medieval plated armor. Juse recognized the helmet as part of the Imperial army trooper's gear. His necklace with various claws seemed bright under the sun.
Clearing his throat, the man with the necklace spoke. "Welcome to the trial. I'm Siegfried Tanroy, co-leader of the exploration branch. Next to me are my teammates, Lunnic Mal and Turk." The sniper and the droid briefly introduced themselves by speaking their names.
"Your task is simple: guard the entrance from invaders. The trial ends when I come out of the cave. You are to defend this entrance with your life. If you're worried about reinforcements, you can call for air support on the radio. A pilot will carpet-bomb the area and return to the airport to resupply. Any questions?"
A Quarren raised his hand, the tentacle-like beard twitched as he spoke. "Do we know who the invaders are? How many will there be?"
Siegfried shrugged his shoulder. "As far as I know, they are natives and they hunt in packs." A low murmur came from the group until it was silenced by Siegfried's raised hand. "If that's all, I suggest getting into a defensive position and choosing a leader. You have a minute to prepare."
Stepping away from the recruits, a rabble of noise erupted as they vied for leadership. It was a noisy cacophony as they shouted over one another. Some boasted about the number of people they killed, while others claimed their experience during the Galactic Civil War. Only Juse and Ina avoided the verbal fracas and crouched behind the fort's wall, their blasters aimed toward the mist. Three short whistles signaled the start of the trial and Siegfried entered the cave alone. His teammates crouched behind the fort's walls, waiting for the invaders to come.
The sound of chittering cries filled the air and fear paralyzed the recruits. Lumbering out of the mist were the invaders, giant mantises with diamond-like tibia. Their mandibles clicking, they turned their sights on the recruits.
"Shoot the eyes! Shoot the eyes!" someone shouted. A flurry of red and green bolts slammed into the mantis' head. The creature screeched as it was pelted with blaster bolts. The DH-17 blaster in Juse's hand shook each time he squeezed the trigger. The mantis' orb-like eyes squinted, raising its tibias to block the bolts. It swiped at the ground, showering soil and dirt at the recruits.
A sharp mechanical click alerted Juse that the blaster had overheated and would remain shut down until it had cooled down. Tossing it aside, he ran to the tarp and blindly grabbed a blaster. It didn't matter what kind of blaster it was or its condition. He couldn't be picky about it right now, not when there was a life or death situation in front of him. In the din of the battle, he vaguely heard someone shout "Give me covering fire!" but he hadn't registered it until someone sprinted past him. Carrying a rocket launcher, the Trandoshan pointed it at the mantis and fired the rocket. A plume of gray smoke sprouted from the breech as the rocket streaked toward the mantis's head. The sound of the explosion was deafening, and incessant ringing rendered them temporarily deaf to sound. Screeching at the defenders, the mantis scampered away into the mist.
Juse squeezed his hands shut to stop it from shaking. Next to him, Ina was still in shock from the battle. She tried raising her hand to slap herself, but her hand refused to move. She stared at it, mentally screaming at it to move. But her hand refused to move. Her legs were rooted in place, frozen by trauma and shock.
"Ina. Hey, Ina, are you there?" The rough hands shaking her shoulder broke the spell and she lashed out, punching Juse in the face. The sudden blow sent him backward as he clutched his cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Juse. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was -" Ina's words ran over her mouth like a waterfall. He rubbed his cheek, wincing at the punch.
"Are you alright?" he repeated his question. The Arkanian nodded and pulled him to his feet. Around them, the recruits were busy with their tasks, which were being dictated by the Transdoshan. He pointed a scaly finger at Juse and Ina, shouting at them to complete their tasks. Ina quickly volunteered to look over their wounds, while Juse lugged wooden pallets to bolster the fort's defenses. No one knew how long the lull would be and they took advantage of the lull. At the weapons depot, depleted blaster cartridges were replaced with fresh ones. Trenches were hastily dug up with various tools, from flimsy field shovels to their bare hands. Sandbags were filled and tied up with rope.
Two hours later, the next wave came upon them. The chittering and squeaks grew louder and the silhouettes became more defined and sharper. "How many are there?" the Trandoshan shouted to the observer. Squinting in the binoculars, a male Zyggerian counted the coming horde. "There's too many!" the feline humanoid yowled back. The Trandoshan sighed and ran his scaly hands over his face. "Give me an estimate and come down," he said with an exasperated sigh.
The Zygerrian stared at the horde until he climbed down the ladder and leaped off. "Twenty or more," he said. The Trandoshan gave the felinoid a hearty slap on the back, thanking him for his work, and grabbed the radio.
"Air support, can you hear me?" the Trandoshan shouted. Static and white noise was laced with the voice that responded. "I can hear you. Do you need help now?"
"What's your ETA? How many starfighters do you have?" the Trandoshan asked. "Uh, ETA is one minute. We have a full squadron down here. Why are you asking?" the voice questioned him.
"That doesn't matter. We don't need air support right now, but just get ready." With a sigh, the voice acknowledged the Trandoshan. The reptilian alien upholstered his blaster and pointed it at the coming horde.
"Ready… aim…," the Trandoshan commanded. Their fingers hovering over metal triggers and squinted eyes peering through iron sights, the fighters waited for the final command to be uttered aloud. Seconds passed as the Trandoshan judged the distance between them and the mantises.
"Fire!" In an instant, no man's land was filled with blaster bolts and rockets hammering into the mantises. The horde slowed its approach and the vanguard was pelted with every explosive and weapon known to the galaxy. But, advanced technology and firearms did little damage to the mantis. A loud screech was heard as those behind the vanguard pushed them aside. The slow wave of charging mantises resumed its march toward the fort.
"I need air support now!" the Trandoshan shouted into the radio. "Roger that. Iron Squadron is on the way. ETA is one minute."
"Hold the line, people! Air support will be here in one minute." The Trandoshan's words were lost amidst the chaos of battle. Nothing seemed to deter the horde as it inched closer toward the fort.
Behind the fort's walls, Ina and Juse were lobbing grenades at the mantises. Pressing the button, Juse watched his grenade detonate harmlessly against the mantises' thick skin. Everyone knew that it would be impossible to kill the mantis and that their weapons irritated them. The least they could do was slow them down, which was what they were doing. The problem was the mantises were coming closer every minute. He could see them hissing their fangs at them.
"Juse, take cover!" Ina shouted and covered her ears. The rumble of aircraft overhead alerted him of the bombing run and he hastily covered his ears. Overhead, a squadron of Y-wing bombers dove toward the horde and dropped their payload of proton bombs.
White flashes of light and heat washed over the recruits as the bombs exploded. Ripped apart by shrapnel, the bodies of the mantises laid scattered and strewn across the ground. Craters covered the rocky ground and pockets of fire burned in the battlefield. Trails of black smoke curled up skyward. Both Juse and Ina gagged at the overwhelming stench of burning flesh and blood. It left a coppery aftertaste inside their mouths as they fought their gag reflex. Wet ragged handkerchiefs were handed out and wrapped around their noses.
"I swear, that guy knew what we were up against. I bet he even sent them here, placed some kind of bait." a male Shistavanen growled aloud, his wolf-like face twisted into a snarl.
Some of the recruits nodded or grunted in agreement, suspicious of the man who went inside the cave alone. Others commented on his laid-back personality, believing he was unfit to be a leader.
"Well, that's surprising. You survived the attack," said Siegfried. Mechanical clicks and high-pitched whines filled the air as the recruits pointed their blasters at him. He calmly walked over to the pile of discarded cartridges and examined them.
"What were you doing inside the cave?" the Trandoshan stepped toward Siegfried. He did not flinch when the blaster's barrel poked his shoulder. Siegfried brushed aside the blaster with his hand, "That's none of your business, my friend." Sidestepping around the pile of cartridges, he frowned at the boy blocking his path.
"We deserve to know," the boy said. For a moment, Siegfried wanted to shout at him and tell him he didn't need to know, but it would only escalate the tension between them. Behind the boy, Turk's eye flashed once and he sighed.
Grabbing a handful of depleted blaster cartridges, he walked around the fort's walls and dumped them on the ground. "What's your name, kid?" he asked.
"Juse Voss, sir" the boy spoke. Siegfried pointed at the pile of cartridges on the ground, "Throw them at me until I tell you to stop." The co-leader jogged a few meters away from Juse and unclipped a slim metal cylinder from his belt. From their viewpoint, they could see a few knobs and switches were installed on the item. The small crowd watched Siegfried examine the object for any flaws. There were a few gasps of surprise when he split the object into two. He locked the two cylinders back together and shouted at Juse to begin throwing.
"Here goes nothing," the Corellian muttered to himself and hurled three empty cartridges at Siegfried. There was a click and a sharp hiss when Siegfried flicked the activation button. A pale yellow column of light burst out of the right emitter and he sliced the first cartridge in half with a swift diagonal cut. The second cartridge met its fate with a broad sweep as he sliced it with another blade of light, this one emitting from the left emitter. The final cartridge was diced to pieces when he split the double-bladed lightsaber in half. He twisted the pommel ends and reconnected the dual lightsabers into a single weapon once more.
Silence reigned over the shocked crowd and a smirking Siegfried. He could see the gears in their minds spinning into overdrive. Everyone had heard the rumors and stories about the Jedi, the legendary group of people who could sense the Force and acted as the galaxy's peacekeepers. During the Clone Wars, they served as commanders, leading their armies into battle. But, they were betrayed and killed in a massacre that ended the Jedi Order. The few survivors hid across the galaxy, hoping the Empire would never find them.
"Hey, Juse! Stop staring at me and start throwing the cartridges! '' Siegfried snapped at the astonished boy. The retort brought Juse out of his shock and he hurled more at him. Cartridges were deftly sliced to pieces by Siegfried as he demonstrated his abilities.
Siegfried flicked the activation button again, the yellow blade of energy shrinking rapidly. Clipping the double-bladed split-saber to his belt, he stretched his arms out. "Well, that's all I'm showing you guys. If you want to hear more, you will have to earn it"
The sound of a shuttle's engines howled overhead and they watched a Sentinel-class shuttle land in front of them. The ramp lowered down and Siegfried entered the shuttle. "Come on, people. Let's go," he shouted at the wide-eyed recruits. Shrugging their shoulders, they picked up their bags and followed Siegfried into the shuttle.
Inside the shuttle, the shuttle's crew nodded to Siegfried who stopped in front of a communication panel. Placing the headset over his head, he activated the console. Electronic whines settled into low drones as he was connected with his friend. A husky, boisterous voice greeted his ears.
"So, how did it go?"
"Are you asking about the recruits or me?" Siegfried asked. The voice scoffed at him, "Obviously, I'm asking about you. Did you build it?"
"I did. Everything went as I expected, although I had to show it to them." he sighed.
"Ah, well. At least they won't pester the regulars. Everybody on the ship knows what you are." the voice conceded. "So, how are the recruits? I bet it frazzled them."
Siegfried turned to look at the tired rabble of people. Some of them were sleeping against the wall and others were playing a game of sabacc. "I think they're fine. They might still be traumatized, but they got over the shock quickly."
"We will see about that, old friend." There was a click and he hung up the headset. He was tired and exhausted from the trial of getting his kyber crystal and assembling his lightsaber. His vision swam for a moment and he blinked his eyes rapidly. "I need to sleep" he groaned and slumped against the wall.
-X-X-X-
He didn't know how long he had slept, but he was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder. Rubbing his eyes, Turk's blue monoeye widened at him. "Sir, wake up. We have arrived at the Steadfast." Siegfried yawned and stretched his arms. The area behind the cockpit was crowded with the recruits trying to get a view of their new home.
Behind the pilot's seat, Juse and Ina stared at the ship floating in space. Behind the ship were five other ships of various sizes. Glancing over the four ships, Juse identified the tell-tale shapes of two CR90 corvettes, a Nebulon-C frigate, an MC40A light cruiser, and an MPO-1400 Star Cruiser. He had expected the ship to be big, but he never expected it to be so massive. The ship had a long cylindrical hull with a tapered, cone-like bow, it's towering fin-like spire rose from its hull. Turbolasers, laser cannons, and photon torpedo launchers dotted its surface. Faded stripes of blue and white covered the ship, but it was the white hexagon that revealed the ship's origins.
"How did you find this ship? I thought they were all destroyed in the Clone Wars." Juse said and pointed at the ship. "The Providence-class dreadnaughts were scrapped." Turk turned to Juss and spoke, "Yes, they were scrapped. But, if you know where to look, it is possible to find one intact." In a single stride, the droid was next to the Correllian. "The Steadfast was found adrift in the northern region of the Outer Rim. Apparently, the ship suffered a severe malfunction and lost power. With a little help, we managed to repair and upgrade the ship for our use."
The training droid continued, "The ship has been modified extensively, but retains its original weapons. The only major refit was gutting its droid forces, which freed up a lot of space. That space was quickly filled up with men, starfighters, med bays, and spare parts."
The shuttle landed inside the busy hangar, where mechanics and pilots were inspecting their starfighters. Astromech droids whined and beeped at their pilots, who waved them off. No one seemed to notice the shuttle land near them except for a Besalisk wearing old leather overalls. Pressurized air hissed out of hidden ducts as the ramp was lowered down.
"Congratulations on building your lightsaber, Siegfried." the four-armed giant rumbled. Siegfried nodded at the giant and hooked his thumb at the recruits behind him. "You know what to do, Relan. By the way..." The Jedi pulled aside Relan and pointed at Juse and Ina.
"You want them on our team?" Relan inquired. Siegfried nodded. Turning to the recruits, he shouted at them, "Listen up! Relan here will give you a tour of the ship and process you guys in. You will be given equipment and assigned to your squads at the end of the tour. Take it away, old friend." He patted Relan's back and headed to the closest turbolift.
"Before we begin, could I have your names?" Relan asked.
The ride to the command bridge was smooth and the sound of crew officers murmuring reached his ears when the turbolift's doors slid open. Arranged in a hexagonal shape, rows of consoles and machines lined the outer edge while a circular holotable dominated the center. Near the back was a secluded area for private meetings between the captain and his officers. The holotable was currently projecting the Steadfast's inventory. The screen flickered as a furry humanoid with long tapered ears sitting in a hoverchair manipulated the controls. One ear twitched and the Bothan grinned at Siegfried. Dressed in a white shirt and leather field jacket, a white headset hung around his neck. A yellow sash with a white stripe denoted his rank as the ship's captain. While the canine humanoid's upper body was fine, his lower body was missing. Two white stumps wrapped in sterile bandages displayed his disability
"Preparations are complete for our little excursion beyond," he said happily. Leaning on the railing, Siegfried watched the crew officers work before asking his question. "How long will it take, Obisek?"
Obisek's brown fur rippled across his arm as he pulled up the course. "Navigation says it will take a day to reach the nebula. According to Nyx Station, there won't be any ion storms that will impede us." Nyx Station was the only space station near the Red Nebula's border. Located a shy two lightyears away, the Golan I space station served as a launching point for expeditions into the Unknown Regions.
"All ships report ready, Captain Norreso" a comms officer reported. Nodding in the officer's direction, he pushed the hoverchair's control stick forward and the chair glided toward the captain's console. With his right hand hovering over the hyperspace activation knob, Nobisek jabbed the intercom button.
"Attention, all crew members. This is Captain Obisek Norreso speaking. Today marks the beginning of the Lodestar Company's exploration branch. Today is the day I fulfill the promise I made to you a year ago. For the veterans, I know it's been a long time coming. For the recruits and rookies, I owe you an explanation. A year ago, I promised this crew that we would explore the Red Nebula. As far as we know, it's an unexplored region of space. No known star systems or planets. But that's going to change today, people. I know there has to be a habitable planet out there. You signed up to look for an adventure and that adventure is here. Let's make history, people! Norreso out."
Gripping the knob, he pushed it forward. The familiar whine and hum of energy filled the command center as pinpricks of light stretched and disappeared in a swirling tunnel of light.