Imperial Star Destroyer Vanquisher, Hangar Bay 1
Life aboard a starship had its perks and downsides. Every day brought a new set of challenges and rewards for the soldiers based on the Vanquisher. Its activities ranged from pacifying alien species on planets in the Unknown Region to conducting security patrols. But rigorous activities and stringent tests of loyalty did little to rid the monotony of repeating activities. By heart, everyone knew the drills and how to execute them. The officers in the data pits would flick the same switches on their consoles, deck officers would shout the same commands to the pilots and navigators. What were the use of repetition and endless drills if it did nothing to aid the student? Even if the captain gave them a break, it wasn't as if they could go anywhere for a vacation.
The monotony was broken when the crew was informed by Captain Vudarn that they had received new orders. No one knew what these new orders entailed, but the influx of materials, starfighters, and manpower meant it was a big operation. The regular TIE fighters were replaced with the vaunted TIE Defenders, the Empire's version of the Rebel X-wing. New stormtrooper armor was shipped to the armory and rumors said it was made out of stronger material. It rejuvenated the crew's morale, who believed that the Empire was ready to take back the galaxy.
Inside the Vanquisher's primary hangar bay, two people were waiting for a Lambda-class shuttle to arrive. Dressed in freshly ironed clothes, Captain Ras Vudarn stood at attention. His second-in-command, Lieutenant Merrick, stood a few meters away from him. Both men watched the shuttle extend its landing gears and land softly on the metal flooring. The ramp opened and a figure stepped forward. Like Captain Vudarn, the person was dressed in black clothing and armor. Their face was covered by a hood and a pair of amber eyes stared at him. A garble of sound came from within the hood and the person spoke.
"I presume you are Captain Vudarn, commander of the Vanquisher?"
"Yes, I am the commander, sir. I was informed by the Grand Admiral you will be joining us." Vudarn said. The figure turned around and beckoned the others to exit the craft. One by one, they descended down the ramp. All of them wore matching uniforms and masks. He noticed that a number was etched on their masks, but said nothing of it. Behind him, Lieutenant Merrick saluted the group's leader. "Sir, I am here to escort you and your colleagues to your rooms. As requested, the entire floor has been vacated and reserved for you."
"Good. Follow the officer, acolytes." The person commanded. The group marched in a single-file line, their footsteps disappearing as they left the hangar bay. Vudarn debated whether to ask for the person's name when the person spoke. "I have no name, Captain Vudarn. It was lost long ago."
"I see. If you have no name, what should I call you?" Vudarn asked quietly. Stepping past Vudarn, the person whispered, "I am the Executor. I am his will and my word is his law." Turning on his heels, Vudarn watched the Executor leave the hangar bay. Exhaling his breath noisily, he adjusted his kepi and left the hangar bay.
"Dropping out of hyperspace, sir"
The swirling storm of hyperspace vanished in a flash of white light as the Steadfast entered real space. Inside the command center, the crew hustled about as they checked with one another. Lying a few hundred miles away was a cloudy wall of red nebulous gas. Lightning bolts crackled within the clouds as it raced through the nebula. In a few minutes, the little expedition group would enter the nebula and brave ion storms as they searched for new worlds. On their right was Nyx Station, the old Golan I space station that served as both a launching point and a home base. Obisek pressed the hailing button, which connected with one of Nyx's many communication operators.
"This is Nyx Station. How may I help you today?"
Clearing his throat, the Bothan asked the operator to connect him with a communication frequency. It took a minute for the connection to go through, but the holographic ghosts of a 3PO protocol droid and a massive slug-like alien appeared in front of him. The protocol droid raised its arms, waving and pointing at him. "Do you have any idea how long we have been waiting? Too long, I tell you! You said it would take -" Obisek cut off the droid's irate speech with an exasperated sigh.
"Hey, hey! Pipe it down, will ya? You're giving me a headache with your scolding, CK," Obisek scowled at the droid. CK-3PO's 'eyes' flashed red as he resumed his tantrum. "How dare you insult me? You should know better than to keep us waiting." A series of gurgles and groans came from the slug-like alien and CK translated it for him. "Sedoa asks if everything is ready for your expedition."
"We are, Sedoa. It shouldn't take long." Siegfried said. Sedoa responded with a litany of gurgles and groans, which CK translated. "Sedoa prays for your safety and success in your endeavor, sir Tanroy."
"Remind him not to forget the plan, CK," Obisek said as he pulled out a nutrient bar from his jacket. CK translated Sedoa's gurgles, "He knows the plan by heart, sir Norreso. If we don't hear back from you in thirty days, the rescue fleet will be dispatched immediately."
Obisek grinned at the duo and clicked his tongue. "Good to hear, CK. We will be going now. Norreso out." The line disconnected and the hologram vanished into thin air. "Pilot, take us in. Shields at half and long-range sensors at maximum, people." A chorus of affirmations confirmed the captain's order and the expedition group disappeared inside the Red Nebula.
-X-X-X-
It was easy to get lost aboard a ship like the Steadfast. Corridors and hallways often merged and divided at random points, creating a maze of nearly endless paths. Despite the dilemma, it was easy to tell where a person was. If the floor was lined with white durasteel and the scent of lemons, it was the medical ward. If it was bright orange and streaked with brown spots, they were in the engineering section. The Steadfast was divided into several sections: medical, engineering, hangar bay, supply, command, etc. While the idea was unorthodox, it clearly worked as few people got lost.
Stumbling past a corner, Juse sidestepped past a group of aliens and looked around. He was surprised at the cleanliness aboard the ship. Not a scrap of paper was seen on the floor. Turning right at a junction, he continued his exploration. A child-like joy filled him as he examined every nook and cranny, wondering who or what inhabited the ship. Stopping in front of a turbolift, he was aboard to it when he noticed a door hanging ajar. The door was slightly open and a thin ray of light seeped through the gap.
"it won't hurt to take a look, right?" he mumbled aloud as he pulled the door open. The room was spacious and lit by a ring of clustered lamps. An oval ceiling light cast its glow on the floor. A pile of boxes sat in a corner of the room and Juse approached it carefully. Metal, rusted items of every shape and size sat unattended and gathered dust. Juse gasped as he heard muffled voices behind a wall and ducked behind the pile. Two pairs of footsteps rumbled on the floor, one was a soft shuffle and the other was hard metallic scrapping. He peeked out behind the pile and saw Turk and Siegfried standing in the center of the room.
The droid handed Siegfried a blue cube and he placed it on the floor. Stepping away from it, he stretched his hands out at the cube. At first, he thought nothing had happened when a beam of light erupted from the cube. It coalesced into a hologram of a figure wearing thick brown robes. Beneath the robe, the hologram wore a set of heavy armor. A hood obscured the figure's face, but Juse saw the T-shape visor of a Mandalorian helmet.
"Greetings, young one. What do you seek?" the hologram said.
"What happens after I have assembled my lightsaber?" Siegfried asked. The hologram flickered, switching to a Kel Dor male in robes. "Once you have assembled your lightsaber, you must undergo the Jedi trials. Upon completion, you will be chosen by a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master and become their Padawan. You will learn from them and train with them until you reach knighthood."
"Well, what if I don't have a Jedi Master? What then?" Siegfried's eyebrows kneed in confusion. The hologram continued, "If that is the case, then it is up to you to determine whether you are worthy." The hologram fizzled into motes of light, leaving behind a confused Siegfried.
"How do I even know if I'm worthy? This is too much," he lamented. Turk gingerly placed his hand on Siegfried's shoulder, "That is a question to be answered later, Master Tanroy. If I were you, I would focus on the things I know best. Like lightsaber techniques and Jedi history."
"Anybody can do that, Turk. The problem is that everybody has their own standards of worthiness. Just knowing lightsaber techniques and history doesn't make one worthy." Siegfried complained.
"Then perhaps it is an act you consider to be worthy," Turk explained. Siegfried rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. "I don't know, Turk. I just don't know," he said with a resigned voice.
A squawk from a hidden voicecaster echoed in the room. "Sieg, get up here. You gotta see this." Turk whistled at the voicecaster, "I will be surprised if we found a planet. How about a wager, Master? A hundred pseudo credits between us."
Siegfried smirked at the droid, "I don't do bets unless I'm certain of the outcome." He dashed out of the room, leaving behind a sullen droid. "You're no fun," the droid sighed as it followed Siegfried. The room was empty once more and Juse slowly crept out of his hiding place. He had seen enough and he had no intention of being caught up in Siegfried's machinations.
When he arrived at his barracks, his bunkmates were gone. Following the crowd, Juse found himself in a cavernous auditorium. Stone stairs led to metal bleachers, which were quickly filled with people. Slightly beyond the bleachers was a long rectangular panel of reinforced glass. The newly discovered planet floated silently in space behind the glass panels. He could see everything from here: the continents, the ocean, the skies. Excitement and awe filled his body as he stared at the planet.
"I'm surprised we actually found something alive here," a soft voice remarked. Juse gasped when he saw Lunnic Mal standing next to him. She was still dressed in her black armor, the carbine repeater was still strapped to her chest. The seeker droid hung limply behind her back.
"You didn't think there would be anything here?" Juse asked. He flinched her piercing gaze, unable to look directly at her silver-grey eyes. He relaxed when she turned back to the planet. "The Red Nebula is known for its ion storms and disastrous weather phenomena. Countless explorers before us have tried to find signs of life, only to perish alone in the darkness."
"So, what do you think it will be called?" Juse tried to change the subject after the gloomy statement. But the crushing weight of depression only increased when she said the name, "Metus Primis Novus. In Ancient Basic, it roughly means "terror of the first life". A fitting name, don't you think?" Juse's face paled and he shook his head. "That's morbid, Lunnic. It should be something more hopeful, more positive." he sputtered aloud. She shrugged her shoulders and began to leave until she remembered her errand.
"I almost forgot. We are having a meeting in the briefing room soon, so Sieg wanted me to bring our new members along."
"Oh, okay. So, who's the other member?" he asked. She pointed at the bleachers and he followed her eyes to the person she pointed to. "You're kidding, right?"
Five minutes later, he and Ina found themselves in the meeting room. Plastic chairs surrounded the holotable, which lit up the room with a pale blue light. On the other side of the holotable were the rest of Squad Tanroy. Sandwiched between Relan and Turk, Siegfried nodded his head to the new members. "Let's get started," he clapped his hands together.
"As you know, we discovered a new planet just now. Astronomy says it's a Class M planet and the probes are reporting there is oxygen. Our mission is recon and intel: scout out the land and retrieve information. We will head down via a Sentinel-class shuttle and stay for a week or two. If things get rough, we're leaving immediately. If we're pinned down or our bird gets toasted, one of the CR90s will pick us up and take us back into orbit."
The holographic image of flat grasslands and a snow-capped mountain in the distance crackled to life. "We will head east until we reach anything of importance, like a town or people," he said and drew a line in the eastern direction. "Speaking of which, you are not to interact with natives." Siegfried wagged his fingers at everyone. "I know some of you may want to talk to them, but we can't risk exposing ourselves. Worst case scenario, they think we are the enemy and we are screwed permanently. Unless they are in trouble, we will not help them in any way."
"But what if they are facing something like the Empire? Shouldn't we help them?" Juse protested. The Force-sensitive sighed and countered, "Not unless if they are technologically outmatched or its severe oppression. I don't want to get involved in their mess and clean it up for them. They need to take some of that burden as well."
"Any questions or issues to clarify?" he asked. No one said anything until Ina raised her hand. "Say one of the natives is severely injured. How much of their injuries should I treat?"
"Enough that they are stabilized. Prioritize the more severe wounds, like slug wounds and third-degree burns. A few bruises won't kill them." he said and she nodded her head.
"In case you get captured or you get stripped of your weapons, try to follow their directions and demands. Give enough information to placate them, but not too much. Just say that you're from far away or from another continent overseas. It's more believable than saying you're an alien from outer space. We will come and rescue you"
"We will be joined by Squad Ibex for this mission. We leave in twenty minutes, people. Pack only your essentials, people." Rapping his knuckles on the holotable, the meeting was adjourned and the members left for their barracks. Stuffing a gray cotton cardigan into his rucksack, Juse checked over his list for the last time. "Clothes, check. Medkit, check. Blaster cartridges, check." he mumbled aloud when someone knocked on the wall. Turning around, he saw Sieg leaning against the doorframe.
"Do you need help?" the veteran asked. "No, I don't think so. I'm all set." Juse zipped the rucksack close and hefted it on his shoulder. The two rode the turbolift in silence until they reached the armory. The armory was manned by a diminutive Sullustan named Nenosh, who was polishing a blaster on a table. Raising his head, he nodded at Siegfried and pointed at an object on the table. "It's ready for you. Try not to break it next time, okay?" he warbled at Sieg. Nenosh's black eyes widened when he looked over Juse. "A new rookie, eh? You got a particular blaster you want, kid?"
"Do you have a DH-17?" Juse asked. Reaching under the table, Nenosh unlocked the cabinet where he stored the DH-17 pistols and placed one in front of Juse. "Don't lose it, rookie." the Sullustan warned him and Juse quickly nodded. Their arrival at the hangar bay was announced by exasperated sighs and annoyed yells from both squads.
"Can it, Ibexes. He was only late by a minute," Gam Tron said. A blue-skinned Duros, he wore a brown scavenger's outfit covered with durasteel plates. A green scarf covered his mouth while a pair of wind-proof goggles was strapped around his forehead.
"Let's go. We have a new world to explore," the Duros rallied and they followed him in to the shuttle. Once the ramp had closed, the shuttle's engines flared and sped toward the planet.