ISD Chimaera, Imperial Center - Core Worlds
3rd person POV…
After the devastating attack by Jarik Shan that demolished a part of the Imperial Palace, the Resolute was removed some distance away from the Palace and in the process of being disassembled. The Imperial Palace likewise was being repaired as well.
Before anything was moved however, Thrawn had the Resolute scanned in full depth, in order to analyze it. He also had a team work on recovering any data from the cruiser's computers but most of it was destroyed in the crash, and anything that survived was wiped clean of information.
Nevertheless Thrawn didn't bother being upset about that, and instead worked on analyzing everything that was left behind in the search for clues. In his office aboard the Chimaera were several holograms surrounding his desk. The holograms showed images of the Resolute, the dragons and Vikings, and other data that he was sifting through, including a galactic map of planetary systems.
The door to Thrawn's office opens, and he looks up to see Darth Vader striding inside, his cold breathing filling the air.
"Admiral Thrawn," Vader says.
"Lord Vader," he replies with a nod. "I suppose I should not be surprised by your presence here."
"No you should not," Vader agrees coldly. "The Emperor wishes to know of your progress."
"Progress is slow my lord but this recent attack, while devastating, has provided much insight for me to review," he informs him.
"What is your analysis?" he questions.
"First are the obvious details, such as the Republic Star Destroyer used in the assault, along with the participants of Shan's rescue team," Thrawn states. "I find it curious to know that this cruiser is in infact the Resolute, the flagship of General Skywalker during the Clone Wars."
"I'm well aware of this fact," Vader states. "It's quite clear that Shan used the same tactic as the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, to break through the blockade. Where Shan could have procured this vessel from is something I would like to understand."
"Where, I am yet uncertain, but I do know that it is likely he just found it before this operation," he says. "While the cruiser vanished on a mission years ago, the presence of organic material covering the hull suggests that it was left underneath a large body of water, coincidentally on the planet Jarik Shan remains hidden."
Vader frowns underneath his mask. "What makes you so sure of that?"
"The composition of the organic substances on the hull, while relatively similar to some, does not match anything in our known database," he explains. "Therefore it could only have originated from a planet we have not yet discovered.
"So Shan's planet is unknown to us," Vader says with concealed anger.
"Quite so, although I'm certain that the creatures and primitive individuals that accompanied him and the rebels also originate from there," he replies.
"The creatures known as dragons carry some connections to the Force, according to the Emperor," Vader comments. "However that is unimportant to what is required."
"I understand Lord Vader. I do have a theory on where this planet may be, and how he got there," Thrawn says. "Jarik Shan's ship, known as the Knight Hawk, was present in a skirmish I took part in years ago on Hypori, although I did not realize its significance at the time. During that skirmish the rebels were attempting to gain two old Separatist warships, and ended up halfway successful. However in the battle the Knight Hawk was there as well, and managed to make an escape."
"So he helped recover those frigates for the rebels," he says, frowning under his mask. "What relevance does that carry with his hidden planet?"
"When the Knight Hawk attempted to escape, our cruisers managed to inflict damage to the ship's hyperdrive just before they entered lightspeed," he says. "It is possible that Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano never meant to find their hidden planet of exile, but were sent there through an accident. At the time I did not realize that the Knight Hawk was their ship, and so did not think much of it."
"Can you now?" he asks.
"Perhaps. A precise calculation of that hyperspace jump is very unlikely due to how long ago it was, but I can begin a search pattern along possible routes. However there is much of the Unknown Regions that still requires exploration. It will take time."
"Time which cannot last. The actions of Jarik Shan have resulted in chaos and disorder across the galaxy, and the rebels are only growing bolder," Vader states firmly. "That is why the Emperor has ordered me to become more involved in breaking this rebellion."
"My Lord?" Thrawn questions.
"The rebels are yours to locate and deal with as you see fit Admiral. But the Jedi must be destroyed," he states.
"Second Sister is already assigned under my command to assist in regards to the Jedi," Thrawn points out.
"For Kanan Jarrus and his apprentice, perhaps, but for Jarik Shan however, she is sorely incapable of defeating," Vader says firmly. "Against the rebels you have firm superiority, but when facing the likes of Shan you simply lack the capability of defeating him unless through a ship battle or threatening those he loves."
"A contest for a warrior is not always about strength," he suggests calmly. "There are ways in defeating him without physical confrontation."
"Nevertheless, the Emperor no longer wants to take risks. As long as he lives, he inspires hope and inspiration to our enemies, no matter his condition. Disregarding his strategic and tactical abilities, there are no longer any within the Empire who can challenge his skills aside from myself, and the Emperor."
"I understand Lord Vader," Thrawn concedes with a nod.
Somewhere in the Outer Rim...
The self-renowned fantastic smuggler, Hayden Belhol, sat in the cockpit of his new ship, grumbling to himself as he investigates the main console and different mechanisms. He scoffs quietly to himself, making a face at a few things and swiveling around in his chair. He's listening to some music playing on a speaker while looking over the ship's controls, and doesn't notice when Rylla walks in.
Rylla observes Hayden for a moment and then rolls her eyes, getting a sense of what he's muttering in displeasure about. Walking over in his direction she slams her hand down on the speaker to shut it off, and then flicks him on the forehead. He yelps in surprise and whips around, scowling at her in disbelief and irritation.
"Hey! what was that for?!" he demands.
"Stop being so negative Hayden, this is a nice ship!" she insists, for the thousandth time now.
"You kidding me? This bucket of bolts needs so many modifications... everything is lowsy," he replies in disagreement.
"Come on, Jarik gave us plenty of credits to get this ship fresh off of the assembly line without any sweat. It's a YT-1000 freighter for Force's sake, they're a good model!" Rylla reminds him in exasperation.
"New or not, the Endeavor was so much better than this. Corellian ships are complete and total bantha fodder," he says with a grunt.
Rylla rolls her eyes at his behavior. "You know, for a guy who prides himself on being able to fly any ship in the galaxy, you certainly seem to hate one of the largest groups of ship manufacturers."
"We live in a galaxy of morons then," he shrugs carelessly. "Leave it to that Solo guy to start proclaiming his Corellian ship is 'the best,' out there."
"Like you're one to talk," Rylla snorts. "You're not too much better."
"I happen to have accomplishments to back up my genius," Hayden retorts pridefully, before snorting at the thought of Solo. "And he calls himself the best smuggler around..."
"And who is? You?" Sabine suddenly says, entering the cockpit as well. "Don't make me laugh."
"Don't forget I'm the one who taught you to fly princess," he says, turning around to face her.
"Seriously? Are you forgetting that I was a cadet at the Imperial academy before meeting you?" she argues.
"No, and I also didn't forget that you weren't there for flying class, you were there for tech class," he reminds her smugly. "You sucked at flying."
Sabine scoffs, crossing her arms and looking away with an exasperated scowl on her face. At the same time, Ketsu also enters the cockpit.
"Oh, wonderful. Now you've wonderously upset the Mandalorian teenager," Rylla sighs sarcastically.
"Big mistake," Ketsu remarks.
"No kidding. He's gonna be upset too if he doesn't keep his yapper shut," Sabine comments.
"I don't know if that's possible Sabine. Sorry about that," she shrugs apologetically.
"He does have a loudmouth," Ketsu adds casually.
"What is this, pick-on-Hayden day?" Hayden protests. "You guys always keep doing this."
"You're an easy target," Sabine replies carelessly.
"This is what I get for being the only male on the team," he mutters to himself.
"If it makes you feel better, Jarik gets teases by us girls all the time too," Rylla points out.
"So what? Only proves how relentless and annoying you ladies are to us men," he shoots back.
Rylla and Sabine both share an amused giggle with each other while Ketsu shakes her head with a sigh, crossing her arms. In the meantime, Hayden starts prying open a few panels beneath the main console, tinkering with the machinery to figure out how it works.
"Ugh! This is so much different and more dumb than the Endeavor!" he complains after some observation.
"You want us to name the ship, 'Junkpile,' then?" Rylla asks.
"Heavily considering it!" he says.
"Well suck it up, Belhol, because we're about to get started," Ketsu states firmly. "Hondo is here."
"Great," he replies.
Hayden gets up and tosses away his tool, closing up the panel beneath the console. The group then makes their way down to the docking area as Hondo's stolen Imperial shuttle connects to the port.
"Remind me again why we're doing this?" he asks.
"It's a job," Rylla says.
"Yeah, I know, but why with Hondo Ohnaka? Besides, I thought we were gonna take a break from doing stuff for the Rebellion," he continues.
"What do you think I'm here for?" Sabine asks in response. "Besides, it's not like I enjoy the idea of working with Hondo either."
"We're not doing stuff directly for the Rebellion, like battling the Empire. That doesn't mean we can't pick up on some small time jobs for them, which we're getting paid for," Rylla reminds him. "Think of it as just another client."
"Oh yeah, sure. Another client," Hayden says sarcastically, before narrowing his eyes at Ketsu. "So why's she here then?"
"'She', has a name," Ketsu replies irritably. "And as it so happens, one of my clients also wants a piece of the cargo. This just makes it more efficient for me."
"Huh, alright. That's more believable," he comments.
Ketsu glares at him but doesn't respond, and the assembled group comes to a stop in front of the docking port. The door then opens, allowing the pirate Hondo Ohnaka to stride through with a wide grin on his face.
"Ahah! Greetings my friends, how lovely it is to meet you! It is I, Hondo Ohnaka!" he introduces himself happily. "I can't tell you how much your welcome warms this old pirates heart. You are too gracious!"
"I agree," Sabine says with a frown, crossing her arms.
"Ah! My Mandalorian friend! How good it is to see you again!" he exclaims in recognition.
"Not really. You abandoned me and my friends on a doomed Imperial station," she scowls at him.
"Ha!" Hayden laughs in amusement. "Classic pirate move."
"I hate pirates," Ketsu mutters.
"But it all worked out in end! Hondo always delivers, that you can be sure is a guarantee!" Hondo replies. "Just wait until you see what me and my new partner have cooked up!"
"What new partner?" Ketsu asks, frowning.
"Oh this is going to be difficult," Rylla sighs in exasperation.
"Have you recruited these two-but smugglers yet?" a squeaky, annoying voice demands. "We have to get moving!"
The fat and slimy crime lord, Azmorigan, pushes his way through the door and into the ship, looking around with an irritated scowl on his face. The assembled bounty hunters and smuggler look at him in disgust and annoyance, Sabine being more angry.
"Azmorigan?!" she says incredulously.
"Well isn't that one load of fat ugly," Hayden comments with a grimace.
"Hey, you just watch your mouth smuggler!" Azmorigan growls at him, pointing a threatening finger while Hayden stares back at him, unimpressed.
"Hayden, be nice," Rylla scolds him, before quietly adding: "Even though you are right."
"Hmph," Azmorigan scoffs at Hayden, before widening his eyes in fright at the sight of Ketsu. "Ahh! What's Onyo doing here?!"
"Completing a job," Ketsu replies, glowering at him. "You know the Black Sun doesn't take kindly to thievery."
"I- It was an accident! I didn't realize that was a part of your deal!" he nervously defends himself.
"You knew full way that transaction was for us," she retorts angrily.
"Let's save it for another time Ketsu," Rylla interrupts placatingly.
"Well What makes you think we'd consider working with this guy? Hondo is bad enough!" Sabine argues.
"You wound me, Sabine!" Hondo replies with a gasp. "Yes, I know that the two of you have had some past difficulties with my new partner, but when Hondo profits, do do you! And believe me, with what we have to offer, the profit for you will be great indeed!"
"It does include proton bombs, correct?" Rylla asks.
"Indeed! All the proton bombs you can carry, unguarded and simply ripe for the taking!" Hondo confirms.
"Well that's a relief," Hayden remarks.
"There's no way that many proton bombs can be left lying around without any sort of claim," Ketsu states.
"Where are they?" Sabine asks suspiciously.
"Come! Let old Hondo show you where our profits are!" he declares.
Hondo and Azmorigan move their way past and deeper into the ship, closely followed by a suspicious Sabine and annoyed Ketsu, which makes Azmorigan chuckle nervously. Rylla and Hayden follow right after, the former leaning close in order to talk quieter.
"Is this really a good idea? I don't like the idea of working with a pirate and fat-face," he says cautiously.
"I know it's not the ideal job, and Indefinitely don't care for Azmorigan, but Jarik seems to trust Hondo well enough," she tells him.
"Seriously?" Hayden asks doubtfully.
"He shared a... strange relationship with Hondo during the Clone Wars, sometimes an enemy, sometimes a friend," she explains with a shrug. "At the very least he trusts Hondo to not cause intentional harm."
"For him maybe, we don't even know the guy," he points out.
"Well, we'll just have to work with it," she sighs in finality.
Once they reach the cockpit of the ship, Rylla and Hayden sit down in their seats with the others remain standing, the two Mandalorian girls keeping their arms crossed with looks of displeasure.
Hondo then brings up a yellow hologram to display a stormy planet, and begins to tell his story.
"The planet Wynkahthu," Hondo explains. "As I happened to pass it on my travels, I detected an Imperial freighter in the upper atmosphere. Escape pods jettisoned, completely abandoned."
"Huh. Must've flown too close. It's stuck in one of those atmospheric storms," Hayden observes.
"It's slowly being pulled in," Ketsu adds.
"And its cargo will soon be lost!" Hondo exclaims.
"I have the supply right here. Its hold is loaded with a supply of proton bombs," Azmorigan states.
"So, what's in it for you two?" Rylla questions.
"Uh, you know, there is, um, precious metals, rare artifacts, riches untold. That sort of thing," Hondo comments.
"Probably stolen by the Empire from different worlds they've taken," Ketsu deduces.
"So, we split the treasure?" Sabine suggests.
Hondo then starts to laugh hysterically, holding his stomach and doubling over. The others all glance at each other in bewilderment, and Hayden just rolls his eyes.
"'Split the treasure,' oh that's a classic!" Hondo exclaims in amusement. "No, no no no no my dear Mandalorian. You get the bombs."
"And you get the treasure," Ketsu sighs. "However, you owe the Black Sun what you stole Azmorigan. I'll be taking the proper amount from your share."
"What?!" he exclaims in protest. "B-but I need this treasure!"
"It's either this, or the Black Sun hunts you down," she threatens.
"Wh- but I...!" Azmorigan falters before groaning in defeat. "Ok, fine!"
"Not that I'm complaining about the bombs Hondo, but what do you need us for? Why not use your own crew?" Sabine asks suspiciously.
"Now trust me, that is a long, boring story," Hondo replies, chuckling. "No no, my friends, you are the guys for the job! Although I would have preferred the Ghost Crew on this..."
"They're busy, which is why I'm here," she states firmly.
"Oh, yes, of course!" he concedes with a nod.
"And the Empire decided not to salvage the ship?" Hayden asks doubtfully.
"Because we have something for us that the Empire does not. We, are, desperate!" Hondo declares.
"He has a good point, especially in the Rebellion's case," Rylla sighs in reluctant agreement. "The Empire would abandon one stranded freighter without a second thought, but for the rest of us this is opportunity that can't be afforded to pass up."
"Well said! Then we have a deal?" Hondo asks.
The four of them all glance at each other, each conceding with a shrug, and then Rylla nods.
"I think we do," she says.
"We have a deal!" Hondo exclaims happily.
Temple Island - Ahch-To
Jarik POV...
"Ow! Hey, watch it!" I exclaim.
R5 beeps back at me sarcastically, laughing to himself in amusement, and I glare at him irritably in response.
"The offer is still on the table for you to be sold to a junk heap," I threaten him.
He retorts in a smug manner that I wouldn't never do that, and continues prodding at me with his tools, sending another vicious spark running through the wires of my mechanical arm.
"Gosh dang it!" I groan in pain, scoffing. "Maybe I take Mara and the Knight Hawk and just leave you here on the island by yourself. I'm sure you'd love that."
R5 beeps back at me suspiciously, and I narrow my eyes.
"Just try me," I say firmly in a threatening tone.
He looks at me for a while and then finally relents with an irritated beep, grumbling to himself. I sigh in exasperation and remain still where I'm sitting, keeping an eye on him as he fixes up my left arm.
It hasn't been given its typical check up in some time thanks to all the chaos that's happened, so it's worn out now. The prosthetic I first received was made with the resources that the Jedi had, so it didn't need to much work aside from me dealing wth phantom pain. But during the first few years after the Empire rose, I grew too large for the previous size and had to acquire a new one to better match my growth. And of course with limited resources, money, and a need to remain hidden, I couldn't exactly go an get a prosthetic as fancy as the first one, which means it needs repairing from time to time.
Being the sadistic astromech that he is, R5 takes some amusement out of irritating and shocking me, whereas Ahsoka actually cared about making sure I was fine. I honestly don't know where he developed such an attitude, because I was only sarcastic and teasing when I was younger.
Seeing R5 working on my arm however starts to remind me of something else, and I slowly bring my right hand up to my neck, rubbing it. The small chip containing the blue virus was still embedded in there, from when I thought turning to the dark side was inevitable. Since learning that it was actually the fault of Darth Traya's presence in the Sith holocron however… I may not need this anymore. I may carry darkness in my blood, but that in no way should define what I will turn out to be.
"R5… remember the promise I had you keep?" I ask him seriously.
He halts his work with a surprised squeal, this time shocking me on accident.
"Gah! Watch what you're doing!" I exclaim irritably.
R5 beeps back at me heatedly in response, demanding to know why I was bringing up talk about the suicide chip.
"Relax, I'm not asking you to use it!" I quickly reassure him, sighing in exasperation. "I'm actually thinking I don't need it anymore. I need to remove it."
R5 is silent for a moment, expressing his confusion and wariness in a slow, long beep.
"No I'm tricking you because I'm evil," I say, rolling my eyes. "I'm not turning to the dark side anymore because it was actually the Sith holocron causing the problem, not actually me myself."
He beeps once more, and I sigh again.
"No, I'm not getting you to remove it," I tell him, frowning. "You're not medical droid, and, I wouldn't trust you for a split-second to do that."
R5 squeals indignantly, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Whatever. Point is, I need to remove it, preferably without anyone knowing," I explain, looking off in thought. "Maybe Bail can get someone to do it quietly…"
Chopper Base - Atollon
Shaak Ti POV…
The holocron in my hand by all means, looks destroyed. The surface is mangled, the red glow it normally should give off is gone, and the material is charred and ruined. Even so I can still feel the faint shimmer of a dark presence within it, festering with cold anger.
Such an artifact should never be used, and I'm disappointed in the fact that the others went to such lengths to acquire it from Malachor. Knowing that Master Yoda is the one who authorized them to travel there in the first place is what keeps my thoughts of their mission at bay, since they aren't at fault for that. So why would Master Yoda send them somewhere that is forbidden, to obtain a Sith artifact that is better off destroyed?
Jarik mentioned that this holocron carries the presence of Darth Traya, an ancient Sith Lord who struggled between the light side and the dark side, eventually settling on the dark as this holocron proves. A witch. Even though Jarik professes that he understands the dark side, he was ignorant to the dark influence this holocron had on him. Maybe he truly does understand it, as he expresses a logical reasoning behind the Force's need for darkness, but it doesn't seem like he is capable of fully resisting its power.
At the very least I know firmly that I will not give into the temptations that this holocron promises, thanks to my Jedi training… but nothing is certain. That's a mistake I've come to learn that the Order held, as we believed in things being a certainty, and were proven horribly wrong when it came to the Chosen One.
The door to my quarters opens up, allowing Kanan and Ezra to walk inside.
"You wanted to see us Master?" Kanan questions.
"Yes Kanan, there's something I think we should discuss," I reply, placing the Sith holocron on a desk next to me.
"The holocron?" Ezra asks in confusion, his gaze drawn towards it.
"Even in its damaged state, the presence of its creator still lingers silently, trying to seduce us," I explain, glancing at Ezra. "It's already influenced Jarik and you, Ezra."
"Yeah," he admits guiltily, frowning at it.
"So what do you want us to do with it?" Kanan asks.
"We have to keep an eye on it; share the responsibility between us in a cycle. That way we can regulate and make sure it doesn't draw us into its influence," I inform them. "I don't like how its been handled lately."
"Alright," Ezra shrugs. "Will we ever be using it again?"
"I don't approve the idea, as you can only use the dark side to open such a holocron," I state firmly. "Jarik risked much for whatever he wished to learn. I still don't fully understand why."
"He's spoken before about the dark side, saying its a natural balance between both sides," Kanan remarks. "Do you agree with him?"
"Before, absolutely not. But now after everything that has transpired, I do understand it. There will always be darkness in the galaxy, just as there will always be light. It's not something that can ever be removed," I say with a nod. "Even so, I still don't fully agree in the idea of using the dark side."
"As long as it's safe and you don't lose yourself, shouldn't it be ok?" Ezra asks.
"It's a very dangerous risk. Once you start down a dark path, it's near impossible to turn away from," I tell him, frowning thoughtfully. "However… Jarik seems to be able to resist it to an extent."
"It's because of his love for Ahsoka," Kanan deduces.
"I believe so, yes," I nod in agreement. "Attachment is a risk, but he has also proven that it can be a much greater strength."
"Guess now you can ask Hera out on a date, huh?" Ezra teases, elbowing Kanan lightly.
"Excuse me?" Kanan asks, and I raise a brow at them in light amusement.
"So, we're just watching this holocron?" he quickly asks, ignoring Kanan now.
"Yes. We will each take turns. Having only one of us in possession of it is a risk," I confirm with a nod. "I've held it since Jarik left, so I feel that you should do so next, Kanan."
I pick up the holocron and hand it out to him, ands after a moment of hesitance he takes it, nodding his head.
"I understand Master," he says. "Thank you."
Kanan and Ezra then make their way out of my quarters, and Kanan leans over to Ezra and starts speaking in an irritated tone.
"You know if you've got something to say about me and Hera, maybe I should see if Sabine would like a date with you when she gets back!" he says threateningly.
"Are you kidding me?" Ezra replies incredulously.
I shake my head at the bickering between the strange Master/Padawan pair, and turn back to my desk where a few notes are displayed on a data pad. New recruits can't teach themselves, after all.
Wynkahthu - Mid Rim
3rd person POV…
The door opens up, allowing the team of Rylla, Ketsu, Hondo, and Azmorigan, access to the cargo hold. The pirate and crime lord rush inside eagerly, much to the annoyance of the other two, looking around with excited, greedy eyes.
"Azmorigan, my friend. Pinch me!" Hondo breathes out in awe.
"There's all the proton bombs," Ketsu tells Rylla, pointing over.
Rylla looks in the direction she's pointing and smiles, seeing the large amounts of proton bombs stacked around each other.
"Oh, my treasure is over there!" Azmorigan exclaims.
He, Hondo, and Melch, rush into the room and eagerly begin looking through all of the cargo, searching for the treasure and valuables.
"All right. Let's get started then. We don't have much time before this thing plummets," Rylla says, and then gives Ketsu a glance. "Guess Hondo came through, surprisingly."
"I'll believe that once we're back on our ship with the bombs," she replies cautiously.
They were both still very irritated about what they learned while looking to restore power to the Imperial freighter; Hondo and Azmorigan had lied about the crew from before, having only decided to contact them after their first attempt at getting on this ship failed. Ketsu wanted to bash them both were her staff, but Rylla held her back.
"Well we're here now, let's make the most of it before anymore trouble happens," Rylla replies, activating her comlink. "Hayden, Sabine, we're in the cargo hold."
"Got it. Ready and waiting," Sabine replies.
"They actually came through? Huh," Hayden adds curiously.
Ketsu moves over to the controls for the freighter door while Rylla investigates the bombs, making sure they're safe for transport. In the meantime however, Hondo and Azmorigan were fighting over a crate of treasure, much to Ketsu's ire.
"Stop kissing my treasure! It's mine because I saw it first!" Hondo exclaims.
No! I saw this ship first, so I get first claim on anything in it!" Azmorigan retorts.
"First claim? First claim?" he replies incredulously. "What is that? What kind of a criminal are you?"
"Both of you shut up! I'm not about to listen to you bickering like a bunch of dikut's!" Ketsu scowls at them. "And you better remember what I said about your payment, Azmorigan!"
"Ah... hehe, I saw better stuff in the back anyway," Azmorigan replies nervously, letting go of the crate.
Hondo grins eagerly, the crate now fully in his grasp again while Ketsu shakes her head in annoyance.
"We good to go Rylla?" she asks.
"Yeah. All in good condition and secured in packs of four," she replies.
"Good. Now hold on. It's about to get windy," Ketsu warns her.
Ketsu opens up the large door of the cargo hold, exposing them to the planet's atmosphere and powerful winds. Just beyond their vision their ship moves closer after spotting the open door, Hayden piloting it as close to the freighter as he can. Sabine stands on the ship's open ramp, waiting for them.
"Well, it's about time!" she calls out. "Crosswinds are too strong to use the magnetic hoist."
"Copy that. Powering the winch," Ketsu says, bringing the machine online. "Stand by to receive cables... Now!"
The winch turns in the direction of the ship and then fires two cables. They both connect against the side of the ship on either side of the entry ramp, allowing for transport.
"Cables secured. Good shot!" Sabine calls out.
"Of course it was," Ketsu replies.
Rylla brings the first load of proton bombs forwards and then attaches them to the cable's magnetic clamp.
"All right, Sabine, first load of proton bombs coming out. Better watch yourself, 'cause if they get knocked about too much..." Rylla informs her.
"I'll be careful," Sabine quickly replies.
Ketsu presses a button, and the proton bombs begin quickly crossing the gap towards the ship. Once they're there, Sabine holds out a strong magnet and gets close to the bombs, which transfer from the cable to her.
"I got it!" she calls out.
She lifts them up with support from the repulsers holding the bombs in the air, and transfers them inside of the ship.
"One down," she says.
"Alright Rylla, hook me up another one," Ketsu asks.
"No problem, student!" Rylla replies.
"Student?" she asks, frowning. "I'm not your 'student' anymore Rylla."
"I'll always see you and Sabine as my students," she insists with a smile, winking. "It doesn't hurt to have a friendly relationship on the job."
"Not on this line of work," Ketsu says in disagreement, before looking past her. "Hey! Ohnaka!"
"What?" he asks.
Hondo was struggling to carry a box full of treasure over to the cables, managing to secure one to the winch.
"Take that off right now!" she snaps.
"But my treasure!" he protests. "I need it! Also, didn't you say you wanted some of Azmorigan's claim?"
"After loading the bombs!" Ketsu growls at him.
"Just remove the box," Rylla sighs.
Hondo grumbles irritably but reluctantly does so, not wanting to incur the wrath of Ketsu Onyo. As Rylla secures the proton bombs in its place she notices that someone is missing.
"Wait a second, where's Azmorigan? He's been gone a while," Rylla asks, concerned.
"Not our problem," Ketsu says dismissively. "Sabine, another one coming out!"
She sends the proton bombs on their way while Rylla brings up her comlink.
"Azmorigan, where are you?" she asks.
"Oh, he's fine. Don't worry," Hondo grunts, pulling a crate along with help from Melch.
"All right. Now I'm worried," Ketsu groans angrily, bringing up her comlink as well. "Azmorigan, this is Ketsu. Come in."
"I'll go find him," Rylla sighs.
No, you get on the winch. I want to make sure he's not attempting another thievery on me," Ketsu replies.
"If you say so," she says with a frown. "Just remember that the sooner we finish with this, the sooner we're out of here."
"Yeah yeah, I know that," she says dismissively.
Ketsu stalks through the corridors of the freighter with narrowed eyes.
"Azmorigan?" she calls out. "You better be around here somewhere."
She looks down another empty corridor, tense and ready for action.
"Azmorigan!" she says angrily.
There's still no answer, and Ketsu sighs in frustration. She makes her way further down the corridor, keeping an eye out. At this point she's starting to get frustrated and a bit cautious. There's no way a slimy crime lord like Azmorigan is capable of sneaking around without making some sort of noise. She then picks up on metal clanging and comes to a halt, bringing a hand to her staff.
"Azmorigan?" she says cautiously.
Ketsu fingers her staff, her battle senses coming to the forefront of her mind. These types of ships carry Imperial sentry droids on them, which are very tough to kill. If there's a droid prowling around...
The sound of clanking and machinery moving has Ketsu whirling around, staff in hand. She widens her eyes in alarm at the sight of a sentry droid towering over her, staring down with its cold, blood red optics.
She curses in Mando'a and lashes out with her staff as the droid tries to grab her, knocking its arm to the side. The droid lunges forwards again, and Ketsu jumps onto the side of the wall to get behind it. Swinging her staff she aims the blade end towards the droid's chassis, intending to kill it before the others could activate. However, the sentry responds faster than she expected, whipping around and smacking her with its arm.
Ketsu is slammed against the wall with a grunt of pain, losing her grip on her staff. As she tries to get back up the sentry rushes forwards, jabbing her in the side with a stunning device. She yells out in pain as the droid shocks her, and then collapses in a crumpled heap, unconscious.
Sabine carries another pack of proton bombs and sets it in the cargo hold alongside the others, and then rushes back to the ramp.
"That's four! Keep 'em comin'!" she calls out.
Rylla pushes another pack of bombs over towards the winch when the ship suddenly shakes violently. She stumbles with a startled cry, managing to regain her balance, but now the floor was at a slight angle, and is constantly shaking.
"Blast it!" she curses, realizing what must have happened, and pulls out her comlink. "Hayden, we lost the stabilizers. This ship's gonna go down fast now."
"And it'll take you down with it! You need to get everyone off that junk pile quick!" he replies urgently.
Rylla frowns and looks around the hangar, noticing that Azmorigan and Ketsu still weren't back yet.
"Ugh, we got another problem. We lost Azmorigan. Ketsu went looking for him, but they haven't come back yet," she informs him.
"You kidding me? How does Ketsu even-" he halts himself with a sigh of frustration. "Alright, whatever. You need to find them fast though, because the ship is going down quick. And I may not like this thing we have, but I'd rather not have to buy another one."
"Duly noted Hayden," she replies, ending the transmission. "Hondo, come on. I need your help."
"Kind of busy right now, Rylla," he replies.
Rylla halts in her movements to watch as Hondo struggles to pull a crate over to the winch, with Melch assisting him.
"I thought Azmorigan was your friend?" she questions.
"Az... Oh! My partner," he realizes. "That means occasional business acquaintance."
"It also means more treasure for you if he doesn't make it back, right?" she points out with narrowed eyes.
Well, I never thought of it that way, but, uh, yes!" he says happily.
"I will never understand why Jarik is willing to trust you," she sighs in exasperation, shaking her head.
"Why Jar- wait, what? You know Jarik?!" Hondo asks incredulously.
Rylla was already rushing off though, leaving the old pirate flustered in confusion. His attention is quickly brought back to the crate of treasure, and he works on pulling it once more.
Ketsu lets out a groan of pain, slowly sitting up and blinking her eyes. She looks around blearily, taking in her surroundings as she tries to remember what happened.
"Where am I?" she mutters to herself, frowning.
"We're in jail, you idiot!" Azmorigan snaps.
Ketsu regains her senses at the sharp exclamation and looks over, spotting Azmorigan in a cell right beside hers. She narrows her eyes coldly at him.
"Excuse me?" she exclaims angrily.
Azmorigan widens his eyes nervously. "Oh.. hehe... uh... what I meant to say is-"
"Never mind that!" Ketsu scowls at him, bringing up her comlink. "Rylla, you there?"
"Ketsu! What's been keeping you? I'm patching in Hayden," she replies in relief.
"Oh, well look who finally decided to reappear," Hayden's voice says sarcastically.
"Oh save it Hayden, I'm not in the mood!" Ketsu retorts.
"Could've fooled me..." he mutters quietly, and Ketsu glares at her comlink.
"Where are you?" Rylla asks, interrupting them with an exasperated sigh.
"I'm in the brig. One of the freighter's sentry droids caught me off guard and threw me in here. Azmorigan too," she explains.
"I thought the ship was abandoned. Did Hondo forget that too?" Hayden asks.
"The Empire uses sentry droids to guard cargo ships. It must've reactivated when we turned the power back on," Ketsu theorizes.
"Well that's great," Rylla sighs.
"Good to know, but I need you all back now! My ship can't take much more of this storm!" Hayden says urgently.
"Copy that. I'll get them out, so just hold tight, Hayden," she replies.
The transmission ends, and Ketsu sits in the cell with an irritated expression on her face, her arms folded across her chest. She glances over at Azmorigan, who gives her a sheepish wave.
"You better hope you get some credits to repay the Black Sun, Azmorigan," she warns him.
"This again? It was a simple mistake!" he protests.
"One that cost us at least 5,000 credits!" she snaps at him.
"It's not my fault that my associates are stupid!" he defends himself.
"You knew full well of the miscalculation, you're just sorry that we noticed as well!" Ketsu states coldly.
"Hmph!" he scoffs in reply, looking away.
Not too much long afterwards the door to the brig is opened, and Rylla walks into the brig, taking note of them.
"Still not interested on working with a team Ketsu?" she asks, leaning against a jail cell.
"I wouldn't be in this mess if I didn't have to look for a 'team member,'" Ketsu retorts, narrowing her eyes at Azmorigan.
"If you say so," Rylla sighs.
Rylla kneels in front of the lock to Ketsu's cell and furrows her brows thoughtfully. After messing with the controls briefly the cell clicks open, and she smiles proudly.
"Guess Jarik's advice really does payoff," she comments.
"Oh joy. Praise the Shan," Ketsu scoffs sarcastically.
"Oh hush Ketsu, it's not like he's responsible for his ancestors," Rylla says dismissively.
"You know?" Ketsu demands, surprised.
"Yeah, I do. I'll explain later," she replies.
"Hey! Free me first, then talk!" Azmorigan snaps.
"Why not just leave him here?" Ketsu murmurs in suggestion.
"I can't pay you if I'm dead!" he shrieks.
Rylla rolls her eyes and quickly works on unlocking his cell, and he jumps out happily once it's open.
"Alright, that sentry droid's still around somewhere, so be cautious," Ketsu warns them, grabbing her staff.
The three of them rush out of the brig and make their way through the corridors, heading back to the hangar. However at the sound of heavy clanking they slow to a stop, and Ketsu peaks around the corner. She sees the sentry droid stomping a few feet away, coming to a stop.
"Let it go by," she says, giving Rylla a glance.
Rylla nods in understanding, but still grabs something attached to her back just in case. She holds it beside her and presses a button, letting the compact rod flip out into a staff. It's similar in design to Ketsu's, but the ends of it are capable of blocking laser blasts, similar to the staffs used by the Mandalorian guards employed in the service of Duchess Satine during the Clone Wars.
The sentry droid begins to make its way in their direction, moving at a steady pace. Crouching behind Rylla, Azmorigan starts to panic a little.
"Uh... Uh... Oh, oh, oh," he whimpers nervously eyeing the blaster in Rylla's holster. "Here we go!"
He snatches her blaster and rushes out into the open, much to her surprise and bewilderment.
"Take that!" he screams.
Azmorigan begins firing the blaster wildly, his eyes closed in fright the entire time. He yells like an animal, hitting the droid so much that it's having difficulty retaliating, trying to raise its arm and fire back. However the numerous shots to its chassis cause it to collapse on the ground, unmoving.
Rylla and Ketsu glance at each other in complete bewilderment, but move out into the corridor with looks of irritation on their faces.
"I told you to let it pass!" Ketsu snaps.
"It looked right at me, and I blasted it! Me! Did you see me? I'm a hero!" Azmorigan replies happily, unconcerned.
"Give me that," Rylla growls, ripping her blaster out of his hands.
"You're not a hero, you're an idiot! All of the other sentry droids are going to come online now because you attacked it!" Ketsu exclaims furiously.
"Others?" Rylla asks, concerned.
Down the hallway, three more sentry droids rise into view and stare at them, readying their weapons. The droid Azmorigan blasted also gets back up, still going strong.
"Okay, that's problematic," she sighs.
The three start running as the sentry droids open fire, making their way to the hangar.
"Rylla, Ketsu, I am not kidding! I need you off that ship pronto!" Hayden exclaims.
"Trust me when I say we get the idea!" Rylla shouts back.
Azmorigan runs wildly into the cargo hold with loud squealing while she and Ketsu come on behind him, shooting their blasters at the sentry droids. Rylla uses her staff to knock aside a laser that comes to close to her face.
"Seal the door!" Ketsu urges.
Rylla slams the controls to the door, slamming it shut before the sentry droids could reach them. Ketsu then slashes the control panel with the blade end of her staff, locking it shut.
"Hondo, come on! We've gotta go now!" Rylla shouts as they run for the cable.
"Not without my treasure!" Hondo grunts, lugging among a crate. "This is mine! I looted it!"
"Ugh!" she groans angrily.
The door to the hangar is then blasted open, and the four sentry droids flow into the room, shooting their blasters in a heavy barrage at them. Rylla swipes her staff through a laser bolt and fires back with her blaster. She catches a droid in the shoulder but it shrugs off the hit, only leaving a black mark.
Rylla quickly leaps to cover behind some crates, landing next to the winch.
"This will have to be our ride," she informs Ketsu.
"Got it," Ketsu replies swiftly, hitting another sentry in the arm.
"Hondo? You have got to get out!" Rylla exclaims.
"Where is my treasure?" he says in a panic. "Where is my trea- Do not tell me that I lost... A-ha!"
"Forget your stupid treasure, pirate!" Ketsu yells. "Where's your buddy Melch?"
"Oh, no! He must have fallen to his doom," Hondo says, not sounding too regretful. "Well, I shall spend his share wisely, in his honor. Let's go!"
He pushes his crate over to the cables and attaches it, climbing up to sit on top. Azmorigan gets onto the pack of proton bombs on the other cable, and Rylla sends them off.
"I will get there first!" Hondo declares.
"That means nothing. This is not a race!" Azmorigan retorts.
Rylla and Ketsu work together against the sentry droids, combining their blaster fire to destroy one of them.
"Ketsu! I'm sending it!" Rylla says.
Ketsu wastes no time in getting onto the next load of proton bombs, shooting another droid's shoulder in the process.
"Come on, Rylla!" she calls out.
"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up!" she replies.
Rylla presses the button to send the next load on its way, carrying Ketsu with it. She glances back at the sentry droids before sprinting for the edge of the hangar, using the Force to propel herself over to Ketsu. She reaches a hand out and Ketsu grabs hold, yanking her up.
"Since when could you jump that far?" she demands.
"How about later?" Rylla replies.
The sentry droids are still shooting at them, but one of them takes notice of the cable, and switches it's aim. He starts blasting at the winch, and the others quickly join in, working to destroy the winch so they would plummet to their deaths.
"Oh that's not good," Rylla remarks uneasily.
The winch is then blown apart completely by the sentry droids, sending them both plummeting down into the atmosphere. Only moments later the hangar of the Imperial freighter also explodes as more of the vessel comes into contact with the atmospheric storm, blasting the droids off the ship. Sabine watches with wide eyes as Rylla and Ketsu fall through the air, rapidly approaching their doom.
"NO!" Sabine yells in horror.
Twisting herself around, Rylla manages to just barely grab the cable, coming to a stop. Looking down she spots Ketsu still falling with a fearful scream, and reaches her arm out.
Ketsu's fall is halted as Rylla grabs her with the Force, much to her surprise. Her face is contorted into a look of intense concentration as she pulls Ketsu back up towards her. Once Ketsu is close enough she immediately grabs onto the cable, breathing heavily in shock. She then looks up at Rylla, her eyes wide.
"You're a Jedi?" she demands incredulously.
"...I used to be," Rylla replies, glancing at her.
Ketsu stares back, unsure of what to think about this new and sudden revelation. Rylla never told her or Sabine about being a Jedi, and not once does she recall her ever using the Force. But despite this confusion and wariness, there's also gratitude in her eyes and she nods at Rylla to express it, who smiles back lightly. The cable then reaches the ship, and they both climb up onto the ramp without a second to waste.
"Okay! We got 'em!" Sabine tells Hayden through the comlink. "Cut the line!"
Ketsu swipes her staff along the cable, hitting it with her blade a few times to cut it. As soon as the ship is free of the cable Hayden guns it further up into the atmosphere, and the three women get inside of the cargo hold and shut the ramp.
"Punch it, Hayden!" Rylla says.
"Finally!" he exclaims.
The ship blasts up higher into the atmosphere, leaving the doomed Imperial freighter behind as it sinks deeper into the storm, exploding violently within the clouds. Hayden then pulls a lever on the console, sending them into hyperspace.
After returning to their original meet up point, where Hondo and Ketsu's ships still were, Hayden left the cockpit and came down to the cargo hold where everyone else was hanging around.
"This is a really nice haul. Good job everyone," Rylla congratulates.
"Yeah, so glad we didn't get blown up on that gas planet," Hayden remarks, leaning over the rail.
"You don't say," Sabine responds dryly.
"Ketsu, how much of these bombs did you say your client needed?" Rylla asks.
"Wait, we're giving these things up? After all that hard work?" Hayden asks suddenly.
"Shush!" the three all reply in unison.
"You didn't even do the hard work anyways," Sabine adds.
"Hey, keeping a ship from blowing up in such ridiculous circumstances with that storm is no easy task," he retorts.
"In regards to the bombs..." Ketsu interrupts, looking at Rylla. "My employer wanted a decent haul, but... I think I can make do with only two loads."
"Really?" she replies in a small amount of surprise. "Well, alright. Sounds good then. Not as much as I was expecting, but I won't complain."
"Yeah, you certainly shouldn't," Hayden adds again, and Rylla rolls her eyes in exasperation.
The three bounty hunters and smuggler/pilot turn their focus over towards their two 'guests' at the continued bickering, finding them both arguing over a single crate.
"Oh, no, you don't, Ohnaka. Half of what's in there is mine!" Azmorigan states firmly.
"Oh, but you forfeited this crate when you went off to look for your own loot," Hondo retorts with a smug grin, one foot propped up on the crate. He then begins to take off the lid of the crate, making a face. "What is in here is... Is all... What is... It's all mine."
Hondo grimaced in confusion, sniffing, detecting an unpleasant smell coming from inside the crate. When he sets the lid aside he jumps back in shock with a horrified cry, completely bewildered at the sight. Inside the crate is Melch, who squeals happily in a mixture of excitement and smugness, climbing out of the box.
"Melch?" Sabine asks in surprise.
"Ha! Guess the little pork-face didn't trust Hondo not to leave him behind again. I love it!" Hayden laughs joyously.
"Sorry it didn't work out, Hondo," Rylla says, but still wears an amused smile on her face.
"Work out? Oh, no... This is better, yes!" Hondo replies in reluctant disagreement, crouching beside Melch and throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Because, uh... Friendship is the greatest treasure!"
"Do you really mean that?" Ketsu asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Mostly," he shrugs. Melch then elbows him in the stomach harshly, and Hondo wheezes in pain while he laughs triumphantly. "See? He's always laughing. Always having a good time, this Melch!"
"Well, as much as I enjoyed working with you two weirdos, I'd much prefer that you continue this conversation on your own ship," Hayden says, gesturing towards the exit. "So... buh-bye!"
"We had a deal, Ohnaka!" Azmorigan says. "I get fifty percent of him."
"What?!" Hondo asks incredulously.
"I assume you know that Jarik has some sort of friendly relationship with Hondo?" Rylla murmurs to Sabine.
"Yeah... I really don't understand how though," she admits cluelessly.
"I suppose I can see the entertainment value," she remarks.
"Azmorigan!" Ketsu calls out.
"What?!" he demands, looking over.
"Just because you somehow managed to not get any treasure at all from that freighter, does not mean you're cleared from your debt!" she reminds him with a warning glare.
"Awwwwwh!" Azmorigan groans in despair, glaring at the ground.
So, much more casual chapter. Mostly focused on Rylla and her team working with Hondo and Azmorigan in place of the Ghost Crew. Just a little something to pass the time; although Vader and Thrawn are now beginning to work together on the topic of Jarik's hideout. Time can only tell how successful they'll be...
My Rylla side story is STILL on hiatus, even though I know the general idea of what will happen; it's already been hinted at a few times in this story: Rylla and Hayden learn to work in the criminal underworld, get mixed up with the Crimson Dawn at some point, and then also become mentor figures to Sabine and Ketsu after they escaped from the Imperial Academy and began their own lives, helping them learn about becoming bounty hunters and teaching them other skills.
Let me know if you guys are interested in seeing that story more fleshed out, because there are a lot of projects I have hinted at throughout the series, but have never really progressed. Even so I love working on the Shaniverse, and your support and responses to the story are a great motivation to continue! :D