Italics haven't been downloading, so from now on, thoughts are designated
by *. Ship names remain in regular font.
-Sci-Fi Nerd.
Chapter 13
The first real joint council between the upper leaders of the resistance and the In'ca Din'ca commanders, surely the most heartening moment of recent years, was held in a dingy cargo hold in the Wild Karrde's lower decks, due to reduced crew space up above in the actual lounge. Ten In'ca Din'ca First Huntsman and their Coordinator sat on hastily transported chairs of durasteel piping around a massive sheet of transparisteel that served for a rough table. Three holoprojectors had been moved down to the cargo hold for strategic purposes, and they were now situated down the length of the impromptu table. The rest of the attendees were all the high-level commanders active in the resistance: Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn, Wedge Antilles, Garm Bel Iblis, Admiral Ackbar, wrapped in the modified folds of a mobile bacta tank, Captain Larson from Sullust, Keyan Farlander, recently recovered from a tour of duty in the Endor system, and a frail General Madine, badly injured during his escape from Coruscant almost a year earlier.
As he looked around the assembled dignitaries and warriors, Wedge felt a strange exhilaration sweep through him, and a strange sadness. Exhilaration for what seemed like the downhill plunge of the last leg of the race; sadness for those who hadn't made it: Admiral Drayson, missing in action during the battle of Coruscant, General Rieekan, his military escort shot down over Sluis Van. Even the smugglers who'd died deserved a special place in the annals of history: Karrde's friend Mazzic, unable to escape the devastating crossfire at Bilbringi, and Ellor, caught by Imperial stormtroopers less than a month after that. Everyone had lost someone in this war.
Wedge's eyes hardened. *Except Thrawn, of course*, he thought. *Time to make him pay.*
"Friends," Bel Iblis called as the last of the assembled guests and commanders took their rickety seats. "We have arrived at a turning point in this war. Through hard work, we have recently completed negotiations with the In'ca Din'ca race, buried deep in Wild Space." The general nodded to the black-skinned aliens, and the Coordinator nodded in response. "To this end, we are now allied completely with regards to eliminating Thrawn and the Imperial presence from this galaxy." A chorus of whistles and shouts greeted that statement, and Wedge felt his own grin start to creep onto his face. The excitement was infectious.
"However," Bel Iblis continued. "This does not come without sacrifice. In exchange for their aid, the In'ca Din'ca have been offered and accepted an agreement which states that any Republic arising from this conflict must have their support and input in determining governmental structure and organization."
No one seemed very upset by that, and Wedge could see why. You weren't going to refuse anything to a powerful ally who could help win a war for you, not even a say in what you did afterwards. After all, if they wanted a truly galactic republic, they'd have to be part of it anyway, wouldn't they?
Bel Iblis sat and gestured to the Coordinator, who nodded graciously and rose to his imposing two meter height and planted his long arms decisively on the table.
"My friends," he said somberly in accented, rumbling Basic. "I am Coordinator Rusk'jahvi Sa'samna of the In'ca Din'ca Combine, an Admiral in your eyes. Though I do not wish to dispel your enthusiasm and hospitality, I fear we must get down to business, that being of course the battle we now find ourselves in." Stepping forward, he tapped keys on the central holoprojector's base, bringing to life a vivid diagram of the galaxy two meters across.
The image swiveled and focused on the Galactic body, chopping off the arms and filling the viewfield with stars. A massive blot of red splashed across the core of the galaxy and most of the rims, while a few isolated dots of green speckled the map.
"As you can see, from a purely numerical viewpoint, your resistance is horribly overmatched, both in numbers and options," Sa'samna said. "The Empire has all of the key Core worlds and a much larger fleet than you can hope to gather alone."
The image altered again, the general colorings fading away. Now, each star was ringed with its affiliated color, and symbols of ship placement appeared in their respective colors. A massive band of white speared its way into the Outer Rim, skirting many Imperial systems and focusing on the outer green outposts.
"As you can see, we have brought a substantial force into your systems, enough perhaps to turn the tide if placed properly," Sa'samna said. "However, unless we can put the Imperials off balance, and quickly, the advantages of their position will allow them to overwhelm us."
"As it happens," Wedge said, leaning forward, "we do have a plan for this type of situation." He then quickly and thoroughly explained the idea of the Noghri uprising, generating many mutters from the In'ca Din'ca's side of the table. He hoped desperately that his plan hadn't offended the In'ca Din'ca.
"There is a catch, yes?" Sa'samna said slowly after conferring with his subordinates.
"Well, of a sort," Wedge hedged. "In order to be sure that the signal reaches all the Noghri, we need a hypercomm, one that can talk to all systems under Imperial control at once. For that, we need to get onboard the Chimera, Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship, and somehow use the comm there."
Dead silence.
Sa'samna shook himself thoroughly. "What you ask includes a whole new level of difficulty in the operation for an attack. You realize this?" Wedge started to nod. "You will have to engage his fleet at their most heavily defended world, somehow sneak on board his flagship, doubtless the most powerful and well-guarded ships in the fleet, and gain access to their most trusted communications array.
"You are willing to chance the fate of the galaxy on that mission?"
Wedge brought his head up to stare straight into the In'ca Din'ca's eyes. "I do," he said. "And if necessary, I will lead the mission myself."
"Now wait just a-"Karrde burst out, but Wedge cut him off.
"I know what I'm doing, Karrde," Wedge said. "Rogue Squadron has done lots of commando strikes in the past, and I know I can do this with a little help."
"I'm in," chimed Corran instantly. "Can't let the commanding officer commit virtual suicide without a sidekick to make sure he doesn't take the first blaster bolt."
"I as well," said Luke. "You will need Jedi."
"As a representative of the In'ca Din'ca, and an intelligence operative, I volunteer," Kenji said from the wall of the chamber.
Sa'samna looked as though his massive eyes were going to pop out of his head. "You truly are as insane as your legends make you," he whispered almost to himself. "But you are adamant. I will do what I can."
"In order to make the most of our element of surprise, we must strike now," Bel Iblis broke in. "We don't have much time before Thrawn learns what we're planning and tracks us down."
"I can have a suitable escort assembled and a battle plan ready in four days," Sa'samna said. "Will that be sufficient?"
Bel Iblis nodded stonily.
*I sure hope it will be*, Wedge thought darkly. *If we slip now, the galaxy is doomed.*
"Okay, so how do we get onboard the Chimera?" Corran asked. The four core members of the insertion team were gathered in the Wild Karrde's lounge, with all of Karrde's extensive databases unlocked and at their fingertips.
"The method I used to break Karrde out will not work again," Luke said quietly. "And besides, I doubt we could find someone with Mara's skills to break into the computers even if we could get in."
Corran frowned. "Speaking of which, where has she been? I know she came back from Mount Tantiss with you guys."
Luke winced. "Karrde... isn't really sure," he admitted. "Our last report was of her trying to establish advance prep for a base on Myrkyr, but that fell through after the team lost contact. That's been about three weeks."
"More bad news," Wedge hissed through clenched teeth. "Even though we've gained a powerful ally, our luck seems to be getting worse along with everything else."
"How did you get into this Grand Admiral's ship 'last time', Jedi Skywalker?" Kenji asked. "Surely there can be something we can use."
"Not really," Luke said. "At the time, I was flying a stolen Imperial cargo ship up from a planet they were orbiting, and I also had a person with me who knew some high level Imperial codes. We're not going to get that lucky this time."
"What did you do once you were inside?" Kenji pressed on insistently.
"We used her codes to get me into the detention area through a trash compactor while the shifts changed. In two minutes we had him out of the cell and back in our hall car," Luke continued, sounding puzzled. "Why?"
"Curious, that's all," Kenji said. "Does any part of the ship open to space innocuously?"
"How do you mean?" Corran asked.
"If there is some entrance into the ship that is not normally used as an entrance, we may be able to slip in that way," Kenji explained.
"The only thing of that caliber on a Star Destroyer is the trash bay doors, but they're not going to dump there wastes in the middle of a battle," Wedge scoffed.
"They are not armored, are they?"
Wedge snorted. "A Star Destroyer is a warship, but they probably don't take the time to blast-plate their garbage bays... you want to blast your way into the destroyer through their trash compactor?"
"It would be a surprise to them, would it not?" Kenji said. "A lightsaber can cut through anything, I have heard. We do not even need to make a hole big enough to alarm them. All we need is a doorway."
Corran paused. "I think I'm impressed," he finally said. "That's one hell of an idea, I must say."
"How do we get onto the Destroyer without getting fried by the radiation from the engines?" Luke asked.
"We crash, of course," Kenji said.
"Assuming you mean intentionally crash, how do we make it look real without killing ourselves?" Wedge asked skeptically.
Instead of answering, Kenji shot back, "Do you have a better idea?"
Wedge ground his teeth in reply. Garbage compactor it was.
Well, this is the last chapter for about the next week or two; I'll be unable to reach a computer until then! Keep reviewing, because that spurs me on to even greater exploits! lol...
-Sci-Fi Nerd
-Sci-Fi Nerd.
Chapter 13
The first real joint council between the upper leaders of the resistance and the In'ca Din'ca commanders, surely the most heartening moment of recent years, was held in a dingy cargo hold in the Wild Karrde's lower decks, due to reduced crew space up above in the actual lounge. Ten In'ca Din'ca First Huntsman and their Coordinator sat on hastily transported chairs of durasteel piping around a massive sheet of transparisteel that served for a rough table. Three holoprojectors had been moved down to the cargo hold for strategic purposes, and they were now situated down the length of the impromptu table. The rest of the attendees were all the high-level commanders active in the resistance: Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn, Wedge Antilles, Garm Bel Iblis, Admiral Ackbar, wrapped in the modified folds of a mobile bacta tank, Captain Larson from Sullust, Keyan Farlander, recently recovered from a tour of duty in the Endor system, and a frail General Madine, badly injured during his escape from Coruscant almost a year earlier.
As he looked around the assembled dignitaries and warriors, Wedge felt a strange exhilaration sweep through him, and a strange sadness. Exhilaration for what seemed like the downhill plunge of the last leg of the race; sadness for those who hadn't made it: Admiral Drayson, missing in action during the battle of Coruscant, General Rieekan, his military escort shot down over Sluis Van. Even the smugglers who'd died deserved a special place in the annals of history: Karrde's friend Mazzic, unable to escape the devastating crossfire at Bilbringi, and Ellor, caught by Imperial stormtroopers less than a month after that. Everyone had lost someone in this war.
Wedge's eyes hardened. *Except Thrawn, of course*, he thought. *Time to make him pay.*
"Friends," Bel Iblis called as the last of the assembled guests and commanders took their rickety seats. "We have arrived at a turning point in this war. Through hard work, we have recently completed negotiations with the In'ca Din'ca race, buried deep in Wild Space." The general nodded to the black-skinned aliens, and the Coordinator nodded in response. "To this end, we are now allied completely with regards to eliminating Thrawn and the Imperial presence from this galaxy." A chorus of whistles and shouts greeted that statement, and Wedge felt his own grin start to creep onto his face. The excitement was infectious.
"However," Bel Iblis continued. "This does not come without sacrifice. In exchange for their aid, the In'ca Din'ca have been offered and accepted an agreement which states that any Republic arising from this conflict must have their support and input in determining governmental structure and organization."
No one seemed very upset by that, and Wedge could see why. You weren't going to refuse anything to a powerful ally who could help win a war for you, not even a say in what you did afterwards. After all, if they wanted a truly galactic republic, they'd have to be part of it anyway, wouldn't they?
Bel Iblis sat and gestured to the Coordinator, who nodded graciously and rose to his imposing two meter height and planted his long arms decisively on the table.
"My friends," he said somberly in accented, rumbling Basic. "I am Coordinator Rusk'jahvi Sa'samna of the In'ca Din'ca Combine, an Admiral in your eyes. Though I do not wish to dispel your enthusiasm and hospitality, I fear we must get down to business, that being of course the battle we now find ourselves in." Stepping forward, he tapped keys on the central holoprojector's base, bringing to life a vivid diagram of the galaxy two meters across.
The image swiveled and focused on the Galactic body, chopping off the arms and filling the viewfield with stars. A massive blot of red splashed across the core of the galaxy and most of the rims, while a few isolated dots of green speckled the map.
"As you can see, from a purely numerical viewpoint, your resistance is horribly overmatched, both in numbers and options," Sa'samna said. "The Empire has all of the key Core worlds and a much larger fleet than you can hope to gather alone."
The image altered again, the general colorings fading away. Now, each star was ringed with its affiliated color, and symbols of ship placement appeared in their respective colors. A massive band of white speared its way into the Outer Rim, skirting many Imperial systems and focusing on the outer green outposts.
"As you can see, we have brought a substantial force into your systems, enough perhaps to turn the tide if placed properly," Sa'samna said. "However, unless we can put the Imperials off balance, and quickly, the advantages of their position will allow them to overwhelm us."
"As it happens," Wedge said, leaning forward, "we do have a plan for this type of situation." He then quickly and thoroughly explained the idea of the Noghri uprising, generating many mutters from the In'ca Din'ca's side of the table. He hoped desperately that his plan hadn't offended the In'ca Din'ca.
"There is a catch, yes?" Sa'samna said slowly after conferring with his subordinates.
"Well, of a sort," Wedge hedged. "In order to be sure that the signal reaches all the Noghri, we need a hypercomm, one that can talk to all systems under Imperial control at once. For that, we need to get onboard the Chimera, Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship, and somehow use the comm there."
Dead silence.
Sa'samna shook himself thoroughly. "What you ask includes a whole new level of difficulty in the operation for an attack. You realize this?" Wedge started to nod. "You will have to engage his fleet at their most heavily defended world, somehow sneak on board his flagship, doubtless the most powerful and well-guarded ships in the fleet, and gain access to their most trusted communications array.
"You are willing to chance the fate of the galaxy on that mission?"
Wedge brought his head up to stare straight into the In'ca Din'ca's eyes. "I do," he said. "And if necessary, I will lead the mission myself."
"Now wait just a-"Karrde burst out, but Wedge cut him off.
"I know what I'm doing, Karrde," Wedge said. "Rogue Squadron has done lots of commando strikes in the past, and I know I can do this with a little help."
"I'm in," chimed Corran instantly. "Can't let the commanding officer commit virtual suicide without a sidekick to make sure he doesn't take the first blaster bolt."
"I as well," said Luke. "You will need Jedi."
"As a representative of the In'ca Din'ca, and an intelligence operative, I volunteer," Kenji said from the wall of the chamber.
Sa'samna looked as though his massive eyes were going to pop out of his head. "You truly are as insane as your legends make you," he whispered almost to himself. "But you are adamant. I will do what I can."
"In order to make the most of our element of surprise, we must strike now," Bel Iblis broke in. "We don't have much time before Thrawn learns what we're planning and tracks us down."
"I can have a suitable escort assembled and a battle plan ready in four days," Sa'samna said. "Will that be sufficient?"
Bel Iblis nodded stonily.
*I sure hope it will be*, Wedge thought darkly. *If we slip now, the galaxy is doomed.*
"Okay, so how do we get onboard the Chimera?" Corran asked. The four core members of the insertion team were gathered in the Wild Karrde's lounge, with all of Karrde's extensive databases unlocked and at their fingertips.
"The method I used to break Karrde out will not work again," Luke said quietly. "And besides, I doubt we could find someone with Mara's skills to break into the computers even if we could get in."
Corran frowned. "Speaking of which, where has she been? I know she came back from Mount Tantiss with you guys."
Luke winced. "Karrde... isn't really sure," he admitted. "Our last report was of her trying to establish advance prep for a base on Myrkyr, but that fell through after the team lost contact. That's been about three weeks."
"More bad news," Wedge hissed through clenched teeth. "Even though we've gained a powerful ally, our luck seems to be getting worse along with everything else."
"How did you get into this Grand Admiral's ship 'last time', Jedi Skywalker?" Kenji asked. "Surely there can be something we can use."
"Not really," Luke said. "At the time, I was flying a stolen Imperial cargo ship up from a planet they were orbiting, and I also had a person with me who knew some high level Imperial codes. We're not going to get that lucky this time."
"What did you do once you were inside?" Kenji pressed on insistently.
"We used her codes to get me into the detention area through a trash compactor while the shifts changed. In two minutes we had him out of the cell and back in our hall car," Luke continued, sounding puzzled. "Why?"
"Curious, that's all," Kenji said. "Does any part of the ship open to space innocuously?"
"How do you mean?" Corran asked.
"If there is some entrance into the ship that is not normally used as an entrance, we may be able to slip in that way," Kenji explained.
"The only thing of that caliber on a Star Destroyer is the trash bay doors, but they're not going to dump there wastes in the middle of a battle," Wedge scoffed.
"They are not armored, are they?"
Wedge snorted. "A Star Destroyer is a warship, but they probably don't take the time to blast-plate their garbage bays... you want to blast your way into the destroyer through their trash compactor?"
"It would be a surprise to them, would it not?" Kenji said. "A lightsaber can cut through anything, I have heard. We do not even need to make a hole big enough to alarm them. All we need is a doorway."
Corran paused. "I think I'm impressed," he finally said. "That's one hell of an idea, I must say."
"How do we get onto the Destroyer without getting fried by the radiation from the engines?" Luke asked.
"We crash, of course," Kenji said.
"Assuming you mean intentionally crash, how do we make it look real without killing ourselves?" Wedge asked skeptically.
Instead of answering, Kenji shot back, "Do you have a better idea?"
Wedge ground his teeth in reply. Garbage compactor it was.
Well, this is the last chapter for about the next week or two; I'll be unable to reach a computer until then! Keep reviewing, because that spurs me on to even greater exploits! lol...
-Sci-Fi Nerd