Knight in Shining Armor
Chapter 7
"Windy, the acceleration compensator is loose again. Did that Dug fiddle with it?"
"Afraid so, sugar," Windy replied in a rather annoyed tone. "That damn creature came close to my cognitive matrix too. As well as the armor compartment. I think he's looking for something and doesn't mind trashing me in order to find it."
"I mind damn it," Krysta snarled. "I may love working on you, but I sure as hell don't like having to repair you after someone else fiddles with, or sabotages, you."
"If you want, I can zap him the next time he comes on board. He's been tampering enough that he may figure he cross wired something and I'm gonna blow up or something."
"Do it, I've got armor I have to work on."
"I'm sure Jace will be pleased with this armor you're working on."
"Well, that remains to be seen. This one is a bit of a departure from the norm for my designs."
"Really? Why change a winning formula, sweetheart?"
"Times are changing, Windy," Krysta said, annoyed with the droid for calling her sweetheart. "The Empire is always looking to improve their war machine. The Death Star was one of those improvements, perhaps the ultimate improvement at that. Jace learned from General Dodonna this morning that some unknown named Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star months ago. And in a holo meeting with Mon Mothma, he discovered that the High Command has asked Kyle Katarn to deal with some kind of super stormtrooper the Empire is calling the Dark Trooper. Plus their always looking to make stormtroopers invincible. Jace had a run in with one of those damn spacetroopers and barely survived. Which, of course, is more than one can say for the spacetrooper."
"Ah yes, such wonderful memories," Windy interrupted. "Jace taking a dip in the bacta tank and you flying. Thought we were going to die. At least the big guy barely wearing a stitch of clothing in the tank more than made up for it. Talk about a fabulous body."
Krysta ignored her. "The Knight has to change to be able to face these new times. Thusly, the Knight armors must reflect the change. If we're not a step ahead of the Empire, it will be like it was before I started making Jace's armors. Back then Jace had to rely as much on luck and deception as he did his own skills. Today, it's his skills that make the difference."
"Jace would still say luck is needed," Windy reminded her.
"True, but deception is no longer as big a part as it was before. Now he no longer has to look like a stormtrooper or bounty hunter. Plus with the modern Knight armors, there is a certain amount of fear which makes one hesitate. That helps too."
"Of course it does," Windy agreed. "Jace does have a way of installing fear in those who choose to terrify others."
"Indeed he does."
"This Jace Douw is a fairly straight forward person," the young lieutenant said. "He grew up on the planet Ralltiir as a member of a fairly affluent middle-class family in the City of Raxis. The third born to Wexly Douw and Tyra Ietam Douw. Unlike most children in the galaxy his age, he attended an advanced education school. The same holds true for his older brother and sister. Because of this schooling, Captain Douw started attending the University of Ralltiir at age fourteen. During the last three years of his education, he played center for the local whistleball team Raxis Screamers. After graduation, he was offered a position on the newly forming Ralltiir Wildcats. He turned them down and became a freighter captain instead. Douw's freighter service offers fairly inexpensive and prompt delivery. Thusly he rarely travels without any cargo aboard.
"Fourteen years ago the Knight placed a six year old girl in Douw's care. Moff Erse had been about to sell the girl into slavery to one of the Hutts. The Knight intercepted the slave shipment on the planet Roon, killing Moff Erse and his troops. He then freed all the other slaves, but this little girl had no where to go. Apparently hearing of how kind this Captain Douw is, he broke into Douw's ship, leaving the girl behind."
"And how do we know this?" Aslar asked, tapping his fingers against his desk.
"The spaceports customs official was with Captain Douw when he returned to his ship. He filed all the girl told him."
"And did the customs official file this girl's name?"
"Her name is Krysta Walka."
Aslar suddenly stiffened at the mention of the name. If the lieutenant noticed, he didn't mention it. "Krysta Walka? Are you sure?"
"Yes sir. Recent reports from Mos Eisley indicate that she is still traveling with Douw. Begging your pardon sir, but why is this Walka so important?"
"Krysta Walka is the youngest child of the now deceased Nual Walka," Aslar explained. "Nual was a technological mastermind. He designed an improved turbolaser that could be fired continuously for five minutes without having to cool between shots. This was among other things he designed. He also destroyed the prototype and blue prints to all the weapons he designed to keep them out of the Empire's hand.
"Imperial Intelligence learned that Nual was planning on joining the rebels and informed the Emperor of this. Expecting that his children had inherited his technological genius, and that his wife might be the only other person who knew all of his designs, the Emperor ordered the entire family to be killed. It was Moff Erse who was to carry the sentence out.
"Erse reported that he had killed the Walkas. In fact, I saw their bodies along with Lord Vader. The youngest, who Lord Vader and I both believed to be Krysta Walka, had her face burned beyond recognition thanks to blaster shots to the head. Apparently Erse had substituted some other girl for Miss Walka.
"No doubt he tested the girl to see if she had inherited any of her father's technological genius. And no doubt he would have had the Hutts take good care of her so that he could have her design the weapons he would have used to wrest control of the Empire from the Emperor. Both the Emperor and Lord Vader knew Erse had his sights set on the throne. But apparently they did not know about his ought right defiance of orders. Or his little slave ring which Imperial Intelligence learned about shortly after his death. But then maybe they did know. Neither seemed to care when it was reported he was killed by the Knight."
"Oh, I see," the lieutenant said.
"Find out where Captain Douw and Ms. Walka are now," Aslar ordered.
"They are currently on Malastere," the lieutenant replied. At the questioning look from Aslar, he explained. "I expected you were going to order me to do just that so I took the initiative. I also hired a Dug to hide a tracking device on Douw's freighter."
"What is your name lieutenant?"
"Aniet Niet sir."
"Well Lt. Niet, I believe I could use a man of your caliber to assist me with my mission."
"Thank you sir, I'm honored."
"As you should be," Aslar told him. "Have the 'Corsuca Gem' prepared for departure to the Malastere system immediately."
"Ok Mr. Neral, I'll take you and that pod racer of yours to Ord Mantel," Jace said, looking the Buthidae in one of his twelve eyes.
"Thank you Captain Douw," Neral replied. Like the rest of his race, his speech pattern held the T sound for close to a quarter second, giving it an airy, whistling quality. The same was true of the TH sound, though with out the whistling quality. Buthidaes also tended to hiss their S and SH sounds. "I also have a pit crew which I will need to travel with me." "How big is your pit crew?"
"Two Duros and eight pit droids. And of course, there's their tools as well."
"Of course," Jace agreed. "I can offer you and the Duros a set of individual quarters on board the 'Wind Star'. They aren't fancy, but their better than nothing."
"Our Z-10 Seeker is not fancy," Neral said. "In fact, we had to modify the cargo bay to make space for our cramped quarters. So we are not looking for fancy."
"Speaking of that Z-10 of yours, why not use it instead of hiring me?"
"Simple," Neral began, a certain sadness in his voice, "the hyperdrive broke down after we came out of hyperspace. It also damaged the ship's sub-light drive. My pit crew got the drive to fifteen percent operational status. But that is not enough for the Neral's Caravan to be able to escape planetary atmosphere. I have a race scheldulded for next week. The repairs will take too long for me to make the race if I do not hire out someone such as yourself."
"Well, I'll get you to Ord Mantell in time, don't worry."
"Thank you Captain Douw. Now, if we may deal with the cost of this trip."
Jace looked up to see Krysta standing at the top of the ramp. He suspected she'd already heard the two making their deal. Yet the look she was giving him made him wonder what was wrong. Hopefully not his dealing with the Buthidae. Krysta quietly waved to him, gesturing for him to join her at the top of the ramp.
"If you'll excuse me Mr. Neral, I have something I need to take care of."
"Yes, of course.
Jace quickly moved to the top of the ramp. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure," Krysta confessed. "We had a Dug apparently trying to sabotage Windy earlier. He kept coming and going like he was looking for something, fiddling with the electronics and engines. Then he suddenly stopped showing. And just now when I had Windy run a systems check, she came up with some strange readings."
"You do a visual check on the systems?"
"I did a rush on it, but I didn't notice anything that would cause those kind of readings. Their almost like some piece of equipment not related to any of Windy's systems."
"We're near one of the planets many pod racing tracks. And Windy does have the ability to detect potential threats due to their electronics signals. Maybe she had a slight glitch during the systems check and detected one of the pod racers electronics as well."
"Makes sense, I guess."
Jace leaned over and gave her a kiss before turning around to go conclude his deal with Neral. "Well, let's not worry about it just now. I've got business to conclude with Neral. And as soon as we get him, his pit crew, their equipment, and his pod on board, it's off to Ord Mantell."
"Ok, I'll be sure to have Windy ready to go."