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Skywalker: Resurgent Ch.8: "This Will be the Day I Always Remember..."
We made good time to the rendezvous, given that we no longer had reason to stop at Tatooine. Upon our arrival, we got our first look at the 'Alliance Fleet.'
Ragtag is an apt descriptor when looking at them upon approach. Four Nebulon-B frigates, two Quasar carriers, one battered looking Carrack and two Corellian Corvettes. All told, this group wasn't a particularly powerful example of the Alliance's fleet power, but I knew that the Alliance didn't keep their ships in large groupings to avoid drawing too much attention.
Still, I wasn't discouraged by the lack of heavier capital ships. The Mon Calamari had only been on board with the Alliance for a year, give or take, and hadn't had the opportunity to commit their famous capital ships to the fight yet. Until then, the Alliance had to specialize in more atypical types of warfare. They learned to make the most of what they had to achieve the greatest results.
Now, if only I could get the obstinate prick of a commander on board with my plan, we could already be assembling our forces for such a strike.
Unfortunately, this guy was a Grade-A Asshole.
"Absolutely out of the question," he said, leaning back in his chair and tapping something on his datapad.
"We can take them down with minimal commitment in terms of men and supplies, I'm certain of it," I insisted. "We've got an opportunity to take them down and spare shipping in this sector millions of credits in piracy losses. Plus the PR victory that would bring the Alliance. Not to mention it would strike a blow to a criminal enterprise that deals in slavery and with the Hutts."
We were sitting in the briefing room of one of the Nebulon-B frigates. Leia, being as awesome as she was, had arranged for a meeting less than an hour after we came aboard. I was stoked, thinking that one of the biggest hurdles of my plan was already behind me.
Imagine my dismay when I got to meet the illustrious Commander Obular Pye'ke. He was a human male of approximately fifty standard years and was recruited due to his experience serving in the Clone Wars... with the Separatists. He was one of a large number of such individuals who had fallen in with the Alliance in the wake of the Empire coming into power. He was the nominal commander of this fleet group and the most senior of the ship captains present. My understanding of rank structure wasn't as great as it could be but I knew that commanders outranked captains around here. Even naval ones.
Regrettably, Commander Pye'ke was thoroughly dismissive of my proposal. About halfway through my explanation, he'd picked up his datapad and began tapping away at it. At first, I was trying to be understanding of the fact that he was certainly a busy man and had several ships and crews to look after. After a few minutes of this, I realized that he had already made up his mind and wasn't bothering to pretend to be giving me his full attention.
"'Minimal commitment,' you call it?" he snorted in derision. "I understand how new you are so I'll explain some things to you, young man. What you're asking for is for us to give up valuable transport ships, an indeterminate number of soldiers, but I'll just estimate it's somewhere near battalion-level strength, and all the material needed to take down one lousy pirate and his crew of degenerates. That is not a 'minimal commitment,' Lieutenant Skywalker. That is a significant investment for an operation which does very little to further our main objectives. Request, denied."
I was about to say something particularly unkind to the commander, who was still not looking at me while he was speaking, when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
Looking over, I saw that Leia was giving me a look that said 'drop it.' I was ready to ignore her, if it weren't for the fact that I remembered that Leia was my ally here. I'd already explained the plan to her on the way here and knew she was willing to back me up. I might've thought she was backing out on me if I didn't already think I knew her fairly well. She wanted me to back down because she wanted to try something else.
Still, it took a lot of self control to swallow my feelings for this pompous ass as I turned to look back at him. I doubt he even noticed the byplay, given that he still wasn't even looking at me and continued to tap away at the pad in his hands.
"Thank you for your time, commander," Leia addressed him formally. She stood up and tapped my arm to signal me to do the same.
Pye'ke, apparently realizing that a senior member of the Alliance was talking to him now, decided to put down his work and stood to respond just as formally.
"Of course, your highness. Please let me know if there is anything else you require of me."
The door hissed shut behind us and Leia set us both walking down the corridor at a quick pace.
"That sanctimonious, arrogant, son of a-"
"Luke, relax!" Leia ordered firmly. "I get why you're mad, but you're not gonna get your way by insulting the commander of this fleet group."
"I wasn't getting my way by appealing to his sense of decency either," I responded, letting out an angry huff as I settled down a bit. Kenobi was always on my case about controlling my temper in certain scenarios and I could imagine him doing so again right now, if he were here. As angry as I felt at the obstinate bastard, it wasn't like I intended to actually harm him, or anything of the sort.
"Is there a reason you couldn't just order him to cooperate?" I asked.
I was under the impression that Leia was a high ranking member of the Alliance, at least in her father's stead. Was that not the case yet or did she need to be confirmed, or something?
"That's not how it works, Luke," Leia sighed. "It's politics. I can't just unilaterally order Alliance forces to action on my own if they don't want to render aid."
"You'd think someone willing to rebel against his government's immoral and unjust practices wouldn't be so obstinate about helping others," I grumbled.
"Trust me on this, Luke," she replied. "You might be a hotshot pilot, but I'm a hotshot politician. Give me some time- say, an hour. Two at the most-and I'll work something up."
I turned to her with a look of surprise.
"What's your plan?" I asked.
"Just let me work," she told me. "I've got to check on who else has arrived or who I can communicate with right now. It'll take some time."
We paused at an intersection in the passageway and she turned to face me fully.
"In the meantime, I just need you to wait somewhere I can find you," she said pointing to the passage behind me. "The ship's wardroom should be that way. Wait for me there."
"What, you don't want me to come with you?" I asked.
"I'll do better on my own," she replied. "Besides, you're not exactly subtle. I want to handle this discreetly so Commander Pye'ke can't try to interfere."
"I can be discreet," I protested. "I found you and the droids on Tatooine, didn't I? I wore a disguise and everything!"
"Sure you did," she agreed airily. "Until I got the drop on you behind that sandcrawler..."
"You got lucky," I interrupted. "And I was looking for you. Finding you was actually my goal the whole time. Mission accomplished."
"You were looking for the droids," she emphasized. "And the very next day, you got into a fight in that cantina."
"That guy picked a fight with me, not the other way around," I defended. "And they ganged up on me. Besides, he was a wanted man. He said so himself! That's got to be like a freebie, or something."
"Like I said," she went on, acting like I hadn't just made some very valid points. "I'll handle this alone. You head on over to the wardroom and I'll meet you there in a little while."
I felt a bit like a kid with how she was basically telling me to go and wait for her while she did the actual work. In the end, simple logic won and helped soothe my stung pride. She really was the expert in this scenario, which was an ironic reversal of our first encounter on Tatooine. She was my friend and my ally here and I should listen when she says I need to do something. Still...
"I'm going to update Han and Chewie on what's going on first," I said. "And I'll meet you in the wardroom later."
"Good call," Leia replied. "Don't get lost on your way back from the hangar."
She had already started walking away, so she didn't see the indignant look I was giving her at that last remark.
"I won't!" I called back.
Oh yeah, I'm really showing her I'm not someone to be pushed around.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
The Nebulon we were on actually had a nice little wardroom for officers to sit in. It had all the makings of a nice little lounge area with an attached kitchen. I paid no attention to the decorations or plaques hanging on the wall that denoted the ship's namesake and history. I hadn't even bothered to remember the name of the ship as I was too busy focusing on the task at hand to really care. I just confiscated a small booth in the back of the wardroom and made myself comfortable while I waited.
Han and Chewie were back doing maintenance on the Falcon. Both of them told me not to worry about it when I reported to them of my failed attempt to get assistance for my plan. I could tell that neither held it against me and were glad that I'd just made the attempt but I still felt like I was letting them down somehow. I didn't even have it in me to renew my promise to help them, as I told them I'd simply check in with them later once I knew something else.
Since then, I'd been 'cooling my heels' as it were, in the wardroom. After relaxing here for a short time, I had mellowed out considerably. It was amazing what a tall glass of water can do for the disposition of someone who's spent considerable time on a desert planet.
It was only about an hour later that the door opened and Leia strode in. Behind her, I was rather surprised to see General Dodonna was with her. They both made a beeline for my booth and I rose to greet them.
"General," I greeted respectfully, standing up. Dodonna had impressed me back on Yavin and had struck me as a fine officer, even aside from his accomplishments that I already knew about. I was genuinely glad to see that he had rendezvoused with us.
"As you were, Skywalker," Dodonna said, waving me back to my seat. "I've been speaking with her highness and she's told me that you seem to be facing something of a problem."
"Jan arrived yesterday," Leia explained quickly, sliding gracefully into a seat across from me. "I asked him to come here because I think he can help us."
"Really?" I asked, intrigued.
"There's an inescapable aspect of life in any military organization, Skywalker," the general explained, taking another seat across from me. "It's politics. I might say it's even worse in the Alliance some days due to the fact that it's command structure is so broken up. We function as a semi-cohesive unit, but we also have a price to pay by bringing aboard so many disparate resistance groups. And it's unavoidable that many of them were affiliated with the former CIS."
"I'm surprised anyone who used to be a part of the Separatists would be a member of the 'Alliance to Restore the Republic,'" I remarked. "Even after all this time since their defeat."
"It's not like they had many options," Leia chimed in. "A lot of the die hard supporters of the movement were either captured or killed in the early years of the Empire. Most of the rest were cowed into submission when the Emperor made it clear that further resistance to the New Order would not be tolerated. Those who we picked up are mostly the junior officers who were unimportant enough to escape notice or their descendants who were raised on the same beliefs of their forebearers, but hate the Empire more because it's all they've ever really had to look at or because they simply view it as the Republic's successor state."
"Regretfully," Dodonna continued. "We had to decentralize a lot of our assets and command authority if we wanted to get everyone on board. One of the biggest stipulations the former CIS members had was to have more autonomy than a typical military would tolerate. Admittedly, it also helped bring on a lot of other, former Republic groups and let us train them and consolidate more of our civilian and military assets. The price was the formation of some regrettably factionalized portions of our military forces.
"Commander Pye'ke," he spoke the same with some distaste in his voice. "For the most part, has authority to do with his fleet forces as he sees fit. It would take an order verified from the Command Council to get him into action, so long as he's determined not to render assistance."
"That's a hell of a way to run a military," I said, exasperated. "I may not be an expert but now I'm wondering how anything gets done if your own officers can refuse orders like that."
Dodonna shrugged helplessly. "Technically, we're not a military," he explained. "We have a civilian run government, as ramshackle as it is some days. While Pye'ke would have to accept orders from an Alliance admiral, I'm a general. My authority in matters of naval combat are nebulous to say the least, regardless of my current position on the Command Council."
"It's not perfect," Leia admitted. "But it's the best we've been able to organize under the Empire's watch. Decentralization makes us inefficient some days, but it ensures safety for the movement as a whole. Even on worlds that are fully on board with us, we can't afford to draw too much attention by declaring that to be the case. Almost all of them would be vulnerable to a full Imperial assault if they did so and we couldn't hope to hold out forever against that kind of concentrated firepower, even if we made a stand with everything we had."
"As her highness says," Dodonna added. "It's not perfect. But it's how we've had to adapt to stay alive."
I sighed.
I understood their reasoning and their explanation just fine. That didn't mean I had to like what it meant.
"So what I'm hearing here is that I've got no options at all?" I asked.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Dodonna explained, leaning in. "While I can't order around the ships in this group without cause, that doesn't mean I don't have authority to organize a strike force with the troops aboard these ships and any others that may make their way here soon."
I sat up, now much more eager.
"It wouldn't be an army," the general warned me. "And I'm not going to order Alliance soldiers to fight pirates when they signed up to fight the Empire. I can ask for volunteers, though. You'll probably get all the help you need, given your budding reputation as the man who blew up the Death Star, but it likely wouldn't include many if any fleet units."
"If it comes down to that, I won't need them, sir," I quickly agreed, running numbers and options in my head. "Just give me enough men and a chance. I already know where they're going to be for the next three weeks. All we need is to hit them within that time frame. I've got an ace in the hole if we can just get it aboard."
"A what?" Dodonna asked.
"Sorry," I said. "I mean a wild card up my sleeve. A secret weapon."
'Damn space card games and their overcomplicated rules,' I thought.
"Yes, that knowledge will certainly present an opportunity," Dodonna agreed. "Might I ask how you acquired such information? I don't imagine they would just tell you where they'd be flying to next."
"A very helpful pirate, who thought I might be interested in either joining up or making a business deal of some kind, was generous when asked," I replied innocently.
"Certainly convenient," Dodonna drawled skeptically.
"More convenient that it was a Jedi asking," I returned, wiggling a few fingers for emphasis and dramatic effect. "It's amazing the shortcuts the Force can provide if one knows how and when to take them."
"So it seems," he responded dryly.
"I'd be skeptical if I hadn't seen it happen myself," Leia chimed in. "She was easily the most forthcoming and open criminal I'd ever laid eyes on."
"It helped that I was playing it low-key," I elaborated modestly. "She was hardly a subtle individual herself. Plus, I think she was weirdly antagonistic towards Leia for some reason. She seemed to appreciate me flattering her over you with my line of questioning."
Dodonna cut in before Leia could reply to that.
"Be that as it may," he went on. "Are you certain this is a fight you want, Skywalker? If things go bad for your attack force, escape may be impossible. Are you certain you want to commit to an attack when you may not have the fleet forces necessary to ensure a victory?"
"It's worth it, sir," I answered seriously. "What's more, I have the necessary elements to pull this off. If you'll give me a chance, I know I won't let you regret helping me."
Dodonna steepled his fingers in front of himself as he rested his chin on them. His eyes bored into me for a few seconds before he began speaking again.
"You're an exceptional young man, Skywalker," Dodonna admitted, conveying his seriousness with that statement. "Leia's already vouched for you and I know Kenobi does as well. For some, that would be enough. But I have a responsibility to ask you this as well. Can you do this? Being an exceptional pilot doesn't automatically make one an exceptional leader or soldier. Are you willing to lead these people into battle for what you believe in? Even considering that some or many of them might not make it back?"
I kept eye contact with him, but didn't answer right away. Instead, I reached for my belt. I unclipped my lightsaber and brought it up in between the two of us, horizontally as to not make it seem like I was pointing it at anyone.
I set in on the table in front of us with an audible tap of metal-on-metal.
"Yes, sir."
Dodonna smiled, understanding my message.
"Then perhaps, Lieutenant," the old general said. "You can tell me what your plan is in detail, so that we can work on getting you the resources you need."
Now, I smiled.
"Yes, sir," I said again.
The three of us spent the rest of the afternoon discussing details and crunching numbers. By the time we'd finished for the day, I had a lot more on my mind to think about for the next day.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
"Are you taking the spice, man?!"
"Wedge-"
"No, Biggs. Let's have it all out," I told him calmly.
The next day found me in the hangar of the Quasar carrier Kaldatti. While Dodonna and Leia made their own moves to get me some volunteers for my plan, Biggs and Wedge had their fighters stored here and I had come over at the first opportunity to explain to them what I was planning and hopefully to get their support.
Maybe I could've explained it better...
"Luke, I get that Solo's your friend," Wedge went on. "I respect the hell out of him for coming back to help us out with the Death Star. But he's alive, you're alive, he just lost his credits. You're talking about taking on a Venator here! One stacked with heavily armed pirates!"
"It's not about the credits, Wedge," I told him. "This is about what I saw when we were captured. It's about those people being abused aboard that ship. It's also about all the people I didn't see, who will get pinched by those bastards in the future if they're not stopped. Force knows what'll happen to some of them, but I don't intend to let them get the chance."
That seemed to take quite a bit of the wind out of Wedge's argument. However, Biggs seemed ready to fill the sudden lull in the conversation.
"Luke," he began. "I'm not saying I'm against helping and neither is Wedge-" said pilot made a face at that- "but... are you sure about this? Even if we get the troops for this and even if we pull it off, what about the next time we have to go up against the Empire? Shouldn't we be focusing on that?"
Alright. Time to level with them a bit here.
"This goes far beyond what I had expected when I left Tatooine," I told them. "Flying for the Alliance? Sure. Fight in the occasional ground battle or do the occasional spy mission? Certainly. But I'm set on doing this, guys. I saw that ship, I saw those... people... taking advantage of their slaves, their power, and relishing in hurting others..."
I stopped myself before going on a tirade.
"This may not be what I expected when I joined the Alliance, but it is right up my alley in terms of what I expect from myself," I finished. "I can't back away from this. Not now."
There was a moment of silence as I geared up to give voice to something else that needed to be said.
"I consider the two of you my friends," I told them. "Biggs; we've known each other since we were kids. Wedge; I like to think that covering each others' butts while taking down a moon-sized battlestation establishes some kind of trust."
There was a snort from Wedge at this. But it sounded like amusement, so I didn't take any offense at it.
"Dodonna, Leia, and I talked about this yesterday," I continued. "In order to get the support on board for this, I have to be of sufficient rank. They want to make me the new commander of our squadron and promote me before we go on this mission."
Silence greeted that statement.
"You both have a lot more seniority in this organization than me," I told them. "And you both flew with me at the Death Star too. So far as I'm concerned, that gives you just as much glory for that victory as I got for taking that shot. They want to make me a propaganda piece because I'm the guy who took the shot, but I told Dodonna that I drew the line at being promoted over you guys if you weren't okay with it. Us being able to work together means more to me than getting an extra cut of glory. So, if you guys aren't comfortable with it, I'll tell Dodonna to promote one of you instead and I'll just stay a lieutenant. But regardless, I want you both to be a part of this."
I wasn't just being humble here. I didn't need or want to be promoted right now if it meant I alienated my friends and fellow pilots in exchange. I could settle for staying a lieutenant awhile longer if it meant I didn't destroy my working relationships.
That being said, I also kind of hoped I could still count on their friendship and support, even if I was their new boss. This was going to be a long, hard war. I'm going to need good friends just as much as I'll need good fighters down the line.
"Luke," Biggs started. "You know you've got my help. I don't need to be the squadron leader so long as we're fighting the good fight. You showed you can fight, you showed you can fly. I don't know much about this Jedi business you've gotten yourself into, but I'm still willing to stick with you. Even if I have to start calling you 'sir.'"
I was very glad to have my oldest friend's support. Still though, I didn't want him to think our friendship would change much just because I got promoted.
"If you start saluting me, I might just throw something at you," I told him.
"What? Why? It's a gesture of respect!"
"Coming from you, it'd be more like sarcasm. Plus, it'd make me feel weird. So try to resist the temptation, okay?"
"Only in combat and in front of other people then," he nodded. "Yes sir!"
"You're a pain in my ass, Biggs Darklighter," I grumbled, but couldn't hold back the smile as I said it.
"Yes sir!" he agreed.
Then, the both of us turned to look at Wedge.
"This sounds nuts. All of it," Wedge stated flatly. He then sighed, placed his hands on his hips and looked away. "But I recognize that we wouldn't have survived that attack on the Death Star without you. When the rest of the squadron got blown away, you were the one that took charge. Maybe it's a Jedi thing, or some kind of farmboy skill that Biggs doesn't have," now it was Biggs' turn to snort in amusement. "But we listened to you. We won. So, I guess, if you're certain this is what we should be doing... then I'm in. All the way."
"I am absolutely sure this is what we need to do," I told him. "Problem is, this op won't be done with all of the blessings and planning of the Alliance. I've gotten provisional approval to recruit and equip thanks to Leia and Dodonna, but we're not getting a small fleet of ships for this. And it'll be volunteer only. Fortunately for my plans, I know exactly how to make this work. All we'll need is to successfully board them, take control of the hangar deck, and then we'll have the right where we'll want them."
Neither looked particularly relieved by my words, but I took heart from the fact that they both still seemed ready to help. I really need to work on my recruitment pitches. Maybe it's a good thing Leia and General Dodonna are recruiting the rest of the soldiers for this mission, because I don't know if I'd get nearly as many to follow me if I had to talk to them all myself.
"So what's the plan, boss?" Wedge asked.
I smiled.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
POV Shift
Sal'okkrit was a good Trandoshan.
He always behaved himself as a hatchling, did as he was told, attended all of his lessons, and never hung out with any of 'those' types, as his mother called them. Overall, he was not very different than any number of other young trandoshan males in his age group.
Except, one day, he ran into his cousin and some of his friends. His cousin was much older and had always been nice to Sal'okkrit while he was growing up. Salkun didn't think much of it when he was being asked to run little errands in return for treats and some extra pocket change. It was all harmless, right? And his cousin was the one asking him to help! Aren't family members supposed to look out for each other?
Errands became holding onto little packages, became doing deliveries, became being a lookout, until one day, he was handed a knife and told to stab a member of a rival gang. After that, it became clear that there was no going back for him. Years passed, his standing with the gang grew, and one day, he got an offer to leave his homeworld and join a real pirate and his crew. What an opportunity! He got to fly starships, shoot stupid spacers, and got lots of credits! He sent a lot of those back home as was expected of him but he also got to keep a lot too! Money, adventure, flying, what more could he ask for?
Yes, life was good to him.
Today, it was his turn to fly in a patrol. If a ship tried to flee or stars forbid, open fire on the Rigor Mortis, he and his wing would chase them down and blast them. Sometimes, convoys of ships would break up in a panic and scatter, making such work necessary.
However, it looked like that wouldn't be the case today.
The two ships that popped out were no different than any of the dozens of freighters that had come before it. After awhile, there seemed little difference in what ships they pulled out of hyperspace other than their size. What did he care if their prey had been built in a SoroSub yard or a Corellian one? They were always too fat and weak to resist long and the ones that resisted too much were as good as dead before they could escape the range of the interdiction field. Such was the nature of prey.
Today's catch was a pair of generic Imperial style transports. There was a raised block in the center that contained most of the ship's mass, but also a long, flat horizontal section which contained most of the ship's cargo space. Their design was fairly new and possessed sharp angles and geometric shapes, as most Empire ships seemed to prefer. Perhaps this was some planetary government's convoy or belonged to a rich corporation?
"Power down your engines and surrender," the voice of one of his fellow pirates came over an open channel. "Attempt to flee, and you'll be blasted out of the sky!"
The expected response came quickly.
"Dammit, fine! Just take it easy!" came the frantic voice in response. "We haven't got anything worth dying for, so you're welcome to it!"
"You damage any of your cargo, it will be you we take as as compensation," his fellow pirate growled.
Sal'okkrit grinned toothily as he listened to the exchange. It was rare these days for a freighter pilot to try and resist and these ones had capitulated even faster than normal. All the better, so far as he was concerned.
He watched as the freighters were pulled into the main hangar. It always fascinated him to watch ships be pulled in. With the hangar doors opening and taking the ships in, it reminded him of some of the carnivorous plants he had seen in exhibits or in the wilds of his homeworld. Watching a ship loaded with potential loot be pulled in always gave him that slight thrill to his predator instincts. Another successful capture, another successful hunt. Life is good.
That is, until it all wasn't so good anymore.
His first sign that something was wrong was when a noise he didn't recognize came over the comms and was immediately cut off. It was almost like someone had started to speak, or yell, and had been cut off in attempting to make a transmission.
Sal'okkrit stared down into the main hangar as he saw flashes of colored light. His eyes widened and confusion turned to horror as he realized that the flashes were from some kind of weapons.
"What is happening?" he hissed into his comms, a note of panic behind his words. They linked directly with the bridge and the hangar control room, so an answer should've been forthcoming.
"They're attacking!" someone yelled over the open channel. "Get reinforcements down to the hangar deck, now! That first ship was packed with the bastards! They're trying to swarm the deck!"
Sal'okkrit was almost paralyzed with indecision. What was he supposed to do in this situation? This had never happened before! Did he try and fire on the freighter in the hangar bay? No, that would certainly damage the ship and the captain would skin him if he damaged his prized vessel too badly. He couldn't do that unless ordered to do so.
Should he try to land and help fight the invaders? He'd be completely exposed as he came in with his fighter! They'd shoot him the moment he tried to exit his cockpit, assuming he was even able to make it into the hangar with the all that chaos going on!
"This is Sal'okkrit," he tried over the comms to the ship. "What do you want us to do out here?"
Confused and angry shouting over the comms were his only answer.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
POV Shift
I surged down the ramp with a burst of Force enhanced speed, lightsaber humming as I cut my way through the unsuspecting pirates. They had clearly expected to be dealing with terrified civilian merchants and hadn't thought to be ready for more than the usual bullying and intimidation.
Those poor, dumb bastards.
The two at the foot of the ramp stood no chance as they both fell to the deck in pieces. The four behind them were quickly cut down by blasterfire from the top of the ramp as they attempted to fire at me since I was the most obvious threat. In no time at all, the initial party of pirates lay dead on the deck. Wasting no time, I urged the rest of my attack force onward.
"Move up!" I yelled.
The motley collection of rebel soldiers surged down the ship's ramp like a stream, yelling their own war cries. A varied collection of humans, near-humans, and aliens surged into the hangar bay from both ships, numbering just a bit over three hundred. They all wore what could loosely be called the Alliance uniform; a series of tans and light blues with a mix of other colors splattered in. Some wore helmets, some didn't, but all of them carried some form of weaponry and at least some rudimentary form of combat webbing.
Dodonna had really come through for us. We'd emptied the armories of one of the Nebulon-Bs to get this team equipped, but we'd done it. I'd have wanted more for this kind of assault, maybe with one or two of those capital ships, but that just wasn't going to happen. We'd combed the whole fleet for volunteers, including the pool of new recruits who'd been in the Alliance for about as long as I had, and we'd still only scrounged up what I'd considered a minimum force capable of pulling this off. Still, Dodonna, Leia, and my reputation as the guy who took out the Death Star managed to get us enough people willing to buy into my plan that I didn't have to call it off.
I took charge of the forces moving down the ship's starboard side while the other half moved up the port. We had to be fast as well as divide our forces to ensure the best chance of success. I could only be in one place at a time to cover our forces with my lightsaber and we had to secure this deck as quickly as possible if we wanted to win the day.
We ran towards the rear of the hangar, sweeping up pirates as we went. Many of them were only armed with simple hand blasters, if at all. This left many pirates we encountered with no choice but to fight, flee, or surrender. Those who fought were quickly overwhelmed, while the ones who surrendered were quickly secured by my forces and shoved out of the way. This was only a temporary state of affairs as some of them seemed to be trying to band together or access heavier weapons than their personal blasters they kept on their persons. Anticipating the inevitable, much heavier response, we had planned to minimize the pirates' ability to ambush us as we made for our objective.
"Besh squad, guard this access point!" I ordered, pointing to a hatch and loading elevator that we were passing.
The aforementioned squad split off and began setting up defensive positions around the entry to the hangar. Most took position behind pieces of equipment while a gran rushed over to the door and began to attempt to seal it off with the combat engineering gear he was carrying.
We pushed on.
"Esk and Dorn squads report that they are corralling prisoners beside the empty hangar spots by the LAAT dropships!" someone called over the main comms frequency.
"Ensure they are checked for weapons immediately upon surrender!" one of the other squad leaders chimed in.
"This is Cresh squad," another spoke. "At least three pirates have locked themselves into a shuttle on the port side of the hangar. They can't get out, but they're in control of a heavy turret on the side of the shuttle! We can not advance further on this side! I'm requesting reinforcements!"
I tapped my own headset to speak.
"Grek squad," I ordered, swinging my lightsaber to one side to deflect a blaster shot back at the pirate who shot at me. "Deploy and make your way to the starboard side to reinforce Cresh. Cresh, hold position if you can. Be careful of using explosives. You do not want to detonate the whole dropship if you're within blast radius."
"Copy, Rogue Leader," Came a reply. "Grek squad, moving up."
"Cresh copies!" Came another. "Digging in and awaiting reinforcements, Rogue Leader!"
Yeah, I had designated myself Rogue Leader or Rogue One for this operation. Call it whatever you like, but I couldn't resist the temptation when it came time to designate squads. Besides that, I rather liked the idea of carrying that callsign into my first real ground combat mission. Maybe the Force would allow me to be a little luckier or maybe it would give the troops something to look to as we fought but regardless, I was Rogue Leader now.
We had gotten even luckier than I had hoped.
Our initial rush had clearly taken the pirates completely by surprise. Shouting and sounds of activity were now coming from all around the hangar, echoing off of the cavernous spaces along with the added sounds of blasterfire.
A trio of trandoshans came around the side of a parked fightercraft, aiming heavy blasters with their menacing teeth bared in vicious snarls. They opened fire immediately, aiming right for me and my squad. It was a simple, yet effective ambush. Too bad they never had a chance.
My lightsaber spun and deflected their shots. Both the ones directed at me and and at the rebel soldiers behind me. Thankfully, I had instructed them to stay behind me in a closer than usual formation as to have me be more able to cover them. Upon seeing the three trandoshans firing, the two soldiers immediately behind me fired around my sides and over my shoulders. Their shots flew true and cut down the three pirates, splashing the fighter behind them with their extra shots.
"Good work, everyone!" I called to them. "We're almost to the end of the bay! Keep moving!"
We encountered no more ambushes on our way to the back of the bay. Once we got to the blast doors though, we were greeted by another bunch of pirates who'd taken up position around the heavy doors. They numbered at least a dozen and immediately upon stepping into sight, the one in front brandished a massive grenade launcher.
Without hesitation, he fired a volley of grenades.
"Take cover!" screamed one of the rebels behind me. I heard and sensed them all dodging behind equipment as they scrambled away from the explosive happy pirate's firing arc.
Everyone except me though.
Holding up my off hand, the one without the lightsaber in it, I thrust the arm up and forward. The grenades immediately reversed course like they had been hit with a baseball bat or had bounced off of an invisible surface, returning them to their point of origin at twice the speed they had been fired at. The pirate defenders barely had time to look surprised, let alone dodge as their own grenades rocketed back towards them.
'Much like the rubber ball exercises,' the ridiculous thought crossed my mind.
The resulting explosion obliterated the position the pirates had fortified around the heavy doors. Fire engulfed their bodies and the concussive force of the blasts sent the rest flying in all directions. Shrapnel and body parts were everywhere, but I sensed no danger as I averted my eyes from the brilliant blast of heat and light.
Turning to the soldiers following me, I saw them crawling out from behind cover and standing back up. A few of them stared in open-mouthed amazement. I wasn't sure if it was more amazement at their survival or at what I had just done but it was easily readable on their faces.
"Let's move, Rogues!" I said, waving my lightsaber and urging them forward. "We're almost there! We've got 'em right where we want 'em!"
They followed shakily at first, but follow they did.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
It was only a short jog up a ramp to reach the hangar control post. The two pirates inside quickly surrendered and were secured as my forces swarmed into the control room. Once we were inside, I delegated forces to assist the other half of our boarding party which was still fighting the rest of its way up the port side of the ship. We still had to finish securing the hangar deck as it provided the easiest point for the crew of the Rigor Mortis to ambush us or cut off our escape if this all went wrong. As confident as I was, I didn't want to leave us without a means of escape should such become necessary.
For now though, our 'ace in the hole' had just arrived and we had opened the way for him.
"Artoo," I shouted, waving him forward. "Access port, here!" I pointed to the terminal beside me.
Artoo beeped and warbled as he rolled forward behind the Alliance soldiers rushing to secure the adjacent corridors. Reinforcements were certainly coming and we only had so long to pull this off before they arrived.
Rolling over to the access port, Artoo extended the interface probe from his main body and accessed the system. After nearly a minute of familiarizing himself with the ship's systems, he informed me he was in and had accessed core system commands.
"Perfect," I grinned. "Then let's ruin their day, shall we?"
Taking a capital ship, regardless of the quality of the crew, would normally be a daunting task. The crew would be entrenched in their positions and have the home field advantage in any confrontation. Not to mention any defenses, traps, or nasty surprises that may be hidden throughout the ship. It would almost certainly take more men than I had brought with me, Jedi assistance or no. However, for this occasion, I had brought along someone uniquely qualified to give us the advantage.
I'd spent hours grilling Artoo on Venators internal workings and how we could pull this off. I knew he'd served extensively on them and even integrated himself in their systems several times and issued commands to the ship systems. Whatever upgrades he'd received since his days as a mere maintenance astromech aboard the Naboo royal transport, he'd clearly become more formidable than any other units of his design. This was something I intended to exploit today.
Artoo had been wary at first. He had told me that he couldn't just take over a whole ship by himself, but I assured him I didn't expect him to. We'd discussed his capabilities in doing so and he'd assured me that he was capable of a few tricks, even if the pirates had overhauled the ship's internal operating systems. I mentioned how capable I knew he was, since I remembered a few of his exploits during the Clone Wars and he was shocked into a few moments of silence.
We'd had time to discuss things a bit while transiting aboard the Falcon, going over a few things to assure Artoo I was more knowledgeable than he had previously thought and had something of a plan going forward. It'd given me a chance to work on my understanding of Binary and also to hash things out with the little droid. I'd eventually mentioned events before my birth that Artoo had been present for and had archived in his memory. At first, the astromech was reluctant to discuss these things as they brought up painful memories for him. Eventually, he relented as we got to know each other better and got down to detailing what he could be capable of once we got him aboard.
For a start, he was confident he could initiate the fire and damage control systems. That would allow him to shut down entire sections of the ship and lock out reinforcements from engaging at all or from somewhere we wouldn't want them to try. Artoo then did me one better when he suggested triggering the other damage control lockouts to prevent the ship from even being able to go to hyperspace or to trick the system to think that the main bridge and engineering were offline.
And that's exactly what he did. Now that he had access to the ship's core commands and could issue new orders, it was a simple matter for the clever little droid to trick the ship's main operating systems.
Suddenly, a new alarm tone began to screech. It was one many Star Wars fans would recognize for its deep, ominous tone. It was the deep, whale-like sound of the ship's emergency alarm.
Unseen to me but pictured, I imagined dozens and then hundreds of bulkheads slamming shut as the ship's systems registered major hull damage and was sealing off most of the ship to prevent venting the atmosphere into vacuum. Coincidentally, it was also registering fires where several conduits must have exploded along the ship's interior and engine room, despite the fact that no such fires and no such hull breaches actually existed. As a result of these 'malfunctions,' power was being cut to several areas to prevent feeding any electrical fires and any more conduits from exploding. It was very convenient for my fellow rebels and I that these areas included the main bridge as well as engineering.
To top it all off, command center functions were to be transferred to the main hangar control hub. Seeing as how both main engineering and the bridge were offline due to catastrophic damage, the system was all too willing to pass control to an auxiliary station.
In less than a minute, Artoo had effectively locked down the whole ship. We couldn't control weapons or navigate the ship but we didn't need to at the moment. The fighters still outside were now locked out just as much as the personnel we had trapped in various compartments on the inside. It was only going to be a matter of time for us to dig out the isolated pockets of the now stranded pirates. We held the home field advantage now.
As the bleating tones of the ship's alarm continued to go off and consoles lit up all around us, I caught sight of a couple of rebel soldiers looking around nervously at all the flashing red lights. Smirking, I called out to them.
"No need for concern, gentlebeings!" I called cheerily, my smirk turning practically vulpine. "That's the sound of victory you're hearing!"
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
It was amazing how quiet the hangar bay had gotten. From the moment we had lowered the ramp, it had been a cacophony of shouting and blaster fire as we had fought our way stern and towards the hangar control room. Now, the actual alarms had been shut off and only the flashing lights were left to indicate that the ship was still registering that it was in distress.
The only real activity came from the few pirates and handful of slaves we'd captured. There weren't many of either, as the pirates here had chosen to fight on first reaction to seeing us rather than surrender and not many slaves would've been allowed near so much valuable equipment. That being said, we were keeping both groups of captives separate and under guard until we had the time to sort them out later.
Otherwise, we had squads holding down the most likely points of entry to the hangar bay and digging themselves in and around the hangar control room with what heavier weaponry we'd managed to bring along. As per the suggestion of one of the techs during the planning stages of this operation, we had kept an eye on the droids that were all over the hangar deck. The tech had suggested that if the droids had been modified with hidden combat programming, they might be activated at an inopportune moment and be used as a counterattack by the pirates. Not wanting to take the chance, I had assigned a few of men to corral any droids they could find and shut them down until we could check them for hidden programs.
The alarms had been sounding and the bulkheads had been sealed for several minutes already. Artoo had assured me he had everything under control and none of the crew's attempts at overriding the lockout were successful thus far. He also warned me that his ability to monitor private comm devices and what the pirates were actually doing in their isolation was practically nil with his current setup. I assured him that was fine and that I was ready to move on to the next part of the plan.
"Artoo, can you hook me up to the ship-wide comms?" I asked.
[Activating ship-wide comms...] Artoo answered. [Done. Microphone is on the main console.]
I walked over to said console, immediately identifying the microphone that was usually used to make announcements to the hangar deck alone. I picked it up and rolled my shoulders, letting out a breath as I tried to relax.
Show time.
"Attention, crew of the Rigor Mortis," I began, activating the mic. "As you've no doubt realized, you have lost control of your ship. I am hereby informing you that you have officially lost this fight. Your vessel and your fates are now under the control of Alliance forces.
"Some of you are likely thinking this is a bluff. You are likely telling yourselves that there is no way we could have taken the whole ship over so quickly. You would only be partially correct. We have a specialist with us who happens to be intimately familiar with the operating systems and controls of Venator-class star destroyers. From only one of a select few locations on this ship, which we are at, we are able to initiate a lockdown of this entire vessel, which we have."
Artoo warbled in amusement as I shot him and the other nearby Alliance soldiers a grin. They were clearly loving this as much as I was, judging by their reactions.
"Some of you are no doubt thinking you can escape your entrapment," I went on, feeling emboldened. "Perhaps you have the tools or the know-how to overcome the sealed bulkhead in front of you. That would be a mistake. You see, right now we're willing to take prisoners as Alliance forces move throughout the ship to come and take custody of you. Any resistance you offer to Alliance forces will doubtlessly be brief, pointless, and probably end with your painful demise as we decide whether to simply vent the air you're currently breathing or just lob grenades through a crack in the door. Let's not have anymore dead heroes today and instead choose to live, shall we?
"And as for the mastermind of this whole operation," I added. "The notorious 'Crimson Jack,' otherwise known as Redbeard, you can expect some company shortly. They'll expect a warm reception if you and your crew want to make it off this tub in something other than a bucket or out an airlock."
"This is Commander Skywalker of the Alliance," I wrapped up. "Game's over, gentlemen."
I took my finger off of the mic and dropped it back onto the console. I turned to look at the other rebels in the command center with me and held out my arms.
"Too much?" I asked.
Laughter was their response, along with a few who chose to clap for the performance.
I smiled and made a sweeping gesture with my arms as I took a bow.
"Thank you, thank you!" I told them. "I'm always proud to entertain as well as lead you all into the fires of combat!"
Setting aside the levity of the moment, I looked to Artoo, who was still plugged into the access port.
"Can you locate and open up a pathway to where the captain is?" I asked him.
[Working. Location confirmed.] Artoo replied a moment later. [He's shouting orders from his cabin. Aaaand... whoops, it looks like his cabin's comms just went offline. Unless he's carrying a comlink, he won't be talking to anybody.]
"Outstanding, Artoo!" I praised him. "Let's see if we can plot a path to him and unlock the hatches leading there."
[On it!]
I turned to the other rebel troops present in the control room.
"The ship may be on lockdown," I told them. "But that doesn't mean that some of the crew might not still try to break through bulkheads or group up to fight back. Guard the access points but ensure that we focus on controlling this room, alright? We can not lose this spot. For all intents and purposes, this is now the control room for the entire ship."
"We got it, boss!" Wedge called from the panel he was standing over. "We'll keep it under control here and start isolating pockets of resistance and calling for their surrender. What's next?"
"Next," I said with a smirk. "Is I'm going to ask Crimson Jack to surrender."
"You think you can convince him to do that, sir?" one of the other soldiers asked.
"I'm gonna ask him nicely," I explained, holding up my inactive lightsaber for emphasis.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Walking down familiar passageway after familiar passageway, I reached my destination and came to a stop. Aurek squad was stationed in front of the door to the captain's cabin and seemed to be just milling around at the moment. Not that I could blame them, since all of the other doors were still sealed shut. One of them, probably the squad's tech expert, was examining the panel beside the door.
"Commander," one of the squad members greeted me as we approached. He was an olive skinned human male with a black mullet coming out the back of his helmet. The patch on his shoulder indicated he was the squad leader.
"He lock himself in?" I asked rhetorically. It seemed rather obvious, given what I was seeing.
"Door's been reinforced and magnetically sealed, sir," the kneeling tech, another human but with more Caucasian tones, explained. He was still poking at the wiring coming out of the bulkhead. "I've been trying to override the locks but it looks like it was refitted to prevent exactly that. Even killing the power wouldn't help much. I'm not sure I'll be able to do much from this panel."
"We might need explosives to breech, sir," the squad leader said. "Either that or wait until we can get some high grade cutting tools and get that door open."
"He alone in there?" I asked him.
"We think so. We tried communicating with him at first. Tried to tell him the ship was taken and he needed to come out. He told us to go kriff ourselves."
"Charming," I said lightly. "Perhaps I can be a bit more convincing. Soldier, you'd best stand back and away from the door."
Everyone, even the ones not close to the door, took a few steps back as I unclipped my lightsaber from my belt and ignited the blade. The technician who'd been poking at the panel scrambled back a bit on his knees as he caught sight of the action.
Lining up the super heated beam of energy, I began by slowly piercing the side of the door, starting at the top and working my way down. I didn't have to waste time with cutting the whole door out to get it to open; just focus on severing the magnetic bars on one side that kept it locked in place.
The door was much denser than it had first appeared but it didn't even really matter in the end. Going at a thorough and slow pace, I worked my way down one side of the door, destroying any locking mechanism embedded in the door or in the bulkhead. I reached the bottom of the hatch and pulled back my lightsaber, keeping it ignited. The metal popped and fizzed as it cooled without the lightsaber in contact with it anymore.
"Beats the hell out of a shaped charge," muttered one of the soldiers behind me.
"Everyone stand by out here," I told them. "I'll go in first and try to force a surrender out of the stubborn bastard."
It would also be easier to defend just myself if he tried something but I decided not to phrase it like that.
"Roger that, sir," the squad leader replied for his men.
Using the Force, I pushed back the door into the open position Since there were no longer any magnetic bars to hold it in place, it was quite a bit easier than it might've been otherwise and didn't lead to me destroying the whole section of bulkhead. The door ground open, causing all those present to wince at the screeching sound of metal-on-metal.
Stepping into the compartment, I was ready for a barrage of blasterfire to come at me. I wasn't disappointed when a single shot came from the direction of one of the adjacent rooms. The captain's cabin was clearly divided up into several small rooms and Jack had decided to use on of the doorways as cover while he made his defiant stand.
Defiant, yet useless. I casually knocked a blaster shot aside and into the ceiling, accidentally damaging one of the lights when I did so.
"Put it down," I ordered. "Or the next shot will get deflected right back at you."
The pirate glared at me and kept pointing his heavy looking blaster. For a second, I thought he was going to fire again. Instead, he kept glaring for a few seconds more and then tossed the blaster into the compartment I was standing in, having it land on the couch several feet away. Jack slowly stepped out of the room, keeping his hands out to indicate he wasn't holding anything else.
"Nice toy you've got there, kid," he sneered, staring at my ignited lightsaber. "Solo's pal, right? Didn't think he was dumb enough to come after me like this."
I didn't buy his surrendering act for a second. There was a vibroknife still sheathed on his left hip. It had a bulkier hilt and a thicker blade than normal, so I didn't think it was just a regular knife. He hadn't dropped it or deactivated it but his left hand was hanging close to it. Not that I was concerned. The blade was only a few inches long and despite it's likely deadly capabilities, neither it nor its wielder would be a match for me if it came down to it.
"This wasn't his idea," I informed him. "It was mine. Now, either you surrender and take your chances with a courtroom somewhere; or you don't and you die right here. Decide now."
"Do you have any idea what you've stuck your neck out for here?" Jack asked instead. "You think I work alone? I work for the Hutts, you Outer Rim bumpkin! You have any idea what that means for you and your buddies if you don't let me go?"
He was stalling. Trying to talk his way out of here somehow.
"This isn't a negotiation," I stated firmly. "And you're not flying out of here unless it's with your hands tied and you stuffed into the cargo hold of whatever ship we send you out on. It's over."
"You talk a good game, kid, I'll give you that much," Jack said. "Real intimidating. But what good is that attitude gonna do you when Jabba the Hutt finds out you stole from him? Finds out that you trashed one of his operations and took his credits?"
"I can only guess, I suppose," I shrugged. "Although, I wish I could see the look on his face when he gets the news. I wonder what color a Hutt turns when he's mad?"
"You've got no idea what you've gotten yourself into, kid," Jack said, shaking his head. "The Hutts control over a hundred major worlds and have hundreds more tied to strings. They've been around for thousands of years and have outlasted governments, armies, even the mighty Jedi."
"Then I suppose they're also accustomed to the idea of rolling over and playing dead when someone stronger comes along," I replied, sounding bored. "Get to the point."
Jack had a point though. And I couldn't just ignore it.
The Hutt Cartels had survived longer than pretty much any other galactic institution. They'd fought and even won their fair share of interstellar conflicts in the past.
And here I was; one guy about to step up and spit in the face of that organization. It had occurred to me more than once that I might be bringing some serious heat onto myself with this. It was bound to come out sooner or later that I was the one responsible for this operation. When that happened, I'd definitely have a bounty placed on my head by Jabba. Good cause or not, was this in any way a smart move?
What about my big plans? I had so many obstacles to overcome as it is. Was adding 'going to war with interstellar gangsters' really worth it if it put those plans in jeopardy? Vader, the Alliance, my friends, all those people who whether they knew it or not were counting on me to succeed. To make a difference. Didn't I at least owe it to them to make better, smarter choices?
All I had to do was think of the terrified faces of those slaves I'd seen. I remembered Jack's and the other pirates' smug satisfaction as they laughed and enjoyed the spoils of the ships they'd captured. Thinking of all that made my decision easy.
Damn the bigger picture. I'd handle the consequences when they arose. Right now, my path forward was clear.
"I can almost respect you trying to talk your way out of this, 'Crimson Jack,'" I said, putting a degree of sarcasm behind that absurd nickname. "But what I'm doing after this and how I handle the Cartels isn't any of your damn business. You can either surrender now and hope for leniency, or I'll have to end your life here."
Jack bristled under my insulting tone and ultimatum. His face contorted into a look of rage as he reached a decision.
"Stupid, boy," Jack spat, brandishing his knife and pointing it at me.
The vibroknife made a quiet clicking noise.
Then, the blade fired out of the hilt, shooting towards my head at high speed. Faster than most beings would've been able to dodge. Faster than a normal human would be able to dodge, I was sure.
But not too fast for a Jedi.
I sensed the danger coming before Jack even pointed the knife at me, even if I wasn't certain what form it would take. As it was, all I had to do was tilt my head to the side as the humming projectile sped past my ear and went straight into the (probably expensive) wooden paneling over the bulkhead.
Not waiting to see the effect of his surprise attack, the pirate had leaped towards the couch for his discarded blaster, scrambling for another weapon to finish me off. I didn't intend to give him the opportunity to even try.
I rushed forward towards the couch as well, brandishing my lightsaber in the same movement as I brought it up into a better striking position. I didn't bother with any fancy or complicated movement as I entered range of the pirate. His body armor would be no match for a lightsaber.
Jack reached his weapon first. His face showed his sudden elation at having a weapon in his hand, even though his fear was still very present due to his circumstances. He spun around, ready to fire...
Just as I swept my lightsaber through him.
Crimson 'Redbeard' Jack crumpled to the floor.
First one part, then the other.
'Shit, that's unsettling to watch in real life,' I thought, kind of grossed out.
"Commander!" came a shout behind me. My backup rushed into the compartment behind me, ready to fight.
"It's alright!" I called back. "Fight's over, everything's fine."
"Copy that, commander," replied the squad leader. "Orders?"
I absentmindedly admired the professionalism and/or focus of the squad leader. I was standing over the still-smoking remains of what was once a human being and he didn't even make a single remark regarding it.
But now was no time to lose focus.
"Let's get back to the hangar deck," I decided. "We can regroup with the others and start bringing in the holdouts. News of their leader's demise might help speed that along a bit."
"Yessir," the man replied. "Alright, let's pack it in, squad! Show's over! Pakk, you're on point..."
Letting out a breath, I tuned out the other rebels' chatter and examined the scene, just taking it all in. The body of Crimson Jack, the smell of ozone and burnt flesh, the luxurious accommodations, everything. It was then that I noticed the blade sticking out of the bulkhead behind where I was standing.
Turning my head down to my feet first, I noticed the hilt laying where it had been dropped when Jack went for his blaster. Picking it up, I took a closer look at the hilt as I peeked at the mechanism which had launched the blade.
'A ballistic vibroblade,' I thought in fascination, examining the device. 'Not something I think I've ever seen or heard of before. A perfect weapon for taking an enemy by surprise.'
Pocketing the curious device, I turned towards the door. Whatever pirates were still willing to fight might be more inclined to give up once they heard that their captain was dead. I gave one last look at the still humming blade wedged into the bulkhead enough to stay stuck there. I wondered how much energy was still in the blade and how long it'd take to wear out before shaking my head and deciding to just leave it for someone else to deal with later.
"Shouldn't have gone for the head," I muttered.
Without another word, I walked out of the compartment.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
I let out a sigh as I set the datapad on the desk and leaned back in my chair. I rubbed my tired eyes as I enjoyed how sinfully comfortable even the desk chair was in this cabin I'd commandeered. It wasn't the captain's cabin, as I had no desire to stay in the same room where I had just killed a man but it was still absurdly comfortable for what I thought sensible for a warship. I'd tested out the other lavish furniture in the cabin and found that it was all ridiculously comfortable as well. The other guys had found out that it was pretty much the same story with just about every cabin aboard. 'Crimson Jack' might have been a selfish prick and a pirate, but he seemed to spare no luxury for his own merry band of scum and slavers. Or maybe piracy was just that lucrative, so long as you could get away with it.
After we'd finished securing the ship and the crew, the rest of the pirates had been locked up in one of the empty cargo holds. They'd been stripped of anything useful or that might be used to make an escape and left with only a few blankets to keep them from freezing while we were on our way to our destination. None of them looked willing to keep up the fight once enough of them had fallen and word had gotten around to the last holdouts that Crimson Jack was dead. Still, we'd made sure to point out that the cargo hold they were being locked into had an airlock door that opened up to vacuum. Any sudden desire to retake their ship would certainly end with us opening said door. A rather heavy handed threat but it worked to keep them cowed until we could pass them off to someone else.
The fighter patrol that had been flying outside had surrendered fairly quickly once they realized the ship was taken. None of the small fighters had hyperdrives of their own, meaning their options were to either land and surrender or be stranded in the middle of nowhere once we jumped to hyperspace. I think some of those pilots had expected exactly that to happen, judging from their relief at being able to land and surrender themselves.
Afterwards, among a hundred other things all going on all at once, I recalled being contacted by one of the rebel troopers who'd been sweeping the ship. At his insistence, I had gone down to the area the trooper was in to see what he and his buddies had found. Upon arrival the giddy young man, who actually looked to be the same age as me, excitedly opened a reinforced hatch and showed us the interior.
He'd found the loot.
Either Jack had been holding out on Jabba, or piracy was just a lot more lucrative than I'd first thought. Box after box of stacked credit chits, categorized as either 'marked' or 'unmarked,' were lined up in row after row on the deck and on shelves. Various pieces of gaudy decoration were stacked on other shelves, showing their value by obvious virtue of being made of precious metals and valuable gemstones. A number of art pieces sat on one side of the room, carefully stored, marked, and cataloged for later. Finally, in the back, a whole load of curiosities and random trinkets sat. Likely the unsorted loot of previously captured ships.
I was amazed at what I was seeing. I'd never seen so much obvious wealth stored in one place before. It was no wonder that much of the ship was so lavishly decorated when this was what was stored in its cargo hold. At the insistence of some of the officers, I'd had a guard posted and a new lock put in place over the door to prevent anyone with sticky fingers from having a look.
The Alliance would certainly appreciate the massive stash of credits and valuables. I knew there was no way I'd be able to keep all of that wealth for myself or even just for the guys who came along on this mission. However, I idly wondered if there was some kind of reward system in place for these things? A percentage for the crew that captured it? For that matter, should I expect to be paid any time soon?
I sat there for a few more minutes, just letting my mind wander down these thought tangents, until I heard the door chime activate. I sat up and checked that my blaster and lightsaber were still nearby and ready in case I needed them. We might have either killed or locked up all of the pirates, but I suppose I was still a bit on edge after all the fighting to take the ship.
Opening the door to the cabin, I was greeted to the sight of a blue twi'lek woman. White dots seem to either be painted or tattooed along the sides of her face and headtails, contrasting interestingly with her skin. She was a bit on the short side, only coming up to my chest.
Speaking of chests, what she was wearing was rather... distracting in regards to how much of hers was on display.
"Yes?" I asked, determinedly focusing on her face and nowhere else. "Can I help you with something?"
"May I come in, sir?" she asked quietly.
"Uh, sure," I replied, moving aside and gesturing her inside.
She entered the cabin and got a good look at what she was wearing. It was essentially a white fishnet bodysuit with a few artfully applied strips of fabric to maintain some semblance of decency. A complicated series of fabric knots was tied around her head, keeping her lekku in place as she walked. It reminded me of some of the complicated knots sailors sometimes used in Earth's water navies to tie things down.
"Did, uh, you need something?" I asked, still confused as to what she was doing here.
"I-I thought you may desire company, sir," the twi'lek woman sad nervously, wringing and fiddling her hands in front of herself as she didn't look me in the eye.
What was-?
Oh.
Oh.
It might've taken me a second but I realized what she was suggesting after a moment of thought.
"That's...that's really not necessary," I said, sighing and holding up my hands. "Look, you don't... you don't have to do that. I told you all down on the hanger deck that we'd get you and the others somewhere safe. There are plenty of worlds out there you could go and plenty of loot in the ship's hold. I'm going to talk to my superiors and make sure some of it is used to help you guys out."
Amidst all the post-battle cleanup, I'd made sure to make the time to speak to the former slaves and inform them of their new status. All of those we'd ensured were actual slaves and not just pirates trying to hide as slaves were gathered on the hangar deck so we could account for them all easily. All together, we counted one hundred eighty-six slaves, which was nearly a quarter of the ship's number of pirates. I, as well as everyone who'd come with me, had assured the distressed group that they were safe now and we weren't just a change in management.
There'd been a lot of crying and pleading involved but I was certain that I had gotten the message across in the end once everyone had calmed down. We'd had to keep them corralled on the hangar deck while we locked up the pirate captives in the ship's brig. Everyone should have been fed and made comfortable for the trip once we got the ship into hyperspace. Now though, I'd have to have a word with the soldiers who'd been guarding them. I knew they were instructed to afford the former slaves every courtesy until we could get the bombs removed from them but clearly they had let too much slide if this young lady had been able to make her way up to the room I was staying in without being stopped.
'At least I hope she wasn't stopped by one of my guys,' I thought. 'Then it'd have to be a whole different conversation...'
"I..." the woman held her arms crossed in front of her. "I don't know where to go. I... have nowhere to go."
"There's got to be something better," I assured her. "The Alliance stretches across numerous worlds and pretty much everyone hates pirates and slavers. There have to be organizations and planetary or sector governments that can help..."
I trailed off as my words sounded hollow, even to me. Could the Alliance actually help at all? They might mean well as a whole, but they're also totally occupied with their fight against the Empire. I had to fight and exploit a loophole just to get this operation approved at all. I'd almost certainly have an upwards struggle getting any sort of extra assistance for this woman or any of the others. Did I even have any sort of rights to the treasure in the hold? I'd made use of Alliance personnel to seize this ship, so wouldn't they ultimately have the final word on what happened to the spoils?
I looked at the woman in front of me again. She was scared and I didn't need the Force to tell me that much. But I kept looking at her and started thinking.
She was young, and clearly uncomfortable with what she had come here to do. I don't know if she'd been put up to it or had chosen to do so of her own initiative but either way, she'd come here. I knew twi'leks were horribly exploited in many parts of the galaxy, most of all in Hutt space. This young woman may not have anywhere to go, so maybe...
Well, why not?
"Miss, uh...?" I asked. "I'm sorry, but could you please tell me your name again?"
I didn't think she'd ever actually introduced herself, but I was trying to be extra nice here.
"Duella, sir," she informed me.
"Duella," I nodded. "If you're nervous about leaving, would you prefer to stay? Not as 'entertainment,'" I hastily clarified. "But as a member of the crew?"
Duella looked shocked and a bit confused by the offer. "I-I don't...what w-would I...I...?"
"Miss Duella," I gently interrupted with a smile. "Would you like a job?"
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Duella and I talked a bit more before I sent her off to get some sleep. I was pretty sure she was going to deliver news to the other liberated slaves, but I spent the rest of the night awake as I had new inspiration and I had to act on it. I would be tired as hell the next morning but I could rely on the Force to ward off the worst of my weariness.
The next day, I asked to assemble the whole group of former slaves in the hanger bay. The whole group stood massed in the main launch field between the side hangers. We were due to arrive shortly at our scheduled rendezvous, so I had only a short amount of time to make this pitch.
There was very little conversation going on between the former captives when I entered the hanger and even that died once I made it to the top of the stacked crates I'd asked someone to put out. Everyone started quickly hushing one another as all eyes were suddenly on me. Some looked wary, but most of them seemed simply curious.
Seeing the size of this crowd composed of former slaves and a number of my fellow rebels who were standing guard, I was reminded that public speaking was the most common fear for a reason. This was so much different and harder than talking to my fellow pilots or to a few Alliance officers one on one.
I cleared my throat. "I thank you all for coming," I began, a bit nervously. "We'll be arriving soon and I wanted to say a few words to you all before we reached our destination."
My voice steadied out as I kept going and I felt myself getting confidence as I continued speaking.
"I've been speaking with Miss Duella and she's been telling me about the problems some of you are facing going forward. There are many among you who don't have anywhere to go or don't know what to do now that you are free. Speaking with her, I realized that I didn't have a clear and simple answer for what you should all do. I wish I did, but I don't.
"After giving it some thought, I've decided I'd like to offer you all an alternative. But before laying it out for you all, I have a few things I'd like for you to know about us;
"My name is Luke Skywalker and I'm a commander in the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Or 'rebel scum' as we're more commonly known. Our organization's goal is stated right there in the name but it only covers one reason why many of us have joined. Many of us were too young to remember life before the Empire took over and have no love for the long-gone Republic as a result of that. What we share with those who do however, is a belief that things under the Empire shouldn't be allowed to continue as they have. Talk to any of the folks who came with me and you'll likely hear a story of injustice or tragedy which drove them, drove us, to join up."
I waved one arm, gesturing to the various Alliance personnel in attendance.
"This unit was formed mere days ago, after the Alliance achieved a major victory over Yavin IV. We had to abandon our base on the moon and regroup in space with our fleet units. On our way there, my ship was captured, looted, and let go by Crimson Jack as a result of him knowing our pilot. If that was all that happened, I probably would've let it go. Money on its own isn't worth dying for as far as I'm concerned. But I also got a good look at this place while I was here. I saw all of you and what you had been forced into and I just couldn't let it go.
"When I met up with the rest of my allies, I told them what I saw. I told them that there were people who needed help and were being subjected to terrible things by a gaudy pirate and his equally sloppy crew. I told them I intended to come back here, blast this hulk open, and free you all. I asked for volunteers to join me. Volunteers, and a chance to do the right thing."
Here, I paused. I pointed to the rebel soldiers standing around us in the bay in small clusters. They also were listening to my words and taking them in with serious expressions.
"Everyone here came with me because they agreed that this couldn't stand. They agreed that this was one more injustice that couldn't be allowed to go unpunished. Barely a few hundred soldiers, some pilots, and a belief that we could make a difference here. A belief that putting an end to these pirates and setting you all free was something worth fighting and perhaps dying for. I'm standing before you all now to offer you a similar chance.
"All of you are welcome to join us," I offered simply. "What we've started here is just a beginning. I can't promise you safety, I can't promise you revenge, or wealth, or fame, or glory. What I can promise is somewhere where you can belong. What I can promise you is that so long as I live and breathe, I will do everything in my power to ensure that what we've started here won't just fade away. More than fighting the Empire, I believe that I have a responsibility to stand for something. To make a difference with the power I have and the opportunities it has presented me with. If you believe as I do, then I can't think of a better place for you to be.
"Ultimately, the choice is yours. You've just regained your freedom and I don't plan on taking it away from you now. I'll give you all some time to think about it but once we arrive, those who haven't chosen to stay will be remanded to Alliance custody while we try to get you where you want to go. At that point, I don't imagine we'll be seeing each other again. If that is to be the case, then so be it. I wish you all well and may the Force be with you all."
I stepped off the crates, now finished speaking. Nobody applauded or cheered, but this didn't feel like it was that kind of speech. Still, if this were a movie, this would be a good time for someone to cheer my name to let me know that I hadn't just talked a lot of shit with nothing to show for it.
Before I got far, having no idea where I was headed now that my little speech was over and we still hadn't dropped out of hyperspace, I was distracted by someone calling out to me.
"Commander Skywalker?"
Turning towards the voice, I saw a familiar face. Duella, along with a handful of others, were walking towards me. One of the rebel soldiers was about to stop them, but I waved him off and walked towards the small group to meet them.
Duella stood at the front but there were a few other twi'leks in the group as well as a scattering of other humans and non-humans that numbered a little over forty. Duella seemed to be the group's spokesperson and was looking at me with determination in her eyes while the others still seemed reluctant to meet anyone else's eyes, for the most part.
In fact, the look on Duella's face was such that I wasn't at all surprised by the next words that came out of her mouth.
"Where do we start?"
I smiled.
Looks like Rogue Squadron-or rather, Rogue Cell just picked up some more recruits.
AN: Well, what do you think? Not too rushed, I hope.
Definitely some, ah, mixed responses to that last chapter. Putting it out there right now; I wanted to do this not only to explain Han not paying off Jabba in the Holy Trilogy, but to explore having a ship in a SW story and explore the Venator's potential as a warship a bit.
As cartoonish as I found 'Redbeard,' I did like the idea of a pirate who salvaged an Imperial warship and got an elaborate piracy operation financed by the Hutts. I filled in some of the details with how I think such an operation would work, changed the kind of ship to something more suited to the age, and voila! It also lets me add a few things and create a setting for some cool stuff I want to do later. Plus, it lets me add a Venator and get the opportunity to incorporate it into the Alliance's starfighter operations. As much as I love the versatility of it as it exists in Legends, I don't see a reason why a Venator can't be used to enhance things a bit.
Also, Commander Pye'ke was a complete accident. I just threw out a name of a guy I used to work with who acts like he's hot shit because he's in a position of relative power over others. I actually completely forgot that the Pyke (Pike?) Syndicate was a thing until I caught up on the last couple of episodes of Clone Wars. Hand to God, it was a total accident. I ultimately decided to keep it since it wasn't really a big deal and doesn't really affect the story at all.
Not entirely satisfied with my little speech at the end, to be honest. Maybe I'll edit it later but I delayed this chapter long enough and didn't want to spend another week agonizing over the perfect speech. Frederick Douglass, I am not.
Next time, I'm thinking we'll take a break from the craziness of our adventure and go for something a little more lighthearted and fun. Then, it's right back into the action!
Until next time!
