Chapter Six: The Price of Duty

Mako was nervous.

Though the mission was going almost perfectly, Darth Zash paced the bridge like an angry specter, her glare moving from the holo image of the Brentaal Star to the various members of the crew. Almost as if she was deciding which potential victim might entertain her the most.

It was almost a relief when the Republic signal came through.

"A Republic transmission," Mako announced. "Long range, not from the Brentaal Star."

Zash's eyes narrowed. "Put it through."

The image of the Brentaal Star was replaced by that of a fortyish human woman in a Jedi robe.

"This is Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan hailing unidentified Imperial vessel. I am en route to your location with sixteen Republic battle cruisers. I am asking you to retreat before more lives are lost."

Captain Orzik looked anxious, but the Sith Lord seemed enervated. Zash was beaming like a schoolgirl as she stepped into view.

"The Jedi Grandmaster," she said. "I am honored. I am Darth Zash, representing Moff Kilran in this matter. We will not retreat."

The Jedi clearly recognized at least one of the names Zash mentioned. From her reaction, Mako gathered that she took no comfort in the information.

"The Brentaal Star is under my protection," Satele said. "This unprovoked ambush in Republic space is a gross treaty violation – "

"Unprovoked ambush?" Zash laughed. "Gross treaty violation? Your Brentaal Star made an unprovoked intrusion into Imperial space. Your forces took a high-ranking Imperial officer as hostage. The Republic instigated this incident. We're just taking back what is ours."

"I won't banter with you." Satele spoke firmly, her jaw set. "My forces are closing on your position. We should be ready to engage within the next half hour. I have no wish to destroy you. The peace between our governments is fragile enough already."

Zash's smile grew thin and cruel, in a way that made Mako shiver just watching her.

"Yes, it is fragile," Zash agreed. "Fragile enough to be crushed like glass."

The Jedi responded not with anger, but with a mournful weariness.

"Your base aggression serves no one, Sith, not even your Empire. I implore you to preserve the peace. Leave the Brentaal Star to me. If you don't, then may the Force be with you – because the men and women aboard that ship will hold you off until we arrive, and you will be defeated."

Zash's grin broadened. "I'm afraid I have bad news for you, my dear," she said brightly. "You said you were thirty minutes away? We'll be gone long before you get here. You see, the Brentaal Star is already mine." Her eyes flicked to Mako. "Cut transmission."

Satele's image flickered out, replaced again by the hologram of the Republic battleship.

Zash's smile vanished just as quickly. The Sith spoke as briskly as any soldier. "Let our forces know what's on the way," she told Mako. "Tell them they need to hurry."

Lt. Jorgan helped Captain Mettis face the Engineering section, just opposite Chief Engineer Salen. Had the shield from the lockdown not separated them, the two men would have been within arm's reach of each other.

"You look like hell, Captain," Salen said.

"Never mind that," Mettis replied. "The lockdown – Did Haken do that, or did the Imps?"

"Based on the security feed, Haken did it for the Imps."

Mettis swore, then glanced at Canlyn. "I apologize, Master Jedi."

"My sensibilities will survive, Captain." She addressed Salen. "Can you lift the lockdown from here?"

Salen pursed his lips, mulling the problem. He and his engineers began heatedly discussing possibilities. Mettis listened, occasionally interjecting to rule out an option. It was clear the man knew his ship well.

Canlyn turned to the communications panel, which was fortunately on their side of the shield. She checked. It was functioning. She keyed it to Ashara and Qyzen's communicator code.

Ashara's startled face appeared before her. "What's going on, Lyn?"

"Imperials are on the ship," Canlyn told her. "They have the bridge. We must assume The General is their target."

Ashara looked grave. "Most of the soldiers are caught behind the lockdown shields," she said. "But Qyzen scouted it out, and the shields in this corridor are down."

A path had been left, leading straight to The General.

"How many soldiers are defending the corridor?"

"Maybe a dozen or so." No barrier to a Sith.

Canlyn warned her about the Sith presence she had felt. Ashara's face showed active anxiety.

"If Master Caecinius was here, he could fight them," Ashara said. "But I don't think I can, Lyn."

"Don't even try," Canlyn said. "Get The General to an escape pod."

"The escape pods are on the other side of the shields!" The hint of panic in the young padawan's voice was decidedly not Jedi-like.

"We are working on the shields," Canlyn assured her. "Just be ready to move when they drop. In the meantime, remember the mission. Keep The General safe, at all costs."

Canlyn ended the communication, and turned to see Lt. Jorgan and Cress Va'Shann staring at her.

"Who's The General?" Cress asked gruffly.

Mettis started to speak, but Canlyn interrupted. "An Imperial defector," she said. "He claims to have critical information for the Republic Senate. His presence on the ship was meant to be a secret, but the ship's First Officer appears to have other loyalties than expected." She turned to Mettis. "My apologies, Captain, but at this point secrecy has become counter-productive."

Mettis gave a single, tight nod. "Agreed," he said. "The news gets worse."

He indicated Chief Engineer Salen. Both he and his fellow engineers had become very quiet.

"We have a solution," Salen said slowly. "A reactor reset will disengage the security locks."

Cress and Lt. Jorgan exchanged a grim glance. Canlyn looked from them to Mettis and the engineers. All were equally downcast.

"What's wrong?" Canlyn asked carefully. "What happens once you initiate this reset?"

"A reset assumes either a fire or an imminent meltdown," Salen said. "The entire Engineering section is automatically vented. We will be sucked into space."

Canlyn could not suppress her horrified gasp. Behind Salen, she saw the junior engineers. They were very young, most of them not much older than her. A few had tears in their eyes, but most just moved robotically to their stations, as if walking in a dream.

"Get back to the corridor," Salen told Mettis. "The door will seal as soon as we engage the reset."

"Wait!" Canlyn protested. "There has to be another way."

Mettis shook his head. "We don't have time. If we don't take back the bridge, there's nothing stopping the Imperials from initiating a self-destruct. If we can't dislodge them, we could all end up dead. More than 300 souls." He turned back to Salen and the engineers. "It has been an honor serving with you," he told them, offering a salute.

Salen nodded stiffly, but did not return the gesture. "Get out of here." Canlyn could hear the tremor the man was suppressing as he spoke.

"Let's go," Lt. Jorgan whispered to the captain. He pulled him toward the door as Cress led the Jedi into the corridor.

Canlyn shuddered as the door to Engineering sealed behind them.

Death in space. Within fifteen seconds, all the oxygen in the bloodstream would be used up, and the engineers would begin to suffocate. Anyone who gave into instinct and held their breath would have their lungs ruptured by the loss of external pressure. If they remembered to exhale, they would be spared that… But would still retain consciousness long enough to feel their skin and tissue swell as the water in their bodies vaporized.

They would mercifully lose consciousness two to three seconds later. But those final seconds would be a living nightmare.

Cress read the revulsion on her face, understood what she was thinking.

"I know it's unthinkable," he said to her. "Sometimes duty means doing the unthinkable, and sometimes command means ordering it."

"Could you order that?" she asked.

"I'm just a sergeant. I'm a lot more likely to be doing the dying than ordering it. And that suits me just fine."

There was a loud click, and a hissing sound. The shields flickered, then fell. Canlyn was suddenly aware of the ship's constant background hum - a hum that had abruptly silenced.

Captain Mettis was at most forty – But in that instant, he looked stooped and old. "The shields are down?" His voice was hoarse with grief.

"Yes, sir," Jorgan replied softly. "They're down."

With the shields no longer blocking their way, troopers began to appear in the corridor. They gathered around them, and around their injured captain.

"Captain?" a Mirialan corporal was stunned to see Mettis' condition.

The captain held his head high. "I'm blind, soldier. Please identify yourself, and how many troops are with you."

The corporal gave an instant salute. "Corporal Vilish Esor, sir. Twenty-three troopers."

"Sergeant Va'Shann," Mettis said. "Can you retake the bridge with Corporal Esor's men?"

Cress saluted. "Absolutely, sir."

"Then do it." He turned to Jorgan. "Lieutenant, I need you with the Jedi. Get to The General, keep him safe if you can."

"Yes, sir!" Jorgan said. "Come on, Jedi."

Canlyn didn't respond. Her mind was still reeling at the engineers' sacrifice.

"Snap out of it!" Jorgan barked the way he might to recruits on a drill ground. "It's up to us to make sure they died for a reason!"

Canlyn's fur instinctively stood on end, and she felt a reflexive aggression. But her training kicked in, and she pushed the aggression back down, recognizing the truth of Jorgan's words.

"I apologize," she said. "Lead the way, Lieutenant."

They disappeared aft, leaving Cress to take command of the troopers. He was aware of their eyes, scrutinizing his HAVOC insignia.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I am HAVOC Squad." He thought of what to say, dismissing the thought of apologies or explanations. Right now, he needed them fired up. "HAVOC Squad," he repeated. "Legends. The most feared troops in the Republic army. That's me - and now that you're under my command, that's you. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

"No, sergeant!" the corporal replied.

Cress looked past him to the men. "I didn't hear you!" he shouted.

"No, sergeant!" the men replied, as one. There was still doubt in some voices.

"One more time," Cress said. "Who are we?"

"HAVOC Squad, Sergeant!" Their doubt was fading in the face of his show of confidence.

"That's right. We are HAVOC Squad." Cress scanned the men, who were falling into formation under his gaze. "HAVOC Squad – Let's take out the trash!"