Ezra ducked and rolled, avoiding a barrage of blaster of bolts. While he was distracting the battle droids, Sergeant Davrin Cassel moved from cover and blasted three mech before ducking behind an obstacle.
"Your turn. Covering fire in 3...2...1!" Cassel shouted.
Ezra bolted down the obstable course as Cassel opened fire on the droids, diverting their attention.
The sergeant took down another two clankers before taking cover. Ezra was starting to understood why this guy was a PathFinder. Throughout the whole exercise, Cassel didn't seem to exhibit any kind of emotion. It was like he was just another day at the office to him then again, it probably was. These special forces types are probably constantly training like this all the time.
"Frag out!" called out Cassel before he tossed a grenade. It wasn't a real one but it did cause at least five nearby droids to shut down, simulating the losses caused by a real explosion.
"Moving!" Cassel ordered, blasting several droids as he advanced.
"It'd be nice to have him on a mission," remarked Ezra as he followed.
After five back-to-back simulations, Cassel gave Ezra a ten minute break to catch his breath and a bottle of water. Normally, recruits weren't given breaks like this but Ezra wasn't an adult so they were willing to make an exception for him.
Ezra was seated, sweat panting down his face as he gulped down the contents of his water. His instructor, meanwhile, was standing over a desk disassembling his blaster rifle and inspecting it for damage then reassembling. It was a habit the sergeant did after every simulation run and Cassel did it so fast, Ezra swore he must have done it a thousand times judging from how fast he was.
"I'm curious. You have four Jedi in your cell. You, Kanan Jarrus, Ahsoka Tano, and Second Sister. Quite possibly the last Jedi in the galaxy and certainly the only ones fighting in the rebellion," stated Cassel.
"Ok?" said Ezra, wondering where this was going.
"Isn't having all four of you working in the same cell like putting all of your kinrath eggs in one basket?" inquired Cassel. "All it takes is one Star Destroyer to hit your fleet when you least expect it and it could wipe out every Jedi the rebellion has."
"Well technically I'm not a Jedi. I'm still just a Padawan and Kanan's training me so we've got to stick together. Ahsoka's mostly doing her own thing but she helps us out whenever she chan. Second Sister...first thing don't call her Jedi," Ezra explained.
"Noted," remarked Cassel.
"Second she has a rapport with us. She works well with us and vice versa," added Ezra.
"That may be so but you don't allocate valuable troops where you work well. You assign them to be where they are needed," Cassel said.
"And we go wherever we are needed," replied Ezra. "Whether it's rescue, gathering supplies, or sabotaging imperial property we do it all. Kinda like you guys."
"The difference kid is that anybody can be a PathFinder with the right training and mindset. No amount of training can make you a Jedi. Either you can use the Force or you can't," remarked Cassel.
He finished reassembling his rifle and said, "That makes you a valuable resource that shouldn't be recklessly thrown into every dangerous situation."
"A luxary yacht is valuable but if you keep it in a hangar all the time because you're afraid of getting a scratch on it, what's the point of having it?" retorted Ezra.
"By picking your battles and prioritizing your missions. Knowing where and when to send a Jedi in and when they shouldn't. Or in your case shouldn't be sent in at all," replied Cassel.
"What is that supposed to mean?" frowned Ezra.
"How old are you?" asked Cassel.
"I'm almost sixteen," answered Ezra.
"You're in a training program designed for special forces soldiers with years of combat experience and you can't even shave yet," Cassel scoffed.
"Hey! Even before Kanan started training me, I was living on the streets of Lothal by myself for years," protested Ezra.
"And now that you're a Jedi, you've got a target on your back. The Empire won't stop until you're dead. You should have had years of not just Jedi training but military training as well before you ever fought your first Stormtrooper. That's how you should treat someone who can do what you do. Not send them into war when they're still adolescence like the Jedi did in the Clone Wars," replied Cassel.
Ezra heard about the younglings that fought in the Clone Wars from Kanan and Rex. He wasn't the biggest fan of sending kids onto battlefields but that would be somewhat hypocritical as he wanted to fight alongside his friends despite his age.
But most people these days didn't know about that as the Empire basically destroyed any record, footage, or trace of the Jedi that they could find. So how did Cassel know that? Judging from his age, he was probably still a kid during the Clone Wars. Maybe he met a Jedi Padawan around then which would explain how he knew about? It was certainly possible but in a galaxy of trillions of beings, what were the odds that Cassel himself met one of the Jedi who only numbered ten thousand?
"Experience is the best teacher," argued Ezra. He decided not to press the issue as the Sergeant didn't seem like the type to divulge something unless he wanted to.
"Then it's time for another lesson. Break's over," Cassel said before heading back to the course.
Second Sister threw the datapad against the wall. Trying to learn slicing was like trying to learn another language only worse. Sister managed to learn plenty of languages at the Jedi Temple but computer code might as well be gibberish to her. Then again, she's never needed to hack a door when she had a lightsaber.
Sister had never been good with machines. Sure she know how to patch up a ship to keep it from falling apart but couldn't put it together from scratch. It was something she had always failed at and Master Krell always felt there were more important things to worry about.
Sister could already feel the rage build up inside of just at the thought of that treacherous Besalisk. He only prepared her to be an expendable pawn to be used and discarded and it showed in her lack of technical expertise. Yet another reason she didn't regret shoving a lightsaber through his heart.
Throughout most of the day the others of crew were out training. Sabine had gone on a survival trip with Vryx, learning how to survive with nothing but your wits. Ezra was running the training course with Sergeant Cassel, Kanan was getting a crash course in medical treatments on a battlefield, Hera was enjoying a punch fest with PathFinder cadets in CQC training, Zeb was going through obstacle courses, and Chopper was conducting some much needed thorough maintenance checks on the Ghost.
Second Sister would have happily taken any one of those rather then sitting here and learning how to program a door lock.
"You told them?" Kanan's voice could be heard down the aisle of bunk beds that the Ghost crew were currently occupying.
"Rex needed to know what areas of training we should focus on so I advised him on things I thought we could improve on," explained Hera.
Sister glanced down the aisle to see the two love birds arguing at the opposite end of the dormitory.
"So you think I can't treat injuries?" grumbled Kanan.
"I didn't say that," protested Hera. "I got sent to hand to hand combat training. You think I can't handle myself in a fist fight?"
"We can both handle ourselves just fine. This whole thing is a waste of time," argued Kanan.
"That recent run in the training course proved otherwise," countered Hera.
"Where's a couples therapist when you need 'em?" grumbled Sister as the two love birds moved their conversation to another room. Sister couldn't complain though as she'll take silence over a lover's quarrel any day of the week.
Of course without those two providing a distraction, Sister was right back to trying to understand slicing. This felt like trying to teach a Rokarian dirt-fish hyperspace physics.
"Having fun?" commented a voice.
Sister glanced behind her to see Sabine Wren. The Mandalorian was covered in dirt and a little blood on her armor.
"Probably not as much as you," Sister remarked, referring to Sabine's appearance.
"I had to kill a grutog and cook it for dinner," answered Sabine.
"What's a grutog?" asked Sister.
"All you need to know is that it's big, hairy, and stinks," replied Sabine as she began unstrapping her armor.
"Doesn't sound hard," frowned Sister.
"And I couldn't use any blasters or conventional weapons to kill. So I fashioned some spears together and did it the hard way," added Sabine.
"Your trainer was definitely a Trandoshan," commented Sister.
"I had a little bit of survival training when I was younger so I had an idea of what I was doing. Vryx, on the other hand, could probably find the nearest womprat's nest blindfolded," Sister said.
"Well at least you had someone to train you. Apparently I'm not worth the effort," grumbled Sister.
"Slicing isn't exactly something Pathfinders need to specialize in," stated Sabine. She headed over to the fallen datapad and picked it up.
"You're getting your ones and zeroes mixed up," Sabine commented. She set the datapad in front of her roommate and fixed all the errors that Second Sister had made on a short quiz to test if the former Inquisitor was understanding the lessons.
"You need to treat slicing like a written language with a script and a set of rules. In this case, the numbers aren't as important as the pattern they form is," explained Sabine.
Ezra headed inside the bunk area to get a change of clothes and also to check on Second Sister to see how she was doing. The last thing he expected was seeing Sabine with her and hovering over her shoulder. The former Inquisitor asked questions and the Mandalorian would answer the question while tapping buttons on a instructional datapad.
Sabine was helping Second Sister and for the first time since Ezra could remember, the two seemed to be getting along. Normally they would just tolerate each other but this was more then that. This almost seemed like a friend helping out another friend.
Ezra decided to give them some space. One thing he wanted since Second Sister joined the crew was for her get along with the others and the only way that was going to happen if it happen naturally without any pushing or prodding on Ezra's part.
After a day of forcing herself to sit in front of a datapad and read the instructions, Second Sister was slowly beginning to understand some of the basics. Slicing was far more difficult for her then learning how to speak the Shryiiwook dialect of the Wookiees.
Sabine's help was invaluable. The Mandolorian was constantly going out on hunting expeditions with that Trandoshan trooper and yet when she actually had a minute to herself, Sabine helped out Sister with her lessons. It felt strange as the two of them never really liked each other yet Sabine was going out of her way to help.
"Making progress?" a voice called out.
Sister turned to see Rex entering the barracks.
"If I tell you, you going to report it to Colonel Seertay?" inquired Sister.
"So...you know," Rex sighed. He wasn't exactly ashamed about blabbing on what he thought the crew's flaws were but he didn't look proud of it either.
"Your mistake was assuming the two lovebirds would have a quiet argument," remarked Sister.
"Well if you're angry, I have a good way for you to take it out on something or rather someone," said Rex.
"Anything's better then this," Sister replied, tossing the datapad she was reading aside.
"I'm teaching tactics on how to combat force wielders and I need someone for the recruits to practice on," explained Rex.
"Do I get to crack skulls and break bones?" smiled Sister.
"You sound a little too giddy when you say that," sighed Rex.
Sister just shrugged in response.
Rex continued, "The first exercise in about two hours. You ready?"
"Oh I'll be more then ready," smiled Sister.
A Pathfinder soldier hit the floor, moaning as he held his jaw. Second Sister stood over him with the rest of the Pathfinder's unit laying on the ground all around her.
"Never take one on in hand to hand combat. At close range, you are as good as dead," explained Rex. He was overlooking the training course on a walkway above along with Colonel Seertay and more then a dozen Pathfinder recruits. The Ghost crew was also in attendance though only as observers not participants.
"Assuming somehow you find a way to disarm them of their lightsaber, which is practically suicide, force users are among some of the best hand to hand fighters and their ability with the Force will triumph over any experience you have," continued Rex.
"Next victims please," called out Sister. After all the frustrations she'd put up with the past few days, it was nice to have a little bit of fun even if it was at some recruit's expense.
"Time to send in our best," remarked Seertay. "Razor Squad suit up. You're next in the meat grinder."
Cassel, Greggs, Xeldra, and Vryx all headed for the exit. Time to see if the so called best lived up to their reputation.
"I'll take five on Sister," Zeb spoke to the PathFinder training officers.
"You're on," the man replied.
Ezra couldn't help but roll his eyes. Zeb and Second Sister drove each other nuts yet the Lasat was quick to bet on her in a fight. Then again maybe he wasn't going to let personal feelings get in the way of potentially making a few credits.
Second Sister had been on a roll, knocking out one team after the next. Ezra wasn't going to outright say that the former Inquisitor was taking her frustrations out on the troops but it was pretty obvious from what he's witnessed so far.
"How exactly are we supposed to beat one of these guys let alone more?" a recruit grumbled.
"Inquisitors and Sith are tough but they're not invincible," Kanan spoke up.
"Yeah well not all of us can do mysticism," replied the recruit.
"Tell that to the clone army who nearly wiped out the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars," Kanan remarked then noticed Captain Rex was wincing from the comment.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to..." Kanan quickly added.
"It's alright," said Rex. "The best way to handle a force user is to use numbers to your advantage. Attacking one from a single direction is suicide. They can easily deflect every one of your shots that way. Instead attack them from multiple directions. They may be fast but they can be overwhelmed. Also they will try to attack up close so keep your distance and make it difficult for them to get to you like rigging traps in their way."
Second Sister waited as Razor squad entered the training course. The four of them were supposed to be the best so hopefully they'll prove to be more entertaining then her previous victims. She decided to focus her attention on the Trandoshan Vrys first as he had a sniper rifle followed by Xeldra who had a more grenades then the others. Sister considered Cassel to be the most dangerous of the four. He was the leader of the unit after all but decided to go after him last. Better to take out his back up before trying to take some
The four soldiers spread out to each ends of the course followed by floor boards raising up sporadically across the room forming into obstacles of various sizes and shapes. Sister lost sight of her quarry but also knew that they also lost visual of her.
"Begin!" announced Colonel Seertay.
Sister quickly went into action, rushing onto a nearby platform and leaped off it onto another one. Igniting her lightsaber, Sister glanced around to see movement. The Trandoshan was bigger then his companions but he was also faster, easily scaling a platform with his claws. He was getting to a good vantage point, one that would give him a clear shot of almost anywhere on the course.
Knowing she had to dispose of him quickly, Sister leaped from one obstacle to the next which perfectly suited her Ataru style. The Force warned her of an incoming threat and she instinctually turned her blade. Blaster fire eminated from a corner as Greggs took several shots at the former Inquisitor. Sister easily deflected them all aside but she suspected they were designed to slow her down.
Cassel appeared from behind cover and opened fire with his blaster. To Sister's surprise, it was a DC-15LE Blaster Rifle. A rare weapon used only by Imperial special forces. Sister blocked a few shots but then noticed the muzzle of Cassel's weapon was starting to glow. Knowing what was coming next, Sister leaped away as Cassel fired an unstable burst of plasma at her. The round hit the platform Sister was just standing on and exploded. It wasn't powerful enough to actually kill anyone but just powerful enough to create a shockwave that would have knocked down anyone hit.
Their ability to fire an explosive shot was the reason why DC-15LEs were the weapon of choice for any imperial trooper hunting Jedi. Try blocking one of those shots with your lightsaber and it'll blow on your energy blades.
Sister landed on a lower platform but the distraction did it's job. Vryx had set up his sniper rifle and laid down in a prone position. Not only did that stabilize his aim but also made deflecting any shot at him difficult as he now presented a smaller target.
As if that wasn't bad enough, several objects flung onto the platform he was laying on and magnetized themselves. Looked like explosive mines in case Sister tried to scale the platform after the sniper. Clever safeguarding their best shot.
Vryx opened fire, forcing Sister to take cover. She noticed Cassel breaking from cover and circling around her. Greggs was heading around the other way while Xeldra finally appeared, maintaining position directly underneath Vryx's platform to give the Trandoshan cover.
They were attempting to attack her from multiple directions and even a Soresu master would have trouble defending from this kind of attack plan. Fortunately, Sister utilized Ataru and that was all about being on the move. She leaped off one platform after the next, avoiding Razor Squad's blasterfire.
She hit the ground and continued her lap around the course. After getting a good look at the area, Sister mapped out a route that would take her to each one of the four combatants. Right now Razor squad were spread out to attack Sister from multiple angles but that allowed her to pick them off one at a time.
Sister first went after Greggs. She moved like as quick as nimble as a Shyrack, bouncing off one column to the next until finally getting a clear path to her target. Greggs tossed a flash bang and quickly rushed off but Sister simply used the Force to redirect the explosive directly in front of the medic's path.
The flash bang detonated with a bright flash, causing Greggs to stop and cover his eyes. After that, it was academic as Sister ran right by him, running him through with her lightsaber without slowing down. The medic groaned from the slight shock he got as a result and quickly realized he was eliminated.
Sister then decided to head off after the explosive expert Xeldra. Vry took several shots as her but the former Inquisitor kept on the move, always staying one step ahead of his aim.
The Pantoran bomber, meanwhile, was tossing magnetic charges onto the floor and column walls, limiting Sister's possible approaches. The only clear way to her was to scale to the top of the columns and drop down on her from above. Probably what they want as that would give Vryx a clear shot.
Sister decided to play their game and ran off a column to the top. Vryx immediately opened fire, forcing Sister to carefully deflect his shots as she jump one platform to the next. Xeldra took a few pot shots from below and soon Cassel joined as firing from the opposite corner.
They had managed to lure Sister into a kill zone and attack her from multiple angles. But the former Inquisitor hadn't stayed alive this long by being stupid. She dropped the side of a column and slashed at it, severing it into two. Sister then used the Force to propel the severed section right at another column filled with at least two of Xeldra's explosives.
Sister guessed they had proximity sensors that would detonate if anything got too close to them as she was right. The resulting explosions set off pulse waves instead of actual frag detonations but they still packed a punch. Not only was Vryx nearly knocked off his platform from the resulting blast but Xeldra was forced to take cover in a spot that left her completely exposed. Sister hurled her lightsaber at the Pantoran and scored a decisive hit.
Her Pantoran opponent was fuming as Sister summoned her lightsaber back and was once again on the move. Cassel was now moving to Vryx's column, providing support for the sniper. He switched to normal blaster rounds as his explosives shots took time to reload and he was running out of teammates to keep the focus off him.
Sister moved around Vryx's column, staying low to avoid the Trandoashan's sniper fire. As she passed by the column, she slashed right through it and kicked it. The now severed column tilted and started to tumble, forcing Vryx to leap away.
He landed on another column and quickly swung his weapon around but Sister was already upon him. She made a single swipe at his chest as she passed by, avoiding the single shot the Trandoshan managed to get off. Just one left to go.
Sister landed on the floor and now with the rest of the team eliminated, she could confidently approach Cassel without any issues. She caught him glancing around a corner. The sergeant rolled out from cover and fired a three round burst.
Sister deflected all three shots and used the Force to telekinetically pull his weapon out of his hands. She send it flying past as her as she continued advancing. Cassel pulled out a flash bang with one hand and then simply threw the grenade in front of him before it exploded.
Sister was forced to cover her eyes but quickly recovered and rushed into the smoke screen left behind by the explosion. She realized her mistake as she heard a beeping noise directly in her path. Suddenly, her whole body began to convulse as Sister realized she'd stepped into blast radius of a shock grenade the sergeant had left behind as a trap. Her lightsaber dropped from her hands as she collapsed to the floor.
Despite the convulsions, Sister had enough sense to see Cassel nearby and pulling out a blaster pistol. She managed to throw out a single hand towards him, letting loose a telekinetic blast that knocked him off his feet. The electric field created by the shock grenade began to dissipate as Sister could feel her muscles beginning to cooperate with her again.
Both the soldier and former Inquisitor both got to their feet and stared each other down. Sister summoned her lightsaber to her hands and charged. She expected Cassel to made a last desperate shot at her with his blaster pistol but he didn't open fire. Instead as Sister was nearly within slashing range with her lightsaber, the sergeant drew a baton off his belt. With a press of the button, it extended and began gleaming purple energy.
Sister couldn't believe it but it was an electrostaff baton. She hadn't seen those outside of the Inquisitorius. She had already committed to a thrust of her lightsaber at Cassel's chest and couldn't just pull out of it. Cassel swung his baton at Sister's incoming blades, deflecting it aside at the last moment. Sister desperately tried to swing the other end of her lightsaber around as quickly as she could but then felt an impact in her chest.
"Kill!" announced Seertay as the training course lowered all it's columns and leveled itself back to normal.
"No way!" gasped Zeb as the others stared down at the course in disbelief.
Sergeant Cassel managed to deflect one of Second Sister's attacks and get a single shot off just as the force user nearly finished him off with a blow to the head.
Ezra watched Sister and Cassel just staring at each other then suddenly, the Sergeant headed towards the exit. He seemed to want to leave as quickly as possible.
"And that is how it should be done. Catching your opponent off guard can make all the difference in a battle, regardless of whether they can use the Force or not," spoke Rex.
The rest of Razor team seemed like they wanted to congratulate their leader on a job well done but Cassel just walked right by them. Sister just stared at him as he left, not taking her eyes off him.
"Alright show's over. You're all dismissed," said Seertay.
"I swear she did that on purpose. The one match I decide to bet on her and she loses," Zeb grumbled under his breath as everyone began to head towards the exit.
Ezra glanced down at the course and saw Second Sister following Cassel off the course. What was that all about?
Second Sister caught up with Sergeant Cassel in the locker room where he was putting away his equipment. The room was empty save for her former opponent so she decided to make her move. She approached him from behind, grabbed him then twisted him around before slamming him into the lockers.
"If you wanted a rematch, you could have just asked," Cassel said calmly. He didn't seem surprised or even concerned about getting ambushed like this.
"I know who you are," Sister hissed.
"Yes we were introduced earlier when your team arrived here," Cassel replied dryly.
Sister pulled out her lightsaber and jabbed it into the sergeant's gut. One push of a button and he would be cut in two. To his credit, Cassel didn't even flinch from the threat.
"Don't play games with me. I know who you are or rather what you are," Sister growled.
"No need to be a sore loser," Cassel stated.
"You're a purge trooper," accused Sister. Finally Cassel didn't have a witty retort and remained silent which spoke volumes.
"Your rifle is a DC-15LE. Nice weapon but only used by Imperial special forces or soldiers under Inquisitorius authority. You also used shock grenades and electro-staff batons. By themselves they don't mean anything but you used them in the same tactics that the Purge troopers utilized," Sister added.
"You could have just asked my team. They would have told you who I was," Cassel sighed.
"The whole truth?" frowned Sister.
"Does your team know the full truth about you?" retorted Cassel.
"Is that a threat?" spat Sister.
"No I'm just making a point," Cassel answered.
"Well here's my point. Purge troopers are chosen only among the most loyal of Imperial special forces. They'd rather die then fail so don't expect me to believe that you're in the rebellion out of the goodness of your heart. You're a spy!" accused Sister.
"Well if you're willing to listen I'll explain but first you need to lower your weapon," said Cassel.
"Why should I?" challenged Sister.
"Because I'd rather we talk this out instead of using this," Cassel stated before glancing down. Sister looked down and noticed the sergeant holding a small blaster pistol and had it a few inches away from her chest.
Sister grumbled as she pushed off him and lowered her weapon.
Cassel did the same with his blaster and said, "Now we can talk."
"Nothing to discuss. A purge trooper would never defect. The Grand Inquisitor personally analyzed each one of you both psychologically and with the Force. There is no way he would have allowed anyone into the ranks who weren't completely loyal," scoffed Sister.
"Go ahead and try probing my mind," offered Cassel.
Sister frowned, "That wouldn't be very pleasant for you."
"Glad you're suddenly concerned for my well being," smirked Cassel.
Annoyed, Sister went ahead and began to stretch out with the Force. She focused on the sergeant's mind, probing for surface thoughts and feelings. Immediately, Sister recognized something was wrong. She couldn't sense anything from Cassel. Not a single thought or emotion. She knew purge troopers were trained in mental tricks to confused force users but this went beyond that. It was like trying to read a droid through the Force.
"How are you doing that? asked Sister.
"Mother was an Epicanthix," answered Cassel.
That certainly explained a few things. Epicanthix were a species that looked so similar to humans that they couldn't be distinguished from one another without a DNA test. They were also one of the few species along with Hutts and Toydarians that had natural immunities to any kind of mental influence through the Force.
"The Grand Inquisitor didn't actually probe our minds," explained Cassel. "Instead he just passively scanned us to see if we exhibited any kinds of feelings that could be construed as weakness like compassion or disgust. He didn't sense anything from me so he assumed I was just plain cold-blooded. The perfect soldier for the Empire."
"You said your mother was an Epicanthix but not your father," commented Sister.
"No he was just a bastard," replied Cassel.
"So you're a hybrid with daddy issues," quipped Sister. Being half human and half Epicanthix would explain how he got past the Imperial medical tests. Normally the Empire only allows humans to join the military but being a hybrid would probably make it difficult to tell the difference on DNA tests. Considering the Imps recruitment policy, they probably just let him enlist without a through check just to match their monthly enlistment quotas.
"Unhappy childhood is so common among Imperial special forces, it's practically a requirement," Cassel stated dryly.
"Special Forces and Inquisitors," agreed Sister.
"Thought Jedi didn't have any relationships with their parents," remarked Cassel.
"Don't call me that," hissed Sister.
"Fair enough but if this interrogation is over then I've got things to do," said Cassel as he turned to leave.
"Not so fast. You practically wanted me to know you were a Purge trooper through your weapons and tactics. So why go through all of this instead of just telling me out loud?" demanded Sister.
Cassel was silent. Either he didn't want to answer or he was figuring out how to properly word it.
"There's not many Purge troopers left. They were trained to hunt down Jedi but the Inquisitors and Vader did too good of a job which left the rest of us without much of a future. So we started getting transferred to other special forces units. I was sent to the Storm Commandos," Cassel explained.
"Is there a point to this?" sighed an inpatient Sister.
"Yeah. You were the one who ordered me transferred out which I never understood especially considering what I did for you," Cassel said.
"Did for..?" Sister frowned and then realized why his voice was so familiar to her.
"69!" gasped Sister.
Second Sister stepped inside the cavern, her lightsaber drawn. Behind her Twelth Brother and five Purge Troopers followed as their commander slowly advanced. The troopers swept their weapons' lights back and forth, scanning the darkness for signs of threats.
"I don't sense anything," remarked Twelve.
"You'll forgive me if I don't take the word of a novice," scoffed Second Sister.
They advanced deeper inside to find a large chamber. Equipment and supply crates were scattered around along with tables, chairs, and cots.
"The insurgents were definitely here. From the looks of things they packed up in a hurry," commented Second.
"What a dump," spat Twelve as he and the others began to spread out.
"Well this dump kept them off the ISB's radar for months so I'd say it served its purpose," remarked Second. She slowly moved her lightsaber over a table, examining a few papers that had been left behind. None of them was anything useful regard where the insurgents moved to.
"Second Sister. You might want to see this," called out a Purge Trooper named 69. The soldiers had no names while they served in the Inquisitorius ranks so they were given numbers.
Second Sister headed over to see what he was looking at. 69 was kneeling over a three separate stacks of rocks that had been placed almost perfectly on top of each other. She instantly recognized what it was. An old Jedi meditation exercise where they telekinetically stacked rocks on top of each other.
"Looks like the Seperatists do have a Jedi in their ranks," commented 69.
Suddenly the room lite up as lights powered up all around the chamber.
"What's going on?!" shouted Second Sister.
"Relax. We just turned on the generator to access a terminal over here," called out an annoyed Twelve Brother.
"Did you check for any explosives?" snapped Second Sister.
"Yes. Some of us are capable of thinking without you," scoffed Twelve.
A fuming Second Sister stormed over the terminal and shoved her junior colleague out of the way.
"It's empty. The whole memory drive's been wiped," sighed Second.
"Well that's what techs are for. If there's anything to find, they'll find it," Twelve quipped.
Second Sister was getting sick of Twelve's intentional insubordination. Just because he survived Vader's Fortress on Mustafar didn't mean he was immune from the Sith Lord's wrath. Even Second Sister had suffered at their master's hand on more then one occasion.
"Why is the generator getting louder?" 69 asked.
Now that he mentioned it, the generator did seem to be getting louder. Second Sister had been so incensed at Twelve that she hadn't noticed it until now.
"Be quiet trooper. Don't speak unless spoken to," snapped Twelve.
"Shut up," Second Sister ordered her colleague. She turned to the soldier nearest to the generator and said, "Shut it off."
"Why?" scoffed Twelve.
The trooper obeyed the command and flipped the power switch. To everyone's surprise, the power didn't shut off. Worse the generator seemed to be getting even louder now.
Second Sister instantly realized what was happening and shouted, "Out of the cave!"
Everyone quickly scrambled towards the exit. Sister almost reached the end just as the generator exploded. The blast knocked her off her feet but mostly unharmed. She glanced up in time to see the cavern collapsing down on top of her.
A mind splinting headache was the first thing that Second Sister felt as she regained consciousness. She glanced around to realize she was inside a small chamber that didn't completely collapse with the rest of the cave. Still the chamber was covered with fallen rocks from the ceiling. Who knows how strong it still is?
Sister didn't intend to find out. Laying face down, she tried to push herself up but couldn't move. Sister turned around to see her legs were trapped underneath fallen rocks that stacked up all the way to the ceiling. She reached for her lightsaber but couldn't feel anything on her back. It was probably knocked off it's holster during the explosion.
Sister scanned her surroundings and could only see two people, both covered in rocks. Twelve Brother and a Purge Trooper. She couldn't tell if they were still alive, let alone able to help her out of her situation.
Sister activated her com. "Paramount this is Second Sister. Do you read me?" she transmitted.
Her only answer was static. "Imperial Cruiser Paramount this is Second Sister. Respond," she spoke into her com. All she got was more static.
Can this situation get any worse? Her question was answered as she heard moaning coming from Twelve. Of all the people who had to survive, why was it him?
Ignoring her colleague for the moment, Sister decided to focus instead of freeing herself. She glanced behind her and reached out with the Force. The rocks covering her legs began to vibrate, giving her a little hope she could get out of this. That hope was quickly dashed when she saw the rest of the debris above her legs started to shake as well as the ceiling above. If she wasn't careful, she could potentially start a cave in. Sister was going to need to slowly move one rock off her at a time.
"Well isn't this just an interesting turn of events," chuckled Twelve as he got to his feet.
"If by interesting, you mean you're mistake nearly getting us killed," hissed Second.
"Oh it wasn't my mistake. I'll be sure to put in my report that it was your decision that led to the explosion that killed you and the rest of the detachment. I was the only survivor," smiled Twelve.
The younger Inquisitor suddenly thrusted his hand, using the Force to telekinetically yank several rocks out of position from the stack on top of Sister's legs.
Rocks came tumbling down from the ceiling around Sister, forcing her to surround herself with a telekinetic shield. The problem was it was taking all of her concentration to stop herself from getting crushed from falling debris and there was nothing she could do to stop Twelve who was slowing approaching her.
The younger Inquisitor picked up a rock, clearly planning to crush Sister's skull the second he got close enough. Sister tried flinging what rocks she could as him but Twelve managed to avoid everyone.
"Not such a novice now," mocked Twelve.
Suddenly something hit him in the back. The Inquisitor gasped in shock as he was hit again and again. The rock dropped from his grasp before he collapsed to his knees and fell face first to the ground. His back was smoking from three blaster wounds. He'd been shot.
Sister focused on stabilizing the debris stack that kept her pin, using the Force to keep several rocks from falling off. After a few minutes, the rock pile was stable and she could breathe a sigh of relief.
This allowed her to finally get a look at her hero. The lone Purge trooper that had survived with her and Twelve. He was sitting up but wasn't making any move to stand. His legs must have been hurt.
"Emergency beacon activated sir," the trooper reported. Sister recognized his voice. It was 69.
"I realize the Inquisitors never really interacted personally with their own soldiers and you were no exception. But I would have thought you would have at least recognized me earlier," Cassel stated.
"I never even saw your face before," remarked Sister.
"Did you think there was just droids underneath those helmets of ours?" Cassel asked dryly.
"Truthfully I never cared," scoffed Sister. Deciding this conversation had lost it's charm, she turned to leave.
"Why'd you transfer me out?" Cassel called out.
That stopped Sister in her tracks. She turned and asked, "What?"
"I saved your life and not even a week later, I was given transfer orders to the Storm Commandos. Why?" demanded Cassel.
"It was like you said. The Purge Troopers were becoming redundant so the Grand Inquisitor began transferring what was left of all of you to different Special Forces units," answered Sister.
"Got my hand on my Imperial file. You were the one who requested my transfer, not the Pau'an," stated Cassel.
"And you're upset over that?" frowned Sister. "You should be thanking me. Purge troopers had one the lowest survival rates in the entire Imperial military."
"Oh so it was a case of altruism on your part?" scoffed Cassel.
"You're offended that you got kicked out?" retorted Sister.
"Not offended but confused. An Inquisitor has to worry just as much about their own comrades as they do about their enemies. If anything, I'd figure you'd want at least someone around you could trust to have your back," said Cassel.
Sister knew exactly why he was saying that. The man took a huge risk in killing an Inquisitor. Purge Troopers weren't permitted to kill their superiors without permission from the Grand Inquisitor or Vader. So when Cassel shot Twelve to save her, he could have potentially gotten himself into massive trouble regardless of the circumstances.
"I didn't need anyone's help," sighed Sister.
"Then why are you with Phoenix Squadron?" asked Cassel.
"Fine you win. You're not a traitor," Sister said as she stormed out.
The bunkbeads for the facilty must have been intentionally designed to be uncomfortable. Second Sister came to that conclusion after just one night. Maybe they were teaching recruits how to get sleep in less then ideal conditions or maybe they were too cheap to buy descent bedding.
Sister couldn't believe how much this was bothering her. There was a time when she would have loved a bed as bad as this. Being on the Ghost and sleeping on a normal bed for so long was starting to affect her. She remembered a time when she avoided such comforts, certain it would slowly weaken her. Vader was the same way and he seemed to only get stronger.
Sister hoped by emulating such a lifestyle she would more powerful but she noticed she became stronger around the others onboard. The Jedi claimed that passions opened you up to the darkside yet what if your passion was to become a doctor and heal people? What if stopping a tyrannical regime is your passion? Does passion itself make you evil or what your passion is determines that?
Just one of many contradictions the Jedi never got around to actually figuring out while they sat around and meditated. Maybe if they focused on things that were important, they'd still be around.
Now Sister was thinking about all the mistakes the Jedi made. That was the problem when you were lying on a bed and unable to sleep. Your mind wanders to pass the time and Sister knows the reason for not getting a good night's sleep tonight.
She wanted to run from Cassel as soon as he mentioned his transfer. It brought up some unpleasant issues that Sister didn't want to deal with especially in front of anyone else. Now she couldn't get the whole thing out of her head and no matter how much she let her mind wonder, it wouldn't just make it all go away.
She really didn't want to do this but Sister knew she wouldn't get a peaceful night's sleep unless she dealt with this. Sister got out of bed and headed into the locker room to collect her equipment as well as someone else's.
The drill instructors had their own private rooms which meant Second Sister didn't need to be too quiet when she knocked on Cassel's door. The Sergeant opened the door and Sister instantly tossed his uniform right at him. He barely had a chance to react but to his credit, still caught his clothing.
"I want my rematch," Sister told him.
(I was hoping to finish this arc up with this chapter but I've got so much I want to put in that I'm going to have stop here. Also I was originally going to show the rest of the Ghost crew dealing with issues that they had to overcome but couldn't come up with problems for them to face so I decided to just focus on Second Sister instead. Hope you enjoyed and please review.)