The days seemed to pass by quickly. After a week of plan and preparation the Zephyr, and a contingent of scout shuttles departed from Courascant, stopping over briefly at Lothal for a refuel. Sabine was unavailable, the reason for which was not provided to the crew. Giz was particularly saddened by this, but she left a message and a small gift of flowers for her as they left.
The recon fleet departed into the Unknown Regions, following many of the routes provided by the previous expeditions the Zephyr had taken. It took only a couple of weeks after they split up before a suitable planet was located.
Palatine, a world primarily covered in oceans, peppered with large grey spires and cliffs. The cave systems were found to be hospitable enough, though the planet's wildlife was somewhat difficult to deal with. A small fleet of construction ships descended on the planet, filling the caves with the plethora of mechanical needs provided by the Republic. At first it was easy enough. The local creature that began to be called the Flit Monkey was a nuisance but was easily removed from their caves by selective smoking. It wasn't until after they had removed the creatures that the difficulties began. As the blast doors were being constructed a large swarm of airborne ocean creatures, later called Caravors, began assaulting the Flit Monkeys and anything else unlucky enough to be outside the safety of the caves. As they pulled the animals into the ocean, the waters frothing and bubbling from their rapid devouring of the creatures, other animals began flocking to the area. The cliff crabs, easy enough to deal with, turned out to be the primary food source of not only the Flit Monkeys, but also a reptilian creature the technicians began naming a screech dragon. So called due to the incessant screeching sound it made as it dove towards the grey crabs stuck to the sides of the cliffs. The influx of these seemed to also draw one of the more fierce creatures the planet had to offer. The Strangle lion. A massive creature with tentacles on its face and a wide, pincer like mouth. These creatures climbed the sheer walls of the cliffs, snatching shriek dragons from the sky and pulling them deep under the waves.
Construction was slow at first as preventative emplacements were constructed to deal with the fauna, and after the large blast doors were installed for the primary hangar and command the main trouble was the occasional attack of the Strangle Lion on low flying X-wings and the removal of cliff crabs from the salt encrusted blast doors. It took roughly a month for the base to be functional. At that point the plan to attack the relays began in ernest. Maintaining a vigil from orbit, the Blue Diver circled above the planet, scanning for any possible Imperial movement in the surrounding systems.
The crew of the Zephyr sat patiently as Lindmon met with Admiral Cest and a handful of intelligence specialists as they planned for the initial assault.
"I'd wish I could say that this base wasn't a challenge to complete but the local wildlife was a significant obstacle." Admiral Sev'esa's voice crackled over the holo projection inside the Palatine cave system. With the base blast doors closed only the faintest vibrations of waves crashing against the cliffs could be heard, without them the Screech Dragon's cries would blast into the interior of the cave.
"From the scouting reports you've obtained over the weeks we've identified the patrol vectors of these Imperial Communication relays." Admiral Sev'esa explained, "Each station is guarded by one Imperial class Star Destroyer, which is difficult enough to penetrate." He adjusted the display and the flickering image showed multiple Arquitens light cruisers flanking the Star Destroyer. After a few moments one of the cruisers warped out of view, leaving the other two starships behind. "Every few hours one of these ships moves locations to a different comm station." Admiral Sev'esa crackled out of existence for a few moments, the shoddy signal of the Palatine cave interrupting the communications. "This level of coordination has previously been unheard of for Imperial forces."
"That can only mean they have something important there, that or whoever has taken hold of the Remnant is far more tactically inclined than the old regime." Lindmon surmised.
Lindmon had spent a large portion of the past several weeks flying the King of Spades into the systems housing the comm relays. Scouting out their defenses and gathering what communications he could. The data had been invaluable up to this point. So far there were no signs that the Empire had taken note of their newest outpost. The thick walls of the spires likely hiding any signatures they may put off.
"The wildlife problems are worth it if we can be this close and this well intrenched."
"I agree Lieutenant, moving forward with our assault plans is our top priority now." Admiral Sev'esa said, running his hand down the soft furs on his face. "I don't like the regular rate of these patrols within the Imperial command. It only gives us a small window to arrive and assault the compound before the other installations are notified...The plan is quite genius in fact, however time consuming the regularity of the patrols may be."
"If we send in a small force to infiltrate the comm relay we may be able to buy some extra time. Land several fighters perhaps, or find a location for a rapid drop off? That way they can be active preparing through one cycle and when the Star destroyer jumps away they can begin?" Lindmon rubbed his chin, the bristles of a beard having pushed through several weeks ago, the pressure of his missions prevented him from shaving as often as he wanted to. "Otherwise we can take a small squadron in immediately upon their jump, perhaps leave just prior so we can stay out of their scanners but arrive shortly after they leave? Some highly skilled pilots to handle any TIEs they may have on station. Ultimately we are going to have to deal with that Star Destroyer. And sooner is better than later in my opinion. If we begin assaulting one Comm relay they can prepare the others, and provide the Star Destroyer with our trajectory into system."
"Planning a feint strike on one station might be our best course of action." Admiral Sev'esa said, expanding on Lindmon's idea. If they could move the Star Destroyer away from the base with the strike team on it, they could raid the station and evacuate without much resistance. "Getting a squad down to the surface will be the issue, trying to land on an Imperial outpost with long tang scanners like that will be difficult. The Ghost might be the only ship that could transport a strike team and scramble the scanners long enough to land on the planet."
"Lieutenant Commander Crest. Our sonar drones are detecting a swarm of Caravors migrating from the south east." The RA series droid mechanically chirped to Lindmon, trying to gain his attention. It's metallic silver body reflecting the interior makeshift lanterns that illuminated the Palatine base. CV-4 stared at Lindmon, it's large bug-like eyes unblinking and unaware of its manner of interruption. It waited silently until Lindmon made a small acknowledgement of its comment. "Indigo five and six have yet to return from their flight patterns, I feel that there is an unpleasant probability they could be caught in the swarm."
"I'll contact General Syndulla and request for her assistance along with the rest of our reinforcements." Admiral Cest Sev'esa said through the crackling holo comm. "We can begin our strategy soon. It seems you have other things that need to be tended to."
"It seems so. Thank you Sir." Lindmon turned towards the droid and motioned for it to follow. "Scramble detachment one and get a ping on their ships. Those damned fish can't do enough damage to bust their black boxes so we should be able to get a location. Make sure they know to fly above the water where the Caravors can't get to them."
The past month had been an interesting change of pace for Lindmon and his crew. With his involvement in the mission at hand as integral as it had been he was placed in charge of overseeing the continued operation on Palatine. A new rank came along with the responsibilities. He proved quite capable of keeping up with the stress of the local fauna's continued attempts to either retake their caves, eat their ships, or otherwise be a general nuisance. The constant stream of information proved the more difficult problem. It had gotten to the point that the only way he could keep up with it was with CV-4 who followed him most places. The droid was able to handle most low priority issues and brought things to his attention if it's advanced algorithms couldn't create an appropriate solution or if there was something that required Lindmon's attention or order to proceed.
Giz had taken over as the bases primary technician, although she wasn't assigned it, her understanding of the different ships and their maintenance needs made it so she was the go to for the other techs. She could constantly be found either under a shuttle, or running from one end of the bay to the other spouting off mechanical concerns that the other techs needed to address. Her excited demeanor had brought the moral of her workspace up by magnitudes, so Lindmon saw no need to move her.
Sulahaan and Reed took their primary mission in stride and spent the majority of their time either tending to the Saqorian Zephyr, or pouring through data lists and pathing. Even with everything going on, the search for Bridger hadn't ended.
"Indigo seven through ten. Prepare for takeoff procedures immediately." The Palatine base intercom blared over the speakers. It's orders reverberating against the hard stone walls and tunnels throughout the caves. "Indigo seven through ten prepare for takeoff procedures immediately."
The blast doors slid open with resistance from the barnacle like grip of the Cliff Crabs outside. They worked themselves into the mechanical workings of the gate, trying to escape the predatory Screech Dragons. The blast door shuddered to a stop, the mass cluster of Cliff Crabs preventing it from opening the full amount.
The deck officer shouted for the designated crab cleaning crew. Several of the lower ranking members sulk out, pulling their water pressure hoses and grappling struts behind them. "Get up there! These damn crabs are kriffing with my door again!" The officer commanded. "Hustle! Hustle!"
Using the previously installed rail running across the outside of the blast door, the cleaning crew latched on with grappling claws. Shimmying up the rope and across the metal door as another ensign lead a water line hose behind them. It was a poor job no one really enjoyed doing, but it was a decent solution to the nuisance. If not done regularly the density of Cliff Crabs drew the attention of their predators, and that could become an even bigger issue.
The Palatine base pilots scrambled their X-Wing fighters, the four designated star fighters hurtle out of the bay doors as the cleaning crew blasted a cluster of crabs off the cliff walls. Breaking off into wingman groups, Indigo nine and ten took the eastern approach to the last known location of their lost comrades. They dove low off the cliff, riding down the slope until they reached the Strangle Lion threat zone. Any lower and they risked a watery grave.
Maila Covell, Indigo nine, enjoyed that. Any kind of added thrill made her skin tingle with excitement. She occasionally dipped below into the threat zone, daring the wild creatures to try and pull her out of the sky. It had almost happened too when she first got to Palatine, but by now Maila had a better eye for their breaching habits. And their speed. The Strangle Lions were like a fleshy tentacled missile.
"You think they got dragged down by the Strangle Lions?" Maila asked her wingmate. Her comm clicked twice, a negative. She rolled her eyes, Indigo ten wasn't one for small talk no matter how much she tried to be friendly with him. When she was a girl just dreaming about starfighters she pictured having a dashing partner to fall for. Seger Terrano had all of those traits, slicked black hair, cool demeanor and on the rare occasions he did talk, he spoke with a thick outer rim accent. Now that she had to deal with his almost rude level of distance Maila came to realize how annoying many of those traits were.
She was disappointed initially once she was old enough to join the famous and daring Rebellion. The moment they handed over her fatigues the Empire was already defeated, no glory for her, no enemies to defeat. When she heard about this secret base in the mysterious Unknown Region, she knew that she had to be there.
Convincing the New Republic officers to allow an ensign to take the pilots test was difficult, and it took Maila sitting outside the office of the test coordinator for three days straight until they agreed. Maila idolized the famous Luke Skywalker, known for taking the dreaded Death Star one on one and coming out victorious. She had the names of all the ace pilots memorized, their maneuvers mapped out in her head. She even held the Empire's ace of legend Soontir Fel in the highest regard, in her eyes he was the true daredevil. Flying one of the most lightly armored starfighters in production in favor of superior skill and speed.
The pathetic sky hopper they gave her to take the test was an insult, but she showed them. Sneaking aboard an R2 Astro she commanded it to cut all power from the shields and other systems, diverting it all to the engines. Without shields, if she even clipped the side of the canyon the sky hopper would erupt in a violent fireball. This was her only chance and she was going to take it. All or nothing.
"So what do you think happened?" She asked again to Indigo ten, whipping her starfighter through a slim gap of rocky spires.
Seger Terrano responded with a double click over the comms. He didn't know. He wasn't one to speculate either. Maila tumbled her X-Wing over his cockpit, boosted forward several kilometers, then jammed her servomotor s-foils open. The starfighter whipped around hard, and her body was thrown against the crash webbing. The nose of the craft now pointed at him. Segers cockpit alarm blared to life, she was repeatedly targeting him with her fire control system. Causing his computer alarm to activate and deactivate over and over. He flicked the alarm control off, there wouldn't be a need for it here. He made no verbal protest and instead sent Maila a negative double click. Don't do that.
He could tell she was bored, even with the potential danger their wing mates were in they didn't have much to do except fly around the area and leave the scanning to the astromechs.
Indigo seven and eight whipped out of the hangar bay, as nine and ten swooped low out to the east, they instead circled around and headed north. The pair of X-wings tumbled around each other, both pilots happy to just be out and flying.
Lugo and Salya Cordisova were twins, both had started wanting to fly when they were young, and their unique connection gave them unbelievable teamwork. Without even needing to communicate they seemed to know where the other was and when they were in trouble.
Lugo zoomed out above the waters, just high enough that the Caravors and Strangle Lions couldn't reach. He put himself into a spin and slammed his controls hurtling skyward. He laughed to himself as he spun. He was the older, and arguably more adventurous of the pair. His long red hair tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of his face.
"Would you stop that and get back down here, your droid isn't gonna know which way is which if you keep spinning him like that." Salya snapped. Usually more serious and cautious, she was a perfect balance for her brother. She sailed her X-wing straight as an arrow over the waters. She brushed a strand of her own red hair out of her face as she read the display, looking for signs of activity. Her hair was cut short, just long enough that she could pull it into a small ponytail if she needed to but more often than not she let it rest, hanging just down to her collar.
"Oh come on sis! How often do we get to fly around on a planet with so much open space! No trees or mountains, except the occasional cliff but really no worries there. And as long as we don't go to low we're completely fine!" Lugo swept back around, flipping his X-wing up and over, sailing smoothly back over to his sister, they flew just close enough that their wings almost touched.
Salya's droid chirped several times, a message displayed out on her monitor. Indigo nine and ten have located the missing shuttles, pilots not aboard. She shook her head radioing back to her brother.
"R4 says Maila and Seger found the ships. Popped open like Antillian Clams." She sighed, twisting her shuttle back around to head for the base. Lugo followed suit, keeping himself in line with her S-foils the whole while. That's how it was out here in the Unknown Regions. If you weren't careful you could get picked off just like that.
"Indigos seven through ten, return to base and report to ready room bravo for briefing in thirty" The voice clattered over the comms, crackeling as it went. The signal out here had never been great.
"You hear that sis? We got us a mission! Hooboy!" Lugo shouted. "Race you back!" He slammed on his accelerator.
"Already ahead of you." Salya said with a smirk, slamming her own X-wing forward. They were neck and neck all the way until it was time for entry, finally slowing down for landing procedures. As the shuttles made their way back into the large cavern that was the hangar bay, the large laser turrets swiveled around on the outside of the cliff, their scanners searching for any lifeforms under the waves.
Indigo nine and ten swept around the rocky outcrop that the X-Wing's had crashed into, several times. It was an unnecessary task, the fang marks on the seats and the gory cockpits told them all they needed to know. One of the pilots had been snatched by a Strangle Lion, one that most likely had climbed up on a rocky spire in search of prey, high above the threat level established by Palatine base. The pilot's wingman must have landed in an attempt to save their partner, but the Strangle Lions were ambush predators. Once the second pilot landed he was entangled by writhing tentacles, pierced by their numbing neurotoxins and devoured at their leisure.
They both pitched their starfighters around, leaving their fallen behind. Maila and Seger hadn't been in Indigo squadron for very long, but it still didn't make it easy to see their comrades eaten by the planet's wildlife.
Their proximity alarms blared to life just as they began to accelerate away from the crash site. "Seger are you getting this too?" Maila asked her wingman.
One click, affirmative.
What could it be then? "What the-" She looked around her cockpit, small flicks of shadows passed over her viewport.
Caravors.
The small fish-like winged creatures moved in massive swarms, using their wormlike razor teeth to overwhelm even the largest prey. They dipped in and out of the water, allowing them to leap several hundred feet into the air, forming a massive cloud of fangs barreling towards anything in their path.
"Seger! Cut your deflector shields, reroute power to the engines and follow me!" Maila shouted. She closed her s-foils and cut her X-Wing low, driving deep into the threat zone as she leveled out just above the water.
Indigos nine and ten screeched across the surface of the ocean, juking left and right dodging a hailstorm of savage Caravors. They had to make it back to the base, get behind the blast doors. Maila paused, remembering the crew that was removing the Cliff Crabs as they left the base. They hadn't been gone for very long, were they still out there?
"Palatine base! This is Indigo Nine, we've got Caravors on our tail is the crew still outside!?" She cried out over the comm. She couldn't lead the swarm to the base, straight into the crew as they hung helplessly outside.
"Indigo nine this is Giz, we hear you, crew is coming in now quick as they can! Can you give us a few minutes to prep the jump net?" The hangar had become a scramble of technicians and pilots, moving as fast as they could to get out of the way for the fighters that would be coming in hot. The blue shimmer of the forcefield over the bulkhead sparked to life, although it was only somewhat effective against the Caravors, as a handful of techs came to find. The sheer numbers that the swarms traveled in overpowered the field causing it to short out. To combat that problem, Giz has developed what she called the Jump net. As soon as the fighters had cleared a specific line, about three hundred meters away from the entrance, the jump net would be fired off from a pair of buoys tethered to the sea floor. This net would leap into the air and had worked well enough in forcing the Caravors from pursuing their fighters.
Maila acknowledged and pushed her thrusters hard, the sea sprayed up against her cockpit and blurred her vision. She heard two clicks rapidly come over her comm, Seger was unhappy at their maneuvers. "We can't go up, in the time it takes us to climb over the cloud, we'll just be overtaken!" Maila replied, guessing at what his disdain was about. Really, her wing-mate took the cool silent type too far. "Watch for the Strangle Lions, they agitate the water just before they jump!" They boosted across the ocean surface, sharply turning at the moment a Strangle Lion burst from the depths. The predator had been stripped of its flesh before it reached the water again. Seger went wide, his path curved around the large rock cluster. Maila took it as a challenge, the sharp turns required to go through the obstacle demanding her attention, her blood thundering in her head. The excitement driving her reflexes and intuition. "R4! Divert power from engines one and three, alter the thrust correction to forty five by one thirty five!" Her X-Wing slammed hard and propped itself into a vertical position. Maila ripped the starfighter through the rocky island forest, her engine adjustments whipping it through the spires like a howling blade. The Caravors slammed up against the walls like a tyrannical hailstorm behind her. "We're almost there Giz! Get ready!" She said as Palatine base came into view. Maila glanced back making sure her wingman was still keeping pace.
"This is indigos seven and eight with fire support, we can pepper these sons-of-bitches to give you some wiggle room!" Lugo shouted over the comms, red beams of light flashing out from the wing mounted cannons as the pair swooped out from inside the base. The shots zipped past Seger and Maila as they made their approach, slamming into the Caravors behind them. With each sizzle of burned flesh the creatures shrieked. Just as Maila was about to pass over the buoys holding the Jump net the water beneath her shuddered and bubbled as a set of tentacles shot from the water.
"Strangle lion on you nine!" Salya shouted over the comms. The force of the creature slamming into the underbelly of her fighter threw off her trajectory as the creature wrapped its tentacles around her wings. The added weight pulling the ship down towards the frothing water.
"R4 drop power in thrusters one and three! Redirect to two and four" She shouted, as the engines cut the ship spun violently, ripping the creature from the water as Maila went it a corkscrew spin. Seger flew in from behind firing off several volleys, each set hitting the creature square as it spun. The flesh sizzling away from it as it's tentacles detached from its body and it fell back into the water. The Jump net engaged, sending the large electrified canvas into the sky. One by one the Caravors slammed into it and fell back into the water, causing it to froth violently with their thrashing.
"Cleared for entry seven through ten come on home!" Giz said into the mic. The four X-wings slowed and entered the large hangar, setting down in their own specific landing zone.
After landing, Maila Covell pulled the release lever for her cockpit, took off her helmet and shook her short blonde hair. Her helmet leaving it sticking up in odd places. She looked at the pair of siblings as they landed, they were placed higher in the flight than her and even if she was a rookie, Maila didn't like other newer pilots overtaking her. Which in the case of Indigo squadron didn't mean much since it was barely a month old, but still her competitive nature overtook her. She grabbed her flight jacket from where she left it at her X-Wing's docking station, pulling it over her shoulders and joined Seger as he walked towards the briefing room. "What's the deal with Indigo five and six?" She asked her wingman incredulously, "We were able to escape a whole swarm of Caravors and Strangle Lions, but they can't handle a small ambush?" Her wingman Seger give one of his rare replies, "Today it's them. Tomorrow maybe me, maybe you." Kriff, that accent really sent her heart fluttering. Why did he have to be such a blast door all the time? They entered the briefing room and waited for the others to join them and wondered what the upcoming mission would entail.
The group of four pilots sat in the briefing room for about ten minutes. Seger quietly opened a document on his wrist tablet, Maila sat off to the side watching the twins as they conversed between the two of them. Laughing and joking with each other about the other's flying skills. A short while later a tall man walked into the room with a silver protocol droid, his blonde hair slicked back, the beard on his face was neatly trimmed and clean. He wore the signiature cream shirt of an officer under his black leather coat. His boots were scuffed and well worn as was the jacket, signs of a long while of use. The four stood as he entered, turning towards the holotable in the center of the room.
"Thank you all for coming" the man said with the slightest hint of an Imperial accent. "My name is Lieutenant Commander Lindmon Crest. I will be taking over as your flight commander for the foreseeable future." He inserted a small chip into the table, the image of Palatine condensed over the table. Palatine base blinked green several times. "From this day forward you are no longer flying with Indigo company. You will be transferring your X-wings and supplies here." As he pointed at the planet a second location began to flash. "We have prepared enough hangar space for fifteen fighters and one shuttle. Both of my ships are already bunked up there."
Maila was the first to speak up. "Sir, if we're no longer indigo company, what are we?"
"I'm glad you asked, Maila Covell, was it? Young for how good a flier you are. Risky too, but that never seemed to have slowed you down. You will be flying with the Spade's Gambit. On paper we do not exist. And for good reason. Each of you have proven yourselves to be top notch flyers, and for what we're going to be doing I need the best. You will be privy to information only we have access to, and I don't think I need to emphasize how important it is that no information gets out of our hands. That is part of the reason we are keeping this squad small."
The twins looked to each other, Lugo excited and Salya with a hint of concern. "So we're gonna be flying some under the radar kinda shit huh? Count me in!" Lugo said enthusiasticly. Seger simply nodded, listening intently.
"I will give you the full run down of our mission once you reach the spire. The entrance is through the top, there are five bays carved into it. You will have to pilot yourselves in vertically to the landing bays but that shouldn't be a trouble for any of you I don't think. We have done it this way to ensure that none of our pilots are at risk from the wildlife. We would do it here as well, but unfortunately only a handful of pilots would be able to fly accurately enough to make the landings."
"Sir, why is it necessary to have a secret hangar?" Maila asked curiously, she was excited at the prospect of being chosen for a specialized group of fighters. Yet it seemed to her that a secret hangar on an already secret base was overkill. What were they hiding? Palatine was in the depths of the Unknown Region, and just recently created. Was Indigo squadron selected beforehand to be a part of Spades Gambit or had they been screening the pilots this whole time? The Lieutenant said that it was top secret, were there top secret mechanics or would she have to perform her own adjustments on her starfighter? She wasn't very good at maintenance. Either way she was not going to let this opportunity pass.
"We have our reasons Maila, which you will see when you arrive at the Spire. Suffice to say I will be flying with you on most of our missions, and my fighter is...special." Lindmon said with only a brief pause. "We have technicians and operators on site, they will be able to take care of the fighters maintenance concerns and upgrades."
"Upgrades?" Lugo's eyes lit up at the prospect of an even better fighter.
"That is correct. Each of your fighters are going to be outfitted with state of the art scanners, thrusters, and weapons. The parts are already in place at the Spire, and will be installed upon your arrival. Are there any other questions at this immediate point in time? I want you all back in your fighters and docked at the Spire within the hour. We will be having a full run down of our plan as soon as the brass is complete with their game plan."
Lugo and Salya exchanged glances before turning back and in unison said "nope."
Seger slid his X-Wing into the secret entrance of the Spire, the Commander wasn't joking about it being a difficult maneuver. An almost sheer vertical drop from the highest point of the cliff. Instead of making dozens of minor repulser engine adjustments like his wing-mate, Seger took a different approach and simply boosted power to his shields. The ride was a little bumpy but he would get used to it after a couple pass throughs.
After he landed and set his helmet down in the seat of his X-Wing, Seger watched his wing-mate climb down the ladder from her own star-fighter. One of the youngest pilots he'd seen, she was also the hottest flyer. Maila took risks that other pilots wouldn't even consider. Not because they wouldn't be able to pull those maneuvers off, but simply because she would go out of her way to make things more challenging.
It made the usual distance he kept from his comrades feel more justified. She would be dead soon. Like many other hotshot pilots that he'd seen, they burned hot for a few missions and then fwhoosh they were gone. Seger just felt a professional distance made things easier on him. Close bonds, especially in the military, always had a sense of tragedy.
He barely had the time to really consider the details of this secret flight group, he couldn't really call it a squadron since it seemed like just five of them. Having a smaller group could be beneficial in some scenarios, but loosing the support of an entire squadron made him have second thoughts. Seger hoped that there was some tactical asset that made up for the loss in star-fighter support they could have during their missions.
During his training at the Imperial academy he realized one of the primary flaws of the simulations. The survivability of their own TIE fighters was laughable, especially against the T-65 X-Wings that the Rebellion was known for. When he left the academy it wasn't for some righteous cause or the plight of oppressed planets. Seger just realized that he wasn't on the winning team.
He was glad he made that decision now that he looked back on it. There were many close calls he had endured in the T-65 that would have been instant death had he stayed in an Imperial fighter. That was what it really boiled down to, survivability, and he assumed it was because of that reason he was selected for this special group. Seger Terrano didn't think he was that great of a pilot, he just made sure to put himself in the best positions during a dogfight. Keep out of crossed lanes of fire, communicate with your squadron and most importantly don't do anything risky. Each time you do it's a gamble, and several times he had seen the luck run out for talented pilots.
Seger met witht his young wing-mate next to a pile of upgrade kits, their lids snapped open for the maintainers. He gave her a short nod in acknowledgment as she casually tousled the short blonde hair on her head. It was a shame he thought, for her to have one foot already in the grave just because of her piloting habits. They both examined the interior of the Spire and waited for the other pilots to enter through the vertical tunnel entrance.
Lugo and Salya's fighters followed close behind the other two, the repulsors blasting as they descended. The pair slowely moved to their own landing sites, directed by the deck officer. The inside of the Spire was quite spatious, the roof overhead arching well above them. Five holes leading out to the sky dotted the ceiling, each just large enough for a fighter to fit through. The sound of crashing waves echoed dully through the cavern walls. To the south side of the room was a large canvas sheet, portioning off a section of the room. Wires and tubes snaked their way into it and the voices of technicians on the other side jumbled together and echoed off the walls. Around their own specific landing sites were various monitors and piping, refueling stations and maintenance ports for the upkeep of their fighters. The four stood together in the room for a short while before Lieutenant Commander Crest entered from a small doorway off the western wall.
"This way now. We will cover our upcoming mission specs and the more sensitive details of your new assignment." He called out. Salya looked cautiously behind them at the canvas. "No worries, you will know what's back there in just a moment." Lindmon said with a slight chuckle. The four walked towards where he waited. Exiting the hangar chamber into a low hallway, seemingly carved into the rock and situated with braces to hold it all together, small hallways led off from the primary walkway. Lindmon pointed to each in turn as they passed. "A short ways down each of these are your quarters, I promise they are a bit more spatious than the hall itself. You two, the twins, you will be sharing a room, I hope that isn't unacceptable. We have been trying to save space where we can, but as such your space is a touch larger than the others, you're just down that way. Further up here we have our briefing room, and off that is a path leading to a transport tunnel that leads to the main base. It's small, but it has a track for a cart to get you from here to there and back without the need to walk. We will be upgrading things as we get the ability to do so."
The group entered into a larger space, the smooth round walls arched up over their heads about fifteen feet. Pads covered the walls to dampen the echos. A large holotable sat in the center of the room, and on a wall just to their left was a row of monitors showing maps and data that they weren't familiar with just yet.
Maila dragged herself into the briefing room, her shoulders slumped in despair. After everything that she had gone through this was how it all turned out, her muddled and shattered mind went through the past few months trying to piece together which decision lead her to this moment so she could revert back. Change the outcome of her dejected future. She sighed heavily as she felt a hot brand of despair run itself through her eyes, she reared her head back and questioned if there was some cosmic power in the universe that worked against her. Maila felt she made good decisions, worked on the side of good. Why then must she be punished like this? Was the universe getting her back for the indomitable lucky streak that allowed her to become an X-Wing pilot? There must be some reason, something to blame...Separate quarters. Like a nightmare manifested in one fell swoop, this Lieutenant shattered her dreams. Military quarters were notoriously cramped, everyone she had talked to described them as such. She could only dream of the closeness shared. The quick intimacies...There was one space available and it was taken by a couple of siblings! That was her death knell. The odds of a group of twins assigned to both of the squadrons she joined were astronomically small. If they weren't a part of the team there was a chance that room could have been hers. In her mind she crumpled the dreams plastered on the wall and crushed them in a trash compactor. Gone was the future of sharing nights with her dashing wing mate. Catching glimpses of him stepping out of the refresher, steam still fresh on his body. She looked over at her wing mate as he examined some of the monitors and data screens lining the room, the orange pilot suits were not the most flattering or form fitting uniform but she knew that beneath it was the chiseled body of a soldier. There had to be, her fantasies demanded it.
"What?" Seger asked sharply. Maila has been glaring him up and down. Take your suit off that's what. "It's nothing." Maila replied with a pout, she crossed her arms and pretended to look at the screen. Whatever this mission was, she hoped it was worth having to endure this travesty. Maila started to notice some of the details shown on the screens, a zoomed in galaxy map showing the Unknown Region and small yellow dots indicating the Imperial communication stations near Palatine base. She was aware of that part of the mission, as was the rest of Indigo squadron, it was one of the main reasons that the base was created. What she wasn't familiar with was the thin red triangle slashing across the map. Was that a part of this new mission, or was it just another piece of information on a need to know basis? The feeling of excitement built within her, she realized that each day brought her closer to a real combat mission. No more training simulations or test flights, a real mission.
Lindmon circled around to the other side of the table, a small R3 droid rolled its way in from behind them.
"Our first mission is recon only, I will be making the jump first, to keep out of radar and scanners. We will be making the jump in time with this." A large image of an Imperial class Star Destroyer appeared over the table. "We have identified this ship as ISD Havoc. She makes a jump between the three compounds on a daily schedule. As such we will be making a jump to the first compound when she jumps to the third, and after we scout the first we will move to the second. We will be saving the third for when she makes her final jump back to the first outpost. We will be maintaining a distance away and determining the outpost's weaknesses and familiarizing ourselves with the zones. You four will be providing fire support for me and my King of Spades." The image of an Imperial phantom floated over the table.
"Officially, the King does not exist. No Republic records show that we have her, and all supplies for her move through undocumented secondary sources. It is of the utmost importance that the Imperial remnant not be made aware that the King exists. As such if there is any scramble from the outpost or any sign that the star destroyer is jumping early we are to eliminate the base as quick as possible. We will have no support if this is the case. The Blue Diver will draw the attention of the Havoc to give us time, but we likely won't have more than thirty minutes to get in and out."
An image of the first outpost coalesced over the table. The large metal structure was built into an asteroid, surrounded by smaller orbiting rocks. Each of the rocks lit up in turn, flashing red, twelve in total.
"Each of the outpost's supporting moons is a transmitter. In order for our main mission to go unnoticed we will need to destroy any fighters released to dispatch us and destroy all twelve of these moons. After which we will need to take out the primary dish on the base, here."
A yellow flashing highlited a large dish on the top of the outpost.
"Should we hit the twenty minute mark we will need to jump out of the system. My fighter is equipped with jamming equipment, so we will be able to keep our arrival mostly secret up until that point. At which I will need to drop the equipment to make the jump. If those dishes are not destroyed prior then there is a high chance that the empire will be able trace our jumps and come after us. I don't think I need to emphasize the importance of this mission."
The image over the table returned to the original galaxy map.
"If there are any questions ask them now. Otherwise you will be provided your new callsigns and we will be leaving in just under an hour, when the Havoc makes its next jump."
Maila itched to get into her cockpit, the thought of a full scale raid under pressure made her wish it was happening right now. Twelve different priority targets that all needed to be destroyed for them to escape. She could just imagine her X-Wing shooting volleys of proton torpedoes into the Imperial structures, gouts of hot molten metal bursting into a fiery explosion.
"Sir, what is the purpose of this recon mission." Seger said, his voice even and respectful. It would have been unnecessary he thought, to introduce himself at this point. He knew that they were all hand selected by this officer, he knew them already. "It seems that we already have the Havoc's schedule, route, as well as the station's important targets. Why are we risking exposure to infiltrate? What is it we are looking for?"
Lindmon rapped on the display in front of him pulling up the image of the galactic map and zooming in on the Unknown Region and subsequently the red outlined area.
"Our primary mission is data recovery. While today's mission is recon, if it turns south we will be performing a dash and grab here and now. The Blue Diver will attack the second structure, hopefully splitting the attention of the Havoc and it's escort. We are primarily looking to pull any info beneficial to the Republic, but as a primary we are looking for pathing information of one ISD Chimera. It is of the utmost importance that we retrieve this data, as it will aid in the location of a person of interest." Lindmon took a deep breath before continuing. "A Jedi by the name of Ezra Bridger. The red outline you see is the search area as of now. My crew of the Saqorian Zephyr has spent the last several months tracking down any info we can find to aid in that pursuit and it has brought us here. As the Blue Diver will begin an attack on the second installation, we will not have the fleet support. Which is why I personally hand picked the four of you. Your reputations have made you essential in this mission, and those continuing in the future."
Salya frowned at this. "A Jedi? Aren't they just a story told to younglings?"
Lugo smiled "yea! Knights fighting for the good of the systems with mystical powers, fighting against the forces of evil!"
"That's right, but they are far from myth. Any information we can get is good but the path of the Chimera is our primary target." Lindmon stated, looking around at the four.
"Your new callsigns are as follows; Maila, Ten of Spades, Seger, Jack of Spades, Lugo, Joker of Spades, and Salya, Queen of Spades."
Maila reeled from the influx of new information. A swift attempt to recover the data using a prototype stealth TIE fighter, on top of this bizarre rank structure and call signs. She had heard of a Jedi before, mostly only used to refer to the reverent Luke Skywalker. Maila has assumed it was a special title reserved only for legendary pilots whose skills were unrivaled. As she listened to the twins talk about Jedi powers though, she realized her previous thoughts were wrong. So they were some kind of mystical monks? What does that mean, and who is Ezra Bridger? There was a lot of resources going into finding this person whoever they were. Besides that she didn't quite grasp the callsigns, what was a Jack of Spades? Was it higher than her ten? Did that mean she was the lowest among the group...
Seger was not so disparaged, in fact the briefing gave him a satisfactory amount of information about the mission and his commanding officer. From his time as an Imperial academy pilot he knew the old game of fifty two was a gambler's game. It was ancient and favored among some Imperials, more strict and rule oriented than the smuggler's Sabacc. This told him two things, that his commanding officer was renowned enough to have been taught this game by his peers, and that he used to be an Imperial. Seger only overhead a few of the rules of the game while he was an Imperial pilot, and it was apparently a heavily guarded secret among the upper ranks of Imperial officers.
The information about this missing Jedi was news to him, and quite surprising. There was no information about Jedi at all during the reign of the Empire, and all of what he knew about them were the tall tales spoken to children. Rumors of Skywalker's mystical powers seemed nonsensical, but Lieutenant Crest was resolute in the information.
"Sir, I respectfully disagree with the plan of this mission." Seger said once again, his voice heavy with the Outer Rim accent. "Going in without support is reckless, I believe that caution is the best course of action." Though he expressed his concerns with the mission, Lindmon noticed that Seger did not say anything about not going. His compliance to the orders given outweighed the concerns he seemed to have.
Maila was shocked at how much Seger had been talking during this briefing. She started to believe that maybe he just didn't speak to her specifically. Was she annoying to him, or did the older pilot feel like there was nothing important she could possibly say? Maila was starting to have her confidence ripped away from her. She couldn't wait to get back in the cockpit, prove all of these thoughts wrong.
"I appreciate your candor Seger. And trust me when I say that I agree whole heartedly. It is not my intent that this mission turn, but should it that's why I picked the best of the best. Now, one last point of note, so as to not surprise any of you in the future." Lindmon pulled a small metal cylinder from his belt. "And to prove to you all that what I say isn't just wishful thinking." He flipped a switch on the device and a bright white blade erupted from the base. As the blade came to life he held it out in front of him and let go. Lugo started towards it to catch it but caught himself as the weapon floated in mid air, listlessly moving around the table. "The tales of the Jedi are no fairytale. I'm with you all one hundred percent in this mission. And I will do everything in my power to ensure we come home at the end of the day."
Lugo's eyes widened, as did the smile on his face. Salya stood, mouth agape and mind reeling. They weren't just stories, this was real. And standing right in front of her no less.
"That is so cool!" Lugo shouted excitedly.
Seger looked shocked for a moment before regaining his composure. He said nothing but Lindmon was able to get a sense of abashedness from him. Seger must have known the kind of trust the Rebellion held in the Jedi and regretted his mistrust of Lindmon's guidance.
Maila stared, brows furrowed. What the hell was this? The excitement of the mission and this new secret group vanished from Maila's mind in an instant. While the others reveled in Lieutenant Crest's display of power, a symbol of trust and hope amongst them. Maila could only recoil as if she'd been slapped in the face.
Before she had thought that a Jedi was an exceptional pilot, recognized by the galaxy to be unparalleled. Maila came to idolize the only known Jedi, Luke Skywalker. She had watched the holo recreations of the Death Star attack dozens, no, hundreds of times. Imagining herself hurtling through the trench and taking on the whole battle station. It always escaped her, how he was able to react so quickly, evade near death situations without more than a scratch.
The answer she found now was crushing. Maila bit her lower lip to try and hold the emotions that built up inside her. He was a cheater. They all were. Playing with some unseen advantage that other pilots, other normal humans weren't aware of. Using their mystic powers to become better than everyone, regardless of the difference in skill. How many other pilots she idolized were like this, like the Jedi? Pretending that they were as skilled as the best pilots while using the crutch of mystical powers as an edge.
The thoughts burned in her mind and caught in her throat. Maila wanted to be the best pilot in the galaxy, this mission, this new assignment had only shown her that she wasn't even capable of flying in the same league as the best. She wondered if she would even be able to put up a fight against that kind of power. The Lieutenant was able to manipulate that saber and move it through the air without even straining himself. What other kind of abilities were they capable of, she thought as her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Lindmon as he tucked the saber back into his belt.
Maila glared at Lindmon, her body hot with jealousy and distaste. Jedi were just intruders in her domain, using their powers to make a mockery of talent and the experience true pilots gained over years. This was what she decided. Even with that, her desire to be the greatest overcame her senses. This was war after all. She wanted to have that power, if this Lieutenant could be a Jedi then why not her? She didn't know how these Jedi obtained such powers, if it could simply be taught she wanted it.
"Is it possible..." Maila spoke up. She hoped she was able to keep her voice from shaking. "To learn this power?" She hated the words that came out of her mouth. It was as if she had admitted defeat already, without even trying to fight back. Maila knew how strong this power must have been though, in just a few months after destroying the Death Star, Luke Skywalker crested one of the most renowned star fighter squadrons in the Rebellion. Rogue Squadron. With him as it's leader. If she had his abilities who knows what things should could accomplish?
"I've been told that the Force lies in all of us, in varying amounts, but I'm not really sure exactly how. I myself only just started learning. Although I had a good teacher." Lindmon eyed Maila, the feeling of jealousy pouring off her. "But, it's something that takes a world of control. And not something i'm in a position to teach. You all will be flying with me, i'm trusting you with a secret even the tops in the admiralty don't know. I expect it to remain that way."
Lugo and Salya looked at each other, one excited and one stunned to silence.
"Well I'm ready. With that kind of power on our side how can we lose?" Lugo said, almost jumping in place.
"That's good. Go and get ready, suit up and prep, your fighters should be done receiving their tune up. Dismissed." Lindmon said with a finality. The group began to filter out of the room and back to the hangar.
"Maila, hold back a second." Lindmon said just as she was about to exit, her face flushed. The rest of the group looked back as they exit. She stood across from him for a long moment in silence. Finally, after what seemed an eternity Lindmon spoke again.
"You're upset. It's not hard to tell. I won't have that in my flight, so talk to me. Get it off your chest, speak freely."
"Yeah I'm upset. So what?" Maila said defiantly. "Are you going to kick me from the mission because I have feelings?" Maila crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. "I found out what 'Jedi' means just now. Turns out it's not a title for legendary pilots, just another way to deceive everyone into thinking they were."
"I've always wanted to be the best pilot, and I'm pretty damn good at it! I thought I could use my talent to fly on the same level as Luke Skywalker." She shouted as she paced around the briefing room. The anger inside her bursting out of her boiling blood. "You know that he grew up as a farmer? It's things like that that made me believe that I could do it too! Turns out it's just because he had some magic power helping him!"
Lindmon stood silently as she paced, waiting patiently for her to finish. When she finally did she turned to him with a steely glare, her face flushed.
"You won't be removed, I picked you specifically because you're a hot blooded pilot. I'm sorry that you had to find out about Jedi in this way. It's a surprise for sure, hell I didn't even believe it at first. But you are a damned good flier. Reckless, by the reports anyways. Fully dropping your shields to speed through your flight exam? Ballsy, the kind of ballsy I like but at the same time you can't be the best flier around if you careen into a cliff. I don't care where you grew up, I don't care what kind of training you have, you're a damned good pilot. The lot of you are Aces in your own rights. Luke Skywalker was a damned good pilot even before he was called Jedi. You have the talent and I expect that the missions I put you through are going to make you even better. You don't need the force to be good, and having the force doesn't make you good. I flew top of my class at the academy. They called me the Ace of Scarif after the Rebel assault there. I didn't know how to use the Force then, didn't even know it existed. Reaction time, foresight, improvisation. These things make a good pilot, not some power." He stepped around the table to stand in front of her. "Your upset, and that's ok, hell I would be surprised if any of you expected any of this. But for fucks sake, don't let it get to you. If you really want to learn how this whole thing works look inside yourself, control your emotions and maybe you will feel it. Do you ever get pulled in a direction? Maybe your instincts kick in and you sail around some hazard you saw at the last minute? That's it right there. Now saddle up, and prove to me you deserve to be here? Take a second and breath and then suit up. See you in the hangar."
With that Lindmon motioned to the R3 droid, which chirped a couple of times before rolling behind him down the passage towards the hangar.
Maila stood by herself for a long minute. Finally she reached up and smacked her face several times, wiping a small tear from her cheek.
"I'll show him, if this is the best he thinks I can do then he has another thing coming." She said to herself before turning and stomping out of the room.
Back in the hangar there was a flurry of activity. Technicians ran between fighters, finalizing last minute checks. Seger and Lugo were already seated in their fighters, Salya watched as Maila entered the room. She looked quizzically at her as Maila crossed to her station, the latter waved her off, throwing up a thumbs up as she picked up her helmet and put it over her head.
Across the bay the canvas partition moved to the side, behind it sat a sleek TIE Phantom, the glossy black finish streaked with orange. Several technicians unplugged tubes from the bottom. Lindmon stood next to the fighter in a sleek black flight suit, the symbol of the republic stitched over the Imperial insignia on his right shoulder. The front hatch lay open, with a ladder leading up to the cockpit. The R3 droid was slotted into a droid slot that had been thrown together in the co-pilot's seat. Lindmon climbed up into it and looked out into the bay where the rest of his pilots sat waiting. As he put on the TIE pilot helmet his voice crackled over the comms.
"Alright Spades, time to show them what we've got and why we're the best damned pilots in the fleet."
A single click came across the comms, Ready, followed by a short hoot from Lugo.
"Ready and raring Lieutenant" Salya said, the hatch over her head closing.
"Give me wings and watch me fly." Maila responded over the comms.
With a final thumbs up from the deck operator the sound of engines filled the space. Lindmon lifted up and glided deftly into the center, angeling his fighter skywards before rocketing up the tube with a screech, just behind him and not wanting to be the last one out, Maila punched her fighter out and up followed close behind by The rest of the squad.