Hey guys it's Television1 here and I got another chapter for you. And I hope that you guys like it.
Aboard the Rogue Shadow.
Galen sat in the co-pilot's chair as he helped Juno navigate the ship through hyperspace. Not that she needed help but it was a way for him to spend time with her while on the ship. He was busy disassembling his saber when Juno asked him a pretty odd question.
"You ever thought about kids?" She asked out of the blue. Completely stunned at the question Galen dropped the pieces of his saber and damn near fell over.
"Umm. I assume me having kids with you right?" Galen said as he cleared his throat.
"I would sure hope so. I am your wife after all." Juno replied with a bit of snark.
"Well, in all honesty no. I haven't. Why do you want kids?" Galen replied slowly. He wasn't sure where this was coming from. They had never had the conversation. In fact Galen joked a few times that he didn't need kids. He had Ezra to take care of and keep out of trouble, which was a fairly strenuous task. Not that Ezra was bad or something like that. No in fact Ezra had a very kind heart and soul, and it troubled him deeply what he had done while Vader's assassin. No Ezra was just a naturally curious person. It had been something that Vader had all but eradicated from the teenager. Now he let his mind and the force take him wherever.
Kids of his own though would be an entirely different situation altogether. As Galen started to think of the various things associated with being a parent he started to panic. Now on the outside, to someone who didn't know him he would look completely relaxed. But to Juno she knew he was having a little freakout. However as he started to get past the screaming and dirty diapers. He started to remember the few memories of his parents he had. And he remembered feeling their joy when they were around him, and his joy at their presence. Calming down he turned to Juno.
"Do you want to have kids?" Galen asked, trying to probe the viability of it.
She started to kind of smile, and he thought he might be having a sight problem but she seemed to glow a little.
"Well, I am two weeks late. And the pregnancy test I took last night says that you are going to be a dad." She said with her voice raising as she finished up. She seemed to start to fidget in her seat as she waited for a response. Galen's eyes opened wide with a look of shock. He hadn't been expecting that in the slightest. But at the same time he could feel the force telling him that this was a good thing.
"Well, that's amazing. I didn't know that you didn't want children. But no less good." Galen said.
"Wow. I just told you that you are going to be a father and all I get is an well that's amazing?" Juno said with a bit of sarcasm.
"Oh hahaha. I am excited. I am just starting to wonder different things." Galen said in a bit of a daze.
"Like what Galen?" Juno asked in earnest.
"Well, food, clothes, playpen. I am gonna have to be sure to put my saber up high now so the baby doesn't get ahold of them." Galen listed off on his fingers.
"Oh, and we have to tell Ezra, Proxy, and Kota." He finished off.
"Well, you seem to know everything then." Juno said. "Do you want to tell Proxy or have me tell him that he needs to baby-proof the Rogue Shadow" She stated.
"I will. You just stay here and rest." Galen said as he got up to leave.
"Hmph. You know I'm not helpless right?" Juno laughed out. "I'm just pregnant. And I won't need to slow down for a little while."
Galen smirked at the comment but went back to tell Ezra that he would be an uncle.
Inside the Eternal above Kashyyyk
John Davidson was many things in his life. Bounty hunter, fugitive, smuggler, but first and foremost, he was a rebel. In fact he was one of the many rebel spies operating under the Fulcrum codename. He had spent the past thirteen hours looking for a way to release the crew that was captured aboard the Eternal. However that plan was destroyed when he saw the Inquisition show up. He had heard the stories of some rebel dissidents, and or spies getting captured by them. It was never a quick death. And in fact they could make even the most stalwart believer in the cause talk. However he figured that one thing he could do is stop any information from the droid's memory being recovered he quietly made his way to the data recovery station on the massive star destroyer. Being disguised as a stormtrooper captain had its perks. However you needed to be at least a commander to be able to have access to the area.
Thinking quickly he bumped into a lieutenant walking down the hall. Knocking him over and spilling the tablet in his hand on the ground. With some minor slight of hand he took out his code cylinder and swiped the lieutenant's and replaced it with his own.
Now all that he needed to do was to find a commander and take his code cylinder. John wandered toward the officer's mess hall, hoping he could find an officer who was just getting off shift and would be hitting it hard on the booze. He entered the officer's mess and saw what he was looking for. An elderly officer by the name of Michael Weed. He was an old bastard who liked to take his frustrations out on his men. It was just the perfect sense of poetic justice. See last time that John was nearly caught it was because of Michael. But the elderly commander would get his karma back tenfold. Buying a drink he took it over to the already drunk officer.
"Here you go commander. Just wanted you to know that there is no hard feelings about what was said a few weeks back." John said as he set the drink before the Commander.
"Ah, yes, and who might you be?" He slurred out. As he reached for the fresh drink.
"I was the guy you accused of being the rebel spy. But after it was all said and done they found out it was McCormick." John replied, bitterness seeping out of his pores like sweat. Poor McCormick was a good guy, just had a baby and everything. But sometimes the ends justify the means.
"Oh right. I remember you. I could have sworn it was you instead of McCormick. Damn shame. He could have become a real good naval officer." Michael relented. "But at least we rooted out one traitor and can move forward." He finished as he slumped a bit from an over indulgence in booze.
John took his chance and reached out like he was helping the officer sit up. He swapped out the lieutenants cylinder and took the officer's cylinder and made his way towards the door without the officer knowing any different.
He made his way to the data recovery station and looked for the guard on duty. Seeing a young, fresh, recruit. He walked up to the private and started to yell. "Hey you! Get your ass over here!" Immediately the poor private jumped so hard that the John actually feared for his safety.
"Sir, yes Sir!" The private stated as he came to attention in front of his superior.
"What is the meaning of this armour private! Did you or did you not shine this armour before taking this shift!" John yelled. It was hard for him not to grin as the private started to stutter out an answer but was cut off.
"Nevermind your shit of an answer private! I am going to go finish filing reports and I will be back in one standard hour. And you better be here and be ready for full inspection when I get back. Is that clear!" He shouted.
"Yes sir. Right away sir." The private mumbled as he saluted and ran off to go complete the tasks.
John smiled as he grabbed the code cylinder he swiped from the Commander and stuck it into the reading port and heard the ping as it allowed him into the data recovery station and started to pan his eyesight around the room. It wasn't very large, maybe five meters deep, by eight meters wide and with a thirteen meter high ceiling. In it was a single operator and about three assistance droids. They seemed to be working on something on the table in the middle of the room. He looked and saw that it was an orange and C-1 astromech. The operator was just about ready to start cutting open the powered down droid when a blaster bolt smashed into his chest, killing him instantly. The three droids turned but were cut down in the same manner.
John made his way to the droid and pressed the power switch while he looked for a tool to remove the restraining bolt. As he turned he could hear the droid warble as if it was coming out a deep sleep. Then suddenly it turned and looked at the stormtrooper whose back was to him. He drew out an electric prod out of his body and shocked the back of the stormtrooper.
John yelped and turned getting ready to fire. Seeing it was just the cranky astromech. He took off his helmet and looked at the droid. "Hold up. Listen to me I am on your side." He said as he struggled against the droids arms. "Listen to me! By the light of Lothal's moons." John said in desperation.
The droid seemed to stop for a second and quirk to the side at him. Then warbled out in binary, "Well why didn't you say so? My name is Chopper." The droid said as it stuck out a single arm. As John went to shake it the droid immediately electrocuted him. "That is for pointing a blaster at me, meatbag."
"Because I pointed a blaster at you? You shocked me first!" John exclaimed. Shaking his hand to get the sting of the shock to ware off. "You were wearing stormtrooper armour. How was I to know you were trying to help me." Chopper said once again in his binary as he started to roll off towards the door.
"Wait. We need to plan this out. We can't have the entire star destroyer looking for us!" John shouted. But the droid just snarked back at him as he plugged into the door control and started to open it.
"I need to get to the engine room and sabotage the ship." Chopper admitted after hesitating at his current task.
"Well then let me help you. Here. Take this code cylinder. It will give you access to the engine room. I also would suggest taking this route to the local escape pods. From there you can take your pod and get help from the wookiees on Kashyyyk." John explained. While holding up a schematic he had in a pouch on his hip. It came in handy when one was traversing the innards of a star destroyer.
"Thanks, meatbag. I will think about your plan. However I still have use for you." Chopper stated as he finished unlocking the door.
"What do you mean?" the Fulcrum agent stated.
" You are going to act as my distraction. I need you to go to the comm center and disable their communications. Then you want to probably get in an escape pod. This will be a real fucking huge explosion." Chopper stated with what John interpreted as a laugh from the old astromech.
"Fine. But be careful. I doubt that the crew won't be able to recognize you. You don't exactly look standard issue to the imperials." John stated as he walked out the door after checking both ways.
"Fuck off you organic." Chopper shot over his shoulder as he continued down the hall to the engine room. Making a quick pitstop at the armoury to pick up 'a few' explosives. He saw the three guards at the entrance. So in typical Chopper fashion he went and set a trap. Long story short he closed a door on two of them and the third has lots of droid height blast marks on him.
Giggling gleefully to himself he swiped a comm link and immediately looked up John Davidson. Finding his frequency number he warbled into the comm, "Found a way to blow the engine. Hope you disabled the comm system."
After a few moments he heard a terse, "Working on it. Be patient you bucket of bolts." then nothing. As he loaded up explosives into a shipping container Chopper started to scan imperial frequencies. Pretty soon they cut out. He called up John only to be met by the sounds of blaster fire and heavy breathing. Working quickly Chopper pushed the loaded explosives to a lift that would take him to the engine room.
As he made his way into the engine room Chopper noticed that he had timed things just right. For shift change was happening and there was no technicians around to try and stop him. Chopper began rolling around throwing the magnetic thermal detonators on any surface that they seemed to stick. With the charges armed and ready to go. He booked it for the exit. Once again keying the comm of the fulcrum agent that had helped him escape. Receiving no response he started to make his way to the comm room when he came upon a nasty sight. John was on the ground, not breathing with several blaster scorch marks pockmarking his chest and helmet. It was obvious to the droid. John was no longer among the living. Simply emulating the closest thing he could to a sigh. He loaded the body onto a laurie that was nearby and pushed him to the escape pods..
As he maneuvered his way to the escape pods he saw the carnage that the stormtrooper turned rebel spy had caused. Blaster shots covered the gray walls and at least a dozen dead stormtroopers littered the halls, with another two dozen lying wounded or unconscious. As he kept an ear open for imperial chatter. He deduced that John, was at least partially successful in his mission. The Imperials couldn't seem to contact any of the other star destroyers or their respective escorts. But at the same time he could tell that their short range comms were still operational for the moment. This saved the astromech and his cargo several times as he nearly dodged cleanup, and search and destroy crews along the way to the escape pods. As he neared the pods he heard an imperial officer with the rank of Commander starting to brag to an underling about how he had shot the traitor even in his inebriated state. Infuriated Chopper grabbed a blaster and set up a simple ambush.
As the Commander and two other stormtroopers rounded the corner the astromech released a barrage of blaster fire at point blank range. Killing the three imperials before they could even cry out. Grumbling he grabbed the laurie once again and moved to the first escape pod in sight. Dragging John into the pod Chopper took the pilot's seat and fired up the pod. Then a thought struck the sick little droid, that made him just cackle in laughter. Getting out of the pod he launched all pods except for the one that him and the body would be in. As he maneuvered the pod a safe distance away from the ship. He pressed the detonator and watched as the star destroyer Eternal was blown to smithereens.
He started to scan rebel frequencies sending out a distress signal. Faster than he thought possible a stealth ship appeared and answered the hailing with the proper response. As the ship maneuvered to the pod he thought that the ship definitely looked imperial by the markings and the name. Rogue shadow. So grabbing the blaster pistol he got ready for the worst. Only when the airlock engaged and the pod door opened he saw something that he would never see again. Hera Syndulla stood there. Sure she had a bacta patch on her forehead from a scrape but other than that she looked fine. Moving towards her he made happy chirping sounds in binary. That is until he bumped into the corpse of John Davidson. The man who had risked it all for his life. Turning to the Twi'lek he knew that she would want a name and what not but that could wait she carefully reached out and touched the stormtrooper armour and said a silent prayer in her native tongue and thanked the man who had helped her droid escape the clutches of the empire.
Okay guys! Kind of a Chopper centric chapter. But I thought it was necessary since it was not very believable that the inquisition would destroy a possibly excellent source of rebel intel for a mere staging and counter intelligence operation. So that is the reasoning for this chapter. Also I want to point out that this story will not just include the rescue of the ghost crew. I plan to take this beyond that and may end up changing the title at a later date to better fit the story. As always comments and criticism is welcomed and encouraged. Please read and review. Until next time.
Television1