Chapter 7: Forced Escape
Mon Mothma and Bail Organa stepped into the large conference room. Anakin, Padmé, Luke, Leia and Admiral Ackbar sat around an ivory table, glinting in the light. Bail took a seat next to Anakin while Mon Mothma remained standing. She wore a long white gown and her short crimson hair was slicked back under a simple metal headdress.
"Bail and I have called you here today because we feel you are the most trust worthy people in league, and in leadership of this Rebel Alliance." Mon Mothma announced. "We have called you here to make an announcement. Grand Moff Tarkin has succumbed to his lust for power and betrayed the Emperor. We believe he was desperate to take control, he handed the plans to the Death Star over to us, most likely as a backup plan in case he failed to assassinate the Emperor, of course we never would have worked closely with Tarkin, and he has failed to carry out the assassination."
"Tarkin gave us the readouts of the Empire's super weapon?" Ackbar asked in shock. "This is unbelievable. I say we draw up a tactical plan to destroy the thing and get on with it!"
"Admiral," Padmé said calmly. "We aren't even aware of the station's location."
"Wait!" Leia shouted. "Are we just going to take what Tarkin says at face value? What if this is a trap to lure us to the Death Star and kill us all?"
"If Tarkin intended to do that why aren't we already dead?" Anakin interjected.
"What do you mean dad?" Leia asked.
"He means that if Tarkin handed us the fake plans he probably would have killed us because he knows the location of our base." Luke answered.
"Silence!" Mon Mothma ordered.
"Hold on a minute," Anakin said, raising a hand. "Does Tarkin know the location of our base?"
"He does," Bail replied.
"What?! We need to draw up that plan now!" Anakin cried in alarm. "If Tarkin knows the location of our base and he has been captured by Sidious he'll probably be tortured. What's to stop him from giving up our location?"
The room fell silent, Mon Mothma was not stupid, she had thought of this before and was fully prepared to evacuate at a moments notice. She had her sight set on a planet which had the potential to house another base. Everyone's face bore a grim look. Mon Mothma broke the silence and spoke again.
"Let's get planning."
XxX
The metal rods looked promising. They were most definitely made of a steel alloy, they held metal slabs on which crates of nameless supply boxes sat effectively creating shelves. Mara had no way of knowing for certain what the boxes contained but was convinced that if she could get a metal rod off the shelf, she could pry one open, if she found nothing useful then perhaps there was a chance to pry the door open, or she could use the rod as a weapon to kill the next person to come into her prison. As if on cue the door shot open, to bad she didn't have the rod.
Mara turned promptly as she door slammed shut to face Talon Karrde.
"Get out." Mara snapped, her standard answer to anyone who entered her supply shed prison these days.
Karrde smiled. "You're in no place to make demands, especially to me assassin."
"I'm not an assassin." Mara replied.
"A bounty hunter?"
"No."
"Then what are you exactly?"
For this question Mara remained silent. Karrde smiled again and gave a sigh; it had the mixed feeling of exasperation and gave the impression that he was impressed. He began to circle her. She kept completely still, not allowing her eyes to follow him.
"I admire your defiance, I really do, it is irritating though. Look, I can see you have a knack for espionage. You have everything a smuggler requires, would you join me if it meant I employed you and let you walk out of this shed?"
"Eat vornskr dung!"
Karrde chuckled. "I believe if you took the time to hear a comprehensive offer, you might say yes."
"I'd sooner gurgle toxic ship fuel."
"Well," Karrde said, behind her again. "It seems we have a problem, my budget is tight these days, the money I get from smuggling operations goes to my men as well as me for my personal use, the rest left over funds the supplies we have here, we're very tight in our budget, I cant afford to keep you healthy forever unless you are useful to me. So you have two choices, join me, or die."
Karrde rested his sweaty palms on Mara's shoulders and squeezed them tightly, the camouflage suit she was wearing squeaked as it was moved, Mara's lip curled.
Karrde didn't have time to react as a fist came flying at his face, he back stepped, clutching a bloody nose. Mara turned around and spat at his feet.
"Get out." She hissed.
Karrde chuckled again.
"You're a rebellious one. I'll give you time to think my offer over." He said, approaching the door. Mara rolled her eyes. Karrde gave her one last smile, she spit at him once more as he stepped out and left her alone in her prison, all was silent again, Mara turned back to look at the metal rods and resume her planning.
XxX
Myrkr was not unlike any other planet Obi-Wan had seen in his lifetime as a Jedi, or a Sith. It was an unspectacular shade of green mostly, probably full of grassland and forests, he gazed at it out of the view ports aboard the bridge of the super star destroyer Executor. On the green planet was an agent of the Empire, held captive by a band of smugglers, his mission of course, was to rescue her and capture any female smuggler he found, as the agent was hunting for a female smuggler, and then he could have fun killing the rest. He turned to face Admiral Piett who was approaching him in order to inquire about orders.
"Lord Vader," Piett acknowledged.
"Admiral," Obi-Wan replied, he had never gotten used to that name, never. "Scan the forest, and more remote areas of the planet for any signs of technology. It will most likely be the smuggler camp; I highly doubt there are more than fifty to a hundred men there, one hundred as the absolute maximum. So when the base is found we will send down three hundred troops to take the base quickly, I will accompany them."
"Of course milord, we shall begin scanning now."
"Very good Admiral, alert me when you have found something."
XxX
Obi-Wan stood amongst a hundred storm troopers, all cramped in a small troop transport, two more were flying side by side with it, commander Vill himself of the 501st legion stood next to him. They had been in the air for about fifteen minutes, he expected to land any moment on the grassy surface of Myrkr. It was as though the universe was taking cues from the Sith Lord's mind because right when the thought left his head the sounds of hydraulics could be heard, lowing landing struts, the ship jolted as they touched down moments later. Obi-Wan turned as the entire wall behind him dropped, forming a ramp which he treaded down to the surface of Myrkr. They had landed in a small hilly clearing, a forest surrounded them on every side, as far as the eye could see.
Obi-Wan took a slightly look around before turning to Commander Vill who was debarking the transport. The other two ships had landed and troops were debarking as well.
"Milord," Vill acknowledged. He pulled of his helmet which, along with the rest of his armor held a camouflage pattern, as did all of the other storm troopers.
"Commander Vill," Obi-Wan said. "Get all the troops into formation, I want to enter the woods within the hour and take the smuggler's base in the next."
"It will be done milord."
XxX
Just one last bit of effort was all it would take. Mara had completely loosened one of the metal rods holding the shelves in place; however the weight of the boxes it was supporting held the rod firmly in place. Mara picked up the only crate she could actually lift and hurled it with all her might at the rod, it hit it dead on and caused it to drop out of place, the shelf and the boxes immediately fell crashing loudly to the floor. The walls of the shed were so thick though that no one would hear it. Mara ran and grabbed the rod as well as a chunk of cement that had fallen from the wall, she ran the pole across it and watched as several sparks flew and hit the ground. This would work excellently as a sharpener.
She reached to run it across again but was interrupted when several blaster bolts cut through the door of the shed and burned themselves into the wall, a mere three feet away from her. She looked up in confusion as the door opened and storm trooper wearing camouflage armor entered, blasters pointed directly at her.
"Drop your weapon!" one ordered. Mara could hardly hear him over the roaring blaster fire outside now. Finally someone was here to rescue her, though she could have done it herself and she wondered why the Emperor would make this such a high profile job. Nevertheless she was getting rescued, if a bit forcibly. She dropped the pole and put her hands in the air, if they wanted to take her out of here in chains that was fine with her, she'd be free quite soon.
One of the storm troopers walked up to search her, the rest kept their weapons firmly trained on her while one more stood guard at the door. The trooper ran his hands down just about every part of her body, ticking her off and once he was finally satisfied she had no other weapons he cuffed her hands behind her back, keeping himself as close to her body as possible, disgusting creature! She would kill him once she was out of these cuffs!
XxX
The battle was nearing its end, dead smugglers lay strewn across the camp, as did some storm troopers but the Empire's casualties were considerably less than those of Talon Karrde's. The last of the survivors, including Karrde were now held up in the main dorm building which was surrounded by a mass of white armored troops. Obi-Wan stepped through them to the front entrance of the building which was sealed. He activated his blood red lightsaber and stabbed it into the door, cutting a circular hole he was step through. Once this was complete he pulled his blade out of the door and kicked the circular stab of metal through. He leapt into the lobby, storm troopers behind him. Several smugglers, including Talon Karrde opened fire.
Obi-Wan parried their blaster bolts, several fell by their own shots, and many more by the shots of storm troopers. Obi-Wan made his way to Karrde, cutting down men left and right. He stood but a few feet away from Karrde now. The smuggler leader raised his blaster pistol but never got the chance to fire, Obi-Wan flicked his saber once, Karrde's hand fell to the ground, still clutching its weapon. Then with a single flick of the wrist and a cut off scream Talon Karrde fell to the floor dead.
The room went quiet as the smugglers halted their firing; they looked with grim faces at their leader who lay on the floor, eyes open and staring into nothingness. They all then dropped their weapons; fell to their knees, and their hands shot up into the air. Vader's troops halted their fire as well and looked to their leader for orders.
"The Emperor has decreed that we take no prisoners." Obi-Wan said, he took a sweeping look at all the surrendered men who looked back at him with terrified faces. "Kill them all."
XxX
As Obi-Wan walked out of the dorm building he was approached by Commander Vill who bowed briefly.
"Did you find the agent?" Obi-Wan asked. "Or the woman she was hunting?"
"We're not sure sir, but I have confirmed we captured two women."
"Good, I would very much like to talk with them."
Two women?! Force! Perhaps Raz did not leave Myrkr in time? Find out in the next chapter, and as a small reminder please leave your feedback as it is much appreciated.