A long time ago in a galaxy far far away
OS'KOS
Season 1, Episode 4
40 years passed since
Emperor Palpatine was defeated.
For years and years chaos remained as
the remnants of the Empire tried to maintain control
of the galaxy and the leaders of the Rebel Alliance tried to unite
the people in an organized democracy. Such attempts failed on both sides,
and the galaxy fell back to the political structure it had known before the creation of
the Old Republic. Small systems, bigger systems, coalition of planets, yet some planets are still
divided and self-regulated countries. Democracies, monarchies, empires, warlords, anarchies, even
the Hutts control a few systems, and still some parts of the universe have not been explored or heard of.
Brett Ho-Xin and his student Neeah have gone to the planet OsKos with hopes to prevent Ambulia's next attack.
##
– Just let me help you Mr. OsValto. You and your people are in danger.
Brett was talking to the leader of the O's, the most visible of the two people on OsKos.
– Your interstellar problems do not concern us sir. OsKos is too small and inoffensive to be of interest to anyone. You're wasting your time.
He was a tall and stoic man, but he was wrong,
– Your location makes you the perfect relay point for an invasion Force into the rest of the quadrant. Communications, shipping routes, fuelling stations, it's the perfect place.
Neeah made her point before Brett could even say anything.
– Anyway, there is nothing we can do if they attack, but to surrender. I would not fight a war I have no chance to win. Neither will the Kos, for that matter. Now if you'll excuse me, I have the people to govern.
And he dismissed them.
– Thank you for your time.
Brett had resigned himself and left the office with Neeah. In the turbo lift she asked him:
– you think they're already in touch with Drika and Webell?
– No. Such treachery would have been directly felt through the Force. You probably would've felt it, too. I think he's just a fool. But for now, we must find another way to ruin Drika's plan. Let's try the Kos leaders.
– Do you think their answer will be different?
– The Os are bureaucrats and administrators. The Kos are explorers and philosophers. Perhaps they can see the bigger picture.
##
– I'm afraid there is not much we can do to help. Any attempt to fight an Ambulian attack force would only bring more retaliation on their part, and while, as you say, the bigger picture would benefit from it, the way the galaxy is set up now, no one will acknowledge or help us if we go with the greater good over what's best for the Kos. If they come, occupation is the only possible outcome, and we have to make sure it is done in the best condition for the Kos people.
TuadoKos, to Brett, appeared to be a lot more lucid about the situation. With the Force Brett could feel his desire to help, deep down inside.
– I feel your desire to help, elder TuadoKos.
Reading the mind of others was something he didn't do without permission. But just feelings, he'd come to realize that most species did not mind.
– I don't think you need Jedi senses to notice that, master Ho-Xin. But the position of the elders is as such. We appreciate your concern, and will do everything to prepare for the arrival of the Ambulian fleet, if they ever show up. As a token of our appreciation, I would like you to be my guests for dinner. I'm sure you will enjoy the food at TribiKos.
– Will you be joining us?
– Of course not, that would be inappropriate.
He made an awkward smile and Brett seem to understand clearly what was intended.
– We appreciate the gift. If you need to contact me again, here's the frequency where I can be reached.
The Jedi got up and left.
– We're really going to dinner? Don't we have an invasion to prevent?
Neeah was all questions.
– I believe that going to this dinner is how we're going to get started. He wants to help, but he knows he can't do anything officially. His help is going to show up at dinner.
To prove Brett's point, TribikKos wasn't the kind of establishment where dignitaries would bring their important guests. An inner town tavern, at best. But when Brett and Neeah showed up, the waiter asked them:
– humans hah, where's your pass?
Brett gave him the plastic chips TuadoKos had given.
– Alright you're clear. Your table is over there.
There was already someone seated at their table, but Brett could not tell whether he was O's or Ko's. The difference between the two is not that evident that untrained eye.
– Welcome humans! I am OsDubiKos. I hear you add business with both OsValto and TuadoKos today. You've been busy!
– We might have… Tell me OsDubiKos, with all due respect, I gather your half O's and half Ko's?
– Yes, there are a few of us. We serve our purpose. I work for both the men you've met today.
– Is there anything you can do to help us?
– Mutually, yes. As both leaders told you, we can't prevent an invasion. However, we can use our unique location to set the trap where coming to OsKos will work against Ambulia.
He was very proud of his plan whatever it was…
– Our holonet is linked via several stations. Most of them transmit several thousands signals every hour of every day. They can serve emitters or receptors, and function individually or collectively. We know that it could be altered to serve as a giant radar, which could transmit via subspace all incoming and outgoing ships in the sector, as well as most of the communications between them. Scrambled, this information could be useful to let's say… A third party interested in knowing what Ambulia is about to do. I suppose you could be such a party, could you?
– Probably… You said « could be altered », what is required to get it done?
– That's were you come in. If that plan was to be uncovered by anybody it could be seen as offensive to Ambulia and cause great political loss. That's why it is not and will not be an official government action. This explains the remote restaurant… An official of the holonet company, in such event, would take the blame as if he was selling that information. But we need your involvement to finalize this.
He was a little shy, but Brett nodded for him to continue.
– The holonet company owns most stations and as service contracts with a lot of the others. They will make the technical modifications on these stations on orders coming from the aforementioned officer. You would have to do the rest, if you know what I mean.
– Not sure I follow…
– There are five relays that are owned by corporations and that we cannot control or alter through the holonet company. Four of them are owned by Ambulian corporations. The other is, unofficially, controlled by the Hutts. In order to get our system to work we must alter and control these stations. So, they must be altered without the Ambulians even noticing. Total stealth is required, no sound, sight, alarm or breach. And only Jedi can achieve that.
Neeah was also confused
– we don't have the technical expertise to alter communications relays.
– Even you, my child, can do it. I will show you.
##
The first relay station was in the city, on top of the building owned by a corporation called Bully's, a transportation company from Ambulia that hauled cargo across the quadrant. Brett had chosen this one as their first target because it was the easiest and the one that would allow them to become familiar with the modifications to perform. Nighttime was falling.
– Neeah, now we'll see how far your Force enhanced jumps are coming along…
– You want me to jump there?
She looked at him with a perplexed face…
– They obviously have some kind of security system that would spot us if we hooked ourselves to the walls. Jumping is the easier way up.
Brett knew all too well she was capable of achieving that jump.
– You have to summon the Force twice. Once to jump, and once as you are about to land, as a noise reduction remover. Just think of it as a hiccup of your first jolt. Shush, take cover!
We had just enough time to find the shade when a couple of O's walked by. As soon as they had gone, Brett steadied himself, looked around and jumped. She followed, the silence of her fall was complete.
« Nicely done » he sent telepathically towards her.
«Thanks » she replied in the same way.
Walking on the roof in silence was not that important but they did so anyways, until he reached a point described by OsDubiKos. The relay was a rather small device in the modifications they had to apply were rather simple. However, the relay was protected by a small force field. Neeah started to kneel to start rigging the device but Brett simply used the Force to create a hole in the shield, holding the beams together. Setting her astonishment aside, she used the window created by Brett to open the relay, install the extra chip and modify the system.
– Piece of cake…
##
– So you can go through force field just like that?
– Only the simple ones there is only a dozen beams to hold so with a little concentration you can get it done. The shields are merely there to prevent animals from chewing on the cables. The more complex ones of rotating double beams or a quantity that is impossible to master at once.
– So where do we go next?
– I think we should get the Ambulian systems done first, then we'll see about the hutts.
– Now? The sun is almost up.
– I don't think we can afford to take five days here, unless we do two a night. One of the Ambulian relay core is inside the building, so we could get to this one during the day, then tonight the other ones. That leaves the Hutts for the next night.
##
The company headquarters looked more like a giant warehouse. By distracting the weak-minded employees on a couple of occasions, they were easily able to access the relay and modify it.
A quick mind scanned by Brett had confirmed that nobody noticed their presence. Work well done.
##
At dawn, they approached the Ambulian transport company called Ambulia sport. They were located at the base of a cliff and the relay was behind the building. However, it was in the same room as valuable inventory, so the security system in place was going to pose a challenge.
– I think our best bet is to simulate an attempt to steal inventory, such attempt would fail, and he would never notice the tampering of the relay. You like that?
– That's very ambitious master. But I can't think of anything better.
They approached the back of the building. Brett had planned a nice approach. He spread himself all the way to the southern end and directed himself away from the relay. Neeah was positioned right by the relay, waiting for the guards to leave. Brett made his move, getting noticed on purpose. As the guards raced towards him, he hid behind several blocks of shelves taking as much time as possible between each without cutting away any of his two possible escape routes and always getting covered from the cameras. Neeah had enough time to spot all cameras and their ranges. When the back guard was asked to help his fellows with the intruder, he left his post, allowing Neeah to take a chance towards the relay. She avoided the camera with a cleverly selected course. As she approached the really, she was surprised to see it protected by the same type of shielding as the first one.
– I don't have time to rig it the way I wanted to do the first time. All I can do is give it a try… No, there is no try. Do or do not?
She closed her eyes identified all the small beams and move them around, opening a wide gap in the force field binding the beams together, and tampered with the relay as she had done with the previous ones.
Mission accomplished. Master Brett will be proud. She got out without getting noticed.
Brett had chosen is best way out. As the guards were scrambling to find him, they reached another room where the cameras could not see above the level of the big containers that were laid there. There was an uncovered part of the ceiling that a Force enhanced jump would clear easily. So, we created a fake noise at the end of the room, concentrating on the minds of his followers and once they were all looking in the other direction, in a split second he jumped to the roof and escaped unnoticed.
- Mission accomplished? He asked thru his Comlink
– yes master.
She was getting really good. He smiled.
They moved on to the last Ambulian relay. It didn't pose much of a challenge. Again, it was on top of the building, but this time there was a lot of activity in the neighbourhood.
– You go ahead. I will keep wandering and try to probe people's attention to see if anybody has noticed your presence. Just try to stay in touch with me and be prepared to react quickly.
– I am thankful for your confidence master. I will enjoy this test of my abilities and this opportunity to get it done on my own without your help.
He didn't reply, at least verbally, but she saw the nod. He was confident. She jumped on the roof. A few minutes had gone by and Brett was expecting Neeah soon when he recognized a familiarity within one of the minds he was scanning in the area. OsValto's mind. Now what could the leader of the O's be doing there, in the middle of the night, among the people in the streets?
– I'm done master. Anything wrong?
– Not really. Just be extra quiet on your way back. Eastern end of the building.
He could not resist the urge to get closer to OsValto . He was wearing clothing that did not reveal he was a Jedi, but he was still one of the rare humans there, and OsValto would definitely recognize him, obviously…
As he approached the sensation of OsValto's mind, he repeated 100 if not more Force enhanced maneuvers to distract the person from looking straight at him. To his astonishment, OsValto was nowhere to be found unless he was also disguised. Aliens are sometimes difficult to differentiate from one another, but this was too much. But there was no mistake, the mind was his. There he was, standing right in front of him, totally unrecognizable. He looked at Brett and was startled. Brett smiled in return.
– Gotcha…
– I guess there's no fooling you master Jedi.
– The Force does make me able to see thru deception, yes. May I ask why the disguise?
– I cannot wonder among the people like that at night, both for security and credibility reasons. But we had been aware that the other tree relays had been modified. Your skills are impressive. I have just received word that the fourth one, this one, has been modified as well. Congratulations.
– As you wanted to see for yourself?
– Actually, TuadoKos and me took an awful lot of personal risk in this venture. Only he, OsDubiKos, the holonet official, a few aides and I are aware of this plan, no one else. I came here knowing you were here, and I still couldn't notice your operation. So, I guess I can feel relaxed that no one else will… Or already has.
– If anybody had, we would know. Until now, none of that has happened.
– Your skills impress me again. I wouldn't want to be your enemies.
– We try not to have any. Jedi do not create conflict, we feel at home in peace. And your help will, I hope, allow us to do just that.
– Then I am glad we helped.
– May the Force be with you.
Brett could sense that the general feeling was honest. But there was some mistrust somewhere. Perhaps it was justified that he was concealing his appearance. No deep treachery, but something very touchable. He headed back to East End, regrouped with Neeah, and they left.
##
– I can understand him. You showcased your powers in an impressive matter. That can be intimidating, you know. If you went mad like Drika, you would be very dangerous.
Neeah was trying to ease Brett's suspicion of OsValto.
– I guess you're right. And you know, you can include yourself as well and your powers…
– I'm not a Jedi yet, master..
– But to anyone else, you are and they are expecting you to be as powerful and dangerous as me.
They walked towards the Hutt business.
– This is not going to be easy. Remember, our goal is to alter the relay, but not at the cost of revealing our identity. If we do, the Hutts will sell that information to Drika, and she will eventually figure out what we're up to. So, keep your lightsaber in check until the last moment.
##
The Hutts had a front, a metal transformation operation. As on other planets in the galaxy, the huts were running smuggling, crime, gambling and theft operations, and usually had a legitimate company set up to create a front for the operation. This one, no matter how clever, was no different. They approached the building dressed in black from head to toe, almost not even revealing their human faces. The relay was in a medium-sized shed in the backyard, buzzing with activity even at this stage of the night. Reaching it meant crossing more than a third of the backyard, close to one hundred metres. Using the shadows and distraction was going to be too complex. As Brett surveyed the area, there was only one way to get there unnoticed. Crossing over the building was a metal arc used as rails to spread water on the metal hotbeds after extraction. The only part of their access that would be visible is when they would jump from the arc to the shed. Not attracting attention for a few seconds was, however, relatively doable.
They approached the arch. It was a solid 2 m wide, with plenty of space to crawl on it. They did so, covering a good portion of the distance, ready to approach the roof of the shed. Then Brett felt it…
– Were in very very deep trouble.
Before Neeah could ask why, the arch collapsed. They fell a good 50 feet. Nothing a Force enhanced fall could not absorb, but the debris was falling with them. Within instance Brett found himself buried in a pile of steel, and he felt Neeah's presence a couple of metres away. While he was well hidden within the debris, she obviously wasn't because she started running.
The mining operations employees looked stunned. From the nearby building came dozens of armed guards. They had already blocked all the exits Neeah could probably think of. Before she could reach for her blaster, a couple of shots were fired around her, and she had from the speaker out loud:
– whoever you are, do not move, stay where you are and drop your weapon.
Do not reveal our identity, Brett had said. In all the turmoil, she was nervous and could not feel his presence. Even if she tried to, her Jedi combat skills were not enough to take on such a numerous bunch of guards. She wondered if any Jedi was able to fight so many people at once. But she knew there were alternatives to fighting. She dropped her blaster.
– And don't try to be cute, we've got other guards posted outside and guns pointed at you at the moment.
The door opened and a Twi'lek man approached slowly. Twi'lek's were known to work for Hutts, so this wasn't a surprise. But Neeah had never met a Hutt, she didn't like the confirmation that this could be her next meeting.
– Teenage girl? We were expecting more challenge for your little vandalism project.
– What do you mean expecting?
Before he could answer, she guested, it all made sense, OsValto.
– We had… Sources. They spoke of a team, and we saw two people starting your climb. Where is your partner?
– We fell. I don't even know if he survived.
She replied but she was stressed. She almost said she couldn't feel his presence, but that would have been an awful hint to reveal her identity.
– That's unfortunate. We will find him, or whatever is left of him.
But then a voice came from behind the shed.
– There is no need to search for me, I'm right here.
Brett walked out slowly but surely. He waved his hands towards the Twi'lek:
– you will let the girl go. You will take me to your boss.
The Twi'lek looked puzzled, even more than the guards.
– Let her go. I will take you to my boss if you will follow me.
Neeah looked at Brett, astonished. He signalled her to go. Obviously, he was aware that their telepathy wasn't working when she was under that much stress.
The Twi'lek walked towards the building with Brett at his side. Neeah walked slowly towards the street. She didn't know what Brett was going to do, but she was going to carry on, trying not to reveal her identity, as she left, and all the guards were puzzled but let her go. Perhaps Brett had telepathicly sent her instructions that she didn't hear. Perhaps he was counting on her to do something to help him? She felt guilty and useless. For the first time as a Padawan, she felt doubt, doubt that maybe she was letting her master down, while he was risking his life. She was also worried of disappointing him. She had made so much progress… When she reached the streets, she stopped and felt anger at her inability.
No, I must be strong. There is no emotion there is peace, and she could only find peace if she listened and obeyed her master's orders. She sat down and relaxed, letting the Force bring calm and serenity to her. Then she felt her master's presence in the Force, calm and controlled as he always is. Everything was going to be ok.
##
Hugla the hutt was standing in front of Brett. Well, standing is a weird word here. Slouched maybe…
– My friend Os warned me that the intruders would be extremely clever and powerful. I don't know how you got to the shed after the collapse, but that was brilliant. Sometimes I underestimate Jedi's abilities.
– I must admit I was confused to see that I came here for nothing.
– Well, OsValto was a fool. He figured if you got caught and exposed, he could put the burden on the Ko's and gain short-term political power as well as potentially a preferential treatment from the Ambulians. I even suspect he wouldn't mind an occupation if it served him. I think he was foolish enough to try to trust Ambulia.
– And you don't?
– No. I don't want them here, or anywhere else I do business, the way they've been behaving recently. I'm willing to help you, Jedi, because as much as I despise your kind, at least you don't interfere with my business.
– What would you tell OsValto then?
– Nothing, since he had an unfortunate accident in his sleep a few minutes ago. He is no longer a threat to us. And I guarantee you we will be ready for Ambulia. Go, Jedi, before I change my mind. I must admit catching you in the act was a lot of fun.
And he laughed, and laughed, so hard with that deep and holo laugh that all Hutts seem to master.
##
– So master, why did he let you go?
– They don't want Ambulia here either, you see.
– But how did you know, when you turned yourself in like that, that you could trust him? And did you get to alter the relay or was it all for nothing?
Brett smiled, even laughed.
– Anxious you are! Both of your questions have the same answer my Padawan: when I approached the relay, I knew the Hutts were on our side because, you see, the relay was already altered to fit our needs.
There was a smile in his face, and she couldn't tell if it was pride or peace. She only hoped that someday she could control her emotions like that.
##