The building definitely did look old, or old enough to convince Stormtroopers it isn't the Coronet base of a global freedom-fighter organisation. I jumped off of the speeder and looked up at the building. Either this building is extremely old or the rebels had decorated it that way. The walls were chapped and beige, while the wooden door looked like it was rotting, and the hinges were covered in rust, while the handle looked stiff. I placed my hand on the "stiff" handle. I tried to push the handle, but it wouldn't go down, I placed my other hand on the handle and pushed down with all my might. It didn't work. The rebel with the bandana and the sniper-rifle holstered on her back walked over to the door and placed one hand on the handle and pushed. It opened. I looked questioningly at her.
'Fingerprint sensors.' She said simply.
'Wow.' i replied.
I followed my hosts into the building and looked around.
'Not much to house a rebellion, is it?' I enquired.
'Exactly.' The woman who opened the door said. She signalled me to follow her towards another door inside. 'Jasper Cantierra' She spoke, and in response a buzzing sound was heard. 'He was the latest person in our rebellion that was killed by the Empire, it always changes depending on the last rebel to be killed by the Imperials.'
This was interesting, they really took a lot of caution with their security. There was a small perfectly square hole in the wall next to the door. That want't there before, was it? In it's place slid out a small keypad with numbers zero to nine. The woman pressed a series of numbers on the pad and there was another bleep and she then pulled the door handle and opened the door.
The room in which followed didn't look that amazing to be completely honest, and that's an overstatement. There was a wooden table and a few light stools, a bland painting and an armchair, that was it. The woman walked into the room and grabbed a mug on the table, she spun it round five times and placed it back where it was. She stepped back and told me to do the same. What I saw next was amazing. The wooden table descended into the floor, the stools with it. In it's place ascended a map of Coronet with pins and photos placed in certain places. A lamp was also shining brightly on a small perch where one of the chairs used to be. I walked over to the map and identified their next move.
'Your next target…' I began. 'The Coronet Museum of Fine Art?'
'Yes.' The woman began. 'We've worked out that if we hit the second largest art museum in the galaxy, we'll attract a lot of attention from the Imperials, and they will be searching the whole city for us, but they'll never find us here!' She quoted enthusiastically.
'Good luck with that.' I said.
'What? You're not coming?' She asked.
'No, I'm trying to get away from the Imperials, not run straight at them!' I replied.
'You owe us!' She ordered aggressively, pointing her finger at me and shaking like a Jawa with a cold.
'Do I?' I enquired.
'Yes! We saved your life in the square, remember?' She demanded.
'Yes you did, and I repaid the debt when I downed that gunship and stopped all of you from drowning in the river!' I argued.
'What about your friend? We get him and you can go!' She bartered.
'Don't talk about him like he's some sort of-' I began.
'He owes us, you know this as much as I do!' She stated.
I hate to say it, but she was right, but I wasn't leaving Ackbar to get slaughtered by the Empire due to a mistake made by one of these rebels.
'Fine, but if he has to come with you, I'll go with him.' I told my peers.
'So you're coming with us?' The woman asked, her face lit up.
'I'm not coming with you, I'm coming with Ackbar.' I said, I tried to give as strict tone to my voice as possible.
'Hm, by the end of our attack, you'll be begging to join us!' The woman predicted.
'We'll see.' I said, smiling inside my head, I was never going to join these people… at that moment… it just wasn't the right time.
It was night time at the rebel hideout, and Ackbar's group had made it to here two hours earlier, we ran through my conversation with the rebels, and we realised if we got caught, we'd end up either dead or jailed for life. In my case, dead, Palpatine had, after all, tried to kill me two months beforehand (Time flies doesn't it?).
The secret basement was filled with dozens of makeshift bunk-beds, and it was particularly quiet at midnight, as I found out. According to the rebels, the entire Coronet regiment of the CIC (Corellia Independence Cult) slept down here. I just lay there on the bottom bunk staring up into space. The events of the last two months and how drastically my life had changed in that time was mulled over in my head time and time again. Also, three words kept flashing up in front of my eyes like someone had glued them there.
All.
My.
Fault.
It was all my fault I didn't kill Palpatine. It was all my fault I failed to see Skywalker's shatter point. It was all my fault I didn't put enough faith in Skywalker. It was all my fault I didn't assign him to the mission. Everything that I see today, all the hurt and the tragedy. It's all my fault.
I couldn't get any sleep, it was like whenever my eyelids closed a small fraction, I'd get prodded harshly on my forehead, I had such a headache. I'd never really thought about this new paradigm, everywhere I go, purely because I've never had any time, I've always been getting chased by Stormtroopers and whatnot. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Maybe the rebels have forgotten that the target's the second biggest art museum in the galaxy, of course it's going to have security, and lot's of it. Said a snide voice in my head.
I rubbed my eyes and tried to relax, I squinted slightly, then slowly but surely my eyes could finally close. But I yet again was cruelly forced to jump up.
There was a noise outside. It wasn't a simple squeaky bolt or something. There was something, or someone, outside, trying to break the door down.
I clambered up to my feet and pulled out my weapon, I held it up like a torch and lit it, a violet blade shot out of the hilt, and it illuminated the room slightly. The light on the walls caused by my weapon was very dim. There was someone on one of the top bunks watching me cautiously.
'You're not gonna go rampage on us, are you?' He jumped back.
'No!' I retorted. 'Why would I do that?'
'I dunno.' The person mumbled, I realised he must have only been about sixteen, he had quite a boyish face and black curling shiny hair, he also looked very scrawny, he had no business to be in a proper rebellion.
'What's going on?' Said a voice, it was the woman who leads the rebels.
'Listen.' I replied.
Now that there was silence you could hear someone trying to barge the door down a lot more clearly.
*Thud*
*Thud*
*Thud*
I slowly crept up to the secret basement door. 'How do you open this thing?' I asked discreetly.
'It's a passcode, listen, Independence.' The leader said clearly, and she pushed the door open simply.
Me, the leader and the sixteen year-old cautiously made our way towards the door, it felt like the corridor was closing in on us, I didn't have a clue how many Imperials were out there, but if they were following a tip-off, there was gonna be dozens. I pressed my ear against the door.
*Crash*
Five seconds later.
*Crash*
Six seconds later.
*Crash*
Four seconds later.
*Crash*
Five seconds later.
*Crash*
I realised a pattern in the attacks, five six four, five six four, five six four. I took a step back and told the rebel leader to place both hands on the doorknob.
'What do I do?' She asked.
'Just hold it and release it when I say "go"'
'Why?' She enquired.
'Just do it!' I hissed.
*Crash*
Four seconds later.
*Crash*
Five seconds later.
*Crash*
One, two, three, four, five…
'Go!' I ordered.
The door swung open and a stormtrooper holding a massive metal barging cylinder in his arms went flying in. I hastily activated my weapon and aimed it at the trooper's neck, and when he got close enough I swung it.
Three more troops came thrashing in and began firing, I deflected their bolts onto their firers, who fell to the floor instantly. I ran out onto the street outside. There was about two squads and three walkers waiting for me outside.
'AT-STs!' The leader shouted.
'What?' I looked back.
'Them things!' She pointed to the walkers, who opened fire.
I holstered my blade, closed my eyes, bowed my head and placed my arms out straight in front of me, it seemed everything seemed to miss me. I focused my energy to try and manipulate my foe to begin firing upon themselves. It worked, sort of
The squad of troops on my right turned to their allies and began to fire. The attacked squad were quick to grasp what had happened, and retorted. The AT-STs took a step back and fired at the rogue squad, who were wiped out. At least I managed to take a few of the enemy out with that tactic.
At this new revelation, I focused the Force completely on the walker on my right, I managed to pick and could hear a heavy creaking noise above all the shouting and blaster fire. I managed to maintain a steady grip on the walker, I kept it there until the pain building up in my upper arm began to overpower me I threw the walker against the other walker. My muscles began to throb rapidly and I took my blade back out again.
I began to advance on my quarry, they began to retreat slowly, taking steps back towards their speeders as they dropped like flies. Eventually they were so close to their speeders they hopped on and a stormtrooper with an orange pad on his shoulder slapping the back of the driver seat screaming 'Hurry up! Hurry up!' I let the speeders start their engines and it was when they began to flee I took my opportunity. The engines were boiling, the fuel was running out really fast by the amount of pressure the drivers were putting on the accelerator. They were almost around the corner when I slammed both speeders against a wall with the Force, causing them both to explode.
'Head inside, before more come!' I advised my peers, who scampered inside.
We sealed the door and headed down to the basement, where everyone was sitting up in their beds with their guns at the ready.
'The Empire knew we were here,' I addressed them. 'Someone has told them where we are, where our base is, and it's extremely likely they've told the Empire where our next target is. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a traitor in our midst, and it's one of you.' I stared at each of them in turn, trying to figure out what they were thinking about. 'We don't know how much else they've told the Empire, or what about, but this means one thing…' Everyone now was leaning forward trying to listen to my every syllable. 'This attack we have planned tomorrow, when it happens, we'll have a lot of company…'