Chapter 3
Ithost leans back in his chair and listens to the commander, really only half interested. He crosses his arms over his chest and places his feet on the table and crosses them at the ankles. His lightsabers shift a little as he sits down and he's careful to keep his hood up, still not sure if the Rebel soldier with the blaster rifle will shoot him. Not that he's all that worried, after all.
"Do you understand," The commander asks. "We know that there's going to be an Imperial attack on this base, so we need to leave."
Ithost yawns and stretches his hands above his head. "I see. Why do you need my help?"
The commander and the Rebel soldier look at each other, then back at the Jedi in front of them. "Why? You're a Jedi. You can use the Force to help us against the Empire."
"I told you, I'm no Jedi. I'm just a guy with a lightsaber and control over the Force."
"Yeah, you're a Jedi."
Ithost groans and shakes his head. "You say that the Empire is going to attack here?"
"That's correct."
"I'll make you a deal; help me find my master and a way back to my time, and I'll help you fight the Empire."
"We'll do what we can."
Figuring that that's the best they can do, he seals the deal by a simple handshake with the commander. The commander points to a holoprojection of the planet. The projection has a transparent picture of the planet with little blips that symbolize the Rebel's hidden fleet on one side of the planet. Spotting flaws in their formation, but deciding not to say anything, Ithost takes his feet off of the table and leans in close as the commander tells for his plan of evacuation.
"So, your just going to run without putting up a fight?"
"Well, we have to. It's the Empire after all."
"And where are you going to go?"
"Our headquarters is on Yavin . Actually, it's on one of the moons. Yavin 4 to be exact. We'll be heading there."
Yavin. That's a name he hasn't heard in a while. Not since he visited that space station above the planet with that annoying Rodian Suvam Tan living inside. More than once, he wanted to kill that Rodian, but always felt that he has some part in the larger scheme of the galaxy, so he always had to control himself. Just the thought of him makes Ithost's fingers twitch with the urge to kill again.
"When are you planning on leaving," He asks, still half in his trance.
"Within the hour."
Ithost groans again and leans back in his chair. What the hell has he gotten himself into? Not only has he lost contact with his master, but he senses that there's something very wrong with the Force, but he can't put his finger on it. He knows that he can't do anything about it for now, so he decides to just help the Rebellion so he can go back to his time.
"So what are you going to to," The commander finally asks.
"I'll help you, on the condition that I can get my own fighter."
"Fine," The commander agrees. "Any specific kind you want? We have the Y-Wing, the A-Wing, and the X-Wing."
"The X-Wing is the fighter with those quad wing cannons, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll take one of those."
"What about an astromech droid?"
"A what droid?"
"An astromech droid. Kind of like the utility droids of your time, only less accident-prone."
"Fine, I'll take one of those astromech droids. Prepare your men for the retreat. I'll need some explosives, though. Enough to level this base."
The commander asks why and Ithost simply grins and says that he wants to give the Empire as big a headache as possible before he join them. The commander, understanding what Ithost was after, orders the soldiers behind him to get all of the explosives in the armory and give them to Ithost. The Echani watches as the men leave to carry out their orders, then his attention goes back to the commander. He leans forward.
"Does this base have a self-destruct sequence?"
"Of course."
Again, Ithost grins, but the shadow cast by his hood hides it. "Good. Load the sequence into a datapad. Give the datapad to me before you leave. I'll make sure the Empire can't use this base against the Rebels."
Another soldier walks by and the order is given to that man. A half an hour passes before everything is set up according to Ithost's specific instructions. He personally plants the last couple groups of explosives in their strategic areas. He wipes some sweat off of his brow and moves some of his white hair out of his face.
A Rebel soldier comes up and salutes him, then hands him the datapad with the base's self-destruct codes. Ithost gives the soldier a nod, then he takes the datapad and gives it a quick check and nods again. He sets it on a table, then he finishes arming the last of the explosives. A disturbance in the Force makes him stop what he's doing.
"What's wrong," The soldier asks.
"They're here," Ithost faces the soldier. "Tell the commander to evacuate everyone. Now!"
The soldier snaps a salute, then runs to tell the commander of the new developments. The alarm sounds minutes later and Ithost grabs his hood and pulls it over his head. He adjusts the gauntlets on his hands and turns to face the sealed door keeping out the Empire. Sparks spray out from both sides of the door and slowly crawl up to the top. Ithost calmly grabs his lightsaber and takes it off of his belt.