Chapter 14 New Enemies, Old Allies
"That's not a good thing" said Steph.
"No it's not." repeated Dan.
"So what are we going to do now?" wondered Nate.
"We need a way to get off this planet." said Dan.
"So, are you saying to hijack our own cruiser?" asked Steph.
"Well, it is the only ship in space we can get to easily." pointed Dan.
"Your crazy!" exclaimed Steph. "You want to storm aboard the Dreadnaught! Three against an army!"
"Not quite," said Nate, "the army is on the ground remember? There won't be any resistance."
"OK, then I guess we are going to get our ship back." said Steph.
The trio of Jedi sped into space in the little gunship. As they approached the comm. rang.
"This can't be a good thing." said Nate turning on the comm.
"State your name and landing code." said the trooper.
"Definitely not good." said Steph.
"This is Alpha three forty-five. Code blue." Nate said is a calm and strong voice.
"Alpha three forty-five, you are cleared to land." replied the trooper.
"I guess blind shots in the dark work." said Dan.
"Well hopefully that and some luck will always let us see another day." replied Nate.
As the Jedi proceeded into the hanger they put on some extra sets of clone armor. When they got out of the gunship they were surrounded by clones. The only thing the Jedi forgot is that Steph was a little shorter than the clones. But by the time the clones realized this their heads were rolling. The jedi made a beeline toward the bridge cutting down any clone that got in their way. When they reached the bridge the comm. rang. It was Jángo.
"Jedi scum. You have two choices. One is to try to fight and die. The second is to surrender and die quickly." he said.
"I choose option number three." said Steph.
"I did not give you an option three!" snapped Jángo.
"Well I did, and it's run. Really fast." said Steph. And with that she shut off the comm. "Well, we should get running."
Just then a blast rocked the ship. The other cruiser had began to open fire upon the Jedi.
"We are going to have to fight to run away." said Steph.
"OK, here's what we have to do." said Nate. "Steph you take damage reports. Dan you take guns. I'm going to get my own gun. Got it?"
"Faster!" shouted Steph as another blast rocked the ship.
With that Nate took off out of the bridge to find a turbo laser. Dan ran over to figure out how to get the guns to auto fire. Steph looked at the damage readout. The blasts kept coming and Dan finally got the guns online, except one.
"Nate, we need that gun. Now!" shouted Dan over the comm.
"They landed a little sooner than I would have liked. Shut the bay doors!" shouted Nate back.
Soon after Nate was in the gun going berserk on the fighters. The battle was going on too long. But Dan was able to get the into hyperspace just in time. When Nate showed up back in the bridge Steph was still clinging to the terminal.
"Steph?" asked Dan.
"I don't know how we are going to make it out of here." she said turning around to notice the confused looks on Nate and Dan's faces. Then looking out the viewport and seeing the glow of hyperspace. "We aren't in the battle anymore are we?"
"No not anymore." said Dan.
"And not for a while." said Nate confidently.
"What do you mean?" asked Steph.
"Minefield" was all Nate said.
"Minefield?" asked Steph again.
"Yah, ships and detonators. Make good boom." said Nate with a big smile on his face.
"Anyway where are we headed to?" asked Steph.
"I set it to head toward Dantooine. There is an ancient Jedi enclave there. We'll stay there for the night." said Dan.
It was then decided upon, the Jedi would head to Dantooine to hopefully stay out of trouble and spend the night. As they dropped out of hyperspace the planet was completely dark except in one spot that looked like a settlement.
"I thought Dantooine was a desolate planet." said Dan.
"Well that's probably a spice runner or some other camp that will be gone by tomorrow." stated Nate.
"So, maybe we should stay clear of it." said Steph.
"That would be a brilliant idea." said Dan.
With that the Jedi packed everything they would need for the night into a gunship and headed down to the planet surface. The landed near the ancient Jedi enclave, and the headed inside to be protected from the elements. The Jedi settled in for the night, but Nate couldn't get the settlement out of his head. So in the middle of the night he got up and headed out. As he approached the settlement he was surrounded by soldiers. These soldiers looked like they were just thrown together.
"Freeze!" said one soldier, he looked like the commander. "Hands up."
Nate was in complete compliance and slowly raised his hands above his head.
"Get his weapons." the commander said to one of the others.
A second soldier moved in and checked Nate for any weapons he may be carrying. When he got to Nate's belt he found his lightsaber.
"Sir." was all he said as he showed the commander the weapon.
"Oh, come with us." said the commander.
Nate was then lead through a maze of directions meant to confuse him so he couldn't find his way back. A necessary precaution he thought. The next thing he knew his eyes were assaulted with many bright lights. The "settlement" was a little more complex. It was a military base. Nate was lead to a building in the center of the complex. When he entered he was met with a familiar face.
"Hello Nate." said the man behind the desk. He was wearing some armor that looked like it went through hundreds of battles.
"Kota?" said Nate, obviously suppriesd.