Chapter 3:
The following day, hollering awakened Echobe and Yaminul, who had fallen asleep in the cockpit as they were going over details in the night. Echobe and Yaminul, with guns and blades drawn, rushed to the noise coming from the lounge. Makaashyya was sitting in a chair surrounded by the Alliance soldiers who were yelling profanities in oppression driven hatred at the Wookiee girl. Makaashyya only nodded, and kept her head lowered, and her eyes averted. She was not crying, but had a steely, yet compassionate expression on her face. She was taking in all that the Alliance soldiers had to offer her, knowing she deserved it.
"Hey, enough!" roared Echobe. Yaminul was quick to translate. The rancor, Bilebelch, was stirred by Echobe's raised voice and came tromping out of the cargo bay.
"That is enough, spread out," yelled Yaminul. "Shut the hell up!"
The yelling died down, and the Alliance soldiers stepped back and away from Makaashyya as Echobe approached her seated form, her hands set in her lap.
"What is going on here?" shouted Yaminul.
One of the soldiers stepped forward.
"She's an Imp, a traitor. She's the reason we were captured, she even betrayed her own people and now she thinks she can just mingle with us like she's one of us?" The soldier jabbed a finger at Makaashyya, the veins in his neck bulged in fury.
Yaminul translated what Echobe then said.
"She is one of the group. We can still drop you off at the nearest base if that's what you want." Echobe crossed his arms and looked to each one of the soldiers.
"No, I want to get my part done in this," insisted the Alliance soldier, the rest nodded, or spoke in agreement.
"Then you will follow my command. She is with us until I say she isn't. Get used to it, because you may be fighting along side of her soon," Echobe said dismissively and let Yaminul finish translating. Echobe didn't look in Makaashyya's direction as he turned away knowing that she did deserve their ire, and that the Alliance soldier's anger towards her was justified.
"Get ready to move. Makaashyya is going to lead us to the prison today, you have an hour to get ready," Echobe said as he walked away.
They left the drifting asteroid and set course for the outskirts of Mos Eisley when the hour passed. After planting a beacon on her, Echobe gave Makaashyya back her robe, some water, and one of the communicators taken from her dead comrades when they dropped her off. Makaashyya never looked back at Echobe as he stood on the platform to watch her leave.
Makaashyya contacted her superior as she entered the city's edge. Banthsas was not happy that she had failed, but sounded glad that she had escaped. Banthsas arranged to have Makaashyya picked up at the same hangar where she was captured, where she was supposed to pick up prisoners. She realized the meaning behind it. Her own squad came for her and took her to Banthsas. Makaashyya found it difficult and repulsive to reassume her Imperial role, and to maintain the mask of arrogance and hatred that she felt just a day before. It was like being over an illness, the idea of going back to it seemed impossible to comprehend.
Makaashyya was picked up on schedule and taken to Banthsas Mur, her superior. What was left of her small squad was glad to see her return. Her ruthlessness had once earned her their respect, which made the matter all the more confusing knowing she must betray them as she had once betrayed Echobe. Makaashyya walked up to the doors of her superior's office and took a deep breath before entering. She made sure that the tracking beacon was functioning and well hidden within the fur of her forearm. She then opened the door of Banthsas' office and stepped in, her hood pulled over her head. The Imperial commander was standing in front of his desk facing her as she entered.
"I want a full report, Makaashyya," said Banthsas, not with suspicion, but with annoyance. Makaashyya ran down the planned story, her ambush at the star port, her capture, the killing of her men, and her escape. Banthsas seemed to believe her as best as she could tell without prying into his mind. Banthsas' reply surprised her.
"I am just glad that you are back and safe." Banthsas' expression softened. Makaashyya was surprised to hear such a thing from an Imperial of all people, she wondered briefly if he was sincere. "As for the prisoners, that's a shame," he continued, almost sarcastically it seemed. Banthsas unfolded his arms and his expression loosened as if he were tired. "I did not want to send anymore prisoners to that place anyways."
Makaashyya blinked and shook her head in disbelief.
What was he saying? She wondered. She had always considered Banthsas as the typical mechanical Imperial doing his duty without question. Banthsas then straightened up, the compassion hidden once again underneath the uniform as he reassumed his role as an Imperial.
"I will accompany you to the prison this morning, Makaashyya. We will both let them know what has happened and I will take full responsibility for the losses. I will need to report this to my superior as well.
Makaashyya also never realized that Banthsas had a superior to report to just the same. She always thought that the operation was as separate from the official Empire as was her own presence within it. She had never thought to pry his mind so deeply, and she was afraid to pry for fear that her powers in the darkside were lost to her.
"We will take my shuttle," said the Banthsas, and he strode past Makaashyya and out of his office. Makaashyya made an absentminded, reassuring check for the beacon buried in her fur, then followed him. She hoped that Echobe, who was watching the blip on his radar screen within the Starscream moving into the Dune Sea of Tatooine, wouldn't think she had betrayed him. She desperately wanted to reach out to him, but the loss of her arrogance, her anger, and hatred, was replaced by uncertainty and doubt about herself and her abilities. She felt the force had dwindled within her. She felt powerless to manipulate it. She wondered if this was the feeling of being without her shadowed ally after so long.
Banthsas ordered his shuttle ready, and he and Makaashyya stepped aboard and sat down in the passenger seats next to each other. She kept silent, doing her best to maintain her demeanor. The trip into the Dune Sea was completely silent between them there was only the hum of the engines.
When they arrived the wind was blowing, kicking up dust and carrying it on the air. Vision obscuring heat lifted up from the sands, as if they were a heating element. It made Makaashyya remember how much she missed home. She was tired of seeing sand. She hoped secretly to see her home one last time, even if she were to face execution at the hands of her people. A fate she was prepared for, and deep down, wanted as a way to set her free of the life that had caused her so much confusion and pain. She pushed the thoughts of mile-high trees and evergreens from her mind.
The huge door, buried beneath the dunes, raised, and a platform extended like a tongue from the maw of a beast buried in the sand. When they landed, Makaashyya followed Banthsas out of the shuttle and to the open prison, and met with the scientist in charge, the same scientist Makaashyya had seen earlier. Banthsas explained the situation. Makaashyya stayed silent, keeping her head low in mock shame. Just then a wind kicked up and blew sand into the bay of the prison as it started to close. The vortex of sand grew and turned into an odd dust storm, and before it cleared Makaashyya could sense Echobe as land just outside of the prison opening.
Makaashyya tackled Banthsas to the ground to shield him a millisecond before blaster fire erupted from the swirling cloud of dust, and found its way into the bodies of Imperial guards and scientists. Makaashyya kept her body over Banthsas who was yelling at her to get off. Echobe and his group of Alliance soldiers emerged from the Starscream and ran into the closing door and ducked into cover positions with blasters firing. Imperial personnel dropped dead before they could react. Makaashyya stood and picked Banthsas up from the ground, and told him to cooperate and he wouldn't be harmed. He struggled against her for a few moments, angry at her betrayal. Banthsas was still yelling and cursing her when an Alliance soldier came and restrained him, and bound his hands behind his back, then drug him back against the wall. The Imperial's who worked in the prison quickly recovered and had started to return fire, forcing the Alliance soldiers to make use of their cover positions.
"Split into three groups, secure prison, make sure they don't purge any data. Suppress them. Kill only if you have to! Keep door open!" Yaminul hollered to everyone after Echobe gave the order. Makaashyya went to Banthsas and held him against the wall.
"Alliance scum," yelled, and looked at Echobe coming into the prison and then at Makaashyya. "I took you in and gave you a chance to survive when all your kind are enslaved and you betray me for a group of terrorists,' Banthsas spat his anger at the Wookiee girl.
"I had to make things right," she tried to explain amidst the roaring blaster fire around them. Makaashyya no longer felt loyalty, but did feel some compassion for the human Imperial who did give her a chance when it was unthinkable to do so, when it was well within his power to do away with Makaashyya as so many of her people had been done away with. "People are suffering, and I have done horrible things." Makaashyya stole a glimpse into Banthsas' mind. "You don't care for what's going on here either, why do you let it happen?" Makaashyya asked after she had confirmed what she had suspected of Banthsas.
"It's my duty. I am following orders despite the fact that I may not like them. I serve the Empire and do what I have to do. Some of us are loyal," he said, accusingly
"It's over now, help us end this and regain some honor," Makaashyya pled.
The sound of blaster fire dwindled as Echobe and his troopers pushed the resisting Imperial's back into the prison. A few bolts still streaked across the bay. Then, a stray blaster bolt sped out of the darkness from a dying Imperial guard and ricocheted off the of the wall behind Makaashyya's head barely missing her, but searing the fur on her head, and exploding into the body of the Banthsas, dropping him to the ground onto his back. His hands, bound behind his back, crunched underneath him. His head hit the solid metal floor.
Echobe heard Makaashyya cry out. He looked to her kneeling over the prone body of Banthsas, and then he saw where the deadly projectile originated. Echobe shot the dying guard and then went to ensure there were no more trying to get off one final shot, and then he rushed back to Makaashyya. Banthsas' blood pooled onto the ground from a wound in his chest, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His breath came in sharp pained gasps. Makaashyya was silent and her eyes were closed. She was searching Banthsas' dying mind trying to find any information. She pushed the regret of her betrayal, and of her negligence for not telling the only human who may have cared for her that she was sorry, aside. Banthsas gave up his struggle to breathe, his eyelids hung half-open, his blood stopped in his body, but gravity lazily pulled it from the wound.
Makaashyya set Banthsas' head onto the floor and stood up. Her eyes lingered on the body. Echobe stood beside her looking down at the Imperial. At that moment, with that death, Makaashyya had grown tired of death. She turned her head away from Banthsas' blank stare, her eyes still tainted by the scars of the darkside, but also red from the tears welling up in them. Echobe went to her side and put his hand on her shoulder, and moved his hand down her arm and grasped her hand. Makaashyya turned and faced him, her red-orange eyes looked into his.
"I have the name and location," she said mutedly.
"I'm sorry, Makaashyya. I am sorry I made you do this." Makaashyya stopped Echobe before he could say anymore.
"I have to do this, Echobe," she said, and then stroked his face with longing. Echobe's radio sounded, interrupting the moment they were sharing.
"Sir?" said Yaminul soldier on the other end.
"Yes?"
"We have them suppressed. Five captured, the rest wanted to go fighting." Echobe shook his head in disappointment. "We have found the survivors, and the others as well." Said Yaminul.
Echobe had no desire to witness it all over again.
"Gather up the dead, keep them separate from the prisoners, and get L7 to download the databanks, clean this place up. We have one more of these places to take care of. Out"
"Yes sir," and the radio went silent.
The Alliance soldiers carried out Echobe's orders. A familiar scene played out. Some of the prisoners had survived their horrific experiments, many were missing limbs, and some were in toxic shock from the myriad of chemicals that had been injected into their bodies. A few passed out from fatigue, or shock. One was being kept alive with life support, his head and upper respiratory system had been entirely replaced, only his brain remained, and it was incased in a metallic case, robotic eyes circled about his surroundings, the artificial eyes unable to convey the absolute terror the person was feeling. It was impossible to identify visually what, or who he once was.
Screams of joy and horror resounded throughout the prison halls. The Imperial dead were left behind, the databanks were all but destroyed by an Imperial scientist, now dead, who had the forethought, but he didn't have time to send a distress signal. The Alliance gathered the victims up, and tended to the wounded as best as possible. The dead were stored in the refrigeration compartments as before, and the survivors were loaded into the cargo bay away from Bilebelch. The Imperial prisoners, the five of them, were bound and locked up in the makeshift brig on the Starscream, the empty crew quarters.
Once everyone was on board and stabilized as best as possible, they left the planet behind. The entrance to the prison was left open, and the wind had already started blowing sand into the structure. The prison eventually would become overrun with creatures escaping the heat, or become a home for Tusken Raiders. All the equipment was been destroyed, and the Imperial dead were left for the scavengers, except for Banthsas whom Makaashyya brought on board with the rest of the dead recovered from the prison. She kept his body uniformed, but wrapped, and secluded from the rest.
They immediately went into hyperspace for Mon Calamari after leaving Tatooine's atmosphere. A few of the victims died on the way and were moved to the refrigeration unit with the rest of the dead.
They arrived at Mon Calamari the following day. A team of medics was already standing by as they landed. Alliance guards took the Imperial prisoners to a debriefing room, and the dead were taken last after being catalogued by Alliance personnel. The Starscream was later cleaned of the blood and smell of the dead. L7 was taken by Yaminul to command to have what little information the droid had gathered from the prison uploaded to the Alliance database.
Echobe bound Makaashyya's wrists and took her to the brig secluded away from the Imperial prisoners. Echobe then went and met with Mon Mothma, one of the leaders of the Alliance, and authors of the declaration against the Empire. Echobe explained all that had happened since he arrived at Tatooine, leaving the special circumstances of the situation with Makaashyya for last.
"…And Makaashyya helped us get into the prison and secure the information we needed to find the third." Echobe went on to explain in an attempt to exonerate Makaashyya if he could.
"It's obvious she took great risk," began Mon Mothma after Echobe's passionate recital of Makaashyya's redeeming actions, "by helping you complete your mission, Echobe. However, she is still a criminal, an Imperial war criminal who must be subject to the same laws as the rest."
"Wait," Echobe interrupted, "her corruption started on Kashyyyk. Her first crimes were against her own people. Let me to take her to Kashyyyk to be judged by her own people before we judge her. Give her this one final dignity. What happened to her started there, and the Wookiee people will be no more kind to her than we will," Echobe argued.
Mon Mothma reluctantly agreed to Echobe's request, but also requested that Makaashyya be brought back to Mon Calamari to face trial before an Alliance tribunal. Echobe swore to fulfill that promise, and bowed before Mon Mothma and left her office. Echobe then went to Makaashyya. She was sitting in a temporary holding cell guarded by Alliance personnel.