Chapter 5
Solstice sighed as she worked on the engine of her starfighter a little bit. She wasn't as good as Bonga, she was still pretty good. It came from being a Padawan that always got shot down on planets that didn't have any spare parts. But unfortunately, even she couldn't get this old engine to work. She doubted even Bonga could do it. When and if she rejoined the rebellion, the woman would have to get this entire starfighter replaced with new parts.
"Hey Solstice!" Carter greeted her as she rolled out. The young woman jumped, nearly missing bumping her head on the edge of the wing. She glared at boy as she wiped her hands on the greasy rag given to her. Though the brunette was being extremely petty, she thought it was justified. In her line of work, certain things said to certain people could have dire consequences. Solstice couldn't understand why in the galaxy she had opened to this guy. Perhaps it was the boyish charm he had. Or maybe the wide, goofy that was always plastered on his face. Or maybe it was the-
Stop it Solstice, she ordered herself. Even though the Order was gone, she still had obligations. And besides, the Empire would hurt anyone associated with her since she basically did everything in her power to stop them by herself.
"Are you okay?" Carter asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She pushed him off her.
"Yeah. I'm fine. What do you need?"
"Colonel Hogan needs you." The young man answered with a slight hurt tone. Solstice gave her acknowledgement as she attempted to make herself look a little presentable, rubbing the spot of grease that managed to get on her face. The bounty hunter started to walk away from the underground hangar down the tunnel with Carter closely behind her. Men crowding the tunnels parted for her as she sauntered down the hallway. Solstice had to suppress the urge to smirk as she entered the communications room. Hogan, with Kinch, sat at one of the radios. In the dark-skinned man's hands, he held a notepad with hastily scribbled words on it. When the woman stopped in front of them, they were still in a deep discussion, one that the bounty hunter had to clear her throat to interrupt.
"Whatcha need Colonel?" She questioned.
"We've got an assignment for you Solstice," the brown-haired Colonel informed her. "The Underground has informed us that there is a lieutenant in Hammelburg that has important plans for a new type of craft."
"Okay?"
"Your job is to sneak into the hotel this lieutenant is staying in and get those plans." Hogan informed.
She shrugged. "That sounds easier said than done."
"Don't worry. You'll have Carter beside you. Newkirk!" The blue-clad soldier appeared with a death stick in his mouth. Solstice couldn't help but give a little smile at a story Master Kenobi told her once after searching for Senator Amidala's assassin of when a guy tried to sell him a Death stick. "We need a Gestapo uniform and maybe a dress for Solstice."
"Hold on a minute. How are we, prisoners of war, supposed to sneak out, dressed as civilian, go all the way to this village, steal the plans and get back in time for evening roll call?"
"We have our ways." Hogan answered slyly.
"Okay." Solstice sighed, rubbing the on-coming headache that was slowly forming. "Say I do agree to this. What will be our story?"
"Carter, you are Gestapo general Hamstrunburg in town for leave while and are on a date with your lovely, young wife Helga Hamstrunburg.'
"'Hamstrunburg'? Really? That's the best you can come up with?" Solstice asked. This was the first time she spoke such subserviently to a high command. Granted she was a Jedi but when the War ended, she was still a Padawan and subsequently a Commander. Hogan outranked her.
Or did he?
Hogan shrugged. "We had very little time to do so."
"True." Solstice relented.
"Say Colonel, when do we pull this off?"
The brown-eyed colonel pulled his jacket sleeve up to reveal a primitive time-telling piece. "Oh, three hours maybe? Newkirk why don't we go ahead and start the fitting?"
"Right away Colonel." The brown-haired smoker gestured for the two to follow. Both Carter and Solstice followed reluctantly towards the back. They stopped when they reached a rack of clothes that were placed in a hidden niche. There were multiple pieces of uniforms of different rank and civilian clothes alike. Solstice had to admit: despite everything, Hogan and his men had an interesting and interact operation going on. The colonel had thought of just about everything from spies placed in their midst to coded messages that no one could crack. If the Republic had this kind of operation, there was no way that they could've lost the war.
"A'right, her' we go." Newkirk muttered to himself as he pulled out a small grey uniform and handed it to Carter. "An' for you miss."
Solstice's face scrunched up in visible disgust as the corporal handed her a light blue dress. It was sparkly and fancy. The dress looked like it stopped just above her ankles, the sleeves just falling over her shoulder. The midsection looked to be tight, and would probably not allow any quick movements like fighting. The brunette glanced over at Carter, who was starting to take off his uniform. Newkirk had grabbed a pen and clipboard, along with a tape measure and several pins. The bounty hunter sighed as she went behind the screen. She stripped down to her undershirt and underwear before redressing in the dress.
Though her inner girl was screaming in excitement at wearing a dress like this, her outer Jedi was completely and utterly disgusted. These men would have her wear this? Her theory on the tight midriff was correct. It was too tight, making it difficult to breath, let alone do complicated maneuvers. Solstice scoffed as she finished tying off the last string. She sighed as she made her way out from behind the screen. The only good thing about the dress was the material was light weight, flowing with her movements. If only it was a little shorter. And a lot less tight.
"How's it feel, Carter?" Newkirk asked. He noticed the young man was pulling at the collar.
"Eh, a little tight around the collar." The blond American answered. Newkirk sighed as he pulled the lad's collar a little bit. As the British man was fixing it, a noise from behind the screen drew his attention. He saw Solstice's silhouette from where she was trying to get the dress on. Never one to approve of peeping tom's, Carter adverted his eyes to look at Newkirk, who was almost finished with his collar. About five minutes later, Solstice hobbled out from behind the screen.
"Wow," he breathed. Newkirk glanced up at him questioningly before following the man's gaze. The British soldier's eyes went wide as he examined the woman in front of him. He had to agree with the younger man's declaration. The woman was stunning. The dress he picked out was just the right shade of blue, complementing her brilliant aquamarine eyes. Her dark brown hair fell over her shoulder in a chocolate wave. Despite the curve that the dress showed off, Solstice was clearly uncomfortable in the dress. Newkirk noticed it and immediately started to fix it.
"Where's it uncomfortable love?"
"Where do I start?" Solstice grumbled. She hiked the front part up a little bit before pulling at the waist. "It's too small of a waist. How do you guys expect me to fight in this?"
Newkirk gave the girl a chuckle while he undid the waist a little. "You? Fight? But you're a girl!"
"I may be a girl but I can throw anyone over 300 pounds over my shoulder with ease." She stated as she examined it again. She scowled. "Feels good. Although, it would be a crime to leave me undefended."
"But you're a girl." Newkirk stated again while he gave Carter a pistol and some bullets. "The Krauts won't suspect a proper German woman to carry a weapon."
"Well, as you know I'm not a proper woman." Solstice shot back. She looked angry beyond reason. Carter, unsure of what to do, unsheathed the knife that came with the uniform and handed it the woman. She smirked, testing out the sharpness of the blade. To his and Newkirk's surprise, Solstice shamelessly hiked up her dress and stuck it in her panty holder. When she smoothed it down, the brown-haired bounty hunter sat down and placed those horrible pinchy shoes on her feet.
"This better be worth it." Solstice muttered as she stood.
"Come now my fraulien." Carter ordered gently as he slipped into his fake German accent. He offered Solstice his arm. The former Jedi just smiled slyly as she wrapped her arm around his. Carter's sly smile softened as he gazed into the woman's twinkling eyes. Hogan came down at that moment. He smiled as he cleared his throat.
"Well, you two lovebirds look ready to do the fox trot." He stated with a light laughter. Solstice was the first to jump apart, giving the Colonel an angry glare. Carter blinked owlishly. He leaned a little way back, his eyes going wide suddenly. Hogan noticed it and grew worried. "What's wrong Carter?"
"There's scars on her back!" He exclaimed. Solstice became defensive as she backed up against the wall.
Hogan gestured her to come forward. When she stayed rooted where she was, he stated with the utmost authority, "I'm sorry my dear but I order you to show me your back. Seeing as how I outrank you, you have to obey."
Solstice, still rooted, only gave a chuckle. "There was a saying in one of the divisions in the army I was a part of. 'Experience outranks everything'. And seeing how I was a warrior, seasoned at age ten, I believe I outrank you."
The brown-haired American Colonel sighed as he relented. He had to. Time was of the essence and those plans the German officer were holding were detrimental to the Allies winning the war. For now, he let this thing go. But he made a mental note to question the woman later.
"Okay. I give. We need to get you two on the road to Hammelburg." He gave the two a push towards the emergency tunnel, before pressing two rings into each hand. "Remember: get those plans and get back here before morning roll call. And most importantly: don't get caught."
"Yes Colonel." Carter gave a salute before vanishing down the tunnel. Solstice slipped on the faux ring before following Carter.
"You think they can pull it off?" Kinch asked as soon as the tunnel entrance was closed. Hogan sighed.
"No doubt about it," Hogan answered with only slight hesitance.
About an hour of trekking through a dark and dusty forest, Solstice and Carter found themselves in an automobile on their way to Hammelburg. They used the excuse of their car breaking down to get a ride from a passing car. The driver wasn't very happy to go several miles out of his way to drop off two strangers but Solstice used an old Jedi mind trick to convince the man to take them. Carter gave her a strange look for five minutes before returning his gaze forward. After a thirty-minute drive, the two were dropped off at the hotel.
Both POWs walked into the hotel, two pairs of eyebrows going up at the lavish party going on in the lobby. Solstice dusted off a smudge of dirt off her face before straightening her spine and going forward with her arm laced with Carter's. The American was tense but easily slipped into the crowds and mingled a little too well with the other officers. Solstice tried to mingle with the few women in attendance but it was a little too hard to do so, since all they spoke about was hairstyles and which officer was hot.
Carter, or General Hamstrungburg, was the topic of many conversations. Many of the girls swooned over the fact that he was the youngest officer to be given the rank Gestapo general. Of course, being his 'wife', Solstice had to make sure these women never forgot that the man was 'taken'. She caused quite a stir among the women with her talk about how great he was in bed, something she relished in. It was hilarious watching all those faces turn red so quickly. Solstice grew tired of hanging out with the pansies so she decided to hang out with Carter, who was currently regaling the officers with false battle stories. The band was currently playing a slow song and the blue-eyed Jedi wanted to see if the man had anything for her to do.
"Ah, my dear." Carter greeted, his voice thick with German.
"Darling, they are playing our song," Solstice poured on the pout in her voice. "Would you please take a break from the war, and dance with your loving wife? I'm sure that your new friends won't mind."
"Of course, my dear." Carter turned to the men. "Excuse me gentlemen, but duty calls."
"You sly dog," One of the younger looking Corporals gave a toast to the two. Solstice had to theorize that this man was three sheets to the wind. "Go and win one for Germany. Heil Hitler."
"Heil Hitler." Carter turned and together the two made their way in the middle of the dancefloor. When the two were gently swaying, and Solstice resting her head on Carter's shoulder, the blonde American whispered in her ear, "Having a good time?"
"Please," she scoffed quietly in his ear. "All these women, these pansies more like it, are a pain. They are very stuck up and I think several of them had something stuck up their butts." She smiled as she felt Carter start to laugh. But the next question sobered him up, "Have you found that lieutenant we're supposed to be looking for?"
"I think he just walked in." He whispered. Carter slowly moved position where Solstice could see a greasy haired man with a uniform that marked him as a lieutenant walked in with an entourage.
"Are you sure that's him?" Solstice asked.
"Oh yeah." Carter confirmed. "Matches the description."
"Okay then." A million things swam in her mind but she quieted the thoughts down and focused on the one thing they were supposed to do. "Okay here's the plan-"
"Don't you even think of it!" Carter interrupted. "We're supposed to stick to Colonel Hogan's plan."
"No offense to the Colonel but his plan is too simplistic. He doesn't consider many things," Solstice stopped speaking when the American gave her a twirl. When he pulled her back to him, she continued, "This part of the plan we'll just have to improvise. Now, together we'll walk over there. You chat him up, I'll go and find his room and those plans. When I come back, we need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Got it?"
"Yeah sure."
"Okay. Let's do this." Solstice pretended to drag him across the dancefloor, giggling tipsily as she did, while Carter to pretended to be rather hesitantly agreeing to being dragged. "Come on, dear. I promise I won't embarrass you. Oh! Excuse me Lieutenant, I didn't see you there."
The Lieutenant gave her a look over before assuring her, "My dear fraulien, it is fine."
Solstice grabbed Carter's arm with great enthusiasm. "Oh, my goodness. Aren't you Lieutenant Dulseon?"
"The one and only," the young man answered with pride. "And you are?"
"Gestapo General Hamstrunburg. Heil Hitler." Carter answered with a salute. The Lieutenant repeated the greeting before scanning Solstice. "And this is my lovely wife, Helga."
Solstice allowed the lieutenant to kiss her knuckles. "You are rather lovely, Frau Hamstrungbrug."
"If you'll gentlemen excuse me, I need to go and powder my nose." She excused herself while gently ripping her hand out of the man's.
"Dear, you look fine." Carter assured her.
"No. Besides, I feel like I will be intruding on war talk, something I feel should never involve we fragile women." Solstice sighed. The lieutenant gave her a toast.
"A wise thing to say Frau." The Lieutenant agreed. "I would not want to give my dear frau any nightmares nor would I want slip to anything confidential."
"But of course." Solstice make sure to give her 'husband' a peck on the cheek before sauntering off. She made her way to the front desk. The bounty hunter didn't want to wander the halls too long and she didn't want to have to have an overlapping lie.
"Can I help you fraulien?" The man asked. The bell boy was wearing a private uniform, thumbing through a magazine lazily.
"Yes, I am looking for Room 39?"
He didn't look up from his magazine as he pointed to the elevator. "Take the elevator up two floors. Anything else?"
"No that is all." Solstice started to walk away but stopped and turned around. She slowly placed the magazine down so the man was staring at her. With a wave of her hand and an authoritative voice she said, "You did not see me."
His eyes glazed over as he repeated monotonously, "I did not see you."
Satisfied, the former Jedi quickly made her way to the elevator. It took all of five minutes to find the lieutenant's room and took about twenty to pick the lock. Newkirk had, gratefully, given her a rundown on how to pick primitive locks. Thankfully she was a quick learner. Once the door was open, Solstice easily slipped in and shut the door behind her quietly. She sighed as she relaxed her guard.
This is going to be a piece of cake, she foolishly thought as she turned, only to stop in shock.
The Lieutenant of Germany had a complete disaster of a room.
Papers were strewn everywhere, like someone was already here, searching for something. Empty dishes and glasses with very little booze were placed sporadically around the room. The furniture was covered in a thin layer of cigarette ash. Whoever this Lieutenant Dulseon was, he sure wasn't a model soldier. From what the brunette heard around the camp, the Krauts were extremely organized and pristine in their living quarters. She had seen Kommadant Klink's private quarters when she first arrived. It was scary that an old bachelor like him had such a pristine quarter. It would take at least thirty minutes for her to sort through all these papers but unfortunately, she didn't have that long.
She had at least five minutes. Maximum. Sighing, Solstice wasted no time sorting through all the papers. Since Colonel Hogan didn't tell her what exactly she was looking for, the Jedi just stuffed all the important-looking papers in her dress.
This is so embarrassing, she thought. Solstice froze when she heard voices coming down the hallway, heading towards the room. She started to panic. Did Carter not stall them long enough? If he didn't, then if she didn't get out in time she would be in hot water. Hot water with a bullet between her eyes.
While she was having the slight panic, her eyes drifted to the ceiling. Suddenly she became calm as she started to form a plan. Solstice grabbed one last important document as she put her plan in motion.
-Line break-
Andrew Carter was a nervous wreck.
He was currently walking down a hallway with a large group of Gestapo generals and Lieutenant Dulseon towards the lieutenant's hotel room where Solstice was. The America sergeant had to hide his nervousness while also laughing along with the enemy. Everyone in the group was dead drunk, which made it slightly easier but still it was hard not to sweat bullets.
Andrew tried not to think about bullets.
He had tried to stall the group, using the excuse of wanting to wait for his wife to get back. But when Solstice failed to show, the Krauts got restless and pulled him along. The blond man had to go along with it if he wanted to keep up the façade of a willing Gestapo. One of the drunken solider slurred something about his wife wouldn't even know he was gone, they would go and have a couple schnapps, discuss certain things that were supposed to be spoken in privacy and be back. Carter laughed boisterously along with the drunken officers of the Third Reich even though he wasn't even close to being drunk.
"Genral Ha'stru'bur," One of the officers slurred, as he staggered against the wall. "Tell that pretty wife of yours that I'll be seeing her in my dreams."
"You got it sergeant," Carter made extra sure to slur his words. Lieutenant Dulseon struggled to open his door. Andrew's heart stopped when the door slowly swung open, but it started again when he saw the room was…. empty?
"Come. Let's have some schnapps." Lieutenant ordered as everyone piled into the room. While the German officers poured more alcohol, Carter scanned the room for any signs of Solstice. There was a light sneeze right as Dulseon popped open a bottle with a loud pop. Slowly, Andrew lifted his eyes to the ceiling where Solstice was. The blond man cocked his head in confusion when she caught. How'd the brunette woman got up there in high heels and an evening gown, he had no idea but it only added to the mystery to the woman.
"Gather 'round men," Lieutenant Dulseon ordered. Carter joined the circle as Solstice got a little more comfortable on the ceiling. The Gestapo Lieutenant held in his hand what looked like a blank sheet of paper. "This, is the blueprints to a new *hiccup* type of craft. Clearly showing those dummkopf Allied forces the superiority of German science."
As people cheered happily, Carter noticed how some of the soldiers were falling unconscious one by one. The solider discreetly placed his glass down on the table. When Dulseon got to the end of his speech, his words were completely incomprehensible. Finally, he fell over, drunk out of his mind. When the room was a chorus of snores and drunken mutterings, Solstice jumped down from her place on the ceiling with a smile on her face.
"Wow, I can't believe that worked," she muttered as she gently kicked the unconscious body of lieutenant Dulseon. She laughed as she turned to Carter, "You ready to go?"
He nodded. "Got the plans?"
"I'm not sure, but I've got some papers." She explained. The brunette woman opened the door a crack, glancing down the hallway before strolling out, with Carter in tow. That confused him.
"Where?" He whispered.
"Uh, you don't want to know," Solstice whispered back hesitantly.
After she said that, the two POWs stealthily made their way out of the hotel. They had to do a sharp one-hundred-and-eighty when they saw the lobby of the hotel filled with Krauts. Since there was a greater chance of them getting spotted, Carter suggested that they turn around and use the back door. However, as soon as they stepped into the kitchens they froze.
There yelling at the cook, was General Burkhalter himself.
Solstice found herself rooted to the ground in fear, unable to take a breath in. The Gestapo general was about to turn around and spot them when the cook called him back, trying to placate the large man. Thankfully, the diversion was just enough to snap Carter out of his shocked stupor. He pulled him and Solstice into a cabinet, the door closing as the large General stormed past them. The American sergeant glanced over at his companion, worried at how pale she was. But before he had a chance to ask her if she was okay, the door flew open.
"Come. You are safe now." The cook assured.
"Thanks," Carter breathed.
"Of course. Always glad to help Allied soldiers. Who sent you? Do I know him?"
"We're Papa Bear's cubs," Solstice answered, snapping out of her daze. "We need to find quick exit. If my internal clock is right, it's almost sunrise."
"You are correct," the still unnamed cooked confirmed.
"Are there any tunnels? And do any of them connect to Stalag 13?"
Carter knew it was a long shot. As far as he knew, his team was the only team in the Underground that had a vast network of tunnels. But, as he was continued to be mystified by certain events that had transpired recently, the cook nodded, gesturing them to follow him. Solstice went first then Carter. The two POWs were led further to the back and ultimately the freezer. The old cook reached down and tried to pry a tile off. Solstice reached down and singlehandedly pulled a cluster of tiles off the ground. Carter, who had been keeping an eye out, glanced back, his eyes widening.
Where the cluster of tiles used to be, there was a straight-down tunnel. The blond sergeant shut the door when he noticed the cook was gesturing for him to come. He went first. The drop down into an unknown tunnel was slightly terrifying, but he relaxed a little after his feet hit the packed dirt at the bottom. Solstice took a little longer but when she did, she grabbed him by his collar and pulled him forward. The two were mainly walking (more like jogging) by feel alone, unlit they came to a fork in the tunnel with lights.
Solstice took an immediate left, and five minutes later, they entered a familiar area, at least to Carter. The young man found himself taking the lead, his heart racing. They were just going to make it with barely enough time to change out of their costumes. He relaxed a little when they came upon a ladder that led to a hatch.
Together the two pushed the hatch open. Once they were above ground, they sighed in relief when they spotted the familiar stump that led to Stalag 13's tunnels. Both pushed themselves to the ground when the spotlight came over them but hurriedly opened the stump when it vanished. Carter sighed in relief as he and Solstice (who had discarded her high heels) ran towards the radio room.
Hogan was pacing nervously while Kinch was monitoring the radio. As soon as the brunet officer spotted them he visibly relaxed.
"How'd it go?" he demanded.
"No time," Solstice breathlessly exclaimed. She pulled out the papers she managed to grab from her breast and place them on the desk in one large heap. "Look over these after roll call."
To the men's continuous dismay and embarrassment, the woman ripped the dainty fabric of the dress right off herself, revealing her undergarments. Carter felt his face go redder than tomatoes as he adverted his eyes. He heard Hogan cough uncomfortably while Kinch had stood and made his way back to his barracks. Silently, Solstice snatched her uniform from where it was hanging, easily slipped it on in one movement and was dashing back down the corridor that led to her barracks. Carter did the same with his Gestapo uniform, except he peeled it off carefully, and replaced it with his normal uniform when Hogan had left.
He quickly made his way up to the barracks. The blond American had just shut the entrance to the tunnel when Schultz barged into the barracks.
"Raus, raus," he ordered loudly. There was a symphony of groans and mutterings that Carter had gotten used to. "Everybody up for roll call. Raus! Raus!"
Everyone dutifully filed of their barracks and stood in the early morning cold. Solstice came out of hers after one of the younger guards gave the door three knocks. Carter forgot that he was supposed to supply the woman with a coat since it felt like it was near freezing but to his and everyone else's surprise, she was wearing a long, brown cloak with the hood up. It looked a little small on her, but she seemed to be warm enough. Carter found himself relaxing, laughing along with the other prisoners as they gave Schultz a tough time during roll call.
"Colonel Hogan, puulease control your men," the large guard ordered. The brown-haired colonel just shrugged.
"What can I say Schultz? The men need a little form of entertainment once and a while."
"But why do I have to be the source of the entertainment?" Schultz questioned. Before Hogan could answer, Klink appeared from his quarters, wrapped in a long black coat.
"Reeeepppooorrrrttt!" He ordered.
Schultz snapped to attention. "Herr Kommandant, all prisoners present and accounted for!"
"Excellent." Klink cooed. Solstice, alone by herself in front of her barracks, sighed as the old man in front of her started his usual spiel. She droned it out in favor of spreading herself out with the force. It was almost a daily routine for her now, even though she had been in this camp for less than a month. Solstice found by doing this, it slowly helped her reconnect with the Force and strengthen the bond she had with the cosmos before the massacre. She found that by slowly allowing herself to open herself in the early morning hours during roll call, she was able to rediscover some of the things she learned. But it did have its drawbacks.
Every now and then, she would accidentally connect with an animal or two. That animal would literally climb a barbed wire fence just to get to her. It was embarrassing to try and explain how a dog from Dulsedorf got into her barracks to Klink.
Eventually she snapped back into attention when the Kommadant's voice shouted, "Diiiiisssssmmmmiiiiiisssseeeddd!"
The usual organized chaos happened as the prisoners scattered around the compound, majority of them heading back into the barracks for some warmth and sleep. Solstice wanted nothing more than to collapse on her bed, but she needed to do two things before she did.
One was find her communicator, which she must've dropped when she first tried to escape.
Second, she needed to figure out what she grabbed earlier when riffling through Dulseon's stuff. Gods, fate really did hate her.