"Troopers, fall in. We have an assignment, so it seems." Drakken announced, entering the commons room. "Daraay, please herd the nerfs. Felian and the scouts are in the training hall. Gallen, get Ekks. Dall, Lago…don't…go anywhere." He entered the office to find Freya standing at the back of the room. She was wearing her short skirt and toeless boots, and she had her long staff deployed. Her back was to the door, and she was delicately sliding her gloved fingers down the length of the weapon, and almost as if meditating, rolling the metal pole about her arms and hands.
She revolved the staff in front of her a few times, then pivoted it underneath her left arm as she slid her right leg back and made a graceful sweep with her right arm. Seemingly unaware of Drakken's presence, she then gracefully spun the staff about her body, and Tharcourt watched reverently as she seemed to meld with her weapon in a beautiful form of dance. The staff twirled about her forearm, she passed it behind her again, and brought the tip down on the floor, the weapon chiming out a melodic ring as it landed. She turned to see him standing there watching, and a look of shock came over her face.
"Och, Drakken…" She said, "Gave me a start there. I was uh…jes practicing an…I guess I…"
"It was amazing…" He interjected, and shook his head. "The control you have…I never stop being impressed by watching you use that thing." She passed a glance at her weapon and smiled.
"We're taught that ye got to know yer weapon, as much as ye know yerself." She explained. "Ye cannae be good with anything…"
"Unless it's a part of you." Tharcourt finished her sentence, and Freya smiled even wider and nodded her head gently.
"Aye."
"I feel the same way about my blasters…though they're not as…elegant as your staff there."
"Aw, yer a pretty thing in a fight." She countered. "An' we 'ave blasters too, ya know." Drakken chuckled.
"I must have an eye for the exotic." He commented. "Oh, we need to have a briefing in the commons room. We've been given an assignment. Thorne rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Ughhh…Drakken, ye promised me we'd go out somewhere nice." She whined.
"I know, I know…" He said defensively. "And I put in our leave request this morning. We just have to go do this thing, and then we can go do our thing. Piett said he was gonna clear it with Admiral Ozzel." She huffed.
"A'right…one lil' mission couldn't hurt." She acquiesced. "Then…and you hear me words, Drakken…then we go on holiday."
"Understood, ma'am." He said with a smirk.
They stood in the large receiving and recreational space, looking at a table that had had been moved to the center of the room. On the table was a downward-looking holoimage of the surface of some planet, showing a large spaceport with at least a dozen ships of various size. From the image, they could discern a large hangar-like structure, along with two smaller buildings. For all intents, the compound looked like any other small spaceport one could find on hundreds of worlds.
"What we are looking at…" Commander Tharcourt began, "…is a moon in the Greater Javin sector. High Command has passed down word that the port you see there is in fact a Rebel Alliance base…masquerading, and even sometimes operating as a civilian spaceport."
"Another airfield…boss?" Ekks lamented.
"Afraid so, corporal." Tharcourt returned. "With more enemy vessels this time. Reports we have indicate that aside from what they believe to be commercial and personal ships using the port for its shell purposes, Rebel ships have been coming and going at an alarming rate."
"What class of ships, sir?" Felian asked, looking over the image.
"Mainly freighters and the odd transport." The commander answered. "Which is concerning. If they're bringing in troops and supplies, concentrating them on this moon, and they're flying them out of there, where are they going?" He looked about at his team. "Insofar, they've been able to elude us when it comes to that little detail. The fact remains though…if we take down this operation, it'll disrupt whatever they're planning, maybe for the long-term."
"How do we plan on getting' down there to take them down exactly?" Thorne asked.
"Well…I've been thinking about that one, but I'd like to hear all of your input on it." He said, looking up from the display. "And questions."
"So, we can rule out an orbital bombardment of the facility." Gallen commented.
"If we are being sent in, we can assume that the capture of prisoners and key intel is a high priority, correct sir?" Daraay added.
"That's right." Drakken nodded. "The hope is that any information we find can help uncover where the rebs are."
"How many hostiles can we expect once we make contact?" Felian queried.
"Unknown." Tharcourt answered. The team grumbled. "I know…we have a scientific wild-ass guess of about fifty in the facility…maybe another hundred if the landing field is busy." Mets whistled.
"Too extreme…" He muttered to himself.
"C'mmander darlin'…" Freya said in a low voice. "I know we're good, but we arnae that damn good. They cannae expect us to fight with a hundred an' fifty rebels an do anything but get merked."
"With all do respect sir, Lieutenant Thorne is right." Felian agreed. "Ten against fifty in the middle of the night…with the element of surprise, roger that, it's a go. Ten against three times that…in a spaceport? I'd rather fight a pack of lothwolves with a vibroknife."
"Damn…did you all go pessimistic in my absence or something?" Tharcourt remarked with a smirk. "I asked for ideas, not gloomy forecasts." Freya stared at the image, her green eyes flicking to and fro for a few moments, then she spoke up.
"Right…" She declared. "We can run an infiltration joob, what like we've doon on Tatooine an' Mimban. Make contact as a civilian crew, on a civilian ship. Once in, we'd 'ave ta start from th' insides out, wreck the feckin' shop. We assault from the outside, we'll be blasted afore we get tae the front door. An…" Her eyes moved from side to side quickly, and she sighed. "That's all I got, sorry."
"Not bad." Drakken said. "Wait…you've been to Mimban?"
"Aye. That's where our mission was." Freya said with a shrug. Tharcourt was speechless, and simply blew out a breath and shook his head.
"Okay…never mentioned that…" He commented. "Anyway…your idea on how to get in there is sound enough, but we're still looking at the rancor in the room; we'll have to engage over ten times our own number in enemy personnel, no matter if it's one at a time, or all at once."
"We need more manpower." Daraay stated. Drakken clenched his jaw.
"Exactly."
"Ye mean t' ask for backup?" Thorne queried.
"A distraction." He explained. "We need a conventional force to assault the rebel base here…" He pointed at the western side of the landing area. "…and here." He stuck his index finger on the north side, at the front of the hangar building. "If we're just a ship full of civilians who happen to be on the tarmac when the Empire attacks, we'll have the perfect excuse to get inside their buildings. Most of the rebel fighters will be outside or in existing emplacements trying to defend the field. We should be able to overpower any forces still in the buildings." He paused, and placed his palms on the table.
"Once we've cleared the structures and secured any intel, we attack the rebel positions from the rear." Drakken continued. "With us behind and a large force in front, it'll be like Yavin all over again…if we play it right."
"Not bad." Felian nodded.
"Crazy as always, sir," Gallen said with a scoff. "I'm in." The commander looked to Freya. She had an amused expression on her face.
"An ye says 'One little harmless mission'…" She commented, and shook her head. "We die afore we can finally go on leave, I'm hauntin' ye." He chuckled.
"I never said 'little' or 'harmless'." He corrected her.
"Do you know anyone who can help lead this sort of assault?" Felian asked.
"Yeah, I have just the person in mind for this kind of operation."
….
"If I did not know you personally, I would say you were mad." General Maximillian Veers stated. The Imperial Army general picked his cup of caf up off of his desk and took a drink, then motioned toward Tharcourt with it. "You're asking for my walker battalion and two companies of stormtroopers to attack a Rebel position…merely as a distraction."
"Yes sir, that is precisely what I'm asking for." Drakken returned. "Your soldiers and armor can buy my team time to get inside the rebel base and secure sensitive information…perhaps capture some Alliance command personnel. Then we will assault the enemy from their own positions, and you can mop up any enemy combatants trying to flee on foot or in ships." Veers pursed his lips in thought.
"A very sensible strategy, Commander." He nodded. "I was aware your team was to be going on assignment, though I was not briefed on the particulars. You say it's a spaceport?"
"Yes sir. We're looking at probably around a dozen ships of assorted sizes and classes, and around one-hundred-fifty rebels, more or less." Veers bobbed his head as if counting.
"Right…I believe six AT-ATs, perhaps ten STs, and two companies of stormtroopers should make for a perfect distraction.
"I was thinking that myself, general sir." Veers took another drink of his caf.
"Working together again, so it seems." He commented, and took a drink. "A fine excuse for me to get out of this office and into the head of walker where I belong." He added. "I would agree to this mission even if I didn't have to, Tharcourt." Drakken cocked his head curiously.
"What do you mean, general?" He asked. Veers turned his head toward the commander and narrowed his eyes.
"The order of course." The veteran army officer replied. "You weren't told?" Tharcourt shrugged and shook his head, not knowing what to say. "Lord Vader issued an order to all officers in this fleet below the ranks of High General and Admiral; you can request resources and manpower at your discretion." Veers gave a small grin. "Commander, you could have very well ordered me to the field." Drakken sighed.
"I would not have, even if I had known about that." The commander said. "I would rather seek council than demand cooperation." General Veers nodded.
"Ever wonder why you're so successful?" He stood from his chair. "I will await your briefing." Drakken smiled and gave Veers a nod. He came to attention and snapped a salute.
"Thank you, General…sir."
The troopers of Delta-7 jogged up the ramp of The Huntsman, and quickly found their seats on the two benches. In the bay of the destroyer, Tharcourt held a brief meeting with General Veers, hammering out the final details of their strategy. They gave each other respectful salutes, and Drakken hurried into the shuttle to join the rest of his crew. Inside, the troopers were stowing their blasters and removing their helmets for the long trip, as The Executor and its fleet would not be moving any closer than Eriadu, so as not to arouse suspicion from the Rebels.
"Aye, we're goin' on another adventure, Glitch." Freya said to the droid. He waved his spindly arms.
"Burrrnurrnur murrnurr…nerrrnon bwommmp."
"You…say we only got…hats?" She said in a confused voice. Lago laughed.
"You're getting better at this, ma'am." He answered. "He said we just got back from one."
"Oh…oh, that makes a bit more sense." She giggled, and turned back to the patchwork droid. "I know, lil' feller, but there's a job needs doin' that only we can do." Glitch made a series of noises and shook his head.
"No, there will be no testy droids comin' along with us this time." She assured him. Drakken was about to put an end to the scuttlebutt and order the ship to take off, when another member of the team decided to make his grievance known.
"Who touched my controls?!" Ekks called angrily from the cockpit. Glitch made a noise that sounded strangely like an 'uh-oh', and planted himself in a corner near the cockpit bulkhead as the Corellian pilot emerged into the cabin. "Who adjusted my seat, recalibrated my thrust compensators and messed with my scanners?!" He demanded.
"Ohhhh…right…." Thorne muttered, making a nervous face. Ekks shot her a betrayed look. "While ye were gone, we 'ad to get a replacement pilot. He was…really good." The disgruntled trooper huffed. "Sorry, corp'ral."
"You can fix everything back the way you want it." Drakken asserted. "Why don't you go do that, son?" Ekks nodded in defeat.
"Sure boss…" He sighed. "He moved my pinups…" The pilot disappeared into the cockpit, followed by Glitch, who was making strange, laughter-like noises. Tharcourt moved to his seat, between Thorne and Daraay, and dropped down. The Death Trooper turned toward him.
"Did you miss it all, sir?" She asked, an almost imperceptible amused smile on her lips. They felt the shuttle lift off and beginning its flight.
"I was gone for three and a half days, sergeant." Drakken deadpanned. He gave a little laugh. "Yeah…yeah I kind of missed it." He flipped the comms switch behind him on the bulkhead. "You have those coordinates set I…apprised you of?"
"Heading there now, Commander." The pilot answered. "Gonna be like Tatooine?"
"It's gonna be like Tatooine." Drakken affirmed. "You get everything sorted out up there?"
"Ehhh…yeah, sure boss." Ekks returned glumly. "Sorry about that, by the way. I just hate it when somebody else puts their grubby hands all over my ship." Tharcourt stifled a laugh.
"Last time I checked, The Huntsman belongs to the Empire, corporal." He said. "Out." He leaned back against the bulkhead and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah…disengage the tracking chip and change the transponder number…we'll see who she belongs to…" Ekks' voice mumbled over the speaker. Tharcourt's right eye shot open. Freya giggled, and Felian coughed into his hand. Drakken reached back and flipped the comms switch again.
"You do know your mic is still open, right trooper?" Tharcourt stated in a monotone.
"Oh…karabast…" Ekks growled over the ship's speaker. "Damned prettyboy pilot…sorry sir." There was a click as he turned off his mic in the cockpit. Drakken growled grumpily and shook his head before reclining back and closing his eyes again.
"Going to give us a snooze-briefing again, sir?" Gallen asked with a grin.
"Yep." Tharcourt answered nonchalantly. "We're heading to Shumavar. There, we're to rendezvous with a civilian ship that's being prepped for us by Imperial forces. We're going to change into civilian clothes, and carry non-identifiable blasters. Nothing to indicate that we're Imperial…just a ship full of civvies who happened to be armed. There shouldn't be too much suspicion about that in the Outer Rim."
"Aw maaan…" Gallen complained. "I'd feel a lot better if I was wearing my armor."
"And I'm sure the rebels would too, corporal." Felian stated. "They probably haven't had something to shoot at in a while." The marksman blinked a couple of times.
"Yeah, point taken." He sighed.
"We're going to land in the spaceport…" Drakken continued. "…under the pretense that we need fuel before continuing to Bakura with a load of passengers moving there for a mining operation. To clarify; we're miners and surveyors, and we want as far away from Imperial oversight as we can get, so I want to hear a bunch of grumbling about Imperial regulations and tariffs. You all look rough enough to be miners and engineers, so that probably won't be questioned either. If they search the ship, they'll find blaster rifles, but they'll also find geoscanners, surveying equipment and core drills. Any questions so far?"
"No sir." A chorus of replies answered.
"Good. Now, we'll all have to be good and ready once we touch down. The minute Ekks sends a coded communications package from the ship, we'll have about fifteen minutes before the dropships arrive and start deploying General Veers' Walker battalion on-world. Once the rebels are alerted to their approach, we'll grab our heavier weapons and make for the buildings near the hangar. Once the battle has commenced, Veers will intentionally hold back and give the enemy a good slug-fest. Any obvious civilian ships will be allowed to get away, but any ships suspected of containing rebels will be destroyed by the walkers or intercepted when they leave atmosphere."
"What aboot the civilians in th' buildings?" Thorne inquired.
"I hate that we have hostiles mixed with noncombatants." Drakken returned sourly. "It's not ideal at all. Try to be accurate. Keep collateral damage to a minimum, understand?"
"Yessir."
"We take the buildings down while the rebels are busy holding off Veers' contingent. Capture as many rebels as possible, and secure databanks, terminals and any paperwork or maps you find. That is the critical part of this mission. Once that is completed, I'll radio the General, and we'll assault the rebels from the rear, attacking their positions from behind while the 501st moves up to attack from the front. Once rebel forces are eliminated, we link up with the five-oh-one and they'll mop up while we provide security." He looked around. "Any questions?"
"Just the one, sir…" Coleth spoke up. "What's to keep the regs from blasting us along with the rebs?"
"Veers will not fire on the buildings during the fight, and neither will the ground forces." Tharcourt said. "Once the facility is taken, everyone is to activate a red strobe on their person. This will let friendly forces know who we are. Anyone's strobe doesn't work or gets damaged, make sure you stick close to someone who has one. Copy?"
"Yessir!" The team barked.
"And another thing…" The commander said in a low voice. "I have just been told…that before this mission started, a large rebel force has mounted a massive assault on Phorsa Gedd in the Mid Rim." The troopers looked shocked. "And a few days ago, they took several moons in the Ubrekkia system, using a large coordinated fleet and ground forces. Rebel drop troopers at nearly the same moment, assaulted the Imperial base on Ruusan and destroyed every ship and defensive placement there." He let all of this sink in for a moment. "It looks like…at least for the time being, that the entire Teerab sector belongs to the enemy."
"Sir, how did they manage to pull this off?" Felian asked, perplexed.
"I wanna know how they got enough ships to pull this off." Dall grumbled. "They've been pretty rag-tag this entire time."
"I was afraid this would happen." Tharcourt spoke. "Insurrection has a funny way of going conventional if it's not stopped soon enough. The rebels have had too much time to organize, to build a fleet in secret. They're not a rag-tag band of criminals anymore, doc." He glanced at Dall. "They have actual combat under their belts now, and after blowing up the DS-1, they've probably had a surge in recruits. There's been some…defections too. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, but I think this is the turning point. We're not fighting terrorists anymore. We're officially at war."
"Is that wot the head-sheds think?" Thorne asked.
"No, I don't think they've gotten the news yet." Drakken returned. "And it doesn't change a thing for us…except that I want you all to be at the top of your game now." He grunted and crossed his arms over his chest as he laid back against the wall. "They're full of piss and vinegar now…" He muttered.
"What did you say, sir?" Gallen asked from across the aisle.
"Nothing trooper." Drakken breathed. "We're about two hours out. Everybody rest up if you can."
The shuttle touched down on the small, isolated world. As Commander Tharcourt stepped off the ship, he could see that there was little more than a rudimentary landing pad and a couple of modular buildings making up the Imperial base on the planet. Near to where The Huntsman had landed, he spied an older CSS-1 Corellian Star Shuttle, an eighty-meter ship which could carry up to two-hundred passengers and crew. He guessed that this was to be their transportation to the rebel spaceport. He turned as an Imperial Commander approached, two techs walking beside him in their grey jumpsuits.
"Commander Tharcourt, I presume." The officer greeted with a perfunctory salute. "Commander Gra'am. Welcome to Ecstasy Station." Tharcourt raised an eyebrow as a gentle breeze whipped up some of the grey dust on the barren surface of the world.
"Fitting name…" He commented. The other commander chuckled.
"No greater Ecstacy than being too small to matter to anyone important." Gra'am replied. "We have at this facility a dozen stormtroopers, two sergeants, six technicians, a lieutenant and myself. Until command informed us that you would be arriving, and a group of ISB agents brought that ship over yonder…" He gestured to the CSS-1. "We've done nothing but sit on this rock and collect pay for the last six months."
"Sounds like a fulfilling assignment, commander." Drakken said with a sardonic grin. "No contact with rebels?"
"We had a small incident about a month back." Gra'am answered. "A small squadron of rebel X-Wing fighters entered our airspace. Seeing as we have no fighters or air defense weapons, our stormtrooper contingent formed up in a line and fired a couple of volleys at them. The fired back a few times, then flew off. No casualties, and they never came back. I suppose they figured we were too small to be any threat to them."
"They were probing." Tharcourt advised. "Testing the strength of any garrison close to their operation. You weren't an immediate threat, so there was no point in engaging with you."
"Well…good on them, I guess." The outpost commander waved with a scowl. "We still never got any TIEs. Unless they expect us to launch stormtroopers at the bastards, we're just going to sit here and look pretty." Drakken just shook his head. This man acted like he had just thrown up his arms and given up on any inclination to be a soldier.
"I assume that's my ship then?" Drakken asked.
"I was told to turn it over to you when you arrived, do what you said and not ask any questions." Commander Gra'am stated. "And I plan on following those orders to the letter."
"Well then, have your men watch my shuttle." Tharcourt ordered. "Don't let anyone near it until we get back." He turned to his troopers. "Mount up, and dress for the occasion. We leave in ten." He turned back to the other commander.
"What do we do if the rebels attack?" Gra'am asked. Tharcourt shot him an amused smirk and turned. He looked back as he walked toward the ship.
"My advice Gra'am? Duck."
The team changed into their civilian clothing onboard the large shuttle, Drakken and Freya using the two small refreshers on board, while most of the team were more than happy to utilize the large passenger compartments. Tharcourt stepped out of the refresher and flexed his arms back and forth a few times to test the fit of his new garments. His grey linen shirt and black and red leather jacket fit comfortably, as did his black cargo pants and tall black boots. The refresher across the bay from him opened and Freya stepped out.
"Wow…" Drakken mumbled, then quickly cleared his throat. Thorne, in her usual style, was wearing her short skirt, this time with a tight-fitting, dark green top with a black, corset-like garment about her waist. Her long hair was worn in a sloppy braid, which reached down to her thighs. She had a pair of goggles perched on her head like a hairband, and a blaster swung down on her right side. Tight gloves and her toeless boots completed the ensemble, and Tharcourt blew out a tense breath.
"You look…spectacular." He commented, and gave her a quick smile. She grinned and stepped closer, eyeing the man up and down.
"Ye don't look too shabby yerself, Drakken." She said, her voice low and a smile on her lips. "Leather really works on ye, it does…" He absentmindedly adjusted his jacket.
"Does it?" He said back quickly. "I uh…I like how it wears…and the protection it offers is…"
"Drakken…it looks good. I don't need an explanation." She giggled. He scoffed and shook his head at his own nervous conduct. "Ye should wear this when we go on leave, ya?"
"I…" He began. "I think…maybe we should worry about the mission right now." Drakken answered. "Anything else has to wait." The smile left her face, and she nodded.
"Aye. We should make sure the team's squared away, right?" She said, stiffening her posture a little.
"Mm. I think we have one way and one way only of playing this and having it work." Tharcourt stated, folding his arms behind him as he walked toward the passenger compartment. Freya frowned, and matched his posture and gait. They entered the main cabin area, to find the rest of the unit dressed in a motley assortment of clothing. If they were supposed to look nothing like a cohesive military unit, the members of Delta-7 had accomplished the feat.
Mets and Coleth were both wearing work boots, cargo pants and snug-fitting work shirts, Coleth wearing brown while Mets wore tan. Felian wore brown cargo pants, a brown leather vest over a tan linen shirt, and a wide-brimmed hat, and looked like the hunter he'd been before joining up. Dall was dressed in a meticulous, off-white tunic with sage trousers and knee boots, and with his medic bag, looked like a doctor from some backwater settlement. Lago was dressed like a kid from the outer rim, and Gallen looked like a hayseed they had just picked up from some farm world. Drakken didn't have to see Ekks to know that the Corellian no doubt had the appearance of someone you wouldn't trust sharing a dark alley with.
"Sir…is this an acceptable disguise for our infiltration of the rebel base?" Daraay questioned. Tharcourt turned and opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut. His head cocked rearward for a moment as his mind attempted to make sense of what he was seeing.
Sergeant Daraay had pieced together an outfit consisting of a calf-length (at least on her) skirt of blue and amber patterns, knee-high boots with thick-lugged soles, a black and blue high-necked shirt with no sleeves, showcasing her muscular arms, and a wide, black scarf. A stylish belt around her waist held a blaster pistol and several power cells. Drakken choked down the impulse to laugh.
"Sergeant…" He replied. "Even when you dress like a lady, you're still the most frightening person in the room." Gallen and Mets laughed. "I'm going to tell the rebs that you're our security consultant, if that's alright."
"Commander, I think I would find it much easier to fit into that role." She answered.
"I sure don't think the sergeant could pull off playing a dancer." Gallen added.
"Or a secretary." Coleth added, snickering.
"Oh, I think Sergeant Daraay looks quite lovely." Freya remarked, stepping up beside the large Death Trooper. She beamed a carefree smile as her right hand slid from behind her back and her staff extended with a ringing sound. She placed the tip on the deck and grinned at her subordinates. "Wouldnae ye lads all agree now?"
"Ah…ye…yes ma'am." Gallen stammered. "She looks great. Love how the skirt uh…compliments your…eyes, sergeant."
"She looks like a million credits." Mets offered.
"Aye." Thorne agreed. "Ye know what ye need, sarn't?"
"What's that, ma'am?" Daraay returned.
"A lil' work on yer hair." The lieutenant said. "Come on, I know a trick er two fer tamin a wild head a' hair." She led Daraay out of the compartment, turned, and gave the rest of the team a wink before disappearing into the rear area of the ship. Drakken gave them all a look that practically screamed 'Are you happy?'.
"That…" Gallen muttered. "Is the two scariest women I have ever met."
Isn't it so great to see the team all back together again? I mean, the Coruscant arc was fun, and the Mimban sub-plot was good, but nothing beats seeing Drakken AND Freya running Delta-7 on a mission. I'll be back really soon with the next chapter, so stay tuned! Cheerio!
