Chapter XV – Quesh and The Lost Apprentices
The alarm woke me up before my body wanted to, but I did feel a little refreshed and in less pain. The drone of the warp engine created a soft background of noise as my eyes focused on the dark gray dura-panel ceiling above the bed. The weight of my life settled back over me as my mind recovered from sleep. I checked my wrist com and noticed that we had twenty minutes before Quesh arrival, then I got up and washed the sleep off of my face and cleaned up a bit. There was a mumbled conversation going on beyond the bulkhead, and I activated the door wondering what was happening.
"It's working on your master's clothes," Ashara stated as the door swept aside to reveal her standing in the kitchenette. Pez was perched on her shoulder and they were both looking down at the mending device on the counter repairing my synth-weave cloak.
"Dweep," the droid toned out excitedly.
"It's a mender," Ashara continued, "it fixes things."
"What's going on here?" I asked, a little annoyed that Pez was so chummy with the padawan.
The two turned in unison to look at me in surprise. "He can hover again!" Ashara said excitedly.
"Be-da," Pez added as he popped off of Ashara with a puff of his jets before settling back down.
"What are you doing on her shoulder?" I complained, "I told you that touching people was improper."
"It's okay," Ashara replied.
"Zweep," Pez protested, rubbing himself against the padawan's neck and lekku.
"You're supposed to be watching her," I snapped as I stepped up and flicked him away from Ashara. The droid tumbled into the air with a warble before righting himself, his red eye narrowing at me. "What happened to protecting me?"
"Beep-tribble-dweep," he chirped, looking at Ashara, "Biz-click-duooh," he droned as he looked back at me.
"What do you mean, she's nicer than me?" I fumed, "I'm your master!" I did not care about the stupid droid, but he insulted me.
"Bleh," Pez let out a muffled sound and then turned his back to me, puffing his thrusters to drift away as if he did not care.
I turned back to Ashara, who looked surprised by my reaction. "Sorry," she whispered as she scrunched her shoulders up. "He wasn't bothering me, really."
"I don't like it when the droid gets touchy," I said pointedly as I glanced over at the floating sphere, "it's weird."
"I fixed your shirt," she stated in an effort to change the subject, picking the item off the counter to show me. "I'm working on the cloak now."
I took my shirt and looked it over, impressed by the repair. "It seems to do a good job," I said as I watched the machine repairing the hole in my cloak. I wondered if my shoulder would look as good once the bacta-patch was done with it.
"I don't know how it matches the material so well," she added, scratching her arm absently. I noticed some dry patches on her face and arms. "it must have the ability to synthesize fibers exactly like the item it is mending."
"It seems so," I replied, setting my shirt on the counter and walking toward the cockpit.
"You look a little better," Ashara stated, following me and sitting in the copilot's seat.
"Between the rest and the drugs, I feel more competent."
I glanced at the navigation panel. The smuggler's route took three hyperspace jumps to reach Quesh. We were on the last vector with less than ten minutes remaining. The knot of frustration tightened in my gut. I did not even know the planet Quesh existed before my fool apprentices got themselves in trouble. The last few days had been one run-around after another that I had no control over, and I was growing sick of feeling out of control.
"We dropped out of orbit several times," Ashara spoke after noticing that I was checking the nav computer. "The second time we floated in space for a bit before jumping again. We were in the middle of a blue nebula lit by white stars. You should have seen it; the colors were amazing." I looked over at her but did not reply. "Don't ships have to be at a location to make the jump point? It makes you wonder how someone got out in the middle of a nebula to create the hyperspace node."
"Andronikos said they were smuggler's coordinates. Maybe it was a random jump to escape being boarded?"
"I heard that's very dangerous," Ashara said with a shake of her head.
"So is getting caught smuggling illegal goods."
"I could not imagine doing something like that," she said thoughtfully with a shake of her head.
"You're too good-natured," I replied.
"That's not entirely true," she huffed, "I just don't think being that reckless makes sense."
"You've never been desperate enough to be reckless," I added, feeling like she was hinting that I was too reckless. "How many days have you gone without food? How many nights have you closed your eyes hoping that tomorrow would be radically different from what you had endured the past months, even if it was dangerous?"
"My life hasn't been easy," she protested.
"I know, but it hasn't been hopeless either."
She looked at me, hints of frustration and irritation in her gray eyes. "I suppose it hasn't, but I still wouldn't like doing something that dangerous."
"You're doing something reckless right now," I replied, watching her eyes.
"I guess," she sighed, looking away out the window and scratching another dry spot on her arm.
"We only have a few minutes before the ship drops out of hyperspace. Things could get complicated if we become detected."
"Does the ship have any weapons?" Ashara looked over the console nervously.
"Not big enough to matter. Our best option would be to jump to hyperspace again." I began punching into the Nav computer a return trip to Nar Shaddaa just in case.
We exchanged a nervous gaze as the timer counted down to zero.
When we dropped out into space near Quesh I checked the sensors for signs of anything threatening. The hyperspace route had dropped us in close orbit around Quesh - too close for my liking. To my surprise, a hailing call chimed on the com moments after we appeared in-system. It rang a few times before I decided to answer; after all, if they were hailing me, they knew I was here, for better or worse.
"Echo tango three eight seven do you copy? This is Commander Trey of Imperial Mining Base Neverdda. Again, do you copy?"
"I copy," I said shortly after clicking on the audio.
"Good to hear. I assume your trip has been uneventful, I have friends who would be disappointed otherwise."
"So far. Is there a point to this hail, Commander?"
"Of course, I never do anything without a plan. I am sending you coordinates for your landing; a remote location where prying eyes won't notice you. Once you've landed, we can have a more detailed conversation."
"Why would I trust you with my landing?"
"I'm afraid you have no other choice. If you try to land at the main Imperial base, they will surround you before you get out of your ship. The Republic or Hutt options would be worse. I can assure you that I have analyzed your plan, and this is the safest option for success."
"Analyzed my plan?"
"My Lord, the more we talk the more time they have to triangulate your position, and I assure you they are attempting to do so. You left friends in Taris. I ask you to trust them and me."
The com clicked off before I could reply.
"Seems like your friend Elios or the Watcher has set up a welcoming committee," Ashara said as she glanced at me from the copilot's chair.
"I wouldn't count on it," I grumbled, "Elios is not my friend, and I barely know Watcher One. I can't see why any of them would stick their neck out for me." While I was talking a descent vector was sent through the com.
"What are you going to do?"
I looked at Ashara as my finger reluctantly reached for the keys to upload the vector into the nav. "What choice do I have?"
"Turn around and jump out of the system."
"I can't run away forever," I replied while my finger engaged the navigation. The engines kicked in and pushed us toward the ugly, yellowish-orange planet. The ship headed to the dark side of the planet and I realized that I needed to get out of my pajamas. "We need to change," I stated as I rose from the captain's chair.
"All your clothes are clean," Ashara got up to follow me, "I put them in a drawer under the bed."
I entered the bedroom and pulled off the pajamas, tossing them on the bed. It was actually comforting to put my own clothes back on, like a bit of normalcy in the chaos. A quick glance in the mirror made me feel a little like a Sith Lord again, decked out in my black outfit. Ashara came in and started to dress in her clothes too, so I left the bedroom to check on our descent.
The ship was just entering the atmosphere on the edge of twilight and began to decelerate. Once down to a manageable speed, the ship changed course into the night sky towards an unknown location. I flipped the infrared overlay on in the cockpit and saw the rugged, sparsely vegetated landscape of the planet whizzing by below. Quesh was a poisonous world to humans, so I thought about the need to wear a suit as the ship banked and a complex came into view. Large metalworks stood out of the valley landscape, lights flashing at the tops of towers and platforms. There was a hole in the side of the valley where large vehicles emerged hauling ore. The ship glided through the business side of the complex and then banked hard towards the side of the valley where a mass of buildings hugged the cliffs; quickly slipping into an opening in the rock and breaking hard inside a small docking bay. The landing struts clanked onto the steel plate landing pad and the engines cycled down. The landing bay was empty and dark, with only a few small lights illuminating a doorway beyond.
"This doesn't feel right," Ashara stated nervously as she returned to the copilot's seat.
"Agreed," I replied.
The com chimed and I hit receive. "Welcome to the most disagreeable outback of this poisonous planet. No one would expect an outsider to know this mine existed, let alone want to come here, which should work out well for you."
"Given I can trust you," I spat back, "which I am growing more concerned about by the minute."
"You can trust me as much as you trusted your friends on Taris," the voice responded. "By the way, please stay in your ship for a few more minutes while the docking bay cleans the atmosphere."
"I don't have friends on Taris, and I certainly don't know you. Some explanation is in order?"
"Well, I know several people who would be disappointed to hear that, my Lord. My name is Commander Trey, and this is my humble paradise. I'm sure you have loads of questions, and unfortunately, I am not at liberty to answer very many of them."
"Of course, you aren't," I sighed frustratedly.
"I have been tasked with keeping you safe on Quesh, and providing you as much assistance as I can. Ah, there, the atmosphere is clear. Please exit your ship and I will meet you at the door." The com clicked off and the docking bay personnel door opened with a flood of light. A figure walked through the door to stand just inside the bay.
I rose from the cockpit and went to gather my lightsaber.
"Are we really going to trust him and go out there?"
"No, we're not," I said as I popped the locked drawer open and pulled out our lightsabers. "I am going out there. You are staying with the ship." I handed Ashara her lightsaber and stepped into the bedroom to get my satchel.
"Why not stay together? You don't know what you are walking into, and I don't want to be alone on the ship."
I walked back to the ship's console and punched in some commands on the nav computer. "I don't want us both trapped if that is their plan. I doubt they know you are aboard the ship, and I want to keep it that way."
"But what about you?"
"I can handle myself," I said as I turned and looked at her. "I set an escape sequence up on the nave computer. If there is any trouble, I'll activate the program and the ship should get you clear."
"I'm no help to you sitting in the ship," she complained.
"I don't know how much help you can be to me."
"What does that mean? I went on missions with Masters Ryen and Ocera all the time . . ."
"I still don't trust you," I interjected, "and I don't know how ugly it might get when I find the apprentices. I don't want to be worried about how you will react and needing to protect you and myself at the same time." She looked at me, hurt and confused. I walked to the exit and opened the door, which let atmosphere out with a hiss as the heavy door swung up and the ramp angled down to the landing pad. "I'm going to lock the ship, keep the com open and watch for trouble." I turned and left, heading toward the figure standing in the open doorway. The ship's door closed behind me.
I strode confidently up to the medium build man standing at ease just to the side of the open doorway. He wore a similar uniform to Elios and Watcher One. Oh great! Another spy, I sighed inwardly. "Well, you've got me here," I said sharply, "can we dispense with the cryptic double-speak. How do you know so much about me and my apprentices?"
"I can explain, my Lord, but not here," he said with a sharp head nod. "Please follow me to my office." He walked me down several brightly lit metallic gray corridors, austere yet clean. Finally, he stepped into an open office with broad windows overlooking the entire mining complex. The door swished closed behind us.
"As far as I know your apprentices are still alive," he stated as he turned to look at me. "They have been on the run since they got here. Kind of a messy business; it seems like there have been several fights, numerous fatalities, and quite a bit of hide and seek."
"How do you know anything about me or my plans?"
"I hope it doesn't surprise you that even lowly commanders such as I take an interest in the politics of the Dark Council and the leaders of the Empire. You can imagine what the fickle winds of political change can do to low-level complexes like this, and your own experiences with the Sith should have informed you of how capricious your type can be."
"My type?"
"No offense intended," he replied with an upheld hand. "I hope you get the point; I and others like me have an interest in the infighting going on at the highest levels. I am not at liberty to discuss our network, but I can assure you that it goes all the way up to the Dark Council. You are not alone in your struggle against Darth Thanaton."
"Really? I hate to sound cynical and ungrateful, but that is rather surprising news to me."
Commander Trey looked wounded by my words. "You're here, aren't you? You made it to and away from Taris without incident."
"Are you stating that my movements have been tracked by the Dark Council?"
"Not exactly, my Lord," he responded more nervously.
"You just implied that I have been monitored by what you allege to be benevolent interests, but which can just as easily be self-serving and duplicitous. The words you speak to allay my fears have just multiplied them, Commander."
Commander Trey blinked his narrow eyes several times in shock. "I don't know what to say," he sighed. "You are an extremely suspicious person, my Lord."
"I have had five attempts on my life in the past three weeks, Commander. Two attempts by Dark Lords themselves. You would be just as suspicious of everyone if you were in my shoes."
"Fair enough, so how are we to work together then?"
It was a good question. I stood a moment and meditated in the Force, not sensing any significant Force presence except for Ashara. It was clear that the commander knew who I was and that I was coming to Quesh. If he had wished to trap me, he had ample opportunity, yet he hadn't. I received no sense of threat from the man, not that he wasn't formidable, but that my perceptions and intuition told me that commander Trey, like the commander on Taris, was genuine.
"You said that you were in contact with a network that has been keeping an eye on me. Someone is pulling the strings, and it's not you. What do they want?"
"What all of us want, stability, opportunity, and a growing empire. To be frank my superiors have been quite favorable to Lord Thanaton. He has shown a predilection for tradition and the rule of law. It seemed to us that he was one of the more stable up-and-coming Dark Lords. Unfortunately, he has gone on a bit of a power binge lately, causing distrust in certain members of the Dark Council."
"You aren't endearing me to your cause, Commander."
"I assumed you wanted the direct report, my Lord. No sense being diplomatic with someone as suspicious as you, it would be a waste of time all around."
"Go on then."
"My superiors are upset about the demise of your master, Darth Zash. They feel that Darth Thanaton's hands are not completely clean concerning the incident." He paused to see if I would offer my opinion, but I did not. "Anyway, in light of recent events, my friends have grown concerned about Darth Thanaton's motives and want to keep their options open."
"And I am their plan-B," I replied flatly. The commander stood at ease but did not respond. "What do they want from me?"
"I told you my instructions. Help the Sith Lord wherever possible, but keep a low profile."
"You said you analyzed my plans. What help are you willing to provide?"
"Your safe landing, which has been accomplished. I have an asset attempting to make contact with your apprentices. Unfortunately, that has not been accomplished yet, but we do know that they are alive and in hiding. I've analyzed a way for you to get close to them, and I believe it to be the most effective option. Your ship would be too obvious, of course, and would need to be left here for your departure."
"Where are they now?"
"As far as we know they are in an abandoned warehouse in the neutral zone close to the Republic sector in the only city on Quesh. The city is unofficially called Queshaaga. That is the last intelligence that I have received; it is about six hours old."
"I see, and how do you plan to get me into this area? Dump truck?" My gaze made him look behind himself and out the window at the line of trucks rolling down the bottom of the valley.
"The city is on the other side of the planet, too far for ground-based travel, and too dangerous. I have a quicker, albeit more unconventional, method for your transport. Occasionally, we are in a position to offer 'incentives' to several of the Hutt families in order to keep this facility low profile."
"You're bribing them," I added.
"These 'incentives' are delivered via sub-orbital launches, ballistic containers small enough to evade detection."
"And you really think I'm going to let you put me in one?"
"It's quite safe," he responded in an offended voice. "We've sent fragile goods in it before without issue."
"Live goods?"
"Well, we never had the need for it before, but I don't see any reason why . . ."
"You first," I snapped.
"Now look here!" he replied, "I've done my best to work with you. I've thought it through and reasoned this is the best way to get you into Queshaaga. If you don't like it come up with your own plan. Mind you, time is of the essence, my intelligence is already six hours old."
I was angry and taking some of my frustration out on the commander. The situation was a disaster. My condition was only slightly improving from my catatonic state the day before. I had not beaten Thanaton's team to the punch as I had hoped, and the apprentices had already been attacked and chased into a new hiding spot. There seemed little hope in rescuing Kaal and Corrin, and their lives were likely being used as a trap waiting to be sprung on me. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to try to moderate my emotions.
"Won't the Hutts be surprised when they open their package and find me inside?"
"The delivery won't go to them, that would be counter-productive. I can have the canister drop targeted several blocks from the warehouse your apprentices are in. The whole trip will take twenty-five minutes at most. The Hutts won't even know you've been delivered."
The commander actually had thought things through. "Show me this canister," I reluctantly agreed.
Several minutes later, after winding through many corridors and multiple floors of the complex, we were standing in front of a large piece of artillery, the barrel of which was at least four stories long. The commander walked me over to the canister that was fired from the gun. It had a compartment no larger than two cubic meters.
"You've got to be kidding me," I complained.
"This is a highly technological piece of equipment. There are internal guidance systems, inertial dampers, and hydraulic air breaks. A chute opens close to landing, you will feel less than a two G impact on landing."
It seemed ridiculous that he was even suggesting it, and unfathomable that I was considering it, but what choice did I have? If I was going to attempt a rescue of my endangered apprentices, this was the most direct and unexpected way to do it; faster than even taking the ship, and far less obvious."
"How do I get out of the city and back to my ship?" I still could not believe I was considering the plan. The look Commander Trey gave me implied he could not believe it either.
"We have a safe house near the Three Families sector. My contact can help you get there and arrange for transit out of the city. We've had some luck getting ships to land within an hour's speeder ride north of the city without detection. I could have someone fly your ship to a rendezvous location."
"No one touches or goes into my ship," I countered, turning on the commander quick enough to make him back up.
"Very well," he recovered quickly, "It's a little more roundabout, but I can arrange one of our ships to pick you up and bring you back here."
"What happens if things get complicated?" I asked as my mind continued to ponder all the possibilities. "Do you know how many resources are searching for my apprentices?"
"I do not," he said with a shake of his head. "They are in an area where my influence is least. I'm afraid that if you run into trouble I can't be of much help. My team has more of a covert make-up and does not possess significant firepower."
"What if this is a trap?"
"It is possible," he paused in thought. "I suggest you use caution."
"I've been operating with the least amount of caution for days," I grumbled, "but it seems like I've got no choice so let's get on with this."
The commander frowned but turned to get the attention of an officer. I inspected the canister again while the commander made arrangements, wondering if I was going to come out of this predicament alive. Behind me, a whining electrical sound began to elevate in volume as the massive magnets of the mass driver began to charge.
The officer walked off in a hurry, and Commander Trey moved in my direction. "I will alert my asset on the ground that you will be inbound. She will attempt to cover your landing. Look for a short Rodian that goes by the name Tseebi. She has been indispensable to me; please don't imperil her unnecessarily."
His sincerity gave me a bit of assurance. "Give me a chance to collect some things from my ship and then I will be ready."
"Of course," he nodded. "There is a lift behind you. Take it up three floors and follow the hallway to the left. It will take you to your ship."
I followed his instructions to the ship and activated the hatch.
"What's happening?" Ashara asked in frustration as I walked up the ramp into the ship.
"The commander seems legitimately helpful. He's going to get me into the city where Kaal and Corrin are located. I can't take the ship though, so I want you to hunker down and wait. I'm going to set the defenses on the ship so no one tries to get in."
"How long am I supposed to hide out here? You're really not taking me with you?"
"We've been over this," I replied in frustration. "If I don't contact you in less than a day, something has gone wrong. I'll set a timer on my com to activate the pre-programmed launch protocol so the ship leaves the planet. Once you're free, do as you wish."
"I don't know how to fly a spaceship!" she answered in a panicked voice.
"You don't have to, the nav computer is set to get you into orbit and on your way back to Nar Shaddaa. Once there, Andronikos will likely contact you and help you get wherever you want to go."
She paced away from me with an upset look on her face. "This makes no sense," she argued, "You're still recovering from injuries. If you end up in a fight you will need my help." She paced away toward the row of cabinets.
"I'm not going to get into a fight. The goal is to sneak in and get the apprentices out of their hiding place and then make it back here. With any luck, I'll be back in several hours and we can leave."
Ashara spun back to look at me, unconvinced and anxious. I expected more arguing, but instead, she held out my cloak to me. "The mender just finished with it."
I took the garment from her hand and slipped it on. As I did Pez floated forward from the cockpit.
"Dreep?" the little ball asked.
Most of me considered leaving the annoying droid behind, but a small sliver sensed I might need his help. "C'mon," I waved to the little sphere, checking my bag to make sure I had the HUD glasses.
"Beep-bop," Pez agreed excitedly and zipped past me down the ramp.
"Hay!" I barked. "Behind me, head height, no touching. Remember?" I walked past him and heard his little thrusters huffing after me. Once we were clear of the ramp I looked back at Ashara and nodded once before activating the closure on the hatch. Her face looked back at me with a mix of worry and frustration until the ramp cut off our view. After retracing the path back to the launch room I noticed the commander pacing near the device and walked up to him. He eyed Pez curiously.
"I am at the mercy of your plan, Commander."
"All will go well, my Lord, you'll see," he said with a nod. "Inside the capsule is a medkit with a hypo-syringe containing an antidote for the poisonous atmosphere. One dose should keep you safe for a day. The capsule will open on landing."
Reluctantly I approached the shell that would be my transportation. It had been moved to the loading breach and connected to a crane by straps. Several servicemen and the deck officer were watching me with concerned faces.
"Into the can," I said to Pez as I motioned with my hand.
"Dweep!" he chirped as his red eye widened and his frame shook no. He inspected the canon all the way to the tip and then shifted his eye to me, his thrusters backing away from me.
"You wanted to come along, now get in!"
Pez shook his frame more quickly as he puffed back more.
"This better work," I grumbled as I ignored the droid and bent over into the cavity of the shell.
Commander crouched next to me and pressed some buttons on a control pad. "This is the guidance and life support. The green button here tells you that the inertial damper is activated. You will feel about three G's of thrust, but no more, and it shouldn't last long. Most of the trip will be free-fall, I hope you don't have a weak stomach. Are you ready?"
"Yes," I said, holding down the massive amount of reluctance urging me to say no.
The commander backed away and nodded to his crew, which came forward to close the capsule. At the last minute, Pez let out a warble of complaining sounds and shot forward through the opening and into my chest. I pushed him away till he hovered head high in front of me.
"Bleep-duooh," he mourned.
"Stop it," I countered, "we'll be all right."
Everything happened quickly after that. The hatch was secured, and we were encased in an eerily lit tube. The shell lifted and then dropped into the breach. With just enough time to brace myself, the cannon went off, and I was crushed into my feet and backside. Pez dropped, bouncing off my knee and onto the floor with a screech as we flew upward. As quickly as it happened it was over, and I felt my normal weight.
"Click-zwip-buzz-twibble," Pez complained as he puffed up to look into my face with his wide eye.
"See, the worst part is over," I replied with a bit of wishful thinking.
I could hear the rush of atmosphere buffeting the shell as it sailed upward. It began to grow softer until I could hear nothing and started to feel weightless. We hung in that floating state for a few minutes as the shell crossed over the ballistic hump. Then the capsule flipped around and began to descend. Unfortunately, the ride down was more nerve-wracking with the sound of atmosphere rushing past the shell and heat building up under my feet. I was glad when the control panel chirped as the atmospheric drag fins activated, though it made the shell shudder and spin. Finally, the chute popped open and arrested most of the fall, making Pez drop to the floor again in surprise. The capsule landed with a clank on the roof and promptly fell through onto the floor below, giving me and Pez a good knocking around.