Unnatural Formations
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Path of Kan Taro! Apologies for the slight delay as this week has involved a lot of running around. But we've got quite a bit happening in this chapter and I think you'll enjoy it, oh and before I forgot check out my Pat reon and see about becoming a patron for news and other little gems about my writing process! Now then with no guest review questions this week, let's get back to that galaxy far far away!
Outer Rim Territories
'Home sweet home,' Kan mused as he exited the captain's cabin of his personal starship, the Azure Herald. He often found it funny to think about these days, how he was basically living the life of a spacer when he wasn't helping people out or fighting the Empire. Back during his days as a padawan Kan would've said that the life of a spacer wasn't for him, that he'd gladly fly a starfighter or equivalent vessel but nothing much more than that. Then Order 66 happened and he, Kota and his militia had to get creative. They decided their first step was to liberate some funds from the deceased Count Dooku's castle on Serenno.
Kan used a small bit of said acquired funds to purchase the YG-5000 starship which he now called home to one degree or another. It wasn't an overly fancy vessel, only measuring between twenty-six to twenty-seven meters long with the front half of the ship being a rounded, wedge shape and the back half of the ship sporting three, equally spaced engines that greatly resembled the engine configuration on Consular-class cruisers. But what it lacked in looks it more than made up for in hardiness, ease of maintenance, repair, and modular capability. And he'd added more than a couple modifications to the otherwise humble craft.
The jedi ran his hand over one of said modifications right now, mentally listing off the weapons in the hidden panel in the wall before proceeding into the cockpit where Lera was currently going over some data in the co-pilot's chair. "Sleep well," she asked, sparing him a cursory glance.
"A few hours of sleep and meditation," Kan answered while taking the pilot's seat, "so I'd say well enough. Have you heard anything else since we left?"
"Nothing," Lera shook her head, "I'm still assuming radio silence on their end, but I am starting to get worried."
"This is M5 we're talking about," the jedi reminded, "it's not unheard of for them to miss a check-in or take longer than expected. But usually when they do it's because something ridiculous has or is happening." At that moment the alarm sounded, signaling imminent arrival at their destination.
"Guess we're about to find out," Lera quipped. The duo got into position at their stations as Kan pulled back on the lever. The black and blue tunnel of hyperspace faded and was replaced by stars and a brown and green-colored planet in the viewport. "What in the world is the Empire even doing on a backwater place like this?"
"If I had to guess, something they want to keep from prying eyes," Kan answered while guiding the ship down into the planet's atmosphere. "All the Bothans were able to tell us was the Imperials were being very secretive about the cargo that was brought here. The only reason we even sent one of our top squads was because it happened to be near the system they were stationed at."
"And we're nearing the squad's location now," Lera announced as the ship broke through the cloud layer and flew over the landscape. As had been mentioned in the data package Kota had sent them, it was a very forested planet with this particular section having an area with mountains surrounding it. Unsurprisingly the Imperials had picked such an area because it made trekking to their base on foot more difficult. Fortunately, the Herald had a couple ways to get closer without needing to land.
"Engaging stealth measures," the slicer typed in a few commands, activating some of the ship's electronic countermeasures. Unlike some of the vessel's other modifications, she'd overseen these personally.
"Now let's see what our Imperial friends have down here," Kan mused while guiding the ship slowly through the mountains, sticking as low and close to them as possible. What they saw as soon as they got to the other side made them pause. "That's definitely not supposed to be in a forest."
"Looks like your guess was right on the money," Lera observed, "that is ridiculous."
Shortly After Kan's Departure: Aboard the Perseverance
"So how's your father doing," Tae asked while walking alongside Lop. The rabbit girl had discarded her cloak and hat for the time being, revealing her whole outfit to be something akin to a white shirt with a very small orange short cape and an obi sash just above her waist. She also had blue cloth coverings on her arms and legs, white shorts and specially made shoes to fit her large rabbit feet. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail.
"He's always been tough," the Lepi assured, "RN says he'll be up and walking by tomorrow at the latest, though he's stubborn so we might see him up and about in half the time."
"I get the feeling he and the general are gonna get along great," the pilot rubbed the back of his head while finding it hard to imagine such a thing.
"Speaking of which, why does he want us to meet him in the cargo hold?" Lop questioned as they approached the door to said location. "Is this something he does with everyone brought on board?"
"Not exactly," Tae responded while hitting the switch. The door slid open but before either of them walked in he handed a wooden sword known as a bokken to her. "This is something he does for potential jedi students." There wasn't much need for explanation, so Lop simply nodded, took a deep breath and walked into the surprisingly spacious hold.
Naturally a maze of crates was stacked everywhere containing various supplies, weapons, equipment and other necessities one would need on a larger ship. The rabbit girl moved slowly, her eyes sweeping the area until she arrived at a larger circular section in the middle. That's when it happened. Her ears caught the sound of billowing cloth and she moved.
A split second later a figure dropped down from one of the higher stacks of crates, his downward strike coming so close to hitting Lop that she felt the air rush past her as the blow struck the floor. "Not bad," Kota complimented, "I'd heard a Lepi's ears were sharp!" He lunged forward, striking with multiple quick swings. Lop blocked the first couple of high strikes but was pushed back by the ferocity of the blows. She was swiftly backed into a corner but only for a moment as she leapt over the general's head and landed behind him.
Lop swung around and attempted to go on the offensive with a horizontal strike but it was intercepted by the jedi whirling around and knocking it away. The rabbit girl attempted to keep up the onslaught by striking at various angles but Kota blocked each and every attempt, his speed easily matching hers and his strength being such that she couldn't force him back. He knew this was the case, too, and bided his time before going on the offensive again with a sudden jab that nearly caught her in the head. Kota resumed his assault from earlier, this time using a randomized pattern of strikes.
Lop kept up with it as best she could but found herself flinching whenever Kota added in a feint and found it increasingly hard to react each time he changed up his attack pattern. Before long she was knocked off balance and the bokken was torn from her hands when she attempted a block in this state. The general knocked her over then with a powerful kick to her chest which came close to also knocking the wind out of her as she fell to the floor. "In a duel," Kota stated gruffly with the wooden blade pressed to her stomach, "this would be the end."
"Okay," Lop breathed out, "does that make this our first training session?"
"A first warning," the general answered, removing the sword from her and walking a short distance away while Tae moved to help her up, "the days where jedi could train in relative safety are long gone. Since the end of the Clone Wars the empire has targeted any and all force sensitives, meaning nowhere is entirely safe for those like us. Should you choose to fight alongside us, be it just to liberate your planet or to see the empire fall, you'll need to learn to be careful and aware of your surroundings while out in the field."
"I can do that," Lop assured with a nod, "and you'll teach me how best to avoid detection, right?"
"That depends on you," Kota signaled for a red and white R-series droid to come rolling into the cargo hold, "R4, show her the map." The droid complied, emitting a holographic projection of the known galaxy from the node on its dome-shaped head. What was unique about this map was much of it was colored red, save for a few spots here and there. "Everywhere you see red is a place where the empire has a foothold."
"They're everywhere," the Lepi realized as her eyes roamed over the map, "do they really rule this many worlds?"
"Rule is a bit of a strong word," Tae decided to explain, "the empire has a presence on numerous worlds, no doubt about that, but it varies depending on how many resources they've allocated to it, the planet's own defensive capabilities, strategic importance. When it comes to fighting the imperials the situation could be any number of things."
"But make no mistake," Kota crossed his arms, "we're outnumbered, outgunned, and can't compare in any way to the resources the empire has. The only way we've survived up to this point is by being smart and making hard choices. Understand this now, if you're going to fight with us it's going to be an uphill battle, most especially because you're a force sensitive. If the empire succeeds in capturing you they will torture you, try to break you in any way they can and make you a servant of the dark side or, failing that, kill you to prevent a possible threat."
"But if I don't fight, Tao won't be free," Lop pointed out, "and you must believe you can win, otherwise you wouldn't still be fighting."
"Those of us remaining from the jedi order have little choice," Kota sighed, "the empire is always trying to expand its reach, always searching for us. Some have tried going into hiding, feeling it is a fight we cannot win. A few have succeeded, so far, while others were either discovered due to leaving too much of a trail or finding they weren't as passive as they'd originally believed. I'm simply letting you know that should you choose not to fight, we can send you and your father into hiding and, optimistically, you can spend the rest of your days in peace."
"You'd do that," the Lepi asked in confusion, "just let me go, even though I have the force?"
"This struggle is not for the faint of heart," the general informed, "once you commit to it, there's little chance of turning back. You may possess the force, but if you don't possess the will to fight against overwhelming odds you'll be nothing but a hindrance. I don't tolerate spinelessness in my militia." Lop directed her gaze downward at his words, her thoughts racing.
She pulled out her lightsaber then, gazing at it thoughtfully. "You probably already know, but I'm adopted. I wasn't born on Tao, father took me in after I escaped the empire's slave labor force. For seven years we were happy even despite the empire hanging over our heads. But eventually it became too much for father, seeing what was happening to our world. I already know what he'll choose to do."
"But we're not asking your father what his choice is," Tae pointed out, "we're asking you. What is it you want to do?"
"I want to help Tao," Lop tightened her grip on the saber, "I want the Yasaburo clan to survive, and I want my family to be happy again. None of that is possible so long as the empire is occupying my home. I already know talking to them is useless, so I choose to fight." She looked up at the two of them with determination in her eyes. "Teach me how to fight like a jedi and how I can fight the empire."
"Very well," Kota nodded, "we'll introduce you to your actual master soon enough. For now I've got a bit of time, so let's start your first lesson."
Outer Rim: Forest Planet
"So you've seen star destroyers taken down before, right?" Lera asked as they guided the ship around to a safe landing area, "have you ever seen anything like that?"
"No," Kan shook his head, "taking down a star destroyer with a small glacier is a new one on me." To call it out of place was an understatement. The almost mile long ship stuck out above the forest like an extra mountain and it's middle was split open with a giant formation of ice sticking at least a couple hundred feet into the air. Quite obviously this wasn't a normal occurrence.
"I've heard of cryo weapons before," the slicer mused, making sure to record the sight before them, "but nothing on this scale."
"At least we have an explanation for why the squad hasn't been checking in," the jedi commented while bringing the ship in for a landing in a clearing. He hoped enough cover was being provided by the trees surrounding the area, "now let's go see what we can find." Lera nodded before the ship shut off. The duo got up and started gathering the necessary equipment such as explosives, blaster power packs, medical supplies and other weapons.
In Lera's case she also grabbed a small, spherical remote droid for recon, a round barreled EE-3 carbine, and an X-30 Lancer blaster pistol. Surprisingly, Kan also tucked a blaster pistol on his left side, a GL-77 blaster that was typically used by members of the Pantoran species. "DT," the jedi alerted the droid who floated up to eye level, "keep an eye on the ship and make sure it's ready to fly at a moment's notice. We might require a fast exit."
The droid beeped an affirmative before flying off towards the cockpit. The two rebels lowered the ship's boarding ramp and swiftly descended into the forest. Kan didn't need to look to know that it closed behind them and a short electric hum told him the anti-personnel field had been activated. The duo picked their way through the forest meticulously, doing their best not to make any noise. Lera occasionally checked a specialized wristband under her left sleeve to make sure they were still going in the right direction while Kan reached out with the force, searching for any life signs similar to their objective or that possessed ill intentions.
Fortunately and unfortunately they were able to arrive at the star destroyer without incident. "What are the odds emergency power is still running in this thing," Kan asked as they approached one of the vessels many maintenance hatches. The jedi found himself, not for the first time, oddly thankful that the Imperials hadn't changed the interior design of the capital ships too drastically from their Venator and Acclamator counterparts.
"Depends on whether or not any of the reactors are up," Lera responded while plugging a scomp link into an external port. After a moment she got a response. "Looks like we've got some around sections of the back half but the front is pretty much out."
"Lucky break then," the jedi commented while pulling the lever to open the hatch, "we'll start by heading for the bridge and checking the data logs there. Might be a clue about what happened to M5."
"I just hope they were far away when this went off," the slicer mused before pulling the scomp link out and following Kan into the capital ship. The inside was a maze of corridors, the emergency lights casting a red hue on everything. Most were active but some flickered, no doubt a sign that power was running out. "Do you sense anything?"
"We're not alone on this vessel," Kan answered after reaching out with the force, "it seems the Imperials evacuated after this happened and a small number of them regrouped near that glacier."
"Must mean this place isn't their main base," Lera mused, "would explain why the usual thousands of crew members aren't here. Just another reason to find out what happened." Her companion simply nodded as they continued on into the next corridor. Once again it was slow going as the possibility of tripping an alarm or running into a droid still existed.
But it was when they got into the corridor leading towards the lift to the bridge that something happened. As Kan passed the first of a few rooms he noticed its door was open. The reason why became clear when a shadow moved. The jedi ignited his lightsaber and held it to his potential attacker's throat while they held a DC-17 hand blaster to his head.
"Fordo, you're looking well," Kan smirked at the former ARC trooper. He, the ARC lieutenant behind him and two other former clone troopers were also present. Naturally they'd needed to alter their appearances a bit to avoid being mistaken for Stormtroopers. These days they wore modified Phase I clone armor that was more of an urban camo color. Though the ARC troopers still kept the original colors on their shoulder pauldrons and armor markings along with the kamas around their waists.
"Commander," he responded as they both removed their weapons from each other's vital areas, "the general send you?"
"You went radio silent for longer than usual," Lera informed, "ordinarily we'd have given you a bit more time to check in but Kota's wanting all teams to rendezvous at the planet side base."
"Then I'll deliver my report now," Fordo pulled out a small holodisk, showing a recording of another area of the forest. "The Imperials are developing a new weapon here." As they watched something was detonated in the middle of the area. All that was left afterwards was a frozen wasteland.
"CryoBan weaponry," the force wielder's eyes narrowed at the spectacle.
"That's what we suspected," the clone captain nodded, "I made the call to investigate further."
"Let me guess," The slicer sighed, "you snuck aboard the ship to get a closer look at the weaponry and something went wrong."
"Yes ma'am," Fordo answered, as he usually did, simply, "Nova Troopers discovered us. In the ensuing firefight a Stormtrooper attempted to fire a rocket at us. Trip hit 'em dead on and the rocket discharged into the weapon."
"And made a mess like only you can," the jedi crossed his arms with a shake of his head, "amazing you got out of there unscathed."
"Not entirely unscathed," the ARC trooper informed, "Trip took a hit to his leg and Cable got shot in the shoulder."
"I'm moving fine, I can still fire a weapon," the two clone troopers assured from the back. Kan was quick to notice Trip had a definite limp. First aid had already been administered to it, unsurprisingly, but he was going to need a little time to heal before he could run or walk at a fast pace without repercussions.
"I take it Mach is back at the shuttle," the commander asked.
"Yes sir," the clone captain nodded, "he was ordered to be on standby. If we don't show up within the next hour, his orders are to leave without us and take the footage of the weapon to the militia."
"I doubt he'd actually leave you guys," Kan commented, "but it's still a good idea if we get…firfrek!" His head whipped around to the hallway behind them where a small group of Stormtroopers were turning a corner. He'd missed them because he'd been focusing on the discussion at hand and hadn't thought any patrols would be moving back this way so soon.
"Intruders! Blast 'em!" The two front troopers exclaimed before opening fire in their direction. Kan's lightsaber was ignited in an instant, swiftly deflecting the red bolts while Fordo and Lera dove to either side, firing their own weapons. Two troopers fell in the initial barrage while the others moved to either side of the door and began firing from cover. "Call for backup! They've got a jedi with them!"
"Lera, the controls," Kan called while waving his hand, calling upon the force. The button to close the door was activated as if an invisible hand had pressed it, causing them to slowly slide shut. One trooper tried to leap in and hit the controls but was quickly shot down by Fordo while Lera aimed her carbine and shot the panel, frying said controls. Before long, the firefight stopped.
"So much for a quick in and out," the slicer quipped, "now what?"
"How long will it take you to get the data out of the bridge computers?" The jedi questioned back.
"If it's the usual Imperial security then just a couple minutes," Lera estimated, "but according to Fordo there were Nova troopers here, which might mean it's encrypted and that'll take longer."
"We can decrypt the data later," Kan assured, "just worry about extracting it once we get up there. After that, we'll call for a ride."
About the Same Time: Aboard the Setsukon
For obvious reasons, Ocho wasn't happy about the current arrangement. Indeed she was given command of the corvette and its two accompanying shuttles, but that command was tenuous at best. One of the reasons for that was standing right next to her, staring out into the void of hyperspace. Ocho had never heard of his species, the Zeuol, but they clearly liked concealing their bodies.
He was the lead inquisitor, a man who went by the title 'The First Brother'. He was a tall individual, easily standing six feet if not more, towering over even many of the troopers. Most of his black inquisitor uniform was concealed behind a large cape which covered everything below his broad shoulders. A riveted leather collar concealed his neck and a black mask with red lenses covered his face. The only thing she could see of his actual body was a large mane of coarse ropey hair that fell down his neck and around his shoulders.
His accompanying inquisitor, the Fifth Sister, was a woman that stood much shorter than him but was no less threatening. Her black uniform was easier to see thanks to her black cape being left open but her face was hidden by a mask reminiscent of the rumored Darth Vader. She was, thankfully, not present, choosing to remain aboard her personal ship which was currently docked with the Setsukon, along with the First Brother's.
"Your fear is understandable," he spoke suddenly, causing Ocho to tense somewhat. It was only thanks to her discipline that she didn't outright jump. "Your anger and frustration, however, I find questionable."
"It's only natural I'd be frustrated," the ISB Officer discretely recomposed herself, "as long as those two are out there Tao isn't safe. The majority of the Yasaburo clan either fled or was killed due to the actions of its head, but now that he's fled with that thief I've no doubt they plan on garnering support to try taking back the planet."
"And yet, you seem ungrateful," the First Brother glanced in her direction, "that thief, as you call her, possesses not only a lightsaber but the force. I assured you before that those of us within the Inquisitorius are the best equipped for tracking down and dealing with such individuals."
"I don't wish to waste your talents chasing after a novice," Ocho responded, "as the best jedi hunters in the empire, surely you're needed elsewhere."
"False flattery will not put you in my good graces," the inquisitor turned to fully face her, "I took the liberty of obtaining your personnel file from Admiral Pheros. I am well aware that the capture of these fugitives is quite personal to you and while I have an appreciation for motivated individuals capable of taking initiative I will not have it jeopardize our primary objective."
"You co-opted this ship and have turned the objective of tracking down two fugitives into the pursuit of an entire rebel cell," the Tao woman narrowed her eyes, "your primary objective is not mine. Once I've achieved my own objective I shall be returning to Tao."
"Even if such an action would go against the orders given by Imperial command," Ocho couldn't see it but was certain an amused expression had just crossed the Inquisitor's face. He turned to look out the viewport then. "By now your fugitives have likely joined the militia, meaning finding one should lead us to the other."
"What makes you so sure that this incident we just received word of is the Neebray Militia's doing?" She asked, "Why do we have any forces at all on a backwater planet like this?"
"I see you really haven't familiarized yourself with who operates in the militia and how," The First Brother observed, "The report stated the intruders were wearing phase I clone trooper armor and that it was a four man squad. No doubt the fifth member is on standby at their shuttle even as we speak. This description matches quite closely to one of two squads known as the Muunilist 5 or M5 for short. I know of few other squads who could've pulled off the disabling of an entire star destroyer."
"But that should be impossible," Ocho's eyes widened, "even with a reduced crew a single four man team shouldn't be capable of something like that!"
"And yet the Neebray Militia has succeeded in doing so before," the inquisitor informed, "They have proven themselves surprisingly cunning in recent years. That is why you need two inquisitors if you wish to achieve your objective, and why it will benefit Tao and every system loyal to the empire for this militia to be crushed. So you see, commander, our objectives are very much in line with each other. Just trust that we know what we're doing, and everyone shall walk away with what they desire." Ocho wisely chose not to ask what it was the First Brother truly desired.
Aboard the Downed Star Destroyer
"I hope we're getting close," Lera commented as they fired down a hallway on their left before continuing onward. The alert had gone out and now every remaining trooper in their section of the star destroyer was trying to converge on their location. This meant small squads of troopers were popping out of hallways both in front of and behind them. When they were lucky it was only two or three and they were able to take them out easily.
When they weren't so lucky, however, squads of five or more would pop out and start shooting at them, forcing the group to turn into another corridor and navigate around until they were back on track. This would be the third time now they'd needed to alter course. "Just down the next hallway," Fordo informed as they turned another corner. Mercifully, they saw the doors to the turbolift right in the middle of the left side wall.
Not so mercifully, another squad of stormtroopers was coming in from the opposite side of the hallway. Kan deflected the blaster bolts aimed at him while they continued to charge, knowing there was little cover other than behind him. Fordo was on top of things as always and signaled his lieutenant who tossed a thermal detonator over the jedi's head as soon as he saw an opening. The enemy troopers retreated but not quick enough to avoid two of them getting caught in the blast.
"Get us up there," Kan ordered, standing in front of the button pad while Lera hit it to call the turbolift. It must've been at or near the bridge because the doors didn't open immediately. This meant the group had to continue using suppressing fire and the jedi's skill with deflecting blaster bolts for another minute. Kan remedied this issue temporarily by grabbing a ceiling panel with the force and yanking on it, causing the metal plate to swing down in front of the doorway the stormtroopers were using.
The Lieutenant took this opportunity to unsling the portable rocket launcher he'd been carrying and moved into a kneeling position a few feet away from them. As soon as more troopers started emerging from the opposite end of the hallway he fired it into the side of the door, throwing several of their enemies back with an explosion. "Door's open!" Lera announced, knowing the group didn't need any encouragement as they quickly crowded into the elevator and hit the switch for the bridge.
"Ho, how's everyone holding up so far," Kan breathed out, deactivating his lightsaber and taking a moment to catch his breath.
"I think my leg's about to give out again," Trip slumped against the lift's wall, "how many more of those painkillers do we got?"
"This is the last one," Fordo informed as he knelt down and stuck an injector in his clone brother's neck, "watch your movements carefully, soldier. If you notice the wound reopening don't hesitate to tell us."
"What about everyone else, are we set?" Lera asked while also breathing a little heavily.
"The captain and I only took a couple of glancing blows on our armor," the Lieutenant informed while checking the remaining ammo on his portable rocket launcher. "Cable, is your wound worsening?"
"It's hurting a bit more but it's nothing I can't push through," he assured.
"I took a couple grazes to my sleeves," Lera noted.
"They got my hat once and a glancing shot on my upper right thigh," Kan observed, "good thing I had some plating there."
"And a blaster resistant Kyuzo hat," the slicer commented before noticing they were about to arrive. "We're here." The doors slid open then, admitting the group of six onto the bridge of the star destroyer. It, like much of the rest of the ship, was bathed in red emergency lights, though that didn't hide the blackness of the floor which contained four pits where the comms and other bridge personnel worked.
Naturally there was a catwalk in the middle, allowing the commanding officer to remind everyone who was in charge as they walked by or stood above them. It was into one of these pits that Lera jumped and plugged her scomp link into a terminal, beginning her search for and download of all relevant information about what the empire was doing here. "Seal the doors as planned," Kan ordered, prompting Fordo to blast the control panel while the jedi himself pressed his lightsaber lightly against the seam and slowly moved it downwards, melting them together. "How long?"
"Security is looking a little tighter than expected," Lera admitted, "not a huge surprise since this is some top-secret project, but I should be through it and done with the download in five minutes."
"Remember not to worry about decrypting the data until later," the jedi reminded, finishing up melting the door, "we're going to have to cut some corners here."
"Commander," Cable called from one of the far corners, "we've found the maintenance shaft, it leads straight to the top."
"Good," Kan acknowledged, "you think you can get Trip up there?"
"I can climb a ladder no problem, commander," said Clone Trooper assured.
"Then you two head up top," the jedi ordered, "we'll be right behind you in just a minute."
"Three minutes and counting," Lera informed, "I'm breaking through their security now." The sound of the turbolift suddenly moving down caught their attention then.
"Commander, recommend setting charges," Fordo advised, "we're going to have company very soon."
"Toss me a few," Kan put up his lightsaber and caught the disc-shaped explosives. They quickly went to work setting them up near the lift and on the stations in the pit.
"One minute," the slicer announced, "I'm downloading the data now!" No sooner did she say this than the light indicated the lift was coming back up. Everyone tensed as the line on Lera's screen raced against the red light above the doors, each beep signaling another moment closer to confrontation. The moment of truth came when the final light shined, and the lift made a noise announcing its arrival.
Sparks erupted from either side of the turbolift doors, moving downwards as the troopers used cutting torches to slice through the metal. "Got it!" Lera yelled in triumph before yanking her scomp link out. Soon enough, the troopers finished cutting the doors and in the next instant, they exploded outward. A squad of six troopers quickly moved onto the bridge, sweeping the area with their E-11 blaster rifles held at the ready.
What they found, however, wasn't a group of rebels. What greeted this squad was a series of circular, beeping det charges. The stormtroopers had just enough time to realize they were slag before the charges on the bridge all exploded.
A Few Minutes Earlier: The Setsukon
"Dropping out of hyperspace," the navigator on the bridge announced as their destination came into view in front of them.
"Contact the officer in charge," Ocho ordered, "be sure to inform him this is an ISB matter."
"Right away commander," the comms officer on the bridge acknowledged before carrying out his directive. Strangely, the voice that greeted them sounded surprisingly happy to know they were arriving.
"The ISB is here, what perfect timing," a man appeared on the holopad with long dark blue hair, save for a large bald spot on the top of his head, "this is Dr. Silas Tagge, I'd like to report an incursion that's greatly interfering with my current project."
"I sense your incursion is still on the planet," The First Brother hummed, "how many?"
"Originally four individuals in clone armor were reported," Tagge informed, "two more individuals have joined them quite recently. We believe a jedi is among them."
"I can confirm a jedi is indeed among them," the inquisitor sensed.
"What color is the jedi's blade," Ocho practically barked, "do you have confirmation of the jedi's species?"
"All we've determined so far is that the jedi has a blue lightsaber and appears to be humanoid," the scientist answered, "they were last reported heading for the bridge. I've got the majority of my forces working on salvage duty so only a few teams are-."
"Salvage duty?!" The ISB woman grit her teeth, "you have confirmation of a jedi in your facilities! Why are you not mobilizing everything against them?!"
"Because we have to confirm whether or not any of the new weapons are left," Tagge insisted, "a single jedi is not a great enough concern to pull all of my forces away from my project."
"Your project isn't going anywhere," Ocho growled, "gather your forces and-."
"I have an alternative strategy we can employ," The First Brother raised his hand, quieting the two, "a compromise, if you will. Simply send in the Fifth Sister and she will see to it that all of our goals come to fruition."
"What did you have in mind, inquisitor?" Tagge asked, his own curiosity admittedly piqued.
Downed Star Destroyer
"*Cough**cough*," Lera exited open the door to the maintenance hatch, feeling like she was about to hack up a lung from all of the smoke caused by the explosions on the bridge, "damn I hate it when we cut it that close." She climbed out, followed by the two ARC troopers and finally Kan who pulled a jedi breathing device out of his mouth.
"I see you forgot your aquata breather again," He teased as they regrouped with the other two clone troopers on top of the star destroyer's bridge section.
"I didn't think I'd need one inside a downed star destroyer in atmosphere," the slicer huffed in mock offense, "but we can argue about it later. Let's call our rides and get out of here before those troopers find another way up."
"We're contacting Mach now," Fordo announced.
"Guess that's my cue," Kan remarked as he held up his wrist communicator, "DT, get hooked up to the ship and bring it around. We're on top of the star destroyer bridge section and-." He turned his head towards the sky, sensing a disturbance in the force. "We've got company."
A ship dropped out of the clouds then, bearing down on them at high speed. It was a craft which held the hallmarks of the TIE design but looked and functioned very differently to its other brethren. The radiator panels it had for wings were triangular, coming out on either side and meeting in the back. They hung horizontally over the ships rectangular, sloping body.
It was a TIE Reaper Attack Lander, and everyone knew immediately that meant more enemy troops, or something even worse. "Scatter!" The Lieutenant yelled, prompting the group to all move away in different directions as the craft fired green bolts from the tips of its wings. Molten metal flew up into the air with each explosive impact on the capital ship's hull.
"Commander," Fordo called to Kan. The jedi looked over, noting the hand signals the ARC trooper was giving him.
"Got it, I'll draw Reaper's fire," he acknowledged, igniting his lightsaber and running out towards the middle of the bridge section. The ship had turned around and switched to repulsors now, hovering like a gunship as it fired even more shots in his direction. 'That's right, aim for the jedi,' Kan thought while running as fast as he could, using the force to augment his speed. But the pilot was good, quickly turning the ship while continuing to barrage his position and throw up more explosive impacts and molten metal around him.
Thankfully, this only lasted for a few moments as he heard the sound of a rocket launching. It was the Lieutenant firing his portable rocket launcher right at the Reaper. Amazingly, the pilot seemed to anticipate the tactic and tried ascending higher into the air. Kan wouldn't allow that, however, and in the same instant he reached out with the force, grabbing hold of the flying projectile and directing it upward.
The rocket exploded against the underside of the craft, causing electricity to spring up all around the vessel as it slowly spun out in the air before coming to a crash landing on the bridge. "I always love seeing an ion rocket at work," Lera commented while regrouping with the other clones.
"Lieutenant, ready another-," Fordo was about to say before Kan held up his hand.
"No, you'll just be wasting them," he warned, "move back to defensive positions." Before anyone could ask what he meant, a hatch on the top of the TIE Reaper sprang open. Everyone held their weapons at the ready as a figure in a black uniform nimbly climbed out of it. The jedi's warning became clear as they realized what they were looking at.
"Excellent," the now revealed female figure hummed, "the reports of jedi in this sector are true after all." She opened her cape as two snap hisses were heard and a pair of crimson blades illuminated the coming sunset. "Let us see, what you're capable of."
Secrets unveiled and forces clash as our heroes come face to face with the empire's enforcers. They've escaped so far but will it be enough to handle an inquisitor? We'll find that out in the next chapter so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And for those still wondering about the appearance of Kan's ship, look up the yg-4210 as they don't seem to have pictures of the yg-5000. Lastly, check out my Pat reon for news and other cool things happening during the week. Stop in next time as our heroes take on a wielder of the dark side! 'Til then.