Interlude

Togo

Katmir Hal stared up at the droids on the catwalk above him. A single squad of B1 battle droids, marching in two ordered rows across a single expanse of metal that stretched across the gorge. Their footfalls could be heard from here, loud and ringing in the rain. It almost constantly rained on Togo. The clouds were lower than usual today.

Grabbing a small device from his belt, Katmir waited until the droids were halfway across the catwalk, then slammed his thumb onto the button that topped the detonator. Tiny explosions cascaded around either end of the catwalk and it collapsed. Scraps of metal fell into the gorge, and with it went the ten battle droids, each screaming and yelling in their high-pitched, tinny voice.

Katmir had seen those droids during the Battle of Naboo. Both he, his wife and their daughter had lived in Theed for years, but they had been victims of the droid occupation. A raid had cost his wife her life. Now he was here, on her homeworld of Togo. And he was making life difficult for the droids that had followed him here.

To be honest, they had not exactly followed him. Togo was a massive planet, and the site of a few mining complexes. The constant rain meant that what dirt was on the planet was little more than thick, sticky mud. The tops of mountains held the larger cities, villages and towns. Smaller towns were usually situated around the dozen large strip-mines that were working their way across Togo's forests.

The mines brought what little wealth came to Togo. There weren't many people willing to risk the planet's few safe hyperspace lanes. In effect, Togo had been cut off from the rest of the galaxy by one simply thing… the Theorum Trade Route. Cutting around the planet with a highway cut around backroads, Togo was ignored while the larger ships travelled past them. But when the TO4 Mining Corporation had uncovered a new area of duranium, the Trade Federation had come calling.

And again, Katmir was plagued by an invasion of the Trade Federation. But this time, they were welcomed with open arms. Or at least, open factories.

In return for transporting their duranium to markets across the galaxy, the Togo leadership – mostly the mine owners – allowed the Trade Federation to build new spaceports, space stations and processing facilities. It was too late when the others realised they had invited the Federation to invade them and take control of their world.

At first, the B1 battle droids that the Neimodian overseer, a larger man who only went by the name Count Turnassi, had deployed on the surface of the world had been mostly focussed on the mining tunnels and refining facility. Production rates had increased exponentially since their arrival. Then came the second commander. At first, he had seemed like a simple safety inspector, making the rounds of Togo to oversee the facilities. At night, he would venture into the bars and restaurants, watching the people and miners converse and drink the night away.

Katmir owned the Unlucky Tooka, a name his daughter had chosen from her days on Naboo. He was used to the rowdy bunch of miners, who worked their lives in darkness and then came here to offload before they went home. He had watched the man walk in and sit. He was unimpressive in appearance, perhaps shorter than most. A rare sight, but he was not Neimodian. He was an Ithorian. Normally a kind and gentle species, this man had sat in his long robes and watched. Hal had noticed the way he would lean closer to each table as he tried to eavesdrop on their conversations, occasionally making notes on his datapad. Then he would leave, returning the next day. Something remained with Hal each time the overseer left. There had been something deep hidden behind the huge eyes of the man. A vicious hunger. A need for something.

Hal had just thought it was ambition. How very wrong he was.

Word had come down through the gossip lines that Count Turnassi had been murdered by the overseer. A hacked recording showed the Hammerhead shooting the larger Neimodian right in front of his subordinates. No one knew where the recording had come from. It had just appeared on the local news feed one night, overriding the signal to play the recording. It had appeared in the Unlucky Tooka too. Hal had been horrified, and quickly ordered his daughter into the back room. But not one of his customers flinched. No one ran for help or to call the Federation and report the crime. They just stood at attention while the man gave them new orders.

Two things happened the very next day. Firstly, the battle droids moved in, marching through the streets as they searched for dissidents who didn't exist. Those in the mines would be kept there for longer shifts. The bars were emptier, the streets were deserted. That day also marked the first stark of resistance.

Hal and his daughter, now fifteen, had begun to attack the occasional droid convoy. They would always stay in the shadows for the next few days, and then go out again, in the cover of night. Eventually, the attacks had gotten more daring, and several other men and women had joined them.

Their numbers had grown to thirty strong, and they were now in the middle of their most daring attack yet. Simultaneous attacks on droid patrols, located inside several of the larger open-cut mines. Charges rigged on bridges and at the droid power stations would stop the expanse of the droid presence in those mines for at least a few days.

Hal turned back to his team, three of the soldiers he had found. Each gripped their blasters tightly, glancing left and right as they did. He nodded, the signal for a successful mission, and they dropped back, out of sight. He knew that his daughter would be doing the same, dropping back to the tunnels to escape. They would meet up in the underground caves, where their speeders were stashed. Suddenly, a loud groan came from the man ahead of Hal, and he watched as he slumped forward, clutching his heart. Hal caught the man, lowering him the ground. A huge spike was embedded in the man's chest.

"I would like to thank you for actually making me work to stop you, Katmir Hal.", a static-filled voice came around the corner, and a multi-legged holoprojector walked past the rockface. Hovering ethereally above it was the Ithorian, wearing a translator box around his neck. "But your pathetic Resistance stops now!"

Battle droids appeared from the walks, pushing aside stones to aim their blasters at the men. Three huge droideka's rolled down the passage, blocking their escape.

The Ithorian laughed cruelly, "I can assure you that while the rest of your teams were indeed successful, I will soon have them in my custody as well. You will all be publicly executed by the will and words of the visionary, Rucck Lamir! I will show this planet what happens when you disobey the will of…"

Suddenly, a beam of light spun through the nearest droids, and they collapsed. The droidekas went flying and the other droids were dismembered by a blue blade of light. A man appeared from the darkness, wearing nothing except for a ragged pair of trousers on his legs. His hair and beard were long an unkempt, and a large wicker hat sat on his head. His chest was heavily scarred and he walked with a limp, but he also had an air of command about him. With one hand, he crushed the holoprojector that was showing the planet it's new ruler.

"Come, Katmir Hal.", the man said. "We must get back to your companions. Your daughter will be worried about you."

He turned, and started to walk away, but Hal stood still.

"Who are you?"

The words came from the man on Hal's right. He had brought his rifle up and was aiming it at the man. The man seemed to be unconcerned about that. He shrugged indifferently. "My name is Kai. I am here to get you all to safety, and to assist with your fight against these droids."

"How did you get here?", Hal asked. He was a bit less suspicious about this man. He had seen the man's weapon, and knew the rumours about the Jedi. "And why haven't you been helping us deal with these droids?"

Kai frowned at the question. "I was shot down by the Trade Federation as soon as I got within range. If you have any more questions, please wait until later. There are more droids on the way, and I would very much like for there to be no more needless death."