Where The Frozen Trail Leads
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Path of Kan Taro! Our heroes are on the hunt this chapter for the source of the empire's new weapon. Naturally it'll hit a bump or two on the way, but what else is new? And speaking of on the hunt, if you're looking for news and updates about my current and future projects, check out my Pat reon and see about becoming a patron for all the news and scene samples you'll need and even some commission work! Now then, with that all out of the way and no guest review questions this week, let's end the scroll crawl and get to the story!
The Outer Rim World of Burnin Konn: Carbon Score Cantina
Within the Anoat sector of the outer rim lay a number of worlds such as Bespin, Hoth, and, naturally, Anoat itself. Many of these worlds had surfaces that were basically unlivable due to one reason or another such as a frigid cold climate, being covered in poisonous gases, etc. The planet Burnin Konn was much the same way, though not always. Unlike Hoth or Bespin, which had natural reasons for being hard to inhabit, Burnin Konn was a mining world that once boasted its own flora and fauna.
Unfortunately, the planet was so rich in minerals like chromium and dolovite that it was mined mercilessly until the surface itself was basically uninhabitable by normal means. What remained was now nothing more than a rocky wasteland with deadly winds blowing clouds of carbon dust all around it. The only places one could safely live to any degree were in the deep crags left behind by other mining operations. And yet, offworlders still managed to build a spaceport and a couple cities, leading to a population of ten thousand immigrants from multiple corners of the galaxy.
Naturally since the planet was on the outer rim many of these immigrants were not the most upstanding of people. Even with the planet now under imperial control a few local crime bosses have managed to keep their businesses going. The upside to this meant such a planet was a perfect meeting place for people wanting to pass along sensitive intel since most would dismiss it as regular dealings between said crime bosses. Hence the reason Tae and Daizo were currently wading through a small crowd in a marketplace characterized by large red tents and illuminated by bright blue lights.
Tae had donned a hooded black jacket along with some goggles and a small scarf for this trip, not only to hide his identity but also due to the planet's less than favorable weather. Daizo wore roughly the same outfit he always did, albeit with some cloth coverings over his arms and legs. The Kyuzo made a couple of comments about the state of the place as they neared their destination. "I wouldn't doubt it," Tae nodded as they approached a door that had been built into one of the rock walls, "some places are the same whether they're under imperial rule or not."
Daizo asked another couple of questions, naturally wondering what his part in this little trip should be. "I know you're not the most fond of waiting, but Bor'sk likes to draw as little attention as possible. Not to mention you'll be a better look out than me when it comes to the imperials possibly showing up. Just stick around outside, circle the building, check the back, and if I'm not out or contacting you in twenty minutes, head in."
The Phatrong native did his people's version of a sigh before nodding in understanding and walking around to the back. As for Tae, he took a deep breath and headed inside, his senses immediately bombarded by the familiar smell of a dozen different alcohols, not all of which were for human consumption, along with a thin wall of smoke from a few death stick users. This was the Carbon Score Cantina and like most cantinas it was dimly lit, had a main bar near the far wall and numerous tables and booths characterizing its interior. And like many cantinas it was crowded with numerous characters of different races, more than a few of which were criminal in nature.
Tae had to step around a trio of mean looking Weequay's and squeeze past a lumbering elephant-faced Ortolan before he found who he was looking for: A Bothan in a grey cloak with a short-brimmed hat on. "If it isn't my favorite human pilot!" Bor'sk greeted as he stood up from his table and embraced Tae.
"Bor'sk," he returned the greeting in the Bothan's native language of Bothese, "how have things been? Are Mar'sk and the pups doing okay?" They'd practiced this particular bit several times, quickly slipping each other credits and information discs during their little greeting.
"The children are getting rowdier all the time," the Bothan answered as they both sat down next to each other at the small round table, "but Mar'sk is as spry as ever. Still wants me to stop by home more often, but work is work. What about you, I noticed your Bothese has gotten better."
"Been practicing between missions," Tae answered back, "I at least don't sound like a gagging Whiphid anymore."
"Better than my Aunt Na'sk," the furry humanoid laughed, "I swear I'm listening to a coughing dewback every time she opens her mouth." Bor'sk made an exaggerated growling noise in imitation, getting a laugh out of the both of them for several seconds.
"So," Tae took a breath once they stopped laughing, "it turns out that odd shipment you pegged was CryoBan."
"CryoBan," the contact's eyebrows raised in interest, "now that is concerning. The empire finally get tired of simply setting things on fire?"
"You got me," the pilot shrugged, "what we've gathered so far is they're using it in a new type of warhead. And get this, they modified the stuff. Whatever it freezes stays frozen for frek knows how long now."
"Do you have a list of other chemicals that might've been used," Bor'sk inquired, "knowing that we're looking for CryoBan now will definitely narrow down our parameters for intel, but it doesn't sound like you've got any idea whether or not these warheads are the only thing it's being used in."
"I slipped you all we got with the usual payment," Tae revealed while taking a sip of his drink, "the question is whether or not you've got anything else?"
"You probably already know the inquisitors have taken interest in your little band again," the Bothan took a bite of some meat that a waiter had set out for them, "what you probably don't know is who else is on your tail; the ISB. The officer on that planet you visited recently, Tao, is making use of a new corvette called a Crusader-class. The commander of that ship is named Ocho, and she works under Admiral Pheros. I slipped what I could get of the ship's blueprints and personnel files in there."
"Any idea how many of these new corvettes there are?" He asked in between bites of his own meal.
"Special order prototypes," Bor'sk recalled while holding up a finger, "and get this, Mandal Motors developed them. Good news is only that one is in your sector of space right now."
"Lucky us," Tae quipped, "a couple of inquisitors chasing us down with a new corvette made by a warrior people. I don't know of many rebel cells that can make that boast."
"It gets better," his bestial companion hummed, "I got word that the Tagge Company might have a personal investment in this little project you stumbled upon. Unfortunately, some irritable people didn't like me finding that out."
"Are those irritable people here now?" The pilot shifted his position to get a discrete look at the entrance.
"They'll be here in a couple minutes," Bor'sk sighed, "can't miss 'em. Those bucket heads stick out wherever they go."
"Ah Bor'sk, it always pains me when our talks have to end this way," he took a big swig of his drink, washing down his meal. He then discreetly pressed a button on the chronometer on his left wrist.
"You know how it goes," the Bothan shrugged while sipping his own drink, "we're supposed to be neutral. We have to give the imperials something every now and then to keep them convinced."
"I know this means you're paying for the meal this time," Tae quipped with a slight smirk as he noticed Daizo slipping into the bar, "do you happen to know if the clamps and tractor beams are down right now?"
"As it just so happens, they're under maintenance," Bor'sk confirmed with a grin, "things are always needing to get fixed in this weather. Oh, I hope you don't mind the Bryar again."
"Just don't jam me in the nuts this time," the pilot requested.
"And that's why you're my favorite human," the Bothan complimented with a laugh, "not everyone likes to play along."
"I've put up with far worse doing this job," Tae and Bor'sk finished their drinks before he moved to stand up, "and it's not like I don't get it."
"Happy to hear," Bor'sk grinned mischievously as he pulled out a long-barreled blaster pistol with a ribbed section on top; a Bryar pistol. Funny enough, its original design had been that of a rifle, but several soldiers, mercenaries, etc. found they could saw down its muzzle and stock to make it more compact and usable with only one hand. "Now, put your hands up. Even on stun this blaster will hurt at close range."
"Whoa now," the pilot backed away slightly with his hands up, "come on buddy, what's with the sudden hold up? I don't recall having a bounty on my head."
"We in the intel business call it a finder's fee," the bestial humanoid reminded, "the empire pays for intel on rebels, but they pay even better when a broker can give them a rebel." The sound of a slight commotion outside caused the rest of the cantina to fall quiet. "Right on time." The door opened up as a squad of six Stormtroopers and a captain with an orange shoulder piece entered, leveling their blasters at the duo and a few of the other nearby patrons.
"Tae Bothui," the captain advanced, "you are guilty of numerous acts of treason, sabotage, and assault against the empire and its citizens."
"What, no sedition," he quipped while turning his attention back to Bor'sk, "how do they not know about the sedition?"
"Ignore him," the Bothan turned to the captain, "you got the rest of my credits?" The Stormtrooper flicked the apparent payment his way. The bestial humanoid snatched it out of the air and pocketed it with his other clawed hand. "All yours cap-BAAAAM!" A cry of pain sounded as one of the Stormtroopers fell, courtesy of a blast from Daizo who'd been hiding in one of the corners.
Tae didn't waste this moment, seizing Bor'sk's blaster and turning it on the captain, stunning him before twisting it around and blasting the Bothan as well. Both went down at nearly the same time with the pilot ducking down behind the table they'd been at. "Tell Mar'sk I said hi," he quipped as blaster fire started flying all over the cantina and chaos took over. It seemed a couple of the patrons weren't keen on having imperial Stormtroopers shooting the place up and fired back with their own blasters while everyone else rushed for the exits.
Tae crawled along the floor a few feet before pushing over a larger table to use as cover and opening fire with his heavy blaster pistol. "We've officially worn out our welcome!" He yelled over the noise as Daizo called back. "I agree, time to go!" No sooner had he said this than more Stormtroopers began pouring in.
The pilot remedied this problem temporarily by readying and throwing a concussion grenade right for the door. The resulting blast shook the bar and caused the blaster fire to stop for a couple precious seconds, enough for Tae to break cover and head for the back door with Daizo in tow. As soon as they entered the alley they headed down the left side. A choice they immediately regretted as more troopers passed by the alley's exit.
The duo turned and fled the other way, taking a turn down another alley, then another after that, just managing to stay ahead of the occasional blaster bolt. "You there," a pair of troopers appeared just before they exited the alley, "hal-UGH!" Daizo didn't stop and instead jumped into the air, demonstrating his species surprising agility for their height as he drop-kicked one trooper over and backhanded the other. A couple more troopers appeared, firing their blasters at the attacking Kyuzo.
Daizo bent over, leveling his hat vertically like a shield as the red bolts impacted against it. A green blaster bolt hit the nearest trooper before Tae rushed in and tackled the other trooper over. He promptly finished him with a blaster shot to the face. "How's your head," he asked as his Kyuzo friend stood up and gave a quick response, "no kidding, best hats in the galaxy."
His co-pilot would normally have corrected him about it being a helmet but they had more pressing concerns. Thus, they continued on, dodging another couple patrols of Stormtroopers before arriving at the landing pad. As expected, two more squads of troopers were patrolling the area. "RN," he called on his communicator, "you seeing the activity out here?"
"I figured it had something to do with you two," the former commando droid answered, "Bor'sk have to sell us out again?"
"Pretty much," Tae confirmed, "think you can warm up the ship without drawing too much attention?"
"The engines starting will be a dead giveaway," RN reminded, "but I can power up the cannons first. Just choose a good moment when you make a break for it."
"You know us, always making a clean getaway," the pilot quipped before shutting off the comm and readying his blaster pistol. They waited behind one of the many stacks of crates, noting both the telltale signs of the Grinning Gundark activating and the position of the two squads. When it seemed like they were all at the farthest points of their patrol, the duo broke cover and ran. "Give 'em all you got!"
No sooner did he say this than the scattered Stormtroopers begin converging on their position. Thankfully, just as blaster bolts started flying their way, the bottom turret of their freighter moved and opened fire on a stack of cargo near where the most troopers was running by. There must've been something flammable in there because in the next instant a small explosion occurred which rained down more than a few flaming debris all over the landing pad. Tae was pretty sure a small piece of it hit him in the back but he was too hyped up on adrenaline to slow down as the ramp lowered.
The scattered troopers regrouped for one last attempt at them but were halted again by the bottom turret of the Grinning Gundark scorching the landing pad in front of them. By this point, the duo managed to climb aboard the ramp, hitting the switch to close it back up as Daizo yelled for RN to take off. The droid did as instructed and as promised, their exit from the landing pad wasn't hindered by any tractor beams or magnetic clamps. "Alright, I'm taking over," Tae announced as he and Daizo entered the cockpit, "go take position at your usual turret."
"I hope the intel Bor'sk gave us was worth all the trouble," RN commented while vacating the pilot's seat, "this is the second landing pad we've had to make a getaway from in the last few days and yet another possible injury I'll have to look at."
"It must mean we're dealing with something big," the pilot surmised while fighting a bit with the controls to keep the ship stable against the planet's high winds, "good news is, we won't be coming back here for a long while." It was a statement everyone could agree on as the ship fought its way to the atmosphere and back towards the place they were currently calling home.
One Year Before the Clone Wars: Jedi Temple
Two blue blades clashed multiple times before separating as several padawans and a few masters looked on. The first fighter was a blue-skinned Chagrian, distinguished as a male by not only the two head tendrils, or lethorns, resting on his shoulders but also by the cranial horns protruding from his head. Currently he was breathing somewhat heavily with a bit of green sweat dripping down his scalp. The other fighter was Kan, standing in one of the traditional positions of form II, breathing far less heavily.
The reason being was his opponent had been the main aggressor up to this point. It would seem ironic since Chagrians were known as a relatively peace-loving people, but that was why this particular padawan had adopted a style meant for ending a fight as quickly as possible: Form IV. Unfortunately for him, such a style used a lot of energy very quickly, making it a poor choice against an opponent who prioritized efficiency and precision. A point which was again emphasized by the Chagrian charging at Kan with a flurry of blows.
He parried or dodged each one, taking advantage of his own advanced footwork to maneuver inside his opponent's guard and force him to retreat, lest he get stung by Kan's blade again. That was how this stage of what was known as the Apprentice Tournament worked. Potential padawans were paired off and faced each other in a mock duel with their lightsabers on the lowest setting to ensure no one lost a limb, or their life. The first one to score three burns on their opponent was the winner.
Such a contest was the type Kan's preferred lightsaber form excelled at, a fact he continued to demonstrate by parrying even more blows from his opponent, focusing on turning them away in an attempt to imbalance his aggressor's more acrobatic style. This proved to frustrate the amphibious youngling who had already been fighting longer than he wanted and thus began attacking more recklessly. That was when Kan saw his opening and ducked under a rather clumsy horizontal swing before going into a lunge with his saber and striking the Chagrian square in the chest. The surprised examinee fell onto his back, the scorched part of his robe smoking ever so slightly.
"And that's the match," Jedi Master Shaak Ti announced while raising her right hand, "the winner is Kan Taro."
"Thank you master," Kan deactivated his lightsaber and bowed to the Togrutan jedi before moving to help his opponent up.
"Ow, did you have to hit me right there, Taro," the Chagrian grunted as he accepted his fellow youngling's help in getting off the floor, "I think that's gonna scar."
"Would you have preferred a burn mark between the eyes," he quipped, "I believe Master Drallig told you to improve your return swings."
"Guess it didn't sink in," the youngling sighed as they both headed back to join the other potential apprentices. Naturally Kan took a seat next to Fae and Ahsoka.
"He's surprisingly disciplined for one his age," Jedi Master Saessee Tiin observed, "I usually expect that kind of patience from the ones who've taken up form III." He was of the Iktochi species and thus had two long horns reaching down from either side of his head.
"It's easy to forget these days that mastering form II takes a lot of discipline," Jedi Master Eeth Koth reminded with his arms crossed, "he kept his cool under that onslaught and managed to escape without a single burn. His potential in the force is also nothing to scoff at. It's little wonder we keep hearing about him, Tano, and Fae." As a member of the Zabrak species, he sported a crown of horns on his head.
"See a bit of yourself in that boy, Master Koth," his compatriot asked with a slight hint of amusement.
"I don't know about that," he shrugged, "but it seems he's already on the way to sharpening his mind to a disciplined weapon. I can't say I wouldn't enjoy the prospect of teaching such a person."
The Present: Outer Rim: Aboard the Sphyrna-Class Corvette: 'Bunker'
Kan deflected Lop's green blade as she attempted a series of vertical and diagonal strikes against him. They weren't necessarily amateurish but there was plenty of room for improvement. 'It's too bad no one we know currently has dabbled in Ataru,' he mused while lifting his leg and stepping back slightly to avoid a sweeping kick, 'the style would be perfect for an acrobatic species like hers.' As if to emphasize this point, Lop jumped up and twisted in the air, landing feet first on Kan's shoulders with her blade poised to strike.
Before she could get a firm grip, however, Kan sent her flying off of him with a quick Force Push. She hit the floor and rolled back to her feet, charging in with a series of horizontal and upward diagonal strikes this time. As before the jedi knight deflected her strikes but this time changed tactics by catching one of her attacks on his blade and pushing back against the Lepi girl. She responded by bringing up one hand and attempting to Force Push him.
But his reflexes were quick and he held out his own hand. The invisible energy of the Force clashed in a short struggle of power between them before Kan's overcame Lop's and sent her flying back onto the ground. She didn't have time to leap back up before a blue blade was held to her throat. "Excellent," he complimented, shutting off his saber and reaching out a hand to help her up, "you're already trying to incorporate some of the Force techniques you've learned into your lightsaber fighting."
"It didn't help much this time," Lop groaned a little as she rubbed her back, "you and Master Fae are both so strong. It's amazing to think what the most powerful masters must've been like."
"Awe inspiring," Fae offered from the sideline, "but each and every one of them started out more or less like you are now. It took them time and a lot of training to discover their strengths and capitalize on them while reigning in their weaknesses. And you should remember, it takes more than being powerful in the Force to be an effective jedi."
"You mentioned before that there were cases a powerful Force wielder was defeated by someone whose connection was weaker," Lop recalled.
"And it's happened even in recent history," Kan confirmed with a nod, "are you familiar with Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi?"
"Only the imperial propaganda calling him a traitor and criminal," the rabbit girl put a finger to her chin, trying to recall anything else.
"Lies, naturally," Fae almost frowned before perking back up, "he actually managed to defeat a Sith assassin named Darth Maul when he was a learned padawan, an action which demonstrated he was ready to become a knight and a master. And at the end of the Clone Wars, he bested one of the most powerful jedi in the order. Those weren't the only instances he's done something like that, but both highlight an important lesson: don't underestimate your opponent. In both battles Master Kenobi would've been the inferior on paper, but the arrogance of his enemies gave him the opening he used to grasp victory."
"So don't get a big head," Lop nodded, "I understand. But now I'm wondering if I'm actually ready for going on a mission?"
"Experience is the greatest teacher," Fae put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "there's only so much you can learn in training. You've already survived one battle so I doubt you'll hesitate if this also turns into a battle."
"Any idea how much longer we'll have to wait?" The jedi in training inquired. As if on cue, the intercom system sounded.
"They're back," the voice of the ship's captain sounded, "report to the hangar bay!"
"Not much longer by the sound of it," Kan remarked, grabbing his cape and hat as they all began walking. It took only a few minutes for them to reach the hangar bay, arriving just in time to watch the Grinning Gundark land. Its ramp lowered as the ship powered down and mist from its coolant system sprayed out.
"Good news everyone!" Tae called as he and his two compatriots marched down the ramp, "it looks like we got a couple leads on who's putting those things together and where we can probably find a batch."
"Was it the Feriae system," Lera questioned with a hand on her hip.
"Looks like it," the pilot confirmed as he handed her the information disk he'd received, "they started tracking any similar shipments after we told them it was big. Now that they know they're looking for CryoBan it'll make things easier."
"It'll give me one less thing to keep up with," the slicer admitted, "fortunately, I managed to find some info on the biggest shipment of CryoBan yet." She pulled out a small circular holodisk and projected the image of a planet. "Moraices, it's remote, barren, and perfect for testing genocidal weapons of mass destruction."
"Did you happen to get any information about the facilities or defenses there," Kan's inquiry made her sigh a little.
"Unfortunately, no," she shrugged, "just finding the coordinates was difficult since the manifests had the cargo listed under false identifiers. The only reason I knew what to look for was by using the previous data the Bothans had sent us before Captain Fordo and the others went on their mission."
"Then sending the entire ship in would be unwise," Fae observed, "We'll need to scout the area first and see what we're up against. Best case scenario we can blast it from orbit and if that's not possible we can always sabotage it."
"I take it that means you're coming along?" Kan asked with a slight smirk.
"A master is supposed to supervise their padawan," Fae smiled back, "though I sense a bit of apprehension concerning that rule."
"I was mostly wondering," Lop put her hands behind her back, "would it be possible for me to go in the Gundark with Tae and the others?" The two jedi and Lera exchanged glances.
"We're gonna be taking two ships and meeting up when we land anyway," the slicer pointed out.
"And Tae can teach her just as much about piloting as any one of us," Kan added.
"Uh, I don't recall anyone asking me if I was even going on this mission," the pilot raised his hand.
"Hey if you don't want to go blow up an Imperial super weapon we can always find someone else," Lera quipped with her arms crossed.
"Will you let me push the button if the base has a self-destruct," Tae jokingly asked.
"Feel free to put the whole self-destruct sequence in this time," the male jedi offered.
"Deal," Tae put an arm around Lop's shoulder and led her towards his ship, "so welcome to your next lesson in flying tricked out freighters!" His explanation continued as they walked back up the ramp.
"Sure it's a good idea to let her out of your sight so soon," Lera whispered to Fae.
"I think I can afford to let her have fun for a moment," she responded, "It'll help her relax a little before things get hectic."
"I guess we'd better get going too," the slicer's bracelet beeped as she pulled the information disk out of it and handed it to one of the flight techs, "take this to the bridge and have intel look through it." She nodded before heading off.
"There must not have been much in there if you've already got a copy of the data," Kan observed.
"I left out a couple of things I'd already discovered," the Sephi woman corrected while checking to make sure all the data had copied over to her bracelet successfully, "so it didn't take as long as expected. Anyway, it's been a minute since you've been on the Herald, Fae. Hope you're up for some rough flying."
"I've done hard landings in shuttles and gunships," she smirked, "I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever Kan's going to do." As she finished this statement, the Grinning Gundark started taking off, albeit a bit wobbly. Several of the technicians in the hangar bay either had to dive aside or duck to avoid the ends of its wings. Mercifully, it didn't last long as the ship finished backing out of the shielded hangar bay and finally turned around in the vacuum of space.
"Your padawan, on the other hand, might still need some work," Kan put his hands on his hips while shaking his head in amusement.
"I'm starting to understand why some of the masters always seemed a little distressed," Fae sighed. It was an amusing start to what would become a rather harrowing mission.
Getting hard to even get a good drink without the empire breathing down one's neck it seems. But that's just the tip of the iceberg compared to what they'll be up against in the next chapter, so while you all wait for that feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! Also, think about becoming a patron for some early updates, commissions and scene samples! Feel free to stop in next time as our merry band comes face to face with a relentless enemy! 'Til then.