Chapter 20: Trap in Deep Space
July 18, 2227.
There were many systems in the galaxy that could fit the description 'middle of nowhere', and the Sinta system was one of them.
The convoy was expected to arrive at any moment, by now. Ezra, Jaral and their Padawans were playing some card game to ignore the boredom as they sat in the cockpit of a stolen Lambda shuttle
"Are we sure this convoy is even real?" Jaden asked after being eliminated.
"It has probably been set up exclusively to draw us in. They will be here." Jaral reassured.
"I still don't see the point: if we know this is a trap, why are we going straight into it?" Lissia asked.
"Because, if you're aware of the trap, you can find a way to turn the tables." Ezra replied calmly as he put down his next card.
"And if our guest missed the point, we're always in time to drop her on the nearest civilized system." Jaral concluded.
Right now, Brie had been given a room to sleep, but she was locked in and Jinx was keeping an eye on her through a camera they had installed for the occasion. So far, she had not tried to escape or do anything against the Jedi, but the siblings could not miss the fact that her presence in the Force sometime tended to weaken significantly. That was a sign that she was capable of using it, the Jedi just couldn't guess how much.
Nearly an hour later, the radar picked up something and started beeping. The Jedi hurried to the seats and, finally, the convoy showed up.
Just as Brie had anticipated: a Class-4 cargo ship escorted by two Star Destroyers.
"Okay, I take back what I said." Jaden said. "Shall we go a head with the plan?"
"That's what we are here for." Ezra quipped as he and Jaral took the front seats. "Go take our guest." he added to the Padawans, who went on to grab Brie.
After that, the elder Bridger spoke into the comlink in a composed manner.
"Attention, Cargo ship. This is shuttle W4021. Are we speaking with Cargo Z3-R29?"
After a few seconds, an operator replied from the bridge of the cargo. "Shuttle W4021, what are you doing here?"
"We have been dispatched from Kooriva. We have orders to leave our cargo to you and return to our station. Requesting permission to land, over."
The operator seemed hesitant. Perhaps, he had been left in the dark to make this entire play more believable. "Shuttle W4021, stand-by."
A few seconds followed in silence. In the meantime, Jaden and Lissia returned with Brie, who was accompanied between the front rows. Jaral muted the microphone on their end.
"Time to see if your codes are still working, Shira." she said.
Brie just nodded. After that, a new voice came through the comlink. "Shuttle W4021, this is the Captain speaking. Please, send your clearance code."
Brie leaned a little to speak in to the mic. "Code I349-B2000-C545."
And there it was another hint: imperial ISB agents usually didn't have clearance codes that long and with three letters.
"Shuttle W4021, you are cleared to dock at Bay 2. A team will be waiting to take the cargo off your ship."
"Thank you, Captain." Shira replied and closed the comm. "See? I'm on your side."
"Maybe I am starting to believe you." Lissia said acidly.
"Calm down, Lissia. Everyone deserve a second chance." Jaral said in a comprehensive tone.
The most important thing, however, was to make sure their aura didn't give them away. The siblings activated their armors and prepared as the shuttle landed inside the hangar.
"Time to show we can trust you, Shira. Keep them occupied." Ezra said and the woman nodded while the Jedi hurried out of the shuttle with an emergency hatch beneath the hull, which would allow them to leave the ship where nobody would look for them. They could already see the lower bodies of the inspection team.
With the necessary caution, the Jedi slipped out and took cover behind a batch of ammo crates that were inside the hangar, and from there sneaked into the corridors.
"All right, find some cover." Jaral whispered as they looked around.
Jaden pointed to a maintenance shaft that they could use. Jinx easily picked the lock and they entered, hiding also their presence in the Force.
And just as expected, through the small air vents along the corridor, they spotted Shira, rushing with a team of Death Troopers and stormtroopers toward the main cargo hold, where she had said there would be materials for the construction of the Death Star that the Jedi would be interested in.
"I can't believe she is not suspecting a thing." Lissia commented amused.
"Well, we now know that she's one of the Emperor's hands. Let's get out of here." Jaral sentenced, but Ezra put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.
"Wait, something is not right." he whispered.
"What?" his sister asked.
"Maybe she's just acting, but it's also weird that they are in such a rush."
"Couldn't just be that they want us real bad?" Jaden asked a bit confused.
"Yes, but if they are so sure to catch us and that they are not risking anything, they would be much more prudent."
Jaral finally caught up with her brother's thoughts. "Do you think there really is something on this ship?"
"I know we don't have much reason to think that, but something doesn't add up. I want to see it."
Jaral looked at the other two. After what happened to Sellion, she was reluctant to keep Padawans around on dangerous missions, however Jaden and Lissia already had a lot of experience, and Brie certainly wasn't much of a threat as Vader was.
"All right, then. Let's take a look." she decided.
With the whole garrison clearly heading to the main hold, the Jedi didn't find it much difficult to slip past the few patrols left and head for the bridge, where they intended to make a copy of the cargo manifest.
When they reached the cockpit, they forced the door open, only to enter and see that the Captain was talking with Brie on a hologram. The officer and his pilots looked astounded, while Ezra and Jaral simply realized that the jig was up and pulled out their pistols. Ezra quickly blasted the large holo-projector with a shot that startled the officers and left Brie without a view over what was happening on the bridge.
"Don't move!" Jaral intimated. "Hands where I can see them."
The Captain complied quite quickly. The two pilots tried to pull out their pistols, since they thought they were far enough and out of view, however Jaden and Lissia dashed forward with incredible speed and used a Force pull to disarm them and then ignited their lightsabers to make the message clearer. This time, they put their hands behind their heads.
Ezra hurried to the mainframe of the bridge and made sure Jinx gained physical access, sending it a mental command to search for the manifest.
The AI only needed the blink of an eye to find it.
"Got it." it said.
Ezra retook it and said "All right, ladies, time to get out of here."
The three Jedi agreed immediately and the team rushed back to the hangar while the alarm started blaring all around the ship. They needed to get back before the stormtroopers could gather and crush them with sheer number.
Basically, what Ezra and Jaral had been doing since forever.
By running separately, they managed to disperse the stormtroopers, then reunited in the hangar, where their shuttle was still parked, and mounted on as Brie rushed in with the stormtroopers. Standing on the ramp, Jaral confronted the blaster bolts of the woman, who shot in frustration alongside the troopers, but the Jedi easily repelled the bolts that could hit her, while those rifles were not enough to penetrate the shields and armor of a Lambda shuttle.
Enraged, Shira extended a hand and clearly tried to pull Jaral down, but the Jedi Master easily felt and annulled the effect with a gesture of her hand.
"Better luck next time, Shira." she eventually taunted her as the shuttle was moving into outer space.
With Jinx scrambling the aiming systems of the Star Destroyers, the bolts flew around the shuttle without any real risk, then the ship rushed toward the end of the system quickly enough that the ISD were not able to send their TIE contingents in time to intercept, and jumped to hyperspace.
Shira could only punch a crate and yell in frustration as the Jedi slipped from her grasp. It didn't take long before she received a transmission from the Captain of the Tyranny, the Star Destroyer assigned for her assistance.
"Agent Brie, you are receiving a transmission from Coruscant." he said, a little anxious since he clearly understood who that was.
Shira wasn't enthusiastic neither, but she had no other choice. Her master could read her mind from any point of the universe, meaning he already knew that the Jedi had escaped.
She immediately called a shuttle to take her aboard the Tyranny, and headed straight for the room of the holo-projector. She knelt down and the image of the Emperor appeared.
"Report, Shira." he commanded.
"My Lord...the Jedi have escaped…" she said, her voice partly shaped by fear. "and they know about the new Death Star."
She was waiting for the wrath of her master to bear down on her, but for a few seconds, nothing happened. And when it happened, it wasn't at all what she expected.
"Good." the Emperor said pleased.
Shira rose her head in disbelief and saw that Palpatine was indeed smirking.
"M-My Lord?"
"Had this little trick been enough to eliminate the Bridgers, I would have been much surprised...and disappointed." he said, with the tone of a hunter enjoying the game and wanted it to last longer. "As for you, I hope you finally understand that those two are not to be underestimated. You thought you were ready, and they saw right through your scheme."
Shira felt the shame burn and pushing her to disappear. Indeed, this entire scheme was her plan, which the Emperor had agreed on.
"But...my Lord...why risk the Death Star, if you knew I would fail?"
"For one, because I want them to know about the Death Star. They will have no choice but to aim for it, and that will make them predictable. I will make them toil and strain as much as I want, and then, when they will think their victory is within reach...I will crush them."
The Emperor explained all of that with a confidence that Shira honestly envied. Then he came down from his sinister enthusiasm about his plot and spoke with a tone that sounded a reprimand from a teacher to an overreaching student.
"And second, now you understand how clever these new Jedi can be. Use this minor failure to learn, Shira Brie, and next time, you will get your revenge on the Jedi."
Now all of this made much more sense. Shira lowered her head again. "I thank you for your guidance, my Lord."
As the Amerigo waited in the orbit of Erinle, in the Hourglass Nebula, John was a little irk at the idea that the local ships surrounding the cruiser might decide to open fire. After all, Erinle was one of the members of the Commune who had supported the Tambaran until it was uncovered that Balak was behind the war.
It was with a certain relief that he heard the transmission from the land control that came shortly after.
"Admiral Shepard, you and your guests are clear to land on the surface."
John approached the microphone, thanked them, then headed for the hangar, where his two Prothean guests.
"We're going." he announced, then turned toward the young woman. "Are you fine, Davsha?"
She rubbed her hands together a little nervously, but replied firmly. "I am. My people depend on this meeting."
"Be strong and fret not, young one." Javik replied in a firm and reassuring tone. "Admiral Shepard is the strongest person I know. He'll make sure these people will listen to you."
Davsha had revealed to be around 21 years old. She was thus very young by both Human and Prothean standards, and throughout these last week, Javik hardly left her side, and she herself didn't feel comfortable walking around without him. It looked like the old soldier had taken that young one as a daughter, and considering how huge the revelation that the Prothean people's survival had on Javik, it was no surprise that he wanted to protect her, and learn everything he could about the condition of these guys.
Certainly, the news that Balak's army was keeping them enslaved had lit up a fire in Javik that John had not seen since the time of the Reaper War. Now, the talks they were about to partake in, might decide the freedom of this colony.
The trio mounted on the Kodiak, which then passed through the atmosphere and reached a secluded farm estate just outside the capital city of Erinle. There, John was about to meet with the local President and the representatives of the Communal Defense Committee, a recently established institutions formed by politicians of many members of the Commune and the highest-ranking officers of their Army and Navy.
And it was with John's relieve that the one welcoming them was none other than Federico.
"Nice to see you, Admiral." the former Prince greeted.
"Likewise Y…" he huffed amused. "There again, I can hardly call you without honorifics, Federico."
The other man smirked, then his attention shifted onto the Prothean. "Javik, I heard the news. I guess you must be in quite a shock."
"It was...very surprising. But I know my people is alive, and that they're suffering under the yoke of a criminal. That's all I need to drive me forward." the Prothean warrior replied firmly.
The former Prince nodded in agreement, then turned onto the newly arrived.
"You must be Davsha. Nice to meet you." he said, raising a hand in greeting instead of try to shake it.
The Prothean woman nodded and replied "The Admiral and the noble Javik told me about you, Federico dei Vignoli. I hope you really can help my people."
"Just expose the truth to the Committee, and I promise you, the Commune will free your people."
"Then let's move with haste." Davsha replied.
Federico brought them on a large civilian vehicle that was waiting for them outside the small landing platform, and with the escort, he saw two people that he recognized from a previous mission: Agents Xhanya and Tr'eluk.
"Are you two going to be assigned to the liberation of the colony?" John asked as the car drove toward the house where the conference would be held.
"Most likely." the Urshin answered. "If the Committee will authorize the operation."
"They have to." Xhanya added. "The Commune can't tolerate slavery right next to its borders. It would mean betraying the Revolution."
"Your statement is very personal." Javik commented, noticing the mere air around her with his sensory ability.
"Xhanya might seems cold as ice, but when it comes to politics, she's a feisty one." Tr'eluk joked.
"Add that to the fact that BioTechnica used slave labor and illegal experimentation on my people." the Kinayet replied coldly.
"You broke your own chains. Be proud of that." the Urshin encouraged her.
Soon after that, they reached the estate. It was large, though quite poor in furniture and materials. It was a strange experiment, where the landowner cultivated only a part of it and allowed nearby farmers to use the rest of it.
Now, said owner had allowed the conference, which needed a certain degree of discretion, to take place in his large living room. Several chairs had been arranged around a large wooden table, it all looked like an old picture that John saw in history books.
Around the table he spotted Romero, who had been appointed into the Committee, and felt a little bit reassured, knowing that the young officer had a strong ideological drive that would likely result in him supporting the operation.
Presiding the Committee was a Turian (somehow that wasn't surprising to John), however the Human was sure he was recognizing the azure paint patterns on the face of the officer.
"Admiral Shepard." the Turian introduced himself. "Greetings to you, I am General Tiran Kandros."
John realized and his neck twitched in surprise. "Wait, are you the son of Admiral Ravis?"
He nodded. "I am. How's my mother doing?"
"All I can tell you is that she has been recently assigned to a defense fleet." was John's diplomatic answer.
"Thanks. Now, we better start this meeting." Kandros suggested.
They sat around the table. John and the two Protheans sat at one end which seats had been left a little more distanced from the Committee. Only Federico took a seat between John and the first officer of the Commune. Kandros was at the opposite side, clearly taking the center, but on his sides were not other military officers, but the four politicians, called 'Commissioners', implying that the armed forces of the Commune were strictly under political oversight.
"Let us begin this meeting." Kandros announced. "The matter of the day regards the recent discoveries made up by Admiral Shepard of the Systems Alliance. Said discoveries include: the existence of a hidden colony of the presumed-extinct Prothean species. The fact that said colony is under current occupation by an illegal group and it sits into what the most recent galactic agreements have designated as a territory of the Terminus Commune. Should the Commune grant the right of passage to the Systems Alliance to liberate the colony? Should the Commune participate, as well?"
"I see our guests brought a Prothean more than the one we know about." one of the politicians started. "I suppose he, or she, is connected to this matter, Admiral Shepard?" he then asked politely.
"She is, Commissioner. Perhaps you would like to hear her side of the story."
"By all means." another Commissioner, a male Kinayet, invited.
John and Javik looked toward Davsha. The young woman clearly felt out of place in all of this. Until a few days ago, she had been forced to stay silent unless asked to reply. Still, after spending some time with Javik and the Shepards, she had regained quite a bit of self-esteem.
She stood up, her hands gathered in front of her abdomen, and after taking a breather, she started speaking.
"I salute you, people of the Terminus Commune. My name is Davsha, I come from the planet Tuìnia."
"Greetings, miss Davsha. Is it true that there are more like you on your planet?" an officer asked, just to clear any doubt in the records.
"It is. My people has lived on Tuìnia since time immemorial, in harmony with the land as our ancestors decreed. But then, ten years ago, when I was a child, people arrived from the sky. We learned soon enough that they were not friendly as they bound many of us in chains, raided our tombs in search of our ancestors' sacred treasures and tortured our elders." she said with clarity and a hint of pain.
"Did they want to find your battleship?" Kandros asked.
"At first, they were only interested in the memories of our ancestors. It was only later that the alien called Balak found out about the ship and forced many of us to restore it. We have been forced to question our ancestors to rebuild it, and…" she halted, seemingly unable to continue.
Kandros understood that she was probably having a bad memory, but he needed to make the record clear. "Just to be sure: the 'memories' of these ancestors are…?"
"You know them as beacons, or memory shards." Javik intervened. "As you know, in my cycle, my people was capable of storing memories for any kind of information inside of them. A single shard could have given Balak a lot of knowledge that might give his army a great advantage."
"Such as the hideout of the flagship of the Prothean Empire, and perhaps several other planets with the resources necessary to rebuild her?" Romero suggested.
"That is entirely possible."
The members of the Commune started murmuring. Federico stayed out of it, as his official position inside the Commune was that of an informal, though highly esteemed, advisor. However, John had learned enough about politics to grasp almost immediately what were the main issues for the Commune:
For starters, they did want to catch Balak, but mostly hoping that they could get their hands on the Penumbra Apex, since their navy didn't have a single dreadnought, and they had been already startled when the Tambaran whipped out their own nearly a year before.
Second, they wanted to have this new Prothean colony to join the Commune as a member, gaining access to all the beacons and their secrets. This was a point that the politics of the Federation were highly aware of, and the Council had actually ordered John to observe this matter carefully.
The debate then became a little more public in tone. The Committee asked a few questions to John and the Protheans, and they showed that they were all in agreement that they wanted to liberate Tuìnia and put the planet in the sphere of influence of the Commune, but they were split on how to accomplish this.
Half of the Committee would have preferred to deny passage to the Alliance and carry on the operation on their own. The other half expressed concern that Balak might have brought his new dreadnought in the vicinity of Tuìnia, and the fleet of the Commune would be unable to fight her without the help of the Federation.
Federico then proposed to just put the matter to votes, and the agreement for the right of passage won by slim margin.
Not only that: Federico asked and obtained permission to participate in the expedition, which would be led by Romero and his battalion of the Communal Guard, an elite unit.
"Thank you all for your time, and your contribution. The operation is authorized. Admiral Shepard, would you mind starting a preliminary meeting after a brief pause?" Kandros asked.
"I don't." John replied, then turned toward the young woman sitting next to him. "Davsha, we are gonna need you to give us an overlay of Tuìnia."
"I can do more than that." Davsha replied with a firm resolution, and John already feared where that speech was going. "I want to come with you."
John sighed. She was young and with a strong sense of justice...just the type of person he was used to deal with. "Look, Davsha, I don't…"
"I suggest you don't waste time on this, John." Javik intervened in resignation. "I already tried to talk her out of this idea."
"I assume you were not successful." John commented sarcastically.
"The way I see it, we either agree to take her with us, or this will go full 'Blasto 7' real quick."
"That bad, uh?" John made a longer and louder sigh, but he had already accepted the idea. "All right, then. I suppose it will be easy to earn the locals' trust with her help." he then pointed a finger toward Davsha. "But…! You're going to stick with Javik the entire time. The moment you make anything stupid, or dangerous, you're being carried back to the ship. Understood?"
Davsha made a quick and decided nod. Her silence was enough of an affirmative.
July 19, 2227.
Luke certainly gave his best shot at dying, but luckily the bacta and his connection with the Force were enough to restore most of his damaged tissues and lungs, saving his life although he was going to be dismissed from the infirmary only later that day.
For now, Jordan had another matter on his hands. Literally: the arrival of the federal fleet of Andromeda. Meaning every single warship the Federation still had in this galaxy that wasn't involved in the crisis back in the Milky Way.
And to that end, a Turian dropship was landing right at that moment inside the hangar of Echo Base. Jordan, Vetra and Leia formed the welcoming committee that was waiting for Admiral Edrix after a line of soldiers presenting their arms.
The Turian officer came out of the dropship with his two guards and wearing a full armor that granted him better protection against the cold.
"Welcome to Hoth, Admiral." Jordan saluted.
The Admiral returned the salute. "Thank you, Spectre Bridger. Your Highness." he nodded to Leia.
"Greetings, Admiral. I hope your trip here wasn't too eventful."
"Luckily, it wasn't." Edrix replied to the joke.
"Good. Then allow us to show you around." Leia concluded.
That meant heading straight for the command room for the meeting with General Rieekan and the other commanders of the incoming offensive toward Sullust: General Crix Madine of the ICO and General Dustil Forell, head of the New Republic Support Services, meaning the man behind the entire supply network for the Republic.
At first, the command of the naval units was to be given to another Admiral, but since the start of the imperial offensive on Ringo Vinda, Ackbar needed all hands on deck, so Edrix had been given full control of the allied naval forces for this attack, with the blessing of Mon Mothma and Ackbar. After all, the Turian had been on the side of the Rebel Navy since the start of the war, and had already a vast experience commanding such a diverse combined fleet.
After greeting his colleagues, Edrix asked for a briefing on the situation, and the layout of the original plan.
Rieekan was the one to provide the strategy. "As you already know, Admiral, the plan is to use this base as a staging ground to gather supplies and then launch an attack toward Sullust. The planet is rich in ore, has one of the major shipyards in the galaxy and the locals are subjected to constant abuses from the Empire, meaning they are ready to switch to our side."
Edrix was looking at the map as Rieekan explained and took notes about how long it would take to reach Sullust from their current position.
"By using the Nothoiin Corridor we only have to fight our way through a handful of imperial systems." he said.
"Precisely." Madine replied. "The Empire right now is entirely focused on the offensive against the New Republic, on the other side of the galaxy, and the Commonwealth is also enacting hit-and-run tactics to keep the imperial forces in the Trailing Sectors away from us. Our greater obstacle will be the system of Eriadu."
Edrix could tell by himself that several hyperspace lanes converged on Eriadu, which alone meant it was a strategically vital world for anyone who wanted to control the Trailing Sectors. However, it was literally the last stop before reaching Sullust through the Rimma Trade Route, so they needed to get through.
The Turian made a slight nod, then asked "Once we leave this planet, how long are our supplies expected to last?"
"I will need an inventory from your ships, too, Admiral." Forell explained. "However, we should have fuel and food necessary for two months, and we hope to use the supplies of the Empire that we catch along the way."
Edrix hummed. "A risky plan, I must say, but not unfeasible."
"How large is your fleet, Admiral?" Leia then asked.
Edrix linked his omni-tool to the holo-table and brought up his ships on a small scale.
"As you can see, twelve Destroyers, ten Frigates, four Cruisers, the Carrier Mendeleev and two Dreadnoughts: my flagship, the INS Palaven and the INS Monte Bianco."
"That's what we have left here in Andromeda?" Jordan asked. He had actually ignored the reports on the federal presence for the last few months.
"The only ships I left out are those for planetary patrols, on Lothal and Garel. Everything else, is here." the Admiral answered. "But yes, even the Tau had to recall their fleet to defend their border."
"It's actually not that bad." Madine replied with a little optimism. "Our fleet is already consistent, and with the firepower of the Dreadnoughts, we should be able to take out any major obstacle on our path to Sullust."
"I see." the Turian turned his head toward Jordan. "Captain, is there something you think should be noted?"
In fact, there was something. Jordan was a little surprised and admired the way the Admiral could read his mood.
"There is only one thing, sir. We still have no idea where the Executor is located. Our latest reports indicated she was here, in the Trailing Sectors, but she hasn't been spotted anywhere on the front with the Commonwealth and she is not partaking in the battle for Ringo Vinda."
"I see." Edrix said as he passed a hand on his mandibles in a thoughtful manner.
Just then they were interrupted by a radio operator that turned to Rieekan.
"General. Commander Solo is reporting in. He says it's urgent."
Leia was the first to move. "I'll take it."
She quickly went to take the place and the headset of the woman and replied. "Han. Han, it's Leia. Do you copy?"
"I read you. Just had a close encounter with something, but I'm afraid there's not much left to study it."
"What, exactly?" Leia asked as Jordan and the other officers gathered around after hearing Han's words.
"A droid of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard, must've had a self-destruct."
A grim realization came to the mind of the Legionnaire. "An imperial probe droid." he said, earning worried gazes from everyone.
Han seemed to share that opinion, as well. "It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here."
The officers looked at each other. Rieekan quickly regained his cool and said "We better start the evacuation of the base." he turned toward the Turian. "Admiral, I suggest your fleet also speeds up the process."
"I'll make sure they leave as soon as possible." Edrix replied with absolute calm, then turned his head toward Jordan. "Captain, may I speak with you?" and started to walk away into a more private space.
"Of course, sir." Jordan replied, following him.
They only got to a corner of the cave, but it was far enough for them to whisper without being heard.
"You wanted the Executor, I think Vader just found us by himself." the Turian commented with serenity.
Such clearness of thought made Jordan think that his superior probably had an idea. "What's on your mind?"
"If we want to make sure this offensive goes well, we need to put the Executor out of the equation. Destroying or crippling, but we need to have her out of the way at least until we reach Sullust."
"Okay, and what do you propose?"
"I understand Vader is personally seeking Luke Skywalker?"
It seemed like MI6 already caught up something about the relationship between Luke and Vader. Jordan of course had never told anyone that the two were actually father and son, and he wouldn't be the first to bring it up.
"So it seems, sir. My kids say that Luke has a huge potential to become the Jedi capable of defeating Palpatine. It's no wonder Vader wants to get to him."
Edrix hummed in understanding, then straightened up and also made a step closer to the Legionnaire, whispering even lower. "What I'm about to propose will require your assistance. I want you to know that I'm not asking this lightheartedly, but we need to take every advantage we can seize."
With a certain concern, Jordan nodded a positive and listened as Edrix started explaining his idea.
Walking down the hallways of the Executor, Veers would have given anything to stop hearing the blabbing of Ozzel. He would rather be at the frontline, since there was just the choice: he could lead the imminent land offensive on Herdessa, a necessary system to overcome in order to reach Christophsis, the capital of the Commonwealth.
Or he could be on Ringo Vinda. Everybody in the Empire had seen the images of the Lord-Protector fighting aboard the ring with the rank and file. Veers was feeling quite ashamed to be forced to stay aboard the Super Star Destroyer in search of a rebel outpost that Vader was adamant on finding.
A few days had passed since the new Viper Probe Droids had been dispatched on several possible hideouts, but so far they hadn't transmitted anything useful.
"Admiral." the two high officers heard timidly from their right.
There was Captain Piett, standing at a console where an operator was going through the images sent by one of these droids. The greatest difference with their predecessors was that the Viper didn't need to come back to the ship and have its memory downloaded into the databases. These ones had been adapted from the technology of the drones of the Federation, and could transmit their images directly to the command ship, provided they had enough signal.
The two officers moved toward the console as Piett said "I think we've got something, sir."
Ozzel put his hands behind his back, assuming that air of authority that he really liked to whip out with everyone beneath him. Veers instead listened carefully as Piett explained.
"The report is only a fragment from a probe droid in the Hoth system, but it's the best lead we've had."
"We have thousands of probe droids searching the galaxy." Ozzel remarked with severity, clearly dismissing the report already. "I want proof, not leads."
"The visuals indicate life readings." Piett timidly insisted.
"It could mean anything." Ozzel continued. "If we followed up every lead-"
Piett stood up a little more. "But, sir, the Hoth system is supposed to be devoid of sentient life."
"You've found something?"
They all turned around. Vader had stepped toward them, clearly interested in the discussion. Veers noticed that he was coming right toward him, as he wanted to get closer to the console, and the General quickly stepped aside, standing rigidly.
"Yes, my Lord." Piett replied, and bowed a little to play the recording.
On the feed appeared the images sent by the probe. Accompanying the warbles of the machine there was also the scanning of something that Veers clearly recognized.
"That's a shield generator." he said a little surprised. "A military one."
"That's it." Vader exclaimed with what sounded a little bit of satisfaction. "The rebels are there."
Ozzel tried to dissuade him. "My Lord...there are so many uncharted settlements, it's probably…"
"That it the system." Vader sentenced once and for all. "And I'm sure Skywalker is with them. Set your course for the Hoth system." then the Dark Lord turned around enough to look the General in the eye. "General Veers, prepare your men."
Veers nodded quickly. After Vader had gone, he said goodbye to Ozzel and went straight for the Hangar where his armored regiment had been stationed. The hangar was so massive that even the six AT-AT barely seemed to fill it in any way. There was really a lot of room for all the vehicles, including the AT-ST and the TX-130, which made up the bulk of the vehicles of the unit. Then there were two companies of stormtroopers, provided with enough ITTs to keep the pace with the unit, but they could also be easily loaded aboard the AT-AT if the situation required it.
The General went straight for his walker, codename 'Blizzard-1' and found his two pilots: Tyrn and Novat. The two were seemingly joking, but when they spotted Veers, they immediately stood at attention.
"At ease, gentlemen. We have a destination."
"Well, finally." Novat said with relief. "Where are we going?"
"You may not be that eager to hear that…" Veers replied with a careful tone. "We're going to the Hoth system. And from what little the probe sent us, it's an ice planet."
The pilots groaned in disappointment. Tyrn then sighed and asked "How long before we reach the planet?"
"According to the maps, four rotations, so don't despair: you've got all the time you need to adapt the walkers."
"I suppose." the pilot replied.
"Any estimate on their forces?" Novat asked.
"The probe only showed us a military-grade shield generator. That alone proves that there's something on the planet, but that thing is also quite powerful. Expect us to find a large base, thus heavy resistance."
"Getting better…"
"Hey. Our brothers and friends on Ringo Vinda are surely getting it worse. Some snow will not stop us." Veers said to encourage them.
"Of course, sir." Tyrn replied with enough conviction. "Come on, Novat, let's get to work. Go pass the word while I go take the tools."
"You got it."
As his crew sprinted into action, Veers took a moment to check his datapad.
He found out a mail from his wife, where she narrated how much Naboo was improving despite the ongoing war. Food was never missing, to the point where some administrators had called for a gathering of quality dishes to be sent to the soldiers fighting on Ringo Vinda. Veers' son and two daughters had already given their contribution.
His son. Veers couldn't help but be reminded that he was turning 16 in a few days. Another year, and he would likely been drafted.
That was one of the main reasons why Veers wanted to end this war before that time came. That determination drove him to commit everything to the destruction of this rebel base.