CHAPTER 17 - A First Stand

The Twi'lek captain surveyed the crowded cargo bay of Bith miner's milling about and seemed to be in a state of shock from the ordeal of the mines. The food stores were not in great supply for the thirty-one rescued miners and two former stormtroopers. They had to get far away, but hopefully they were not detected as they left Klak'dor. The Empire would likely review satellite and sensor data from the planetary government and eventually notice the ship that left askance from the normal shipping lanes. Wazhay had Puhl turn off the transponder before they attacked the mining complex, that way the most information they could get would only be the ship classification. Nis was ecstatic after finding his uncle who was coughing quite a bit, but Puhl had given him some medicine and was sure he will recover soon. Wazhay had a lot on her mind, besides the current overcrowded situation on the ship. There were the two stormtroopers who surrendered, but could change their minds and betray them. They had no idea for sure. But what she saw in that mining complex made her head spin. She was angry, awed, delighted, and sad, and several other feelings she couldn't even identify. She had noticed back in the mining building Ayala standing amidst the flying grenade standing like a statue as she pointed and sent the grenade on a new course away from everyone. There was no doubt in her mind, Ayala was a Jedi. They just attacked an Imperial facility and that revelation was quite a lot to deal with already but now she didn't know what to do. She had a lot of respect, admiration and even kinship for Ayala as a crew-member. She had been seriously considering making the human newcomer to be her second-in-command. Yet, the thought of sending her away filled her with a pang of grief and loss. Nobody else had seemed to notice what Ayala did as they were all diving for cover from the imminent explosion. There was no physical way that grenade could have changed direction in mid-air. There was no wind, no vibrations or any type of physical force to account for the movement, so the Force was the only logical conclusion left. She twiddled with her lekku as she pondered the ramifications this will bring to the crew. In this kind of situation, she realized how much she relied on Ayala already, as her first thought was to ask what Ayala would think to do. Then she guffawed, and ended up breaking out into raucous laughter and then a deep sigh.

Puhl walked into the cargo bay entrance and raised an eyebrow at the captain. "Have you been drinking, captain, or did the stress of this crowd of miner's break you as our food stores are depleting by the minute."

The Twi'lek rubbed the tears from her eyes as she turned toward her mechanic. "Maybe. Mostly I can't believe the six of us raided an Imperial facility and rescued a bunch of prisoners. We are heroes now, and a big chance we will be enemies of the Empire soon. Sometimes you just have to laugh. We were nearly killed by a grenade..." Her face transformed into a serious visage. "Well, enough indulging in that, we have more important things to discuss. We're headed to Eriadu and then will take the Hydian Way hyperspace corridor all the way to the end, at the very edges of known space. We must do some soft interrogation with these two stormtroopers to gauge their real motives. Though, I'm feeling a bit better about that part."

She coughed in her hand to cover for her vague reference, and quickly changed the subject. "Get with Ruu and search our data banks for a good spot to fuel and get consumables. A place where we have multiple choices for buying stores as we don't want to pick up too much in one place and draw attention. Probably not necessary, but we can't be too careful right now." She thought to herself, 'and probably will have to be very careful for the foreseeable future.'

Now she had to confront Ayala, and she was still at a loss of what to say. She was upset at the fact that her crew member hadn't been forthcoming. But she did say she had her reasons for changing names and I accepted that and didn't question her. She would talk it out with her and figure out a way to move forward. The Jedi were hunted, she definitely can understand how that feels, and multiply that by a factor of ten as being labeled a traitor to the Empire who had formed specialized groups to hunt them. 'If that were me, what would I have done?' She couldn't even imagine.

She arrived at the human woman's quarters and knocked. "It's open," came the reply.

"Hello captain. How's the chaos going in the cargo bay? I'm sure it's better than it was in the Imperial mining facility though." She scrutinized the Twi'lek's expression. "You seem… conflicted, is that the problem with the miners I mean."

"Part of it, yes. But I'm here to talk about you, and your story. I spotted you in the middle of the intersection in the mining facility and watched you stand there while everyone else went for cover, then I watched the grenade turn in mid-air and shoot off down the main hall like it came out of a launcher. It finally added up. Your uncanny perceptiveness, staring down an armed speeder bike with no weapons at the salvage site, you being able to best anyone in melee combat and taking on a squad of stormtroopers alone. All of that was circumstantial, but that frag was undeniable proof. You are a Jedi."

The Jedi remained passive despite the claim, knowing she couldn't lie about it anymore. The Twi'lek was no fool. "Not anymore," came the quick reply. "The Jedi are gone. I wanted to keep that hidden for the protection of everyone involved. Knowing I was a Jedi puts you at risk for interrogation by the Empire."

Wazhay responded. "It puts you in more of a risk, than us. I get it. You had nowhere else to go."

"I didn't really have a plan to stay with the crew, just to get away from that Separatist planet."

The Twi'lek nodded, "and we invited you to be a crew member. Tell me what really happened on Aargonar. I need to know."

Ayala dipped her head in a bow. "Very well. I was on board a Republic cruiser and we had just left the planet after defeating the Separatist army there. I was back on my ship when I was attacked by the clone troopers that I fought alongside for days on end. They suddenly turned on me and opened fire and I ran and went inside a cabin. I held the woman at bay with my lightsaber and had her tell me what was going on. She was unaware of what happened, but when she looked it up on her console, she found out that the Empire declared something called 'Order 66' and all Jedi were to be eliminated immediately with no exceptions. The lieutenant didn't agree with that, and helped me buy time as I made my way out and got into an escape pod and jettisoned away. I was pursued by clones, and by the Force, most of the ships were in maintenance after that battle. I made it to the surface of the planet landing in the dunes where we salvaged the pod. It was damaged after I crashed landed by clone pilots. The pursuers were chased off by some of the surviving Separatists fighters. They likely would have presumed I was dead. Because we salvaged the pod, there was no proof that I was alive. I had taken care by changing my appearance, dyeing my hair red getting rid of my Jedi clothes. I sold off what I could from inside the escape pod and then searched for a way off the planet. I found you. The rest is history."

She locked eyes with the captain. "I believe the Force brought me here for a reason, and it was to fight back against the Empire. In the beginning I just wanted to escape and hide, but to see your crew risk everything to save some miners. Perhaps we can make a difference. The Empire is evil. Capturing children, strip mining planets. Replacing planetary leaders with puppets. You said it yourself before we raided the mining complex, we are striking back against tyranny."

Ayala turned contemplative as she met the Twi'leks' eyes. "It wasn't my influence regarding what was said. I swear to you that I've never tried to influence anyone in the crew. Our captives are another story. I realize, captain, that you knowing the truth makes it more dangerous. If you want me to leave, I completely understand, Wazhay. You are a good leader, and the rest of the crew is your responsibility and I make that worse."

"I considered it, I really did. I also thought to make you my second-in-command as well. That is because you have done everything right. You have made moral judgements beyond what I would have done and had to hide your abilities to keep us safe. No, I can't fault you for any of that. But no, I want you to be a part of this crew. You do have to hide your abilities, unless there are dire circumstances like the frag grenade attack. I understand you took a huge risk to save us, when you could have just leapt into cover like everyone else and hoped they would survive the blast."

Ayala stared off into the distance. "Trest and I would have died and you would have been severely injured. Only Nis would have survived. But he would have been killed by the stormtroopers from the second floor."

"How can you have known that," she asked incredulously. "I have heard of physical feats of the Force, hurling objects and perhaps reading minds. But you can actually see the future?"

"Partially. It's not that simple, it happens when there is a significant event and I am attuned to the Force. Not all Jedi have that ability. Also, the future is in motion so it isn't always very clear. The closer to the present the less murky the images get."

The captain's eyes widened at the revelations. "That's fascinating. Truly. I understand you had to keep your abilities hidden from us. You didn't know us well enough and a group of smugglers aren't exactly the type to keep a secret when they could get paid for turning you in. I wouldn't have, but my crew would not have liked it and could've caused a rift."

"The Empire could eventually find me, it will always a be risk. I still believe keeping my powers hidden will increase our odds of survival."

Wazhay held up a slender aquamarine finger. "First. The Empire very well might find out we were involved in the rescue of the hunted family. They might be able to piece together clues about this ship. Once they determine the mining facility was destroyed on purpose not an accident, they will up their efforts in hunting us. The risk difference isn't that great of a gap, in my opinion."

The Twi'lek added another raised finger. "Second. I agree that you should only use your powers when absolutely necessary, but just like what happened on Clak'dor, somebody will figure it out. Another dire situation and others of my crew, or even some scum we deal with will discover your secret. That would violate my standing statement that we are honest about our dealings, at least in the present. That would make me the dishonest one if I had to deny it. I must tell the crew the truth. But definitely not when we have a cargo bay full of Bith civilians. We'll address it when we find a place to unload them. After we fill up on supplies, we'll research some smuggling routes at the end of the Hydian way and find a backwater planet with some remote villages and get them some land where they can fend for themselves."

"What's next then, questioning the prisoners I assume?"

"Are you reading my mind now, Ayala?"

The Jedi appeared stunned at the comment, and replied in a distressed tone, "no, of course not. I've never done that to an ally. I was just…"

The Twi'lek held her hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I didn't mean it like that, just a common expression I use because we think alike. Sorry. It really is the only thing we can do right now that needs to be done and you would know that because you are methodical and logical. Now when you say you are detecting a detainee's lies, I'll have a lot more confidence in your answer. How about we put that to the test now. Let's go pay them a visit."

The human woman let ought a deep breath and replied softly, "yes, captain."

Wazhay nodded, but watched her go, feeling a little guilty at that accidental comment. This Jedi was much more sensitive than she thought. She heard them to be much more rigid and lacked much empathy. Perhaps the rumors of the Jedi are not completely true. The thought gave her comfort for some reason she couldn't fathom.

The door to the airlock slid open, and the first stormtrooper sat on the floor, without his helmet, which was confiscated for security reasons when they locked both of the soldiers in their confinement. Ayala had the stun baton strapped loosely to her belt, ready to take it out should the situation get out of hand. The ship's captain walked past her and sat cross-legged in front of the man. He was young, perhaps not more than twenty standard years. He rubbed his hand through his crew-cut amber hair absently, as the Twi'lek stared into his brown eyes. "I apologize for having to keep you here. For security reasons we needed to separate you from the others for your protection and theirs. We need to ascertain your true intentions for deserting. You can answer honestly, there are no repercussions. If you did surrender just to survive, then you were smart. We'll drop you off on the nearest habitable planet and you can be on your way. You may return to the Empire if that is your wish. But let's start off with your name, your real name not the faceless number they gave you."

The young soldier was more at ease because of her soothing words. "My name is Klek, ma'am. I was serious about leaving the Imperial army. We were put in a dangerous situation and even more so for the 'civies. There were old men that could barely walk, and several of them died while working in these frakked up toxic tunnels. I felt bad for the people, but I was just a soldier. They'd punished us if we said somethin', ma'am. I want to help people, not scare them for just trying to survive. It ain't right. I want to do something that's good, actual justice. But I don't know what I could do on my own. I was trained in combat, but I'm not very educated besides that."

"You don't need to be educated to do something right. Most of us here don't have a proper education. We know one of the miners and he was in bad health. We were given little choice as our crew member didn't want to see his uncle die in those mines. That is why we acted. We know the Empire will probably hunt us down, but we had to take a stand. I commend you for wanting to do something, though I'll warn you that punishment will be harsher for a deserter that even we would get. If you can't handle that risk, then you would be better off hiding out in a remote village on one of the farthest Outer Rim planets. We are not rebels. We were forced into smuggling due to different reasons. Some because they didn't care for the Empire, others because of crime syndicates making regular jobs dangerous, or just because good jobs in the Outer Rim are hard to find. Now we are united in doing what we can to help others under the oppression of the self-proclaimed Emperor and his evil cohorts."

"I get the risk, sign me up, ma'am. I'll do what I can to help you. I've got decent military skills, but I'm still a junior infantryman. Besides, it was riskier working for the Empire. You're right about seeing us as numbers, people they can throw to a pack of Nek beasts and not give a frak if we live or not."

Wazhay flashed a pleasant grin, "Klek, you are a good person. You may not be a scholar, but you have decent instincts and common sense. That's better than many people. Also, you don't have to call me ma'am, unless you really want to. I won't take offense. You can just call me 'captain', Wazhay or Waz if you prefer. I'll need to talk to the other stormtrooper. What do you think he will say? Does he have the same motivations as you. Is he bothered by all the things they've made you do, like you are?"

The young soldier replied, "Yeah, he agrees with me on that. Mostly hates that we were stuck on that toxic rock, sucking in that crap. Our filters don't do nearly good enough job. I'm not sure he's going to want to help people like me, but we're friends and I've helped him out several times. He's likely to join me whatever I do."

The captain peeked back toward Ayala, who responded with a quick nod. "Excellent, Klek. Thank you for your time. The door will remain open, but I would stay here for a while. It's extremely crowded on the ship. You probably have more room here. But I'd like you to come with us and talk with your partner. What is his name?"

"His name is Tarak, ma'am. I will help you recruit him."

"Great. Now change out of those stormtrooper under garments in case our Bith miners realize what you're wearing and that you caused some of their misery. We packed up your armor in a container and brought it onboard along with your weapons. They won't know you weren't already part of the crew. It should be safe, just don't mention your recent past. You won't be able to use the armor or the weapons though. We can help you buy alternatives. Otherwise, Imperial investigators could spot you with one of those E11 rifles which are restricted and will raise eyebrows and likely give them a trail to follow. Same with the armor. We need to be smart and not draw any attention to us."

"That's good thinkin', ma'am."

"It comes with experience. I learn from them and they learn from me. I have the most experience in running ship operations, so that's why I am the leader. We discuss options, but I do have final say. I don't give many orders, but if I do it'll be a damn good reason and you should follow it. I'm going to get you a set of civilian clothes for now. I'll grab another set for Tarak, just in case. I'm optimistic. Ayala will wait here with you."

"Yes, ma'am… um, I mean Miss Wazhay," he said a little perplexed at how to address her properly.

She rolled her eyes and stifled a chortle as she went out.

The Jedi approached the young man. "Klek. Welcome to our ship. I'm glad you have decided to help out. Whether with us or if we find other bands of resistance somewhere where you might help out. Would you mind telling me a little about yourself. How did you end of signing up with the Empire."

"It was struggle to find any kind of decent work. I grew up on Ord Cestus, in the Outer Rim. Mostly a barren red rock of a planet. It had just two exports, mushrooms is our main one. There are tons of caves in the mountainous regions. We got every kind of mushrooms imaginable for medicine and food. Some of them even considered a delicacy, so they say. They also have several factories for droids, at least they did two years ago when I joined up."

"That does sound awful. I'm not sure where I was even born. I was orphaned at an early age, and then I was taking in by a clan of people that helped to raise me."

"So, how did you learn to fight like that? I saw you do some acrobatics along with swinging that baton of yours."

"Let's just say I had a lot of brothers and cousins who were rough and tumble enough," she smiled pleasantly to conceal the fact she was lying out of secrecy.

The young trooper looked askance at her, but shrugged. "There was only just me and my older brother, Ayce. He works a protocol droid factory for Arakyd Manufacturing."

"That is probably a good steady job to have."

"Yeah, he likes it. He was good with fixin' stuff. I wanted more excitement. Dreamed about being a pilot. My Imperial officers just laughed at the idea. Said I'd be lucky to make it as just a plain soldier. The wealthier recruits got the best options. Us 'rimmies' they called us because we were from Outer Rim systems, and we were always treated like simpletons because we didn't have a real core world education. Another reason to leave the Empire behind for good."

The inner hatch door opened up, and the Twi'lek was carrying two satchels. She handed one to the soldier and kept the other satchel slung over her shoulder. "We'll give you some privacy, the hatch is unlocked." The young man nodded as they stepped out into the main corridor.

Wazhay gave the Ayala a knowing look. "Did he say anything else. Yep, pretty much summed up his early life, pre-Empire. Came from Ord Cestus, went into service hoping to be a pilot. He would have never been admitted whether or not he was a natural as a pilot because he's Outer Rim bred. It's no wonder he was eager to leave the Empire. Seems like they shattered his dream shortly after going through his recruit training. But he seems like a decent young man. A little raw, but he's got enough common sense to be of use."

The captain nodded, "sounds like we got ourselves an ally at least. Some insight into Imperial tactics or processes."

The ex-stormtrooper stepped out tentatively, appearing uncomfortable in the drab civilian clothes and unsure of how others would see him.

"It's alright. We aren't near the cargo bay so you don't have to worry about the miners."

He nodded, as Wazhay motioned for him to follow. The other hatch was right across the corridor. They opened the door and went in. The captain stepped in first and waved the ex-stormtrooper to come in next. Ayala slid in the rear of the group. The young, dark-skinned soldier stood up and cocked an eyebrow at his brother-in-arms and his new attire. "Klek? What's with the digs, bro."

"We gotta look like civies' mate. They might have a grudge against us, them miners they rescued."

"So, what's the deal. They lettin' us go free."

"Yep. No strings attached. But since we are deserters now. We need some help. I've seen how the Empire treat's us folk from the Outer Rim, and what they are doin' to other planets like that Bith home world. Man, if I were them, I'd be spittin' fire too. We got to get something we can do. These folk are standin' up to the Empire. We can help, since we're soldiers, or we can go and hide in some dustbowl planet at the edge of the galaxy. I'm going to help. Help other people in need for a change. It just seems the right thing to do. Put our skills to use. What do you say, man."

"Don't seem like we really got that many choices. But yeah. I'll stick with you. I didn't like how we are treated, different from those core snobs. I ain't goin' back. Fact is we'd probably be put in worse duties than before if we did go back, probably spend a frak ton of time in the brig. I'm not going to take a shine to some other crap planet, trying to eke out a living off the land if I even could figure out how to do it and survive. Yeah, that ain't for me."

The crew-cut soldier cut in, and pointed his thumb toward the Twi'lek. "Oh, hey this is Captain Wazhay. She's pretty nice, they all are. Treatin' us better than the Empire for sure."

Wazhay glanced over her shoulder to Ayala who gave a nod of approval. "Thank you, Klek. It's nice to meet you, Tarak. We'll you boys will be glad to know that you can move around somewhat. Don't mention your Imperials when you're in the crew lounge, and stay clear of the cargo bay for your safety. If they ask, you were hired to help on the ship. We can discuss options for your future later while we find supplies and then find a place for the Bith people to settle."

The captain handed the satchel to Tarak, and he promptly changed clothes and the two walked out to the crew lounge. It was already crowded with people, so they went back and hung out in the airlock.

Meanwhile the captain, Puhl and Ruusyra all researched various systems for potential places with markets nearby as they hurled through hyperspace heading toward Eriadu. This star system was a conjunction of two major hyperspace routes and two smaller routes, which gave them a lot of choices and more options for them to find a suitable planet.

Puhl's fingers pressed rapidly on the console buttons as he continued his search along with the others. It took them some time as the information was a not as reliable this far out in the Outer Rim. They had to piece together bits of data searches. The ship mechanic rubbed his bald head in frustration, but then he sat up straighter as he found something, a journal about a planet on the Hydian Way route. He read it quickly and exuberantly summarized his findings to the others. "I found information about the planet called Shumavar. Even though it is on a major hyperspace route, it is considered a backwater planet, though it was popular with aspiring musicians. Apparently, the fauna of the planet developed a divergent means of attracting mates to propagate their species. Normally animals used bright coloring, smells, or feats of strength. But on Shumavar the animal species used sounds to attract mates and proliferate. They developed advanced vocal cords and unique and flexible orifices to create multitudes of sounds. Making the wilderness areas come alive with exotic symphonies of melodies."

He glanced toward the others with a cheesy grin. "This is a perfect place for the Bith. They are known galaxy wide to be great musicians and I can't think a better place for them to settle."

The twi'lek shrugged, "It's a great find, Puhl, but let's not count the keeto birds before they hatch. We don't know how the locals will receive several dozen people searching for a place where they can immigrate. They could just find jobs in a city or help expand a town that's much farther out. I think we can test it out, let them get out and explore the opportunities for work. We'll need to get with the leaders of the Bith group and come up with the skills and experience they have to contribute to a population. We will definitely head there and check it out. It's not too far out, probably a little closer than I wanted. If they are allowed to stay there it may be very amenable to the Bith. I would strongly suggest going to a bigger city and going into small groups and that would draw less attention if the Empire figures out the miners somehow escaped. If they even care. Certainly, they won't be happy about the loss of their mine. Though they weren't exactly producing lucrative credits over the minerals they have been gathering. I think it was just a way for Empire to contain the locals, without arresting them. But that's another story."

"Hey Ruu, it appears we'll need to re-route to Shumavar after we finish our jump to Eriadu. You can work on the base calculations and set the destination and then get some sleep, both of you. I'll keep watch in the cockpit when you're done. I'm going to take a nap, wake me when the preliminary calculations are complete. It's been quite a day."