When I said it wouldn't be too long before the next chapter, I didn't think it'd be this soon.
But here it is. There's more dialogue than anything else in this chapter, and I'm a bit disappointed abby how Cassian's inclusion in the story turned out. Truth to be told, I only wrote him in so I could have K2-S0, as neither really works out without the other present.
The chapter also briefly mentions Isabella and Han's rivalry, a plot mechanic I don't believe I've included since chapter 7.
Anyway, enjoy.
On the bridge of the Avenger, the ship's com officer called to Commander Garavle.
"Sir, it's the missing freighter."
"So it finally arrived?"
"Yes sir. Shall I commence scanning?"
"Yes." Garavle replied. Pressing a button on the com, he hailed the freighter crew. "S8-8117, you are late."
"Uh, affirmative." a nervous voice replied. "We had engine difficulties, and were forced to make a brief layover." Garavle sighed. S8-8117 was an older Gozanti, according to its service record. They were known to have frequent breakdowns.
"I've scanned them, sir." the com officer said. "There's nothing on that ship that isn't supposed to be there."
"Very well." Garavle said. "S8-8117, proceed. Please check with the station's flight controller for a docking bay.."
"Roger." the voice on the other end said.
"Is there a problem, Commander?" someone asked. Garavle didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"No, sir." he said to Captain Needa. "Just a late transport."
"Ah. Carry on, Commander." the Captain said, before turning and walking down the elevated walkway. Turning to look out the window, Garavle noticed something...off about S8-8117 as it flew out of the corridor. The movements of the ship were not unlike those a cargo shuttle would make, jerkier and quicker in movements, possibly suggesting that the pilot was a great deal more comfortable flying shuttles, specifically the Zeta-class based on the movements.
He frowned. The defector who prompted their redeployment flew Zeta-class shuttles. He shook his head. He was just imagining things. Probably just a newly transferred pilot. Still though, just to put his mind at rest…
"Contact the station's flight controller." he ordered. "Tell them I want a random security check performed on S8-8117."
Slipping out of the vent, Ferb dusted himself off. He had climbed down 70 levels, and and then moved a kilometer west, putting himself in a different section of the city. He was now in an old and derelict storage room, filled with equipment and weapons left over from the Clone Wars.
He looked around before re-attaching the grate panel. He grimaced, not at the grime but rather the lack thereof. They old cargo bay, like everywhere else in Tipoca City, was sterile. He set off at a brisk pace down the aisle, passing several rows upon rows of crates, before something stopped him.
He felt a...stirring in the force.
"What…?" he muttered.
He frowned, and let the force guide him. It led down several aisles, past an array of old Kaminoan transport pods and several crates of Phase 1 Clone Armor, he came to a small metal box resting on a stool.
Ferb picked up the box, weighed it in his hands and opened it. Inside was a lightsaber.
He removed it, and dropped the box, the metal clattering on the floor. Suddenly, a wave of memories rushed into his mind, most to fast to ascertain any information from them.
Ferb was standing in a circular room. Several beings of varying species and gender were arrayed in a circular formation. The wide windows surrounding the gathering showed an endless city with lanes of traffic flying through the sky. He was standing behind a seated female Tortuga with red skin, and a blue pattern on her horns. A boy stood in the center.
"What do you see." a dark skinned man holding a display screen asked. The screen was turned so it was not pointed at the boy in the center.
"A cup." the boy said, frowning. "A ship. A speeder."
The scene shifted.
He was standing in a command room. Kaminoans and human technicians were racing about. Upon closer inspection, Ferb realized that all of the humans held the same face. Were they clones? Upon even closer inspection Ferb saw one of the Kaminoans was...Dr. Tanmi? Next to Tanmi stood a more elegantly dressed Kaminoan, and the same Tortuga. Suddenly, the large circular door exploded, and CIS Battle Droids came through. The clones and Kaminoans dove for cover, but the Tortuga drew a lighstaber, and started deflecting the blasts back at the droids. With surprise, Ferb realized it was the same lightsaber he was holding. He looked back at Tanmi. While the clones and the other Kaminoans wore expressions of fear on their faces, Tanmi simply wore one of interest.
The scene shifted a third time.
He was standing in a cavern. The Tortuga, much younger, was using the force to fuse several complicated parts together around a crystal.
"The Kyber Crystal is the focal point of the blade." a voice said.
The scene shifted again, but this time there was an intense pulling, as though a string was attached to Ferb's chest.
Ferb found himself in the hallways of Tipoca City, holding the ignited lightsaber. Standing in front of him was Darthensmirtz. Sneering, the Sith Lord ignited his red blade. Two other armored figures, with the Imperial cog symbol on their shoulder pads, were standing behind Darthensmirtz. They ignited red lightsabers with circular hilts.
The scene shifted for the final time.
Ferb was standing behind the Tortuga as several armor-clad figures shot at her. She deftly deflected blow after blow but another figure entered the fray, igniting a blue lightsaber and stabbing the Tortuga through the chest. The lightsaber slipped from her grasp and rolled behind a body. The troopers and the strange figure looked at the Tortuga's corpse, before marching off into the smoke. After what felt like an eternity, another figure walked out of the darkness. Ferb gasped in surprise; it was Tanmi again.
A grim smile forming on his thin, serpentine mouth, the gaunt Kaminoan bent down and picked up the Jedi's weapon. Placing it in the box, he he turned, and slipped out of the room. The scene dissolved into darkness.
Ferb came to lying on the floor, the saber next to him. His head hurt.
"You were out a long time." a voice said. "I was beginning to get worried."
"A Star Destroyer." Liea said. She was barely able to keep the rising panic out of her voice. The seven others in the room; Bohdi, Han, AP-5, Cassian, K2-SO, Luke and Candace, exchanged glances.
"It is in synchronous orbit around the facility, perfectly positioned to defend it." AP-5 said. "Or, if necessary, destroy it."
That lowered the mood in the cockpit considerably.
"A Star Destroyer." Liea repeated.
"So what do we do?" Han asked. "I mean, come on Liea. You, me, Luke." He looked at the two of them at this. "We beaten worse odds." Luke nodded at this, but Liea remained silent. "You-" he said, pointing to Candace. "You were there for most of our miracles."
"I was."
"And-"
"I calculate a 98.906 percent chance of failure. " K2-SO interrupted. Han glared at the droid before continuing.
"My point is, we're rebels. The impossible is a commodity we trade on a daily basis. Along with hope."
"Hope?" Bohdi asked.
"Yeah." Cassian said, speaking for the first time. "Rebellions are built on hope."
"That was very touching." K2 interjected. "But we still need to figure out what to do with that destroyer."
"I think I have an idea." Bohdi said. They all looked at him. "There are several old Y-Wings docked at the facility. Some computer error has caused them to be left alone for decades. I-I don't know the specifics, but they're still in good, flyable condition."
"Who would fly them?" prompted Liea.
"I could." Han said. "Luke too. He's a decent enough pilot.
"I'm more than decent." Luke grumbled.
"Lieutenant Garcia-Shapiro, as much as I hate to admit it, is pretty good at knowing her way around a cockpit."
"Are we sure she is though?" Candace prompted. "I mean, what if she crashes the fighter, or accidentally shoot one of our own people?"
Everyone in the cockpit stared at her.
"Isabella did a lot of bad things as a smuggler." Han said. "We all did. But she's a decent pilot. And she's definitely not going " He frowned. "At least, I don't think so. She did threaten to feed me to a rancor once."
"Sergeant, is there some professional difficulties you wish to discuss?"
Candace's face flushed a bright shade of crimson, and her eyes lowered.
"No." she said quickly, the shade of red deepening. Liea eyed her suspiciously, but let the matter drop.
"So we'll have three Y-Wings against...a Star Destroyer."
"Four." Cassian said. "I could fly one. I've been approved for flight aboard a U-Wing, and the controls aren't that different."
"The droids and I could cover you in this cruiser." Bohdi said.
Han smiled and turned to Liea. "See? I told you we'd come up with a plan."
"We still have to deal with the Light Cruiser!" she protested "And the TIEs from the facility. And the defense platforms."
"Easy." Candace said. "When we take control of the turrets, we target the light cruiser first. Then, before we launch the Y-Wings, we neutralize the station's TIE pilots."
"That still leaves both the defense platforms and the Star Destroyer's TIE's." K2 said. "A single Gozanti-class cruiser is not enough to effectively support four Y-Wings against that many hostiles."
"Then we have station's turbolasers cover them in addition to S8-something-whatever's support." replied Candace.
"And the defense platforms?" Liea asked
"Designated for external security matters." Bohdi explained. "They weren't It would take them time to respond to us, we could destroy them after the Star Destroyer."
"See?" Han said. "Good plan."
"Right." Luke agreed. "Which means it's time for our usual luck to rear its head."
"Oh, come on." Han said. "This-"
"Princess." AP-5 interrupted "we have a problem."
"See?" Luke said. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Liea ignored him and turned to the droid.
"What is it?"
"You intended to wear the uniform of this vessel's captain and act as her to allow you to infiltrate the station's core deck, did you not?" Liea frowned.
"Yes." she replied. Her voice held a note a confusion, as well as one of rising panic.
"Your physical structure does not match the late Captain's." AP-5 said, pulling up holographic representations of both Liea and the recently deceased commanding officer of S8-8117. Various readouts appeared detailing differences in the structures of the two women's bodies.
"Is those really enough of a difference to be noticed?" Luke asked.
"Not by normal Imperials, perhaps." the droid. "Perhaps a specially trained ISB agent or other COMPNOR operative. More likely, an Imperial droid will notice the differences."
"What other options are there, though?" she asked.
"Sergeant Flynn, perhaps." AP-5 said. All eyes turned to Candace.
"I agree." K2-SO said. "For example, the Sergeant's hips are about as wide as the Captain's. Also, her-"
"Thank you Kay, that's quite enough." Cassian interrupted. Candace's face flushed a bright red.
"Candace, can you do it?" Liea asked.
"Well, I don't know. I'm not that good at acting and-"
"Acting is easy." a voice said. Everyone, excluding the droids, jumped. Candace frowned as she recognizing the voice.
"Where are you hiding, Buford?"
"Up here." the boy replied. The grate covering the ventilation tube popped out, and Buford dropped to the floor.
"Hostile!" K2 shouted.
Resting her face in her hands, Candace fought to keep herself from strangling the boy.
"What are you doing?" Candace growled.
"I dunno." Buford replied. "I just like crawling through things."
" You like 'Crawling through things'"Liea asked incredulously.
"Yeah, Danish Head." Buford snapped. "I like crawling' through things. You got a problem with it?"
"I...er, no." Liea stammered.
"Huh. 'Danish Head.'"Han muttered. "I'll have to remember that one."
"Like I was saying, acting is easy." Buford continued. "All you gotta do is sympathize with your character, and then the rest is simple."
"So all I have to do is sympathize with an attitude of extreme superiority and blind devotion to the Empire?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. I can do that."
"Good." Cassian said. "Let's go get you her uniform."
The three of them, followed by K2-SO exited the bridge.
"Odd child." Han muttered.
"How long until we dock?" Liea asked.
"Two minutes until we arrive at the hangar. Fifteen minutes more until we can land." AP-5 replied. "There is some backup; several ships in the section we have been granted permission to land in have yet to leave."
"As soon as we arrive, inform me. Hold position until we've been given clearance to land."
"Understood." Bohdi said.
Ferb lept up, drawing his blaster and igniting the lightsaber. Finding the source of the voice, he found himself facing a...droid. A harmless-looking Clone Wars-era surgery droid.
It was floating there, hovering on the two repulsor-lifts installed where its legs would
have been. One of its photoreceptors was missing, and had been replaced with what appeared to be a modified ocular implant meant for organics.
Sitting up, Ferb groaned.
"Careful." the droid warned. "My medical scans are revealing symptoms of dehydration in your brain."
Ferb grunted. "I lived the first thirteen years of my life on a desert planet. I know a thing or two about dehydration. And on this planet of all planets, I'm certainly not dehydrated."
"I merely stated you were showing symptoms, not actually experiencing the condition."
Ferb gave a nod at this.
"Sorry. Words aren't my strong suit." he replied. "I'm more of a parts-and-technical group kinda guy. I could fix your replacement photoreceptor. I imagine it doesn't work to well, being a standard cybernetic eye meant for organics."
The droid considered this for a moment.
"And what do you require in return? It is an annoyingly common trait amongst organics that"
"Tell me about yourself." Ferb said. "How you came to be wandering the lower levels of Tipoca City. That's what I want to know."
"Okay." the droid said
"Okay, now this time say it with feeling." Buford said. He was tutoring Candace, who had been squeezed into the officer's uniform, in acting. Baljeet, Cassian, and K2-SO were watching.
Both Buford and Baljeet were dressed in their old stormtrooper armor. Cassian was wearing the black uniform of an Imperial Navy officer.
"This is stupid." Candace said. "How can I be someone I'm not?" Now Baljeet stepped forward.
"You change your opinion on almost everything every two weeks." he argued, putting as much steel as he could into his random statement. "There is only one thing you have a constant opinion about!"
Candace frowned, before realizing what he was talking about.
"Isabella." she said.
"And Isabella is what, exactly?"
"A smuggler and a rebel." Candace said, her eyes going cold.
"And what are smugglers and rebels?"
"Scum." Candace growled. Her tone sent a shiver up the spines of Buford, Baljeet, and even Cassian. "They are anarchists and nonhumans who seek to undermine the peace the Emperor is bringing. The will pay for their treason." As soon as she finished talking, Candace's eyes went wide, and her hand flew to her mouth.
"See?" Baljeet said, turning to Buford. "It was just a matter of reawakening her dormant training. Now hurry up and get her ready."
"Good job." K2-SO muttered drily. "You took a strong and independent young woman and turned her into one of the faceless millions among the Empire's soldiers. You should be very proud of your actions."
"Commander." Needa said. Garavle turned from his position at the end of the bridge. "I've just heard from the High Command. I'm needed back on Coruscant."
"We're leaving, sir?" the Commander asked.
"No, I'm leaving. The Avenger and her crew are staying here." Garavle pondered this for a second.
"I will be in charge in your absence, then?"
"Try not to ruin my ship while I'm gone, Commander." Needa said, patting Garavle on the shoulder before turning away. "Oh, and don't upset Commodore Brittho." he warned, referring to the station's commanding officer. "She can be very territorial regarding control of the station, and has powerful friends on Coruscant." Garavle gulped, remembering his order for the inspection of S8-8117.
"Thank you, sir." he said, his throat dry.
"We have been cleared to land." Bohdi said over the com.
"Thank you, Ensign." Liea said. She switched off the com, and surveyed the team assembled. Two dozen or so commandos dressed in stolen Stormtrooper armor stood waiting silently. Captain Andor was wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant, and Candace's brother was dressed as a technician, while Lieutenant Garcia-Shapiro was in the uniform of a Navy Trooper. Han and Luke were also dressed as stormtroopers, as well as the two bickering ex-stormtroopers who always followed Candace around. Liea herself was dressed as a Navy Trooper.
"May the Force be with us." she said. The crowd murmured her statement in response.
The craft shook a bit and the overhead com chimed.
"We've landed." AP-5 announced.
"Places." Liea said. Candace, her hair tied in a bun and shoved under the officer's cap, stepped over the boarding platform. Liea and Isabella got behind her, and K2-SO stepped onto the platform last. Candace nodded, and one of the commandos threw a switch.
The platform slowly lowered itself out of the cargo bay, and onto the deck of the station's hangar bay. The four rebels stepped of the platform and were met by an inspection team.
"You're late." the officer leading the team said. He looked irritated.
"We ran into engine difficulties." Candace replied. The Inspector sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Do you have the throlide?" he asked.
"Some of it."
The look of irritation deepened.
"'Some of it'? What do you mean by that?"
"The Guild simply didn't have the full amount of ore they claimed to have. We were forced to take the partial delivery, and in turn, only exchanged a small portion of the mining droids." The Inspector looked as though he wanted to say something, but bit his tongue.
"Right then. Move out of the way, Captain. I have an inspection to complete." Candace frowned.
"Inspection? That's against protocol! I have less than half the cargo, my ship has already been scanned several times, and-"
"The protocols have been changed. Some officer on that destroyer ordered a random security check on your ship."
"I…" she trailed off, lost for words.
Stay with the mission! Liea thought desperately. Just stall him long enough for the others to get ready!
"If you would move aside, please." the Inspector continued. Candace exhaled slowly.
"Very well. I intend to file a complaint."
"Noted." the inspector said in a patronizing tone, before leading his team, consisting of several technicians with scanners and a duo of stormtroopers aboard.
The boarding platform rose back into the ship, and Candace turned and walked briskly towards the other side of the bay. As she passed by crates and cargo shuttles, the rest of the team hurried to keep up with her.
Entering an empty corridor, the four of them ducked into a supply closet.
"What do we do now?" Candace hissed.
"We stick to the plan." Liea replied. "Our part of it, anyway, and get to the core deck, and shut down the reactor."
"Let's just get this done." Isabella said. "If I survive this infiltration-and that's a big if-I still have to fly a decades old, Clone Wars-era bomber against a Star Destroyer. If I'm gonna die a dumb, heroic death today, I wanna hurry up and get it over with."
"Alright. Sergeant?"
"Got it." Candace replied. She pulled out a separate set of code cylinders than the ones in her uniform's pockets and switched the pairs. "So these will fool the computers into thinking I have clearance to access the reactor control room?"
Liea nodded.
"K2," she asked the security droid. "Where to?"
"To reach the central reactor deck, we must follow this corridor for sixty meters before turning and taking a turbolift up three floors, after which we will find ourselves at a trams station. We will take the tram for-"
"Okay, we got it." interrupted Isabella. "Just tell us where we need to get off when we get there." The droid shook his head in what would have been exasperation.
Sighing, Candace hoped the other teams were having an easier time of it.
"And how long have you been Chief Supply Officer on this ship?'' the Inspector asked.
"Four years." Cassian replied, nor a hint of nervousness in his voice. The inspector checked something on his tablet.
"Uh-huh," he muttered. "Right, you check out. Now, if you'll lead me to your cargo bay-"
"Right this way, sir." Cassian said, gesturing for the inspector to follow him. The officer motioned for his two troopers to accompany them. The walk to the cargo bay was uneventful, though the poor quality of the ship's air recycling systems contributed to the officer's general distaste with his assignment.
Upon entering the cargo bay, two other stormtroopers appeared. The inspector frowned.
"I did not see these troopers with the rest of the crew." he commented,
"You weren't meant to." Cassian said. The inspector barely had time to frown before the other troopers raised their blasters and stunned his escort.
"Who in the hell so you think you are?" the inspector demanded. One of the stormtroopers waved his hand in front of the officer's face.
"You have seen nothing out of the ordinary in this ship, and will report as such to your superiors." The inspector frowned.
"What?" he snapped. Looking at the rogue trooper, his eyes narrowed. "You're a little short for a stormtrooper, aren't you?"
"Kid, he's not buying it." the other stormtrooper muttered. The first stormtrooper waved his hand again.
"You have seen nothing out of the ordinary in this ship, and will report as such to your superiors." he repeated. The officer began to reach for his com, but stopped as his eyes glazed over.
"I have seen nothing out of the ordinary on this ship and will report as such to my superiors."
"And you'll take us, along with that R2 unit and two other stormtroopers from this ship, to the command bridge of this station, without your technicians?"
"And I'll take you, along with that R2 unit and two other stormtroopers from this ship, to the command bridge of the station without my technicians." the Inspector muttered. The group left the near-empty cargo bay, heading back to the main bay.
"I want that R2 unit taken in for inspection." the Inspector growled. One of the technicians nodded and fitted R2-D2 with a restraining bolt, pushing the droid forwards.
"And also, I want two troopers from the ship to accompany me." His eyes looked over the group, and he settled on a duo standing apart from the rest, the most useless looking troopers of the whole group.
"You two." he said, pointing at Buford and Baljeet.
Luke, inside his disguise, felt several spikes of emotion through the force.
Two of them, Buford and Baljeet's, were simply fear.
Another, a mixture of fear, worry, and irritation, was felt. Based on the mix, Luke correctly guessed that it was Han.
A fourth, consisting of just the mildest hint of annoyance, confused Luke. With surprise' Luke realized it was Cassian; the spy had been in so many stressful situations this was simply a minor setback to him.
"Well?" the inspector asked. The two stormtroopers exchanged a glance.
"Yes, sir." Baljeet squeaked.
"Yeah, whatever." Buford muttered. The officer eyed him suspiciously, but let the insubordination drop.
"We're done here." he said, stepping into the boarding platform. The four disguised troopers, and the Inspector's technicians followed, one forcing R2 forwards. Phineas, disguised, flipped a switch and the platform lowered into the ground.
As the platform returned, and the hatch sealed. "Get ready. Cassian said, swapping his code cylinders.
"Do you think they'll be alright?" Phineas wondered.
"They'll be fine." Cassian
distractedly assured him, switching his rank plaque from a lieutenant's to that of a commander.
"You four, with me and the kid." He said pointing to some of the disguised commandos. "The rest of you, take of those disguises and wait for my signal. Then storm the hangar bay." Cassian stopped and gave a grim smile. "And may the force be with us."
A shout of assent rippled through the rebels, and Cassian's team stepped into the platform.
"Maybe it's down there." Candace said, pointing down a hallway.
"No it's definitely that way." Isabella retorted.
"You're just saying that to get on my nerves."
"You're just saying that to get on my nerves!" Leia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Or we could ask our walking, talking 'map'" at this, she gestured to K2, who was idly reading a sign "where to go." Leia said, in what she believed was a soothing tone. The three of them turned to the reprogrammed security droid.
"Well?" Candace prompted.
"Oh, right." the droid replied, turning to face the three women. "The reactor room is located on level eight of the central command module."
"We know that, you metal moron." Isabella snarled. "What we don't know, and you do, is how to get there!" The droid cocked it's head and made a series of clicking noises that Candace assumed were some form of laughter.
"Its that way." he said, pointing towards Isabella's route. The smuggler smiled smugly at Candace, to which the former stormtrooper growled.
"Would you two please shut up." Liea muttered, in a tone that (at least to Candace) practically screamed I give up!
The four rebels set off again, unaware of what had just happened.
An excerpt from the ISB Guide to Imperial Navy Space Stations and Capital Ships, Section Four: the "Military Stations and their security systems."
The stations and ships of His Excellency Emperor Palpatine are equipped with the finest security systems available.
This includes a wide range of security holocameras placed all throughout the vessel or station.
For budget reasons, not all cameras are necessarily kept on at all times. Cameras in essential locations, such as major prison blocks, command centeres, major hangar bays, and reactor rooms remain on, the feed being sent to the security room.
For cameras in hallways, barracks, and storage rooms, those are for the most part kept off, only to be turned on in the event of an emergency. However these holocameras are not fully off, rather lie dormant, still receiving audio feeds due to the programming.
Furthermore, if one were to…..
Boba Fett was not called the galaxy's best bounty hunter for no reason. He was fast, he was dangerous, and he was thorough.
It was said the only time he totally failed to complete a contract was during the Clone Wars, and the rumor went that a rogue ex-apprentice of Count Dooku's had betrayed the team and locked him in a box.
So, when tasked once again with learning more about, and hopefully capturing, Luke Skywalker, the bounty hunter immediately accessed several Imperial databases, researched the files of Skywalker and his allies, he was intrigued to learn that a smuggler and retrieval pilot for Alliance Intelligence had recently been involved in assisting the defection of a cargo pilot. That fact alone was intriguing (and set Fett's mercenary instincts abuzz, as the value of the defector's bounty rivaled several of the ones in Skywalker's group), but also, the smuggler's engineer apparently was neighbors with Skywalker before both left Tatooine.
Furthermore, the engineer's sister (who herself was also a defector) was chief bodyguard of the Princess Leia, another high-ranking rebel and member of Skywalker's clique within the Alliance.
Several of the engineer's relatives' files were restricted even to the All-Access pass Vader had supplied Fett with. The only information he could get out of them was that all four were currently in prison.
Given that these coincidences were too large to ignore, Fett set up a series of fail-safes. He also looked at the defector's record and found that he had been a cargo pilot servicing several major Imperial facilities that would be vital targets for an Alliance strike. Specifically, the sort of strike that Luke Skywalker and his allies would spearhead.
So Fett, after spending an hour learning how to hack, sliced into the security systems of each facility, and set his trap.
He had programmed a complicated audio recognition program designed to recognize each of the voices of Skywalker and his friends; Leia, Han Solo, the Wookiee Chewbacca, the bodyguard, the engineer, and the smuggler, who just made it in.
Fett guessed if the group took a photo, the smuggler would be the one slightly scowling and standing apart from the rest.
The cargo pilot's vocal patterns were also included, as a failsafe.
Which is why, when Candace, Isabella, and Leia were loudly arguing at that junction, a nearby dormant holocamera received the audio of their heated exchange. Fett's program activated, and overrid the holocamera's own programming, before switching itself on. After confirming via a piece of Imperial facial recognition software, that the three women were in fact who their voices implied they were, the program tapped into the Armengoltiax facility's communications array and contacted Fett's light cruiser.
Situation Room,
Fett's Light Cruiser,
Deep Space.
Fett stared at the screen intensely. The massive monitor was displaying the profiles of the three female associates of Luke Skywalker, as well as the schematics for the Armengoltiax Cluster Dismantling Facility. He inhaled deeply and tried to ignore the fight behind him.
"Still, I refuse to move the cruiser based on the suspicion that some of Skywalker's friends might be there!" the cruiser's commanding officer protested.
"It is not up for debate." IG-88 replied in his monotonous droid voice. "Fett has confirmed the location of three of Skywalker's close allies. Based on their identities, the importance of the facility they are infiltrating, and recent events, I calculate a 96.73 % likelihood that Skywalker is there himself." The young officer's scowl deepened.
Fett had recruited the assassin droid to help provide an edge over Skywalker; he had beaten the boy in their previous engagements, but according to Imperial reports, the force sensitivity of the boy was growing. He was not as much a threat as a full Jedi (which Fett had faced when he was still a mere child during the Clone Wars) but having a deadly war droid at his back would make dealing with the rebel much easier.
"I don't care what the probability is!" the young Commander continued protesting. "I won't move my ship to the-"
"But you will." Fett interrupted. "Remember what I told you when you greeted me? About how I hated your by-the-book methods?" The commander nodded. "Well, now I'm taking your book and throwing it o a pile of rancor dung." He jabbed his right finger into the officer's chest. "So answer me when I ask 'How long until we reach the facility?'" The commander gaped.
"F..five hours.." he stuttered. Fett turned his swiveling chair around again.
"Good. Inform me when we are underway."
The doors to the server room hissed open and Cassian's group entered.
"What do you want?" the Stormtrooper sergeant standing guard at the door demanded.
"We need to borrow your computers." Cassian said, shooting the trooper in the chest. The other stormtroopers started firing, but were felled but the rebels.
The technicians surrendered immediately, and Cassian, after determining there was nothing they could do to hinder his plans, had the pathfinders lock them in a closet.
"Seal the door." he ordered Phineas. The teenager nodded, and spent a minute slicing into the room's systems, locking the door.
"The anti-hacking software is surprisingly easy to dance around." he commented.
"Really." Cassian muttered, "Then how long would it take to just get access to one of those." he said, pointing to several large database-level computer hard drives sitting in neat rows around the room. "You need a level-three clearance just to look at them. I hear the security code all stretched out on pieces of flimsy is several kilometers long."
Phineas gulped.
"A while."
"My designation is AZ1-345211896246498721347." the droid began.
"Quite a mouthful." Ferb muttered, as he unscrewed the metal plate covering the droid's processor.
"You are not the first organic I have encountered to think so." The droid paused for a moment. "Perhaps you could simply refer to me as AZ1-3. A…friend called me by that name. "
Ferb grunted, a screw held between his teeth. "Seems simple enough."
"What are you doing back there?" the droid asked, his tone holding a slight hint of condemnation. "If you are trying to fix my replacement photoreceptor, there is no need to interface with my processor."
"On the contrary, I need to access your memory banks." Ferb countered, connecting the processor to a stolen tablet via an archaic landline communications cord. "I need also room to access your programming."
"Why?"
"Well, I need to access the... uh...source code for the ocular implant that you are.."
"Your tone and attention to detail suggest a 98% chance that you are telling a mistruth."
Ferb swore. As someone who rarely talked, he had little experience in lying. The tablet beeped, confirming to Ferb that his fears were unbased.
"Sorry." the Jedi said. "I just had to be sure you weren't an Imperial agent."
"So are on the run, then?"
A long silence. Then;
"Yes. And I have a feeling you are too, AZI.''
"So as you can see, we are here on an inspection." Candace said. "So stand aside, trooper!"
The Stormtrooper looked at them, but moved finally moved aside.
It had turned out that a security drill had been underway, and the reactor deck was on lockdown. Cassian's stolen code cylinders had not been enough to get Candace's group past the guard, and she had had to spend several minutes persuading the stormtrooper corporal to allow them past.
Now, finally, they were in the reactor chamber.
"Everybody down!" Candace said, shooting a Stormtrooper near to her. Most of the engineers and technicians immediately dropped to their knees, hands in their head to show their surrender. Several stormtroopers appeared out of a door leading to another section, but the rebels quickly dispatched the guards.
"Clear of hostiles." K2-SO remarked. Suddenly, one trooper, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, launched, himself at Liea. "One hostile!" K2 shouted, grappling the soldier and throwing him against a nearby container of reactor coolant.
"Right, then." Liea said, ignoring the groaning trooper. "Kay, what do we do to disable the power core?"
"Well," the droid replied, already heading to start work disabling the outer security mechanisms. "First you have to engage the secondary…."
It took a minute, but K2-SO finally he the reactor's security protocols lowered, and was ready to full disable the power core.
"Are you three in position?" he asked. The three women replied yes. They were standing at three separate levers located at equidistant locations around the base of the lower cone of the central reactor.
"You should flip the switchers in about ten seconds." K2 said. "Now."
They threw the levers.
And with that, all hell broke loose.
To begin with, if anyone has any qualms about the force awakens-inspired force vision's depiction of Shaak-Ti's death, I'll break it down for you.
Legends:
Shaak-Ti evacuated several Jedi Temple workers and younglings before fleeing herself during the march on the Jedi Temple. She went into hiding on a remote world, and remained there for several years, until Galen Marek, Darth Vader's apprentice found and killed her.
Canon:
Shaak Ti: Recorded a holocron warning the surviors of the purge to hide, then meditated during the attack on the temple. I kid you not, she knows she is in danger ad then sits down, and is stabbed by Vader. (Of course there are two conflicting sources for this; one of Marvel's new Star Wars comics has the holocron of Shaak-Ti, and her profile in the Galactic Atlas mentions her death.)
I'd also like to remind everyone that I'm only writing as long as people are enjoying. If you have any opinions at all, and I mean ANY, I would like to know. Out of character? Chapters too long? Chapters too short? Want to see more of one character and less of another? To many Imperial OC's? Be sure to tell me. If something's been weird for you with the story lately, let me know.
To my fellow Americans reading this, hope you had a happy 4th.
Thanks for reading.