ADVISORY: The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Trauma and acts of violence. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.
Chapter: 130 Kyber Squad
- ACCESSING IMPERIAL NETWORK -
IHC: Imperial High Command to Star Destroyer Relentless.
Konstantine: This is Admiral Konstantine of the Relentless. Proceed.
IHC: Shortly after her speech, Senator Mon Mothma departed from the public eye. We believe she's gone into hiding.
Konstantine: The coward.
IHC: ISB is searching persons of interest and frequented establishments on Coruscant. If she's still planetside, they'll find her. However if she isn't, that's where you come in. We're locking down all hyperspace lanes in the sector. I want the Relentless on point to intercept.
Konstantine: It will be done.
IHC: Remember, admiral. We need her alive.
The Imperial Academy was known for its strict policies and regimental vistas, but Tiana had always felt at home. Perhaps it came with her father's military background and always wanting to be like him. How she'd been able to remain hyperfixated on tasks until they were done, as a 'good soldier' would. And yet for all of her orderly discipline, Tiana had never felt so nervous in a classroom. Each passing moment had her battling sweat as she sat upright at her desk. Professor Voit hobbled by, datapad in hand as she scanned through test scores. She took her time, knowing that each of her classmates was simply dying to know. Regardless of their age nor position, there was no denying that those in the Empire loved festering in power. The pride it gave them to watch others quake under their decisions. Voit bit back a smirk, speaking only when she'd felt the students had endured enough pressure.
"The scores are in," she declared and classmates impulsively leaned forward. Tiana swallowed hard and squinted nervously. "The top three scores go to Ledrau, Ganam-..." Voit sighed. "And our top score..." The professor's grin softened as she said, "Tiana."
The young cadet let herself breathe, appearing to be the only one genuinely surprised. The rest of her classmates shrugged it off, already anticipating her to win while Voit nodded. Tiana looked as though she wanted to say so much more, but strived not to show favoritism. "Congratulations, you three. As the top scorers, you'll be placed in an 'on field'assignment with a real ISB agent, where-"
In that instant, the classroom doors hissed open. In tromped a pale-uniformed youth with a seething scowl. Blood red hairs snuck out from beneath her black cap as she surveyed the room. While she seemed true to her word, she wasn't one to waste time as her silver-eyed gaze found Voit. "Professor," she spoke sternly. "Agent Byra. ISB. Here for the cadets."
"Already?" Voit sputtered. "But you weren't supposed to pick them up-"
"Do they want the incentive or not," Agent Byra snapped. It shocked Tiana to see one Imperial authority degrade another in such away, let alone an elderly person. "There's been an emergency that'll have my desk swamped for weeks. So if you want this for your cadets, it's now or never."
Voit slouched and slowly gestured to the top scorers. "I...understand. They're ready for you. Ledrau, Ga-"
"Fine then," Byra interrupted and stood front and center. With the way she spoke and commanded the room, one would think she was the professor. Within a matter of moments, she had reduced Voit to nothing and claimed power for herself. Such was the Imperial way. "Cadets, with me." With arms folded behind her back, Byra began her march out the door. Voit quietly urged the winners to follow as Tiana scrambled out of her seat.
Finding it in her to speak, Tiana cleared her throat. "I just wanted to say thank you for this opportunity. And that it's an honor to-"
"I would imagine so," Byra answered, starting her march without a single glance back. "I'm going to make this very clear, cadets. Listen to everything I say as I say it and you may actually learn something. Stay in your lanes. Do not speak unless spoken to. Impede my efforts...disobey anything an agent tells you...step out of line once and I will make sure your asses never see graduation. Do you three understand?" Their timid acknowledgements had Byra continuing as they exited the academy. She led them towards a patrol gunship, opened the hatch and revealed a squad of stormtroopers inside. "Today, people!" Byra rushed the cadets. "Today!"
Any sense of awe from the students was knocked out of them by Byra's harshness. And while Ledrau and Ganam seemed impressed by the troopers alongside them, Tiana stayed calm. She had vague memories of clone battalions as a child, and recalled how sometimes the troopers at her father's base would play games like tag with her growing up. Tiana's smile faded as she wondered whatever happened to all of the clone troopers. The conscripted soldiers might've looked like them in function, but they were far from as experienced.
As everyone grabbed a handhold, they heard the hatches seal and felt the gunship take off. "Alright listen up," Byra declared while pulling out a holoprojector. Tiana watched as a woman's face flickered amid the hold's darkness. "Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila has betrayed the Empire, speaking out against our very ways of life. Our mission is to track down and detain her before the situation escalates and more terrorists rally to her cause. While we don't have a fixed location, other agents are enacting a sweep. Our team is heading to Cantham House, an estate owned by Senator Bail Organa. ISB intel says Mothma frequented this estate, so we're going in for answers. Captain Phoebus will establish a perimeter and then we'll take it from there. With any luck, we'll find a senator in hiding and put this entire ordeal to rest."
Once she powered down the hologram, Byra took a deep breath to recollect herself. Meanwhile, Tiana came to terms with all she'd just heard. She seemed more troubled than her classmates. Ledrau was the eldest of their group and nothing ever seemed to faze him. His stern, hazel gaze lay juxtaposed beside Ganam's bright blue eyes. He seemed worried, and kept eyeing the stormtroopers' blasters...almost wishing he had one. Tiana had heard Mon Mothma's declaration. Everyone had. She only wondered what would make her state such a daunting accusation. If a riot was rightfully suppressed on Ghorman, how would that make the Empire responsible?
Tiana kept pondering as the gunship slowed. It glided over the Imperial Executive Building, even as senators still departed from the most recent meeting. Contrary to most political suites, Cantham House was Bail Organa's private estate. He had the penthouse built separately from the Executive Building, raising more Imperial brows. As the gunship slowed its glide, Captain Phoebus wasted no time in locking the area down.
"Move it out!" Phoebus brayed as his stormtroopers rushed the platform. "Benton, get the front door!"
"On it, sir!" the younger trooper obliged and dashed ahead.
"Oh!" a robotic voice yelped from the kitchen. "Goodness gracious me!" Within moments, one of the stormtroopers ousted a gold-plated protocol droid. "What's going on?"
"Shut up!" a trooper barked. "You don't talk unless we tell you to."
While her classmates remained statuesque, the sight had an impulsive effect on Tiana. She found herself wincing at the soldier's tone of voice, even if he was talking to a droid. Phoebus and his troops cleared the other rooms, throwing racks of clothing to the floor and even carelessly dismantling shelving units. Once a thorough search of the penthouse was complete, he reported back to Byra. "We'll scrub for datapads, but there's no one else here other than the droid and those two." He motioned towards a pair of young women seated calmly in the lounge. While the brunette wore a neatly pressed white vest and matching pants, her counterpart was rather eccentric. Bright blue locks nearly hid her face and a crystalline green dress caught the invaders' eyes.
Noticing how frightened her droid was, the brunette spoke up. "Keep calm, 3PO," she assured. Her gentle smile faded into a stern frown as she stared up at the ISB official. "We've done nothing wrong," she asserted.
"I'll be the judge of that," her opponent sneered and beckoned the cadets to get a closer look at the situation. "Agent Byra of the Imperial Security Bureau. You're the senator's daughter, aren't you? Leia, is it?"
"Princess Leia," she corrected, never once taking her eyes off the agent.
Byra feigned a condescending bow before turning to the other girl. "And who might you be?"
While the extravagant youth sat tall, Byra probed for any weaknesses in her expression. She winced slightly while speaking up, "Amilyn Holdo."
A nearby trooper ran their names on a scanner and passed it to Byra for readouts. "You're a long way from Gatalenta, Holdo. What brings you to Coruscant?"
Amilyn took a breath and paced herself to respond. "Leia and I were part of the Apprentice Legislature program a while back. We're just...catching up on our political careers-"
"Do those political careers include Senator Mon Mothma?" Byra pressed and drove the girl to silence. "Quite a little speech she gave in the Senate today before disappearing. Where is she?" Byra didn't even seem to breathe between questions. Her sharp gaze narrowed as Amilyn tried to answer. "We know she frequents this place. Where is she?"
"We haven't seen her," Leia intervened, causing Byra's neck to crane towards her. "Senator Mothma hasn't visited Cantham for weeks."
Byra bit back a greater chuckle than what she offered. "Do you enjoy lying to the Empire, princess?"
"I'm not lying," Leia was quick to answer.
Byra slammed on the table between them, rattling it with enough force to startle both Amilyn and Tiana. "You don't get it, do you?" Byra asserted and knelt beside Leia. She leaned closer, bringing her voice to a sinister whisper. "You don't think the ISB knows about your planet? How much Alderaan thumbs its nose at the Empire any chance it gets? You know what happens if you're lying, princess? It doesn't matter who you are, we'll make everyone you love disappear. You will never see your father again. Is that what you want? Tell me where Senator Mothma is."
Leia kept her gaze on Byra, relaxed her shoulders, and said, "I don't know. She hasn't been here."
Byra simpered while backing away. "Congratulations, princess. Tell your father that you've earned a twenty-four hour watch on his little penthouse. Captain Phoebus, we're done here." As she stepped away, Leia uncoiled her fingers from under the table. Color returned to her knuckles from how hard she'd been clenching them as she kept her breaths slow. While the unit departed, Tiana lingered for a moment...locking eyes with Leia. Their exchange was brief before the gunship's engines had her rushing away.
"We'll keep an eye on them," Byra persisted as their craft took off. Taking a moment to address the cadets, she added, "Let that be a lesson to you aspiring agents. Power is the root of your strength. Never let the weak take anything from you. Your objective is never to just win. It is to obliterate. Demoralize so that whoever stands against you will never think to raise their voice again. Understood?"
Within moments, Ledrau and Ganam proudly saluted Byra. "Yes, ma'am!" they declared in unison. Byra paused, realizing Tiana hadn't answered. She leaned closer as the top scorer rushed to cautiously salute.
"Y-yes ma'am," Tiana added, struggling to shake what she'd just witnessed.
Kristoff and Sven couldn't stop listening. News of Mon Mothma's shocking words had even made their way to a backwater moon like Nar Shaddaa. And after all those two had been through, they found a sliver of solace in the senator's act of rebellion. Kristoff had heard bouts of insurrection sparking throughout the galaxy, but to hear an Imperial senator speak in such a way was unheard of. And yet despite how elated Kristoff felt, he only wished for better company while witnessing it. Sven had been his friend for as far back as he could remember. But he lamented over losing Anna, Elsa, and Mattias before seeing Mothma's speech. Maybe things could've been different.
Sven was there to support his friend in any way possible. After all, they only had each other left. Kristoff leaned forward against the cantina's counter, paying little mind to the boisterous hollers around them. He had as much pride as he did disbelief over Mon Mothma, wondering if she even survived making such a statement.
His enamoring view was cut short by a boisterous snort. "Will someone shut that whelp up?" a patron groused. Kristoff and Sven turned to see a haggard Besalisk. The scruffy oaf gulped a beverage in one hand while the other three scratched at his paunch. "I can't listen to her yap anymore."
"Hey! She's saying what needs to be done!" countered a higher, yet grizzly voice. The Besalisk turned with a sneer and observed a Dug. Kristoff had never seen such a unique being before. The Dug's body looked inverted, with his second pair of feet functioning as a set of extended hands. His snout twitched as he stared up at his colossal adversary. "You an Imp lover?" the Dug questioned.
"They don't bother me-" the Besalisk scoffed. "-so I don't bother them. That simple. No need to be making useless trouble and making our lives harder."
"Easy for idiots to make it sound easy," the Dug berated.
Fed up with his words, the Besalisk rose from his seat. Towering over his opponent, he glared down and bellowed, "You asking to be pummeled, little scumrat?"
Without hesitation, the Dug sprung up against the Besalisk and was instantly swatted down. While some of the cantina's patrons started cheering on the fight, others merely continued to drink. Being twice his challenger's size, the Besalisk easily siezed the Dug with three of his limbs. "I'm gonna enjoy this," he chuckled while turning his fourth into a fist.
"Let him go!" Kristoff blurted, catching the Besalisk's attention. The drunkard shook his head in disbelief, yet still didn't back down as Kristoff and Sven stepped closer.
"You want some too?" the Besalisk taunted before punching the Dug down anyway. "Come on then!" Instead of waiting for either to attack like the Dug did, the Besalisk instead went on the offensive. He lunged at Kristoff and Sven in a flurry of swiping limbs. Sven struck with his head, scraping the Besalisk with the tips of his antlers. It was because of this that Kristoff managed to punch once before the Besalisk kicked him to the floor. The crowd grew even more restless as Kristoff tumbled back towards the counter. He could hardly catch his breath as the Besalisk threw an entire table at him.
Smashed bottles and half-eaten meals spewed across the floor as the Besalisk closed in. Seeking to protect Kristoff, Sven charged back into the fray. Another strike from his antlers failed as the Besalisk snatched them by their tips. Kristoff's heart sank, listening to his best friend wail in pain as the Besalisk yanked him down.
Running on sheer adrenaline, Kristoff dashed back towards his foe. He tried tackling, but the Besalisk planted his feet. Suddenly, Kristoff felt two hands pull him up by the coat. While they held him steady, the other two were ready to strike Kristoff's face. He was already dazed after the first strike, and the second had him bracing for the worst. And though Kristoff expected an ear-splitting thud, he was relieved to hear the sharp crackle of blasterfire instead.
While many of the cantina's patrons had been able to ignore the ensuing scuffle, a blastershot was enough to scatter crowds and draw silence. Heads turned to where some had caught a brief flash of red. Still in the Besalisk's grip, Kristoff observed the scorched hole in the ceiling and dropped his gaze to a smoking pistol. The blue fingers around its grip tightened as an older gunman stood tall. This proud Pantoran kept a stern, golden gaze on the Besalisk...and took aim shortly after. "Drop him," he commanded without hesitation. The Besalisk grumbled and lackadaisically released Kristoff. "Leave," the Pantoran doubled down, letting his finger caress the trigger.
"Heh," the Besalisk scoffed. "This ain't worth my time." He gave his bulbous neck a crack and hobbled out of the bar. Within moments, the cantina's assorted scum and villainy returned to their beverages.
The Pantoran leered at the brute, waiting for him to fully leave before holstering his weapon and helping scrape Kristoff off the floor. Sven was already halfway through assisting, letting everyone focus their attention on the dazed Dug. "Friend of yours?" the Pantoran asked Kristoff. When he shook his head in denial, the Pantoran's pale purple mustache twitched with intrigue. "I always figured Nar Shaddaa was an 'every man for himself' kind of moon. Why help him?"
Kristoff shrugged while rubbing his aching face. "Because no one else was going to," he huffed. Without putting any other thoughts into himself, he and Sven went to give the Dug a hand.
No taller than a human child, the Dug was quick to swat away any assistance. "I had it under control!" he griped before falling over again.
"Sure you did," the Pantoran jested, and fired him up again.
"You want some too?"
"Why'd you pick a fight with someone thrice your size?" the Pantoran asked without hesitation.
The Dug's brows furrowed. "What's it to you?"
"Humor me."
Genuinely curious, Kristoff and Sven's gazes fell upon the Dug as he grumbled. "Cause I was tired," he scoffed. "All you hear about is Empire this and Empire that. Then the one time someone has the guts to speak out and this chump says 'be quiet?'...No no no."
The Pantoran simpered. "No matter how far out into the galaxy...Empire or not...it seems you'll always find someone trying to silence you these days." A speeder bike briefly roared outside before fading down the street corner. "Speaking of which, we'd best make ourselves scarce."
"Why?" the Dug asked.
"Because the brute you boys just picked a fight with is an enforcer for the Hutts," the Pantoran answered while observing from the window. "And he'll be doubly strong once he sobers up. Probably won't be alone either. So unless you want more trouble with-" The Pantoran paused, watching the trio grow anxious. "Steady yourselves," he assured. "Keep your heads down and follow me if you want to make it out in one piece."
Kristoff and Sven exchanged cautious glances before following the strangers out of the cantina. Instead of crossing the street, the Pantoran immediately swerved into a shadowy alley. "The big guy," Kristoff asked. "How'd you know he was with the Hutts?"
"I've been observing that watering hole for weeks now," the Pantoran replied. "And while this moon is no stranger to transients, it's no secret that you three are offworlders. You make a lot of noise for non-Hutt affiliates." The alley exited out towards a sludge-ridden dead end. The likes of which reeked of undisposed trash and tooka waste.
In all he'd experienced, Kristoff briefly worried that they'd walked into trap. Within moments, the Dug asked what he was already thinking. "So if you ain't with the Hutts...who are you rolling with?"
The Pantoran stood tall, despite the filthy ambience. In many ways, he found the squaller humbling. For so many sparks of hope often ignited from the darkest reaches. "My cause is far nobler than anything the Hutts could offer," he began. "My name is Captain Joza Lain of Calima Company." His introduction seemed to raise more questions than answers. "For the last year, I've been fighting my foes in the shadows...but as they grow so too does our movement."
Kristoff's eyes widened as the pieces formed in his mind. Every transmission he'd ever heard...all of those calls to action. For as much as he didn't want to give up on Anna or Elsa, he had to accept that they'd made the choice to leave. Now he would step into his own choice. "You're with a rebel cell," Kristoff blurted out of sheer eagerness. "T-Taking the fight to the Empire?"
His words eased Lain's smile. "Most certainly, sir. Our company has taken a severe hit, and I've been scoping the Outer Rim for those who would stand with us. Those willing to take the fight to our oppressors."
Sven's snort was profuse and agitated. Not out of hesitation, but of longing. "I'm with ya, buddy." Kristoff assured.
"It beats sticking around this dump," the Dug grumbled. "Say...any chance you can speak to the Corpos about my speeder theft charges if I join you all?"
"We can put in a word, sure." Lain answered without hesitation. "Anyone who fights for Calima Company will be well accommodated. Consider this your calls to clean slates. Whatever you've done...however you've done it...let this be your chance to begin anew."
Kristoff swallowed the lump in his throat as those words sank in. He'd done is best to try and forget how they'd escaped Muunilinst...what he'd made himself do...But no amount of rebel intrigue could scrub the blood from his hands. Choosing to focus on Lain, he stepped closer. "The name's Kristoff. This here's Sven. We've been waiting for a chance like this for years so count us in."
"You can call me Pix," the Dug added.
Lain's mustache curled with his delightful grin. "Welcome, my friends...to the beginning of the Empire's end. Leave your lives behind and start again."
"Can we go now?" a youthful voice groaned. "This place reeks!"
Lain's recruits seemed wary until he pulled back a sludge-stained tarp. As the dark fabric fell, it unveiled a narrow...yet bulky haulcraft. The vessel's ramp had been lowered and the rest of its hull was filthy enough to blend with the alley's musty environment. A lanky silhouette disembarked for all to see. It removed its repair goggles and nestled them in a short, spiky bob. "Yes, we can go." Lain huffed to the pilot. "Dee, these are the newest members of Calima Company. Be nice."
"Fresh meat," Dee teased as each of them boarded the vessel.
"Who you calling fresh?" Pix snarked. "What are you, twelve?"
"I'm nineteen," Dee fired back as Lain encouraged her to ease up.
As the hatch sealed behind them, the captain directed his new recruits to the hold. "Makes yourselves comfortable," Lain said. "And rest up. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Dee, set coordinates for the Morlani System." She offered an eager salute as the duo made for the cockpit.
Kristoff almost envied how easily Pix had dozed off. He wondered how clear of a conscious the Dug possessed...or if he even had one. Glancing over at Sven, the two exchanged a solemn nod. No matter what they'd experienced or where they were heading, it was comforting to know they had each other. As Kristoff reached under his jacket, he clasped his kyber necklace. The yellow crystal held true and reminded him of a long lost home. He wondered what had become of the Trolls who'd given so much for him. After all these years, he'd learned to find peace over guilt. That their sacrifice had been for him. At least that's what Kristoff kept telling himself. Even as newer forms of guilt took hold.
Kristoff didn't remember when exhaustion had caught up within. But he couldn't be grateful about it, for now he found himself warped into another ship. One of which he only wanted to forget. For Kristoff, one of the worst feelings was knowing he was in a dream and still being unable to awaken from it. The memory was like a vivid, venomous echo as he traversed the stolen craft.
"Come on!" he urged, nearly out of breath. Mattias was killed and he had no idea where Hans was. The Inquisitor could've been closing in at any given second. Elsa lingered behind, standing in her catatonic state. Kristoff scrambled to the cockpit, desperate to activate the controls. "We need to get out of here!"
A sudden grunt from Sven had him turning in alarm. There stood a Duros, likely a tradesman who'd come to Muunilinst with supplies. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Get off of my ship."
Kristoff's eyes were wild with fury and fright. "Please, just let us hold up and-" he blurted.
"Leave!" the Duros snapped.
"Please-"
"I'm calling the authorities-"
"No!" Kristoff screamed, his heart racing. He tackled the Duros to the floor and a tool box clamored beside them, spilling its contents. Every grunt and wince...every twitch of that man's bulbous red eyes replayed in Kristoff's mind. He felt himself getting overpowered, even in the dream's ghostly state. And in a final act of raging desperation, Kristoff grabbed a wrench and bashed the Duros with it. Green blood splattered across the walls as the body went limp. And as Kristoff stepped away with trembling hands, his victim's blood trickled from them.
The ship's hull faded around him as the environment morphed to melted snow. Kristoff felt his jacket compressing into shining, plastoid armor. And while his hands were still bloody, he saw himself standing as a stormtrooper over the bodies of Grand Pabbie and the other Trolls.
"No!" Kristoff murmured himself awake. He clunked his head against the haulcraft's wall and scrubbed the sweat from his brow. As he did so, he felt Sven's furry limb embrace him for comfort. "I'm...I'm okay buddy," he whispered. "Thanks." Shaking off his daze, Kristoff heard booted feet clanging their way into the hold.
Gone were the ragged garbs of an undercover official. Captain Lain emerged in a sleek, black vest and cobalt pants. His unique, yellow facial markings were visible against his noble blue skin. "We're just about here, boys," he began as Pix stirred. "Morlana One. Once operated by the Pre-Mor Authority, the planet has been under Imperial rule for years. All they needed was an excuse."
"Excuse me, Cap." Pix jested. "But you're not asking the five of us to do something about an Imperial occupation are ya?"
"Surely we'd need an army for that," Lain replied. "However, the force that we're building is unlike any the galaxy has ever seen. It isn't built through coercion or entrapment. Not through persecution or conscription. Our revolution is one of willpower, forged by those who seek freedom. Each of us found inspiration to join the cause. Tonight, we will send a message and be that beacon for countless others." Dee stepped beside the captain and activated a hologram in the hold. It projected a multi-layered complex. "This is the planet's Central Imperial Embassy. Symbols change the galaxy, my friends. This building embodies strength to the Empire and tyranny to those beneath it. Tonight...it burns. Leave your pasts behind," Lain reiterated. "We take on a new callsign now. Callsign-" His gaze scanned over each of his teammates, thinking of a name to best suit them.
"Kyber," Kristoff spoke up, still clasping his necklace.
Lain tilted his head for a moment and offered a gentle smile. "Small, yet unyielding. Powerful in the right hands," he lauded. "Kyber Squad, on me."
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter of "The Frozen Force." I'll see you next time for "Chapter: 131 - Wobani."
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with you,
~ Sparks