Boyzilla: Good question, there are many crystals with strange properties in the Stars Warverse, for example in this chapter Space Ishtar will find corusca gems. A gem unique to the Stars War universe.

The Mandalorian Falcon

(Part Three)

Sullust

The huge shed had a glossy black laminate floor. The walls were made of white metal. Surrounded by scaffolding, an AT-AT quadripod was ready for the start. Going up the stairs on the run, Magmatroopers settled into the armored belly of the war machine, fastening their seatbelts and checking their armament.

On the ground, other Magmatroopers - Stromtroopers wearing armor with a larger oxygen tank, a filter for volcanic dust, and an insulated glove more heat-resistant than the classic version of the Stromtroopers' white armor- ran in all directions as alarm sirens sounded.

At times, the characteristic noise of turbolasers was heard in the distance, and each shot was followed by a brief earthquake that had nothing to do with the tectonic activity of the planet... a battle was underway.

At the entrance of the hangar, two Magmatroopers looked at a small hologram that appeared in the nacelle of a mini-holoprojector that one of them held in hand. The translucent silhouette was that of a Stormtrooper Colonel, recognizable by the wide red epaulet on his left shoulder. He was giving instructions.

"The attack took us all by surprise. Fortunately, the Rebels are unaware that Darth Vader is about to arrive. The Devastator will take care of the Calamari cruiser, but we have to take back the landing platform so that Lord Vader can land, you are in charge of this mission."

The Magmatrooper THX 1138 nodded.

"At your command."

Then, THX 1138 turned to the Walkers ready to go.

"To battle!"

Mhona Caladhan was a black-skinned woman dressed in the gray jumpsuit of the Empire Army (1) with a helmet and goggles.

She piloted with ease a formidable bipod AT-ST.

The war machine had a somewhat comical appearance, resembling an oversized head posed directly on ostrich legs. But seeing this mechanical monster in battle quickly removed any desire to laugh. Its "teeth" were a Taim & Bak MS-4 Twin Blaster Cannon with a range of two kilometers and capable of destroying armored vehicles with ease. Its "left ear" was a Dymek DW-3 Concussion Grenade Launcher (2) capable of clearing enemy infantry. As for "right ear" it has an anti-aircraft missile launcher.

In short, the AT-ST was a light, multi-mission armored vehicle that offered close protection to the huge AT-AT quads. It advanced rapidly, in a landscape of black rock crossed by streams of lava pulsating with a dark red light. Everywhere, crevasses hindered the advance, and geysers of boiling water flanked with chasms spitting ashes or toxic fumes.

Sullust was a hellish planet, ravaged by a very active volcanism. On the horizon, Mhona could see two erupting volcanoes and three others still dormant.

Yet the hostile environment was not Mhona's main concern.

In the sky, a Dantesque clash was underway. A huge Calamari cruiser had appeared. Its Turbolasers and ion guns spewed red or blue projectiles that crashed on the shields of the Imperial Sullust's Centroplex.

Inside the energy dome that vibrated under this massive bombardment, one could see hangars, landing platforms, factories, and alignments of containers ready for shipment. But there were also high towers finished by an XX9 twin turbolaser turret. They retaliated by firing green rays.

Between the Calamari cruiser and the Imperial Centroplexe, squadrons of different models of TIEs and Rebels' fighters clashed, diving at ground level or on the contrary fighting at high altitudes. The sky was streaked with laser fire and explosions.

However, the battle was not just over them. On the radar screen in front of Mhona, red dots flashed. In the direction indicated was one of the main platforms used for the landing of the shuttles and as AT-AT's mooring gates.

The bunkers surrounding the facility had fallen into rebel hands and several Walkers were now approaching, firing at the rebel positions, while the defenders retaliated with laser cannons and rocket launchers.

Nimbly, the AT-ST driven by Mhona slid between two huge pillow lava that slowly cooled and stepped over a crack. On the rocky ridge to her right was a bunker.

Meran Lek, the co-pilot, suddenly spoke.

"Be careful, at three o'clock!"

Mhona turned her head and saw that the armored door had just opened to let out Rebels who were deploying quickly.

"Seen!"

She selected the DW-3, the cylinder weapon turned, and coughed several clouds of white smoke. The grenades fell among the Alliance infantrymen and the explosions ruthlessly shredded them to pieces.

Nevertheless, from the other ridge, also defended by a bunker, came other rebels. One of them was armed with a HH-12 rocket launcher.

The explosion shook violently the Scout Walker Vehicle, but its Durasteel armor absorbed the impact, leaving a burnt crater. Mhona Caladhan quickly rotated the bipod and selected the main cannon to shoot at the Rebel positions.

Other shots came from behind the positions of the first line hitting the ground around the bipod... fortunately; the quadripod it escorted had arrived within range of shots. As a heavy artillery vehicle, the AT-AT was equipped with two Taim & Bak MS-1 Fire-Linked Heavy Blaster Cannon.

The plasma projectiles passed over the bipod piloted by Mhona and Mera, Forming a double river of green lines that hit the nearest blockhouse again and again... until it turned into an orange fireball that spewed smoking debris in all directions.

Already, the quadripod turned its head while continuing to advance, hammering the black rock floor under its huge Durasteel footpad. Its guns were already pointed at another bunker...

The Walkers' assault was difficult and slowed by fierce resistance, already a first quadripod caught under the crossfire of several artillery pieces had collapsed on the ground and its melted carcass radiated on the infrared screens, testifying to the violence of the fighting.

Leaping between the lava streams streaking the terrain, sheltering behind clusters of cooled lava, infantrymen from both camps (Magmatroopers and Sulustan Rebels) fired at each other with blasters and grenade launchers.

Again Meran Lek spotted the threat before Mhon.

"Rebels starfighters!"

Indeed, several R-22 Spearheads (3) were diving towards the ground targeting the Walkers advancing southward. By reflex, the pilot of the AT-ST selected the concussion missile launcher, locked a target, and fired. The first R-22 had just straightened out, moving away to the west after laser firing at the AT-AT at the head of the formation, when the missile caught up with it. The starfighter disintegrated in a dazzling orange explosion.

The surviving R-22s quickly dispersed and returned after making a wide detour over the battlefield. This time the quadripods reacted first, shooting into the sky with their FF-4 Medium Repeating Blasters that was their secondary armament.

The Imperial Flak dispersed the attackers. Fast and agile, they dodged most of the shots and suffered only minor damage. Nevertheless, as they returned, to attack the AT-AT from the rear, out of the firing arc of their weapons... the situation changed abruptly.

It first looked like a triangular shadow that appeared darker in the volcanic ash swirling in the high atmospheres. Then, as it descended, the shadow turned into a huge ship with a hull painted white, a silhouette easy to recognize: an Imperial Star Destroyer.

Calamari cruiser Starry Reef immediately detected the new threat. Abandoning the bombardment of the imperial installations, she had gained altitude and opened fire as soon as the destroyer arrived within firing range.

Against an ordinary destroyer, the rebel cruiser would probably have had a good chance of winning. She was certainly less well-armed, with less armor... but she had better shields while her fighters and bombers complement outperformed the TIEs.

Except that the Devastator was Darth Vader's flagship. Besides the presence of the Sith lord on the bridge, the destroyer had been modified. Her armor had been reinforced and she had several additional weapon slots.

While a duel of brutes between the two huge spaceships began, the Devastator's TIE fighters took off from its hangar deck to rescue the pilots of the Sullust garrison who faced the Rebels fighters.

Simultaneously, several TIE/gt squadrons (4) rained down on the battlefield, bombing positions controlled by Alliance soldiers.

Colonel TB 6724 watched his men line up and stand at attention as Darth Vader's Lambda shuttle folded its wings to land.

The fighting had just ended and several Rebels' corpses were still visible on the landing platform, the damage was fortunately limited except for some blackened impacts. Earlier, the Calamari cruiser had exploded in the upper atmosphere, creating an ephemeral second sun that had burned for several minutes.

After that, the Rebels did what they knew best: flee and hide.

The ramp of the shuttle Lambda unfolded and... instantly, the burning heat of Sullust was replaced by a dark and icy presence.

Vader was there and the sound of his mechanical breathing smothered all other sounds. The Emperor's cybernetic executioner took a few steps, looked around him calmly, and then approached the officer in charge.

Neither greeting nor idle question, Vader went straight to the point.

"Colonel, is the situation under control?"

TB 6724 stiffens instinctively.

"Yes, my Lord."

"How could the Rebels take over part of your facilities?"

"I don't know my Lord. I will question the surviving Rebels and listen to the testimonies of the survivors of the initial attack."

"You were taken by surprise, should I judge you unworthy of your position and make you replace... permanently?"

The Stormtrooper was a veteran of more than ten battles, he was not one of those officers in beautiful uniforms who planned campaigns while having tea while and who dreamed of glorious victories and beautiful medals. He had obtained his post by crawling through the mud among the corpses and shedding his blood. However, he felt like he was freezing and drying out when he saw the lenses of Vader's mask that looked into his eyes.

Immediately, he used an excuse that any subordinate learned to say whatever the army.

"My troops were in 'normal' condition because I had not received any warning instructions. The facilities were guarded... of course, but my superior, Governor Fontas, felt that the situation on Sullust did not require additional security measures."

In other words: "I applied the instructions of my superior, if they were not adapted to the situation, it is his fault, not mine."

"The SoroSuub Corporation took control of the planet after the proclamation of the Empire so that Sullust is now a private possession of an industrial group favorable to His Majesty's government," the colonel explained. "There have been miners' protests and strikes, but they have been repressed and leaders condemned for maintaining order on the planet and production rates in factories."

Sullust was one of the most industrialized planets in the Outer Rim. Its factories produced TIEs under license, Walkers, and even the famous E-11 rifle used by the Stormtroopers. SoroSuub also manufactured communicators for soldiers and holopods for Star destroyers. Control of this planet was vital.

"I see."

Without another word, Vader turned around to get back in his shuttle.

Governor Fontas fell to his knees. His face was purplish. He opened his mouth excessively, but without being able to swallow a gulp of air.

He fell to the side, his leather boots striking the plasteel floor two or three more times and then he stopped moving.

Vader lowered his black-gloved hand.

"Thank you for your explanations, Governor Fontas. The Empire no longer needs your services."

While two Stormtroopers took the corpse by the feet to drag it out of the control center, there was no sound except the breathing of the Sith Lord.

Officers, bureaucrats, and technicians behind their consoles, all had become wax statues.

Vader loved fear. He played it like a virtuoso violinist stroked the strings of a Stradivarius. He let the silence linger, walking among the motionless men, looking at them one after the other, and making each of them feel terror, aware of the sigh of each actor of this tragedy as he walked away from them.

He returned to the middle of the room to look at the man who had become the most senior administrator on the planet.

"What's your name?"

"Vice Governor Lem Giet, my... my lord."

He swallowed,green-faced with fear.

Under his mask, Vader smiled, he let ten seconds pass.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Governor Giet."

The face of the administrator showed immediate relief when he understood that Vader was not going to strangle him and then joy at this sudden promotion.

But Vader had no desire for fear to disappear. The Lord of the Sith raised an imperious finger before the eyes of the new governor.

"Your predecessor has not lived up to his task. You will have to do better, Governor Giet."

The man nodded, fully understanding the implied threat.

"Yes... yes... Lord Vader, I have the prisoners interrogated and all security arrangements improved so that such an attack never happens again. Then I would have 500 hostages executed each day, randomly taken from the local population until the terrorists were denounced by the natives. When they have nowhere to hide, I will ruthlessly eliminate all the Rebels."

The Dark Lord of the Sith made a negative gesture.

"That's a good start, governor. But execute only children and old men, they are useless for the war effort of the Empire"

"Yes, my Lord."

The Dark Lord of the Sith governed with an iron fist in a steel glove, terror, repression and tyranny were his favorite weapons just like the Dark Side of the Force.

Vader allowed a few seconds to pass, looking the new governor in the eye.

"But I did not come here for a trivial matter of repression of the local population, governor. It's your job, not mine, and I've already wasted too much time fixing your predecessor's failings. The Emperor sent me to investigate a mysterious energy explosion that took place eleven days ago, in the NDH 23466 system, 35 light-years from Sullust. Give me all the information you have about it."

"Of course, Lord Vader."

Plagen, Pax system, Kira Sector

The trip lasted several days.

And aboard an old Theta-class shuttle, it was several days with nothing else to do but be bored.

The Shiraz base was a former Confederation of Independent Systems listening station installed in the Ithor system. They had traveled up the Hydian Way toward the Corporate Space.

Their destination was a little-known planet at the intersection of the Hydian Way and the Enarc Run.

Suffice to say that Space Ishtar had been happy to be able to descend to a planet's surface, especially since Plaguen was a pleasant world still little touched by 'civilization'... at least the kind that buries a living world under plasteel and duracrete.

Upon their arrival, Ishtar had seen the seas, lakes, and many forests that covered this peaceful world.

They had landed on a standard spacecraft, a simple expanse of permeacrete between hangars, some administrative buildings, and a control tower.

First surprise... the natives were (cute) squirrels-like aliens called Chikkari. Second surprise, the planetary capital (TreeLeaf) was almost invisible from the sky since the spherical houses of the Chikkari were placed on the branches of giant trees called Goldleaf Trees that dominated the forests. The streets were aerial, simple walkways from one tree to another.

Accompanied by Galiria and Baron Brock, Space Ishtar discovered a peaceful world. As the goddess looked around, crossing the natives simply dressed in jackets and multifunctional belts weighed down many tools... her companions smiled, amused by the surprised expression of the little girl.

"Yeah, it's a nice place," says Brock.

"... but I hate this part of the galaxy," added Galiria.

Surprised, Ishtar turned to the young redhead.

"Why?"

The woman's expression darkened as she frowned.

"I was born on a planet a few parsecs from here... and this is not the kind of place one can wish to visit."

Understanding that the subject must be sensitive, Ishtar turned to Brock.

The pirate baron had left his armor aboard the shuttle and the goddess had been surprised to discover that Brock was... a clone trooper. From the perspective of civil registration, he was a man in his 30s... but he was genetically programmed to age twice as fast as normal.

His face was wrinkled and his hair was almost entirely white.

Nevertheless, he compensated for his aging with numerous cybernetic and bionic implants. So both arms and legs were artificial.

"And where does your friend live? I like this planet, but we came all this way to meet someone so let's hurry. This necklace bothers me."

Space Ishtar touched the slave collar around her neck. During the trip, she used Structural Grasp Magecraft to analyze it. Unfortunately, that didn't teach her more than she already knew. It wasn't just a metal circle with a lock. The ring was magnetically sealed. Breaking it was very difficult and would require the use of a lethal degree of violence... just a few millimeters from her neck. This did not seem to be a very good idea, especially since the bomb placed in the case would explode immediately if one tried to remove the collar by force.

As for the soft approach offered little more guarantee of success.

The 'lock' of the necklace was a small computer and the 'key' was Shiraz's genetic code. As the Magecraft was not very effective on complex technological objects, Ishtar could not hack the lock (5).

If she was still a Servant, it would have been enough for her to Astralize... but she occupied the physical body of Corianna Corvell. Certainly, the goddess of space had some ideas to get rid of the necklace... but she would need gems filled with her prana. And it's not like that kind of rock grows in the trees...

Brock smiled as Ishtar crossed her arms while pouting.

"We'll settle this matter quickly. While I was doing the paperwork in the customs offices I asked if Marka Durn was there. And his ship is docked at TreeLeaf Harbor. According to employees, when he's not traveling, he spends his time at a cantina named 'The Wortex'. I took the opportunity to download a map of the city"

The pirate baron drummed his fingers on the datablock he was holding in hand. The screen showed a map of Treeleaf and a red dot flashed at their destination position.

"We're just going to his favorite cantina. I sent a message via comlink to let him know we were coming. But he hasn't answered yet."

Ishtar nodded and reflected for a moment.

"What can you tell me about Marka Durn?"

"Many things, in fact, I have known him for almost twenty years... he is an independent explorer. He maps and identifies potential hazards along the Twin Star of Kira, a local space route, for a private exploration company."

Unlike the houses of the natives, built in trees, the foreigners' quarter had streets on the ground and the buildings were angular duracrete's blocks aligned along a duraplastoid road on which circulated groundspeeder.

The three companions entered a secondary road, the evening had now fallen and the street was dark apart from the holo neon of a cantina that shone at the end of the alley.

About to say something, Brock suddenly drew his blaster as he saw a staggering figure come out of a backstreet and walk towards them bent in half.

"Marka?"

Recognizing his friend, the pirate lowered his weapon and ran towards him. But the man fell and he just had time to hold him. While lying on the man to examine him, Brock discovered a horrible blast burn on his chest.

Taking his hand, his face twisted by pain, Marka Durn began to speak, gasping and interrupting several times.

"I thought you would never arrive... the treasure of Mott... Hangar 15... Engine Epicenter..."

That's all the dying man could say before his arm fell... definitively inert.

Ishtar and Galiria did not have time to react, everything happened too quickly. And while they were still wondering what to do, the situation changed again.

Six men and a Wookie have just emerged from the alley where Durn hid. They are all armed. The man who directs them has a cyber eye and a floppy hat. He turned to the Wookie:

"Fool, you killed him."

The Wookie responds with a loud and incomprehensible roar.

But the thug leader shrugs his shoulders and turns to the trio: an old man, a little girl, and a teenager. Probably a grandfather and his two granddaughters. They shouldn't be too difficult to intimidate.

"What did they tell you? Say it and we'll leave you alone."

Without answering, Brock closes Durn's eyes and slowly gets up. Then he turned to the two girls.

"The Wookie is mine."

The remark was greeted by a general laugh from the thugs, but Galiria nodded without showing concern. Without touching his blaster, the pirate baron approached the Wookie.

The humanoid was huge and muscular and the former Clonetrooper looked tiny by comparison.

He glared coldly at the murderer.

"When you have a weapon, the first thing to learn is when to use it. You don't even know that..."

"Arwwwwuuu?"

Without answering the Wookie's mocking question, Brock suddenly attacked. His right hand, palm open, struck the murderer in the chest.

There was a bluish energy wave and the Wookie was thrown back and crashed into a group of waste containers three meters away.

Brock's right hand had been replaced by a neuro-shock prosthesis. An assassin attacked with a vibro-rapier but the baron raised his left hand (a blue metal hand not covered with synth-flesh). The blade was deflected sideways just a few inches from the prosthesis... deflected by a built-in repulsor generator.

Brock's reflexes were mind-blowing... he had stopped this attack and dodged that of another enemy as if he was still a very well-trained young man... The Clonetrooper compensated for the deficiency of his fast-aging body thanks to an improved nervous system, as well as artificial eyes and ears (although of normal appearance).

Things had gone so fast that Ishtar only had time to unsheathe her katana and cut the blasters of two of the henchmen while Galiria fired on a third opponent. Hit in the chest and stomach, the man collapsed on the ground.

The fight had ended right after starting.

Two of the attackers were dead and the others fled. With astonishingly gentle gestures compared to the fury he had shown an instant earlier, Brock raised his dead friend.

Galiria rubbed the scar on her cheek.

"What did Durn say before he died? 'Hangar 15', 'engine epicenter', right?"

Brock shook his head.

"He also mentioned the treasure of Celis Mott." He paused briefly. "Durn's ship is at hangar 15. When at the engine epicenter is where the vibrations of the various engines of a ship cancel each other out, it is usually at the rear."

"To conclude," said Ishtar. "He told us to search a place on his ship."

Brock turned back and resumed the direction of the spaceport.

"We'll have the answer on the spot."

Hangar 15 was a ring-shaped landing bay made of duractrete. Connected to the technical installations by cables and supply ducts, an old damaged Ghtroc freighter was immobilized. One of its two engines was dismantled and the floor is littered with ceramic pieces. Near the stern was written the freighter's name: "Jumpdeep".

As Galiria, Ishtar, and Brock (still carrying Durn's corpse) enter the bay, a mechanical voice sounds.

"Hey, who's going there?"

As the two wary girls looked around them, holding their weapons, the baron answered calmly.

"It's me, Brock, you recognize me? Come out of the shadow, CeNine, you make the girls nervous."

While a barrel-like droid came out from under the freighter, Brock introduced it to the girls and vice-versa.

"R2-C9 is Durn's astromech. It has an advanced vocabulator module that allows it to speak Basic, which is rare with astromechs. As for Galiria, she is a member of my crew, and Coriana (he designated Space Ishtar) is a friend."

Ishtar looked at Brock from head to toe, as she repeated "Friend" in a mocking tone while touching her slave collar.

"You should reread the definition of this word in a dictionary... it's not a synonym for prisoner, you know."

But the astromech had just realized that Brock was carrying his master's corpse and circled the pirate like a panicked mother hen.

"Yes, Marka is dead..." said the baron responding to the unformulated question.

Brock had laid his friend in his cabin, crossing his hands on his chest. Meanwhile, he had recounted the brief skirmish with the henchmen to CeNine.

"Can you show us to the epicenter of the Jumpdeep" asked Brock after summarizing their findings.

The mechanical voice of the droid sounded almost immediately.

"Follow me!"

Rolling on its magnetic pads, R2-C9 quickly moved away toward the rear compartment and stopped in the middle of the cargo space.

"The engine epicenter is right here."

The droid extended a manipulative arm that came out of sort of a drawer and touched the ground just in front of it.

Galiria, Space Ishtar, and Brock looked at the designated spot. Corianna Corvell being the daughter of a smuggler couple, the incarnated goddess immediately noticed that the floor covering plate corresponding to the engine epicenter was not quite at the same height as the neighboring plates.

"There must be a cache... but how you can open it, I don't know."

As Galiria and Brock began to inspect the ground and surrounding walls for a hidden button or a lever, Ishtar turned to the droid to smile at it in a perfectly evil way.

"CeNine, I wish you told me everything you know about the contents of this cache, how to open it, and also who killed Durn."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then the astromech answered.

"I knew nothing of those who attacked my Master. He never told me about people who might be angry with him. I was very worried because my master was very nervous for some time. But all he told me was that a friend was coming soon and he had something important to tell him."

Ishtar turned to Brock, still searching the cargo hold.

"I guess you're that friend."

The baron nodded.

"Probably, Makra had asked me to come and see him so that he could tell me about Celis Mott's treasure."

Ishtar again questioned the droid.

"Did your master tell you about Celis Mott's treasure, CeNine?"

"I've never heard of a treasure."

"And the secret compartment, how does it open?"

"I've never heard of a secret compartment and I don't know how to open it."

Just as Ishtar thought that the Jumpdeep's astromech couldn't ignore the existence of a modification of this magnitude in this freighter, there was a click and the floor slab slipped sideways revealing a shallow rectangular hole.

Blinking several times, Ishtar composed an expression of exaggerated surprise by putting a hand on her cheek.

"Oh... so you don't know anything about that contraband compartment right there? How weird... it just opened up though."

The R2 began to whistle and swing back and forth, just as a child caught lying would have done.

Galiria laughs before caressing the dome of the droid.

"The R2 are incredibly loyal and stubborn droids. Durn probably asked CeNine to never talk about the hidden compartment and CeNine will never admit that it just opened it."

Brock had knelt and pulled out two datacards from the compartment.

He slipped the first one into his datablock and a map representing an asteroid field appeared on the small screen, one of the rock blocks was marked with a red cross. In the top left corner, there was a logo representing the Flaming Claw, the emblem of the pirates of the Stars War galaxy. There were also two inserts showing sequences of numbers.

"These are coordinates and this..." with his finger he showed the sequence of lines and points '... it's a trajectory."

Galiria's eyes seemed to light up.

"So the red cross..."

"... this is the location of the treasure," Brock added.

Changing datacard he placed the second in the block. This time, there were only numbers.

"A code?"

He handed the datablock to Galiria.

"You're a hacker; tell me if this looks like a code you know."

She scrolled through the contents of the datacard and shook her head.

"It's not a code. Fortunately, I'm also a communication specialist which allows me to say whereas these figures are radio frequency setting."

"A frequency setting? For a radio call?"

"More probably for a short-range radio beacon."

She showed the first datacard.

"The asteroid field is vast, the beacon must make it possible to locate the exact place where the treasure is hidden."

Brock thought for a moment.

"Then we have nothing left to do here. Let's go back to the shuttle."

Galiria raised her hand to draw attention.

"Wait, what about CeNine? We can't leave this little guy here! The thugs who killed Durn and attacked us will take him apart to access his data if we leave him there."

"You are right."

Brock turned to the droid.

"You must make a choice and quickly. You can stay here with your master's corpse. But Galiria is right; it will end badly for you. Or you can come with us."

The pirate baron marched towards the exit, followed by Ishtar and Galiria.

The droid issued a pensive stridulating while looking towards the Jumpdeep.

"Come on, don't stay there."

Hearing Galiria call, the R2 deployed its skate and accelerated to catch up with his new friends.

Wearing his armor again, Brock stood in the hemispherical cockpit at the front of the Theta shuttle.

They took off with the grace of a feather while Galiria programmed the hyperjump data into the navcomputer.

In the third chair, Space Ishtar set the various detectors.

Seeing a red logo appear on the screen, the goddess changed the sensitivity of the sensors to focus on the ships arriving from the rear. The computer recognized the fighters and displayed an identification scheme...

"Y-TIEs! We're being chased by pirate fighters."

These Uglies were a horrible mix (Frankenstein monster style) of scattered pieces found on battlefields where Y-Wing had faced TIE fighters. Uglies were said to be as dangerous to fight... as to fly.

"They're chasing us, but they're slower than us. They're not an immediate problem," Brock replied.

No wonder, already the Y-Wing was nicknamed the 'Flying Pig' because of its slowness, lack of maneuverability, and ugliness. The Y-TIE adapted the propulsion and solar panels of a TIE fighter on the carcass of a Y-Wing... propulsion adapted to an aircraft of a much lower mass! The result was some sort of space snails.

"Sure," said Ishtar, "but behind them is a bigger spacecraft. It's still too far for me to identify it. But it's fast.

"How long before we jump into hyperspace?"

"According to the computer, another minute," Galiria replied.

"It's too long" grumbled Ishtar. "They will be caught up with us long before!"

While they discussing, R2-C9 had left the main cabin and taxied into the cockpit. Stopping in front of the navcomputer, it connected through a computer pin

Immediately, the computer erased the data of jump to lighspeed and... launched another sequence... a 5-second sequence.

As the stars turned into a white line, Brock spoke to R2-C9.

"How did you do that, CeNine?"

"I have in my databank the navigation parameters of Pax's planetary system."

The old Clonetrooper frowned.

"I don't understand. What does that have to do with the speeding of our jump preparation?"

The droid sounded a sort of artificial sniff of disdain that showed what he thought of Brock's navigational skills.

"One cannot include in the database of a navcomputer all the characteristics of each solar system in the galaxy. The navcomputer therefore uses default programming to calculate the jump. The jumping program assumes that the approaches are perilous. But Pax is a system without navigation difficulty. By providing accurate local navigation data to the computer, I enabled it to program a jump faster."

Galiria manipulated the navcomputer and produced a map of the local sector.

"This is our goal."

With her finger, she showed a red dot flashing in a space several hours away from stars barely identified by an alphanumeric code, stars considered too uninteresting to have received a name.

"The area had no habitable planet, no mineral wealth."

"The perfect spot when you don't like company," Ishtar said.

As the stars reappeared outside, Brock decelerated.

Behind the detector screens, Ishtar began to manipulate various potentiometers.

"There are asteroids at 35 Astronomical Units from here."

She compared the data received by the sensors with the information from the first datacard. The number of drifting objects, their mass, everything correlated.

"This is Mott's Asteroids Field!"

Galiria got up before going to sit in the co-pilot's chair. While donning an audio headset, she set instrumentation in the panel above her head.

"I receive the signal of a beacon on the frequency given in the second datacard. Coordinates X: 0.5; Y: 3.8; Z: 35 AU."

Comparing the coordinates that Galiria had just stated to the information provided by Ishtar, Brock realized that they corresponded. The beacon was in the asteroid field.

Piloted by Brock, a man who had an artificial nervous system and bionic eyes, and thus reflexes far superior to a normal man, they crossed the Mott's Asteroid Field with ease.

The asteroid map was imperfect but it was better than not having a map at all. Advancing slowly, and cautiously, they soon saw a planetoid of irregular shape but with mountains and cliffs.

"The signal comes from this planetoid."

Brock looked up at the map that appeared on a screen.

"And that's where Mott placed a red cross."

As they slowed down again, flying over the world deprived of life, Galiria pointed to a plain of dust between two mountain chains.

"The signal comes from there!"

After a few seconds, she resumed speaking.

"Stop, the signal is fading. Slow back."

The Theta shuttle returned to its previous trajectory. The only relief was an asteroid crater...

"Stop, this is it."

The shuttle landed, its wings raised as the landing pads were deployed. It took them a few minutes to put on spacesuits and then down the ramp.

Gravity was low and they moved in leaps and bounds, raising sand with every step. The silence was almost absolute. Without air to conduct the sounds, they only heard their heartbeats and the breathing of their comrades transmitted by radio.

They had landed right on the edge of the crater. Not surprisingly, they discovered a camouflage canvas fixed by poles on the sand-covered crater floor.

Brock lifted the cloth. Well hidden under the tarp, there was a radio beacon connected to a portable generator as well as a metal tin trunk like those used by all spacers to carry their belongings. The pirate baron's helmet lamp lit up a tag near the lock.

One could read: "C. Mott."

As they returned to the shuttle, Ishtar suddenly pointed to something in the sky.

"Eh, it's not an asteroid."

Brock's eyes were far superior to ordinary eyes... they were real electronic binoculars. He looked in the direction she pointed and began to swear.

"It's a Y-TIE!"

"Did it see us," Galiria asked.

"Unlikely, we are tiny dots in this plain. I'd bet one of my cybernetic limbs, that it's one of the fighters that's suing us in Pax's system. They must have put a beacon on the shuttle while we were on the ground."

As Brock and Galiria mounted inboard, Ishtar used Structural Grasp Magecraft to search the outer hull... and she discovered a palm-sized half-sphere attached to the Theta shuttle and sent it away.

As soon as she got back on board, they took off, accelerating rapidly...

Immediately, six Y-TIEs and a customs frigate... at least one illegal copy of this ship... went after them.

Ishtar ran to the stern turret.

As a pirate fighter came within range, she fired. The Y-TIE was quite hard touched and began to spin, having lost a solar panel. It hit an asteroid and exploded, shattering the cosmic reef in thousands of pieces. Two other Y-TIEs were damaged and quickly ran away to escape the chain reaction as the debris hit other rocks that changed direction, whirled, and collided before rebounding in another direction.

The frigate and the three remaining fighters continued the pursuit. Fortunately, only the fighters fired, using their ion guns. They wanted to capture the shuttle - and Mott's treasure- intact.

Ishtar had no such scruples and continued to fire the laser cannon as the frigate approached. The details on the hull became more and more visible.

"Brock, there's an emblem on the pursuer's hull".

"What kind of emblem?"

"It is a yellow circle, with a black drawing that should represent a sun, but the center was a black dot, and one of the triangular rays comes into the sun instead of coming out."

"The Dark Sun!"

"Who?"

"It is the largest criminal organization in the galaxy. They are pirates, smugglers, drug dealers. Actually, they participate in all existing criminal activities."

At this point, the shuttle emerged from the asteroid field.

In a straight line, they had little difficulty in outpacing the Y-TIEs. The frigate began firing as an anonymous voice ordered them to stop and accept a boarding party.

Nevertheless, once again they jumped before their pursuers could catch them. Brock had taken the precaution of programming a passage in hyperspace as soon as they arrived in the asteroid field.

As the Theta shuttle was safe in hyperspace, en route to Ithor, they had opened the case to discover... a gold ingot of one kilo, two platinum bars of the same weight, a bag containing coins of one hundred imperial credits, several corusca gems, and some datacards...

It was not the wonderful treasure of a pirate king, it hardly deserved the name of 'pocket money'.

Gifted with numbers (especially when it came to money) Ishtar had a sad sigh.

"I would say that this treasure could be sold 72,000 credits at worst, and 85,000 credits at best, by trading and selling each ingot, each gem independently."

Galiria watched the datacards one after the other.

"These are navigational charts with space routes unknown to all except the Nanth'ri pirates. According to the dates, these datacards are about ten years old. At that time, Celis Mott was just an ambitious pirate leading a small band."

They shut up, looking at the 'treasure' with bitterness.

It was a lot of deaths for so little gain...

(1) The legions of Stormtroopers are not the official army of the Galactic Empire, but an elite corps that serves primarily as a projection force. Thus, they constitute the landing troops on the Star Destroyers. Nevertheless, the garrisons, the bulk of the sectorial defense forces, and AT-ST crews (if you don't believe me look at "The Return of the Jedi") are made up of locally recruited soldiers.

(2) Note that the DW-3 can also fire short-range concussion missiles, but is rarely used for this.

(3) Predecessor of the A-Wing produced in a small series at the end of the Clone War for the Galactic Republic, it differs from its "descendant" only by a few visible details. However, the A-Wing has more modern and powerful thrusters, its missiles, laser guns, and shields have been upgraded. However, the A-Wing's armor is lighter.

(4) Predecessor of the TIE Bomber, this TIE has the same solar panels as the TIE/ln but its cockpit has a cylinder shape (not a ball)... it is the worst TIE ever built. As fragile as the fighter, he has neither its speed nor its agility. His code name for the Rebellion is... Ball Trap! When the bomber replaced the gt in the imperial order of battle, the Navy offered "generously" the surviving models to the Army. The answer was a categorical "No"... even for free the Army did not want it.

(5) A Spiritron Hacker (like Hakuno Kishinami) would have no trouble getting rid of the collar... unfortunately; Space Ishtar is based on F/SN Rin Tohsaka and not on Fate Extra Tohsaka.