The Mandalorian Falcon
(Final)
Ottega System
The main hangar of the Plaguebearer had a shimmering black metal floor and white metal walls. Some metal crates were stacked in an angle, near a staircase that allowed access to the metal gantry where the TIEs were moored.
A group of Spacetroopers (also known as 0G-Troopers) in white armor was running towards a Gamma-class assault shuttle. Hectored by officers recognizable by their red epaulets, they embarked quickly by exits forward and aft. After the last man had boarded the ship, the shuttle rose on its repulsor fields and crossed the barrier that isolated the hangar deck from the cosmic void. The ship ignited its ion thrusters and plunged into the swirling asteroids of the Harugi Spill's asteroid belt.
Two TIE Interceptors framed the shuttle, escorting it to the surface of a huge planetoid.
The Gamma Shuttle was an unattractive spaceship that had the shape of a big box. It had three sections inside a small engine room at the back, a cockpit at the front, and a corridor in the middle that separated forty "closets".
Lieutenant RTX-646598 opened one of the doors and saw the back of a power armor that resembled a cross between a gorilla (in terms of its general appearance and musculature) and a Stormtrooper (due to its white outer armor). With the rear hatch open, the Spacetrooper entered the armor, sat on the pilot's saddle, and buckled the harness holding it in place. He then manipulated a few commands on the tiny dashboard of the armor and slipped his hands into the sleeves of the armor arms.
"This is RTX-646598, the checklist is complete, nominal status, and no faults reported. I'm ready for ejection."
"Received TRX-646598, stay in Stand-by. Over."
"Copy, over."
Meanwhile, in nearby cells, the other Spacetroopers activated their armor, and the Gamma shuttle trembled under the shots that hit its shields. The lights flickered once or twice while another type of vibration shook the shuttle. As a veteran of space combat, the lieutenant identified the shaking as the response of the cannons of their skiff, shooting at other ships or defenses on the ground.
Suddenly...
"Ejection in... top 10... 9... 8..."
The light went out abruptly before the vessel swerved violently while a sound of crushed metal echoed throughout the hull. The emergency light (a pale yellowish clarity) replaced the normal lighting. Concerned, the lieutenant examined his instruments... the temperature outside the armored chamber had risen to more than 50°C. They had suffered a severe blow... a landing under enemy fire was always very risky.
Nevertheless, the countdown had not stopped.
"...4... 3... 2... 1... Ejection!"
The next thing I knew, the armor was flying through space like a torpedo. Space... the ground... everything swirled around the Spacetrooper, while green or red laser beams streaked the void. Only his weightlessness training allowed him not to vomit.
By reflex, he stabilized his trajectory thanks to the Vernier rockets located in the legs of the armor, then turned to be able to land on his feet. The landing shock was absorbed by the repulsors located in the dorsal pack and in the soles.
The enormous armor was now standing in the middle of a plain of grey dust. The imager integrated in the helmet recreated a landscape lit as in broad daylight, even adding details such as a viewfinder, distances, and a state of ammunition reserves for the different weapons. The screen even showed... red spots, and radar echoes of enemies heading toward him.
Around TRX-646598, other 0G-Troopers had landed. One by one, they reported no damage. 40 Spacetroopers had just set foot on Shiraz's planetoid. It wasn't much, but they were part of an elite troop often considered the best Stormtrooper legion in the Empire.
"Don't forget the purpose of the mission; our goal is to capture this base. We need to capture as many pirates as possible alive. Commissioner Notha has questions for them and you know as well as I that it is better to please the ISB."
Manufactured during the Clone War, the AAT MK-1 was now outdated. Nevertheless, it remained a powerful warcraft armed with a turret-mounted heavy laser, 6 hull-mounted projectile launchers, and multiple light lasers. The hovertanks advanced into the cosmic void, lifting clouds of cosmic dust below them that slowly fell to the ground due to the low gravitation of the planetoid.
As soon as they got within range, the AAT opened fire. Nevertheless, the power armor was hard to hit. They were small nimble targets, moving by leaps and bounds thanks to their repulsors and their Vernier rockets, constantly changing places.
Moreover...
A pair of candlelight-like projectiles took off, rising high above the horizon before falling back to the ground. Hit hard, a tank disintegrated in an orange explosion, throwing fragments of armor in all directions.
—the Spacetrooper armors were armed with proton torpedo launchers, weapons powerful enough to destroy a shielded space fighter.
The fight was unbalanced.
Leaping over the hovertanks, a dozen power armors avoided the confrontation. The Spacetroopers fell near one of the three accesses leading inside the former CIS station. Their approach had not gone unnoticed and an armored airlock closed in front of them, obstructing the entrance of the hangars illuminated by atmospheric retention fields.
Nevertheless, the 0G-Troopers were specialists in the boarding of spacecraft and the assault on space stations. They were well-equipped for such missions. Two of the power armors approached the armored sash and began to attack the metal with laser trenchers included in their right wrist.
It only took a minute for an opening to be cut by the 0G power armors.
The first two Spacetroopers to enter the hangar discovered a rectangular room on two levels with a metal dock connected to the ground below by two stairs. The wall behind was transparent, closed by a sheet of transpasteel. On both sides of this observation bay, there were armored airlocks.
But they had little opportunity to conduct a thorough inspection because a dozen pirates belonging to various races (Rodian, Zabrak, Quarren, and even a Wookie) were waiting for them.
They immediately opened fire on the Imperials. Nevertheless, the power armors were heavily armored, more than able to withstand small arms.
Clumsy in standard gravity, the assisted armor turned heavily toward the attackers as blaster shots ricocheted at them. In response, the grenade launcher behind their head spewed several ovoid projectiles. The stun grenades fell among the defenders and generated swirls of blue light similar to those of blasters set to 'paralysis'.
The pirates collapsed on the ground.
As the first pair of Spacetroopers rose above the stairs thanks to their repulsors and gained the entrance airlocks that they immediately began to cut, other power armors entered the hangar.
"Objective 1 secure, 10 prisoners, no loss. You can disembark the reinforcements."
The Plaguebearer floated just above the former Separatist base, her guns were pointed at the pirate frigate posed on the ground, forbidding her to take off.
Under the belly of the Strike Cruiser, a Sentinel-class shuttle spread its wings and descended to land in the hangar conquered by the 0G-Troopers.
The ramp extended. Immediately, a first squad of Stormtroopers dispersed in the room, installing several E-Web repeating blasters at the best defensive positions. Simultaneously the other five squads began to invade the nearby rooms.
They had the same orders as the Spacetroopers, mostly using their weapons set on paralysis and stun grenades. Nevertheless, the pirates had no desire to be captured and they defended themselves fiercely. A violent shooting broke out in the old installations with walls still decorated with the CIS logo.
Having unloaded its human load, the landing craft took off to return to the Strike Cruiser and embark a new contingent of soldiers.
The Shiraz base consisted of three domes arranged to form an L. The Stormtroopers and Soldiers of the Fleet managed to take control of one of the domes and fought the pirates in the second. Nevertheless, through the two pressurized corridors communicating with Dome 3, pirates continued to arrive.
The two groups shot at close range, sheltering behind the arches that supported the semi-cylindrical sections of the corridors.
The Z-95 crossed the airlock at the top of the dome and landed on the landing platform. The pirate prince quickly pulled off his harness and jumped ashore, running towards a door that automatically opened when he approached.
As he approached the control panel, the sound of blaster fire became increasingly audible. He came across several pirate groups getting equipped. He stopped in his cabin to retrieve his weapon, at MWC-35 C "Staccato Lightning" repeating cannon powered by a powerpack carried as a backpack.
Shiraz entered the command post, a circular room with several consoles aligned around the walls and three armchairs surrounded by a ring of screens and keyboards on the center.
It was the kingdom of a young blue-skinned Twi'leck nicknamed 'Control'. Attending members of this alien race for years, Shiraz understood quite well the language of the skull tentacles of these aliens. Seeing that her lekku hung from behind her back instead of being wrapped around her shoulders, the pirate prince understood that his subordinate was terrified.
"Control, what's the situation?"
With her eyes enlarged by fear, the young woman pointed to the surveillance screens displaying views of different areas of the base... Many cameras showed Stormtroopers advancing in the corridors, others revealed ongoing fights... or destroyed rooms filled with corpses.
"Can't you hear them? The Imperials are coming. They're already in Dome 3... less than twenty meters from here!"
"Calm down!"
"Shiraz, there are only about 50 of us left alive. We are being slaughtered. They are more numerous, better armed than us."
At this time a red light lit on the communication console while a beep-beep sounded.
Shiraz approached and flipped a switch.
The holopod lit up, projecting the image of a man in a white uniform looking at him scoffingly.
"I am Commissioner Notha of the ISB. Surrender immediately and this will be taken into account during your trial."
The man suddenly stopped, looking at Shiraz's chest... Feeling this look, the pirate mechanically touched the Mandalorian Falcon hanging around his neck.
"Oh, I see we didn't follow the wrong lead. I guess you're Shiraz, the leader of this ragtag."
"I am Prince Shiraz."
"My best regards, Your Highness," sarcastically said Notha. "Have you decided to show wisdom and stop the fight?"
"Come get me," the pirate simply replied just before cutting off communication.
As he turned to Control, he smiled joylessly as he saw her panicked expression.
"What? Would you like to negotiate with him? Imperial promises are as valuable as monkey-rat piss. I want to join my ancestors surrounded by defeated enemies, not dressed as a death row inmate."
Brock saw with pleasure the white lines of hyperspace becoming again stars shining on the black velvet of the cosmos.
Sitting behind him, Corianna Corvell (A.K.A. Space Ishtar) consulted the Navcomputer.
"We came out of hyperspace to the intended location: Ottega System, Harugi Spill's asteroid belt."
The teenager rubbed her neck. Her skin was irritated where the Thalessian's Slave Collar rubbed on her skin. I can't wait for her to take it off.
"Um... something's wrong!"
Behind the detection console of the Theta-class Shuttle, Galiria had just discovered the presence of two large ships among the asteroids and many smaller spacecraft.
Unfortunately, the shuttle's sensor package was outdated and lacking modern equipment. The Imperials besieging Shiraz's base saw them first.
A voice echoed in the radio receiver.
"This is Plaguebearer cruiser. You just entered a restricted area. Please break down and wait for an inspection team."
Brock turned to the two women.
"Let me do it!"
They were aboard an imperial shuttle, certainly an old model, but with an imperial transponder and a friendly appearance.
"This is shuttle Illyricum, transmitting my identification."
Brock turned a button on the instrument panel, sending a brief radio pulse to the Strike Cruiser.
Ten seconds... twenty seconds... one minute... silence lingered. The Illyricum shuttle had valid, perfectly authentic but... ancient identification codes.
Galiria saw two echoes on the radar screen.
"Two fighters are heading our way."
The shuttle's crew looked up, watching the luminous points of the ion engines grow. Then two TIE Interceptors emerged from the shadow of the asteroid field to fly over them.
They passed once above them, and then made a second passage, returning from the back before moving away.
"The TIEs are transmitting. I am picking up the envelope of a communication beam directed to the Plaguebearer. Unfortunately, I can't hear what they say, the beam is too narrow," Galiria explained in a worried tone.
"Stay calm, they will not shoot. For a soldier, there is no worse mistake than opening fire on an alleged friendly unit. Courts-martial are not gentle with the officers responsible for a friendly fire."
As if to confirm it, their interlocutor spoke again. On the radio, his voice was less suspicious.
"Illyricum shuttle, what is the reason for your presence?"
Brock smiled. The rest was child's play.
"I am Colonel Peret Guilard. I was sent for inspection by Moff Dalic. The Moff does not understand that you intervened in his sector without warning."
There was a brief moment of silence.
"Excuse me sir, but may I ask you why you travel on board such an ancient ship?"
"A little respect, young man, I would like to say that this ship is a collector's item. This ancient ship... as you say... has served me faithfully since the Clone War."
"I apologize, sir."
"Could you explain what's going on here?"
The officer summarized the situation, the hunt for the pirate Shiraz, and the attack on his base.
"... the fighting is now almost over. I am sorry that we could not inform the Moff Dalic of our intervention. Nevertheless, we act on the orders of Lord Blackhole and the Grand Vizier Pestage."
—well, when you make someone angry, Shiraz, you don't do things halfway.
"All right, I'll land on the base of this pirate... this Shiraz."
"Sir, the fighting is not over yet."
"I have an escort of elite soldiers."
Sitting in the chairs behind Brock, Ishtar, and Galiria suppressed their desire to laugh. Now they had just been promoted to 'elite troop'.
"Either... but a detachment will be waiting for you at airlock 3, sir. To guide you."
"Thanks."
Brock closed the communication and sighed.
"You know, I often hear that the Stormtroopers see nothing with their helmets, but I still think they will understand that we have fooled them as soon as we have landed."
A hand on the cheek, in a mimic of exaggerated disbelief, Space Ishtar pressed Galiria against her, despite the cry of surprise of the redhead.
"Why? We just have to declare that we are the new 'elite troops' of the Empire. Who could resist our charm and intelligence?"
Baron Brock laughed, looking at Ishtar and Galiria one after the other. They were two lovely teenagers.
"If Palpatine cloned you to conquer the galaxy, I'd be the first to surrender, you're irresistible." He shuffled." But Palpatine is an idiot... I've always hated the guys made in the chain by the Spaarti Clone Tubes... crazy guys who run into battle without trying to stay alive. Palpatine must be crazy himself for creating an army that suffers from clone madness..."
The shuttle passed through the atmospheric barrier and landed on a platform. Apart from Shriraz's Z-95 snubfighter, and an old Barloz freighter completely dilapidated (the Jumper), no ship was on the tarmac. They could therefore land near the entrance.
Already a group of Stormtroopers deployed and lined up under the command of an officer.
They were expecting an envoy from the local Moff and were completely unprepared for an attack.
The ramp deployed by releasing CO2 jets and...
A stream of blaster fire fell on the soldiers in white armor.
In the front row of the attackers advanced a colossus in metallic armor. Baron Brock was sweeping enemies using a Merr-Sonn Underslung Rotary Blaster Carbine. The rate of fire of this rotary weapon and its power meant that one often compared it to ... a saw capable of cutting bodies and armor up to 30 meters away.
Half of the Stormtroopers had already died before the first retaliatory fire broke on Brock's heavy armor. The pirate baron turned to the survivors and raised his left arm to protect himself. An ingenious system was integrated into the forearm of his armor: a shield projector. Unlike the Clone War's droïdka, it was not a shield that formed a bubble surrounding its wearer, but a disc-shaped surface that absorbed blaster shots.
Brock fired a gust toward the Stormtroopers who were retreating, quickly eliminating them.
Silence came back suddenly as if someone had pressed a switch. Soldiers in white armor marbled with smoldering impacts lay on the ground... They had all been slaughtered in just a few seconds.
The pirate baron disconnected his shield and looked around.
"That's why I hate clones created by the clonemasters, unable to learn, no imagination... they were like biological klankers... worse, faulty klankers."
He was interrupted by a blaster shot. The pirate turned quickly to see a Stormtrooper collapsing like a puppet with cut strings.
Standing behind the corpse, Galiria blew into the tube of her blaster.
"Yes they are idiots, but even an idiot armed with a blaster can kill a supersoldier made by the Kaminoans. Thank you who?"
"Thank you Galiria."
"Good boy."
The young redhead turned to the ramp. The astromech droid R2-C9 had watched the battle from inside the shuttle.
"Stay on board."
"Understood," the astromech replied... unlike most R2 droids, he had a vocabulator that allowed him to speak Basic.
But Ishtar immediately contradicts Galiria.
"No, go to my freighter instead." With her finger, she pointed to the Jumper. "And prepare a hyperjump to Starforge."
The circular optical sensor turned to Galiria and then to Ishtar wondering which of the two women he had to obey.
Brock, however, intervened.
"Corianna is right. We have a better chance of escaping on board a boosted smuggler freighter than a standard shuttle. Now let's get out of here!"
Space Ishtar, Galiria, and Brock ran in the base's corridors.
On several occasions, they saw traces of combat and corpses but did not meet a living being. Even the central station was unoccupied... at least if one did not count the dead.
Galiria knelt near a Twi'leck lying on the ground.
Her face twitched with fury and sorrow as she closed the dead woman's eyes.
"They killed Control! She wasn't even armed... cowards, assassins!"
Ishtar no longer wanted to laugh. With her face frozen, she looked at the scene. In the Emerald Galaxy, death had disappeared millions of years ago... Even the most evil Servants had never killed. Death was taboo... Seeing so many deaths in one fell swoop was a shock to her.
She swallowed his saliva with difficulty.
The goddess had to struggle not to vomit, split between anger... sadness, and feelings of helplessness.
Hearing soldiers coming to the run, Space Ishtar drew her pistol and advanced into the corridor.
A dozen Imperials in white armor rushed to the control room. Without hesitation, they raised their rifles seeing her (for them, a 14-year-old was a target like any other) but...
Ishtar's pistol crashed a succession of energy rings that grew as they moved away until they filled the entire corridor. The Stormtroopers were thrown in all directions like pins knocked down by a bowling ball.
The goddess from another galaxy turned to Galiria.
"Where is Shiraz," she said in a furious voice.
Because Space Ishtar, the great and noble incarnation of Ashtart, could not be saddened by the death of mere mortals... it was not worthy of her. If she trembled it was because she was angry. And if her eyes were teary, it was only because of the smoke.
While examining the consoles, Galiria found some cameras still functional.
"Look here."
Ishtar and Brock leaned over her shoulder and saw a screen showing a corridor held at both ends by soldiers in white armor. There was a broken door between the two groups of Imperials. The walls all around were studded with blaster impacts, and on the ground there were corpses.
"This screen shows the entrance to the generator room, two levels down," Galiria explained. "Someone hid in this room."
"Clever" commented Brock. "The Imperials cannot use heavy weapons... if the generators were hit the asteroid would explode."
The arrival of Space Ishtar and Baron Brock had a certain effect... the two fighters were worth an army! They defeated the first group of Stormtroopers. The surprise effect combined with their firepower allowed them to clear the corridor in seconds.
The second group was more difficult to neutralize...
The Imperials had taken cover, opening fire from the corner of the corridor and neighboring rooms. They had also installed an E-Web (a machine gun blaster) well sheltered behind a light shield.
In addition, it was necessary to pass in front of the entrance of the generator block... at the risk of being caught under the fire of the pirates who had entrenched themselves there.
While Galiria was recognized by the defenders and slipped into the room, her two companions faced the soldiers in white armor.
Taken under fire by a dozen blasters, Brock advanced while protecting himself behind his shield and strafing towards the shots, which forced the Imperials to remain undercover. Advancing behind this mobile fortress that attracted blaster discharges, Space Ishtar fired her pistol... but the red rays tracked opponents and bent to bypass the obstacles! When the space goddess had eliminated all the defenders in the corridor, she changed the setting of her pistol... This time, the weapon spewed out a succession of energy rings that grew larger as they moved away. The shield of the E-Web did not resist the power unleashed by the divine weapon. A terrifying explosion reverberated through Dome 3, sweeping away the remaining Stormtroopers.
Reinforcements were probably already on the way, there was no time to waste.
They entered the generator room to discover that Galiria was celebrating her reunion with... Shiraz. The pirate prince quickly explained that he was the last member of the band to be still free and alive.
As he recounted in a few sentences the circumstances of the imperial attack, Galiria had opened one of the generators and was busy modifying connections. When she returned to them, the young redhead smiled fiercely.
"We have to get out of here fast... I prepared a little surprise for our friends in white armors."
And without looking back, the young redhead immediately began to run. Shiraz knew his girlfriend very well. She was a capable handyman capable of tinkering with deadly traps. He ran to catch her.
"What did you do?"
"I plugged the positive flow detonator into the Garris socket of the negative power coupler."
The two men hastened their course. Under the mask of their armor no doubt they must have been blemished with fear.
"You are completely crazy!"
"I know!"
"That's not a compliment," Brock added in a surprisingly calm voice.
Ishtar nodded, laughing nervously. This tinkering was an irrational idea. Galiria had just connected two generator elements that any sane person would have kept as far away as possible... connecting them would cause cataclysmic overheating, turning the generator into a plasma bomb that could explode at any time (1).
Running as fast as they could, they returned to the hangar to discover that the Spacetroopers had preceded them. Some huge power armors armed with blaster guns, proton torpedo launchers, and grenade launchers blocked their way.
But Ishtar smiled, absolutely not impressed by the armored fighters.
"My turn."
She jumped high... and came to rest between the floor and the ceiling. A shimmer of blue light condensed in her hands in the form of a strange weapon, a sort of heavy rifle or small black metal cannon. As she pulled the trigger, her new friends turned away, blinded by the flow of blighting yellow light hitting the opponents.
The broad beam of the particle cannon swept through the ranks of the power armor, which exploded one after the other.
When Galiria, Shiraz, and Brock were able to watch the scene again, the armor was nothing more than rubble melted on the ground transformed into viscous lava from which rising suffocating heat waves.
They had boarded the Jumper. The old Corellian freighter didn't look much, but just as Corianna Corvell was the avatar of Space Ishtar, the freighter had received the essence of Maanna, the goddess's spaceship.
The old freighter surprised the TIE Interceptors by taking off so fast that they did not have time to pursue. The Jumper swiftly escaped the Plaguebearer fire. The Strike cruiser had just begun maneuvering to chase them as Shiraz's planetoid exploded.
The blast spread through the cosmos, destroying the asteroids, the Imperial shuttles, and fighters. For a brief moment, the Plaguebearer's shields protected the ship from the overheated plasma flow that enveloped it but they wavered before shutting down... The next moment, the ship disintegrated, vaporizing like an ice cube thrown into the fire of a forge...
On board the Far Orbit.
All voices were silent on the bridge of the Frigate Nebulon-B. In this breathless silence, all eyes were turned to the external observation screens.
"The Plaguebearer exploded," said the sensor officer. And the attention of the whole crew turned to Vocis Kenit as with Notha's death, he had again become the superior officer in charge of the mission.
Ironically, Kenit's incompetence had saved the frigate and her crew. Because he had attacked Shiraz's base without waiting for the arrival of Commissioner Notha and thus jeopardized the mission, the ISB's agent had ordered him to stay away from operations and no longer interfere.
As a result, the Far Orbit was the only Imperial ship to be far enough from the explosion to survive.
Commander Kenit smiled. Notha's death had just erased all traces of his previous failure.
"Identify the ship that managed to leave the asteroid before it was destroyed."
"The ship matches the Jumper's profile..."
Luck was definitely on his side.
"The Mandalorian Falcon must be on board. Capture this ship."
"Aye aye, sir."
Nevertheless, just before the crew could carry out their orders, four ships came out at light speed.
The officer in charge of the detection uttered a cry of surprise.
His computers had recognized three of the ships. The first was a Corellian Gunship.
"This is the "Black Vengeance", the flagship of Dharus. She is escorted by two Corsair-class heavy starfighters. The last ship is not in our databases. But she is a CR-90 Blockade Runner. This kind of ship is often used by the Rebellion."
Dharus was a famous Rebel Alliance privateer. His ship was heavily armed. Already her Turbolaser's turrets opened fire on the frigate. Splashes of light flowed down the hull, making the shields vibrate. In addition, the two Corsairs made a passage shaking even more the defenses of the Far Orbit with their powerful nose-mounted ion gun.
Furious, Kenit clenched his fists. Even though the Mandalorian Falcon attracted him like a magnet, he wasn't brave. He was not one to risk their precious existence against an adversary superior in terms of numbers and armament.
"Get us away from them!"
Kenit did not realize that the First officer was looking at him with hatred and contempt... Kenit had provoked the death of his brother Elon. And now this coward was running from the fight. Even if it cost him his life, Dhas Vedij would take revenge.
An hour later, aboard the Alabak's Gold.
General Adar Tollon smiled at his guests.
"I am glad that we got there in time... This said, since you managed to eliminate the Plaguebearer, you would certainly have managed to escape without our help."
Shiraz nodded.
"Maybe, but you are not dealing with an ungrateful person. If there is anything I can do in return, please do not hesitate to ask, general Tollon."
"The timing is good; I have precisely something to ask... You have acquired something we anxiously seek and the Imperials also want." Adar Tollon showed the Mandalorian Falcon hanging from the pirate's neck. "Prince Shiraz, this amulet is a good-quality fake. Nevertheless, its only value is a Datacard hidden inside."
The pirate leader mechanically squeezed the medallion between his hands.
"You mean I lost my men, my base, and my ship because of this... trinket."
"Indeed, Prince Shiraz."
In an angry gesture, the pirate snatched the amulet and threw it on the table in front of Tollon.
The general of the Alliance picked up the pendant shaped like a hawk with wings spread.
"Too many people have died because of such a small object. Once I drop you off at Starforge, I'll take this Datacard back to Alliance HQ. It's time to end this nightmare."
The general turned to Space Ishtar.
"Corianna, you can stay with us, the Alliance..."
Space Ishtar didn't even let him finish.
"No thanks." She shrugged. "What were you going to say? That there are many beautiful planets outside the jurisdiction of the Empire where I could live in peace, and have a new life? Leave me on Starforge. I got the Jumper... and my parents' bodies. But there's something else I lost that I need to get back. It is a matter of life and death... and my wording is not exaggerated. My survival depends on it."
The frigate Far Orbit was filled with her own energy... Space Ishtar had to find a way to reabsorb this energy to retrieve a part of her lost divinity. And so, in the first place, she had to find that frigate.
Adar Tollon hesitated, reflecting on his response.
Leaving a 14-year-old on a pirate station seemed like the stupidest of all stupid ideas, but...
Shiraz interrupted his reflections.
"Corianna saved my life, General Tollon. Don't worry; I'll take care of her."
The old general sighed while waving his hand in a sign of surrender. He had the impression that Corianna Corvell would have to be locked in a cabin to force her to stay... and the last time; this did not prevent the teenager from slipping discreetly outside.
After Tollon left the conference room, Ishtar turned to Shiraz.
"Are you finally going to remove that stupid necklace from me?"
The pirate burst out laughing.
"You see Galiria, you should take inspiration from Corianna's modesty. At least she doesn't keep asking for new jewelry."
Ishtar crossed her arms over her chest while looking at the space pirate with a surly look.
"An explosive necklace... I'd gladly give it to Galiria if she's so into jewelry."
"Do you think I set off the bomb? For such a smart kid, I'm surprised you still don't understand."
"What? What do you mean, Shiraz?"
The pirate prince looked at Brock and then Galiria. All three seemed to enjoy a good joke that only they knew.
"I remind you that the space pirate's code prohibits cold-blooded murder. A space pirate only kills in self-defense."
"Are you saying that..."
Space Ishtar pointed to the necklace without being able to finish her sentence.
Shiraz stood up and disconnected the magnetic lock, removing the metal circle from Ishtar's neck.
"The threat was as effective as a real bomb. No need to put your life at risk," Brock explained.
Space Ishtar jumped up. With rigid arms along her body and clenched fists, she looked at the three pirates, red with anger and her eyes throwing lightning.
"I hate you! How dare you ridicule me?"
Author note: Here we go! This chapter marks the end of "The Mandalorian Falcon", the first adventure of Space Ishtar in the Star Wars Galaxy. However, her adventures will continue in the upcoming chapters, and I invite you to read my future publications.
(1) Using the same craft, Chewbacca blows up Mount Tantiss at the end of The Last Command (Timothy Zahn's book).