Kowani Y’mmat continued huddling behind the overturned desk in the cramped office, scalding red blaster fire slamming ferociously into the bulkhead above her. “How much longer Zeb?” she asked quickly into her helmet comm.
The gravely deep voice was hesitant at first, “He’s working on it, give us another five minutes.”
She rolled her head to the side looking straight into the helmet visor of Sabine Wren, tucked in between the same bulkhead and a data console two meters away. “Ani, there’s only two dozen of em.” Sabine said. “Perfect odds in my estimation.” Ahsoka’s voice rang through both helmet comm’s, the electronic modulation doing little to mask her sarcasm.
“Two dozen bucketheads against two Mandalorians, odds are definitely in our favor.” Sabine chimed in again, her voice brimming with confidence.
Kowani lifted her hands, palms up, to meet her shoulders.
“Yeah, I know you’re not….but they don’t” Sabine finished, motioning toward the troopers at the door with the barrel of her right Westar-35, “Just remember what I taught you and rely on your targeting interface.” She added as three bolts ripped into the bulkhead above her.
Kowani was doing her best to not to let her frustration show, “I don’t care about the odds honestly, I just hope this isn’t another dead end.”
“We can all hear you again Ani.” Hera Syndulla’s voice joined the verbal exchange through their Tacnet.
“Ani, R3 isn’t making any sense.” Zeb updated, cutting off Hera, “I only understand portions of what he’s saying most of the time but...Uhh, I don’t think were looking for a recipe for Sullustan truffle bark.”
“Give him the comm Zeb.” Kowani said, agitation taking root. A few seconds passed before the astromech chimed in over the comm with a quick cadence of boops, bleeps and piercing whistles. “R3 I promise to refrain from any loose wire jokes, but I need you to make certain you’re not overlooking anything.”
“Did he say Togorian Brandywine?” Hera asked, doing nothing to hide her bewilderment.
“Add the Cammassian biscuits and we’d have a pretty good meal.” Zeb added.
“Ok, can we please focus.” Ahsoka said, attempting to reel in the conversation. “Unless R3 can pull anything useful, there’s no reason for us to stay. Sabine, Ani, get outta there and head for the extraction point. Zeb, we’ll give you and R3 a little more time to scour those drives.”
Kowani blew out a breath, ‘about time’ she said to herself and gripped the suppression housing of her modified A-180. Resting the butt end of the rifle currently configured for close quarters on her thigh she looked over to Sabine who was waiting with a nod. Without hesitation they both shot from cover and opened fire toward the congested doorway. Anguished yelps and screams of pain resounded as the enemy fire diminished. Sabine’s Westar’s didn’t miss any of her targets, each shot either disarming or immobilizing her victims. Kowani’s A-180 was not as precise but left nothing but silence in its wake, taking appendages with the troopers E11’s with them. She took a glancing shot to the head that ricocheted off the beskar and into the adjacent wall, her eyes tracing the shot to its source as she primed the rifle for a full charged bolt. Sabine caught the action and quickly unloaded her Westar’s into the offending trooper’s foot, dropping him immediately, before Kowani discharged a vicious green bolt straight through the now empty doorway and into the corridor beyond.
Sabine looked at Kowani and motioned with a downward wave upon catching her attention. “Hey, ease up Ani.”
Grateful for the helmet, Kowani rolled her eyes for her own benefit. ‘not this again.’ She said to herself. “He shot at my head!” She almost shouted to Sabine.
“Don’t assume that’s what he was aiming for.” The Mandalorian replied matter-of-factly.
Kowani couldn’t argue the point, these troopers clearly weren’t academy. She did however, although briefly, condemn herself for her aggressiveness, they didn’t deserve carnage. Reminders of Mustafar she still struggled to forget. She addressed her attention to her targeting display to find only three red reticles remaining, distancing themselves quickly down the corridor to the left.
“And that’s our cue to go right.” Sabine said Kowani appreciative of the calm demeanor now.
“Take point, I’m on your six.” Kowani replied as the two rushed from the room and took off down the corridor. The immaculately clean, yet sterile and nondescript corridor gave way to a small hangar bay and corresponding landing pad. Various crates, two dilapidated 74-Z speeder bikes canting to opposing sides by a few degrees and eighty percent of a SFS T4-A shuttle in the process of repair took up a majority of the space in the hangar. Kowani studied the surroundings momentarily, contrasting them to the corridor from which they had both emerged. “Maintenance isn’t exactly a priority here it seems.” She said, giving voice to her thoughts.
Sabine slowed, the dull light in the hangar primarily sourced by the open gates causing the various raucous colors adorning her armor to set her form apart from its surroundings. “This is just an outpost after all, but it is curious.” She said eyeing the dripping lubricant from the shuttle. Its upper foil removed from the vessel lying horizontally on the duracreet flooring, carbon scoring adorning much of its port side. “They’d have no way to get off world if they needed to.” She added with a deeper hint of peculiarity.
“Sabine, Ani we have eyes on you. Zeb let’s get a move on.” Hera sounded through their Tacnet again.
“Already on the move.” Came the gravelly response, R3’s affirmative chirp confirming their status.
Kowani and Sabine reached the hanger gateway as the CEC VCX-100 descended onto the vacant landing pad, flooding the darkened bay with its forward lights, reflecting off various pools of dark oils and scattered maintenance tools. They both backed their way toward the descending forward ramp as the Lasat and squat astromech joined them from an adjacent corridor. Kowani did her best to hide the building frustration within, letting a slight sigh escape as she lowered her firearm. A fleeting thought began to take form, accelerated by a very subtle shift in the flows of the Force around her. She tilted her head toward the ground, seeing in her mind as the trickles those flows had been were retreating into themselves, ceasing to be. “Something’s changing.” She said slowly and articulately into her helm comm.
Sabine turned her head toward Kowani as Garazeb Orellios and R3 met the pair, the astromech’s shiny new paint job glaring brightly orange and purple within the beam of the ship’s light.
“What do you see Ani?” Ahsoka’s voice returned into her earpiece.
Kowani’s head snapped up to the corridor she and Sabine had exited moments before raising her rifle seconds before the dark silhouettes of three stormtroopers entered her view, weapons dropped and hands over their heads.
“Wait!” The voice was masculine and filled with anxiety. Sabine and Zeb mimicking Kowani’s action as R3 used the opportunity to accelerate his path up the ramp and onto the ship.
The lead trooper moved his hands slowly to the sides of his helmet and surprisingly removed it with a quiet hiss. “They will be back, take us with you….please!”
“Ani what is happening out there?” Ahsoka pleaded.
Kowani wasn’t sure how to process what was transpiring before her and was subsequently lost for words to respond.
Sabine, catching her hesitation lowered her Westar’s slowly, “Uh, do we take prisoners?” She asked with a hint of sarcasm. Zeb simply looked her way with a shrug of his shoulders.
“We don’t have time for this, explain quickly.” The voice of Hera sounded off behind them, Kowani and Sabine whirling around in surprise, Kowani shocked that she hadn’t even heard her footfalls. The features of her green complexion locked into a serious expression.
The troopers continued walking forward to a point two meters from the collected rebels, the remaining two motioning to remove their helmets as well. Kowani getting a good look at the cropped dark hair and pasty white complexion of the initial trooper. A look of genuine concern and fear rooted deep within his brown eyes. The subsequent troopers held the same look as their helmets where removed, a dark smooth skinned female and light brown complected male, all human, eyes wide.
“And what of the remaining bucketheads within?” Hera asked in return, waving her Bluurg 1120 in a non-threatening fashion.
The trooper’s expression softened, Kowani sensing a slim flow of the Force tracing its way toward him from where she stood. His eyes glossed over as his head tilted forward. The dark-skinned woman raised her hands to shield her face as she dropped to her knees, the brown-skinned man casting his head off to the side and skyward as he drew his arms to his hips. All three troopers seeming to forget their immediate predicament and surrendering completely to outright emotion.
Kowani could feel the approach of Ahsoka joining the assemblage without having to turn her gaze, feeling her hand on her left shoulder. Slinging her rifle over her other shoulder she reached to depressurize her helmet and waited for the internal chime before removing it. Kowani turned slightly, “They assassinated them didn’t they.” She whispered for Ahsoka’s benefit only, tucking the helm under her right arm.
Ahsoka blankly stared at the three troopers before them, closing her eyes and nodding slightly. “I don’t understand it myself,” she whispered her response, slowly opening her eyes.
The troopers where collectively pulling themselves together, the dark complected female pulling at the tight braids in her hair. “It’s…….” She began and turned again to shout to the sky, a growl born from the mixture of frustration and rage.
“…..just us.” The pasty man finished for her, lifting his gaze to meet Hera’s once again. “It was protocol….our duty….” he managed to add.
Sabine turned to nod in Hera’s direction returning her targeting appendage to its upright position, affirming that these three before them where the only remaining heat signatures within the outpost.
Kowani looked toward the three, “Why do we even bother!” and turned to remove herself from the group, slow metered steps up the ramp while shaking her head. Ahsoka watched Kowani’s solemn retreat understanding exactly what she meant and then locked eyes with Hera. Without words the two came to the collective agreement to accept the surrender and see where it took them. She continued looking at Hera as the Twi’leks focus returned to the troopers. She watched as Hera worked the words through her mind she would use to assuage the situation and to calm the troopers from their present trauma. She felt the building surge of peace Hera would use to compile everything she said next. She also watched as Hera would routinely and nonchalantly touch her abdomen momentarily as if to give her the confidence she was constantly cycling.
“Zeb, Sabine, we’ll secure them in the rear hold. Do not take your eyes off them. You three, follow the Lasat.” Hera said with authority, motioning toward the troopers as Zeb, who hadn’t lowered his bow rifle, moved to usher them toward the rear of the ship.
Hera’s wrist comm began to immediately chime repeatedly as Sabine moved in behind the troopers.
“Double time!! We’ve got company.” Hera shouted to everyone.
Ahsoka rocketing her gaze skyward at the words identifying the threat. “Move!” She shouted.
The blackness of the night was beginning to transcend into shades of green as specks of packaged energy coalesced into identifiable hyphens of incoming destruction. Hera and Ahsoka quickly ran up the boarding ramp, Hera firing up the ladder ahead of the Togruta. Zeb laid into the troopers with the butt of his weapon who were still in their own respective throes of emotion, before quickly slinging the rifle over his shoulder and picking them up without protest. Sabine was already on the rear ramp grabbing at flailing limbs as the first of the energy packets exploded into the far end of the outpost sending a tumultuous fireball in all directions, its heat washing over them all before extinguishing itself. Zeb wasted no time and tossed the troopers unceremoniously into the hold as he dashed up the ramp himself and slammed the closing mechanism. Two more energy packets found purchase within the outpost as columns of screaming fire shot out of the internal corridors, filling the hangar bay, and igniting the pools of oil on the ground. Hera sat momentarily dumbfounded at the sight before her, the fuel canisters on the back wall adding their supply to the ensuing chaos with intense blue explosions of their own adding a purplish hue to the inferno. Another blast rocked the landing platform as she sprang to action and lifted the Ghost from the crumbling duracreet and out over the valley far below. A sudden blast of finality lurched the ship briefly before she was able to correct her trajectory and fully engage her thrusters, firing the freighter into the lower atmosphere. Hera cast a glance around the cockpit realizing only then that she was alone.
Ahsoka had followed Hera up the ladder but then had quickly taken an opposite path toward the rear hold, catching Kowani on her way. “I know this isn’t the best time, but I need your help right now.” She said in passing, briefly catching Kowani’s arm.
Kowani didn’t hesitate, tossing her helmet onto a shelf outside Sabine’s bunk room, she quickly followed Ahsoka. Reaching their destination, they both looked over the railing toward the hold below seeing the troopers sitting on the deck plating with their hands over their heads, Sabine hanging onto an acceleration strap with a Westar on them. Zeb was doing the same on the other side of the hold. Kowani held position on the upper deck as Ahsoka descended the ladder. “Sabine, I’ve got this, see if Hera needs any help.” She said reaching the lower deck.
Sabine didn’t say a word as she traded places with Ahsoka, holstering her firearm she shot up the ladder and out of sight.
Within seconds the ship stabilized after a sudden lurch rocked everyone from their respective positions. With confidence in her footing Ahsoka crossed her arms before her chest and focused intently upon the troopers. “What happened?” The most compassionate voice Kowani had ever heard Ahsoka use.
Sabine reached the cockpit and slammed herself into the co-pilot’s acceleration seat. “Light cruiser, single, no other support vessels on scan.” Hera updated Sabine.
“Not even fighters?” Sabine asked in shocked confusion while trying to establish a usable escape vector for them from the moons extraordinary gravitic pull. She directed the trajectory to the ships navicomputer but paused before alerting Hera, “I don’t think we’re even being targeted Hera. Try a low circular route around the outpost’s ridge.” “Worth the gamble….and no, not even fighters.” Hera responded, surprised herself at the change in tactics. They both stared intently out the fore canopy watching as salvo after salvo slammed into the rock and what remained of the outpost.
The threat assessment board before Sabine lit up like the explosions at the center of their arc. “Uh, we have incoming marks. EF76-Nebulon, four RZ-1’s and a……. Gozanti class light cruiser?” She said in utter confusion.
Hera wasn’t sure how to respond immediately. “Talk about your motley crew’s.” She managed and hesitated briefly before slamming her left palm down on her transmitter. “Nebulon, those A-wings belong to you?” She asked.
A crackling static in response startled her instincts before it resolved into a modulated voice. “General Syndulla?”
Sabine shot Hera a confused look, Hera returning it with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Captain...General...uh yes. Syndulla.” She responded, not sure what her appropriate rank was.
“Good to hear your voice General. This is Captain Larte of the Challenger. We are inbound on your Imp and will have your path cleared momentarily.” The incoming response advised.
Hera met the return gaze from Sabine yet again and confirmed that they were both just as confused as the other. “Uh, Challenger, we aren’t the target. They are targeting their own outpost….or what’s left of it anyway.”
They both waited patiently for the response, quite sure the bridge of the cruiser was filled with the same confusion, “Copy that Ghost. Positive omens when they begin targeting their own?”
“I suppose so Challenger. We have our vector and will be up the well momentarily.” Hera advised, slightly hesitant to transmit the coordinates.
Sabine nodded in the affirmative, “It’s Miara Hera.”
Hera hit the transmit key and launched into the moon’s upper atmosphere.
Ahsoka maintained her balance throughout the twists and turns Hera was enacting, her focus intently on the sobbing troopers at her feet.
“Protocols, directives, actions…..questioning what you know is wrong is just a quicker way to die.” The brown skinned man said, identifying himself as TC-443.
“First, stop...just stop with the idiotic designations.” Kowani shouted from above. “Second, dying with a clear conscious is at the very least honorable. Your all cowards.” She said, descending the ladder and taking up the space to Ahsoka’s left.
Zeb bowed his head toward Kowani in full agreement.
Ahsoka maintained her gaze upon the troopers. “Ani, their actions were honorable. They gave the dying quick deaths. They put the barrels of their blasters to the heads of brothers and sisters, sparing them a brutally painful and incendiary death.” Her words causing the three to lace into tears once again. TC-245, the pasty white man, began tearing off his plastoid armor dropping the segments unceremoniously onto the decking around him.
“My name is Tovic! I have not used it in years.” The pasty man shouted, his face contorting to an anxiety laced breakdown. As he screwed up his face, Kowani noticed a small mark on his right temple, and quickly shuffled over to his left as he fidgeted with the clips on his plastoid plackart. He relaxed his expression revealing the same mark there and Kowani’s jaw dropped. She glanced at the other two troopers who were relaxing both with eyes closed resting the backs of their heads on the hull of the ship behind them. She watched as small Force flows began finding purchase within all three of them, branching rivulets extending from herself, Ahsoka and Zeb but also from elsewhere. The natural flows, the cosmic universal flows, were directing some of their energy toward them as well, crisscrossing one another, working to embrace them all in a web of peace.
The plackart hit the decking unceremoniously breaking Kowani out of her trance and she focused on ‘Tovic,’ watching as he scratched and clawed his fingers at the synthfiber black body suit covering his abdomen. His face had relaxed, and his actions reverted from frantic tearing to calculated ripping, revealing extensive scarring and damaged tissue. He finally closed his eyes as both of his hands fell slack to the deck at his sides. “Sorry….” he said in a faint whisper. “sooooo….tired…” he finished, slurring the words terribly.
Ahsoka, Kowani and Zeb exchanged glances with more than enough shoulder shrugging between them to confirm to them all that they were all equally confused. “Is he dead?” Zeb broke the silence with his deep voice, yellow eyes focusing on the man’s exposed stomach. “And what is that?” He asked walking closer to him.
“What did they do to him?” Ahsoka asked in rhetoric as she placed a hand on his forehead.
Kowani understood exactly what she was looking at. “They didn’t...he did”
“What exactly?” Zeb was confused.
“It’s his name, he carved it into his own flesh.” Ahsoka added.
Zeb starred at the mass of scarred tissue and cocked his head as he neared the man. He felt a hand around his right ankle briefly, “T never wanted to forget…..he ‘reminded himself every day.” The black woman said with a final tear in her eye, a single braid strung across her cheek, and she too fell into unconsciousness.
Hera angled the Ghost to align their trajectory alongside the Gozanti cruiser, watching as the “Challenger” released two final volleys of turbo cannon salvos into the Imperial cruiser, rupturing it’s shield generator.
“Captain, cease fire please.” A familiar voice rang through the cockpit, heavily modulated but extremely identifiable. “I am reading only a handful of signatures. I respectfully request you offer an armistice.” The voice continued.
“You looking to add another to your collection then Fardi?” Miara asked with amusement, her own voice modulated through the joined Tacnet.
“Always.” Came the response. R3 rolled up to rest between Hera and Sabine emitting an innocent simple whine. Sabine placed a hand on his dome as he spun his photoreceptor toward her. “We’ll have you home soon little guy.” She said comfortingly, knowing the little mech recognized the voice as well.
“Assuming that’s you in the Gon, N’dali, interesting choice.” Hera chimed in.
“It is and thank you.” Came the lighthearted response, as R3 rocked back and forth on his struts emitting a cadence of lighthearted chirps.