Chapter Text
15︱A Debt Paid
Republic Command Center (Former)
Sith War Memorial Garden
Replacing the engine panel, Jae stepped back to examine her work. Everything looked flush and secure. Still clad in the faded colors of Corrin Tok's unit under a layer of filth that had accumulated these past weeks, the shuttle would be space worthy at least as far as Belsavis. It surprised her that it had survived this long in a warzone without being stolen or destroyed. Sure, it had been covered by netting for camouflage, but that was not much defense with the Empire hunting down any chance of resistance. She studied the ship while lost in thought. If she- No, when she handed it over, their escape route from this place went with it.
But that was the price she had to pay to end this.
Letting out the breath she had held for far too long, she walked up the cargo ramp and toward the cockpit. As she walked, Jae keyed in a simple set of her current coordinates in a text-only message and hit send. Reaching the navicomputer, she referenced her datapad to start putting in a pre-arranged series of jumps. This flight plan would automatically take the shuttle straight to Belsavis without input, probably making this too easy for Wrajj. At least it would take her to the outer edge of the Galaxy - and make her one less potential threat.
Footsteps came from behind her, and she started to reach for her weapon when she recognized the sound of a defeated sigh. Out of anyone, she was glad he had check on her. “How are you holding up?”
“Been better.” Ashnox admitted. “Loke found the access codes you needed to get through the planetary blockade. The ones this shuttle will need at least.”He moved to stand behind her with the datapad in his hand.
Straightening, Jae turned to take the information from him and looked him in the eyes. “Thanks for bringing them up here. She’ll be here in a few, and it’ll go much smoother if everything’s ready.”
Ashnox’s jaw was tense as he nodded. “I still don’t fully agree with all this, but you know I’m with you. No matter what this crazy plan ends up throwing at us before it’s all over.”
She pushed up on her toes to kiss him gently. “I appreciate your support.”
As she programmed in the identification codes, they heard the growl of an approaching engine. A small craft that could only be Wrajj and that speeder bike she escaped on after the massacre at CorSec. She noticed Ashnox move to the edge of the ramp with his hand on his hilts. Jae knew he would not attack the Sith, even if the thought crossed his mind. A fight right now was something they could not afford.
Dismounting her speeder bike, Wrajj left the vehicle idling as she abandoned it against the wall. It would only be a hassle, taking up unnecessary space in the cargo area. Leaving it active just seemed a different sort of wasteful, even in a warzone.
“Where’s Charnus?” Jae asked pointedly.
Wrajj smirked. “He’ll be planetside shortly. I’ve been put in charge of the Imperial Commando Outpost south of here at Liberty Tower. After a bit of goading and insistence that he needs to come in person, he agreed to come down.”
“Hidden behind a wall of troops? That wasn’t what we agreed.”
“There was no way he would have landed here without at least the illusion of security.” She gestured insanity. “He’s more paranoid about threats than most of the Dark Council. If it makes you feel any better, I've ordered most of them out on an aerial patrol in about an hour.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Wrajj let her eyes wander over the fuselage, taking in every spot of chipped paint and carbon scoring. “Are you sure this thing will even fly?”
Jae tried not respond with anger at her veiled accusation. “It’ll fly you out of here. I checked it personally. What happens when you get to your destination is up to you.”
“My plan-”
“Is none of my concern. Yeah, I got it.”
She spoke to the air as she continued her lap around the ship. “I was going to say ‘is going smoothly thus far.’ I have the locations on Belsavis where the Ratatakki gangs are being held, along with some of the other more violent species. Once I’ve freed my brethren, I’ll have my own personal army to grow my power base.”
“Good luck with that.”
Ashnox stepped forward to confront the Sith. It was enough of a shift that even Wrajj’s hand moved closer to her saber hilt. “Answer me one thing. Why? Why do all this for a group of criminals? Your plan has nothing to do with Charnus.”
Wrajj kept eye contact as she relaxed slightly. “I haven’t forgotten about Charnus. Once I lived on Rattatak with my parents and three siblings. It was a brutal world, and we didn’t have much. Back then it didn’t matter, as I’d never known anything more. But then a group of Sith came to gather slaves for Dromund Kaas. They had sent parties before, capture a few dozen before they left again, but this time they came to my village. A few of our warriors stupidly tried to fight them, and my father was… less than willing to go with them.” She paused for a moment to consider what else to reveal. “Charnus led the group that day, and he tortured my father to death for his disobedience. It was to punish him and serve as an example for the rest of us.”
“That’s horrible. Just brings up the question I asked you before: Why serve the Empire?”
“He doesn’t remember the small child filled with hatred, but I’ll never forget. The Empire and the Sith eventually gave me power, and I have to respect that. I’m taking that power and I’ll use it to finally kill that man, leave him broken after all these years.”
Jae shook her head. “I just want this over with. To have the Empire leave this planet so I can get back to living my life.”
Another cruel smile. “Hopefully we never see one another again. May the Force ever serve you, and keep watching the skies.”
A ping sounded from the Sith lord’s holocom as she slipped inside the cargo area. A loud groan caught Jae’s attention. Positioning herself in a more direct line-of-sight, she watched the woman remove the unit from her belt, take a moment to compose herself, and then answer. The floating visage looked like how Jae imagined every high-ranking Imperial officer, uptight and smugly sure of their own superiority. Wrajj was overly tense about seeing him as well, which made this much more enjoyable.
"General Dane, how goes the offensive?"
"Lord Wrajj, you've been out of contact for some time now. Darth Argintus and I were concerned something unfortunate might have happened. What is your status? Is the outpost secure?"
“Your concern was unnecessary.” Wrajj scoffed. Her confident mask was firmly back in place. "We all have our role to play, General. I was dealing with a small Republic group I discovered. Now that I'm finished with them, I'll prepare for Darth Charnus's arrival."
"Very good." He replied brusquely. "And please make sure report in more frequently. The biggest threats come from where we least expect."
Wrajj's eyes narrowed at his attempt at a polite tone, although his displeasure was clear. "Wrajj out."
Moments later the main hatch closed and the engines burst to life as the shuttle prepared to go on its next adventure.
<< >>
Resistance Outpost
Archival Square
A provisional outpost was forming in the middle of the square as the Imperials withdrew, tucked into the opening of a large pipe for protection on three sides. Resistance forces had driven speeders and hauled debris that looked sturdy enough to give them proper cover to place their fighters behind. A handful of Republic infantry had taken shelter as well, using their own strength to bolster the assembled forces.
After triple-checking that the area was indeed secure, Tempest moved cautiously down the incline to join the group. A few of the more skittish civilians started to raise their weapons toward the dark armor before recognizing the Republic emblems on their shoulders. Even still, they were wary of any newcomers and potential deception.
“Identify yourself! Are you Republic?”
“If we were Imperials, you’d already be dead.” Tora’s vocoder-tinged voice was flippant. “We’re Tempest Squad.”
The man sounded flustered at her response. “Oh! Well, um… Welcome. Make yourselves at home.”
Looking down the opening, they could see how the Resistance was arranging their base. Each area was divided by large pieces of fabric running along ropes that acted more like curtains to provide some separation. At one end was a large group of soldiers and partisans surrounding a small fire and sharing a communal pot of food. It made Romat’s stomach rumble in comparison to the simple and tasteless food she had consumed for breakfast.
At least a place to sit down would be nice. They had been on the move for hours - and in the field wearing full armor for more than a day.
Walking further in, they passed a wall of random crates and stacked supplies. Medical supplies from local hospitals, rations and blaster rifles from both Republic and Imperial troopers, donated blankets and bedding from sympathetic civilians. Much of it had been taken directly from the battlefield and arranged randomly in whatever container was available. She even spotted some sort of handmade bladed weapon laying on one of the tables. The glaive was decorated with detailed patterns carved into the shaft.
“Hey, Sergeant. You with us?” Tora called out.
“Yeah.” Romat looked around approvingly as she removed her helmet. “Just taking it all in.” This place would more than suffice for what they needed and meant they could avoid the longer trek back to the local headquarters. Assuming they could find a secure terminal to transmit all of their intelligence back to command.
Tora motioned toward the fire at the far end. “We’re going to grab some chow."
“Save some for me. I’m going to see if Din and I can’t find a secure channel, and then we’ll meet you back there.”
“Will do.”
Hidden around the corner was a spartan but functional comm station, manned by a couple Republic troopers. They stiffened to see special forces heading their way. Romat suppressed her urge to laugh at how uncomfortable they both suddenly seemed. Tempest Squad armor apparently opened lots of doors that were closed to most military personnel. Whatever made the job easier.
Din greeted them. “Afternoon. How goes it?”
One of them stepped forward and stood at parade rest. “This comm station is fully functional, sir. Wish I could say the same about our current supply lines though. Everything right now is being salvaged or raided from the battlefield. Half the time it’s from our own casualties. We’re stretched thin, but holding.”
“You’re doing a great job, Private.” Romat assured him with a smile. “Any chance we could borrow the terminal for a private call?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.” With that, the pair slipped back out toward the main entrance.
Din crouched to program in both the holofrequency and their unique encryption code to add extra protection to the datastream. Especially after the jamming earlier, precautions were essential.
“Axial Main, this is Tempest Squad.”
“We read you, Tempest.” A tense looking comm officer appeared on the display. “Things are a bit hectic around here. General Aves and his command staff arrived from Labor Valley late this morning, and everyone is gearing up for the assault.”
Romat cocked her head slightly. “What assault? Baklaven Hall?”
“Negative, Tempest. Baklaven Hall is secure. Our scouts have narrowed down the location of the Imperial Guard commander for this area, Commander Trainor. He’s fortified inside the Museum Republica. It’ll be a hard fight, but if our strike teams can hit hard and fast enough, we think we may be able to capture him before the Imps can respond.”
“Bold.” Din commented while he stroked his tentacles.
Romat agreed, but the tactician in her questioned the limited scope. “Good luck with the strike, Axial, but what about the other Imperial targets? Taking out Trainor knocks out a chunk of their oversight and chain of command, but it won’t lessen the troops they’ll throw at us once they figure it out.”
The man gave a half-hearted shrug on the other end. “That’s way above my pay grade, Tempest. If you’ve discovered other targets, I can pass them up the chain of command. No guarantees that they’ll even consider them until after the strike though.”
If nothing else, it was worth a shot. “Tempest has intel on the main Imperial Garrison. I’ll transmit the images and intel we collected momentarily. Our assessment is that all the remaining ground troops will be deployed from and directed from there. My team would like permission to carry out an operation to put it out of commission for good.”
“We could give this to the fleet to try and bombard from orbit.”
No. This one would be Tempest’s responsibility. “Negative. Target is shielded and well-protected against air assault. Our team will work up an operational plan and pass it back once completed.”
A respectful nod. “Acknowledged. Good luck, Tempest. For the Republic.”
“For the Republic.”
Shutting down the feed, Romat could not be sure if she was much hungrier, or if she had just killed her appetite altogether.
<< >>
Republic Command Center (Former)
Sith War Memorial Garden
As the turbolift doors slid open, Ashnox moved ahead and went to rejoin the other Jedi. Jae moved slower while processing the meeting on the rooftop. Analyzing Wrajj’s body language and that strange conversation she overheard. The woman was manipulative as hell, but it at least appeared that she was all in on their deal. Now Jae just needed to pin down exactly where this ‘Liberty Tower” was actually located.
Passing the dead trees and long shadows yet again, a glint caught her eye. Something reflective on the floor over where they had originally made camp when they arrived. She crept closer, her curiosity tempered with caution.
A small pool of bright blue liquid glowed beneath the chair against the taupe tiles around it. Following their path, Jae saw more droplets leading up to where M2 sat quietly. Looking closely, the leakage came from around the edge of M2’s damaged torso armor. It looked almost like he was… bleeding. She had spent enough time building him that she had a disturbing theory about what had happened.
“Emtoo, you’re leaking. Is that what I think it is?”
"I was not entirely truthful with my earlier statement. Scans indicate shrapnel damage to my main power core. I have switched to reserve power, but it will only last a short time." He paused, seeming to consider his situation. "I am... afraid, Jae. I do not want to become non-functional again. And I'm sorry. I do not want to leave my debt unfulfilled or lose your companionship again, but am currently unable to complete this mission. When you depart, I will remain here."
Jae placed her hand on his armored chest, her eyes wet. Reactivating him was to give him a chance to get far away from his base programming. To be more than just another infantry droid. She had come too far to let her companion end his journey in the middle of this warzone. "Emtoo, you did protect me. You're the reason I didn't die back there. Your debt is more than paid. And I'm not going to let you die here." Jae called to the younger Jedi. "Sera, I need you to take Emtoo back to Republic headquarters."
The Miraluka approached cautiously. "Are we sure that's the best idea? You'll need all of us to get into Charnus's building."
"And if we fail, we need the Republic to bombard that building from orbit until it’s dust. My friend here already has firsthand recordings of our journey up to this point in his databanks, and I'll upload a copy of the targeting data for good measure. Hopefully they’ll have the parts to get him working again, if not replace all his damaged pieces."
Sera cast a glance back at her master, who nodded her approval. “I’d prefer we not divide our forces, but Jae’s right. We need to have a contingency, and that droid won’t survive the trip back himself. You can take the speeder, and we’ll find another way to get to target.”
Ashnox stood against the wall, his arms crossed. “Make sure they know it’s only if we fail. I’d prefer not to die in a Republic bombardment.”
“Will do.” Sera left to go gather her things.
M2 walked slowly to the door before turning to Jae. “Thank you for calling me your friend.” With that, he headed back toward the front entrance.
After they left, silence fell over the room. There was no coordination to it, just each of them retreating into their own thoughts to consider the situation and their role in it. A few muted clanks came from outside as Sera grabbed what she needed for the return trip and escorted M2 out of the ruined building. The echo of crunching glass under metal feet as they departed snapped them all out of it, and they cast glances at one another.
Ashnox jerked his head toward the exit. “With those two gone, it’ll just be the three of us." Although obvious, it was his way of encouraging them to discuss the changing odds that hung over them. Even if they had tried to press on, they all recognized that M2 was far more of a liability than an asset with his wounds.
“If we all face him together, hopefully that’ll be enough.” Loke looked up from the spot she had been focused on to punctuate her words.
Jae shook her head. "It has to be, or all this was a complete waste."