[Fic] Star Wars:The Beginning.

[machievelli]

Confusion

 

Daysah Shani looked at the package that had come over from the Tokara Requiem with a note. “I would enjoy the pleasure of your company at dinner.” Signed by Sunrider.

 

She tapped the message against her hand, and looked again at the package. She touched the ribbon, then carefully peeled away the paper. Under it was a box with the logo of one of the shops aboard the massive liner. A very high end clothiers.

 

I wouldn’t eat for a year if I shopped there even for gloves she thought. She lifted the lid, then stared in amazement. Carefully she lifted out the dress. It was of Aldarian Spider-silk, light enough to blow away on a gentle breeze. The bright teal color almost glowed in the fluorescent lighting. The comment ’less is more’ came to mind looking at it. The dress was an open weave that would look as if she was wearing nothing. At the bottom of the box was a smaller box. In it were three Aldarian starflowers. How many years would I have to go without eating just for this dress? Her mind rebelled. It would cost what she made in five years if it cost a centi-cred.

A small note fluttered out, and she set the dress down to look at it. My gift to you. Something beautiful to wear for a beautiful woman.

 

She snorted. She was short, a little overweight, and her hair looked like she’d survived a tornado. It always did, even with the work she did. Beautiful my rosy red bum.

 

She walked over to the communicator, and flipped it on. “Connect me with Dasa Sunrider aboard the Tokara Requiem please.” The screen flared with a small light show, and she ignored it, looking again at the dress.

 

“Ah, I see you got it.” Sunrider commented when he saw who was calling.

 

“Dasa, I can’t accept this!”

 

“Please Daysah, it’s not like it’s going to be bought in the next week or so, right? Besides, it’s good advertising. It will look smashing on you, and if you come to dinner, you can’t come in your grubbies. Besides, except for that dress you wore to the party, how many dress clothes did you bring?”

 

I didn’t expect to have to go to formal dinners, you twit she didn’t say. “All right, I will wear it, but just once, and then it goes back.”

 

“Can’t.” He smirked. “Aldarian Spider-silk takes on the scent of the wearer. The dress will smell like you forever.”

 

She really liked the dress, but she’d never be able to wear it ever again. “Then I am not coming. I can’t accept this.”

 

His face fell. “Then bring it here, and we’ll find something you can wear. Something not so, exorbitant.”

 

“All right.” She switched off, looking longingly at the dress again. Damn. I don’t even get to try it on! She sighed, packing it back into the box.

 

*****

“Report.” Breia sat, rubbing her temples.

 

“There were some of those hammerheads around the site.” Anak reported. “And some had been close enough to witness what was happening. There was a human with them.”

 

“Wait, someone is running around there with them?”

 

Anak held out the recorder. Breia reached into her robe, lifting out the plug. Grimacing, she reached behind her right ear, and slid it into the emplaced socket. She had finally had the procedure to give her sight, but it never really gave her the same visual acuity she remembered. But for scan data or written reports, it was adequate. Besides, it impressed people when she moved more readily than they had anticipated, so she generally didn’t wear it.

 

The recorder had fine detail, and with her implant she could focus down to the microscopic level. A line of foot prints from work boots started at the edge of the trees, staggered back toward where the transport was, then toward the trees again. There was a splash of blood at the forest edge, but no body. The prints stopped facing another set of footprints. Anak had followed them into the forest arching away from where the attackers had been.

 

“What about the bullet?”

 

Anak adjusted the feed. The tree where the bullet had been was highlighted, and every blood splatter or body marked. There was nothing near the tree. He fiddled with it, and now the footprints were also marked. Except for the muffled prints, none were anywhere near it. “There were no targets anywhere near the tree. Whoever fired the shot planted the bullet intentionally.”

 

“So someone used an Echani pistol to fire a shot into a tree, so we would think pirates had killed everyone. But at the same time planted evidence that natives had done it. But they are supposed to be animals.”

 

“Analysis?”

 

“One man was missing from the crew according to what I heard.” Sev said. “Maybe he met a friend?”

 

“But who? And why did they follow the hammerheads?”

 

“They didn’t.” Anak replied flatly. “They were with them, not following.” He slid the recording a little farther on. At one point, one set of prints disappeared. “The man that was missing at the site must have been injured. They put him on a stretcher of some kind.”

 

Breia mused. She unplugged “I think we had better talk with Professor Shani.

 

*****

Daysah was about to board the shuttle when someone shouted her name. The female monk was walking toward her, followed by her bodyguards. “May I help you Padawan Breia?”

 

“You said your University had a droid to attempt translation. May I ask where it is?”

 

“In my quarters. Why?”

 

“Something in our investigation from below.” Breia said. “You said there were two people that infiltrated. One was Professor Coor, the other?”

 

“Ton Morant. But he’s missing.”

 

“I remember that much. An architecture student. What was his minor?”

 

“His minor?” Daysah considered. “I think it was contemporary music. He was the one that suggested the droid in the first place.”

 

“May I borrow the droid for a while?”

 

“For a short while, yes. I will be back in a few hours. Where are you taking it?”

 

“We’re returning to the area where the construction crew was attacked. I believe you might be right. The hammerheads do appear to be intelligent.”

 

“Are you sure?” Shani stepped off the ramp. “I’m coming with you.”

 

*****

 

“Professor Shani sends her regrets. She is accompanying the Jedi Padawan down to the construction site.” The communications tech reported.

 

“All right.” Sunrider switched off.

 

“So you’re plan didn’t work.” Corona commented.

 

“It still can work, Uncle.” Sunrider replied. “She’s enamored of our lifestyle. She just hasn’t had a chance to witness it fully.”

 

“But if that damn Jedi convinces her the hammerheads are intelligent, we’ve lost.”

 

“This actually works in our favor.” Sunrider demurred. “We have all of the people we want to contain in one place at the same time without military assistance. Our assault team can take them down, and once they are out of the way...”

 

*****

The Millennium Falcon settled down on her pads, and the ramp came down. Breia walked down, paced by the homo-form droid.

 

“I do not understand why I am being subjected to this environment.” The droid complained. “After all, most sophonts understand the need for paving.”

 

“I can tell you’ve never been where people really live, B-7.” Breia replied. “Most life forms feel more comfortable in this setting than on asphalt.”

 

“That may be so, Padawan.” The droid replied. “However droids are not most life forms, are they?”

 

Breia simply shook her head. The others came down the ramp, Anak in the lead. He passed the quarreling pair, and led the way to his find. Sev stayed beside Breia, his rifle at high port. Daysah pushed past them, followed by Sanji.

 

“Just shut up and do your job.” Breia finally snapped.

 

“Well I can’t very well shut up and translate now can I?” The droid visibly wilted under her glare. “Shutting up.”

 

Daysah was kneeling, looking at the footprints. “So they came this far, and then carried someone off that way?” She asked, pointing.

 

“Correct.” Anak replied. He swiveled, his rifle swinging toward the trees. “Down!”

 

The rifle purred, bullets hosing the trees a few meters away. Someone screamed, and fell.

 

A net dropped. Sanji leaped, diving out away as it hit. Anak and Daysah shuddered, falling. A man ran over, his weapon pointed at the prostrate pair. “Move and I blow the woman’s head off!”

 

Sev stopped, assessing the situation. He could detect a dozen or more people out there, and not all of the weapons were pointed at Daysah and Anak. “Options?”

 

Breia sighed. “Except for dying gloriously, I don‘t see any. Do you?” He shook his head. “Drop it, Sev.”

 

The young warrior growled, then knelt, setting his rifle down. The men moved out of the trees. They were obviously Tokara Security. One of the men lifted his com. “We’ve got them, sir.”

 

“All of them?”

 

“All but the younger Jedi. I’ll send a team after him.”

 

“If he gets away, you had better have died in the chase.” The voice warned.

 

“Yes, sir.” The man looked at one of his men. “Take six men. Find that little Jedi and make sure he dies. I don‘t want to hear anything from you until you can report him dead.” He looked at the blind woman and her escort. “We have a few minutes.” He motioned. “Back aboard.”

 

Men rolled up the net, cuffing Daysah and Anak. Their limp bodies were dragged aboard. Two of the men went forward, and the engines purred.

 

*****

 

Sanji watched from his hide. He kept thinking I’m not here, I’m not here as he did. The patrol was moving around, looking for him. He heard shots, but they were more probing fire than actually aimed at him. He moved farther back into the trees. Suddenly something covered his eyes.

 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” He whispered.

 

“If you want to live, don’t make a sound.” Someone whispered. Then he was picked up, and thrown over a shoulder.

 

*****

 

Far above, the two ships orbited. As the Frigate moved into the sensor shadow of Tokara Requiem, the Millennium Falcon lifted off, running toward the larger ship. A docking bay opened, and the ship slipped inside. Another A-7 dropped from the same bay, and headed down. By the time Duroc could again see the landing zone, all was as it had been.

 

*****

 

“Sir! The security team reports they’re under attack!” The communications officer shouted.

 

“By whom?”

 

“The Jedi!”

 

Antilles spun around. “What?”

 

“The Jedi landed, supposedly to do some more investigating. One of the security guards saw those two Mandalorians carrying something down the ramp, and when they went to investigate, they came under fire.”

 

Antilles ran toward his command console. “Get me the Millennium Falcon!”

 

“Sir, the Millennium Falcon is lifting off!” On the screen, the ship was an arrowhead on an arrow of fire, aimed straight at Tokara Requiem.

 

The cannon in the defense turrets opened fire, spalling the hull of the liner. Then a pair of chain guns opened fire. As the ship dodged, it ran toward the bow of the liner. Then it came apart as the projectile cannon turned it into confetti.

 

“Get me the Requiem!“ Antilles waited impatiently until the screen came up showing captain Magtyar. “Who ordered those guns to open fire?”

 

“My crew was on alert because of the reports of Pirates, Admiral.” Magtyar replied. The guns were on automatic. If anything approached us in a hostile manner they would be engaged.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop them from firing in time.”

 

“So what were they delivering?”

 

“Haven’t gotten a report yet. Wait a minute.” Magtyar looked to the side. “Split screen it.” He snapped.

 

The screen split. on one side, Magtyar watched, on the other, a man in Tokara uniform was prying open a case. Inside it were ten Echani designed cone rifles. He hefted one, opening the action. A 1mm discarding sabot projectile winked in the camera. The man on the ground ejected the 8mm diameter cartridge. “It looks like we don’t have pirate, unless the Jedi Monks are supplying them.” The man said. “There’s three cases of these rifles, and ten cases of ammo.”

 

Antilles shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”

 

“Then who?” Magtyar asked.

[Hallucination]

A conspiracy!!!!1!!11!!!!one.

Another good addition to the fic-tacularness, Mach.

 

Sanji watched from his hide.

I was under the impression that Twileks used their eyes to see....

[Renegade Puma]

Once again, great job Machievelli. You really know how to write an engrossing story! Next chapter soon!

[Char Ell]

A bold move on Tokara Company's part, trying to frame the Jedi as the ones using Echani weapons against the company's colonization efforts. Doesn't make much sense though when the Jedi monks are known for their specialization in melee combat so I can see why Antilles doesn't immediately buy into it.

[machievelli]

Ah, but there is more to this plot than you think...

 

Bwahahahahaha

[machievelli]

Dénouement

 

Daysah rubbed her head. She had a splitting headache. Where-

 

A net falling, power surging through her sending her into blackness.

 

She snapped upright.

 

Not a good idea. Her head seemed to lift, then swivel as if it were going to fall off. She clutched her head, whimpering. The noise faded as she made it. Soundproofing. Where was she?

 

She opened her eyes just mere slits, but the light didn’t increase the pain. She opened them fully, looking around. It was a luxury suite. She looked down, and grimaced. That damn gown was on her. The flowers she saw, went where they would fig-leaf her breasts and crotch, and had opened of their own accord, the cerulean color offsetting the teal.

 

Beside her on the night table was a carafe of water, and two small pills. Beside them was a card.

 

FOR THE HEADACHE

 

She poured then considered. The water might be drugged. She took the carafe into the fresher, dumped it, and used one of the sanitary wrapped glasses from there to drink tap water. It was only after she had swallowed them that she considered that they could have easily slipped whatever drugs they wanted into the pills she had just taken. For that matyter into the air or the very tap water she had drunk.

 

She padded back into the suite, and began searching it. A closet held more clothes than she had owned in her lifetime, all of it the same quality and cost as what she wore right now. Of her own gear, there was no sign.

 

There was a gentle bell tone, and she looked around frantically. The Com annunciator on the night table was blinking gently. She walked across, touching it.

 

“This is Dasa. Care for that dinner you missed now?”

 

“Let me out of here.”

 

“I will be down to get you in a moment.” The light shut off. She touched it again.

 

“I’m sorry, all communications lines are temporarily out of order. Please try your call again later.” A recording answered her.

 

She flounced into a chair, crossing her arms angrily. Whatever they were up to, there was nothing she could do at the moment to stop them. She considered slamming something on that idiot Sunrider’s head, then shook her head angrily. If he had a brain he would have a guard or two with him. If he didn’t just send a guard to get her instead. There wasn’t anything heavy enough to hurt someone through a helmet in this room.

 

A short time later, the door opened. Sunrider was standing outside in the passageway. Two men in security uniforms flanked him. “Please, this way?” He motioned gracefully.

 

She stood, storming out. The passageway was a step above the opulence of the typical passenger quarters. This must be the first class area. Sunrider walked beside her, directing her to the lift, and they shot up two decks.

 

If the regular passenger quarters were elegant, and the room she had left opulent, this was positively sybaritic. The floor were a deep pile carpeting thick enough to lose shoes in. The walls were Coruscanti marble in a smooth continuous sheet broken only by doorways. Sunrider pushed open a double door into a private dining room twice the size of her apartment. Larger than the three room suite where she had woken up.

 

There were three place settings at the far end of the table, and Corona sat at one, flipping through a fan fold report. He looked up, standing and moving toward them.

 

“Well, Professor, what do you think?” He waved at the room. The clearsteel windows beyond looked out over the planet. “The quarters and dining area for Tokara Board members and their families. If we booked these rooms, they would cost more than you make in a year. And we would already have a waiting list a year long for them.” He motioned, pulling out a chair. “Have a seat. We have a business proposition for you.”

 

Daysah sat, looking at the place setting before her. All her life she had dealt with meals by using a single fork knife and spoon. Before her were six forks, three different spoons, and as many knives. Already she was out of her depth.

 

A silent droid rolled in, and a bowl of soup was placed at each seat.

 

“Lastafarian Snailfish. The absolute best soup made anywhere.” Sunrider boasted. “Dig in!”

 

The men began to eat, and she watched before picking up the matching spoon. Whatever else happened, she needed to eat. The soup was excellent.

 

“Running a major corporation is not easy.” Corona commented between spoonful. “We have so much competition that sometimes it’s a war going on. When we discover a planet it seems like you have time for one deep breath before someone else is there trying to muscle you out.”

 

“Oh how dreary.” Daysah replied smoothly.

 

“Yes isn’t it.” Corona ignored her sarcasm. “Until a few years ago we were running into so many problems. Until I found a solution.” He looked up and she flinched at the cold look on his face.

 

She’d seen a huge Pantha cat at the zoo when she was young. Two meters at the shoulder, rippling muscles. It fed on herbivores the size of cargo lifters. Like any kid she had pressed herself against the armorplast of the enclosure.

 

One moment, the great cat was simply laying there, almost asleep. The next she was bounced back as it leaped, slamming a clawed paw against the glass at her face. The cat’s expression had not changed between those moments. It would have killed her without a thought of malice. Just because it could.

 

Corona had the same look.

 

“I found a way around all of that three years ago. I was commanding Coruscanti Sheen, one of our first armed, or at least partially armed vessels. I found a pair of rival corporations arguing about an unnamed little planet in the mid-rim. I was really upset. The planet would be a perfect home for colonists, the company would make billions. But here we had two others already squabbling over it.

 

“We were on the very edge of their sensor range, but they were too busy watching each other to notice us. I suddenly considered that you have two very hotheaded crews arguing over money. Then I had a thought...

 

“When you have two people or groups arguing, what can cause them to go from argument to fighting? You’ve seen it. The two rival gangs standing each other off then suddenly a rock comes out of nowhere. Maybe it’s just some kid standing on a fire escape and no one is watching him. Everyone assumes the other side threw it. The fight is on.

 

“We had some missile pods. Not much really, but enough for my purpose. I had one pod inserted in a slow orbit. When it reached the area between the ships, it automatically locked on one of the ships. A Hutt ship if I remember correctly. Half a dozen concussion missiles. Not enough to even scratch their paint. But the Hutt reacted as anticipated. Their guns tore into the other ship. A Twi-Leki I recall. The Twi-leki opened fire, and a minute later, poof!” He threw his hands up as if throwing money into the air. “Both ships were dead in space.

 

“We waited for a while, then approached, and collected the bodies and their data recorders. I checked, but neither one had recorded the missile pod.

 

“So I had a newly discovered and unclaimed planet, and the salvage from two ships. The Company didn’t have any rules about salvage at that time, so the crew spilt it. Fifty men were rich over night. They weren’t going to complain. The Company had the planet Naboo. They weren’t going to complain.

 

“I used the same method a few other times but not enough for a pattern to be noticed. A rival company would approach a planet we traded with, and boom. Another horrible pirate loss.

 

“Then there was Sullust. A planet with a native species, so we couldn’t really stop anyone from trading there, could we?” He smiled, a feral grin that didn’t touch his eyes. “Unless they attacked us first that is.”

 

The second course arrived, and as horrified as she was Daysah kept eating. Whatever else happened she would need the energy to survive.

 

“So I had some very special cargo loaded onto one of our older ships the Tokara Star. It was sent to deliver a load of consumer goods to the planet. The Catharia Corporation was building an orbital warehousing station to use, and had half a dozen ships there, including two armed vessels. My ship Tokara Venture was already in orbit, and was headed out. A computer program activated, and the Tokara Star detected a missile launch from one of those armed ships. They frantically called us. You see, we were armed, but they were not. Then the cargo did what it was supposed to do.

 

“Four hundred kilos of thermo-concentrate blasting explosives, scattered through her cargo holds, marked as different items. One minute our ship is there, the next it is gone. And we have Captain Maro Antilles’ voice saying they are under attack. So elegant.”

 

“Antilles?”

 

“Yes, the Admiral’s son. A martyr for the people.”

 

“You sick bastard.”

 

“Well things escalated as you might imagine. Both Corella and Coruscant sent warships in. Soon thirty warships were jockeying for position, ready to blow each other to hell at the first provocation.

 

“But military men are more restrained than merchants. They have to have proof, and orders before they do what they do. When my ship returned a month later, they were still there, posturing and complaining. Something had to be done to break the deadlock.

 

“I had some computer records of the Corellian navy when they were testing some of their new fighters. I had my first officer splice the record together so that it looked like a possible attack. A pair of my crewmen went out in spit-kits, and they used a small cannon to pound a few shells into us. Not enough for real damage, but enough to appear serious. Then I set out two of our missile pods at a sharp angle from us.

 

“Then the poor under armed merchantman screamed for help. Of course everyone had to charge toward us. The Corellians to find out what the hell was going on, the Coruscanti to gains revenge for the cowardly attack. When they were close enough, I activated the pods, one at the Corellians, the other at one of our own ships, and ducked for cover. They blew each other to hell before the Admirals could stop the fighting.

 

“I offered my ship as a meeting place, and mediated the dispute despite my own losses-”

 

“Losses.” She knew what he was going to say even before he said it, but there was a horrible fascination at the rendition.

 

“Of course. Two of my men were on the hull when the attack occurred, and they were both killed rather horribly. My first officer against orders attempted to rescue them but one of the fighters brutally strafed him. A tragedy I had to set aside.

 

“Both were upset about their losses, and Catharia wasn’t helping, but here was a mere captain setting aside his own pain to bring peace.

 

“I suggested that Sullust become a protectorate. That both sides patrol the planet to assure this didn’t happen again and all companies would be allowed to trade. They hailed me as a master peace maker.

 

“Of course who do you think got most of those contracts? The horrible Corellian company that had started it? Or me?

 

“Tokara Company suppled snub fighters and escort class warships to the Sullust. My Company built their industrial infrastructure.” He leaned back, happy.

 

“So you’re doing it again. And this time who do you blame?”

 

“Why those horrible Jedi of course.” His face turned ugly. “We had a very profitable deal going on a planet named Triseki. The politicians were so corrupt we didn’t even need to bribe them. They wanted money fast, and we supplied them with Ridastinal a drug manufactured by another company. The Twi-Leks use it, as do the Hutt. Humans use it for... mood alterations.

 

“But those damn Jedi broke the drug ring wide open. Fifty of the local politicians and their flunkies were thrown in jail, along with four captains of our ships implicated. The Corporation lost those ships when the more honest government seized them for transporting the drugs. It cost us billions.

 

“So I am going to inflict losses on them. When this is over no one will ever even think of asking a Jedi for anything!”

 

“But why?” She screamed. “You own the planet no one can-” She gasped. “The hammerheads are intelligent, aren’t they?”

 

“As intelligent as you or I am.” Corona answered softly. “We didn‘t discover that little fact until we‘d already started construction of the hotel complex, however.

 

“But they won’t deal. To them that-” He waved toward the planet, “-is sacred! They haven’t developed technology because of the possible repercussions to the environment! We have a paradise that is worth trillions of credits in tourist trade and they won’t deal!” As he reached the sentence he was on his feet roaring.

 

“If they’d fight us it would be easier. Mean and nasty primitives murdering our people. But on top of that they’re pacifists!. They obstruct, they plant trees in the areas we’ve cleared, but they won‘t fight! Our crews won’t shoot at them because all they need to do is push them out of the way as they work!

 

“Then something changed. Someone started sabotaging our equipment. First it was just dirt in the fuel tanks, or bolts loosened in the earthmovers. Then they began ripping moly-circs out of them, shredding the bundles. Those cost over 5,000 credits apiece!

 

“But as much as the board was upset, I was not. You see, if they are natives, we can’t exterminate them. But a pirate force using the planet?” He smiled. “All bets are off there. We can pursue them to extinction and be applauded.”

 

“So the attacks, the people, your own people down there...”

 

“Yes. A small team of security personnel sent on the last ship. They were shipped down secretly. Their orders were to make sure first that natives were accused, but with a twist I added. They had regular weapons, but they weren’t supposed to use them until told to. Meanwhile they had some extra, special weapons.”

 

“The Echani pistol.”

 

“Correct. We couldn’t assure which planet the Jedi sent would be from. We have weapons made on every planet that supplied members to those fanatics. All we needed to do was make it look like a badly botch frame-up, yet leave one item that can be tied to a specific planet. The planet the Jedi came from.

 

“We carried several tons of additional weapons aboard this ship. Crates and crates of weapons and ammunition made on Coruscant, Corellia, Echana, you name it. Even Twi-Lek and Mandalorian weapons.”

 

“But Breia and the Jedi will deny it!”

 

“Oh the Jedi will. But our delivery ship, manned by several men, was painted to look exactly like the Millennium Falcon. So was her transponder. When we took the Millennium Falcon we merely assured that our ship was between the planet and the frigate, so they didn’t see the switch. Then the ship took off, attacked us, and ran away. A pity the mercenaries didn’t know about our cannon. They died sure we would miss them.

 

“The only loose end is you. And you are going to help us.”

[Char Ell]

Those dirty rotten bastages!

 

Oooo, but that's a cunning plan revealed in this chapter. It looks bad for Breia and company. And I can't help but think that Daysah is a dead woman after Suli Corona Sunrider is through with her. He revealed too much of his sordid background to let her live for too long.

 

The Sunriders in your story, are they ancestors of Noma and Vima Sunrider? If so then there was a serious DS-LS transformation that took place somewhere in between the Sunrider generation in this story and Noma's generation of Sunriders.

 

EDIT: Blast it! I got the names messed up. Uncle = Suli Corona, Nephew = Dasa Sunrider

[machievelli]

Those dirty rotten bastages!

 

Oooo, but that's a cunning plan revealed in this chapter. It looks bad for Breia and company. And I can't help but think that Daysah is a dead woman after Corona Sunrider is through with her. He revealed too much of his sordid background to let her live for too long.

 

The Sunriders in your story, are they ancestors of Noma and Vima Sunrider? If so then there was a serious DS-LS transformation that took place somewhere in between the Sunrider generation in this story and Noma's generation of Sunriders.

 

 

Sunrider is the Nephew, Corona is the Uncle. Too different people. Every family has that black sheep they don't like to talk about. Besides, there's almost 2,000 years between them. What were your ancestors like back around the time of Christ?

[Jae Onasi]

Heh, nice plot twists. I love it.

The dress description was cool. I might have found a different euphemism ('crotch' just was a little too jarring--the word itself doesn't bug me, it was just its juxtaposition with such a lovely dress description), though 'nether regions' is just way too 'bodice-ripper novel'-ish.

I hope Corona gets taken down good....I'll be interested to see what Dasa does--he seems to be headed for a conflict himself.

I have great faith in the ability of Breia et al to find some truly creative way of extricating themselves from this situation and implicating Corona with the Echani gun no less.

[Renegade Puma]

A masterful plot you have written so far Machievelli. It it indeed looking bad for Breia and company. But isn't Sanji still on the planet? I have a feeling that he is going to be the saviour of this little battle.

[machievelli]

He will play his part. As for our captive Mando, they will get their revenge as any kid would...

[machievelli]

Explanation and plans

 

Sanji blinked as the hood was taken off. Two men sat before him on a log. Behind them were maybe forty of the Hammerhead natives. The native were nude, but that didn’t seem to bother them.

 

“First, who are you?” The smaller of the two men asked.

 

“I am Sanji. I am a Monk of the Jedi order.”

 

“So they got through.” The larger man growled. “It took them long enough.”

 

“I assume that you must be Professor Coor. This then might be Ton Morant?”

 

“Yep.” Morant replied.

 

“But you went missing six months ago.”

 

“Not missing, researching.” He waved toward the natives. “When I came I was studying the natives on the sly. The Company says they are animals. But something about the sounds they make seemed contrived. Language of some kind I was sure. I studied music because I enjoy it, and I rigged this.” He tapped a box on his hip that ran up to a plug in his ear. “I found out why they were able to convince everyone they were animals.” He turned, and spoke in a guttural tone. One of the Hammerheads moved forward, and took a deep breath. As it did, four mouths opened in the neck of the creature, and a sound like a pipe organ began. Sanji closed his eyes, listening.

 

Language is communication, whether it is body language, sound, moving of the fingers, smell, or a combination of them Master Mogo, one of the few Hutt that had joined the order had taught. As you progress, you will discover even more possibilities. Ways of speaking that you cannot even imagine. To be efficient in spreading our beliefs, we must learn the languages of those we meet, even of those that are of our own races, but speak another. The Force will guide you if you let it in this.

 

The language was not only audio but harmonic, sounds combined in such a manner that only someone capable of the same stereophonic rendition could duplicate it. Suddenly there was a feeling almost like a switch being thrown in his brain.

 

“-I continue? The being seems to be asleep.”

 

“No, I am not asleep.” He opened his eyes. Morant was staring at him as if he’d suddenly sprouted hair instead of Lekku. “I can understand her.”

 

“How did you know it was a female?”

 

“The harmonic sounded feminine.” Sanji looked at the creature, no the woman, in wonder. “I can understand why you need a translation droid. I don’t know many species that can reproduce that with any fidelity.”

 

“Young one, this one seems to hear and understand without a box. Why is that?”

 

“Do you understand me?” Sanji asked.

 

The native watched him benignly. “The young one has been with us for many days. It was easier to learn his language than to teach him ours. As you have said, not many can reproduce our voice.” The female replied.

 

“I can understand that. Now. I need a full report of what has occurred. Whatever you have done has convinced the company to commit genocide, and we must stop that plan before it can begin.”

 

*****

 

Daysah wanted to scream that Corona was insane. But she knew that even uttering it would have led to her death. “What makes you think I will help?”

 

“You’re a humanitarian type. Every anthropologist is. You never see the dangers and the problems in the societies you examine. Only where their beliefs and actions mirror our own.” Corona sneered. He stood, going to a wall, touching it. The wall slid aside, showing her a large view screen. The screen lit, and she started to her feet in shock.

 

Breia was bound, collapsed on a bed. She had her eyes closed, but Daysah knew somehow that she was resting rather than asleep or unconscious. The view moved backward smoothly, and she saw the two Mando boys also on beds. Neither one was even pretending. They glared angrily off to one side. As the view expanded further, she could see the squat droid sitting on tracks nearby, and the man behind it.

 

“These people live only because of their value in convincing you.” Corona said. Daysah could see a look of distaste on Sunrider’s face. “Shall we begin persuading?” Corona turned his back on the screen, watching her instead. “Begin.”

 

At the word, the front of the droid opened in a slow motion explosion. As the carapace slid aside arms extended. Every one had a different tool, every tool a possible weapon or instrument of pain.

 

“Which one?” The man in the room asked.

 

“Your choice.” Corona replied.

 

The man looked at each of them in turn, eyes bright with excitement. “The smaller boy.” As he said that the droid rolled forward slowly, each arm spreading wider away from the other and extending forward. Anak glared at it, but didn’t flinch.

 

“This is obscene!” Daysah gasped.

 

“It is obscene that you think I will not do it. The only thing that will keep these people whole and undamaged is your obedience.”

 

The droid was almost within reach, and one of the arms, carrying a surgical saw blade whirred into life. It extended toward Anak’s hand, coming down-

 

“Stop!”

 

“Wait a moment.” Corona snapped.

 

“Hold!” The man growled angrily.

 

Corona looked at her, and she could feel his satisfaction. “All right. I will do it.”

 

Corona just watched her. “Good. We won’t need your little toy just yet, Conoro. Stand down.”

 

The man in the room glared at the camera, then sighed. “Yes sir. Retract and retreat.” He ordered. The droid paused, then the arms folded back into the carapace, which closed with a gentle hiss.

 

The view screen blanked. Corona closed the wall, and resumed his seat. “Unless you do everything I say all you have gained is a reprieve. If you refuse, if you balk, if I even think you have done so, Conoro’s little toy will be put into action. There are so many parts of the body that are not absolutely necessary to living. I have watched him literally vivisect one of those damnable natives down there but they still refused to submit.

 

“The next time someone will lose parts of their body and the only thing that keeps it from happening is your obedience. Have I made myself clear?” She nodded. “Answer me!”

 

“I understand.” She husked. “But what good would my testimony do? If it goes to a full council or a court, I have to make the statements under a verifier scan. You can’t lie with that!”

 

“Oh the scanners aren’t that perfect. We have used chemically induced mental blocks for decades to keep business secrets away from each other, and false memories are easy to create when you know exactly what you want to create.

 

“The scenario we are going to create is very simple. This Jedi is in league with a business consortium on Echana. They want to seize the planet, but they don’t have enough armed vessels to challenge us openly. So they began sending in insurgents to slow us down. When that didn’t work, they escalated again, and again. Now they have attacked our people, but their attempt to make us think it was natives failed. Knowing this might occur, the woman hired two Mandalorian mercenaries as a cover, and brought in weapons for the teams down below. Widely scattered teams as it will turn out.

 

“She knew you could be used as a pawn, so she told you this. But you were more loyal to your home planet than to any ideal. You reported it to us. We will find the documentation aboard the Frigate, well hidden.”

 

“How are you going to fake that?”

 

“That was easy. While neither Captain Magtyar nor Admiral Antilles know it, both ships carry several of my people in key positions. The man operating the sensors aboard Tokara Requiem deleted the liftoff and arrival of Millennium Falcon aboard our ship, which was hidden in our sensor shadow from the Frigate by the way and others have already planted the data we will find.

 

“It has a probability of success of over 90%. But you are right. Perhaps it will fail. If it does, all of that evidence will lead from the Jedi to our good captain. He was so unhappy that he was assigned this ‘pleasure barge’, and he did it out of spite. Of course he used you to plant that evidence against the Jedi.

 

“That will not stop us, it will merely delay the inevitable.”

 

“But the verifier!”

 

“We will create the images we want you to remember. All of what we don’t want you to say will be buried behind a block that would kill you if anyone tried to break through it.

 

“Of course you will lose your position as a professor. Too much scandal for the University to accept being linked to such goings on. But my nephew has grown quite fond of you.” He looked at Sunrider with a slight grin. “He will take you away from all of that. He will marry you, and you can then go where ever you want as an independent researcher. Perhaps one day you will even get published again. I can guarantee that, considering how much of the Company’s money has been spent keeping that University afloat.

 

“Eventually you will grow to enjoy your new life. You will bear children who will sit on the board of directors. Be the talk of the elite sect. The poor little girl that made it rich with one step.” He smiled almost gently. “Don’t worry about whether you love him or not. If need be we can correct that little problem in the same manner.”

 

Daysah stared at him with dawning horror.

 

*****

“So let me get this straight.” Sanji said as he paced. “They call this planet Ithor. The Ithorians,” he waved toward the natives, “Tried to communicate with the original survey team, but their language was too complex, and they decided that it couldn’t really be a language because their translation program ignored it.

 

“The survey team reported that the planet was uninhabited, and a few months later, machinery was delivered that began ripping out the trees where they plan to set the hotel.”

 

“Yes.” Morant said. “When I arrived I was sure they were intelligent because of the way they resisted. They would stand in front of the machinery to make the drivers stop, and had to be physically moved out of the way. Every night they plant bafforr seedlings in hope that they will not crush them.” He waved toward a tree nearby. It shivered as if it were wind blown. Sanji could almost feel an intelligence there.

 

“These are really exciting trees to study.” Coor said. “When the seedlings grow to about ankle height, they migrate away from the mother tree to find a place to grow. The roots are mobile, and it is like watching an animal scurry across the ground. When they find an open space they plant their roots again, moving only to gather other nutrients. In a decade or so, I might discover how they know where to look.”

 

“But that wasn’t working.” Morant continued. “The Company just kept ripping the trees out, and going on with their construction. Finally I disabled one of the earthmovers. When that didn’t work, I did it again, then I finally began ripping out moly-circ control runs-”

 

“Wait!” Sanji spun. “It was you doing that?”

 

“The Ithorians have a sense of property like no other. They don’t steal from each other, and they don’t even have words for things like steal or kill. If an Ithorian saw something he wanted to possess he’d either trade for it or make his own. They are such devout pacifists that if there was anything predatory on them here, they would have been extinct millennia ago. They live in complete harmony with their environment. They don’t even kill insects that attack their crops. They evolved other species to do that for them!”

 

“Evolved other species? You’re saying they are not only intelligent but technically adept as well?”

 

“Just as early man bred our farm animals and grains to get higher yields, they did the same with insects and small animals. A filed of grain or vegetables they have planted are ringed with plant the local animals don’t like to eat, and animals that feed on the parasites flourish there as well. The only things they haven’t figured out how to combat yet are like plant diseases, but they have been dealing with that by destroying grain from the infected plants and replanting the resistant strains. If they had access to a modern laboratory they would be unbelievable!”

 

Sanji sighed. “So this is all your fault.”

 

“What do you mean?” Coor snapped angrily. “How is this our fault?”

 

“Not all of it. Just what is happening right now. How to explain...” Sanji scrubbed his face with his hand. “The Company would have had this hotel built and running if you hadn’t begun destroying their equipment. You have created an image they can use of actual attacks by a hostile force. If they had admitted that the Ithorians were intelligent, that would be easier to deal with. They could at least attempt to negotiate.”

 

“They tried.” The Ithorian female Waashiri told him. “We would not let them soil our planet. If they had come and lived as we did, or only used the islands off the coast, this would not have occurred. But the Falls of Dessiar drew them. Such beauty they cannot describe, only witness. This they believed would bring more people here if they could stay rather than camping out.” She sniffed, an almost human sound. “So instead they inflict pain and when that does not work, kill us.”

 

“So all they could do is leave.” Sanji nodded. “But you have given them a way around that.”

 

“Again with us being to blame!”

 

“Damn it think! How long do you think it would take before someone that can hear the harmonics would arrive? Both myself and my master Breia could hear it, and it wouldn’t have taken very long to force the issue. I know that a decade might be too long to you, but it would have gotten them free of it eventually.

 

“But not any more. They have evidence that an outside force is now killing their people. They can get permission to act to stop those ‘terrorists’. How many villages of the Ithorians can they slaughter from orbit? Or from shuttles? Once the killing begins no one is going to care if they are intelligent or not. Every village will be a strike on an insurgent stronghold, and what makes you think they can’t keep planting evidence to prove it?

 

“Now take it one step further. Let’s say you get off the planet and convince people that they are intelligent. They can spin that too! They paint the Ithorians as cowardly creatures not even willing to fight. Instead they contacted these same pirates, and have been paying them with whatever might be of value. They don‘t even need to have anything on sale to point to. Just the idea that is happening.” Sanji slowed down. The faces before him, both human and Ithorian looked at him in dawning understanding and horror.

 

“What can we do?” Waashiri asked. “We can leave, go far away-”

 

“Forever?” Sanji asked. “How long will it be before they start hunts? There are people that would pay well to put you in a museum or zoom. More still would pay to have you stuffed on a podium.”

 

“Our doom is before us.” She whispered. “There is nothing we can do.”

 

“Yes there is. But we need to get them off the planet.” He pointed at the two humans. “We have to get them aboard the Frigate before someone finally give the orders that destroy your race.” He stood. “If you want them to live, come on!”

 

*****

 

Breia turned her head. The droid and the human were in one direct line for the first time since they had been put in the room. She could feel that the monitoring camera was off. How she would have not been able to explain. She shifted her hands, then snapped them down at the same instant. There was a plinking sound as the first dart punched into the droid just below the retractable carapace. It whined, but the motivator that would have sent it charging at her was shattered by the dart.

 

The second one caught Conoro below the eye, skating up the cheek bone into the eye and on into his brain before it stopped.

 

She rolled to her feet, feeling in her robes.

 

“Is there a reason you took so long to do something?” Sev asked with a mildness that had nothing to do with his mood.

 

“We had to find out why we hadn’t been killed below.” She replied. She brought out the set of lock picks she carried, and began fiddling with the cuffs. “It is more logical to have merely killed us, but as long as they can threaten us, Professor Shani is their pawn. We have to save her as well.” The cuff opened, and she started on the other. “If that machine had actually started to cut you, I would have stopped it even if it meant our deaths.”

 

“May you come back Mando’ade.” Anak said, shoving his hands into her grip.

 

“That isn’t what I planned for today.” Both boys were now free. She turned to her own cuffs, and they clattered to the floor.

 

“I don’t have anything that will open the door.”

 

“I do.” Sev walked to the obviously frustrated droid. The chest opened up, arms extending, and he leaped over, catching it from behind. He spun it around, the sheering blade cutting into the doorframe. Before it could retract and try for him he cast it aside, shoving his fingers into the hole. He locked his feet against the wall, took a deep breath, then with one smooth jerk ripped the door open.

 

The guard on the other side spun, clawing for his pistol, but Anak leaped, feet slamming into the man and throwing him into the wall. The boy landed on his shoulders, snapped his knees to his chin, then back out sharply, flipping his body into the air, and onto his feet in a crouch. The victim was still standing against the wall stunned when the boy hit him with a punch that shattered his ribs against the unyielding metal. He snapped the man’s neck even as he collapsed in agony.

 

Breia clucked her tongue. “So much aggression. She stepped over the body, head scanning. “I think you eat too much meat, young man.” Her head stopped looking down the passageway to her right. “That way. A large room. Empty at the moment.”

 

Sev flipped the knifes he had taken off the corpse to his friend, pulling the pistol. “Pathetic. He could have shot me with this and I would have killed him before I even noticed the wound.”

 

They hurried down the passageway. The room as not large, it was huge! On the far end they could see the Millennium Falcon. Between them were stacks and stacks of crates. Sev gave a glad cry, and a fist shattered the thin plastic of the cover. His hand came out with a Mando weapon. “Anak! A’den ehn!“ He threw the weapon to the other boy, pulling out another. A quick search gave them enough ammunition for any foreseeable firefight.

 

“We can’t just blow everyone to hell, boys.”

 

“Why not?” Anak asked. He checked the tri-barreled ’rage three’. “Kill them all, the Gods know their own.” He quoted.

 

“Not everyone aboard is in on this, or even against us.” She explained. “If you want to damage company property, that is one thing, and defending yourself is good. But mass murder is out.”

 

“Spoilsport.” Sev said. He went to another box, reading it carefully. The tool inside looked like a small jackhammer He picked it up, and flinched as Breia slapped it up.

 

“Di’kut! Do you even know what that is?”

 

“A beam weapon of some kind.”

 

“It’s a short beam cutter.” She said. “It isn’t a weapon, it’s a tool!” She touched it. “Magnetic field, monomolecular thread. You can set it for any distance you want up to about fifty meters. Flick it on, and it punches forward, and you merely swing it to cut through anything. They use it to cut down trees among other things."

 

“The boy pondered, then he grinned. “You said damage is all right?”

 

“Of course...” She suddenly pictured two irate Mando with short beam cutters. “Oh you are so nasty. little man.

 

“well they did think we were pawns.” He checked the setting. Five meters maximum. “Maybe they need to see how we play chess?”

 

Breia sighed. “Give me a few minutes.” She walked over to the ship, and climbed aboard. A few moments later, she stepped down with a metal staff. The sword she normally carried was not on her hip.

 

“Now. Give me a five minute countdown.” She walked across, opening the door into the passageway. “I will find the professor and while you are... Indulging your aggressions, I will make sure she is safe.”

 

“Chu!” The boys shouted together. She shook her head in exasperation and padded forward.

 

“You know, she didn’t say we had to start here.” Anak said.

 

“You’re right. Oya!” They loped down the passageway aft.

[Char Ell]

Every family has that black sheep they don't like to talk about. Besides, there's almost 2,000 years between them. What were your ancestors like back around the time of Christ?

Good point but I don't even know who my ancestors were 2,000 years ago let alone know what they were like or what they did. I've only identified about 600 years worth of my ancestors and even that has holes in it. Based off your response though I've assumed that you have indeed made Dasa Sunrider an ancestor of Nomi Sunrider. Fine by me but I was just curious if that was what you intended. Dasa and Daysah could end up together and with children and she could be a good influence on Dasa as well as her children, introducing a refining element to the family that could have a positive impact on future generations of Sunriders. Or not.

 

Retribution in the form of destruction of company property is oh so wonderfully close at hand. The young Mando warriors will be avenged on their enemies! And it sounds like so much fun too. Seems that Breia is understanding she can't really change their nature so she has to work to channel their aggressive natures in a more positive direction. And I have to assume that Suli Corona doesn't have much experience with monks of the Jedi Order as his lackeys did such a poor job at disarming Breia. Seems like her captors made quite an oversight when they didn't discover the darts Breia had concealed on her person. Too bad for them, heh-heh-heh.

 

This story is wonderful reading. As Renegade Puma stated you have a masterfully written plot.

[Jae Onasi]

And I have to assume that Suli Corona doesn't have much experience with monks of the Jedi Order as his lackeys did such a poor job at disarming Breia. Seems like her captors made quite an oversight when they didn't discover the darts Breia had concealed on her person. Too bad for them, heh-heh-heh.

 

This story is wonderful reading. As Renegade Puma stated you have a masterfully written plot.

 

I agree, a great story. I can't wait to see the level of destruction the boys create....

 

Breia could have concealed the darts as hair pins or something equally innocuous appearing. Even chopsticks can be used as a weapon.

[machievelli]

Guys, you won't believe what these kids will be doing.

 

I hope you all enjoy it, because their insurance WON"T cover it...

[Jae Onasi]

I don't know. I can imagine those kids doing a lot.

[machievelli]

To quote Bette Davis in one of her movies 'Fasten your seat belts it's going to be a bumpy trip'

[machievelli]

Youthful exuberance

 

“Well now that the details are settled, would you like an aperitif?” Sunrider asked.

 

Daysah stared at him. “You two have already planned to reprogram me like a new droid one second and the next asking if I want a drink?”

 

Corona shook his head. “I could have merely done it without informing you, now couldn’t I? The luxury suites aboard the ship have full pharmacopoeia already installed. You can heighten your sexual potency, go straight into a dreamless sleep, focus your memory on exactly what you are working on or lay in a stupor without having to leave your bed. They can also be controlled from that panel.” He waved toward the now hidden view screen. “You could have woken up a few hours from now, ecstatic that you were going to marry my nephew, and remembering everything I wanted you to remember. But Dasa seems to be overly fond of you.”

 

He leaned forward, thumbing a contact. “Two brandies and the lady will decide when they arrive.” Then his head came up, the cold look in his eyes. “As it is the only reason you are here and not below learning about Conoro’s little toys first hand, I suggest you simply thank me for my courtesy.”

 

The door opened, the droid rolling toward the table. Corona leaped to his feet. There were no brandy snifters. There was merely a small round ball.

 

“What the-” Dasa started to reach out.

 

“Don’t touch it!” Sundrider’s fingers barely touched the ball.

 

Daysah winced as a bright flash and concussion threw her out of her chair. An alarm screamed from everywhere as she tried to understand what had happened. She blinked, her eyes tearing from the harsh chemicals, and a hard hand caught her, dragging her to her feet. She was staggering, her course directed by the person pulling her. They entered the passageway, and the same hand pulled her relentlessly.

 

There was a rumble of footfalls from before her, and she was shoved against the wall. There was a scream, gunfire, then blessed silence. The hand caught her, and she was dragged forward again.

 

“What-”

 

“Hush girl.” Breia said. “We’re in a bit of a hurry here.” A door whooshed open, then Daysah felt the drop of a lift. “We have maybe three minutes before all hell breaks loose.”

 

Daysah shook her head. and it was as if a film poured down off her eyes. The blind Jedi Monk was looking upward, head cocked as if thinking. “How did you escape?”

 

“One advantage of being blind is that people always seem to underestimate you.” She replied coolly. The lift opened. “You have to run down the passageway. Three hatches down turn left, go one corridor then right. There is a double hatch ten meters farther on. Inside there is the Millennium Falcon. Get aboard, go to the cockpit, and look for a flashing red button. Punch it, then sit down and wait for us.”

 

“Why are you-”

 

Breia shoved her out. “Those men will be after you unless I lead them on a chase. If you do as I say nothing on this ship can touch you. Just watch out for irritated Mando.” The door slammed shut.

 

Daysah ran, following the directions. The hatch opened, and she felt the joy a relieved outpost feels at the sight of the ship. She ran up the ramp. From behind her she heard a shout, but she ignored it.

 

She ran into the cockpit her fist slamming down on the flashing red button. Before the viewport a group of men were running toward her. She recognized the Tokara Security uniforms, and didn’t need to identify the weapons to know she was in deep trouble. There was a hiss, the ramp coming up, then suddenly the auto-tracking board lit up. There was a thunder and the men dissolved in a red mist as the belly turret roared into life.

 

She sat stunned. On the board near her hand, she saw the guns tracking endlessly. The main hatch opened, and she winced, plugging her ears.

 

*****

 

The three fugitives watched from the woven coverings the Ithorians had supplied. Liberally sprinkled with mud and uprooted plants, the small pit was invisible.

 

An assault shuttle settled down on it’s legs, and men poured out to join the troops already on the ground. Tokara had been ready for this, Sanji saw. There were fifty men already here, and they had laid a standard minefield around their encampment. They had gotten the hole dug and concealed just in time.

 

“We can’t get through that!” Morant couldn’t scream and whisper simultaneously, but he gave it a good effort.

 

“If you do exactly what I say, we can.” Sanji whispered. “Notice they don’t expect an attack from here, do they?” Coor punched the smaller man in the arm. “He’s right. Every sensor is aimed at the tree line.”

 

Morant leaned up, looking. He had to admit it looked wrong. Not only were the sensor platforms aimed at the trees, but every head was turned that way as well. A man with a Commander’s bars waved, and all but the six men manning the two mortars moved forward.

 

“They’ll slaughter the Ithorians!”

 

“They won’t have time. Come on.” Sanji eeled up and forward, his head below the berm, and invisible. Coor followed. A moment later Morant moaned, and followed.

 

Sanji stopped and reached forward. He lifted a small hand held sensor. “Better and better.” He looked back at the two scientists. “They have them on command detonators. If you don’t touch a mine, you’re safe.” She knelt up into a high crawl, and moved forward. As he did he stuck small pieces of split wood that marked the mines. They had to follow a serpentine path, but ten minutes later, Sanji motioned them down, and peeked over the edge. He watched for several seconds, then moved back to the men less than five meters back.

 

“Keep moving, head straight for the shuttle.” Then he was moving up slithering over the edge of the berm without a pause. The two looked at each other, then moved to follow.

 

Sanji had risen, and moved toward the men. One of them looked up, stunned, but before he could shout Sanji threw the small knife he carried. The man choked, falling backward. The other two men at the mortar stared at him surprised, then back toward where Sanji was. But they didn’t see him. Yet.

 

Sanji drew his sword, leaping the five meters in one bound. Both men went down as he barreled past them into the second group. All six were down before Coor’s head popped up over the edge.

 

“What, you’re waiting for invitations?” Sanji hissed. He looked around, then found the control panel for the mine field. Six concentric rings, the outer ten meters from the edge if the berm, the inner right on the outer face of it. He picked up the microphone, and screamed.

 

“The camp is under attack!” He heard. He leaped straight upward. The men had turned, and even now they were pounding back toward the camp.

 

“Sanji!” He could hear the engines of the shuttle revving. They had to be closer.

 

“Sanji!” The first man was past the outer edge of the minefield. Sanji stood, watching.

 

“Damn it Sanji, we are Leaving!”

 

The first man was barely head up over the berm when Sanji flipped the switch, diving for cover.

 

The mines went off in ripples. The outer ring first. With a command still being issued the second ring went off, then the third, then with a bare pause each ring followed. One rolling thunder of death and destruction broken by one 10th of a second pauses.

 

The man, who Sanji could now see was the commander had dropped aiming his rifle even as the sixth and last ring flashed death and destruction. One of the mines was less than half a meter from him.

 

There was screaming, the crackle of secondary explosions as ammunition went up, the hiss of flames. Sanji stood, brushing himself off, and walked up to the edge of the berm. Except for several badly wounded men, no one moved between him and the forest line. He walked calmly to the shuttle, passing Morant, who was standing higher, and could clearly see the devastation.

 

“No. Now we’re leaving.” Sanji said. He walked forward, flipping the switches. “Thank you for warming the ship up for me.”

 

Coor simply stared at him as the shuttle leaped into the air.

 

*****

 

The engine crew turned as the hatch suddenly fell. Two figures stepped through. “Move and you’re dead!” One of them shouted.

 

Anak clicked the selector to Armor piercing, and aimed, putting one round into and through the control panel one of the men had leaped toward. Everyone froze in shock.

 

Sev smiled, the short beam cutter held even with his hip as if it were a machine gun at assault position. “Now we were told to try not to kill anyone, and we’re going to oblige our Yuru’ike in that. However she didn’t say we couldn’t kill you if you got in our way. You’re choice.”

 

The men moved into a clump, cowering back.

 

“Very good. You.” Sev pointed at the shift duty officer. “I need a full schematic of the ship’s decks. Everything. Just in case you forget-” He aimed, adjusted the setting, and a magnetic beam snapped out. The boy pulled the cutter left. One of the lift and drive engine manifolds shrieked, falling into pieces.

 

“Now think of what happens if I accidentally cut a fuel line or tank? We don’t all want to die, do we?”

 

The officer walked carefully over to a panel, downloading the information onto a pad. He held it out, and Sev walked forward, taking it. “Now I want all of you to run like hell. I would suggest toward the nearest escape pod bay.”

 

Without being told again, the men bolted.

 

“Ade, they’ll call for help.” Anak said.

 

“So? She said we could defend ourselves.”

 

Anak considered. “Can we hope they call in a lot of reinforcements?”

 

“I would.” Sev checked the holographic projection, then walked toward the door they had sliced free entering. “What is the record for totally dismantling a ship from the inside?”

 

“I don’t think there is one.”

 

Sev set the beam, slicing it first right at knee level, then left at just above his shoulder. Panels fell apart, sparks flying. Alarms began sounding. He grinned. “There will be when we’re done.”

[Jae Onasi]

Record for dismantling the ship....

[Char Ell]

This story gets better and better. IMHO it has a real Star Wars feel to it, albeit an ancient Star Wars feel since its time is set so long before the movies.

 

And a job well done by Sanji. His actions are as one who is a full fledged Jedi Monk and no longer a padawan.

[machievelli]

I had a quote in the next section from a pair of writers I like;

 

'There are only three kinds of luck, blind, dumb, and bad'.

 

My computer hiccuped and ten pages that was supposed to be here went bye-bye.

 

So I'll have to do them again.

[Jae Onasi]

I had a quote in the next section from a pair of writers I like;

 

'There are only three kinds of luck, blind, dumb, and bad'.

 

My computer hiccuped and ten pages that was supposed to be here went bye-bye.

 

So I'll have to do them again.

 

That's OK, I need some breathing room to catch up on reading all the other stuff your prolific mind has created in the last week. I was beginning to wonder if you even slept anymore, you'd written so much.

[machievelli]

That's OK, I need some breathing room to catch up on reading all the other stuff your prolific mind has created in the last week. I was beginning to wonder if you even slept anymore, you'd written so much.

 

 

Sleep... That's laying down with your eyes closed, right? I remember that from somewhere...

[machievelli]

When in danger when in doubt...

 

“Shut off those damn alarms!” Captain Magtyar roared. He loosened the buttons of his uniform, then with a curse he ripped the tunic off. “Report!”

 

Janos Tor at the security panel started talking immediately. “Someone attempted to assassinate Vice President Corona and his nephew. They failed but they did kidnap Professor Shani.”

 

“I thought she was aboard the Frigate.”

 

“No sir, she came across on yesterday’s shuttle.” Tor lied smoothly. He was sweating. “Then we have reports that the automated defense system of the Company supply ship was accidentally activated without someone aboard to shut it down. We have seventeen dead and thirty wounded down there. We had a vague report from engineering about maniacs. Now structural sensors in sections 15 and 13 have reported extensive damage.” He paused, checking his console. “Correction. Section fifteen sensor report that all five decks have collapsed. Ship is no longer structurally sound for flight. Section 13... The same for thirteen. Both sections are total losses.”

 

“What are they using? Explosives?”

 

“No sir. The engineers reported that one of them was armed with a short beam cutter.”

 

“Maniacs are right!” Magtyar turned, pointing at his exec. “Pahner. Head toward the docking bay. I don’t care if you have to blow the hatches get that damn ship out of there.” Pahner nodded, running out. “Toki, lead an assault team. Take out those maniacs before they get to the Mall.” The third officer nodded, running out. “Brekor, take a team and find those assassins.” Magtyar turned toward communications. “Where are the security troops we brought?”

 

“They were staged to the surface, sir. VP Corona’s orders.”

 

“Fine time for that. Contact their shuttle...”

 

As his voice thumped out orders, the panic that had been building leveled off then faded.

 

*****

 

Daysah stared through the view ports in horror. She didn’t know how many times they had sent men in to try to stop the ship, but there were bodies and parts of bodies everywhere. She brought the engines on line, but stopped when she did. It wasn’t like she was in free space! The hull of the lighter ship would crumple into foil long before the behemoth’s hull even knew it had been kissed!

 

Suddenly lights began flashing. What the hell-

 

“Warning! Decompression in ten seconds. Nine, eight, seven-” she squeaked, grabbing the restraint harness, putting it on, the last buckle closing as the countdown reached zero. There was a thud and the loading hatches blew free, propelling the ship and several tons of cargo into space.

 

*****

 

“Keep together.” The security sergeant ordered. His team of five had debouched a deck below the Company quarters. The point man lifted his rifle, using his scanner.

 

“Sarge, according to this, the intruder is right here!”

 

“Piece of-” Breia dropped from where she had been waiting, arms and legs pinned against opposite bulkheads, her feet coming down to pile drive the sergeant into the deck. He finger tapped, and the metal sleeves covering the blades of her sword snapped back. She cut twice, once forward, then back. The man behind the sergeant stared at the pistol grip that was all that he still held of his rifle. Forward the point man clutched his wrist where the blade had cut him just deep enough to sever the muscles, rendering his hand useless. The other two backed, dropping their weapons frantically.

 

“Cuffs.” She snapped. The unwounded man pulled his cuffs off his belt, holding them out in mute offering. Breia took them, cuffing that man to the sergeant’s left arm, using the cuffs from the point man to cuff his uninjured hand to the Sergeant’s right. She motioned the other two over, took their cuffs, and threaded them so that all five men were jammed together and cuffed tight.

 

She tapped the button, the sleeves dropping to hide the blades again. Now let’s see, two levels up to the Bridge, with any luck she would reach it without too much trouble. She stepped onto the lift, shooting upward.

 

Ten meters from the bridge she stopped, head cocked. She pulled a tenth meter long dart from her boot, stepping around the corner to throw. Fifteen meters away, the gunner on the chain gun they were setting up on it’s tripod gaped as the dart punched into the feed tray, jamming it. She sighed. “The only kind of luck there is are dumb, blind and bad.” She commented. The sleeves popped back. “Shall we dance?“

 

As the gunner frantically tried to clear the jam the two men with him drew their swords, charging.

 

*****

 

“It’s my turn.” Anak said.

 

“In a minute. Sev was trying to puzzle out the schematic. They were down on the number 2 deck, second from the bottom. What kind of idiot numbers decks 01 02, then one two and three? He mused. The tank was marked with a brown sigil he had never seen before. Of course, he didn’t read Coruscanti that well.

 

Down the passageway, someone stuck his head around the corner low to the deck. The barrel of a rifle inched around the corner.

 

Anak thumbed the selector to flechette, and triggered a burst. There was a scream and some shouting. “Why should I wait?”

 

“All right, set your beamer, and give me a tick.” The two boys exchanged their weapons, Sev slinging his short beam and readying his Rage III. Anak doing the same thing in reverse. The younger boy set the beam for maximum extension, starting a cut left to right at knee level. A brown liquid spurted from the cut as he reversed to cut right to left.

 

“I said wait-” The wall exploded outward, a brown flood with a horrible stench filled the passageway, slamming them into the port side bulkhead.

 

“Di’kut!" Sev shouted. He held out the pad. “Your Coruscanti is better. What does that say?”

 

“Sewage tank.” Anak read. "What is a sewer tank?” Sev wiped the mess from his legs, sticking it toward his compatriot. “Oh.”

 

“We had better hustle. Cut us a place to climb out, fast!.”

 

Anak raised his short beam, and sliced quickly. Since he had not reset the beam length, they ducked as not one but two sheets of sliced out decking fell spraying waste everywhere. “what’s the hurry?”

 

“That tank?” Sev jerked a thumb at the flood as he leaped upward. “It goes up three more decks!”

 

*****

 

“Shuttle 821. Emergency. Come alongside the ship at the starboard entry way. Prepare for boarding action aboard ship.”

 

Sanji clicked the microphone instead of answering, turning to approach the Tokara vessel. Morant at the second console turned in shock. “Are you out of your mind?” He screamed.

 

“That ship has five chain guns, one aft and two on either broadside, and two missile tubes, one on each broadside. It also has a heavy projectile gun forward. If we try to break past them they will blow us to hell. There is only one way to make sure they don’t kill us.”

 

“How is that?” Coor asked from the communications panel. Sanji answered by flipping a pair of switches. The weapons panel in front of Morant came alive.

 

“Are you insane?” Morant gasped.

 

“Insane is trying to outrun the bullets.” Sanji replied in a reasonable tone. “There is a targeting caret. Place it on the target, press this button-”

 

“This button?” Morant tapped it. The cannon fired, shells exploding against the other ship’s flanks. Air gushed from the breached compartments.

 

Sanji rolled the ship. “Now if you target their weapons instead of just pushing buttons...”

 

Morant hastily found the diamond shape, moving it onto a red spot on the hull. “That’s-”

 

“A chain gun. Tap the lock and fire!”

 

Morant tapped the buttons, and the small chain gun in the nose tracked as it fired almost 100 rounds into the ship. There was a puff of air, then a blast of flame.

 

“Hit! Now switch forward to the missile!”

 

A few moments later, the missile tube and the other gun had been destroyed. Sanji hit the retro thrusters bringing them to a stop. There was a flash, and something went past the view port. One of the hull sections ahead of them exploded outward. A mass of crates spewed out, followed by-

 

“Millennium Falcon, this is shuttle 821. Who is aboard?”

 

“This is Professor Shani. Who is this?”

 

“Sanji Gretu of the Jedi order, professor. Give me a minute, I need to clear our way out of here."

 

He turned to the weapons console. “Now since you warned them, this is tricky. We have four missiles, and this is how we need to use them...”

 

Tokara, like every company that made weapons, built them with specific missions in mind. As an example the chain guns were quite sufficient for destroying assault shuttles out to half a light second. They could spike a flying insect at half that range.

 

However the guns did have a drawback. They were direct fire weapons. They had to have a target in line of sight to aim at.

 

Missiles such as the large model 4s that were in the Requiem’s magazine had a range of over a light minute. They could track and home onto a target and follow it as long as they had fuel. The model 9s aboard the shuttle had an additional capability since the designer had forseen that you could be this close to an enemy vessel...

 

Already warned, and knowing they had an enemy close to their hull, the gunners immediately slewed their guns to cover the least time approach from it’s last reported location.

 

With five targets, Sanji had to take a big chance. The missiles were launched at approaches off that optimum least time, and still within the seeker envelopes, a difference of about 30 degrees off target.

 

All four missiles leaped out simultaneously. The missile tube exploded in a gout of fire, followed by the heavy projectile weapon, then the forward surviving cannon. The gunners on the other two guns immediately worked out what was happening, and set their guns for self defense, the aft firing chain gun blowing the missile fifty meters away. But as they did the Shuttle raced around the least time curve, gun slamming into the emplaced weapon.

 

“Professor, head directly toward their stern! “Sanji ordered, leaping up. “Take over!” He shouted at Morant as he charged aft. “Put us between the Falcon and that damn gun!”

 

There were half a dozen pallets locked down on the magnetic rollers. Enough supplies to keep the security force they had decimated in action for a week or more. Sanji checked the pallets.

 

As he had anticipated, the shuttle was designed for what is called parachute low level delivery. With a touch of a button the rear clamshell doors would snap open, and a parachutes would be deployed, dragging the pallets out and onto the ground as the shuttle raced by at about 200 KPH.

 

He unlocked the magnetic bearings. Then cut all of the bindings with his sword. He caught a stanchion, whispered a prayer, and slammed his hand down on the emergency release.

 

The gun started tracking on the Falcon, but immediately chose the shuttle because it was an offensive vehicle. But before it could open fire, the targeting system was overloaded as hundreds of boxes poured from the stern of the shuttle.

 

The gun immediately opted for a subroutine, targeting by distance, closest outward. It immediately began destroying the boxes one per shot. It was fifteen seconds and 200 boxes before the gunners could disengage, then retarget the ships. By then they had ducked behind the frigate.

 

*****

 

Sev sliced open the bulkhead, and stepped into wonder. The mall stretched up four decks from where they were. Anak looked up, then at his war-brother. “Together?”

 

“Oh definitely.” They both unslung their short beams.

 

*****

 

Magtyar turned, ready to shout, then gaped as Breia stepped onto the bridge. “You’re dead! We killed you!”

 

“You blew up a ship, but it wasn’t mine. Corona has my ship down on deck five-”

 

“Had.” Magtyar broke in. “We jettisoned it when the security system activated.”

 

“I only hope Professor Shani is up to flying her. The ship tends to pull right on docking thrusters.” She walked toward him, then paused, looking toward Tor at the security console. “Since your man has already called him, I think we should wait for Mr. Corona.”

[Renegade Puma]

Wow Mach, these last three chapters left me breathless! I can't wait to see how you resolve this mess. The beam cutters remind me of lightsabers, any significance? Keep up the great work.