Galactic Conquest II: Rebel Rebound

[RC-1162]

as the name suggests, the Rebels strike back

story will come tomorrow, just tell me what you think.

 

This story is Copyright © RC-1162 2006

 

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REBEL REBOUND

 

With the Kuat Drive Yards now under their control, the Rebels have doubled their fleet and is becoming much more challenging for the Empire. However, due to lack of resources and financial troubles, the Rebels are not able to produce as many ships as the Imperials. However, they have won back several key planets and are establishing bases on them.

One certain base is haveing many problems: Imperial raids, earthquakes. The timing of these strikes are presicly when the base is operating something important. Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi and Colonel Wedge Antilles have been dispatched to find out what is going wrong.......

 

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so, how do you like it?

[Diego Varen]

Good introduction. I suppose this is set after the first Galactic Conquest. Also when's the first Chapter?

[Sabretooth]

Wow, very proffesional to say the least. Really, very good. When's the first chapter?

 

Also, I would advice you, I would avoid those Copyright tags if I were you. To get a copyright, you need to go do some formal stuff with suits in big offices. Read up on it, because I feel putting up official copyright tags without owning them is a crime.

 

But whatever, ignore the old bat!

[RC-1162]

hey, its my story:D so i should protect it against plagiarism right? so an unofficial copyright is on.

[JediAthos]

The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright....Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is "created" when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time.

 

The above is direct from http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#wccc

 

Just a little FYI

 

I love the premise of the story btw

[RC-1162]

hey, thanks, JediAthos. thats very good to know. maybe all the other writers here can put up a nifty little Copyright

[RedHawke]

hey, its my story so i should protect it against plagiarism right? so an unofficial copyright is on.

Pottsie used my name/character in one of his fics, something I wasn't really thrilled about I might add. But in the end there isn't anything I can really do about it either.

 

hey, thanks, JediAthos. thats very good to know. maybe all the other writers here can put up a nifty little Copyright

You don't need to for the reasons JediAthos described... so enough about copyrights.

 

Back on-topic folks.

[RC-1162]

*THE* Redhawke posted in my fic?!?

 

*dies with happiness*

 

here's the first chapter, guys. and i forgot to add: this is set 9 years after ROTS

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ONE

 

A sleek Lambda class shuttle made its way through the frigid winds of the planet Nelvaan. The cold winds shifted nothing but ice and snow. There were very few colonies on this planet, Obi Wan knew, and they were on the other side of the surface.

 

“I’ve been here before,” he said. “I was investigating something here that time too.”

 

He thought about the first time he came on the planet: during the Clone Wars. Anakin had been at his side then. Not the rash Jedi Knight he had become by the Battle of Coruscant, but the serious, intelligent and willing young Padawan. He had done great deeds then too, by freeing the local captives and routing a Separatist base which was consuming the geothermal energy of the planet.

 

“Really?” said Colonel Wedge Antilles. “When was that?”

 

“During the Clone Wars,” said Obi Wan, not willing to talk more.

 

“Oh.” Said Wedge and left it at that. He understood when someone did not want to talk about something and never pressed them.

 

The shuttle landed in the frigid hangar bays of the not-so-secret Rebel Outpost and the two of them walked out, followed by the pilots of the craft.

 

“Master Kenobi,” greeted Dodonna. “It has been a long time.”

 

“A very long time, Admiral,” Obi Wan replied. “I suspect you have something serious going on, to call me out of retirement.”

 

Dodonna flashed a sad smile.

 

“Ah well, the course of war prevents true retirement for anybody,” he said. “Come with me, and I will brief you on the happenings of this ice cube.”

 

Obi Wan, Wedge and Dodonna chuckled lightly and they walked together to the briefing room. However, before they had a chance to get there:

 

BOOM!

 

“What in the Galaxy was that?” asked Obi Wan, picking himself from the ice-covered floor.

 

Dodonna sighed and shook his head and then he yelled:

“Scramble the fighters.”

 

In accordance, the hangar bays spewed out X-Wings on the double, implying that they were always on standby. The snub fighters started boiling out spikes of lasers, causing the air to crackle with the intense heating-cooling sequence that it suffered. Obi Wan ran up to an observation window and saw:

 

“TIE Bombers,” he said aloud. “What are they doing here?”

 

There was no-one to respond. Obi Wan cursed softly and ran into the briefing room. Dodonna and Wedge were quite calmly issuing orders and within 15 minutes, the TIE Bombers had been chased away.

 

“Welcome to everyday Nelvaan, Obi Wan,” said Dodonna.

[Diego Varen]

Excellent first Chapter RC. Unlike your first Galactic Conquest, I shall read every Chapter you post. Keep em' coming.

 

RedHawke: Sorry for using your Name/Character. I was desperate at the time. Next time I'll ask you if I can use the Character RedHawke again.

[RC-1162]

thanks, Pottsie, glad you liked it. my exams are getting over tomorrow, so i'll put up a celebration chapter

[RC-1162]

“Everyday Nelvaan?” Obi Wan said. “You mean this happens everyday?”

 

“Yes, unfortunately.” Dodonna replied with a sigh “We started this base with the hopes that it would be secret, but it is more widely known now than a Hutt’s backside.”

 

“Are Bombers always the ones who are dispatched?” Obi Wan asked.

 

“Yes. I don’t think they really want to destroy the base, but they’re just sending messages occasionally.”

 

Obi Wan sensed uncertainty.

 

“You suspect an inside job.” It was not a question.

 

“Yes,” Dodonna agreed. “They somehow knew you were here, despite the fact that you came in an unmarked shuttle observing comm. silence.”

 

“Why didn’t you give chase to the Imperials and bombard their base?” Obi Wan asked.

 

“Because there is no base,” replied Wedge. “A Star Destroyer jumps out of hyperspace from the other side of the planet and dispatches the TIEs. We have made arrangements for a hangar bay to be built hidden in the ice on the far side.”

 

“What about Anit-Aircraft Guns and Ion Cannons?” Obi Wan suggested.

 

“All thought of and accounted for,” replied Dodonna. “Including a couple of missile launchers and aerial drones to monitor atmosphere traffic. But they’re still on the way here from different planets, since resources are low.”

 

“But none of that will ever matter if you don’t catch whoever is leaking information,” said Wedge.

 

“Do you have any suspects?” Obi Wan asked.

 

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Dodonna replied. “I’ll send them to you.”

 

“To me?” Obi Wan asked. “What can I do?”

 

“You can use your Jedi powers to sense whether or not he is lying.”

 

Dodonna had thought of everything.

 

“Okay,” Obi Wan said. “I’ll be in the Hangars.”

************************************************************************

Dodonna was certainly specific, by sending only four men to Obi Wan for questioning. The first three had literally oozed ignorance and were innocent. But the last one had taken a shower in fear. Obi Wan asked the same questions to him as he had with the other three.

 

“Do you know anything about the Imperial raids on this base?” Obi Wan asked. The question seemed stupid enough; to an outside person. The effect this question had on the man was like a dam had flooded a valley.

 

“Uh…um…well…no.” He said.

 

“Liar!” Obi Wan thought.

 

“Very well,” he said, with a light smile. “You may go.”

 

The man, obviously thinking that he was safe, heaved a massive sigh of relief once he left the hangar bays.

************************************************************************

“Lieutenant Coren D’Haren, is it?” Dodonna said to the man, who nodded. “Very well.”

 

He motioned to two troopers and they came forward and bound D’Haren’s hands with electro-binders.

 

“You will be tried for treason and sentenced to prison for life if you still remain defiant,” he warned D’Haren.

 

“Okay, I’ll tell you something.” D’Haren said.

 

He strained and the binders around his wrists strained to maintain the electro-lock, but they popped. D’Haren then pulled up his left pant leg, grabbing a silver polished tube attached to his leg with a strap.

 

“Lightsaber!” Obi Wan thought and drew his own, but D’Haren had already ignited his, which illuminated his face with and evil red glow. He stabbed it backwards to his right and impaled the trooper there, then twisted and swung the saber, beheading the other trooper. He was going to kill Dodonna too, but Obi Wan used the Force to yank the Rebel Admiral off his feet backwards. Obi Wan’s blue blade snap-hissed to life and the Jedi jumped high with his lightsaber in front of D’Haren. The Dark Jedi responded with a rally of incredibly fast cuts. Obi Wan blocked all of them and launched a few feints and cuts of his own. D’Haren fought back for a few minutes, then jumped away from Obi Wan in a back flip, landing 8 meters away. He then slapped his wrist console, activating what loked like a signal transponer, then turned and ran like he had never done so before. Obi Wan used the Force to drive energy into his legs and speed to his body. He gave chase to the Dark Jedi until they reached the hangar, where a new ship lay: a TIE Fighter. D’Haren jumped into the cockpit and almost immediately, the ion engines sparked to life. The TIE turned in a 180 degree turn to face the entrance of the Hangar, then opened the its throttle wide.

The ion efflux scrambled the power grid and the base lost power as the fuses shorted out and Obi Wan stood there, his static-charged hair standing up on end. That was a Dark Jedi! Most probably trained by Vader.

Obi Wan shook his head and switched off his saber. He returned and found Dodonna in the briefing room, trying to get more information on this D’Haren character.

************************************************************************

“So you say there is a Jedi Master there?”

 

“Yes, Lord Vader,” replied the man.

 

Vader turned to face D’Haren. “You have done well, D’Haren,” he said. “Thanks to you, we now know about the Rebels’ plans and can meet them with those of our own.”

 

“Thank you, my Lord,” D’Haren replied. He considered something else but wasn’t sure of whether or not he should say it. He decided to take a chance.

 

“If I may, Lord Vader, I would very much like to be your apprentice.”

 

Vader remained silent, his faceless obsidian mask glaring at D’Haren, almost as if it was conveying the message of Vader’s feelings to him.

 

“Yes, you would,” Vader said. “But that choice remains in the hands of the Emperor. When he deems you worthy, he will reward you adequately. For now, I am promoting you to the rank of Supreme Allied Commander for Intelligence.”

 

“Thank you very much, my Lord,” replied D’Haren, meaning each and every word.

 

“You are dismissed,” Vader said and turned.

************************************************************************

“I thought you could sense a Dark Jedi before you see him,” Dodonna said, his tone more surprised than accusing.

 

“The Dark Side of the Force is more profound than before, Admiral,” Obi Wan replied wearily. “And he seemed to be genuinely afraid, so I naturally didn’t delve deeper.” He shook his head. “That is always my downfall.”

 

“Well, we don’t have time to brood now,” Dodonna said. “I sent a report to Mon Mothma and she requires us to transfer bases and shift to Dantooine.

[Diego Varen]

Good Chapter RC.

[Renegade Puma]

Great stuff so far RC! Can't wait to read more.

[RC-1162]

Obi Wan walked around the grassy plain designated to be the new Rebel base. He hated to be on the run like this. How he wished he could just walk up to Vader and make him see the light, but the death of his wife had a deep and profound effect on him. It would take someone very close to him to bring him back. He wondered what would have happened had Anakin never gone to the Chancellor’s office as Mace Windu battled it out with Palpatine. Would the Sith Lord have been killed and peace restored? Or would Mace have been defeated, causing Anakin to be killed by the execution of Order 66?

 

Obi Wan never had time to answer this question as he tripped and fell flat on his face over a piece of rubble. As he sat up and spat some of the grass out of his mouth, the sight of a desolate ruin ahead of him. He got to his feet and brushed his robes as he continued to stare at the ruin. The place gave off an intense Force-aura, now that he was aware of it. He wondered how he missed it when he was walking along brooding about the past.

 

Then he realized. Obi Wan groaned. All the lecturing he had done to the younger children and especially about emotions: all forgotten in one moment. He had allowed his deep friendship with Anakin to cloud his judgment, his perception of reality, his senses. Now it became clear: Anakin’s fall was partly his fault. He was never a good enough teacher for Anakin. He did not practice what he preached, but merely spouted the usual stuff to seem like a great and revered Jedi Master. Obi Wan scowled and kicked a nearby piece of rubble. This was no better, because now he had a pain in his foot as well.

 

[No, Obi Wan,] came a deep voice. A voice he had heard so long ago. A voice that had willingly defied the Council so many times. That voice, once silenced by the Sith, was now speaking again. [Anakin’s fall is nobody’s fault but his own.]

 

Qui Gon. He was here.

 

“But I was his Master, Qui Gon,” Obi Wan said aloud, to the great Force spectrum emanating from the ruin. “I was his guidance.”

 

[He was a young man with a frightful past, and a murdered mother,] Qui Gon said. [His anger at his mother’s killers consumed him on Tatooine. Given time, he can be redeemed.]

 

“I tried, Qui Gon. I tried. He is not willing to listen.” Obi Wan said and immediately realized his mistake.

 

The air ahead of him shimmered and Qui Gon appeared. He wasn’t totally there, but he was there through the Force. He wasn’t flesh and blood, but was the Force.

 

“You tried, Obi Wan. That is why he was not willing to listen.” Qui Gon said. “There is never any try.”

 

Obi Wan nodded soberly and glanced at the ruin again.

 

“Do you know what this is, Qui Gon?” he asked.

 

Qui Gon turned to take a clear look of the place.

 

“This was the ancient enclave of the Jedi over 4000 years ago.” Qui Gon said, walking over to it, not disturbing the grass as much as a normal person would.

 

“4000 years ago?!” Obi Wan asked incredulously. How is it not resting as dust on the plains?”

 

“The Force is strong here, Obi Wan,” Qui Gon said simply, reaching what seemed like the entrance of the ruined enclave. “It has been preserved.”

 

“Not very well, I must say,” came a voice behind them.

 

Qui Gon and Obi Wan whirled around, to find another being in the Force, standing there like Qui Gon was now. Obi Wan glanced curiously at Qui Gon, who did not seen perturbed by the fact that there was another Force-apparition in front of him.

 

“Who are you?” Obi Wan asked the apparition. “Are you a Jedi Master?”

 

“Obviously I am, Obi Wan,” he said. Obi Wan didn’t ask him about how he knew his name, instead, he waited for the answer to his question.

 

The Jedi took a few steps closer and came up to them.

 

“I am Revan,” the Jedi said. “And I have experienced the Dark Side first hand.”

 

Obi Wan was instantly on his guard, his hand creeping for his lightsaber although he knew it wouldn’t help him against the Force itself.

 

“You're a Dark Jedi?” Obi Wan asked.

 

“Of course not!” Revan retorted. “I was the Dark Lord of the Sith of my era for quite some time, though.”

 

“But you were redeemed?” asked Obi Wan.

 

“Yes, but it took the entire Jedi Council to wipe my mind with the Force. Although I did get my true identity back after sometime, I did not fall back to the Dark Side.”

 

Obi Wan relaxed and sighed softly.

 

“We don’t have a Jedi Council to wipe Anakin’s mind, and I don’t think anyone was any worse than he is now.”

 

At this, Revan snorted. “Had you been there during my time, you would have thought differently,” he said.

 

“That isn’t the point,” Obi Wan snapped back. “The thing is it’s going to be very difficult to turn him back.”

 

“No it’s not,” said Revan calmly. “All you need is faith in the Force and trust in him. Everyone has a bit of light and dark in them. All you need to do is pull out the light; flip the switch activate the inner porta-lamp in him.” He smiled.

 

“I’ll t-” Obi Wan began, but broke off, not willing to make the same mistake twice. “I will,” he said.

 

“Good,” said Qui Gon, who was watching the exchange quietly. “Now could you tell us something about this place?”

[RC-1162]

sorry im a bit late, but i was enjoying, exams over and school's out

hope you like it, it has a good link to KotOR now

[Diego Varen]

I agree. I like the link to KOTOR. It was also nice to see Qui-Gon too as he was my favourite Character in TPM. Revan was also great to see as well. Keep it up RC! I think this was better than the first. I didn't seem interested when I first saw the first Galactic Conquest.

 

Anyway enough of my ramblings, looking foward to the next Chapter.

 

PS. Also thanks for the Sig you made for me. Just one problem. There seems to be a white line on the left hand side of the Sig. If you have any spare time (Now you're on holiday), edit it and put a black line on it? Thanks again.

[RC-1162]

thanks pottsie, and ill PM you the new sig, i had a little screen confusion in paint when i was editing the sig.

[Niner_777]

Great chapters RC. I enjoyed reading them.

[RC-1162]

Obi Wan sat in the newly established universal quarters of the Dantooine base as he read the ancient Jedi Holocrons he had retrieved with Revan’s help. They shed a lot of light on the happenings in the Old Republic as well as several different aspects of the Force. With the Holocrons and Revan’s guidance, Obi Wan had learnt how to heal instantly, be it himself or others, without having to go into a Healing Trance. He had also found out the specific frequencies he was supposed to tune his lightsaber to cleave Cortosis, at least partially and without causing an overload in the saber’s electronics. Revan personally taught him to speak telepathically with anyone, enabling a hidden conversation with Qui Gon, Revan or anyone else he deemed necessary to speak with covertly. He was going through the various abundant lightsaber crystals that were present at the time and where to easily find them, when Dodonna came up to him.

 

“Forgive the intrusion, Obi Wan,” he said, and waited till Obi Wan looked up from the Holocron. “We’ve received intelligence of an Imperial base on Corellia; apparently, they’re using up the metallic resources of the planet very quickly and shipping them to two offworld locations. Since Corellia has a significant strategic importance, being on the edge of the Inner Rim, I would suggest we send a team of Commandos to infiltrate the base and try to destabilize it.”

 

Obi Wan heard the unspoken request.

 

“You want me to accompany them,” he said.

 

Dodonna rolled his eyes. “Yes, if it’s not too much trouble. We could use secrecy and stealth to our best advantage, and your Jedi Mind Tricks can come in handy for the Squad.”

 

Obi Wan glanced down at the Holocron again.

 

“I hope I'm not inconveniencing you,” Dodonna added.

 

Obi Wan jerked his eyes back up. “Not at all,” he said. “In fact, Corellia is said to be the only place to acquire an Opila crystal naturally.”

 

Dodonna nodded. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said. “I suggest you be ready to leave within half an hour.”

 

Obi Wan nodded to Dodonna and went to his quarters to get ready.

************************************************************************

Although the planet was under Imperial control, it was still very calm, peaceful and passive. Obi Wan took a deep breath of the clear Corellian air; no chance of getting this on Coruscant, or Tatooine. He was dressed in civilian garb as were the other members of his squad. To minimize suspicion, the group was nicknamed ‘Stealth’, mainly for use in comm. chatter. He was making his way to the rendezvous set by Dodonna. As he looked around, he felt a brief flash of a Force wave. Overcome by curiosity, he made his way to the source of the feeling and came across a well hidden cave. It was well lit by phosphorescent lichens on the walls and ceiling. As he went in deeper, he could also see several mineral formations up ahead. He increased his pace and came up to the nearest formation and felt the force seep out of it subtly. Upon close examination, he realized that they were crystals: lightsaber compatible ones too, at that. And they were not set fully into the ground, like some on Ilum. Therefore, the crystals needed no faceting or polishing. He picked up a few glowing crystals, exuberating blue and green light, and pocketed them. He was about to leave, fearing that he was late, when he caught sight of a different type of crystal in a nearby formation. He picked it up and looked at it in his palm. It was perfectly spherical and had a purplish-translucent look to it. He smiled as he pocketed the Opila crystal he had just discovered.

************************************************************************

“Where were you?” Wedge Antilles asked Obi Wan. “We thought you lost your way.”

 

“Ah, but a Jedi never loses his way,” Obi Wan said with a smile. “I just stopped to see the sights.

 

Wedge rolled his eyes and motioned with his thumb.

 

“Well,” he said. “Its dusk and we can begin our advance into the Imperial stronghold quietly. And be as quiet as you can, because you don’t want to get captured.”

 

“Why not?” Obi Wan asked casually as they made their way to the unguarded section of the fence.

 

“I'm not stopping you,” Wedge replied, as he made an analysis of the data his squad mate had given him and located the access panel set in the fence, meant to be a rear entrance. “But if you want to get captured and sliced up by Vader, go ahead. This is an Imperial controlled planet, after all.”

 

Obi Wan watched as Wedge sliced the lock with help from his companion. He was about to congratulate Wedge on successfully getting past it when a trio of Stormtroopers came up to them.

 

“Hey, civilians, get away from there!” one of them shouted as he bought up his blaster. Obi Wan reached out with the Force to touch their minds and spoke through the fence.

 

“We are friends and mean you no harm,” he said clearly.

 

“Yes…you are…friends,” the lead trooper replied.

 

“You want to change your uniform and go for a day off in the city.” Obi Wan instructed.

 

“Want to…take day off,” the troopers mumbled. They removed their armor and bodysuits to reveal their civilian clothing that they had on underneath and dropped them near the entrance of the base. Then the three of them, seemingly oblivious to the Rebel taskforce, walked out of the fence door and into the evening horizon, talking as if nothing had happened.

 

“Weak minded simpletons,” Obi Wan commented as the three of them made their way inside to the entrance door. He told Wedge and his partner to don the Stormtrooper armor and did the same himself. Once all three of them were properly dressed and their service numbers noted, they entered the base door. As they made their way through the well populated corridors, Obi Wan mentally heaved a sigh of relief that they had worn the Armor, otherwise the three of them would have been smoking piles of flesh the moment they entered the base. As he came up to the elevator, however, another Stormtrooper came up to him. This one was clearly a Sergeant, judging by the orange epaulet he wore on his right shoulder.

 

“You there,” he said, pointing at Obi Wan. “Service number.” He demanded.

 

“DT Six-Four-Nine, sir,” Obi Wan replied, his voice sounding like any other Stormtrooper’s.

 

“Very well,” the Sergeant replied. “Get up to the information databanks. They have a little problem and need you to sort it out.”

 

“Pardon me, Sergeant,” Obi Wan said, carefully choosing his words. “But, why me?”

 

The Stormtrooper tilted his head to the side, clearly in confusion and suspicion.

 

“Aren't you the Technical Supervisor of Section 17-Alpha?” he asked.

 

Obi Wan could have kicked himself.

 

“Of course,” he replied. “I'm sorry, but I didn’t realize you meant technical difficulties.”

 

The Stormtrooper nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “Just get up there quickly.”

 

Obi Wan saluted and the other two followed suit.

 

“Right away, Sergeant.”

 

He motioned and the three of them entered the elevator and asked for the Information level.

[RC-1162]

right, that was my longest chapter yet: 1205 words, so i expect it will be a good read.

[Niner_777]

That it was. Great chapter. I liked how you threw in a clone squad in there.

[Diego Varen]

I liked that Chapter. I suppose that "healing instantly trick" was Master Heal from KOTOR. Looking foward to more.

[RC-1162]

@ Niner, its not a Clone squad, sorry to disappoint you. just a normal person squad. but be prepared for some Force-badassness

[Niner_777]

Fierfek! lol. That's cool, too. I guess I didn't catch that. Well at least you have a squad in there.

[RC-1162]

“DT Six-Four-Nine, sir,” Obi Wan introduced himself to the gray-uniformed Imperial Officer in front of the console. “You requested help?”

 

“Yes,” the Officer replied irritably. “Get this thing working, it seems to have stuck.”

 

Obi Wan came forward and slung the blaster rifle over his shoulder via its straps. He examined the console screen for about 5 seconds, then snorted. The Officer looked at him curiously. Obi Wan pressed the stand-by and reboot keys of the console successively and it flashed back to life, flickering away to glory.

 

“Yes, well, um…” the Officer said, flustered and embarrassed. “Not everyone is a computer technician, you know? Thank you for your assistance.”

 

Obi Wan was glad that his face was masked, as he was grinning broadly underneath the helmet.

 

“No problem,” he said. “I’m here if you need further help.”

 

He nodded and the three of them went down a long corridor and stopped midway to check their bearings. As Wedge brought up the floor plan of the building from the datapad he had obtained among the other Stormtrooper equipment, Obi Wan felt another surge in the Force. This one was different from what he had felt from the crystal cave earlier. This was sent out by a sentient being. His face mirrored his confusion. The person from who the surge had emanated was clearly Force-sensitive, given the strength of that feeling. It seemed to have a tinge of…annoyance? Obi Wan stretched out and located the source: two floors below him and in a room seven meters to his right.

 

“We came to the right place alright,” Wedge remarked. “The information banks are the right place to explore to find out what these Imps are doing with the metal ores.”

 

“What are there two floors beneath us?” Obi Wan asked.

 

Wedge consulted his map and looked up, confused.

 

“The Detention Area.” He said. “Why?”

 

“We may have to make a quick stop there later on,” Obi Wan said.

 

“Someone we know captured?” Wedge asked as they made their way to the encrypted information console a few meters ahead.

 

“Someone, yes,” Obi Wan replied. “Who, I don’t know.”

 

Wedge’s companion, name Rick Kinsley, got to work with the console, typing in override codes and access codes taken from the datapad. Five minutes of hard work came to an end when another Imperial officer saw them and came up to them.

 

“What the heck are you doing?” he asked them. “This is not for public use.”

 

“I’m DT Six-Four-Nine, sir,” Obi Wan said quickly. “Technical Supervisor of Section 17-Alpha. We are doing a checkup of the resource exports.”

 

“Checkup?” the Officer asked. “Why wasn’t I informed?”

 

“It was a recent directive sent only to the Technical Supervisors of particular sectors, sir,” Obi Wan replied.

 

“Very well,” the Officer said uncertainly. “Carry on.”

 

After he had left, Obi Wan turned to Rick.

 

“Get going, if that Officer has the common sense to make an assurance check, we’re finished.”

 

“I tried all I can,” Rick replied. “The main aim of the mineral exports is given in a cryptic manner here.”

 

“Cryptic?” Wedge echoed. “You mean it’s encoded?”

 

“Maybe, maybe not,” Rick replied. “It says the metal is being used for flight and to facilitate a ‘big project’.”

 

“The metal is being used for ‘flight’?” Wedge said, perplexed.

 

“They probably mean TIE Fighters,” Obi Wan concluded after a few minutes of thought.

 

He produced a small data card from his pack.

 

“Download the information into this,” he instructed Rick. “We can’t stand here all day. We’ll take a look on the move.”

 

Rick nodded and proceeded to download all the information into the data card. As he did so, he asked Obi Wan,

 

“So what do they mean by a ‘big project’? A Star Destroyer maybe?”

 

“Perhaps,” Obi Wan replied. “But the main thing is that we have got to stop these exploitations ASAP.”

 

The download was complete, and even though Rick had an afterthought to conduct a search on ‘large scale construction’, they got nothing more. The three of them started walking off, Obi Wan observing the schematics of the building and all the weaknesses.

 

“It seems that the only way to shut down this place is to do so permanently.” Obi Wan remarked.

 

“You mean we have to destroy it?” Rick asked.

 

“By somehow destabilizing the power plant levels, yes,” Obi Wan replied.

 

“Then lead on,” Wedge replied. “A thermal detonator in the place and we’re home free.”

 

The trio, having agreed on the new plan of action, made their way back to the elevators they came from and dropped further into the ground by another 5 levels.