- - -
Even from orbit, the planet was bite the back of your hand beautiful. Lush forests, wide open fields, rivers and oceans...
Elana blinked back tears as she caught sight of snow on the mountains as they descended through the atmosphere.
Don't remember that. Not now. It won't help...
She took a deep breath, and focused on her scanner read outs.
"Do we know where we're going to land, My Lady?" Quinn asked, with just a hint of urgency to his tone. Elana looked over at Artoo. The little droid beeped a few times, then inserted his SCOMP into the computer port. A map appeared on the screen, and a red dot blinked obviously. Elana checked over the readings, as Artoo explained things in a series of boops and clicks.
"Apparently there's a patrol check point at this forest near Theed," she said, "we can have Artoo link into it and find out where the refugees are located."
"How well guarded is it?" River asked.
"If they follow standard Imperial occupation procedure," Quinn said, "there could be as few as two troopers there, or as many as twelve with some technicians."
"So from good odds, to terrible odds," Luke observed, even as he headed for the indicated coordinates.
"Well, we are charging in without a real plan, just making it up as we go," Elana said, trying not to sound too apologetic. Luke threw back a crooked grin.
"That's how the Rebellion operates, isn't it?"
"Not all the time," Quinn quipped, "but it would appear to be a skill one must develop to survive."
- - -
They touched down in a secluded grove that Artoo pointed out, landing as quietly as the Mu shuttle could manage. Elana and Luke took the lead down the ramp, blasters out, scanning the area. River followed, hand on her vibroblade.
Elana tapped her communications headset.
"Where to??" She asked.
"Artoo says nine hundred meters west, My Lady," Quinn reported.
The trio headed through the forest, moving as carefully and quietly as they could through the undergrowth. Elana moved as gracefully as a vorn tiger: Hiking through the woods near the Thul estate was how she'd spent much of her childhood.
They climbed up a ridge, and peeked up over the top. Elana pulled out some binoculars, and zoomed in on a flash of white armor.
"I can see... Four troopers, and a technician" she reported softly, counting the Stormtroopers fanned out around a rough forest outpost where the technician was workingt, "looks like it's for a dirt road that runs through the forest."
She zoomed in more. It wasn't much of an outpost, just an awning over a few computer consoles and crates of supplies. Elana looked over at River, as she handed over the binoculars to her.
"Could you take them out?" She asked.
River bit her lower lip.
"If it was three of them? Maybe. I'm better at single targets," she admitted.
"We could charge them?" Luke suggested. "Maybe use the shuttle guns on them?"
Elana hummed... Then brightened.
"Luke? Get back to the shuttle. River? Shadow me. You'll know when to act."
She pulled out her earpiece, and ruffled up her clothing some. She pulled off her survival belt, with its blaster, and handed it off to River. She undid the buttons of her fancy jacket, and made Luke blush as she adjusted her chest.
"Elana?" Luke asked, staring at the sky. Elana shot him a grin.
"Oh, don't worry... I've got this."
- - -
TK-678 had to admit, garrison assignment to Naboo wasn't the worst possible job in the Imperial Army. It was a lush, beautiful world, with friendly humans (mostly), and minimal threats. It was the homeworld of the Emperor! Honestly, he was lucky he'd gotten this job.
His cousin had gotten assigned to Tatooine. Poor bastard would probably look twenty years older than he really was when he was done with that assignment.
Right now his squad was set up on the Old Forest Road, making sure no miscreants were using it for mischief. Mostly it was the local garrison commander complaining about graffiti artists, but it was a chance to get out in the field and away from the tense atmosphere of the city.
"I can't believe we're getting paid to just walk around in the forest," TK-567 observed next to him. 678 snorted.
"You get paid?" He asked.
"That joke wasn't funny the last ten times, you know," 567 replied, a grin in his voice.
"Could be worse," TK-451 added, "could be twelve times."
Much groaning ensued, as their tech smirked.
"HELP! HELLO! CAN YOU HELP ME?!"
TK-678 trained his gun on the source of the noise... And gaped behind his helmet. A truly gorgeous woman in swoop bike leathers was stumbling through the woods towards them. TK-678 moved forward, lowering his weapon and motioning to the other troopers to do the same. The woman stumbled, and fell in a heap. TK-678 ran up to her, and knelt down to grasp her shoulder.
"Hey, lady, you okay?" He asked urgently.
"Y-Yes... I'm okay," she gasped, "can-can I please get some water, sir?"
TK-678 helped the woman up into a sitting position, as the rest of his squad gathered around. The tech came out too, more to look like he was doing something that anything else. 567 held out a canteen as 678 supported her. The woman took it gratefully, and drank deeply of the water.
"Haa... Th-Thank you," she said, "I've been lost in this forest for days! Our shuttle had to make an emergency landing, and I've been trying to find help!"
"All right, just calm down ma'am," 678 said, as gently as he could, "why did your shuttle have to make an emergency landing?"
"We had an overload in the control systems," the woman went on, "my pilot and co-pilot were electrocuted! I had to leave them behind-Oh stars, they might be dead already..."
She burst into tears as she looked up, desperate and afraid. 678 squeezed her shoulder.
"It's going to be okay, ma'am, I promise," 678 said. "Jergus! Can you get the scanner online?"
"Yes sir!" The tech said, running back to the outpost. He pulled out a field scanner, and began to scan around. 678 patted the woman's shoulder again... And glared at 555 as he stared at her chest.
"What's your name, ma'am?" He asked.
"Elana Turquoise," the woman introduced herself, "out of Corellia. I was going on a trip to see if any of my friends from the University of Aldera had made it to Naboo. I'd heard there were refugees...?"
678 nodded.
"Yes. A lot of refugees from Alderaan ended up here after Tarkin went crazy," he said, "but only about a thousand. They're being held at Theed Palace until we can transfer them elsewhere."
"Held?" Elana asked, shocked, "why?"
678 shrugged helplessly.
"Orders, ma'am. We don't get to question them," he said, "but I'm sure we can help you look up the names of the refugees to see if any of your friends are there."
"Got it," Jergus announced, "shuttle sized power signature, one point five klicks east of here."
678 smiled, even though he knew the woman wouldn't see it, and squeezed her hand.
"There, see? We'll find your friends," he said kindly.
The woman beamed beautifully, and managed to hug him tightly.
"Thank you, thank you," she whispered.
"Come on men! Let's get going!" 678 barked. The troopers headed to the speeder, 555 took the blaster cannon up top, as Jergus clung to the back. Elana was put in the front seat, next to 678, who drove.
They hovered through the forest as best they could for a bit, but the trees became far too thick. 678 shook his head, and parked the speeder after thirty minutes of fruitlessly trying to find a way through.
"On foot from here," 678 called. He hopped out, and helped Elana out onto her feet. The rest of the squad clambered out, and Jergus took the lead.
"You sure you gonna be okay, Miss Turquoise?" 555 asked. He looked over at 678. "I could stay with her, sir. Let her rest."
"It's been so tense lately," Elana said, "I don't want them to freak out if stormtroopers come in. Er, I mean, no offense..." She winced at them.
678 shook his head, biting back a sigh. Yeah, he knew.
"No, I understand," he said, "but take it slow. Don't overexert yourself, ma'am."
"Thank you," she said gratefully.
They stomped through the undergrowth, Jergus sweeping his scanner around. He would change direction based on the readouts. Elana kept stumbling a bit. 555 offered to support her... And 678 vetoed it by putting her arm over his shoulders himself.
"I'm just saying, Corporal," 555 said over the helmet comm, "a woman that fine usually doesn't end up out here? She might be pretty damn grateful-"
"Shut it, 555," 678 growled, "this isn't one of your damn holo porns."
"It could be!" 555 protested. "Or some other kind of reward! She's clearly rich!"
"Fine, you can beg her for a reward," 567 snarked, "from a distance. Doesn't look like she needs an STD."
"I'm clean, damnit! That Twi'lek was a lying whore-!"
678 turned off his helmet comm and shook his head. 555 seriously needed a girlfriend.
At last, they broke into a small clearing. A Mu-type shuttle was sitting there, the ramp down. It had some red and blue markings on the wings, marking it as a civilian vessel, but... The overall layout looked like a typical military vehicle. Even had the laser turrets still installed...
"Oh geez, oh geez, I closed the ramp before I left," Elana fretted, "did someone get in there?! LUKE! MARCUS! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!"
No answer. The anxiety on Elana's face dismissed 678's suspicions.
"Come on, let's get in there," he ordered, "451! Med kit!"
"On it sir!" 451 announced, medical kit in hand. They headed up to the shuttle cautiously, 678 lingering back with Elana.
"I'll guard, get in there," 678 ordered his men. They nodded, and headed up. For another moment, there was silence.
"You know, I really am grateful," Elana said, beaming warmly up at 678.
"You seem like very good men."
The Stormtrooper shrugged.
"Just doing our job, ma'am."
Elana nodded.
"Same here," she said... Just before 678 felt his pistol press into his side between his armor plates, and a stun beam blast through him at point blank range.
He fell, staring up in shock at the still smiling Elana. She held his blaster on him.
"Acting classes every semester of Aldera Young Lady's Prep School," she explained, before firing another stun beam.
Shavit, 678 thought, I should have gone to Tatooine.
- - -
They stripped the troopers and technician, tied them up, and took them back to the outpost. Elana wasn't completely heartless, after all. They got Artoo to the outpost, and he plugged in. The little droid confirmed the troopers' story, and even provided some hanger access codes for their shuttle.
Which was very convenient. Driving the speeder all the way back to Theed, even in uniform, would have raised a lot of suspicions they didn't need.
Quinn fried the outpost's electronics, and they headed back to the shuttle. Though Elana did leave a written apology for the unconscious troopers.
It seemed the least she could do.
Luke and Quinn, now dressed as Stormtroopers, took the shuttle back up, and flew for Theed. In the back, River struggled a bit with the technician's clothing. Elana helped her out, but it wasn't a great fit. Finally, more or less fully dressed, River walked up to the cockpit, the fabric of her stolen uniform straining against her... Generous assets.
"Geez," she muttered, "I've been putting on weight. What do you think, Luke?"
Luke glanced at her... And then quickly looked back at his controls, his entire face bright red.
"Um... Uh... It... It looks okay... To me," Luke managed.
"Are you sure~?" River asked, pouting as she once again walked up and wrapped her arms around him from behind, "you barely looked at me! You might think I'm hideous!"
"Unlikely," Luke muttered. Elana walked up, in her own Stormtrooper armor.
"Cut it out, River," Elana mildly scolded, "we're coming up on the hanger."
"Are there female Stormtroopers?" Luke asked, confused.
Quinn nodded.
"Not many, but yes," Quinn said, "usually support officers."
"Guess that's me then," Elana said, as the cliffs that housed the hangers underneath Theed Palace loomed before them, "fully supportive."
She jammed her helmet on, and held up her blaster rifle.
"Let's go!"
Quinn and Luke donned their own helmets, while River pulled on the technician's plasteel cap. Quinn tapped the comms.
"This is shuttle Venture, Nern Nern Cresh one-seven-oh-one, to Theed Hanger Control," Quinn said, "requesting 773 refueling due to a 334 dash 6? Over?"
"Shuttle Venture, authorization codes are required, over," the bored sounding controller spoke.
"Sending authorization codes now, over," Quinn said, inputting them into the console. A moment later, the controller responded.
"Shuttle Venture, your codes are accepted. Proceed with refueling. Your crew may not exit the hanger area during your stay without further clearance, over."
"Acknowledged, Theed Hanger Control, over and out," Quinn replied. He took the shuttle in, the wings folding up as the sleek little vessel gracefully came in for a landing on the deck.
Elana sucked in a breath as she looked out over the hanger bay. Luke tensed up. Quinn squeezed the controls more tightly.
Hundreds of men, women, and children were sequestered on the deck, nearby an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser. Stormtroopers and Imperial officers surrounded them, along with a few Imperial droids.
"They're just... Keeping them here?" Luke asked. "Why?"
"They're getting them ready to move," Quinn said grimly, "probably to Kessel or another prison world."
"Prison?!" Luke demanded.
"Or to massacre them," Elana stated. She shook her helmeted head, and hefted up her rifle. "Okay... We just need to get them aboard the ship."
"We should check it for sabotage though," River pointed out, "wouldn't put it past the Empire to rig it to explode, then blame the Alliance."
"They'd do that?!" Luke asked. He shook his head. "What am I saying... Of course they would. Okay. So we just need to take out the guards, get them on the ship..."
"And we need to clear a way through the blockade," Quinn pointed out, "because we can't jump to hyperspace while in the gravity well. We need a diversion up there, too. I think I can make one."
"How?" River asked. Quinn nodded to Artoo.
"If I can get to the control room, Artoo and I can create false sensor readings in the planetary sensor grid," Quinn said, "making it look like multiple ships are dropping out of hyperspace. The ships will then be deployed to investigate the false readings. It wouldn't last long-maybe ten, twenty minutes? But it would give us enough of an opening to escape, if we time it right."
"All right," Elana said with a nod, "you and Artoo head to the control room. Luke, River and I will handle the guards."
"I can slice those guard droids," River volunteered, "and get them to fight on our side!"
"Okay," Elana said, nodding, "send us the signal when you're in position, Quinn. Say... 'Vorn Tiger', if you can do it, and 'Killik' if you can't. Got it?"
"Vorn Tiger, we're going ahead, Killik if we must abort," Quinn recited, nodding, "understood, My Lady."
Elana sucked in a few deep breaths, calming herself. She nodded.
"Move out," she ordered.
They descended down the ramp, Luke, Elana and River heading for the refugees, Quinn and Artoo heading for a maintenance access door.
Elana and Luke walked up to the lieutenant standing at attention in front of the refugees. He was a prim, ramrod straight sort of man, who eyed the two Stormtroopers and technician with only mild interest.
"Problem, troopers?" He asked.
"Do you know where the fuel techs are, sir?" Elana asked politely, as River leaned against one of the guard droids, "we need to get refueled ASAP."
The Lieutenant sighed heavily.
"They've been cleared of the hanger while we're guarding these people," he said, "but I'm sure I can-"
The main doors to the hanger opened. The Lieutenant, Elana, Luke and River all looked... And their jaws dropped.
A woman in white facepaint, with an elaborate black hairdo and an elegant dark black and blue dress, stood there with a scowl. She marched into the hanger, unaccompanied by anyone, her keen eyes locked onto the Lieutenant. The Imperial officer stood at attention.
"Your Highness, Queen Dalne," he said quickly, "this-this is unexpected! We are honored by your-"
"Lieutenant Zegusu Pem," Dalne stated, "I have seen your latest orders. You are to 'remove' these refugees from Alderaan, and dispose of their bodies somewhere. Is that not true?"
Pem blanched, almost as pale as the monarch's face.
"I... I didn't-"
"Have you or have you not received those orders, Lieutenant?" The Queen demanded.
Elana saw that River was going about, still reprogramming the droids. She spotted Quinn vanishing just out of the corner of her eye through a maintenance door, Artoo rolling after him. Luke tensed up a bit, but Elana shook her head minutely.
She prayed he understood her meaning.
"I..." The officer looked away, shame on his face. Dalne glared, looking around at the other Stormtroopers.
"Have you received the same orders, Troopers?" She demanded, as the people began to murmur in fear and anxiety.
A Stormtrooper sergeant shook his head.
"We... We can't discuss that with anyone, Your Highness-"
"So the orders are true," Dalne stated, looking incredibly disappointed as her gaze swept around the troopers, "you would do this?"
"I... They're our orders, Your Highness," Pem murmured, as though trying to keep it down. But Dalne's glare was as intense as a turbolaser, and he cringed away from it.
Dalne walked out to a trooper to Pem's right, and took his hand.
"Dani... Dani Vussel," she spoke softly, "I know you, under that helmet. You have a wife and child in the city. How would you feel, if the Empire decided to kill them in cold blood?"
"I-Your Highness," Vussel tried. Dalne shook her head, and walked to another trooper.
"Turin Grek," she said gently, as she pointed to an old Alderaanian man, "that man could be your father. He's still working as a clerk at Kuat, isn't he? Managing ship logistics? You told me he was proud of your work for the Empire... Would he be proud of this?"
Grek trembled a bit. The Queen turned to the other Troopers, and nodded her head.
"I apologize that I don't know all of your names," she said, "I would very much like the chance to know you all better. But what I do know? Is that all of you are men with families, friends, loved ones. People who care for you, love you. The same as these refugees."
Dalne walked up to a young woman.
"What is your name?" She asked.
"F-Fan Thebassi," she murmured.
"Louder, please?" The Queen prompted.
"Fan Thebassi!" She cried.
"And what did you do, Fan?" Queen asked.
"I-I'm a secretary... I was a secretary, at Byron College," she called out. Dalne turned to the old man she'd pointed out before.
"And you, sir?"
"Beg Grenzalloc, Your Highness," he said, his voice loud, clear, and steady, "I was a mechanic, had my own shop in Juranno City. I was out for a trip to Delaya when..."
He bowed his head. Dalne reached out to squeeze his shoulder compassionately, before looking up at Lieutenant Pem.
"Lieutenant... Gentlemen," the queen stated, "I know you have your orders to kill these people. To murder them. I am asking you, please. Do not do this. Do not blindly follow these orders, and kill these innocent people."
"We... We have our orders, Your Highness," Pem protested, "we-we don't like them but-!"
"But what?" Dalne demanded, "you'd rather live as murderers and war criminals?"
"Sir," Elana spoke up, "you don't have to kill these people."
"And it's pretty clear," Luke added, "you don't want to."
Pem trembled, his fists clenched, eyes down at the floor. Dalne walked up to him, and rested a hand on his cheek. He still couldn't look at her.
"I can make excuses, I can cover for you," Dalne said gently, "I can cover for all of you... Just please. Don't murder these innocent people. I know you're good men, deep inside. And none of you want to do this."
"Vorn Tiger," Elana heard over her helmet comm. She saw River nearby the last of the guard droids. Elana took a deep breath. They might not have a better shot at this...
Luke rested a hand on her shoulder. She glanced over at him. He shook his head. She looked back at the lieutenant and the queen.
Pem closed his eyes... And very, very slowly, nodded.
"... Men," he announced, in a shaky voice, "let these people go onto their ship. Disable the trackers. We... We will come up with some excuse..."
The Queen smiled, and hugged the lieutenant.
"Thank you," she said. She turned to the rest of the Stormtrooper, beaming like a sun, "thank you all."
Elana breathed a sigh of relief, and River became less tense.
"I know it's a lot to ask," the Queen said, turning to Elana and Luke, "I know you just touched down for refueling, but please... I ask you-"
"Well, these people will need Imperial pilots, won't they?" Elana said. "We can take them, and take our shuttle with us."
Pem gaped in astonishment at them.
"You... You'd be willing to-?"
"We can just claim they overpowered us and escape in an escape pod," Luke suggested, "sir. I mean, a whole crowd of people against a few Stormtroopers? Can't fault us for failing there, right?"
"Right!" Elana added with a nod, feeling elated.
The lieutenant, looking relieved, nodded.
"I understand... And thank you."
Elana nodded back, her thoughts racing as the Alderaanian refugees began to shuffle up and into the Gozanti cruiser.
She had been fully willing to fight her way through all this... But Queen Dalne had talked their way out of a firefight. Even without knowing there were Rebels here, willing to help!
She couldn't help smiling in admiration at the young Queen. She was going around and personally thanking the troopers, while the refugees were up and thanking her. Without using a single weapon, this young woman had given them a way to save her people...
Elana tapped her helmet comm.
"Quinn, change of plans," she murmured, "come back to the hanger and-"
Luke sprinted like a mad man, throwing aside his blaster and diving onto the Queen and the Stormtrooper she was talking with, driving them to the hanger deck.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Luke bellowed over the comm. Elana gaped behind her helmet.
"Luke, what-?!"
Which was when a painfully familiar Y-Wing flew into the hanger, and began firing its cockpit-mounted turret laser at everything and everyone it could!
- - -
Cliffhanger!
