The Iron Stump touched down on the snow-covered permafrost of Mercuris. Twitch let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Another successful mission. Ambushing that convoy got us enough rhydonium to fuel the fleet and heat the base for a while."
Jordavi spun her chair to face him. "Yeah, and it was all thanks to Commander Rhodes' quick thinking. Isn't that right, Commander?"
There was no response. Twitch and Jordavi looked behind them to see Rhodes' chair empty.
Twitch grunted before rising to his feet. "Finish the shutdown procedure, Lieutenant. I will go see where he ran off to."
Jordavi nodded before turning back to the controls. Twitch made his way to the ship's exit, making sure to grab a coat before activating the ramp. He stepped out into the frigid air of the frozen moon. Even with the coat, it was still cold.
The landing field was crowded with people running back and forth. Abie was standing in the middle of the chaos barking out orders.
In the past four months, Cloud Squadron had piled victory on top of victory, making quick strikes on under defended Imperial targets. Their efforts continued to pay off. Abie was nearly finished with the base's shield generator, Jordavi had had great success recruiting new soldiers, and Twitch was able to make some solid additions to the fleet.
For Twitch, all he had to do was convince a Serenno nobleman to financially support Cloud Squadron. Sneaking into the former duke's residence was the hard part. Convincing him to help mess with the Empire was the easy part.
Twitch was reminded of his success when their new CR90 Corvette landed next to the other two cruisers. The Tonus was the largest of the new additions to their fleet. Their starfighter complement now consisted of eight A-wing interceptors, four Y-wing bombers, and a pair of X-wing starfighters. Overall, the assorted ships made for a pretty efficient strike fleet.
Twitch couldn't find Rhodes amidst the crowd, so he made his way over to Abie. She quickly noticed him, saying, "That stunt you pulled was reckless but absolutely brilliant."
"I wish I could take credit but that was all Rhodes," he replied while scratching the back of his neck. "Speaking of Rhodes, have you seen him? He disappeared off the Stump the second we returned."
"Where do you think he is?" Abie sighed. "The only place he ever is nowadays."
As the months went by, Rhodes had become increasingly distant. The less he asked about going after Lena, the more isolated he became.
The Jedi spent most of his spare time on top of the mountain plateau that Stratus Base was built into. No one really bothered to go up there anymore. The last time Abie went to check on him, she was met by short one-word answers. After that, she just stuck to the commlink to inform him of their missions. Even Hunter had stopped visiting him, becoming dedicated to the base, offering schematics and his engineering skills to construct the two ion cannon towers that flanked the mountain.
Despite his isolation, Rhodes was still a valuable member of the team. Abie had offered him command of the Tonus, but he declined, opting to stick closely to either herself or Twitch. Rhodes simply offered command advice that usually paid off as well as his skills as a warrior. At this point, he had become skilled at dual wielding both his own and Lena's saber, leading Cloud Squadron boarding parties onto enemy ships.
"He can't go on like this. You know that," Twitch pointed out.
"You're right," Abie conceded. "We can talk about it inside."
She turned to one of the soldiers passing by. "Davant, make sure the rhydonium is offloaded and properly stored. I don't want any more fuel leaks. That last one could have easily destroyed the base."
"Yes, Lady Edge," the man replied before scurrying off toward the Insurgent.
Abie motioned for Twitch to follow before heading into the base. The original smuggler's den was a single large room at the base of the mountain. The compound was then expanded into the mountain with numerous tunnels and rooms drilled into the soft rock. The timber that was harvested by Oster to clear room for the landing field was used to support the passages.
Abie and Twitch eventually arrived at the base's briefing room.
Twitch was quick to speak. "It's been four months since Lena was captured and we have done nothing. You told Rhodes we would help once the base was situated. It is and we have done nothing."
"I've been trying," Abie said. "Without knowing where Lena is, there isn't much we can do in the way of rescuing her. Grand Admiral Leneh Rod is nowhere to be found. I've had Flin monitoring the bug in Governor Kerrim's office, and he hasn't picked up anything to do with Lena or the Admiral. I am not sure what else to do."
"And?" Twitch shot back. "The Governor must know where they are. Maybe if we can get Rhodes to her, he can convince her to tell him. Those two have history, right?"
Abie shook her head. "We don't know that. And if she does know, there is no guarantee that she will actually tell him. It's too risky. We would be going in blind."
By now, Twitch was sporting a glare. "So that's it. After everything those two have done, we are just going to sit? We can't just do that to them."
Abie was struggling with the dilemma more than she was letting on. She knew she promised Rhodes they would get her back but what choice did they have? Every one of their recent victories have been based on solid intel that gave them a high probability of success. But what Twitch was suggesting... that was strategically foolish. But fortunately, strategy wasn't the only way to win battles.
"You're right," Abie agreed.
Twitch gave her a puzzled look, fully expecting her to keep fighting.
"I think I can help," Abie continued. "Based on our surveillance, we have been able to piece together the Governor's schedule. She is leaving for Coruscant tomorrow morning and will be gone for a few weeks. So, if you wanted to make a move, it's now or we wait."
A grin had spread across Twitch's face. Abie was finally going to let him do something. "We could deploy the fleet in orbit around Serenno. We ambush the Governor's light cruiser right after they escape the planet's gravitational pull but before they can jump to hyperspace. We use ion mines to disable the ship and board."
Abie's blank expression hadn't changed. "I don't think I am willing to deploy the whole fleet for this; however, you may take the Iron Stump and any soldiers willing. This mission is for you and Rhodes to plan."
"I'll take what I can get," he cheered. Twitch pumped his fist and ran out of the room.
He quickly exited the compound and headed for the base of the mountain. The climb was arduous but didn't take too long. He eventually reached the small plateau that sat atop the mountain.
In the middle, sat Rhodes. The Jedi was on his knees with both lightsabers sitting in the snow in front of him. His eyes were closed, and his hands lay still on his thighs.
"Another mission?" Rhodes asked, not bothering to open his eyes.
Twitch wasn't sure if it was the snow crunching under his feet or Rhodes' Jedi mystics, but it was still startling that Rhodes knew he was there. "Actually, yes."
"Why didn't you just use the communicator like usual?" Rhodes replied, his eyes finally opening.
"Because this mission is a special one. We are going to figure out where Lena is."
Rhodes produced a halfhearted smile. He hadn't given up on Lena, but it was hard to believe that anyone in this rebel group actually wanted to help. Rhodes stumbled to his feet before walking over to Twitch. "How do you propose we do that?"
Twitch's expression was determined. His voice was firm. "We just need you to talk to the Governor. If Lena is alive, she—"
"She is. I know she is," Rhodes cut in.
"Right," Twitch continued, unphased by Rhodes' interruption. "The Governor should know something that will help us. And since you two know each other, I thought you could get it out of her."
Rhodes began to nod. "Maybe. Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, I do. Here's what we are going to do," Twitch replied, a sense of excitement in his voice.
"You worry too much, Lugos," Kasdeya joked as she finished packing her bag. "I will only be gone for two weeks. It will probably be meeting after meeting with senators and other planetary governors."
Lugos was squirming with anxiety. "I understand, Your Excellency, but what about the rebels? What if they attack while you and that admiral are gone."
Kasdeya shrugged off the comment. "The rebels haven't struck on Serenno in over two months. All their attacks have been elsewhere in the sector. It looks like they don't care much for Serenno anymore. You and Minister Henning should be able to handle things in my absence."
"Very well, Governor," Lugos muttered, accepting the fact that he wouldn't win this argument. The short, blue-haired man bowed before exiting the Governor's quarters.
Kasdeya sighed as a grim expression replaced the care-free one she had shown Lugos. Who was she kidding? She was summoned to Coruscant to face her failure to stop the rebels. But what did they expect? The only sort of military training she had received was about Imperial procedure, not how to combat a rebel insurgency.
The one thing she did do well was already taken out of her control. Kasdeya had always been good with numbers and science. Making sure the mines of Serenno ran smoothly was her main focus. Now that blasted admiral had handed them over to Minister Henning, someone she hadn't even heard of until recently.
Now, she had no idea what was in store. Whatever they were going to do to her, she would just have to find out.
Kasdeya Kerrim made her way to the docking tube where her assigned Imperial light cruiser was docked. She moved to the bridge where she was met by one of the Imperial officers who commanded the ship.
She had tried to learn their names but with the Imperial Navy being a revolving door of promotions and transfers, it was always difficult. This one was Lieutenant Solite... at least she thought that was the man's name.
"We can leave for Coruscant immediately," Kasdeya said to the officer in a voice as official as she could muster.
Solite confirmed the order and the light cruiser ascended into the Serenno sky. A few minutes later, they had broken out of the planet's atmosphere.
Kasdeya looked out the viewport into the vast expanse of space. This was where she was happiest. She wanted nothing more than to be out there, exploring the galaxy... but she was given little choice. The Empire insisted she take this position, assuring her that only she could ensure the loyalty of her home planet.
As much as she loved living on Serenno, she couldn't help but miss the months where she and Rhodes were on the run, traveling the stars.
Her daydreaming was cut short when one of the sensors began to beep rapidly. "Report!" she shouted, trying to sound like an actual military leader.
"Multiple ships coming out of hyperspace directly ahead of us," the sensor officer replied. As he was saying this, three ships plunged out of hyperspace. "One frigate and two starfighters. They are hailing us, Your Excellency."
Kasdeya shuddered. I have a bad feeling about this, she thought as she moved to the front of the bridge. "Put them through."
The channel was mostly static at first but soon smoothed out. "Uh, hello?" the voice started. "Is this the ship of Governor Kerrim?"
"Yes, it is. Governor Kerrim speaking. State your business, unidentified frigate."
"No thank you. You already gave me what I need. All fighters, set s-foils in attack position. Aim for—" The voice cut off mid-sentence as the channel was shut down.
A few seconds later, the two fighters were rapidly accelerating toward the light cruiser.
"Raise the shields, activate the turbolasers, launch fighters!" Kasdeya ordered, recalling her basic battle procedure training from the academy.
The three crew members on the bridge snapped into action, obeying the orders without question. The enemy fighters had closed within firing distance, weaving between turbolaser shots.
The first three TIE fighters coming out of the launch tube didn't stand a chance as they were torn to shreds by the concentrated fire from the two enemy ships.
Kasdeya grunted. That was already half of the fighters that were stationed on her ship. The precision of this attack had caught her off guard. She watched the viewport as the last three TIEs flew out of the ship.
"Enemy frigate is accelerating toward us, Governor," Lieutenant Solite shouted.
"Concentrate turbolaser fire on the frigate. Let the TIEs handle the fighters."
"Another ship has just entered the system. Light freighter by the looks of it," another voice shouted.
"Never mind that!" Kasdeya countered. "Focus on the ships that are shooting at us!"
The frigate was closing the distance. It looked like it was swinging around the light cruiser before it abruptly changed its course.
Solite was frantically looking between the various workstations and back to the viewport. "Enemy frigate is on a collision course with our starboard turbolaser!"
"They are crazy!" Kasdeya shrieked as the frigate crashed into the side of the light cruiser.
The whole ship lurched, throwing Solite and Kasdeya to the ground. The overall force of the collision turned the light cruiser's nose toward the planet.
It was now clear that the attacking frigate was a hammerhead corvette, a style of ship that was specifically designed to perform that maneuver. The reinforced "hammerhead" nose of the ship had left a sizable gash in the side of the cruiser, undoubtedly killing dozens of stormtroopers and naval officers.
"Damage report!" Kasdeya ordered as she stumbled to her feet.
"Starboard side turbolaser has been knocked out. Shields took a major hit and—"
Shots from the two fighters raked across the hull of the light cruiser with no more TIE fighters in pursuit.
"—now shields are down!"
Kasdeya began to panic. A few more passes from those fighters and the cruiser was as good as scrap metal.
This isn't how it's supposed to go, Kasdeya thought. But they attacked so fast. If there was only enough time to deploy all the TIE's... No. What ifs can wait.
Before she could make another order, the ship lurched again. An officer was quick to inform her that thrusters had been knocked out. The fighters swung around again as the frigate continued to push the light cruiser toward the planet.
Kasdeya closed her eyes, expecting the worst. But there was nothing. The fighters had stopped firing and had instead split off. The frigate had also dislodged its nose from the side of the cruisier, leaving it adrift just above Serenno's atmosphere.
Kasdeya opened her eyes and surveyed the bridge. The other officers seemed just as confused as her. Just as she was going to say something, the door behind her slid open.
And then she heard it... the familiar hum of a lightsaber.
Kasdeya turned around to see Rhodes, standing with lightsabers in both hands. Behind him was a trail of unconscious stormtroopers and sliced apart blasters.
The bridge crew had been so occupied with the space battle that they hadn't noticed their comms were jammed. The two officers at the ship's controls were quick to draw their sidearms, sending bolts toward the Jedi. He deflected the shots with ease, sending them back into the chests of the two men.
All that remained was Kasdeya and the Lieutenant who didn't dare take a shot himself.
"Where is she?" Rhodes bellowed.
Kasdeya glanced around the room, but she knew who he was talking to. "I don't know," Kasdeya said softly.
"You are lying," Rhodes accused. "I know you know something."
Kasdeya didn't have time to defend herself before the ship jolted again.
"I told you to pull back, Twitch!" Rhodes yelled into his commlink.
The voice on the other end was quick to respond. "That wasn't me. The X-wings and the Kestrel pulled back as well. It looks like the ship just fell into Serenno's atmosphere."
Rhodes grunted under his breath. "Stay back. There isn't much you can do. I'll figure it out."
Rhodes looked up to see Kasdeya mashing buttons on a keyboard. A few seconds later, the lights turned red, and a monotone voice came over the ship's internal comms saying, "All hands, abandon ship."
Before he knew it, Kasdeya had taken a hold of Rhodes' wrist and was pulling him back the way they came. "Escape pods are this way!" she shouted.
The two ran through the doomed ship's hallways until reaching a row of escape pods. A very confused Solite was doing his best to keep pace with the two. Rhodes hooked both lightsabers to his belt before boarding the pod. Kasdeya and Solite were quick to follow.
Once the three of them were in the capsule, Kasdeya smashed the launch button.
The escape pod sped away from the crashing ship, heading for one of the vast plains of Serenno. Rhodes was at the escape pod's controls, aggressively trying to slow the craft down. The escape pod went crashing into the ground, throwing its occupants around the small chamber. The capsule slid into the dirt, eventually coming to a stop.
Rhodes groaned as he looked up. The viewport of the pod was mostly buried under the ground, but Rhodes could see that they had landed in the plains.
Kasdeya was blinking her eyes and rubbing her head. Solite was lying unconscious in the back of the pod, a bruise already forming on his head.
"Are you ok?" Rhodes asked, his face showing clear concern.
"I'll live," Kasdeya mumbled. "This is nothing compared to those Separatist assassin droids we took out."
A full smile spread across his face, the first time he had smiled like this in months.
Before he could reminisce anymore, the sound of a ship could be heard passing over.
"Your friends I suppose," Kasdeya breathed, suddenly coming back to reality. She was still an Imperial governor and Rhodes was a rebel.
"We would happily take you in, you know," Rhodes said while he crawled toward the viewport. He peered out the small section of exposed viewport before ducking back out of view.
"Not my friends," Rhodes gulped as he looked back at Kasdeya. "And not Imperial either."
Kasdeya cursed under her breath. "Pirates. They are known to frequent these plains. Quick, give me your lightsabers."
Rhodes squinted at her. "Are you crazy? Why would I give you my lightsabers?"
Kasdeya rolled her eyes as she began to unfasten the collar of her uniform tunic. "If they realize they have a Jedi and an Imperial governor, we may not be able to get out of here. It's better to hide them here."
Rhodes weighed his options for a few seconds. "Fine," he finally conceded. "But once we get out of here, we are coming back for them."
By now Kasdeya was in a simple black tank top and was stuffing her tunic along with her rank plaque into a small compartment. She took his lightsabers and blaster and stuck them in the same compartment before sealing it shut.
Kasdeya and Rhodes sat in silence as they listened to the pirates talking outside the pod. A few minutes passed before a small drill pierced through the viewport followed by an equally sized tube. A pink gas cloud began emanating from the tube, filling the pod.
"Sleep gas," Rhodes coughed.
A few seconds later, Kasdeya and Rhodes were unconscious next toSolite.