Chapter VIII - "New Friends..."
Chapter VIII - "New Friends..."
Garazeb Orrelios was not a very patient Lasat. Although he hailed from a long line of great Lasan Honor Guards, his tolerance for long discussions was beginning to dwindle in his older age—as was his perception of what constituted a "long discussion." In this case, it was about thirty minutes. Or maybe a little more. Zeb couldn't tell. Perhaps it was the foreboding feeling of futility that had been slowly creeping over him that initiated the unrest. A thought had lingered in the back of his mind that as they stood there idly, awaiting the resolution of the counsel of friendship, they were doing little more than adding suspense to their cause and prolonging the inevitable.
"Ugh," muttered Zeb, verbalizing his thoughts aloud. "They're not going to help us. We should just leave them a thank you note and head back to the ship."
Ezra, who was tweaking a setting on his lightsaber, quickly returned it to his side and answered diplomatically: "Come on—we don't know that, Zeb. We should give them a chance before we decide to go."
"We're the ones out of chances!" The Lasat shot back, quickly. "What were we thinking tellin' them the truth? They're never going to help us now. Did you see the looks on their faces? Pssh, they're terrified."
"And why shouldn't they be?" Sabine asked. "For all they know, five aliens from outer space just dropped out of the sky and told them they potentially brought an intergalactic war to their doorstep. I think being afraid is right up there with the most reasonable reactions; don't you, Zeb?"
"I don't blame them for bein' afraid," Zeb replied. "I just don't think they're going to help—and I'm starting to wonder if its even fair for us to expect them to. This is our war, after all—not theirs. If the Empire shows up, we should be the ones taking the blow. These... ponies... they're good people. They don't deserve to be caught up in our conflict."
"Deserve it or not, a confrontation with the Empire may be inevitable." Hera said. "The council of friendship knows this. We made our situation perfectly clear."
"I agree. We can only hope that their fear will be to our advantage," Kanan added. "If they see getting us off-world as the best way to ensure their own safety, there's a good chance they might offer us their help, after all."
"Wait, fear?" said Ezra, turning to his master with an upraised brow. "Kanan, I thought you told me fear was a bad thing?"
"Never let fear control you," the ex-Jedi clarified. "But sometimes, fear is necessary to trigger our survival mechanisms. In this case, their fear might work to our advantage."
"And even if it doesn't, telling the truth was the right call." Hera stated, placing a hand on Ezras shoulder. "Thank you for speaking up when you did, Ezra."
"Agreed. We're both proud of you." Kanan said, placing a hand of his own on the young Jedis shoulder.
"Not that there isn't something to be said about honesty..." Zeb said, somewhat reluctantly. "I still not sure tellin' 'em the truth was the best idea. Even if they help us, they're puttin' themselves at risk to do it. That doesn't sit well with me. I don't like to feel like I owe someone."
"Hate to agree, but Zeb has a point." Sabine acknowledged. "Like it or not, we're getting a peaceful race involved in a mess that isn't their job to clean up."
"What're you saying?" Kanan asked with a frown.
"I'm saying that maybe we shouldn't've allowed Fluttershy to help us when she offered." the mandalorian teen replied.
"It doesn’t help anybody—thinking like that!" said Kanan, sternly. "Not when we can't change the past. If you and Zeb feel so bad about it, then maybe you can start thinking of ways to square this with our new friends when they get back to us."
"Hey, I was just saying Zeb has a point." Sabine shrugged. "I wasn't throwing a pity party."
"That... may not be the worst idea." Hera mused, contemplatively.
"What?" Kanan asked with surprise.
"A pity party?" Ezra sounded surprised as well.
"No," Hera answered. "I mean, squaring this with our new friends. Whether they choose to help us or not—we're their guests as long as we're stranded here. I think it's worth discussing what we can do to repay their kindness. Like Zeb said, these.... ponies... they're good people. I wouldn't feel right leaving them empty-handed regardless of the decision they come to."
"Repay them?" asked Zeb, incredulously. "Now we're being a bit wishful, don't you think? Putting aside the fact that if they don't help us somehow we'll be stranded on this planet forever—what could we possibly give them in return for their help? We're barely getting by on our own as it is. They don't need money—and whatever else we could give them wouldn't do any good if the whole idea is to leave no trace of us behind. We couldn't help them if we wanted to."
"Hey, maybe we can give them Chopper," Sabine joked.
The droid made a noise that sounded like an annoyed haw-haw.
"Yeah..." said Zeb, rolling his eyes at the joke. "Sounds more like a punishment, if you ask me."
"Wait... what if we didn't give them something physical? You know—like what if we just gave them knowledge, instead?" Ezra suggested. Everyone turned to the boy as he continued: "Fluttershy told me that Twilight Sparkle is a scientist. I bet if we shared with knowledge of our technology, she would be super grateful!"
"That's... not a bad idea." Sabine mused. " I could leave them a datapad with the Ghosts schematics. It's too small to detect with a technology scan, so its unlikely the Empire would find it. I'm sure the technologic knowledge in it would be a major breakthrough for this planet."
"Assuming they know how to read Aurebesh." Zeb pointed out.
"Well, they speak basic, don't they?" Sabine reasoned. "Why wouldn't they be able to read it?"
"It's a thought, at least." Kanan agreed.
"Right? And Who knows!" Ezra added, excitedly. "Maybe they could share some of their knowledge with us as well!"
Zeb scoffed.
"Like what? Knowledge of how to cook?" The Lasat paused for a moment. "Heh, actually, that doesn't sound too bad, after all. But you're all forgetting one thing; they haven't told us they're going to help yet. We're being a bit too wishful, don't you think?"
Just as the words were leaving his mouth, the doors to the council chamber creaked open behind them and revealed the smiling face of Starlight Glimmer.
"Um, hey there, guys!" said the unicorn, happily. "The council is ready to you see again. We want to know how we can help!"
All the members of the Ghost crew turned to Zeb.
"Yeah, alright," the Lasat admitted, sheepishly. "What was that thing about knowledge again, Ezra?"
Agent Kallus set down his helmet and splashed some water on his face from his canteen. After several hours of marching through the forest along side the the Imperial divisions led by Lieutenant Lyste, Agent Kallus and the other men in formation were being granted a few minutes of rest while the Lieutenant went over their positional data. Apparently, something was interfering with the navigational equipment guiding them through the forest to the rebels position. In order to avoid getting lost and thus stranded on the strange planet, Agent Kallus had suggested using more traditional methods to navigate. Thus, while the Lieutenant began the transition from more advanced methods to more traditional means by retrieving the necessary equipment to make it possible, Agent Kallus and the stormtroopers with him enjoyed the much-needed intermission.
As Agent Kallus gave a sigh of relief and put back on his combat helmet—not for the first time that day, he caught a glimpse of the shadowy stalker from before, eyeing him in his peripheral. Once again it was watching, staring at him from the shadows like a haunting specter. In the past, whenever Agent Kallus had turned to meet its gaze, it had simply vanished without a trace; and yet, here it was again—daring him to look its way once more. Agent Kallus quickly took the dare and lifted his bo-rifle in the direction of the mysterious animal. However, to his surprise, this time, the shadow did not flee. Instead, it hovered far off in the foliage—a pair of glowing yellow eyes meeting his own gaze without trepidation. Agent Kallus narrowed his eyes and put his finger on the trigger of his bo-rifle. Whatever it was, sentient or not—he didn't like to be stalked. He was just about to pull the trigger when all of a sudden, a scream from one of the stormtroopers at the front of the division pierced the dense forest air around the division.
"TK-961!" another stormtrooper cried out. "Contact! Contact!"
A moment later, laserfire erupted in the direction of the scream. Agent Kallus adverted his eyes for a second in the direction of the interruption, only to find when he switched it back to the shadow that it had once again vanished. With a growl, Agent Kallus lowered his bo-rifle and sprinted towards the blasterfire. As much concern as he had for his anxiety-inducing stalker, a combat situation was certainly more relevant considering their mission. He would have to investigate it later, but for now, he had a job to do.
"Agent Kallus!" Lieutenant Lyste cried from atop his hovertank as the Imperial agent approached. "Something is attacking our troops at the front!"
Agent Kallus nodded and rushed alongside several other stormtroopers heading in the direction of the scream. When they arrived at the front of the tanks, the five stormtroopers that had been positioned there initially were nowhere to be found. Curiously, their blasters lay strewn about on the woodland floor, but the soldiers were nowhere to be seen. Agent Kallus raised his bo-rifle and scanned the area before them—searching for the reported contact. However, to his surprise, there was little visual evidence of a struggle—or even that blasterfire had occurred at all. No laser burns marked the trees in front of them, and the tracks where the stormtroopers had stood merely stopped right where they were planted.
Agent Kallus narrowed his eyes. There was something dangerous still out here. He could feel it in his bones.
"TK-811, do you copy?" one of the stormtroopers behind Kallus said, trying his comm. "Tk-811, do you read?"
The stormtrooper turned to Agent Kallus after a few seconds.
"Nothing on the comm, sir."
Agent Kallus continued to peer into the darkness of the woods beyond—scanning the scenery for movement and attuning his ears to the slightest sound. At first, there was nothing. The forest was absolutely quiet, absolutely still... but then, Agent Kallus heard a snap above him. Immediately all those beside him followed his gaze with raised blasters as he lifted his eyes to the source of the sound.
No one was prepared for the horror that met their sights.
There, dangling from thick, green vines in the canopy above them; the five missing stormtroopers that they were looking for hung by their necks, unable to breath. The long, tenacle-like vines that constricted them slithered like snakes through the air around their bodies, preventing their movements and thus retaliation.
"What the....?!" a stormtrooper behind Agent Kallus muttered, breathlessly.
At his exclamation, several vines swimming through the air stopped and snapped in the direction of the imperial troops on the ground.
Agent Kallus quickly lifted his bo-rifle and aimed it at the vines.
"All troopers, open fire!" he shouted intensely.
Immediately a barrage of lasers leaped from their blasters as the vines darted towards them, furiously. Although dozens of the tentacles were obliterated at the flurry of laserfire, many got through and began to drag troopers upwards into the canopy to be with their dying allies.
"Watch your fire!" Agent Kallus ordered. "Concentrate on the vines constricting our men!"
The living entrails reached down like a web of snakes, wrapping around limbs, armor, and necks. Several stormtroopers screamed as they were lifted into the air and virtually mummified in seconds by the twisting vines. Agent Kallus continued to fire at the advancing strangulators despite the chaos around him. He was able to zap many of the vines as he fired rapidly and accurately—but there were far too many tentacles to free the stormtroopers entangled in their arms. The few that he was able to free for a moment were never lucky enough to remain unrestrained for more than a few seconds. As they began to tumble towards the ground, they quickly found themselves snagged by yet other vines and hoisted back up into the air.
"Fall back!" Agent Kallus cried, backstepping towards the tank as he disintegrated another web of hellish green entrails darting towards him. "Behind the tanks!"
The entire division of stormtroopers could easily see the deadly vines now from anywhere in the convoy. Soon the dense air of the alien forest was alight with laserfire. Although the laserbolts were effective at searing through multiple vines at once, the living entrails began to drop down so thickly that most of the stormtroopers that were taken up into the canopy disappeared from sight almost immediately. The forward imperial tank provided little cover from the wrathful vines which quickly began to entangle it in its webs.
"Lieutenant Lyste!" Agent Kallus cried, retreating to the last tank as the officer fearfully defended himself with his blaster pistol. "Fall back to the command post! Inform the Resurgence that we've encountered local wildlife resistance!"
"A good suggestion, Agent Kallus!" the man agreed, quickly. In almost no time at all, he disappeared into the belly of the tank. Moments later, it began to reverse as Agent Kallus pressed against its side and continued to fire upwards. For several moments, his sustained fire allowed many troopers still on the ground to ward off the vines—but sadly, there were far too many. Before Agent Kallus knew what was happening, a stray vine wrapped around his ankle and pulled him off his feet.
"Aggh!" Agent Kallus growled as he was lifted into the air. He switched his bo-rifle into its bo-staff configuration and plunged it into the vine. To his surprise, the electrical current it emitted sent a noticeable yellow shock all the way up the vine, causing many of the surrounding tentacles to go limp. Agent Kallus instantly plummeted to the ground, crashing hard on his back. Although such an impact would normally knock the breath out of someone for falling from that height, Agent Kallus was a professional and knew how to conserve his breath. Recovering quickly, he switched on his com and shouted into it: "Troopers, switch blasters to stun! Fire directly into the canopy!"
In moments, the air that was filled with red laserfire converted into blue rings of concentrated energy. As the loops zapped the onslaught of entrails, dozens of vines began to go limp all at once. Soon, from the thick mess of vines, stormtroopers began to drop to the ground. Some fell better than others, but it wasn't long before it seemed like every single stormtrooper that had gone up into the canopy had crashed back down.
"Cease fire!" Agent Kallus cried. After a few more seconds of firing, the forest became quiet once again save for the moans of injured stormtroopers. "Help the wounded! Untangle that mess on the forward tank!" Kallus ordered.
A few stormtroopers acknowledged the order and went to carry it out as they were told. Agent Kallus pressed a button on his bo-rifle, retracting the bo-staff extension back into the gun and gave a sigh of relief. Swinging his weapon over his shoulder, he snapped the rifle on his back and lifted his comm, saying into it: "Lieutenant Lyste, this is Agent Kallus. The threat has been neutralized. You may return to formation unimpeded."
"Thank you, Agent Kallus!" the Lieutenants voice replied over the comm. "We'll be there shortly. Lieutenant Lyste, out."
Agent Kallus switched off his comm then lifted his hand to his gaze and realized it was shaking ever-so-slightly. That was strange. It had never happened before. Agent Kallus closed his hand into a fist to see if it would stop shaking. Unfortunately, it had not. Kallus shook his head and chose to ignore the strange sight. There was probably a perfectly rational explanation for it. Perhaps it was simply a fresh dose of adrenaline coursing through his veins, or a result of how tightly he was gripping his bo-staff. In any case, Kallus knew the source of the reaction was this forest. There was something about it. Something dark, something unnatural. He still didn't know what it was, but he was sure those glowing yellow eyes had something to do with it. Speaking of...
Agent Kallus felt a gaze fall on him once again. Turning around, he spotted the glowing yellow eyes from before, watching him as they had been so menacingly since they first appeared. So. He was right. This was the cause of the ambush. This was the cause of their struggle against the forest itself. He didn't know what the creature was, or why it had chosen to wage war against the Empire—but he knew it wouldn't be able to stop him from completing his mission. Strange, unnatural, deadly—the forest was many things... but nothing compared to the superior might of the Empire. Agent Kallus frowned and gazed directly into the eyes of the creature in the darkness beyond. His narrowed eyes said it all.
Bring it on, alien. The Empire is here.
And the Empire does not surrender so easily.
The Ghost crew stood about the council chamber in Princess Twilights castle, conversing with its equine members and thanking them for their support. In the short time it had taken the ponies to deliberate about their precarious situation, the council of friendship had just as speedily accepted the members of the Ghost crew as their new friends. To the majority of the crew—it was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Even the likes of Zeb was warming up to the idea (although he didn't really show it) as he spoke to Applejack, the orange mare in the cowboy hat. She had some interesting things to say about letting other ponies lend a hoof. Zeb listened patiently with crossed arms as she recalled a time where she learned that lesson the hard way. He seemed to be... tolerating the story.
Hera Syndulla smiled as she overheard a bit of the tale. Whether it was true or not, it seemed everybody was having interesting conversations with the councilmembers of friendship. Ezra Bridger was asking Pinkie Pie about a trick she had pulled while Sabine and Rainbow Dash spoke about the fastest speeds it's possible to travel without the aid of technology. The mare suggested it was possible to travel beyond the speed of sound—fast enough to create something called a "rainboom," but Sabine was more than a little skeptical. Nearby, Fluttershy spoke in a soft voice to Chopper. The droid, for once, seemed to be behaving himself—even though Rarity was making comments about his colorscheme. That unicorn seriously had an eye for fashion. Hera wondered if the mare was serious about sewing her a dress. It seemed far too generous a thing to give a stranger, but then again, these ponies seemed to be very generous creatures.
Kanan Jarrus had to agree. Hera turned to him as he spoke to Twilight Sparkle and her pupil, Starlight Glimmer, just a few meters away. The man was voicing his thanks to the duo for their willingness to help.
"We're grateful—truly." she heard him say. "You may have just given us a second chance here."
"We can't turn a blind eye when somepony is in need," the alicorn answered with a gentle smile.
"Even so, I imagine it's hard for you," Kanan said. "It must be difficult not to feel like you're putting your people in danger."
"No, it's not that." Twilight answered. "The way I'm helping my ponies is by helping you. The sooner we get you off this planet, the better."
"Do you think with your limited technology you'll be able to help us repair our ship?" asked Hera, joining in the conversation, politely.
"I don't know..." replied Twilight, truthfully. "I'll have to see what we're dealing with first. But I know that at the very least, I can try."
"Ah, don't be so modest, Twilight," Spike smirked as he walked up beside the alicorn. "If there's anypony who can fix an alien spaceship—it's you!"
"You can say that again!" Starlight Glimmer agreed with a firm nod. "You guys are in good hoofs. Twilight can fix anything—friendship problem or not!"
"I like the vote of confidence." Kanan smiled.
"Me too. There must be some way we can repay you," offered Hera, feeling a bit guilty at all the generosity. "Perhaps we—"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Twilight said with a wave of her hoof. "I think getting to see a real-life alien spaceship up close will be a reward enough!"
"Really, you're too kind," Hera replied with a smile of her own. "I don't think we've ever experienced this level of kindness before."
"I can't take all the credit. I learned from my friends." said Twilight, glancing in Fluttershy's direction. "You should know; even after you told us about the war, Fluttershy vouched for you all until the very end. I think she likes your Ezra Bridger."
"Yeah, well," Kanan chuckled and regarded Hera, warmly. "We like him too."
"You all seem very close." Starlight Glimmer observed. "Almost like a family."
"Family..." Hera nodded, returning Kanans warm grin with her own. "I think that describes us nicely."
"Something to fight for—that's for sure." Kanan agreed.
"Let's hope it doesn't come down to fighting, yeah?" Interjected Sabine as she walked up to the group with Rainbow Dash at her side. "Sorry for the interruption. Rainbow Dash and I were just wondering what the plan is."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash butted in, enthusiastically. "What's the strat? I'm ready to kick some imperial butts!"
"Like Sabine said—hopefully there won't be any Imperial butts to kick," Hera answered, quickly. "But I like the enthusiasm."
"And you've certainly had a change of heart," Kanan smirked at the rainbow-maned pegasus, crossing his arms.
"Yeaaah, well," chuckled Rainbow Dash. "That was before I got chatting with Sabine. Dude's pretty cool!"
"You're not too bad yourself," Sabine said with a chuckle of her own as she nudged the pegasus on the shoulder. "So what's the plan?" she repeated. "I'm ready to get started."
"Agreed," said Hera. "I think it's time we went over the plan we discussed earlier, Kanan."
"Right. Better get to it."
Kanan turned to the rest of the group and stepped forward.
"Alright—everyone, listen up! First of all, I want to thank all of you. I didn't expect this outcome. I'm grateful that all of you are willing to help."
"It took some convinin', but we all came 'round eventually," Applejack said teasingly, casting a look at Rainbow Dash.
"Regardless, we're in your debt." continued the ex-Jedi. "So we'll have to square that when this is over. For now, we need to discuss the plan. Hera?"
The Twi'lek nodded and stepped up beside Kanan.
"We need to return to the Ghost and make an inventory of everything that needs repair." she said. "Kanan and I will take a small group to the crash site. We'll salvage what we can for now and return later with the parts we need to make repairs. Some of the parts will probably need to be hand-fashioned here in the village, although that could pose a problem if we're under a time constraint. We still have no idea if the Empire was able to track us or not—so we'll need a team to stay behind and crack open the memory core of that buzzdroid."
"Buzzdroid?" Starlight Glimmer asked in confusion.
"A remote imperial breaching droid capable of disabling a starship and tracking its location," Sabine explained. "We have the remains of the one that brought us down yesterday. Ezra sliced it in half. Luckily, its memory core is still intact. With a power source, we might be able to crack open its files and determine if it was able to transmit a signal to the Imperial forces or not."
"Sounds like a good plan," said Ezra, tapping his chin in thought.
"Sounds like our only plan," said Zeb. "It's not like we have much of a choice."
"Um, Hera?" Fluttershy spoke up, timidly. All eyes turned to the meek mare. "What if the, um, Empire received a signal from the buzzdroid...?"
"We... hope that hasn't happened yet," Hera replied, warily.
"And it won't do us any good to speculate whether it has or not." Kanan answered. "Right now, we should break off into teams and get to work. Hera, Twilight, and myself are going to the crash-site to make inventory of the parts we need for repair. That leaves supplies, weapons maintenance, and buzzdroid duty to you guys. Who's doing what?"
"I'll take care of the buzzdroid." Sabine volunteered, quickly. "I know how to hookup a makeshift interfacer. Just need to find a power source with enough energy to get it running."
"I can help you with that," Starlight Glimmer said. "I have something in mind that may work."
"Thank you," Hera said with a nod. "Any other volunteers?"
"That sounds a liiiitttllle too science-y for me," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "I think helping with the alien weapons sounds more my speed!"
"I need to adjust a setting on my lightsaber, anyway," Ezra said with a smirk. "I'll help Rainbow Dash with the weapons."
"Oh, me too! Me too!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced up and down, excitedly. "I'm reaaaalllly good at cleaning things. Those weapons will be going pew-pew in no time!"
"Whoa there, Nelly!" Applejack chuckled, stepping up beside Ezra as the pink mare joined them. "Ah think you'd be best helpin' our new friends here with somethin' else, sugarcube. I ain't too keen on the idea of you handle'n alien weaponry. Ah'll join Rainbow Dash and Ezra with the weapons."
"So. That leaves us with the supplies, then?" asked Zeb. "Me and Pinkie Pie, I mean...?"
"I should think not!" Rarity answered. "I shan't leave you two to this task alone. I shall assist you with the supplies. I don't quite know exactly what daring rebels wear in space, but I'll do my best to make you look the part! Oooh~, I'm feeling a bit inspired by the excitement of it all!"
Starlight Glimmer stifled a laugh.
"I don't think they'll be needing new outfits in space more than they'll be needing food, Rarity," the unicorn mused.
"Oh, pish-posh!" Rarity replied, indignantly. "They politely requested supplies. As the element of generosity, I see no reason to be any less inclined to provide them with the boldest fashion while simultaneously aiding them in their quest for sustenance!"
"It's settled, then." Twilight Sparkle acknowledged. "Pinkie Pie and Rarity will help Zeb with supplies. That just leaves Spike, Fluttershy, and Chopper."
"Chop is with us." Kanan, informed her. "We'll need his scanners to find the Ghost. Something tells me that without him it'll be easy to get lost in the forest."
"We wouldn't want that." the alicorn replied with a smirk. "No complaints. Chopper comes with us."
"Aaannnnd so does Spike!" the purple dragon said, walking up next to Twilight, proudly. "You'll need a fire-breathing dragon anyway in case you run into any trouble!"
"I don't think things will get that exciting," Hera chuckled. "But you're welcome to tag along."
"What about Fluttershy...?" Ezra asked. "She doesn't have a team yet."
"Oh," the timid mare smiled. "I don't think I'm needed on anyponies team. I'm just happy to be here with new friends."
"Oh! Oh! You can help us with supplies!" Pinkie shouted, excitedly.
"Uhhh, wait," Zeb interjected, cautiously. "Don't you think we already have enough volunteers for supplies?" The lasat gave the Ghost crew a look that they immediately recognized. It was one Zeb only wore in the most dire of circumstances.
It was a cry for help.
Sabine stifled a laugh in amusement.
"Well... you can never have too much help. Right, Zeb?"
The lasat gave the teen a frown.
"Right..." he answered, hardly concealing the annoyance in his tone.
"Ohhh! And after we get supplies, we can have a DINNER party!!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
At the mention of dinner, Zeb seemed to perk up a bit. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all...
The Ghost. Agent Kallus had seen it many times before, but never so up close and personal. It had seen better days of course; but that didn't stop Agent Kallus from gliding his hand along the underbelly of her hull in admiration of her beauty. The rebel vessel was magnificent. Many a star-farer could only dream of piloting such a sleek and sturdy vessel. The VCX-100 was renowned as a top-of-the line light freighter with a tasteful design and tough exterior. How Hera Syndulla was ever able to afford such a ship—Kallus could hardly say. All he knew was that the Twi'lek would never abandon such a remarkable vessel unless she absolutely had to.
And that meant she would return. Agent Kallus smirked to himself.
"Sir," came the voice of one of the stormtroopers who approached Kallus from the rear. "We just finished the final sweep. No rebels."
It was to be expected. Agent Kallus had already guessed that they would be nowhere to be found since Lieutenant Lyste and himself led their platoon to the rebel ship less than half an hour before and locked it down. Initial impressions of the crash site had given the seasoned Imperial Agent reason to believe the ship had been momentarily evacuated—but it was clear the rebels intended to return, in time.
"They cannot have gotten far," Kallus replied, turning to the white-clad soldiers. "Set up concealed positions just beyond the perimeter. We'll catch them in a trap when they return."
"Yes, sir!" The troopers saluted.
"What about the tanks?" Inquired Lieutenant Lyste, who had been standing nearby directing troops per Agent Kallus' suggestions.
"The tanks are fine where they are, Lieutenant." Kallus answered, coolly. "They'll go unnoticed by the rebels until we have them in our snare."
"Right. Very good, Agent Kallus." Lieutenant Lyste said. "Do you have any other suggestions...?"
Agent Kallus placed a hand on the young officers shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.
"You're doing a fine job, Lieutenant. I don't believe I could recommend any further tactic you would not think of yourself."
"Thank you, Agent Kallus. Your contribution to this operation is invaluable, as always."
Agent Kallus chuckled.
"Do not thank me just yet, Lieutenant. I have no doubt our operation will be a success, but as I've learned from this... imaginative rebel group—one cannot be too certain about anything."
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What a 'welcome party' the imperials received!
Well, the rebels seem to have a plan for fixing the Ghost.
...The first contact with the Empire is about to happen....
and you did still well, better lae than never
Won't it be a shock for both the Ghost crew and the Imperials once the alicorn starts blasting magic.
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no kidding!
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Also, five bits she starts salivating on the chance to see alien tech.
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Its perfectly fine, we can wait!!!
12032808
its okay
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