The crazy she-bat was right; there was no one in sight. Han sprinted down the long, winding corridors of the Star Destroyer he had been, until recently, imprisoned and tortured on. The lights seemed to be uncharacteristically darker than normal, and Han couldn't help but wonder if perhaps this was all due to that assassin's plan. Han still didn't know why she had freed him and provided him with access codes for a shuttle to escape on, and frankly, he didn't care. If it were all a ruse, and he'd be killed when he reached the hangar bay, then at least the torture would be over. Han would never give in to Vader's cruel machinations, or admit that he had been broken more times than he cared to count. A quick and painless death at the end of a blaster muzzle would be much more welcome than being locked away again.
The two guards who were watching his cell before the assassin came to see him were found mysteriously dead at the door to his cell when he opened it. Han guessed it was to cover her tracks, but he didn't care. He was able to swipe a blaster from one of them and hustle down the hallway in the direction of hangar bay ninety-four. As Han came to an intersection in the hallways, he slowed down and crept along, carefully peering around the corners to be certain he was in the clear. Again, both hallways were like a ghost town, devoid of any other life than his own. Turning left and carefully padding away, looking over his shoulder, Han hurried as quickly and quietly away as he could.
Han rounded another corner, still expecting an ambush at any time, and yet again being disappointed. He had arrived at the hangar bay, and across from him on the far side of the hangar sat the shuttle he was told about. A lone Lambda-Class T-4a shuttle sat in the aura of a spotlight high above it. Han knew this wouldn't be easy, but it was getting trickier and trickier. The empty corridors were one thing, but there were several Imperial flight technicians and pilots scattered about the flight deck, not to mention the many in the control tower keeping vigilant watch on things. With blaster at the ready, Han crouched behind a utility hovercart and surveyed the deck. Four TIE Fighter pilots stood in a group ahead and to his right, talking about past conquests and dogfights won. None appeared to have any indication he was lurking in the shadows, so he turned his attention elsewhere. further down the deck, three mechanics were busy tuning up a sleek, black ship of an unknown type. Han had never seen one of that make, but it looked deadly. It appeared to have the body of a Lambda-Class shuttle, but with aft dual laser cannons built in an arc reaching on top and bottom of the fuselage, much like a Rebel B-Wing fighter. It was a sleek matte black ship, gleaming with an inherent evil that chilled Han to the very bone. Obviously busy with tuning up the ship and finalizing it's weapons systems, the techs clearly were also not aware of Han's presence. Solo turned his gaze upward, to the scaffolding and control room high above the hangar bay, and counted four more technicians and three Imperial Stormtroopers. Han further surveyed the area, looking for his next position to move to to stay out of sight. Blasting his way wasn't going to do him any good, as it would call more troops to his location. There weren't any distractions he could cause that would remove the techs, pilots, and Stormtroopers at the same time. Han's mind was reeling, when all of a sudden, the poodoo hit the fan.
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Alarms sounded off, blaring loudly along the walls of Darth Leia's private chamber. She sat up with a jolt and flung herself out of her bed, grabbing her clothes and lightsabers and sprinted down the hall. At the end of it stood her Imperial Guard, still standing guard at the entrance to her private quarters of the ship. "Guards, what is going on here?" shouted Leia to them.
"Two Stormtroopers were found dead in the prison sector, cell block one-one-three-eight. One is missing his blaster and identification card," came back the guard, standing tall and at attention.
"Solo's cell?" asked Leia, already brimming with anger. The telltale purple haze of her Force powers swirled and whisped around her skin like an amaranthine shroud.
"Yes, Mistress," replied the Guard.
"Where is Smashbolt?" asked Leia through gritted teeth.
"She's already radioed in and on her way to the detention level, my Mistress."
"Fine. Activate the rest of the Imperial Guard, have them sweep the halls and hangar bays and kill anyone who isn't properly identified on the spot!" shouted Leia as she sprinted away from the Guard towards the detention level.
As Darth Leia approached the cell block, her slave and assassin, Smashbolt stood in the doorway, clearly seething with anger. Leia could hear her berate the cadre of Stormtroopers that stood around her. Their fear was palpable, and tasted all too sweet to Leia. She took delight in her protoge's anger and smiled to herself. "What happened?" barked Leia to her subordinate.
"Mistress Leia, my apologies for my failure," began Smashbolt. "The prisoner was able to overcome his guard and kill them, escaping his cell. It appears the prisoner surprised one guard and broke his neck, and choked the life out of the other. I believe he'll be heading to one of the hangar bays to try and escape the ship, though I confess to not knowing which hangar bay it might be."
"The failure was not yours to apologize for," said Leia as she waved her hand at the group of Stormtroopers standing before her. She picked up five of the six Stormtroopers trembling before her and crushed their throats, dropping their limp and lifeless bodies into a heap on the floor. "You there, what's your designation?" demanded Leia.
"TK-0919, Mistress Leia," answered the Stormtrooper. This one had some resolve, and didn't appear to be as fearful as the others who now laid dead at her feet.
"Well, TK-0919, I want these bodies cleared and the prisoner found. Complete these tasks, and you will be rewarded with the rank of Stormtrooper Commnader."
"Right away, Mistress Leia," remarked the Stormtrooper with a salute. With that, he turned his attention to his comlink and began to bark out orders to have bodies removed.
"Smashbolt, which hangar bays do you think he would have gone to?" asked Leia. A new wave of calm washed over Smashbolt once she was sure she wouldn't suffer any repercussions.
"On this level are hangar bays sixty-two, seventy-eight, and ninety-four. Ninety-four is heavily guarded and the 181st Pilot Guard are doing training maneuvers currently, not to mention it's on the far side of the ship. Sixty-two has been earmarked for support and back-up flights only and is unmanned, however still guarded by a squad of Deathtroopers. Seventy-eight seems to be both the closest and most likely option at this time, with no special activities or training scheduled. It'll be active, but secluded. If I were making an escape, I would find the closest and quietest hangar I could."
"I have to agree," chimed Leia. "I'll go to seventy-eight, you head to sixty-two."
"As you wish, Mistress Leia. Do you wish him recaptured?" asked Smashbolt.
"No. I want him executed immediately and violently, for all to see. Leave no room for error," ordered Leia.
"Your will be done, Mistress," answered Smashbolt.
Thena Skyblade watched Leia sprint down the hall towards hangar bay seventy-eight, rounding a corner and disappearing. She had impressed herself, able to hide her true intentions and machinations from her Mistress without being found out through the Force. Her plan for escape had begun. She hoped that her faith in the strength and resolve of a former Imperial Naval Officer would pay out.
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Han jerked with a start once the klaxons began to blare, warning the ship likely of his escape. More lights kicked on over the flight deck and the few Pilots hanging around sprinted to the lifts, taking them to the cockpits of their TIE Fighters. The techs scrambled from their work platforms and prepped the fighters for take off. Han glanced up to see what the Stormtroopers were doing on the catwalk, and they were no where to be seen. The time was now, because he was only going to get one chance at this.
Han jumped up and dashed from cover to cover, ducking down to avoid being seen by various techs and pilots scrambling about. In seconds, though it felt like hours, Han was ducking down behind the landing ramp of the shuttle. All he had to do was sneak aboard and wait for the opportune time to escape the flight deck and he was half way home. True, he still needed to avoid and outfight the attack that was sure to follow his departure from the Star Destroyer, not to mention the need to place several hyperspace coordinates into the navicomputer at the same time in an effort to shake any followers from his tail, all in the hopes that the secret coordinates given to him by the seemingly traitorous Assassin were correct. Han was just about to make a move when he felt a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around. There stood an Imperial Stormtrooper, arm cocked back in readiness to land a blow in Han's face. As the Stormtrooper's arm came forward, Han twisted to his left, allowing the Stormtrooper's punch to sail past him and to his right. Han threw out his right arm to push the Stormtrooper's arm further away and spinning the trooper, exposing his back to Han. Han landed a left jab in the trooper's kidney, followed by a right kick to the trooper's right knee, bringing the plastic-bodied combatant to his knees. Han reached around to the front of the Stormtrooper, grasping the rim of the soldier's bucket and pulling backwards, landing a vicious right hammer to his throat, silencing the Stormtrooper. Han looked around wildly, checking to see if anyone else saw the altercation. Luck was on his side this day, because no one looked the wiser. Scrambling up the ramp, Han closed it down so no one else would have the chance to surprise him.
Han flopped down in the pilot's seat and checked over the controls. Clearly, the Empire hadn't upgraded their systems since he had served with them years ago, which again he attributed to luck being on his side. Outside the cockpit, four TIE Fighters roared off through the hangar bay, exiting into the cold vastness of space in order to perform their patrolling duties. Han was sure there would be more out there than just four TIEs, but he needed to clear the flight deck first. Han switched on the engines and punched up the shields and weapons systems. The sudden activation of the ship clearly alerted the hangar bay's control staff, as they chimed his comms.
"Shuttle Wraith, you are not cleared for flight, all crafts other than fighters have been locked down. Power down immediately and return to your barracks until further notice."
Han continued to punch in the coordinates for his first jump and charge the thrusters. "Control, this is Lieutenant Solo, authorization code Bravo-Niner-Echo-Echo-Three, and I'm flying vanguard for this exercise," spoke Han into the comms. He hoped his ruse would work long enough for him to clear the flight deck, and then he didn't care what happened. Han eased the ship off the ground and towards the portal to the space beyond. Quickly, he shot out of the hangar and into space, just as the control tower activated the security shields which would have trapped him inside. Han punched the accelerator and shot out further away from the Star Destroyer. His computer sprang to life, chirping and alarming, as several TIE Fighters fell into pursuit of his shuttle. Several green energy bolts sizzled past his cockpit viewport as they opened fire. Han jerked the yoke and barrel rolled out of the line of fire and punched it harder, dipping and rolling away from various assaults from the attacking TIE fighters. His navicomputer warbled that the coordinates to his first jump were ready for use, and just as another emerald blast seared past his cockpit window, he jumped to hyperspace, the stars before him turning to streaks of light. Even as Han was thrown backward into his seat, he was already asleep and resting until his next stop.
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"So, a beaten, broken, unarmed man defended your attack and knocked you unconscious, stealing an Imperial shuttle while you lay on the flight deck. Is that correct?" asked Leia of Imperial Stormtrooper TK-0919.
"Yes Mistress," answered the Stormtrooper without wavering.
"That is all you have to say for yourself? Tell me then, trooper, why I shouldn't cut your limbs from your body right here and now, in front of the entire Imperial Army?"
"I allowed myself to be taken out, Mistress Leia. I had an idea."
"You had an 'idea'?" shouted Leia. "An IDEA?? What makes you think an Stormtrooper is allowed to even HAVE ideas?"
"Forgive me Mistress, my actions are unforgivable, but please allow me to tell you what I have done before you take my life."
"Yes, you will tell me what you had in mind, so that I can make some sense of this quagmire you've gotten yourself into," said Leia sarcastically.
"I knew you and Mistress Smashbolt were heading to hangar bays seventy-eight and sixty-two, leaving ninety-four as the only hangar bay left. On a hunch, in an effort not to duplicate actions already being taken, I headed to ninety-four and saw the prisoner making his way to an Imperial shuttle. I snuck around to that same shuttle and placed several homing beacons on it, and then instead of killing the prisoner, I confronted him, putting up a weak effort so he thought he beat me and had escaped."
"So you placed homing beacons on the ship in an effort to track it down?" asked Darth Leia. "And your plan has succeeded?"
"I believe so, Mistress Leia. I feigned unconsciousness so I could keep an eye on what he did next. He never searched the the ship, just jumped in and took off. We can now track him down and see where he goes. Perhaps he will run to the Rebels and we can find and eliminate them all."
"You've taken a rather large chance, trooper," said Leia coldly. "We do not believe he has any affiliation with the Rebels, and all that we will accomplish by allowing him to run is to track him down again and kill him, which you could have done when you had the chance."
"You are correct, Mistress Leia. I have no excuse, and hereby forfeit my life for you," said the Stormtrooper evenly. No fear in his voice, no fear in the Force.
"Still, I look for such inventiveness and instinct in my personal cadre of Deathtroopers. You are permitted to live at this time, and will be transferred to my Deathtroopers Battalion immediately.
"Yes Mistress, as you command."
"Go to the Quartermaster on the ship and exchange your armor and weapons and report to the aft section of the ship where my Deathtroopers are staged and report to the Commander there. He will assign you as appropriate. Smashbolt, come with me."
"Yes, my Mistress," said Smashbolt as she fell into step behind the Dark Lady.
"Prepare an assault group for immediate departure, full tactical battlements are required. We'll follow this lead and see where it leads us, as the Force is telling me that our prey will yield a greater payout than just a simple traitorous Imperial Officer." As they walked down the corridors, Smashbolt became aware that they had arrived at hangar bay ninety-four. Smashbolt took great care not to set off any waves in the Force indicating that she had any connection to this hangar bay. "I have prepared a ship for you, your own personal shuttle. Your talents are wasted when the fight is in the sky or in space, so this is your very own Delta-Class JV-7 shuttle. It's lighter, faster, and more powerful than a standard shuttle, and can carry your own squad of Deathtroopers as needed. While larger than a starfighter, it is highly maneuverable and capable of overtaking other ships, even in Hyperspace. She is yours to use as you see fit. You will take her on this mission and will chase down any fleeing starships. No one will escape us this time, and we will wipe out all who oppose us."
"Your generosity is overwhelming, Mistress. Thank you for such a beautiful spacecraft!" exclaimed Smashbolt excitedly. She walked briskly over to the ship and scanned its surface carefully, admiring the matte black hull and intense looking firepower forming the arc around the body of the ship. "I shall have her loaded immediately for departure."
"Do not disappoint me, Smashbolt. I want this man dead within one standard day. I've just been given word that the shuttle is currently in orbit around the planet Phindar, in the Outer Rim Territories. We shall depart immediately once the assault team has been assembled.
"Your will be done, Mistress," said Smashbolt as she bowed to the Dark Lady. Her plan was accelerating faster than she anticipated, but it would still work in her favor. She would follow this man to the Rebels who would be lying in wait, and the final part of her plan would come to fruition. She could feel anticipation welling up inside her, and she could see that her Mistress noticed as well. "I'm highly anxious to use my new gift to obliterate someone for you," offered Smashbolt. Darth Leia nodded in acknowledgment and turned to leave for her quarters. Leia soon disappeared, and Smashbolt immediately turned to her comms and ordered her ship's loadout filled for immediate departure. She contacted the Stormtrooper Commander for the Deathtroopers and ordered the attack squad assembled as well. The grin on Thena Skyblade's luscious red lips could not be wiped off, not even with a lightsaber.
