Talon Intelligence Squad - Chapter 9 The Changing Empire

Sondara Carre's face was a mask of ice, cold and beautiful and ruthless all in one, betraying none of the mental turmoil that existed behind her lovely silver eyes. Absently, she tucked a stray wisp of hair around one of the decorative but deadly zenji needles that adorned her void black locks.

Her thoughts turned back to Krycek. He does not yet seem to take me seriously. Perhaps I have not given him enough reason to do so.

A chilling smile formed on her lips. Well, perhaps this latest development will instill in him some confidence in my competance. I do not need his command genius for this situation... I can handle it myself.

Carre was certainly gaining a new appreciation for her intelligence operatives at this point in time. She would have to make sure that the spy who had uncovered this information regarding Talon Squad was commended for her work.

But first things first, of course.

She turned to Belacqua with a smart nod and a steady, piercing gaze that made the young captain look as though he were melting into the command deck. "Captain," she addressed him briskly, "set a course for Montegue and instruct the rest of my fleet to follow suit. When we arrive, initiate a standard Reshkai blockade around the planet and send a contingent of General Coram's troops into the base. Inform him that Talon Squadron is there under false pretenses, and that he is to apprehend them and bring them to me... unharmed, if possible, but I'll understand otherwise." Silver eyes glinted visciously in the harsh light of the bridge. "Also inform him that I am holding him personally accountable for the outcome."

Belacqua gulped, the meaning behind her clipped, crisp words quite evident. "Yes, my la- as you wish, Admiral Carre," he stammered.

"Good. Then do it. What are you standing around for?" Carre turned and paced away abruptly, leaving the poor man staring helplessly after her.

 

"We're punching out in five," Jaren alerted the rest of the Talons to their hyperspace vector. The chrono dwindled to nothing and the feel of normal space came back.
And there was the planet Montague.
It looked like a planet in turmoil from above. Like children looking above, as if there was some great consequence hanging yet in the stars, the clouds swirled mysteriously.
"Our own investigation, huh? Anyone have a clue what that means?" Trika's very sarcastic voice could be heard throughout the ship. "What are we looking for here?"
Someone in the cockpit called out. "Anything that looks suspicious, out of the ordinary, or anything to tie to team one."
I could have figured that one out, Trika thought.
They had landed, and everyone wanted to get out and stretch his/her legs. Trika walked off the ramp and was greeted by a somewhat familiar man.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Mercutio, the administrator of this hanger bay."
The rest of the group had gone ahead, doing their own search, but Trika lagged behind. "What do you do around here?"
Mercutio shrugged. "Try to keep the Imperials off my back."
Trika focused on his words, but couldn't sense anything behind them. "Have they done anything to you in the past?"
Mercutio looked up with a tear in his eye. "They have made worms' meat of me!"
Some of the other Talons turned around, staring at him, but then returned to their work. "So they've attacked you here before?"
Mercutio nodded.
"What if they attack you again?"
Mercutio shrugged. "Come here tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man."

[This message has been edited by Trika_Kenobi (edited 06-12-2000).]

 

Greywolfe smiled. He had been able to find a weak link in the organization of Reyanna's prized planet.
Two of his operatives had worked their way up the ladder- now they were leading a revolt against the planet's leader.
Suddenly, the faces of the traitors, Brutus and Cassius, appeared on the vidscreen. "He is dead, my Lord. The planet is yours."

 

No, I've not been attacked by rebels, I've got exams.
Check out the EZBoard. Do you all miss Mulder like I do?

 

The transport through the underground of Corruscant came to a halt. Ash Stepped out of the transport and looked around. The surrounding area was mostly desolate, except for the handful of guards in red armor standing along either wall in the tunnel that lay ahead of them.

"Is it much farther?" Ash asked the twi'lek, looking over his shoulder.

"We have a short walk to my master's office. A ten, maybe fifteen minute walk." The twi'lek replied.

Ash nodded.

"Why couldnt we have just went directly to him, rather than take all this sidetracking." Ash asked.

The twi'lek started to speak, but thought better of it, considering all the hidden microphones hidden all over the area. If his master thought his servant was giving out too much information, the results could be disasterous for the twi'lek.

"You will find out soon enough." The twi'lek said.

Ash grunted a curse word under his breath, and shook his head.

"Then hurry up, I want to get these negotions started!" Ash bellowed.

The twi'lek flinched and jumped back.

"Yes sir." The twi'lek said beggining to walk in a fast pace down the tunnel.

Ash stalked down the tunnel behind him. After a short walk, they reached an enormous elevator, guarded by huge motion sensor laser cannons, and a half a dozen guards. The twi'lek walked up the the elevator and placed his his hand on the fingerprint scanner, and looked into the pupil scanner. The doors to the elevator opened.

"Take this elevator to the top floor. Do not stop at any of the other floors, or you will be shot and killed on sight." The twi'lek told Ash.

Ash stepped in, and pressed the button. The doors closed, and the elevator began to rise at a rapid speed. After a few moments, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened. Ash walked down a long halway, where there were several guards and a secretary.

"Whats your name?" the secretary asked.

"Dirk Ash." Ash replied.

"His excellency has been expecting you. He's ready to see you now." She said.

"Good." Ash said.

The large intricate and shiny wooden doors slowly opened. Ash walked in, where he saw a desk, and lots of filing cabinets, and bookshelves. A humannoid figure sat at the desk, facing away from Ash.

"Welcome, Darth Ash." The man said.

"Hello.... you know my name, but I dont know yours." Ash said.

The man stood up, and turned to face Ash.

"Please excuse my impolitness. My name is Prince Xizor, leader of the Black Sun." The now reconizably Falleen said.

"But your... your..." Ash struggled to say.

"Dead?" Xizor asked.

"Yes."Ash managed to say.

"Well, of course I'm not the original Xizor. I'm a clone. You are the only Imperial that knows of my existance... and it will stay that way... for now." Xizor said.

"I see... so thats why I was brought here so discretly, so no one could follow me here." Ash said.

"Thats correct. Please sit down, my friend." Xizor said.

Ash and Xizor took a seat.

"What are our plans for the Empire?" Ash asked.

"Black Sun, although before having an alliance with the Empire, will ask to join forces with the New Republic, to destroy their common enemy, the Empire." Xizor said.

"And after the Empire is destroyed?" Ash asked.

"We will conquer the New Republic." Xizor said.

"The New Republic will never join forces with a criminal organization." Ash said.

"I have a few cards up my sleeve. I'll worry about that. Your primary concern is getting us the information we need against the Empire." Xizor said.

Ash nodded.

"But why the bounty hunters on the surface?" Ash asked.

"Those bounty hunters are the best in the game. They will take care of your Imperial counterparts. Then, after Black Sun has begun its alliance with the New Republic, the bounty hunters will wipe out Talon Intelligence Squadron. They are being paid under the table, so the records will be untraceable.

Ash grinned.

"I like the sounds of this plan." Ash said.

"It will get better. This is just the tip of the iceberg." Xizor smirked.

 

Nash followed along behind the rest of the group, her head properly low, her posture hunched, tail dragging and ears flat. The proper posture for a slave, Captain Rhynes's slave to be exact.

There was no way she would pass for an Imperial soldier, not with the pro-human bias that still dominated the last remanants of the Empire.

The whole time, her eyes darted left and right, taking in every detail. Her ears sought out every sound, her mind making a neat catalogue of hiding places, shadows, unused work benches, accessable computer terminals and anything else that might come in handy.

As Tybalt led the small group out of the hanger, Nash stayed right on CiCi's heels, where an obediant servant should be. Ty-gon, Quis and Obi-wan were right behind her. They only awaited the time CiCi would dismiss them so that they could head for the market place and their part of this mission.

In the mean time, Nash had every intention of acting as bodyguard as well as servant. Homer would never forgive any of them if CiCi got hurt trying to properly play her part and the Force knew that there were plenty of people who would just love to take a stab at a high level Imp Officer.

 

<<All right, you've been tempting me for far too long... bad Shakespearean puns in this next post, and I mean REALLY bad!!!>>

Carre let her silver-eyed gaze melt into the mottled view of hyperspace afforded by the viewport before her, an absent expression on her lovely features. The young Admiral of Fleet stroked her chin between her delicate thumb and index finger in a reflective manner.

All the galaxy's a stage, she thought sardonically, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances.

An icy smile shot across her lips. And this time, my 'entrance' will coincide with the 'exits' of some Rebel scum...

Carre checked her chronometer. Exactly ten minutes before her fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

Still smiling, Carre stood and stretched her arms and legs. She would be needed on the bridge.

 

<<I am going to write for several characters so there is no confusion on this plot. I just discussed this with Homer and he was confused from the start. So please work with me.>>

Kevin walked with Telia and Homer, disguised as a businessman with his wife and son. Well, that was it appeared to be. Kevin would be searching for a new ship, supposedly, and his bratty little son would run around the hangars while looking at the ships for signs of the TIE Mystician. Telia, supposedly his mother, would chase him around and track his movements. Kevin would probe the salesmen for hints of the TIE with his abilities with the Force. It seemed like a good plan.

Up ahead, Nash was acting like a low-life body guard for CiCi, Her tailed dragged and her drooped, tell-tale signs of abuse on Captain Rhynes part. CiCi was playing the part of Captain Rhynes well, and at the training of Nash, her Imperial accent was flawless.

Ty-gon, Quis, and Obi-wan were going to find a good local trader with high access to local freighter accounts. While Obi-wan and Ty-gon were to distract the trader with their antics, Quis would hack into their system and find any information on the TIE Mystician.

Nash was originally supposed to go with Ty-gon?s team, but at the last minute she had changed the plan and had decided it would be best to go with CiCi. She would be meeting with underground Imperial leaders and would have a tough time unless Nash was with her. Kevin had approved the plan and had insisted that Nash carry some concealed weapons for the meeting.

Afterwards, if everything went well, they would all meet back at the ship, scour it for bugs and other electronic devices and take off with their newfound evidence. It sounded like a good plan. A Wraith plan. Wait, a Talon plan. Kevin smiled.

----------------------------

"I don?t know what?s up with him." Telia was shaking her head as she "tried" to contain her "son", Homer.

Kevin smiled a fake smile underneath his fake beard and mustachio. "Hun, let him play. I will talk with this nice dealer and meet you later."

Telia smiled and let Homer loose, who immediately rounded a bend and into the thick of the hangar bays. "All right. Meet you here in an hour?"

"Yes, now go or you will never find him," Kevin said as he shooed away Telia. She grabbed her bag and round the bend after Homer in a full sprint only manageable by a woman in her health condition. Kevin knew that as soon as they were in the clear Homer would be checking out the ships and pointing out interesting points for Telia to take holo?s of. Kevin looked back at the vendor and smiled a embarrassed smile. "Kids. Now where were we?"

The vendor, an aging man who was evidently tired of his job looked down at his datapad. He looked up at an aging Koesynar pleasure yacht and pointed. "Now this model over here is-"

----------------------------

Ty-gon walked up to the business man and shook his hand. "Dr. Kilham, I presume?"

The wiry little man shook his head and Ty-gon?s hand vigorously. "Yes, sir. And may I presume you to be Tur Grast?

"Yes, Dr. Kilham."

"Dr. Kilham, recently appointed head of economy here on Montegue I might add."

"Ah, yes. I think I remember seeing at article in a local holo about you. Congratulations."

The man blushed. "Thank you. And who are your guests?"

Ty-gon pointed to his squad mates and said, "These are my associates. Frau Humline, and Evrine Grast, my brother."

"Ah, I see. Please step into the office. I think you will find our archives to be quite adequate."

They all stepped in and Ty-gon made a silent double click on his comm to signal Talon Leader a sucessful intrusion.

----------------------------

Talon Leader?s head snapped up to look at the local ship vendor. He had heard the two sharp double clicks that originated from Kevin?s comm. He looked around to his datapad, his comm, and eventually his secretary?s messaging system. He found no evidence of the click and scratched his head. He looked up at Kevin. "As I was saying, our ships are in quite e

 

<<Too late, too late! You're in my hands now! There's no escape for Talon Squadron now! (So there.)>>

Carre watched with nothing short of elation as her fleet of Interdictor-class cruisers took up the standard Reshkai tactic of blockade around the planet Montague. Her silver eyes practically glowed with the knowledge of her command of the situation, and the inevitability of the Rebels' capture, and the smile upon her full lips seemed more brutally chilling than ever before.

"Captain Belacqua." Her voice was sharp, but tinged with the satisfaction of a predator that has finally overtaken a most elusive prey. "Instruct General Coram to deploy his troops now."

"As you wish, my Admiral." The young captain hastened to comply, and Carre gave him a perfunctory nod, clasping her delicate hands tightly at the small of her slender and ramrod straight back. Soon, Talon Squadron would be within her custody... a face to face meeting that was long overdue.

The experience would be, she was quite certain, nothing short of unforgettable for all parties involved.

[This message has been edited by Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand (edited 06-13-2000).]

 

Hey, guys, I'm not that interested in Talon anymore. I've got too much stuff on my hands, so feel free to kill off Lt. Starborne, preferably in a huge explosion as his starfighter is hit by laser fire.

 

If something were to happen to Telia I just might kill myself, Jaren thought as Trika and Mercutio walked off to discuss docking the Osprey and the Hawk while the team was onplanet. He had chosen her for her sarcastic nature - perfect for talking to these starport types. He could hear Mercutio already trying to fast talk the young hacker; probably trying to add on some extra taxes that didn't really exist and would go straight into his pocket, but Trika seemed to be holding her own against the grizzled-looking admisistrator. He wouldn't cheat team two as much as he would like.

Jaren was fully entrenched in 'command mode' now as he started ussuing orders. All personal considerations were second to the mission. But just for a second he allowed himself to briefly touch the picture Telia had left him. No matter what, my love, I'll see you again.

"Jaren," Insei called as he hurried over. Jaren thought he could detect some concern in his voice. "I've been monitoring local traffic patterns over the civilian holonet and I picked up something disturbing. All exit clearances have been canceled effective immediately. I can also sense a large fleet of ships coming into the system. We've been compromised."

Jaren waved the rest of the Talons over save for Trika who was still negotiating with Mercutio. "Mara, I need you to get into the spaceport computers and delete all records of our visit."

"Mekial, take Trika and knock out any survelance equipment in the hangar."

"Cobra, Insei and Ric will secure the hangar and guard the doors."

"Ken, I need you to get a message off to team one. Alert them to the situation and then lock down the ships. If we have been compromised that is the first thing they will be after and I don't want to give the Imps anything for free. The ships are expendable, if we have to we will destroy them and head for cover."

"Everyone switch to your second sets of ID. If our first set has been compromised there could already be a trace on it."

"Thats all. Move out and may the Force be with you."

Jaren grabbed his sniper rifle and moved silently to where Mercutio was talking animatedly with Trika. The man never heard Jaren approach and only noticed something was wrong when the cold durasteel of a combat knife snaked around his throat and held there. "Trika, we have an Imp problem. Find Mekial and disable any security in the hangar and then get to work hacking us a way out of here."

Trika grumbled a comment about Jaren interrupting her fun but complied with the order while Jaren took Mercutio's blaster and tied him up in the corner. "Sorry Mr. Mercutio," he said dryly. "But we have Imperial problems and I need you where I can keep an eye on you."

 

Nash wished fervently that CiCi had not needed to reveal her as a fighter, would have preferred to be billed as a body slave or some other innocuous hanger on. Unfortuantely CiCi could not have bullied her way past with a luxury like a slave without being a higher rank, and they couldn't have made her a higher rank without making someone suspicious enough to check up on it.

The few benfits of the lieutenant's new knowledge was that Nash could drop at least part of the facade. It grated on her pride to bend her back and act subservient, though she'd done it countless times before. Now, she stood straighter, but not her full height, and she looked around more, but was careful to conceal her true level of awareness.

The slave's rags she wore, a cargo bag she'd appropriated for her own use, concealed two small blasters and recharges for them, as well as three stun-grenades and half a dozen vibro-blades. Nash was a big believer in being prepared.

Shadow followed CiCi, still behind her, but closer than before, with a decidedly protective air, as the two women stepped through into the secure area.


<<I'm not sure how much we have time to see or do before Nash twigs to the ambush attempt, so I'll pause here for further information. >>

 

Ack, I'm totally behind. I'm right in the middle of exams right now (bad time of year for it by the look of things). Please don't kill Quis off, I'll be back within a week-week and a half. You guys are doing an admirable job of keeping the story going

 

Ty-gon's comm buzzed a sickening alert- they'd been found. Telia and Jaren, from the opposite teams, were both sending the signal.
"Frau, Evrine, we must go."
Obi-wan and Quis got puzzled looks on their faces.
"Some problem- our research has been compromised."
Suddenly, Kilham went down, Quis' smoking blaster behind him. Obi-wan rummaged through his pockets- finding a disk labeled TIEM.
"In his pockets- he thought nobody'd ever look there."

Greywolfe and Reyanna were surprised by a stirring in the Force, then both there commlinks buzzed with Admiral Carre's code.
"What was that?" Reyanna asked.
Greywolfe knew in an instant. "She's captured the Talons! We must go to her ship!"

 

(I'll be gone from Thursday either until Saturday or Monday. Don't kill me off please!!!)

 

Jaren had ruined her fun. Sarcasm was so awesome, and now...
...the bloody Imps were ruining it.
Mekial had instructed her as to what they were doing. Several cameras had caught them on tape, and no doubt the Imps had set them up or were planning on using them.
Mekial leveled her blaster and picked one off with stunning accuracy, and Trika had simply ripped one off the wall, throwing it across the hanger bay. "How many of these things do we have?" she asked impatiently. There wasn't time for this.
Mekial shrugged. "I was figuring about ten or fifteen.
Trika rolled her eyes. "Great," she muttered sarcastically, "we'll never find them all."
Mekial was taking another one out and Trika had done the same, more hurriedly than before. The Force was sending messages like mad; the whole squadron was in danger.
They did manage to find them all, and they both ran out of the hanger, suddenly stopping in surprise.
The Imps were here.
"Mekial, where's the nearest computer?"
The other pointed toward the administrator's facilities. Trika nodded, running into the make-shift building and logging in.
All of the files were tampered with. Either some Imp had gotten in and locked the thing up, or they had planned this all along.
"Jaren," she spoke into her comlink. "I've got some bad news."
"What's that?" his voice came through.
"It's nearly impossible for me to hack into the system, let alone find a way out. If they've gotten into the files, then they probably have exits blocked as well.
"I think we're trapped."

[This message has been edited by Trika_Kenobi (edited 06-15-2000).]

 

The Admiral Carre had granted permission for him to land, and Krycek had promptly arrived on the bridge of her ship.
Carre barely lost her concentration. "I welcome you to Montague, Krycek."
Darth Alex Krycek stepped beside her, taking her hand and planting a kiss on the back of it. "Greetings, my Lady. I've heard much about your actions. I've also heard much about this Talon Squad."
Carre returned her hand to the rail in which she gripped. The mere mention of the Talons made her grasp it even tighter. "Yes," she said absently, studying the blockade of her fleet. "They will be in custody shortly. I've made sure of it." She paused, turning her head to view Krycek's human/alien face. "I'm looking forward to their torture and their suffering."
Krycek pulled his hood back, revealing his blue skull. He chuckled. "As am I, my Lady. I've not had opportunity to do so in quite a while. How long will it take for your men to capture them?"
The Lady Sondara Carre turned, her beautiful face returning to the shadows. As she looked out at her force, she smiled icily. "Not very long. Not very long at all."

[This message has been edited by Darth Agent Mulder (edited 06-14-2000).]

 

Move along, move along.

[This message has been edited by Mekial (edited 06-15-2000).]

 

Kendrick stood at the controls of the Hawk, keeping one eye on the console to make sure all the buttons he was pushing were the right ones, using the other to watch out the viewport for signs of trouble. He was starting to get a headache from the double duty, but at least he had gotten the message to Team One in time. Things were looking very grim now.

Only seconds before, he'd discovered the Imps had started jamming their transmissions.

At the edge of his peripheral vision, he could see Cobra, Insei, and Ric taking up various positions around the hangar to discourage any Imperial troops. Mekial and Trika had already left and they had sealed the doors behind them.

Ken called up the shuttle's security systems, pausing as he heard a strange sound outside. He looked up to see the hangar doors shudder once, twice. Doubtless the other Talons had seen it too - he could see them drawing their weapons. Ken winced as the doors groaned a third time. They wouldn't hold much longer...

With a bang, the doors flew open and the stormtroopers came flooding in from the outer corridor, blasters blazing. Cobra, Insei, and Ric were already returning fire. Some of the stormies stayed and concentrated on them; the rest approached the Hawk and the Osprey.

Ken threw himself into the pilot's seat, punching some more buttons. There was a whine as the Hawk's lower laser cannons extended from its belly. A few more commands made them swivel toward the nearest source of movement: the stormtroopers trying to reach the shuttle's boarding ramp.

The cannons spat and two men tumbled backwards, smoking holes in their armor. Keying the lasers to manual control, Ken took over for a while, helping his friends by supplying them with defensive fire. He also picked off any stormtroopers he saw trying to get near the Talon ships, but there were simply too many. Whenever he dispatched one, another Imperial would take his place. The numbers were definitely not on his side.

Then everything stopped. The controls went dead and the cannons halted their fire. Even the lights in the cockpit faded to black with a soft moan. Ken swore. Everything was out, even the mechanism for the self-destruct. The Imps must have found a way under the Hawk and had somehow cut the power.

He could heard the hiss of a laser-torch down as the Imperials worked on opening the shuttle's hatch. Drawing his blaster and making sure the vibroknife on his belt was within easy reach, Ken prepared to receive the boarding party.

They'd be meeting real soon.

 

Hey, guys, I've got way too much stuff on my hands, so feel free to kill off Lt. Starborne, preferably in a huge explosion as his starfighter is hit by laser fire. I want him to die a noble death against a vilanous enemy.

 

<<Hmm, what's up with this? Page disappears halfway down! Refresh doesn't seem to be working... hopefully, this will.>>

 

[This message has been edited by Talon Squad Leader (edited 06-16-2000).]

 

*sheepish grin*

[This message has been edited by Talon Squad Leader (edited 06-16-2000).]

 

The salesmen heard the explosions outside and decided it was best to lose this customer than his life. He quickly shoved Kevin out the door and locked up his shop, intending on running home. Kevin had received the comm chatter from Team Two, and had informed the salesmen of the danger.

Outside, in the hangar bays, Kevin frantically searched for Telia and Homer. He powered up his blaster rifle, a weapon that was neatly hidden behind his tunic. He ran up and down the bays, avoiding the stormtrooper patrols when possible. He had a few run-ins but had convinced the minds of his opponents that he was not a good target, and ran away.

He rounded a bend and was caught in a fire fight. Red and green laser bolts sizzled past an unseen enemies beyond a dark freighter and a small Chariot Light Assault Vehicle. That must be part of the New Empire?s assault. He quickly got rid of his blaster and brought out his light silver-blue lightsaber.

He quickly deflected a few bolts and charged the Chariot LAV. Its repulsors were on low and the vehicle hovered a few centimeters above the paved hangar bays. Stormtroopers were using it?s armor and light weapons as shield, popping up shots every few moments. The Chariot was diagonal across the bay, using some nearby freighters for cover, it?s modified weapons blazing. Kevin deflected a large green semi-ionized bolt shot by the Chariot. His arms shook from the shockwave of the fire. He cut down the nearest trooper, and threw up his weapon with the Force. Using a telekinetic burst of energy, he moved a nearby crate into a position to wedge itself in between the Chariot?s repulsors and the ground. The force of the crate allowed it?s inertia to become situated far enough under the Chariot to make the repulsors start using the crate as a reference point for the ground. The sudden change in this point made the Chariot heave it?s rear end far into the air with such a force that it completely flipped and landed on it?s topside.

This accomplished, the friendly fire from the opposite side of the hangar caught the three remaining troopers and escaping Imps from the Chariot off guard. They were cut down in a matter of moments.

Kevin powered down his saber as he walked over to the dark freighter. He expected some local resistance fighters to emerge from the wreckage, but was surprised to see Telia and Home come walking around. Homer held a captured trooper blaster rifle and Telia clutched her prize sniper weapon. They were bruised and had evidently been fighting for a long time.

Telia spoke first. "I am glad you showed up. We were almost done for."

Kevin smiled and pointed in the approximate area of the ship, the Sentinel class shuttle, the Raptor. "We must be going right away. You two lead the way, I?ll cover the rear." Each Talon nodded and complied with his orders. As they ran Kevin wondered about their mission.

"Thirteen?" he asked.

"Yes, Lead?"

"Did you find what we needed?"

Telia looked back and didn?t offer a smile. She grimaced as she said, "All that and more sir. No more time to waste, we must hurry."

-----------------------

They arrived at the Raptor without incident, but none of the other team members were to be found. The hangar bays they had passed were deserted and most of the civilians had fled to their homes. Kevin frowned. At home, most of them would be sitting ducks. Unless they were instructed too by their rulers, the New Empire?s evil agents.

They ran up the boarding ramp. Homer started powering up the ship and began a quick cycle down of the proper instrumentation checks. Telia fought with the controls of the cargo ship and made quick messages to the team and the other members. She got through to Ty-gon and his team. It seemed that they had encountered some AT-ST?s and an AT-AT and were trying to take it down. A few minutes after that communication Kevin heard a loud explosion and two smaller thumps off in the distance, indicating Ty-gon?s success against he behemoth walkers.

Telia tried to get in contact with CiCi, but encountered st

 

Whatchu lookin' at? Nothing to see here that you haven't seen several times over... now move along and ask no questions.

[This message has been edited by Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand (edited 06-17-2000).]