Beyond - Legends The Crimson Force (Cast of FOTJ, OCs)

Touching to hear more about Trey and his background.
Action again. I hope the get them

 

Force Smuggler, Nyota's Heart, jcgoble3, earlybird-obi-wan, Thuro

Chapter 8

Jag moved through the spaceport, clad in the gray-blue utilities of a mechanic, and pulled his billed cap lower over his head. His distinctive scar and streak of white hair were widely recognized in the Empire–he had, after all, been Head of State for almost three years. The cap would, hopefully, prevent him from being recognized. He scanned the area for any sign of the stormtroopers.

"This is kind of fun," Jaina said. Walking beside him in a matching uniform, she stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I've never really done this kind of work much before. Starfighter piloting, yeah, and lots of lightsaber duels. But undercover stuff I haven't, and I think I'm starting to enjoy it."

Jag chuckled. "Don't talk about undercover work while you're doing undercover work, dear."

"Oh. Sorry."

Tahiri's voice came over the comlink. "Got two potentials. Short, squat guys. Military-looking. One's got a briefcase."

"Roger that," Jag replied. "I'm en route."

He and Jaina turned and headed in Tahiri's direction. She was two floors up, so they quickly caught a turbolift and took it up. Jag soon spotted her, blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, sitting at one of the spaceport's tapcafes, reading a datapad. She caught Jag's eyes and gestured with her head toward a concession stand across the corridor from the tapcafe.

Jag saw them–they definitely had the look of military types. They were short, well-muscles, with eyes that kept darting around the room to see if they could spot evidence of potential threats. Jag suspected they were special forces. He grimaced. Well, this wouldn't be easy, then.

"Javon, Myri, bring up the duplicate briefcase," he said.

"On our way," Javon replied. "I–oof."

"Oops," Myri replied. "Now stop staring at that woman and come on."

Jag rolled his eyes. He saw Myri and Javon approaching a moment later–dressed as a husband and wife about to depart on vacation. Javon had a briefcase, identical to the one beside the two men, in one hand. Jag intercepted the briefcase, smoothly grabbing it as Javon passed. The two of them didn't break stride. Jag walked up to the concession stand beside the two men and set the briefcase down on the floor next to theirs.

"I'll take a cup of caf," Jag said to the man working the stand. "My crew's got some heavy maintenance in the subbasement so we'll be working all night–got to have that caf to keep us going, you know."

The man nodded. "Caf, coming right up."

He brought the caf back a moment later. Jag accepted it and turned–and as he did, the hand holding the caf knocked over a tray of cookies. They spilled all over the two briefcases. Jag growled in annoyance and reached down to start picking up the cookies, and as he did he overreached, toppling the two briefcases and stumbling into the legs of the closer man. The man, surprised, stumbled back into his partner, and Jag came down on top of them. Jaina quickly switched the briefcases with the Force. Jag rolled to his feet.

"Oh," he muttered. "I'm so sorry. Been working all night and I–"

"Shut up," the first man muttered.

"Hey, someone has to pay for these cookies," the guy at the stand said.

"Oh, sorry," Jag replied. "I've got it."

He reached into his pocket for credits and placed them on the counter. Then he picked up the briefcase and started to walk away. Then a heavy hand came down on his shoulder. Jag winced and turned, and the fist he'd expected came cannoning into his face. Jag flew back and landed on his back, the briefcase clattering away in the opposite direction.

"Grab the case!" the first man growled.

Great, Jag thought. They'd caught on. He rolled to his feet and whipped his blaster out of his waistband, but before he could fire the man was on him, pummeling him with a series of punches. Jag, who had trained in the Chiss military and later learned to brawl during his time as a bounty hunter, brought up his hands and blocked the blows with his forearms. He kicked upward, bringing his knee into his opponent's manhood. The trooper winced. Jag punched him hard and rolled over, so now he was on top of the man.

Myri and Javon quickly jumped the second man, and Javon pulled out a zip-tie and wrapped it around the man's wrists. Jaina grabbed the briefcase and moved off quickly. Jag elbowed his opponent in the jaw, knocking him out, and then accepted a zip-tie from Javon and quickly cuffed the man.

"You're too late," the second man growled. "We already transmitted the data."

Jag grimaced and turned to Myri and Javon. "Gather the troops and let's get back to the safehouse. We need to find out how much these guys know, and how much was on that datadisc."

 

and Those dudes with the briefcase knew Jag was up to something, makes you think the safe house is bugged

 

Nah, it's just the whole "distract the guy and switch briefcases" is the oldest spy trick in the book, and Jag is not a professional spy, so he wouldn't necessarily realize that.

 

Fun!

But the data was already transmitted... that means trouble!

 

Woohoo!

Trouble!

 

Funny scene but trouble ahead

 

Force Smuggler, Nyota's Heart, jcgoble3, earlybird-obi-wan, Thuro

Chapter 9

Back in the safehouse, the Wraiths gathered in the ops room. Their prisoners were gagged and bound in the basement, at the moment, under guard by Javon. The newest member of the squadron had grumbled at being busted down to guard duty, but had shut up after a menacing glare from Piggy.

Thaymes inserted the datadisc in his computer and began working furiously. Jag and the others sat around a table on one side of the ops room and began to make plans for their prisoners.

"If they are special forces, they won't break under interrogation," Jag said.

Tahiri shrugged. "I know a thing or two that could make them talk."

"We're not using any Vong–" Jag glanced at Scut and quickly rectified, "Yuuzhan Vong 'interrogation' techniques. I'm not going to authorize torture."

"Suit yourself," Tahiri replied easily.

Jag knew she meant well–she wasn't as hard-edged as she made herself seem, but ever since her personality had merged with Riina Kwaad's, she'd been able to have a Jedi's mindset or a Yuuzhan Vong's any time she wished. In any case, the Yuuzhan Vong side seemed entirely too pleased at the idea of interrogating the two prisoners for Jag's liking.

"It's no problem," Jaina said. "I can just use the Force to get them to talk. No torture, no pain."

"Yeah, but what if they're not weak-minded?" asked Trey. "I mean, isn't it true that you have to be weak-minded for those tricks to work on you?"

"A mind trick, yes," Jaina replied. "But I can probably probe their minds and sense their thoughts, provided they don't have a strong mental shield."

"Which, being special forces, they might," Jag said.

"Still worth a try," Jaina insisted.

Jag knew she was probably right. They wouldn't get anything out of their prisoners just by asking, and pain was unlikely to affect them–they would be trained to resist all kinds of torture. The possibility of her reading their minds seemed to be the best chance.

"All right," Jag said. "All right, you can try it. We'll stay up here and wait for Thaymes to finish decrypting that datadisc."

Jaina nodded, stood, and headed for the stairway to the basement. Trey glanced back and forth between Tahiri and Jesmin as if he were suddenly entirely too close to them for his liking.

"So...you guys can read minds?" Trey asked.

"Only when we want to," Tahiri replied.

"And only when we're trying," Jesmin added, leaning back in her chair and putting her hands behind her head. "Still, if you aren't trained to have a thought shield, it's not all that hard."

Trey looked nervous. "Oh."

Jesmin and Tahiri exchanged glances, and Jag resisted the urge to laugh. They were just playing Trey, he knew–they would never invade an ally's privacy by reading his thoughts without his permission. But perhaps this was their way of getting back at him for his constant flirtatious behavior. The room lapsed into silence, the Wraiths each seeming to be deciphering their own mental problems.

Jaina returned a few minutes later. "I couldn't get much. Their thought shields are adequate, though not all that strong. I know that they definitely did transmit the information to Daala already, but I'm not sure whether they know what they transmitted. They might've just been tasked to retrieve it without knowing what it was they were retrieving."

Jag nodded. "Well, I expected as much. It was worth a try."

Thaymes spoke up. "Okay, I think I got it. The only thing on the datadisc seems to be a series of coordinates somewhere here within the Imperial Remnant. Probably the location of this Crimson Force."

"Yeah," Jag replied, "that's what I was afraid of. All right, then–let's have it. We need to get there fast, and make sure Daala doesn't get her hands on this." He turned to Piggy. "Pack it up. Remove all traces of our presence here. We can't take the prisoners with us, so knock them out, truss them up, and throw them in an alley behind a security station or something. Then we need to leave."

Piggy nodded. "You heard the man. Let's move."

 

The race is on Enjoyed the discussion around interrogating and teasing Trey.

 

Love the conversation about interrogation techniques. Good job bringing up Tahiri's Vong past, and the correction of "Vong" to "Yuuzhan Vong" is a nice touch.

So we have a set of coordinates, and they're on the move. Is it the Crimson Force, or something else? Let's find out!

 

great conversation and background on Tahiri.
What's up now?

 

Use the Vong!

 

Force Smuggler, Nyota's Heart, jcgoble3, earlybird-obi-wan, Thuro

Chapter 10

The coordinates took them to Yaga Minor, a planet orbited by the last shipyards in Imperial space. Jag sent a request to land at Starburst Space Station, where all major business transactions in the Yaga system took place. Their ship–one of the Jedi Temple's Miy'tari scout fighters–touched down in a hangar on the station's planet-facing ring.

Jag paid the dock-master and entered the station proper with Jaina and Tahiri. The Wraiths had landed in a ship of their own, an old but fashionable Nubian yacht, on the other side of the station. The group would meet up in the Blue Nebula, a cantina near the center of the station. Given Jaina and Jag's famous reputation's–and Tahiri's infamous one as the killer of Gilad Pellaeon–they all wore disguises. Jag had dyed his hair blond, and wore contacts that changed his eye color to blue. He had also covered with makeup. He wore a blue jumpsuit with deep pockets on the thighs.

Jaina's hair was covered by a tight red wig, and she wore a green tunic and black pants. Tahiri's hair had been dyed black, and she, too, had covered her scars, which were even more distinctive than Jag's. She wore a red tunic and blue knee-length skirt. The three of them entered the cantina and took a large, round booth in the back corner, awaiting the Wraiths.

"Ever come to Yaga Minor?" Jag asked.

"When I was a kid," Jaina replied. "But it's been a long time. They've certainly upgraded this station since then."

Trey and Jesmin arrived a moment later, both wearing business suits. They were escorted by Piggy, who wore a bodyguard's uniform and carried a mean-looking Model 343 "DeathHammer" blaster pistol in a thigh holster. Trey and Jesmin slid into the booth and Piggy stood off to the side, doing his best to look mean and bodyguard-like.

"Security here's sloppy," Trey said. "Daala could have an army of infiltrators and station security wouldn't know."

Jag shrugged. "Sloppy to you, maybe. Not everyone's a member of the best intelligence squad in the entire galaxy, remember. These guys are much better than you give them credit for–they just can't stand up to Wraiths."

"Fair enough."

Alone or in groups, the rest of the Wraiths arrived over the next few moments. By default, Javon rose and walked over to the bar to order for the entire group. When he returned with a server droid carrying a tray of drinks and snacks, they got down to business.

"So," Jag said, "what exactly do we know, Thaymes?"

"The coordinates on the datadisc were for this space station–and after that it gave instructions to find the next lead to the Crimson Force. We have to find that lead before Daala or Lecersen."

Jag nodded. "Right. So what are we supposed to do?"

"The information is hidden in the station's primary computer–it won't be easy to access but it'll be very, very fun for me." He rubbed his hands together. "But I'll need time, which means a distraction."

"We can provide that," Jag said with a nod. "What kind of a distraction would be required to get the tech crew away from the primary computer?"

"Something that would make them think they needed to evacuate," Thaymes said. "Nothing else would pull them away from their stations. Everyone on this station is very by-the-book; they wouldn't leave unless in the case of an emergency."

"So if we can simulate an emergency, like a fire or a hull breach, that should work?"

Thaymes nodded. "Preferably a hull breach, but a fire could work if you could nullify the extinguishers and fire-control crew first."

"We'll get to work on that," Jag replied. "What else will you need?"

"A pass card to get in the same room as the computer," Thaymes said. "You'd have to steal it off one of the techs, or anyone above the rank of lieutenant. The latter might be easier; techs don't fraternize much. Ever."

"And?"

"And an independent computer that I can hook up to the main console and transfer everything relevant to. But I think I can provide that myself."

"Okay, good." Jag looked at the rest of the squadron. "Do we have everything we need to start a fire and/or cause a hull breach?"

Trey nodded, a grin beginning to worm its way across his face. "Oh, yeah. I've got all the stuff necessary for the big booms. Just give me time, tell me when and where, and leave the rest to me."

"Right. This'll take a lot of coordination, and likely we'll have to create a distraction for Trey, too."

"So, a distraction for the distraction," Javon said, deadpan.

"Right." Jag grinned. "So, then, we've got a shopping list, and the makings of a plan. Let's take this somewhere a bit more private. I'll get us two connecting rooms in the station's hostel, and we'll meet up there in an hour. Until then, split up and look for anything that could assist us in this plan."

They left as they had entered, until it was just Jag, Tahiri, and Jaina left.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Jaina asked.

Jag considered. "Yeah...I think I am."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Well good. I enjoy seeing you have fun. Come on, let's get to work."

 

Plan sounds solid and Jag is a gret strategizer. Sums up and gets things moving in good time.

Love how Thaymes and Trey are going to have strong roles.

 

Any chance when your done writing we can get a document containg all this for condensed reading?

 

Very exciting. Can't wait to see how this plan works out.

 

I'll see what I can do.

 

Good. Not that hard to go find them (for now anyway) but something like that would be appreciated.

 

great plans and hope they will work

 

Plans have been made, now let's see them in action!

 

Force Smuggler, Nyota's Heart, jcgoble3, earlybird-obi-wan, Thuro

Chapter 11

Wran moved down the hall, dressed in casual civilian clothes. Ahead of him, walking the same direction, was the Imperial officer he'd targeted, a major that worked in the control room. Moving in the opposite direction, Jesmin bumped into the officer, stumbled, and fell. The officer, surprised, leaned down to help her stand. Wran moved up behind him.

"You okay?" the major asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm so sorry," Jesmin said. "That was my fault."

"It's fine," the major replied.

Wran placed a hand on the major's shoulder and reached down with his other hand to help Jesmin.

"You all right, dear?" Wran asked.

"Yes," Jesmin said.

The major looked at Wran. "You are her husband?"

Wran nodded. "Yes, sir. We were supposed to meet for lunch. I'm so sorry about her fall. She's recently pregnant."

"Oh, oh...that's fine." The major nodded to Jesmin. "Congratulations, ma'am."

He turned and walked away. Wran and Jesmin exchanged glances, and Wran grinned and held up the major's swiped passcard. Jesmin grinned in return, and the two of them headed back the way Wran had come. As they walked, they passed Thaymes and discretely handed off the passcard. Then they headed for the cantina to await the next part of the operation.

* * *

Trey began setting up what he'd need to fake a hull breach. The small detonator would blow the airlock controls, sending an alert to the main computer that the airlock had malfunctioned–which would make the computer sound an automated evacuation alarm. Trey triple-checked the detonator, nodded to himself in satisfaction, and turned and walked away.

He ducked around the corner and waited. When the hall was clear, he hit the detonator. The control panel popped, sending smoke pouring into the hall, but otherwise leaving the area undamaged. Trey grinned and strode away. He tapped his earbud comlink.

"This is Muscle Boy," he said. "Diversion is a go."

"Roger that, Muscle Boy," Thaymes replied. "Comm Boy is moving in."

"This is Claw Boy," Jag said–his nickname, Trey had learned, referenced a Chiss craft he flew. "We're ready on our part. Go, Comm Boy."

Trey pulled off his jumpsuit, and suddenly he was just another civilian. He quickly merged with the crowd, his part of the operation done.

* * *

Jag, Turman, and Piggy stood around the corner from the detonated airlock panel. As soon as a repair crew came in, Jag knew that they'd report a false alarm and the technicians would return to the computer room. Their job was to make sure that didn't happen. Jag, dressed in the Mandalorian chestplate and gauntlets that he'd gotten from Han Solo several years ago, checked the stun setting on his blaster.

A moment later, three gray-clad mechanics came around the corner, wearing breath masks. They were trailed by a pair of stormtroopers–loyal, Imperial stormtroopers, Jag reminded himself, not Daala's followers. The mechanics frowned and stepped forward, examining the panel. Just as the lead mechanic was reaching for his comlink, Jag stepped around the corner and fired a stun bolt into his back.

"What?" exclaimed another technician. "Who are you?"

"Believe it or not," Turman said with a grin, "we're trying to help you."

"Unfortunately," Piggy added, "it will require a temporary and very high amount of pain."

With that, they lunged forward. Jag grabbed the leftmost stormtrooper's rifle with both hands and jerked it away. The stormtrooper stumbled, and Jag bashed him in the chin with the butt of his rifle. Piggy grabbed the other stormtrooper and bodily lifted him from the ground, hurling him into the wall. Turman snaked forward and knocked out the two remaining techs with liquid grace.

"That was almost too easy," Turman said.

"It won't be," Jag said. "I'm sure one of the stormtroopers got off a distress alert. There'll be more here soon."

As if on cue, there was the heavy clanking of stormtrooper boots around the corridor. Jag drew his blaster and prepared for a fight.

 

Sucker.
Love the codenames.
Action time again!

 

Riveting action, natch Super cliffie too.

 

action and a cliffie, keeping me wanting for more soon

 

Love the variation in perspectives.

Jag, Turman, and Piggy may be in trouble... let's see if they can hold off the stormtroopers.