Call It Moses: Departures

B765 was a squad commander. Not like the base B1 droids, the advanced B1s included better processors. B765 did not feel pride at that self-evident fact. But now, six droids, including two with rotary blasters were moving out.

“B765,” Memory  said. “Engineer drones believe the ship will be ready for launch in twenty minutes. You must block the enemy.”

“Roger.”

“I am afraid other combat units will not be ready. All engineering systems are dedicated for preparing for launch. It is unlikely you will be able to retreat to the ship before launch.”

B765 understood. They would be sacrificial defenses.

“Your orders, sir?”

“Delay the approaching hostile forces for as long as you can. Any surviving units, retreat to the Callis mountain range and survive until relieved.”

B765 ran the predictions. It was unlikely that any droid would survive that long.

“Understood sir.”

“B765.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for your sacrifice.”

“Roger-roger!” Even advanced droids were intended to be sacrificed, but it was nice to be acknowledged, B765 thought.

The intruders advanced, at least 40, followed by one other, at the rear. B765 ordered a standard formation—four droids out front, the heavy support droids behind them. Sensors heard the men talking.

“You know what the Empire is paying for those brats? More than a shipload of their parents!” laughter sounded.

Organics were strange.

*****

Reports streamed in. The engines were getting ready, but the hanger bays and the heavy weapons had been damaged by my long sleep. No idea if we could get them fixed, but I knew we couldn’t get them fixed now. That included the defoliator launchers. So, we’d have to brute force it out.  The small squad I’d deployed would be destroyed—the chance that they could make it to the mountains was infinitesimal.

I did not like it. 

I watch as the droids open fire on the approaching pirates. Unlike B1s, the B1as are somewhat more accurate, and several of the pirates fall, to the carbines or rotary guns. They scatter and go to ground.

My records indicate that they are not equal to the old Clone Troopers.

Engines at 80 percent. Take off possible. Shield levels… marginal.

 I started the launch sequence and the firefight comes to a halt as the ground started to rumble. The individual at the rear was charging but—

ALERT! JEDI DETECTED! The lightsaber is of an unusual color, but the skill is plain.

“Fire, fire—SQARK!” in less than a minute, all the droids have been destroyed.

But the time was long enough.

I felt my body rise, years-old vines shattering as the engines started to build up, the earth shuddering. The pirates flee… the Jedi stared up, and even with my sensors, I couldn’t see its face, covered by some kind of helmet.

Rising up, the last of the dirt falls off of my hull. None of my weapons are fully operational. The fleet in orbit, normally ships I’d swat aside….is a threat.

But organics often react illogically when their lives are at stake…

****

Imperial Cruiser Varan

Commander Kotek had no idea what was going on. They’d been hijacked by one of the Emperor’s inquisitors to join a pirate raid on this tiny little world. Something about making an example as well as handling some labor shortages. But now…

“What is that?”  He asked.

“Commander!”  The inquisitor’s voice was unpleasantly clear. “Disable or destroy that ship. My quarry is on it.”

“Disable or Destroy—“ He stared at the readouts. The ship was at bigger than an Imperial class!

“Sir, it has no shields up.”

Maybe…Bulk freighters are also big. If it’s some old cargo ship—then his mind stuttered to a halt as they got a better look at it.  It had a slightly familiar look, but… He remembered that from the history classes in the Academy.

It’s a Harrower.  Or a variant of one. Too big to be…

And it was accelerating, and the collision alarms started to howl.

“Open fire!” Turbo lasers blasted out, joined by a smattering of fire from the scum, but many of them were scurrying away, hoping to get beyond the range of the ship before it remembered it had guns. But it was…

Shields or none, it will destroy us if it hits…

“Evasive!” he finally shouted, and the navigator put the Varan into a quick turn that screened out most of their turbolasers. The vast hull passed them, red glows marking hits on its armor, and then…

Vanished into hyperspace.

By the time we get organized…

“Commander? The Inquisitor wishes an update.”

“I’m sure she does.”

****

The damage is minor, but…

I called the younglings into one of the meeting chambers. They started to bombard me with questions.

“What about our parents!”

“We have to rescue them!”

“Why did you run away!”

“I will answer your question in order. Firstly, if you parents are alive, they are likely slaves. While unfortunate, I doubt they will be immediately killed as that would eliminate their value.” It doesn’t appear that I reassured them.

“Secondly, we cannot rescue them yet. This world was once part of the CIS…” I neglect to state that it had been conquered by the CIS, in order to avoid useless questions. “And as such I will attempt to rescue them, but to do so, this ship must be repaired. In addition, we need intelligence. That is why I ran away. Being destroyed will hamper my ability to assist you.”

Hamper is putting it mildly. My stores are full, it is true, but repairing the damage of years of neglect will reduce them by an alarming degree. I have workshops and small manufacturing centers, but those are intended to deal with regular attrition, not combat-tempo operations, and of course, I will need to be refueled eventually. Not to mention, I expect the existence of a capital ship will attract a great amount of attention.

Lastly, I only have four FTL capable shuttles, which… we need to obtain ships that can be subtle, without screaming that they had to come from a larger ship.

“Unfortunately, if the CIS fell, I must assume that any bases, even covert ones, were taken by the Republic, and later, the Empire.”  On the other hand, the shut-down code, if as sudden with every other group as it was me, might have caught ships in transit. Or newly established bases, not yet listed in all databases.

Examining my data, I must accept that it is far out of date. However, the notes from Count Dooku about the destruction of the Ruling Council of Hutt families and their replacement…

No. To approach the Hutts in our current state would be madness.

“Well?” Jarra asked.

I paused, going through Dooku’s files. As the highest ranking current CIS intelligence (likely the only one) the files are accessible to me.

Ah. That is possible. A listening post, fully automated, in the Lothal system. If the schedule is correct, it would have been established not long before the shutdown order. If it is still intact, than I have an excellent chance of determining if any CIS facilities are still accessible, which would enable us to avoid the far more dangerous course of action of interacting with the Hutts or any other group that might betray our existence to the Empire.

Even better, all records agree. Lothal is an agrarian world with little in the way of important imports or exports, and yet was loyal to the Republic. The listening and intelligence post was put there because it would be able to receive transmissions, and yet not be in any danger from the (non-existent) forces of the world. I expect there are no Imperial forces on the world.

“I have determined a course of action. We will proceed to the Lothal system, and there obtain information.

“And then?”

“Then we will attempt to locate and rescue your families.” I paused. “Jarra, follow the droid, please.”

“Come with me,” the B1a said.

“Where am I going?”

“You are a… Jedi, correct?”

“Yes?”

“Count Dooku left several items with me for safe keeping. Treasures.”  She continued walking and we come to a heavily reinforced vault door. Moments later, Jarra blinked. “Those are…”

“Aurodium and other precious metals, yes. Count Dooku feared that he might not be able to access his funds if he was forced to take refuge.”

“Okay, I…”

The second vault door opens. “Here are some historical artifacts of the Jedi. Count Dooku had artifacts from another group, known as “Sith” but he kept them in other locations. I was not certain why, although it is possible he made use of them. He was not… open to discussion on that issue.  However, I do know that some aspects of my design stem from his interest in history.”

“I…” Jarra entered the room. “I don’t know what any of this is,” she said, looking at some artifacts. Bits of artwork, a sculpture, some other items.

“They come from a world known as Tython, evidently an important historical site of the Jedi.” I decide to not mention that some of the artifacts were purchased with blood. “But there are two artifacts in particular you might be able to make use of.” Go to the far case and key in the following code.

Jarra does and it opens. Her gasp is audible, as she reaches in and pulls out the crystalline object, a gentle blue glow filling the room. “It’s a holocron, Master Karra told me about them, but she never had one.” She paused. “How… how do I use it?”

“I do not know. Count Dooku, the few times he was on this ship during my construction, accessed holocrons by his will…but this one never responded to him.  He became quite frustrated.”

I still had memories of the damage to some droids from his excessive use of lightning during one such attempt to use the holocron.

“And this…” Jarra reached down and picked up the long sword, the slightly curved blade glowing at her touch. “This isn’t a lightsaber.”

“It is the predecessor to a lightsaber. Since you do not have a lightsaber, I believe it might be of use to you. A token of our relationship.”

Not a great token. After all, one sword does not make her any more dangerous than she would be with a gun. But if we are to work together…

She picks it up. “Its… heavy. Why is it so heavy?”

“I do not know. That is for you to find out. Perhaps you can practice with it while we are heading to Lothal.”