Capítulo 215: Double Trouble
I don't own star wars.
"One of us is going to have to tell her." Jazzle said calmly, resting her head on her cybernetic fist as Idale paced thoughtfully before her. "And I called dibs on not doing it."
"Dibs?" Emila said curiously, her sapphire eyes glancing between the high-ranking lieutenants.
"Means 'not it'" Jazzle noted to the Beautiful Cromwell but that didn't really help explain it. "I'm not telling Aida."
They were in the middle of a campaign and right now, they were blockading a planet, the name of which didn't really matter they were going to change it once they conquered it. But it had scores of turrets and battle droids, easily holding a line against their imperial forces. Theoretically, they COULD bomb the ever-loving crap out of their fortress and bunker positions, but they were holding scores of their own soldiers. And Admiral Aida made it a point not to bomb her own people.
The Kane family has ISSUES with bombing their own people.
"Well we can't just not inform the admiral; she's going to realize we're not getting our supplies." Emila noted pointedly.
The door to the meeting room opened, and Patch entered, holding a datapad. "If this keeps up Idale we're going to run out of medical supplies. We have a WEEK assuming of course they don't bomb our entrenched positions. He then paused, spotting the sapphire-eyed twi'lek. "Oh… uh…"
Emila blinked back at him curiously as he seemed to stare at her before Jazzle cleared her throat. "We've lost Patch." She noted humorously to Idale
"What?! Oh! Right." Patch immediately refocused, cleared his throat, and approached them. "We need to solve the supply lines issue now. Why haven't we gotten re-supplied?"
"Outlaws." Idale said flatly, still pacing and pondering. "Smugglers, bandits, raiders, whatever you want to call them they have been taking our resupply ships. And for some reason, the Cromwells won't provide more guards to ensure our supplies arrive."
"What a shock." Jazzle said rather flatly as Emila stared at the table. "…No offense Emila." She noted apologetically, but Emila did not respond.
"So what? We power through?" Patch noted.
"Well, first we have to tell Aida." Idale said, a little more hesitantly. "…Or we let some poor schlub do it."
Patch blinked between the three beautiful alien women and raised his hands, "…Alright, I guess that's me then." He said, lowering said hands. "…She can't kill me, I'm the best medic she has." He then took a breath, said a prayer, and matched to his doom.
"…Is that true?" Jazzle asked Idale.
"He is a very good medic." Idale noted as Emila's sapphire eyes saw Patch's back seconds before the pneumatic door closed. "But Aida went through a LOT of medics before she found one she liked…"
Jazzle seemed to ponder that and noted. "…Nah he's fine. He's her cousin's friend, she wouldn't piss him off just because of a bad mood, right?" they were silent for a moment… then the coms activated. And Admiral Aida's commanding voice echoed firmly all over the ship.
"Lieutenants, Idale, Jazzle, and Emila, Report to the command deck before I have to come FIND YOU… and bring Patch a bag of ice."
"…Fuck." Jazzle mumbled, retrieving said bag of ice before the three left to report in.
Together the arrived at the main deck. A viewing the long-upraised walkway surrounded by lower-placed computers and staff. Patch rubbed his head, his jaw opening and closing as he groaned. Admiral Aida Kane standing just next to him as she viewed her command. Jazzle handed him the bag of ice as he put it on his head.
"You didn't have to hit him admiral." Jazzle noted.
"I didn't, he tripped." She said seriously as Patch blushed as all three beautiful lieutenants glanced at him.
Jazzle's eyes flickered up and down the pristine command walkway and saw nothing that would tip anyone. "…What did you trip on?"
Patch, without missing a beat. "My dignity, let me know if you see it." Emila coughed, covering her mouth and hiding her grin. Patch couldn't help but grin himself, only for Idale to clear her throat. And respectfully salute.
"Admiral, you wished to see us?"
"Yes. Before Patch was kissing the floor after tripping over his own feet." Patch groaned rather reluctantly but she ignored him stiffly and continued. "He mentioned something about our supplies being raided?" The three lieutenants glanced at each other before nodding. "…What do we know?"
"They take what they can and destroy what they can't." Idale noted, "A fast freighter, not even a very large crew from what we can tell from the survivors."
"And they are apparently very good pilots. They are capable of taking out our escorts with minimal effort."
"And I assume the Cromwells aren't reinforcing us." Aida sighed, she stared out of the bridge into space. Viewing their current campaign target and incredibly deep in thought. Still as a statue. Emila, who had never experienced one of Aida's 'Thinking' moments close up, was a little disturbed.
Aida's cousin Kallus can summon up a powerful burst of strength using adrenaline. Aida however had a superior deductive mind: thinking up dozens of scenarios and possibilities in moments. Sometimes she was almost clairvoyant in her tactical plans and battlefield prediction.
"…Is she alright?" Emila asked cautiously.
"She's thinking. Shush." Jazzle noted as they all watched her.
"…Alright then." Aida said calmly, turning on her heels to a blonde imperial officer. "Lieutenant Commander Tervan."
"Ma'am!" he saluted to her immediately.
"You're in charge until I get back."
"Yes… Ma'am…" he said hesitantly, a little confused. Officially, (according to Admiral Aida herself) Idale was second in command… or at least she was in charge when Admiral Aida was not present. Under 'normal' circumstances the highest-ranking officer on the vessel would be in charge, but that would be Commander Wesley. "Don't let Commander Wesley tell you what to do. He irritates me." Which was exactly why she just said that…
"Yes Ma'am." He repeated saluting again.
"Follow." She ordered, strutting past the lieutenants. Jazzle was quick to follow as always, with Idale and Emila close behind. "Patch!" Aida shouted as the medic, originally unmoving, quickly dashed after them. "Well need to acquire a transport vessel, slow and cumbersome. Where is the closest resupply?" she asked as Idale immediately answered.
"Seluvas."
"Fine. We'll take a fast ship there and acquire the vessel. We'll then take a different route and announce our imminent arrival with supplies."
"Announce?" Emila asked as Aida led them into the closet armory to retrieve weapons and gear.
"On open Imperial channels. I imagine that is how our 'pirates' are catching our transports off guard." Idale and Jazzle glanced curiously at each other.
"…How do you know that?"
"Because it would take a lot of balls and planning to raid Imperial supply transports in imperial space. They'd need a way to know our positions and our routes." Aida armed herself with a fine imperial blaster pistol. "I imagine somebody has been giving them access to our channels, they then listen in and pick the best spot for an ambush." She buckled on a set of chest armor, "I imagine near an asteroid field or a small moon. Regardless they'd still need to know our routines. You said they've destroyed what they couldn't take?"
They all nodded, a little impressed.
"Then probably a smaller vessel and a talented crew. And they probably have a base in the area. Idale. Show me a map of their raids."
Idale produced a holo image or the general system, showing several flickering red spots in the same location. "…Here." Aida pressed a nearby asteroid field. "An abandoned mining complex from the looks of it… older the us I'd imagine." The asteroid enhanced, showing, sure enough, a mining facility. "I imagine they're bunkered down here…" she then turned and began marching towards the hanger. "Let's go get our ship."
"…That was impressive." Emila noted quietly, legitimately amazed as Patch struggled to get his armor on quickly. The other two lieutenants keeping in step with Aida.
"Kinda creepy if you ask me…" he grunted, trying to strap on his trooper armor and shoulder his rifle. Emila stepped behind him and held him. "Uh… thanks." He said, smiling sheepishly as she retrieved a lighter set and strapped it on the way after Aida and the others. "…Smooth Patch." He mumbled, quickly following behind.
Aida commissioned a troop transport vessel and Idale flew them to Seluvas where they promptly commissioned a transport ship from the base there. In a few short hours, they were making their way toward the location of the raids…
"…This is not going to work." Emila said unbelievingly as she sat next to Idale, keeping her sapphire eyes opened in the vastness of space. The asteroid field slowly shifted alongside them. "It can't."
"The Admiral knows what she's doing." Idale said confidently.
Emila frowned nervously, before pressing the com on her wrist. "…Are you alright?"
It was quiet for a moment then. "A little cramped… but it's just like being back at boot." Replied Patch as Idale's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Just act casual and everything will be fine."
"But the admiral wants to capture them ALIVE." Emila noted softly. "To what end? They're pirates and raiders…"
Idale knew the answer… but she shrugged. Sparing the pretty twi'lek her opinion. At least for now. "Orders are orders."
"Slow down…" Aida said suddenly approaching behind them and staring coldly at the field. Try to make it look like we are having engine trouble."
Idale glanced at Aida. "I know you're good Admiral but you're not that-" the ship rocked violently as blaster fire rent across the hull, it was a warning shot. Close enough to rattle their shields but not enough to jettison cargo if it penetrated.
"Attention Imperial delivery boys." The com rattled as a distinct roughish accent echoed out. "Turn off your engines and prepare to be boarded."
"…Okay maybe you are that good." Idale noted as she immediately complied.
"Let's go meet our new guests." Aida said, raising her hands mockingly and 'preparing to surrender.'
The vessel was docked, and their transport shook as their airlocks snapped together. Then after a moment of palpable silence with Idale, Emila, and Aida, all with their hands raised watched the airlock doors hiss ominously open.
A pair of completely identical silvery-white haired men stepped through. Their hair was clean and cut short with a long braid out the back, they were broad-shouldered and tall. Handsome in a rugged sense, and both wearing bandoliers and at least two spare blaster pistols. Right now they raised their right hands holding up another blaster pistol at the three beautiful ladies.
"Top O the morning to you la…" the one on the right paused, glanced at all three ladies and added rather forlornly. "…Lassies." He then glanced at the one on the left. "I think I'll feel a little bad about this one later." His accent was hard to place, but it clearly wasn't imperial.
"Ah don't be!" smiled the other, "We'll just take em with us!" that seemed to put the right one at ease and he grinned charmingly at them.
"Well! Anyway classes, my name is Tarren and this is my brother Warren."
"How's about ye?" Warren replied, raising his white eyebrows at Idale who seemed non-plus.
"We will be commandeering any and all of your various dodads and googas… and yourselves of course."
"Of course." Warren added and they nodded at the girls.
"…Well come have a look." Aida said practically as she turned, Emila and Idale following suit as they all entered deeper into the transport.
"Practical. I like that." Tarren said, eyeing Aida up and down thoughtfully. "Nice of ya not to make this difficult… for us." He frowned at the empty cargo hold. He and his brother had half a second before both said together.
"Ah fuck."
Simultaneously, a hatch on the roof fell away and Jazzle dropped upside-down from it, wrapping a cloth soaked in chloroform around Warren's face. Warren managed to release a blast from his pistol and hissed into the durasteel wall. Tarren turned to aide his brother only for Aida to kick the blaster pistol from his hand, he immediately struck an echani fighting stance, only to find Aida looking rather bored.
Then he felt a pinch on his ankle. "What the-" he glanced down. Patch, hidden in a recently built smuggler's hold, held an injector. He waved rather politely up to him as Warren opened his mouth, his eyes rolled up. And both brothers dropped simultaneously to the floor.
"Excellent work." Aida noted as Jazzle flipped acrobatically down from the ceiling and Patch unceremoniously crawled out of the cramped space.
"I cannot believe that it did." Emila glanced amazed.
"Yes yes… tie them up." Aida noted lazily as Jazzle and Idale hooked the burly echani twins under their arms and dragged them off… "What did you inject him with Patch?"
"Oh… a concoction of my own making." He glanced at the injector as if deep in thought. "I tested it on Kal… and if this knocked HIM out, these guys didn't stand a chance." Aida smirked.
A Short time later.
SMACK! SMACK!
"AH! FUCK a DUCK!" hissed the brothers together, glancing at a pristinely dressed Admiral Aida with fresh stinging red hand-prints on opposite sides of their faces. Both were bound to a pair of chairs. Feet and hands firmly locked in place on the armrests and legs.
"…Well, this is disappointing." Warren mumbled sadly.
"Speak for yourself." Tarren grinned lecherously at Aida. "Kinda kinky Lassie." He teased she just smirked.
"Now gentlemen I'm sure we can be reasonable. I can even be forgiving." She added calmly, politely even. "Just don't waste my time." The two echani twins glanced at each other and then smirked, before grinning back at her. "Who hired you?"
"Ah what makes you think we were hired?" Warren asked.
"Aye. Maybe we just like pissin off Imps?" Tarren added, both smiled charmingly, and identically, at her.
"Hmm… fair enough." She replied shrugging. "…Let me put it another way." She leaned close to Tarren's face and, amazingly, the handsome Echani blushed at the proximity to the beautiful, green-eyed, redhead. "Is your employer worth being ejected into SPACE for?"
"Well…" Warren rolled his eyes, "Saying our 'employer' isn't worth that. Our credibility as mercenaries. Is."
"Aye. Nothing we can do." Nodded Tarren sadly, trying not to think about how sexy the red-head was when she was being domineering.
"Hmmm. Again. Fair enough… I can respect professionalism..." Aida began to pace slowly before them. Looking thoughtful. "…How about a game?"
"Does it involve tickling?" Tarren grinned.
"Aye. And can the mirialan participate?" Warren smiled, "…Or the twi'lek, I'm not picky."
"20 questions. But I won't need all of them." Aida noted as the twins quickly glanced at each other. "Does your employer have sapphire blue eyes?" Emila went rigid. Her own sapphire eyes widened. But the twins didn't answer, they clamped up noticeably. "So, yes." They glanced at each other again, silently communicating before becoming stone-faced. Rigid and stoic. "Is he old?" they didn't answer. Aida watched them both for a moment in silence and nodded. "So young. Is he handsome?" they didn't answer, Aida watched them both. "So, No." she tapped her chin. "Does his face look like it was carved up by an angry, vicious, redhead with a fondness for vibroblades, and then stitched back together?"
The twins' eyes widened as she nodded. "So Critcher then." She rolled her eyes, "…I suppose I owe Daemon an apology, my credits were on him."
"What?" Emila noted, a little shocked. "Why would he-" but Aida waved a hand at her, Idale patted Emila's shoulder.
"Not important. In fact, it's nothing new. I knew it must have been someone high up to arrange this apparently dangerous route AND give these two a way to listen in on our communications. Idale have our codes changed, and have all instructions pass through Emila and Daemon."
"Yes ma'am."
"Now for you two." Aida pulled out her personal pistol, a gift from her uncle, and pointed it dead center on Warren's forehead. "…How about a job?"
Staring down the barrel of her blaster he tilted his head aside to look at her more directly. "…Alright, I'm game. What's the offer?"
"You two work for me. I assume you are excellent warriors and pilots? Most Echani are. Besides anyone who can raid imperial convoys so effectively must be worth the credits." She noted practically
"Aye." Smiled Tarren charmingly, "...and I must say working for such a lovely lassie like yourself would be far more enjoyable than sitting out here in the middle of nowhere all cycle."
Aida smirked at him, "Keep it in your pants." She noted, holstering her blaster. "Now… where's your hideout? I assume you still have the supplies you raided?"
Warren sighed reluctantly, "…Aye."
"Good. I need those." She noted, "Idale." The lieutenant saluted and immediately went to the cockpit.
"Aren't ya going to untie us?" Tarren asked, grinning. "…Or not. I'm not picky."
Aida rolled her eyes, "You'll stay there for now until we can write up an arrangement. Jazzle. Watch them. If they do anything unpleasant eject them into space, or some other sort of terrible thing..." Jazzle's cybernetic hands rested on each of the brother's shoulders.
"Hey boys." She smirked as they realized she was standing behind them the whole time.
"…How's about ye?" Tarren asked as he flinched, feeling her cybernetic hand squeeze.
Stepping out of hearing of Aida's 'new recruits' Emila held her back from the cockpit. "…You knew." Emila noted as Aida glanced at her.
"Obviously. It's par the course."
"But why?" Emila hissed, "There's no GAIN in sabotaging the campaign."
"According to your father, and my aunts. Yes. But Critcher is proud and STUPID." Aida noted, glaring at the pretty twi'lek as Patch glanced nervously between them. "Hateful. And Spiteful. And again… STUPID." She spat bitterly, her normally stoic features suddenly very similar to an angry Kallus Kane. "I'm not saying my family are saints. But yours aren't any better when it comes to our 'ancient' rivalry."
She turned away, "I would not be surprised if Critcher thought he could use my stagnation to take over. In fact, I imagine that was the plan. But you actually know him Emila… you shouldn't be surprised either." Emila was silent as Aida walked away.
Patch nervously scratched his head and cleared his throat. "Um… perhaps… you'd like a calming cup of tea? Its been an excitable day."
Emila, furious, frustrated, and forlorn. Sighed rather ingloriously. "…I'd rather have a shot of Corelian whiskey."
"…I can do that too." he noted, holding out a flask. She glanced at him rather surprised as he shrugged. Not wanting to point out that BECAUSE of Critcher, he drank a lot more often. Never before surgery. "…Offer still stands." She blinked at the flask. Then at him.
"…I'd like that."
End of Chapter.
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