Coruscant, Friday night [Fandom time]
Despite the fact that Zayne and his friends were traveling in one of the most overpowered independent gunships in the galaxy, the journey to Coruscant had gone smoothly. They didn't run into any random Republic resistance, no stray Jedi found them, nothing. But as they were starting their final approach to the planet, a complication presented itself.
"All right! Who told the Republic Navy our itinerary?" Gryph yelled. The Swiftsure - Admiral Saul Karath's command ship - was on point with an assortment of Hammerhead-class cruisers forming a circle around the entire planet. Judging by the press it had gotten, it was easy enough to guess that the cruisers were slaved to the Swiftsure's controls using the Vanjervalis Chain, a bit of programming that made all of the associated cruisers act in perfect coordination while a computer predicted enemy tactics and adjusted the line accordingly. It was touted as an impenetrable blockade.
And right now it was set up to stop one ship. Lucien was clearly behind this bit of overkill.
"So much for this being a simple cargo run, Zayne!" Gryph said. "Someone doesn't want what we're delivering! Time to find your favorite gun turret, Moomos!"
The Moomos ran off to the turrets, arguing about which one got to use 'Bitsy' while Slyssk continued to pilot. Gryph and Zayne stayed with Slyssk, trying to figure out the next play. From this vantage point, all Zayne could do at the moment was watch as a squadron of A-Wing fighters approached the Williwaw.
A call then came over the comm. "Attention gunship! Coruscant traffic is under a security watch! Identify yourself or turn about!"
"I... I recognize that voice!" Zayne said, not returning the call yet.
"This is Lieutenant Carth Onasi of Lance Squadron. I repeat, identify yourself!"
Thinking quickly, Zayne played the card he had lucked into. "This is Shad Camper. Remember, Onasi?"
"That's what I was afraid of."
"Our luck's changed, Gryph!" Zayne said, flashing a smile.
"No, it hasn't!" Carth called back. "You shouldn't have come here. Turn it about!"
"Can't do that. I'm delivering evidence to clear my name," Zayne responded. "I guess I can't ask you to--"
There was some sympathy in Carth's voice as he cut Zayne off. "No, you can't. I lost my bridge post for losing you before. And the fleet's just recognized your ship, anyway. It's too late. I'm sorry." His voice went back to a commanding tone as he called out, "Weapons hot, Lancers! We've got an intruder here! Shoot to disable!"
The Williwaw lunged forward, starting a race against Lancer Squadron. The A-Wings started shooting, but the Williwaw was more than capable of returning fire.
"Some friend, Zayne!" Gryph yelled as Zayne took control from Slyssk. Not that Zayne was a great pilot, but he was better and less panicky than Slyssk. If they survived, he owed someone in Fandom a drink for the piloting lessons.
As he took the helm, Zayne was also calling back to the turrets on the comm. "Shoot to disable! I don't care how much fun you're having, Dob and Del!"
Rohlan stormed onto the bridge and started yelling. "The gambit has failed, human! We should do whatever we must to escape!"
"I'm trying to prove I didn't kill innocent people, Rohlan! Doing it now isn't going to help!" Zayne yelled back. In the heat of the chase, he had a moment of clarity. "And since when do you care about saving your skin? The Rohlan I know would take any risk to find the truth, like we're doing now!"
Zayne brought the Williwaw into traffic near the cruisers, figuring the Williwaw would be maneuverable enough to dodge the cruisers' lasers and maybe cause enough chaos to scare the Lancers off. That roll of the dice was off, though, and most of the lasers scored a direct hit on the Williwaw's shields. The ship barely survived.
"Those cruisers are more coordinated than the fighters!" Rohlan pointed out. "Our shields are gone! Now will you open up?"
"Just on the cruisers," Zayne said. "Our missiles against their batteries! They can take it!"
"Fire them all!" Gryph called to the turrets. "There'll be less noise when we explode."
Every time Zayne tried to clear a firing arc from the cruisers, he found himself in another. In a one-on-one fight, the Williwaw probably could have taken a cruiser out, but now it was just being shot up.
Jarael stumbled into the bridge as the ship continued to be rocked by laser fire, yelling, "Zayne, those Hammerheads are going to kill us all!"
"Normally on this ship that means something else," Gryph snarked. "But she's right, Henchman. This hand's busted."
"It's over, then," Zayne said, pulling back and trying to at least get out of range. Jarael put a comforting hand on his arm as he resigned to failure on this play. "I can't endanger you anymore. We're not going to get past, not in this ship. We..."
Zayne perked up suddenly as he had an epiphany. Jarael apparently had the same realization, so she joined Zayne in laying out a new plan: "We need a different ship!"
Gryph stared at the both of them, not liking where this was going. "You're not thinking of what I think you're thinking of."
"You trained me, you should know!" Zayne answered. "Jarael, are you sure? This is asking a lot."
"I'll ask you for something sometime," Jarael said, giving him a quick hug. "Now go!"
"You heard the lady, guys," Zayne told Gryph and Slyssk as Jarael let go to take the controls. "Let's get that box of artifacts and move!"
Rohlan leaned over Jarael, incredulous. "What do you intend to... NO! Jarael, you cannot mean to do this! That's the Republic Navy out there! I'm a Mandalorian! I will not--"
"Then go hide in a crawlspace, you've done it before!" Jarael snapped. "I just got a job!"
*****
The Williwaw started careening away from the line of cruisers, turning straight for the command ship, the Swiftsure. Before there was time for the Republic Navy to react, the flaming remains of the Williwaw were crashing into the Swiftsure's docking back, causing a chaotic scene as the only soldiers in the docking bay had to flee so they didn't find a flaming warship squishing them.
It would be several minutes before the Republic soldiers could mount an organized response and get into the Williwaw. But Zayne knew there would be a small cargo hauler called the Deadweight on the Swiftsure, and he had Slyssk, a very experienced starship thief. By the time the soldiers responded, the Deadweight was on its way past Lancer Squadron. Nobody had any reason to suspect that a Republic hauler was carrying fugitives.
A quick call came over the Deadweight's comm. "That's some Force you've got there, kid," Carth said, giving implicit permission to use his ship. "I hope one of you knows what you're doing."
*****
It wasn't long before the Deadweight found a landing platform planetside, and Zayne and Gryph were carrying the crate of artifacts down the ramp.
"Slyssk may not be the best starship thief in the galaxy, but he's certainly the fastest," Zayne noted.
"Until his panic attacks start," Gryph answered. "I had to give him some credits and send him to a hotel!"
A moment passed, and Zayne gave a thoughtful sigh. "You know, Gryph, you don't have to be here for the rest of this either. I'll deliver the evidence on my own. I've caused you enough trouble."
"I made my bet back on Taris, Zayne. Got to protect my stake," Gryph answered. "Let's go."
As they started off, a loud KLUNK came from the ship. "I thought you said Slyssk left the ship," Zayne said.
"I thought he did," Gryph said. "Slyssk, I told you--"
A voice called out from behind them, "I am not Slyssssk." Zayne recognized the voice immediately. Master Xamar.
*****
"Sorry to pick such a place for a rendezvous, Masters," Alek... or, rather, Malak said, leading a party of Shel, Master Vandar Tokare, and Master Vrook Lamar, both of the Jedi High Council. "But we got Zayne's signal, so it shouldn't be long.
"Oh, it's in perfect keeping with the rest of tonight," Vrook said. "Chasing shadows! I may not care for Lucien on the High Council, but phantom Jedi agents?"
"You saw what my accountant discovered about the Draay Trust," Vandar said, using a hover chair to remain at eye level with the others.
"Carrick's father, you mean!" Vrook said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Some source!"
"Be honest! How hard would it be to create shadow agents with that wealth?" Vandar reasoned. "You've complained yourself, Jedi are reported killed on remote missions all the time without investigations. And Krynda Draay has trained Jedi for thirty years without our supervision. You know how thin we were after the Sith War. We were happy for the help! How many remain loyal to her now?"
"Is anything impossible when the forces opposing it are asleep?" Malak asked.
"You would know something about Jedi operating without leave, I'd bet," Vrook pointed out. "But never mind. Even with what Shel has told us of Raana Tey, we could never bring this to the Council. You don't know what Krynda means to the Jedi, son. She's one of the few Sith War heroes we have left. You accuse her, you won't rock the Order. You'll tear it apart." Vrook sighed. "And Karath has told everyone Zayne's a Mandie spy. The boy could bring back a cartload of real Sith artifacts and the Draays could say the Mandalorians supplied them! No! No, it's not enough!"
"What... What will it take?" Shel asked, horrified by the odds against them.
"One of their number must turn, Shel," Vandar answered. "Someone who's seen everything from the beginning. Someone must raise his voice."
A lightsaber hummed into action as a voice was raised. "Sssomeone might," Xamar said, forcing the Jedi group to turn around. Hidden in the shadows except for the green light of Xamar's saber, Zayne and Gryph were knelt down in front of Xamar, his blade in front of their throats. "I have brought Zayne Carrick and Marn Hierogryph to jussstice. The form it takes depends on what you sssay to me now!"
[OOC: From Turnabout by John Jackson Miller and Alan Robinson. NEXT: VINDICATION!]
"All right! Who told the Republic Navy our itinerary?" Gryph yelled. The Swiftsure - Admiral Saul Karath's command ship - was on point with an assortment of Hammerhead-class cruisers forming a circle around the entire planet. Judging by the press it had gotten, it was easy enough to guess that the cruisers were slaved to the Swiftsure's controls using the Vanjervalis Chain, a bit of programming that made all of the associated cruisers act in perfect coordination while a computer predicted enemy tactics and adjusted the line accordingly. It was touted as an impenetrable blockade.
And right now it was set up to stop one ship. Lucien was clearly behind this bit of overkill.
"So much for this being a simple cargo run, Zayne!" Gryph said. "Someone doesn't want what we're delivering! Time to find your favorite gun turret, Moomos!"
The Moomos ran off to the turrets, arguing about which one got to use 'Bitsy' while Slyssk continued to pilot. Gryph and Zayne stayed with Slyssk, trying to figure out the next play. From this vantage point, all Zayne could do at the moment was watch as a squadron of A-Wing fighters approached the Williwaw.
A call then came over the comm. "Attention gunship! Coruscant traffic is under a security watch! Identify yourself or turn about!"
"I... I recognize that voice!" Zayne said, not returning the call yet.
"This is Lieutenant Carth Onasi of Lance Squadron. I repeat, identify yourself!"
Thinking quickly, Zayne played the card he had lucked into. "This is Shad Camper. Remember, Onasi?"
"That's what I was afraid of."
"Our luck's changed, Gryph!" Zayne said, flashing a smile.
"No, it hasn't!" Carth called back. "You shouldn't have come here. Turn it about!"
"Can't do that. I'm delivering evidence to clear my name," Zayne responded. "I guess I can't ask you to--"
There was some sympathy in Carth's voice as he cut Zayne off. "No, you can't. I lost my bridge post for losing you before. And the fleet's just recognized your ship, anyway. It's too late. I'm sorry." His voice went back to a commanding tone as he called out, "Weapons hot, Lancers! We've got an intruder here! Shoot to disable!"
The Williwaw lunged forward, starting a race against Lancer Squadron. The A-Wings started shooting, but the Williwaw was more than capable of returning fire.
"Some friend, Zayne!" Gryph yelled as Zayne took control from Slyssk. Not that Zayne was a great pilot, but he was better and less panicky than Slyssk. If they survived, he owed someone in Fandom a drink for the piloting lessons.
As he took the helm, Zayne was also calling back to the turrets on the comm. "Shoot to disable! I don't care how much fun you're having, Dob and Del!"
Rohlan stormed onto the bridge and started yelling. "The gambit has failed, human! We should do whatever we must to escape!"
"I'm trying to prove I didn't kill innocent people, Rohlan! Doing it now isn't going to help!" Zayne yelled back. In the heat of the chase, he had a moment of clarity. "And since when do you care about saving your skin? The Rohlan I know would take any risk to find the truth, like we're doing now!"
Zayne brought the Williwaw into traffic near the cruisers, figuring the Williwaw would be maneuverable enough to dodge the cruisers' lasers and maybe cause enough chaos to scare the Lancers off. That roll of the dice was off, though, and most of the lasers scored a direct hit on the Williwaw's shields. The ship barely survived.
"Those cruisers are more coordinated than the fighters!" Rohlan pointed out. "Our shields are gone! Now will you open up?"
"Just on the cruisers," Zayne said. "Our missiles against their batteries! They can take it!"
"Fire them all!" Gryph called to the turrets. "There'll be less noise when we explode."
Every time Zayne tried to clear a firing arc from the cruisers, he found himself in another. In a one-on-one fight, the Williwaw probably could have taken a cruiser out, but now it was just being shot up.
Jarael stumbled into the bridge as the ship continued to be rocked by laser fire, yelling, "Zayne, those Hammerheads are going to kill us all!"
"Normally on this ship that means something else," Gryph snarked. "But she's right, Henchman. This hand's busted."
"It's over, then," Zayne said, pulling back and trying to at least get out of range. Jarael put a comforting hand on his arm as he resigned to failure on this play. "I can't endanger you anymore. We're not going to get past, not in this ship. We..."
Zayne perked up suddenly as he had an epiphany. Jarael apparently had the same realization, so she joined Zayne in laying out a new plan: "We need a different ship!"
Gryph stared at the both of them, not liking where this was going. "You're not thinking of what I think you're thinking of."
"You trained me, you should know!" Zayne answered. "Jarael, are you sure? This is asking a lot."
"I'll ask you for something sometime," Jarael said, giving him a quick hug. "Now go!"
"You heard the lady, guys," Zayne told Gryph and Slyssk as Jarael let go to take the controls. "Let's get that box of artifacts and move!"
Rohlan leaned over Jarael, incredulous. "What do you intend to... NO! Jarael, you cannot mean to do this! That's the Republic Navy out there! I'm a Mandalorian! I will not--"
"Then go hide in a crawlspace, you've done it before!" Jarael snapped. "I just got a job!"
*****
The Williwaw started careening away from the line of cruisers, turning straight for the command ship, the Swiftsure. Before there was time for the Republic Navy to react, the flaming remains of the Williwaw were crashing into the Swiftsure's docking back, causing a chaotic scene as the only soldiers in the docking bay had to flee so they didn't find a flaming warship squishing them.
It would be several minutes before the Republic soldiers could mount an organized response and get into the Williwaw. But Zayne knew there would be a small cargo hauler called the Deadweight on the Swiftsure, and he had Slyssk, a very experienced starship thief. By the time the soldiers responded, the Deadweight was on its way past Lancer Squadron. Nobody had any reason to suspect that a Republic hauler was carrying fugitives.
A quick call came over the Deadweight's comm. "That's some Force you've got there, kid," Carth said, giving implicit permission to use his ship. "I hope one of you knows what you're doing."
*****
It wasn't long before the Deadweight found a landing platform planetside, and Zayne and Gryph were carrying the crate of artifacts down the ramp.
"Slyssk may not be the best starship thief in the galaxy, but he's certainly the fastest," Zayne noted.
"Until his panic attacks start," Gryph answered. "I had to give him some credits and send him to a hotel!"
A moment passed, and Zayne gave a thoughtful sigh. "You know, Gryph, you don't have to be here for the rest of this either. I'll deliver the evidence on my own. I've caused you enough trouble."
"I made my bet back on Taris, Zayne. Got to protect my stake," Gryph answered. "Let's go."
As they started off, a loud KLUNK came from the ship. "I thought you said Slyssk left the ship," Zayne said.
"I thought he did," Gryph said. "Slyssk, I told you--"
A voice called out from behind them, "I am not Slyssssk." Zayne recognized the voice immediately. Master Xamar.
*****
"Sorry to pick such a place for a rendezvous, Masters," Alek... or, rather, Malak said, leading a party of Shel, Master Vandar Tokare, and Master Vrook Lamar, both of the Jedi High Council. "But we got Zayne's signal, so it shouldn't be long.
"Oh, it's in perfect keeping with the rest of tonight," Vrook said. "Chasing shadows! I may not care for Lucien on the High Council, but phantom Jedi agents?"
"You saw what my accountant discovered about the Draay Trust," Vandar said, using a hover chair to remain at eye level with the others.
"Carrick's father, you mean!" Vrook said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Some source!"
"Be honest! How hard would it be to create shadow agents with that wealth?" Vandar reasoned. "You've complained yourself, Jedi are reported killed on remote missions all the time without investigations. And Krynda Draay has trained Jedi for thirty years without our supervision. You know how thin we were after the Sith War. We were happy for the help! How many remain loyal to her now?"
"Is anything impossible when the forces opposing it are asleep?" Malak asked.
"You would know something about Jedi operating without leave, I'd bet," Vrook pointed out. "But never mind. Even with what Shel has told us of Raana Tey, we could never bring this to the Council. You don't know what Krynda means to the Jedi, son. She's one of the few Sith War heroes we have left. You accuse her, you won't rock the Order. You'll tear it apart." Vrook sighed. "And Karath has told everyone Zayne's a Mandie spy. The boy could bring back a cartload of real Sith artifacts and the Draays could say the Mandalorians supplied them! No! No, it's not enough!"
"What... What will it take?" Shel asked, horrified by the odds against them.
"One of their number must turn, Shel," Vandar answered. "Someone who's seen everything from the beginning. Someone must raise his voice."
A lightsaber hummed into action as a voice was raised. "Sssomeone might," Xamar said, forcing the Jedi group to turn around. Hidden in the shadows except for the green light of Xamar's saber, Zayne and Gryph were knelt down in front of Xamar, his blade in front of their throats. "I have brought Zayne Carrick and Marn Hierogryph to jussstice. The form it takes depends on what you sssay to me now!"
[OOC: From Turnabout by John Jackson Miller and Alan Robinson. NEXT: VINDICATION!]