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(7.5) Departures and Arrivals
(7.5) Departures and Arrivals
Republic Cruiser Marauder
Republic Cloak Class Cruiser
In Orbit over Fra
January 29th, 1938
Master Visst walked on to the hanger deck of the Marauder. He made no attempt to hide the pack over his back as he looked around the hanger. He saw Master Heartman working on her fighter. He moved slightly to the left as he drifted in to the shadows as he watched her. His conversations with Master Saar were very enlightening. Master Saar had attributed his own personal fall to the darkside for personal glory and greed. As Visst watched Master Heartman working under her fighter, he compared Master Saar's fall to the dark side with Rose's own fall. Both were powered and driven by greed and glory. It was a hunger that neither claimed they could over come on their own. While in service to the Sith Lord Orchid, Master Saar had said one of his missions had been to murder Lysire before she befriended the party. By this time in his life, he was in a full tail spin in to the dark side. What he didn't realize was that he had fallen in love with Lysire. Before he had realized it, her well being started to stall that tail spin. Even though she had long embraced the darkside, he no longer could allow her corruption to continue. It was his love for Lysire which caused him to break his pact with the Sith when they demanded that she be murdered. “Master Visst, Love is such a powerful emotion. It can cause us to do incredible things or horrific nightmares. Luckily for me, Love saved me. It saved both of us.”
Master Saar told Visst of something odd. The day before Lysire dead, she came to him unexpectedly. He didn't fully understand at the time what she was trying to urge but he listened nonetheless. Master Visst learned that Lysire didn't just have one scroll, she had two scrolls that each dealt with different parts of those long lost traditions. Lysire told Biggs that he had to safe guard the second scroll till the time he knew was right to release it to the custody of the Jedi Grand Master. What confused both Visst and Biggs at the time was Lysire said no matter what, he could not speak of what she told him or of the location of the second scroll. Not even to her when she returned from the market. It was the last statement that clued Visst in to what had happened, Lysire after her death had visited Biggs and made the request of him. Biggs never knew that Lysire lived on after her death. Now, Biggs had told Visst about the scroll and where it can be found. Biggs also told Visst that he and Shalla had saved the Holocrons from the ruins of Azgard. He entrusted two of the holocrons with the Sabbat. Two with the Master Tabanne's Jedi Order on Naboo. He also sadly reported that he lost contact with them after the coup on Naboo. He entrusted the last two holocrons with the Priests of Azgard.
Visst moved from the shadows as he walked towards Master Heartman and her fighter. He walked up behind her and took notice that Xan Zall was standing by the docking collar at the far side of the bay. Visst didn't want to have to delay his departure any longer than he had to. “Master Heartman, I have need of your fighter. Do you mind if I borrow it?”
Angel slid out from under it looking up at Master Visst. “Um? Are you going somewhere?” she asked almost half confused. “Where are you going?”
Master Visst waved his hand as if to wave off the questions, “Master Heartman, I know you are worried. There is no need to be worried. What I have to do. Where I have to go. It is best that you don't know.”
Angel almost leaped up to her feet as she pushed herself from under the fighter. “You are going after Daz!” she said in an excited whisper.
Visst shook his head, “No. I am not going after Daz. May I please borrow your fighter?”
Angel looked down almost in disappointment, “Okay. Just please take care of her.”
“Of course, Master Heartman” Visst said. Took his pack and placed it in the storage compartment as Visst climbed up in to the pilot's seat.
On the far side of the hanger, Xan stood by the extension gangway waiting. He watched as a rather unimportant civilian transport slowly docked with the Marauder. He couldn't help but notice the large white markings along the side of the ship. The markings told all that could see them that this ship was not a combatant warship and was protected under the unofficial truce between the Reich and the Republic. It was something that the Reich had always seemed to uphold and something that brought a question to Xan's mind. He couldn't understand how a Government could invade their neighbors but still uphold a two millennium old tradition. Still this time he was grateful because this one transport carried a very special passenger. He watched the gangway reached out and slowly connect to the transport. The light above the gangway hatch turned from red to yellow. The sound of engines drew his attention. Xan turned to see Angel standing along the wall waving as her fighter slowly dropped through the center of the hanger. The fighter vanished from the hanger as it dropped below the cruiser and in to space. There was a soft sound indicating that the gangway had secured the link between ships.
Xan turned to the gangway hatch and saw the now green light illuminated. It was only a matter of time for the passenger to come in to view. He smiled and waved as Rose stepped through transport hatch and started to walk through the gangway. She was dressed in typical Reich fashion. Her long black and white dress was clearly a very high fashion. As she moved slowly and confidently down the gangway with her hood up covering most of her face. The hood did a very good job of concealing who she was. Xan however knew who she was. He remembered the very first day he found her in that large sealed pod. At the time he didn't know who she was, but she was trapped and it was clear that she was in trouble. He rescued her and later found out that she was a cloned copy of the long dead Sith Lord Rose. However unlike the Sith Lord, the Rose he was looking at now did not have the same connection to the Force. Still that did not stop the fears and concerns of her existence. In fact there were even secret conversations about sealing her in carbonite for the protection of the Galaxy. Never in his life, had he ever been so grateful that he took a chance on a long shot. Rose turned out to be far different than the mold she was caste from. She was without a doubt a strong, beautiful, and cunning woman, who seemed to be attuning for the sins deep within her memory.
He was deep in his thoughts as Rose walked up and bowed respectfully to him. Her voice interrupted his thoughts. “Thank you for meeting me here. We don't have much time. That is, if you want to get your sister back.”
“Okay, what are you talking about?” Xan asked. There was no single more important goal in Xan's mind than the release of his younger sister. She had spent the majority of her live going on grand adventures with her estrange uncle. When the Reich invaded their homeworld, she had broken in to the Global Defense Command and somehow sabotaged the defenses of their world. Or at least that is what she was found guilty of. The evidence was weighted heavily against her. She was in the GDC and she did send a coded message to the Reich invasion fleet. Rose had managed to decode the message much later and found it to be the coordinates of the ambush. Rose believes that the ambush had it taken place when and where it was planned could have cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees attempting to flee the system during the invasion. Rose and Xan managed to work out a deal with the Reich Military Governor to speak with the Resistance Leaders.
Xan's hope was to end the need for extra Dorin troops on his homeworld. The Dorins were killing more of his people than the Reich soldiers. It was a choice between the lesser of two evils. Selling this to the Resistance Leaders was not easy. But they had a demand which would allow a measured cease fire between occupiers and resistance fighters. The Resistance Leaders wanted the traitor of their world punished. This traitor was Xan's own younger sister. The Governor reluctantly agreed. He had confided in Rose that the Reich spies who helped the invasion had surely moved on. Still their was evidence against Xan's sister. The Resistance Leaders were calling for blood. The Governor had little choice but to agree in hopes of securing the cease fire. During the trail, Xan's sister offered no defense and actually plead guilty to sending a coded message to the incoming Reich Fleet. She offered no other details nor explanations. She laterally ensured her own guilty verdict.
Rose continued working with the Reich Governor as the days passed. She was able to learn that the Governor could not in clear conscience sign the death warrant for her execution. He told Rose that he knew for a fact that she was not working for the Reich when she sent the signal. Still the courts found her guilty and the people were screaming for her execution. The Governor had become drawn between a rock and his conscience. Rose had been in close contact with the Governor building that friendship that she had started when they first returned to Xan's homeworld. It was this friendship that allowed them to free Xan's family and earn the Governor's trust and respect. None of this resolved the problem at hand. Xan didn't like the idea that his sister was rotting away in some dark cell for a crime that he was sure she didn't commit. Even though she told him that she sent the message and was guilty of that. He knew she was not a Reich spy. He wanted her out of that cell and in his custody so he could get to the bottom of what was going on in her mind. Their own father on the other has completely disavowal Xan's sister's existence. Xan knew he couldn't expect any help from them.
“Okay, as you know, I went back to Byssi to speak to the Governor personally.” she waited to see his nod of his understanding. “So I proposed your plan to him about breaking her out. He said that there is no way he could in good conscience agree to any plan that would ask his men to violate their duties or place them in harms way. Still, he can't just let her go. He gave his word to the Rebel Leaders. They have been demanded for a date on the execution. He has been stalling for time. Currently he has informed the Resistance Leaders that he lacked the authority to sign her execution. That it should be done under their own government when they are liberated. The stall is working but the Governor warns that if she still on world should liberation occur, she is as good as dead.”
Xan didn't seem impressed, “How is this the good news you promised me?” He reached over and took her bag from her. Rose held up her hand to cut of his next statement.
She placed a soft hand on his cheek and smiled, “See I am getting to that. The Dorins are still upset from being kicked off Byssi by the Reich and feel the action has cast doubt in the Dorin/Reich Alliance. The Governor is under pressure from Vandor to make the Dorin's happy once more. Vandor still sees the Dorins as important to securing the region. The lead spokes person for the Dorins is, wait for it, Jund Morr. Yes the very traitor of your people who sent so many of them in to slavery with the Dorins.” she paused to let the moment sink in.
Taking a deep breath, “soooooo, Mr. Morr is sill hot for your sister in that creepy old man kind of way. He still wants her as his bride, regardless of her current imprisonment by the Reich. Here is what the Governor and I have worked out. In an attempt to make the Dorins happy, the Governor is will to give the Dorins a few million tons of raw minerals which will go far to appease them. It was what they had asked for minus the few million slaves as well. The Governor refused on ground that he needed them on Byssi to help further the Reich's own war effort in the region. But most importantly, the Governor will offer them, well Mr. Morr, your sister. Once she is off world, she is in the Dorin's custody and free for us to snatch. And a snatching we shall, but from the Dorins not our new secret Reich friends on Byssi.”
Her smile faded as she took on a more serous tone, “But there is a risk. Once she is off Byssi, she is no longer under the Governor's secret protection. There will be nothing he can to to help or protect her. So if we miss the rescue attempt, than we might be placing her in a more danger situation than she is in right now. So we can not miss the snatch no matter what. The Governor understands this and to make this mission easier for us, he is going to help us. He is willing to place one of his own men, a spy so to speak, with your sister. This spy will be carrying a beacon that we can hone in on. This spy is Captain Beraht, a officer that is like a son to the Governor, and a very trusted man. The man will do his best to protect your sister till we can snatch her from the Dorins. But we can not kill the spy during the raid to rescue her. The Governor was clear on this.” She lightened her tone once more, “So what do you think? Can we do this?”
Xan thought for a moment and nodded, “Lets go talk to everyone else. How much time do we have?” Xan turned and waved for Angel getting her attention.
“The Governor's next meeting with the Dorins and Mr. Morr is in two days.” she started to follow behind Xan.
“Your right, we don't have much time. We will need to come up with plans for this operation and I will need everyones' help.” Xan said as he did the numbers. The timing didn't look promising. If the Governor had their meeting on time, that meant that they had just over forty eight hours to plan and carry out this mission. Maybe they could get the Governor to slow down the talks for them. He needed to talk to the party and get their input on this.
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