Children of the Ampersand
A lightsaber is an laser sword featured in the Star Wars universe. A typical lightsaber is over a meter in length total, usually consisting of a metal hilt usually around 11 inches in length that projects a brightly-lit energy blade usually around 3 feet in length, though the length can usually be adjusted by a control on the side of the hilt.
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The characters are members of an Imperial Black Operations force called TASK FORCE 77. They have been selected by Darth Vader to hunt down and capture the Pirate calling himself Quist. They have 26 standard hours to successful apprehend the fugitive and return him to agents of the Empire. Failure will be rewarded with death.
In this scene, Sandor Visla and KI-11 search the YT-1300 freighter that the Rebels were planning to use as a “Get Away Ship.”
Danuta was a dull, barren brown planet in Senatorial Sector Three, thinly populated mostly by miners and hardscrabble farmers. Trid was the planet’s de facto capital. The primary population was the Hutts during the last days of the Old Republic, but later the Galactic Empire converted it to a client of the Brodsport Mining Corporation. Danuta was not notable, aside from its function as a stopover on one of the many hyperspace routes leading to Kessel. However, the city of Trid did have a B’omarr Order Temple. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, the Imperial garrison on the outskirts of Trid was expanded into a full military installment, home to a sprawling yet secret research facility visited by the Imperial Security Bureau.
KI-11 scanned the freighter with its sensor array, confirming that there was one humanoid-sized life form on the ship.
The assassin droid entered through the top service hatch. Sandor picked up some scrap laying next to the ship and tossed it up the ramp into the interior. Right away, the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter heard a “WHOOP WHOOP” sound typical of service droids.
Stepping up the ramp, Sandor was faced with an astromech. The little droid made the “WHOOP WHOOP” sound again and started to roll away. A well placed blast knocked the droid on its side, and Sandor deactivated it with a few switch flips. He didn’t want the droid making a bunch of racket.
It wasn’t long until KI-11 walked into view, confirming that the ship was seemingly unoccupied. Apparently, their prey was clever and hiding somewhere within the ship’s stash spo
ts.
It wasn’t long before they heard a clunking sound come from below them. Sandor ordered the person out of hiding with a raspy, “Come on out, rebel scum!”
KI-11 accessed a nearby computer terminal, convincing the ship’s droid brain that it was time for some maintenance protocols. Within moments, the ship was venting poisonous gas into its interior.
“Good afternoon,” said KI-11 in a cheerful voice. “I have started maintenance protocols on this ship. The interior will soon be filled with gas that are life threatening to organic lifeforms. Symptoms of mild acute poisoning include lightheadedness, confusion, headache, vertigo, and flu-like effects; larger exposures can lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous system and heart, and death. This unit suggests immediate compliance with demands to avoid further action from this unit “
Sandor glanced over at his partner, and then jabbed a switch that would filter out toxins within the air.
The two watched as their prey sprung out at them from his hiding place … well, not exactly. What the man intended to do was spring out of hiding and take the two villains by surprise. However, that is not at all what occurred.
The two watched as the smuggling hatch on the floor popped open and a man thrust his blaster out at them … and then the hatch fell back on top of him violently, smashing his fingers and causing him to drop his blaster … begin screaming in pain.
KI-11 stepped forward, grabbed the man’s wrist and pulled in out of the storage area. Dragging the man across the floor, they could both see that he was of medium build and wearing the uniform of Imperial Security Bureau (ISB.)
It didn’t take long for the two of them to interrogate the man and discover that he was an impostor named Tallon Heff. He claimed to be a mercenary pilot hired by the rebels to fly them to Kwenn Space Station. However, it slowly was revealed that Heff was actually a two-bit criminal in the employ of one of the local Hutt gangsters called Roark.
Six months ago, Heff was picked up by an Imperial Sweep. Heff traded his relationship with Roark for his life. He made a deal with Imperial Lieutenant Voors of the Star Destroyer Relentless. Now he was a spy for the Imperials.
KI-11 contacted Relentless using command codes provided by the spy. Although Voors did not reply, his superior did – Captain Parlan – who simple stated: “He has been compromised. Kill the scum!”
KI-11 carried out the summary execution immediately.
Going through the crates, they found some interesting gear along with a six foot long pod with a cryogenically frozen man inside. KI-11 was able to use Imperial files to identify the man as a missing ISB agent named Barezz. All of the crates markings match those stolen from an ISB station six months ago.
Sandor found the assistance of the assassin droid to be very useful. Not only was the droid a walking murder machine but it also has the ability to hack computer systems, transmit messages, and retrieve data and intelligence.
KI-11 was able to reprogram the astromech. It was able to determine that the little droid’s name was R2-D0 and it’s purpose was to act as the primary pilot of the Yt-1300. Further digging within the astromech’s brain revealed that it both it and the ship was owned by their prey, Quist. The droid’s last programming of the ship was to go to a location on Danuta reffered to only as “Mesa 291.”
Sondar nodded at the Assassin Droid. “Looks like we’re going to Mesa 291.”
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