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- @BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ
- TIE FIGHTER: PREDATOR #14 @END_FILE_ID.DIZ
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-
- The engines were already whining as I clambered up the ramp of
- the shuttle and forward into the cockpit. I heard the hydraulic
- pistons hiss and the ramp clunk shut as the shuttle rose into the
- air. I sat in the co-pilots chair and fumbled with the seat-harness
- as the shuttle moved past several vehicles in differing stages of
- repair. We were in a huge hangar above the main bay of the Star
- Destroyer. Of course, there were other hangars (like one
- exclusively for TIEs), but this was by far the largest. Below us,
- a large door opened, and the shuttle proceeded above it, then
- down through it.
- The shuttle descended into the huge bay in the belly of the
- Star Destroyer, then down further. Once, long ago, when it was
- my first time dropping out of a Star Destroyer, I felt a rush of
- panic as it seemed like we were actually "falling" out of the
- Star Destroyer. Now there was only a sense of wonderment and
- awe at the empty expanse of nothingness dotted by specks of light.
- Of course, in this case, Slokkar and several bulk freighters were
- in view on starboard side.
- "So what's our mission ?" I said innocently to the pilot, then
- turned and froze in apprehension.
- It was 66's superior -- the 6'4", 300 pound human AT-AT. By
- the surface-light of Slokkar, I saw his brown-blonde hair and
- piercing grey eyes as he looked at me intensely then back to
- the instruments, flipping this one and that.
- "Just a short hop the Lahara system -- We're to rendesvouz with
- the FRG ANVIL and pick up a high ranking officer, then return here."
- "Why doesn't the ANVIL just drop him off ?" I asked. On second,
- thought, maybe I shouldn't have -- I looked at his rank insignia:
- Commander! I felt like dying.
- "It's enroute to the Kashyyyk system and it doesn't have fuel to
- come here."
- I nodded and shut up.
- He flipped a few more switches and clicked on the com.
- "Lambda 9 to Lambda 11. Now entering hyperspace," he said.
- "Roger, Lambda 9. We're with you," came the reply.
- The commander pulled the lever and the starfield streaked into
- white light.
- I eyed him again, curious. He was huge -- muscular arms, pecs,
- legs. Not an ounce of fat that I could see. This was all, of
- course, just looking at his uniform. His face was a piece of
- work too. Well defined bones, delicate yet sharp like a hawk's.
- He had a long scar on his right cheek and a powerful, regal
- gaze that I was sure could destroy anything he looked at.
- Done, I turned my attention back to the viewport and gazed
- silently into hyperspace.
- "Dekker," he said, "Fox Dekker. Lieutenant."
- "Yes, sir," I said nervously.
- "Call me Brood, Lieutenant. Commander Brood."
- "Yes sir, Commander," I snapped.
- Silence again. I became aware of the ship humming beneath me --
- around me.
- "Lieutenant, you want to ask me something," he said.
- Although it was a statement, just the way he said it made him
- seem like he ordered it.
- "Why did 66 try to kill me ?" I ventured boldly.
- One of his mouth muscles contracted, making him both appear
- to smile and leer at the same time.
- "Lieutenant," he said turning to me -- turning that deep, piercing
- gaze at me -- "The truth is rather--complex. I don't know if you are
- ready for it."
- I breathed as he turned back to the controls. I really wanted to
- know, but he was a higher officer and I was in no position to force
- perhaps sensitive information from him.
- "Alright," I said firmly.
- He looked at me again, this god among men and squinted his eyes,
- as if pondering some secret motive.
- "The truth," he said turning back to the controls, "She fears you."
- "She fears me, sir ?"
- He nodded.
- "She fears you," he said emphatically.
- Now I was confused.
- "You are different from the others, Dekker. Very different."
- "How so, sir ?" I asked intrigued.
- He turned to me with those piercing eyes, and inwardly, in
- the depths of my being, I cringed.
- "The Emperor has given you a gift, Dekker. He has given you
- power. Power to defend the Empire !"
- I didn't know what to say. So I just sat there and gulped.
- He turned back to the controls and seemed to calm down. For
- a moment he was raving, but now he sank back in his chair -- not
- passive. Still, silent, waiting.
- "I know what you're thinking," he said slowly, "What the hell
- is he talking about? He must be crazy. Is that what you think ?"
- "No, sir," I lied.
- He laughed.
- "Dekker, Dekker," he said shaking his head, "You're like a rabbit.
- I'm a tiger. You can't lie to me."
- He paused momentarily, then turned toward me, leaning out of his
- seat.
- "The Emperor has put this...this...force in you, Dekker. And
- this force, Dekker, gives you so much potential. You could
- rule worlds, Fox! You can conquer armies! You can have all the
- women you desire! But you must learn how to use it, Fox."
- "Let me guess," I said, "You're going to teach me how to use it."
- He looked at me with a dark scowl -- his sign of acknowledgement.
- "Yes," he hissed, "And your brothers in the Secret Order will
- help also."
- What the hell was he talking about?
- "Secret Order ?" I stammered.
- "Yes. The 'acolytes' as you pilots call us," he replied.
- "You're in the 'Secret Order' ?" I asked.
- He smirked.
- I looked out the viewport again, trying to take all this in.
- "What.... What if I refuse ?" I asked.
- He laughed -- really laughed, even though it was laced with razor'd
- barbs and venom.
- "You don't want to know," he said.
- "Humor me," I said after a moment's hesitation.
- He looked at me annoyed.
- "For starters, Dekker," he said icily, "your family, your relatives
- and all your friends will be sent to a maximum security concentration
- camp."
- I thought he would continue, but he stopped there. He was holding
- out though. I breathed before going on.
- "What about me ?"
- He looked at me, fathoming whether I was a fool or not.
- "You," he said slowly, "will be sent to Star's End. There, in a
- special facility, you'll be tortured and worse until you die."
- The entire situation was pretty bleak so I shut up and looked out
- the viewport again.
- A couple minutes passed and he spoke again. I thought he was
- going to say something encouraging but I was wrong.
- "We're here."
- The bright light of hyperspace receded into the distance and we
- were in real space again.
- "I've located the FRG ANVIL at 10 kilometers," I said into the com.
- "Roger, Lambda 9. We're right with you," came the other Lambda.
- We continued cruising steadily towards the ANVIL. Then, Brood broke the
- silence.
- "Fox," he said coldly, "You'll need this."
- He held out a 10 inch long cylindrical device. I'd never seen the
- likes of it before, so I hesitated to touch it.
- He smirked at me again.
- "It won't bite you, Dekker. Take it."
- I reached out and touched it. As I did, it seemed that something
- passed through us. It was a wierd, fleeting feeling that lasted the
- barest of a moment.
- I hefted the device in my hand. There was a switch on it -- I
- slid it to its on position. A long sliver of light hissed out of
- the cylinder and quickly grew to a meter. The weapon hummed in
- my hand.
- "It's a light saber, Dekker," scowled Brood, "You'll learn how
- to use it later."
- I nodded as the ANVIL approached at 1.0 km. We had made good
- speed. I deactivated the light saber and contacted the ANVIL
- for landing instructions.
- As soon as we had landing clearance, Brood made a very
- good manual landing on board. The other Lambda remained alongside
- the ANVIL. As soon the ramp was down, three officers clambered
- aboard.
- "Take the controls, Dekker," hissed Brood.
- We switched seats. The hangar boss gave me the thumbs up
- sign, so I raised the ramp then applied force to the main
- underside thrusters. As we rose into the air, I raised the
- landing gear then maneuvered the shuttle forward out of the
- hangar and into space.
- Meanwhile, Brood had taken out some clothes from a travel
- bag he had behind the pilot's chair. He removed a black mask
- and donned it expertly. I didn't get a good look but it was
- some made of some multipolymer cloth with tinted lenses and
- some sort of filter over the mouth. The entire thing completely
- hid his face, hair and neck. Then, he threw a large black
- robe over his uniform, and pulled the cowl over his head.
- "Lambda 11, this is Lambda 9. Proceed to hyperspace exit point,
- over," I comm'd.
- "Roger, Lambda 9," crackled the comm.
- Brood went back, to talk to the generals, I guess. In a couple
- minutes, we had reached the hyperspace exit zone and entered
- hyperspace.
- Well, beside my "induction" into the Secret Order, the mission was
- going fairly well. I looked over the instrument panel, but saw
- something that immediately caught my attention.
- INTERCOM
- At first, I dismissed the thought of even using it, but as the
- minutes wore on, it screamed at me to touch it -- to find out what
- the officers were talking about. Eventually, I gave in. I pushed it.
- "... this is madness!" said Voice-1, "The entire group isn't
- assembled yet !"
- "Nonsense, Jos. We have over a hundred ships at Slokkar already,"
- said Voice-2.
- "You leave out the fact that half those ships are freighters and
- tankers, Patho. That leaves us with 2 Star Destroyers, 10 frigates
- and 35 corvettes -- AND most of those escort ships have been
- heavily damaged from rebel attacks," said Jos.
- "Bah!" said Patho, "What do you think, Dallex ?"
- There was a slow pause as another officer sniffed.
- "I agree with the Emissary," he said slowly, "Mon Mothma and the
- command staff at Calamari! Now ?! We must strike, gentlemen.
- We'll have 4 more Star Destroyers in less than a day, and we
- can get 4 more to rendesvous with us at Calamari -- but we'll have
- to make do with what we have."
- "I still think we should wait for a full complement of 20 Star
- Destroyers! Those Mon Calamari cruisers are better than you
- think -- "
- "ENOUGH, Jos ! The Emperor has spoken," yelled Patho.
- "This will be the end of all of us !" spat Jos.
- "Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" said Dallex in his arrogant, decadent
- accent, "Let's discuss plans, shall we ?"
- "Of course," said Patho, "I'll take four Star Destroyers--"
- "Three," cut in Jos.
- "Ach!" sniffed Patho, "THREE Star Destroyers and some escort
- ships to cover Sector 19-25. We'll drive them toward Lord Ravrax
- and the Apocalypse in Sector 37.
- "Which ships do you want Patho ?" asked Dallex.
- "Hmmm. I'll take the PREDATOR, the HYDRA, and for my own command ship
- the WARLOCK."
- "We're low on escort ships, too. We can only hand you four
- frigates and a triplet of corvettes," said Jos.
- "Alright!" spat Patho, "Which ones ?"
- "Hmmm," said Dallex, "Take the FRG IMPERIAL CITY, the MOFF TARKIN,
- the MOS KINNLEY and the MOS NEISLY. And for corvettes take the CRV
- DAGGER, the WOLF and the WIDOW."
- Then, unexpectedly, a sharp hissing voice said "Excuse me,
- gentlemen,"
- I shut off the intercom as the door hissed open and Brood entered.
- "Things go well ?" I gulped, trying to play down my deceit.
- "The only thing the Admirals are capable of is bickering," hissed Brood's
- mechanically altered voice, "And if you ever spy over the intercom again,
- I'll rip your fingers off one by one."
- And that was the flight back...
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