Chp-48: Navigating the Fallout
Seventh Brother
Yavin System, 10 minutes after the destruction of the Death Star
He floated. And floated. And floated.
The Obsidian Talon floated with him, systems still active, if a little beat up.
He didn't care. He just floated.
And as he floated, he contemplated the recent past.
After leaving Minda, he had been ordered to report to various different systems, the place changing nearly every day as the battlestation moved.
Eventually, he was ordered to rendezvous in the Yavin system, supposedly to bear witness to the destruction of the rebels and report to Darth Vader.
Except, when he arrived, the battle was already in full swing.
He had joined in, downing multiple rebel pilots in the conflict when it happened.
The Death Star exploded.
When Alderaan had been destroyed, he had felt the aftershocks across the galaxy. And while the Death Star had far fewer on board, he was far closer.
It was overwhelming. Like drowning, he could scarcely tell himself apart from the millions of voices screaming out into the Force.
So he shut himself out. Locked and barred the doors to his mind. Shuttered the windows to his soul.
And floated.
So here he sat, floating in the void, a million thoughts crossing his mind. By separating himself from the Force for the first time in his life, a clarity settled upon his mind.
He was an Inquisitor. He served the Emperor in hunting Jedi and other Force related leads. But he was not respected. He had to fight for a position, constantly dealing with the internal politics and rivalries of the Inquisitorius. And only now, after having lived his entire life there, did he have the clarity to ask a question he had never before considered.
Is this what I want?
It was an odd question. A scary question. But one he had to answer. He could feel it, in the back of his mind, his soul. He needed to know.
No. I don't want this.
It was freeing, in a way. He didn't know what it was he really wanted, not truly. But this? The Inquisition? No longer.
The institution would likely not survive the following years, considering its waning numbers.
The Obsidian Talon didn't have a tracker on it, as it was made by people with no intention or need to track him. It had a hyperdrive. It had life support. It had enough supplies.
It was his key to freedom.
The Empire likely thought him dead. A boon. Few bother tracking a corpse, after all.
Pulling himself together, Seventh considered his options. The Talon had enough fuel for a few jumps at best, but not enough to get him anywhere safe. It was also an obviously Imperial ship. Made more obvious by its unique design, making him easier to track.
So, he needed a ship to cover for him.
The Empire was sure to start besieging Yavin as soon as they rallied, so there was no chance of recovering any ships from the Rebels until they evacuated. And any Imperial ships would arouse suspicion.
But pirates?
There were bound to be pirates in neighboring systems, especially this far out in the Outer Rim. Pirates who might very well try and capture his ship.
Fools, who would allow him onto their vessel.
Turning the engines on, he started to align himself with the closest hyperspace routes. The Mandalore sector wasn't far from here, and last he had heard, they were still piecing their people together after having thrown off the Empire's shackles a few years ago.
While the Empire would doubtlessly crush them eventually, for now the Mandalore system was the only place with any concentrated military force of any kind. There were bound to be pirates galore in the surrounding systems preying off of the colonies in the area.
Pirates with ships.
As he jumped to hyperspace, he thought about where he might go afterwards. Who knows.
Maybe he'll just wander the galaxy. See the sights, engage in some low-risk commerce to pay the bills.
It sounds…peaceful. He thought to himself.
He didn't hate the idea.
Not at all.
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Zyx Mola
Kuat System, two days after the Death Star's destruction.
Zyx was tired. And bored. And there wasn't even a satisfying way to combine the two words for a witty inner monologue! Tir-ed and Bor-ed both end the same way, so she couldn't mix the two words for a ridiculous mashup that described her current state of being!
A true tragedy.
Currently, she was stationed on an outgoing ISDI, fresh off the Kuati yards. This ship, assigned to MI's small personal fleet, would be shuttling her and a bevy of analysts around the galaxy for investigative purposes.
It was a long term mission, brewed up and assigned to her just a few days after the Death Star's destruction. She and the analysts were going to essentially be combing over trouble systems, showing up as 'reinforcements' to the various sector defense fleets, then shuttling her down when targets were identified.
It was a boring assignment, and she knew this because she was already bored, and they hadn't even left the Core yet.
Doubtlessly she would be either stuck on the ship for the majority of the assignment, which could very well last over a year, or she would be sent down on half-assed leads and find kriff-all. A waste of her time, but who was she to argue with Highcom?
Still, there were worse assignments to be had. Like those suckers in deep-cover in Hutt space. Last she'd heard, some were posing as dancers. In Hutt space.
She shuddered. One could only hope the office rumours were false.
Zyx tilted her head, thinking. Considering it's MI, the rumours were probably planted.
Regardless, this was boring, and she hated it.
So, to pass the time, she was checking up on her family, making sure they all survived.
Mother dearest stayed on Eriadu, as she wasn't one of Tarkin's right hand people. A top subordinate, sure, but not necessary to bring with him when she already runs one of the galaxy's top academies.
Las was still in that backwater, doing…whatever it is he does out there. Paperwork? Probably paperwork.
She shuddered.
Alvi had been transferred over there by Grand Admiral Thrawn last she heard, for the continuation of a TIE program. It had been canceled once he disappeared, but Alvi stayed.
MI had kept their eyes on the Minda system for a while after that, but aside from the more economical TIE variants that were produced there, nothing much came of it. Oh, and those small walkers. Interesting stuff, apparently some people from Highcom had their eyes on the things. Las would certainly love that, if the bags under his eyes were any evidence.
Shal, her dear older sister, was stuck in a pile of political garbage. Admiral Gorin was under a great deal of political stress for his failure at Scarif, and he was attempting to use Shal as a scapegoat.
While this might normally work, these circumstances are far too serious. Admiral Gorin doesn't have nearly enough political capital to escape punishment. He does, however, have enough to drag Shal down with him.
Now, far be it for Zyx to leave her sister in the dust! She could maybe get Shal off of any charges…but that would be a waste of her own political capital.
It was, however, easier to get her assigned to a backwater station. After all, what worse punishment for a captain exists than an assignment with no chance for promotion?
Of course, if the backwater happened to be the Myto sector, it was just fate, right?
Zyx giggled. Next time she visited it would almost be like a family reunion!
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Hi there folks! Not too much to say this time, other than the fact that I've started playing Expedition 33, and this shit is PEAK!!! Like, holy peak batman it can't stop cooking. The story, characters combat, and all feel fucking incredible. Only game this year that can top it will be the new Doom game. But it's Doom, so that's not really saying anything new.
Also, the whole Luke being a war criminal thing? It was a joke made in the heat of a breakdown. Las could care less about how many heads the farm boys popped, or the kill streak he must've gotten from the DS1, he just cares that he's not on the list.
Feedback and commentary appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
-Freefaller