Objective 2: Investigation

***Outer Rim Territories***
***Kessel Sector***
***Kessel System Space***

*Caution Advised: Ghafa Ordam is not be engaged if at all avoidable. Danger level: Request Assistance Immediately.*

The data transmission had been relatively clear on the danger of an upfront approach. Which had not stopped Kul from finding himself with his hands cuffed in front of him, and his weapons on a table behind him. He always had enjoyed the straightforward approach more.

Kul did not let his eyes stray from the Nautolan as she returned his gaze with obvious hatred. Her hands clenched a few times before she placed both behind her back in a standard at rest stance. The troopers stationed around the room seemed oblivious with their deathly still posture, but the Zabrak knew they were keeping fingers on triggers and their entire focus on him.

*Good.*

He must have let his mental sneer leak onto his face, because the Nautolan stuck out her left hand and pressed a button on the controller in it. Electrical arcs coursed through the cuffs into Kul and his body tensed with pain as he doubled over slightly. He did not cry out, instead responding with a defiant growl. Rather than using the device again, the Nautolan winced as she looked at it before handing it to an aide at her side. She took a step closer and every guard in the room prepared for any move the Zabrak might make. As tall as she was for her species, Ghafa had to slightly raise her eyes to look into the Zabrak’s. She let her gaze slip to the buckle attached to his waist, a Plagueian insignia transcribed upon it.

“You must be overconfident in your abilities if you thought to wear that so openly aboard my ship, *Sith.*” She flung the last word at him, along with bits of spittle. “I find it hard to believe that a member of the Brotherhood’s slaver clan would have sought me out not knowing what I am.”

Kul gave her a crooked grin.

“Oh I know exactly what you are, Ordam. A means. To the Collective’s end. My hunt for you was only the search for the tracks, but I have found the prey itself. Against the combined efforts of the Brotherhood, you will soon find yourself back in a cage.”

Kul could see the rage flash across her eyes, but to her merit the Nautolan maintained her poise as she stalked around to Kul’s rear. She picked up the small shoto saber they had taken from him upon capture up off the table and ran her hands over the dragon head carved into the hilt. Her hand paused as she caressed the cold steel, eyes flicking over the two ryyk blades lying beside each other. A frown crossed her lips as a thought came to her. She turned back to Kul, who stared back as if in expectation. Ghafa pointed at the hilt in her hand.

“This saber, what kind is it?”

“It is a form of shoto.”

“A saber of this small size would be useless on its own, would it not?”

The Zabrak’s grin expanded.

“Indeed. It is a parrying saber.”

Ghafa’s grip tightened on the saber, triggering the activation. The small crimson blade hummed while its light reflected the deep red of her own eyes.

“So where is the other saber you would possess, then?”

“I must have dropped it on the way here.”

The saber retracted its blade with hiss as Ghafa set it down and turned to face a trooper waiting patiently near the entrance. She could tell the Zabrak was lying, but something was still off about his answer.

“Sergeant--” The trooper snapped a quick salute and stepped forward. “--did the Zabrak not have a larger saber on him when you captured him?”

The soldier paused for a second as he considered what had transpired before shaking his head.

“No, ma’am. During our skirmish with him he used only the two curved swords. The small saber was taken from him afterwards.”

“And there were no survivors from his squad of troopers or on his ship?”

“None that we found during our scans.”

Ghafa marched up to Kul, deep red eyes swirling as her mind considered possibilities.

“Who has the other saber, Sith?”

The Zabrak cocked his head slightly.

“You’re almost asking the right question. It’s not exactly a who kind of issue, but a ‘why?’ You see, though my squad is indeed dead, they were not the only ones on my ship. One other remained and slipped out during the fighting. My daughter, Reeka. She’s small enough that she can hide just about anywhere.”

Raising his shackled hands, Kul pointed at the ventilation shaft lining the ceiling.

“Including there.”

Cursing to herself, Ghafa began spouting orders to the sergeant and the other officers within the Bridge area. Kul watched, satisfied to enjoy a minor victory. Ordam was touted as being a dangerous prey with intellect to counter any strategy one might throw at her, but today her cause would weaken as nothing but a small child told the searching Advanced Inquistor Network forces of Ordam’s exact position. As Ghafa turned back, Kul could not help but offer one more jab.

“She’s smart, my Reeka. Good with computers and the like, too. I’m not a betting man, but I’d wager that about now she’s sending a bright neon ‘Come get me!’ to any Inquisitorius forces nearby. I hope you’re prepared to entertain guests.”

The Zabrak laughed aloud this time, a guffaw that drove Ordam over the edge. She nodded to the aide, who clamped a thumb down on the remote. Kul spasmed as more electricity arced up his spine and drove him to his knees. He waited for the release but the pulses kept coming and his vision began to darken, his senses thrown wild. He realized two troopers had come up and were hauling him towards the blastdoor. On the edge of his hearing he heard Ordam shouting, but could not clearly make it out. Flashing red lights permeated the hall in a deep crimson glow, and Kul tried to grin.

The ship was under attack.

See also: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/character_sheets/8792 for accompanying reference.

### Featured Characters/NPCs:
* [Jetsam Walsh](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/non_player_characters/327/snapshots/1139/2289)
* [Dral Falgorth](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/14458/snapshots/1101/2240)
* [Len Iode](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/14377/snapshots/1098/2237)
* [Celevon Edraven Erinos](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/12004/snapshots/606/1275)
* [Luna Okami](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/13830/snapshots/887/1778)
* [Ka Tarvitz](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/14751/snapshots/1124/2267)

### Optional Links
* [Hoth Sub-Faction Introduction Report](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/news/reports-hoth-aedile-report-1-house-hoth-got-some-gainz)
* [O.T.F. Assets](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/items/64105-item-container)
* [Wildcards Assets](https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/items/54536-item-container)
* [Google Doc Link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYk3mCxhI1rep4sEcBSScvYPQvjo_YGD3WeTbgNzDdc/edit?usp=sharing)

#### Total Word Count: 3134
#### Note: Permission for character use has been verified by the original owners.

Objective 3: Recovery
https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/8649/snapshots/1147/2298

Brimstone watched as the leaders of Plagueis spoke amongst themselves about the fate of Psi Terminus I. They were debating about how to recover the information on the enemy. No one was paying attention to the hidden security camera the Chiss had planted within their chamber. Brimstone placed the device weeks earlier to not only gather intel he wasn’t privy to, but to keep an eye out for anyone who was a spy against his clan.

As he sat back in his chair in his on suite, sipping a hot beverage from its cup, Brimstone was also punching in coordinates of the Wild Space location of the doomed ship. He noticed that it wasn’t far from an area his former alliance, the Ascendancy, had done patrols and scouting of the sector. He realized that not only he had an advantage of getting to the area unseen, but that he could enlist his brother, Mynop’atc’howrda, to help in the recovery of the object, a black box. The sensitive unit held the secret information on not only the ship, but of the enemy and their attack possibly.

As the Chiss was distracted, he didn’t notice that one of the leaders left the view of his camera. Moments later, a chime from his door alerted him to someone outside. Brim flicked a security monitor to see TuQ'uan Varick standing outside. Brim paused for a moment and looked back at the council’s feed and noticed too late he wasn’t there.

“Brim, open the door now. I won’t repeat myself.”

The Chiss flicked a switch and the door opened up. Tuq strolled inside and gave a glaring look towards the Plagueian.

“Yes TuQ’uan, how can I help you?”

“Brim, I know all about the security camera you hidden in our chamber. I know you trust no one after what happened in Aliso. But, you can’t expect to be unpunished for your deception all the time.”

Brimstone remained unseated. “It isn’t a deception if I allowed you the ease of finding the equipment. It’s a deception if you find yourself unaware of that deception, wouldn’t you say so?” he replied.

“Brim, I don’t know all your methods or your plans behind your secrecy. And frankly, I don’t give a poo doo about it. But we’re getting tired of you dancing around protocols to spy on your own clan and leaders you serve under. It has to stop, and I mean now. Do you understand?”

The Chiss stood up quickly. “What I understand is that every time we have a new leadership change is that it ends up being a fiasco for the clan, one way or another. I am tired of being the punching bag for every feud or war or ideology each new leader has. We are always at war. Is it wrong for me to set up defenses against any more stupid decisions by whoever is in charge?”

Tuq stood his ground with his arms crossed. “Look Brim, I sympathize with you. We all feel like pawns. But this is not the time or place to lay waste to what we are planning. And you know full…”

TuQ’uan was interrupted as a multitude of beeps came from Brimstone’s computer. “What’s that?”

Brimstone turned to the monitor. “What this is is a plan to retrieve the black box from the Psi Terminus I. While you were all discussing the lost of the ship, I have had someone scouting the Wild Space and from this information I see, I have exact coordinates from my brother on where to find its remnants.”

“Ok Brim, and what’s is your opinion on this?”

“Simply put, I will go alone and recover the box. In an non Plagueis vessel so no one can blame the clan for my deception.”

“Your deception? What are you talking about?”

“I believe the enemy is working with the help of the Iron Throne. It isn’t like our leaders have turned against us before. I believe the black box holds the secrets to unravel their deception. That is why they want to destroy it and not recover it.”

“Brim, this is treasonous. Without any proof, you are risking your life, as well as the clan’s life. Even if this was accurate, you know your life will be subject for termination.”

“That’s why I suggest you keep it to yourself till my mission is finished. If I fail, you and the clan can just accept my demise as a casualty of war. And no one within Plagueis is implicated.

“I’ll do what I can, but if you fail, you will be stricken from the history of Plagueis. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” said the Chiss sternly.

-----------

Days passed after Brimstone left the fleet. TuQ’uan had gotten clearance for him to leave for personal time to deal with family issues. Brimstone had only one chance to succeed. As he arrived in Wild Space in his personal Clawcraft, he had his cloak field on to mask his presence. As he traveled towards the last known location of the Psi Terminus I, he witnessed multiple Collective ships patrolling the area. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy to board any remnants of the ship, but to do it under their noses was the part of the mission that thrilled him

As he maneuvered his ship towards a large remaining chunk of the ship, he prepared to leave the confines and board the command station. He lowered his visor of his his helmet and sealed its air pressure suit so he wouldn’t been subjected to the vacuum of space. Time was of the essence. He only had an hour of air available to him. Even with his Force powers, he knew he couldn’t waste precious seconds within the ship.

Climbing aboard, he hastily made his way to the security control station where the black box was housed. Luckily for him, no one else was aboard: no droids, no beings, nobody. It took Brim 20 minutes to find the black box, and to his amazement, there was actually three of them, each weighing about 30 kilograms each. Not knowing which one he needed, he decided to take all three as a precaution. Calling on the force to help him haul the weight and bulkiness, he started his way back to his ship.

Thirty minutes passed as he reached his ship’s side and opened up the side compartments to stow the items within. As he turned to see if anyone had followed him, he accidentally hit the switch on his belt and it turned off the cloaking device of his ship. Almost immediately, alarms rang out as patrolling ships detected him with their sensors and came flying towards him. Brimstone knew he had to escape and had no seconds to waste. He hopped into the cockpit, sealed the canopy hatch, and with both hands on the yoke, throttled full speed out, just before multiple blasts hit his previous location. As he hurled out of it, he chucked off his helmet and flew by the seat of his pants, avoiding the incoming fire.

As he swerved in and out, he punched up his computers and was alerted to the ships following him. It was the Rose Squadron. He knew he had moments to escape before destroyed. As he evaded, he flip a switch on his comms to another frequency. Putting on his headset, he keyed a coded transmission and waited. Seconds later, forty pirate ships emerged from hyperspace. His brother did what he requested. He had allerted a local pirate den about a ship to salvage. The sudden arrival of the new fleet startled the Collective fleet as they peeled off into a defensive posture.

Ships from both fleets were in a dogfight for space supremacy. Brimstone weaved in and out, trying to setup an lane to jump out from. As his nav computer finally located a precise jump point, Brim sent out another coded message that allerted his brother his thanks and that he was safe. Brimstone then hit the buttons and the viewport turned into a streak of stars as he vanished. On his way back to Plagueis with his items, it was up to them to decipher their secrets. Brimstone did his job. Only time would tell now.

Snapshot: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/members/8968/snapshots/1138/2386

Objective 3 - Recovery

The Bleusmobile is on Kord's loadout, it would be on Gordo's but I've hit my limit on NPCs for now and I'm not allowed to make a Hutt (lame), who would likely be a JM4/EQ1 'Scoundrel' with all the points in pilot. Obviously he speaks Huttese, because he's a Hutt.

Addtionally, since they make an appearance: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/items/56895-item-container the AEF

Character sheet: https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/character_sheets/8805

[Objective 3]
Recovery Mission

Battlelord Ric "Tater" Hunter (Sith) / House Ektrosis of Clan Taldryan [GMRG: IV] [SA: IV] [INQ: IV]
DB Pin 3160

The YT1300 Aluminum Falcon in Orbit around Tatooine

Ric Hunter gazed out of the cockpit at the bright, sandy world of Tatooine. After four days floating in orbit, he was hoping to see the star freighter he was waiting for to finally arrive. Actually, not so much the ship as to who it carried.
Ric didn't have anywhere else to be of course, he had freed up his schedule when he left Scholae Palatinae last year. Now he was doing some freelance work far away from the Brotherhood and its current crisis fighting the Collective. The last skirmish with them had left a mark on him and he had decided to put some distance from it all. Bounty hunting wasn't as steady as having a nice clan support network, but at least he was free to move about the galaxy.
With a slight rush of atmosphere, the hatch between the cockpit and the rest of the ship opened. The figure who appeared took his seat in the copilots station. He glanced over at the sensor screen and grimaced.
“I know,” Ric answered before his friend could ask. Malodin'Blade, former commander in the Scholae ground forces and current bounty hunter, just grunted his reply. He was not known for his eloquence as most of his species was, he was more a man of action.
“Four days and nothing. I am beginning to think we might have been misled,” Mal checked the sensors again and then leaned his head back.
“If we don't see anything in the next twelve hours, we're going back to Nar Shadda and get answers. That I can promise you,” Ric got up to stretch. He had been in the pilot seat for hours and it was time to get some food and rest. “If you see anything, I'll be in the back.”
Mal nodded his head and went back to scanning the sector.

Docking Bay Eighty Nine - Mos Eisley Spaceport

A silence filled the docking bay as the freighters engines finally wound down, replaced only by the ticking of cooling metal. With a hissing, the outer hatch slid up and a ramp lowered, allowing the two men who had arrived to disembark from the ship. They glanced around the bay and were satisfied that there was no one around. Grabbing their gear, they headed towards the main entryway.
“About time you arrived, Sil,” A voice from the dark called. Both men dropped everything and went for their weapons. It wasn't fast enough as the flash of a stun blast flew out, dropping them both.
Ric exited the dark and placed cuffs on both mens wrists. Malodin wheeled a cart in to load the men on and take them to their ship. They had an appointment with their destiny and they couldn't be late.
Ric noticed his comm was blinking, indicating he had received a message. As Mal is loading the unconscious men, Ric opens the message and scans its contents, fully expecting it to be from a member of Scholae. The image that greeted him was someone he had never seen, although he did recognize the symbol that stamped the message. It was something he had not seen for a very long time.
“Greetings Battlelord, I am Savant Justinios Drake, the Quaestor of House Ektrosis. I come before you to ask for your aid in our struggle against the Collective. I ask this of you because of your history with this house and we are in need of your help,” with a beep the message fades out and is replaced by a set of coordinates. Ric closed his eyes and shakes his head. It seemed no matter how far he runs, he will always been drawn back in. As soon as this job is done, he'll at least contact them and see how he could assist his former house.

YT1300 Aluminum Falcon - Wild Space – Two days later

“I still don't like this. We have been out and away, out of this madness, this conflict. I really don't like it,” Mal said for the seventeenth time in the last hour.
“As you have said, several times now,” Ric checked the jump coordinates one last time before he reached for the hyperspace levers. Hopefully this wouldn't take long and they could once more roam the galaxy. “All we need to do is find this black box and take it to Ektrosis and get paid. Once we do that we are free to go.”
“I've heard that before... several times as a matter of fact,” Ric knew that Mal would complain but still follow him, no matter where he lead.
“Its just a simple in and out with a paycheck at the end. Nothing more and nothing less. Trust me,” Ric pulled the levers to the hyperdrive, stretching the stars into streaks.
“That's usually my first mistake...” Mal muttered under his breath.

Suspected location of the ship Psi Termina I

The Aluminum Falcon dropped out of hyperspace near the last reported position of the Psi Termina. It was an unremarkable sector, save the patrol of Collective star fighters. Almost immediately the enemy fighters turned towards them and powered up their weapons. Ric grabbed the flight stick and sent the ship into a quick snap roll as Mal activated the shields. He didn't bother charging the guns, they would be nearly useless on autofire while they were going evasive.
“I guess we're in the right area,” Ric said as he throttled up the ship. “Do you see anywhere I might be able to lose them?”
Mal checked the sensors, looking for anything that might allow them to drop their pursuit. He was coming up with nothing substantial. There were no clouds of gas, no asteroid belts, not even a singularity. He shook his head and began to set jump coordinates into the hyperdrive.
“Nothing here we can use. Best bet is to jump out and try a different approach,” he knew his friend well enough that he wouldn't argue the point. “Coordinates are set, get me a clear vector and we can jump.”
Ric pointed the ship away from all the planetary bodies and gravity wells in the system, increasing his speed. He had to stay out of the firing solution of those ships that were fast approaching. Once the computer chimed, he pulled the levers and they made a short jump away from there.
After a few minutes, the Aluminum Falcon dropped out of light speed and Mal once more checked the sensors. Seeing nothing, he turned to face Ric in the pilots chair.
“So, whats your plan now? Jumping in straight out didn't work too well it seems,” Mal said.
“No it didn't. Did you get a good read on the system before we jumped out?” Ric replied.
Mal made no reply and just looked at him.
“Of course you did. Sorry, stupid question,” Ric had to smile at his partner. They had worked together for a very long time and each knew the other so well. The deadpan look on Mals face faded and was replaced by a smile of his own.
“I think I might have found a spot we can jump to and get to the ship undetected,” Mal got out of his seat and headed towards the main cabin. Ric set the sensors to alert them in case they were followed and also headed aft.
Mal activated the main display and it showed the tactical readout of the last system. There were two moons in orbit of the planet they had just left and the distance between them cast a sensor shadow. In this shadow, the ship could jump in undetected. However, the main problem was that the computer wouldn't allow them to do it. It was going to be a manual jump, something that was considered impossible. Impossible for someone who didn't have control of the Force that is. Even though Rics skills in astrogation were mediocre, this should be a easy jump to make.
“And the good news is that the ship hadn't crashed on the surface of the planet yet. It was adrift between the two moons. If we can get close one of us can go across, get what we need and get away before anyone notices us, provided the central data core is still there and intact,”

Six Hours Later, in the shadow of the double moons –

As soon as the ship had dropped from hyperspace between the moons, Ric had powered down the ship as low as he dared. The ballistic trajectory of the freighter would carry them close to the derelict ship as possible, but they would only be in close enough range for about thirty minutes. Malodin'Blade had volunteered to go across and access the ships systems while Ric stayed behind to fly the ship.
Mal stepped into the airlock and prepared to jet across the void to the Psi Termina. This was going to be the most difficult part of the mission as he would only get one shot at it. If he missed the ship, he couldn't turn and try again, the extra use of the thrusters might alert the patrolling ships. He lined up with the ship as the ramp lowered and got ready to launch himself into space.
“Alright Mal, this is the straightest I can get us. Good luck,” Ric called over the comm.
Mal didn't reply but sent two clicks to acknowledge. He crouched down and grasp the thruster controls in his right hand. Mentally counting down from five, he launched himself towards the wreck. As soon as he was clear of the ship, he activated the thruster and accelerated towards the Termina.
Mal readied the magnetic grapple that was attached to his suit. He would need to get within one hundred meters to catch the ship. As the distance rapidly decreased, he lined up his shot and let the grapple fly. After what seemed like and eternity to him, the magnetic anchor latched onto the hull and he activated the reel to pull him to the ship.
Mal could see some lights on in the ship and there was a small shuttle docked with the main airlock. He activated the heads up display in his helmet and scanned the ship for heat signatures. Sure enough, he counted three near the area that he needed to go. He made his way towards the very large hole that had been blasted away by the suicide bomber. It was going to be his way inside.
As he entered the cavity, he could see exactly how much damage had been done. This part of the ship used to house the actual listening post. He saw a few technicians still strapped into their stations, but it seemed the rest had been blown out of the ship in the decompression. Mal worked his way towards the center of the room and found the main sensor suite. It was here that he would fond the highly upgraded black box that he was looking for.
He didn't know what made it so important but to be honest he really didn't care either. It was a paycheck to him. It seemed that there was some damage to the mechanism that locked the module in and it was going to take a bit of time to get it free. He started working on it.

Ballistic Trajectory near the Psi Termina I -

Ric closed his eyes and tried to listen to this system of space. It had been a while since he had let himself drift into the force. He had been on the go pretty much since leaving Scholae and didn't have time to listen. Something had changed in him in the last year, of that he was certain. Now he had to figure out what.
In the back of Rics mind, he began to sense an urgency. It wasn't directed at him specifically but in his general direction. He glanced at the sensors and watched the ships flying around him. None of them had changed course and none of them were heading in his general direction. Yet in his mind a warning was forming, something he couldn't ignore.
Mal surely would almost be finished by now, and should be heading to egress the ship. Ric had received no pick up signals yet but time was rapidly running out. It had been almost twenty minutes since Mal had left the ship and he was almost past the blown out hulk of it. If Mal didn’t get out soon, he was going to have to power up and come back around, and that was sure to draw attention. He knew he couldn't do the ballistic floating trick again either, space was large but there were only so many floating rocks.
As Ric watched the floating wreck, he saw flashes through several of the windows. That was never a good sign. Mal seemed to be engaged in a fire fight with someone on the ship. Ric let a fleeting thought flash through his head, maybe he should have gone over. As sudden as the flashes had started, they ended just as fast. Ric knew that his time was up.
Ric slowed the ship, knowing that he had just blown his cover. As soon as the thrusters fired, the sensors pinged, letting him know that several fighters had broken their patterns and were now heading to intercept. He only had about eight minutes before they were within firing range.
Ric locked on to the port side airlock since there was a ship on starboard. He grabbed his lightsabers and his blaster, preparing to board the ship and do what he needed to. As he approached the airlock, it slid open and there stood Malodin'Blade, computer module in his hand and a few new burns on his armor.
“Time to go,” he said as he headed towards the ventral guns. As he passed Ric, he handed him the module and started to climb the ladder to the gun pod.
Ric headed towards the cockpit and charged the main guns and raised the shields. He put power to the engines and headed towards the edge of the gravity field. The fighters were now almost within firing range, they must have put everything into their engines, which would be a good thing. If they did that then their cannons would be depleted as well as their shields.
Mal started firing at the incoming ships as they came into range. The lead ship exploded in a ball of fire, proving Rics thoughts true. The other fighters broke off and began to fly evasive. The underpowered lasers were no match for the fully charged shields of the old freighter, but that wasn't their only weapon at their disposal.
A fighter made a quick turn and headed straight for the cockpit. Ric turned the ship as it approached and Mal blasted it with the upper cannon. The Collective pilots were doing anything they could to stop them, including suicide runs. Ric thought it was a waste, it reminded him of the way that the Empire had wasted pilots and troops.
“Unidentified ship, you are trespassing in this system. Stand to and prepare to be boarded,” a voice called over the com system.
“Look, we were just passing thru on the way to the Coleous system when you attacked us. We are just simple traders, trying to make our way in the galaxy,” Ric replied.
“Coleous system? Never heard of it. Stand to and prepare to be boarded,” the voice replied.
“I'm sorry, but I don't speak basic,” Ric replied as he pushed the engine throttles all the way forward. The old YT shot forward like a barve with its back legs on fire. The enemy ships fell behind and opened fire. They never had a chance to aim but they figured if they put enough blasts in the air they might get lucky. Ric never let them get lucky and evaded them with ease.
As they reached the jump point, Ric activated the hyperdrive and they jumped away.

In Orbit Near Taruma -

Ric watched the planet of Taruma from orbit. He had not been in this system for many years and when last he saw it, it had been his home. Now it was a barren waste land, destroyed from orbit by the fleet of the Iron Throne, from what he heard anyways. He had technically been reborn on this world, cloned in a lab. Not the first time it had happened but it was the first time in the aftermath of the Exodus.
The sensors emitted a beep letting him know of a new ship arriving in orbit. He glanced at the readout and saw that the IFF was reading the ship as Taldryan. Finally, he'd get his credits and be gone from this place and all of its memories.
“Aluminum Falcon, this is the Shuttle KEP four one, please respond,” Ric hit the acknowledge button and leaned back in his seat. Not long now.
“Copy Shuttle. Standing by,” Ric left his seat and went towards the airlock. He could hear the other ship locking on and the air pressure rising in the tunnel. When the board read green, he activated the hatch and it opened with a slight rush of air. Ric waited until the other ships hatch had fully opened and waved the man through to his side.
The cloaked figure climbed down the ramp and faced Ric. He reached up and pulled his hood from his head and revealed the face of Justinios Drake, the Quaestor of Ektrosis himself. Ric looked down at the diminutive Aleena and had to stifle a giggle. He had served under many different people in his time in the brotherhood. Figures ranging from Alanna and Bubbles, his first masters, to figures such as Dante and Braecen.
“I have what you asked for. Do you have what I wanted?” Ric asked, holding the module.
“I do. I also have a request,” the Aleena pulled a chip from his robes and handed it over. Ric handed him the module, waiting for the details of his request. “I wish you to return to Ektrosis. With the perils of these current times, I am in need of your power. You will be well paid if that is your worry.”
Ric was silent for a moment as he thought the offer over. Something in his mind was telling him to accept this offer. Maybe he would be able to get a look at their cloning stuff and see if there were improvements since he had left. That might make it worth it.
“Let me think about it. I'll get back to you on that,” Ric replied. He didn't want to sound eager but he did want to keep that door open.
“Reply on this network and I'll see to it you are directed in,” Justinios indicated on the datapad he carried. Ric nodded and turned towards Mal who was standing behind him. Mal could see that Ric had made up his mind already and they would be joining in the war again. He nodded his agreement. Ric turned back towards Justinios, decision made.
“We're in,” Ric said.