LOTF: Collision/Chapter 10

Barak Dakens was torn away from his dreams by the blinding light pouring in from his cell door as it opened. The rest of the cell was dark, and he could make out Holway's silhouette flanked by his two death troopers against the light. "Get up hands on your head!" Holway yelled, and Barak complied, albeit groggily. Now able to see Holway closer, he could see the resolve in the man's eyes, and how he stood up ever so slightly straighter. In his right hand, Barak clenched a small shiv that Holway had snuck in with one of Barak's meals.

"It's time." Holway grimly stated.

"You... you said tomorrow." Barak protested, only partly in-character.

"It's midnight. You should be glad I don't draw out your miserable life longer. Weapons ready!" Holway ordered, and the death troopers drew their SE-14r blasters. He and Barak made eye contact, and Holway nodded affirmatively ever so slightly. Barak took a deep breath in.

"Aim...." The troopers stepped in front of Holway as they levelled their blasters at Barak. Holway slowly grabbed his stun baton off his belt, then activated it.

"Now!" Holway yelled, prodding one of the troopers in the back. The other trooper immediately turned to retaliate, but Barak quickly ran across the room and tackled him. Barak stabbed at the trooper with his shiv, but the armor proved too thick, and he was shoved off. As the death trooper stood up again and prepared to shoot Barak, Holway charged at him, only to find himself disarmed and thrown back into the cell. Barak then grabbed the trooper's rifle from behind and used it to hold him in a chokehold. The two wrestled as Holway recovered, grabbing the fallen trooper's weapon and carefully aiming at the trooper's central mass before firing off three quick shots. The trooper went limp, and Barak let him fall to the ground, holding on to the rifle.

"I hope you've planned farther than this." Barak dryly commented.

"Don't worry." Holway assured him. "Security is going through a reboot, and I managed to, shall we say, persuade a contact in the Senate to arrange us transportation out of here and off of Coruscant. Now suit up while I hide these bodies."

...

"Open up or we will breach! This is your last warning!" Ganner heard from the other side of the door. Linora looked to Ganner, who simply shared the same worried glance as they both stood in front of Taran, ready to defend him.

"It's no use." Taran lamented. "They've shut down our communications. We'll have to find a way to hold out until the Empire arrives." A faint beeping slowly became audible to the three of them, who all immediately went silent.

"We don't have that much time." Ganner finally stated, raising his lightsaber. However, the beeping simply continued for an unusually long time. Suddenly, blaster shots began to ring out on the other side of the door, followed by screams and crashes. They continued for another minute or so, the bomb on the other side of the door ticking all the while. Finally, the chaos slowed down until all anyone could hear was quiet sobbing on the other side of the door and the bomb ticking. Linora tried to move closer to hear it better, but Ganner grabbed her by the shoulder and held her back. She looked at him with fear in her eyes, which he again responded in kind to. Even Taran seemed nervous, looking around at the windows trying to decide whether or not facing the storm was safer than staying where they were.

"Please." The same voice that had warned the group begged. Its answer was unmistakably the activation of a lightsaber, but the sound was lower than Ganner's, and though he couldn't be sure, he thought it sounded like two. The sound was familiar in his mind, but out of reach.

"I won't be needing this." An eerily calm, Imperial male voice stated. The beeping stopped.

"As for you.."

"NO!"

A red lightsaber blade burst through the door as the man screamed, the entry point sizzling with cooked flesh and melted metal. Linora gasped and took a step back, as did Ganner, while Taran quietly swore behind them. Then the blade sliced all the way up through the door, then all the way down, cleanly bisecting both it and the Brotherhood soldier that had been killed. Both halves of the door were ripped away from the wall and thrown violently back down the hallway, revealing a runed man that Ganner suddenly remembered, as if recalling from a dream, attacking and holding by the throat as the man tried to fight back but couldn't. His red and white robes had been traded for much darker armor, and he held with him a double-bladed, blood-red lightsaber with one end angled towards Ganner.

"Drop your weapon." His enemy ordered. Ganner assumed a combat stance as his response. The yellow light of his lightsaber glimmered in his eyes, as did the red of the man's.

"Very well." The man said, disappointed. Then, without warning, he moved towards Ganner as nothing more than a blur, to which Ganner reflexively moved his lightsaber and blocked the man's first strike. The blow was so powerful that even though he had blocked it Ganner still stumbled back from the impact a few steps. As he stepped back, Linora fired off a few shows, which the man responded to by deflecting into the walls with his lightsaber, then reaching out and lifting both Linora and Taran in the air, suspended.

"Are we done now?" The man complained.

"Who are you?" Ganner asked.

"Surely you could've guessed that by now. Did the runes not give it away?" Ganner didn't know what he was talking about, and when the man realized his hint had completely gone over Ganner's head his eyes widened and he began to smile with understanding.

"Of course. You don't remember." The man chuckled. "My name is Decien. If you come with me, I can explain everything." Ganner readied his lightsaber again.

"You really think I'd trust you?"

"I don't really think you have a choice." Decien harshly responded.

"Let's see." Ganner took the offensive against Decien, fighting him back into the hallway and through the several corpses strewn around it. Decien didn't seem to have much of a problem holding Ganner back, but wasn't making any move to turn the tide of the battle either. Finally, Ganner took a large swing at Decien that he met, and the two locked blades as Ganner pushed Decien against the wall. Decien's other blade was driven towards a nearby window, penetrating it and allowing cold air to rush into the base. As they fight carried on, the storm had begun to fade, and the sun became visible in the sky and shone vibrantly through the windows.

"Look at you. You know nothing. Who are your companions? What are you fighting for? When the Imperial fleet arrives, what will you do then? You have no direction."

"You're my enemy. I remember that much." Ganner countered, pushing harder.

"But I don't have to be. I don't want to be." Decien pushed back, knocking Ganner to the ground.

"Ganner," he continued, "You don't know what is lying in wait for us, but I do. Without me, you will die alone, hopeless, and unremembered. The enemies you face will prevail without challenge and the world as we know it will be beset by powers it was never meant to know existed. I am your only hope."

Slowly, Ganner rose, preparing to strike once more. Decien, obviously irritated readied himself again as well.

"The men around us didn't feel hope, Decien. You won't fool me."

"Really?" Decien started. "They were-" He was cut off by Ganner attacking once more, as the two continued their duel with snow slowly pouring in.

...

Ranulph ran out blasting from the elevator alongside several troops, DX-245, and Qorbin on the datacenter level of the Brotherhood HQ. The room was absolutely filled with data archives and terminals that connected the inner workings of the Brotherhood together. Most of the equipment was protected by blastproof glass, but the Brotherhood forces had also set up a defensive position at the central terminal that the team would need to break in order to use it access the organization's data. Among the defenders were also several black B2 super battle droids, resembling DX. Ranulph was initially worried, but he quickly observed that the droids did not have the same modified weaponry that DX had, and were likely inferior models. Qorbin quickly took the lead as they advanced, jumping forth with his green lightsaber and becoming almost a blur as he quickly swept through his enemies, paving a path for the others to follow. He was virtually a one-man army, deflecting shots effortlessly and leaving piles of enemies in his wake.

Given a brief reprieve from the fighting while Qorbin took the attention of the enemies, Ranulph couldn't help but gawk. "Why didn't we think of hiring Jedi sooner?"

Walking past him, sniping enemies, DX responded. "Due to recent events there has been a Jedi shortage. Furthermore, Jedi are not easily hired."

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" Ranulph sarcastically responded, moving on to take the terminal. Qorbin's momentum allowed the rest of the Nebula forces and Antimatter Squadron to quickly make their way to the terminal, focusing their fire on the B2 droids and quickly dispatching them. With DX covering him, Ranulph quickly ran to the terminal, and inserted a data spike, which began to siphon the data. Everyone quickly got into position to defend the terminal from the inevitable Brotherhood counterattack. Qorbin stood at the front, blade ready, as another group of B2s began to run into the room.

"This is where the fun begins," he said. The droids advanced, their numbers high enough and firepower strong enough that Qorbin chose to take a defensive position deflecting attacks rather than go out and attack them.

"DX," Ranulph queried, "Can you interface with the data spike and transfer the data to yourself as well?"

"Affirmative." The droid answered. "In fact, I have already done so. However, due to the strain of the battle on the servers and the sheer amount of data to transfer, the spike is not working at full capacity. It will take several minutes before the data can be decrypted and transferred into my memory."

...

On the other side of the station, Hans, Asura, Galen, and Cade looked around through the digital windows of the elevator as they ascended. All around them, lasers and explosions flashed against the black of space as the Nebula fleet battled the Brotherhood. The station was mostly holding up, though the engines had been disabled. The Nebula ships were now engaged with turrets mounted on the station and the horde of droid fighters that were pouring in now from both the hangars of the station and from the surface of Anarto II.

"This isn't right." Galen said, uncertainly. Hans, Asura and Cade both looked at him, concerned.

"What do you mean?" Hans asked.

Galen's brow furrowed. "Something's... looming. An unknown aspect. We need to be on our guard."

"We're always on our guard." Cade assured him. The elevator neared the highest level of the Brotherhood HQ and began to slow. Cade and Asura drew their blasters, Hans grabbed his rifle, and Galen rested his hand on his lightsaber. Eventually, with a final lurch, the elevator stopped, the display faded and the doors opened. Before the group lied a long, red-lit hallway lined on either side with B2 droids like DX facing inwards. On the other side of the hallway another doorway was visible, a large chair in the center of the next room standing out against the lights of the battle. After a tense moment, the quartet slowly moved out of the elevator, cautious of the motionless droids. As they got closer to the room it became apparent that they indeed were the controlling room of the station, and Hans trained his weapon straight ahead of him, in case a target presented itself.

"No way this isn't a trap." Asura warned. And yet the droids did not stir.

When the group was halfway across the hall, a ray shield activated in the doorway ahead. All the droids turned to face the group. The lights on their left shoulders all activated, but instead of just glowing red projected a white line, and each quickly scanned the men up and down. The lights on the droids that had scanned Hans turned green, while the others turned red and the four were quickly illuminated in their respective colors in a mere moment.

"Brotherhood identity confirmed: Hans Cerrano. Unidentified beings have 30 seconds to leave or be disintegrated." One of the droids stated, as they all raised their weapons. Galen activated his lightsaber defensively, but no one attacked. In the throne room, the chair turned, revealing a man sitting in luxurious blue and gold robes. Though it had been six years since Hans had seen his face, Hans would've recognized his sly smile and devilish brown eyes anywhere. Dylan Antiunknown was right in his sights. As though echoing from far away, Hans heard Barak say in his head, "You will do all in your power to destroy the criminal organization known as the Brotherhood and all its leaders." He knew what had to be done.

"Go." Hans said, surprising the others who hadn't noticed Dylan yet. "Get to the ship and if I'm not back before this place comes down, leave."

"Are you sure?" Galen asked.

"Twenty seconds." The droid interjected.

"Go!" Hans ordered.

Galen nodded and deactivated his lightsaber, pulling Cade along as they made their way back to the elevator. When they had entered it, they looked back at Hans, who saw their worried expressions before it closed without anyone pressing a button. Resolute, Hans stepped fowards and made his way into the control room of the the Brotherhood HQ to face Dylan.

...

"The Draysst Raiders are reporting heavy casualties. Our fleet may not be able to hold out much longer without destroying the station." Esvald reported. Praxon hated watching the battle from a safe distance; he wanted to go out there and help. He hated his inability to find the traitor he knew must have been on the ship as well, but he instinctively knew that Nova and Esvald would not take kindly to his telling them that one of the most trusted members of the Nebula corporation was a spy for their old rivals.

"We need more time." Praxon objected. "The spike is still working to decrypt the Brotherhood servers. If you want to end the Brotherhood, we have to protect them."

"To us, the Brotherhood ended five years ago." Nova pointed out. "It is your people who have returned them and ours that have paid for it."

"They were preparing. We've caught them off guard."

"Off guard?!?!" Esvald scoffed. "They're wearing us down with no end in sight! You say we've ambushed them, but it's beginning to feel the other way around."

Praxon's hands itched to reach for his blasters, but he kept a hold on himself. "If we don't get this information you will never truly be safe. I've detected transmissions from this vessel— there are spies aboard. If you want their names you will tell your men to keep fighting."

"You presume to question the loyalty of my men?" Nova boomed, turning angrily towards Praxon, wafting a bizarre scent combination of Hutt slime and luxurious perfume.

"Has my intel been wrong so far?" Praxon responded, looking her dead in the eye defiantly.

Nova glared at him for a moment, then said to Esvald: "Tell the fleet to continue the assault for now." Esvald, also glaring, spoke to the fleet again.

"Continue the assault." He ordered. Then, as an aside with the link deliberately still open: "I hope you're happy watching our men die, Praxon."

"How much time?" Praxon asked DX through his eye.

"Only a few minutes." DX answered.

"They may be too many." Praxon worried.