Call it Moses... Investigations From All Sides

Jarra didn’t like it. Her Master had warned her about staying away from the Empire. “Master” was what Jarra had called Kara. Kara had told her that she hadn’t been a Knight, or even a Padawan… just an Initiate. But she was the closest thing Jarra had to a teacher, and so Master Kara it was.

“Once there were endless libraries… I wish you could have seen them. Holocrons, studies with Master Yoda and Master Windu…”  Kara had told her one night when she’d closed the shop and locked the doors. “I just have what I remember… I was 11 when the Temple burned…”

But Master Kara had never told her how she’d escaped the Temple, or Courescent. Just that friends had helped her, and that they were one with the Force now.  She had warned Jarra to remain quiet and hidden, that they could not fight the Empire, but would keep the few books she’d saved, some from the Temple, some that Kara had copied from memory. Saved for the long-off day when the Empire was no more.

All gone, now.

And here they were, going to a new city, doing exactly what Master Kara had told her not to do.

She patted the blaster at her hip.

“Stanley” turned and looked at her, four other BX droids in the passenger bay. “Do you know how to use that?”

“I sometimes shot Hive Rats.”

“Animals are not sapient organics or droids. Do you know how to shoot them?”

“I…”

“Try not to die. My record is flawless and I would not have you besmirch it.”

“Flawless?”

“I have killed 275 Clone troopers, including 12 ARC troopers. I have also successfully eliminated 1 Jedi knight and three Padawans. My record is one of success.”

“Oh.  Maybe I should let you… Do any shooting.”

“My analysis indicates that would be wise, yes.” Stanley had a tattered cloak covering his robotic frame, while there were dings and scars in it, added to make him look like a survivor of the Clone Wars, rather than a well-maintained droid. The story that had been given her was that Stanley was a retainer of her family.

Jarra didn’t know if it would work.

“Sending codes,” Stanley said.

“But isn’t the CIS gone?”

“One time infiltration codes were buried deeply in the traffic control systems,” the droid explained. “Unless there was a complete purge, which would take weeks, we will simply read as a legitimate shuttle.”  Stanley paused. “In fact, the end of the conflict benefits us. Who would expect a CIS infiltration team when the CIS no longer exists?”

Moments later, the receiver cracked.

“Iron Rebirth, you are cleared for entry into Garel Spaceport. Your berth has been paid for.”

“Confirmed.” Stanley nodded. “Pay attention, human. We could not do this is the spaceport was at an enhanced level of security, as the age of the entry permit and rented berth would be immediately flagged. Now explain to me what danger we are in while on the world.”

Jarra thought… “I… If we do something, or someone does something to put the port on alert, they’ll go over all grounded ships?”

“Excellent. You may not be useless to our goals. Congratulations.”

****

There is no sense in worrying about the expedition and yet I do. As much as they are likely still used, our shuttles originate in the CIS.  Hopefully that will not be a problem. Hopefully they were not discovered. BX-12 is one of our most experienced droids. His loss would be felt, in addition to Jarra’s loss. And yet, not sending them makes the probability of mission failure much, much higher.

I occupy myself by working on the BX-Exo system, an external armored exoskeleton to permit them to have greater weapons and armor. There were several variants, all being researched as the need to counter the more skilled Jedi became clearer.

I have given some thought to those projects. They were ordered by Count Dooku, but some of the simulations didn’t involve any known Jedi Tactics or skills, focusing on ambushing one extremely powerful Jedi, rather than battlefield conflicts.

Strange.

But I continue to work on them. Unfortunately, the discovery of such advanced systems would immediately  alert my enemies to my presence, so for now, they remain something I continue to… the word used by a technician comes to my mind. Tinker. Yes, I continue to Tinker.

And worry.

****

“We will find this rebel ship, Grand Admiral.” The Imperial captain was sweating and not only from the heat.

“Rebel? I think not,” Thrawn said. He’d insisted on coming down to the planet, looking at the ravaged earth the ship had erupted from. “Tell me, Captain, did your men examine the trees here?”

“Clearly planted over the—“

Thrawn turned to look at him, the man falling silent at his look. “You have had several days to examine this site, Captain, did you not know that Kalasha trees cannot be transplanted, and any attempt to do so kills them? They must grow from a seed, and that process cannot be hurried. This ship has been buried since the end of the Clone Wars, and despite its unusual design, I expect it was a CIS ship, crewed by robots.”

“Then why did it rescue my target!” the Inquisitor said.

“Information, likely.  If we assume that this ship was crewed by droids, or possibly a crew in carbonite freeze that were awakened, they would need information. You were chasing the children in the right direction and they would be favorably inclined to any who saved them.”

“And here you are, telling us what you know, but you have no way to find them.” The Inquisitor said.

“To the contrary. A capital ship requires supplies, repairs,  especially after its long period of hibernation, and I—“

“Grand Admiral?” the transmission came quickly. “We have another report of the unknown ship. It jumped into the Lothal system and left after destroying a TIE squadron.”

“Lothal…the Jedi?”

“Calm yourself, Inquisitor. Lord Vader has the Jedi well in hand,” Thrawn said. “But Lothal, if you only had Clone War era information, was a poorly defended backwater with a refueling station. Now, who or whatever crews that ship will know that the galaxy has changed, and be looking for information… and that is how they will be brought down.”  He looked once more into the ruined earth where the ship had once been concealed. “Come. We should not waste time.”