"My Miraluka associate as you can see is quite capable of seeing." She surrounded the word seeing with airquotes. "Dad also sent some droids used by old friends, your former Padawan and a human senator from Naboo. Dad never did say what happened to them exactly, other than they met a tragic end. As for the protection detail, Dad and certain other parties demand it. Could be worse, certain blue armor clad guards who report to a certain disfigured man could be here. Now how can you help with the mircle?"

Ben smiled, and took Zenobia's hand in a firm shake. "Well well, a CIS officer. How am I to judge, even the young where drafted into that terrible war." In truth, he'd long learned to put such a war behind him, all for the best. His smile was genuine. "I hope there are no grudges, seeing as we should all consider ourselves allies here." His gaze though had to drift, as he was getting such a rapid selection of introductions. "And you are a Miraluka. I have met one of your people only once before. And heard many rumors that chilled me to the core. At the very least I see potential on you, for great good. The Princess is in good luck to have you on her side." Ben didn't reach out to shake hands, but instead focused the last of his attention to Leia.

Oh Leia... She looked so much like her mother. But in a sinking way he could see Anakin in her too. It was the way she carried herself. The way she smiled. The way... NO! Forget about it. More drastic things are taking place. "Well, I hope we don't take too long, but there is a great many things that need to be discussed. I believe your father knew more than anything how important our inevitable meeting would be. Despite how little he may have understood it." Ben gestured for her to follow, and then looked to the two droids. They where a ghost to him... Mistakes so easily noticed. But, he'd have to put that aside.

The inside of his house was small, shockingly so. Enough for just the one man, and may two or three others at most to fit in the whole thing. Few belongs littered the house, with only the few essentials in plain sight. "I apologize for how... Unlived it seems. I have lived with so little, because at any point I would have to leave least the Sand people show an interest in harassing Ol' Ben Kenobi once more." He took a seat, and looked at Leia once more. "Now, I don't know about your miracle, but... I am going to tell you about your father... And how I owe it to the both of you to help you avenge him." In his hand, he held a lightsaber. A beautiful chrome handle, polished almost daily it seemed. He held the blade to the side, and with a press a blue blade shot through the air. "The man who gave this to me was your father. Anakin Skywalker. He was killed by Darth Vader, who I suspect pursues you as we speak."



The deck of the Executioner was as always a place for Vader to look out across the Galaxy. Much like the name of his ship, Vader was an executioner. He passed judgement easily, willingly, and without hesitation. In truth, he knew no fear. Except. Tatooine. How could one planet rob a man of so much? Some days he imagined Tatooine burning, and the others he imagined it freezing like the proverbial hell it was. The Executioner appeared in the sky over the desert world, directly behind the Tantive IV. He suspected in a way that they'd fight back, but the Executioner's firepower was lethal. By the time he reached the back of the main deck, Vader suspected the Tantive IV would be dragged closer and closer by the tractor beams from his Star Destroyer.

"Send a message to Tarkin. Let him know I have chosen the first target for his... Super Weapon." Vader spoke to one of the guards, and his pace remained the same. He had all the time in the world. They would NEVER escape him.

Aboard the Tantive IV alarms began to sound as a Star Destroyer came out of hyperspace and almost immediately grabbed them with a tractor beam. Captain Antilles ordered the engines to full to try and pull away, but he knew that it would only buy them time.

"Weapons, target their tractor beam emitter. Maybe we can take it out."

"But it won't get through their shields." the officer answered.

"Then wait until they pull us into their docking bay. We might be able to get off a few shots before they take out our weapons." Without bothering to wait for a response he ordered Comms to open an encrypted holo-channel to the Princess. @Burning Kitty When she picked up he continued.

"Princess, a Star Destroyer just came out of hyperspace on top of us, and has us locked in a tractor beam. I've bought us some time, but I doubt we'll be able to break free. Don't worry about us, though. Just get yourself to safety."

---

@ReflectionTarkin was aboard the Death Star in a nearby system when he got the call. "Very well, Lord Vader. I shall be there in one hour." He hung up and ordered the jump to Tattooine.

It didn't really make much sense. Tattooine was a small, out of the way planet. It was far too small to make an effective demonstration. Which meant this was personal. Tarkin pondered it for a moment, waiting until he could see the blue tunnel of hyperspace, before going to his quarters to run a search in the recovered Jedi Archives for any former Jedi with ties to Tattooine. Surprisingly, there was an entry for Anakin Skywalker. Was it possible that he had survived and Vader had tracked him back to his homeworld? Doubtful. From what the file said, Anakin was a slave and the only immediate family he had there was his dead mother. He would have no reason to return. In fact, it was more likely that he would try to avoid the world as much as possible. Or destroy it, as Vader was about to do.

It would fit the facts Tarkin had gathered to-date. Vader was a powerful Force user who arose fully trained just after the Clone Wars ended, the same time most of the Jedi, including Skywalker, were reported to have died. Emperor Palpatine had also been a friend of Skywalker, even a kind of Mentor. There was a serious possibility that the Emperor had turned Skywalker to "the Dark Side" and then had the records altered to cover up the true identity of his mysterious new henchman.

Tarkin smiled. He would have to test that theory. Perhaps with some "meaningless" banter about the planet's role in the Clone Wars?

The Crawler began to pull up towards the hut of Ben Kenobi. It was common for the farmers to come out of their strange sandstone homes to greet (or chase off ) the Jawas and their thieving hands. This was too many people to be outside one man's home to be normal. The machine came to a stop 200m from the entrance.

Chukizi's senses were going haywire, never before had he felt such a power surge hit him. The ship, whatever was on it, was now here with him. Quickly assembling a party under the masquerade of peddling wares, he, three other Jawas, an astromech droid and a beaten up protocol droid left the cargo bay doors to visit the hermit and his guests.

"My my, I do hope that we'll finally be rid of these horrid creatures." The Protocol droid exclaimed as one party neared the others. The Astromech Droid Squeaked encouragingly.

Leia followed Obi-Wan, Ben whoever the fuck he is into his hobo shack alone. “My father knew many Jedi before the rise of the empire, he made it no secret that I was adopted, not that the press would allow him. If he knew Anakin was my father then it is the most closely guarded secret in Alderan history. I find your assertion dubious. I’ll need proof?” Leia was finding this trip to be a waste of time, so far.

—————————————————————-

Meanwhile on the Deathstar Grand Moff Tarkin called Luke Starkiller to his office. “Lieutenant Luke Starkiller reporting as ordered.” He saluted and stood at attention.

"You're skeptical of this, are you?" Ol' Ben leaned back, laughing softly as if he'd just heard a terrible joke. "What would you like? Should I go to Polis Massa? Find the files of your birth? Endanger not only yourself but many others on such a tedious thing." The lightsaber blade crackled, before it fizzled out and returned to the cylinder housing the blade. "Would you prefer I find you Vader, and have him tell you of the day your father died. The last of his life... The last of his light burned away on the planet Mustafar where he joined me in a final battle against the growing darkness of Vader. How I failed him on that day? You want me to tell you about your mother? Padme Amidala? Should I recount in detail how the light slipped from her eyes, leaving them glassy and empty when I told her of my failures? How the man she loved was killed by the man who stole the Republic out from under the feet of so many? Leia Organa, you are endlessly cruel if you believe that is what your father or mother would want me to do." The way he sat there, the way he looked into her eyes... There was truth. Endless truth, but near abyssal pain. Like a gaping wound in the force, that he couldn't stitch up easily.

"Your father was a great hero of the Republic. I understand this may come as a shock to you. Like your father, and your mother, you carry a great deal of potential. Organa knew this. He wanted to protect you. Keep you from it. But still, have you ever wondered. How on some days your teachers would look at you and ask... Can you feel the world? Or on cloudy nights you could still look out and see the sun on the other side of Aldeeran? How the people around you were so willing to sacrifice themselves for you? Men like Roan Shryne? Or Ferus Olin? I realize the skeptic in you denies it. But inside you is something that Vader fears. Your father knew more than ever to send you to me. To delay your mission because you need to be ready. He expects me to protect you. But I will do much more than that. I shall teach you. I shall be your mentor and I will help you pierce the darkness." He paused after so long, his gaze old an weary. "But, I fear you and I will not have much time. Tell me... Does Tatooine have a new moon?" He stood up, a slow walk to the window.

There was nothing outside but the blazing suns of Tatooine, and yet. "I have recieved a vision from the force. A terrible cry like nothing else. We must leave. And it is your choice if you invite me along, or if I am to remain here, and the many truths I have to share are lost."

And then... "Well, I guess we will be interrupt by new guests... Again." Ben sighed as he stepped out of his hut, hand waving through the air. "I apologize, noble traders. But I am not in the mood to be buying or selling." He never bought anything if he could recall correctly, so stuff like this was... Well it did little for him.

Leia rolled her eyes. "So dramatic! Dad never told me the great Obi-Wan was into theatrical arts. As for the new moon that ain't no moon, that is the miracle we need help with. It is called the Death Star and it kills planets. If you are really Obi-Wan and the Force is as dad said you should have sensed the destruction of Jedha & Scarif." While she was talking she was trying to reach her ship. "Frag! Hope you have a spaceship because mine is either destroyed or captured." She ran outside. "The Death Star is here. The Tantive is not answering. If you want to live get us a new ship now. Steal it, buy it, whatever it takes, whatever the cost."

Collab between @Burning Kitty and @TheUnknowable

---

Tarkin ran a computer search for "Skywalker" on the off chance that there was another one in the fleet, but unfortunately there was not. There was, however, an officer from Tatooine on the Death Star, one that had just been promoted to squadron leader after the battle of Scariff. He contacted the boy's commanding officer and ordered him to come to the briefing room.

Once he arrived Tarkin looked at the young man. "Lef-tenant Starkiller, it has come to my attention that you distinguished yourself in the battle over Scariff, shooting down three Xwings and several bombers. In looking over your file, however, I saw that you were from Tatooine. As we are now approaching that world, I thought that I should ask you about it. Tell me, is there a particularly strong Rebel presence there? Strong anti-Imperial sentiments or support for the Rebellion?"

"The only particularly strong presence is crime, specifically Hutt crime, other crime as well, most if not all flows through Jabba the Hutt. The planet is also well known for their moisture farms. At one time Pod Racing was a big deal but that died out after the Empire rightfully cracked down on it. There is a semi-important junk/repair shop owned by Watto, a Toydarian, it's been in decline ever since he lost a bet to some Jedi. The rebellion has recruited some but they mostly given up on recruiting since they never got many morons to sign up. Most people on the planet care about only a few things, getting off the planet, keeping their business afloat, and lots and lots of drinking. The only time the Empire matters to Tatooinians is making credits off the troops stationed there or using it to get off the planet, other than that the Empire rarely crosses the mind of Tatooinians, especially the moisture farmers."

Tarkin nodded. "Then in that case I should inform you that Darth Vader has ordered this Station to your home world in order to test this station's full destructive power. I, however, do not believe that that is necessary to destroy your world. It it far to remote and scarcely populated to be an effective demonstration to the rest of the galaxy and, as you have just testified, it is not even a nest of Rebel activity. It is highly possible Lord Vader has a personal reason to destroy your world and I would like your aid in discovering it."

"As such, I would like you to act as Lord Vader's escort once we make contact. I am assigning Krayt Squadron a squadron of TIE Interceptor Fighters. You are to protect him from any hostile activity that you may come across regardless of the source. If you are able to discover anything about the situation, or Lord Vader, that will allow me to save your home world, then I would be happy to do so."

Luke was visibly disturbed, not by the fact that his uncle and aunt would possibly be killed but by Tarkin's willingness to stand against and defy an order given by Lord Vader. "That is one hell of a personal reason. I am at your command. If Lord Vader is acting against the well being of the Empire I will let you know."

"Very well, Lef-tenant. That is all." Tarkin pushed a button on the table and the door opened. He then checked the time. Fourty seven minutes until arrival.

@Burning Kitty@Reflection@Sirkaithethird@Inkwell

Zeros nodded to the older man as he addressed the Miraluka, wordlessly accepting his words before going silent, thinking on them with a critical perspective as Leia and Ben retreated into the hut. Rumors that could chill a man like that to the core? He was aware of his people's native innate connection to the force, they would quite literally be blind without it after all, but maybe it was deeper and more powerful than he had once thought... As for the other point, he was slightly more inclined to disagree. A great potential for good? From an ex-pirate and mercenary?

He wasn't sure what it was exactly that brought him from his musing, other than a wave of... fear? No, that would be putting it lightly. Dread would be more appropriate, A feeling that something dark, hateful and saturated in pain had made itself known in the skies of Tatooine, with something worse, something of metal and fire. A single, blackened name came to mind and a chill ran down his spine, a tense hand loudly and forcefully gripping the sheath of his sword. Vader.

Leia burst through the door of the hut with news of the Death Star's imminent arrival and loss of contact with their only transport out of the system, and He turned sharply to look at her, nodding with a deadly serious expression. Stepping forward, he took command of the situation as best he could.

"Zenobia, right? You're with me. You've been on this world longer than we have, so you probably know the best place for us to find a pilot. Abiel, you stay with the princess and keep her safe."

As he spoke, he first gestured to the Squamatan and then towards himself, before pointing to the rebel as he spoke his name, moving his extended finger over to the princess as if dragging a window on a data-screen. Waiting a second for a reply from the two escorts, he then looked toward the princess and tapped the comm-link tucked under the sleeve of his robes.

"I'll contact you over comms once we find something."

With that, he hopped back across the uneven rocks to where the convoy of land-speeders had stopped and readied a speederbike, waiting for the ex-CIS Officer to follow.

---

@TheUnknowable@Reflection

Khyrr hated being right sometimes. When he had first taken the re-supply job, the first concern he had was a run-in with Imperial forces. When he had stopped at the Andooweel system, he had done so to make sure it was clear of said Imperials. Yet, like all great plans, it fell apart pretty damn quick. He had only transferred two thirds of the supplies to the Tantive IV when an Imperial-class Star Destroyer made itself known and the Corellian salvager barely had time to dive the Revenant into the corvette's sensor shadow before the larger ship was caught in the Star Destroyer's tractor beam.

The Alliance vessel put up a fairly decent struggle, and Khyrr used that opportunity to recall the droids he had moving supplies. Now, he was waiting in the shadow of the slowly-losing Corvette, trying to decide on his next move as the precious seconds ticked by. He could try to make a hyperspace jump and flee the system, or he could try to assist the Tantive IV before making a break for it. Slamming his fist on the control panel in front of him, he finally made his choice.

"Grraaahhh! Dammit all! HK, have Sparks, Hot-shot, and Broadside take up gunners positions, I want Engie and Hardwire ready in case any systems go down during the fight and re-route any spare power to the shield generators. Gunners, target the tractor beam emitter and any other vulnerable sub-systems you can."
"Confirmation: Yes Sir."

Gripping the control sticks tightly, Khyrr took a second to close his eyes and inhale deeply, holding it for a second before letting it go slowly while his crew of re-purposed droids manned their stations. A beep from the console sounded and his eyes snapped open, focused sharply on the space a head of him as he threw the Interceptor's engines into full power. The aged war-machine burst out from the shadow of the captured corvette, it's improved engines propelling it in a straight line away from the underside of the two starships before pulling around to line up its full complement of weaponry: 4 sets or archaic but powerful Precision Laser Cannons, Two Concussion Missile Arrays, two Twin Laser Cannon Turrets, a Quad-Laser Cannon Turret facing the rear, dual Z-6 Rotary Laser Cannons and 4 Heavy Laser Cannons; Most of which was added by Khyrr and the Crew of the Redliner before their deaths at the hands of the Empire.

Sights set and with an intent to kill, the Revenant's Attack foils opened up and the onboard weaponry lit up in a deadly light show, starting with a salvo of Heavy Laser fire and a stream of Laser fire from the turrets. A few buttons on the console and the turn of a small dial on the control sticks switched the Heavy Lasers out for the Precision Laser Cannons, which flared into life and added their own scorching contribution to the hailstorm of burning plasma, all aimed at the Tractor Beam Emitters and other delicate systems located in the under-side docking bay of the Star Destroyer.

The Cannons fell silent as the Interceptor rapidly passed through the closing gap between the Tantive IV and the Imperial vessel, his self-issued task complete for now. The Fury-class shuddered as Khyrr weaved between the destroyer's retaliatory fire, the nimble vessel proving too difficult for the imperial gunners to hit directly, scoring only a few occasional grazing shots that were mainly absorbed by the shielding. He pulled into a sharp dive and peeled away from the wedge-shaped ship, evading the chasing blaster-fire and turbo-laser shots as he shot towards the surface of the planet.

Inside the cockpit, the Corellian was tense in the pilot's seat, his back taut and his hands tight against the controls.
"Broadside, be ready on that rear gun. If they send out fighters to chase us, I want to have a shot on them before they do us."
A burst of electronic garbles was his reply, which he understood to be an affirmative response. He let out a deep sigh.
"That was too damn close. Why'd I talk myself into doing that?"
His robotic partner turned his head to look at him for a few seconds and he just knew that he would be giving him a disappointed glare if he could.
"Sarcastic Statement: Could I politely suggest that you put more consideration in before letting your bleeding heart do the thinking? It's nearly gotten this ship and it's crew terminated twice in as many years."
"Ha, I love you too HK."
Khyrr laughed lightly as he pushed the Revenant further out of range of the chasing Star Destroyer, pushing out some of the tension in his body along with it. HK-51 sighed.

Han Solo
Mos Eisley Cantina, Tatooine

With an ardent tap against the tabletop, the amber liquid sloshed against the sides of the glass, threatening to spill over the rim as Han Solo carelessly fidgeted with his drink. After sitting for hours in the dark and humid environment of the Mos Eisley Cantina, it had become a bit of a habit. It was the least he could do to pass the time; despite its reputation for lawlessness and fast money, Han found that Tatooine just wasn’t all that interesting. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t be here at all, but unfortunately, necessity had forced him to show his hand. If he wanted to stay alive to see the twin suns rise tomorrow, he had to find a job; preferably an easy job, such as a charter...and quick. Jabba the Hutt was not the forgiving type...

“Hell, it wasn’t my fault,” he mumbled under his breath, glancing angrily across the table at his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca. That was probably the twentieth time he had repeated that mantra to his partner since arriving on this dust bowl, and by now, it had lost all meaning. The Wookiee simply angled his head to the side and took it in stride.

His friend’s silence only seemed to fuel Han’s resentment. Taking another swig of his drink, he launched into the story once again in an effort to justify it to himself. Maybe he had missed something?

“That Imperial cruiser came out of nowhere,” he pointed out, drilling his index finger into the table. “I couldn’t run at that close range. I had no choice but to let them board. Do you blame me for trying to protect our investment?” He sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair. “How was I supposed to know the cargo wouldn’t be there when we went back for it?”

This time, Chewie offered a single, mournful growl.

Narrowing his eyes, Han only sneered. “Don’t give me that. I did tag them…” He shook his head incredulously. “You saw the scans...they were gone. Those damn bucketheads probably picked up the canisters for themselves. Glitterstim’s not just popular on the black market anymore…”

Silence followed that statement, giving Han a moment to reflect on the implications. They both knew what they were up against now that their mission had failed, but neither one of them wanted to face the inevitable. Finally, it was the Wookiee who took the initiative and voiced the impossible question through a series of grunts and howls.

“I dunno, pal,” Solo sighed with resignation. “But we need to do something soon. If I don’t reimburse Jabba for the money he lost on those canisters…” Raising his hand, he made a cutting gesture along his throat. “I’m a dead man.”

Events were going quickly. Suddenly, maybe. Events worked quickly, and even Kenobi had to admit he couldn't control events in the way he'd like. Especially with the Jawas here... He couldn't guarantee a way for them to get off Tatooine. Just another guilt he'd have to live with unless Leia made them the offer. Ben took a step closer to the free land speeder, taking a seat and crossing his arms. He had much to think over. A Death Star? He had retreated so much into the force, that he was amazed that he never felt what she talked about. But then again... News would have traveled quickly of a weapon that could destroy planets. Right now, he was regretting his choice of backing Leia. She clearly seemed to have no interest in learning about the force. In truth, he felt... Dismissed. Unwanted. Yet she made the journey. That alone meant he should continue.

"Princess, I recommend we leave as soon as we can if the Death Star is as dangerous as you claim it to be." He looked up into the sky again, and there was still no Death Star. No planet destroying station, yet. In a short while he felt it would be there. The force screamed, it pleaded and shook like a leaf in a storm. Like millions dying in a second. "Make your way to Mos Eisley. We can bring one of the Jawa along, they'll be far better with directions than an old man." Even if he couldn't save all of them, just the one would ease his guilt.



From the deck of the Executioner, Vader had a lovely place to stand and watch the incompetence of his soldiers. As green beams flashed through the sky, he watched with silence as the Tantive V's weapon systems were destroyed one by one. A display of steel warped by plasma fire, as the gaping maw of the star destroyer dragged it closer, and closer. Then, came the rebel ship. A smuggler ship so easy to tell apart from the others. "Flee little rebel... Flee." Vader whispered under his breath, but it came out as a booming roar for those standing nearby. But the ship did not turn to flee, it came in to attack.

The blasts tore through the Executioner's tractor beam, and Vader felt... A sudden interest. He took a step closer to the screen, watching out onto the ship below as his men where made fools of. But Vader knew now there was a new interest. "Destroy the Ambassador's ship. If she or her crew are on board, then they will perish. The Death Star plans with them if so." His hand reached up, gesturing in the direction of the Revenant. So amused as he that when he squeezed, he spared the pilot. There was a sickening crunch of metal, but not one that could be heard in space. The engines folded together, metal and flame turning itself into slag almost instantly. The guns snapped, and the poor droids inside them would have seconds to flee. The crunch of metal, the twisting of the vessel. Vader stood there, watching with an emotionless mask as he tore the Revenant apart with his mind. The dark side's power turning hopes to dust. "Send out fighters to collect that ship. I want that pilot taken alive for questioning."

The Tantive V never stood a chance. Those still on the ship when the Executioner fired upon it were the lucky ones. Torn apart by an array of blaster fire, sent drifting out into space to die in fear. The unlucky ones made it to the escape pods, only to be collected by Vader. He stood there as ships where brought in, storm troopers gathered around to collect the survivors.

"Tell me, which of you was the pilot who flying the ship that managed to take out the tractor systems?" Vader demanded, standing there with nothing to protect him. Nothing except himself, and a fair share of storm troopers, guns, and the force. In all honesty, he didn't need any of that to be unafraid.

Like a mother knowing when something was wrong with her child and would begin to pray for him or a twin knowing her sister was alive despite all evidence to the contrary, Leia knew that her boyfriend on the Tantive was dead. She kept it together, the others would find out soon enough. “Come along Ben.” She went back outside. “We got to get to Mos Eisley.” She walked to a random short statured, brown robed alien. She assumed they were all Jawas. @BrokenWashing “Ben says for one of you to come. If you have a mate or any family aboard your vessel, bring them as well. If you don’t you may never see them again.” She left out the part because they would be dead. She threw R2-D2 aboard her vehicle. She waited long enough only for Ben to get in. @Reflection Then she took off at full speed for Mos Eisley.

The Jawa squinted at the lady standing before him. She was like no other human he had seen, the women on the planet were either not to be messed with or holed up in their homes with husbands protecting them. This one had a regal sense to her, as if she were a queen far from home.
Whilst Chukizi could not speak the common tongue he did understand some of it. "Mos Eisley", "You come", "Bring mate". Chukizi had no mate, and no real family either. The pack stuck together for survival, but to survive and to truly live are two different things. He had been waiting for the opportunity to leave and now it finally presented itself.

There was no vehicle for Chukizi, that meant he would either have to ride with the Blue one or the Blindfolded one. Neither were that preferable. After some deliberation he pushed the droids over to Zeros @Shadow Daedalus and squeaked an order in his language. "Oh, um okay. If you say so." the protocol droid said as it mounted the speeder. The astromech was crudely strapped to the rear. He then went over to the speeder of Zenobia @Inkwell and got on. He made a brief greeting in the simplified "trade language" of the Jawas, unsure if she would understand him or not.

Luke Starkiller was going over the paper files that former Dragon Leader kept on everyone on the team. She had concerns about some of her pilots, one of them was not be completely loyal to the Empire, she had it narrowed down to three suspects. If her concerns were true and this pilot knew she was aware she might have been taken down by not so friendly fire. These pilots would have to be watched like a hawk because they could possibly shoot down Lord Vader during the escort detail, if so the Empire would kill them all as a warning to any other traitors.

Luke invited the three to his office under the guise of getting to know them better as a boss. He wanted to look them in the eye. Subtly question them. The meeting didn't provide many insights, maybe he was to subtle. He would just have to ensure they were positioned in front of Vader and himself, it might raise a red flag since they normally brought up the rear but he could easily explain it away.

@Reflection

Khyrr grimaced as he watched the star destroyer begin to pulverise the Tantive IV through the rear sensor, cursing under his breath as he turned back to look at the planet ahead of him, only to curse out loud as the engines suddenly imploded and the weapons overloaded for a reason the Corellian couldn't hope to understand. The force of it as well as the sudden change in inertia was enough to throw him forward for a second, with barely enough time to catch himself from slamming his face into the control panel.

"Dammit! HK, report!"

The assassin droid was already moving, metallic fingers flying across the control panel as Khyrr did the same, the two quickly complying a detailed, if a little dispairing, report on the state of his vessel and its metallic crew. The pilot/engineer was looking through technical readouts and his expression was grim. The sudden damage to the engine had caught a power feedback that had overloaded the powerbank for the entire propulsion subsystem, and the damage to the weapon systems had shorted out the relays in those sections, meaning it would take mor than just replacing the turrets to get them working again. The fixed weapon emplacements were marginally more lucky, but the Precision Laser Cannons were relics from the Old Republic, damn near 3 millennia old, and he could afford to commission a brand new Star Destroyer for how much it would take to replace them, meaning he would have to repair them by hand (if he survived the day, that is). The power grid for the shields had also gone down, but that had happened after the engines, meaning that whatever had just totalled his ship had managed to bypass his shields entirely. If the Empire had a weapon that could do that, they wouldn't hesitate to strap it onto every pile of metal with an engine, so he wasn't sure it was the Imperial ship that had caused it.

"Technical Report: Life Support Systems took minimal damage, functioning at 97%, but the Sensor grid and guidance controls are reduced to only 23% effectiveness. Also, the resultant damage cause irreparable damage to both units B-546 'Engie' and SU-2118 'Broadside', as well as major structural damage to the left-side of Y-14C 'Sparks'. Sparks is recoverable, but both Engie and Broadside are not."

Khyrr fell back into his chair, eyes closed and sighed. This was it, they were crippled and stranded in space, unable to fight back or even defend themselves. He waited for the inevitable barrage of turbolasers... and yet none came. Instead, the Revenant was dragged back into the hold of the Star Destroyer. He sat back up in his seat, on edge and slightly confused. Had they mistaken him for a renegade Imperial vessel? Surely not. While the Fury-class did hold a similar design aesthetic to the TIE line of craft, it was vastly too old to be mistaken like that. 3000 years too old in fact, so that means... they were taking him prisoner. He quickly stood from his seat and looked towards the locker holding his armour and blaster, only to curse for the third time. The locker door was mangled, and debris from one of the subsystems was blocking him from opening it. Outside, the Revenant was dragged across the threshold of the Hangar bay and the artificial gravity of the Star Destroyer took hold of it, causing it fall gracelessly with a metallic thump and rocking the occupants inside.

The doors were forced open and Stormtroopers rushed inside, only to be met by blue-tinted blaster fire. Khyrr had drawn his DE-10 in time to drop the first three troopers to enter his field of view, another two subdued by HK. The fire-fight didn't last long as the Stormtroopers overwhelmed them with sheer numbers, forcing the man and droid to surrender. Soon he was standing among the rebels captured from the escape pods, surrounded by armed Stormtroopers and without a weapon, staring at probably the most feared man in the known galaxy.

He straightened in response to Vader's question and gave a small nod to HK before speaking up, turning his head to look the towering man in the eye... or at least the lenses of his mask.

"That would be me."

Once back in Mos Eisley they were stopped by a patrol. Leia forced them to stand down with her senate credentials and a threat. She returned to her transport shuttle. Getting the paperwork for it she sold it for less than half of its value to the first person who could fork up a large enough amount for it. She knew she should have sprung for the hyperdrive upgrade version. She proceeded to the best place she figured the most likely place to find an unscrupulous nerf herder a cantina. At the cantina she looked around for a candidate. @Skelm She noticed a human male with a Wookie, the Wookie looked reliable, the human male not so much.

It was true. Vader's glassy gaze was terrifying. In truth, the way it seemed to gaze into a person, and then beyond them at the same time was so... Tangible. Silently, the lord of sith stepped towards Khyrr. Strange how something so big could even dream of moving silently. And Vader was big. He towered over others, and the black silhouette of his form made just the way he moved larger than life. Until he finally stopped, letting his shadow smother Khyrr. The only sound was his breathing. Long, deep inhales, followed by the chilling gasp of an escaping breath.
"You have talent." He said, breaking the long silence. "It's a shame you have chosen the wrong side in these events. But... I can offer you a way out of your current life. The rebels here have shown themselves to be zealots. Fighting to the death if they could. But you were attempting to flee. That means you value your life above a meaningless cause and some trumpeted dream of r-"

"Don't listen to him! That sick bastard would cut you down in a se-" A rebel pilot shouted at the top of his lungs, and was silenced in a crescendo of gunfire. Lasers searing his body to a crisp, and letting it fall to the floor. His attempt to do something with his life ended before it could matter.
"Rebels so willingly throw their lives away. But if you choose to instead work for me, I can offer far more than they can, and all I require from you, is a call. Once daily. If you become my spy amongst their midst, my wolf amongst their bantha... Why you may prove more valuable than a whole deal of others to me." Vader's gaze never changed. Not that it could. But it was clear. Denial meant death. Agreement meant selling his soul to the devil. Choices, choices. "You have five seconds to make your choice." Vader hissed, and the sound of charging plasma rounds made it clear. 5... 4... 3...

@Shadow Daedalus[/center]

It was true. Vader's glassy gaze was terrifying. In truth, the way it seemed to gaze into a person, and then beyond them at the same time was so... Tangible. Silently, the lord of sith stepped towards Khyrr. Strange how something so big could even dream of moving silently. And Vader was big. He towered over others, and the black silhouette of his form made just the way he moved larger than life. Until he finally stopped, letting his shadow smother Khyrr. The only sound was his breathing. Long, deep inhales, followed by the chilling gasp of an escaping breath.
"You have talent." He said, breaking the long silence. "It's a shame you have chosen the wrong side in these events. But... I can offer you a way out of your current life. The rebels here have shown themselves to be zealots. Fighting to the death if they could. But you were attempting to flee. That means you value your life above a meaningless cause and some trumpeted dream of r-"

"Don't listen to him! That sick bastard would cut you down in a se-" A rebel pilot shouted at the top of his lungs, and was silenced in a crescendo of gunfire. Lasers searing his body to a crisp, and letting it fall to the floor. His attempt to do something with his life ended before it could matter.
"Rebels so willingly throw their lives away. But if you choose to instead work for me, I can offer far more than they can, and all I require from you, is a call. Once daily. If you become my spy amongst their midst, my wolf amongst their bantha... Why you may prove more valuable than a whole deal of others to me." Vader's gaze never changed. Not that it could. But it was clear. Denial meant death. Agreement meant selling his soul to the devil. Choices, choices. "You have five seconds to make your choice." Vader hissed, and the sound of charging plasma rounds made it clear. 5... 4... 3...

@Shadow Daedalus[/center]

It was true. Vader's glassy gaze was terrifying. In truth, the way it seemed to gaze into a person, and then beyond them at the same time was so... Tangible. Silently, the lord of sith stepped towards Khyrr. Strange how something so big could even dream of moving silently. And Vader was big. He towered over others, and the black silhouette of his form made just the way he moved larger than life. Until he finally stopped, letting his shadow smother Khyrr. The only sound was his breathing. Long, deep inhales, followed by the chilling gasp of an escaping breath.
"You have talent." He said, breaking the long silence. "It's a shame you have chosen the wrong side in these events. But... I can offer you a way out of your current life. The rebels here have shown themselves to be zealots. Fighting to the death if they could. But you were attempting to flee. That means you value your life above a meaningless cause and some trumpeted dream of r-"

"Don't listen to him! That sick bastard would cut you down in a se-" A rebel pilot shouted at the top of his lungs, and was silenced in a crescendo of gunfire. Lasers searing his body to a crisp, and letting it fall to the floor. His attempt to do something with his life ended before it could matter.
"Rebels so willingly throw their lives away. But if you choose to instead work for me, I can offer far more than they can, and all I require from you, is a call. Once daily. If you become my spy amongst their midst, my wolf amongst their bantha... Why you may prove more valuable than a whole deal of others to me." Vader's gaze never changed. Not that it could. But it was clear. Denial meant death. Agreement meant selling his soul to the devil. Choices, choices. "You have five seconds to make your choice." Vader hissed, and the sound of charging plasma rounds made it clear. 5... 4... 3...

@Reflection

Standing in the Sith Lord's shadow, Khyrr found it harder to breathe than he had before. This was probably pretty normal for someone under the scrutiny of the most feared and second-most powerful man in the Galactic Empire, but it was still pretty unnerving. His focus was solely on the figure standing before him, offering Khyrr his own life in exchange for those of countless men and women fighting simply for freedom. He barely even flinched at the chorus of blasterfire, his heart too loud in his ears. It came down to a simply choice: Die here, accomplishing nothing or Live on, a durasteel leash around his neck as Vader's secret Attack dog. A singular, metallic voice whispered in his ear, breaking his stupor.

"Directive: This unit is directed to ensure the survival of its direct superior at all costs, no matter what actions it must undertake to do so. Suggestion: Take the deal, Sir. I can calculate a 1 to 98 trillion chance of survival otherwise."

His head turned sharply to HK before he closed his eyes and gave a small nod. A silent string of unspoken curses in his head, Khyrr turned back to Vader just as he began to count down, cutting in just before his count ran out. He forced down the feeling of suffocating despair he could feel encroaching as the words began to fall from his mouth and Ignored the looks of rage, sorrow and betrayal from the rebels around him. As tall-dark-and-scary had said, he wasn't fighting for an ideal, he was fighting for a paycheck, a means to survive. And saying no to the man holding you at gunpoint was certainly not a decision would likely survive.

"Fine, I'll do it. Not like I'll walk away alive if I don't. Just don't expect any of that 'Lord Vader' crap, and I'll need my ship repaired. Anything else'll be shot down the moment I enter a rebel system."