 | 
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
| 
Meade struggles to his feet as he breathes heavily.
| |
| 
“Sir!? Anyone!” Kalin yells over the crackling of the fire.
| |
| 
“Hello!?” yells Meade as he tries to catch his breath. “Can you hear us?”
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
| 
Kane emerges from the smoke, coughing as his helmet’s respirator works hard to filter the thick air.
| |
| 
“There he is!” yells Kalin, throwing his rifle down to help his squad leader.
| |
| 
The solider pulls Kane from the rubble, squinting through the sweat as it collects above his brow.
| |
| 
Meade makes his way to Kane, falling next to him as he checks the damage on his armor. “Are you okay sir? Are you hurt? Where’s Darr?”
| |
| 
“Darr!” yells Kane suddenly, pointing to the temple consumed in fire.
| |
| 
“He’s still in there!” Kane says with a gruff voice as he staggers to his feet. “I’m going back!”
| |
| 
Meade quickly puts his arm against Kane, blocking him. “No, you can’t go back in there!”
| |
| 
“He’s right!” says Kalin grabbing Kane’s arm. “You can’t sir, you can’t!”
| |
| 
Haas runs up to the scene still watching the smoke billow from the temple’s entrance.
| |
| 
Suddenly the crackling of the fire grows louder and an explosion knocks the squad to their feet.
| |
| 
| |
| 
The men move about on the ground, static sounding in their ears.
| |
| 
“We gotta get out of here,” says Haas. “We gotta go!”
| |
| 
The men groan as they recover from the explosion.
| |
| 
“Don’t leave him behind! Darr!” shouts Kane.
“He’s gone, sir,” says Meade over the wind. “He’s gone.”
| |
| 
“No,” cries Kane. “No, let me go! He’s still in there!”
| |
| 
“We need to move out, sir!”
| |
| 
“Frak me,” whispers Haas to himself, watching the temple burn.
| |
| 
“We have to get to the shuttle,” says Kalin over the wind. “Darr is gone!”
| |
| 
“I’ve got point!” yells the soldier. “Meade, help the Lieutenant! Haas, cover our six. We’re leaving!”
| |
| 
Meanwhile, back on the Aberrant Dawn, the vessel’s crew is questioned by officers from the Star Destroyer Dark Talon.
| |
| 
“You are telling me you know that Kane and his men have committed treason?” asks Colonel Elliot.
| |
| 
“Yes-yes they have,” says Lieutenant Sumner. “I overheard it during the mission. They’ve double crossed us all! They met a rebel fugitive, they planned to give us all up. I heard it all-all of it with my own ears. They want us all dead! ‘Long live the Empire’ I say, and kill these traitorous snakes!”
| |
| 
“Quite interesting. We’ll arrest them when their shuttle arrives,” she says. “Take him to the brig.”
| |
| 
“What!? You said you would let me go! I gave you the traitors!” cries Sumner.
| |
| 
“I never told you that,” smirks the colonel. “You’ve still intercepted classified mission communications, and committed treason against the Empire yourself.”
| |
| 
“No-no!!!!” cries Sumner. “You-said it! This isn’t right! I gave you the traitors! It’s not fair!!!”
| |
| 
“He’s right,” she smiles. “There isn’t much that is fair anymore.”
| |
| 
“Sargent, escort me to the bridge. I want to see Captain Brior. He needs to see how a true officer holds command of an Imperial Star Destroyer.”
| |
| 
“Come on, get in!” says Kalin over the wind as the men board their shuttle on the planet below.
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
| 
“Goodbye Darr.”
| |
| 
“Has her shuttle arrived yet?” whispers Captain Brior. “Is she here?”
| |
| 
“By command of Admiral Gala, commanding officer of the Star Destroyer Dark Talon, I am here to take control of this vessel.”
| |
| 
“Captain Brior, I have been asked to remove you from command, do you comply?”
| |
| 
| |
| 
“Do you comply?” she repeats.
| |
| 
“I do.”
| |
| 
“Good.” The officer turns to the crew members. “Everyone, I’ll have your attention. I am Colonel Elliot. Soon one of your shuttles will return to this ship. Aboard are traitors to the Empire. Instruct them to land in docking bay 7. That is all.”
| |
| 
The colonel turns to her Stormtrooper escort. “You and your man stay here. Have a squad meet me in bay 7-”
| |
| 
“Sir,” cries Corporal Volgrin, bursting into the room. “Captain Brior, they’ve taken Sumner to the brig, he’s being tried for-”
| |
| 
“Treason, my dear,” Colonel Elliot interrupts with a sly tongue. “He is a traitor, and he will receive full punishment just as he deserves: death.”
| |
| 
“What? You can’t do that!” Volgrin says crying. “He deserves-”
| |
| 
“Alyaa, stop.” says Brior sternly.
| |
| 
“She can’t do this captain! There’s no grounds for it!” says Volgrin. “Sumner isn’t a traitor!”
| |
| 
“He is,” the colonel commands. “Take her to the brig as well.”
| |
| 
The young officer resists the troopers as they attempt to take her into custody.
| |
| 
“Watch her!”
“Grab her arm!”
| |
| 
“Corporal, calm down!” says Brior.
“You can’t do this! You can’t!” she cries. “Captain, they can’t!”
| |
| 
“I can, and I will,” says Colonel Elliot, watching.
| |
| 
“No-no! Stop it!” Volgrin says as the scuffle continues.
| |
| 
“You-” She yells at the Colonel. “You’re terrible! I hope you die! Stop it!” she cries as she fights the men. “You can go crawl back in whatever sarlacc pit spit you-”
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
| 
“If anyone else aboard this vessel impedes my command of this ship, I will, by order of the Imperial Security Bureau, shoot them on sight with no further warning.”
| |
| 
“Now,” Colonel Elliot says taking a breath. “Carry on.”
| |
| 
The colonel turns on her heels as the blast door opens in front of her.
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
| 
| |
