Quay's Rescue

[Jace Keller]

I nodded as Argos told me what my part was. "Time to let him spead his wings, huh?" I asked diligently as I continued to look over the flight plan. "The kid's got it where it counts and it's good that you're allowing him to do this."

[Argos Ewan]

I spoke to Jace as I flipped some of the overhead switches and turned them back off as I tested the systems. “I don’t know Jace. It is more that it is his mother than anything else. I mean, let’s face it. If it were our Mumya or Dodya we wouldn’t want to be shut out of having something to do with their return. Besides, he feels terrible about how his mother was taken from him and blames himself. It’s hard for me to imagine how or what is going through his mind right now, but I know it is more of feeling it was his fault then anything.”

I continued as I looked over some charts on the vid screen. “It is strange though. When he flew the Eclipse through that asteroid field earlier, it came so natural to him. He flew this ship just like you or me. It must be something in his trait from his father that was passed on to him. Every move or nuance of his flying looked so much like something you or I would do though.” I laughed as I looked at Jace. “If I didn’t know better I would say he was of our blood.” I shook my head. “Ahhhh, maybe he just picked it up by watching us. The Gods only know how many times he had flown with us during raids and sat right behind me and watched.” I shrubbed my shoulders, “eh, maybe that is why he could fly the Eclipse so easily.”

I spin my chair around to look overhead toward some read outs from other screens at the Nav station. “Anyway, you're the one that is going to fly this boat to the Lynx while Aramis is going to fill in for Nawn. I’m going to need you at the controls when we are about to leave the Lynx. You know how this ship moves. After all, you were always the one that flew the Eclipse when we were shipping for Mumya and Dodya. So there isn’t anyone I can trust more than you to do it and do it right. Aramis is going with me once we soft dock and breech the hull of the Lynx. We’re going to get my wife together. Others of the crew will be joining us but that is only in case we run into problems. The Empire isn’t going to do to us what they did the last time. They are going to wish they never heard of the name Ewan and it will be a name which they will never speak unless it is a curse, this I promise.” I pulled out the miniature nuclear device I had on me to take with me and showed it to Jace. “It is my plan to invoke Canli upon them and it will be done and you know what this means.”

[Tony Maxwell]

Tony watched in silent helplessness as a Gungan, the native species of Naboo, was sat down across the table from him and clamped down in a similar manner as Tony. He listened to the force confession, and it made him sick. He wanted to stand up and slap the Gungan across the face, either to force some sense into him or simply inflict violence on this traitor. He was not even sure if the Gungan was a Rebel, for all he knew Mister Interrogator might have just picked him up off the streets and threatened him until he agreed to falsely confess. His hands tightened into fists and he fought against his bonds for a moment, and only a moment. He wasn't getting up or away anytime soon. Not that it mattered. The Empire had worse things to do to the Gungan then a slap from Tony, "Sorry does not cut it, traitor," His jaw tensed, "Better to die then comply damnable Empire." He finished and closed his mouth with a snap. Implying that he was done talking to the Gungan.

[Grand Moff Hiern]

I looked at the Gungan and saw the outrage in his eyes. The Gungan shook his head as he looked at Mr. Maxwell and sat up in the chair again. “Me’sa not a trator. No, no.” The Gungan looked at me and continued. “Me’sa not speak no more. Me’sa not a traitor.”

I walked up to the Gungan and leaned down and placed my hands onto the arm rests of his chair and spoke to him with my face just inches from his. “Do you understand that this is your last chance? I can not say what may happen to you next. Are you sure that this is what you want to do?”

The Gungan leaned himself away from me and looked at me and nodded his head. “Uh-huh.”

I stood up and briefly looked at him and pushed a button upon the table and stepped to the side. As I did the chamber door opened and two of the guards walked in pulling a gurney with them. Once they got to the Gungan they unshackled him and placed him on the gurney. After strapping him to the gurney I walked up to the Gungan and looked down at him. “This is your very last chance.” The Gungan didn’t reply and looked away from me and looked at Mr. Maxwell. “Very well then.”

I looked at he guards and motioned for them to take the Gungan away. They immediately took him away and I turned to Mr. Maxwell as the door shut behind me. “Well it seems that this creature isn’t as smart as you are. Surely you can see that not signing this document won’t pay for you.”

Suddenly the lights within the chamber dimmed and off in the distance you could hear the Gungan scream and suddenly go silent. “It just doesn’t pay to defy me. When you loose your usefulness then you are dead. Do you now understand? Are you now ready to sign this document? This is your last chance. I‘m not going to mess with you any further.”

[Tony Maxwell]

Tony remained silent.

[Grand Moff Hiern]

By his silence, I could see that he intended on not cooperating any further. “Very well then. I guess your fate is sealed then.” I reached over to the table and pressed the button again. The guards responded and entered with a gurney and removed the shackles from his wrists and ankles as they took a hold of him by the arms. They walked him to the gurney as an executioner with a hood over his head stood along side of the gurney as the guards strapped him down. Once completed, they began to walk with him out of the chamber and down the hall. A black suited man also walked along side reading Mr. Maxwell his last rights while they walked.

As we walked down the hall we finally came to another chamber and entered. The man quit reading him his rights and then left. The guards came around to the sides of the gurney and tightened the straps down even tighter to make sure he was secure and then left to allow the executioner to complete his task.

Once alone, the executioner went to the gurney and pulled a long sword from under the gurney and lifted the sword to show the blade in front of himself. Many minutes went by and the executioner lowered the sword and left.

Time went by and finally the Guards quickly entered again. The guards savagely removed the straps from the man and took him by the arms and lifted him from the gurney. As they held onto him another set of guards came in and sat up another table and two chairs, one on either side of the table.

Once everything was set up the guards threw Mr. Maxwell into one of the chairs and shackled him to it. I walked over to the table and sat a file upon the table. “Are you presently taking any medication,” I asked. “Do you have any problems with your heart?”

The executioner came back in and stood behind me as I spoke. As I spoke the executioner stepped forward to the table and looked directly at Mr. Maxwell. As he looked at him, he removed his hood to reveal the Gungan that previously spoke on the microphone. I continued as the Gungan turned and walked out. “Cooperation will be rewarded. Resistance will be punished. Do you understand these terms I have explained to you?”

[Tony Maxwell]

Tony would have spit in the man's face, but that would have been rude and a clear lack of spittle in his mouth prevented him from doing so, "No, I am not on any medication, no I do not have a heart problem, no I am not a lizard-monkey, no I have never done spice, no I am not a whore like your mother," He could have continued rambling, but he felt that was enough for now, "Why must we play games, sir? I'm not going to break, I'm not going to sign your silly paper, and I most certiantly am never going to do anything you or that rapidly degenerating government you call an Empire tells me to do. Go stick your head in a duck's bottom and leave me alone. Your simply wasting your time. You'd be better off searching Naboo for the rest of my resistance pocket, not that I will ever reveal the location of said pocket," There really was no pocket. Tony was just making conversation for the frell of it.

[Jace Keller]

I shrugged. "Well, he's a quick learner and his race is close enough to our own."

[Argos Ewan]

I nodded my head, “that he is. It’s just that is seems so.......I don’t know how to explain it. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. As far as I am concerned he is about as close to any son I will ever have I suppose.”

As I spoke to Jace a signal light began to flicker on my console. “Well it looks as though we’re getting close Jace.”

I got on the ship’s com-system and turned it on. “Lieutenant Rakai, to the bridge. Lieutenant Rakai to the bridge please.”


(continued to Quay's Rescue Part II (The Attack)