Towards the future I see

Chapter 17 Part 3

Time passed and my work just got harder. One big reason was that I had no more ship to use. Vader had a big building project at Mustafar, which meant that from time to time I had to go there and bring him reports and other data. On one of those trips, I had more passengers with me and cargo needed to the new building. I heard that this building had been on work for a long and had to be repeated nine times. But it was finished now.

I was both excited and nervous as I went through the inventory of the ship. Besides me came two troopers and a pilot, a co-pilot, and an astromech. All of them were in service to the Empire. They knew to who I was working so they treated me with the respect. Some even more nicely than others. They either feared Vader that much or they simply rather keep the peaceful atmosphere in the ship. We had to stop and board a few star-destroyers to get some additional data. We had made two jumps to get to Mustafar. The first jump went nicely and without problems. But after the jump, as we were changing the trajectory for the next jump. Something happened.

Another ship was behind us and they had shot our engines damaging them. Pilots informed us that everything else was working accordingly and began to send a distress signal to a fleet nearest to us. Stormtroopers ordered me to go to the cockpit and remain there with the pilots. I obeyed that order since I was not confident I could go against pirates. When I got to the cockpit all I could do is sit tight. I reached to the force and tried to feel what was happening to the rest of the ship. The invaders were connecting to the ship and prepared to board the ship. I felt that they were sure and determined of their work. Either they knew what they were after or they were ready for a battle. It didn’t take long for me to feel through force how the two stormtroopers fell as they were shot. Whoever they were, they were now going through the cargo. Some of them were coming to the cockpit. The doors were shut but they were prepared for that. The pilots and I heard how they brought explosives to open the door. The door was blown away and some parts of the frame were also blown. They didn’t enter right away. One of them, probably the leader, walked to the cockpit. He looked at us before he said anything.

“Lady and gentlemen, as of now this ship is under control of the rebels.” He said.

The pilots looked at each other before they looked at me waiting for orders. I simply nodded at them telling them to stand down.

“Glad to see that you cooperate. This way, if you please.” He said and showed out of the cockpit.

“Hey, Saw. All they got is pieces for holotable and datapads.” One other rebel yelled at the man who had called us out.

The pilots were put to sit near the cargo, while I was made to stand and wait. Probably, thinking that it would be humiliating for me to stand while my pilots get to sit. Honestly, I didn’t care for that. I was worried that they would shoot the pilots as they did with troopers. But the idea itself seemed to be enough to keep the pilots quiet. They went through everything on the ship. Even my personal luggage was inspected. But all they found was one extra outfit and more datapads. I had left my book in Coruscant to a locker with a code lock. Now I was relieved that I did that. I didn’t bring it with me because Darth Vader doesn’t want to see me going through the little things left of my people. He didn’t tell me to dispose of it but he made it clear that he didn’t want to see it with me again.

“Nothing here, sir.” Another rebel said.

“Hey Gerrera, what were we supposed to find here?” Another asked.

Saw didn’t look pleased. He looked angrily at one of the pilots and grabbed him from the collar.

“Where are you headed?” He asked.
The pilot didn’t say anything. Either he was too scared or he was instructed never to reveal the destination if he was ever caught by rebels or pirates. The other pilot was definitely scared. Before something would happen I stepped ahead and faced the leader of this rebel team.

“We going to Mustafar to bring little equipment for the fortress of Lord Vader,” I said.

Many blasters were pointing at me but none of them seemed like they were ready to shoot. Saw let go of the pilot who fell on the seat. He came to stand right in front of me. He had a cold stare at me. But I had already got used to the stares of Vader so this was nothing.

“What did you say?” He asked with a tone that felt like a warning.

“I answered your question. We were headed to Mustafar. We carry little pieces of equipment for Lord Vader.” I repeated with a clear and calm voice. He eyed for a moment as if seeing if I was lying. Then he turned away and I thought he believed what I said and was now think what to do next. He thought it fast. Instantly, he turned and punched me right to the gut. I bent in half and my arms went quickly over my stomach. I fell to my knees but I didn’t lie down, though that felt like it was needed. The pilots exclaimed after me but they were kept in their place. I only saw the feet of Saw. He used one of them to tip my chin up to look at him.

“I wasn’t asking you, missy.” He said coldly.

What kind of rebel is he? I felt dizzy. The punch still hurt. I was ignored and they kept questioning the pilots. They didn’t know the cargo but they did tell them the destination since I already said it. The rebel group went over the entire ship looking for something, but they didn’t find it. All we carried were holotable parts, cooling systems, datapads with no data, and my clothes. Seeing that they wouldn’t get what they were after they decided to leave but not without a little payback. Since pilots managed to send the distress call, we got later a call from a star cruiser. They came to check what was wrong. Rebels had noticed that they were coming from hyperspace so they made a quick exit. But Saw had another idea. Since he didn’t get what he wanted he made sure someone will pay the price. I realized that he and two others set explosives among the cargo and set timers to them. They would blow up once we dock aboard the cruiser.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What does it look like?” One other two rebels asked.

I didn’t get to voice anything else when I got slapped at my face. Pilots were made to sit back at the cockpit to maneuver the ship to the cruiser with the little power they could get. They didn’t know about the explosives. They thought that rebels simply gave up. I waited for the rebels to leave the ship through the hatchway before I dashed to the cockpit.

“We have bombs on the ship,” I yelled.

“What?” Co-pilot asked.

“They set bombs with timers on our ship. They will blow once we dock at the cruiser. They plan to kill us and everyone aboard the cruiser.” I explained.

“We are already in the tractor beam.” Co-pilot informed.

Pilots tried to reach the cruiser and tell about the danger but the rebels had shut down the communications. And since the ship's engines were shot by the rebels we couldn’t get away. I thought about what to do. The bombs weren’t tied to anything. If we could toss them out to space we could save the cruiser but not ourselves because we would be too close. But if…

“You two come with me,” I ordered.

We went to the cargo area and located three bombs. We had little time left. We gathered all of them together and prepared to take them to the air hatch. But when we got to the hatch, one of the pilots was shot. I and the other pilot looked up to see one rebel who had remained on the ship.

“I can’t let you that. Saw's idea was that with this ship we will at least take down the imperial's own battlecruiser. He knew that you would be too clever to just let it happen.” He said and pointed at us with his blaster.

“So you stayed to die?” I asked.

I couldn’t believe it. These rebels resembled nothing to the Phoenix squadron. They hurt people and were ready to kill people that had nothing to do with the mission. I may not agree with Empire's regime but this isn’t right either.

The remaining pilot tackled the rebel and began to hold him back. I moved the explosives to the hatch and prepared to move away before opening the airlock. But as I got to the controls, I heard a shot. I looked up and saw the pilot. Did he win? He didn’t say anything before he fell to the floor and the rebel stood behind him.

“No sudden moves.” He ordered. He looked like he had received quite a beating from the pilot. We were too close to the cruiser. If we waited then the entire ship will be blown. I can’t let this come to pass. I took a couple of deep breaths and prepared myself. I barely get to see his face when I punched the controls to open the airlock. I felt the pull as everything was sucked into the cold space.

Before the coldness would take over my body I used the force and pushed the explosives further away. The tractor bean stopped and I could hear alarms going off at the docking bay. I held my breath for as long as possible, the further I got the explosives the better. I felt the cold nothingness prick my body like needles. I was going to lose breath soon. It was a matter of seconds now. Maybe this is how I die. At least I saved some lives whether they were enemies or not. I saw the explosives go off in some distance. For a moment I felt warm airwaves hitting me. But then I simply decided to let go. It was so cold, and my lungs hurt from all the hold-up air. But then I felt something else, like something or someone, was pulling me from behind. I closed my eyes and concentrated to hold my breath for a bit longer. I know I was moving but I didn’t see where. The only thing that was behind me was the cruiser. But I didn’t know if tractor beams could be used on people. And this doesn’t feel like a tractor beam, it felt like when Vader was once choking me. But this wasn’t choking me, this was pulling me by the torso. Before I knew it, I was in the docking hangar of the cruiser.  I know it because it got suddenly warmer and when I gasped for air I received it. But my whole body was numb. And I was little by little getting tired. As I saw the troopers and personnel coming I slipped to sleep.

-

When I woke up I was in a room that was similar to my other rooms aboard star cruisers. Simple and neat. My head hurts and my thoughts are filled with new images and sounds. I had another vision. Great. I remain in the bed and simply stare at the ceiling. I’m too tired to get up or to organize my thoughts on the vision. It was the future alright, but how far? It was too warm for me. I realized that I had several covers and one of them was a thermal cover. Then I remembered that I was in the cold vacuum of space for a long time. Or for as long as I managed to hold breath. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive. I stayed there in silence for while but after a long moment, I felt someone coming. Someone with a strong force, dark and cold. Must be Vader. I get up to sit and wait for the door to open. And I was right. His whole frame blogged the door so I couldn’t see if there was anyone else with him. But I’m sure I heard more steps so probably there were some troopers with him.

“I see that you have awakened,” Vader said.

“Yes, thank you for coming to check on me,” I said politely.

He stepped inside and the door closed behind him giving us some privacy. Though that made me most of the time nervous. Because when he wanted us to be alone that meant one thing. He wanted to know about the visions, more specifically if I had a new one. He knew that if there ever were a time that I would stay too long dormant it usually meant a new vision.

“May I ask for how long I have been under care?” I asked.

He should allow me to know at least this much. Surely, others rather want me to report what happened at the ship. Not him, he either knew already or wants to confirm something else.

“Three days in the medcenter and two here.” He answered. “And we are now at Mustafar, in my fortress.”

I swallowed a hard one. Five days out cold? And in Mustafar now? I wished this wouldn’t be my room. If it was, it needed a redecoration. Especially if it meant staying here for longer times.

“I’m sorry for the absence,” I said.

“We'll get to that later. Now, I’m interested in something else.” He said coldly.

“I have a new vision,” I said knowing too well what he wanted to know. “Not about you, not about Kenobi. It has people that I haven’t met. People who are lost, desperate, and in search for answers.”

“Are they a threat to the Empire?” Vader asked.

“They all die,” I said.

Vader wanted always information and clear explanations. There was no exception but now there was no need. Just hearing that these people die is all he needs.

“I see. Anything else?” Vader asked.

“What is Death Star?” I asked. I already know what it is but I need more information. How far is it done? And how far are the critical moments of the visions ahead?

“How do you know about it?” Vader asked.

I could hear a hint of awareness and warnings in his tone. This project must be very secret. So far I haven’t found any file with that name but I knew it was built.

“Visions mention it,” I answered. “I saw what it does.”

“The only thing you need to know is that the Emperor has given his approval of it. And no one is allowed to talk about it. And you will not ever mention it again.” He said.

“As you wish, my Lord,” I said and lowered my eyes.

“If that is all then get back to rest. I expect you to be back at work tomorrow. And I also expect a full report of the occurrence on your ship.” He said and turned to leave.

“Yes, my Lord,” I said before the door closed.

Good thing he didn’t ask for more. The vision I had now, has answered some questions. Saw Gerrera, he will desperately look for the weapon know as Death Star, but he will not find it. He will die from it as the first target. But I see now the story behind his obsession. A young girl who he promised to look after, her father is the architect not only of the weapon but to the beginning of the pivot point of the war. These sacrifices will be needed for the end. And I shall keep them hidden until the event is upon us all.