The Knave's Crusade

Wavering: 14

Alta's legs were crammed up to her chest, her legs ached from being in the too small of a cock- pit. The vastness of space blazed by as she set the ship on autopilot to Crait, the last place where a rebel cell was found. In a moment of immense boredom, Alta pulled up the metal trapdoor to the main ship and slid down the ladder. The noises of her comrades chatting echoed down the empty hall. Each step kept up with the laughter and banter that came from them, the dim lighting matching her distressed mood. Her mind wandered to how Rampart accused Bankole of treason.

A red button was pressed in by Alta, the door opened to the entry door and their gear. Krekor, Yarla, Vass, and Raeth all sat around a round table across from Alta. Yarla scooched over the leather seat and gestured for Alta to join her. Raeth glanced at Alta and gave her a knowing pat on the back from behind Yarla.

"How's the weather out there?" joked Raeth, his eyes locked in a staring contest with Yarla.

"You know it's always cold and boring." Alta snapped back, "Sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind."

Raeth looked down at his hands. "So, have I." A heavy silence fell upon them.

"I can't believe that Agent Bankole betrayed the Empire." admitted Krekor in disbelief as he broke the silence, "She taught us to put faith into our superior officers. Then, she does this."

Alta defended, "I have no doubt in my mind that Bankole didn't deceive us. Vice Admiral Rampart could've been mistaken because I trust the Agent with my life."

"I agree with you, Alta. However, we can't just ignore Rampart because we doubt him. We were given an order to track her down with Eto and Jal." advised Vass, "If we do catch up to them we can make sure they are returned alive and have their names cleared."

"How can you say that, Vass?" demanded Krekor, "All we know is that she could've been a rebel spy the whole time."

"I've known Bankole since the Academy. It's in our best interest to not tell anyone about this conversation. It can be interpreted as a sign of treason," determined Vass while she rubbed her temples.

Raeth reflected, "It's still too much to comprehend. We went from securing a jail to hunting down Bankole."

Alta questioned, "What about Eto and Jal? We haven't heard from any of them in ages. They could be in trouble."

"They know how to handle themselves. If they were in danger they would've contacted us or the Empire by now." Yarla folded her arms.

Krekor notified them, "I find that hard to believe because Eto served the Grand Republic during the Clone Wars. Then, she had to be recruited by the Empire and didn't join initially. That raises some suspicion for me."

"All of this is only speculation and that's all it is. We have no concrete evidence of anything. All we can hope is to find them alive and hope for the best." Vass ended with, "That's enough now. We should be approaching Crait by now, right Alta?"

Alta shrugged, "I guess so. Last I checked we were about thirty minutes away without hyperspace."

Vass stood up, but wasn't able to leave the booth. "We need to get ready now. Can someone start moving?"

"Yes, ma'am," all of the troopers replied, hopped up, and went to gather their gear.

---

Vass led the squad down the Guardian's ramp to a dingy landing pad that was surrounded by corroded, metallic panels. White salt crunched underfoot as they marched forward and lined up before the Commander Sheb'ika. His hollow eyes scanned the squad for anything, but instead adjusted his rifle.