The Path of the Grey

Chapter 5

35 ABY

Vinuk's voice was louder than usual in the Syndicate's lounge. His low rumble and hiss was bellowing over the others. "We should go to The Supreme Leader, now!" he snarled, the tentacles on his chin shaking in anger.

Bazine tried to be the moderator, but her temper was reaching its edge as well. "I don't think Kylo Ren will take it well knowing we were below him just a few hours ago."

"So we will hide here?" Galibran sneered in his nasally, pompous tone. "For how long?"

Nox was quietly sitting next to an unconscious Gruss who was snoring at the bar. The argument continued, growing louder and louder. The wave of tension seeped through each of them growing and growing.

A flash of danger flickered through her, that she dismissed for the discord in the room.

"He already knows!" Vinuk shouted over them.

This threw the group into another verbal upheaval.

"He was here long enough," Nox added preparing to expand, when that same flicker of danger washed over her.

Vinuk met her eyes. "Quiet!" he hissed, raising a webbed finger, pointing upward.

The group fell silent.

"You feel that?" Nox asked in a whisper.

Vinuk nodded just as they felt a pulse of energy blast down to them from above. Someone had set off an explosion, so jarring it shook the room and awoke Gruss.

Everyone set into their escape roles. Bazine hurried to her bunk and brought out her portable computer into the main room. Nox scurried up the ladder locking the latch that connected them to her office, while the others began to move in a very rehearsed fashion. They had done this many times before.

"Who is it?" Galibran asked as Bazine scanned the camera feed on her screen.

"There's too much smoke in the foyer to see," she replied urgently, "But they haven't made their way through the blast doors yet."

"If it's the First Order retaliating-" Vinuk grumbled.

Bazine agreed as she plugged her computer into the main system, "You shouldn't have sent that message."

" I'm sure he's heard worse!" Nox exclaimed as she rumbled through her room for her bug out kit.

"I see shadows moving. Several figures," Bazine reported. "It's a small group. Scouts. I am sure there are more."

Nox strapped her grandmother's lightsabers to her hips then proceeded to Bazine's room to grab items for her comrade.

"Whoever it is they aren't friendly," Nox huffed throwing Bazine's bag and weapons at her feet then faced Galibran. "Get to the Ghost now. We will follow."

Galibran ran to his room to grab his bag and a few beautiful statues, before sliding through the hatch that lead into the alleyway directly. Vinuk entered each room, pressing a code into the console on each door. The rooms began to flip and turn, hiding beds and workstations behind walls, leaving each room without any evidence of life. Gruss hissed angrily, gripping his heavy repeater rifle with its half meter long Ryyk blade extended along the bottom of the barrel, a taunting insult to the Trandoshan's mortal enemies. It took both of his hands to hold and he was itching to use it on who ever woke him up.

A second blast came through knocking everyone down. The lights began to flicker and the panel next to the hatch sparked.

"Damn!" Nox cried running to it. "Bazine, can you fix it?"