Mastermind

Part Two

Upon touching down on Yavin Four by a temple, Erda watched his friends leave on transports while he scanned the ship, keeping in mind a meeting would be held soon. As he had some peace and quiet, Erda put some earbuds on and resumed his playlist while he worked. A hand reached out to tap his shoulder to grab his attention. With his mind now off of the ship scanning and his music, Erda turned to face whoever was standing behind him. A blue-skinned Twi'lek stood before me me in a lovely leather jacket and a white shirt that showed a fair bit of skin on her chest. Her lekku's were traditional white as well as natural patterns where, Erda recalled, she had the exact same pattern descending down her arms to memorialise her family that died during the Empire's reign. 

"Hey, Lykta. Long time no see," Erda greeted her and embraced her in a hug following a kiss on either cheek. 

"How are ya, you ragtag scoundrel?" She responded and playfully punched his shoulder. "Whatcha doin'?" 

"Just, making sure ship's not bugged." 

"Bugged? What, you got the Empire coming after you? Well, of course you do. You rescued the princess! Hey, who're the new guys?" 

"Oh, they're not new. They're smugglers, Han and Chewbacca. The blonde kid's Luke Skywalker. Some friends we picked up when they rescued us from the Empire's battle station." 

"So you got the plans?" 

"Mmhm. As soon as we get those plans analysed, we'll be good to plan our assault on the Death Star." 

The Twi'lek paused for a moment as she thought of her wording carefully. "Erda, on Scarif... what happened? I remember making the jump to hyper space but, the capital ship didn't make the jump." 

Erda exhaled in frustration and turned his back to her to continue scanning the ship. "I don't want to talk about it." 

"Oh, c'mon! Can't be that bad! Share some stories, would ya?!" 

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, SO BACK OFF!!" Erda snapped at her. 

Lykta stood there, shocked at his sudden outburst as she comprehended his attitude towards the subject and raised her hands up in fear. 

"E-Erda, you're scaring me..." 

Erda crossed one arm and placed his hand to his forehead. "I-I'm sorry, Lykta, but... I, I've just had a very rough few days. I... I didn't mean to take it out on you." 

Lykta placed her hand on his shoulder for comfort. "I understand." 

Giving him some time to himself, Lykta headed off while Erda resumed listening to his music in peace for another twenty minutes before heading inside the base to attend a meeting. Erda stood at the back of the room beside Han and Chewbacca as General Dodonna began the presentation. 

"The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet. Its defences are designed around the direct large scale assault. A small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defence." General Dodonna addressed the audience of fighter pilots. 

"Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good will our fighters be against that?" A pilot asked politely. 

"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small, one-man fighter to be any threat. Or, they'd have a fighter defence. An analysis of the plans provided by princess Leia, has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. The approach will not be easy. You're required to maneuver straight down this trench," he explained as a video provided crucial information concerning a picture of the trench. "And skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port right below the main port."