The Power of Command

Posted on Sat Oct 22nd, 2022 @ 2:12am by Lieutenant Kor' de'leia & Flight Officer Rana Dahlgren & Tessgia (Tess) Strilanf

Mission: Scoundrels, Cuttthroats and Rogues
Location: Command Center Kolia Breaking Yard
Timeline: Day 1 at 0000

Koree huffed a little as she pulled herself to the top of the last rung of the ladder leading to the command level. Her eyes darted around waiting for another wave of security droids, but there weren't any. "It looks safe." she called back down to Tess.

"Good, let's get out of this tube," Tess called up to Koree as she was feeling somewhat like a trapped animal in there.

Koree looked down the modular hallway leading to a clearly marked door for the command center. A series of undeniable scratch marks covered the walls. "I might have spoken too soon." she said pointing to the deep gouges in the walls. "I got a bad feeling about this."

Tess nodded "I have a terrible feeling about this, those were not made by humans or Wookies, or droids," she commented "We'd best stick together and hope whatever did this ain't here right now, or is elsewhere," she added.

"You don't have to tell me twice sister." Koree said stepping closer to Tess as she cleared the tube. "Whatever it is, we get inside the command center and barricade its ass out as we call someone to get us the hell out of here." she said indicating the doorway ahead.

Tess nodded "Let's hope there isn't anyone or any droids in the command centre, cause I'm running low on tricks up my sleeve and we can but hope whoever has dropped out of hyperspace is willing and or able to help us," she said to Koree.

Koree gave Tess a quizzical look. "Somehow I doubt it. But lets get out of this hallway.

Tess crept down the corridor carefully so as not to trigger any hidden surprises, as she reached the command centre, she did a quick peak around the corner "All clear, its empty," she told Koree.

Koree quickly followed Tess inside, taking a quick glimpse of the haven for their salvation. The inside of the center was a mess. Blaster marks were apparent on all the wall surfaces. several of the computer banks had been blown out. The scratches from the hall continued in here to. "What happened here?" Koree asked, the bad feeling she was having growing more strongly in her stomach.

Some of the monitors were still functioning. As they rounded the main control dais, a long ugly streak of crimson stained the floor tailing off to the distant side of the room near the blasted computers. A closed storage closet was behind the dais.

"Can you see who our visitors are?" she asked of Tess, looking at the monitors showing a long list of flashing alerts and warnings.

"A Twi'lek and a wolf like creature, both are armed, and both appear to know what they are doing," Tess replied she'd seen Twi'lek females before but never a Shistavanen.

Koree frowned. "They are definitely not Imperial. Is there a way to get the security droids back on line?" she asked of her companion.

Almost as an answer the warning klaxon began blaring again. Koree checked the sensors and closed her eyes. "Looks like another ship coming in... they gotta be pirates. We are in serious trouble." she exclaimed.

Tess tapped several keys on the control panel "Droids are off line, but I can seal all of the main doors, that will slow them down," she told Koree "But not forever," she added.

Koree began running emergency situation tactics they had been learning in class through her head. Secure the base.... obstruct the enemy... call reinforcements... dominate through superior force. Of course they didn't have superior force, and there was not much chance of reinforcements.

"Very good. Close the blast doors." she called out almost as an order.

Tess flipped the switch to activate the failsafe doors which were designed to seal parts of the station off in the advent of a hull breach or fire/explosion(s).

Koree's eyes flickered across the scanner. "The second ship is entering the docking bay. See if you can get the doors to center reinforced... against whatever is out there. Maybe see if there are any defenses we can bring online..."

Tess flipped several buttons on the console in front of her "No good on the defences, they are offline, who or whatever did that must have damaged the wiring," she told Koree "All of the doors are doubled up, not sure how long that will hold," she added.

Koree shook her head. Scanners are showing at least 8 life forms in the docking bay. If they are together we are in a lot of trouble." The bright blips for the sentients in the bay were suddenly dwarfed by the sudden appearance of a wide ring of blips showing up all over the screen. Koree's hand dropped. "What is that?" she exclaimed.

"Shit," Tess exclaimed "Not good not good," she added seeing what she did on the screen.

"We need help. Right now! Can't you reset the security droids or something? You know turn them off and back on?" Koree exclaimed feeling overwhelmed with their situation.


"Security droids, six or seven of them headed our way," Tess explained "Seal that door," she added.

Koree looked around for some kind of torch. A nearby maintenance cart happened to have a welder. She picked it up and ran over to the door and activated the welder. The beam sparked into the seam of the doors. "This is going to take awhile." she called out unconfidently. "You know I didn't take machine work at the academy."

Tess nodded "Here, take over watching the screen, I did take machine work," she said forgetting not everyone was cut out to be a mechanic for the Empire "Just don't touch any of the buttons," she added.

Koree held her hands back from the console. "I'm not touching anything I can't identify." Which in truth was about half the board. She was not a meat head or a gear head, her talents were destined for command, at least that's what she told herself, even if her aptitude scores didn't agree. She planned to don the black lower officer uniform when she graduated and work her way up through determination and ambition.

She was familiar with the scanner, and she could make out the station transmitter controls. She began typing in the standard imperial prefixes for a distress call.

Tess using the welder set to work sealing for the time being the doors to the control room. It was hot work but she did get the job done, just as mechanical footsteps became audible outside the doors "Keep quiet, with any luck they won't know we are in here," she whispered to Koree joining her at the console.

She hit send just as Tess returned besides her. The banging of the droids reverberated from the hallway. She shrank behind the console expecting the door to be breeched in a cascade of sparks. She waited.... and waited... The door remained closed. She pulled up the security camera from the hallway. A row of dangerously bulky droids performed a basic search of the outer hallway and headed out.

Tess watched on as the droids moved off and let out a sigh just a small sigh "I pity the newcomers, those droids appear to be modified B2 battle droids," she commented.

"As long as they don't come back here." Koree said with a long exhale. She didn't know what would be worse for them, battle droids or pirates.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud clang of a ventilator grate falling to the floor behind them.

Tess turned around to face the fallen grate she was gripped by fear, as she had no idea what was about to pop out from the vent. Tess glanced at the security screen the droids were long gone, so she edged backwards towards the door she had just sealed preparing to try to unseal the door as fast as she could if needed.

Koree followed Tess as she backed away from the grate. She kept expecting something to leap from the vent it had fallen from. But there was nothing. She waited staring at the vent.

The communications console sparked to life with a bright red alert. "Transmission ended." it stated on the screen. Koree's heart sank, something or someone was messing with the systems. "I don't like this..." she softly spoke.

"Someone sliced into the comms and cut off the call, someone in that group is skilled," Tess admitted gotta admire them for that she thought to herself.

A tiny tapping noise started up near the vent. It was slight but rhythmic. Koree looked up to the vent. The tapping grew quicker. She backed up. A small pointed object appeared at the opening. W ether it was metallic or bone, was difficult to tell. A second matching object appeared, like a pair of spindly knives on the vent. Then a carapace pulled forward, denoting a small dark creature with multiple eyes and several dagger like appendages looked down into the center.

"What the Sith is that?" Koree whispered nervously to Tess.

Tess looked at it and began trying to cut the sealed door open again "Not a clue, but we need to get out of here fast, I don't like our odds," she told Koree.

Neither did Koree. Spiders were scary, and this one had sharp legs and just plain looked evil. The creature suddenly lept down form the air vent, making a small clacking noise as its multiple limbs hit the ground.

Tess kept cutting away at the door she'd sealed up, but it was taking too long "I've got an idea," she told Koree and began to cut a hole in the door and kicked it hard and the metal fell away.

"Hurry up!" Koree called as she ran over to the to where Tess was prying the door apart.

Its legs made a rapid tapping noise as the spindly spider like thing started moving toward them. Koree threw a datapad at it, which skidded to the wall, not apparently slowing down the creature.

"Come on, it can follow us but we have more options outside in the corridor," Tess told Koree.

"Whatever. Get me out of here." Koree called back, watching the creature get closer. "E chu ta!" she exclaimed as she pushed up behind Tess. "Move. Move!"

Tess stood there looking up and down the corridor looking out for any sign of more spiders and or visitors, but saw nothing but an empty corridor devoid of spiders and pirates, she then turned to face their unwelcome 'guest'.

"It's coming! It's coming!" Koree screeched as szxhe climbed through the gap in the wall and out into the corridor. The sound of little bony little legs on the deck plates rattled up behind her.
The 'spider' stood at just over 12 inches tall, but is was ugly. Its multiple eyes stared at Koree and Tess as it ran through the gap. It tiny mandibles clicking together as it closed on them.

Koree ran behind Tess, a cowardly thing to do, she immediately realized, but this creature was seriously icky and she wanted nothing to do with it.

Tess shook her head in disbelief at Koree's behaviour around a small spider "Oh come on, its only a spider," she said to Koree.

"Its a farkled big spider!" Koree shot back. "What if it had got in my hair? Or on my head? No thank you."

Tess stepped forward and squished the creature under her size 8.5 Imperial issue boot "There, it's gone," she told Koree and it didn't seem to bother her that her boot was now covered in spider goop.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Koree moaned as the juicy big spider went gush all over Tess's boot with a high pitched shreik. "Serves it right."

"Let's go back inside and see what's going on with the droids and our unwelcomed visitors," Tess suggested.

"Good idea. Hopefully the droids finished them off already." Koree stated following Tess back into the control room.

As she crawled through the gap in the wall, an unpleasant scent hit her nostrils. "That smells really bad." she said pointing at Tess's boot. The guts of the spider had created a solid line of discoloration, and the leather of the boot appeared to be bubbling.

Tess looked at her boot and saw Koree's point, and grabbed a cloth from her pack an cleaned most of the goop off which was just as well, any further delay might have caused major issues in the long run.

The monitor showed the two ships of intruders were working as one to fight the droids. A large dark shape that was probably a Wookie was ripping droid arms out and tossing them around.
The battle was tearing up parts of the hanger deck, then one of the Twi'lek's tossed a small orb at the droids... a thermal detonator!

"Um that looks bad, thermal detonator in the hanger might do major damage to the hanger," Tess commented and she ran to the console and activated the failsafe mechanism which would stop the hanger being vented into space, not to save those in the hanger but to stop the station being damaged beyond repair.

Tess and Koree watched as the detonator exploded, burning out the optics on the bay camera for a minute from the blinding thermal reaction. As the display cleared, the alarm lights were swirling and the blast doors were coming down as commanded.

"If and when the Empire sends a rescue team, we want them to be able to 'rescue' us, if the hanger decompresses we won't have an easy avenue out," Tess told Koree.

Koree nodded. "At least it keeps those pirates out. We are not ready for a prolonged firefight against trained killers. Hopefully the droids took a few of them out."

Tess studied the screen "Looks like the droids are toast, but all of the intruders seem alive," she told Koree.

"Crap the doors are sealing themselves," Tess exclaimed and worked on trying to stop them closing "As far as I can tell that is the only viable hanger for a rescue team," she added.

An alarm light came on Koree's panel. It looked like somehow her distress call was deactivated. "Somebody is in the system, our call out for a ride just got canceled. Hopefully enough of a message got off to get someone's attention, that or its just us and them."

"Damn, the doors just sealed," Tess exclaimed "Which is odd, there is no threat of decompression," she added to Koree.

Koree was no engineering major, but she knew protocols. "The Blast doors seal when the failsafes are triggered for the landing bay. The force shields should be up to keep structural integrity."

Tess nodded and searched the control panel for an override button "Should we try and find out who they are and what it is they want before we let them in?" she asked Koree.

Koree looked a little horrified. "I don't want to be responsible for pirates taking over this station. Our careers are doomed if they do. Can't you send more droids? Or vent their atmo or something?"

Koree typed her imperial access codes from the academy back into the communications station. The interface was still accessible. She did note an unidentified user was also logged in. She sent an audio feedback spike into the system, then queued up the distress call again."

"Yep definitely someone messing with the systems. This is more your thing..." she said looking over to Tess.

Tess looked at the terminal "You want me to do what exactly?" she asked Koree.

The young human shook her head. "I don't know. You are the slicer, boot them out or something." she stated exasperated.

"I am a slicer yes, but my slicing skills are a tad rusty, whoever is on the other end isn't," Tess told Koree "Let's see what I can do," she added.

Koree watched as Tess went to work. Tech students were always useful and good to be friends with. As an officer in training, she wanted to make sure her comradeship with Tess was strong while she was still useful.

Tess plugged her datapad from the Academy into the terminal, and tapped on an icon none of the overseers had bothered to, and pulled up a program which she had used during her escape from the Academy.

"Damn, can't lock the other one out, but I can slow them down, which might buy the Empire time to come to 'our' aid," she told Koree.

Rolling her eyes Koree put a hand to her face. "Do whatever you can to slow them down. Last thing we need is Pirates in control of this station."

Tess entered several commands into the datapad and installed as many failsafes and barriers in the rivals path as possible, up to eighteen barriers now lay between the enemy and the SOS signal.

"Not sure how long that will hold, but it will buy us time," Tess told Koree and watched to see what the rival slicer tried.

A bright yellow light on the comm system caught Koree's attention. Someone had seen their distress signal! She quickly moved her fingers across the screen, opening the transmission.

The emotionless face of a pale woman in the all white uniform of Imperial intelligence filled the screen. "Unidentified operator, this is VSD Dominator. Please present your credentials and state the nature of this distress call from a ... recyclcing center?!"

Koree typed a few commands into the terminal and straightened up and tried to get her face to match that of the icy looking woman on the screen. "Uh... Dominator, This is Cadet IAC - 7472. We are under attack from pirates on an Imperial recycling station we need immediate assistance."

"What are you doing there in the first place? That station is closed for extermination of stone spiders. Do you know what danger you have put yourselves in?" The woman replied back sternly.

"Uh... Understood m'am! We are happy to explain everything and accept proper discipline ... once we are off this station." she replied her voice and confidence slipping.

"You will address me as Commander, Cadet!" she rebuked sharply. "An Imperial Star Destroyer is not in service to provide a ride for lost children."

The screen suddenly crackled with lines of static crossing the screen. Koree tried to clean up the signal, but something was trying to shut down her signal. She quickly looked over at Tess.

"What can you do to free up the Comm signals, I think your friend is slicing into them!" she quickly shouted over to Tess.

Tess directed her attention onto the comm signals and did her best to clear up the signal.

The static cleared leaving a rather annoyed looking Commander staring at them on the screen.

"Apologies Commander, the pira... rebels are slicing into our comm system." she quickly stated hoping to grab the woman's attention.

The Commander's eyebrows narrowed. "Rebels you say."

"Yes Commander. Scans show at least a dozen aliens including a Wookie, a Shistavean and a few twi'leks and humans. They came in two transports there may be dozens more." she fibbed, preferring the wrath of lying to an Imperial officer to facing the blasters of pirates.

The Commander spoke off screen before returning. 'We will be jumping to your location. You are charged with doing whatever you can to delay the rebels until our arrival."

Koree felt a wave of relief knowing the good guys were on their way. She gave an Imperial salute to the screen. "Aye Commander, it will be done. How long should we hold out?"

"We calculate arriving in your system in under three hours. Good luck Cadet. Dominator out." the Commander stated as she ended the transmission.

Koree stood up straighter. She looked over at Tess as she typed feverishly on her console. Koree was impressed. Her classmate was coming through in a tough situation when she was needed, in proper Imperial fashion. "See what you can do to keep them busy." she called over, turning her eyes back to her own monitor and the timer that she made immediate calculations to count down how long it would take til the dominator arrived. They had a chance.

A sudden clicking overhead drew her attention. The open vent the spider had crawled through had something new approaching. "Ugh, its another of those stupid things. Hold on, I'll find something to hit it with." she stated looking around for a long pipe or piece of conduit.

Tess groaned at the sound of the noise "We've got another just as big problem, the blast doors are opening, and I there isn't a thing I can do to stop them," she exclaimed feigning annoyance at this event which she'd caused.

Koree's eyes opened a little wider as she pulled up a long scrap of metal to fend the spiders off with. :Get those doors closed. We don't need more rebels running all over the place. The damned spiders are bad enough."

"Crap, I cannot stop the doors opening, either their slicer sliced the controls, or the systems are shot," Tess exclaimed or I am that good at hiding the real reasons she told herself as a subroutine had fried the wiring.

Koree puled her metal bat back to hit anything that moved. "Fine, we can't hold off spiders and rebels. I think we need to abandon the control center and find a place to hole up in til help gets here."

"There is an armoury nearby, I suggest we arm ourselves and hope for the best," Tess suggested "And or hope those Stone Spiders make an appearance soon, but not in here with us," she added.

As if on cue, several spiders dropped onto the control board. Koree smacked one into a wet messy swath across the controls. "Uh yeah, that sounds like a plan. Lets get out of here."

In the shadows of the ceiling wave after wave of large spiders began descending. It was about to get messy.


Tess having grabbed her slicing kit, didn't hesitate she made for the doors leading out of the command centre, she knew where to go to find the armour, it was the best place to find a weapon, and the means to rid herself of Koree (via the stun setting).

Koree followed after her freind, trusting she knew where they might find something to keep the descending wave of spiders off of them.

Tess reached the armoury on that level and entered the code she had sliced out of the computer and waited impatiently as the ancient doors hissed then opened, to reveal a well stocked arsenal of weaponry including some Stormtrooper blasters.

"Excellent, these ought to work for us," Tess told Koree as she grabbed the first Blastech E-11 she could and tossed it to Koree and then grabbed one for herself.

Korre caught the blaster with two hands as they had been taught to at the academy. This would be her first time actually blasting things in a real situation. The thought terrified and thrilled her. She activated the blaster and felt the comforting hum in its frame. She gave Tess a playful smile.

"What now, where do we go and await rescue?" Tess asked her companion as she had no idea.

"Shut the door and hope those things don't have a hole into here too. If they do blast em. Help should be here in a couple hours. We just need to stay alive." Koree said as she looked over the racks of weapons. "ooh cool toys!" she stated pocketing a couple detonators.