Lucky was doing her final set of sit-ups on a mat she had laid out in a secluded corner of the Corps’ fitness centre, her datapad laying beside her when it suddenly began to vibrate. Sitting up and stretching, she grabbed the device and stared at the screen intently waiting for the message to finish downloading. Fidgeting impatiently, she sighed deeply as the download was complete and the message popped up on her screen.

\\\\\\\\\Incoming Transmission\\\\\\

First Sergeant Luckystar,
Some members of a pirateer group have descended on the inhabited planet of Felucia and have plans to use the planet as their home base to a secret organisation they had been planning on launching for awhile now, no one knows what their goals are, where they originate from, where and when they plan to launch any attacks if at all and what the ultimate purpose of this supposed criminal organisation is. We are sending Paladin squad to investigate, recover any documents or any other form of data possible about this secret group and bring back the leader of that specific branch alive if he is around. Further information has been sent to you via mailbox as to ensure no one is capable of grabbing any crucial info from this message as this mission is top-secret. Good luck!

\\\\\\\End of Transmission\\\\\\

Springing to her feet, she hurried to the showers, changed into plainclothes and went home for a quick jump in the refresher while her computer was booting up.

“What’s up hun?” she heard Alan’s voice in the bedroom as she stepped out of the shower.

“We’ve another mission on our hands; do me a favour and round up the squad while I check for further details that have been sent to me, rendezvous in the briefing room in twenty minutes.”

“On it”

She quickly donned her under suit as she walked to her computer and speed-read all that high command had sent her, this was a very important mission indeed, she was almost certain the squad was going to like this one. Heading back out to the small armoury, she pieced her armour and carried her helmet under her arm as she walked out of the house and towards the briefing rooms.
Just as she sat at one end of the table, the squad started to file in; she immediately spotted the new Trooper, Jamasis among her ranks. She drummed her gloved fingers on the table as she waited rather impatiently for the chatter to die down into silence, when this was achieved she took a deep breath before speaking.

“For our first order of business, welcome to Private Jamasis, I hope you enjoy your experience with us. Not only are we a squad, but I also consider these men my family and I’d like you to stick around with us and share that experience with me.”

Only waiting a few seconds for the words to sink in, she got on to the reason she had asked for their presence here.

“We have a mission on our hands boys and girls, this one has been labelled top-secret for reasons of which aren’t clear to me yet. We are headed to Felucia, an underground organisation has decided to surface and base one of its branches there, our job is to go there, infiltrate the facility, and bring back the director of that specific branch alive if he’s around as well as any documents we may find. Upon our landing there, our informant has left a box of uniforms in a desolate hangar to conceal our identities a little better. They have a ladder system, the least important workers work on the surface in buildings doing odd jobs, have a meagre pay as well as meagre housing accommodations and such, the higher-payed, more important up on the ladder workers, supervisors and directors work underground where it’s safer from any attempts at sabotage of operations and similar threats, but we’re about to change that. We have to tread carefully guys, let’s take our time and do a bit of recon and find out any security codes required as well as names, what they do, their specialty and such tidbits, we especially need the name of their director of operation so that High command can use the information when they’ll be questioning him later.

You have fifteen minutes to get ready and be at the shuttle, so let’s get cracking!”

With that, she gathered her things, stood and marched out towards the shuttle bay, Jamasis didn’t know it yet but his squad-issued armour and weapons were sitting in their cases in his quarters waiting for him to “break them in” so to speak. Smiling to herself, she stepped out into the dry heat, walked to the designated shuttle, boarded and sat in a seat with her helmet resting in her lap. The mission would soon be under way and she couldn’t wait to get started.

Jamasis datapad beeped and he rose from his bed where he had been resting. He read the new message, short and brief, basically telling him to get to the mission briefing room in twenty minutes. He sighed, then hauled himself up and getting his armour and weapons out, largely suspecting they would be needed in the near future. Pouring himself some coffee he began to feel anxious and slightly worried as his mind began to wake up and really consider what a short notice mission briefing could mean. Finally he decided to leave his quarters, taking his time to walk down to the mission room, and he entered upon arrival.

AlanRJ nodded as he entered and Jamasis returned the gesture. He sat down near the rest of the squad, and after a minute Sergeant Luckystar started the briefing. Jamasis listened nervously throughout the briefing, highly conscious of the fact that he was the only one who had never participated in any military work out of the academy. It didn't sound incredibly dangerous, but then again Squad leader Luckystar had not given them very much information.

"You have fifteen minutes to get ready and be at the shuttle, so let’s get cracking!”

His squad leader's voice interrupted his train of thought. After she left he quickly followed her out the room and walked briskly to his quarters. Upon arrival he hurriedly put his new black stormtrooper armour on. At the end he quickly strapped on his belt and put on his gloves last. He decided against the standard equipment, instead snatching up his two DC-15's and one of his Ryyk kerathorr blades. He considered his rifle, but this mission seemed too subtle to carry it around with him. Slipping the weapons into his belt and, snatching up his helmet, Jamasis walked as quick as he could to the hangar with his helmet under one arm. Weaving between the various military personnel, he was acutely aware of the butterflies forming in his stomach.

When he finally reached the transport it was becoming almost unbearable. Inside, Sergeant Luckystar and AlanRJ were already waiting for him. Jamasis was quite surprised that even though he wasn't used to putting on this armour, hence the time taken, he wasn't the last to arrive of the squad. He sat down to one side, but Alan gave him a slightly odd look.

"Where did you get the weapons?" the sergeant queried.
"Few minor jobs during training, liked the look of these more than the standard stuff" he replied without hesitation. He waited in silence for the remainder of Paladin, nervous but in a way eager to get going and start the mission. His squad leader and her assistant talked quietly to each other now and then, but for the most part each was left to their respective thoughts. Absently mindedly Jamasis passed the time by checking his blaster pistols and wookiee blade until it was time to leave.

OOC:

I don't mean we are leaving, I mean that is all I do until that point.

Zeshaun sat in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, going over a few scenarios in his head just to keep his mind sharp. Although the squad had barely returned from one of their most difficult and dangerous missions to date, he was feeling very uncomfortable with nothing to do, and no upcoming missions. His datapad suddenly started to emit loud beeping noises, Zeshaun fell out of bed, startled from the noise, then got up and checked his message. finaly Zeshaun thought as he grabbed a jacket and headed toward the conference room.

Lucky gave a quick rundown on all the important parts of the mission. The mission itself seemed very basic, but Zeshaun was excited to see the planet of Felucia, he had never traveled there before, but by the looks of it from tv shows, it was very pretty, with all the large vegetations and the bright vibrant colors. He made sure he memorized each sentence that left Lucky’s mouth and then he stood as she dismissed them.


"You have fifteen minutes to get ready and be at the shuttle, so let’s get cracking!”

Zeshaun saw Jamasis leave the room, following Lucky quickly out the door. Zeshaun also left, but went the other way, his quarters were in the opposite direction. Back in his room, he laid out the usual black armor on his bed, and then opened up his large closet that took up one whole wall to search through his weapons and other destructive items to choose what he would bring. He automatically took his M82-G Assault Rifle. He then scanned his closet looking for a secondary weapon, he usually brought a pistol of some sort with him but he was feeling very adventurous, and thought he might bring another rifle, just in case the mission got rough. He chose his beserker rifle, a kenetic weapon, able to destroy almost anything it hits with the energy it sends surging through the body. As he started to put on his armor, his purple chocobo came strutting out from its room. Zeshaun smiled, he had acquired his pet on a trip to tatooine. He rummaged through his duffle bag, found a piece of metal and threw it at the bird. The bird jumped up, but after it recovered it started to chew on the piece of metal and return to its cage.

Zeshaun finished putting his armor on and then left the room, making his way toward the shuttle. He didn’t feel like walking all the way there so he waved down a taxi and got a ride. When he arrived at the hangar he noticed that the shuttle was already there, and by the looks of it Zesaun wouldn’t get a chance to pilot that’s too bad, I’ve been practicing Zeshaun thought as he jogged over to the shuttle. He quickly walked up the ramp and was met by the eyes of Alan, Lucky and Jamasis. He was surprised to see the new recruit was the first one there. that’s a good sign Zeshaun thought, starting to get high hopes for the new member of the team.

“How’s it going?” Zeshaun asked Alan as he sat down next to Jamasis.

“Pretty good, how are things with you?” Alan replied.

“About to get a whole lot better now that we have a new mission.” Zeshaun said with a smile.

Jamasis looked very nervous, he sat fidgeting with his weapons, Zeshaun noticed that they were not standard squad weapons and with the two blasters at his side, he looked very much like Alan. Zeshaun laughed to himself and then patted Jamasis on the back. Jamasis looked up, not sure what Zeshaun wanted. Zeshaun started to aggressively give Jamasis a message.

“Relax kid.” Zeshaun said. “We’ve never lost a trooper on a mission before.”

“Although we’ve come very close.” Lucky cut in.

Jamasis looked back and forth between Lucky and Zeshaun, but seemed less nervous.  Zeshaun placed his two rifles against the wall, his beserker rifle in a shoulder case. Alan eyed Zeshaun and his choice of weapons.

“Feeling a little insecure?” Alan asked playfully.
Zeshaun shrugged. “You never know what we could encounter down on Felucia.”

Jamasis suddenly looked up, looking worried again. “What do you mean?” he looked between Alan and Zeshaun. “Did I need to bring more weapons?”

Alan laughed, “No, Zeshaun’s just being himself.” Alan waved his hand toward Zeshaun. “You should take a look at his closet, no clothes, just weapons.”

“I have my sets of armor in there too.” Zeshaun protested playfully.

Zeshaun was very happy to be back with his squad again, after not seeing them after their latest mission. The sooner we get out of here the better Zeshaun thought.

The shuttle rocked slightly as it landed on Felucia.  The landing ramp lowered and Alan grabbed his helmet from the floor and fitted it into position.  Several members of the squad had already exited the craft and Alan followed them out.

As soon as he exited the shuttle he could feel the warm sun cascading down on his armour.  Through his visor he could see the natural beauty of Felucia all around him.  This was the first time he had visited the planet and it was a beautiful sight to behold.  Alan wanted to remove his helmet so he could feel the warmth on his face.  Whilst this mission had been pitched as a relatively easy one, Alan decided not to remove his helmet as he felt more secure with it on.

Lucky was looking around the area with great interest and back at the map.  It took some time before she finally got her bearing.  Eventually she pointed, confirming to the squad that they should go that way.  Alan let Lucky take point and stayed back bringing up the rear.

The squad moved slowly through the terrain.  Large stalks were sprouted out from the ground ending in large beautiful leaves.  Some of the terrain was quite dense in places and the squad had to brush aside the stalks to move forwards.  Alan was wary of the terrain.  Whilst it was very beautiful it could also hold enemies, lying in wait for them.

"The uniforms should be just up ahead" commented Lucky

Moving through a particular dense part of the terrain, Lucky noticed a hangar.  She held up her hand and the squad came to a stop.  They sat and waited but no-one seemed to be around.  Satisfied it was abandoned Lucky motioned the squad forward again.  The door to the hangar creaked open and true enough inside was a large brown box.  Lucky kneeled down at the box and opened it.  Inside were various outfits.  Alan wasn't overly eager at having to get out of his shock trooper armour but he also knew that they could not carry out any covert operations with them on.

The squad started leafing through the various outfits and selecting ones that they knew would fit them.  Peeling off his armour, Alan slipped into the outfit and put his blasters on over it.  He wasn't sure whether or not the people would be alarmed by seeing him armed but he figured that if this was some form of underground organisation then it was probably filled with all manner of disrespectful individuals and the likelihood of anyone not being armed was slim.

"Everyone ready?" asked Lucky, now wearing the new uniform.

The squad nodded in unison and Lucky glanced around at everyone to ensure that they were properly attired and not carrying anything that could link them back to the Vast Empire.

"What are we going to do with our armour?" queried Zeshaun.

"We leave them here, this place seems to be abandoned and I'm sure no-one will come around and find them" replied Lucky.

"Just when I was getting used to wearing it too" commented Jamasis.

"Don't worry kid, once we get this mission over and done with, then we can get back into them" said Alan.

The squad started filing out of the abandoned hangar.  Without the helmet encasing his head, Alan felt for the first time the glorious sun warming his skin.  It felt nice to be out of the armour yet it was also disconcerting.

"Knowing our luck, someone will probably steal them" commented Njall with his usual sarcastic wit.

"I'm sure they'll be fine" reassured Lucky, "now the organisation's main base should just be over that ridge".

"Let's get moving then" ordered Alan.

Trudging up the slope, the squad moved quickly and quietly up the ridge.  Lucky motioned for the squad to get done.  Doing so, they peered down at the base that they had been sent to.

"Now that's what I call a base" commented Zeshaun.

Alan nodded at the comment and merely added "impressive".

"I was hoping for something smaller" stated Zeshaun.

"Now what do we do?" asked Jamasis.

"Now we do some recon" replied Lucky, "come on".

Alan wasn’t keen on simply waiting for the remainder of the squad to get to their position but what else could they do.  His eyes scanned the vicinity, paying careful attention to the workers that happened to walk past them.  He was glad that no-one approached them or asked them any questions but he wished the squad would arrive soon so they could get moving again.

The sun seemed to have increased its intensity as Alan mopped the sweat from his brow.  He wished that there was some kind of shade around but they were in a large open area with no possible sign of shade to be had.  Alan was starting to wonder whether the rest of the squad had gotten into any kind of trouble as there was still no sign of them.

Lucky and the remainder of the squad turned round the corner and Alan was glad to see them approach.  He had been contemplating going and looking for them so he was thankful that he had waited for a little while.

Suddenly one of the workers stepped in front of Lucky.  Alan immediately found his hands drifting downward to his blasters and waited to see if she needed any backup.  He noticed that Jamasis was also geared up ready for action should the need arise.  He hoped it didn’t as if they got themselves into a fight then it was not going to be an easy thing should the guards join in.

Lucky must have said the right things as the workers moved off and Lucky leisurely strolled over to Alan and Jamasis.  Alan’s eyes never wavered from the workers.  He wanted to ensure that they didn’t look back or go to any of the heavily armed guards.  He watched them enter one of the sleeping quarters and he breathed a sigh of relief.  He wished that they were in the quarters as it must be nice and cool in them.

“What was that all about?” queried Alan.

“They wanted us to join them on their shift” replied Lucky.

“How did you manage to get out of that one?” asked Jamasis.

“Lucky here told them that we’ve just knocked off for the day and told them where to go” replied Zeshaun with a smile on his face.

“Don’t think they were too happy about it” commented Njall.

“I bet they weren’t” replied Alan, “just glad they didn’t question you further”.

“Me too, I hope you found something of interest as we didn’t come across anything exciting over on our side” said Lucky.

Alan started to fill Lucky in on what Jamasis and he had discovered.  Whilst Alan was filling Lucky in on their discoveries Zeshaun and Njall had started to quiz Jamasis over what was discovered and getting the same information.

“I think we need to get in and find out what they are doing” stated Lucky.

Alan and Lucky glanced over and took in the heavy security looking for an opening in and not finding one.  Getting in was not going to be easy.

“I think that’s going to be the tricky part” replied Alan.

Zeshaun pulled at the collar of his work suit, it was very hot, just as Jamasis had pointed out, and it hadn’t occurred to him until Jamasis actually pointed it out. Zeshaun naturally smiled as he thought back to the recent mission on the space station and there encounter with the ridiculously oversized MC-80. The Paladin’s always seemed to have to change out of there black armor, and into the normal clothes in order to complete their missions. After a couple near death experiences you’d think the High Council would let us keep our armor on Zeshaun thought laughing to himself. He unzipped the top part of the collar, revealing his scaly lower throat. He then suddenly thought of something that may jeopardize their mission.

“Guys, I didn’t see too many trandoshans walking around this facility.” Zeshaun said, hinting at his main thought.

“What do you mean?” Jamasis said, not sure what Zeshaun was getting at.

“He means that maybe it would be risky to try and go into the base with a trandoshan in the group.” Alan said downheartedly. “We should think of another way in.”

“It’s okay; I’ll find a separate way in.” Zeshaun said, waving the squad forward.

“We’re not going to split up the squad.” Lucky said, putting her foot down on the subject.

“Well, this just got a lot more difficult.” Njall said sarcastically.

Zeshaun felt badly for holding the squad back on the easiest path to the objective but was flattered by the squad’s decision to not go on without him. Although he would have understood, he would have hated to have to stay back and miss out all the fighting and excitement that they were sure to encounter. I better step it up this mission to make up for this Zeshaun thought as he shifted his berserker rifle on his shoulder, and placed the MG-82 in his hands. He searched around, but couldn’t really find any obvious openings in the building that wasn’t a guarded door.

A sudden loud buzzing sound came from the sky, the Paladin’s all ducked down, crouching low to the ground, pressing up against the wall of the building. A small transport ship hovered across the vegetation and seemed to be coming toward the base. The transport passed over the Paladin’s without any incident and the squad came out of hiding and watched the transport hang over the top of the base for a moment before slowly descending into the base, through some unseen whole in the roof. Zeshaun made eye contact with Alan.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Zeshaun asked.

“If you’re thinking, that we should risk breaking our necks to climb to the top of the base just to determine whether there’s an easy way into the building.” Alan paused, then a smile appeared on his face. “Then yes.”
“You’re kidding me.” Jamasis said, looking shocked at the obscured suggestion.

“Couldn’t hurt to try.” Lucky said shrugging.

Njall just shrugged his shoulder, slung his rifle over his shoulder and took out a grappling hook from his utility belt. Zeshaun got his as well, and he launched it up onto the roof, it caught on something and Zeshaun made sure it was secured and then started to hoist himself up the rope, using the wall to stabilize himself. The other’s followed him up, the climb was surprisingly long but Zeshaun made it to the top without any incident. He boosted himself onto the roof and quickly searched the area for any immediate threats. He didn’t spot any cameras or guards so he slowly advanced closer toward the middle of the roof. The rest of the squad joined him on top of the roof.

“This is a surprise.” Alan said, as he searched the flat, empty roof. “I expected at least some kind of air duct that we could climb down through.”

Njall scratched his head. “Looks like the door the transport got through it the only way in.”

Alan's nostrils flared as he tried not to bring up the contents of his stomach.  He couldn't remember the last time they had encountered such a vile and nasty stench.  He wished he had his helmet on right about now so that he could filter out the smell.  He was just about to query what it was when he heard Lucky's voice calling out.

"De-comp guys, let's get outta here as soon as possible" said Lucky.

Alan didn't need to be told twice and he was glad to be getting away from the smell.  Because he had been bringing up the rear, he suddenly found himself taking up the lead.  Whilst this was good in a sense as he found himself being the one getting away from the smell quicker, he also found it quite stressful as he could sense the rest of the squad at his heels, willing him to go faster so they could evade the smell.

Alan remembered the way they had come in and also knew that there had been another passageway.  He had no idea where it went to but it was either that or going back to the start and that seemed pointless.  He soon found himself at the intersection and proceeded to take the unexplored option.


He started to regret his decision as he felt the corridor getting narrower.  He wasn't claustrophobic but even this was started to fray his nerves.  Crawling along on his belly he could hear his blasters scraping along the sides and hoped that it wasn't doing them any damage.

Behind him he could hear the rest of the squad murmuring amongst themselves.  He couldn't make out what it was that any of them were saying but he assumed that they were not enjoying this movement as much as he wasn't.  Alan was beginning to contemplate that maybe they should go back before they got themselves completely trapped when he spotted a grill up ahead.  Finally, a way out thought Alan.

His body had never been so relieved to see a metal grill before in all his life.  Crawling over to it felt like it was taking an eternity as he found himself having to wriggle to achieve any kind of forward momentum.

"There's a grill up ahead" said Alan.

He wasn't sure whether anyone could hear him or not.  He hoped they did as surely they must be starting to think that they were not going to ever come out of this place.  Alan found himself against the grill and with his outstretched hands he pushed, nothing.

Panic started to seep in as he found the grill refusing to budge.  He tried to reach down to grab one of his blasters but there was no room for movement of that kind.  He couldn't even turn round and kick it open with his feet.  He started to wonder whether or not they could get out of it.

Taking a few deep breaths, Alan forced himself to relax and look at the problem with a clear head.  Examining the grill in detail, he spotted the screws that were keeping it firmly in place.  His fingers wrapped themselves around the screws and he tried turning.

It seemed to take a millennium but the screws started to turn.  Sweat started to roll down his forehead as he carried on slowly turning the screws.  His vision blurred slightly as the sweat trickled into his eyes.  He wiped the sweat off his face and carried on.  Once the screws had started turning they moved with ease.  He soon found himself turning the last screw.

Clang!  The metal grill found itself clattering down onto the ground.  Alan didn't wait to see if anyone came to investigate, he wanted to get out.  He wriggled and wriggled and found himself more flopping out of the passage than anything else.  At least he was free.  He looked behind him and saw the squad start to emerge out.  He helped them out until everyone had escaped the narrow passage.

"Well that was fun" commented Njall.

Alan grabbed his blasters and looked them over.  They bore several minor scratched which he was certain he could get repaired once they were back on Tadath but they seemed to be in perfect working order.  Of course, he wouldn't find out for certain until he needed to use them.  Holstering them, he looked around at the room that they found themselves in.

"I thought we were never going to get out of there" commented Jamasis.

"I'm just glad to be rid of that stench" stated Zeshaun.

"Well, I guess we'd better look around" said Lucky as she waved the squad forward.

The door slid open and the squad exited in single file.  Alan stepped out and found himself on a metal walkway.  The walkway was about the width of three people and was designed in a criss-cross pattern.  The metal clanged under his feet and he swore that the walkway itself bent under him as he walked. 

He moved over to the edge of the walkway and placed his hands on the railing.  Looking downward he was able to see several other levels beneath the one they were on.  He wondered just how many levels there were and whether they had any significance between the various levels.

The walkway seemed to be structured in a square formation.  Alan followed his eyes along the full length of the walkway back to their current position.  He was surprised to see that it was devoid of anyone and wondered whether or not this level was even being utilised.  Lucky pointed to far across from where they were.

“The next terminal is located in a room over there” stated Lucky.

“Let’s hope it gives us more useful information than the last one” said Zeshaun.

“Let’s hope we don’t run into anyone” commented Njall.

“Well let’s get moving” said Alan.

Lucky took the lead and the squad started walking along the walkway in single file.  Alan tried hard to soften his footsteps but it didn’t seem to matter how quietly he tried to walk it seemed that the walkway was determined to cause as much noise as was humanly possible.

“I don’t like the amount of noise we are generating” commented Jamasis.

“I know what you mean” replied Alan.

“Well we’re nearly there” replied Lucky.

The squad soon found themselves standing before a door.  Behind which, they hoped was a terminal that would contain more information about what was going on in this facility.

“Everyone ready?” said Lucky quietly.

The squad nodded in unison.  Alan knew that if there were any guards inside then they would try to bluff their way in but if force was required then so be it.  His hands found themselves resting on the top of his blasters as Lucky pressed the button that opened the door.

They stepped inside and found themselves in a large room.  The room was quite dark compared to the walkway and there was a lot of computer equipment.  The equipment rose from the floor and almost touched the roof.  The room emitted a series of beeps and the computers carried on their work regardless of then entrance of the squad.

“Who are you?” said a gruff voice.

Alan whirled round and spotted a rather large man come striding out of the darkness.  He seemed to be well armed as he carried a large blaster rifle and seemed to have an assortment of knives dangling from his belt.

“Just doing a routine survey” replied Lucky, “carry on”.

Alan thought it was a good attempt and hoped that the guard would simply go about his business.  The guard glanced over at the squad as if taking in their details.  His eyes looked them over thoroughly and Alan suddenly became aware of the man’s rifle being raised up in a threatening manner.

Alan knew immediately that the ruse had failed.  He didn’t know why but he knew it had.  His blasters were in his hands immediately as he sent two beams of death into the guard’s chest.  The guard let out a muffled grunt, surprised by the swiftness of Alan’s retaliation.  His rifle collapsed to the floor as his limp body fell to the floor.  From the darkness, several blaster bolts flew towards the squad.

“He’s got company” stated Zeshaun.

“We need to take them out before they alert the base” said Lucky.

Jamasis grabbed his DC-15’s and let loose several volleys of blaster fire into the darkness.  Alan wished they had their armour on as they would be able to pick out the targets using their infra-red vision.

“Jamasis, you and me will lay down covering fire.  Zeshaun and Njall, see if you can get closer to be able to take those guards out” ordered Alan.

The squad nodded in unison as Jamasis and Alan opened up firing repeatedly into the darkness.  The returning blaster fire died down and Alan wasn’t sure whether or not either of them had hit anything.

Zeshaun and Njall slid down onto the floor and started to crawl forwards, searching for targets.  Alan and Jamasis’s blaster fire flew over their heads as they continued crawling.  Zeshaun was the first to notice the guards.  There were three in total and right now they hadn’t noticed either him or Njall.

Zeshaun nudged Njall and pointed off in the direction of the guards.  The guards had taken up a defensive posture as some of the fire coming from Alan and Jamasis had come considerably close.

Njall nodded as he and Zeshaun brought their weapons to bear on the guards.  The guards never knew what was coming to them until it was too late.  Several blaster bolts slammed their bodies into the computer equipment as they slumped down dead.

“All clear” called out Njall.

“Let’s see what this place is hiding then” said Alan as he holstered his blasters.

Lucky moved over to the access point in the room and accessed the system.  A red message flashed across the screen.  Her face wrinkled as she checked out the system.  She tried again and again a red message flashed over the screen.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jamasis.

Alan glanced over Lucky’s shoulder and read the message.  It was a simple message but it was a message that devastated their mission.

Error!

“Looks like during the fighting the system got damaged, it’s useless to us now” stated Lucky.

“Now what?” asked Zeshaun.

“Nothing else for it but to go down a level and see if we can get access somewhere else” replied Lucky.

“Once these guys don’t report in then this place will be swarming with guards seeking us out” said Jamasis.

“Then I guess we’d better be quick” added Alan.

“Let’s get going” said Lucky.

“Why is nothing ever simple” commented Zeshaun.

“Isn’t that the way it always is” replied Njall.

The squad left the computer room behind them and searched for the ladder that would take them down to the next level.

Alan looked around and saw the squad all nodding in agreement at going for the 'jackpot'.  It didn't surprise Alan in the slightest as the squad had never failed a mission yet and they weren't about to start now.

"Looks like we're all in agreement" said Alan, "we might as well head out".

"Agreed" replied Lucky, "let's keep working down and find out just what exactly is going on down there".

Lucky pressed her head against the door and listened to make sure that there was no-one outside before pressing the door release button.  The door slid open and Lucky was the first one out, looking around, searching for any kind of trouble.

The squad began filing out of the maintenance room and back onto the walkway.  Up ahead was a ladder that would take them down to the next level.  Alan wondered just how many levels they would have to go down and also when they would start coming up against real opposition.

Moving over to the ladder, Lucky glanced down to see that it was all clear before placing her feet on the rungs and making her way down.  The squad followed quickly behind her and soon they were all down.

Alan glanced around at it looked the same as the level they had just come from.  He started to wonder whether there was any kind of activity in this place or whether all the levels were vacant apart from the bottom level.  It didn't make much sense.  From around the corner voices could be heard and they were getting louder.

"Move!" whispered Lucky.

The squad moved as quickly as they could and as quietly as they could.  They opened up the nearest room and entered, hoping it was empty.  They found themselves in a large room with a long table and several chairs dotted around it.  It reminded Alan of the Paladin briefing room.

Lucky held her hand up to her face motioning the squad to be silent as she listened intently at the door.  She could hear the voices getting louder until she knew that they must be at the door.  The voices stayed at the entrance and Alan moved his hands to his blasters, expecting the door to open at any moment.

Lucky's eyes widened as she listened to the conversation going on outside.  She couldn't believe what it was that was being said and she knew that the mission was vital in being completed.

The voices started to diminish and Lucky breathed a sigh of relief as she turned round to face the squad.  Alan knew Lucky, knew her better than anyone ever could and he saw in her face that she had overheard something vital to the mission.

"That was close" commented Zeshaun.

"A little too close if you ask me" added Jamasis.

"What did you hear?" asked Alan.

The squad glanced from Alan back to Lucky.  They hadn't picked up on the sign but now they listened intently as Lucky began to divulge what she had heard.

Lucky looked directly at Alan and said “I know where he is”.

Alan took a deep breath and replied “at least we know he is still alive”.

The squad looked at each other, each of them conveying to one another that none of them knew who Alan and Lucky were referring to.

“Who’s still alive?” queried Jamasis.

“Yeah, what gives?” asked Zeshaun.

“For reasons of security this information was conveyed to just me and Lucky but now you need to know.  Our contact on Felucia, the person that left us our uniforms is a member of Paladin” said Alan.

The squad glanced around each other with a surprised look on their faces.

“I didn’t know we had a new member to the squad” stated Njall.

“High Command was uncertain whether this organisation on Felucia was hacking into Tadath’s mainframe so they decided to send a recruit fresh out of training on this mission” added Lucky.

“They must be desperate for this mission to succeed if they are sending a recently graduated trainee” said Zeshaun.

“Private Volckie passed his training and Command was confident in his skills.  However he failed to report in and we have been sent not only to discover what this organisation is up to but also to rescue him.  We weren’t sure whether or not he was still alive or not” said Alan.

“Private Volckie huh” said Jamasis, “well I guess we’d better go get him”.

“Where is he?” queried Zeshaun.

“The guards that I overheard placed him in a room two levels down from here” said Lucky.

“You do realise he is going to be well guarded” stated Jamasis.

“Just what I wanted to hear” commented Njall with his usual air of sarcasm.

“I’m well aware of that” said Alan, “but he is a member of Paladin and we will rescue him”.

The squad nodded in unison at that.  Lucky moved back against the door and pressed her head against it.  The room fell deathly quiet as Lucky listened intently to hear of any movement outside.

“Sounds clear” she whispered.

“Let’s move” ordered Alan.

The door slid open and the squad filed out of the room and onto the walkway.  They were getting quite familiar with the layout of the base and knew where the ladder was to take them to the various levels.  Alan waved his hand in the direction of the ladder and the squad moved out.

Whilst Alan and Lucky had been briefed on the placement of Volckie and on his secretive assignment, neither of them had ever met him.  Alan was looking forward to meeting the latest member of Paladin.  He was glad to know that the trooper was still alive.

Arriving at the ladder, the squad moved down it single file.  Clambering down two levels they soon found themselves on the level that Volckie was being held.  Holding a defensive formation at the base of the ladder, they visually scanned the immediate vicinity.

Lucky pointed a finger and the squad glanced in the direction she was pointing to.  Alan glanced over and he saw two guards standing to attention by the side of a door.  Looking around the area Alan could see that there was no way of approaching them quietly or taking them by surprise.

“What’s the plan?” queried Zeshaun.

“There doesn’t seem to be any good way to take them out apart from hit them hard and fast” said Lucky.

“I agree” replied Alan, although he wished they could take them out more quietly than what was being proposed.

“So much for sneaking around” commented Njall.

“Let’s go” said Alan.

The squad kept low to the ground so they could approach as close as they could to the guards without being detected.  Arriving at the corner, Alan waved the squad to halt and grabbed his DL-44’s out of their holsters.  He held up three fingers and began to count down.

The squad gripped their weapons tightly.  They had to take out the guards and quickly.  Hopefully no-one would notice the blaster fire that would take them out.  Alan finished his visual counting and the squad, on cue, leapt up from their position.  Blaster fire rained down on the guards.  The guards noticed the sudden appearance of the squad and got their weapons to bear on the squad but they never had a chance to open fire.  Multiple blaster bolts struck their chests and they sank down onto the walkway the fire in their eyes fading until they looked through them no more.

Wasting no time, the squad rushed to the room and opened the door.  Inside were three guards who were startled at seeing the entrance of people brandishing weapons that they had never seen before.  Zeshaun wasted no time in unleashing a volley of blasts into the nearest guard.  Alan’s twin set of blasters cut down another of the guards whilst Jamasis took short work of the last one.

Njall and Lucky dragged the dead guard’s bodies from the entrance of the door inside, hoping that their lack of presence would not alert anyone.  Alan looked over and strapped to a table was an unconscious human male.  What struck Alan the most was the guy’s reddish blond hair.  Alan moved over to him, removed his bonds and started to shake him gently.

Volckie’s eyes opened up as he felt his body being shook.  He didn’t know where he was and he had never before seen this person.  The last thing he had remembered was the sensation of gas filling his lungs and his very consciousness slipping away from him.  He immediately thought that the person was one of the pirates.  Leaping off the table he crouched in a defensive posture.

“Relax kid” said Alan, “we’re the Paladin squad”.

Upon hearing the name of Paladin, Volckie relaxed and a big grin came over his face.

“Perhaps we should go before we are discovered” commented Njall.

“Agreed” replied Alan, “let’s get to a more quieter location and you can fill us in on anything you know”.

It was nice seeing the latest addition to the Paladin squad but Alan was more eager to find out what the newest addition of the squad knew.  Private Volckie had gone on ahead of the squad and Alan hoped that he had gotten some intelligence for them before his capture.

The squad moved silently down the corridor and Alan glanced left and right, seeking out somewhere quiet for them to get a debriefing.  Up ahead, Alan spotted a door against the left side of the corridor.  He wondered whether inside they would find it empty or filled with guards.  He decided that it was worth the risk.

Alan held up his fist and the squad came to an abrupt stop.  Pointing at the door, the squad nodded.  Alan still found it incredible that the squad was able to interpret commands by a simple look or by hand signals.  They truly were a well trained squad.

Jamasis and Zeshaun flanked the door as Njall moved up to the door release mechanism.  Alan glanced over at Lucky and she nodded, both had their weapons drawn.  Njall glanced over at Alan and Alan nodded.  In the blink of an eye the squad moved into action.

Njall pressed the door release mechanism and the door slid open.  Jamasis and Zeshaun stormed inside the room and began carrying out a sweep.  Alan and Lucky followed them in.  Glancing around, Alan saw they were in some form of supply room.  The walls were adorned with shelves housing a variety of items.

“All clear” piped Jamasis.

Alan felt happier knowing that the room had been swept.  His DL-44’s slid smoothly into their holsters as he glanced over at Volckie.  Know it was time to find out everything he knew.

“What were you able to find out about this organisation?” queried Lucky.

Volckie sat down and found that he was now the centre of attention.  The squad found themselves huddled around him, listening to whatever words he was about to utter.

“Well I found out that they deal in drugs.  I came across several crates which housed engine parts but underneath they had concealed compartments for the smuggling of the drugs” said Volckie.

“Great, just what the Galaxy needs, more drugs” said Njall.

“Why would Command send us on a simple mission to clean out a drugs ring?” queried Zeshaun.

“Maybe they don’t want this organisation becoming too powerful” replied Jamasis.

“I did find something very strange just before I got captured although I’m not sure of its significance” added in Volckie.

Alan’s ears perked up as he said “carry on”.

“Well, I pulled up a manifest of where the cargo was being shipped to and every single crate was going to an Imperial held system” said Volckie.

“Every system” replied Lucky.

“Why would they do a thing like that, surely that would hamper their profits significantly” said Zeshaun.

“I don’t like the sound of that” commented Njall.

“There’s got to be more to this than meets the eye” commented Jamasis.

“Agreed” replied Alan, “let’s see what else we can uncover”.

The squad nodded in unison as they moved out of the room and back into the corridor.  Supplying Imperial held worlds only could mean only one thing, trouble, but what kind of trouble Alan didn’t know, but he was determined that they were going to find out.