The Carlrissian System

Chapter 1

Jaylinn lay awake, plotting his escape.
Laying there in the dimly lit dormitory, he allowed his eyes to wander over all the familiar markings and cracks on the grey ceiling above him.
With a deep sigh he looked across to his fellow cadets who were deep in sleep in their bunk beds. His ears found the distant and omnipresent sounds of the boiler room pipes beneath the floorboards. Their faint high pitched, gaseous noises were soothing to him, but the promised blissfulness and peacefulness of sleep was always interrupted by pangs of anxiety that would always unsettle him and remind him of where he was and what he had to do.
He turned his head to look out through the barred windows, seeking answers within the blackness of space. He ran his hands through the soft mass vines of his wooly black dreadlocks.
Moments in silence passed when suddenly Jaylinn's contemplations were disrupted by a wave of patrolling TIE Fighters that seemingly materialised out from nowhere. Their infamous banshee-like engines shrieked and screamed at the starry night sky startling him as they roamed over the cadet's Imperial compound in hordes. He instinctively jumped off his bed to get a closer look, pressing his face against the cold barred windows.
Their black metallic platings glinted purple-blue under Kashyyyk's moonlight as they raged it's evening sky in skilled formation. Cutting unmercifully across his starry night with fierce excellence Jaylinn was always in awe whenever he witnessed these wicked instruments of destruction take flight.
However, he had been an Imperial cadet long enough to know that this patrol was highly unusual.
The squadron of TIE-Fighters vanished out of sight as quickly as they had come.
Their passing presence however seemed to ignite the activities that now continued to grow around the military compound in their absence. Making his way back to the warmth of his bed he sat up slightly agitated by the possibility of an upset to his plans.
Why the extra patrols? Where were they headed ? He wondered.
Had the army been alerted to what he might do tonight?
The Moss Kern Military Base was an impressive accomplishment in its own right. Composed of menacingly foreboding structures they were solid contrasts to the natural fluidity, movement and sounds of the jungle surrounding it. Its tall metallic structures glinted defiantly here and there under the rays of Kashyyyk's three moons. It was a cold steel landscape of a military base carpeted with an assortment of Imperial structures and compartment buildings, army barracks, scrap yards, kitchens, mess halls, outdoor combat grounds and indoor tactical training facilities. This mighty Imperial complex even included a separate sector reserved for the residential buildings of higher level personnel.
On the outside borders of this military complex were the notorious watch towers. These huge heavily manned posts were stationed at each corner of the base. One tower for each corner of the base equipped with a number of manned gun turrets of formidable power and range.
Jaylinn could still make out from his dormitory window the scrap yard workers. He watched as they continued hammering ferociously against metal in the distance, darting from one job to another amid the smoke and the sparks that blazed in the breeze like wild flies from the metal soldering works and welding machines. 
Sweaty, tired and overworked, they were totally absorbed in their tinkering oblivious to the growing commotion around their grounds. Surrounded by endless hauls of out of commission SpaceCruisers and StarDestroyers (which they deliriously festered over), some scrap-workers took to rummaging through the many crates of broken down droids for spare parts and other welding monstrosities.
Out of action AT-PT's were also scattered around them by the dozen. These sizeable monoliths were now subdued by their respective dock-stations. Their renowned threatening and dominating presence reduced to the faint bleeps of repair monitors that they were connected to as they lay waiting, deadly and dormant for active duty.
Jaylinn continued to let his eyes wander outside lost in thought. Kashyyyk's three moons allowed its moonlight to seep through the windows of his dormitory and some of the soft ghostly rays caught the side of his face gleaming against his golden brown skin. He took a moment to look around the dimly lit barracks of sleeping cadets around him. Kids. Just kids. He thought to himself gloomily. Stolen just like himself. He sensed their weariness and overworked hearts. Just like him they were products of the Imperial Boarding House System.
He continued to ruminate over his plans whilst still casting occasional glances to the window by his side noting the growing commotion outside his dormitory.
He could hear the impatient commands of war-hungry sergeants, the hurried marches of battle ready stormtroopers to their stations. The soldiers that hastily loaded ammo into their weapons and blasters as Tower Gunmen rushed to their seated positions of their respective gun stations, locked, loaded and ready.
This must be a drill of some sort, Jaylinn shrugged to himself. This all can't be because of him. Can it ?
He looked up at the giant watchtower posts for more telling signs. The tower guards up there brooded silently behind their black visors. Warm exhaled air vapourized out from the sides of their battle worn helmets as they patrolled up and down its barricades cursing the cold night.
"Jay, stop that noise you're making, I can hear your squeaky bed from here".
A hoarsely voice spoke from somewhere in the vast darkness of the sleeping dormitory.
On a bunker bed to his left a moving mass of curly red hair began to rise from its slumber. The rays of moonlight that had made it through the barred windows touched the face from which the voice had come from revealing it to be Squad Captain Karla Maltese. As strikingly beautiful as she was there was a hint of sternness in her gaze as her noticeable emerald green eyes twinkled under the strands of moonlight that beamed into the vast dormitory chamber. With an unimpressed expression on her face she slowly rose from her beloved soft warm pillow. Some strands of her red hair had matted against the side of her face whilst she was sleeping. After giving out a great big boisterous yawn-much to the dismay of the sleeping cadets nearby - she went into a great big stretch. Satisfied, she strummed her hair aside from her eyes and face and glanced sleepily over at him in mild annoyance.
"There's something going on out there, take a look" Jaylinn reported in a forced whisper turning back to gaze out the window again. Reluctantly Karla got up wiping the sleep from her eyes. Karla hated walking around in her standard issue Imperial pyjamas. She disliked the dull dark shades of grey against her fiery flow of red hair, the waspish cotton was uncomfortably wooden and rough to her skin, and she could have sworn the harsh fabric was the main cause of several rashes along her back and arm. The unflattering style and cut of the pyjamas made her look like a boy especially with her tall stature and muscular arms. Despite her disdain she was still Squad Captain however and was obligated to find out what was going on. Growling her way through the inconvenience she floundered sleepily across the cold floors of the dormitory rubbing her arms periodically from the cold. Tired from all the shenanigans of drill Sergeants and power hungry Captains of the day her unimpressed sleepy expression didn't change as she tried to make out what she could through the barred stained windows.
"Probably a routine drill or something. Nothing we haven't seen before. We might need to get the others up and ready soon though judging by the looks of things. What are you doing up this late anyway?" turning her attention back to the cause of her rude awakening.
"I think I've figured out how we can escape." he whispered eagerly getting ready to begin his pitch.
'Oh, no. Not that look." Karla mumbled as she regarded Jaylinn with weary eyes.
"I recognise that look," yawning she turned away in a bid to return to her slumber and get away from another one of Jaylinn's escape proposals.
After successfully retreating back to the sanctity of her bed whilst ignoring him she reached out for the grey bed covers muttering to herself about the lack of heating in the dormitory. As she pulled the Imperial standard issue bedding around her she sat upright waiting for a Sergeant or Captain to come bursting through the doors at any moment to brief them on what was happening.
Now that Karla was awake Jaylinn was determined to turn his Squad Captain to his way of thinking as he tried to explain his latest full proof plan to her.
"We'll use the ships as cover you see..." he began with eyes gleaming as he pointed to mapped out illustrations in his notebook whilst restraining excitement to whispers so he didn't wake the other sleeping cadets.
"We'll hide between the docked transports making our way through to the other side of the barracks here. And when we get there we just have to..."
Karla raised her hands in instant declination like so many times before whenever Jaylinn would begin this type of treasonous conversation.
"Jaylinn !" She snapped,
"We can't just break out of here and scuttle out the gates like a bunch of womp-rats! Have you forgotten where we are? This is a military fortified Imperial base ! ". She was finding it increasingly hard to restrain her fiery temperament let alone her restrained whispering. It was late and she was tired.
"This plan is foolproof" Jaylinn defended feeling a frown come over his face as he matched her dismissive tone.
"There are armed stationed guards at every corner" she continued to retort with emerald eyes glistening through the strands of fiery red hair.
Jaylinn fell silent rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"You're being difficult" he mumbled.
"I just don't see...I mean there is no way we-"
"I'm just asking you to have a little faith Karla and hear me out . Just-"
"There are inquisitive Imperial droids out there right now, marching up and down the hallways of this dormitory with this annoying tendency and compelling need to request and scan for identification cards from whoever they come in contact with for starters Jaylinn ! How do you propose we get past them ? huh ?"
Jaylinn sat in silent contemplation as Karla decided to suddenly stop talking. She began rubbing her brow taking a moment from the conversation. She knew he meant well but all this was causing her to rant again. They were old friends and this debate would never end. He was headstrong and she never liked to lose an argument. Brushing aside her uncooperative red hair over her ears in turn revealed reddish cheeks that continued to fluster expressing her growing agitation from the debate.
Karla looked over to see Jaylinn skillfully shuffling a folded piece of paper between his fingers from right to left and back again like a magician with a deck of cards.
"Access codes.." he beamed finally producing then waving the piece of paper in-front of the non-believer,
"I probably don't want to know this, but I'll ask anyway. Where'd you get those?" She whispered confused.
"I was in the Stellar Cartography Room.." he began as his mood began to improve.
"What were you doing in there?" she asked even more confused.
"Sarge put me there for sanitation duty and I noticed one of the operators pressing these numbers onto the keypad. So the next day.." He continued with a wry smile.
"...when he had me on sanitation duty there in Stellar Cartography again I watched what numbers they entered and memorised them. Turns out it was that Operator's access codes. It lets him into everything. Log reports, personnel files, encrypted statements......"
"Ok, ok, okay. But how are you remembering all that? Access code numbers are seriously long, just like mine. Did you write this all down from memory?" Her face expressing complete bafflement as she glanced at the paper in his hand.
"Yeah..." he replied slightly confused why such a thing would be seen as difficult.
She paused giving him a piercing gaze with those fierce emerald eyes of hers.
Jaylinn uncomfortably smiled raising an eyebrow as he glanced at her regarding him with scrutiny. She shrugged away the foolish notion from her mind but made a mental note of it.
As Squad Captain she was used to hearing the occasional murmurs of disdainful remarks from cadets every now and then about their resentments for being here in the Imperial training camp but with Jaylinn it was more. He was actually plotting against the Empire to leave and dessert his Squadron.
What a mess she thought. All she wanted was her bed.
More soldiers shouts could be heard coming from outside.
"Well there's certainly a racket going on outside," Karla said with a heavy sigh glad to be changing the subject.
"We'll wait for Sarge to tell us what the story is. And Jaylinn, now doesn't seem like the right time to bail on the military".
"Its the perfect time, Karla,' he countered with certainty, "We could hide amid all the confusion" he added.
Karla rolled her eyes muttering something coarse and unsavoury under her breath.
"This can work Karla. We could be free from the Empire once and for all. Don't you want that?" he persisted.
Karla sighed again diving head back into her pillow. Yes. Was her silent answer. But the risk to make such an attempt she thought to herself, was too high. She had witnessed what happens to deserters. She shuddered at the memory.
"Are you sure you wanna go through with this? Even after what happened to you before? What Sarge did to you? Because if they catch-" she began,
"Now more than ever" Jaylinn interjected sternly folding his arms with absolute resolution.
Friends since Imperial Boarding School, surviving this systematic pipeline had brought about a kinship amongst the remaining survivors who had now graduated from the notoriously brutal school to the Military base of Moss Kern as Imperial Cadets. She knew she wasn't really going to report on anybody. She had witnessed the wrath of her superiors on others. Not to mention what they did to Jaylinn a few days ago. She wouldn't wish that on him again or anyone for that matter. But Jaylinn was always so anti establishment all the time. She feared for his safety yet she didn't want to encourage him either. Breaking the rules was never taken lightly here at the military compound.
Jaylinn leaned over from his bunker optimistically so she could hear him better. These prolonged conversations with restrained whispers were taking a toll on his throat.
"You see the patrols..."he continued hoarsely,
"...only covers this side of the compound but because of that new batch shipment of transport AP-PT's that's been moved over to this side of the base they have yet to amend their patrol route accordingly".
Jaylinn waited for a revised reaction from Karla that never came.
"Fine," he sighed in acceptance of Karla's stubbornness that has never faulted since they were children.
"I will inform the others".
Karla huffed disapprovingly.
Waron Bengee was awoken by his friends voices. He was the youngest and smallest of the Karla's Cadets arriving in the same trainee squadron StarVessel as Karla and Jaylinn on their first day here. Waron and Karla had the same red hair and green eyes making most people assume they were brother and sister. The first time he had met Karla, she already knew he was going to have a tough time in cadet training just by his small size. She took Waron under her wing protecting him from the bigger boys and the sadistic Sergeants the way that no one did when she was living rough on the violent streets of her home world Carminia as a child.
"H-Hey...what's happening?." he chirped from a burrow of blankets,
"Its nothing go back to sleep Waron," karla said feigning assurance before Jaylin could utter a single corruptible word. The last thing she wanted was Waron getting any ideas about escape too. She knew Waron didn't like it here at the training camp either but the danger that came with getting caught breaking out was too great. If something happened to Waron she just wouldn't be able to live with herself.
Waron hated being left out.
And it was usually when something good was happening.
Karla was always protecting him, making him miss all the kool stuff.
He could sense their conversation's importance. He heard someone say something about escaping? Waron did his best not to be seen as he leaned closer from his bunk bed to hear the constrained whispers of Jaylinn's and Karla's conversation.
"Waron !"
A voice suddenly blurted out from a bunk bed behind him that made little Waron jump.
He looked over his shoulder to see Renlin Lorent's sleepy blue eyes looking back at him through a shaggy mane of ruffled blonde hair.
"Waron why are you guys up? whats happening?" Renlin whispered partially still asleep.
"Jaylinn has an escape plan."
"Escape? Really?"
Renlin paused a moment.
"What if it doesn't work" he whispered over to the others so Jaylinn could hear him.
"Don't be silly, of course this will work" Jay replied slightly irritated by the consistency of doubts amongst his so-called friends.
"What's with all that commotion going on outside anyway?" Renlin asked secretly unconvinced as he changed the subject.
"I'm sure its a drill. Sergeant will be here any moment, so we may need to get ready" Karla added gruffly.
"Great..more drills..." Renlin muttered whilst prodding his younger twin brother.
"Hey, 'big head' ! Vern ! Wake up! There's a drill happening."
Vern Lorent's big muscles were still aching from training yesterday. And because he loved training so much he had a tendency to over do it, thus causing him to sleep in a lot. He was big and alot stronger for his young age. But the extra miles of running and the carrying of heavy loads tired him out. When asleep his big size seemed to amplify his heavy snoring which abruptly stopped when he was awakened by his prodding twin,
"What? What is it? Another bloody drill?" Vern growled awake and annoyed.
"Seems like it. But if you want out Jaylinn's got an escape plan." He replied mockingly.
"Why would you want to leave this place Jay?" Vern's low voice boomed through the covers of his blankets where he refused to budge from.
Vern and his twin brother Renlin had never had a place they could call home. So to Vern the thought of leaving the stability of the military wasn't so appealing. Being in the same camp as his twin enabled Vern to keep tabs on his more frailer and skinnier brother much to Renlin's contempt as it was Renlin who was actually the older brother. But Renlin was the weaker brother. Prone to sickness and allergies brought on from the harsh conditions of poor upbringing. It was Vern's muscle combined with Renlin's quick tongue and savvy that got them through it all including the Imperial boarding houses.
Here in the military however, Vern found something he was good at for once. Vern liked being a soldier. Yes, there was a strict regime here. And yes, the military base was abundant in harsh discipline. But in retrospect Vern and his twin brother Renlin had never been part of a family, Vern thought to himself. And secondly, for once the twins had stability and direction, and having a roof over your head even if it was with the Imperial Empire was better than nothing. He only wished his brother Renlin could see it this way too.
"We have responsibilities to the Empire, we're Imperial cadets now Ren-." Vern began.
"Give it a rest brother, I'm trying to listen to the what's going on outside. You're loyalty always manages to give me a headache." Renlin said waving his hand in irritation,
"Would you prefer the streets back home !?" Vern replied with equal cynicism.
"You only see what you want to Vern" he said rolling his eyes.
"All I know is I don't want to be here no more. .." Jaylinn added re-addressing the group.
"I'm not a clone. I'm my own person. And if they think they can take my locks away from me they got another thing coming!" Jaylinn concluded raising his fist in defiance.
"Wait what? Did I miss something? Who's taking who's locks away?" Renlin asked raising an eyebrow.
"Sarge said yesterday that Jay has to cut his hair" Vern's booming voice suddenly blurted out startling both Jaylinn and Karla. Sometimes Vern forgot how loud and ominously his voice could be, as he looked around sheepishly to the awakening of other cadets in the huge dormitory. Karla by now had almost given up on the conversation.
"Can't this all wait till tomorrow guys!?" Karla hissed annoyed.
"Sarge will be here any-"
Suddenly an alarm sounds off buzzing through out the speakers and tannoys of the whole military complex quietening everybody into trained silence as they all froze to listen.
Accompanying the harsh blaring alarm came a stern voice with an announcement.
'Attention, security breach. All personnel to your stations! Attention, security breach. All personnel to your stations! - Rebel forces are attacking the Cargo Station!! Report To Your Captains At Your Designated Meeting Points".