Blaster & Blade 2: Worlds Collide

Chapter 26

    The holotable began to beep and a naval officer looked down to see who was calling. His face instantly paled and he looked at Grand Moff Tarkin as he had just seen a ghost. His mouth shuddered trying to speak but fear clamped his tongue down.

    Tarkin walked forward calmly and accepted the call. Darth Vader’s blood-red hologram instantly appeared on the holotable. Silence fell over the command center except for the sound of mechanical breathing. “What is the situation?” he asked.

    Tarkin looked at Vader calmly. “They have split into two groups, one is in the main cooling center another is headed there. Over a dozen squadrons are currently gathering and once they are ready they will launch an all-out assault”.

    Vader’s breathing remained the same. “Wait for my arrival, I shall be there in a matter of minutes,” and the transmission shut off.

Tyvral

    Tyvral and the others ran into the cooling system control room gasping for breath.

    Mal’dar ran over o the door and shouted, “Are the charges set yet?”

    “We need more time, it’s a lot of cooling system!” yelled Artal.

    “Hopefully we get it,” muttered Tyvral watching the entrance cautiously.

    The Imperial Landing Craft spun and landed in a Star Destroyer hanger. Steam hissed as it shot onto the ground and the ramp descended. Darth Vader strode down it his heavy footsteps echoing. Dozens upon dozens of stormtroopers lined the path and fell in lockstep behind him. Vader held out his hand and his lightsaber snapped into it.

    Tyvral checked the time. “We need to go!”

    “We haven’t seen any imps yet it’s fine,” said Mal’dar, “Place this big we have time, and we need to do this right”.

    Tyvral’s fur puffed out slightly as his skin crawled, “I got a bad feeling about this”.

    The last of the charges let out a beep as it was placed. “Let’s roll boys!” yelled Kart, who turned and ran towards the exit.

    Tyvral immediately let out a sigh of relief, weight falling away from his shoulders. “Let’s get out of here”.

    One of the clones who was guarding the entrance ran towards it, taking point. The door slid open just before he reached it, and standing in the doorway was a towering dark figure. Stunned silence fell over the clones and Mal’dar’s crew, the only sound was that of mechanical breathing.

    Vader activated his lightsaber and immediately cut through a clone. The other entrance opened and stormtroopers began to pour into the room. “GET INTO THE COOLING ROOM!”

    They retreated into the cooling room Tyvral blocking as many blasts as he could but there were so many. A blast struck his shoulder, another his leg. Tyvral growled in pain and limped back through the door. Tyvral waved his hand too close to the door but a great force held them shut. Coldness seeped from that force into Tyvral and he looked into the expressionless mask of Darth Vader.

    Stormtroopers poured into the room all sound being drowned out by the stomping of their boots. The clones, X9, and Mal’dar’s crew backed up until they were backed into a corner, besides the cooling units. Tyvral stood in front of them lightsabers raised, Ora stood beside him her lightsaber raised as well.

    Vader walked forward calmly and let his gaze wander over all of them.

    Kart reached over a pulled off one of the charges and clipped it to his belt.