5.
Alone in the cockpit, Zyn sat in quiet reflection on what had happened at Kuat. The entire thing was a setup, but why? What possible gain could be had from setting up a failure of a Jedi for an egregious crime? Thorne was obviously in on it, but Zyn doubted he had the smarts to think it up on his own. Knowing what he did about Wex, the young man likely had no answers, but he decided to try anyway. Unbuckling himself, he climbed down into the cargo hold to find his new companion with his helmet off, tending to his wounds.
“That’s some flying you did there,” Wex grinned as blood dribbled from his nose. A dark bruise was already developing around his left eye and a pair of gashes were open on his lip and eyebrow.
“I got us out of there, didn’t I?” Zyn asked. A laugh erupted from Wex as he tipped his head back to stem the flow.
“Where are we going?”
“Kashyyyk, after a supply stop.”
“You do know that place is under siege right now, right?” Wex pointed out. “The CIS have invaded and set up a blockade. Last I’d heard, Republic forces were headed that way.”
“There’s someone there who needs to answer some questions,” Zyn explained.
“Look, boss, trudging into a war zone to play twenty questions isn’t the best move. Believe me, I’ve seen my fair share of battles, and it’s nothing but chaos. Assuming whoever it is you’re looking for is still alive, it would be like looking for one specific needle in a stack of ten thousand.”
Wex had a point, but if there was one person Zyn knew was capable of surviving in a war zone, it was Seela. Getting down to the planet’s surface would be a challenge all its own, especially in this ship, as neither the Republic nor the Separatists were likely to let him land. That challenge aside, he also knew he couldn’t take Wex to such a place.
“Is there someplace you’d like me to take you?” Zyn asked, to which Wex shook his head.
“I’ve got nowhere else to be,” he answered.
“Seems like we’ve got something on common, then,” Zyn chuckled, earning another laugh from the mercenary. Several moments of uncomfortable silence followed until Wex finally spoke up.
“You said earlier you weren’t a Jedi,” he started, causing Zyn to look up at his companion. “But if you’re not, how were you able to open those doors and why do you have a lightsaber?”
“I’m not sure how I opened the doors,” Zyn answered honestly, not wanting to delve into his history with a perfect stranger. “And the lightsaber is a long story.”
“I don’t think we’re going anywhere for a while,” Wex smiled.
“Tell me what you know about what Omega was doing at the Drive Yards,” Zyn said, changing the subject.
“I just heard we were going to babysit some high roller for the IGB with a specialist coming along at the guy’s request.”
“But you heard it would be a setup, yes?”
“After the initial explosion.”
“Why would anyone want to set me up?” Zyn asked, more to himself than to Wex. “I’m not anyone of importance.”
“You said you weren’t a Jedi, right?” Wex asked, to which Zyn nodded. “Did Thorne know that?”
Thinking on Wex’s question, Zyn couldn’t say for sure whether the mercenary leader knew he wasn’t a Jedi. Likely it was him who had contacted Seela, but did she divulge that information? Either way, he needed to get into contact with his old friend if he wanted any kind of answers.
“Maybe they were trying to make the Jedi look bad,” Wex offered, interrupting Zyn’s thoughts. “You know, sow distrust to turn the Republic against them.”
“As I said, I’m not a Jedi,” Zyn pointed out.
“All that technician saw was a man with a lightsaber.”
Without any other explanation, Zyn had to agree. A lightsaber was the universal sign of the Jedi, and certainly no one knew or cared about their dropouts. If he had to guess, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of failed Jedi over the years, none of whom were known in the least. But who would benefit from running the Jedi name through the mud? Only one group came to mind.
“The Separatists,” Zyn finally said. “They had to be behind this.”
“Makes sense,” Wex nodded. “What do we do?”
“Make a pit stop on Commenor first to gather supplies,” Zyn started, but was quickly interrupted.
“Bad idea,” Wex said while shaking his head. “Speaking as a former member of Omega, I can tell you exactly what they're going to do. First, they'll send a large force to Coruscant to look for you, but smaller detachments will also be sent to the nearby planets.”
“It’ll be easy for us to blend in Commenor,” Zyn explained. “We can be in and out fast.” By the look on his face, Zyn suspected Wex had an argument, but to his surprise, he let it go.
“It’s your ship,” the mercenary resigned. “I’m just along for the ride.” An alert sounding from the cockpit drew Zyn’s attention upward.
Climbing gingerly back into the pilot’s seat while his wound still ached, Zyn checked the alert to see they were coming up on the trading post of Commenor. He agreed with his companion and disliked the idea of stopping so close to Kuat after their escape, but Zyn knew if they would need supplies if they were going to survive. Wex joined him as he brought the ship out of hyperspace, and was immediately hailed on the ship’s comlink.
“Unidentified ship,” a voice crackled. “You are on approach to Commenore. Identify yourself and state your business.” As Zyn reached for the comlink, Wex beat him to it and answered before Zyn could.
“This is
Heap I,” Wex told the official while suppressing a laugh. “We've come under attack by pirates near Mawan and wish to land for repairs and to gather supplies.”
Several moments of silence followed while Wex continued to grin foolishly at Zyn. He had to hand it to the young man, he was a quick thinker if nothing else, but given his time in Omega, misleading others likely wasn’t his only skill. Perhaps, Zyn thought, it would be worth it to keep him around a while longer.
“
Heap I, you are cleared to land in Chasin City,” the official explained. “Docking bay sixty eight.”
"Copy," Wex responded. "Bay sixty eight.
Heap I out."
"Well done," Zyn commended his companion. "It seems like you've done this before." Already starting his climb down, Wex stopped and grinned once more.
"Once or twice." For the first time in a while, Zyn found himself smiling.
Without another word, Wex disappeared below deck to strap himself in as Zyn turned his eyes back through the windscreen. Countless ships were already in orbit around the brown planet, with even more shuttles ferrying people and goods down to its surface. Remembering what the technician from Kuat had told him, he slowed the ship as it began to enter the atmosphere.
"Hope you're buckled in down there," Zyn warned. "This could get a little rough." No answer came back, but Zyn trusted Wex was already secured.
Turning his eyes back to where he was going, the ship began to shake violently. Once again, Zyn pulled back on the throttle, slowing the ship more, but it did nothing to stop the constant buffeting in the rough air current. Several metallic groans sounded, making him wonder about the structural integrity of the ship.
A warning flashed on the display showing another hull panel had come loose. In all likelihood, it was no longer attached to the ship and was probably burning up as it fell from the sky. Zyn could only hope the ship would escape the same fate and safely deliver them to the ground. A loud bang was followed by yet another warning, and once he extinguished the alarm, he was able to hear Wex down below.
"Hey, boss!" the mercenary yelled. "We've got a serious problem down here!" Looking over his shoulder, Zyn saw immediately what Wex was referring to.
A large chunk of the hull was missing, allowing friction flames to enter the cargo hold. More groans sounded as the ship shook harder and Zyn turned back to the instruments. It seemed the entire hologram of the ship was flashing along with multiple warnings and alerts. It was as he feared: they were breaking up. Grabbing the comlink, Zyn quickly sent out a distress signal.
"Mayday, mayday," he started. "This is
Heap I, on approach to Chasin City. We've received heavy damage and are coming apart." Silence followed, making him wonder if the ship's communication system had been damaged.
"
Heap I, this is Chasin Control, we have a visual," a voice replied. "There is a bounce pad on the edge of the city to the west. Try to hit that if you can."
Checking his instruments, Zyn had no idea which way was west or what a bounce pad even was. He imagined a long stretch of some kind of soft material designed to catch crashing star ships. Knowing his luck probably wasn't that good, he pulled back on the throttle once more, bringing the engines to idle as the ship continued to fall.
"Control, that's not going to happen," Zyn responded. "I'm coming down right on top of bay sixty eight." Another loud bang sounded, but before he could register what it was, the ship began to spin uncontrollably.
"There goes a wing," Wex shouted from below. "Say a prayer to whatever gods you have, boss. We're coming in way too hot."
Shoring up his grip on the stick, Zyn did his best to combat the natural spin of the ship as it fell. Nothing was responding, except the gravity of the planet, pulling them toward what was likely certain death. Closing his eyes, Zyn reached out with the Force once more.
The ship was far beyond anything he had attempted to control before, but he knew he at least had to make an attempt. As he concentrated, he felt the life of the planet below and the fear coming from his companion. Becoming one with the Force was nothing to be afraid of, but the thought of leading Wex to his death after receiving help from him did not sit well in Zyn’s mind.
As the ground grew closer, the Force failed to respond to his commands at all. Frustration rose once again, fueling his anger and leading to another attempt to bend the Force to his will. Rage swelled within him, and before long, he felt a small, nearly insignificant response. Before he could close his concentration around it, however, the ship slammed into the landing pad.
The sound of metal being ripped apart filled Zyn's ears. The impact jarred every bone in his body, but the safety belts of the seat held firm. He was tumbling, his arms and legs fluttering about uncontrollably. As he reached out with the Force once more, he was suddenly stopped as if his seat had snagged on something. The belts dug deep into his flesh as his momentum slowed, only releasing him when he'd stopped completely.
Every bone and muscle in his body was in pain, but from what he could tell, nothing was broken. He carefully unbuckled himself from the seat, and as he slowly got to his feet, he took stock of his surroundings. The ship was reduced to nothing more than a scattered pile of scrap with few pieces even recognizable from their original state. The frame of the ship was there, bent into a twisted mass of metal and wires while no longer supporting any other structure. One key piece of the ship was also missing.
"Wex?" Zyn called out, doubting he would hear a reply.
"Here," a synthetic voice croaked from Zyn's left.
Hurrying over to where he thought the voice came from, he came upon a large piece of the ship's hull. Nothing that looked like his companion was around it, but after another groan sounded, Zyn quickly figured it out. Bending down with pain searing from the blaster injury, he grabbed a hold of the metal and used every ounce of his strength to turn it over.
Wex was on his back, still clad in his black armor, including his helmet, which now had a long, deep scratch across the face. Had he not been wearing it, Zyn feared what little of his friend’s face would remain. Pushing such thoughts out of his head, he let go of the debris, which responded with a loud clatter of its own.
"Nice job," Wex groaned as Zyn helped him to his feet.
"I’m not a pilot," Zyn told him, earning a laugh.
"You’re not a Jedi, you’re not a pilot," Wex teased as they both gingerly walked away from the debris. “What are you then?”
“I wish I knew.”
Walking slowly to the edge of the wreck, Zyn helped lower his friend to the ground before joining him. Together, they surveyed the damage and laughed about how they’d survived against the odds. Before long, rescue crews began to show up and assess the situation, likely looking to Zyn for an explanation of what happened.