Lost in A Memory

[Barinthus E'ron]

Nearly ten minutes later Barinthus and his team were in position. He gave his comlink a quick double tap to alert Lieutenant Koflan. He received a single beep of acknowledgment, which he responded to with another tap of his comlink. Since Lieutenant Koflan's team consisted of nine Humans, a Wookiee, a Devaronian, and another Twi'lek, they couldn't move quite as fast as six Noghri and a Jedi master. Even with the gear on he moved with speed.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

When Lieutenant Koflan finally alerted Barinthus that his team was ready, he immediately signaled the Noghri attack, and dashed forward the last dozen meters. Pulling a stun blade out that would be able to knock out or kill with enough force. His touch on the white current was more then enough to cover the fast moving Noghri as they got into position.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

With the knee-deep snow pressing in on his lower legs and feet, Barinthus wasn't quite able to leap onto the roof of the command center. He was able to get high enough to pull himself up though. Three of the Noghri stopped at the base of the wall, and propelled their comrades up. Then the second three quickly reached down and helped pull the first three up. It was a practiced movement they had all done a million times and he remained still almost not breathing until he stood like a statue.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

While the Noghri were climbing up, Barinthus reached out with the Force, and made sure the guards in the observation post above him hadn't noticed them. They still didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything and were playing cards. That was a good thing compared to some and he was more then happy to take advantage. He could feel the other men moving about the place while the muted scents in the air came to him. Machine oils and fuel for keeping the heat going along with the scent of sweat and musk.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

The most important thing was to make sure they didn't get a distress call off. The problem was, Barinthus didn't know if the observation post could send one, or just the command center. That meant they had to take out the four Peace Brigaders in the observation post before they had a chance, just to be sure. He mentally prepared for the two possibilities, one of them calling in reinforcements and possibly killing the prisoners and two for them to succeed and keeping this under wraps until a check in failed.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

Barinthus and his twenty-four special-operation soldiers had arrived in system in an old converted passenger liner. It could easily hold twenty-five-hundred passengers. It couldn't land on this iceball though. They had two smaller transports that would ferry the prisoners to the passenger liner. One could carry close to two hundred people. Barinthus and his team had landed in a second transport that could carry up to forty people. The passenger liner and larger transport were hiding behind a moon three planets out.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

A few moments later, one of the Noghri was on the ladder, his hands on the hatch leading into the observation post. Barinthus was hanging off the side next to him. The hatch was locked, but it only had basic security. The Noghri had it unlocked in seconds. He glanced over to him, and Barinthus nodded his head in approval. Then the jedi padawan focused on the current and force to obscure them and focus on it.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

As he opened the hatch Barinthus squatted on the ladder in preparation. He had her blaster carbine in one hand and across his chest for the noghri, attached to his combat vest with a pair of straps. The carbine was specially modified so a plasma cutter could be attached to the underside of the barrel, as a bayonet. There was a switch just above the trigger that would ignite the torch. The moment the hatch was open, he leapt up and through it, igniting his lightsaber as he did and tossing the carbine to the noghri.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

The four guards must have thought they were receiving visitors or something. They stared at him dumbly as he slashed the nearest one across his midsection with his lightsaber. The other three Peace Brigaders' eyes went wide with shock as the shots rang out from the noghri into the second one, then Barinthus stabbed a third one in the heart.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

Before he could take out the fourth one, he dropped out of his chair with a hole in his chest from a blaster fired by a second Noghri coming up through the hatch. "Antenna!" Barinthus shouted as he hauled the Noghri the rest of the way up through the hatch and shoved him aside.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

He quickly jumped back down onto the roof of the command center. Another Noghri had already found the communications cable. Barinthus cut through it, and anything else that looked important. Then Barinthus let out a sigh of relief. At least now the frakkin' Peace Brigaders can't call for help. Now they had to get into the command center.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

Barinthus dropped back down onto the snowy ground, and was joined by the two demolitions troopers. They quickly began setting up their explosives on the command center's blast doors. The jedi padawan while they set up was sensing and searching inside to feel where they might be while he moved about with a gron on his face and the silvery blue saber was activated. The blade blending in with the snowy ground.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

A handful of seconds later, the bomb was ready. The two demolitions troopers announced it over the comlink as they stepped around to the side of the command center. Barinthus glanced around to make sure everyone else was out of the way, then joined them. He could sense nine or ten people inside, but none of them were near the doors. They were definitely alert, but none of them seemed to be panicked. Maybe they didn't know they were being attacked.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

The bomb exploded five seconds later. Barinthus and the two demolitions troopers went back to inspect the damage. There was a crater about thirty centimeters deep, and perhaps a meter across. The demolitions troopers quickly began setting up a bigger one. A smirk on his face while he went to try and obscure them but now there was no real use hiding. The prison was on alert but the communications were cut off as they moved about.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

Barinthus stepped over to check out the barracks' in the force and the people were stirring. The Peace Brigaders had to notice a bomb going off on their command center. The ones in the barracks should be coming out to see what was going on—probably with blasters firing away. The other troopers moved into positions to best breach and defend while keeping an area of fire.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

The barracks doors remained closed though. Barinthus was about to see how his demolitions troopers were doing when he saw the doors leading to the prisoners opening. Then she felt the prisoners inside start to get very worried. The small hiss of the air rushing in to the sealed rooms and the senses of the prisoners changed. He didn't fully know what to do while he moved to check but stopped briefly to think.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

It took Barinthus a moment to comprehend what was happening. The frakkin' Peace Brigaders are going to freeze the prisoners to death! Barinthus muttered a curse and rushed back to the command center blast doors. The two demolitions troopers had the second—bigger—bomb set. Before they could ignite it though, Barinthus's communications trooper commed him.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

She told him that someone inside the command center identifying himself as Captain Jakkobs was trying to talk to him. She also said that he was broadcasting over an open comlink, so they could all hear him. Barinthus thanked her, took a quick breathed to calm himself and then switched comm channels.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

"This is . . . Commander Barinthus of the Jedi order," he said over the comlink. He bit back a few more choice words. He didn't identify himself as a rank among the jedi either. They didn't need to know that right now. As he spoke, he reached out with the Force to get a feel for the people in the command center. They were mostly worried, and a little scared. None of them seemed to be on the verge of panicking though. That would have to change.

 

[Barinthus E'ron]

"I'm Captain Jakkobs of the Peace Brigade," a human sounding voice replied. "I assume you're here to free the prisoners. They'll start freezing to death in about ten minutes. You can try and save them, or continue attacking us. If you do choose to continue this attack, then I'll make sure as many of them die as possible."Barinthus could use the Force to block the cold from the entrance to the prison, but he knew he couldn't keep it in place long enough to ferry all the prisoners to the passenger liner—especially if the rest of the Peace