Lyran IV Incident

[Dolvan Galia]

It was nighttime in the main city when we landed The Grey Sentinel on Lyran IV. Getz was busy taking care of the arrangements for unloading in the morning while I was getting ready for some well deserved sleep. It was late and I was in charge of the flying this time. All because I lost that bet

. Pity. I went to the back of the ship and pulled out my bunk. Placing my trusty blaster on the bed, I got ready to sleep but just as I was about ready to close my eyes Getz came over.

"Early morning tomorrow. Earliest they'll be able to start unloading is 7:30."
"In five hours huh?" *sigh* "Couldn't you have done better?"
"You wanna negotiate with the farmers next time?"
"Nope."
"Then go to sleep!"

Getz clambered into his bunk.

"You know, I've been thinking."
"I don't see any smoke."
"Ha, ha. Very funny. I was going to say that those guys who ordered this delivery a bit, I dunno, sketchy?"
"They had the money

. That's all I care about."
"But don't you think that we should - "
"Don't ask questions and go to sleep Getz. Everything will be fine."

Getz settled down and reluctantly went to sleep. Why I'm still partnered with Captain Obvious is a mystery to me. Of course those guys were sketchy. No identifying marks on them to tell who they represent or their goals. The fact they were wearing all black wasn't helping matters any either. But it's not my job to ask questions. It's my job to get things from Point A to Point B without any trouble. That's it. Maybe I'm just worrying too much. Better just close my eyes and go to sleep. Everything should be fine in the morning.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

The Next Day

"Get up Dolvan. The farmers are already outside."

Groggily I rise from my bed and check my blaster. Still looks like it works.

*BANG BANG BANG*

"Open up in there. WE don't have all DAY!"

*sigh* This is gonna be a long day.

"Getz open the landing platform. I'll get everything ready over here."
"Sure 'bout that Dolvan?"
"Yes. Just let them in."

Getz chuckles as he goes over to the control panel. I push my bunk back in and head to the cargo bay, just past the spare bunks. This part's routine. Open the cargo bay, shuffle out the merchandise one box at a time. Repeat until done. Get paid. Resupply. Leave. Profit. That kind of thing. Helps you get past the fact there is 50 TONS of stuff to move. *sigh* Better get started. Heh, even the boxes they wanted us to move are sketchy, just plain black. No symbols, no identifiable tech sticking out. None at all.

"Get a move on Dolvan!"
"Quit complaining. I can't yell at you and move crates at the same time!"

We've always argued, even since we first left Corellia but I still wouldn't call him a friend. He wouldn't call me that. We're acquaintances. Business Partners. I continued to shift the crates out to the front, maneuvering closer to the cargo bay controls. I finally got there in about an hour.

"Opening the back hatch!"
"Finally! We're aging back here!"

The other workers laugh at his comment. That's another thing. He's the face of our little group, I'm the muscle. It's a good system and its always been able to get us a job no matter what. I head over to the back to start shuffling out cargo that way.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the sun begins to set our group looks over the work left to be done.

*whew* "Almost done here."
"Just 20 more tons to go."
"Don't you think we should rest Dolvan?"
"Well we should - "
"We didn't break for lunch Dolvan. We're starving over here. The rest will still be there after we eat."
"But we - "
"We're taking a break. You can work alone if you want or you can eat. Your choice."

The other workers are dispersing to get some food. I turned to Getz ready to continue our argument.

*grumble*

"Uhhhhh."
"Come on Dolvan. Lets get us some food."
"Ok." *GRUMBLE* "I'm sure everything will be fine once we resume working tomorrow."

I close the ship up and head off with Getz. Some things never change.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

The Next Day

We made our way back to the ship to finish unloading the cargo. Opening the back hatch, I checked inside. Nothing seemed to be out of place. So we continued were we left off the previous day, unloading crate after crate. The process was slower than yesterday, everyone's muscles were sore. I realized why the people of Lyran IV needed these mechanical parts. It wasn't until slightly after mid-day that we finished unloading the parts. Getz was negotiating with the foreman about out pay.

"Hey Dolvan, get over here."

I went over to Getz and the Foreman.

"The Foreman here wants to do a final sweep of the parts."
"Doesn't he realize we can't get any of them open?"
"I told him that. So he just wants to make sure he's paying for what he's getting."

*sigh*

"Alright. Fine. Lets get going."

We joined the workers already counting the creates and began counting. Crate by crate, hour by hour, we were counting. It was only a few hours later that Getz came over to me.

"Hey Dolvan. I keep hearing something strange while I'm counting."
"What are you hearing this time."
"For the last time I am not crazy. I keep hearing a faint ticking noise among the boxes and I just can't take it any more!"
"So what does this have to do with me?"
"I need you to help me find it."
"What. Why?"
"None of the other workers believed me. And it might mean something tampered with our shipment."

My eyes widen at the thought. If someone tampered with our shipment, we won't get as much money.

"Fine. Lets go look for this ticking thing."

I follow him to the other side of the mess of crates. At first I hear nothing and was about to bring it up when suddenly, I began to hear it.

*TICK .....TICK ......TICK*

My head tilts forward as I try to find its source. Getz looks at me. He hears it to.

"Sounds like its coming from over here."

I continue following him. The sound gets louder.

*TICK ...... TICK ....... TICK*

"We're getting closer."

*TICK .....TICK .....TICK*

"It's right over here!"

We're both running now, the frantic hunt about to give fruit. By now the other workers see us heading towards a few crates and start coming towards us.

*TICK ...TICK ...TICK*

"Why is this crate ticking?"

The foreman is now heading towards us yelling something, I couldn't tell. I was too interested in the ticking crate. I crouch down trying to see how it was tampered. I see a small crack near the top. I gingerly try to put my fingers into the crack when -

*TICK .TICK . TICK*

"What the --- Wait a minute ..."

I fly to my feet.

"Everyone run away its a bomb!"

I sprint away, jumping over crates in an attempt to distance myself from the bomb. Getz runs in a different direction warning the other workers. I open my mouth to yell at him.

"Getz. Move faster the bomb is about to -"

BOOOOOM

 

[Dolvan Galia]

My eyes open. First thing I see is the ground. Smoke seers my nostrils and I can barely hear anything beyond a high pitch ringing sound. Pain radiates all round my body as I struggle to my feet. Knees wobble a bit but I remain standing. I search my surroundings. The bomb was powerful. A sizable crater is in the ground behind me where the crate was and some workers are groggily stumbling to their feet. I search for Getz. My eyes have trouble focusing at first but I shake my head a few times to refocus. Seems to do the trick. My head swimming, I quickly find his body partially obscured by an overturned crate. I quickly shamble over to him. Well... as fast as one can shamble after being close to an explosion.

"Getz. You alright?"

I struggle to move the crate. Can't focus enough to use the Force to help me.

"Groan once if you can hear me, twice if ya can't"

I finally shift the crate away from his body.

"Getz can't you --- Oh....oh God!"

Struggling to hold my composure I turn away, desperately trying to focus on something else. It was Getz alright. The amount of blood emanating from him in pulses wasn't healthy. Nor were the pieces of twisted metal in neck and face. I was lightly convulsing when it finally dawned on me that he was dead. My body just wanted to curl up and vomit in disgust and pain but my brain wouldn't, couldn't allow it. It wouldn't bring him back. I was so focused on Getz that I couldn't focus on anything else. Then another loud noise shocked me back to reality. I turned to its source to find another fireball. More explosives?! My mind races. I try to think but couldn't focus. Another explosion, more men flung about like rag dolls. My mind finally snaps back into focus as one thought courses through my mind. Run. And I did. Searching for the ship, I run through the maze of crates, desperately avoiding anything box-shaped. Another explosion rocks the grounds. Instinctively I turn to see the source of the detonation when something hits me. Hard.

Blackout.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

Pain. It dominates my thoughts as I come to, dominating everything else. Sound, sight, taste,smell. As my vision struggles to focus, I begin to realize my right eye can't see. Through my left eye I can see the ground again but covered in red. I put my hand to the right side of my face as I struggle to my feet. My breath comes in fits and my body radiates pain, but my face feels like it's on fire. I check my hand. Red. On my feet now I search for The Grey Sentinel. I need to leave Lyran IV. The authorities will try to stop me. They'll have questions. So do I. I just don't have the answers. For anyone. If they detain me here, whoever did this will fade into the background, possibly to plan similar attacks.

*cough**cough**hack*

I'm coughing up blood. Just a little bit, but enough to have me worried. At least I would be if the effort didn't send spasms of pain coursing through my body.

I...Must...Live...

I...Must...Survive...

My thoughts are slowing down. I barely register the stomping of boots in the distance. Probably local militia. Need to run. Need to hide. I'm now desperately scanning my surroundings looking for my ship.

Searching.

Searching.

The sound of boots is growing louder.

Searching.

I squint my eyes, blink my eyes to refocus them.

...

...

!

That's it!. Shambling as fast as I can, I head for my ship.

"You there! Stop where you are!"

Chit. The militia. Either they're more efficient then I thought or I'm just slow.

"Don't make us shoot!"

My running shamble has turned into a sprint. I can't let them catch me.

I get closer and closer to the ship.

100 feet

...

90 feet

...

75 feet

...

50 feet

...

I'm almost there. Just a little bit further.

"Alrighty boys! Ready!"

My breath is getting ragged. 35 feet.

"Aim!"

My mind is racing, just like my legs. I'm so close I can almost feel it. 25 feet.

..... The Militia Captain hesitates for a moment, looking around before:

"Fire at will!"

10 feet

The militia opens fire in my general direction.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

Most of the laser fire scattered around me but one hit me in the calf. I nearly stumble to the ground as I register the pain. Sensing their kill, the militia break rank, charging towards me to capture me before I recover. Sweat drips down my face as I try to struggle to my feet when I notice the oncoming militia. Panting, I slowly raise my self to my feet and ready my blaster. Aiming at the front runners, I take a shot.

It goes wild. I'm not used to aiming with my left eye. I don't have time. I calm myself down as much as I can, fix my stance and take aim again. My hand shakes slightly so I steady it with my other hand. Control my breathing, concentrate... fire. Aiming again at the front runner, I take a second shot, this time glancing the fastest runner in the lower leg. Not enough to disable his leg but it provided enough shock to send him toppling to the ground. Two men were catching up to him, one trips over the first guy but the other nimbly leaps over the two, barreling towards me. He means to fight.

Holstering my blaster I ready my fists. He hits me like a freight train, starting the bout by slamming his foot into my wounded leg. I buckle under the hit but remain standing. A swift right hook impacts my lower ribs, nearly sending me off balance. I need to fight back. I swiftly block his left jab and strike his face with a strong right punch followed by a left hook to the ribs. Neatly blocking the hook, he flanks me and delivers another devastating blow to my blaster wound. Roaring with pain I elbow his temple hoping to knock him back. The man staggers backwards towards my ship clutching his hand to his head. I ready to take him down. First a left kick to his knee to get him off balance, he is still too dazed to block it. I prepare a punch to his torso but I'm interrupted by blaster fire hitting my ship. I turn to the rest of the militia to see them helping up the first two guards men and steadily advancing. My breath is still coming in ragged gasps and my stamina is swiftly draining. I need to end this quickly.

The militia man disrupts my thoughts with a punch to my face, knocking me backwards. I shake my head to refocus but didn't see his follow-up jab to my arm. Grabbing my arm he twists it forward. I feel my right arm cracking with the strain. Without thinking I take hit him with my free hand, loosening his grip. Taking advantage of this opening I savagely strike his elbow with my palm, freeing my right arm. Without thinking I remove my blaster from its holster and prime it, a desperate plan frantically forming in my head. With another savage hit to his forehead, I get myself in up close and place the barrel of my pistol under his chin, angled upward. Instinctively I pull the trigger.

*pew*

The force of the blaster bolt knocks the man off his feet and plants his lifeless body on his back. I didn't register the reactions of the other militia, I was too busy getting into my ship. Securing the ship, I get into the cockpit frantically going through the preparation checklist. I desperately needed to get my ship airborne. The militia surely called for backup and I wasn't prepared to fight them. The engine roars to life as I ready the ship for take off. Blaster fire rattles the hull. I activate the shields and the rattling stops. As soon as The Grey Sentinel is ready, I lift off the shattered landing facilities. As I'm leaving the planet's atmosphere I'm preparing the hyper-drive coordinates.

"I have only one place I can go at a time like this."

I'm now thinking aloud to myself, not a good sign at this point. I input a memorized flight plan into the hyper-drive system, Point Alpha. Now I just have to wait for the hyper-drive to warm up and survive whatever heads my way.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

As the hyper-drive begins to warm up, I run a scan of the area around me. I wait impatiently for the scan to pick up something. It doesn't detect anything of interest in the vicinity of the ship, but I just can't trust the results for some reason. I left the surface in such a hurry and made a lot of noise. I look nervously around me. The hyper-drive slowly warms up. I compulsively run scans of the area, just to be safe.

10%

20%

Still nothing shows up on the scans.

30%

40%

The pain must be interfering with my vision, or my mind, or maybe both. The authorities must already know I've left the surface and are getting a search party ready. They'll need me alive but at this point I don't think they would care. I killed a man.

50%

60%

Just thinking about it makes me feel sick to my stomach. With my two hands I killed a man down there. My hands are shaking. I struggle to take my mind off the incident. I've gotta focus on getting out of the system. I need to get back to Point Alpha.

70%

Finally my vision breaks free from the pain and focuses on the scan results. Must have done ten or fifteen in the past hour. With a relatively refreshed mind, I look over the results and find... no anomalies. None of the scans have any detectable defects or strange energy signatures. They really do show that nothing is or was following me. Astonished, I check the most recent scan and find the same results. My cheeks flush red with embarrassment as I think of how distrusting I was of the data just a few minutes ago. I settle down in my chair humbled and wait for the hyper-drive to finish preparing.

80%

90%

With the hyper-drive almost ready I run one final scan. Still nothing. I relax and let out an audible sigh, my palms wet with sweat. I've actually gotten away. The government on Lyran IV hasn't scrambled any ships and I escaped the surface militia. I must be a very lucky man given the circumstances. But then I begin to worry. Why aren't they attempting to follow me into space? Sweat beads on my forehead as I begin to imagine the worst when suddenly it hit me. Why would they waste time hunting me down when a major landing area in the main city has been severely damaged by explosives? While the worry doesn't leave my mind, I calm down and wait for the hyper-drive.

100%...Ready to activate.

With the hyper-drive ready I quickly activate it. The stars wizz past me as the ship reaches hyper-speed. It'll be some time until I reach Point Alpha. Now I can relax and check up on the extent of my wounds. I hope it's not too bad.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

I urgently move to a mirror, needing to examine my wounds. Looking first at my leg, I see that it is easily fixed. A single blaster wound could be easily repaired with the assistance of bacta. Moving to the other wounds, I found similar results, mainly bruises from the militia man's hits, though through my breathing I realized that a few ribs might be cracked. More bacta. Chit, this is going to be costly.

Finally I look directly into the mirror. What I saw staring back at me frightened me a little. My right eye was completely destroyed, the remains coated in a thick scab. The entire right side of my face was also scabbed up and almost made me shudder how bad the wounds underneath must be. Casually I look over to the nearby med-kit I always kept for emergencies. I didn't remember how much bacta I regularly kept there but realized quickly that it wouldn't be enough to fully heal every wound.

*long sigh*

How tedious.

I gather the bacta and begin the manually inject it close to some of the wounds, starting with the leg, and then working my way up. The pain begins to dissipate at the bacta slowly circulates throughout my body. While my body begins to heal with the assistance of the bacta, I realize I need to hide my face, just in case word of the Lyran IV incident brings undue attention to myself. Then I remember something. When I left Corellia, I took a set of old family heirlooms with me. I don't remember how I managed to convince my father to let me take them but somehow he did.

Going over to a small trunk under my bunk, I get on my knees an open it. It wasn't the first time I did so but the first under these circumstances. The heirlooms I took belong to an old Galia ancestor of mine, though I can't remember his name. This ancestor was alive during the Four Hundred Year Darkness and was a notable force-user, though no doubt relegated to a footnote in history by now if anything. Either way, his old mask robe and cloak survive to the modern day, though the robe and cloak may be family replicas. Whatever the case I slowly remove my tattered clothes and don my ancestor's gear. Placing the mask over my scarring face, I rise and turn to the mirror one last time and see my new appearance. Satisfied, I return to my seat at the controls, waiting for my arrival at Point Alpha.

 

[Dolvan Galia]

*accidental double post*
I urgently move to a mirror, needing to examine my wounds. Looking first at my leg, I see that it is easily fixed. A single blaster wound could be easily repaired with the assistance of bacta. Moving to the other wounds, I found similar results, mainly bruises from the militia man's hits, though through my breathing I realized that a few ribs might be cracked. More bacta. Chit, this is going to be costly.

Finally I look directly into the mirror. What I saw staring back at me frightened me a little. My right eye was completely destroyed, the remains coated in a thick scab. The entire right side of my face was also scabbed up and almost made me shudder how bad the wounds underneath must be. Casually I look over to the nearby med-kit I always kept for emergencies. I didn't remember how much bacta I regularly kept there but realized quickly that it wouldn't be enough to fully heal every wound.

*long sigh*

How tedious.

I gather the bacta and begin the manually inject it close to some of the wounds, starting with the leg, and then working my way up. The pain begins to dissipate at the bacta slowly circulates throughout my body. While my body begins to heal with the assistance of the bacta, I realize I need to hide my face, just in case word of the Lyran IV incident brings undue attention to myself. Then I remember something. When I left Corellia, I took a set of old family heirlooms with me. I don't remember how I managed to convince my father to let me take them but somehow he did.

Going over to a small trunk under my bunk, I get on my knees an open it. It wasn't the first time I did so but the first under these circumstances. The heirlooms I took belong to an old Galia ancestor of mine, though I can't remember his name. This ancestor was alive during the Four Hundred Year Darkness and was a notable force-user, though no doubt relegated to a footnote in history by now if anything. Either way, his old mask robe and cloak survive to the modern day, though the robe and cloak may be family replicas. Whatever the case I slowly remove my tattered clothes and don my ancestor's gear. Placing the mask over my scarring face, I rise and turn to the mirror one last time and see my new appearance. Satisfied, I return to my seat at the controls, waiting for my arrival at Point Alpha. *accidental double post*

 

[Dolvan Galia]

As The Grey Sentinel came out of hyper-space, I saw the "Eldest" come into view, Corellia. My Home. It's been several years since I last saw it. I had hoped to never see it again, but then again, I HAD hoped to keep my body mostly intact and it's clear how well that worked out. Seeing the planet again reminded me of my father, Dakarus Galia. Difficult at times to deal with an a harsh disciplinarian, he always worked hard at whatever he did, he didn't approve of me leaving Corellia with Josiah Getz. But at this moment, he was the only one I knew how would be able to help me.

My goal now is not to hunt down those who did this to me. That would be impossible. There are too many variables to consider, too many unknowns. No, I goal is to simply get stronger, finding adventure wherever the solar winds take me. The stronger I get, the more likely they will come to me. ... Or not.

My father is the only one I trust at this point to give me the information I need to begin my journey towards power. Old knowledge from the Four Hundred Year Darkness connected to the ancestor whose mask I wear now. While I don't believe it to be very powerful knowledge, it will work for my purposes at this, the beginning.

While I dread an encounter with Dakarus, I set course for Coronet, the planetary capital, and hoped for the best.

"...and while the events on Lyran IV were a defining point in my life, shifting the focus of my efforts from money to power, I realized long after the fact that it was the end of the old, the same, the routine, and opened the way to a realm of uncertainty. After reaching Corellia, the first thing I remember was ..."
-Memoirs of the Galaxy --- Dolvan Galia

 

[Dolvan Galia]

OOC: This marks the end of Dolvan Galia's participation in this thread. I encourage people to write reactions to the events of the Incident. This was my first posting thread, I hope everyone enjoyed it the best they could. In order to improve my creative abilities in Chaos, if anyone wishes to give me any feedback/constructive criticism/tips/tricks/etc. it would be welcomed. Note: I already know that I have problems with regards to spelling, grammar, proofreading, and the incident with the accidental double posting. I am working on that, but if they severely interfered with the understanding of any of these posts, I apologize. I look forward to continued participation in Chaos. Help finding other threads to contribute too would also be helpful as a new writer. Thank you for reading.