Garic and a band of rebels must go for a big

prize...4 Billion Credits. Unfortunately, the

Imperials and others want it too.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of original fan

fiction based on characters and situations

created by George Lucas and copyrighted to

Lucasfilm, Ltd. The intent of this work is for

entertainment and is not intended to garner

payment in any form.

Copyright(c)1998.

The author would like to thank Julie Hammond for

helping me beta-test and work through several

plotpoints. Without her help this story wouldn't

be anywhere near the quality it is (whatever that

may be 8^I )and all mistakes herein are the

authors.

Comments are welcomed at garic@electricrain.com.

Visit the Garic Starr Homepage at

http://www.electricrain.com/garic/

Imperial Munitions Factory

The hum of turbines was a constant. The

air was hot, stale and humid, tasting slightly

of sweat and ozone. Only the red glow of backup

lights and the occasional flashing of a warning

signal spotted the dark hallways. Workers moved

about sporadically, going from one task to

another. I slipped out of the air duct, landing

unnoticed onto the plasticrete floor. With a tug

of my towline, my backpack fell into my arms.

I retreated into the factory's darkness, pulling

a datapad out of my grungy worker's overalls.

With a few taps of the keys, a rough floorplan

popped up. I was right where I needed to be. For

a slapped together organization, these guys were

good. I crouched behind a generator and opened

my backpack.

I placed the dozen or so explosives on the ground

as I gathered up my headset, adjusting the

earphones. Comfortable with the headset, I

plugged the jack into the scrambler. The

scrambler was a simple way of securing a radio

transmission; it randomly changed frequencies,

garbling the transmissions so only another

scramble set at the same parameters could

receive the message correctly. I could hear the

low static of the transmitter.

"This is Bantha Three calling the Herd. Over," I

whispered into the microphone.

"Enough with the code words, Lieutenant. I copy."

Senna said sarcastically.

Lieutenant Starr. I still hadn't gotten used to

being called Lieutenant. I've never had a rank

before. I'd been a Captain most of my life, but

that was just a title, not a rank. Weird how life

takes you in unlikely directions. A year ago I

was a free wheeling smuggler. Today, I'm a

Lieutenant in the Rebellion in a covert operation

against an Imperial factory. Who knows what will

happen tomorrow?

"Alright Three, off to your right should be a

door." I gathered my explosives and picked up my

pack. Sure enough, there was the door. It was

thick and had warning signs all over it. I

punched in an access code and as the door slid

open the rush of heat hit me like a slap to the

face. The roar of machinery was deafening.

The room was lit bright orange as molten rock

passed through the room into massive

autoproccessing machinery. The machines processed

the rock, removing important elements, using them

to fuel the plant. The heat was unbearable as

steam released in a harsh whistle of energy. Sweat

stung my eyes as the heat radiated throughout the

room. I rushed across the room towards a door on

the far side. It opened as I approached; abruptly

sliding shut behind me sealing out the loud noise.

"...dangerously high temperature." The voice

crackled in my earpiece.

"Come again, Zero." I asked, pressing the

headphone against my ear to eliminate any

residual noise.

"Be careful entering through that door. It's the

autoprocessing area and the room has a

dangerously high temperature."

"Well, I'm now medium rare. Gotta tell me faster

than that, Senna."

"You're definitely rare, Three. You should be in

a decontamination area. The control room is on

the other side of the door." With a quick slap

the thick door opened.

The room was filled with monitors and computers.

Lights flickered, gauges blinked. The room was

empty but I could see a steaming cup of coffee

still sitting on the console.

"Stand-by, Zero." I cautiously examined the

displays when a voice caught me off guard.

"Hold it! Don't move." The metallic voice wavered

slightly. Probably a techie with little or no

combat experience in his first confrontation.

"You're not supposed to be in here. Let me see

some identification."

I patted my overalls down pretending to look for

my work badge.

"I...um...seemed to have misplaced it. I was just

looking for..."With a flash I grabbed the

steaming cup, throwing it into the young man's

face. Rolling off to the side, I dodged his

weakly aimed shot as the cup bounced off his

face with a sick thud. Two quick elbows to his

mid-section made him buckle. Collapsing to one

knee, he panted loudly, desperately trying to

replace the wind I had knocked out of him.

"What's the matter, three?" Senna's voice echoed

in my ear.

I took a step forward, grabbing him by his

starched collar. His recovery was quick and

unexpected as he smashed his head into mine. The

flash of pain took a second to shake off.

"Status, Three!" Senna was frantic. As my vision

returned, the tech was already getting his focus.

Grabbing me by the throat he squeezed. I gagged

and coughed, still trying to focus all the little

stars in my head from the headbutt.

"I'm...a little...preoccupied...be right...with

...you!" I felt guilty doing it, but with a quick

jerk of my arm, I connected with the Imperial's

crotch. With a stifled squeal he let go. I

gasped deeply.

He ran for the console, desperately trying to

slap at the alarm. I lurched after him, grabbing

him by his belt. I pulled him away from any

buttons, whipping him across the room, against

the blast door.

I grabbed for my gun, dangling from a shoulder,

with blinding speed. I fired a shot as the door

behind him slid opened. The blaster bolts sailed

over his head as he dropped into the inferno.

Without warning, the door shut behind him and I

blasted the door controls, sealing off my exit.

"Stand by, Zero." I ran to the viewport on the

blast door. As I pressed my face to the

plexisteel,I could see the tech stumble through

the heat, out the other door.

"Shit! Zero, this is Three. We have a breech.

Expect company."

"Copy. We'll need to hustle then. You okay?"

"Yeah." I said dejectedly. I was pissed at myself

for letting the tech get away. I rubbed my throat

absently. "Where do I go?"

"The door on the far end. Use it."

Looking around the room I opened the door,

running out into the hall.

"Second door to your left should be your objective,

Three." I jerked on each door I passed making sure

they were locked tight. No need getting surprised

at the least opportune moment.

I scanned the hallway as I pulled out my compact

ion cannon. It was the size of a sporting blaster

and easily hidden. With a quick snap of an ion

pulse, the second door opened.

The ominous hum and vibration chilled me. The

power coursing through the room was almost

palpable. Eight massive cylinders filled the

room. Each an immense battery that kept the

station online in emergency situations.

"Zero. I'm in." I slipped of the hefty backpack,

resting it gently against one of the immense

batteries. I reached into the sack, pulling out

a small detonite charge.

It was a simple yet highly explosive device.

One charge could level several hundred meters.

With the malleable putty bottom, I secured the

explosive to one of the batteries. I set the

ignition for remote detonation by fingering a

few keys on the small console. I repeated the

procedure for the seven remaining batteries,

placing each gingerly onto the metallic shell.

Sweat stung my eyes as the temperature

inexplicably rose with each timer set.

"Mission accomplished, Zero. Loaded and ready.

Confirm." The charges were now set on a remote

control to be detonated after the team was safely

away onboard the transport ship.

"Confirmation a go. Good work, Three. Meet up the

team and get out of there." Senna's voice dropped

its official tone and seemed concerned.

"What is it, Senna?" Tension filled my neck,

tightening my jaw. Something was bothering her.

"Nothing, Lieutenant. Really." She was lying. It

quivered in her voice.

"This isn't the time to keep things to yourself.

Give it up."

"Just a realization. I picked up the transmitters

from the detonite..."

"Then everything's a go. What's wrong?" I relaxed

a little knowing that the bombs were out of my

control.

"With all the detonite in this place...I'm just

worried about you guys."

I smiled slightly. Senna was the medic for the

squad and in maternal mode. A young, gentle

woman, she had a tendency to mother us a little

too much at times. She was simply concerned about

us and that made me feel at ease.

"Just be at the pickup point and there won't be

anything to worry about."

"I copy, Three. As ordered, going to radio

silence. You're on your own now. Good luck."

"Luck is for people who don't know what there

doing," I quipped.

"You're the luckiest man in the universe then."

"Shut up and relax...It's me." I heard a brief

chuckle from Senna. "That's an order. Three out."

"Yes, sir!" I turned off the comlink and picked

up the backpack. It was considerably lighter as

I slung it over my shoulder, opening the hallway

door.

The factory hallways were eerily silent as I

raced to the rendezvous area. The dim ceiling

lights made sinister shadows as I walked into the

main disposal unit. The smell was overpowering

and for a second I had a flashback to the Last

Call back on Korbin. The bodies and vermin still

haunted me even now.

I swallowed hard, forcing the horror from my

mind. Standing alone at the far side stood the

teams demolitions expert, Azael. He turned

quickly, startled by my presence. He turned back

to set the last charge and then approached me.

With a wave of his hands and an "all clear"

signal, he smiled widely. Azael was also our

communications technician. The ironic part was

Azael was stone deaf. Couldn't hear a hyperdrive

explode in a bantha stampede. But unlike the

Empire, the Rebellion realized his immense

talents in demolition and anything electrical

surpassed any disability he may have. His shaggy

blond hair and boyish face hid all the dangerous

talents he had.

With a thumbs up I gestured back to him, telling

him everything was on schedule. It hadn't taken

me long to learn his hand signals and I could

always get him to laugh when I didn't know a w

ord by simply making something up. Usually on

the vulgar side.

Wildly, he jerked his hands in his code and I

laughed. He was wishing his nose didn't work

right either. The smell could really get to you.

"Aw, man. What are we doing?" I asked aloud.

"This is beyond sick."

The large door creaked open as our Recon/Intell

specialist made his way in. Rell Jarth was a

quiet man, kept to himself. Perfect for recon

since he'd spend days by himself, scouting out

the area so our team could sneak in. He had

covered the plant a full two weeks in advance

and his information was as accurate as the

contractors that built it. His plain face and

dark hair made him look like half the humans in

the galaxy. If it needed to be scouted, Rell was

the man.

"Any problems?" I asked.

"Nope." One-syllable responses were not uncommon

for Rell. "You?"

"Well I'm pretty sure we've been compromised so

we better get out of here. Bombs in place?"

"Yep." He didn't even look up as he peered into

his backpack looking for some unknown item.

"Soon as the captain gets here we're gone." I

reached over to Azael, tapping his shoulder. He

turned and with a few gestures I asked him if

the escape route was secure. With a bolt, he

jumped over trash and waste to the center of the

unit. With a wave of his arm for help, he reached

into the muck and yanked hard. I quickly joined

him, I could feel a grate underneath the sludge,

and the goop drained into the large hole in the

floor. The gas and fumes made my eyes water as I

feebly smiled at Azael.

"Things get better all the time."

Alarms rang out. Lights out in the hallway

flashed a warning. I shot a glance at Rell who

ran to the door to see what was happening.

"What...?" I tried to ask, but within seconds I

got my answer. Racing into the garbage and filth,

our fearless leader, Captain Denton Parnet turned

to fire at his pursuers.

"We're out of here boys. I've got half dozen

whiteheads in tow. Let's call it a night,

gentleman." He ran straight past us, jumping

feet first into the dark hole we had just

uncovered.

Without thinking, I pushed Azael after the

Captain, as I pulled out my blaster to cover

Rell's escape. He ran forward with astounding

grace I as trudged through more trash. Without a

word he disappeared into the opening.

I made it to within a few feet of the shaft when

laser fire erupted around me. I lunged forward,

landing face first into the smelly garbage.

Gagging and firing at the same time, I flopped

desperately to the drainage tube. Like a Ronto

trapped in a tar pit, I moved brutally slow. A

laser caught my backpack, missing my body by

millimeters. I twirled, landing inches from the

hole. I pulled myself in headfirst as more

lasers rained down on me. One caught the heel of

my boot, shearing it right off. I fell

ungracefully forward, several meters with a

splash below.

Arms grabbed me out of the shallow water. I

sputtered and choked as I gasped the foul air.

"You okay, Garic?" Denton supported me with an

arm while Azael held me up with the other.

"Never felt better, Sir. And you? How are you

feeling? We don't talk as much as we should." I

said mockingly. It was kind of awkward for me to

call him Sir. He was only a year older than my

own thirty years, but had been in the rebellion

for at least the last five. He'd seen his share

of war. But he still kept his sense of humor. He

was a Corellian after all.

"Smart-ass." Azael put his hands up to alert us

and we stood back. He held a small transmitter

in his left hand. He pressed a few buttons. The

ceiling rumbled and shook. The explosive he had

set in the midst of the trash blasted the room

apart, covering the hole and sealing off our

escape. Azael smiled, his wet matted hair in his

face as he tapped his index finger to his temple.

"You're right. Smart thinking." Azael nodded

proudly. Never underestimate anyone. The one

lesson Azael taught me again and again.

Water dripped and the sound of rain was

deafening. Between the falling water and several

overflow valves turning on and off to regulate

the flow, you couldn't hear a thing, not that

Azael could anyway. Our small group made pretty

good time through the maze of tunnels. Rell led

us through, with a small map he had created from

an earlier mission. The tunnel was a few meters

taller than anyone in the squad and was fairly

wide across, but when we arrived at the central

junction I was overwhelmed by the shear size.

It was as if a huge warehouse had been buried

and all the pipes came to this one point. Dirty

water flowed from pipes at every level. The

walls went for several meters in both

directions. The pipe we came to jutted out a

few feet, then abruptly stopped.

Below was the brownest, chunkiest water I had

ever seen. This mission was really beginning to

irritate me. As were my boots that squished with

who knows what in them.

"Looks like we jump." Denton announced. Rell,

without hesitating, leapt off the thick pipe

into the muck thirty meters below. There wasn't

a splash but more of a plop, like he had landed

in mud.

"It's a dirty job but..." Denton started.

"And how long have you been waiting to say that?"

I asked sarcastically. Denton smirked and

shrugged. Azael started to look a little shaky.

I signaled for him to jump but he shook his head.

"What is it? Let's go." I ordered him with a

series of hand movements. He returned with one

simple motion. His index finger proudly extended.

"Hate to do this to him," Denton curled a

discouraged smiled and I nodded. We both knew

what had to happen. Azael looked in terror as

the Captain and I grabbed an arm. Without a word,

we flung the soldier off the pipe.

"He's not going to be happy when we get back."

Denton smiled.

"He can hate us later." We laughed together. This

outfit wasn't the worst group I'd ever worked

with. A real loose bunch that looked out for one

another. Not something I was used to.

"After you, Sir." I flipped him a short salute.

He returned it as he ran off the end of the pipe

with a childlike whoop. Damn fool.

I held my nose and hopped off into the dirty air.

The fall was short and sweet. The water wasn't.

Rell had already made his way to the outlet pipe

and was helping Azael onto the lip of the giant

shaft. Denton was paddling ahead of me. The

syrupy water made swimming a little difficult

but the current was helping my progress. Rell

and Denton extended a hand to gather me up when

a barrage of lasers exploded around us.

Azael was the first to respond. With the honed

accuracy of a stationball pitcher he hurled a

grenade at the small group of stormtroopers

making their way across a maintenance catwalk

above us. The blast caught two of the troopers

dead on. The catwalk wailed as it collapsed

girders, shrapnel falling into the quagmire. Muck

and refuse splattered as I reached up for help.

Rell and Denton yanked me up as another volley

fired down on us.

"We take this overflow pipe." Rell said as he

helped Azael into the duct. The water in this

pipe was much thinner and moved much quicker.

Denton covered me as I stepped into the pipe.

Like a flush of a toilet, we raced down the

waterway, the surge taking us down the drain. We

zipped down the tubes, the darkness the only

thing keeping the fear of what we were actually

doing at bay.

Again we landed with a splash, albeit a thinner

splash than before, into another cesspool.

Rell lifted his head from the sewage, gasping

heavily. Azael put his hand on my shoulder for

support as we headed to the small opening ahead

of us about a hundred meters away.

"I'm going to have to take antibiotics for a

year." I complained. " You sure know how to show

a friend a good time, Rell? Next time lets just

have a few beers in the officers lounge."

"Sure," he replied without looking my way. He was

eerie that way.

"Cut the chatter, Lieutenant. Save it for the

other side." Denton was usually not this rigid.

Something was bothering him.

"Aye, sir." I replied. Something had his attention

and I didn't want to distract him.

Azael was struggling towards the small grating

Rell had already arrived at. With his plasma

cutters working rapidly, he was melting through

the lattice easily. Azael reached Rell as he

finished carving out an escape route. I pushed

my way toward Azael as he climbed up through the

grate. Denton passed ahead of me waiting for

Azael to finish his climb.

It came suddenly. It was as if a rope had wrapped

around my leg. I was yanked under the polluted

soup, flailing and choking on contaminated water.

I could hear the muffled splashing but my

visibility was going as I was hauled deeper into

the murk.

"Lieutenant!" Rell screamed. I looked up,

watching the ripples and bubbles fade. Azael

flopped up to safety, unaware of anything.

The large tentacle released momentarily and I

used the hesitation to reach for the surface.

A roar escaped my lungs as I came out of the

churning water, painfully gasping for air. Again

the tentacle found its grip and latched around

my neck, effectively cutting off my airflow.

"Friggin, Dianoga!" Denton yelled as he grabbed

the plasma welder out of Rell's hand and dove in

the muck towards the creature. In my blurred

sight, black dots appeared and I knew I was going

to pass out. As Denton approached, one of its

sticky limbs curled around my leg, drawing me

closer. Denton turned the plasma cutter on,

waving it under the water, severing the tentacle

attached to me.

With a howl of pain so loud it made my head ache,

I was hurled out of the water as the massive

creature released me. Guess it decided that I

wasn't a meal worth dying over. I sailed through

the air, actually skipping on the water twice as

I landed near Azael and Rell. I just lay there

for a moment as the Captain swam near. I sat

near the grate for a second, trying to catch my

breath.

"This place really sucks." I huffed.

"You think?"

" I thought you found a new girlfriend." I joked,

signaling I was okay.

"Mine aren't that ugly." He smiled.

"Remember that one on Galltine? She was a hutt."

I grinned widely. Azael gently put his hand on

Denton's shoulder for comfort as he nodded in

agreement.

"Okay. I'll give you that one." He pulled

himself up, looking out the grating into the

night sky. In the distance an old modified

freighter appeared in view. It passed overhead

and then turned a half turn, descending in front

of the outtake valve, a meter or so above it,

with it's bright floodlights glaring us down.

"There's our ride. Let's get out of here." The

landing ramp lowered and four tow cables snaked

there way down to greet us. Rell clipped us all

in and we slowly rose into the belly of the

freighter. Rell tossed a grenade into the pipe

then allowed himself to be hoisted up as well.

Fire and shrapnel blew out the pipe, sealing it

off with a rumble of rock and smoke.

The freighter wasn't as nice as I was used to

but I raced to the cockpit, greeting Senna as I

sat in the pilot's chair.

"You smell like shit." She said behind a scowl.

Her long blonde hair flowed over the back of the

seat nearly touching the floor.

"Nice to see you too." I leaned over to plant a

kiss on her but she slapped me playfully away.

She was a pretty backwoods planet girl. Not

gorgeous but well above average. I'd been hitting

on her for over three months but she was a tough

nut to crack. Too serious about fighting the good

fight. But over the last month or so she'd begun

to loosen up.

"That's disgusting. You need a shower, bad."

"Maybe you'd like to join me after this is all

said and done." I pulled back on the controls,

racing toward the sky.

"Don't hold you're breath, Starr." She said

flatly.

"Have to or the smell will kill me." We both

laughed as I pointed to the massive plant below

us. With a punch of a button a small flare grew

into a massive eruption. The flash went for miles

as the plant was leveled. Denton and the others

had gathered around my chair to watch the

explosion through the viewport.

"Good work crew. Damn fine job." Denton said

vacantly as he watched the fires spread into the

surrounding area of the munitions plant. Black

smoke rose into the night and could be seen even

from orbit as we left the atmosphere. Everyone

grew silent as we readied for hyperspace. Denton,

sitting in the navigator's chair, broke the

silence.

"That Galltine girl was not that big." He

muttered.