Rose Squadron: the Inkari Gambit

At last, the pilot ship exited out of hyperspace, and Inkari came into view, the silver mass of Gintomi City standing out among the verdant green of the planet’s main continent, everything tainted by the crimson planetary shield encompassing the world. Annie recognized the smaller blotches of silver as her homeworld’s smaller cities, all connected to Gintomi by Inkari’s HoloNet, controlled by Chief of Security Haston Uttaka and his Security Aides. Once they succeeded in transmitting the brutal footage of Mina’s murder, Annie knew that the entire planet was bound to violently revolt.
“This is it,” Reiner muttered, taking deep breaths to steel himself as he prepared to transmit a communication to the Security Tower.
The five of them waited for a response from the planet, shifting about uncomfortably and anxious to get moving. A few moments later, a bleep was heard from Reiner’s monitor, and the deep but gentle voice of Haston Uttaka echoed into the ship’s interior.
“Ah, Officers Braun and Hoover, thank goodness!” they heard him say, genuine relief evident in his voice. “I’m glad that you two made it back safely. Was your mission successful?”
Reiner turned to Annie, and she gave him a firm shake of her head, whispering to him, “Let them believe I’m dead, at least for now. That way, Datenshi will never see me coming.”
He nodded in response, pressed the communicator button on the panel, and told the Chief, “Sir, Bert and I...we only found her abandoned ship on Takodana. She’s gone. And we failed.”
A deep, painful breath was heard on the other end before Haston softly replied, “I’m...so sorry to hear that. I can only hope that wherever Annie is, she’s safe. At any rate, welcome home, soldiers. I’m lowering the shield for you now.”
They watched the planetary shield part over Gintomi’s main hangar bay, and Reiner slowly eased his ship towards the surface. Annie gazed stoically through the port as they passed through the shield and entered the atmosphere, seeing that it was a dark, cloudy night, massive black clouds obscuring the horizon. When she glanced at the middle of the city from their skyview, Annie saw that the citizens were milling tersely about, clustered together and aggravated.
“What’s going on down there?” she asked the others, but before anybody could propose a theory, Reiner’s communication monitor blared into life.
“Attention all Imperial units!” a woman’s voice snarled, sending shudders down the backs of Connie and Armin. The three Imperial Officers looked at each other warily, recognizing the commanding voice of Admiral Rae Sloane, one of the higher-ups serving in the Imperial Armada at Endor. “The Rebels have successfully fallen for the trap that the Emperor so cunningly set for them, and now, we have them wedged between the Death Star’s superlaser and our Armada! The end of this war has come!”
Annie mused to them, “We couldn’t have returned to Inkari at a more opportune time. With the battle going on, nobody will pay us any attention as we move about. This is perfect!”
“That, and the citizens will all be glued to the HoloNet screens for any Imperial updates. We have all that we need in place, besides the support of the Chief,” Bert added.
Their landing at the hangar was smooth and without consequence. Not a single personnel member was in sight, likely scattered about the crowded streets discussing the battle with their fellow citizens. None of the Inkarin would pay any heed to five youth heading for the Security Tower, as the entire planet was embroiled in excited but terrified discussions about what the battle meant for the entire galaxy.
The five soldiers set off to find Haston Uttaka and beg him to help them unveil the truth of Mina’s death to her people, noticing the ominous wind starting to pick up around them, whistling through the silver towers of Gintomi City and sending chills down their spines.
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“Officer Leonhardt…” the Security Aides sadly murmured to each other, fighting back tears as they recalled the hopeful girl who had left the planet in hopes of finally recovering from Mina Carolina’s untimely passing.
They had all overheard their Chief discussing with Officer Braun the female Officer’s disappearance without a trace, with her only memento the abandoned pilot ship outside the woods of Takodana. The Aides looked to their Chief for direction as he straightened and turned to them.
“My friends,” he softly told them, “don’t give up hope just yet. Despite what Reiner just told me...I’m absolutely certain that Annie has finally come home.”
“W-what?!” they all said, and a few of them ran to grab the two door guards, leading the bewildered men in to listen in on the revelation.
“It seems that Officer Leonhardt correctly deduced that Moff Datenshi is her enemy, just like he’s ours. By having Officer Braun officially remark that they couldn’t find her, he’s ensured that anybody listening to our previous conversation, especially the Moff, won’t see her coming until her damage is done.”
The entire room sighed with relief, and Pieck said to him, “I’m so relieved, sir. It would’ve been another tragedy if she’d permanently left us after trying to find solace over Mina’s passing.”
“Indeed, my dear. Now then, my people. It’s time for us to make our move.”
Haston spoke softly but firmly as the Security Department huddled around him, ready and willing to do their part to throw an unforeseen wrench in the corrupt Moff’s rule. Even Daz, the Department’s shyest member, looked ready to fight.
“A year ago, for better or worse, Daz happened upon the captured footage of Moff Datenshi having his personal squadron of Stormtroopers electrocute Mina to death outside of the factory he obliterated. It’s a miracle that he failed to notice that lone security droid fixated on his cruelty. None of us will ever forget that horrific moment when we discovered the truth, but for Mina’s sake, and for the sake of the hundreds of lives ruined that night, it was necessary for us to learn the real story.”
Daz wept, and told them all, “Hearing Mina scream as she died...and knowing that Officer Leonhardt was the final person on her mind...I can only imagine how Annie would react if she ever found out.”
Zeke turned to his meek associate and gently assured him, “Daz, you were perhaps the bravest of us all, for refusing to delete that footage in your terror that the Moff would discover what we had found. For alerting me and the rest of the Department to what you found, you ensured that the seeds of justice could be sown. For that, you will forever have my heartfelt thanks.”
Daz bowed humbly, and Zeke continued his speech.
“You all know that I played a very dangerous gambit by sending the droid containing that footage into the path of the rebel pilot who infiltrated Inkari last year. I still don’t regret deactivating it front of him, and allowing him to take the droid with him. That boy was brimming over with curiosity, and I needed a curious mind to delve into the mystery behind Mina’s murder. If I’m right...Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt all met that boy, who no doubt thought it wise to unveil the footage to them. If my assumption is right, then all three of them are bound to come here for support in spreading the footage across Inkari, so our people can finally know what happened.”
Pieck spoke up, adding, “Haston and I intend to aid the Officers, and whoever may be accompanying them to our Tower, in spreading the video across Inkari. In order to buy them time, and to distract Datenshi, we intend to fully lower the planetary shield. The populace and Datenshi will be left in an uproar as they look to the skies for a Rebel attack that’ll never happen.”
“As you all know, Datenshi will send his forces here to confront us for what will clearly be an act of treason against him. Before that happens, Pieck and I need you all to take your blasters with you, and quietly disperse into the crowds before the Moff attempts to interrogate any of you.”
Before Haston or Pieck could continue speaking, one of the female Aides shouted, “We won’t abandon either of you, sir! You and Pieck have fought for us for so long, it’s only fitting that we lay our lives down to protect you against that bastard! He’ll die a violent death before he can so much as aim at you!”
“I’ll gladly lay down my life before I see anybody harm you!” Daz screamed violently, and at that, the entire Security Department, including the previously meek door guards, joined in the shouting, transformed into a crowd of inflamed men and women enraged at the thought of the snakelike Moff hurting their beloved superiors.
“W-wait!” Haston choked out, feeling his eyes well up with tears and seeing Pieck react likewise. “Please, don’t...don’t throw away your lives…”
“GET AWAY FROM MY SON, YOU SEPARATIST SCUM!”
His mother’s vicious warcry before throwing herself in the path of enemy fire for her child’s sake threatened to bring Haston Uttaka to his knees, as his subordinates’ furious chants reminded him of her selfless but tragic sacrifice.
“P-please, we don’t want you all to die for our sakes!” Pieck pleaded, starting to weep as the Security Department continued to rant.
“Wait!” Haston shouted desperately, and finally, the others calmed down enough to listen, despite the rage emanating from them all.
“It means the world to both me and Pieck that you all have no qualms laying down your lives for our sakes, but please, I’m begging you, live on! If any of you die at the hand of the Moff and his followers, the loss would kill me!”
“But sir,” somebody said back, “how will you and Assistant Pieck survive against the Moff and his forces?”
Pieck and Haston glanced at each other and nodded in unison, both of them mutually understanding that it was time to unveil their full plan.
“My dears, there are far more subtle reasons why Pieck and I continually took monthly excursions to other worlds up until now. Those vacations weren’t solely for research; on our time off, both she and I have been preparing ourselves, training ourselves for this very battle. I assure you, Pieck and I are now dangerously and fully capable of handling whatever the Moff throws at us, be it one Stormtrooper or his entire entourage.”
The Security Department listened raptly at his cryptic revelation, and Pieck added, “The best part is that Datenshi fully believes that Haston and I are sitting ducks, incapable of defending ourselves. He still doesn’t know that we equipped all of you with your blasters, in case he ever tried to intimidate our Department with a threat of lethal force. Similarly, the two of us have equipped ourselves with weapons of self-defense, weapons that will enable us to strike our enemies down swiftly and perfectly.”
“So please, my people,” Haston pleaded, “don’t fear for us. Pieck and I will live to fight another day, as will all of you.”
Daz softly asked them, “Then...sir...Miss Pieck...is this goodbye?”
Haston sorrowfully answered, “I’m afraid so, my fellows. Once the Moff finds out that we’ve finally turned on him, Pieck and I will have no choice but to flee Inkari and disappear. The Empire itself will try to hunt us down once the higher ups realize what we’ve instigated here, and the only way to avoid that is for us to go into hiding until the dust settles.”
At that, the rest of their room bowed their heads in silent grief. The painful reality of separation had drawn gradually closer ever since the awful day they had discovered the footage of Mina Carolina’s murder, and the necessary plan they all had to plot to undermine the Moff’s authority. Even then, the necessity of saying goodbye indefinitely was heartbreaking for the entire Security Department.
“It has been an honor, serving alongside you all, and working to finally destroy Datenshi’s poisonous grip on Inkari and our people. The moment has come for us all to do our part and aid Annie Leonhardt in achieving justice for Mina and for the countless others that Datenshi has slaughtered in his rule. Please, take those blasters with you and calmly depart from here, and know that this day belongs to the many vindicators working to free Inkari from her selfish ruler.”
The Department saluted their leaders, and each individual took their blasters from the secret compartments within their working spaces, tense and ready to fight. Before they left, each Aide and guardsman personally said goodbye to Haston and Pieck, wiping away tears but knowing fully that for them all, victory was soon to be obtained. They left in steady streams, doing their best to hide their blasters and avoid raising suspicions from the people and soldiers milling about the streets.
“Good luck to you both,” Daz said, the last person to leave. “And may the Force be with you.”
“And with you as well, Daz,” Pieck and Haston lovingly replied. “Always.”
They watched Daz leave, and at last, they were alone. Haston turned to the main terminal, the computer controlling each shield generator across Inkari, and breathed deeply as he prepared to openly defy the Moff. Pieck gripped his hand tightly, and he squeezed it gratefully, glad to have her by his side in the anxious moment.
“Are you ready, Pieck?” he asked her, his free hand typing in his personal code for deactivating the shield, leaving only the confirmation command to be executed.
“Yes, Haston,” she answered firmly, her dark eyes glinting with a hard edge of steel. “Let that bastard send as many of his Stormtroopers as he pleases; it’ll make no difference. Both of us are more than ready to destroy our opponents, and rip this planet out of the Empire’s corrupt hand.”
“Then my dear, let’s begin.”
He activated the confirmation command, and all around them, a baleful hum could be heard as Inkari’s planetary shield rapidly collapsed, leaving shouts of fright and alarm from the populace in its wake.