Ghost Ship - Chapter 1

"Yep, we found another one."

The Coruscant Security Officer stared absently at the armored body of a dead clone as he spoke into his handheld comlink.The clone was eerily hued in the neon green light of a glow rod.

"Yeah, bottom of the shaft. Yeah, I'll bring him up." He shot a grimace at his partner.

"Are you certain you can't spare one droid? OK. I'll give you a holler if anything else comes up."

He thumbed the switch and put the comlink back on his belt.

"We're going to have to carry him up?" the other asked.

"I'm afraid so, Roland. You grab his shoulders, and I'll grab his feet."

Roland grunted as he heaved the clone upward."Wow! Our boys in white are sure a heavy lot, aren't they?"

"Roland! He's dead, can't you see that? Have a little respect!"

"What did I say?"




Two weeks earlier...


"Hold your position! Hold your position!"

The sergeant had to scream over the din in order to be heard. Neither he nor more than half of his clone troopers had their helmets, and all hadn't any time to don their armor. Only two of the squad had their chest pauldrons. The rest were wearing their off-duty uniforms or their black bodysuits.

"Montross!"

The sergeant pointed to one of his men, loading a new clip into his rifle. He winced as an ACP round ricochetted off the wall.

"Thermal det! Now!"

Montross grabbed for his last detonator. Peering carefully over the edge of the supply box he had taken cover behind, he tossed the detonator toward a group of Trandoshan mercs, holed up on the other side of the hallway.

"Fire in the hole!" he shouted, ducking back behind his shelter.

The mercs scattered like cockroaches when they saw the little, golden sphere bounce to a halt. The squad's last piece of ordinance only managed to put a shallow hole in the floor. A mouse droid immediately appeared from one of the droid access shafts, bravely attempting to clean up the mess. It was the last thing it endeavoured to accomplish in it's industrious little life.
Ardek, the squad's sharpshooter, eased around a corner to slot an advancing Trando. Red mist fell softly to the floor as he slumped to the ground, a neat hole in his face.

"Fierfek!" Ronin cussed between bursts.

"Squad, retreat!"

The remaining five men began carefully crawling back, trying to slither underneath the main stream of enemy fire. The sergeant still stood above his embunkered men, shouting orders.

"Sarge! Get down!" Montross shouted.

But he was too late. A Trandoshan captain brought to bear his heavy repeater, and let loose a hailstorm. The sergeant was cut in half.

"Man down! Sarge is down!" Montross shouted, covered in his superior's gore.

None of the squad seemed to hear him. A screaming Qardis was being pulled out of the way, holding his dismembered leg.

"Montross! Get over here, now!"

"I'm pinned down!"

Montross curled up behind his sergeant's body, trying to use it as cover. He vainly attempted to wipe the blood away from his eyes to see. Mandalore, the medic, got up from beside Qardis, and ran toward Montross. A bullet whistled past Montross' head and caught Mandalore in the chest.

"Fierfek! Fierfek!"

Montross leapt to the crate behind him, fully expecting to recieve a round. The minute he was behind something, he felt himself over. He was, to his giddy surprise, untouched. The clone made the final stretch toward Ronin and Qardis, and helped drag his wounded comrade around the corner and through the abandoned sleeping quarters and mess halls.

Qardis began to fall into shock, and was mumbling incoherently. He dropped his leg, and his arms fell limply at his side.

"Dammit, he's dead!" Ronin said, horrified.

"Drop him, they're coming!"

They set down Qardis' lifeless form, and ran, rifles in hand, toward safety - wherever that was.

* * * * * * * * *

"We've got to find another squad... now!" Montross said, breathless. "I'm hearing blasterfire! Come on, they're over here!"

Ronin and Montross kept their pace, rifles raised and ready. Turning a corner, they slid to a halt, avoiding running into a hasty retreat.

"Get out of here!" one of the retreating clones shouted.

Montross fired a burst at some advancing Trandos before sprinting after his fleeing comrades.

"Grenade!"

A small spherical detonator landed right in the middle of the group, throwing flesh and clones in every direction. Ronin pushed his squad-mate into one of the storage rooms. The trapped clones ducked behind some boxes, hoping, praying they wouldn't be discovered. They were almost unable to breathe as the tapping sound of Trandoshan claws against the floor grew louder and louder.

Then, it faded. It passed their door, and receded into silence. Three lungs took a collective breath. It wasn't hard for Ronin or Montross to hear the sharp, whining sigh of the third person in their party. Whirling around, they were surprised to see a gray-attired young bridge officer huddled up in a corner, his pistol on the floor beside him.

To be continued...