The Hellfire

I pulled open a hatch on the wall that opened into a garbage chute. A slight smell of smoke escaped from the chute, betraying the fact that this chute led to an incinerator. I then tossed my flight suit and helmet into the hatch. The longer it took them to realize I was masquerading as one of their own, the longer I would be able to move openly.

With my lightsabers and comm hidden in the technician uniform I had commandeered, I walked towards the door. Now, I had to play the part of an injured technician.

I opened the door and stumbled out into the hallway. A feigned limp, weak eyes, and my arm clutched to my stomach did wonders as several groups of unsuspecting troopers and first responders ran towards the hangar. I had no doubt that they were reacting to the incident I had just caused.

Shortly after I left the laundry room, a trooper stopped and gently grabbed my shoulder. It was firm enough to get me to stop but not to the point where there was any malice. "Are you alright?"

I feigned a wince and exaggerated the disoriented look on my face. "I'll be-"

I coughed mid-sentence which was only half faked. My chest really did hurt. "I'll be fine. I just need to get to the infirmary."

He nodded with a slight smile and gestured down the hall. "Take the next right and then you won't be able to miss it. I hope it's nothing too bad."

A warm smile snuck its way onto my face. "Thank you."

He nodded before turning away and continuing his run towards the hangar. He seemed like a good man.

As I walked down the hall, I thought back on that interaction. The man appeared to be genuinely concerned regarding my well-being. I'd yet to have such a pleasant interaction with an Imperial.

However, a revelation of wisdom came upon me as I thought it through. The misdeeds of a government do not always define the nature of its people. It would have been rather shocking if every Imperial citizen was as sick and twisted as their political leadership. This was especially true when considering that these people had no choice but to fall under the control of the Empire.

I rounded the corner and was interrupted from my pondering by the sight before me. The infirmary was bursting at the seams. Quite a few patients were laid out in the hallway.

A nurse noticed me limping down the hall and rushed over to me. She looked visibly annoyed. "What the fuck happened to you?"

I coughed. "I was in the hangar. I barely kept my life."

She examined me quickly with her eyes. "Your injuries aren't life threatening. I'll need you to wait."

I shook my head. "I can-" Another cough escaped my mouth. "I'm a combat medic. I can take care of myself."

She raised her brow. I could feel the suspicion growing within her. "A combat medic working as a technician?"

I smiled wryly. "Well… I was a combat medic until this happened." I carefully used my left hand to pull back my right sleeve, exposing the interface where my mechanical hand connected to my body.

Her eyes visibly widened before she nodded. "I see. Still, what the fuck were they thinking not assigning you to the infirmary? We rarely have enough hands… Sorry, didn't mean it like that."

I coughed again as I laughed. It genuinely hurt. "It's okay. I get what you mean."

She sighed. "Alright. I'll leave you to it. DMEs are in the closet on the right and pharma is on the left. Take whatever you need."

(DME = Durable Medical Equipment; wheelchair, brace, orthotic, splint etc.)

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

She quickly turned away and started tending to the patients that were closer to the door. There was much for her to do.

I needed a few things to stabilize my condition. For my arm, I needed a brace and a sling to immobilize it. I was lucky that the break was clean and that the bones didn't need to be set back in place. The same was true for my ribs except for that there is no cast or brace to treat it.

After setting up my arm, I went to the other closet to acquire the meds I would need. I grabbed a few stim-shots to give me some energy, a few pill packs of painkillers, and a few booster shots to supplement the painkillers.

All of this would hopefully get me through the next 24 hours. If I was still here after that… let's not think about that scenario.

Several minutes after I had entered, I turned right out of the infirmary. I felt relatively alright due to the painkillers and stim-shot.

I concealed a stolen comm in my left hand as I left. I needed to put some distance between myself and the hangar.

Conveniently, I learned some interesting tidbits regarding the cruiser I was stowing away on. It was called Hellfire and was the capital ship of the Hellfire CSG. The CO was a frighteningly talented and young Chiss named Ath'brov'daro. At just 27 years of age, he had risen to the tank of Rear Admiral in the Imperial Navy.

Due to this, storming the bridge was out of the question. Someone as important as him would be well protected and likely accompanied by a Sith. I wouldn't fare too well against anyone stronger than an apprentice in my current state.

However, it would be impolite for someone as notorious as myself to just up and leave without giving him my autograph. Thus, I studied the holomap that was embedded in the stolen comm. I took note of key locations such as the armory, power plant, and main frame.

I made my way through the ship, casually limping by dozens of enemies. They were none the wiser of the danger in their midst.

After almost a half hour of walking, I arrived at the armory. With an urgent expression on my face, I opened the door and quickly limped inside.

I went up to the counter and leaned on it with my right hand. "Good evening."

There was a caged window with a man sitting at a desk behind it with a termina. He looked up from it uncaringly. "Requisition form, please."

I shook my head. "There was no time for that. Brov'daro has assigned a special forces unit to board their prized capital ship and destroy it from the inside. Thermal detonators should do the trick."

The clerk raised his brow. "Really now… Who is your CO?"

I sighed, shaking my head helplessly. "I don't exactly have one at the moment." I raised my sling carefully and waved my left hand. "I was injured in all this chaos, so I've been filling in wherever I've been needed. I didn't even catch this officer's name."

The clerk blinked slowly as a slight glaze came over his eyes. "I… Okay. How many do you need?"

I smiled and nodded. "I believe they said two dozen. Apparently, there are a lot of reactor cores."

The clerk nodded and then stood up. "Alright. I'll go grab them."

Just a few minutes later, I was walking down the hall with a backpack full of explosives. I now had the pen I needed to give my autograph.