Granite Hawk: Rebel Scum

A Star Wars Story by 5thBeastieBoy

Stars sped by in streaks around the canopied view port of the cockpit. Just as swiftly, they stopped as the YT-2000 light freighter came out of light speed.

The Granite Hawk sat motionless in the vastness of space, a black canvas awash by pinpricks of light.

"Of course I'm sure we're in the right place," Declan Anders answered with a hint of charm from his pilot seat.

His co-pilot, Kezaal, wasn't convinced. The blue-skin Duros folded his arms, seated slightly elevated behind Declan.

"It would be wise to be certain," Kezaal stated.

"Trust me," the Corellian grinned. He then spoke softly into his commlink, "Artie, run a check on our nav coordinates. I want to make sure we're at the right spot."

A moment later the astromech droid, designated R3-B2, whirled and chirped confirming their location.

"See? Told you we're at the right place," Declan teased Kezaal. "And to think you doubted me."

"I did not doubt you. I merely wanted to confirm."

"No, admit it. You doubted me."

"You've been wrong before," Kezaal countered with amusement.

"That was one time," Declan exclaimed. "You going to hold that against me forever?"

"Perhaps."

Their friendly banter was interrupted by the arrival of another, larger, freighter.

"Time to go to work," Declan stated as he piloted his Corellian vessel to dock with the freighter.

"Wagmrah, you're late," he addressed the freighter's captain. "That's not like you, you old pirate."

"I don't have time for your nagging," Wagmrah replied over the comm. The Weequay captain's voice was strained and tense. "Let's get this over with, quick. I had a run in with some Imperials a few jumps back."

"Sorry to hear that, my friend." Declan shot a look of concern at Kezaal as he departed his pilot seat. "I'll meet your men at the airlock. Get you on your way as fast as possible."

Declan was joined by Artie at the airlock door. It cycled open and three Ugnaughts waddled onto the Granite Hawk. Two carried an ornate box while the other held a datapad in hand.

"I'll take that," said Declan as he hefted the box from the Ugnaughts. "Plug into Artie, he'll complete the transfer."

The Ugnaught plugged his datapad into R3-B2 while Declan stowed the box away, locking the storage door on his way out. By the time he returned, Artie had completed the funds transfer and the three pirates were heading back.

"Well, that was easy, Artie," the smuggler observed. "Of course, it's going to take weeks to get the stink of Ugnaughts off our ship."

Artie beeped a humorous reply that made Declan chuckle. However, the smile was quickly wiped from his face.

"Imperials!" Kezaal's voice was harried over the comm. "Get up here, Dec. Quick!"

Declan broke into a sprint back to the cockpit. "Plug into the hyperdrive, Artie!" he shouted on his way. "Kez, get us uncoupled from their ship, now!"

The Granite Hawk broke off from the freighter as the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera loomed near. The massive battleship opened fire just as Declan jumped into the pilot seat and took over the controls. Red bolts from the Imperial's turbolasers thumped and pounded the pirate freighter's hull.

"Route all available power to rear deflector shields," Declan ordered. "Gotta keep the pirates between us and that Star Destroyer. How much longer, Artie?"

Artie replied in a panic of whirls and beeps.

"We don't have that much time! Once Wagmrah is gone, there's nothing between us and their tractor beam."

Declan focused on positioning the Granite Hawk for precise cover, but stray laser bolts began to pass overhead. The Chimaera was doing its best to line up with the Hawk while it simultaneously consumed the pirate ship.

"Wagmrah's gone," Kezaal exclaimed. "Scanner shows they are powering up the tractor beam now."

"We gotta get out of here, Artie. Now!"

In an instant, stars rushed into a blur around the cockpit. Declan exhaled a large breath of relief.

"That was close."

"Too close," Kezaal chimed. "Well done, droid."

"Great job, Artie," Declan agreed. "You really saved us this time. Let's create some space between us and that Star Destroyer; then set a jump for Takodana. We've got a gift to deliver to Maz."

***

The Granite Hawk skimmed the surface of Nymeve Lake as it approached Maz Kanata's castle. A coterie of species from throughout the galaxy inhabited the castle, mostly lounging and enjoying a drink. Maz provided a refuge for smugglers and pirates and the crew of the Granite Hawk was as frequent as any other.

Later, Declan found his way from the castle's basement to a table in bar's lounge where his crew was waiting for him.

"How did it go?" Kezaal asked as he pushed a drink over to his captain.

"Fine as always," Declan spoke between sips. "You know Maz and her Jedi relics."

"Another lightsaber?"

Declan nodded. "Purple one. Belonged to some Jedi Master, apparently." He stared mournfully at his drink.

"Something troubling you, my friend?" the Duros questioned.

"It's just that...we cut it close this time. Too close. Now we're on Grand Admiral Thrawn's radar. That can't be good. Just been thinking a lot about what our next move should be."

Kezaal looked down at his drink for a moment before lifting the mug in the air. "To Wagmrah, may he and his crew find eternal happiness."

Anders joined the toast and Artie bleeped his approval.

A cloaked figure approached the table. A hood hid the features of her human face. She waited until she had the attention of the whole table.

"Are you Declan Anders?" she questioned. Her tone was clipped and stern.

"I may be," Declan replied. "Who's asking?"

The mysterious woman gave no reply. She sat down, taking a seat between the pilot and co-pilot.

"Place your hands on the table where I can see them," she ordered.

Declan gave a trepid glance to Kezaal. "I was hoping this was going to be a friendly conversation."

"That's my hope, as well," she replied, her tone not wavering. "But I don't know you, so I don't trust you. Now do as you're told or this conversation is over."

The crew of the Hawk sat in silence for a moment before Declan motioned for Kezaal to comply. Both men rested their hands on the table.

"There, see? Now we can all be friends," Declan grinned. "Artie, do us a favor a get another round of drinks for the table." R3-B2 bleeped a confirmation and whirled off toward the bar. "It's your turn now. Tell us who you are and what you want."

She pulled down the hood of her cloak revealing a young, attractive face. Declan placed her to be around his age, if not possibly a year or two older.

"My name is Lieutenant Cala Druhmar," she said. "I'm an intelligence officer with the Alliance to Restore the Republic."

"The Rebel Alliance," Declan cut in.

"As you wish," she countered. "Does that pose an issue for you?"

Anders looked to Kezaal. The Duros shook his head. "No," Declan replied. "Not yet, anyway."

Cala stared at the smuggler for a moment before continuing, "I'm looking for a crew to help me. It's an operation I believe you and your crew have the skills to assist with."

"You need a smuggler, you mean," Declan said.

"Not just any smuggler. I need one who's as good as I'm told you are."

"The way I hear it, you Rebels already have a Corellian smugger on your payroll," Declan smirked.

"Not one with the type of connections you provide."

"What is the job and pay, Lieutenant?" Kezaal asked.

She looked Kezaal up and down, taking in the alien fully for the first time. "The job is procuring a shipment of goods and transporting it. As for pay, well, you would be doing a service to the Alliance with your work. Unless, of course, I've been misled and you are Imperial sympathizers."

Declan gave her a hard look, as Kezaal slammed his fist down. Declan's tone grew grave and serious. "I assure you, Lieutenant, we are not Imperial sympathizers by any stretch."

Just then, Artie returned to the table buzzing and beeping. A tray of drinks sat affixed atop his transparent plastiglass dome; his arrival breaking the tension.

"Of course I'll pay you back little buddy," Declan told the droid. "I don't know why you didn't just put it on my tab."

Artie bleeped a curse, causing Declan and Kezaal to laugh. The droid then scurried off, rambling about meeting a protocol droid.

Cala stood from her seat. "I apologize for my inference, gentlemen. It was not my intention to anger you both. I will be on my way. I would appreciate it if –"

"Sit down," Declan quipped. Cala glared at him. "I said, sit down." His voice was friendly, but stern, as he pointed her back to her seat. "You need to tell us more about this operation if we're going to help."

"Does that mean you are willing to assist me?" she asked.

"I'm not going to speak for my partner," Declan motioned to Kezaal. "But...yeah."

"I am intrigued, as well," Kezaal added.

"Good then," Cala said as she sat back down. Declan pushed a mug over to her. She took a long draw of the ale. "I've got intel on a cache of Imperial weapons stockpiled by Frumm the Hutt. He's part of the Hutt Clan crime syndicate operating on the planet Teppia. My mission is to secure those weapons for the Alliance and prevent them from falling back to the Empire."

Declan leaned back in his chair. "I hate to break it to you, sweetheart. But I've never heard of Frumm the Hutt or worked out of Teppia."

Cala shifted in her chair and leaned forward. "First, don't ever call me sweetheart. Second, I don't only need you to move the cargo, but – more importantly – I need your connections with the Hutt Clan to set up the deal. Frumm can easily certify your working relationship with other Hutts and trust to deal with us."

"Pardon me," Kezaal interjected. "But would a Hutt agree to deal with the Rebel Alliance? The Hutt Clan already has a precarious relationship with the Empire. Why would this Frumm the Hutt potentially jeopardize that?"

The Rebel officer leaned closer and spoke softly. "That's the catch. We're not going in as the Alliance. We'll be undercover, posing as gun runners for the black market."

A low whistle was followed by Declan shaking his head in disbelief. "You think the Hutt Clan is going to make a deal this big with some unknown gun runners?"

"Again, that's why I need you," Cala retorted. "I've got credentials falsified to cover me. Story is: I hired you to help make the deal happen."

Kezaal looked over to Declan and shrugged. "Ok," the Corellian replied. "Let's say we agree to go along with this crazy plan of yours. Tell me, what's really in it for us?"

Cala sat back and finished her drink. "I told you I can't pay. But...I can clear you for safe passage through Alliance space. Even push your name to the top for future contract work. Legit work. Real money."

Kezaal nodded an approval to his captain. "We'll hold you to that, Lieutenant," Declan said.

"I wouldn't expect it any other way."

"Fine. Good," he reached out his hand. "You got yourself a ship."

She shook his hand and stood. "Excellent. We'll leave at first light tomorrow."

Declan and Kezaal watched as she walked off into the crowd.

"Are we sure about this?" the Duros asked.

"No," Declan replied. "But it's time we thought about going legit. This could be our opportunity, buddy." He finished the last of his drink. "Let's go find Artie and make sure he hasn't switched circuit boards with some cute protocol droid."

***

The Granite Hawk circled the Hutt's compound, a network of interconnected warehouses located in the tropical climate of Teppia's largest continent. A vista of mountains loomed to the north, providing a spectacular landscape as the freighter set down on its designated pad.

"I knew your connections would grant us an audience with Frumm," Cala said as Declan joined her and the others outside the Hawk. "This operation is already going better than I had hoped."

"Don't get cocky," Declan replied. "Dealing with a Hutt is no walk in the park."

They were met by a large protocol droid who was flanked by a Trandoshan and a Gamorrean. The alien bodyguards were an intimidating presence, armed with E-11 blaster rifles – the preferred weapon of Imperial stormtroopers. This fact did not go unnoticed as Declan quietly nudged and pointed it out to Kezaal.

The protocol droid stepped forward. <Greetings and welcome to his Immaculateness Frumm the Hutt's compound. I am BX-C70, his Greatness' personal assistant and interpreter. You may call me Bix. His Excellency has arranged to meet with you in his palace room, shortly. If you would all please follow me.> The droid swept his arm, motioning the crew forward.

A moment later the group was directed into the palace room. The space was decorated in opulence one would expect from a Hutt crime lord. Art and furniture adorned the room, displaying Frumm the Hutt's wealth.

The Hutt himself lay upon a dais at the center of the room. The pale-green slug puffed on a pipe as his visitors were escorted in. Frumm was smaller than any other Hutt Declan had dealt with, a sign of youth. Anders flinched; young Hutts tended to be more short-tempered and dangerous, wanting to impress elders and move their way up the hierarchy.

Bix introduced the crew of the Granite Hawk before taking his place alongside his master. Frumm took one last puff from his pipe before bellowing in his native Huttese. The protocol droid began translating at once, not waiting for the Hutt to finish his statement.

<Welcome to my palace, friends. I am told you wish to make a deal. I am open to negotiations of many kinds. One does not ascend to the power I have obtained so soon in life without the willingness to bargain with others.>

As Frumm continued to posture about his wealth and power, Declan took in the inhabitants of the room. It was odd to him that the space was bereft of any entertainers – no dancers, no musicians. Only guards – heavily armed guards – waiting in the wings with Imperial blasters.

He leaned in close to Kezaal and whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this."

The Duros nodded in agreement as he slowly looked around his surroundings, taking in what his partner had already surmised.

Frumm the Hutt boomed: <Declan Anders, it is a pleasure to meet you. One thought of so highly by my elders is always welcomed in my palace. Tell me, what is it you would wish to deal with me today?>

Declan cleared his throat as he stepped forward. Bix interpreted his words as he spoke. "Your Majesty, it is my honor to finally be in your presence." Declan bowed and could tell the Hutt enjoyed the placating. "I am here on behalf of my business partner, Orallea Waywex. She is a dealer in arms and I believe has a worthy offer to present to you."

Declan stepped back and motioned to Cala it was time for her to talk. Her nervousness permeated the room momentarily, but Declan was impressed to see her get her nerves under control just as she began to speak in the role of Orallea.

"Frumm the Hutt, your Highness, my name is Orallea and I am here to offer you a deal that I believe will be beneficial to us all. It is my understanding you have come into ownership of a large supply of weapons taken from the Galactic Empire. I believe you will find my offer more than generous to take the burden of those goods off your hands."

The room was silent as she stepped back in line with the others. Cala shot a trepid glace at Declan. The skilled smuggler shifted his feet in the awkwardness of the silence.

The tension was finally broken by a low, guttural laugh from Frumm. It reverberated throughout the palace as it echoed off the walls.

<Rebel scum!>

The palace guards raised their blasters in unison. Declan grabbed Cala's wrist to ensure she didn't make a false move in the moment.

<Your informant was quite correct. I do have a large number of Imperial stock. But it is not for sale. Especially not to Rebels!>

Declan stepped forward, his hands out in a calming manner. "Your Excellency, if I may. We have no ties to the Rebel Alliance. I assure you. This is one big misunderstanding. If we could –"

<I am not sure of your dealings with the Rebels, captain. But as for your business partner, her informant told me all I needed to know before I ripped his limbs off.>

Suddenly, the palace room doors burst open interrupting the Hutt. A little girl – ten years old if Declan had to guess – came scurrying to a halt as she stared up at Frumm, lost and afraid. She was dressed in rags and her features were smudged by dirt. Quickly, a guard scooped her up and hauled her kicking and screaming out of the room.

"What's the meaning of this?" Declan demanded. "Why is there a kid running through your compound?"

Frumm waved off his accusation. <You needn't worry, smuggler. You have more urgent matters to attend to. I am sending you and your crew to the Grand Hutt Council to determine your fate.> The slug turned his large red eyes to Cala. <As for you, Rebel spy. I will hand you over to Empire upon their arrival...tomorrow. Take them away!>

Guards moved in on the crew, pressing them forward with their blasters. Another placed a restraining bolt on Artie, who emitted a low whistle in protest as he stiffened. The astromech whined once more as he watched his crewmates led out the palace room.

***

Declan, Kezaal and Cala were marched to a detention area lined by cells on each side of the corridor. Children of various young ages filled half the cells, including the little girl who ran into the palace room. The Hawk crew was visibly disgusted by the sight as the guard ushered the three of them into furthest holding cell.

"I'm so sorry about this," Cala demurred as the guards exited. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"The mission wasn't authorized by the Alliance, was it?" Declan questioned. "That's why you needed a couple of smugglers to help you out."

"Is this true?" Kezaal asked Cala.

"I thought my intel was sound," she answered. "Figured I could score a big win for the Alliance."

"Instead you have put us all in grave danger, Lieutenant," Kezaal stated. "I'm afraid your actions have cost us all greatly."

"Relax, we'll be fine," Declan waved off any worry.

"How can you be so calm?" Cala questioned.

"Because," Declan smirked. "We've dealt with Hutts before. Never go into a meeting with a Hutt without a plan – a good lesson for you to remember."

Kezaal nodded in approval. "Best you get some rest, Lieutenant. You will need all your energy when it is time."

"Now to figure out what the deal is with these kids," Declan stated. He craned his neck between the bars to get a view of the cells holding the children. "Hey! Little girl who we saw earlier! You there? What's your name?"

A moment passed, then the soft sound of a frightened child spoke. "Um, hello? I'm here. My name is Bi'la. Who are you?"

"Hi, Bi'la. My name is Declan. I'm here with my friends because we made that big ugly slug mad. Why are you and your friends here?"

"We...we were all taken here. Some mean men took me from my mommy, just like the others. They say they are going to give us to the Empire to be soldiers for them. But I don't want to be one. I just want to get back to my mommy."

Anders could hear the little girl begin to cry. He turned with anger etched on his face to his cellmates. "We gotta get these kids outta here."

"I agree," said Kezaal.

"You want to make this whole situation right?" Declan questioned Cala. "Then you help us get these kids back to the Rebel Alliance safely, then back to their homes."

Cala nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, whatever you need me to do."

"Like Kezaal said, just be ready to move when the time comes."

***

The palace room was dark and empty. Artie remained where he was left, frozen by the restraining bolt. He recalled hearing that abomination of a protocol droid pleading with the Hutt to get some rest before meeting with some other important guests.

Having decided enough time had passed since he last saw his captors, Artie powered himself back on. The restraining bolt fell to the floor as the astromech whirled to life heading out the door.

***

Outside the hangar door Bix could see the Imperial Star Destroyer Exertor stationed in low orbit off the southern coast of the compound. The approaching Lambda-class shuttle raised its wings as it set down to land. The droid moved into position by his master prepared to go back to work.

A well-suited Imperial officer disembarked followed by a squadron of stormtroopers. Frumm the Hutt welcomed his guest with his arms outstretched in exuberance.

<Welcome back, Admiral Navvyn! It is a pleasure to have you join us once again.>

"Dispense with the nonsense, Hutt," the admiral snapped. "I hope your next batch of...supplies are better than the last. Commandant Hux was not pleased with the last shipment's progress at Arkanis Academy."

Frumm scowled toward Bix before he continued. <Fear not, Admiral! I have a wonderful supply of recruits for you to take back to the commandant. Plus, a special gift for you and your leaders. You will be very pleased, indeed.>

"For your sake, I should hope so," Navvyn replied tersely.

***

The guard collapsed to the ground, rendered unconscious by Artie's electro-prod. The droid moved quickly as he entered the detention corridor, whistling at the sight of the children locked away. Soon, he was at his companions' cell, slicing the lock open.

"How'd he get free of his restraining bolt?" Cala questioned as the astromech next moved to free their bindings.

"Artie's had a lot of modifications," Declan answered. He opened a compartment in the back of the R3's chassis and removed two hand blasters, handing one over to Kezaal.

"Well done, droid," Kezaal stated. Artie returned with a beep of thanks.

"Artie, I need you to free these kids, too," Declan said.

The droid beeped a confirmation and got to work. Declan waited for Bi'la to exit.

"Bi'la, we're getting you and your friends out of here," he stated. "I need you all to stay close and hide if things get scary. Can you do that for me?"

The little girl nodded and worked her way around the rest of the kids, around twenty in total, letting them know the plan.

Artie beeped and whistled for the group to follow him. Declan and Kezaal worked behind the droid while Cala waited for all the children to follow, grabbing the downed guard's blaster on her way out.

The astromech led the group through a series of corridors, avoiding detection along the way. As the escapees rounded a corner, Artie came to a halt at a junction of hallways. Declan peered around the corner to see an Imperial officer leading a squad of stormtroopers accompanied by Frumm and his men heading in their direction.

"How much further to the Hawk?" Declan asked Artie.

The droid replied quickly. Declan motioned for Cala to join them at the front. The children huddled tight against the wall as she made her way forward.

"Here's the plan," Declan said. "We need to get across this opening, the exit to the Hawk is at the end of this hallway. Kezaal and I will lay down suppressing fire. Artie, I need you to give us a thick smokescreen then work on getting the Hawk prepped. Cala, you need to get the kids on board. Make sure they stay low as they cross the opening."

Everyone acknowledged their responsibilities and went into action. Declan crouched around the corner and took aim at his unsuspecting targets as they neared. His laser bolt flashed, taking down a stormtrooper. He fired two more shots as the targets began to scramble for cover. Kezaal moved swiftly to the adjacent corner and began firing, while Artie laid down a thick white blanket of smoke.

Stormtroopers and Hutt guards began returning fire. Red bolts flashed around the corridor with no target acquired thanks to the smoke screen. Declan motioned for Cala to begin moving the kids, as he and Kezaal kept pouring their own shots through the smoke. The children moved as quickly as possible, many crawling between the open space.

Cala gave a signal that all the kids had passed before making her way out to the freighter. Declan nodded for Kezaal to go and soon followed his co-pilot in a sprint for the Granite Hawk.

Declan was thankful for his droid completing the start-up routine. He found himself in the pilot seat with the Granite Hawk ready to fly. The YT-2000 was soon airborne as the remaining troopers entered the ground, firing at the exiting freighter.

Admiral Navyyn arrived with his commlink in hand as he watched the Granite Hawk take off. "Exertor, this is Admiral Navyyn. There is a Corellian freighter heading your way. Be sure it does not leave this system alive."

***

Alarm systems flashed on Declan's console. "Yeah, I see it, ISD Exertor. No worries, it won't be able to spin up its engines in time to chase us in low altitude."

"TIE fighters launched," Kezaal reported. "Two wings, six total."

"Okay, well that changes things. We'll head north into those mountains and see if we can lose them long enough to make the jump to lightspeed." Declan flicked-on the comm. "Artie, how long until we can jump to hyperspace?"

The droid replied with a series of hysterical beeps and whistles.

"They shut down the hyperdrive?" Declan replied. "Well get it back online, now! Cala, get those kids strapped in and secured the best you can!" He clicked the comm off and spoke to Kezaal. "You've got firing control, Kez. Keep those TIEs off our tail long enough for Artie to get the hyperdrive working. I'll do my best to lose them in the mountains."

The Granite Hawk raced toward the mountain range as the six pursuing TIE fighters closed in. The lead fighter took a shot as the freighter entered a canyon between two peaks. Declan angled the Hawk as it slipped through the narrow terrain. The lead TIE continued to spit green laser blasts as the other fighters fell in line behind it.

The deflector shields held as Kezaal began returning fire from the Hawk's twin turbo lasers. The Duros tracked the blue laser bolts toward his target before scoring a hit on the lead TIE. The starfighter exploded, sending shrapnel careening off the canyon wall. Kezaal worked the targeting controls from his co-pilot chair as the next TIE moved in pursuit. The TIE pilot tried evasive maneuvers to avoid the Granite Hawk's counter attack, but inadvertently clipped his wingman – resulting in both fighters smashing against the rocks.

Declan pulled up on the flight stick as the canyon came to an end at the face of a mountain. He struggled against the controls, barely missing a rocky outcropping. The lead TIE didn't correct its course in time, slamming into the mountain. The final two TIEs screamed out of the canyon continuing their hunt.

As the Granite Hawk raced to leave Teppia's atmosphere with the TIEs on its tail, Declan noticed his scanner showing the ISD Exertor had moved to cut off their escape.

"Artie!" Declan called through the comm. "How we doing back there, little buddy?"

The R3 unit didn't respond. Declan worried as the Exertor moved into firing range. Kezaal was no longer having luck taking out the TIEs as the fighters were no longer pinned in by the canyon. Alarms warned the Corellian that the deflector shields were severely diminished.

"Artie? Artie!"

Artie whistled and whirled a long sound of victory over the ship's comm. The Hawk shuddered momentarily before vanishing through space.

***

"We should arrive at the Hoth system by the end of the day," Declan announced as he sat next to Cala in the lounge.

The two watched and laughed as a group of children chased Artie around the deck. Another set of kids, including a smiling Bi'la, were found swinging off Kezaal's long arms.

"You know, I'd say your mission was a success, Lieutenant," Declan stated.

"Thanks to you, you rebel scum." She smiled. "It wasn't what I intended to accomplish. But, saving these kids was better than any outcome I could have imagined."

Declan folded his arms behind his head and grinned as he relaxed into the couch. "Glad we could help. It felt good, you know?"

"So, are you ready to join the Alliance? We can use a crew like yours."

"Well, that depends," he smirked.

"On what?"

"Are you ready to join our crew? We're smugglers, after all, not too keen on following orders. But after what we've been through, I think we'd be willing to work something out if you're with us. I've already confirmed it with the others. Kezaal and Artie agree that you should be a part of our team if we're willing to put all our chips in with the Alliance."

Cala mulled over the offer for a moment. She smiled and said, "We'll see."