(AYO WE JUST HIT 1K COLLECTIONS! Fuck the timer, I'm spam releasing this shit. Expect more chapters this afternoon and throughout the week.)
After hearing the enemy commands over the radio, I knew I had to move quickly. I made haste towards the large building in the distance. Based on its positioning and the size of it, I had to guess that it was their command center.
As I moved between the shipping containers, I carefully looked for a way in. Going through the front door wasn't really an option. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes.
"Bingo."
I knelt down, wrapping my fingers around the steel grate that covered a maintenance tunnel.
"Huuuuuh."
God it was so heavy. It was basically a manhole cover but larger in size. I barely managed to slide it to the side enough so I could drop in.
I first took off my pack that had several thermal detonators remaining and dropped it inside the tunnel. Then, I quickly followed it in.
*Splash*
Sadly, I landed in a puddle. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised that it was wet down here. The rain had barely stopped by the time we crashed in the jungle. It actually rains here most of the year with the tropical climate. The humidity was so high that I felt as if I was inhaling water with each breath.
This made sense, however, since you can barely go 10 miles without encountering some kind of swamp or body of water. The tunnel I was in wasn't too far from being a swamp.
*Splash* *Splash* *Splash*
I made my way down the tunnel while occasionally placing a thermal detonator on the bundle of pipes running through the tunnel. Based on the color, I concluded that it was a gas pipe. I learned this type of thing from the training course. There was a sabotage scenario and these are standard building codes throughout the galaxy.
The tunnel veered to the right a bit before veering back left. As I rounded that left turn, I was able to see a room that was brighter than the tunnel at the end. I approached and eventually heard voices.
"Ughhhh, why do we have to sit down here while everyone else has fun up top. Can't a droid do this shit?"
"You know the answer. Maybe you shouldn't have gotten caught jerking off while patrolling."
"Fuck off! Why are you down here anyways?"
"Because I'm just here for the pay, not to risk my life for this sham of an Empire."
"Yeah, I guess that's fair. With the Wookiees locked up in these cages, there isn't much for us to do."
"AGGGGGGGGGGHHH."
"YOU! SHUT UP! THE NEXT TIME YOU MAKE NOISE I'LL BLOW THAT WOOLY HEAD OF YOURS OFF!"
I continued forward slowly until I reached the corner. The voices sounded like they were coming from the left so I hugged the left wall.
"How do you even tolerate these animals?"
"First, they aren't animals. They are actually more intelligent than either of us. Two, I have experience dealing with noise."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
I reached the corner and slowly peaked around. There were two guards, both armed and wearing body armor.
"If you think these guys are annoying, you should meet my wife. Ahhh, this is quite peaceful compared to spending even ten minutes with her."
"Pfffft. You're funny. Where are you from anyways?"
Glancing around the room, I saw four large cells, each one filled with Wookiees. I suddenly made eye contact with one of them and their expression changed quickly.
I immediately held a finger up to my mouth and widened my eyes, praying that they would understand the universal symbol for being quiet. Thankfully, the Wookiee nodded, complying with my request.
"My family has been on Cantonica going as far back as the records do. We have been breeding Fathiers since before speeders were a thing. Nowadays, they are used by farmers and for racing."
"That's actually interesting. Never expected to find anyone with a decent background here of all places."
I reached down to my hip and unclipped my blaster before wrapping my fingers around the grip. I slowly pulled it out and placed my finger on the trigger. The safety was already off. I had done this before entering the base.
Raising the blaster, I held the base of the grip with my left hand to stabilize my aim. There were two guards, only one of them was holding his blaster while the other had it strapped on his back.
Slowly peaking around the corner, I adjusted and aimed directly at the guard who was holding his blaster.
*BYUM*
I watched as the blue light smashed into his head, causing his body to go limp almost instantly. The other guard's head snapped towards me as he scrambled to grab his rifle. I moved my arms slightly and…
*BYUM*
Another head was scorched by a bolt of pure energy as I dispatched the last of the two guards. The second guard was dead before the first could even hit the ground.
"AGGGHH" "AGGGHHH"
Almost all of the Wookiees immediately started roaring. I rushed out of the tunnel and towards the cells while waving my hands. "COME ON! BE QUIET!"
"AGGGGGGGHHHH!"
One roar overpowered the rest as it took them less than a second to quiet down. I glanced towards the source and found that it was the Wookiee I had made eye contact with. I nodded before moving to the corpses next to me.
Ignoring the junk in their pockets, I found the key cards for the cell locks.
[Key Card]
[Unique]
[This item is worthless other than its ability to open a specific set of doors.]
I calmly approached the cells, trying to convey that I was a friend. The last thing I needed right now was to be ripped limb from limb due to a misunderstanding. Thus, I approached the cell that contained the apparently dominant Wookiee. They were bigger than the rest and were wearing a tactical belt across their chest so I assumed they were military.
*Ping*
The cell door unlocked and opened slightly before the Wookiees started roaring again while streaming out. There were 10-15 of them.
"AGGGH."
It didn't even take another second for my, now, favorite Wookiee to quiet them down. That one walked out of the cell last and stood before me. I held out my hand, offering them the key card.
However, they didn't immediately take the key card and moved in to grab me instead. I started panicking as I had already holstered my blaster and wouldn't be able to access a weapon in time.
*Crack*
I felt my back crack in ways I never thought it could as I was lifted in the air through a bear, or in this case a wookiee, hug. My life was no longer mine. Was this quest going to end right here?
As I accepted my state of suffocation, I felt my feet touch the ground and the pressure around my chest release. I looked at the wookiee, completely astonished. Was it just hugging me?
"Aggh. Agguuhhhggg."
I could only shake my head while trying to take deep breaths to lower my heart rate. "I don't speak your language, I'm sorry." I then held out my hand again, offering the key card.
Fortunately, they just took the card this time without subjecting me to more torture before nodding. "Aggghuuuhhggg."
I shrugged, sighing as I tried to figure out how we could communicate. I really wish that protocol droid didn't get shredded in the crash.
Wait, the wookiee just nodded, didn't they? Do they understand me? "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
The wookiee nodded. "Aggguhg."
I smiled and nodded. "Alright. Get the rest of your people out of these cells. After that, go down that tunnel…" I pointed to the tunnel I had come from. "Go as far as you can and then wait. You'll know when to escape."
The wookiee tilted their head but then nodded. "AGGHUHHHGUUGG."
The other wookiees quickly started moving, showing that they were doing something. What they were doing? I had no idea. I could only hope that it was what I asked.
Shrugging again, I started walking around the room. Every ten steps or so, I would plant a detonator. If I am correct, this sits right below the large building I was trying to get inside. If these explosives go off, it would come crumbling down.