A Close Encounter

Recently on the Malice...

"Grand Admiral," an officer panted as he approached Abalam, he was holding a datapad. He quickly handed it to Abalam.

"What is it?"

"The temple has been attacked by the Rebel Alliance, a small group of them made it inside the temple itself. We have lost a lot of units sir."

"Show me them!" Abalam shouted in a fit of anger. The officer nodded and projected an image to the holo display, it was the ones from Denon. Then Abalam looked in closer and saw the only one he thought he had got - Niko Trantis.

"Prepare my shuttle, I will handle these rebels myself."

"Aye sir," the officer saluted and went on his way. The Grand Admiral adjusted his collar, he looked down at the officers below in the command pits. "Prepare a blockade, we can't risk letting these rebel scum escaping the planet!" The officers all saluted and got straight to work.

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Back on Cerea...

Adna followed the Rebels with some reluctance, she thought about trying to run away but it'd be pointless. "Are you looking for something?" Adna asked.

"We were lead here by a map, an ancient map," answered Aegon.

"There is something here, I can feel it somehow. It's connected to this." Inna raised the artifact from Vixnix, the gold and red pyramid device encrusted with luscious jewels.

"You have a Holocron too?"

"What do you mean 'too', who else has one?" Aegon said, interrogating the archaeologist.

"I found one in this temple. It's in Imperial possession now."

"Why would you give it to them?!" Aegon complained. He went over to confront her, looking down at her in much anger. "That Holocron thing led us here, it means something. I don't know it means yet but I know it means something."

"I was hired to do it, it upsets me the amount of finds I've had that have gone into private collections. When they belong in museums!"

"Who exactly did it go to?"

"Here was some character, named Grand Admiral Abalam."

"What?" Niko exclaimed. "Maybe this time I'll get that scumbag for good."

"You know him?" Adna asked.

"Unfortunately, yes I do know him. That's the slime that locked me up on a penal planet after nearly killing me."

Inna tapped Niko on the shoulder: "If he comes here just stay back, we can deal with him." Then they heard the sound of thrusters descending, in the sky a Lambda shuttle began to swoop down to the planet. Inna and Niko readied their weapons while Baron Aegon continued to clutch at his injury. The craft landed, the ramp dropped and the door opened. Standing there before them was Abalam himself, with a guard at each side.

"Speak of the devil," Niko whispered. Abalam continued to approach them. Inna's index finger hovered above the trigger.

"The Rebellion's finest!" Abalam laughed extending his arms.

TBC