Catcher sat beside the pilot of the Lambda-Class Shuttle as they drifted dead in space among the debris. The cockpit was silent. So was the passenger compartment.
Aaron had asked me to fit 50 in one Lambda. Well, I fit 75, Catcher thought, proud of his accomplishment.
Shortly after deploying from the hangar, the two Lambda-Class Shuttles and three TIE Fighters were forced to power down all systems, as twelve X-wings were activated within their hangar and sent towards the battlefield.
That should be the last of their fighters. Damn, we're lucky, Aaron thought as they finally disappeared.
"Alright, start the ships up. We'll begin the boarding procedure now," Catcher told the pilot, who nodded. He started up his systems, passed on the message to the other ships, and soon after they set off again.
The three TIE Fighters flew around them, with the two Lambda shuttles in the middle. They moved slowly through the debris, but once past it, they accelerated to maximum speed. The TIE Fighters flew ahead, firing on the hangar shields.
The shields shattered, opening the path for the two shuttles.
The shuttles flew into the hangar, opening their ventral doors mid-air, and the ramps lowered fully as they landed. One hundred fifty stormtroopers poured out, followed by Captain Catcher.
As the last trooper left, the two shuttles departed the hangar and jumped to hyperspace, ready to return quickly if needed.
Catcher immediately got to work as his men secured the hangar. It was almost devoid of life—no ships or pilots remained—but there were still many non-combatants present.
No mercy was shown.
Red laser fire streaked through the hangar, intercepting panicked non-combatants.
"SECURE THE ENTRANCES! DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!" Catcher commanded as he assessed the situation.
The hangar had two entrances: one just ahead of the main entrance and another to the north, or left.
Catcher then turned toward the astromech droid they had brought.
"Find a contact station. We need the ship's map ASAP," Catcher ordered. The droid emitted a few tones before moving to the nearest terminal and beginning the data extraction and encryption process.
Luckily for them, the rebels heavily relied on droids, so connection ports were installed in almost every room.
The MC80-Class Star Cruiser had a unique shielding system that included multiple shield generators, making them extremely efficient. But it also had a significant flaw.
The ship had very little space. The generators took up most of it. To maximize efficiency, some portions of the ship could detach and fly independently. It was designed for Mon Calamari and Quarren, so it contained many water and eco-rooms.
The MC80 simply didn't have enough space for many engines. It only possessed a single gigantic ion generator. Although there was a secondary one, that reactor was primarily used to power the eco-rooms, water supply, lighting, and warmth.
If that reactor went down, a few minutes later the shields, engines, turbo lasers, and thrusters would fail, leaving the ship dead in space.
That was their target: the engine room.
A few minutes later, the droid had obtained a copy of the map and displayed it for Catcher and his officers.
The engine room was three stories above them and about a ten-minute sprint from the elevator.
"Hm, alright. We'll split into three groups. Each will take 50 men," Catcher told the two officers beside him.
"Cal, you take the first unit. Detour to the hyperdrive reactor and disable it. If you encounter heavy opposition, retreat—the hyperdrive is secondary."
Cal nodded and rushed off with his men.
"Ben, you take the second 50. Head toward the bridge and make as much noise as possible."
"Yes, sir," Ben replied, quickly departing.
Now, I just have to take the covert route to the engine room, Catcher smiled, leading his 50 men down a corridor before turning right into the water-tube access.
They came face to face with the Water Tubes—the fishman-only transportation route.
Catcher recalled an interesting discussion with Aaron a few days ago about this potential weakness.
The Lieutenant does have a level of unpredictability. Who would think to use this strategy? Catcher thought as he eyed the tubes.
"Alright, bring the bags forth!" Catcher ordered as ten stormtroopers carrying large bags rushed over.
"Essentially, we'll be swimming to the engine room, but sadly, we don't have full equipment," Catcher explained. He removed his helmet and brought out a mobile breather to place over his mouth.
He grabbed a black bag from inside the large bags, placing his helmet and weapon inside, then clipped it to his belt.
"These bags are waterproof. You will take off your helmets and weapons and secure them inside. Then grab a mobile breather," Catcher told the men, shocking them further.
"Additionally, ten of you will use the underwater guns we have. Unfortunately, we only have eleven, so six in front and five in the back. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then get to it!"
The fifty stormtroopers quickly stowed their gear in the bags. As the last man finished, Aaron approached a control panel and pressed a button. Water began rushing into the room.
"Once the water fills the room, the doors to the tubes will open. We will move as a group. Keep pace with the man in front of you, and do not fall behind the last five. Understood?" Catcher asked.
"Yes, sir!" came the muffled response through their mobile breathers.
The water rose over their heads, and Catcher began breathing through his device.
It's not that bad. It's similar to the gas masks used by the Imperial Army, Catcher thought but had little time to ponder as the tube doors opened, and he entered.
He waited for Lux, who was at the rear, to give the signal. Once received, Catcher began swimming, quickly followed by his fifty men, all carrying waterproof rifles.
Now, let's hope we're not spotted, Catcher thought. He doubted many used these canals during a boarding—perhaps the rebels sent troops through them.
Nine minutes later, Catcher's group exited the tube into a room adjacent to the engine reactor. They immediately engaged the seventy-five rebel guards stationed there, catching them by surprise but also using cover and formations effectively.
Catcher suffered twenty-three casualties but overcame the rebels.
Better quality, my ass, he thought bitterly.
After defeating the rebels, Catcher moved to disable the reactor, shutting it down carefully to avoid destabilizing it.
Then, they prepared for the defensive battle of the engine room.
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