Chap. 34 - Survivor

Icarus: - Citizens of oasis! - He spoke through the speakers.

His voice boomed through the underground chamber, drawing the attention of the few who weren't paying attention in the crowd. His upright demeanor emanated a confidence in all those who could see him up close or through the huge screens. His hands placed patiently behind his back, his chest up, his sharp chin pointed forward. He saw everyone in front of him, but he didn't look at any of them. His gaze was focused on something further away, something no one could see.

Icarus: - The majority here present were once part of the incomparable Separatist Alliance. Together our worlds formed the most powerful force to rule the Galaxy for five glorious years. Our army fought fiercely, and together, we were able to push against the Republic, even reaching its heart, Coruscant, where we unfortunately lost our valiant leader: Count Dooku. -

Most of those present began to get excited, as they were once citizens of the Separatist Alliance. For them, the war was a fight for sovereignty and democracy. How Count Dooku himself introduced himself to the Separatist dignitaries:

"The once great Republic and the Jedi Order have become victims of their own ambitions, and the Supreme Chancellor is nothing more than a pawn of corporate monopolies. (...) We ask for equality. And how did we meet? With war! (...)"

However, those few who once belonged to the Republic began to feel a bit uneasy, including Boil himself, who fought against them countless times.

Icarus: - BUT THOSE YEARS ARE IN THE PAST! The crowd jerked suddenly at his loud tone of voice. - NOW THE EMPIRE HAS RISEN OVER ALL OF US AND CONDEMNED US TO LIVE IN EXILE, IN THE ABANDONED CORNERS OF THE GALAXY. THE SEPARATIST ALLIANCE AND THE REPUBLIC BOTH FELL TO THIS NEW ENEMY. OUR DEMOCRACY WAS CRUSHED BY HIS EJEMONY AND THE LIVES OF OUR COMPATRIOTS WERE CONDEMNED TO SLAVERY, WHILE THOSE CORRUPT FROM CORUSCANT GET RICH FROM THE EFFORTS OF THE MOST DISADVANTAGED. - Everyone present, from both sides, began to get annoyed with his words. - AND IF ANY PLANET REFUSES TO SUBMIT, IT IS DESERVED WITHOUT EVEN HESITATION. I HAVE SEEN IT. SOME OF THOSE PRESENT HAVE SEEN IT. CITIES THAT HAVE EXISTED FOR CENTURIES RULED DOWN IN SECONDS BY ITS IMPOTENCE. AND WE CANNOT LET SUCH BARBARISM HAPPEN AGAIN! - The crowd shouted with excitement. - WE WILL NOT LET THE NEXT GENERATIONS BE BORN IN SLAVERY! - The crowd shouted again. - WE MUST STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT! FIGHT FOR WHAT IS NECESSARY! AND I WILL BE HERE, TO FIGHT BY YOUR SIDE! -

The crowd roared with euphoria, as the name of the super tactical droid was repeated over and over again. "Icaro. Icaro. Icaro."

Wag Too: - You got them. - He said in a low voice as the droid turned and walked away from the cameras.

Icarus: - Good. We already have your determination. Now we can put our plans into action. -

Boil: - You superdroids always caused great terror among our troops. But every time they surprise me even more. -

Icarus: - Mayor Miraj. Remember to plan a meeting later with the engineers and elders. We need all the information we can about the Munificent and the former facilities on the planet.

Miraj: - That is already resolved. In two hours we have a meeting scheduled. -

Icarus: - Good. Mirana, I want you to go to the old mines and give a message to the scrap dealers. Join or perish. Be concise. May the commando and Vulture units support you for this mission. -

Boil: - Do you have Vulture units? This gets better by the minute. -

Icarus: - Wag Too. Meet with the engineers beforehand. We need anyone who worked in the shipyards before they were destroyed. Any knowledge is of vital value. -

Wag Too: - Take it for granted. -

Icarus: - Very well, ladies and gentlemen. Let's start our fight. -

Mirana, Miraj, Wag Too, Boil: - Yes, Commander. - They said in unison, taking those who were closest and could hear them by surprise.

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And now, with a plan of action and the support of all the residents of the Oasis, Icarus's plans began to take leaps and bounds.

The meeting with the engineers and the elders was one of the most fruitful. As it turned out, many of the engineers who once worked in the Separatist shipyards had survived, and now their knowledge was at the disposal of their cause. With this invaluable source of knowledge, repairs to the frigate Munificent began immediately, and although many parts were damaged, it was only a matter of time before she was back to operating as she used to in the past.

Thanks to the help of the elders and knowledge of the planet, they were able to locate different facilities that were once used by the Separatist Alliance to sustain the planet's operations. And the truth was no small thing. Thanks to the Kestrel Nova and the information provided by the residents of the place, dozens of facilities were located that were still operable although lacking in energy. Among it: warehouses, old mines, abandoned power plants, and two underground droid factories similar to the one on Geonosis, but much smaller.

These discoveries marked a significant advance once new geothermal generators became available for the production of electricity. The nuclear plants that once powered the planet were reduced to rubble, and they did not have the resources to run them, so they had to use other alternative sources, such as the strong winds that whipped through desert areas.

Even so, the problem of the junkyards installed on top of the old durasteel mines was not so easy to solve. As expected, they ignored the warnings transmitted by Mirana, and even tried to take her prisoner. But the ex-bounty hunter wasn't one to take things in stride, and she didn't hesitate to reduce their numbers by almost half in a violent skirmish using the commando droids and the Vulture in a brutal siege. When Icarus arrived on the scene, who was now the "leader" of the junk dealers, since the latter did not live to tell the tale, he had no choice but to submit. It wasn't an option they liked very much, but they couldn't leave any loose ends if they planned to do something as risky as take on the Empire.

However, these were all minor problems, and Icarus knew it. If they really wanted to function as the necessity prevailed, they had to do something about it with the polluted air of the planet. Although the droids had no problem in this regard, the organics had very limited options as they had to use masks that reduced their visibility and whose production was not as fast as the demand required. Although large-scale machinery existed in the Galaxy to clean the air of an entire planet in just a few weeks, the residents of the Oasis had no such thing. So Icarus decided to use a much older but just as efficient method. Although it would take much longer.

With the new source of durasteel and its properties that are a mystery to our time, huge plates of the metal were made that spanned entire fields as long as a football field. These plates were bombarded with large electrical currents, creating a strong magnetic field that drew heavy, toxic particles to their surface. Once every two days, a maintenance crew would scrape the surface of the metal by hand to remove a four-inch layer of heavy materials collected by that method. It was hard work and involved a lot of sacrifice, but after two months of hard work, Gwori's atmosphere was beginning to reach less toxic levels, although the use of respirator masks was still necessary.

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And so, after a long seven months of hard work on everyone's part, the changes in Gwori began to become noticeable.

The dense curtain of contamination was eventually processed, allowing the green vegetation to regrow with such force that only the oldest could remember even before the planet became the headquarters of one of the Separatist Alliance's largest shipyards.

Now the air was breathable, and the masks to be able to go outside to see the bright sun in the panorama seemed to be only tales of legend. Some children even saw and felt sunlight for the first time in their lives. Ironically, all that pollution that kept them in their underground prison, after being processed, became many of the items and appliances they used on a daily basis. An irony. Do not you believe it?

Seven months. Seven months to be able to build a huge vault with a flat roof, where grass and shrubs were intentionally planted that blended with the area. Although Gwori was a planet far from the outer rim, any curious radar or scanner would be unable to detect any suspicious activity on the planet's surface. After all, they did not want to draw premature attention from the Empire.

Icarus was in a special facility that was made just for him. A small dark room, with a dim yellow emergency light. In its reduced dimensions, a metal chair and a high-power terminal were installed right in front. A place where the droid could connect to the entire planet's wireless network and check on every process from one place. And right there he was when:

https://youtu.be/zN69-oUDbgk

The sound of the door being slammed caught his attention.

Miraj: - Commander... We are ready. - She said behind the door.

The droid disconnected from the terminal and approached the door. Opening it, he found the mayor waiting with his arrival. With a slight smile on his face.

Icarus: - Let's go. -

The two walked to the outskirts of the Oasis where they were, and arrived at the gates where a spider was waiting for them with Boil at the wheel. For several minutes they glided over the green plains, while the cool evening air hit their faces. Miraj's hair, now longer than it used to be in her youth, fluttered wildly at the wind that hit her face.

The massive dome loomed on the horizon, just above what had once been the wreckage of the frigate Munificent. At the entrance to the facility, Wag Too waited while talking to some technician about some last details. The spider slowed to a stop a few meters away. With a nod, the lurmen ordered the rest to return to finish the optimizations as he approached the speeder.

Wag Too: - A pleasant trip? - He asked as he extended his hand to Miraj to help her down from the spider.

Miraj: - The weather is perfect, dear. As I hadn't seen for years. -

The Zygerrian climbed out of the vehicle and crouched down to give the lurmen a quick kiss while Icarus and Boil climbed down on their own.

Icarus: - Is everything ready? -

Wag Too: - All in order. We were waiting for your arrival. -

Icarus: - Very good. let's get started -

The lurmen gave the order through the communicator to the technicians inside the dome, and after a few seconds, the huge metal doors began to slowly open, revealing inside one of the jewels of the old Separatist fleet.

The Munificent star frigate, once developed by the banking clan, was illuminated by the faint rays of the evening sun. 825 meters long, 2 heavy turbolaser cannons, 2 heavy ion cannons, 26 twin turbolaser cannons, 20 light turbolaser turrets, 40 defensive laser turrets, 7 ion engines, class 1 hyperdrive, a powerful deflector shield, and a capacity to carry 150,000 droids combat aircraft and multiple hangars at her disposal made her an unstoppable fighting force.

Wag Too: - Turn it on. - He said over the communicator.

The operators watching from the cockpit confirmed the order and began the process of starting the ship. Little by little, the different mechanisms and circuits could be heard going into operation, until finally all seven motors ignited, echoing off the closed walls of the silo.

Wag Too: - Everything in perfect condition, Commander. The Munificent are ready to take to the cosmos once more. -

Icarus: - Excellent. Prepare everything! We'll take off in thirty minutes! -

All present: - Sir! Yes sir! -

End of Chapter 1

Do not panic. This is just a cut of the story. Like a season finale. It does not mean that the story ends or that it will take a while to continue. I only do it for an organizational issue in my writing. Also, I think that explaining everything that happened in seven months would "kill" the story. After all this is Star Wars, and we want to see the action in the plot. So as a good fan of the saga, I left you some clues so that you can draw your own conclusions. XD.

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