“Shadows of Tantiss”

Nala Se’s message
One morning, Emerie Karr visits Omega in her cell and escorts her out for her routine work shift at the Weyland facility. Clone commandos, TK stormtroopers, and Advanced Science Division personnel are all through the corridors. Clone trooper inmates are marched out of a cylindrical chamber. Karr notices the unusually large presence of soldiers inside the blood donation unit. When Omega asks why, Karr says that they will be informed.

Dr Royce Hemlock and Nala Se enter the unit. Hemlock informs them that an unexpected visitor will see him and Nala Se. He orders Karr to oversee Nala Se’s laboratory in her absence. When Nala See offers to oversee the latest test results after the visit, Hemlock reassures Nala Se that Karr can handle such matters. A clone commando informs Hemlock that a shuttle has left the orbital station and transmitted the coordinates. Hemlocks sends additional Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters to escort the shuttle to the base. Nala Se nervously watches Karr carrying a tray of blood samples, including Omega’s, to a blood testing facility.

When Omega is alone, Nala Se secretly warns her she is in danger if Karr tests her blood sample. She tells her to flee the facility before it is too late. When Omega asks if this is why she has been destroying her blood samples, Nala Se confirms this is the case. She tells Omega that it is related to a secret Imperial project. As the Imperials end their conversation, Nala Se tells Omega to go to the lab and retrieve her datapad to escape the Imperial facility. She tells her to flee aboard a shuttle. Nala Se then leaves with Hemlock.

Nala Se walks past several Clone commandos and stormtroopers. After passing the security screening, she entered the blood testing facility and asked Karr about the VIP visitor. Karr replies that IR is best not to ask questions. When Omega feigns sickness, Karr allows her to take leave from her duties and rest. Omega discreetly steals a datapad and slips away.

The Emperor’s visit
In space, a shuttle and its V-wing escorts exit hyperspace. The fighters escort the shuttle to the Weyland facility. Hemlock awaits with an honor guard of stormtroopers. Two Emperor’s Royal Guards exited the shuttle, followed by Emperor Palpatine himself. Hemlock greets the Emperor, who is eager to learn about the progress of his research. In the facility, Hemlock tells the Emperor they have quadrupled their objectives in record time. Two Clone commandos let them into a larger facility.

Hemlock tells the Emperor that their exotic matter facilities have expanded, providing alteration and testing of much larger assets. The Emperor says he needs many grand designs but that he is here to discuss Project Necromancer. Hemlock ushers the Emperor and his guards into a glowing red chamber.

Freeing Crosshair
Meanwhile, Omega uses the datapad to enter a turbolift. An MSE series droid tries to enter the lift, but Omega kicks it out. She enters the detention block and speaks with Crosshair. When he asks if she has found a weak point, Omega says she is improvising and offers to explain later. She convinces crosshairs to distract the stormtrooper sentries while she unlocks his cell with the datapad.

Crosshair fights with the first stormtrooper and uses him as a shield against the second stormtrooper’s blaster bolts. He then sounds the second stormtrooper with the first one’s blaster. Crosshair locks the guards in his cell. As they exit the detention block, Omega explains that Nala Se told her to escape using her datapad to access the base and find a shuttle. Outside the detention block, they hide from two passing stormtroopers who talk about the Emperor’s visit. Crosshair is pessimistic about their chances of escape.

Omega notices Crosshair is nervous. After consulting the datapad and the network terminal, she learns that all shuttles at the Weyland facility are grounded. She decides to steal it. When Crosshair points out it is too well guarded, Omega suggests using a downed shuttle that crash-landed when she first arrived. She proposes using its comma to contact Hunter and Wrecker. Crosshair lets Omega take the lead.

Conflicting goals
Inside the Tantiss vault, Hemlock shows Palpatine several specimens stored in special tanks. Hemlock hopes to conduct a successful M-count replication with time and additional resources. Palpatine believes that Project Necromancer is necessary to secure the future of the Empire and promises Hemlock the resources he needs.

Elsewhere, Karr visits Omega’s cell only to find it empty. She sighs. Meanwhile, Omega breaks into the lurca hounds’ kennels. Crosshair takes out K-9X1 with his blasters. Omega tells Crosshair that they will use the kennel chute to escape outside. She explains that a timed ray shield protects it and that they must be fast. Karr confronts the two, and Crosshair points his blaster at her despite Omega’s pleas. Karr tells them they are not thinking clearly and offers to drop the matter if they surrender. Omega refuses to be trapped on Weyland and asks Karr to join them. Karr tries to convince Omega not to escape, but Crosshair stuns her.

Before leaving, the Emperor warns Hemlock to keep the Weyland facility secret and secure since those within the Imperial hierarchy would consider his work an abomination. Hemlock also tells the Emperor of his ambitions of ascending to the position of Minister of Science, which would give him oversight over all the Imperial science divisions. The Emperor says this will happen in due course before leaving.

After the Emperor leaves, a Clone commando informs Hemlock that Omega and Crosshair are missing and that an alarm was triggered in the lurca kennels. Hemlock orders that the kennel’s chute tunnels be sealed off. Omega and Crosshair barely escape before the ray shields come into force. Outside, Crosshair asks Omega if she knows the directions to the shuttle. Omega admits she doesn’t and suggests they follow the flight path of the departing Imperial shuttle.

The chase
Inside the kennels, Hemlock and the Clone commandos find Karr, who tells them that Omega obtained a datapad and used it to escape with Crosshair through a kennel chute. Hemlock dispatches lurca hounds and patrols to track down the fugitives. When Karr expresses concern that the lurcas will kill Crosshair and Omega, he responds that they are escapees and that the time for harsh measures is over. After dismissing Karr, Hemlock questions Nala Se about how Omega escaped. Nala Se professes loyalty, but Hemlock does not believe her and orders the Clone commandos to secure her in a cell.

Imperial stormtroopers and Rho-class transport shuttles are dispatched to hunt down the fugitives. Omega uses the datapad to guide their way through the jungle. She trips on a branch, and Crosshair helps her up. A hulking dryax confronts them, but the lurca hounds attack the creature. The clones take the opportunity to escape and locate the downed Imperial Nu-class attack/transport shuttle. Omega tries to power up the ship but finds its comms dead.

Meanwhile, Karr examines the blood samples, including Omega’s. An Imperial stormtrooper pilot reports an unusual surge in sector four. Omega is despondent, but Crosshair reassures her they have gotten this far and asks if she is familiar with Plan 72. The Rho-class shuttle circles nearby. A Clone commando tells the stormtroopers to find the prisoners before they abseil down using grappling cables. While they search the downed shuttle, Crosshair shoots at them and takes out a few.

Omega approaches the grappling cable but is cornered by a stormtrooper. The lurca hound she freed, Batcher, attacked the stormtrooper, and Omega stuns the soldier. She is happy to see Batcher and tells her to stay close. Crosshair takes out the Clone commando and a few stormtroopers in hand-to-hand combat. Omega takes a lift to the cockpit and stuns the pilot. She shoots at the stormtroopers with the ship’s weapons and dispatches the landing ramp for Crosshair to board the shuttle. Crosshair throws the pilot out and takes over the cockpit.

Escaping Tantiss
A stormtrooper informs the Weyland facility that the fugitives have hijacked and stolen their shuttle. Imperial V-wing starfighters are dispatched after the stolen shuttle. At Omega’s signal, Batcher boards the stolen shuttle after knocking down two stormtroopers. While V-wings pursue the ship, Karr discovers that Omega’s blood sample supports a positive M-count transfer. She informs Hemlock, who orders the V-wings to stand down since they need Omega alive. Omega and Crosshair escape into hyperspace. He dismisses their escape as a minor setback and vows to find them with the full resources of the Empire.