<font size=6>Storm Clouds
</font>Part I: Storm Clouds
There was never a good war… or a bad peace
<tt>It is a time of peace and tranquility for the Galactic Defence Initiative. GDI soldiers, battle weary and tired of war, have laid down their arms and taken up a life of peace.
But all is not well. While peace reigns supreme on New Alderaan, Karnak Alpha, and Ord Mantell, the galaxy is at war. The Yuuzhan Vong push relentlessly into the galaxy, their attempts to destroy the Caprician people near successful, and Vinda Corporation has launched a mighty offensive against the Corporate Sector Authority. At the same time, Uprising Enemies appear and make their own claim for the Corporate Sector, and New Republic forces have been spotted grabbing planets in the system as well.
But there is more to the story than that. Hidden away in the Unknown Regions, a new threat waits for its chance to strike out. The galaxy is once more tilting towards darkness, and only one man has the ability to halt this invasion…</tt>
Storm clouds over the government complex on New Alderaan, where the Galactic Defence Initiative senate sits. They are dark and threatening, foreshadowing the events to come. They give a slight hint of what will soon take place…
The Chiss Empire, a major Empire in the Unknown Regions. Spanning fourteen worlds, it remains a stronghold of the galaxy. It is said that the Chiss Empire has the means to tip the balance of power in the galaxy either way… if they were to ally themselves with someone. It is a great task to take that threat away, but one has dared try…
Elysia – Capitol of the Chiss Empire
Emperor Pincz gazes across the skyscape from the tallest tower of the Imperial government tower. His face, normally jubilant, is dominated by a frown. Dark times are coming, and Emperor Pincz knew for certain that he and the empire he had worked for so long to build would be caught up in it.
He sighed and beckoned for his servant – a human man of about 30 with a thick stomach and prematurely grey hair.
“Milord?” he says tentatively , sensing his master’s bad mood. The Emperor turned slowly and gazed at the man for a moment. His red eyes bore into the man, who turned away in fear. When the Emperor spoke, his voice was cold and smooth, like a snake.
“Do you see it?” He asked, turning his gaze back to the windows. “Can you sense it?” The servant knew what his master was speaking of, but he dared not mention it. He could tell when the Emperor was in a bad mood, and this was one of those times.
“They’re coming. They want to ruin me. They want to destroy what we have worked so hard for. They want to take our worlds and destroy our Empire.” He sighed again, and he sagged visibly.
“We will not let them, milord.” The servant said dutifully. “We’ll fight them. Fight them and make them wish they’d never set foot in our space. They will not defeat us.”
The Emperor turned.
“Pierre, my friend. I know you speak truth. But I am an old man, and I do not think I have it in me to partake in another war. I will do all I can, but…” He left the statement unfinished, hanging in the air. Pierre shook his head.
“Milord, you are the best ruler we’ve ever had. You cannot give up… if you do, the people will give up and we will falter. You know as well as anyone that we cannot afford to show weakness. Especially now.” The Emperor was staring out the window again. He laughed sharply.
“Do you know what my agents told me today, Peirre?” He asked, not expecting the man to answer. He didn’t. “They told me that the galaxy is at war! That the Corporate Sector Authority has fallen! Can you believe it, Pierre! What’s more, it was a bloody business man! A man, whose fleet contains less than fifty ships destroyed the Corporate Sector Authority! It’s insane!” Pierre had remained silent during this rant, but now he spoke up.
“Sir, I very much doubt that a man with fifty ships could destroy our position here. We are stronger and smarter than the Corporate Sector Authority, and we have more resources at our disposal.” The Emperor turned away from the viewport, which had been replaced by blackness as the sun had set, and walked over to his desk. Raising the bottle of imported Corellian Fire Whisky, he poured a glass and gulped it down.
“Darkness is coming, and I fear that it will overwhelm us all.” He sighed deeply. “Lock down the borders. Put the fleets on alert. I don’t want a war, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to give them one if they try to take this from me!”
Elysia Sector – Unknown Regions
A single Star Destroyer glided peacefully through the darkness of space in the Unknown Regions. The ship, a part of the Galactic Defence Initiative Third Fleet, had only one purpose. She was a spy, sent to discover the goings on of the Chiss Empire.
A single A-wing starfighter launched from the ship’s cavernous main hanger bay and arced out in front of the great warship before vanishing into hyperspace. The mammoth Star Destroyer continued on her solitary mission.
New Alderaan – Government Complex
“Can it be done?” Supreme Commander Isstal turned from the cabinet and looked at Colonel Ross.
“It is a great challenge, Colonel. But it can be done. It can be done.” The man nodded, as if that was good enough for him.
“What of the critics? Surely not everyone approves of this course of action?” Isstal shook his head.
“Naturally, no. But the Chiss Empire presents a threat to all of us, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that threat go unchecked.” Ross nodded.
“But you’ll be scrutinized by the peace-lovers, sir. For everything you do while in the Unknown Regions.” Isstal laughed.
“Colonel, this operation is very hush-hush. The senate knows, and by the time its over most of the galaxy will know that we control Elysia. But that doesn’t bother me, because the positives far outweigh the negatives.” He smiled and found what he looking for and rose.
“Now, Colonel, let us drink to it!” He popped the cork on the bottle of old Alderaani wine he had been searching for and poured to glasses.
GDI Third Fleet - Elysia Sector – Unknown Regions
“Captain, sir! We have an unidentified contact baring Zero-Zero-Nine and closing fast!” Commodore Joda, of the Star Destroyer Black Rose spun in his command chair. He was referred to as Captain because, while he commanded the entire fleet here, he was in direct command of Black Rose, and as such being addressed as ‘Captain’ was appropriate.
“Can you get a sensor lock on it?” A moment paused. “Confirmed: Lambda-class Shuttle Hard Hitter.” Joda smiled in relief.
“Hail them, lieutenant, and prepare the ship for the Supreme Commander’s arrival.” The officer looked startled, but saluted and got to it.
Supreme Commander Isstal’s shuttle set down on the flight deck of the Black Rose with a thump and the hissing sound of escaping steam. The ramp hit the metal flooring, and Isstal walked down. He smiled.
“Commodore Joda, I trust everything is in order?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. The Third is at Combat Four and awaiting your arrival to assume direct command.” Isstal nodded; this answer pleased him.
“You have all the probes and prowlers required for this mission, Commodore?” The man nodded.
“I do, sir. Though we could always due with more. He gestured to a doorway, which after accepting his command code hissed open. The two entered a dimly lit room. Holographic maps and displays covered nearly every surface, giving a very detailed representation of the Chiss Empire’s space. The Commodore continued his briefing, now speaking to the assembled officers who had been awaiting their arrival.
“The Chiss Empire controls fourteen worlds,” the screend behind him changed to show the various worlds under the control of the Chiss. “To successfully probe each we will likely need several more squadrons of Prowlers and drones, though at this time I can’t make an solid statements. Currently, Solitude is on assignment with our compliment of A-wing scouts and has made successful runs on Elysia, Freyr, and Amaethon. They have revealed formidable defences, both naval and land-based.”
“This is why we must stop them. Before they can emerge and wreck havoc across the galaxy.” The Supreme Commander interrupted. Joda nodded.
“Exactly. The Chiss Empire has the resources to swing the balance of power either way; it’s our job to deprive them of that advantage. We do so by striking here and here.” He highlighted to points on the holodisplay behind him. “We will first remove the Chiss ability to make new war machines.”
Elysia – Capitol of the Chiss Empire
And then the morning comes…
It was a glorious morning on the Chiss capitol of Elysia when the turbolaser fire began to rain down from the sky. Deadly bolts of energy tore into the cities, tearing apart homes and turning solid rock into molten slag. Alarm klaxons began to blare across the world, alerting the residences of the impending danger. But that only made them targets. As they ran from their homes they were struck down by TIE fighters tearing across the sky…
Emperor Pincz woke with a start. Dark times were indeed approaching…
“Milord!” The Emperor, ignoring his usual routine, rose and wandered from his quarters within the vast government complex. He smiled as he noticed Pierre.
“Have you received any reports?” he asked. “Anything from the fleets?” Pierre shook his head.
“Nothing, sir. And your agents reported in early. Other than what you have mentioned there has been no change. So far as we can tell, we are not a risk.”
“Not yet,” The Emperor said bitterly, pouring himself a cup of caf from the machine.
“Don’t worry, sir. If anyone is foolish enough to attack us here then we will destroy them, and then hunt down any survivors.” The servant smiled. “We will not allow ourselves to be ruled by some outsider, Milord. We will stop them.” The Emperor knew that his servant meant to cheer him, but his attempt had failed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this impending danger would consume them all.
“Tell me, Pierre, are you afraid?” He asked, resting his elbows on the countertop and gazing into nothingness.
“Afraid?” The servant repeated, unsure of what his lord meant.
“Afraid of the future? Of the possibility that you and I will die. That out Empire may fail?” Pierre was taken aback by the question.
“I do not fear, Milord, for I have confidence in our ability to defeat anyone who dares try to oppose us.” Pincz laughed shortly and spoke softly, his attention only half directed at his servant.
“Grand Moff Tarkin was not afraid, Pierre, when the Rebels attack his ‘invincible’ Death Star, and now he is dead. Emperor Palpatine did not fear the Rebels, and now he is dead. I think you overestimate us.” Pierre’s smile vanished.
“Milord, we are not so stupid as Tarkin, and we are not overconfident as Palpatine was. I know the risks, but I am confident nonetheless.” The Emperor sighed.
“I believe you are overconfident, Pierre.”
GDI Third Fleet - Elysia Sector – Unknown Regions
A leader’s greatest weakness is overconfidence. His greatest asset is faith; faith in his troops and in his self.
Supreme Commander Isstal stared into space from the observation deck of his great Star Destroyer. He was worried, not only of what was to come but also of the threats that he faced from the people at home.
His actions were justified, he thought, but would the people agree with him? The Ruling Council had authorized this action, supported and encouraged it, in fact, but they were hardly a percentage of the entire population of GDI.
A single set of footsteps sounded behind the Supreme Commander. He did not turn, instead keeping his eyes fixed on a single star visible through the large window.
“What do you think, Colonel?” He asked, not moving his eyes from the star.
“Sir?” Colonel Ross’ voice was mystified. Still the Supreme Commander did not move.
“What do you think, Colonel, of all of this? Of our objective here? Of our chances?” He raised a glass to his lips and sipped the delicate blend. Colonel Ross was silent for a moment.
“I believe it is possible, sir, to win. It will take some fighting, but it can be won.” Isstal shook his head.
“No no, Colonel. Why are we here? Why are we launching a campaign against the Chiss Empire?” He asked these questions that he knew the answers to to find out what his men thought. The Colonel, unbeknownst to Isstal, shrugged.
“Because the Council said so,” he said simply. The Supreme Commander laughed.
“‘Because the Council said so’ he mocked. Is that truly a good enough answer for you, Colonel?” He said scornfully. He had been drinking, and he was in a rare mood. Ross stayed silent.
“Well, Colonel? Why are here?” The other man came to stand alongside his commander.
“Because the Chiss possess an advantage that could destroy us all. Because they hold to much power. Because it is a dictatorship and goes against everything the Galactic Defence Initiative stands for.” He said.
“Is it a dictatorship, Colonel? Are they really so different from us?” He wondered aloud.
“The title ‘Emperor’ usually suggests a dictatorship, sir.”
“But this Emperor Pincz. Is he evil? Is he a dictator, power hungry? Is he another Palpatine?” The Supreme Commander asked, still staring at his star.
“We don’t know sir, but we can’t take that chance. They could strike at any moment. And if they do, the results would be disastrous.” Isstal sighed.
“And if they don’t strike, Colonel? If they had never planned to? Then we are making a mistake. A deadly mistake.” The Colonel shrugged.
“It’s possible, sir. But it’s also possible that they plan to destroy all who try to stand in their way. It’s weighing the odds, sir, and those odds point towards a hostile movement.” Isstal nodded, evidently satisfied with this answer.
“I just hope, Colonel, that we are doing the right thing.”
Elysia Sector – Unknown Regions
Rev Dalin knew something was wrong when his ship lurched suddenly into realspace, the hum of the engines being replaced by blaring alarm klaxons. The ship and its escorts had been brutally pulled from hyperspace by the Immobilizer 418 Heavy Cruiser, which was now visible outside the bridge viewports. Already the ship’s escort of a single light corvette and a half dozen antiqued Z-95 Headhunters were under attack. Not from the Interdictor, but from the much more impressive and frightening Imperial-class Star Destroyer that had appeared from, evidently, behind them. The escorts were gone before they knew what was happening.
“Holy Mother of Crap!” Rev swore, looking at the massive Star Destroyer now bearing down on them. “Helm! About turn, get us clear of the-” He was cut off as he was thrown to the metallic floor as the Star Destroyer opened fire. They heavy transport may have been 1400 meters long, but it was old, underarmed, and even in its prime would not have hoped to match an Imperial Star Destroyer. Its key asset was its speed, which Rev Dalin had hoped to use to his advantage. But as the damage reports came in and showed that engines three and five were dead and another three damaged, he knew they were done for. He swore, then looked out at the Star Destroyer.
“Transmit our surrender,” he said glumly. “Tell them we are lowering our shields.”
The soldiers who boarded the transport wore stormtrooper armor, but they were obviously not stormies. Their armor was painted a stunning scarlet, with silver patches adorning some.
They entered the bridge and wasted no time. Before Rev Dalin could speak he was struck down by a stun bolt. His unconscious when he hit the floor for the second time in fifteen minutes.
The soldiers quickly secured the transport’s cargo and transferred it to the Star Destroyer, then destroyed the ship with a series of explosives. The Star Destroyers made the jump to hyperspace. Left behind, a GDI Probe transmitted the scene it had just recorded back to the fleet, then jumped to hyperspace.
New Alderaan – Government Complex
“This is outrageous! The fleet should never have been rebuilt! You claim that it was done to keep the peace, and now you send it into a territory that has never shown us any hostility. And for what? To start a war?” The man who was speaking, David Barril, was standing in the middle of the senate floor. Several of the members roared in agreement with the man, but it was far outweighed by the criticisms.
“You know damn well why the fleet was sent to the Elysia Sector! We’re trying to prevent a war, not start one!”
“Then why did you build the fleet? Building a fleet will only result in one thing: war! By constructing these weapons of war you have doomed us all!” David shouted. The Chairman spat in disgust.
“Senator, you are excused. Come back when you are ready to discuss things reasonably.”
Suddenly a figure appeared on the screen, quickly replaced by a video. Supreme Commander Isstal spoke over the stilled image.
“This was taken just moments ago by one of our probes in the Elysia Sector.” The video played, revealing the attack and destruction of the ship. The image went back to Isstal. “This is clearly an unprovoked assault. Terrorism, and it will not stand. We have seen nothing of this nature since Palpatine, and it will not stand.” The image vanished. The senate was silent for a moment as they took in what they had seen. Dark times indeed.
Elysia – Capitol of the Chiss Empire
A trio of escort shuttles set down in perfect formation around the larger passenger shuttle. This passenger shuttle, however, was not carrying passengers. A group of guards appeared first, blaster rifles glinting ominously in the early morning sun. They were followed by a small group of prisoners, their hands and feet shackled. Another group of guards followed them, and they were led into a transport and taken away.
From the window of his office, Emperor Pincz watched the prisoners with disdain. Spies were to be punished, and there was little doubt that these ones were spies. Soon he would know. Soon.
“Milord?” It was Pierre, entering the chamber from behind him and bowing low. “Milord, a report from the front. A Star Destroyer was spotted, alone, within our space. We cannot determine what she was doing, but it is suspected that she was attempting to infiltrate our borders.” The Emperor nodded.
“And?”
“Well, they must be stopped… mustn’t they?” Pincz sighed and looked down to the landing pad, where another ship was setting down.
“I suppose so, Pierre.” He said, not really caring either way. “Do what you think is best. I have no doubt that you will make the right choice.” Pierre nodded.
“As you wish, Milord.” He backed out of the room, leaving the Emperor alone with his thoughts once more.
Elysia – Capitol of the Chiss Empire
Kalenda sighed. This was not going well. No, in fact, it was not going at all. She was trapped in one of the Emperor’s prisons, declared a spy by an organization that had brutally attacked her ship with no mercy and stole their cargo. No, this certainly did not look good.
Getting up, the woman walked to the door and peered through the narrow slit that served as a shutter. There were no guards in sight, though there was a heavy metal door and a guard droid on the other side. The other way seemed to simply end in a metal bulkhead. Kalenda shook her head and reached into her tool belt… only to remember the @#%$ guards had taken it. She swore softly, then passed her two hands through here hair. When they emerged, she was holding a small, three-shot blaster and a packet of small, high yield explosives. Kalenda place one above the door frame and retreated to the back of the cell.
“Duck.” She said simply, before pressing the detonator. The explosion was loud, obviously loud enough to be heard down the corridor, but that hardly mattered. Kalenda was out the door, sliding another of the explosives towards the guard terminal, where the droid was attempting to open it to find the source of the explosion. By the time his threat analysis programming determined it was a bomb, it was to late. The second bomb, if possible, was louder than the first. It tore the guard station to shreds and destroyed the droid in and instant.
And the alarms began to go off. The lights cut out, only to be replaced by emergency lighting. Kalenda looked to her companions, who were still in the cell.
“You two coming our what?” She asked, setting off down the hallway. The others paused for a second, then followed.
“Our first stop is the armoury, just ahead of here. Then we can get out of here.” She smiled as she said this, leading them around another bend… and into the path of a dozen heavily armed riot troopers. Kalenda swore and turned back, placing one of her last remaining explosives on the wall and detonating it as the soldiers appeared. The blast set the corridor ablaze, and the three escapees walked through it carefully before running down the hall to find themselves outside the armoury. Kalenda smiled and mounted her final explosive, blasting the heavy door open.
The armoury was filled with useful things. Armour, blaster rifles, flash grenades, comlinks. Kalenda smiled broadly and grabbed a comlink, placing it in her pocket. She then proceeded to arm the three of them as best she could.
When they the left the armoury, they appeared as normal prison soldiers, albeit a bit clumsier than usual. They made their way towards the front lobby, but they never made it. A squadron of the prison troops, seeing what the escapees had done, tracked down the missing armour and now had the trio cornered. Kalenda swore and returned the fire with her heavy blaster rifle, but it was obvious that they could not keep this up. Even as the thoughts passed through her head one of her companions took a hit and fell.
“That’s it, we’ve got to get out of here!” Kalenda turned and blasted open
a doorway marked ‘roof’ and ran up, her companion following close behind. They emerged in the bright sunlight of the Elysia sun.
Kalenda looked around for a way to get off the roof, but there was none.
“Look’s like we’re in a bit of a fix,” she said, taking up a position behind a makeshift blockade and aiming at the doorway.
“May as well go out in a blaze of glory, eh?” The troops appeared, firing as soon as they cleared the door. Kalenda and her cohort returned the shots, striking down the enemy soldiers in quick succession.
Then the ship showed up. It was not a large vessel, only ten or fifteen meters, but it was to big for blaster rifles. The two escapees stood and raised their hands, signifying surrender.
The ship shuddered visibly, then an explosion wreaked its rear compartment and sent it spiralling into the street below. A Skipray Blastboat appeared instead, firing at the enemy soldiers who were now trying to retreat back into the prison. The ramp aboard the Blastboat lowered, and Kalenda and her companion scrambled up and into the ship.
“We intercepted that you’d been captured,” on the crewman said, “and thought you could use some help.” Kalenda smiled at the man.
“Right on time to,” she watched from behind the pilot as the ship tore away from the system defence forces and vanished into hyperspace. “Where are we going?”
“Our first stop is the Solitude, she’s on scene sending recons into the sector. But I daresay the Supreme Commander will want a word as well.” Kalenda nodded.
As the ship emerged from hyperspace Kalenda stood again to stand behind the pilot. She gazed out the viewport, then down at the sensor readout.
“I thought you said that your Star Destroyer would be here.” The pilot pointed to a small sensor contact.
“She was. Is that what I think it is, Lee?” The pilot asked, fearing the worst. A pause, before: “Negative, sir. It’s a piece of an old VicStar. Probably took the brunt of Solitude and limped hope with a hole in her hull that I could fly a Y-wing through.” The pilot laughed.
“Solitude must have gone back to the fleet. We’ll meet them there.” The ship disappeared once more into the darkness of hyperspace…
Elysia Sector – Unknown Regions
The small ship set down with a thump on the deck of the GDI flagship. It was early morning according to the time clock the ship followed, but Supreme Commander Isstal was up and waiting for the ship’s arrival. As Kalenda appeared, he approached.
“Lieutenant. Good to see you again.”
“Likewise, Supreme Commander.” Kalenda said, saluting.
“What can you tell me?” The Supreme Commander returned the salute.
“Not much, I’m afraid. We spent most of our time in a Chiss prison, but I can confirm the size of their fleet. They had an ImpStar and an Interdictor to spare to capture our ship. That’s no mean feat, taking a Star Destroyer off the front lines hurts anyone, especially when a cruiser would have done the job.”
“Maybe they want us to know that they have the resources?” Colonel Ross suggested.
“Perhaps. The fact is that they do, and we must be very careful not to allow ourself to be engaged by the full force of their navy at once.” Isstal nodded.
“That’s a given. We should be able to hold off reinforcements for some time, and if not we always have the option to retreat.” Kalenda shook her head.
“Watch out, sir. They always go for engines first. Once you’re dead in space, they can take their time to finish you off.”
“Sounds like a jolly good time.” Ross said, yawning. “So we must make certain to protect our engines? Or not let them get near them?” The Supreme Commander nodded.
“Yes. If the buggers get near our engines we’re done for, so we must make sure to stop them before they get there.”
“Watch out, sir. Some of those pilots are suicidal. They’re completely willing to destroy themselves to achieve their objective.”
“You mean they’ll ram us?” Colonel Ross asked.
“Yes. They’ll ram their fighters into your stern or bridge, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they sacrificed a couple light cruisers to eliminate this threat.” Isstal sighed.
“Then we must be more cunning than our enemies and show them that we mean business.”
Elysia – Capitol of the Chiss Empire
“They’re coming here.” Emperor Pincz stares out the large window at the clouds above. Storm clouds are gathering around the planet. They threaten rain, but to the Emperor they signify much more. “The @#%$ who blew up the Domination are coming here.” Pierre, not knowing what to say, stayed silent, slinking in the background as his master went on. “They have the gall to attack us, to spy on us, and to invade our homeland. Do you have any doubt, Pierre, that the ship that destroyed the prison was one of theirs?”
“No, Milord.”
The servant answered obediently.
“No, of course not! They broke the spies out of prison! They’re all against us, Pierre. Our time here is coming to an end.” The servant shook his head.
“No, sir! They are coming, but we will fight back. We will destroy them all! We will emerge triumphant and we will route these outsiders!” The Emperor shook his head sadly.
“No, Pierre. Don’t you see? It is to late. We have already lost. It is only a matter of time now, my servant. Before they come here and destroy us all.” He left those words hanging as he turned back to the window. It was raining now, the sheets of rain pouring down across the city. It never rains but it pours. The Emperor imagined those water droplets as turbolaser blasts and shuddered. “We will not survive this.” He sighed.
Freyr System – Elysia Sector – Unknown Regions
The starships of the Galactic Defence Initiative appeared without warning in the Freyr system. They were immediately set upon by the system’s meagre defences, but it was already to late. The Carrack Light Cruisers had already swarmed forward, attacking the system’s prized shipyard with a massive salvo of unending turbolaser fire. The single capital ship that made up the system’s defences, an aging Imperial-class Star Destroyer, was attack from two sides by the smaller Victory Star Destroyers. The ship was struck continuously by missile and turbolaser fire as the GDI ships did their best to knock it out.
Shields began to collapse and flames began to eat away at the buckling bulkheads. Almost as fast as it had begun the ship was dead in space, escape pods shooting in all directions. Then the smaller Star Destroyers turner their guns on the more important target: the enemy shipyard that made the system as valuable as it was.
Elysia – Capitol of the Chiss Empire
Alarm klaxons began to blare across the surface of Elysia as the fleet arrived in orbit. In the cities and towns Air Raid alarms went off, alerting the citizens to the impending attack. Emperor Pinca stood alone at the top of the government tower, staring up and the sky. Pierre appeared behind him and spoke softly, his voice full of hatred.
“They outnumber us three to one, Milord, and reports claim it’s not their entire fleet. Our forces are at a loss as to what they should do. They need your leadership if you hope to win.” The Emperor shook his head and gestured for the servant to come nearer. Pierre stood beside his master and looked up. Pincz sighed and drew the vibro-blade.
“Forgive me, my friend.” He plunged the blade deep into the man’s stomach, folding him over.
“It is lost, my friend. We are ended.” The Emperor sighed and walked towards his shuttle.