Unfrozen

[Cassius Droma]

Uncharted Planet
Edge of Unknown Regions
0800 Local Time

The Stardust Melody approached what looked to be a dead planet – only muted tones of gray could be seen from outer space. The cloud cover was thick, and Cassius Droma made sure to boost the sensors so that they wouldn’t hit any obstructions while passing through it. Coming out of the other side, he could see a rocky surface, with many mountains and plateaus. He took another look at his scans. There did appear to be something in a nearby valley – right where his contact said there would be.

“Wow, look at that,” Cassius said to his droid co-pilot, T-4D4, as it came into view. “An old First Order facility. The first First Order, I guess,” he mumbled the last sentence as he prepared the landing sequence. There was a small landing pad that looked sturdy enough, and the YT-1000 light freighter touched down with a soft hiss followed by a clunk as its landing gears locked into place.

“Surprised it hasn’t completely eroded away,” T-4D4 remarked as he unhooked his crash webbing and stood, still having to slouch due to his height.

“Lots of things have stood the test of time,” Cassius said, remembering back to when he was on Eadu and first discovered his psychometric abilities. “Keep sharp – no telling what type of security systems are still active, even eight hundred years later.” He made sure his lightsaber was secure to his belt before stepping out of the cockpit.

The pair made their way across the landing pad and into the facility, finding it had been depowered, probably for hundreds of years. They slowly made their way into the bowels, Cassius using his lightsaber to cut holes in doors that wouldn’t open by conventional means. Eventually, they made it to a chamber where there were but a few lights blinking – power. Emergency power, perhaps. Also, the air seemed much colder, as Cassius could see his breath.

“Look, over there,” T-4D4 pointed over to a small corner where a slab of frozen carbonite was mounted to the wall. In the block was the outline of a person. Brows furrowing, Cassius stepped over to the block and looked over the diagnostics on the side.

“Incredible,” Cassius marveled. “This thing is still active – the occupant is alive!”

“Well… should we unfreeze them?” T-4D4 asked. “They could be a First Order officer.”

Cassius paused, mulling it over. It was possible, but certainly nothing they couldn’t handle. This person, if they survived the unfreezing, would be an artifact in and of themselves. He did a quick inspection of the block – it was completely dependent on a power source that was attached to the wall. There was no way to move the slab without causing harm to the person frozen within. In an act of instinct, Cassius hit the button that would start the unfreezing sequence.

[member="Jacobdflores"]

 

[Jacobdflores]

The mission wasn't supposed to take this long. All he needed to do was find this carbonite chamber and transport it back to the Resistance base on Yavin IV. But instead, he found himself inside a dark empty hangar. Pulling out his flashlight, he directed the beam to different parts of the room, in an attempt to figure where exactly he was. The only thing he could find was a chunk of what looked like a pilot's helmet, with the letters, "DA" printed on it. That was weird. The only helmet he knew that had those markings belonged to, Tallie. He dropped the debris and collapsed to the ground, finding it harder and harder to breathe on his way down. On his knees, the room around him began to freeze, leaving Jaycob extremely cold. He shakily tried to get himself back upright, but he couldn't as a voice from behind him shook his eardrums.​

​

"INCOMING! SCATTER THE FIGHTERS! GET OUT!"​

​

Then with a sudden flood of emotions, memories of the first Resistance overwhelmed his brain. Starkiller. D'Qar. Evacuation. Bombers. Hospital. Crait. The Falcon. Tallie. The hangar suddenly shook violently as the blast doors exploded, starting a vacuum of fire, destroying rows and rows of ships that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Jaycob looked up to see, himself? Screaming some inaudible speech before being blasted backwards into oblivion. As the hangar fire began to engulf his surroundings, Jaycob's goosebumps from the cold, vanished, instead being replaced with sweat, turning his blood to lava.​

​

The next thing he knew, he was blind. A bright white light was in his eyes wherever he looked. Did he die? Was he up there? Only one way to find out.​

​

"H-h-hello? I-i-i-is anyone th-th-there?"​

​

He stuttered, suffering from contradicting pains of being cold on the outside to the fires that burned on the inside.​

 

[Cassius Droma]

The block had seared white-hot, and Cassius took a step back and covered his face. When it faded away, its occupant had been released from its centuries-old prison. He seemed to be a human male, early-to-mid-twenties, not much younger than Cassius. The young man looked confused, as he didn’t seem to be processing information wherever he looked. He called out, and after a brief glance at T-4D4, Cassius decided to answer.

“You alright?” he asked. “You might be temporarily blind due to hibernation sickness.” Again, he looked at this droid companion. He wanted to ask the young man what year he was from – but decided it was best to take one thing at a time. If he was from the time Cassius was thinking he was from, it would be quite a shock to realize where he’d ended up.

Leaning over to T-4D4, Cassius asked in a low voice, “Can you help with hibernation sickness?” The Stardust Melody had a well-equipped medical bay, with two full-sized bacta tanks. After a moment, T-4D4 nodded.

He looked back over to the young man who’d just been unfrozen. “Who are you? What’s your rank?” If he was a First Order officer… Cassius honestly didn’t know what he’d do with him.

[member="Jacobdflores"]

 

[Jacobdflores]

Jaycob heard inaudible speech from the distance, but he still couldn't tell what they were saying or who was saying it. Only a few words stuck out and made it through his ears and into his brain so he could process it: "who", "you", and "rank". Seeing as Jaycob was clearly at the disadvantage at the moment, he couldn't resist answering these questions.​

​

Who?​

​

"My name...is J-Jayc-cob Fl-e-sio..."​

​

He tried to answer through the grinding of his teeth. But just because he had to answer, doesn't mean he had to tell the truth. If he remembered correctly, his mission went bad after the First Order captured him and sent him to the chamber to get "tortured". So, rightfully he assumed that whoever was talking to him was also a First Order operative. Or at least he knew it wasn't a friend.​

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Rank?​

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"Aaaand, uhh, I'm j-just a pilot..."​

​

His voice trailed. Hopefully, that was enough. To be completely honest, Jaycob was just trying to buy himself some time, enough for him to get his vision back at least. Then, once he regained his eyesight, he would scan his surroundings and formulate a plan that would most likely increase his odds of survival, thus increasing his odds of escaping. Look at him, he's still got it.​

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"L-l-listen m-a-a-an. Whatever you wa-a-ant, I don't got it. I was just minding my own business, before these FO dogs jumped me."​

​

He lied through his teeth. Hopefully whoever was talking with him believed him, since Jaycob was definitely not going to tell him about his true mission.​

​

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

So he had a name – Jaycob Flesio. He identified himself as ‘just a pilot,’ but Cassius wasn’t exactly buying that. Why would the First Order freeze him in carbonite, then? The pilot didn’t seem to think very highly of the ‘FO dogs,’ as he called them. Jaycob had on typical spacer clothing – he could very well have been some sort of trader or pilot that got lost and ended up here. Why freeze him, though? Cassius felt like the First Order wouldn’t have done that unless he was important… or maybe they were just running experiments.

“Listen, we’re not here to hurt you,” Cassius said, trying to assure the young man. He was still mulling over in his head just what exactly he would do with this person. In all honestly, Cassius was already regretting his decision to unfreeze this poor soul. He should have held off, brought in more equipment and researchers to try and properly identify and carbon date the block. “I’ve got a ship – we can take you wherever you need to go.”

Now came the hard part – this man had, undoubtedly, been frozen for a long time. Delivering that news wouldn’t be an easy task. “The First Order abandoned this place a long time ago. We just happened across it while exploring.” He paused, still trying to think of how best to formulate his question. “Do… do you know what year it is?”

If Cassius’s theory was correct, it will have been eight hundred years since Jaycob saw the light of day.

[member="Jacobdflores"]

 

[Jacobdflores]

The reassurance that the stranger wouldn't hurt him did ease some of Jaycob's tension a bit. But he still couldn't trust him with knowing the true purpose of his mission. Luckily, the stranger did say that there was no longer any First Order presence in the area, so that would make his mission a whole lot easier.​

​

"Thanks for your offer but, I-I think my transport is around here somewhere."​

​

He said, regaining some of his vision back. However, he still didn't realize that his ship was already blown to smithereens during the time he was frozen. But when the question about time came up, Jaycob hesitated.​

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"Year? W-what're you talking about? N-nevermind I don't have time for this nonsense."​

​

For the first time since Jaycob had awoken, he managed to stand up on his own two feet. He swung his left forearm up to his face, and opened his wrist-mounted computer. The screen was cracked, and the entire device was wet. He tried to turn it on, but the NO POWER prompt flashed on the screen before he could do anything. That was weird. Jaycob knew his device could stay powered on for at least a couple days after a full charge. And Jaycob charged it the night before. Just how long exactly was he in carbonite?​

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"Uhhh...do you think maybe you can answer that question for me?"​

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Jaycob had mentioned a ship. “I doubt that…” Cassius muttered under his breath. He hadn’t seen anything on scanners when they came in or on the landing pad they used, and it was doubtful that anything he’d flown in was immediately useable after all this time.

The young pilot tried to check some sort of device on his wrist – a computer, no doubt. It was dead, the carbon freezing and time having probably damaged it. Although, Cassius could foresee them maybe getting some type of data from the device, provided the drives weren’t completely damaged. He had some computers on the Stardust that were more than capable of reading the devices Jaycob had.

Then the young man turned the question to Cassius, and he heaved a sigh. He stood so that he was eye-level with the pilot. “Listen… this is probably going to be hard for you to hear…” Cassius averted his gaze for a moment, then looked back at Jaycob. “It’s been over eight hundred and fifty years since the Battle of Yavin.”

So much about the galaxy had changed since then, including a four-hundred year dark age. Some planets long-dead had been brought back to life. New planets had been discovered, colonized, and conquered. There would be no telling how this man would react, or even if he would believe him straight off the bat.

[member="Jacobdflores"]

 

[Jacobdflores]

Jaycob was dumbfounded at the news. He could've sworn he was only frozen for a couple hours. But then again, he was never frozen in carbonite before, so he didn't know the effects. Jaycob must've had something in his ear, probably another side effect of the freezing, but he could've sworn he heard the stranger say 850 ABY.​

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"W-w-what did you say?"​

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He questioned, stuttering not because of the cold but out of disbelief. This was absolutely another dream. A nightmare would be a better word for it.​

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"Ok, if it were actually 850 ABY, then that means..."​

​

Jaycob's eyes widened.​

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"The Resistance is...gone."​

​

Poe? Jon'Kil? Jess? All gone. Jaycob raised his hands up and rested his hands on his head. In a situation like this, Jaycob would feel some type of anger or sadness. But instead, he just felt shock. His mouth remained open for a long time. He failed his mission. The universe is doomed. The First Order probably reigns across the entire galaxy now.​

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"No no no! Not again!"​

​

He cursed, punching his carbonite casing. Just another example of Jaycob's family disappearing before he got the chance to say goodbye. But this was no time to mourn, he'd have plenty of time to do that later. Now, he just needed to find a way off this terrible planet.​

[member="Cassius Droma"]​

 

[Cassius Droma]

The man didn’t take so kindly to the news. Cassius felt for him, and frowned as he started to cope with the losses he’d sustained in what probably seemed like the blink of an eye to him. The young Jedi could only imagine how he would feel if he suddenly woke up eight hundred years in the future. The knowledge that everyone you knew and loved were not simply gone, but had likely moved on without you and had lived a full life before dying would be crushing.

Jaycob lamented over the end of the Resistance, and Cassius’s eyebrow perked up. Ah, so that’s what it was. He could sense some sort of deception coming from the pilot, and now it was made clear. He was a Resistance pilot, likely sent here on a mission, only to be captured, frozen, and abandoned as the facility was likely evacuated. The archaeologist in Cassius marveled at the ‘find’. A Resistance pilot… from the original Resistance against the original First Order. Had he met such fabled characters as Poe Dameron and Leia Organa? He’d have to ask those questions later.

“Listen, the galaxy has changed a lot since you were captured,” Cassius said, trying to assuage the man’s fears. “The Resistance isn’t exactly gone, per say. There is a First Order, but they don’t rule the galaxy. A lot of different factions lay claim to the galaxy – everything is in a constant state of flux and chaos. There’s a First Order, a Sith Empire… but there are also Jedi Orders, as well. There are more Jedi now than there ever were during your time. The Confederacy, the New Republic, the Mandalorians… all own part of the galaxy.”

“I can explain it all… well, most of it, but we should get out of here quick. My ship is close by.”

[member="Jacobdflores"]

 

[Jacobdflores]

Jaycob took in everything the man had said, but everything still felt like a dream to him. The galaxy was something so foreign to him now, it was as if he was reborn. Jaycob simply nodded when the stranger invited him to board his ship, leaving his carbonite casing behind him, feeling defeated. If what the stranger said was factual, then Jaycob really had no allies in the galaxy. He was alone, for now.​

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"I should be dead."​

​

He stated, as he followed the man and his droid up the boarding ramp and into the main hold. The interior looked awfully familiar to the Millennium Falcon that Jaycob had once been so fond of. The main difference being the cockpit, in the middle of the ship instead of on the side. Personally, Jaycob liked this design choice, the ship feeling more balanced and most likely easier to pilot.​

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"I'm so screwed, what the hell do I even do now? I don't fit into the timeline anymore, I don't have a purpose."​

​

Jaycob admitted gloomily. But it was the truth. Without the Resistance, Jaycob had nowhere else to go. Contemplating, he just sat in an open seat and stared out into empty space, as the blue and white sleeve of light-speed engulfed the freighter.​

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius didn’t have to be a Jedi to feel the amount of turmoil that was swirling inside of the young pilot. He was still processing it all, no doubt, and that sadness might only deepen the more he thought about it. Luckily, though, he seemed to agree to come with them, and Cassius began to lead the way back to the Stardust Melody.

“There is a bright side to some of this,” Cassius said. “You slept through a lot of tumultuous times in the galaxy. Not too long ago, a four-hundred-year darkness had gripped the galaxy due to the Gulag plague. But a lot has happened. Alderaan was rebuilt, believe it or not. You can visit it, just like any other planet.”

Cassius opened the ramp of the Stardust remotely, and it closed behind them with a hiss and a clunk as it locked. He headed to the cockpit, allowing Jaycob to take one of the passenger seats behind the pilot and co-pilot stations. Spooling up the engines, the ship grumbled as it lifted off of the platform and they began to fly towards the atmosphere.

He was tapping in the hyperspace coordinates to go back towards Kashyyyk when he heard Jaycob talk about what he was going to do. Cassius paused before pushing the silver handle for hyperspace forward and spun his chair around, looking at Jaycob.

“Like I said, the galaxy is a big place. There’s still evil out there to fight – the conflict between light and dark is never over. I can take you to the Silver Jedi Order, the Alliance in Exile, the New Republic… there are plenty of people that can use a good pilot.”

Turning back, he pushed them into hyperspace.

[member="Jacobdflores"]