Some asswipe got the jump on them, held them at gunpoint, putting a halt to Aarum and Ferren's temporary investigation into finding a maintenance jack. All of that was rendered essentially useless, considering the direction of the conversation as Shadow joined them, entering the room with the rest of Wildfire backing him. The man holding them hostage was named Neils, a civilian aboard the ship with inside knowledge on what went down here to put the station in such a dilapidated state of unrest. That wasn't the best part though- the New Republic squadron were in the same room. It was taking a lot of self-restraint not to just open fire on Neils and the Rebels and put them all down now, regardless if they fought back. His armor could handle a few blaster shots, even more if he used the few bacta packs he carried. It wasn't as though he'd been a Stormtrooper and never been shot before. While standard Imperial armor was shoddy at best, Ferren's own personal set had been customized to withstand electrical surges, capable of absorbing the brunt of blaster fire, and best of all, the insulation provided a warmth that standard suits didn't have. Then there was the beskar plate over his forearm, which could not only deflect blaster shots, but even stop a lightsaber in its tracks. He still had yet to actually test it against a lightsaber, but he had plenty of experience with using it to block a metal rod during sparring matches he'd participated in.
What pissed off Ferren the most was Shadow's reaction to the situation. He chumped for Neils, and worse yet, made it clear they were allying with the New Republic squad. No. Hell no. That crossed a very thin line. Immediately, the grizzled veteran placed a hand on Shadow's chest, forcibly stopping him just as he was about to walk past. Ferren's expression unreadable beneath his helmet, he used the internal communication unit in his suit, opening a private channel that spoke directly to Shadow, disallowing anybody else from hearing his words, or joining in on their conversation.
"Sir," His rough voice cracked in through Shadow's helmet in the earpiece, Shadow being the only person who heard him speak at the moment. "You can't seriously be thinking about allying with the Rebels. You'll be shattering everything the Empire stands for. I say we kill them, and Neils, now before we find a blaster to the back of our heads when they're done using us."
