Episode III: So Much For SubtletyInsertion went so smoothly, I had begun to think our luck had turned. Woorow has had rather bad fortune recently, what with the destruction of the Jedi Order, the re-enslavement of his fellow Wookiees, and most lately the Sith Assassin that had been tracking him. There had been some good fortune to be sure, first the help from Jet Jaguar, and then the successful mission to save Merrick, all one after the other. Now we had managed to stow away on the Armed Freighter So Much For Subtlety practically without a hitch.Of course, things could not continue to go so well. That would not be in keeping with past experience, and I suppose I should not have allowed myself the hope that it might be the start of a trend.We had come aboard the So Much For Subtlety in the company of approximately 180 other Wookies, 5 of which were warriors, and co-conspirators in our plan to rescue the others. The So Much For Subtlety is a slave ship, one step away from pirate vessel, if I read the signs correctly, those mostly being excessive rust, leaky pipes, and a general air common to the finer metropolitan drainage systems of the galaxy.The Plan had been for Merrick to be brought on board in a sealed crate, shutting down enough of its systems to be taken for a case of electronic equipment. Being a droid, this was a feasible, if not exactly inspired idea, as a sealed crate with no functioning life support systems inside was highly unlikely to be opened for inspection prior to loading. Merick would wait some small amount of time and then extricate itself from the crate. It would then make its way out of whatever cargo area it had been placed in and release Woorow and the other warriors to take control of the ship.The discovery that the Wookiees had all been dosed with Hiberzine had forced a swift and unpleasant re-evaluation of things. Hiberzine is a modern refined form of a drug that was developed by the Krath for their wars several millennia ago. It was intended as a means of placing troops in a low maintenance state for long-range transport. The Krath would put tens of thousands of soldiers to sleep and load them on to slow transport ships, to be awakened upon arrival at their destination (or target, if you prefer). As a tactic, this was not altogether a success, as most humanoid races do not react well to long periods of hibernation. The krath soldiers would awaken from their drug induced suspension suffering ailments ranging from nausea and muscular atrophy to memory loss and full paralysis. Add to that the small but significant percentage that never woke up at all, and you can see why the practice was somewhat unpopular.The medical applications of induced hibernation did not go unnoticed, however, and over the centuries the drug was refined and improved upon, resulting in Hiberzine. While those awakened from Hiberzine induced sleep still suffer from what is commonly referred to as hibernation sickness and are therefore unsuitable for combat operations for days or weeks following their revival, the worst of the side effects have been eliminated, allowing it to be used safely for transport of humanoids from several species in situations where medical issues or limited life support would otherwise prevent transport of the victims. I use the word victims intentionally: the side effects of Hiberzine are still intensely unpleasant and only victims of medical or environmental disasters, or the extremely poor, ever use Hiberzine as a means of making interstellar transport affordable. Hiberzined passengers, whether for medical, humanitarian, or economic reasons, are typically referred to as ballast by the crews of the ships that carry them.Wookiees tend to be healthful and resilient sentients, and was still possible that their prompt revival just a few short hours after being dosed might find them is a fit state to continue with the original plan to take control of the ship. Making use of his unusual Jedi techniques, Woorow had managed to counteract the Hiberzine with which he had been dosed. He awakened swiftly, without the need for any counteragents, but the statistically improbable skills that Woorow possesses are not, unfortunately shared by his fellow Wookiees.