Chapter 1: Battle on the Frontier

This X-wing pilot was good. Real good. I was hanging onto his tail, but he wasn't giving me a shot. He jinked and jerked wildly and unpredictably from side to side and up and down as I diverted nearly all power to my TIE fighter's engines just to try to stay with him. It wasn't easy at that. My craft was shaking and bouncing like a bucket of spare parts rolling down a ladder and I was worried that at any moment one of the large port or starboard solar panels would come apart. Although I couldn't get a lock on the X-wing, I fired off a laser blast now and then to let the guy know I was still here, and so that he would keep his shields up, thereby diverting power he could use to run away from me. The X- wing is the top of the line Rebel fighter. It's bigger, faster, and packs a more powerful punch than my TIE fighter. It also has shields. The TIE doesn't. If the X-wing got far enough away so that he could maneuver, he could turn and, with those nasty quad lasers, blast me into space junk. So, as I hung onto this guy while we raced through space, it occurred to me that I had one very nasty cat by the tail and I had better not let go.

The X-wing jerked violently left and I only barely stayed with him. I glanced at my situation display hoping that one of my wingmen in Gamma squadron might be able to help me. No luck. I had chased this X-wing too far for them to provide support and, anyway, most of them had similar troubles of their own.

Through my headset I could hear Gamma 4 asking Gamma 3 where in the hell these X-wings came from.

It was a good question. When we were briefed aboard our mothership, the Imperial frigate GUSTAV, we were told this would be just another routine patrol out on the frontier- the outer reaches of the Empire. At the most we would encounter smugglers or bounty hunters and the like in old Z-95 Headhunter fighters or modified corvettes. That's what was usually out here. The Rebels and their X-wings weren't here. I'd have to have a chat with Commander Selena, the Operations Officer, when I got back. If I got back.

The X-wing was beginning to pull away! He had obviously diverted some power from his shields to his engines. All of my indicators were beyond redline, the ship was vibrating and the roar of the engines was almost overpowering. I managed to coax a little more speed out of my TIE as I tried to match the X-wing's maneuvers, but I knew the ship couldn't take much more of this. This was a helluva fix. If I hung onto the X-wing, my ship could fall apart around me. If I broke off the engagement, well... that would be letting go of the cat's tail and I had no idea whether this cat would keep running or turn, and I didn't want to find out.

Suddenly, the X-wing jerked sharply up. This move caught me by surprise and I nearly raced past him. I yanked back hard on the maneuvering jets to stay with him just as he jerked his craft down again. I saw a chance. Not waiting for a laser lock I shifted the dual lasers to rapid single fire, squeezed the trigger and held it. The X-wing flew right across my path. The first two laser hits took his shields down. The second two blew the X-wing apart, the debris clattering against my ship's hull as I flew through it. I started to breathe again.

I slowed, and turned back toward the rest of the squadron.

"Gamma Two, this is Gamma Leader," I called to my wingman, Lieutenant Acer. I could see his TIE approaching. He had finally been able to break away and come to my assistance. "Any more X-Wings?" "No, sir," he replied. "Those we didn't get hyperspaced out of here." "We lose anybody?" I asked. We started the patrol with a flight of six TIE's, two of which were flown by new pilots. "Yes, sir. Gamma Five and Six," Acer replied. I could tell he was angry. Those were the new pilots. There was none of the usual cold Imperial resolve in his voice. The new pilots were no match for experienced Rebel pilots in X-wings. Had we suspected that X-wings were out here, those new pilots would have stayed behind until they had received more training and had a chance to get more experience. That isn't exactly Imperial policy, but it's the way we do things in my squadron.

"Let's form up, Lieutenant," I told him. "We're heading back to the GUSTAV."

"Yes, sir." Soon, Gamma 3 and Gamma 4 joined us and we altered course to intercept GUSTAV's projected flight path. When we got within sensor range I notified the ship of our encounter with the X-wings and downloaded my gun camera recordings and sensor data to GUSTAV. By the time we landed in her hangar bay, Commander Selena and her Operations people would have pretty thoroughly analyzed the mission. I was only sorry that I wouldn't be able to see the looks on the faces of Selena and the ship's Commanding Officer, Commander Cibock, when they learned there were X-wings out here. I could see all those intel types scratching their heads.

The GUSTAV was within visual now. An older FOGGER class frigate, she always struck me as looking somewhat awkward, like a goose stuck out in space. She was a tired ship, small by current standards, whose systems were a patchwork of ill-fitting upgrades that had been slapped together over the years to keep her in service. She should have been decommissioned years ago but, because of the rebellion, the Empire needed her and others like her to patrol the frontiers and backwaters of the galaxy while the larger, more modern and prestigious Imperial Star Destroyers took on the Rebel Alliance and received regular accolades from the Emperor. We had been on our own out here. Until now.

"GUSTAV, this is Captain Tallig of Gamma squadron requesting landing sequence."

"Affirmative, Gamma One," came the reply from the flight officer. "Engaging tractor beam." I relaxed my grip on the controls as I felt the GUSTAV's tractor beam take hold of my TIE and guide her into the hangar bay. The operator on duty was good, and set my ship down gently into its assigned stall. Usually you get someone who bounces the ship around a few times before it skids to a halt. I was glad that this was not one of those times.

I went throught the post-flight shutdown checklist quickly. When you've done it as often as I have, it becomes second nature- like killing X-wings. I glanced out of the cockpit and I saw her standing across the hangar bay, staring at my ship, waiting for me.

Commander J'Una Selena, GUSTAV's Operations Officer, was one of the tallest females I had ever known, half a head taller than me. I'm sure I've encountered humanoid females who are taller, but I've never fucked any of them. A native of the Bardin system J'Una had shoulder length black hair, ebony skin and a fine figure by anyone's standards.She was also an exceptionally capable officer who knew her business. This time, though, she had come up short and I was pissed.

As I climbed out of the bottom hatch of the TIE and dropped to the deck, I could see J'Una walking toward me.

"Nice to see you back safely, Captain Tellig," she said with a smile, flashing those brilliant white teeth. "That was a fine bit of flying you did against that X-wing," she added.

But I was in no mood for congratulations. I had lost two pilots whose names I didn't even know yet.

"Thank you, Commander," I said coldly, looking up into her fire red eyes. "Now, just where the hell did those X-wings come from?"

My question, and the tone in which it was asked, bordered on the insubordinate. I've known Imperial officers who have been reprimanded, arrested and worse for questioning a superior. But J'Una seemed unperturbed. She looked at me for a moment and smiled.

"Captain," she said as we resumed walking toward the hangar bay door, "we don't have a clue."

Her candor caught me by surprise. Though our relationship was a close one, and we had screwed more times than I could remember, I never expected a senior officer in the Imperial Navy to admit to something like that. I glanced around quickly to make sure no one was within earshot. Even on an old spacebucket like the GUSTAV out in the middle of nowhere the Imperial High Command had its eyes and ears, and you never knew who might be listening, or for what purpose.

J'Una and I exited the hangar deck and turned right, heading aft along the ship's main passageway. I saw my wingman, Lieutenant Acer, and the other pilots heading forward toward the pilot's lounge. I smiled at them, flashed a thumbs-up signal and told them I'd join them later.

"No idea at all?" I asked J'Una after Acer and the others had passed.

"Not yet," she said, shaking her head. "Those X-wings have hyperdrive, so they could have come from just about anywhere. They could be a long range recon, they could be a raid, they could have been trying to meet with smugglers or weapons dealers, or they could have been scouting the sector for a location for a new base."

"A base way out here?" I asked incredulously.

"Sure, why not," she responded, smiling again. I loved that smile. It could light up a black hole.

"There's been a lot of action lately in some of the inner sectors," she continued. "We've pressed the Alliance hard- smashed some convoys, broken up a spy ring, intercepted a weapons transfer. It could be they want to relocate out here in the galactic wilderness to regroup for a while. There are several systems in this sector that would suit them just fine for that purpose."

"What does Commander Cibock think?" I asked, referring to GUSTAV's Commanding Officer.

"I don't know," J'Una answered. "He's communicating with Sector Flag Headquarters right now. He was as surprised as I was."

Once again that candor. Sometimes I wondered how J'Una had made it this far in the Imperial Navy. The answer in part was, of course, sex. Although J'Una was one of the most intelligent and capable officers I had ever served with, she was female and a Bardin. There were few females and even fewer Bardins serving in positions of responsibility in the Imperial Navy. J'Una was ambitious and knew what she wanted. If it meant fucking some Admiral or staff officer to get it, she wouldn't hesitate. And how she could fuck!

"If the Alliance plans to relocate a base to this sector," I said as we continued walking aft, "it's going to get real busy around here."

"Busier than a couple of squadrons of TIE fighters on an obsolete frigate can handle," she replied, actually looking concerned.

I chuckled. "Commander Selena," I said feigning sincerity,"are you worried about me?"

Her eyes narrowed and she seemed to look right through me. "You're not worth it, Captain," she said. Then she smiled again.

We were approaching the main doors to the ship's Operations Center. This was the ship's nerve center. Intelligence was gathered and deciphered here, the communications network was here, sector scans were maintained here and all flight missions were controlled from here. Next to the bridge it was the most important area on the ship. I assumed that that was where we were going so I started to turn toward the doors. J'Una had other ideas. She grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her as we continued aft past the Operations Center. I glanced at her but she looked straight ahead. I grinned. As Operations Officer her quarters were right behind the Operations Center. This was to ensure that the Operations Officer would be available regardless of the hour. We turned a corner and walked to the door of J'Una's quarters. She punched in her access code (nearly everything on an Imperial ship has an access code) and the door slid silently open.

"Why don't you come in for a drink or something," she said. "You need to relax after your flight."

"Sure," I said, playing along. I stepped inside, expecting us to sit down and unwind before jumping into her bed. Wrong again. The door had barely closed behind us when J'Una grabbed the front of my flight suit and slammed me against the bulkhead, her lips grinding against mine, her long tongue snaking into my mouth almost as far as my tonsils. She bore into me and I could feel her hands fumbling with the snaps on my flight suit, opening me up. Her hands peeled away my shorts and dived in, grabbing my cock which was rapidly assuming its full proportions. She pulled her mouth away and looked down at me, lust smoldering in those red eyes. She licked the tip of my nose, my chin and my neck. Growling deep in her throat she sank to her knees and bent her head down to lick my cock. Her tongue was exquisite. J'Una massaged my balls with one hand while she jerked my cock with the other. She was strong and her grip was powerful. Her tongue bathed the head of my cock as her hands continued to work on me. I leaned back against the bulkhead as my senses were overwhelmed. My knees felt weak but I managed to keep from collapsing as J'Una licked and sucked my dick. She released my cock and my balls and her hands snaked behind me to grab my ass. She pulled me against her face as her mouth swallowed my cock. I looked down at the top of her head as she began pistoning back and forth with her mouth on my cock. The sensation was indescribable. She had an iron grip on my ass and my cock felt as though it were caught in some intergalactic vortex. J'Una increased the pistoning action with her mouth and deep-throated me on every downstroke. My hips began gyrating and I grabbed her head as I fucked her face. She was very, very good.

She moved one of her hands between my asscheeks and stabbed a finger into my anus. My body stiffened and my dick got even harder. She worked her finger into my asshole as her head increased its piston-like movement on my cock. She grabbed my throbbing cock with one hand as she pulled her mouth away with a wet slurping sound. Her hand continued the frenzied pistoning motion begun by her mouth and she looked up at me and smiled and ran her tongue sensuously around her lips.

"How do you like it so far, Captain," she said in a low, sultry voice.

Almost unable to speak, I merely grunted and nodded affirmatively. Her hand kept pistoning up and down on my cock and I knew I was getting close. Clear fluid began oozing from my cock. The head swelled into a blunt battering ram as J'Una's fingers raced up and down the shaft, pounding the velvety, loose skin in a masturbation frenzy. With her other hand she reached beneath the base of my cock and squeezed my balls. She knew I was getting close, too, and she wanted it. Her tongue reached out toward the head of my cock, licking the juice that had leaked out.

"Here it comes," I said, warning her. I grunted and pulled J'Una's face to my cock as it surged to maximum tension and exploded. J'Una's open lips closed around my large prickhead as the first blast of hot cum hit the back of her throat. My hips drove my cock into her mouth as my sperm flowed into her. I could see my cum oozing out of the corners of her mouth like white lava as she swallowed quickly. Her hand wrapped loosely around my throbbing pole, moving slightly, urging me to empty my balls into her.

Finally, I was finished. J'Una released my cock and it slid wetly out of her mouth.

She stood up and wiped the cum off her chin with the back of her hand. Her eyes bore into mine as she began unbuttoning her tunic. She pulled it open revealing those fantastic breasts of hers with their large nipples rising proudly from the ebony towers. She tossed the jacket aside and bent down to pull off her boots and trousers. When she stood up again she was gloriously naked, her black skin gleaming, her turgid nipples reflecting her arousal. She looked down at my now deflated penis and chuckled.

"I hope you're not finished, Vel," she said, "because I'm not." With that she turned, showing me her exquisite ass, and walked slowly and sensuously across the room to her bedroom. J'Una's quarters were more lavish than most, commensurate with her rank and status. She had a large sitting room, an office, a bedroom with an actual bed as opposed to a bunk and a full bath. She paused in the doorway to her bedroom and looked over her shoulder back at me. She was an incredibly sexy sight.

I quickly peeled off my jacket, flight suit and boots, and walked naked toward J'Una, my reviving erection pointing the way. She turned around to face me. I walked up to her and put my arms around her and kissed her deeply, my cock pressing against her stomach, her tits flattening against my chest. She locked her arms around me and pulled me backward with her, almost lifting me off the deck. We crashed down onto her bed together.

J'Una wrapped her lovely long legs around me, reached in between our bodies with one hand and grabbed my now fully revived cock. She jerked it a couple of times then aimed it at her pussy and pulled me inside. I had been there many times before, but each time felt different and each time felt better. Her cunt was hot and grabbed me like a fist. J'Una once told me that Bardin females had a unique muscle structure in their cunts which allowed them to squeeze and manipulate a cock as though they were using their hands. I believed her. I began pounding my cock into her and, on each downstroke I could feel her cunt muscles going to work on me.

As I fucked her I raised myself up so that I could bend my head down and suck on her nipples. I took one into my mouth and licked it and bit it gently. That drove her crazy. She cupped her hands underneath her breasts and pointed them at me like twin missile launchers.

"Do them," she said, almost pleading. "Do them hard."

I knew what she wanted. Shifting my weight over to one arm I continued sucking and biting one tit as my free hand found the other. I squeezed and twisted it roughly, knowing she loved that. She moaned and thrust her cunt up at me even harder. I kept pounding away and mashing her tits, trying to bring her off. I didn't have long to wait.

J'Una's moaning got louder and her thrashing about more intense. She grabbed my arms with her hands, her fingers digging into my flesh. Her head was thrown back, her whole body tensed and her legs damn near squeezed the life out of me. I guess Bardin men are bigger and stronger and better able to handle it. As it was, I kept pumping away and hung on for dear life as J'Una shuddered violently and came. She relaxed her legs but not her cunt which gripped me even tighter than before. I blasted my cum into her like a laser cannon. I kept thrusting as I came, shot after shot pouring into her until it overflowed and oozed out of her cunt around my cock and ran down the insides of her thighs. I collapsed into her arms and we held each other in a sweaty embrace.

An hour or so later, having fucked a couple more times, showered (where we fucked again) and put on clean uniforms, J'Una and I were in a conference room adjacent to the Operations Center with the ship's Captain, Commander Cibock, and several other officers including Major Maarek, commander of the two companies of Imperial Storm troopers attached to GUSTAV. I didn't like Maarek much. He epitomized many of the things I felt were wrong with the Empire and its military: blind, almost fanatical loyalty, ruthlessness, brutal aggression, absolute faith in one's superiority and a dangerous contempt for the opposition. You couldn't argue with his record, though. He had so many combat medals he couldn't wear them all. He had been wounded in battle several times and was personally decorated by the Emperor for capturing a rebel strongpoint during the battle of Cobol 7 a few years back. I don't think I had ever even been on the same planet with the Emperor.

Commander Cibock was relating to us the substance of his communications with Sector Flag Headquarters. It seemed that they, too, were surprised by the sudden appearance of Rebel X-wings in this sector. I'm sure that they didn't admit it outright, though. People on admirals' staffs never admit to anything if they can help it.

Cibock was sitting in front of a large view panel upon which was a 3D holographic presentation of sector CT-38, the sector we were currently patrolling. I don't know why it was called CT-38, since there were no systems in the sector that bore that name, and the sector itself was in quadrant Epsilon 12. I'm sure there was a logical connection somewhere, but it escaped me.

"Sector Flag Headquarters were not anticipating any increased Rebel activity in this sector," Cibock said. That was Imperialese for 'we got caught napping.' "Most of the Rebel activity is currently concentrated in the Beta and Gamma quadrants," he continued. "None of our intelligence sources reported any indications of a major Rebel move out here. The Rebels ambushed an Imperial weapons convoy a while back. I suggested that maybe they're going to set up a base out here and use those weapons to raid some of our remote installations and outposts, or to incite some of the less reliable systems to revolt."

"Do they think that's a possibility, sir?" J'Una asked.

"No, Commander. They don't." Cibock said reluctantly. "They do not believe that the Rebels would make a major move out here. It's too far from their main sources of supply and recruiting. They also don't see anything to be gained by the Rebels in moving out here."

"And, of course, they have access to a much greater source of intelligence than we do here," Maarek offered arrogantly. Once again the blind acceptance of whatever higher authority said. "This sector is too far removed to be an effective base for launching raids," he continued. "And if there are any systems whose loyalty is uncertain, they will be crushed." The cold ruthlessness with which he said this last sent shivers down my spine. This guy enjoyed killing, and he really didn't care who it was he killed. As long as he and his storm troopers could slaughter indiscriminately he was content.

J'Una, however, was unimpressed. She shot Maarek a long, cold look and said, "I believe, Major, that it will be difficult to 'crush' a system with two companies of storm troopers."

Maarek was taken clearly taken aback. He didn't take well to being questioned by anybody, especially a Bardin female whom he detested anyway. Good for you, J'Una, I thought. But be careful. This guy has friends.

Commander Cibock decided not to allow this exchange to get out of hand. "I agree, Major," he said smoothly, "that disloyal systems should be dealt with appropriately." Maarek folded his arms and sat back smugly. "But we have no such orders. There is no evidence of any wavering loyalty among the systems out here, and Commander Selena is quite right when she says that two companies of storm troopers, however motivated and trained, would be insufficient for system pacification." 'System pacification' was Imperialese for 'using overwhelming force to take a planet by storm, exterminate or imprison the Empire's critics and subject the entire population to brutal military rule.' It was not pretty and I was glad that it wasn't a part of my job description. I was just a starfighter pilot and those that I killed had a fighting chance. At least, that's how I justified it to myself.

"So we are not receiving any reinforcements?" Maarek asked, clearly disappointed.

"No," Cibock answered. "Sector Flag Headquarters does not believe that there is a genuine Rebel threat. At least not yet. We do have orders, however, to increase our patrols. They believe the Rebels might have been trying to meet with an arms supplier from beyond the Empire. If that's the case they want us to intercept a transport to see what the Rebels are up to." He turned to me. "Captain Tallig, "he said,"I want you and the other squadron commanders to develop a stepped-up patrol scheme."

"Yes, sir," I responded.

"I want a constant rotation," he continued. "One flight on station, one coming back and one leaving."

That was a tall order. "Commander," I said cautiously. Cibock had always seemed like a decent man, but he was the captain of an Imperial starship and I didn't want to push him too hard. You never knew how these guys would react. "We have two squadrons of Tie Fighters onboard, Beta and Gamma, minus the two craft that were lost earlier. We also have Alpha squadron's Tie Bombers. To operate the kind of plan you want we would need to use the Tie Bombers in a patrol mode, something for which they are not well suited."

Cibock rubbed his chin for a moment, then nodded. "I see your point, Captain," he said.

"I realize that the Tie Bomber is slower and better suited for delivering heavy weapons against enemy capital ships and installations, but I think it's imperative that we get the maximum patrol coverage possible. Use the Tie Bombers to augment the patrols."

"One more thing, sir," I said not willing to shut up. J'Una shot me a warning glance. "If a flight of Tie Bombers, unsupported, runs into a group of X-wings, they'll be slaughtered." I was aware that everyone was looking at me as though I had pissed on the Emperor's portrait. Cibock stared at me for a long moment.

"I understand, Captain," he said quietly. "You have your orders. Make it so."

"Yes, sir," I said quickly. "When do you want these patrols to start?"

"Tomorrow," he said. "In the meantime I will move the GUSTAV to a location on the far side of the sector. If there are any covert weapons convoys coming through," and his tone indicated that he clearly believed there were none, "we might be in a better position to intercept. Also, there are a couple of systems with uninhabited planets. They would make a good place for a base."

He stood up. Immediately everyone else hopped to their feet. "We go into hyperspace in one hour," he said. "That is all." He strode quickly from the room, followed by Major Maarek.

J'Una walked over to me, grinning. "One of these days, Captain," she said, "you're going to get your ass tossed into the brig."

"Maybe so," I shot back. "But if you keep slamming Maarek in public, you'll get yours shot off."

She shrugged. "I don't worry about men like him," she said casually. "They usually talk big, but won't do anything unless they can't be held responsible and they have all the odds on their side. They're basically cowards, and they're usually lousy in bed, too." She added this last with a mischievous grin.

I looked at her skeptically. J'Una was always full of surprises and I was never completely sure when to take her seriously. So, I went for it.

"You mean you and Maarek..." I said as the room cleared out.

"Why, Captain," she said indignantly, "I said nothing of the sort." And she strode past me and out of the room. I shook my head and followed her into the Operations Center. We had a lot of work to do to work out the patrol scheme that Commander Cibock had ordered.

The next few days were a blur. I was flying two and three patrols a day, and the hangar bays, briefing rooms and the Operations Center were constantly abuzz with activity. Weapons systems were manned around the clock, and the ship was placed in a higher alert status. Everyone onboard suddenly seemed taut, alert, poised for action. Only a short time ago we had been relaxing (if one can ever use that word describing life aboard an Imperial starship) in relative obscurity. Now, we were uncertain about what, if anything, we would encounter and we knew that for the time being we were alone out here and that trouble could strike swiftly and without warning.

The problem was, though, that we encountered nothing. Nothing at all. No Rebels, no pirates, no smugglers, no bounty hunters, no merchants, no nothing. Patrols went out regularly, briefings were held two, sometimes three, times a day, intelligence reports were gathered and analysed and analysed again. There was a lot of activity, but not much else.

I saw little of J'Una during this time. She was very busy and spent nearly all of her time in the Operations Center. She and her people were responsible for the entire evolution: planning and scheduling all patrol flights, vectoring the starfighters to their assigned patrol points, scanning for enemy or unidentified craft, maintaining communications with Sector Flag Headquarters, and analysing intelligence reports. The pace was gruelling and the fact that we had thus far come up empty was even more exasperating.

At briefings and in the few conversations we were able to have I slowly realized that J'Una and Commander Cibock were convinced that the Rebels were up to something big in this sector. Why they felt that way, or what they expected to happen, I wasn't quite sure. Neither elaborated due, I'm sure, to the fact that it was contrary to what higher authority had decreed. What I was sure of, however, was that my squadron and I had been flying our asses off for four days, we had found nothing, I was tired and I hadn't been laid since J'Una and I had had our suck and fuck session right after the X-wing episode.

I was also becoming concerned about the toll that this pace was taking on our fighters. For the most part, Imperial starfighters are mass produced on the cheap. That is to say that they are sturdy, competent craft, but not extravagant. The TIE fighter was an older design that had been retained in service longer than anticipated due to the duration and ferocity of the war with the Rebels. This exacerbated the TIE's already stringent maintenance requirements. The twin ion engines, the power plant of all Imperial starfighters, were very temperamental, requiring constant care and frequent adjustments. Although the TIE is unshielded it possesses a sophisticated electronics suite which, in the hands of an experienced pilot, can give the TIE an edge over the X-wing. These electronics were so vulnerable to being bounced, shaken or rattled (frequent occurrences in combat) that they required full time maintenance technicians and robots who did nothing else but fix them after each flight. As the intervals between flights got shorter, the maintenance was less complete.