Chapter 3: From the Badlands to the Death Star

GUSTAV had been in orbit about Resead for three days. Our mission during this time was to fly patrols in the surrounding system to guard against any further Rebel attacks, while the stormtroopers and other ground personnel solidified Imperial control of the planet. The badly damaged orbiting platform was also undergoing repairs.

In addition to the patrols, I used the time for training. Our TIE squadrons and those of our sister frigate SHAMUS, which had been badly damaged in the attack on Resead [see pt 2], needed to learn to work together as an extended team. This only made sense because with SHAMUS sidelined indefinitely for repairs, her flight group would be part of GUSTAV's crew for the foreseeable future.

I was in GUSTAV's packed hangar, going over pre-flight instructions with the SHAMUS flight leader, Captain Kao Ijuf of Tau squadron. One of the few female starfighter pilots in the Imperial Navy she had shown me during the Resean battle that she was both an exceptional starfighter pilot and an inspiring leader. During her first few days onboard she had fully supported me in integrating the fighter groups and in making the SHAMUS pilots feel a part of the crew, despite the crowded conditions. In addition to her obvious competence as an officer, she was quite stunning physically. I often found my mind wandering as I fantasized about her. Very un- professional, I know. The only thing about her that I found somewhat unsettling was her intensity. She seemed to be single-mindedly focused on combat with the enemy to the exclusion of all else, and she approached that subject with a fervor that bordered on zealotry.

"The next training flight," she was saying as we stood between a pair of parked TIE fighters and looked out over the hangar deck, which was bustling with activity, "will be six fighters- three each from GUSTAV and SHAMUS groups." She looked up from the roster she held. "Sound alright to you, captain?"

"Sounds fine to me, captain," I responded, wishing she wouldn't be so formal but understanding her desire to appear professional. "Who's going to lead this one?" I wanted her to feel that she could assign personnel to key positions.

If she was surprised by my question she didn't show it. She responded without hesitation.

"I think your Lieutenant Acer should lead this one," she said referring to my wingman and friend Dromo Acer. "I think he could use some leadership experience."

"Agreed." I said. "Dromo's a good pilot and a fine wingman, but he hasn't had much opportunity to actually be in charge of a flight. I think it's a good choice."

Kao cracked a smile. "Glad to hear you say that."

I looked at her, and saw that her steely blue eyes were actually twinkling. I think it was the first time that I had seen her eyes reflect anything other than a cold, blue, professionalism.

"You've already told him, haven't you?" I asked, trying unsuccessfully to contain a grin.

"Yes, captain. I have." Her eyes positively glimmered now, and she tossed her head slightly, which sent shimmers through the waves of long red hair.

"What if I had not agreed?" I asked her, a little impishly.

"Then I would have convinced you that you were wrong," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. She probably would have.

"So," I said playing along,"you think I can be convinced so easily?"

"No, I don't," she replied. "But I would have had some help." She indicated Dromo who was approaching us from across the hangar. He bounded up to us, his face brimming with enthusiasm.

"Captain Ijuf says I've been assigned as flight leader for the next training mission," he said rapidly, excitement hurrying his words. His eyes darted back and forth between Kao and me.

I nodded. "That's correct, Lieutenant," I said evenly. "You've got this one."

Dromo's handsome face broke out into a smile that was beaming. His chest swelled up so that for a moment I thought his flight suit might come apart.

"Great. Thanks," he stammered. He seemed dazed. "I guess I'll go brief the other pilots." He turned to leave, then stopped and turned around.

"Did you see that shuttle that just came in from the planet?" he asked.

Kao and I both shook our heads. "No," I said. "Anything interesting?"

Dromo nodded. "A whole bunch of Resean traitors," he said, his voice heavy with disdain. "These scumbags were the leaders who helped convince the populace to join the Rebels." He spat on the deck in disgust. "It did my heart good to see them in chains." With that he turned and walked off toward one of the briefing rooms.

Kao and I looked after him a moment. "He certainly seems to dislike our adversaries rather intensely, doesn't he?" Kao said, turning to me.

"That's Dromo," I replied. "His family is real big in Imperial circles, so he's been exposed to the anti-Rebel sentiment for a long time." I paused, then added, "He was a bit more dramatic just now than he usually is."

Kao nodded reflectively. "So his loyalty to the Empire and disdain for the Rebels stems not from a personal commitment or experience, but rather is a result of his family's position?"

I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I was mildly intrigued. People in the Imperial service are generally very guarded about their personal feelings and beliefs, lest they be used against them. Here was someone who seemed to want to talk about this subject, so I went along.

"I guess you could say that," I said, attempting to answer her question. The hangar was filling with noise as several TIEs began winding up and the overhead cranes moved into position. Maintenance personnel shuttled about on carts making last minute checks. In the distance I could see Marina Haarkov supervising a maintenance crew. Kao and I moved to the far end of the hangar where it was quieter.

"I don't think that Dromo has any strong personal commitments to any particular cause or philosophy," I continued when the noise had abated somewhat. "You must keep in mind that he is still young, cares more about chasing women than just about anything else, and has been told by his family what to think since he was a baby. Members of his family have prospered under the Empire, so they support it."

"I suppose we all have our motivations," she said quietly. "At least he's hating the right people." She paused for a long moment, looking at me intently, her eyes searching mine for something. Then she smiled.

"And what about you, Captain Tallig?" she asked. "What brought you here amid all this?" She waved her arm, indicating the hangar deck.

Again I checked myself, unsure how to respond. I knew that from time to time the Imperial High Command planted agents among the rank and file to "purge disloyalty." Since "disloyalty" could mean just about whatever a particular agent or High Command official wanted it to mean, most service members were very reluctant to say anything to anybody that they didn't know well. This practice also had the negative effect of stifling open discussion and criticism.

I decided that Kao Ijuf was no such agent, and that she was merely seeking conversation; trying to fit into her new surroundings. I measured my words, however, because... hell, you never knew.

"My homeworld of Kuan had known little but civil war, strife and hardship for many years," I began. "Then the Empire showed up. The wars stopped, it became safe to travel, and, after a while, we began to enjoy a little prosperity." I didn't tell her that the price for all this had been a very restrictive Imperial imposed government and the exploitation of Kuani resources, both human and material, to support the Empire.

"Like many Kuanis," I continued,"I joined the Imperial service as a way out of difficult circumstances, and, of course, out of appreciation." Kao nodded, but said nothing. "The academy wasn't open to us, of course," I said, "so I joined as a maintenance tech, learned to fly a TIE, and here I am." I smiled and shrugged as if to say 'that's all.'

Kao looked at me earnestly for a long moment, her steely blue eyes seeming to bore right through me.

"So," she said after a pause,"you are motivated neither by a strong sense of commitment to the Empire, nor a personal disdain for the Rebels." Although she said it as a statement, her eyes were questioning.

I hesitated, hating myself for not having a quick answer. Was she right? If so, did that make any difference?

"Of course my loyalties are with the Empire," I said somewhat testily. After all, every morning I awoke aboard an Imperial starship, put on an Imperial uniform, strapped myself into an Imperial starfighter and did battle. Who could question that?

Captain Ijuf, of course. Indirectly.

"Loyalties, yes," she said softly. "But what about commitment?" Before I could think of an answer, which probably would have sounded lame, she continued.

"Let me ask you this," she said. She moved very close to me, her eyes locked onto mine. "If the Rebel Alliance, and not the Empire, had provided solutions to your planet's problems, would you now be out there flying an X-wing?"

I was somewhat taken aback by the directness of her question.

"I'm afraid I haven't thought about that possibility," I responded. As soon as I said it, I knew it probably wasn't the right answer.

"Well, then, captain," she said with a wry smile, "perhaps you should." With that she abruptly turned and walked away, red hair streaming, her incredible ass swaying gently. I stood there a moment, somewhat confused. I wasn't sure what she had been trying to get at. Was she really all that concerned with my personal motivations? Or was she toying with me, establishing herself as a co-equal even though she was not on her own ship? What were her motivations? Hell, I told myself, she could just be making conversation. Maybe she even found me attractive and was checking me out. Maybe she was just a bitch. I smiled to myself and shook my head.

I took another look around the hangar then headed for the exit. I had several hours before I was scheduled to fly another patrol, and I was starting to feel horny, so I went to find J'Una.

J'Una was wailing like a banshee as she savagely bounced up and down on my erect cock. This was our first fuck in quite a while- what with the Resean operation and all- and she was really getting into it. I was lying on her bed in her quarters with my hands on those beautiful black hips of hers trying to keep her from snapping my dick off on the downstrokes.

"Fuck me, Vel. Fuck me deep," she said looking down at me, red eyes glazed over with lust. "I want it." And she slammed herself down on me yet again.

I reached up and grasped her tits, rolling the nipples in my palms. She had great breasts and I could never keep my hands off them. I squeezed and tugged at the luscious globes, causing her to moan as she rode me.

As she approached her climax J'Una leaned forward, grasped my biceps and, with a great heave, rolled us over so that I was now on top. Her long, powerful legs closed behind me, pulling me into her. Her Bardin cunt muscles went to work and, in a few short strokes, I was right there with her. I pounded my cock into her, my balls slapping her ass.

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 offered them to me.

"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 squeezed me even tighter.

"That's it," she gasped. "That's it!" She thrashed wildly about, her hands clawing at me, her legs damn near cutting me in half. I thrust forward and my cock spasmed as my balls let go. Sperm shot up from the base of my penis and burst forth from the head, pouring into J'Una's cunt. My cock continued to pump cum into her until I felt it overflow her pussy.

I lay atop her for a few moments, kissing her and licking her tits, while she stroked my hair. Finally, I disengaged and lay beside her. My cock was covered in cum and cunt juice.

Second to those of Commander Cibock, Commanding Officer of our ship, the Imperial Frigate GUSTAV, J'Una's quarters were exceptionally comfortable and boasted a huge skylight over her bedroom. I lay back and looked out at the stars and the planet Resead, which Imperial forces had recently conquered, and about which we were orbiting. The planet shimmered, reflecting light from its sun. It was an incredibly beautiful sight. Gazing up at it, I almost forgot that, at that moment, Imperial troops were solidifying control over the place.

J'Una curled up next to me and ran her hand over my chest. She looked at me intensely, with those fire red eyes of hers.

"You seem lost in thought, Vel," she said softly.

I looked at her and smiled. "Not lost," I said. "Just thinking about what we're doing here." I looked back up through the skylight at the planet. "About what is happening down there."

J'Una raised herself up on an elbow.

"You know the drill, Vel," she said, sternness entering her voice. "The system went over to the Alliance, and now they're paying for it."

"Yeah," I said. "That's the drill. Forced evacuations and imposition of a military occupation. Shuttles full of prisoners unloading in our hangar. Transport to a prison planet somewhere. Some liberators we are, eh?"

J'Una sat up. "It's not a question of liberation and you know it." The sternness had been replaced by a softer tone. "The Rebels made the move out here and we countered it."

"What I can't figure," I said, "is why the Rebels are making so much noise way out here. This is the Epsilon quadrant. There isn't much out here." I reached up and tweaked one of J'Una's nipples.

She smiled down at me, white teeth flashing against the blackness of her skin. "There's always the possibility," she said quietly, "that this is where they want us to be focusing our attention."

"A decoy?" I asked.

"It's been discussed at high levels," she replied, nodding. "If that's the case, I'd say it has worked." I continued tugging at her nipple, eliciting a soft moan.

"Yeah," I said, agreeing. "Not long ago it was just us out here patrolling the badlands, busting smugglers and pirates. Now we've got fleets running around, and we're conquering systems that we didn't care about."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" J'Una said.

"Wonder what?"

"Well," she said removing my hand from her breast for a moment, "If the Rebels' intent was to shift our focus out here, it could be that they're planning something in the inner sectors."

"Like what?" I asked.

She laughed softly. "That is the question, isn't it? I haven't a clue, and if High Command does they certainly haven't told us. I don't think they do, either, though. I have seen some message traffic referring to the Death Star, so maybe that's involved somehow." She returned my hand to her tit and I resumed my tweaking and massaging, knowing she really liked that.

"Death Star?" I asked, curious.

J'Una nodded. "That battle station that Admiral Thrawn talked about on Mofta IV. [see pt 2] That's what it's being called. There's no way that something that huge and that powerful can be kept secret for long. And I'm sure that the Rebels won't sit around and let us develop something that can instantly annihilate them."

I lay there quietly for a moment, playing with her breast.

"J'Una," I said looking up at the planet again. The ship's orbit had taken us around to the night side, so I could only see an outline of Resead. "The Rebels must have known the Empire would come here, especially after they set up that communications platform."

She nodded. "I think that was their whole plan. Remember how they ambushed us in the middle of our attack? I think they were trying to inflict as much damage as they could, hoping we'd retire."

"Which means," I said, bitterness rising in my voice,"that the Rebels used an entire planet as a decoy to lure us out here, then, when things went wrong, abandoned it to us, knowing what would happen."

"Some liberators they are, eh?" J'Una said as she bent down and began licking and sucking my cock, bringing it back to life.

I stretched, delighting in the feel of J'Una's hands and mouth on my dick. She grasped the base of my cock as her tongue worked its way up the shaft and flicked the head. I was beginning to enjoy this when, abruptly, she stopped. Her grip tightened on my cock and she looked at me mischievously.

"By the way," she said, "how are things going with Captain Ijuf?"

Uh-oh. J'Una obviously knew that Kao Ijuf and I had been working closely together since the SHAMUS groups came aboard. She saw us together at daily briefings and knew that we were scheduling our missions together. She also knew me, and probably figured that sooner or later I'd be trying to get into Kao's flight suit. Of course, she was right.

Although I was suprised by J'Una's question, and concerned about the grip she had on my cock, I didn't really think her question was prompted by jealously. Our relationship had always been fairly loose. Nevertheless, mindful of her grip, I answered carefully.

"Things are going just fine with Captain Ijuf," I responded. "She's very professional, her pilots are very good. We'll have quite a strike force."

J'Una flicked her tongue across the head of my penis. She did not loosen her grip.

"So, your evaluation of her is purely professional?"

"Sure," I said cautiously. She still had that grip. "She's a great pilot. She's a little intense sometimes. Works her people hard. Something's driving her. I'm not sure what. She seems a little too fond of combat. But I think she'll be a real asset for as long as the SHAMUS people are here."

J'Una chuckled. "And you've never looked at that cute ass of hers and wanted to fuck her brains out?"

I grinned down at her. "Well," I said, "the thought had crossed my mind once or twice. What about you?"

J'Una just laughed. She loosened her grip on my cock, then lowered her head to take it in her mouth. It wasn't long before I shot my cum deep into her throat.

Contrary to popular perception, or misperception, military life is not all glamor and excitement. Mostly, it's dull, boring routine. In fact, Commander Cibock, GUSTAV's Commanding Officer, once de- scribed military service as 97% boredom punctuated by 3% sheer terror. I'd say that about sums it up. I hated boredom just like every- one else, but since that 3% sheer terror usually consisted of someone trying to kill me, I've learned to appreciate the boredom. I had seen enough combat to know better than to seek it out. If you're in the Imperial Navy and there's a war on, combat will usually find a way to seek you out.

I have always been wary of people who seek glory through combat, and who salivate in anticipation at every opportunity to charge off into battle. People like Vice Admiral Thrawn and our own Major Maarek made me nervous. I was beginning to feel the same way about Kao Ijuf, too. I find nothing glorious in blowing up a space platform, shooting apart a starfighter or savaging a planet. Unfortunately, the Imperial Navy is full of those who do, and they're usually in charge. And so it goes.

Dromo and I had just returned from another long, dull, boring patrol around the Resean system. No blips on the scanners. No intercepted transmissions. Nothing. About halfway through the patrol I could tell that Dromo, who is one of those glory types I was talking about, was getting bored and impatient. To liven things up we practiced dogfighting techniques on each other. I called a halt to that and resumed our patrol after Dromo almost crashed into me in his zeal to simulate a kill. Getting killed by a Rebel pilot in combat is one thing. Getting killed by my own wingman is something I refuse to contemplate.

The tractor beam operator gently set my TIE down in its stall in GUSTAV's crowded hangar deck. I went through the post-flight checklist quickly, disconnected my comm link and lowered myself through the hatch in the bottom of the starfighter. I dropped to the deck and pulled off my helmet. Around me the hangar deck was alive with activity. TIEs were being craned into launch position for the next patrol, and weary maintenance crews, who now had nearly twice as many starfighters to care for, were struggling, along with their repair droids, to keep the TIEs operational.

I was walking away from my TIE when I was approached by an obviously very tired Marina Haarkov, one of the maintenance officers. She had a large tool bag slung over her shoulder, and a set of maintenance schematics in her hand. Her blonde hair was badly tousled, her face and hands were smudged with grease and other lubricants and her blue eyes were blood shot and rimmed with dark circles. In short, she looked like hell.

"Got a minute, captain?" she said.

"Sure, ensign," I responded. "What's on your mind?"

Marina shrugged her shoulder and the tool bag dropped to the deck with a loud thud.

"Well, captain," she began wearily, "I think we need to consider slowing down the pace of the patrols and training flights. My people are working themselves to death trying to keep all these birds flying." She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, streaking it further. "We have nearly twice the normal number of TIEs onboard and I'm not operating with a full maintenance crew. Remember, we lost some people when we took that torpedo hit [see pt 1] and they haven't been replaced."

"What about the repair droids?" I asked.

"We've pushed them past their own scheduled maintenance, sir," she responded. Although Marina and I had shared some very pleasurable sexual encounters, we maintained a professional distance out in public. It avoids a lot of gossip and unpleasantness.

"Have you spoken to Captain Ijuf, ensign?" I asked.

Marina nodded. "Yes, sir," she said. "The captain wasn't very sympathetic."

"No?" I asked, surprised. I knew that Kao was fairly intense, but she didn't strike me as the type to ignore advice.

"She said that our pilots needed as much flight training as possible so that they would be able to kill the enemy."

"'Kill the enemy'? She said that?" I was a little more surprised now. I found that a unique choice of words. Of course, killing the enemy is usually what we end up trying to do. It's not something you hear re- ferred to in that manner very often, however.

Marina nodded again. "Yes, sir. She was deadly serious, too."

I sighed. I agreed with what Marina was telling me. Her people were tired, her equipment overtaxed. That combination usually leads to mistakes and accidents. One thing a TIE pilot has to be absolutely certain of is that his ship is in first rate condition. After listening to Marina, I no longer had that certainty.

The problem was that I didn't want to appear to override Kao. It could dampen our relationship and turn Kao and Marina into bitter enemies. We certainly didn't need that. A warship needs all of its elements working together in harmony to defeat the enemy, not each other. So, I fell back on a time honored leadership quality- I equivocated.

"Tell you what, ensign," I said thoughtfully. "Let's stay with the current schedule for the rest of the day, and I'll talk to Captain Ijuf and Commander Selena, and we'll see about tomorrow's schedule."

Marina nodded thankfully. "Sounds good to me, sir," she said. She picked up her tool bag, heaved it over her shoulder, winked at me and headed back toward the hangar bay. I followed her with my eyes, marvelling that someone so good looking, and such a good fuck, could also be such a competent and dedicated officer. Must have been her military upbringing, I said to myself.

I exited the hangar and headed toward my quarters, intending to grab a shower and a nap. No such luck.

"All senior officers report to the conference room. All senior officers report to the conference room." The ship's loudspeakers blared the announcement. Shit. Another fucking briefing. I turned around and headed forward, still in my flight suit. So much for the shower and nap, I thought.

I arrived at the conference room and sat down next to Kao Ijuf. I placed my helmet under my seat. Most of the other officers had already arrived.

"Any idea what this is about?" I asked Kao.

"I think we've received new orders," she responded pleasantly. "Perhaps we can get away from babysitting this planet and go somewhere where we can kick some more Rebel ass."

"Or get ours kicked," I responded dryly. Kao gave me a sharp look. "In any case," I continued, "I'd like to discuss the flight schedules with you after this meeting."

Kao smiled. "I see you've been talking to young Ensign Haarkov," she said.

I nodded.

"She complained to me earlier, but, frankly I think that the training opportunity is too important to pass up. At least as long as we have to be here." Kao was about to continue, but was interrupted by the arrival of J'Una and Commander Cibock.

"Attention on deck!" somebody shouted. We all stood up. Commander Cibock waved us all back into our seats.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "we have received orders to leave Resead, leave the Epsilon quadrant and return to the inner sectors for a very important and delicate mission."

There was a buzz in the room at this pronouncement. Leave the badlands? We had been out here for so long that I'm sure many of us thought we'd never leave.

Cibock nodded to J'Una who stood up and faced us.

"As soon as we recover our starfighters on patrol," she began,"we will jump to hyperspace and proceed to the Fest system in Beta sector. There we will be boarded by the newly appointed commander of the new Death Star, Grand Moff Tarkin himself, who was on an inspection tour."

Another buzz, more intense, filled the room. Tarkin? Coming aboard us? I had never met the guy, but I'd heard of him. Everyone in the Imperial service knew of Tarkin. He was the Emperor's right hand man who had helped the Emperor overthrow the Senate and assume power. He was a real prick, from what I'd heard. As a starship captain he had massacred a group of innocent civilians who were protesting excessive taxes at a place called Ghorman. This action helped precipitate the fall of the Republic. Tarkin threw in his lot with Palpatine and had been the scourge of the Rebels and their sympathizers ever since. He was the most visible symbol of Imperial autocracy and power, and it was no secret that the Rebels wanted him dead. And he was coming aboard our little frigate?

I leaned over to Kao. "Well, you wanted a change," I whispered. Kao nodded but didn't reply.

J'Una was continuing. "Once we arrive, a shuttle will bring the Grand Moff and members of his staff to GUSTAV. Captain Tallig," she said looking toward me, "you and Captain Ijuf and a handpicked group of pilots will launch and fly escort."

"Are we expecting trouble?" I asked.

"Nothing specific," she answered. "Rebel intelligence has been very effective lately. Too effective. It is only prudent to assume that they know about the Death Star and that Tarkin has been appointed to command it. With that in mind, it is only reasonable to also assume that the Rebels will try to disrupt our operation." She paused, then smiled at Kao. "The extra fighters from SHAMUS may prove to be most valuable." Kao nodded in acknowledgement.

"Once aboard," J'Una continued, "Major Maarek's stromtroopers will provide security for the Grand Moff."

Major Maarek shot up from his seat to stand ramrod straight.

"I assure you," he intoned, "that the Grand Moff will be quite safe once he is aboard. My loyal stormtroopers are ready to lay down their lives if necessary to ensure his security."

"Thank you, Major," J'Una said, somewhat annoyed at the outburst. Maarek sat down.

"Where are we taking the Grand Moff once he gets aboard, Commander?" Kao asked.

"Why, to the Death Star, of course," J'Una responded. "When the Grand Moff gets aboard he will divulge to Commander Cibock and myself, only, the secret location of the Death Star, which is still under construction, but nearly operational. We will proceed to that location, deliver the Grand Moff and his staff, and await further assignment."

"Commander," I said, "what about all of the operations out here? I thought we were supposed to join Admiral Thrawn when we are done here and continue chasing Rebels in this quadrant."

"Orders change, Captain," J'Una said sternly. "The forces under Admirals Thrawn and Vaalco are deemed sufficient. The transport HININBURG has returned and will assume control of the Resean operation."