Chapter 4

Boredom, the greatest enemy of any soldier. I doubt that few things are as boring as being cramped in an X-wing cockpit, in hyperspace, and with no one to talk to but your droid. No offense to Gremlin, but he just couldn't compete with D'lek in the conversation department, or even Jarok in the verbal banter department. Figuring that few diversions were going to present themselves to me, I sat back and let my mind wander...

~~~~~~wavy flashback lines~~~~~
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Past: During "A New Hope"
Where: Death Star

I adjusted my scope to get a better look at my assigned targets, and brought my Blaster Rifle's power cell online. They were an odd bunch of targets, not just from their looks, but also from their files. A murderous merchant, his tall hairy companion, who's record seemed just as violent, an old man who was said to be a rebel leader, and a young man with no record at all. The most odd of the group though was a beautiful young woman wearing a long white dress. I was ordered only to stun her and return her to Lord Vader. My hands began shaking as I thought of the consequences of failing Vader. He was certainly not known for being forgiving, especially in the face of absolute failure.

I forced my hands to stop shaking and again acquired my targets. I only had to wait for the group to make their run across the hangar bay to their ship and I had them. I was preparing to fire when a blue light caught my attention below. Since I was positioned against the outer wall of the hangar bay, secured on a maintenance cable, I could see almost every bit of the bay. This included the now present pitch black form of Lord Vader who was doing battle with the old man. Their glowing weapons cracked and fizzled as they collided, sending sparks flying all round them.

Then I saw him. A solitary black figure, like Vader, only this figure's armor seemed skin tight yet bulkier, as if worn for protection. I wondered who he was, and what he was doing so close to Vader's battle. Then I saw his weapon, a sinister looking rifle, covered in small protrusions here and there and a sinister looking muzzle with 2 small holes and one large. I'd never seen anything like it, or anyone like this figure before me. I didn't know what his intentions were, but he was too close to Vader to not be one of ours. I shook my head to clear it and concentrated on my assigned targets but I couldn't get that figure out of my mind.

They ran. Across the hangar bay my targets fled the ensuing gun battle. I couldn't seem to get a clear shot, then finally I had it. My sights rested over the young boy's chest, but I couldn't fire! I had the perfect shot, but for some reason I couldn't fire. This is what you've been trained for, I told myself, this is your duty and you must do it! I reached for my trigger again but again stopped myself. Something wasn't right! Why would the merchant be here to save the white cloaked woman? This was wrong! The way these people fought, almost as if for each other, to save each other. Such nobility cannot be wrong I thought. They are not like us. Not ruthless and single-minded. Not ruled by overwhelming fear, and not fighting for an Emperor they have never met, and probably never will meet. They fought for each other, they fought to save their friends. Suddenly my world was beginning to fall apart and my mind was racing so fast that I couldn't keep up.

Then our eyes met. The old man seemed to be staring directly at me, as if he knew what I were thinking. Then Vader slashed with his burning red weapon and the man was no more. Tears! Tears filled my eyes at the demise of an old man I didn't know, and as far as I was concerned, was a murderous rebel. But that couldn't have been true, I thought. Murderers don't provide for their friends escape, and murderers don't come back to free their friends either.

As the beaten up ship collected its droids, and the boy who had stopped and fired in a hail of anger at the old man's death, it lifted itself off the hangar bay floor and shot out of the Death Star. As I watched its retreating form, I knew with it went my life. I was surely to die for my failure, for Lord Vader knew no mercy in the face of disobedience. I released my cable lock and slid down to the deck. The bay was in disarray as storm troopers ran in all directions, and medics also swarmed the deck. I searched for that black figure again, but could not seem to locate him. When the door had shut on Vader, the door had shut on the mysterious figure as well. Amid the chaos I took the opportunity to make plans for an escape. I knew I could stay here no longer. Something inside of me had changed and none of this felt right any longer. I would also certainly be killed should I stay.

I grabbed a handful of my things from my quarters and crawled through air ducts and secret sections of the ship that only the assassins knew. The Empire even plotted against its own more often than anyone really knew, or expected. Such is the way that they keep everyone in line. You never know who is going to be next, and doing your duty without question is the best way to make sure it isn't you. It was one of the things that I didn't like about the Empire, one of the many as I would come to learn.

I arrived in fighter bay 8B, one of the reserve bays that mostly held malfunctioning tie fighters, or older fighters that would only be used in emergency situations. The bay also held the only Imperial fighters that possessed hyperdrives, the X-1 Advanced Starfighter. Only four X-1's existed on the death star, one belonged to Lord Vader, and another two were painted in blood red, which denoted their sole use in defending the Emperor's shuttle when he visited the Death Star. The fourth one, which was the one I tossed my back pack into, was Vader's secondary fighter, in case his primary was in repair.

I hauled myself up on the reinforced right pylon, which held the oversized solar panel in place, and dropped myself into the ball-shaped cockpit. I pulled on the helmet I had brought with me and began the start up sequence. The ship vibrated as it's power plant fed energy the computer systems and flight controls. I lowered the cockpit hatch and punched up the access code for the bay doors. After bypassing the security checks I heard the unmistakable hiss of the bay doors as they parted. I kicked in the retros and punched the Ion Engines, increasing to full speed. With visions of the death of the old man haunting my brain, I set my course for Corescant and punched the hyperdrive, leaving everything I'd ever come to know. From now on my life would be on my terms, and I could fight the fights I chose. For the first time my life was my own.

"Bowweeeepmeepboopbleepzweeep." (Qwelwan System: Chalum in two minutes) Chirped gremlin. I shook off my drowsiness and fully woke from my doze. I checked my systems and made sure Grem had been keeping us on course. Seeing that everything checked out, I prepared my weapons systems and defensive systems for anything that might await me at Chalum.

"Boweeeepbuaaau." (one minute to target)

"Thanks Grem."

"Zweeeepcheepheep," (You're welcome sir). I felt my X-wing vibrate beneath me as the stars came back into focus and the hyperspace drive shut down. My comm immediately lit up.

"You awake in there my Taliva? Or did I take too much out of you last night?" hissed D'lek in her sultry way.

"Both my dear, both," I replied with a smile I'm sure she could see from her starfighter at my side. Captain Nim and his wingman laid the path out in front of us and seeing no trouble kicked into 1/2 thrust. D'lek and I followed behind with two X-wings at our back and another at our side. That's when they hit.

"12 marks at 12:00," yelled Nim at the lead. "Smoke squadron to full thrust, and lock S-foils in attack position." I heard D'lek's voice repeat the same command to her green paint schemed serpent squadron a moment later. Fighters formed up around me in a well orchestrated dance as I locked my S-foils in attack position, and pushed my throttle to full thrust. Our misshapen formation of two fighters at the front two, more behind them and four surrounding a fifth on all sides must have been quite confusing to the twelve TIE fighters that came screaming in. It seemed that they must have originated from Chalum's second moon Drida, as they seemed to be coming from that direction.