Chapter 9

Former Imperial Commander Yan Dorin ran through the command center door as soon as Yem had it open, Tsalin and Nim close behind him. Dorin momentarily surveyed the carnage before him as he dashed down the steps and through the corridor. Dorin clutched the emergency medical kit in his right hand as he closed in on the location of the injured woman. The man who had been with her, the one the man Nim called Malik, knelt over her green and yellow skinned form. A ripped piece of his long coat was wrapped around her injured arm and leg.

The man immediately waved Dorin over and took the kit from his hand. "Thanks," he offered as he dropped the kit down and popped it open. Dorin simply nodded and stood there, in case he was needed for something. The man cut through the make-shift bandages he had put on the woman and replaced them with bacta-treated bandages from the kit. Bacta was the one of the least understood, but most valuable substance in the known universe. A short dip in a bacta tank could do for injuries what normal recuperation would take months to do. It had regenerative properties that made a doctor's job a lot easier, and sometimes easy enough for a droid to provide care for an injured person.

The green woman, who had been referred to as D'lek, winced as the man applied the bandages and tightened them. He then lowered down and kissed her forehead, attempting to comfort her. To Dorin, such signs of affection in front of other officers was something of an enigma. It almost seemed wrong or unnatural compared to the ways of the Empire. Have I really been stuck here so long that I've been conditioned to think in the way of the Empire? Dorin asked himself. It had been a long time since he had lived any other way than this. The only thing that had kept him going, kept him from totally losing it and becoming just like all the other cold, emotionless, and ruthless Imperial officers was hope. Hope that someday his parents would find a way to flee the Empire, or the rebels would liberate his home planet of Chridin.

That was what had led him here in the first place. The memories of his former life came flooding back as he watched Malik lift the woman into his arms and carry her to the command center. He used to be like that. He used to be able to feel something more than just fear and hopelessness. His mind began to wander as he and the others followed Malik and the woman in his arms.

It had been many years ago, when the Empire came to Chridin. After the fall of the Republic the Chridol, a race of red skinned dragon-like humanoids who had known only peace under the Republic, had almost no way to defend themselves. Their Ember Mk II fighters, a design only known to Chridin, with their crescent shaped wings and dual laser cannons, were equals to the popular Z-95 Headhunters. They were not however, a match for the Empire.

The Imperial TIE fighters swarmed in, their numbers overwhelming the Chridol forces, taking the space based defenses down quickly. Then the Imperial Landing vessels dropped amazing amounts of Stormtroopers and Imperial Walkers, scraping the planet clean of its land defenses.

This had all happened before Dorin's birth, but the strong-armed tactics of the Empire continued throughout his life. Luckily for him his parents were masters of engineering and design, and were deemed important enough to be given great responsibilities and small freedoms. Their freedoms soon ended though when Dorin reached the age of seventeen. The Empire was having a hard time quelling uprisings, dealing with pirates, and fighting the newly forming, and growing, Rebel Alliance, so many young Chridol men were taken to the academy. Dorin had been one of those recruits and, with the threat of his parents losing their positions and even their lives, he went along willingly.

He had shown himself to be a superior TIE pilot, and a great marksman, but his best abilities were in command. He had been given his recent position because he could be trusted, since his parents lives hung in the balance, and the out-of-the-way yet secret nature of Moon Base Alpha was perfect for an alien officer. Important but not too important. Little did the Empire know that Dorin had plans to make his post quite important indeed.

After the first death star had been miraculously destroyed, the Empire had begun to pull its forces from seemingly less strategic posts, to help hunt down the rebels. Two of these posts were Chridin and Chalum. Dorin immediately saw an opportunity to save his parents and himself. Following the destruction of the second death star and another pulling of troops from Chalum, Dorin sent information to the Alliance, via spies aboard supply shipments, telling them of the opportunity they now had to take Chalum. All he asked of them, in exchange for troop information, was either the liberation of Chridin, or the saving of his parents.

The rebels quickly saw that the ship-building facility in orbit around Chridin would be a great asset, as well as the support of the Chridol and the people of Chalum. The Rebellion acted fast on Dorin's information and soon had both planets in their hands. Underground resistance had already existed on both planets so the Alliance's work was easy compared to what they had recently been through. Dorin had been the spy that the Empire was hunting for on Chalum for a long time. They had never thought to look on the moon base, it being a supposed secret and all, so Dorin was allowed to continue with his duties. Up until now that is.

He had been able to order another pilot to take his place at Jawan's side, and still re-route communications whenever Jawan Signaled him. The transmissions were actually being relayed, with help from Lt. Yem, to the console in Dorin's quarters. Jawan never knew the difference.

With help from two other technicians, Lt. Olan, and Lt. Kerinson, Dorin was able to disable the laser turrets so the gunners would be hard-pressed to get any shots to connect with their targets. Yem, after the death of Jawan, then totally disabled the turrets, allowing the Rebels to land and then take the rest of the base by force. Dorin had been cautious and lucky, and was rewarded with his parents safety, and a conscious he could now live with. He only hoped that D'lek would be able to heal quickly since the base was expecting a visitor in a few hours. An injured alien, a hangar full of Rebel fighters, and a crew-less base, would be hard to hide, or explain.

I stepped up the stairs and into the command center, holding D'lek firmly in my arms. The tears of fear seemed to be never ending, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and took charge of the room.

"Nim, please get a pillow and some blankets from the crew quarters," I said gently lowering D'lek to the floor. She had lost a lot of her thick green blood and I feared she would grow cold from the loss. She smiled up at me and I kissed her forehead again, not able to find the words to express how terrible I felt. "The rest of you, grab some Imperial uniforms and stormtrooper gear, we've got a show to put on."

"What about your fighters?" asked Dorin who stood next to a redheaded technician, his arm around her waist.

"Thanks, I'm not thinking straight right now," I said nodding to the former Imperial officer. "Hu and Tsalin, get anyone who can pilot a fighter and get those ships out of the hangar. Tsalin, can you pilot an X-wing?"

"Yeah, you bet."

"Would you take my fighter for me?"

"You've got it, how about D'lek's?" he asked carefully. D'lek raised her un-injured arm and wrapped it around my neck, pulling herself up to a siting position.

"Don't I get a say in this?" she asked, quite concerned for her fighter, and the mission. Sometimes I wish I had such dedication.

"No you don't love, you're hurt."

"I'll be fine my Taliva, I didn't get shot in the head. I can still pilot my fighter."

"But..." I started.

"No buts, I'm going out there and you can't stop me. We Herigan's are fast healers, I'll be ready," she said with a smile. "I out-rank you anyway, so you can't tell me what to do."

"All right, if you think you can do it, I trust your judgment. But when the time comes for you to go out there, and I don't think you're ready, I'll try to stop you," I replied, returning her smile.

"You can try."

"All right everyone let's move it," I yelled in my most commanding voice. This was not something I was used to.

"What about us?" asked Dorin, who was now at my side.

I stood up and faced his seven foot height as best I could. "You did a lot for us and I thank you for that, but I can't ask you to keep helping us. You have no responsibility to our cause, you are free to go as soon as we get a chance to kick you out."

A very serious expression came over the mans red face and his eyes began to shrink under the weight of his thick eyebrows and bony ridges in his forehead. "I do owe something to your cause. I owe the Rebels for my new life, the lives of my parents, and the freedom of my people. I helped the Alliance, both now and before, because I knew they were right and I knew they would keep their word and save my family. For that I will help you in any way I can." He then held out his large hand and I took it in mine.

"Again I thank you. I'm sure we will need you more than you can possibly imagine. First though, I need to know as much about this base as you can fit into an hour." Our hands parted as Nim came through the doors, a blanket and pillow in his arms. He handed them to me with a confused and seemingly disappointed look on his face. "What's wrong Nim?" I asked. Before he could answer though a young girl stepped into the room in an ankle-length black leather cloak, dark leather pants, black high-necked thermal shirt, knee-high boots and a hip-holstered sporting blaster. My eyes widened as she pulled her hood back to reveal her face. It was Kirena.

Agitated was an understatement for my present state. I busied myself with fitting into the late Captain Jawan's uniform and tried not to dwell too much on the new problem that had presented itself. Kirena. I sighed heavily and began buttoning up the borrowed Imperial uniform.