Martellon scanned the displays of information in front of him, searching for the people he had seen aboard the ship with Lainy and Hawkspar. Stopping the flow of holopics, he retraced one, smiling when he saw the woman’s face. He checked the details, highlighting them, sending them to the central Imperial database: Triona Elyob; daughter of an Estkealii diplomat; posted as a missing person only a few months ago.

As the daughter of a Senate diplomat, she had been on Coruscant at the same time as Hawkspar and Lainy...

Was it possible that Lainy might know her? Could this be another potential link to Lainy Kal’Ten?  The woman’s face wasn’t familiar to him, but she was a few years older than him so it was possible that she had returned to Estkealii before he himself had arrived on Coruscant. The alert on the database chimed, the frame around Elyob’s image changing to red, indicating that her name had been placed on the Imperial “wanted” list.

Smiling, Martellon pulled up the data, searching for Elyob’s name and moving it up into the top fifty names. Any higher on the list and it might draw Palpatine’s attention, and the Emperor had already accused him, once, of being preoccupied with Hawkspar.

Another display chimed to draw his attention. He looked at it, the small smile widening. He had found it. A hydromaar lufthensae star in flux...

He frowned, a surge of irritation flowing through him. The star was further into flux than he had seen in his vision during the brief contact with Hawkspar. Two of the previously plotted comets had disappeared, enveloped by the blue-green star. A third was showing indications of being subjected to catastrophic seismic events as it orbited through, what was now, the outer layer of the star.

The ship Lainy was flying, was heading for disaster...

Another chime drew his attention and he looked back at the holopics, recognising the image of the man that was encased in a flashing, amber frame: he had been identified as Chezz Traykar.

Setting Traykar aside for the moment, he turned his attention back to the star. Transferring the coordinates to the helm console on the bridge, Martellon keyed the com unit. The image of Admiral Reeber appeared.

“Fleet Commander,” Reeber acknowledged, drawing himself up to stand rigidly to attention.

“There are new coordinates at the helm,” Martellon informed him, then ordered, “Set course to that new location! When we arrive, deploy three squadrons of TIEs and await my further orders.”

“At once, Fleet Commander,” Reeber confirmed, already issuing the orders as Martellon turned the com unit off.

Martellon turned his attention back to Traykar: the man he had seen piloting the ship with Lainy. A man, he saw now, with an interestingly chequered past... A gun for hire and a smuggler, he had given allegiance to the Rebel Alliance. He had been on the Imperial “wanted” list since the attempt to appropriate hardware integral to the first Death Star.

He had been part of the abortive first attempt to destroy the Death Star.

Imperial intelligence had subsequently lost of track him. Obviously, he had reappeared… And if this information was still correct, then the ship in the vision was The Wild Thing...

Martellon smiled. Hawkspar had slipped through Vader’s fingers. Now he, Martellon, would not only drag her back to the Emperor, but deliver Traykar and the female Rebels… keeping Lainy for himself.

Sending the details to the central database, the process flagging Traykar higher up the Imperial wanted list, Martellon turned, striding across to the centre of his chamber, settling slowly onto the floor, schooling his breathing into the slow, deep rhythm he needed for mediation.

There was no guarantee he could reach Hawkspar. His vision had shown her sedated: but his vision had also shown the star in lesser flux. It was possible he might still be able to send a warning to her... And Lainy, Traykar and Elyob would be so preoccupied with flying the ship and avoiding the star, that they wouldn’t detect the Imperial Star Destroyer hiding behind it until the TIEs had herded the Wild Thing too close to it to avoid capture.

oo0oo

Dav sat, waiting for Lieutenant Commander Xen Larunna to patch his communication unit into the comnet relays so that his call couldn’t be traced. Across the room, Xen concentrated on the information Larunna had been able to give her about the various shadow ports they might have to go to. Sighing softly, rubbing her temples with her fingers she sat back. Larunna glanced over at her.

“When was the last time you had any sleep?”

Xen glanced at Dav then told her, “I’ve slept...”

“When was the last time you had anything to eat?”Larunna asked.

Xen frowned.

It was all the answer Larunna needed. “Right,” she told her, “go and get something to eat. Take a walk, clear your head. I can compile this stuff into some sort of mission profile alone. Once Dav here has spoken to his people, we can have another look… when you get back.”

Xen opened her mouth to protest, then realised how hungry she actually was. Pushing herself to her feet, she told Larunna, “Thank you... Actually,” she went on, “it’ll give me a chance to find Mason and let him know he’ll be in charge while we’re gone...”

Larunna rolled her eyes, then reminded Xen, “Eat something before you do anything else!”

“Yes, Mom!” Xen shot back. “Want me to bring you back some chai?” she offered.

Larunna grinned at her, “Now you’re talking!”

“Kaffin, Dav?”

“That sounds like a plan, Acting Boss!”

Stretching, Xen pushed herself to her feet, just as her com-link chimed. Swearing softly, wondering what the hells was going wrong now, Xen answered it.

“Xen,” Rishard Bess’ voice told her, “we have a buyer for the spaced coolant. My crew are securing hatches as we speak and we’ll be ready to go in ten minutes.”

Xen swore, taking off out of the door at a run. “It’ll take us five to get the X-wings primed and ready,” she warned.

“Stand down, Lieutenant Commander,” Bess told her. “We can run without an escort on this one. Your birds are flight-limited. No point in flying them if they could be put to better use elsewhere…”

Xen wasn’t about to argue with that. The X-wings weren’t just flight-limited, they were hours-critical. “If you’re sure, captain.”

“I’m sure,” he told her. “And with any luck I’ll have some more news for you on the coolant front when I get back.”

“We could do with some good luck,” Xen agreed.

Bess laughed softly, concurring, “That’s for sure. About time our luck changed for the better…”

Xen heard someone talking to him in the background. He answered them then told Xen, “No rest for the wicked, Lieutenant Commander. I’d best go.”

“Stay safe!” Xen told him.

“I intend to, Ma’am,” he assured her. “Force be with you. Bess out.”

Her belly rumbled again and, tucking the com-link into her pocket, she headed for the mess deck. Then she stopped, suddenly remembering that she was the Acting CO for the Squadron. Damn it, she had minions! Never once had Kaz Hawkspar gone down to the mess deck to get something to eat in the middle of planning an op!

Turning neatly on her heel, heading back towards the office, she pulled out her com-link again. Keying through the names, she hit the button. It took all of five seconds for Hobbie to answer.

“You called, oh Acting-Revered Leader?”

“Hobbie,” she ordered, “I need one jug of kaffin, one jug of chai, two decent-sized meals and some assorted bakes, in the Intel office, right away.”

There was a moment’s silence and Xen asked, “Do I need to repeat that?”

“No!” Hobbie assured her. “Not at all, Boss. I’m on it!”

Two decks below Mason Arnwald grinned at Hobbie, telling him, “Privileges of rank, kid!” Then he asked, “You do remember what she asked for, right?”

“Umm…” Hobbie began. “Yes…”

Chuckling, Mason pushed himself to his feet. “I hope you bloody do, Acting Revered Assistant Leader. Otherwise there’s going to be all hells to pay.”

oo0oo

Major Elhen Anders tucked a stray curl behind her ear, pulled her uniform a little straighter, then walked through the opening door into Mon Mothma’s private office. Mothma rose, greeting the Major with a calm look that belied the anticipation and dread roiling inside her. “Major Anders, you have news?”

Elhen nodded, “I do, Ma’am.” She held out a datapad, continuing, “The details are on here but… the mission was a success…”

Mothma sank into the seat, relief washing across her face. “A success?” she repeated.

“A complete success,” Elhen confirmed. “Madine is safely aboard the Wild Thing and Commander Tinnan is already debriefing him. He was able to secure valuable intel that will be extremely useful to us.”

Almost afraid to ask, Mothma enquired, “Only intel?”

Elhen smiled, telling her, “No, Ma’am. Commander Hawkspar is also aboard the Wild Thing. Dr Soosaan reports that she’s stable. Although, understandably, there are some medical concerns, Commander Tinnan was able to obtain a partial debrief from her.”

“Medical concerns,” Mothma echoed, concern brushing across her face. “Then your information was correct, Major? She was interrogated?”

“She was, Ma’am,” Elhen confirmed. “Although the initial debrief indicates that she supplied them with disinformation. We’ll be able to confirm everything once the Wild Thing returns… which will be sooner than expected. Lieutenant Traykar and Lieutenant Commander Kal’Ten have found a more direct route and Commander Tinnan concurs with it.”

“When will they return?” Mon Mothma asked.

“They should arrive early afternoon, Ma’am…”

Mothma nodded, “Have the Commander’s squadron been told?”

Elhen shook her head, “No, Ma’am. I thought it best to say nothing until she was actually back with us…”

Sighing softly, nodding, Mothma told her, “A sound decision, Major…”

Elhen hesitated for a moment, then went on, “Ma’am… I think we should bring in someone else to debrief the Commander.”

Mothma had a good idea who the Major was talking about, from the small hint of distaste in her tone. “You mean Major Rhovan.”

She saw the quickly hidden look on Elhen Anders’ face and smiled. “You really don’t like him, do you?”

“It’s not my place to like or dislike him, Ma’am,” Elhen told her.

“But you believe that Major Rhovan is better placed than you to debrief Commander Hawkspar?”

“I do, Ma’am,” Elhen confirmed. “He has more recent and more in-depth knowledge of the interrogation methods the Imperials will have employed. And the Commander will initially be more open with someone she’s not familiar with.”

“I concur, Major,” Mothma agreed. “And you will debrief Madine?”

Elhen smiled, “I thought you might want to join me, Ma’am.”

Mothma smiled back at her. “Thank you, Major. I may just do that.”

oo0oo

The grainy image of an unkempt, bearded man blinked into existence on the com-unit Dav was holding. He grinned. “Jæta, you frag! Where the hells have you been hiding? I’ve been trying to get a hold of your fetid arse for days!”

The man smiled, revealing uneven, broken teeth. “Dav Terrun… Word is you’re dead!”

“Worse,” Dav told him, pulling a face, “Married!”

The news pulled a long, deep belly-laugh from Jæta Briogan. “Pretty wench finally frag a vow out of you, Terrun? Or did an angry father threaten to cut your balls off?”

“Neither,” Dav replied, truthfully. “She gave me a route into the Rebel Alliance.”

Jæta whistled, soft and low. “Devious git you are, mate… So,” he asked, grinning lecherously, “is she a curvy, buxom wench?”

“She’s a skinny, wretched bint,” Dav lied then pressed on, “Look, I don’t have a lot of time. I’m patched into the Rebel systems… I heard a nasty rumour that Rahv Kin Waa was dead.”

Jæta nodded, “He is, my friend. I’m sorry… I know you were allied to him.”

Dav nodded. “Do you know where his sons went? Or the other clans?”

Jæta leant forward, “Scattered, I’d heard: into the caves in the hills to the west of Saytor.”

Dav nodded, “Didn’t think they’d go far…”

“They got hit hard,” Jæta warned. “But I heard the Empire had given up trying to find them… and bomb them out… You want to find them?” he asked.

Dav nodded again, “Pretty much.”

He paused for a moment, wondering if any of the clans had made it through that sort of bombardment: remembering the children he’d had climbing all over him in the days before he left to make his own business.

“This gig’s washed up…” he told Jæta finally. “Rahv Kin Waa... Figured I should pay my respects…”

Jæta nodded then asked, “Need help getting out, friend?”

“No,” Dav told him. “I’ve got that covered. But I’d rather not turn up in Saytor only to get wasted before they know who I am. You got any way to get a message to them?”

Jæta considered the request. “Maybe… Big ask, though.”

“I know, but you’ll be compensated,” Dav countered.

Larunna waved her arms at him and Dav glanced over, swearing as he saw her making a slashing motion across her throat. “Jæt, I’m compromised. I gotta go…”

Larunna cut the connection.

“Was that enough?” Xen asked, worrying that the contact had been too short.

Dav grinned at her, picking up his mug of kaffin. “It’s enough.”

oo0oo

The Flight walked up to Arla Ma’Etihw. “Lieutenant?”

Arla turned, finding a smile, “Flight.”

“Get lost!”

Arla blinked, not sure she had heard right, “Flight?”

“You flew the previous sortie,” Lori told her.

Still confused, Arla confirmed, “Yes…”

“And you’re due out again in six hours,” Lori accused. “Which means you’ve got four hours down time before you get up to get ready to climb back into that,” she finished, indicating Arla’s X-Wing.

Finally understanding what the Flight was getting at, Arla glanced at the hangar chronometer, “Ohh…”

“Oh!” Lori countered. Then she sighed, relenting, telling Arla, “Look… It’s not that we’ve not appreciated your help, because we have, but you can’t walk the path between two worlds. You need to choose. You’re either flight crew or ground crew. If you keep burning the light at both ends,” she went on, “you’ll get yourself killed, or you’ll dent your bird!”

Arla grinned at her, sheepishly, “Point taken…”

“Good!” Lori countered. “Go get your head down. I’ll tell the Lieutenant Commander that we kept you here and make sure you’re pulled from the next rotation.”

Stifling a sudden yawn, Arla nodded, telling her, “Thanks, Flight.”

Lori watched her as she wended her way across the hangar, only turning when Ma’Etihw disappeared into the corridor.

Stifling another yawn, her stomach growling, Arla headed for the mess hall. She stopped, frowning, looking at Arny and Hobbie as they walked towards her. “Is there a party somewhere I don’t know about?”

Arny grinned at her, “No such luck, sweetheart. Minions of the Acting Boss, we are, summoned to bring sustenance!”

“And who are we to deny her every whim?” Hobbie groused.

“Minions?” Arla chuckled.

“Summoned,” Hobbie confirmed.

“Every whim?” Arla asked pointedly.

“Well,” Arny hazarded, “I’d draw the line at polishing her flight boots…”

Hobbie turned, looking at him. “Flight boots?”

“Flight boots!”

Laughing, Arla asked, “Do you need a hand?”

“Nah,” Hobbie told her, “we minions have got it covered.”