Omega Sqadron Black Knights
Chapter 3

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Kal’Ten fumed, standing up and starting to pace again. Lori shook her head, saying nothing.

"I’m sure he won’t be much longer," Maggs tried to calm. She picked up the pot of warm kaffin, "Look, have another cup of…"

"I don’t want another cup of!" Lainy seethed, rounding on her, "I want to be down in sickbay with my Commanding Officer instead of cooling my heels here, waiting for some jumped up Vice-Admiral to…"

"This jumped up Vice-Admiral," Notrahw interrupted coldly, stepping through the door and watching Kal’Ten as she froze then turned towards him, "happens to be your Commanding Officer! And you will do whatever the hells it is I order you to do, Lieutenant Commander!" She had gone pale, but he ignored it. "My office!" he ordered. "Now!"

She turned smartly, walking towards the door and disappearing inside. Her legs were shaking and for a brief moment she thought she was going to fall. But she locked her knees, forcing herself to stay upright.

What had he meant when he said that he was her Commanding Officer? Kaz was her Commanding Officer. Which meant that… Kaz was… But she couldn’t be… She shook her head, refusing to believe her own fears, telling herself that she was being irrational. It was a turn of phrase, just a turn of phrase… But if Notrahw was her commanding officer then that meant that Kaz was… dead.

Notrahw turned to Enilra, "I’ll be with you when I can, Flight."

"Yes, Sir."

"Sir?"

He turned to Ronnoc, who told him, "Security confirm that the other four TIE pilots are still secure. The pilot who escaped was apparently comatose when he was brought in. He had been taken to the med bays. The guards there have been found dead."

"Who looked at him when he arrived?" Notrahw asked, determined that someone’s head was going to roll for this.

"I’m not sure, Sir. I’ll find out."

"Thank you, Maggs." He turned, walking through the door into his office.

The door hissed closed behind him. He touched the privacy lock then strode towards his desk, sitting down and looking across it at Kal’Ten - who was standing stiffly to attention.

"Sir?" she asked, her voice strained, "Commander Hawkspar, is she…"

"Receiving medical attention!" he interrupted, finding the almost lie flowing easily from his conscience. He had no idea whether she was alive or not, but he had a debrief to get through and he didn’t need Kal’Ten’s mind clouded with uncertainties. He looked at her stance, seeing the rigidity, seeing once again just how close to breaking point this young woman was. He relented, his anger dissolving in the face of her discomfort. "Could you not have finished before I arrived?" he asked her quietly.

Completely thrown by the comment she looked at him blankly, "Sir?"

"Why is it always you who manages to put their foot in things?"

She opened her mouth to speak. Then swallowed. Then tried again, "Sir?"

He smiled, "Commander Hawkspar and I have shared a few late evening drinks. And stories..." He leant back in the chair, folding his arms across his chest, "I think the Cantina one about the Wookiee was definitely the best."

Lainy’s jaw dropped. "She told you about that?" she asked, incredulously.

He nodded, "Oh, yes. And much more." He leant forward again, "The next time she brings it up, just ask her about her run-in with the local Militia the time that she was supposed to be flying yours truly back from a deal with a Corellian armaments dealer. I guarantee it will get a reaction." He pushed himself to his feet, telling her, "Sit down, Lieutenant Commander, before you fall down."

She looked at him, face blank, completely thrown by this turn of events – having expected to be put on report; or Court Martialled; or something along those lines. This kindness was unexpected.

He sighed, then explained, "We are - all of us - walking close to the edge, Kal’Ten. And the last thing that I want, is to break one of my best Lieutenant Commanders because she was wound so tightly that the spring snapped. You see, in private - I very much understand and forgive that little outburst out there. In company, however – I have to be seen to be a Vice-Admiral. As far as Maggs, Enilra and everyone else is concerned, you are in here getting the bollocking to end all bollockings. And that is what I will be telling Kaz Hawkspar. But between you and I – right here, right now - you’re a damned fine officer who just happened to open her mouth at the wrong time. And personally I’d rather be drinking a glass of Corellian Blue than ripping you to shreds."

He flashed her a grin, "And I hate drinking alone… Care to join me?"

Lainy swallowed. Then, slowly, she lowered herself into the seat. "Um…. Yes. Thank you. Sir."

He poured the whisky into two glasses, handing her one before sitting down in his chair. He let her savour the first sip, then asked, "Okay, Kal’Ten. What happened with the Imperial?"

Lainy sighed, closing her eyes, trying to remember the sequence of events, the whisky warm and bitter against her tongue, burning a trail down her throat as she swallowed and began, "I’d been in the med-bays, telling Kaz… Commander Hawkspar that you wanted to see her. Then I left, coming back here…. As I walked past the hanger I caught a glimpse of someone dressed in black. By the time I reached the door he was half way across the hanger. Commander Hawkspar was right behind me. He pulled a blaster and she knocked me out of the way, taking the blast herself. By the time I had recovered he had taken down Ary…. Chief Drayke and had a hold of Chief Lauran…."

She tailed off, hearing the sickening crunch as Morrit had shoved Iayn away… just before he shot him. Notrahw saw the colour drain from her face, "Okay, Lainy, just take your time. There’s no hurry."

She nodded, swallowed, then continued, "It all happened so fast… And I couldn’t quite believe it was him… And…"

Daav heard the slight tremble in her voice. Kaz was her senior officer, Lauran was her Chief Tech so she was understandably upset… but instinct told him that there was more, a lot more, to that last statement. "Who?" he asked.

Lainy looked at him, "Sir?"

"You couldn’t quite believe it was who?"

She closed her eyes, "Morrit… Morrit Pon’Ton… the little slime-shruff…"

Notrahw looked at her for a moment, saying nothing, then clarified, "The pilot who escaped was Morrit Pon’Ton?"

Nodding, she told him, "Yes."

"So… how do you know this Morrit?"

She was staring into her drink, cradling the glass in her hands. For a long moment she didn’t answer and he was about to ask her again when she began, "Kaz and I both know him. His mother was Second Advisor to the Corellian delegation on Coruscant. My mother was First Advisor…" She laughed - an odd, cold sound, "We went to school together. He had a thing for me at one point, actually."

Then her voice returned to normal, "I’m not sure that Kaz spent any time with him. She went off to the Academy not long after he and his mother arrived… His mother went with Palpatine when he declared himself Emperor… We could never be sure but we think it was her who ratted us out to Palpatine’s minions."

Notrahw said nothing as she lifted the whisky to her lips and tossed the remaining alcohol down her throat. He knew the story. Kaz Hawkspar’s father had been First Advisor to the Tureinch Councillor, one of the few who had openly stood beside Mon Mothma against Palpatine right from the very start. When the Councillor had turned up dead, Hawkspar senior had quietly begun making arrangements to get Mothma to safety – should it become necessary. It had been Kaz, ostensibly on leave from the Imperial Academy, who had flown Mothma out of Coruscant when the newly self-declared Emperor had finally signed a warrant for the Senior Councillor’s arrest.

But they had only been able to get Mon Mothma out on that first run and, in truth, they hadn’t expected Palpatine to move so quickly. He himself had stood beside Mon Mothma, Hawkspar senior and Rieekan as Kaz argued with them, wanting to go back to Coruscant to get Lainy, her family and anyone else that she could, out. But by the time she got there, it had been too late. Anyone loyal to Mothma had been rounded up. Kal’Ten had sacrificed herself to save her daughter.

The frightened young woman Kaz had returned with that night had looked very much like the Lainy Kal’Ten who was sitting opposite him now. She had lost everything that night… and the only thing left to her now was Omega squadron and Hawkspar’s friendship. Only the Knights had just been all but wiped out for a second time, and he had no idea whether Kaz was alive or dead…

Standing up, he crossed to the little cabinet against the bulkhead, reaching in for the bottle of whisky and bringing it back to the desk. He refilled Lainy’s glass, topping up his own before sitting back down. "Did he recognise you?"

"Oh…" she confirmed, with a soft laugh of disgust, "Yes."

Notrahw swore silently... Yet another name now added to the Empire’s "wanted" list. "We had quite an interesting conversation," she was continuing, frowning as she tried to remember exactly what he had said, "Either he was full of his own self importance… or he’s quite high up. He was always… reserved. But now he’s cold, calculating. Told me that he’d learnt things that I never could, seen things I could never imagine… I think." She stopped, gazing into her glass again.

Daav sat for a moment, digesting the information, then pressed gently, "Then what happened?"

She took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh, "He pointed out that Ary was wounded and that…" She faltered again before continuing, "I never thought about it you know. I just assumed she was behind me, letting me do all the talking. It wasn’t until… until he said that…" She stopped as her voice cracked slightly, taking another deep breath before continuing, "It wasn’t until he pointed out that she was in the corridor dying that… I realised that… And even then I just thought that he was… and then everything happened so quickly and Iayn was on the floor and he was running for the ship and the Flight was shouting and…"

"Lainy!" he interrupted, softly and calmly.

She stopped, looking up at him, her eyes bright. He knew that if he went round the desk now to try to comfort her she would come apart at the seams. So he stayed where he was, needing her coherent for just a little while longer. Then he would dismiss her and she could retreat to the safety of her quarters before she lost it completely. "I didn’t quite get that, Lieutenant Commander," he lied. "Try me again. This Morrit pointed out that Ary and the Commander were wounded and…?"

"Things happened so fast. One minute he was holding Iayn… Chief Lauran. Then he’d pushed him away, making a run for one of the ships. I didn’t see what happened next… I had already gone to find the Commander." A thought occurred to her and she asked, "Did we stop him?"

Notrahw shook his head and she swore. The glass was beginning to shake in her hands and Notrahw changed the subject, taking her further back in the day, "Okay, Kal’Ten, what happened when you dropped out of hyperspace to help the Richlo’s Rest?"

~ * ~

Soosaan looked at the data, satisfied with the information. Hawkspar had a taken a nasty blow to the back of the head, but there was no skull fracture apparent. She still hadn’t regained consciousness, but the droids knew what to look for if the blow was developing into something more sinister. The blast wound was beginning to heal nicely and all her fluid levels were climbing into the normal range. Soosaan smiled, then left to check on Chief Drayke.

Ary was sleeping and the information on the panel showed that he too was recovering well. She turned, heading towards Iayn Lauran’s cubicle, suddenly realising just how exhausted she was – and it wasn’t over yet. There were the surviving wounded from the Richlo’s Rest and Edraa… Granted the droids had it under control, but she had never been able to leave a patient’s care entirely in their hands.

Her people hadn’t rejected all technology, but they had chosen a simpler life than the style many in the Old Republic were able to enjoy, believing that the living touch had a greater effect on things. Her people still practised the old ceremonies of giving thanks to the land for the harvest, of giving thanks to the elements for sustaining their mother earth…

She had run herself ragged the first few months she had been with the Alliance, appalled at how short of medical personnel they were. She had learned quickly to trust the droids, to let them follow their programming. But there were still things she could not bring herself to hand over to machines… Like sitting with a patient who was about to wake for the first time since their injuries had pulled them into the healing unconsciousness; or bringing a child into the universe; or saying a final goodbye to the patient who had lost their battle for life.

And once she had made her peace with Iayn Lauran she would check on Xen Edraa and then find the words to tell Vice-Admiral Notrahw that the Chief was dead.

She paused, hand on the door of Lauran’s cubicle, suddenly remembering her angry, harassed words to Notrahw, We have one dead already, Admiral! If you don’t let me do my job we’ll have more than that! Sighing, swearing silently to herself, she walked on down the corridor. First she would see Notrahw. Then she would see to Chief Lauran.

~ * ~

The pilot walked into the hanger and stopped, trilling softly as she saw the damaged X-wing lying on the far side of the hanger. She had heard, along with every one else on the Home Two, that Omega Squadron had taken heavy casualties - one fighter so badly damaged that no one quite understood how it had brought the pilot back alive. But it was one thing hearing the story - seeing the crippled ship first hand was a completely different thing. Now she could appreciate the disbelief.

Across the hanger a young tech caught the attention of the Deck Officer, pointing across to where the pilot stood gazing at the damaged T-65s. The Deck Officer turned, saw the green flight suit, recognised the pilot – and swore. She handed the pad to the tech, jogging across the floor, "Lieutenant Redav?"

Shei turned towards the voice, her eyes shifting colour subtly to a darker violet hue as the Deck Officer stopped in front of her and she saw the unease in the other woman’s stance. "This can only be bad news," she quipped quietly.

The Deck Officer looked at her, then nodded, "Lieutenant, I’m sorry, but…" She made a small sound of disgust, "There was an… incident… earlier. One of the Imperial pilots escaped and… he took your A-wing."

Dismayed, Shei blinked. Then simply said, "I see."

"There was nothing we could do. We had wounded…"

"Wounded?" Shei interrupted.

The Deck Officer nodded, "Two Chiefs and Commander Hawkspar… I’m sorry, Lieutenant. We couldn’t have stopped him anyway…"

"You would have done everything you could," Shei assured her, realising that if Hawkspar was injured there was only Lainy Kal’Ten left… "No apology is necessary," she continued. Then asked, "Is there any assistance I can give?"

The Deck Officer shook her head, "No, we’ve got it mostly under control… I think."

"Then I shall leave you to it." Redav turned, walking out of the hanger. A pilot without a ship was no good to anyone. Neither was a fighter without a pilot. So just how long would it take to convert from her beloved A-wing onto a T-65…? As a temporary measure, of course.

~ * ~

Maggs turned as the door to Notrahw’s office opened and Lainy Kal’Ten emerged looking tired and frayed round the edges. The Lieutenant Commander said nothing, simply walked past her towards the door, stopping as it opened and she almost walked into Ettei Soosaan.

The Doctor looked at her, smiling slightly, then glanced across at the Flight who had risen from her seat, the emotion on her face tightly controlled. "Commander Hawkspar," Soosaan told them, "and Chief Drayke are going to be fine." She paused, the continued, "But Chief Lauran didn’t make it… I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do."

Lori sat down, not sure that her legs would actually continue holding her up. Lainy went white, stepping past Ettei into the corridor, the door closing behind her as she began to walk away from Notrahw’s office.

Kaz was going to be okay, she was fine… but Iayn… Goddess Iayn, I’m sorry.

She closed her eyes, swallowing hard, hearing once again in her mind the sickening snap of his bones as Morrit had shoved him away, taking aim before casually blasting him in the back. Morrit… The young man she had never thought she would ever see again. The boy she hoped she would never have to see again. The boy whose mother had betrayed her family to Palpatine…

The whole thing had gone full circle. It had started with Morrit and come back to Morrit. She remembered the look of disbelief on his face the day that she had told him she couldn’t study with him because Kaz was coming back to Coruscant on leave. He hadn’t understood and she hadn’t been able to make him understand that despite the fact she was friends with him, she wanted to spend time alone with Kaz. She wanted to hear the stories about the Academy, about the things Kaz had got up to, about what it was like to fly a TIE fighter. And he had looked at her with that vacant incomprehension, as if she was the only thing that mattered to him, as if she was the only friend he had in the galaxy. And it had scared her, really scared her. And then Kaz had been there and it had been almost like the old days again – for a while.

But every now and then she would feel him watching them, feel those serious, dark eyes inspecting their every move. And Kaz wasn’t the same, there was something more distant and at the same time more intense about her, almost like a barrier she had put up between them, as if the friendship was somehow tainted.

Everything had become clear when the news of Mon Mothma’s escape from arrest on Coruscant had broken.

She had seen Morrit only once after that, briefly, and he had given her that knowing, chilling little smile. And then her life had turned inside out and upside down.

Tears slid slowly down her cheeks and she dashed them away. Damn it, she wasn’t going to do this! She hadn’t cried since Kaz had rescued her from Coruscant and she sure as hells wasn’t going to start now! But the ache inside her intensified, turning into a tight ball, hard against her throat. She swallowed it down, taking a deep breath, fighting away the emotion. For a long moment she considered the bottle of Glid wine in her quarters, knowing that she would get well and truly smashed on it, the thought tempting her until she realised that she didn’t want to be on her own. Not tonight...

She reached the repulsor lift, stepping inside, ordering, "Medical section."

~ * ~

Maggs ushered Soosaan into Notrahw’s office then turned back to Enilra. The Flight was still sitting there, a look of numb disbelief on her face. Maggs sat down beside her, sitting for a moment not quite sure what to say or what to do. Then finally she asked, "Are you okay?"

Lori turned, looking at her, as if seeing her for the first time. Then she looked away again, nodding slowly, "I’m fine…"

Maggs sat for another moment, then asked gently, "Is there anything that I can do?"

Lori shook her head, "No." She pushed herself to her feet, "The squadron will be waiting. I’d better go tell them. And I need to sort out crew Chiefs until…" She stopped, swallowing hard, then finished, "I need to sort out crew Chiefs."

She started to walk towards the door, then swore, stopping and turning back, "The debrief…"

"I’ll let the Vice-Admiral know where you’ve gone," Maggs assured her. "Under the circumstances I’m sure he’ll understand. If we need you again today, I’ll have someone find you."

Lori nodded, "Thank you." Then she turned again, heading out of the door.

~ * ~

Martellon’s brow furrowed as he attempted to make sense of the unfamiliar controls of the A-wing. As far as he could tell, he had set the correct co-ordinates for the jump to the Imperial base on Mulig IX. It was only a small outpost, not very well equipped, but it would do.

The jump was due to take around twenty standard hours, so Martellon prepared himself for a long haul. The A-wing was fully stocked with all the supplies that a single pilot could need for a jump of the kind of length it was ranged for. He almost had to count himself lucky that the base on Mulig IX wasn’t much farther away, or he could have been in real trouble.

He hit the control for the ship to make the jump, and settled in, thinking about how he was going to avoid being shot on sight when appearing at an Imperial base in a Rebel A-wing. Would they believe his ident code?

He could only wait and see.

~ * ~

Notrahw sank slowly into the chair as the office door closed behind Soosaan, the Doctor returning to her patients. He turned to look out of the observation window, wondering what else could possibly go wrong, just to make the day complete. It had started badly and deteriorated rapidly…

Lainy Kal’Ten had been up to her usual pranks the night before, persuading two of the techs on Hawkspar’s ground crew to paint a large target on the back of the Commander’s fighter. Flight Enilra had seen the addition and flipped, dragging the engineers in front of him, demanding that they be transferred out of Omega squadron. Then Lainy had turned up, confessing her part in the scheme and taking full responsibility.

He had never seen the Flight loose her temper before, but it had been spectacular. He had actually seen the colour drain from Lainy’s face. And then it had all become academic, the distress call coming in and the Knights launching.

That was where it had really all gone wrong, the Imperial corvette turning out to be a Star Destroyer, the Knights already taking heavy casualties by the time the Home Two had dropped out of hyperspace. And then he had watched, helpless to do anything, as the remaining crew of the Richlo’s Rest sacrificed themselves to save the others. They had escaped Echo Base, survived the Imperial blockade of Hoth only to be attacked again, just when they thought they were finally safe. And after that had come the Imperial pilot’s escape, leaving Kaz Hawkspar and her Chief wounded. And Iayn Lauran dead.

He turned away from the window, sighing heavily, walking across to the sofa that sat against the far wall, dropping into it, leaning back with his arm across his eyes.

Everything had seemed to be going so well after Yavin, thousands had flocked to join the Rebel Alliance. He had been there with Mon Mothma when reports of the success against the Death Star at Yavin had come through. He had seen the joy and relief in her face, tempered with the sorrow at so many deaths. But, for the first time since Palpatine had declared himself Emperor, he had also seen the hope behind the shadows in her eyes.

After the destruction of Alderaan people had finally begun to see just how far Palpatine would go, and despite the story that the Imperial machine had churned out, the truth had reached them. Yavin had given them the courage to follow their convictions, especially after the rumours that the Mon Calamari had joined the fight – with three of their cruisers and led by Admiral Ackbar: the most gifted tactician of his generation.

Mothma had offered Daav command of one of those cruisers, the Home Two, and he had gladly accepted. He was a soldier. But the galaxy had been at peace since the end of the Clone Wars and nothing could have prepared him for the amount of death he had seen since then. The Imperials had stepped up their vengeance. Base after base had been attacked as their locations were beaten out of Rebel sympathisers. And when that hadn’t proved useful enough the Imperial Navy had dispatched droids to track down the Alliance enclaves – a procedure that had resulted in the massacre on Hoth.

Which brought his thoughts back full circle - to standing helpless on the bridge of the cruiser, watching the Knights picked off one by one.

The door chime sounded, sliding open, Ronnoc stepping into the room, "Sir?"

He lifted his arm, turning his head to look at her, "Yes?"

"The channel you requested is open. Mon Mothma’s waiting for your report."

He sighed again, heaving himself to his feet, walking back towards his desk, "Thank you, Maggs." And now he had to tell the whole story to the slender, unassuming woman who carried all of the hopes of the Rebel Alliance on her shoulders.

~ * ~

Martellon roused himself from his semi-trance about half an hour before he was due to be in contact range with Mulig IX. He had decided to contact them at the soonest possible moment, so that they would have the maximum time available to check out his ident.

As he approached the contact point, he started to transmit.

"Mulig IX, Mulig IX, this is Fleet Commander Martellon, ident code X4RT9FZQ. Confirm." There was static for a short time, before Martellon heard the Mulig IX Control reply and inform him they were checking out his ident.

"Mulig Control, be advised I am travelling in a Rebel A-wing. Confirm Mulig Control."

"Confirmed." Martellon had to admit, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had had enough of a hard day without his own ships shooting at him.

~ * ~

Soosaan watched the readout panel for a moment longer, then smiled, stepping forward to the Bacta tank and pressing a vial of medication into the receptor set into the glass. The droids moved, raising the gurney towards the other droids waiting on the gantry around the top of the tank.

The Doctor moved back. The readings on the panel changed as Xen Edraa drifted slowly back towards consciousness. Her eyes flickered open. She frowned, confused by her surroundings. And then droids were drawing on the harness, lifting her free of the fluid, helping her out of the tank and onto the gurney. It sank towards the floor and Ettei moved towards it.

Grinning down at Xen, she unclipped the respiration unit, gently slipping it over the pilot’s head and lifting it clear of her face. "Welcome back, Lieutenant."

Edraa frowned, opening her mouth to speak, then swallowed hard, coughing slightly. "You inhaled some smoke," the doctor told her, "and it’s irritated your throat. Once we’ve got you dried off and into a cubicle I’ll get you some medication to ease the dryness. You’ll be fine."

Xen nodded sleepily, her eyes drifting shut as the droids covered her with a warm blanket and pulled the gurney into the corridor, heading for one of the few, empty cubicles. Soosaan followed behind, stopping to check the Bacta dressing on Chief Drayke’s shoulder. More than satisfied with the way the wound was healing she walked across the corridor to Hawkspar’s cubicle.

She stopped at the door, shaking her head gently. Lainy Kal’Ten was sitting on the floor against the wall, elbows resting on drawn up knees, fast asleep with her head in her hands. Soosaan stepped round her, moving to the Commander’s side, checking the dressing. Hawkspar made a small sound as Soosaan touched her, her eyes flickering open.

Ettei grinned, "Evening, Commander."

Hawkspar looked at her for a long, uncomprehending moment. Then the memories of the day’s events flooded in. She tried to sit up, but Soosaan held her gently down, "Whoa, Commander! Let’s walk before we can run shall we? We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to patch you up and I’d rather not have all that good work undone. With any luck you might not even have a scar."

"The Imperial?" Kaz asked.

"I have no idea," Ettei admitted. Then berated, "And I don’t want you worrying about it until tomorrow! Your body needs to heal! Have no misconceptions, Commander, I can and will pull you off duty and confine you here until I think you’re physically fit!"

Hawkspar grinned, "Yes, Ma’am."

Soosaan shook her head in disgust muttering something about pilots. Then told her, "Lieutenant Edraa is out of the Bacta and recovering well."

Kaz closed her eyes in relief. The looked up at the Doctor again, "Lainy?"

"Fast asleep right here on the floor! Don’t know how we’re supposed to do our job with pilots littering the corridors. Now," she ordered, "go back to sleep."

"Yes, Ma’am," Kaz intoned, closing her eyes. Soosaan muttered something else about pilots that Kaz didn’t quite catch. Then, shaking her head she stepped round Lainy and headed out into the corridor to finish her rounds.