Recreational Area

Reading Room

POV: Joan d'Arc (IV)

By Dario Pozo

Pictures also by Dario Pozo

[On the other side]

Joan was laying on her bed, with her hands crossed under her head, looking at the ceiling. Tobb was dead. Trillian and most of her friends from Miracle Squadron were dead too. They had tried to save her and now they were gone. Her grief was immense, unbearable. There was no possible relief for such sadness.

She remembered that first day when she entered Harmony's hangar, pilots and technicians applauding her, Trillian saluting so seriously, and Tobb waiting for her beside the Singer, with his winged horses freshly painted... Tobb. She was just unable to resist the thought of Tobb being dead.

Some hours ago she had being unable to resist the desperation and had started to hit the walls with her fists. She had stopped only when she remembered what had happened the last time she had abandoned herself to the wrath. She was beginning to feel that strange power inside her again. No, she couldn't allow it, she wouldn't fall into the Dark Side. Her hurt knuckles ached every time they rubbed against the rough blankets, but she didn't remove her hands from under her head. That was a kind of pain she could suffer better than this other one, her heart's pain. That night was actually the last one. A new wave of sorrow came with this thought. There won't be a life for us now. No future, no family..., Why? Why?

It was useless, but she even tried to analyse what she could have done differently, where she had made the mistake. Maybe she could have used the message that Tremoulin and Bedenford had allowed her to send to prevent her friends from trying something like that. But who could have guessed...

What if she had not forced Senator Carless to lead the Republic against the Bretalian invaders? Probably there would be peace now, even under a Bretalian government...

What if she had not abandoned Gerillia, ignoring her dreams and her instincts? Maybe Tobb, Trillian and all the others would still be alive...

Or maybe not. The Bretalians would have extended their domination over the Republic's worlds, forcing them to accept their supremacy. Is it worth changing freedom for life? Is it better to stay alive even as a slave than to die a free being?

No, it's not. Joan was unable to think in differently. She couldn't have remained still while the injustice and the war's laws governed the Universe. Tobb, Trillian and the rest of her friends wouldn't have remained still either. They would have preferred to fight, no matter which the price.

That last thought gave her some comfort. There were no tears on Joan's face when Yoda entered, a concerned look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Joan." He said sadly. "Oh, how I'm sorry, my girl."

Joan didn't reply. She patted on the bed beside her and Yoda sat there.

"Sorry for your friends I am." He explained. "And for you too."

As Joan stood in silence, Yoda continued.

"They have decided that for them very dangerous you are. That attack of your friends has proved them that their strategy of lies has partially failed. Some politicians and many common people can be in doubt, but among the Republic's Armies immensely appreciated you are still, yes. And now you are becoming a threat even inside their own domain. Many people saw you when you jump you did from the fortress. Hardly believe it I can yet. That you must be really a Jedi, people say, and they are frightened of your power. General Bedenford is even having problems with his own troops. They are questioning his alliance with someone like Calhuch, who is called more and more "the false Jedi"."

"I'm not really a Jedi." Joan said as her only answer.

"Wrong you are, my girl." Yoda said. "I had never met anybody with more right to be called a Jedi."

Joan rose her eyes to meet Yoda's.

"Don't say that, Yoda. You have taught me a lot of things. You know the Force better than I do."

"But my master indeed you have become, my dear girl. Completely sincere I'm being with you."

She smiled slightly. Yoda would never know how important this was for her.

"Now tell me the bad news." She said.

Yoda swallowed before starting.

"Calhuch has convinced the others that you must die." Joan's expression was not altered. "You are going to be judged and condemned in public."

"To judge me?" Joan laughed. "Accused of what?"

"Treachery and witchcraft. They will accuse you of using the Dark Side of Force."

"Treachery? Witchcraft? Tremoulin, Borgonne, Lamorny, they are the traitors! And it's Calhuch who uses the Dark Side!"

"I know, my girl, but superstitious the people are. Most of them don't know anything about the Force, but they have heard about the Dark Side, and fear it they do. If Calhuch convinces them that you are a server of the Dark Side the adoration that many people began to feel for you will turn into fear and hate. He seems to have failed in obtaining that among the Republic's worlds, but he still expects to be successful at least inside the Bretalian territory."

"Then it's over. Don't worry, my friend. I'm proud of what I've done and I don't fear death."

Yoda couldn't reply. He didn't know what to say. He just could look up and admire the eighteen years old woman who suddenly seemed to be very much older.

The next morning no less than ten soldiers entered her cell to chain Joan again. Calhuch was present, fearing that the young woman could still try something to escape. She gave no resistance though.

Joan was driven on a open vehicle to the centre of the town. There were many people on both sides of the way. Calhuch's men had taken care that everybody in the planet knew that a server of the Dark Side was going to be judged, and which route they would follow to the court. The cries of "witch" accompanied her all the way. She tried not to hear them. Some people threw rotten vegetables and fruits at her. One or two stones reached her, but Joan seemed to not notice them. She saw many faces crying out horrible things, their fists risen, spitting out their hate and their fear with every insult. But there were people in silence too, persons who didn't believe the lies spread out by Calhuch's agents and who could only see a young girl chained like a beast. Many of them had heard the first rumours about Joan, that she was a Jedi Lady serving the Republic, and watched her even with reverence. Joan noticed those friendly minds, not without some surprise, and felt comforted. She thanked them and concentrated as best as she could on those people, forgetting the rest. The young woman constructed a wall of peace around her and left the shouts and the insults outside. She was unable to move. There were too many chains covering her, almost strangling her, forcing her to fight for every breath, the links digging into her flesh in a permanent torture, their weight practically crushing her. It was supposed to humiliate her, but she showed so much dignity under the rain of curses and dirt, her blue eyes always looking to the front, her mouth closed, never returning a single insult, her face not showing any trace of hate towards those who were offending her, that many people saw a sign of her force in those chains. That woman should be very powerful if such an amount of chains were needed to hold her down.

It was a long journey, because the fortress was far away from the town, but finally Joan's vehicle and her escorts reached a platform installed in a big square surrounded by high buildings. When Joan saw what was there awaiting her she felt her strength failing. Calhuch had prepared a great spectacle. The scene seemed to have being extracted from a very remote age, a nightmare that only could be conceived by an insane mind. Joan was dragged towards a big pole raising exactly in the centre of the platform where the soldiers attached her chains to. When they moved back she could turn her head enough to look around. Three big chairs had been placed at each side, ready to be occupied by the judges. She was not surprised when she saw who was going to preside the court. Calhuch climbed the stairs slowly, calculating every movement carefully, flanked by two men dressed in black like him. He advanced without looking at her towards the left row of chairs, sitting on the central and more predominant position. The two remaining chairs were occupied by his acolytes. Joan didn't even doubt they were Dark Jedi too, followers of Calhuch. The flow of evilness coming from them was enough to make her feel sick. She tried to see their faces, but their hoods shrouded them in shadows. She felt their glaze fixed on her, studying her, their malicious minds trying to penetrate her soul, to steal her will and her courage, to rape her innermost thoughts and feelings. Joan felt nausea and repulsion, and she struggled with all her strength to expel them. She believed she heard something like laughter in her mind as she pushed them back with a last ditch effort of her will. A tear of rage escaped her eyes. She forced herself to look at the opposite side, where General Bedenford and two other men in civilian clothes sat. She had never seen these other men before, but she supposed they were Bretalian governors. She noticed that General Bedenford's past courtesy had disappeared. His eyes were full of hate, and she guessed the reason. It was not only the problems that the rumours about Joan could have caused him. The Bretalian Fleet had undoubtedly suffered important losses during Miracle Squadron's last attack. She understood she was looking at a man eager for revenge. She spared a thought for her lost friends. Well done, gentlemen! She almost smiled before moving her eyes away from the furious General and looking around, beyond the platform.

All the square was full of people struggling and fighting to get the best places, those closest to the platform. Even the narrow corridor that the soldiers had kept open to allow the vehicles to get to there had been immediately filled up. There was not a building on all the planet with capacity enough for so many people, and that was the main reason for choosing an open area. Calhuch wanted a great amount of witnesses for what he had in mind. He had even ordered to record the whole trial.

When the sinister figure stood up all the voices became quiet. An impressive silence was reached when the last whispers finally died away. Everybody had their eyes on the overwhelming dark figure. When Calhuch spoke, his voice could be heard like thunder even from the farthest positions. There was no visible amplifier device. Joan knew that he was using the Dark Side's power to obtain that effect.

"Citizens of Loire." He began. "Citizens of the Bretalian worlds, people of the Republic." His voice was attractive, convincing, full of charm. It was powerful, but tender and gentle. Everybody fell immediately hypnotized under that graceful sound that transmitted such great charisma. Suddenly the owner of that voice didn't seem frightening anymore. He was a big man full of wisdom, someone who cared, someone who must be trusted. Joan closed her eyes and struggled to be free of his influence, concentrating on her own thoughts and isolating herself from the outside, until she managed to hear Calhuch's voice only as a far away echo, unable to reach her. But then she felt those evil presences trying to enter her mind again, to break her resistance, convincing her that all opposition was futile.

Don't fight. The intruders said. We are not your enemies. Join us, you will be welcome...

"Noooooo...." She muttered.

"We are living in hard times." Calhuch was saying. "These are times of war and grief, tears and pain. This is a battle that should have never begun..."

Hear his voice. They insisted. Listen to what he says. You can help to finish with all the disasters, you can end your own pain. You just have to say what we want you to, and you will be free...

"None of us wanted this. None of us desired this absurd battle among sister worlds, that had lived in peace for so many years."

Joan was resisting with all her will, but she just couldn't push the intruders out of her mind. She was so tired, so in need of rest, and it would be so easy to do what they said... She lost the sense of time, Calhuch spoke and spoke while everything spun around her.

Don't fear anything. You don't need to die, we don't want your death. You didn't know what you were doing, nobody ever taught you how to use your powers correctly, you were unable to recognize who your friends were...

"Nooo, you are lying, you're not my friends..." She whispered. The woman was making such an effort to oppose them that her bruised body was starting to suffer the consequences. A thin thread of blood started to flow from her nose without her even noticing it.

We are not angry with you. But you must repair the damage you've done, to accept your guilt before these people. Then you will be forgiven and you will have the rest that you need so desperately...

She didn't know how much time had passed, seconds, minutes or hours. But she felt something new. The voices in her mind were starting to get impatient, tired. Her own blood reached her mouth and the salty taste on her tongue broke the trance she was in. She heard Calhuch's voice and changed her tactic. She concentrated on that voice and ignored the ones in her mind.

"But there are people who don't love peace." Calhuch was saying. "People who don't respect life, who can only conceive the Universe as a place to be conquered and ruled..."

He seems to be talking about himself. She thought. The irony almost made her laugh. The exhausted woman found new strengths to resist.

"Don't be deceived by her innocent look." Calhuch said. "Don't fall into the temptation of feeling pity for her. She is young, adorable, apparently harmless, but she is one of the most dangerous creatures the Galaxy has never known. Those chains are totally necessary. Only two days ago, she used her powers to make some of her old comrades becoming mad, inciting them to make a suicidal attack against unaware Bretalian ships, almost in the orbit of this same planet. She didn't care that all her friends died there, that hundreds of Bretalians lost their lives too in that fratricidal combat. She only wanted to escape and continue with her life of crimes."

She could hear exclamations of surprise and indignation and had to bite her lower lip so as to not scream. The lie was so terrible, so offensive, that she felt the wrath growing inside her again. That was exactly what they wanted, but she was not going to take the bait. She forced herself to calmness and waited for her moment.

"Many of you had sons, daughters, husbands, wives, parents, brothers, sisters, friends onboard those ships. All of them have died because of this woman, so don't feel any pity at all!" That fell like a bomb among the people which crowded the square. Images of the recent battle had been extensively distributed by the media, but the most repeated scenes had been those of the transports delivering dozens of coffins in Compadigne's spaceport, and the families of the deceased receiving the corpses. The images of the children crying had been shown again and again. Many of those persons were there now, crying, but finding at last someone against whom to discharge all their rage and desperation. People started to shout and curse at the chained woman one more time, but now with an incredible violence. The wave of hate reached her like a huge hammer. It was such an injustice. She felt the tears filling her eyes. Even those few persons who had initially sympathized with her were now beginning to see her as a monster. But she didn't fall under the discouragement, not this time. She had been pushed, chained, insulted and dragged, her own mind invaded, and now she was forced to hear these horrible lies about her. But she was not going to give up without a fight. She had nothing else to lose.

Calhuch was turning toward her. He had demanded silence before announcing the terms of the accusation, and everybody was now paying close attention to his words.

"You, Joan d'Arc, are accused of treachery to the Republic. You are accused of witchcraft, of having used the Dark Side of the Force trying to obtain absolute power over all the beings in the Galaxy..."

"Treachery to the Republic?" Joan interrupted. She had needed to make a terrible effort, but now the voices in her mind were temporarily silent. Only the closest people could have heard her, but Calhuch stopped his speech in surprise. "Now the Bretalians are the Republic?" She continued.

"Bretalian worlds have never abandoned the Republic! We have tried to return to the Republic the peace and order which had been lost under the corrupted government! We..."

"Witchcraft?" She cut him again. "You, the master of darkness, are calling me witch?"

"I'm a Jedi Knight!" Calhuch shouted. The young girl's insolence was incredible and unbearable. She had managed to incite him to fury. Joan discovered that it was easy to provoke somebody under the influence of the Dark Side. She still felt the loathsome sensation of Calhuch and his men's minds inside of her, and all her scorn was now soaking her words.

"Show your face to the public, remove that black hood and we'll see who is the true servant of the Dark Side!"

"Shut up, woman! How dare you? Are you aware that you could be condemned to die?"

"Condemned! And when is the defence's turn?" Most of the people who could hear her started to shout furiously again. They didn't want either to listen her or to think there was a  possibility of her being innocent. They were fully convinced that she deserved to die and that was what they were waiting for. But there were others, a minority, who were trying to keep calm. That woman might be a hideous criminal, but she was right about this last issue. Even if only as respect to formality, there should be a defence. The Bretalians were a civilized people after all. Others were sceptic about all this Force stuff, and were finding it hard to believe that this girl could have provoked a space battle from her cell. Discussions began here and there, and while the most of the voices were claiming for her immediate execution, Joan noticed that she had broken the Dark Jedi's control over the people. But Calhuch was not aware yet, as furious as he was.

"There is no possible defence for someone like you!" His voice was full of hate and threats. There was nothing left of his previous charisma. Some people couldn't avoid a sudden shiver when they heard Calhuch's voice as it really was. Some of them, very few, started to wonder if the rumours about Master Calhuch being a false Jedi and Joan d'Arc being a real Jedi Lady were actually true.

"Are those your Republic's laws? Where people can be judged without a defence?"

Calhuch had great difficulties re-establishing the silence. He was tearing into the young woman with his eyes. Bedenford looked at him from his chair and made a gesture of disgust. He had maintained that it was an error to carry out this farce of a trial. He was as eager as Calhuch to kill the woman and to watch her writhe in agony, but it would have been better to make her disappear without in silence, subtly, allowing the people to forget the stories about her with time. But that stupid Jedi had insisted. He was so sure about his own power that he had believed he would be able to convince the entire Galaxy of Joan's evilness. She had just provoked him and he had fallen completely into her trap. Calhuch had shown an absolute lack of self- control. These shouting people were not important. If the rest of the Galaxy had a chance to see this three ring circus the effect would be exactly the opposite to what was expected. Bedenford made a sign to one of his escort's officials. The man approached and Bedenford gave him instructions to disable all the recording devices. Maybe they could still avoid suffering worse damage.

The dark Jedi was still trying to regain control of the situation. He had managed to provoke people's hate against Joan, and he knew how that would be affecting the woman. She would have to give up sooner or later.

"Say what you have to say, Joan d'Arc!" He shouted. "You can be your own defence. If you accept your crimes freely this tribunal might show some mercy towards you..."

"There are no crimes, Calhuch." She shouted back. "I'm innocent of those stupid accusations. I've served the Republic honestly and I have never used the Dark Side of the Force. Nobody can even say that I've ever claimed to be a Jedi." She couldn't say anything more. She could barely withstand that terrible pressure, with the Dark Jedis still trying to force her to say what they wanted, and the hate from so many people, increased by her sensibility to the Force, caused her suffering beyond description. But she knew she had won. This trial could only be the fruit of Calhuch's sick mind. Everything was an aberration. Maybe the people who filled the square, those who had been under the Dark Jedi's influence, could give some credibility to this court, but nobody out there could seriously believe anything she could have confessed chained to a pole under the permanent threat of death. There were even some people beginning to doubt Calhuch's version of events. She could feel it .

Calhuch also perceived it with disbelief. Immediately he and his two acolytes were driven out from the woman's mind one more time. He understood that Joan's will was just too strong. He looked around and saw the masses shouting, but he also saw people in silence and looks of fear. Fear of him. Calhuch realized at last what Joan and even General Bedenford had done before, that this trial would finally turn against him. Loire might celebrate this day, yes, but throughout the rest of the Galaxy Joan d'Arc would be mourned, even among some Bretalians. The Dark Jedi had believed it possible to use her tiredness and desperation to overpower her will with the Dark Side, forcing her to admit the accusations. After that nobody would follow her again. The Alderaan's Jedi, as many people insisted on calling her, would be finished forever. The Republic's forces, who had chosen her as their symbol, would have their spirit at an all time low. It would be easy then to drive them to surrender. Calhuch had planned to show himself merciful then allowing her to live, increasing his own prestige, but he had failed one more time. His first plan had been to push her to enter the Dark Side. He shouldn't have had any problems overpowering a girl without a real Jedi training, and after becoming his servant she could have been a valuable instrument. But she had turned out to be stronger than he had imagined. Now his ultimate attempt to use her for his own interests could turn into a new disaster.

The Dark Jedi stared at the chained woman and a new wave of wrath and rage invaded him. She was all he had not been. She had been pushed beyond any possible resistance but had rejected to choose the easy path, the only one that could have saved her, to enter the Dark Side. She had had the courage that he had not, and he hated her even more for that.

She had to die.

"You refuse to accept your faults and insist on trying to confound us with your twisted words." Calhuch roared. "But your evil skills won't be enough to defeat three real Jedi Knights." The other two dark figures stood up and advanced until they were both at Calhuch's flanks. "You are an offence to the Jedi Order, and you will be destroyed by the power of Light!"

Joan felt a moment of weakness. She realized she was going to die. She had believed she was ready for it, but she felt death's fear like never before. She could feel Calhuch's hate like a solid claw trying to strangle her. Her difficulties in breathing had now nothing to do with the chains. She thought of Tobb. Did he also know with such a certainty that he was going to die? Did he think of her in that fatal moment as she was doing now? The year they had been together crossed her mind in a flash. She remembered everything in a second. It had been worth living to know that love. But now she had to face the last sacrifice. The young woman looked for comfort in the Force, trying to find the strength inside herself. She analysed her feelings and discovered that every word she had said to Yoda was still true. She was proud of her acts and would remain true to her friends, to Tobb. Yoda was right. She was a Jedi.

The fear disappeared as suddenly as it had come. When she rose her eyes to Calhuch she did so with a challenging smile on her lips.

The Dark Jedis rose their hands threateningly towards her. For a second she was able to see their terribly disfigured faces, showing what the Dark Side had done with the men they had once been. They had been destroyed although they refused to admit it. She sent them a thought of mercy and let them see how she was seeing them now. The surprise and the confusion reached Calhuch's acolytes' expressions, but it was only for a second. Calhuch's hate was their hate too, and Joan knew they were beyond any hope of redemption. Suddenly, with a cruel smile of evilness and madness, the Dark Jedi started to shoot blue lightning streaks of energy at the defenceless woman, all the power of the Dark Side flowing from his fingers twitched like hooks. His two followers mimicked him.

Joan screamed under the absolutely unbearable pain...

Shok'wave felt as if she was pushed out from Joan's body. She understood that she was now watching the terrible scene through someone's else eyes. The power of the evil bolts grew in intensity causing the woman's body to writhe wildly. Shok'wave wanted to shout but she was unable to. It seemed impossible that anybody could resist such suffering. Only the chains were keeping Joan rom slumping to the ground. Her body was completely covered by blue discharges, her flesh and clothes were burning, letting thin threads of white smoke escape, impregnating the air with a powerful ozone smell. Her screams filled the crowded square. That was what they had demanded, but now many people preferred not to see this inhuman punishment, this merciless torture. Most of them looked somewhere else or simply closed their eyes, covering their ears with their hands. Only the most morbid onlookers and some of those who had lost someone in the war and had fully believed Calhuch's words stood watching the macabre spectacle.

Suddenly, between her cries of pain, Joan's broken voice could be heard clearly by her murderers.

"You can kill me now, but you have been defeated...!"

The chains and what remained of her flight suit fell on the floor, devoid of the body that they had contained. The three Dark Jedis continued launching the storm of energy for a while longer before to noticing it. Calhuch was the first to cease the attack.

"Stop!" He ordered. The man was completely astonished. "What is this? What has happened?"

He walked cautiously to the spot where Joan's clothes laid. Nothing remained of her body, not even the slightest shred. The evil man couldn't understand it. This was impossible. Bedenford and the other two Bretalians stood up too. People were trying to see what was occurring on the platform, amongst exclamations of incredulity. In the centre of the immense crowd a little green skinned being had been watching everything from one of the surface vehicle's roofs.

"The way a Jedi dies that is." He said. People around him noticed his presence for the first time. Many of them remembered those words later and wondered who the small creature had been.

"But a Jedi never really dies." He added before carefully descending from the vehicle and disappearing between the masses.

Shok'wave had a last vision of the Bretalian soldiers trying to force people to move back, while Calhuch remained on the platform holding Joan's clothes. Then she was surrounded by the blackness again.

"Joan?" She called with her mind.

"I'm with you." The answer came after a while. "I couldn't let you feel what I felt those last moments."

"I had been told of a Jedi Lady called Joan d'Arc in my school days, but I had always thought that you were more a legend than a real person."

"I know. Eight hundred years is a lot of time in humans lives. But everything I've shown you was true. I had to share it with you, but now you must return. Your body is cured, I've taken care of that."

"But why have you chosen me?"

"There is no time for that. Now you must make your own decisions."

Shok'wave wanted to ask more questions, but she couldn't. The shadows disappeared under a powerful light. She briefly saw her own body on a bed, attached to several devices. A woman dressed in an orange flight suit was there watching her. Shok'wave recognized Angelrose.

[Onboard the White's Squadron Frigate]

Joker was entering the medical facilities when she saw her squad-mate get up briskly.

"What...?" She started to ask.

"Joker, quickly, she's waking up!!!" Angelrose was barely able to say.

The 2-1B droid was already with her, controlling the monitors.

"Commander Krenzel has recovered..." It said. The droid was moving his head from left to right in its version of astonishment. The cerebral activity had appeared suddenly. His programming didn't include miracles, but he was still trying to find an algorithm to explain what he was seeing. Joker took her transmitter from her waist.

"Avery, come to the medical facilities right now and call everybody on the way! Sherry has pulled through!"
 
 

[Imperial transport near planetoid KS-31]

Psycho pulled back the hyperspace motivators and the stars recovered their normal shape around him. The first he saw was the impressive Imperial Fleet surrounding the planetoid.

"I'm going to regret this..." He said.

In a matter of seconds he would be targeted by several fighters and he would be interrogated by not very friendly pilots. He knew how easily they would press the trigger...

It will be better to be one step ahead of things. The Rebel pilot selected one of the standard Imperial frequencies and used the intercom.

"Imperial Control, this is transport Ballard Two reporting in."

The answer came back immediately.

"Ballard Two, this is Star Destroyer Senderis. We have received no communication about your arrival. What are you doing here?" The voice was full of suspicion, but that didn't mean anything yet. Imperial controllers were always very suspicious.

"I left here three hours ago with a cargo of TIE solar panels. My destination was spatial platform Sienar-201, but I've been intercepted on my second scheduled jump point by Star Destroyer Raveger." That was the first Imperial ship whose name Psycho remembered. He hoped that it would be very far from there at that moment. "They have taken account of my cargo. I've been ordered to return here immediately and wait for the Frigate Watcher."

There were some seconds of silence. Psycho knew that they would be trying to check out his story.

"I don't know anything about Raveger's situation, but the computer says that Frigate Watcher has been lost in combat."

Oh, shit! Psycho thought. Well, at least he hasn't said "captured".

"That must be an error, sir." Psycho was thinking desperately. His scanners were showing four Interceptors approaching rapidly. "While I was docked with the Raveger downloading my cargo, I was told that the Watcher was one of the Frigates that participated successfully in the attack against the Rebel Star Destroyer Happy Jack! That was only a week ago!" The Rebel pilot prayed the Imperial controller didn't know too much about what had really happened in that battle.

Again the answer was delayed too much time. With some luck, the man would be confused.

"Maybe you are right." He answered at last. "The Happy Jack appears in the database as destroyed. There is nothing about that operation, but I suppose the report is still being written."

Psycho was starting to sweat. The threat display indicated that he was being targeted. Probably by the four Interceptors at the same time. He decided to try the joke's trick one more time.

"Well, if I can tell you one thing, sir, that is I've never met a bureaucrat who hurried writing a report..."

The laughter could be clearly heard through the intercom. It has worked again... He thought with relief.

"Ok, Ballard Two. Maintain your present position until Watcher arrives."

"Roger that, sir." Psycho was smiling.

"Hi, Ballard Two. This is Delta One." It was the same TIE Interceptor pilot again.

"Nice to see you again, Delta One. I can't believe you are still on duty."

"Yes, I am, but not for too long. I'll finish my shift in twenty minutes. I see that you are still in that can too."

"Well, at least I can do something with this can that you can't with your nice TIE Interceptor."

"And what is that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, now I'm standing up with a Corellian coffee mug in one hand and a piece of cake on the other!"

The Imperial pilots laughed at the old joke. It seemed that they didn't know it after all.

"You are a funny guy, Ballard Two." Delta One said. "When we finish here try to visit Senderis's cantina and ask for Lieutenant Hagger there. We'll have some drinks on me."

"Thank you very much, Lieutenant!" Psycho said cheerfully. "I'll do that."

"See you then, you guy. Delta One out."

The TIE Interceptors left at high speed. Psycho was alone again.

I should have been actor! He thought as he felt how part of his tension disappeared.
 
 

[Surface of planetoid KS-31]

The colonists were listening to Alvar's narration with grave faces. They were crowded around him in the middle of the small village. It was evident that the Imperials were abandoning their facilities, but that stormtrooper's comments about "fires" couldn't herald anything good. There were different opinions though about what the meaning of that comment was.

"They could be about to participate in a battle, pretty far from here." An old man said. "Those fires or whatever they were talking about can't have anything to do with us."

"No, they are going to blow away what remains of the facilities, I'm sure." Another man said.

"But they wouldn't need those two monsters for that." A woman said signalling the Star Destroyer's sinister shapes, clearly visible over their heads.

"I think the same myself." Alvar said. "We are too close to the facilities in any case. We should group everybody up and put as much distance as possible between us and the facilities."

"But what about our homes?" The older man asked. "Everything we have is here, we can't just leave it behind!"

"If nothing happens after all, we will return when those ships leave, but now our own lives must be our main concern!"

Most of the colonist agreed. Even those less convinced than the old man accepted that they wouldn't lose anything by leaving the village temporarily. They decided to take some food and water and depart the sooner the better.
 
 

[Onboard White Squadron's Frigate]

"Are you really well?" Foxfire asked. An immense relief was painted on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine..." Shok'wave replied. She was still laying on the bed, but she had removed the mask and the tubes that connected her to the medical devices. The 2-1B droid helped her, still shaking his head. "Just a bit confused, but..." A sudden thought came to her. "The colonists, what about the colonists?" She urged.

"They should still be alive. But if Psycho's information is correct, they have only two hours left."

Shok'wave nodded. It was this. This had to be the reason for Joan d'Arc saving her and showing her her life, her sacrifice. Maybe the colonists are only a few hundreds, while Joan had fought to set free entire worlds, but the injustice was the same. She had known all the time what she should do, but now she couldn't keep ignoring it.

"We have been preparing ourselves for a possible rescue operation." Foxfire was saying. "All the plan is based on the possibility of convincing the Imperials that this is an Imperial ship and that we have a reason to be there. The Frigate's identification hardware has been installed again, and we have two shuttles available. Vyper discovered four TIE Interceptors in a secondary hangar. He thinks that we could use them to arrange a standard Imperial escort patrol, but..."

"...It's almost impossible to deceive the Imperials like that for too long." The Squadron's Commander ended Foxfire's sentence. "We would be discovered sooner or later, I know." What she didn't need to say was that when the Imperials realized they were Rebels, they would be trapped under the fire from many ships. Too many. "But it's the best imaginable plan and we are going to accomplish it."

Nobody replied. All the pilots were staring at her.

"I can't force any of you, though. I would understand anybody who decided not to participate in this mission." She remained some seconds in silence. Nobody said a word. Vyper and Cybercat were listening from their A-Wings but none of them broke the silence either.

"Transmit this to the Frigate's crew." Shok'wave added. "We are too short of transports, but I'll sacrifice one of the shuttles to evacuate everybody who wants to. That include all of you."

Foxfire looked at her comrades. One by one all of them nodded. Only Joker smiled slightly. Foxfire smiled back in return. Joker always had a smile on her face, even in the worst moments, and Foxfire thanked her in silence for that. She turned to look at Shok'wave again."

"All White Squadron's pilots will follow you... Commander."

Shok'wave took a moment before to replying.

"You will never know how much this means to me."

Foxfire's transmitter beeped. She had kept the device connected all the time, and the conversation had been retransmitted from the bridge to every place where the reduced crew of technicians were working.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Schroeder." She replied.

"This is Sergeant Rammes, from the bridge." All the pilots could hear his voice slightly altered by the transmitter. "Tell Commander Krenzel that she can save that shuttle. All of us will stay."

"She has heard you, Sergeant. And you can believe me, she is impressed." Her friend's look left no place for doubts. "Prepare the ship for the jump to the Kessel system, as close as you can to planetoid KS-31."

"At once, ma'am. Bridge out."

"Vyper, Cybercat, I suppose you've heard that."

"Loud and clear, Foxfire." Vyper's voice sounded on the transmitter, a bit more joyful than he had pretended. "We are already heading to the bay's entrance. We'll land in a minute."

"Very well, Vyper. I'll see you in the TIE's hangar." She turned to find Shok'wave's look fixed on her, full of pride and respect.

"Well, I see that you have managed everything wonderfully while I was... out there." Shok'wave said grinning widely. "Awesome work. Now let's talk about your plan."
 
 

[Imperial Class Star Destroyer Senderis' bridge]

Two controllers were watching the different monitors, bored out of their minds. All the signals were red, every one showing the position of an Imperial ship. The last transport carrying personnel or hardware from the facilities had landed some time before. Senderis and Skies Cleaner could begin opening fire against the planetoid immediately. One of the men glanced at his chronometer one more time.

"What we are waiting for?" He asked.

"We are supposed to finish the job at 20:00 hours and our Captain is very respectful of the scheduling." His partner answered. "If he has been ordered to start at 20:00 hours there won't be a single shot fired before that time."

"Well, less than two hours..." The first controller said sighing.

"Yes. We've got nothing to do until..." The man stopped short when he noticed a new red signal appearing on one of the screens. "It seems that there are more people joining the party."

"There is another Frigate expected to arrive still. Let me see... Watcher."

"Ah, yes, the one that the transport's pilot said he was waiting for. All right, let's contact them."
 
 

[Imperial Frigate Watcher]

"Well, Sergeant Rammes, it's your turn." Shok'wave said. The young technician was going to make the Captain's performance. They had consulted the ship's register and found out that her last Captain had been a Lieutenant Commander Keller. If somebody demanded them to establish an holographic communication they would have to improvise some believable apology to deny it. There were no pilots among the technicians, so two of the trainees, Cybercat and Angelrose, would be piloting the shuttles. The only other people on the bridge would be one of Rammes' partners, Sergeant Dengar. She would be doing all she could to control the dozen of monitors that covered walls and desks.

"I'm ready, ma'am." Rammes said.

"Very well. Foxfire, are you prepared for launch?"

"Yes, boss. Have I mentioned how I hate this mask?"

"At least four times in the last ten minutes." Shok'wave smiled.

"Don't worry, Foxfire." Iceman's voice came through. "You look great even with the mask!"

"Stop the chat, ladies and gentlemen. We are going to start the show. Sergeant?"

Rammes stretched a hand towards his console, but before he could even start to operate the communication system controls the light indicating an incoming transmission began to blink with an insistent beep. The young technician looked at Shok'wave and she gestured to proceed. He pushed the button to accept. A male voice could be heard clearly on the bridge.

"Frigate Watcher, this is Star Destroyer Senderis. We were waiting for you. Transport Ballard Two, you are cleared to dock with Watcher at your convenience."

"This is Ballard Two, Senderis. I'm on my way, thank you."

Shok'wave recognized Psycho's voice. She could barely believe it, but whatever her old friend had been doing there it was evident that he had managed to prepare the things for them.

"That Ballard Two is one of us, Sergeant!"

"This is Lieutenant Commander Keller, Watcher's Captain, Senderis." Rammes said. "We are ready to receive Ballard Two. We are going to launch our escort fighters immediately."

"At your discretion, sir. Senderis out."

"Well, this is being easier than we were expecting..." Shok'wave said. "Foxfire, you can take off. Try to leave the conversation for Vyper and Iceman. There are not too many female Imperial pilots, so it will be better if you and Shadow keep in silence."

"I hate those misogynists...!" Foxfire rumbled.  

Psycho saw the four Interceptors heading to his position. His guess had been right and Shok'wave had brought the Frigate there, although he was also sure that Foxfire had had something to do with it. They have even got Interceptors. He thought impressed. Well, if they are going to evacuate those colonists this transport will be a good help.
 
"Ballard Two, this is Banshee One. You can land in the main bay."

"All right, Banshee One, I'm on my way." Psycho was almost sure that the pilot was Vyper.
 
"Ma'am, Flight Officers Bastmeijer and Hull are ready in their shuttles..." Sergeant Dengar said.

Shok'wave was thinking as fast as she could. The usual capacity of a Lambda Class Shuttle was three crewmen and twenty passengers. If they used all the space available and compressed themselves all they could, taking into account that some of the colonist would be children, they might be able to carry up round about fifty people in every journey. If they used Psycho's transport, whose capacity was very similar, they could evacuate all the colony in only two trips...

"Wait a minute." Shok'wave used the transmitter. "Cybercat, Angelrose, don't take off yet. We are getting some help. Joker, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Commander." She was waiting onboard an A-Wing, ready for an immediate launch if needed. Moose, Granite and Zeppelin were onboard three of the B- Wings equipped with Imperial torpedoes. The fourth was reserved for Shok'wave.

"Do you think you can pilot a standard Imperial Stormtrooper Transport?"

"Yes, I think so..."

"Well, Psycho is coming in with one of those. When he arrives take the transport and be ready to take off with Cybercat and Angelrose."

"You're the boss...!"

"Sergeants, I'll be in the main bay. We'll be in permanent contact."

"All right, ma'am." Rammes said. He looked at the door closing with a hiss behind White Squadron's Commander and then turned his eyes to his ship-mate.

"Well, Lelha, we are now alone commanding this ship..."

"They didn't prepare us for this!" She said with a sigh.
 

Shok'wave ran towards the lift and headed to the bay. She consulted her chronometer. An hour and a half. She need to know what Psycho had said to the Imperials before launching the shuttles. The slightest error could be fatal, but she couldn't risk asking him through the intercom."

When she got to the bay Psycho's transport was just landing. The hatch opened and the tall blonde pilot appeared, just to be almost rammed by Joker, who entered the ship and occupied the pilot's seat.

Shok'wave ran towards Psycho.

"Psycho, we are going to launch your transport and two shuttles to recover those colonists! Is there anything I need to know?" While she spoke she waved her hand signalling to the external opening. Joker, Cybercat and Angelrose initiated the take-off manoeuvre at the same time.

Psycho looked at the transport elevating behind him.

"Yes, tell the Imperials that you have been ordered to take the colonists to space platform Sienar-201, and that they are expected to be working in the new facilities. Tell them that it was Vader who gave the order."

"Sergeant Rammes, have you heard that?"

"Yes, ma'am. Here I go!" Rammes' voice didn't show any trace of the nervousness he felt.

"Cross your fingers, Psycho..."
 
 

[Imperial Class Star Destroyer Senderis' bridge]

"Watch out, buddy, the boss is here." One of the controllers whispered. Commander Perdiggo, the ship's Captain, was behind them, watching the monitors.

"What is that new Frigate doing here?" He asked.

"They came to rendezvous with a transport, sir." The controller consulted the computer. "Ballard Two, one of the transports that has participated in the facilities evacuation."

At that same moment the intercom came to life.

"Senderis, this is Frigate Watcher. Ballard Two and two of our shuttles are taking off. We have been ordered to evacuate the colonists from planetoid KS-31 and to take them to space platform Sienar-201. Lord Vader thinks that they can continue their work there."

The controller was still watching the screen showing the data about Ballard Two. Space Platform Sienar-201 appeared as its destination. He signalled the data to the Captain. Perdiggo went to the console and took the microphone.

"This is Commander Perdiggo, Senderis' Captain. I haven't been informed of that."
 
 

[Frigate Watcher's main bay]

"Insist, Rammes!" Shok'wave ordered.

"Sherry, are you well?" Psycho asked worried.

The woman had closed her eyes and put her hands over her head. She seemed not to be hearing him.

She tried to find that Captain among the sea of minds that surrounded her. There are too many of them...

You can do it, Sherry.

Shok'wave noticed Joan's presence and felt comforted. She stretched her senses towards the Imperial Star Destroyer.
 
 

[Transport Ballard Two]

Joker looked to both sides and saw Cybercat's and Angelrose's shuttles. She was hearing the conversation between Senderis and their Frigate, every second further behind them. The pilot noticed she was biting her nails and picked up her globes annoyed.

A lady never does this... She remembered herself.
 
 

[Imperial Class Star Destroyer Senderis' bridge]

"This is Lieutenant Commander Keller. My orders came directly from Lord Vader. If you want to discuss it with him..."

Commander Perdiggo couldn't avoid a shiver at the thought of Vader. But it was him who had ordered to blow up the planetoid. Perdiggo had sent a message demanding confirmation about what should be done with the colonists, and the answer had been very clear. They should die on the planetoid.
 
 

[Frigate Watcher's bay]

Vader. Shok'wave detected a mind reacting with fear when Vader's name was mentioned by Rammes. That should be the mind she was looking for. That fear was strong. Maybe she could push a bit more on that spot.

If you want to discuss it with him... She thought intensely.
 
 

[Imperial Class Star Destroyer Senderis' bridge]

Lord Vader doesn't give explanations when he changes his mind about something. Commander Perdiggo thought. Only two months ago he had participated in a mission commanded by Lord Vader personally. He had ordered Senderis and another ship to attack a Rebel space platform. When they were about to finish it off, he had ordered them suddenly to cease fire. The other Captain questioned why, and the next instant he was holding his neck unable to breathe. Perdiggo had seen him dying slowly until the hologram turned off. Vader had ordered a retreat and he had obeyed without hesitation. An hour later they were ordered to turn back and attack again. This time a medical Frigate had docked with the platform and was also destroyed.

Perhaps this time Vader had his own reasons too.

If you want to discuss it with him...

No, he didn't want to.

"All right, Captain, you can proceed. But you'd better warn your men that they must hurry. We'll be bombarding the planetoid in seventy minutes."

"It's time enough for us. Thank you, sir."

Well done! Shok'wave heard Joan's voice in her mind.
 
 

[Frigate Watcher's bridge]

Psycho held Shok'wave before she could fall to the floor.

"I'm fine, Psycho, thank you..."

The veteran pilot stared at her friend and wondered what she had done, but whatever it was it had worked.

"I thought that I knew you perfectly..." He said.

"That's what everybody thinks." Shok'wave wiped off the sweat that covered her forehead and pointed to an A-Wing.

"Welcome to Bait Group." She said. "If the Imperials start to suspect, we'll give them something more urgent to worry about. You might have been with Vyper out there with an Interceptor, but..."

As Vyper, Psycho had started his pilot's days in the Imperial Navy too. But he was not too eager of being in the cockpit of a TIE any more.

"No, thank you. That A-Wing will be fine."

"All right. I'll be in my B-Wing." She started to walk towards the fighter when she stopped to say something more.

"Ah, Psycho, nice to see you!"

The pilot laughed and headed to Joker's A-Wing.
 
 

[TIE Interceptors' group]

"Banshee Three, you and Four escort the transports to the planetoid's atmosphere." Vyper ordered.

"Roger, Banshee One." Iceman replied. He and Shadow followed the two shuttles and the transport. Vyper and Foxfire remained near Watcher.

Joker saw the two Interceptors join their formation. The planetoid was in front of them, too small to be considered a planet, its shape not completely spherical. It could have been a bigger planet's moon in remote times. Joker consulted the colony's location on the computer and obtained the optimal path for the approach.

Here we go...
 
 

[Planetoid KS-31's surface]

The colonists were just leaving the village when they heard the shuttle's engines.

"Let's hide in the bushes, fast!" Alvar Parix shouted. Everybody obeyed and ran for cover behind the vegetation. The young man looked at the three ships landing near the houses. He approached as much as he dared without risking being discovered by the pilots. He was close enough to see the Imperial marks over the ships' hulls.

Joker looked at the nearest houses through the forward visor. They seemed to be empty, without the faintest sign of life.

"Keep the engines on." She said. "I'm going to take a look out there".

"All right, Joker." Cybercat replied. She and Angelrose were looking nervously at the land around them. "Be careful, please."

Alvar saw the transport's hatch opening and somebody descending. It was difficult to appreciate the details but the orange flight suit was not very common among the Imperial pilots. That was strange, their clothes used to be always black or grey. He observed the pilot looking around for some moments, and then he removed his helmet. The pilot moved his head to both sides and long brown hair fell free over his shoulders. Her shoulders. Alvar corrected himself. That was a woman, the first one he had seen in an Imperial uniform. If that flight suit was Imperial after all.

Joker checked her instruments. There were living beings around, but it was hard to tell if they were human or some other intelligent species or just animals. She thought that in any case they couldn't be Imperials because all of them would have been evacuated by then. Or that was what she hoped when she decided to call out.

"I'm a member of the Rebel Alliance!" She shouted using her hands as an improvised megaphone. "The Empire is about to destroy this planetoid, and we are here to rescue you. Please, show yourself!"

Rebels? The young colonist found it hard to believe it, yet there was no means to be certain. But what if she is talking the truth? He doubted for some seconds and finally got up slowly. The woman saw him and smiled. Alvar stared at her. Nobody who smiled like that could be an Imperial.

"We are all here." He shouted. "Tell me what we should do."

"How many f you are there?" Joker asked approaching him.

"Exactly two hundred and ninety four."

"Very well. Tell them to board our ships immediately. They can't bring anything with them. We will still have to make two more trips and we are very short of time!"

Joker's expression was one of a great concern. Alvar looked at her for a short while and decided to believe her despite the consequences.

"All right, let's go!" He said. Alvar ran towards the bushes followed by Joker. Some heads could be seen popping up over them.

"Listen to me, all of you!" He shouted. "They are Rebels and they are here to help us. Run to the ships and don't carry anything with you, there is not enough space. Two trips will be needed, so the children must be the first ones!"

More and more people came out from behind the vegetation. Their distrust was clearly painted on their faces. None of them moved toward the ships.

"You must believe me!" Joker said. "Please, come with us if you want to save your lives. The Imperials will destroy the entire planetoid very soon, we have very little time!" Everybody stood where they were, looking at each others. Joker heard some whispers.

"Please, you must convince them or all of you will be doomed!" She said.

Alvar searched among the crowd until he found his little sister, only eight years old. She was holding their parents' hands.

"There is only one way to show them that I trust you..." Alvar said. Joker followed his sight and saw the child. The young man walked towards her.

"Come with me, Sal." He said taking her from their parents, who tried to avoid it.

"What are you doing?" His mother asked.

"Mum, Dad, trust me, please!"

Alvar started to run towards the transport holding the child in his arms.

"Alvar, no! The woman cried.

"If there is someone worth being  trusted that is our son!" The father exclaimed recovering from the initial shock. "If he believes this woman I will!" Her wife only doubted for an instant and then nodded. They left what they were carrying on the ground and followed their son and daughter.

"You must understand that this is your only chance to survive!" Joker said looking at the colonists for the last time and then running after Alvar's parents.

Everybody watched them moving away, doubting what to do. It was a difficult decision. They had started to think that things would be better now with the Imperials leaving. Maybe they could recover the spirit of the first days, ten years ago, when they had got there from several locations, full of hope and dreams of finding a better place to live. That had ended briskly when the first Imperial ship had landed, but now it seemed that they had abandoned the planetoid forever. But if that woman was right, that place would never be their home again. Alvar Parix's family was already boarding the transport.

"I believe them, let's go!" Another woman shouted. She took her little son by his hand and started to run too. One after another most of the colonists did the same. Joker saw them approaching and sighed with relief.

"You did it!" She said to Alvar.

"But not everybody is coming." He answered looking at the static crowd that had remained far from the ships. "I'll stay here this time. I'll try to convince them too. You are coming back, aren't you?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Then I'll be waiting for you." Alvar calmed his family down as best as he could and descended from the transport. He aided the incoming people to enter. When nobody more could fit, he went to the ship's bow and gestured to Joker to leave. She nodded from the cockpit and the transport started to elevate on its repulsors. Cybercat and Angelrose were taking-off too.

Alvar stood watching the three ships disappear into the sky.
 
 

[TIE Interceptors orbiting the planetoid]

"Here they come, Banshee Four." Iceman said. Shadow remembered Shok'wave's instructions and didn't answer. She followed Iceman's fighter to intercept the incoming transport and shuttles. She used the sensors to check the closest shuttle, the one piloted by Angelrose. The ship was full of people.

Vyper saw the ships approaching and took a look at the nearest Star Destroyer. He was wondering how much time they still had before someone made some detailed checks in the computers or contacted the Imperial Fleet High Command. If that happened, the shuttles, the transport and the Frigate would have some chance of jumping to hyperspace and escaping, but they would be trapped in these Interceptors. Well, to be exact the shuttles and the transport would have to be further from the planetoid to try that. He didn't want even think in the possibility of being captured. If the Imperials put their hands on him he would be slowly tortured to death in exchange for his desertion. He had disconnected the ejection hardware to be sure that that wouldn't happen. It was better to die quickly. He looked at his right wing and saw Foxfire's fighter at his side. She had been captured once after being shot down by him, when he was still in Black Knights Squadron. The charming pilot had made it impossible for him to forget it since then. She had been rescued that time, but it was better not to think about what would happen to her or Shadow if they were caught by the Imperials. Shok'wave had been right, there were too few women in the Imperial ships. He shivered.
 
 

[Imperial Class Star Destroyer Senderis' bridge]

"Sir, we are receiving a transmission from Skies Cleaner." The man said. "Her Captain wants to talk to you."

"Very well. Open a channel to him." Commander Perdiggo ordered.

"This is Commander Legann." The voice sounded clearly. "What are those transports doing? We will be opening fire in forty five minutes!"

"They have received orders from Lord Vader to evacuate the colonists. I've warned them that they must hurry."

"Orders from Lord Vader? I thought that it was precisely him who wanted them dead! How come I wasn't notified of this change?"

"Well, the orders were brought by the Frigate Watcher..." There was hesitation in Perdiggo's voice.

"That's another thing I would like explained. I'm being told that Watcher appears in our database as lost in combat."
 
 

[Frigate Watcher's main bay]

Shok'wave couldn't know exactly what was happening, but she had kept the contact with the Imperial Captain's mind and she felt that he was doubting again.

Oh, damn it. She thought. I don't have your power, Joan, I just can't do it!

Don't give up, Sherry. Let the Force do the work for you. Don't try so hard and just do it...

Can't you give me some help?

I am, you must trust me, but I don't have any direct influence over minds not sensitive to the Force from where I am. You must understand that I'm not alive in the same way than you. I need you, Sherry, all those colonists need you.

I know...

She closed her eyes one more time and pressed the Imperial Captain's mind again. She tried to be relaxed, to let the Force flow freely between her and the Imperial. She again felt his fear of Vader, that was where she could do something.

Vader wants his orders accomplished without hesitation.
 
 

[Imperial Class Star Destroyer Senderis' bridge]

"Vader wants his orders accomplished without hesitation." Perdiggo said as if in a trance.

"Yes, I agree, and his orders were to destroy the planetoid with the colonists." There was a clear tone of impatience in Commander Legann's voice. "And what about Watcher? Should I suppose that there is an error in the data base?"

Commander Perdiggo heard what one of his controllers was telling him.

"I'm being informed that that is what has probably happened, yes. Talk to her Captain though."

Vader doesn't like the Captains who question his orders.

Commander Perdiggo shivered.

"And you can contact Coruscant and ask Lord Vader if he is sure or not about his instructions..."

There was a long silence on the channel.

"I'll talk first with Watcher's Captain." The answer came finally through.
 
 

[Frigate Watcher's main bay]

"Lord Vader had decided that the colonists can be used in the new facilities." Shok'wave heard Sergeant Rammes explaining. She tried to find that other Captain's mind without losing the first one.

"But why has he not informed us directly?"

Shok'wave thought that she had managed to contact him. He was not so frightened of Vader as like the other Captain, but he was not eager to talk to him either.

"I can't answer that, sir. I've received my orders and I'm obeying them, that's all."

So it was. Sergeant Rammes was right. Imperials officers always followed orders from someone higher. If things went wrong it was that higher ranked officer who paid the price. Shok'wave guessed that this fleet was under command of the first Captain, Commander Perdiggo.

It's Commander Perdiggo's problem, not yours."Well, I suppose that if Commander Perdiggo has no objections you can proceed..." The Imperial Captain said after a while. He seemed not to be entirely convinced, but this might be all they needed.

"I've got something more to ask you." Commander Legann insisted. "Your ship appears in our database as lost in combat..."

Shok'wave doubted. How had Psycho explained this?

"Oh, damn it!" Sergeant Rammes said. "I just can't believe they have not corrected that yet! When I finish here somebody is going to lose his rank and his job over there in Coruscant, if nothing else..."

Well done, Rammes! Shok'wave thought.

"All right, Captain, when you send your complaints include a paragraph saying that I support you. I hate this kind of mistakes and people being lazy in their work."

"Thank you, sir. I'll do that."

"Skies Cleaner out."

"Hey, Sergeant." Shok'wave said through the intercom. "If we see the end of this I'll personally commend your promotion to Lieutenant, it's a promise!"

"Thank you, ma'am. You wouldn't believe the way I'm sweating now!"

Shok'wave laughed briefly. She definitely liked the young sergeant.

Like the rest of pilots, Psycho had been paying close attention to all the conversation from his cockpit.

It seems that Rebel Alliance is full of good actors! 

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