Chapter 1
There were few things Tiber Adarra found more relaxing than flight exercises. He remained in tight formation with his flight group above D'Qar, taking his X-wing through a series of maneuvers through the massive debris field that made up the planet's rings. He dodged each floating space rock with ease, all while keeping pace with his wingmates. There were half a dozen of them there at the moment, taking their fighters through a series of complex flight maneuvers and practicing precision shooting on some of the smaller asteroids. Action around D'Qar was minimal save for the occasional pirate or smuggler who came to the Ileenium System for a place to hide out. Even then, General Organa had insisted they use those as recruitment opportunities – the Resistance had to make do with what allies they could scrape together. After her humiliation in the Senate, the General didn't have a lot of friends left.
Needless to say, this left Tiber and the others a bit restless.
"All right, good flying, people," Poe Dameron's voice crackled over the comm, "Anybody feeling up for a race?"
"You just want an excuse to show off," Tiber said in his unmistakable raspy baritone.
"What's that, Captain?" Poe asked, his amusement ill-disguised. Poe and Tiber had been friends since they were both old enough to walk and loved nothing more than trying to outclass each other.
"Just saying that I could kick your ass with both of my legs bound, Commander," Tiber said.
"What's the destination?" asked Jess Pava.
"We've got a comm satellite in orbit about 80 kilometers from our current position," Poe said. Tiber brought it up on his scanner. "On my mark, we'll race for it."
"What do we win?" Tiber asked.
"Bragging rights, naturally," Poe said blithely. "I can start bragging now, if you prefer."
"Blow it out your exhaust port, Dameron," Tiber said to a chorus of laughs from the other pilots.
"Oh, it is on, Adarra!" Poe said, clearly excited for a race against his old friend. "Go!"
On his mark, all six X-wings immediately gunned their engines, dropping into a dive toward the comm satellite Poe had marked. Tiber weaved his way through D'Qar's debris field, guided by pure instinct as much as years of piloting experience. He focused only on the target, letting his hands do the rest as if his body had gone on autopilot. Through the canopy, he could see Poe's distinctive black and gold X-wing, just above him, keeping pace. His scanners showed the other four pilots arrayed behind them, trying desperately to catch up. The satellite drew closer, distance closing rapidly and he was still nose-to-nose with Poe. He could just about feel his friend's excitement, the exhilaration blasting forth like a solar wind. They passed the satellite at about the same time, the remaining four pilots zooming in along behind them.
"Yes!" Poe exclaimed. "Ha ha, I win again!"
"In your dreams, Dameron," Tiber said. "I clearly won!"
"All right, all right, let's settle this," Poe said. "Orla, I had you coming in right behind us. Who passed the satellite first?"
"Honestly," Orla said, heaving a sigh. "You two were so close, it's literally impossible to tell."
"What?" Poe asked, sounding disbelieving.
"Are you sure?" Tiber asked.
"Did anybody else get a clear picture of who passed the target first?" Orla asked the other pilots. The answer was a resounding "No."
"All in favor of calling a draw, say 'aye'," said Ello Asty.
There was a chorus of "ayes" from the other pilots, save for Tiber and Poe.
"The ayes have it!" Jess said.
Tiber just laughed and said, "Ahh, dammit. Whatever, I'll settle for a tie."
"Losing step in your old age there, Captain?" Poe asked, though he himself was only a year younger than Tiber.
"Watch it, you little whippersnapper," Tiber said, affecting a curmudgeonly growl. "I'll show you a thing or two about a thing or two."
"That's 'Commander Whippersnapper' to you, Adarra."
The others laughed about all the way back to the surface. The pilots all brought their X-wings in for a landing, mechanics rushing in to refit and refuel the grounded fighters. Tiber climbed out of his X-wing's cockpit, removing his helmet and reaching up to run his fingers through his short, dark brown hair. When he removed the helmet, one of the younger mechanics almost flinched at the sight of him. Tiber was used to it at this point and paid the kid's reaction no mind. A curved and ugly white burn scar ran down along the side of his face, ending near the edge of his chin, standing out starkly against his olive-toned skin. It was an eternal reminder of what he fought for and what he could have become and he wore it like a badge of honor despite offers to have it covered or at least partially healed via dermal regeneration. "No warrior should be ashamed of his scars," he would say.
He walked out toward the runway carrying his helmet under his arm, the pilot in the X-wing next to him climbing out of the cockpit. She was a blue-skinned Twi'lek woman, wearing a specially fitted helmet to accommodate her lekku. She removed her helmet and raised a hand to wave at Tiber.
"Third place?" Tiber asked, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Come on, Orla, you can do better than that."
"Second place, technically, since you and Poe tied for first," she corrected, giving her friend a light punch on the arm. "Trying to out-fly the two of you is like trying to attack both Death Stars at the same time. At least if I'm focusing on one of you, I might have a chance at winning."
"We are pretty damn good, aren't we?" Tiber asked, flashing a cocky grin.
"The best," Orla said, smiling at him.
"Hey, Tiber!" Poe was walking over from his X-wing's berth, his one-of-a-kind astromech droid rolling along merrily behind him. Poe was grinning like a little kid who just got done playing his favorite game. "You owe me a rematch."
"That I do, old buddy," Tiber said. "I need to whip your ass properly."
"You'd best watch out, my friend, those are fightin' words," Poe said, bouncing his fight helmet from hand to hand.
"How else am I gonna get you keyed up for another race?" Tiber asked, arching a brow. "You're only at your best when you think you're gonna win, yeah?"
"Which is all the time," Orla said.
Poe just grinned and refused to deny the accusation. The three of them were interrupted a moment by a young man in a green jumpsuit who snapped to a nervous salute when he approached. Tiber looked him over and realized he didn't recognize the young human. New meat. There seemed to be a lot of newbies flocking to D'Qar lately. More help was never a bad thing.
"Captain Adarra?" he said. "General Organa wants to have a word with you, sir."
"I'll go see her at once," he said, nodding to the young recruit and then to Poe and Orla, "I'll catch up with you guys later."
"You got it," Poe said, trading a quick handshake with Tiber before letting his friend go.
Tiber followed the young private into the bunker, exchanging occasional greetings with some of the other personnel who passed. The two of them wound their way through the throng of people to a side room where the General was waiting in the company of her fussy protocol droid, C-3PO. Leia Organa looked more like the fabled war hero of the Rebellion now than ever, dressed in an olive drab jumpsuit and black vest, a blaster pistol hanging from her belt. In the dim, blue light of the holo projector she stood at, she looked old and tired. Given all that had happened to her over the years, Tiber was amazed that she was still standing sometimes. Yet the sheer force of her personality had not waned in the slightest. There were few people in the galaxy Tiber respected as much as her.
"General?" the private said, saluting. "Captain Adarra is here as requested, ma'am."
"Thank you, Private. You're dismissed," she said and turned her attention to Tiber as the private left. "Captain, thank you for coming."
"Of course," he said, setting his helmet down on the edge of the holo projector. "What do you need?"
"Got an assignment for you," she said and tapped a few buttons on the projector, bringing up the projection of a moon in orbit around its parent planet. "Nar Shadaa, the Vertical City. You familiar with it?"
"By reputation," Tiber said, leaning on the side of the projector. "Let me guess: you want me to go to that slag heap incognito?"
"Something like that," Leia said with a sly little smile. "This is not an easy mission and the list of people I can trust with it is far too short. You and Poe are right at the top and I need one of you here for the time being. Tiber, before I tell you anything else, let me just say this: It is not easy for me in any way to ask this of you, but I need to for the good of the Resistance. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to help us?"
"You know I am, General," Tiber said. His instincts told him he wasn't going to like this, but he could hardly say no to her. He owed her too damn much to ever turn her down.
"This is going to be a long-term mission, so you'll need to leave the starfighter corps for the time being," she said.
Tiber had to resist the urge to heave a sigh. Leave the starfighter corps. Mothball his X-wing and fly out to that cesspool for some kind of espionage mission, he assumed. Dammit, but he loved flying too much. On the other hand, the General needed someone she could trust to do this. Tiber wasn't the sort to turn down a dangerous assignment, but he was usually in the cockpit when he was sent off on one. This was going to be a little outside of his experience, but if the General thought he could do this, he would do his damnedest to make sure she wasn't disappointed.
"As much as I don't want to, it sounds like I need to," Tiber said. "What am I doing on Nar Shadaa?"
"Picking up a new ship for your mission," Leia said, flashing that sly smile again. "I just need a reliable captain for her. So there is an upside to you leaving the starfighter corps behind."
Tiber nodded his head and considered that. His own ship. Now that was something he could get behind. At least he wouldn't have to abandon his love of flying for this.
"I take it you already have a ship in mind, General?" he asked.
"We've arranged for the purchase of a modified light freighter from a dealer by the name of Gorgo the Hutt," Leia said, her mouth twisting in distaste. Tiber didn't blame her. "He's pretty small-time compared to a lot of his contemporaries and for the most part, at least tries to pretend that he operates on the level."
"Yeah, the Hutts never bothered trying to paint themselves as legitimate businessmen before," Tiber said dryly.
"You've gotta do what you've gotta do to survive in this galaxy, I guess," Leia said. "We've got fake identification ready to go for you and everything, Gorgo just needs to meet the buyer in person to inspect the ship and finalize the purchase. Credits have already been allocated for the transaction, as well."
"Sounds good," Tiber said, rubbing his chin. "So, who I am going to be for this little charade?"
"You are a small-time Corellian mercenary and shipper of discreet and dubious goods by the name of Jayce Windcutter," Leia said. "I've taken the liberty of giving you a reputation and everything."
"I like it," Tiber said, nodding his head. "What about a crew? Can't be a captain without one."
"You're mostly on your own for that, I'm afraid," Leia said and this time her smile was rueful. "But, I do at least want you take some of our people with you. Take no more than three from our base here. Beyond that, how big the crew is is entirely at your discretion. You're a good judge of character. I trust you enough to be able to put together a solid, reliable team."
"I've already got some people in mind," Tiber said.
"Good," Leia said. "And for the pickup, I want you to take Threepio with you."
C-3PO, who had remained largely silent throughout the exchange, swiveled toward the General in alarm. "I beg your pardon, Your Highness?"
Tiber tried not to laugh at the poor old droid's reaction. He knew Threepio to be something of a fusspot, the sort of being that didn't like to take risks of any kind. One would think that after spending so much time with people like General Organa and Luke Skywalker, he would have grown accustomed to such things. But no.
"It's important for him to have all the necessary information readily at hand," Leia explained, laying a hand fondly on Threepio's mismatched red arm. "And he may need a translator."
"I promise I won't put us at risk unnecessarily," Tiber added.
Threepio seemed reluctant, but acquiesced. "Very well. I will make necessary preparations. Do let me know as soon as you are ready to depart for Nar Shaddaa, Captain Adarra."
"Of course," Tiber said. "I'll be back when I've gotten everyone I need."
"Take your time," Leia said and dismissed him.
Tiber walked back out into the main chamber of the base, looking around but not immediately any of the people he had in mind. For the team he'd be taking to Nar Shaddaa, he'd need a bridge crew and someone to cover his back on the ground. Simple enough. He walked back toward the lounge area where the other X-wing pilots were no doubt taking a few minutes to put their feet up after the flight exercises. The way things were going around D'Qar right now, there wasn't much to do. Tiber saw, Poe, Orla, Jess, and the others sitting around at a table, everyone still wearing their orange flight suits. Poe was the first to spot him and raised a hand.
"Hey, Tiber, join us for a drink?" he said.
"Can't right now, sorry," he said. "Orla, can I see you for a few minutes?"
"Yeah, sure," Orla said and got up from the table to follow Tiber out of the lounge. "What's going on? This about what the General wanted?"
"Yeah," Tiber said, glancing over his shoulder. "She needs me to put together a team for a special assignment."
Orla looked positively pleased to have been selected, "Ooh, well, this is exciting."
"Yeah, well, wait til you hear where we're going," he said and gently caught the shoulder of a passing corporal. "Excuse me, could you get Sergeant Harkness and Lieutenant Roma and tell them to meet me in the southern conference room?"
"Right away, Captain," the corporal said and hurried off.
"Small team," Orla noted as they headed down toward the southern conference room.
"All I'm allowed to take," Tiber said, walking into the conference room and sitting on the table. "I'll explain everything when Harkness and Roma get here."
Surely enough, the two human men appeared in short order. Sergeant Wes Harkness was the first to arrive. He was a head taller than Tiber and Orla both, musclebound and fair-skinned, making his short dark beard look that much darker. He wore a gray security uniform that denoted his rank and a black cap atop his bald head. Lieutenant Yuri Roma followed him in, a centimeter or two shorter than Tiber. He was a lean man with amber skin and short black hair, dressed in a gray officer's uniform, his hands clasped behind his back. Tiber glanced around at the three of them approvingly. They were just what he needed.
"You wanted to see us, sir?" Lieutenant Roma asked.
"That I did," Tiber said. "General Organa's given me a new assignment and she's requested that I put together a team for said assignment. Given your individual skill sets, I thought the three of you would be a good fit, provided that you're willing to accompany me. I'll give you a general rundown of what we'd be doing. If you don't want in, just say the word."
"I'm willing to hear you out, Captain," Sergeant Harkness said, scratching at his beard.
Tiber gave them a description of the assignment as laid out by the General, gauging their reactions as he spoke. Orla looked intrigued, Yuri looked bewildered and Wes looked mostly impassive, but the way he stroked at his beard said that he was giving the mission some serious thought. Tiber concluded his spiel and let everything sink in for a moment. He looked around at them a moment before he spoke again.
"Thoughts?"
"I'm in," Orla said almost immediately.
"Sure as hell would beat running security against the local wildlife every day," Wes said and shrugged his broad shoulders. "What the hell? I'm in, too."
"This is definitely outside my experience," Yuri said, wringing his hands. "I've never served on a ship before, you understand."
"I need a trustworthy communications officer," Tiber said. "You're one of the best comm techs we've got, which is why I picked you. If you don't think you're up for it, that's fine."
"I just...need to give it a little thought first, Captain," Yuri said.
"No worries," Tiber said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I do need to have an answer for the General soon. Let me know as soon as you've made up your mind, all right, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir."
"Okay. In the meantime, you two come with me," Tiber said, gesturing to Wes and Orla. "We'll go have a word with General Organa and see what the next steps are. Doesn't sound like she needs us to fly out to Nar Shaddaa anytime soon just yet, but we should be ready to go just in case."
Tiber led Wes and Orla back to the side room where he spoke with the General. She seemed pleased that he had been able to start putting together a team so quickly.
"What about Lieutenant Roma?" she asked after Tiber explained his choices.
"He needs a little time to mull it over," Tiber said. "How soon do we need to leave, General?"
"As soon as you possibly can," she said. "The sooner the better, really. I'll feel better once I know that you've gotten the ship. After all the details have been squared away, I'll need you and your crew to come right back to D'Qar for a debriefing and additional assignment details. We can't do much unless you have that ship, Tiber."
"Understood," Tiber said. "Guess I can't ask what you intend for us to do just yet?"
"One thing at a time, Captain," Leia said, though the lines around her eyes deepened with amusement. "I know how hungry you've been for some real action, but let's not get you too excited just yet, huh?"
"I'm excited now," Tiber deadpanned.
"Begging your pardon, Captain Adarra," Threepio interjected. Leia almost rolled her eyes. "If you'll forgive me for saying so, you do not appear to be displaying any outward signs of excitement-"
"I'm excited on the inside Threepio," he said patiently. "Just not displaying it."
"Oh," Threepio said. "As you say, sir."
"As soon as we hear back from Yuri, we'll let you know as soon we're ready to leave," Tiber said. "In the meantime-"
"Captain?"
Tiber turned around, rather surprised to see Yuri walk into the room. He snapped to a quick salute and said, "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I've made my decision. I'm going with you."
"That was quick," Wes said.
"I spoke with Major Narala after I returned to my post," he said. "I told her about my dilemma and she convinced me to accept. I'm ready to leave whenever you are, Captain."
"Excellent," Tiber said and looked at Leia. "We'll make our preparations and head out as soon as you need us to, General."
"Perfect," Leia said. "There's a transport ready to take you five to Nar Shaddaa as soon as possible. Good luck. And may the Force be with you."