"Lead, requesting permission for takeoff."
"Granted, 3, and hurry. We've been waiting for you, for 20 minutes. The locals are probably giving us really dirty looks by now."
Corran and Janson launched their fighters and expertly joined formation with Wedge, Tycho, and Hobbie. Tycho always the practical one asked, "So, where do we go from here?"
"2, this is Lead," Wedge answered. "We'll have to return to Coruscant. We'll need a much larger force to be able to get in there and examine the ruins of that underground fortress for leads."
"Understood, Lead."
All of a sudden a ship flickered in from hyperspace directly in front of them. "Red Flight, evasive." Wedge launched his craft into a spinning corkscrew and then frowned. His pilots had continued on their original course straight toward the incoming ship. Wedge's puzzlement soon gave way to embarrassment when Janson informed him, "Uh... Wedge. That's the Wild Karrde."
And it was. Karrde's transmission a few seconds later confirmed that, "Wedge, I have some of that information for you."
Wedge took a second to recover himself, "Go ahead, Karrde. It should be safe enough here."
"My people have recently discovered one of the Nightsisters sneaking around on Nar Shaada. Objective: unknown."
"Nar Shaada," Wedge asked unbelievingly. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Karrde stated succinctly.
"But why would they be on Nar Shaada? There's nothing there for them to hit. I would think that they would go back to Hapes to finish the job."
"Well, that sure won't be easy for them. Even I'm having trouble getting my people into Hapes. They're doing sophisticated I.D. and background checks all over the place there."
"That's it! Of course. That's exactly what they're doing," Wes blurted out.
"Spit out, Wes," Wedge commanded.
"Oh, but Wedge," Wes complained. "I know it's against regulations. It's just that I haven't had any in a really long time and I needed something to chew on..."
"What are you talking about?" Wedge asked completely mystified.
"My gum, of course."
Wedge shook his head incredulously, "Wes, I meant your story! Spit out your story!"
Wes started talking very fast, his sentences and words running together, "Oh, right. I knew that. I was only kidding, you see. I don't actually have any gum."
"Wes," Wedge said with an edge now to his voice.
"So it just occurs to me," Wes continued as if nothing had happened, "that if they want to get into Hapes, they'll need some really good forgeries, and where's the best place to find some under the table I.D.'s."
"Nar Shaada," Wedge said as the Nightsisters' destination began to make sense.
"Exactly," Janson confirmed.
"Red Flight, line up on me. We've got to warn Hapes."
"Ah, just a second there, Wedge," Karrde interjected. "I've got a freebie for you."
"A freebie, eh?" Wedge asked sounding suspicious. "And what exactly is this 'freebie'?"
"Relax, it really is free. I just thought that you might want to borrow some ysalamari," Karrde said emphasizing the word "borrow".
Wedge smiled. "We would indeed be willing to borrow some."
"Good. We'll have a freighter there with some. I'll transmit you the necessary information now. Good luck Wedge."
"Right, you too, Karrde," Wedge said absently as he scanned through the file Karrde had just transmitted to him. "Red Flight, lineup on me and prepare to enter hyperspace." Wedge paused. "Oh, and Wes."
"Yeah?"
"Spit out your gum."
Teresa Ki smiled as she boarded her freighter. They had finally gotten both sets of forged I.D.'s, complete with authentic backgrounds, of people who no longer needed them, and they were both perfect forgeries. Nobody, not even those paranoid Hapans, would suspect anything. It would be a smooth operation and then this task would be complete. Soon it would be time to implement her takeover. She would set herself up as a Queen and live a very luxurious life. All it would take was a little more planning, but first things first. She wanted to go over the assassination plan again first. She'd do that as soon as they entered hyperspace, which wouldn't be long now...4...3...2...1...
To Be Continued
"Granted, 3, and hurry. We've been waiting for you, for 20 minutes. The locals are probably giving us really dirty looks by now."
Corran and Janson launched their fighters and expertly joined formation with Wedge, Tycho, and Hobbie. Tycho always the practical one asked, "So, where do we go from here?"
"2, this is Lead," Wedge answered. "We'll have to return to Coruscant. We'll need a much larger force to be able to get in there and examine the ruins of that underground fortress for leads."
"Understood, Lead."
All of a sudden a ship flickered in from hyperspace directly in front of them. "Red Flight, evasive." Wedge launched his craft into a spinning corkscrew and then frowned. His pilots had continued on their original course straight toward the incoming ship. Wedge's puzzlement soon gave way to embarrassment when Janson informed him, "Uh... Wedge. That's the Wild Karrde."
And it was. Karrde's transmission a few seconds later confirmed that, "Wedge, I have some of that information for you."
Wedge took a second to recover himself, "Go ahead, Karrde. It should be safe enough here."
"My people have recently discovered one of the Nightsisters sneaking around on Nar Shaada. Objective: unknown."
"Nar Shaada," Wedge asked unbelievingly. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Karrde stated succinctly.
"But why would they be on Nar Shaada? There's nothing there for them to hit. I would think that they would go back to Hapes to finish the job."
"Well, that sure won't be easy for them. Even I'm having trouble getting my people into Hapes. They're doing sophisticated I.D. and background checks all over the place there."
"That's it! Of course. That's exactly what they're doing," Wes blurted out.
"Spit out, Wes," Wedge commanded.
"Oh, but Wedge," Wes complained. "I know it's against regulations. It's just that I haven't had any in a really long time and I needed something to chew on..."
"What are you talking about?" Wedge asked completely mystified.
"My gum, of course."
Wedge shook his head incredulously, "Wes, I meant your story! Spit out your story!"
Wes started talking very fast, his sentences and words running together, "Oh, right. I knew that. I was only kidding, you see. I don't actually have any gum."
"Wes," Wedge said with an edge now to his voice.
"So it just occurs to me," Wes continued as if nothing had happened, "that if they want to get into Hapes, they'll need some really good forgeries, and where's the best place to find some under the table I.D.'s."
"Nar Shaada," Wedge said as the Nightsisters' destination began to make sense.
"Exactly," Janson confirmed.
"Red Flight, line up on me. We've got to warn Hapes."
"Ah, just a second there, Wedge," Karrde interjected. "I've got a freebie for you."
"A freebie, eh?" Wedge asked sounding suspicious. "And what exactly is this 'freebie'?"
"Relax, it really is free. I just thought that you might want to borrow some ysalamari," Karrde said emphasizing the word "borrow".
Wedge smiled. "We would indeed be willing to borrow some."
"Good. We'll have a freighter there with some. I'll transmit you the necessary information now. Good luck Wedge."
"Right, you too, Karrde," Wedge said absently as he scanned through the file Karrde had just transmitted to him. "Red Flight, lineup on me and prepare to enter hyperspace." Wedge paused. "Oh, and Wes."
"Yeah?"
"Spit out your gum."
Teresa Ki smiled as she boarded her freighter. They had finally gotten both sets of forged I.D.'s, complete with authentic backgrounds, of people who no longer needed them, and they were both perfect forgeries. Nobody, not even those paranoid Hapans, would suspect anything. It would be a smooth operation and then this task would be complete. Soon it would be time to implement her takeover. She would set herself up as a Queen and live a very luxurious life. All it would take was a little more planning, but first things first. She wanted to go over the assassination plan again first. She'd do that as soon as they entered hyperspace, which wouldn't be long now...4...3...2...1...
To Be Continued
