21
It was just before midnight in the detention bay, and Heblon watched over Wedge as he slept, getting as much rest as he could in his condition. But he seemed to be sleeping more and more as time passed and his health deteriorated.
Heblon rose, getting to his feet stiffly. It was time to move out.
He picked his comlink out of one of the pouches that usually hung around his waist. The belt was now dangling from the back of his chair along with his jacket. He thumbed the device on and called two of his stormtroopers into the cell. Only a few moments passed before they descended into the room, as Heblon was shrugging back into his jacket.
"I'm going to my quarters to get cleaned up a bit. I'll be gone about a half hour. When I return, I'll bring the replacement guards. Watch him and inform me of any changes." He turned and pointed at the figure on the bed—it was clear that Wedge wasn't going anywhere. "Is that understood?"
The two men nodded their understanding of the order, their helmets clicking against their chest plates as they did. They took up positions on either side of the door, standing more or less at attention, facing the bunk.
Heblon slipped on his uniform jacket and cap, left the cell, and briskly walked through the hallways to the exit of the garrison. He arrived at the double doors leading to the outside, and noted with some relief that one of the huge metal doors remained open.
The rightmost door was usually open to give the troopers on guard easy access to the refresher stations in the garrison, but he had worried that maybe tonight, with his luck, would be the night they would close it. He knew that to leave it open was a threat to security, but over the ten or so years that the Empire had occupied the planet, security had gotten slack. Since Tchlinda had moved in, she had never had to face any kind of a threat to her power.
Until now, he thought to himself.
He glanced as stealthily as he could around the door jamb, watching for the guards. He saw two troopers approaching from his right and ducked quickly behind the closed door. He waited until he heard them round the corner then slipped around the door and the far side of the building.
Heblon kept to the shadows and crept fifty or so meters towards the rear of the garrison, his cap pulled down to cover as much of his face as possible. He froze as a stormtrooper appeared from the corner he had just rounded, but the trooper turned on his heel and returned the way he had come, covering his own ground. Heblon was thankful that his dark uniform blended well with the shadows.
Reaching the back of the garrison, he stopped and listened. He couldn't hear any movement near him, so after waiting another heartbeat, he made his way across the twenty meters of open ground to the bushes, where two men waited for him. They wore full stormtrooper armor, provided by the Rebels, with their helmets resting at their feet.
As he approached, Kell Tainer's blaster rifle slowly rose and aimed at his chest. The Imperial Lieutenant held his hands up where they could be seen and continued towards them. "It's me," he whispered.
He saw the blaster lower, although it was still aimed in his General direction. He quietly made his way between two bushes to join them and was amazed that they could remain so hidden, even in the bright white armor they were wearing.
"Are we set?" Face asked quietly.
"Yes, we'll just have to wait a few minutes until the guards change. In the shuffle, I should be able to slip you in. If we're stopped, leave everything to me unless it really gets out of hand. In that case, I leave the decision of what to do up to you, since you are the experts."
Face looked at Kell. "You're the expert, right?"
Kell just shrugged awkwardly in his armour. "I thought you were."
"Oops," Face said apologetically in a low whisper.
Heblon just shook his head. "You'll stand guard over Wedge until the ceremony tomorrow morning. I've arranged the schedule so no one will come to replace you."
Just then there was the sound of distant voices as two replacement stormtroopers approached the two on guard. As they conversed for a couple of minutes, the three men lurking in the bushes took advantage of their distraction. Using the trees and shadows as cover, they made it as far as the building. Then, out in the open, Heblon straightened and headed for the main doors, two stormtroopers acting as his guard.
Just before they came within view of the door, the quartet of troopers ahead of them split and two headed into the garrison. The remaining two headed down the far side of the building, still talking back and forth.
Heblon motioned with his hand for the two men to head for the door. They slipped through the entrance moments before the two guards came back around the corner and spotted Heblon.
"Freeze." Heblon stopped dead in his tracks, now unable to get through the door unseen. The two troopers approached him, blasters aimed high at his head. "Identify yourself."
"Lieutenant Tonar Heblon, Querulous."
The blaster rifles dropped, and he gave a silent prayer of thanks. They couldn't have seen the two troopers go through the door ahead of him.
"Sorry, sir. We didn't realize it was you. You shouldn't be out here."
"I just came out for a breath of fresh air. Being stuck in that cell, breathing the same air as that rebel trash, can be unpleasant. But I'd better get back before I'm missed. Return to your duties."
"Yes, sir." They continued by him and headed for the other side of the building.
He stepped through the door and almost right into Kell, who had been covering him with his blaster from just inside the entranceway. Heblon slumped against the wall, wiping at the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm not cut out for this kind of thing."
Face came forward. "We have to keep moving. Lead the way," his voice buzzed through the comm in his helmet.
Heblon nodded and stepped past them, heading down the hall. Both Face and Kell fell in behind him, one to either side, in a rather impressive imitation of stormtroopers on escort duty.
Fortunately, they didn't have too far to go before they reached the detention center. Because of the hour, the corridors were nearly empty, and anyone they did pass didn't even give them a second look. When they reached the cell, as agreed, they let him do all the talking.
Heblon walked into the small chamber ahead of Face and Kell. The two troopers just inside the door snapped to attention as he did. He turned to face them, gave them a quick salute, and then motioned to the door. "Dismissed. These two will take over."
"Yes, sir." They turned and left. Heblon closed the door then leaned his forehead against it. I'm too old for this!
Face pulled a small device out of a pouch on his belt. It was a little smaller than a datapad, and there were more buttons and lights on it. He walked slowly around the cell with it, studying the data intently. Kell began searching the walls and ceiling for holocams.
Face took off his helmet and held it under his right arm. He shook his head, sticking his sweat drenched hair to his forehead. "I don't believe it. The cell is clear. There doesn't seem to be any listening devices at all. You would think that they'd want to monitor him somehow." He shook his head again in confusion. He looked over at Kell, who was running a hand over the wall next to the refresher unit. "Report."
Kell pulled off his helmet and laid it on the floor next to the door. "All clear for holocams, as far as I can tell. Even if they were hidden, you would have detected the power spikes with your scanner. I think we're in the clear."
Kell walked over to the bunk where Wedge lay, curled up into a tight ball. He knelt by the bunk and looked at Wedge. Heblon realized what a sight he must have been to the two men. He had watched Wedge slowly deteriorate over the last few days, but all they saw was his current state compared to their memory of him.
Kell looked over at Heblon. "Will he be able to take part in the plan tomorrow?"
"I think so. I've got something planned just in case, though."
Wedge stirred and his eyes flickered open. He looked confused for a moment, probably because he was used to Heblon being the only other person in the room. Then faint recognition passed through his red rimmed eyes. "Kell?" he whispered.
"Yeah. How you feeling, General?"
Wedge coughed, then winced. "To be honest, I've felt better."
"I would love to be able to tell you that the cavalry has arrived, but that will have to wait a few hours. They are on their way, however."
"I was beginning to think..." Wedge took in a deep breath that sounded distinctly painful "...that you had forgotten all about me."
Face leaned over, put an ungloved hand over Wedge's, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was the only part of him that didn't seem to be cut or bruised. "You know that we couldn't do that. Besides, Elscol Loro says you owe her twenty credits."
Wedge closed his eyes again, but a smile crept onto his face. "El's here? Well, tell her she'll have to come in here to get the money."
Heblon stepped over to Kell and tapped his shoulder. "You should stand guard outside the cell for a while. If there are no troopers out there, someone may get suspicious. Leave your comm on my frequency, two-eight-five. If anyone approaches you, signal me."
"Right." He gave Wedge an encouraging smile then picked up his helmet and blaster. He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Heblon turned towards Face. "Since you're here, I'll need you to help me turn him onto his stomach. I have to change his bandages."
Face put down his helmet and removed his other glove. He went to the foot of the bunk while Heblon remained at the top.
"Wedge, on three we're going to roll you over as gently as possible. Okay?" The pilot just nodded. When Heblon got to two, he took in a deep breath and held it. "Three."
Heblon supported Wedge's shoulders while Face brought his legs and hips over. Wedge grunted through clenched teeth then was quiet, the only sound in the cell his laborious breathing. Face flinched when he saw the amount of blood in the bunk.
"Hand me that basin at your feet. No, the empty one." Heblon pointed to the small plastine container and Face handed it to him, but his eyes were fixed on Wedge as Heblon slowly peeled off layer after layer of bloody bandages and dropped them into the basin. When he removed the last layer, Face swore softly.
"Not pretty, is it." Heblon said, a colossal understatement. Face just shook his head. "Talk to him while I replace the bandages. This is going to be painful," he said quietly.
Face went to the head of the bunk, where Wedge held onto the mattress with white-knuckled fists. He sat on the floor so that he was at his friend's eye level. "You know, you're lucky that you've got Heblon as your doctor. If Ton Phanan were here, he would've slapped bandages on you and told you to get back to work saving the galaxy."
Wedge's face contorted, but he let out a strangled laugh. "Yeah...ungh...he would have enjoyed this too much."
Face smiled at the memory of his former squadmate. Even though Ton had been killed two years before, sometimes the pain still threatened to overwhelm him. Phanan had been a doctor who had been pressed into military service, much like Heblon, except Ton's bedside manner was a little more...unique. They had become good friends in the short time they had served together.
"Do you know the Rogues have been searching high and low for you? You're not an easy man to track down. They're not going to let you forget all the trouble they went to. You'll be buying them drinks for weeks, so it's a good thing you make a General's salary."
Heblon stood. "There. That should do until we can get him to a proper medical facility." Face swallowed hard as he watched Heblon wash blood from his hands in a basin of water. Wedge's shoulders went slack, his hands letting go of the mattress. He closed his eyes, and his breathing became more regular as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
Face stood again and walked over to Heblon. He drew him aside as the Lieutenant dried his hands on a rag. "He doesn't look like he's going to be in any shape to move in the morning, never mind take part in a running light fight. How're we going to get him to the Skate?"
Heblon pulled a vial of sparkling amber liquid from his belt pouch. "With this."
"What is it?" Face took it from him and held it up to the light.
"It's Felladon, a stimulant. I could give that to Wedge just before the ceremony tomorrow, and it would give him the boost he needs to get him through the rescue."
Face narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Heblon. "I hear an enormous 'but'coming."
"But, he's very weak. Under normal circumstances, I would never consider administering it to anyone in his condition. But I don't think we have a choice."
"What would happen if we did give it to him?"
"Once the stimulant is injected, he'll have about thirty to forty minutes of increased energy—there'll be enough adrenaline flowing through his body to power his X-wing. But when it wears off, his weakened system won't be able to compensate and he'll crash. At best, he'll go into shock. At worst, his heart will stop and he could die. If we don't get him to a medical facility within three or four minutes of that happening, we would lose him as surely as if we'd let Tchlinda keep him."
Face looked over to where Wedge was sleeping, still lying on his belly. He knew as well as Heblon that he wouldn't be able to get out of the bunk without help. If they were going to get him off the planet, they were going to have to do something. Maybe even something drastic.
Face sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. He handed the vial back to the Imperial Lieutenant, and he tucked it back into the pouch on his belt. "I can't let you give him that stuff unless he knows the risk."
Shock and something like anger washed across Heblon's face. "I wouldn't administer it without his knowledge. I've kept him alive this long, I won't just shoot this into him and bloody well hope for the best." He rubbed at his eyes with his fingers, visibly trying to calm himself. "We'll wait as long as possible and monitor his condition. We still have about six hours until the ceremony is scheduled to start, and we'll let him rest until about a half-hour before. Then we'll talk to him and decide."
Heblon stretched, and tendons popped in his back. He sat down stiffly on a chair, the only other piece of furniture in the room. He stifled a yawn with his left hand.
Face bent down in front of him, his hands on his knees. "How long has it been since you really slept?"
"At least a couple of days, I guess," Heblon answered reluctantly.
"Why don't you get some rest, and Kell and I will watch over Wedge. You'll be no good to him or us tomorrow if you're exhausted."
"All right. But you wake me if anyone approaches the cell or if Wedge needs me. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Face saluted him sarcastically. "You know, technically I outrank you. I am a Captain."
"Not here, you're not," Heblon responded sleepily.
Face chuckled quietly and slid down the wall to a crouch at Wedge's beside. Heblon was already asleep.