Chapter Two

The Perfect Plan?

Corellia: A tapcaf in Coronet City

Day Three

1200 Local Time

"Captain Needa," Lieutenant Page sat down in front of Aerick. "I will be sitting across the room with two others. I will be placing a recording device underneath the table. Talk normally, it can pick up the slightest of whispers."

"Understood. Well, he should be here any minute now."

"I will take my leave of you. Don't think about your wife. Stay focused on the kidnapper."

"Ok. Go." Page walked into the restroom, then returned to his own table a moment later.

"Captain Aerick Needa, I presume?" Johann asked as he walked over to Aerick's table.

"Yes, I'm Aerick Needa. Please, sit."

"Thank you, no. I'd prefer it if you came with me. Right now."

"Well…"

"You have two choices. Come with me, or I kill your wife."

"Dark Lords of the Sith, if you lay one hand on her…"

"Those are your choices."

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Let me just pay for this caf and we can be on our way." Aerick walked over to the cashier and tossed her a few coins. He nodded slightly in Lieutenant Page's direction. He gave a thumbs up. Aerick walked back to Johann.

"Come, we'll talk." The pair walked out of the tapcaf towards Treasure Ship Row.

"First things first. Who are you?"

"My name is Johann Spece."

"The bounty hunter."

"Since you've heard of me, I'll skip the biography. Someone has asked me to kidnap your wife and keep her out of the way until their mission has been complete. I am under contract to bring your wife before my employer."

"Is that why you brought me here? To tell me this?"

"No. Nothing so mundane. I'm here to tell you that your wife's life depends on you doing my client a favor."

"What?"

"Simple. You do my client a favor, my client lets your wife go free."

"I understand that."

"Then what's your problem?"

"I…" Aerick hesitated a moment, then his shoulders fell in defeat. "Just tell me what I have to do."

"That's better. Come with me. Oh, and tell the men following us to stop or I will kill your wife."

"Look, they just want to make sure I'm safe. They're not causing any trouble…"

"This is your final warning. Tell them to leave or she dies."

"By the Force, if you touch her…" Aerick balled his hand into a fist. A moment later, he calmed down. "Okay. Just give me a minute." Aerick walked over to Page and two of his commandos. "Look, I appreciate what you're doing, but, I need you to stop now. He's threatened to kill my wife if you keep following us."

"I understand, Captain. But, we are charged with your defense."

"I can take care of myself. However, in case I need help, I'll call you."

"Very well, Captain. I wish you luck."

"I will return to the safe house as soon as I can. Meet me there later."

"Ok." Aerick walked back over to Johann and nodded.

"Captain, understand this. I know your wife means a lot to you, but I WILL do anything to make sure I get paid. And, if I have to kill her to motivate you, I will."

"I hope you're enjoying this. I really do. Because, as soon as I get my wife back…"

"Please. Your empty threats don't scare me."

"I don't make empty threats. Just ask Admiral Tavira."

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"Follow me. And don't try anything funny. My employer is very cautious and is not afraid to use deadly force to keep his visitors in line." Johann said.

"And just when do I get to meet your illustrious employer?" Aerick asked.

"In a few minutes. The sentient in question is very cautious and does not appreciate unwanted guests. If you do not follow me exactly, the security drones will fire. Some are only armed with stun beams. But, as you near the end, the blasters are set to kill." Aerick followed Johann through a series of hallways, stepping in the exact spots that Johann did. Several times, a few blaster cannons popped out of hiding places and followed Aerick, waiting for him to make a wrong move.

After making a series of turns, Aerick was thoroughly lost. He wasn't sure if he could return to the exit unescorted. Gotta play this out 'til the end now, I guess, he thought to himself. A few moments later, Aerick and Johann were standing in front of a pair of synth-wood double doors that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. Though, I can't discount them being made of real wood. If so, it must've cost a fortune. Whoever this individual is, he isn't afraid to spend some money.

"Are you ready, Captain Needa?" Johann asked.

"Yes, I am. Let's get this over with." Johann pushed the doors open and ushered Aerick inside. As soon as the pair was across the threshold, Johann closed the doors behind them.

Aerick was astounded at the garish extremes to which the room had been adorned. On the walls, tapestries depicting great battles of the Old Republic were hanging loosely. Next to the tapestries, several pieces of art depicted lightsaber battles between Jedi and Dark Jedi, though Aerick wasn't sure if some of them weren't the Sith that Crystal had mentioned a few times to him. Several pedestals stood around the room, topped with priceless vases and busts of famous Senators from the Old Republic and Empire. Aerick readily recognized Senator Palpatine and Senator Bel Iblis. The floor was covered with a huge rug that stretched from the door to a huge desk that was placed in front of a huge transparisteel window overlooking Coronet City. The chair that was immediately behind the desk was facing the huge window.

Slowly, the occupant of the chair turned to face the newcomers. Aerick was taken aback as he saw their host was not male as he had first expected. In fact, the occupant was a striking young female who appeared to be only a few Standard years older than Aerick. She stood and offered the two gentlemen the chairs in front of her desk. As Aerick sat down, he drank in the woman's appearance. He saw that she was fairly tall, at least 1.9 meters tall, and had a trim figure. She had long, curly red hair that accented her sky-blue eyes. She was wearing the uniform of what used to be Corellian Security, or CorSec, and was now considered the Public Safety Service, or PSS for short. However, unlike most CorSec uniforms Aerick had seen, this one was…different. A little more form-fitting than most, showing off the woman's girlish figure and the front of the uniform was unzipped just enough to reveal a tantalizing amount of cleavage. Aerick felt a stirring in his loins that caught him off guard. Aerick felt himself blushing a little and quickly pulled himself back together. I can't allow myself to get attracted to another woman. I'm a married man now.

"Aerick Needa, I presume?" The woman had an elegant voice that spoke of wealth and an allure that Aerick couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Yes, that's me."

"Captain in the New Republic Starfighter Corps, Commanding Officer of High Flight squadron, husband, and son. Have I left anything out?"

"No…that sounds like everything. You've been doing your homework."

"It is sometimes wise to know your enemy, even if they don't know you."

"Enemy? I have no enemies."

"You do not consider the Empire to be your enemy?"

"The Empire, such as it is, is the enemy of the New Republic. I'm just an officer who follows orders. If those orders are to fight the Empire, than fight I shall."

"Well stated. You are undoubtedly wondering who I am and why I brought you here."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Ah, a sharp wit to go with your rugged good looks. No wonder your wife married you. Pity…you are quite handsome."

"What have you done with my wife? By the Force, if you've hurt her…"

"How very droll, Captain. And uncalled for. I have in no way injured your wife." The woman pressed a button hidden under the desk. One of the walls slid into the ceiling, revealing a transparisteel partition. Behind the partition, Aerick could see Crystal tied to a marble column placed in the center of the room. There was a large, fuzzy looking animal attached to what looked like some sort of frame on both sides of the column. She was clad only in a bra and a pair of panties. She was conscious, her eyes searching the room for some kind of escape.

"What have you done to her?" Aerick asked, jumping out of his chair, enraged that someone had removed his wife's clothes and left her hanging in an empty room.

"We have done nothing to her. And don't bother trying to talk to your wife. She can't see you."

"Then why is she still there? You must know she's a Jedi. This sort of thing would never hold her."

"Ah, but it would. Those fuzzy snakes next to her are ysalamiri. Do you know what they do?"

"Yes, I've heard of them. They create bubbles in the Force that most Jedi can't use their powers inside of."

"That is correct."

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave us alone?!" Aerick cried, losing his composition for just a moment. He stood and walked to the window, looking at his helpless wife. He felt tears of anger and anguish flow down his cheeks. As he tried to recompose himself, he heard the doors open and close. When he turned around, he saw that he was alone with the unnamed woman. Aerick turned away back to the partition and just let go of his heartache, glad that the cultured bounty hunter was not present to see him cry. Aerick slowly allowed his legs to collapse, sitting on the floor. His body trembled as he quietly sobbed.

Aerick felt arms encircle him and he buried his head in the strange woman's shoulder. "Why can't…you just…leave us…alone?" Aerick asked in between sobs. "All I want…is to live in…peace with my w…wife."

"I'm sorry things have to be like this," The woman gently murmured. "I really am. I don't like breaking families apart. But I need your help." She pulled Aerick to his feet. His sobs had subsided, just the occasional sniffle and reddened eyes evidence of his breakdown. "I need both of your help."

"Why didn't you just ask us? We wouldn't have said no just to say no."

"I can't have the New Republic meddling in my affairs. I need—"

"You still haven't told me your name." Aerick said, pushing her away as he dabbed at his eyes with his handkerchief.

"Of course. How discourteous of me. I am the Countess Reinna Brianti, heiress to the Dukedom of the Northern Province of Derfala on the planet Delaya."

"Countess?" Aerick was taken aback. "But…"

"The uniform? It was the uniform of my best friend, a member of CorSec. She passed away during a mission involving the Empire. This building belongs to my uncle's shipping company." Reinna stood and walked around to the back of her desk. "Well, now that you know who I am, you must be wondering why I went through all of this to get you here."

"The thought had crossed my mind," Aerick said as he got back to his feet. He walked back to one of the empty chairs and sat down. "The sooner I can get out of here, the sooner my wife and I can get back to our lives."

"Precisely. Now then…" Reinna pressed a button on the control panel in front of her. The section of wall that had covered the glass partition moved back into place and a holo-map appeared in front of the blank wall. The map focused on a planet. The planet looked like any other planet, the blue of oceans and the green of continents, possibly filled with sentient beings.

"That's…that's Ambria, isn't it?" Aerick asked.

"Precisely. Incidently, it was also a second home to a number of Jedi Masters."

"Yes, a lot of people in the New Republic know that."

"Did you also know that the Imperials hid a base on the bottom of the ocean?"

"What? How do you know that?" Aerick asked, surprise evident on his face.

"Sorry, need to know basis and all that. Anyhow, inside the base, my fiancée is being held captive," Aerick opened his mouth to make a remark, but Reinna raised her hand. "An interesting coincidence, I know. However, unlike me, the Imperials are somewhat lacking in manners. They have made it clear that they plan to execute him in one week, after they've drained him of information."

"So, why come to Crystal and me? Why not the New Republic Special Forces? They're much better qualified for this kind of thing."

"I realize that. And, if I thought they could get through the defenses of this base, I would've called them. However, the Commander of the base is a very wily man. There is only one way in and out and that way is heavily guarded. Even if you could get by the guards, he has a great many traps laid out, just waiting for someone foolhardy enough to attempt to break into the base."

"Okay. So, why is the Commander of this base interested in your fiancée?"

"Because he has information on the latest capital ship designs from Kuat and Bilbringi. Information that could be worth billions of credits to the Empire, or what's left of it. If they can find weaknesses in the designs, the New Republic Navy could be in serious trouble."

"Agreed. But, again, why didn't you bring this up with Admiral Ackbar or General Madine? They are two of the greatest military minds in the New Republic. I'm sure they could've planned a mission that could've rescued your fiancée."

"Ah, they may have. However, they would need to contact aides and assistants. I have reason to believe that there is a spy on Ackbar's staff."

"What?" Aerick looked stunned. "Who?"

"I don't know. But, my fiancée was under orders of Admiral Ackbar to inspect the latest designs of the capital ships at Bilbringi. He was captured on the return leg of his mission. Only Admiral Ackbar, his planning staff, and the pilot knew the course of the shuttle. One of those people is a spy."

"I can tell you for certain, it isn't Admiral Ackbar."

"I agree. He's been with the New Republic since just after the debacle at Hoth. He also risked his life at Endor and again taking the shipyards of Bilbringi from Thrawn."

"And you want a Jedi to sniff out the traitor on Ackbar's staff, right?"

"That, and I also want you and your squadron to save my fiancée."

"This sounds like a mission for Rogue Squadron."

"Agreed. But, they're not available. Neither is the Intelligence group, Wraith Squadron."

"They used to be a squadron under the command of General Antilles."

"Correct. Their leader is Garik Loran, also known as 'the Face'."

"I take it they're not available either."

"I said that already. Kindly pay attention."

"In that case, it looks like I have no choice but to comply."

"Oh, you do have a choice. However, if you choose not to comply…well, I'm afraid you know too much about this…"

"And what's in it for my wife and me? What do we get when we complete this mission?"

"You will be compensated for your time. Your squadron will receive 2 million credits upon the return of my fiancée."

"Is that so? Well, let me talk to my wife and explain what's going on. Can you give us a few hours?"

"Of course. I have booked a room at the Coronet Hotel for you two. I'm sure you'll want to contact your immediate superiors as well."

"Of course. I need to let Admiral Ackbar…"

"Under no circumstances will you tell him about this. I do not want this mission compromised as the previous one was."

"Very well. What should I tell him?"

"You're an intelligent being. I'm sure you and your wife will think of something.