Chapter One

As the eight candidates walked towards the small tapcaf attached to the base, Crystal turned to her Twi'lek companion.

"That was some fancy flying, Krinu," She said.

"Oh, thank you, ma'am."

"Please. When we're not on duty, call me Crystal."

"Oh, yes, ma'am…I mean, Crystal," Krinu looked at her feet for a second and Crystal could see the gray flesh of Krinu's cheeks turn a shade of violet. Crystal assumed it was the Twi'lek equivalent to blushing.

"It's okay, Krinu," Crystal replied, the remnant of a giggle evident in her voice. "I know how hard it is to address a superior officer as an equal."

"It's gonna take some getting used to. So, how long have you been a member of Starfighter Command??"

"Oh, let's see. I joined up…wow, three years after Endor, which was about…six years ago." Crystal looked a little surprised at the length of time.

Crystal wasn't the only one. "That long?" Krinu asked, a hint of shock in her voice.

"Well, I took a few years off for…personal reasons."

"Family??" One of the other trainees asked.

"I'd prefer not to talk about it right now, if you don't mind."

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to pry, Crystal."

"It's okay, Krinu." The group walked into the tapcaf a few seconds later. Krinu, Crystal, and the other two pilots in their group sat down in a booth in a corner.

"So what went wrong in there?" Krinu asked.

"What do you mean?" Crystal asked, a confused look on her face.

"I mean, we could've done a whole lot better."

"Hey, I'll be the first to admit that one," Crystal laughed, remembering how she was shot down.

"No, I mean. Ok, first, even though you were in good position to vape the dupes, the pilots of the eyeballs should've shot you down before that second wave."

"Well, I try to make it hard to shoot me down."

"I understand. But one X-wing against three eyeballs? And the X-wing escapes?? Something's fishy there. And those dupes, they didn't even blink when your torpedoes came in. I mean, it's hard not to notice a blue flame coming towards your ship in the vast black of space, is it??"

"No. You're right. It should've been a little harder."

"And, I mean, even though you were shot down, it was just a lucky shot."

"In all fairness, my shields were down."

"Yeah, but you didn't see how this pilot wasted almost two dozen shots trying to get you. The guy wasn't very good."

"I'll have to take your word for it. Then again, it's my understanding that Captain Needa is looking for rookies as well as vets."

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry. My dad liked watching shockball and I started picking up the lingo. What I mean is, the Captain is looking for pilots fresh from the academy as well as combat veterans such as myself. That might explain why my opponent was a little green…I mean…"

"I got the gist of it, Commander."

"Krinu, please. There's no need to stand on ceremony. I told you before, call me Crystal."

"Sorry. It's hard to get used to that."

"I know. So…should we go a little easier…"

"No, ma'am…I mean, Crystal. Look, if someone went easy on you, would you have learned what you did? Would you be where you are now??"

"Well…no. Tell you the truth, I'd be dead. Some of the maneuvers I learned I employed in battle. If it weren't for those maneuvers, I'd have died during the battles with Warlord Zsinj."

"So, should we go easy on the recruits, ma'am?"

"I guess not."

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The second mission was even more harrowing for Commander Sandskimmer than the first. Piloting an eyeball was…frustrating, to say the least. With no shields, the ship had to rely on its superior maneuverability to survive. Crystal hated flying unshielded craft. Why did I volunteer for this, again? She asked herself.

She had survived long enough to vape two of her fellow trainees before being speared by a torpedo. She watched the remainder of the battle on the holographic map in the simulator room. The remaining two X-wings were making a fight of it. The Warspite had just jumped out of the system for the second time and one of the X-wings had just vaped the three remaining bombers in the system. The other X-wing shot down one of the two eyeballs just as the TIE's lasers chewed through the ship's proton torpedo magazine, shredding the ship. A diminutive Sullustian climbed out of the cockpit and chittered angrily at the simulator.

A moment later, Krinu walked over to Crystal. "You, too?"

"Yup. I didn't see the torpedo until it was too late."

"Whoever this pilot is, he's good," Crystal said, watching the X-wing strafe the TIE on the holomap.

"Or she. These pilots aren't all men, after all."

"Yeah, I know." The TIE veered around the corvette and cut engine power, hiding in the shadow of the larger ship. The X-wing screamed around the corvette, straight into the laser barrage from the TIE. The X-wing's shields depleted, the laser bolts chewed through the cockpit of the X-wing. The craft flew through it's hard turn, slamming into the corvette. The TIE waggled it's wings and started strafing the corvette. The last X-wing simulator opened up and a tall woman climbed out. She pulled off her helmet, revealing a long, wavy mane of fiery red hair. She tossed her helmet into the simulator angrily and her R2 unit tootled at her.

The TIE simulator opened up and the Commanding Officer of High Flight Squadron stepped out. He walked over to the tall redhead and she saluted. Crystal and Krinu were able to hear their conversation and were listening intently.

"Flight Officer Pefrin," Captain Aerick Needa returned her salute.

"Sir," She lowered her arm and stood at attention.

"At ease, Flight Officer. You are a hard target to hit."

"I try to be, sir. Promotes longevity." Crystal chuckled at hearing that and Captain Needa actually laughed aloud.

"I agree, Flight Officer," He stretched and yawned. "I haven't had a work-out like that in a while." Crystal's cheeks burned when she heard that.

"Calm down, Crystal," Krinu whispered in her ear. "You haven't flown against Captain Needa yet, remember."

"I'm not…It's not…" Crystal floundered.

"I know how you feel, ma'am. I feel the same way. But we're all allies here. Besides, Captain Needa will see just how good you are."

"You know, you sound just like my grandmother."

"She sounds like a wise woman."

"You have no idea."