Chapter 3

Eclipse-Class Super Star Destroyer Hope of the Alliance



Major Jak Requiem stepped out of the shower in his quarters and toweled off. As he did so, someone knocked on the door. "Coming." He went into his duffel and put on a pair of shorts and a light shirt. "Enter."

It was Lieutenant Colonel Klivian. "Sir!" Requiem stood at attention and flashed his best salute.

"Relax, Requiem. We're friends, remember?"

"Old habits die hard."

"True. Admiral Antilles wants to see you."

"He sent you here just to tell me this?"

"It's pretty important."

"I'll be there as soon as I get dressed."

"Okay. See you around." And with that, Hobbie left.

Requiem put on his day uniform and combed his short brown hair before leaving. It was a quite a hike to the Admiral's office, and that gave him plenty of time to worry about what Wedge Antilles, hero of the Rebellion needed to say to a lowly Major and fighter pilot like him.

By the time he got to the Admiral's office, he was quite worried. A secretary showed him through, and Requiem found Admiral Antilles sitting behind his desk, typing on a datapad.

"Sir! Major Requiem reporting for duty, sir!" Requiem snapped to attention and saluted.

"Calm down, Major. Have a seat."

Requiem nodded and sat down.

"I've been looking over your record Major. Close to two hundred kills, commendation after commendation. And two refused promotions. Why?"

"Sir, taking that promotion would most likely get shoved out of the Suns and into the command of my own squadron. I don't want to do that. The money doesn't really matter to me that much. I don't spend it on gambling like other pilots do, and I don't have any family to send it to."

Wedge nodded, surprised at the eighteen-year-old's honesty. The boy had trained under Kam Solusar at the Maw during the early war, and talent-wise, was supposedly one of the strongest Jedi since Kyp Durron. He had left the Maw with Jaina Solo during a supply run and had become Durron's apprentice and a pilot in the Suns, a feat unheard of for someone of the age of fourteen. When the Suns had been split up, Requiem stayed there rather than joining the Dozen. And there he had stayed, racking up impressive amounts of kills. His flight had one of the best survival rates in Starfighter Command.

"I understand your situation better than you might think."

"With all due respect sir, you didn't bring me here to ask why I refused a couple of promotions. I can tell you that without the Force."

"You've become pretty good friends with Lieutenant Colonel Janson, correct?"

Requiem nodded. "Yes. We've been drinking a couple of times."

"He's been acting odd lately, and I wondered if you could shed some light on it."

Requiem nodded. "I can. But this doesn't leave the room, okay? He'll never trust me if this gets out."

Wedge found himself compelled strongly to say yes, but he shook it off. Besides swordfighting (Wedge had seen the boy duel, and he was good, beating Jaina in the majority of encounters), Requiem was supposed to excel at influencing the minds of others. "Don't you ever do that again, Major," said Wedge icily. "I understand the need for secrecy, and you do not ever try to force me into something again, is that understood?"

"Yessir."

"Now continue."

"Janson's found 'the one.' A journalist on Mon Cal. If he's been acting odd, it's because he's thinking about settling down. I found out when we were drinking one night. He was pretty drunk, and was broadcasting his thoughts very, well, vividly. I didn't pry at him Admiral, he was broadcasting."

"Wow. Never thought I'd see the day. You're dismissed, Major."

"Sir, please don't tell anyone. Not even Lieutenant Colonel Klivian."

"I won't. Have a good day."



***



Jaina stood at the front of the briefing theater, the other senior officers of Rogue Wing beside her. Gavin was speaking to a group of new recruits, people that were being brought in to fill the holes left in the Wing after the first skirmishes with the CSA.

Quite a few of them were very intimidated by the presence of all of the officers, but they hid it well. Valin Horn was not one of them, Jaina noted. He was a Jedi Knight in all but name, and was a new member of Rogue Squadron. Not that he knew what squadron he was joining yet, as he and the other rookies had only been told Rogue Wing. Valin would be receiving his final training from her, her grandfather, and Requiem. Carvar Fel didn't seem very nervous either.

"All of you are about to become elites, members of a wing legendary throughout the Alliance. You will be expected to represent the high standards of Rogue Wing in and out of the cockpit." Gavin paused for a few moments and then said, "Behind me are your commanding officers, Colonel Fel, and Colonel Solo Fel. They will now announce your assignments."

Jag stepped forward and read off a list of names. "...and Flight Officer Carvar Fel, Vanguard Twelve," he finished.

Then it was Jaina's turn. She read the list off of her datapad and watched the elation of those joining her squadron.

Finally, Gavin announced the replacements for his squadron. "...Rogue Nine, Valin Horn." Valin Horn seemed shocked as he found out he was getting his father's old spot. "That's all of you. You're all off duty for the rest of today, feel free to inspect your craft. Your room assignments are being transmitted to your datapads. We start simming tomorrow at 0900. Dismissed."

The new recruits filed out. Gavin turned to Jaina and Jag. "What do you think?"

"Good all around. Having a Jedi in Rogue Squadron will help you guys out a lot. In fact, Jag, if you're willing, I was going to transfer Grandfather to your command, so we have a Jedi in every squadron."

"No problem. And Gavin, you did a fine job. The only thing I'm worried about is Valin Horn. Giving him command of Three Flight might not have been a good idea."

"He'll be alright. Lieutenant Rallen is Rogue Twelve, and he's a veteran of the Yuuzhan Vong war. He's doesn't want command, but he'll hold the flight together in though times. Valin was tied for head of his class and his instructors said he was a natural leader."

"Well," said Jaina, "I've got to go talk to Valin. Grandfather, Requiem, Valin, and I are going to be sparring for a few hours in the main gymnasium."

"I'm going too," said Jag. "This ought to be good."