Hidden Force by Ash Darklighter

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The characters and situations used in this story are the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. I am just playing with them for a while.

Governor's Residence

An hour went by and then another. The Governor glanced at his chrono impatiently and then flicked a switch on his desk. "Has Lieutenant Nerano returned yet?"

"No, sir." His secretary's voice was crisp and assured, just the way he liked his staff to be.

"Where is he?"

"We don't know. He did say he would only be away for an hour or so."

"Contact the garrison; I want to speak to Commander Filips."

"Yes, Governor. Putting you through now, sir."

"Thank you." Markieer sat down in his chair and called up his view screen, but instead of Fariu's second in command, the round face and wide eyes of one of the minor aides greeted him.

"This is Brakston, sir."

"Yes, Brakston." Markieer reigned in his mounting irritation. "I do know who you are. Where is Commander Filips?"

"You do… uh… Governor, sir. We have a few problems over here and the Commander is dealing with them right now."

Markieer stopped dead. "Problems?" There was a dangerous undercurrent in his voice. Brakston wasn't stupid and recognised it immediately.

"Yes, sir. All of our systems are behaving very strangely and we've had word from Imperial Intelligence that there have been unauthorised transmissions made from the planet. Files have been hacked into. Top secret ones. Alarms go off on Coruscant itself…"

"I know what happens," Markieer muttered stiffly, halting Brakston's nervous babble. "Get me Commander Filips in front of a view screen now and get the sedatives flushed out of Commander Fariu. Have him wide awake and ready to meet me when I get to the garrison. I don't care how much his head is aching."

The screen went dark momentarily and then the red face of Filips appeared. He'd obviously been hurrying as he puffed to steady his breathing. "I'm sorry, Governor. What can I do…"

"You can tell me why I wasn't contacted sooner about these problems."

"Problems… There are no…"

"Don't lie to me," Markieer snapped.

Filips shuffled awkwardly in his seat. "Governor," he tried a more conciliatory tone. "These are minor fluctuations in the security grid. We'll have everything back on line in no time."

"Fluctuations? In the security grid?"

"Something to do with an atmospheric meteor shower… apparently."

"I'm on my way!" Markieer got to his feet. "You're a fool. This is all some rebel trick to distract us. Something's going on."

"Commander Filips!" Brakston's anxious voice could be heard in the background.

"Not now, Brakston!" Filips brushed him off.

"But the Governor will want to know."

Markieer swung around and glared at Filips. "The 'Governor will want to know' what?"

"The med droid can't waken Commander Fariu. He's practically in a coma."

"I'm coming across and I want the garrison put immediately on high alert." Markieer's rage at the incompetents he was stuck with rose and he stabbed his finger downwards cutting the connection.

*********************************************************

Imperial Garrison, Triadon

The frightened aide backed up several paces. "Sir!" he managed to squeak. He'd never seen the governor so furious before. Of course he'd seen him angry but this time, his fury was deadly cold and far more frightening.

"Who ordered the Commander's sedatives?"

"I… I don't know. Commander Fariu had been complaining about feeling unwell all morning, Sir."

"Find out." Markieer was seething. If this was allowed to continue his own promising Imperial career was finished. They had major security leaks of galactic importance, Imperial intelligence on its way and no one was effectively running the garrison. The Commander had been sedated with far more than his normal dose for a mere tension headache. "The Commander's sleeping draught could fell a full grown ronto for a week. He's been moved to sickbay because they can't awaken him."

The aide returned quickly. "It isn't exactly clear who arranged for the medicine, Sir. But Lieutenant Darklighter was the only one of the Commander's senior aides on duty at the time. She is his primary aide. She will know."

"I want to see her now."

"She's off duty."

"An imperial soldier is never off duty."

"Yes, Sir. I'll contact her at once."

"No – don't contact her," he murmured thoughtfully staring at a pad Nerano had left on his desk at government headquarters. "Send a team to her rooms to escort her to the Commander's office."

"You think that Lieutenant Darklighter…? Yes, Sir." The aide saluted quickly and almost ran from the office.

The Governor sighed. He was surrounded by incompetence and treachery. The data contained on that pad indicated that Nerano was currently investigating the woman he wanted to see.

Switching on the computer, he brought up the files of the staff closest to Commander Fariu. Lieutenant Darklighter's record was exemplary but all the evidence pointed to her as the probable traitor in their midst. He tapped some commands into the computer and brought up some of his own files. Nerano's information coupled with his own made interesting reading – very interesting. He knew now that Chaptor had been a spy. The real Lieutenant Chaptor had been dead for six months. Yes, the man masquerading in the dead soldier's place had been an agent sent to liaison with in someone in this very office. There was only one person who had the training and the background.

Now he had to make an example of a rebel sympathiser. There was no doubt in his mind that Darklighter was probably one. She had access to all the files and the information. Switching on the com unit he barked, "Nerano!" He was surely back by now - it had been over four hours ago.

Nothing – no reply.

Grinding his teeth with irritation he flicked another switch. "This is the Governor. Could you page Lieutenant Nerano? He is due to report to me now." He knew Nerano was somewhere around. The man had been on his staff for over a year and took his duties very seriously.

The voice on the desk nervously answered, "I was just about to contact you on this matter. The lieutenant should have checked in an hour ago. It is very unlike him to be late. We cannot locate him anywhere in the building."

"Damn!"

The aide coughed timidly. "Neither can we locate Lieutenant Darklighter. She is also not present in the building. We have just checked her quarters and some of her possessions are missing."

"Check Lieutenant Nerano's rooms." Markieer let his head droop for a moment. Nerano couldn't be a spy too – could he?

"Yes, Sir."

Markieer got up from Fariu's desk and began to pace. He couldn't believe they'd all been so careless. He'd thought the security was reliable. Yes, there had been problems of late but they'd checked and tightened security many times and had still found nothing. He was quite familiar with the quiet assistant to Commander Fariu. She'd been investigated repeatedly as had all soldiers in her type of position and had always passed whatever clearance levels were required for whatever post she had covered. He wandered back to the desk and checked her file once more. 'From a planet on the Outer rim, parents dead…' His breath quickened. Where had her parents been killed? His answer flashed before him on the monitor. 'Parents killed on Alderaan. Of course, they had been killed when the Death Star had destroyed the planet.'

Had she undergone a psych test at that time? If she had, there was no record of it. In fact her Imperial service record was spotless – absolutely perfect.

Such things were possible but he was usually suspicious. He read on.

She had even served a stint on the Executor helping to set up computer systems before attending the diplomatic training centre on Coruscant. Markieer read the rest of the file. 'At present working on a twelve month placement on Triadon before returning to Imperial Centre to take up a diplomatic post.'

This female was on a fast track. It proved she had ability because only the best achieved the placement at the diplomatic centre. How much ability did she really have, he wondered?

He typed 'Darklighter' into the database and froze as reams of information began showing on the monitor. She'd had a cousin, one of the top cadets in his year who had defected to the Rebellion. Things were not exactly adding up but there were pointers. Someone should have looked at her file a little more carefully. The Outer Rim had long been a breeding ground for rebel traitors. Her parents had worked on Alderaan which had fostered the art of treachery and, finally, a close relative had defected to the Rebellion.

The com unit buzzed.

"Yes?"

"Lieutenant Nerano's quarters are undisturbed. All his things are there."

"Just not him," mused the Governor slowly.

"We found a highly sophisticated piece of computer equipment in Darklighter's quarters."

"Interesting, but no help to me."

"But it was completely fried, Sir. Something very powerful blew all its circuits. We're bringing it back with us so the techs can examine it. There is highly advanced circuitry in this piece of equipment."

"Good work." He pressed a switch and transferred to another channel. "Has the Commander regained consciousness yet?"

"No, Sir. He's still out."

Markieer bit off a curse and continued looking at the misplaced files. He had a feeling that he was too late. He just hoped that his aide, Nerano wasn't part of this. He didn't think he was and, consequently, he was concerned about the man's disappearance. Imperial officers didn't just disappear. Nerano had been at the Academy the same time as Darklighter. Could they be in this together? It was possible but something told him no. Further enquiries found that Nerano and Darklighter had been spending time together but also that Nerano had been investigating Darklighter's movements around the city. So, perhaps his aide had discovered the woman's treachery and was waiting for the correct moment to expose her. He hoped that would be now. That's what became of having women in the service.

He couldn't wait any longer and moved to the outer office. "Sound the alarm. We need to search the city."

"Yes, Sir."

"I'm heading to sickbay to check on the Commander."

The office staff lifted their heads from whatever they were doing and stared at him like a herd of bewildered banthas.

"We have a security leak here!" He exploded with rage at their inactivity. But he was dealing with soldiers who had been transferred away from the centre of the Empire for obvious reasons – ineptitude. "I take it you do not want to be cannon fodder?" His face reddened. "Get moving. I want results here." Markieer stormed from the office.

*******************************

"Governor?"

Markieer lifted his head from the security changes he was about to implement in the medical centre to protect the Commander who was still unconscious. "Yes?"

"It's about Lieutenant Nerano, Sir."

"Go on."

"One of the speeders is missing and just beside it we found evidence of what looks like a scuffle. We also found his rank cylinder bar."

"But he's a big man and she's quite small…"

"The techs have a theory, Sir."

"Techs always do. Enlighten me."

"It looks as if a large object was dragged and then loaded into a waiting vehicle. She could have stunned him and then…"

"Yes," Markieer sighed. "Thank you."

"There were only two sets of footprints. There is no sign of them."

"I didn't think there would be any sign of them but they must still be on planet." He turned his head as another soldier came running into the office, "What?" he barked.

The aide was almost trembling. "A virus has been introduced into some of the spaceport tracking systems. We cannot tell if any extra ships have landed to transport off planet or not. We don't think anything has arrived. The troops at the spaceport haven't reported any craft arriving or leaving in the past three hours. But the scanners have ceased to function, Sir."

Markieer's lips had gone white with suppressed rage. "They won't come in to the spaceport of course. It's being watched. Is there anywhere else nearby that a ship could land?"

"I… don't know."

"Well find out, damn it!"

*************************************************

Nerano groaned faintly. His head was throbbing and his limbs ached. He'd fallen asleep at his desk again, hadn't he? Not quite what he imagined as a cadet - an Imperial soldier with a desk job. His visions of glorious battles had been filed away for the moment but he knew they would come.

"He's awake."

The voice belonged to a young man holding a powerful looking blaster and, whoever he was, he was nervous. The anxiety quickened his voice.

'Awake?' Nerano tried shifting and found that he could only twitch a little. His hands and feet seemed to be bound. With another groan he tried to twist around but moving sent darting tingles through his stiff limbs. "Aahh!" he sighed as the darts became needles. His head felt thick and sluggish but he was catching on to one fact fast. He was bound hand and foot and he'd been hit with a stun bolt of some description. He remembered the effects from his training days at Raithal.

"Self destruct activated," an impersonal computer-generated female voice intoned in the background. "The facility will destruct in one hour."

Nerano came fully awake and tried to sit up. He realised that he was shackled to some sort of heating unit which thankfully, was cold. With effort, he forced his eyes to focus on the object nearest to him – a pair of dusty, black, imperial issue boots.

"I'm sorry, Franjeer," Maija said softly. "It's nothing personal."

Nerano moistened his dry lips. "I tried to stop you from leaving the base."

"Yes."

"And you stunned me."

"I couldn't let you stop me. My cover has been blown and it was time to get out. There's too much at stake here. Things are happening all over the galaxy and you've always been too blinded by your uniform to notice."

"So you are a Rebel. There have been clues all along and I foolishly ignored them." He spat disgustedly on the floor beside her feet. "After all that the Empire has done for you. This is how you repay it?"

"The Empire took me away from my family and ultimately killed them."

"That's a lie," he croaked.

"No." Maija's face was cold and set. "My parents died on Alderaan and the Empire built the battle station that destroyed it. An entire world, Franjeer. Someone pressed a button and million upon millions died and for what?"

"Because Alderaan was building weapons…"

"Alderaan had no weapons."

"Alderaan was full of terrorists."

Maija gave a scornful laugh. "Force, you really swallowed all the crap they fed us at Raithal. The Death Star would have destroyed more than Alderaan…" She shook her head pityingly. "In fact it did destroy more than Alderaan. The battle station was built by prisoners from a penal colony on a world called Despayre. That was the Death Star's first successful strike."

"If your rebel friends hadn't destroyed it instead. They're as bad."

"No… The Death Star destroyed the world on which it was built. They used slave labour to build it and once it was finished they blew them all away. Then they wanted somewhere to test it and they chose Alderaan. They wanted to show what they had. Fear keeps a lot of people in line."

"That's not true!" His mind returned to the little alien family he'd seen and how they'd been treated.

"Oh, yes," Maija said. "Prisoners of the state, alien undesirables… just gone in a heartbeat or shipped to the spice mines on Kessel or the slave mines on Alzoc III."

A quiet voice murmured, "She's telling the truth."

Nerano squinted up to find a thin, older man in a shapeless brown tunic standing watching him and behind him a boy. No, he was a young man. Must be about nineteen or twenty – Maija's age, there or thereabouts. "You're a rebel too. Of course you're going to say that."

"Believe what you want, son," the old man murmured gently. "But from where I'm standing the Empire hasn't done anything for me. Do I look so dangerous to your eyes?"

Rorri interrupted Rorek by bursting into sneering speech. He could not contain himself any longer. "The Empire is destroying my world," he laughed bitterly. "The Death Star was perhaps a quicker, more impressive method of destroying a planet but the Empire is managing to kill Triadon without a super weapon. This planet is irretrievably poisoned. The mining techniques the Empire has introduced, without precautions, is turning this world uninhabitable. In a few years we will not be able to live safely on it. Already the people are sick. The crops won't grow, the animals can't live…"

Nerano struggled to justify his faith in the Empire. "The raw materials are important. You are helping the Empire towards glorious victory."

Rorri's eyes blazed. "Listen to yourself spouting propaganda. Are you so brainwashed that you cannot see the truth?"

"He always was a loyal soldier," Maija's voice was soft. "It's the way he was trained. He cannot help it."

"That's no help to us when our people are dying. The rain that falls is already acid."

"It's always been like that here," Nerano muttered.

Rorek shook his head. "No, it once was a green and beautiful world. This part of the city was always industrialised, but nothing like this wasteland. The rapid deterioration happened when the Empire began the mining experiments."

"And what about my parents!" Rorri shouted suddenly, the pain on his face heartrending. "They've been rounded up. Taken from their home… from me."

"Purges." Maija's voice held a weary finality.

"Self-destruct in fifty minutes." The computer chose that moment to remind them.

"We have to hurry, Jamia," Rorek said.

"I have to change," Maija mumbled.

"Clothes are through there."

Maija nodded and disappeared.

"Rorri…" Rorek gently touched the youth on the shoulder. Stop glaring at our… visitor. He hasn't done us any harm."

"He's one of them," the boy spat, hatred darkening his face.

Nerano was taken aback at the loathing the young man held him in. He had thought that everyone wanted to be part of the Empire. Again, Nerano was seeing that not everyone agreed with what the Emperor wanted to do. He'd thought that dissidents and terrorists were somehow mentally sick, but the sheer ordinariness of the man and the boy were making him question what he had learned.

"Rorri," Maija's voice was calm. "He is a good man, just misguided."

They all turned towards her and Nerano noted that she had changed from her uniform into a black tunic and pants with a warm cloak and hood covering her hair.

"You have your uniform?" Rorek asked. "Genetic material?"

Maija nodded and pulled down her hood. She'd cut at least a foot off the end of her hair. "It was getting too long," she said with a tired grin. "Will that do? I do have a bag with nail clippings…"

Rorri frowned. "What for?"

"I'll tell you later." She gave Nerano an anxious look.

"Self-destruct in forty minutes."

"We have to go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Nerano bit out angrily.

"Then you die." Maija said coldly. "Untie his feet, but not his hands and keep the gun on him."

Rorek carefully disentangled Nerano from the heating conduit and untied his legs. "Get up."

Nerano stood up and felt Maija's pistol in the small of his back. "This time, it's not set to stun."

"You won't get away with this," Nerano warned.

"Maybe not, but we're going to try. Hurry up."

"Self destruct in thirty-five minutes."

"Move, Nerano," Maija instructed in her best parade ground voice and the Imperial soldier found that feet so used to following orders complied.

Rorek ran ahead and began to warm up the skyhopper. Nerano found himself pushed into the back with a grimly staring Rorri gripping on to his blaster. Nerano sighed. There was no chance of an escape here. One wrong move and the boy would blast him.

"There's not a lot of room." Rorri whispered.

"Doesn't matter."

"Drive, Jamia?"

The vehicle shot from its hiding place and headed to the south of the city. "Sithspawn!" Maija swore.

"What is it?" Rorek whispered.

"Patrols – up ahead. I should have guessed they'd be looking for me by now. Probably missed Nerano too."

Rorek peered at the navmap. "Take a left here and then twist around the end of that causeway over there. We should miss the patrol."

Her heart hammering inside her chest, Maija swung the vehicle away from the patrol and guided by Rorek's knowledge of the city outskirts drove them towards the old factory landing site.

"There they are!" Rorek shouted.

It was an old freighter, but by the way it swooped down to the landing pitch, it had been upgraded in the engine department. Rorek gave an admiring whistle.

"Everyone out," Maija barked. "And hurry." She picked up several bags, handing them to Rorri. "Up the ramp. It's opening."

"Are you sure this will work?" Rorek asked worriedly.

"I have no choice," she whispered. "Just make sure Rorri gets on board first."

"I will," he muttered.

She held on to her uniform. "I've wrapped everything inside it… my hair…"

"You have to let go of the detonator and then run."

"I'll drop it with my uniform as I leave the ship."

Rorek suddenly noticed that Rorri had paused and wasn't yet aboard the ramp of the freighter and was waiting for him. "Go on Rorri, we're just behind you," he shouted to the youth. He gave Maija a quick nod and raced after Rorri as fast as his legs could take him.

The ship hadn't even landed and yet the access ramp had opened. Nerano glimpsed a figure pulling Rorri and then Rorek on board. Then he realised that the ship wouldn't land. It didn't have the time.

"I can't let you do this," Nerano said. "Give up, Maija. You'll only get caught and they will too. Is that what you want?"

"You can't stop me." She turned to go.

"Darklighter…"

"I can't kill you," she whispered. "That would make me as bad as them."

"Give yourself up, Maija," Nerano tried again. "The Empire would be lenient. You must have information that could save you."

"Of course I do, but in saving me it would kill me. It would go against everything I ever believed in. Why don't you come with us, Franjeer? I know you have doubts."

"I do," he admitted painfully. "But not enough of them. I can't believe that your side is any better than my own."

"Then we are at an impasse," Maija said sadly. "Can you do one thing for me if you can?"

Nerano pressed his lips together neither agreeing to nor rejecting her request.

"Rorri's parents were rounded up in the latest set of arrests. If you could get them out? They are innocent in all of this," she added the small lie. "He's only a boy. He got involved with this because he thought it could save his world. It cannot. Lhinda and Krupek Chitipek. If you can? I know it will be difficult…"

"Maija…"

"I will not kill you, but you have to understand. To save them," she indicated the still hovering ship, "I must die." Then with a shaking hand, Maija raised her blaster pistol and shot Nerano cleanly in the chest. "Forgive me," she murmured, pressing something into his palm and dashing from the vehicle. Dropping the bundle of clothes she carried on the ground, she closed her eyes, murmured a quick plea for the Force to be with her and dropped a class two thermal detonator amongst them.

Rorri watching anxiously from the ramp gave a shrill cry as scarlet flame erupted around the skyhopper's ramp. "Maija!"

**********************************************

"Sir!" the aide shouted. "Over there…"

The fire burned brightly in the darkening gloom of evening drawing their attention to it. Already several storm troopers were running towards a small skyhopper which listed drunkenly to one side, flames licking at its nose and alongside the half open ramp.

Governor Markieer stepped from his covered speeder and looked around at the depressing, dilapidated surroundings. "What was this place?"

"A private hangar bay for one of the factories."

"You mean - this place had a cleared space launch permit?"

"Yes. It lightened the traffic at the spaceport."

"Was it revoked?"

The aide tapped into a data pad. "No," he muttered. "I'm afraid it wasn't."

"Vader's black mask!" swore Markieer. "That means a ship could have sneaked in this way." He clicked on his comlink. "Check all exit vectors from this position. I think we have a vessel outgoing. We check all extant permits and cancel them all. From now on nothing leaves this planet without my knowledge."

Suddenly one of the troopers involved in extinguishing the blaze that had drawn their attention to the burning vessel, gave a shout and pointed.

"What is it?" Markieer asked the Sergeant.

"There's a body lying inside the rebel vehicle."

"A body?" Markieer began to run.

The white clad stormtrooper spoke rapidly into his comlink. "It's Lieutenant Nerano and he's alive!"

"Alive…"

"He's unconscious and he has some burns to his body. We got here just in time. There's also some remains… looks like a thermal detonator did the damage." He picked up something lying on the ground and handed it to his superior.

Markieer rubbed the soot away from the warped piece of melted plasti. The rank cylinder of Maija Darklighter.

"There are pieces of uniform and stuff, but it looks as if she was consumed by the detonator."

Markieer frowned. It was all a little too convenient, but these detonators left very little evidence amongst piles of melted metal. "Check for any genetic material. If she was killed, then there should be evidence."

"Yes, Sir."

"He's alive?"

"Yes, but if we'd been any later the fire would have…"

Markieer watched as the prone body of Franjeer Nerano was carried out of the burning vehicle. He had suffered some quite serious burns as the fire on the ship had taken hold, but the most interesting thing was the thermal detonator still clutched in his hand. Despite being shackled and stunned Nerano had probably killed the Imperial spy. He would certainly get a promotion for this.

But it wasn't over yet. They had a ship to catch – if there was one?

"Sir!" one of the troops called, pointing to a blackened area of duracrete. "Discolouration probably from exhaust fumes and this is newly done."

"So something did land here." He looked up at the sky. "Get the fighters up to stop them." But privately he had his doubts. A few minutes in a ship with a souped up engine could have them too far out of reach.

***********************************

"Maija!" Rorri's voice echoed in the empty cargo bay.

"It's okay, Rorri."

"What is she doing, apart from trying to kill herself?" Cullen Page leapt down the ramp and with a deep breath reached through the flames and pulled Maija away from the skyhopper and up the ramp of the ship.

"Thanks," she gasped.

"That was a little drastic, Lieutenant." Page murmured dryly. "Char!" he shouted. "Close the ramp and get us out of here," he yelled. "Hold on!"

Rorri and Rorek took Maija to the passenger area and carefully strapped themselves into seats as the ship gave a lurch and accelerated upwards. After a few moments, Rorek handed Maija a medipack.

"Here," he said gently. "Your face…"

"I'll do it, she whispered. "Look after Rorri; he's just left the only home he's ever known. He'll be in shock."

"What about you?"

"I got a little toasted back there. I'll be okay."

"You got more than toasted, Maija."

"I don't feel anything," she said. It was true, she felt totally numb. "We discussed it. I had to stay in the flames for as long as I could stand."

"Well, as long as you're alright," Rorek said doubtfully.

"I will be. Now I'm where I belong."

Page tapped her on the arm and frowned when she paled. "Come on, we need you up front."

"Of course," she muttered, her eyes stricken as she peered out the viewport at the burning remains of the skyhopper.

"He'll be okay!"

"I didn't want to hurt him."

"He wasn't going to change sides. His training has been too thorough."

"I know, but for a moment I thought he might have come with us. He has doubts. I know he has."

"To be a committed part of the Rebellion you have to have than just doubts, Maija."

"Cullen, get yourself up here!" Char shouted urgently.

"Come on, we need to get out of here. They're not that stupid and will figure out where we are eventually. They will be scrambling fighters and will want to destroy us. They don't care about prisoners." Page headed for the cockpit at a run.

Maija followed him as fast as she could. "The boy has information. I don't know what it is."

"I'm not a boy. I'm the same age as you." Rorri shouted defiantly after the two rebels. "I sent the system virus we created. It should give us a bit of time."

"Could he man a gun?"

Rorri bristled. "Of course I can. My parents saw to it that I knew how to."

"Good." Page's voice was clipped. "Come on, Maija."

She gulped. "Okay." But as she left for the cockpit she whispered, "I'm sorry, Franjeer. I hope you're not hurt too badly."

*******************************************

After a tense few moments waiting for an Imperial threat that did not arrive, they made the jump to light speed long before the larger and more agile ships could give chase. A few old TIE fighters were mobilised but Rorek, Page and Rorri picked them off with ease.

"Welcome to the Rebel Alliance," murmured Page looking at his passengers. An old man, a bewildered boy and a blank faced girl, with, he noticed worriedly, severe burns on her face, hands and arms.

Page frowned. "How long until we get to the base?" he muttered to Char.

"A couple of days… I have to make a few jumps to make sure we aren't tracked."

"I don't like the look of the girl. She needs a medic and fast."

"That's our operative?" the twilek muttered. "When did we start sending children in to do such dangerous work?"

"When the Empire started killing children," Page answered. "She is quite a lady. A very cool head on her shoulders. Sometimes I think she's too cool. Danger doesn't worry her like it should."

"Hey!" Rorri rushed into the cockpit, his face frantic with worry. "It's Jamia… I mean, Maija. She just collapsed."

"I'm on my way." He gave the twilek a grimace. "See if you can do it in one jump less, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, boss."

Rorri and Rorek had half lifted, half dragged Maija to a bunk and the old man had already ransacked the medipack for supplies. Page frowned and administered a sedative. "That should keep her out until we get to base camp."

"She'll be all right?" Rorek queried.

"I hope so. Jumping into a thermal detonator is not what I would have advised anyone to do. But I can see why she did it. Keep an eye on her temperature. There are bacta packs and cooling gel salve in the medipack."

"Sir!" Rorri asked. "How long will it take us to get…" he hesitated, "where we need to go?"

"Page," he said, shaking his head at Rorri. "My name's Page but I can't tell you where we're going."

The young man nodded. "I understand. But you will know who to give this to." He held out the datacards his mother had given him. "The information held on these is vital to the Rebellion. My parents…"

Page nodded. "I know who to give it to." Something in his gut twisted. He knew the innocent looking cards were important.

"When the information came in from my father, she… my mother went white. He was arrested first. She was picked up not long after."

"But she made sure you had copies and were safe."

The young man swallowed and gave a hesitant nod. "I don't know if I'll ever see them again."

"I wish I could reassure you, son, but I cannot."

"I know." The resolve in Rorri's voice told Page that the young man had grown up in a matter of a few fraught hours. He stared down at Maija's blistered face. "She will be okay?"

Page nodded. "I think so. Now try and get some sleep."

**************************************************

Nerano groaned. He felt as if he was on fire. She had stunned him again.

"Careful, Lieutenant."

He awoke for the second time in the medical facility in the Triadon Garrison and was surprised to find himself covered with bacta bandages.

"What happened?" asked.

"I was hoping you were going to tell me that,"" Governor Markieer said.

"All I remember is a blaster pointed at my chest and then nothing."

"You had a thermal detonator in your hand and we have evidence that a thermal detonator killed Lieutenant Darklighter."

"She's dead?" Nerano's voice betrayed his shock.

"Yes."

"She said to save them she had to die. That was the last thing she said to me. She wanted me to defect to the Rebellion. She wanted me to go with her, but I could not. I tried to make her turn herself in…"

The Governor patted him carefully on the shoulder.

"Sir! She was in my class at the Academy. We were friends back then. We helped each other out. She helped me with Academic work and I helped her with her fitness. She was only fourteen when she arrived at the Academy. I hadn't seen her since we graduated."

"You don't have to talk, Nerano. You only did your duty."

"She was brilliant, Sir. There wasn't a computer system she couldn't master or a code she couldn't break."

"I read her file. Brilliant, as you say, but flawed."

"She was protecting the others."

"And they were?"

"An old man and a boy. Rorek and Rorri, she called them. They got away. She died so they could escape."

"You did well, Nerano. You'll get a promotion for this."

The large man wondered why he didn't feel any better about this. "My parents will be delighted. I hope I can continue to serve you, Sir."

"I hope so too."

"I wonder what information the rebels had."

"They had information?"

"The boy was carrying something," Nerano said. "I don't think he knew what it was."

"There were some unauthorised downloads, but nothing that could hurt us. Nothing important. Get some rest."

"Yes, sir." Nerano closed his eyes but his mind was busy. A mindless death for nothing important? What was it that drove these rebels to such futile gestures? He had no idea.

*******************************************

The light was too bright. Maija squinted into it and then closed her eyes.

"She's coming round." The voice seemed to come from directly above her head.

"Hey!"

Maija opened her eyes again. It wasn't so bright, but everything was fuzzy. "Water…" she croaked.

"Here," the voice said.

She took a sip and then slumped back on her pillows. When she opened her eyes again she was alone. A quick survey of her surroundings told her very little, but she was in a well-stocked medical bay. Possibly on board one of the big Mon Calamarian frigates.

"Finally, Lieutenant." A droid whirred beside her. "It is good to see that you are on the road to recovery. You sustained some nasty injuries."

"I did?"

"You did. I would suggest that stepping near a thermal detonator is not advisable in future."

"Yes doctor," she muttered meekly.

"You have visitors, anxious to know of your recovery."

"I do?"

"Maija." Rorri's eager voice breezed into the medical centre.

"Rorri?"

"I just got word…"

"Word?" she said.

"My parents were released and have managed to leave Triadon."

"Left…" She had mastered one word at a time it seemed.

"We're expecting them very soon," the deeper voice said calmly.

"Page," she said.

"You gave us a bit of a fright, for a while," he said.

"Sorry."

"Rorek and I…" Rorri hesitated.

Maija understood. "You're leaving?"

"We're going to a Rebel base. My parents will be joining me there. Page says there's loads of stuff I can to do to help the Rebellion."

Maija stretched out her hand and was surprised to find it bandaged. "I've never known anyone able to build and strip a com centre as fast as you, Rorri. May the Force be with you."

The young man blushed and smiled. "Thanks. What are you going to do?"

"I… I don't know."

Page intervened. "I have several ideas to put to Lieutenant Maija, Rorri. Don't worry. We'll look after her. She has a very special talent."

Maija froze. "I do?"

"Oh yes," Page murmured. "You do."

*****************************************************

Page grinned to himself as he waited quietly outside the officer's mess. He'd requested that the general he wanted to speak to be denied his early leaving window until he'd been approached.

"General Xen?" He stopped a wiry, grey haired man, with piercing eyes and a hooked nose as he left the room.

"Ah, Lieutenant Page. How are special ops these days?"

"I can't tell you that, Sir." Page grinned at the older man. "It's classified."

"It would be." The general glared at the younger man for a few moments before breaking into a gusty laugh. "So I have you to thank for the delay in my departure?"

"Whatever makes you think that, General?" Page said with a smirk.

"Hmm, I know you too well, Cullen. Well, out with it, man. I would like to get back to my people soon."

"I have a new addition to your staff."

"You do, eh?"

"Admiral Ackbar found her most helpful on Home One during her convalescence, Sir."

"He did?"

"He has requested her, should things escalate."

"Of course."

I want you to keep an eye on this one for me."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, yet, but I think she has hidden potential."

"Oh, yes?" The general's sharp eyes gleamed.

"This is the best code encryptor the Rebellion has seen in years and with Imperial diplomatic training too. She should serve as a useful addition to your staff." He handed over a data pad file. "She's been undercover for most of her military career until now."

General Xen Xenon inserted the card into the slot on his computer and waited. "Page!" he said with surprise. "How old is this one?"

"Not old enough," Page muttered. "Accelerated programme. Outer Rim, parents killed on Alderaan. They were part of Organa's staff."

"Ah," the general murmured. "Poor kid. Bring her in."

Page clicked on his comlink. "Lieutenant."

The door hissed open and a slim woman walked in, smartly dressed in a perfectly pressed and fitted Rebel Alliance uniform."

Lieutenant Maija reporting for duty, Sir." Maija was unclear why she had continually avoided using her surname since she had joined the Rebellion but perhaps it might complicate things. Biggs was considered to be quite the hero. Plus there was the other matter of relatives she didn't want people to find out about. The ability in the Force she'd been born with hadn't returned. She wondered if it ever would.

The general stared at the woman. Small and pale with dark eyes and dark hair scraped back under her hat. She didn't look old enough to fight but, according to Page, had been one of his best undercover agents until her cover had been blown.

"Lieutenant Maija… Welcome to the Rebel Alliance."