Hey all.Ok.third chapters up. R&R if you love me! P.S. Cuthbert is an American name meaning "brilliant". I just couldn't resist. Ok...Enjoy!!

Chapter 3: Midnight Serenade

Hoffman growled as he stormed down the hallway. Just who the hell did Sandra think she was talking back to him in front of the prisoners? She had no right to do that. She had no right to do this. She would not take his base from him. He was Tarkin. Grand Moff Tarkin. He'd show her.
He stopped and thought for a moment, a plan forming in his mind. Yes, he'd show her. Sniffling a mad chuckle, he walked down the corridor at a high speed. He'd see the rebels destroyed along with Sandra's dreams and hopes.

Wes jumped backwards and fell on his rear end and scrambled away quickly at the sight of a full grown Ripley jumping at him with its mouth opened. It was a worm. A worm with a big mouth, sharp teeth and legs and it was ugly. His brown eyes still wide with shock as the Ripley was repelled by the force field that held it in place. His hand was grasping his empty holster looking for a weapon to use against the horror that was trying to eat him.
"He's in a magnetic field. He can't hurt you."
Wes looked up at the young girl who stood above him. She stood five foot three looking down at him with green eyes. She wore her white hair in a tight bun and her ears where slightly pointed. She wore an over sized lab coat and held a clipboard in her arms.
She was young.couldn't have been older than nineteen and yet here she was, looking at the Ripley as if they were everyday things. He would have hated to have had her life.
"Sorry, I didn't catch your name." Wes said. He was trying to be smooth, but that didn't work out so well with him sitting on the floor.
"That's because I never said it. What are you doing here?" She demanded. "This is a lab, not a playpen. Get out!"
"Sorry," Wes grumbled getting to his feet. "Missed the tour and thought I'd show myself around."
"Well next time find someone who can show you where the playground is kid."
"Touchy Touchy."
"You'd better not touch anything!"
Wes held his hands up in mock defeat. "I'm not touching anything. Lighten up. I'm actually here to help."
The young lady looked at him skeptically. She moved over to one of the cages and put a Loving hand on the field. "I don't know if you can. The only way to bet these things is to destroy the planet. And Sandra refuses to allow that to happen."
"Destroying a planet should always be a last resort."
The girl sighed and looked at him suddenly looking tired. "It's over. We've lost. There is nothing more we can do."
"There is always something more we can do Miss..?"
"Myrrh. Myrrh Daystar. And you are?"
"Wes Janson at your service."
Myrrh raised an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. "Well, if you put it that way.you could help me convince Sandra to remove the best specimens and relocate them and blow up this planet."
Wes shuddered. Did this girl believe Sandra had a Death Star or what? "These are people Myrrh. Not Specimens."
"We are all specimens to somebody some where."
Wes shrugged. She had a point. "So how many people do we have here?"
"Thirty Five thousand on planet. Three thousand of which are our people. At the most we can only move fourteen thousand and still get all of our people off. Any more than that and we won't be able to make it to the next habitable planet."
"You mean the next known habitable planet." Myrrh just blinked at him and than nodded. "So," Wes continued, "if we send one of the Star Destroyers out to find a planet with in say.. One of the surrounding solar systems.. Than we'd be able to move more than fourteen thousand people right?"
"Theoretically."
"So why don't we do that?"
"We've already tried. There are no habitable planets close enough to pull several runs."
Wes winced. "What if we left more Imperials here and transported the people to a planet and than come back for the Imperials?"
Myrrh sighed. "Sandra tried to do that..the men were not thrilled with the idea."
Wes looked thoughtful. It was a workable plan. But he could understand the Imperials reluctance to stay behind while the inhabitants were moved to a virtual paradise. Wes racked his brain for another solution. He had to assume that all the logical solutions were taken. So what has changed now that the Rogues where there? Wes nearly kicked himself at the obvious answer. He looked at Myrrh his boyish smirk back on his face. "So you need more ships right?"

Wedge glanced at Sandra. They were seated in the Mass hall at a small wooden table. Sandra had taken the bun out of her hair and it now hung down from a high pony-tail. She sipped quietly at her cup of caff before bringing her icy blue eyes to look at him. "And that should bring you up to date on our situation."
They had spent the last hour or so going over possible tactics and the situation layout. Wedge had sent Janson and Hobbie to scout the base and see what was where while Winter and Tycho went to contact Cracken. Page and Luke set off to get the initial opinions of the people leaving Wedge to debrief Sandra on the situation.
Sandra had been switching out the crew members on the ship for the ones on ground every month or so. This allowed for her people to take breaks from the hardships of what was going on around them.
All in all it seemed that Sandra had done everything she could to keep her people alive and as cheerful as they could be given the circumstances. He thought for a moment. "So the only solution out is moving the inhabitant.or at least as many as we can, and destroying the planet?"
Sandra's shoulders sagged under the weight of his words. "Pretty much. Unless you can come up with something better."
Her eyes locked on to his and below the cool exterior he saw the pleading for him to come up with something else.anything else.
Wedge's thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of Sandra comm. unit. Sandra yanked out the unit and spoke into it quietly. "Sandra here"
From the other end of a connection a female voice stated calmly. "Sandra its Macy. Hoffman's at it again."

Macy Tarika walked down the hallway brushing a strand of red hair out of her eyes. She had just spent the last two hours utilizing the base's simulators. The only decent form of amusement in the place.
Macy sighed as she approached her assigned quarters. If there was anything else to do around here besides flying simulator games, she'd be much happier. I wouldn't mind even flying a real TIE for once. Unfortunately, the only other thing to do was to go out and get killed by the Ripley. Hell, Macy shouldn't even be here. She should be on some paradise planet sipping some exotic drink and getting a decent tan. But no, she just had to get on the wrong transport.
A couple of months ago she had been on her way to Chandalla, a beautiful, peaceful planet neutral in the war. She had been running late and hurried onto the shuttle on platform 87 instead of 811. It was only when they had made the jump into Hyperspace that she realized that she was on a supply shuttle to some backwater world with a severe worm infestation. By than it was too late and the crew refused to turn around. When she had arrived she had been given quarters. Several moments past before Sandra came in and calmly explained that they could not expand the resources to get her to Chandalla. Instead, Sandra had given her access to the entire base minus the personal quarters.
To top things off, she had been hounded by the most insane person who ever walked. Cuthbert Hoffman was very annoying. When he had first seen her he refused to leave her alone. He'd come by every day at the same time trying to get her interest. Macy had called Sandra in to control him and it had worked..for a time.
Speak of the devil. Hoffman was standing outside of her quarters trying to look like the young Grand Moff that he so strongly believed that he was. Macy attempted to keep the annoyance off of her face as she approached. He didn't step aside to let her by. Instead he just looked at her and smiled trying oh-so hard to be handsome. You just can't be swave when your eighty-something and look not a day over one hundred thirty.
"Is there something I can help you with Hoffman? Did you forget where your quarters were again?" Macy allowed her voice to come out sweetly allowing for the affect of polite annoyance.
"No.And please stop calling me Hoffman Ms. Tarika. You do know better. Actually, I'm here to give you one last chance. You can either come with me, or you can stay here a die."
Macy suppressed an amused smirk. Hoffman regularly threatened to take over the base. But he always forgot about it on the walk to his room.

"I think I'll stay here. Better company. Now will you please let me by? I need to take a shower after our brief conversation."
Hoffman didn't budge. Instead he reached out and grabbed her arm which she quickly smacked away. "You will regret this."
"You're right. I regret not kicking your ass already." She yanked out her comm. unit and called Sandra.
"Sandra here." Her voice was distorted over the comm... But Macy still thought she heard a trace of exhaustion.
"Sandra its Macy. Hoffman's at it again." She looked at Hoffman and smiled sweetly.
"On my way."
Hoffman reached out and smacked the comm. away grabbing for Macy again.
Macy took a step back ready to punch Hoffman's lights out. But before she could Hoffman was being thrown to the floor by someone else. Macy blinked taking in the slicked-back blonde hair and blue eyes of the new male. He didn't hesitate to pick up Hoffman and pin him to the wall.
Hoffman struggled to free himself, but he just wasn't as strong as he thought he was. "Unhand me you filthy beast!"
"Forget it Hoffman. I don't know why you think you're Tarkin, but I'm willing to bet that even he didn't treat women the way you do."
Macy was holding back laughter. She couldn't help it.
"Put him down Hobbie. The last thing we need is to upset the poor man into having a long due heart attack." The male voice was distinctly Correllian and Macy turned to see a brown haired male walking beside Sandra.
Hobbie dropped Hoffman and watched him scurry off. "Sorry Wedge. He was starting to annoy me."
Ah, so that's why he looked so familiar. Wedge looked at Sandra as if not sure what her reaction would be. He managed a surprised and amused look as Sandra busted out in the case of the giggles. She went up to Hobbie and smoothly placed an arm around his shoulders. "Care to go on Hoffman duty?"
Hobbie looked at Wedge with a face that said 'I'm doomed'. Macy decided that he had to have practiced that look. "And what would that duty include?"
"Oh..Keeping him away from Macy."
Macy gave Sandra a very pointed look. "I can take care of myself."
"Yes, but you've been here for months. It's time you had a boyfriend and the last update from Intel clearly stated that Hobbie was free."
"Well.He is cute." Macy was rewarded by the slight pink that Hobbies ears were turning. "But you need a boyfriend too."
Sandra stuck her tongue out at Macy. Macy stuck her tongue out at her and watched Wedge's and Hobbies reaction to the Imperial Intelligence Agent acting like a kid.
"And anyway," Sandra continued returning almost instantly into her business persona. "If Hobbie keeps an eye on him than that's one less thing for me to worry about."
"True." She was cut off by the sound of running footsteps. She turned to catch Myrrh and another new Male.whom she identified as Wes since Wedge and Hobbie were already accounted for and Tycho had blonde hair. Both Wes and Myrrh had wide grins spread across their faces.
"We've got a plan!" Wes said through gasping breaths.
"What plan would this be?" Wedge replied. Macy looked at Sandra wondering what she would think about the Rogues making plans on her base with out her consent and was mildly surprised to see her face carefully neutral although a little bit of hope shinned through her eyes.
"We get Ackbar to lend us some ships to relocate the natives. And than we take care of the problem from space."
Wedge frowned. "Wes.were are we going to get the ships to do that? We're not exactly able to spare ships you know. "
Wes grinned even wider.if that was possible. "Sure we do. We just yank the taskforce that High Flight Squadron is on. So instead of attacking the supply shuttles, we allow them through and than we should have enough to get every native off the planet if we include the five star destroyers in orbit."
Sandra bit her lip. "Depending on the size of that task force, we might be able to pull it off. But we'd still have to leave the people here without air cover for the few weeks it would take to get them all to another planet." Myrrh's wide grin shrank a little. "I thought about that. We could leave High Flight Squadron here and even take a few of the spare x-wings their bond to have for the Rogues."
Sandra covered her eyes tiredly. "Do it. It's the best plan so far. And see if you can't get some supplies while you're at it."
Wes saluted and he and Myrrh headed off to carry out the plan they had put together.
Macy turned to the others. "So.Hobbie.How well do you fly?"
Hobbie looked taken aback. "Why?"
"Care to sim?"
Hobbie looked at her carefully and than shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Hoffman was on the verge of screaming. Those damned Rebels were causing problems. Sandra never should have allowed for them to have free reign of the base. They should have been detained and questioned for the location of the rebel base.
He marched into his room. It didn't matter. Macy had been given her choice. As soon as the opportunity came he'd make his move and than they'd be sorry they hadn't believed him. He'd make them sorry. He allowed a slight chuckle to come out very aware of the cameras that Sandra had placed in the room.
Soon.Very soon, he'd make his move. Now that he saw Myrrh leave her lab unprotected once, he just had to wait until she left it alone again.
And than he'd sit back and watch them all die.