For all the time I had known Clipper, he had always been perky and glad to
meet new people, especially or unless they were Jedi. -Jess Jess's Journal
She opened her eyes, daring to hope it would all be changed, that she wouldn't be here. It was exactly the same. Jess Jess gazed at the one little scratch in the paint on the wall and wondered if this was what Lusankya, the fabled Imperial torture planet, was like. Luckily, she would never know. It was really a Super Star Destroyer and now part of the New Republic Fleet. She thought how she'd gotten here and what she could've done differently.
General Dalpiez had led her and two flanking stormtroopers straight to the detention corridor, occasionally stopping to explain this special barrack or that historical workstation. From the moment he'd met the Imperials, Clipper had been acting up, trying to bite them or use what was left of his venom-coated tail to paralyze them. *He must have sensed their ill will with his Force ability,* she reflected. When Jess Jess finally realized where they were going and released her pet, the guards had proved their reflexes by drawing their blasters and shooting him with a medium-powered stun. She was then defenseless and was shocked by how pitiful he appeared, but he also had a kind of peaceful look on his face, one he only had when sleeping contentedly. Then one of the stormtroopers had hefted his massive weight and, with his partner, marched her to this cell, nonstop. Once they arrived, they dropped Clipper in the room next to hers and sent her in here.
At first, she had waited, hoping that they would decide this was a mistake and let her go home. Then she had tried to sleep, but there were too many unanswered questions in her mind for that. What were they charging her with? Had they intercepted her message to Branlo? If they did, how did they know him? Were they going to arrest her friends? Were they going to use her and Clipper to keep them from telling the New Republic? Or were they just going to put them to work here or at Kessel and keep the Vornskr? She thought it might have been one terrible nightmare, but when she opened her eyes, everything was as real as her self or the galaxy. Everything seemed disconsolate. There was absolutely nothing she could do.
She looked at her chrono. Clipper should have been awake by now, yet no sound could be heard from his cell. A terrible thought came to her mind. *Maybe that five- percent chance of a stun bolt killing proved the statistics on my buddy!*
The captain wondered what would become of her ship and her crew. Hopefully, Janua would know to unload it and get out of here. *They've got to tell the New Republic about this base. A sudden attack from an unknown source would be devastating. Or Bex could work up the nerve to go directly to Rogue Squadron.* For all the time Jess Jess had known her, she had memorized every fact about the group that was publicly available. You could call her a fan.
The plain white walls were really bugging Jess Jess. She stood and walked over to the scratch she'd been staring at. She pulled her pet's nail clippers out of her pocket and started scratching away with all her might. Before Janua had called, she'd been trying to cut the vornskr's fast growing claws.
A tiny flake of paint glided to the floor.
She dropped back on the imitation of a bunk that was the only feature in the room. Silence took over and she stared at the ceiling, wondering if it could be any plainer.
BLANG! The startling noise echoed through the cell, sounding like flesh slamming into the wall, followed by the spine tingling screech of long nails on the durasteel. The latter continued for several minutes while a Gungan smile stretched itself across Jess Jess's face and she breathed a sigh of relief. *Clipper's okay! The stun just knocked him out longer than I expected.* With the scratching infinitely continuing, she knew her faithful pet from Myrkr would try not to rest until he had broken through the indestructible wall.
She opened her eyes, daring to hope it would all be changed, that she wouldn't be here. It was exactly the same. Jess Jess gazed at the one little scratch in the paint on the wall and wondered if this was what Lusankya, the fabled Imperial torture planet, was like. Luckily, she would never know. It was really a Super Star Destroyer and now part of the New Republic Fleet. She thought how she'd gotten here and what she could've done differently.
General Dalpiez had led her and two flanking stormtroopers straight to the detention corridor, occasionally stopping to explain this special barrack or that historical workstation. From the moment he'd met the Imperials, Clipper had been acting up, trying to bite them or use what was left of his venom-coated tail to paralyze them. *He must have sensed their ill will with his Force ability,* she reflected. When Jess Jess finally realized where they were going and released her pet, the guards had proved their reflexes by drawing their blasters and shooting him with a medium-powered stun. She was then defenseless and was shocked by how pitiful he appeared, but he also had a kind of peaceful look on his face, one he only had when sleeping contentedly. Then one of the stormtroopers had hefted his massive weight and, with his partner, marched her to this cell, nonstop. Once they arrived, they dropped Clipper in the room next to hers and sent her in here.
At first, she had waited, hoping that they would decide this was a mistake and let her go home. Then she had tried to sleep, but there were too many unanswered questions in her mind for that. What were they charging her with? Had they intercepted her message to Branlo? If they did, how did they know him? Were they going to arrest her friends? Were they going to use her and Clipper to keep them from telling the New Republic? Or were they just going to put them to work here or at Kessel and keep the Vornskr? She thought it might have been one terrible nightmare, but when she opened her eyes, everything was as real as her self or the galaxy. Everything seemed disconsolate. There was absolutely nothing she could do.
She looked at her chrono. Clipper should have been awake by now, yet no sound could be heard from his cell. A terrible thought came to her mind. *Maybe that five- percent chance of a stun bolt killing proved the statistics on my buddy!*
The captain wondered what would become of her ship and her crew. Hopefully, Janua would know to unload it and get out of here. *They've got to tell the New Republic about this base. A sudden attack from an unknown source would be devastating. Or Bex could work up the nerve to go directly to Rogue Squadron.* For all the time Jess Jess had known her, she had memorized every fact about the group that was publicly available. You could call her a fan.
The plain white walls were really bugging Jess Jess. She stood and walked over to the scratch she'd been staring at. She pulled her pet's nail clippers out of her pocket and started scratching away with all her might. Before Janua had called, she'd been trying to cut the vornskr's fast growing claws.
A tiny flake of paint glided to the floor.
She dropped back on the imitation of a bunk that was the only feature in the room. Silence took over and she stared at the ceiling, wondering if it could be any plainer.
BLANG! The startling noise echoed through the cell, sounding like flesh slamming into the wall, followed by the spine tingling screech of long nails on the durasteel. The latter continued for several minutes while a Gungan smile stretched itself across Jess Jess's face and she breathed a sigh of relief. *Clipper's okay! The stun just knocked him out longer than I expected.* With the scratching infinitely continuing, she knew her faithful pet from Myrkr would try not to rest until he had broken through the indestructible wall.