"Wake up.........kid......." Tek heard the voice coming in and out of hearing, the volume rising and falling. How peculiar. "Hey..........wake up....."
"What?" he groaned.
"Come on, wake up."
He blinked a few times, the world coming back into shape. "Where am I?"
"The classic cliché. You're in a cheap hotel with a very bad smell coming in from the hallway." His eyes cleared and he recognized Jaina sitting on a chair across from him. "What happened?"
"Rather an interesting story. You got shot; they stunned you. We held them off for a bit, then three all fired at Danni at the same time. One got through. Meanwhile, I pulled you behind a rock. After a moment or so Ja-, I mean Col. Fel, went down. For some reason, they stopped firing. They have Danni and Fel captive, but somehow managed to overlook the two of us."
"So where are they?"
"How am I supposed to know that? They headed east. There's an entire planet over there to be searched."
"Well, they can't have gotten too far. How long have they been gone?"
"As of five minutes ago, twelve hours." Tek gave a low whistle. "But during that time I ran a few simulations over there." She pointed to a small computer sitting on a tarnished metal table. "Nothing yet, but General Antilles has, many times, said that one should always remain optimistic. It confuses your enemies."
"Why, are they spying on us?"
"Not likely, but that's the other thing he has said. Assume they are."
A tone sounded from a portable communications system Jaina had taken with them from her X-wing. She leaned over and hit a switch. "Solo here."
"Jaina, this is General Antilles." Both Jaina and Tek jumped to their feet as the face of the general materialized on the table. "How are things going there?"
"Things? They're going fine." Tek could see her hands twisting nervously behind her back. "Everything is under control."
"Have you found anything of interest?"
"Yes. There has been increased hostile activity from the Tusken Raiders as well as rumors of an illegal spice trade."
"Interesting." Wedge frowned. "Can I speak to Fel a moment?"
"Fel? A moment?" A few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Um, he's not here right now."
Wedge's frown deepened as he said, "Indeed, and why not? Where is he?"
"I, um, kind of, well, don't know." She gave a short, nervous laugh.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" An edge crept into the general's voice.
"Well, you see, the thing is..."
"Jaina, answer me. What has happened that you wouldn't know where he is? I see Iod, but what about Danni?" Her silence gave the obvious answer. "Jaina, please tell me that you didn't manage to lose your two biggest resources for this mission. Tell me what happened!"
Hesitantly at first, Jaina began her explanation of the encounter with the Sand People. Wedge let a silence fall when she had finished. He regarded her sternly, his forehead wrinkling deeply. "I must admit that I am very disappointed. I thought that, as you were a Jedi and had done much more difficult things, that you would be able to do something like this. I guess I was mistaken. I'm sending reinforcements."
"Please, sir, don't bother. The situation is under control. I can handle it."
"Under control? Don't kid yourself. Two of your people, half of your strike team, is missing. I can have people there in two days. At least try to stay alive until then."
There was a second of static before the image went blank. Jaina sank back into her chair, her expression grim. "It's not that bad," Tek said, trying to sound comforting. "We'll find them."
"By searching the whole planet? I am in such a hole. If the wrong people get wind of this, there could be a court-martial in it for me."
"You won't get court-martialled."
"Not to mention a loss of my command of the Twin Suns."
"Now that one I'm not so sure about."
"Then there's the part where General Fel swears revenge for my losing his son in the middle of a desert."
"I hate to say it, but that's highly probable."
Jaina groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I'm doomed."
"Not if we find them before reinforcements get here."
"That only gives us two days."
"Yes, but we might as well give it a try."
"You're right," she sighed. "And we won't get anywhere sitting around here. Come one."
"Where are we going?"
"To talk to the Tusken Raiders."
"What?" he groaned.
"Come on, wake up."
He blinked a few times, the world coming back into shape. "Where am I?"
"The classic cliché. You're in a cheap hotel with a very bad smell coming in from the hallway." His eyes cleared and he recognized Jaina sitting on a chair across from him. "What happened?"
"Rather an interesting story. You got shot; they stunned you. We held them off for a bit, then three all fired at Danni at the same time. One got through. Meanwhile, I pulled you behind a rock. After a moment or so Ja-, I mean Col. Fel, went down. For some reason, they stopped firing. They have Danni and Fel captive, but somehow managed to overlook the two of us."
"So where are they?"
"How am I supposed to know that? They headed east. There's an entire planet over there to be searched."
"Well, they can't have gotten too far. How long have they been gone?"
"As of five minutes ago, twelve hours." Tek gave a low whistle. "But during that time I ran a few simulations over there." She pointed to a small computer sitting on a tarnished metal table. "Nothing yet, but General Antilles has, many times, said that one should always remain optimistic. It confuses your enemies."
"Why, are they spying on us?"
"Not likely, but that's the other thing he has said. Assume they are."
A tone sounded from a portable communications system Jaina had taken with them from her X-wing. She leaned over and hit a switch. "Solo here."
"Jaina, this is General Antilles." Both Jaina and Tek jumped to their feet as the face of the general materialized on the table. "How are things going there?"
"Things? They're going fine." Tek could see her hands twisting nervously behind her back. "Everything is under control."
"Have you found anything of interest?"
"Yes. There has been increased hostile activity from the Tusken Raiders as well as rumors of an illegal spice trade."
"Interesting." Wedge frowned. "Can I speak to Fel a moment?"
"Fel? A moment?" A few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Um, he's not here right now."
Wedge's frown deepened as he said, "Indeed, and why not? Where is he?"
"I, um, kind of, well, don't know." She gave a short, nervous laugh.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" An edge crept into the general's voice.
"Well, you see, the thing is..."
"Jaina, answer me. What has happened that you wouldn't know where he is? I see Iod, but what about Danni?" Her silence gave the obvious answer. "Jaina, please tell me that you didn't manage to lose your two biggest resources for this mission. Tell me what happened!"
Hesitantly at first, Jaina began her explanation of the encounter with the Sand People. Wedge let a silence fall when she had finished. He regarded her sternly, his forehead wrinkling deeply. "I must admit that I am very disappointed. I thought that, as you were a Jedi and had done much more difficult things, that you would be able to do something like this. I guess I was mistaken. I'm sending reinforcements."
"Please, sir, don't bother. The situation is under control. I can handle it."
"Under control? Don't kid yourself. Two of your people, half of your strike team, is missing. I can have people there in two days. At least try to stay alive until then."
There was a second of static before the image went blank. Jaina sank back into her chair, her expression grim. "It's not that bad," Tek said, trying to sound comforting. "We'll find them."
"By searching the whole planet? I am in such a hole. If the wrong people get wind of this, there could be a court-martial in it for me."
"You won't get court-martialled."
"Not to mention a loss of my command of the Twin Suns."
"Now that one I'm not so sure about."
"Then there's the part where General Fel swears revenge for my losing his son in the middle of a desert."
"I hate to say it, but that's highly probable."
Jaina groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I'm doomed."
"Not if we find them before reinforcements get here."
"That only gives us two days."
"Yes, but we might as well give it a try."
"You're right," she sighed. "And we won't get anywhere sitting around here. Come one."
"Where are we going?"
"To talk to the Tusken Raiders."