Title: Rebel Cry
Author: AdraLoran
Disclaimer: Alright, I'm only saying this ONCE: Star Wars is copyright LucasFilms, Inc. and George Lucas. The only characters that I will claim to own are any ones you do not recognize from the books and Adra Tallon, my main girlie. ^_^ That is all!

Chapter One – The Imperial Academy

My mother has told me for the longest time that all bad things in life come with something good. I have yet to find something good about the only child and daughter of Imperial General Trude Tallon. I may only be nine years old, but that doesn't mean anything.

I suppose there are little things that can be good about being a respected Imperial officer's daughter, but none that are long lasting. The fact that if I want anything it's there, that if I have any troubles at all my father will try to fix it, none of that matters. Because he's just fixing the problem until some other one arises. My father fixes problems with money; I'd rather he fix them with love. I'd rather him give all the credits we don't need to those who do. My mother tells me I'm too much of a libertarian. I don't even know what that word means, but by the context my mother uses it in, I get the feeling she doesn't mean it as a compliment.

A sigh escapes me as my mind returned from it's little walk in the park. On the screen in front of me is the holovid "Win Or Die", starring Garik Loran. My mother loves his movies, though I can't see why. All they're about is supporting the Empire. Not that I'm allowed to say I don't think the Empire's right. My mother thinks it would be 'just wonderful' if I marred Garik Loran some day. I think she's crazy. I don't ever want to marry a person that's so...so...obsessed with the Empire. While I can admit that I think he's very cute, I cannot see 'The Face' Loran deserting the Empire. He just fits the part too well. It was unfortunate, but that was life.

Sith Lords, I hope he deserts. I'll be waiting here on the other side when he does.

As I wake the next morning, I realize was today is. No, it's not some horrible Imperial celebration. Nor is it my father's or mother's birthday. No, today is the glorious day I go back to the Imperial Academy. Well, I suppose that's not a glorious thing in all respects, considering that means I'm going to be going back to a school where the youngest people there are 16 year olds. They're double my age! I don't know how, but two years ago my father made a few deals with the men in charge of "running" the Academy.

Somehow he managed to get me into the Academy when I was seven. All of the other Cadets would gawk at me; occasionally some of them would come actually talk to me. In the Academy, secrets usually weren't kept long. My being the daughter of an Imperial General was one of them that suffered this fate. It was three days into my first spell at the Academy when one of the other Cadets I was scheduled to go into the sims with decided to start on me. I can remember him as clearly as if he were mocking me yesterday. He had been asking me to tell him why I got special privileges, why I got to come to the Academy when I wasn't even half anyone's age. I didn't answer him.

The Cadet, Cadet Tarit I learned later, had made comments as to how my father must be really big headed to think that maybe his daughter could fly a TIE fighter in any way like he could. He thought he was insulting me, I'm sure. Cadet Tarit couldn't have known how wrong he was. I couldn't have agreed more with what he said.

I beat Cadet Tarit in the sims that day. After that he didn't taunt me; hasn't taunted me since. After I beat him, I moved from your average TIE fighter through the 'levels' until I could fly a Interdictor or an Advanced TIE with my eyes closed.

So today was our first day back. The commanders in charge of instructing us told us we would be going in the sims today against a person of the instructor's choosing. When my name was called, I saluted and waited for orders. I wasn't the only one waiting. I could just feel the other people in the room brimming with anticipation as to who was going in, and a slight bit of nerves ebbing off from the same source. However, who I went against was an odd kind of 'fiction' for me. In the simulator 'craft' next to me sat my last year's instructor. Every other Cadet had gone against my instructor last year before the summer 'break' began.

I had wondered then why I had not also gone against him. This year, however, I found out why. I was the first into the sims after the break and that was obviously not something done solely by chance. My father had been called away to battle two weeks before it was time for me to get back to the Academy. As my former instructor and I walked towards the sims, I looked up once and in that time I saw my father's face. Quickly I lowered myself into the sim cockpit, looking up over the top once again to see if it had been merely a trick of the light of if my father was actually here.

He was.

Strangely, I couldn't care less. By everyone's standards, I was just a good pilot. A really good pilot. However, the instructors probably told my father this. Now the only thing I was torn between was whether or not to just vape my former instructor right off or to let him vape me so that my father wouldn't have another thing to brag about.

While I may hate my parents, I still have my pride. Letting my former instructor vape me was entirely, one-hundred percent out of the question. Better let them have something to brag about now because next week I may not be here for them to brag over.

The sims were activated once I'd settled in and immediately I saw that this wasn't the sim I'd been expecting. The simulators put us in absolutely blank space. There was nothing to hide behind, nothing do duck under, nothing to distract our attentions. My tactical screen at once showed my opponent: he was coming up behind me, quite fast at that.
I urged my TIE forward, at the same time rolling it off to the port side. My craft rolls effortlessly, smoothly falling into place behind the other TIE. Quickly I break the roll, in the same instant firing my lasers, careful to not let my opponent behind me again.

As he feigned left, instead of turning after him, some unknown 'instinct' told me not to but rather to dive down again. This 'instinct' was right. His maneuver was perfectly executed, the only problem being that I was right there to meet him when he dove.

The TIE dove towards me and my blazing guns, it's pilot's only saving grace was that this was not an actual fight. Three standard seconds later the other TIE broke out in flames, one of it's wingtips flying out into 'space'.

Another second passed and then the sim screen went blank, showing nothing of the five minute fight that had been carried out there. I climbed out of the 'cockpit' and was greeted not only by my opponent, Commander Rett, but also by my father and his entourage.

The intense look of boastful pride on my father's face instantly made me wish I'd let Commander Rett vape me. What drove me to be the best was not so much to make my father look good. No, it was to make everyone look bad- the Empire and also my father- when I deserted.

I saluted crisply to my father- no, that's not right. I wasn't saluting to my father. I was saluting to Imperial General Tallon. The difference between the General and my father was plain enough to me, even if it wasn't to everyone else.

Vaguely I saw Commander Rett salute to the General and as he did, I realized something. Despite them trying to make me into an Imperial, I'm just not one. I'd known that for a while, but just now was when I finally put together that, while I had General Tallon's last name, I could never think of myself as his daughter. Add that to the fact that I was doing everything in my power to desert, and I'd be called a traitor...

Or a Rebel.

Yes, I liked the sound of that one. Rebel meant New Republic to all the Imperials and that meant perfect to me. All I would need is some Dark Lord to come around and read my thoughts and then announce my traitorous thoughts right now to not only a group of high-ranking instructors and over 500 other cadets, but also the residing general of Bastion and it's system.

Suddenly I felt as if I were standing alert to an enemy officer and I absolutely hated it. I had to find a way out of here.

The General and those with him had given us a salute in return, but I had hardly noticed. Only the sharp order that rang from General Tallon brought me back to some sense of here and now.
"At ease," General Tallon's voice rang out. As if one, all of us in the room changed our position, our hands meeting each other behind our backs as we rebalanced on our now-foot apart feet.
General Tallon's eyes swept the room, a silent inspection, then came back to rest upon Commander Rett and myself. Though his face was the familiar military blank, my eyes locked onto his and I could see the flickering fondness behind them. And in some way I caught his emotion of surprise as the Imperial recognized the hatred I knew glared at him from my eyes.

He didn't say anything for a minute and I could tell he was debating reprimanding me as his daughter or just continuing as if he didn't notice. Thankfully he chose the latter because, quite frankly, I would've yelled back at him. And I don't think the assembled audience would've been impressed.

"Well done, Cadet Tallon. I've only received good reports from the instructors," he said. That was a lie, I knew. He'd received plenty of reports about my 'practical jokes'. Of course, then he'd also receive my reports on how 'Cadet Tallon is efficient and possesses skill with the spacecrafts' which would always lighten his day. However, it was not my duty or right to report such things at present. My duty was to act please with the 'compliment'.

So I tried, "Thank you, General."

The General nodded to me, then released my gaze to walk down the cadet line and then meet up with Colonel Naam. The General and the Colonel went off, the Colonel obviously giving him further reports.

I stood where I was, glaring after his back until he was out of sight. Then the stares of all the people he had been with seemed to penetrate my head. They were looking at me as if debating pulling rank on me and telling me to wipe the expression off my face or rather to remain silent because of what I could tell General Tallon and then what he'd do to them.

Before they could decide, I whirled around on my heel, walked deliberately to the storage room, grabbed a blaster, and then shot about six bolts at the door that had rolled shut behind the General and the Colonel.

Everyone stood there, stunned. Then the other cadets started muttering loudly and I distinctly heard the words "dysfunctional" and "family" and "problems" in the same sentence. Well, hats off to them because for once in their vaping lives, they're right.