Thanks to HotShot14 for your review (yes, the aliens are mine; I own them,
I can destroy them, I am their governing power in the univer- ok, I'll
stop)
Chapter 1
Luke Skywalker twisted his X-wing to the starboard side, dropping his velocity to one-quarter full and then gunning it for all he was worth. The TIE Interceptor behind him was caught flat-footed. As it roared past, cutting the throttle at a blistering rate, Luke caught it with a quad blast of his laser cannons. The Imperial ship blew into dust.
"How we doing?" asked the voice of Corran Horn, one of Wedge's Rogue Squadron boys, and an upper level leader in the growing resistance to Thrawn's coming regime. Most of Rogue Squadron had managed to escape destruction at Bilbringi, and had thrown in with the resistance afterwards.
"Pretty good, I think," Luke said. He stretched out with his senses for a brief moment. "No clone pilots left in the area."
"That's a relief," the Corellian pilot said with a sigh. "The sooner we get rid of all those guys, the happier I'll be."
"Agreed." Luke thought back to Wayland and the clone factory. Sure, they'd managed to wreck it, but who said Thrawn couldn't construct more, like he'd built his cloaking shield? The last thing the galaxy needed was another wave of clones in Thrawn's hands. After all, the last one had won the war for him, and they didn't need that again. Now that he didn't have an inexhaustible supply of soldiers, the resistance could rely on the principle of attrition again.
"How's our timetable looking?"
Luke jumped, looking unintentionally guilty at drifting off in the middle of space. That could get him and the rest of the X-wing pilots killed, and that would be a big blow to the resistance. That wasn't ego talking, but simple truth. They had few enough good leaders that to lose any one battle would be a horrendous loss for them.
He checked his database. "We're still okay. I'm gonna wait another five minutes for the guy to show, but then we're gone." This delivery was late, a strange thing in itself. Luke supposed that if the men on the other end of the chain had run into customs trouble that might delay them, it could be explained away, but the men they hired were very good at dodging the patrols. He hoped the Imperials hadn't gotten to them. They couldn't afford to be found out at this stage of the resistance.
"Incoming ship!" Corran barked over the comm system, and Luke shook himself out of daydreams and flicked all his systems to battle readiness. He saw the blip entering the system, but he couldn't see the vessel itself.
"What kind?" Luke asked, still searching for some sign of their supplier's freighter.
"Unknown," Corran said, "But it's big. Heavy freight size and well armed."
Luke finally caught a glimpse of the black craft as it slid across the sky towards them, and he gasped in startlement and admiration.
The main hull was a flattened cylinder with a dagger-pointed bow, studded with weapons pits. Two huge engines sat amidships on port and starboard, and they were braced by four curving wings that swept out from under and on top of them. The rear of the craft bulged into another cluster of engines glowing with a blue ion trail as it raced towards the X-wings. Luke had never seen a ship of this variety before, or anything that even came close to it.
"S-foils to attack position," he ordered, swinging his starfighter about to bring him on an intercept course with the unknown intruder. "Prepare for evasive maneuvers."
"Already done, boss," Corran said, and Luke noticed that he, too, was driving hard for the unidentified craft, laser cannons undoubtedly hot and ready to go.
A crackle of static burst over Luke's comm system, and he slapped at the switch irritably.
"Skyraider One," he called, a code name that would disguise him if any Imperials decided they would like to listen in on any conversations. No names were to be used on operations this deep into Imperial space.
"Do not attack my ship, Skywalker," a bubbly voice demanded over the static-filled device. "I do not want to be forced to destroy you or your companions."
Luke hissed under his breath, but called out on an all-bands frequency, "Break off the attack!"
"What?"
"You heard me, Two."
"Roger."
Luke turned back to the comm. "Satisfied, unidentified vessel?"
"Thank you, yes." The pilot paused and seemed to consider something, then spoke again. "I am here to bring you a message and an offer."
"An offer?" Luke said, confused but also suspicious. You never let your guard down when fighting in a rebellion. Never. "What kind of offer?"
"It's actually an offer for your commander, General Garm Bel Iblis," the voice said, and Luke grew even more suspicious. How did he know that they were under the direction of Garm Bel Iblis? They didn't make their affiliations public knowledge. Whoever the pilot of the ship was, he had good contacts. "He is based near here in the Kessel Sector, is he not?"
Luke ground his teeth together. This was getting annoying, and their unknown companion was getting a little too smug for his tastes.
Obviously, Corran thought so, too. "Who are you?" he demanded of the ship. "How do you know all this? We're not taking you anywhere till we're sure of your identity and safety."
"I suspected that it might come to this," the strange, bubbly voice said with resignation heavy in its tone. It seemed to have been expecting such a hostile reception. "My name, translated into your tongue, of course, is Hyasa El-doana. I am a member of the In'ca Din'ca race, and I come with an offer of alliance and assistance against the Grand Admiral Thrawn you fight against."
I know this chapter's really short, but I promise you, the next one's longer! Keep reviewing! -Sci-Fi Nerd
Chapter 1
Luke Skywalker twisted his X-wing to the starboard side, dropping his velocity to one-quarter full and then gunning it for all he was worth. The TIE Interceptor behind him was caught flat-footed. As it roared past, cutting the throttle at a blistering rate, Luke caught it with a quad blast of his laser cannons. The Imperial ship blew into dust.
"How we doing?" asked the voice of Corran Horn, one of Wedge's Rogue Squadron boys, and an upper level leader in the growing resistance to Thrawn's coming regime. Most of Rogue Squadron had managed to escape destruction at Bilbringi, and had thrown in with the resistance afterwards.
"Pretty good, I think," Luke said. He stretched out with his senses for a brief moment. "No clone pilots left in the area."
"That's a relief," the Corellian pilot said with a sigh. "The sooner we get rid of all those guys, the happier I'll be."
"Agreed." Luke thought back to Wayland and the clone factory. Sure, they'd managed to wreck it, but who said Thrawn couldn't construct more, like he'd built his cloaking shield? The last thing the galaxy needed was another wave of clones in Thrawn's hands. After all, the last one had won the war for him, and they didn't need that again. Now that he didn't have an inexhaustible supply of soldiers, the resistance could rely on the principle of attrition again.
"How's our timetable looking?"
Luke jumped, looking unintentionally guilty at drifting off in the middle of space. That could get him and the rest of the X-wing pilots killed, and that would be a big blow to the resistance. That wasn't ego talking, but simple truth. They had few enough good leaders that to lose any one battle would be a horrendous loss for them.
He checked his database. "We're still okay. I'm gonna wait another five minutes for the guy to show, but then we're gone." This delivery was late, a strange thing in itself. Luke supposed that if the men on the other end of the chain had run into customs trouble that might delay them, it could be explained away, but the men they hired were very good at dodging the patrols. He hoped the Imperials hadn't gotten to them. They couldn't afford to be found out at this stage of the resistance.
"Incoming ship!" Corran barked over the comm system, and Luke shook himself out of daydreams and flicked all his systems to battle readiness. He saw the blip entering the system, but he couldn't see the vessel itself.
"What kind?" Luke asked, still searching for some sign of their supplier's freighter.
"Unknown," Corran said, "But it's big. Heavy freight size and well armed."
Luke finally caught a glimpse of the black craft as it slid across the sky towards them, and he gasped in startlement and admiration.
The main hull was a flattened cylinder with a dagger-pointed bow, studded with weapons pits. Two huge engines sat amidships on port and starboard, and they were braced by four curving wings that swept out from under and on top of them. The rear of the craft bulged into another cluster of engines glowing with a blue ion trail as it raced towards the X-wings. Luke had never seen a ship of this variety before, or anything that even came close to it.
"S-foils to attack position," he ordered, swinging his starfighter about to bring him on an intercept course with the unknown intruder. "Prepare for evasive maneuvers."
"Already done, boss," Corran said, and Luke noticed that he, too, was driving hard for the unidentified craft, laser cannons undoubtedly hot and ready to go.
A crackle of static burst over Luke's comm system, and he slapped at the switch irritably.
"Skyraider One," he called, a code name that would disguise him if any Imperials decided they would like to listen in on any conversations. No names were to be used on operations this deep into Imperial space.
"Do not attack my ship, Skywalker," a bubbly voice demanded over the static-filled device. "I do not want to be forced to destroy you or your companions."
Luke hissed under his breath, but called out on an all-bands frequency, "Break off the attack!"
"What?"
"You heard me, Two."
"Roger."
Luke turned back to the comm. "Satisfied, unidentified vessel?"
"Thank you, yes." The pilot paused and seemed to consider something, then spoke again. "I am here to bring you a message and an offer."
"An offer?" Luke said, confused but also suspicious. You never let your guard down when fighting in a rebellion. Never. "What kind of offer?"
"It's actually an offer for your commander, General Garm Bel Iblis," the voice said, and Luke grew even more suspicious. How did he know that they were under the direction of Garm Bel Iblis? They didn't make their affiliations public knowledge. Whoever the pilot of the ship was, he had good contacts. "He is based near here in the Kessel Sector, is he not?"
Luke ground his teeth together. This was getting annoying, and their unknown companion was getting a little too smug for his tastes.
Obviously, Corran thought so, too. "Who are you?" he demanded of the ship. "How do you know all this? We're not taking you anywhere till we're sure of your identity and safety."
"I suspected that it might come to this," the strange, bubbly voice said with resignation heavy in its tone. It seemed to have been expecting such a hostile reception. "My name, translated into your tongue, of course, is Hyasa El-doana. I am a member of the In'ca Din'ca race, and I come with an offer of alliance and assistance against the Grand Admiral Thrawn you fight against."
I know this chapter's really short, but I promise you, the next one's longer! Keep reviewing! -Sci-Fi Nerd