The Rebel command station on Bothawui was located on the outskirts of one
of the planet's many large cities. Beyond the government district was a
shelf in the earth that led down to an open, grassy steppe. It was here
that the Bothans harbored the Alliance's pilots and officers in small,
circular white buildings that seemed to sprout out of the grassland.
In the center of the plateau was a massive clearing, which hid a pair of enormous metallic doors. When the doors shifted apart, the grassy covering retreated, and an extensive hangar was revealed below. The hangar contained three fighter squadrons consisting of X-Wings, A-Wings, and B-Wings. In addition to the fighters was a large, multi-level transport craft, which housed the Rebel commanders during interstellar flight.
The only other craft in the small fleet was a Bothan cruiser, which belonged to Captain Baaka Mal'lar.
Descending toward the clearing on the steppe, Baaka gave the appropriate clearance code and the hangar slowly opened under his ship. He waited for a few moments, sitting back in his chair and giving a sigh of relief. Although he was one of the fleet's most experienced pilots, he still never felt at ease taking the helm of a space vessel. When it came to combat situations, he much preferred to fight his opponent face-to-face.
That is why he was preparing his young co-pilot, whose name was Grendu, to take over his own cruiser when he retired from his combat duties for the Alliance. Grendu was a young officer in the SpyNet and would fly the ship on countless missions, retrieving data and surveying movements of Imperial fleets. Baaka was proud of his apprentice, but he would have much preferred to pass down the ship to his foster son, Terr.
Deactivating the repulsor-lifts, Grendu settled the craft and shut down its flight systems. Baaka exited the cockpit and opened the underside ramp. He began his descent slowly, always conscious of the frail bones in his old body. Inside the hangar, he was met by two A-Wing pilots who had just removed their helmets.
"Baaka!" Terr exclaimed, running toward the old Bothan. He embraced the short, furry creature with a strength that made Baaka's eyes wide. The old pilot chuckled.
"How has my Terr been? Not getting into any trouble, I hope!"
Terr exchanged a funny smile with Sorcha, who was standing beside him. "Not really," he said, turning back to his caretaker. "But I was worried you'd never get back from that mission they sent you on! What happened?"
The Bothan nodded, understanding Terr's curiosity. It was a strictly classified operation, and most of the pilots hadn't even heard about it. "It will all be explained shortly," he said. Descending the ramp behind Baaka was Grendu and the rest of the crew. One of the Bothan spies was carrying some sort of Imperial information disc. Baaka turned his head to note that the plans for the Death Star were intact.
"Come now," he said to the two young pilots. "The commanders await us."
Terr and Sorcha looked at each other, perplexed. Apparently they had been invited to a meeting they didn't know was taking place.
The meeting room was located at the end of a long corridor extending from the hangar. It was a large, circular room whose antechamber housed an elevator. This elevator led to the surface, where the General made his home in one of the small white buildings.
Still in their flight attire, Terr and Sorcha sat beside Baaka on one of the wide, transparent benches that lined the wall. Compared to Baaka, the two humans were rather tall. Terr had a rugged build, and dark, unkempt hair that matched his profound eyes. Sorcha's hair was sun-colored, and tied in a bun behind her head. Her eyes glittered with an occasional green brilliance that reflected the very nature of her spirit.
The General himself, General Amyrran, towered above all the pilots now lining the wall of the room. He stood in the center of it like a great monument, strong and still. As the troops filed in, they fell under his steady, lofty gaze. Despite his commanding presence, the General was in reality a rather benevolent person, and one of the most passionate adherents of the Rebel ideals.
As soon as the meeting room was full, the General ordered the doors closed. One of the Bothans in Baaka's crew brought forward the data disc containing the plans for the Death Star. General Amyrran held the disc up to the light for a brief moment, then handed it to an assistant who inserted the object into a verification scanner. The room was silent. Then the General spoke, with a resonant voice.
"Rebels," he addressed the aggregation, by their proud title. "The time has finally come. The time to overthrow the Emperor once and for all."
Many of the Rebels, including Terr, stirred upon hearing the same old rhetoric. These meetings are pointless. he thought to himself.
But the General went on. "We now have the key to thwarting the Empire's ultimate plan for our destruction." He looked over to his assistant, sitting at the verification scanner, who nodded in reply. "These plans, uncovered by Captain Mal'lar and the Bothan SpyNet, detail the vast system that the Emperor has developed to empower his latest superweapon."
Some of the pilots began whispering amongst themselves. Terr and Sorcha remembered clearly hearing about a battle station with the power to obliterate a planet.a weapon that had been destroyed by Rebels at the Battle of Yavin. The Death Star, Terr recalled.
The Rebels' fears were confirmed at last. "A Death Star," said the General with a solemn tone. Some of the pilots gasped. The Rebels looked at each other to see a shocked expression on every face. Baaka simply lowered his head. He had already known about the new weapon, and couldn't bear to see such sudden fear in the eyes of his comrades and his foster son.
General Amyrran returned to his passionate tone of voice. "We will not let this diabolical weapon be completed. Time is on our side. We will rendezvous with Rebel forces from across the galaxy at Sullust. There, we will plot our final victory. This is the end of the Empire."
Fear quickly turned to excitement within the crowd of troops. Terr and Sorcha became ecstatic at the prospect of finally proving their skills. It was during this frenzied state that Baaka noticed one of the Bothan spies from his crew open the door of the room and sneak out of the meeting. His haggard, hairy face wrinkled in confusion. Where is he going? he thought to himself.
Baaka crept toward the door without letting Terr or the General take notice. He pushed a button on the control panel and the door opened, revealing a small Bothan hurrying down the long corridor. Baaka turned around once more, then entered the passage and began his pursuit.
In the center of the plateau was a massive clearing, which hid a pair of enormous metallic doors. When the doors shifted apart, the grassy covering retreated, and an extensive hangar was revealed below. The hangar contained three fighter squadrons consisting of X-Wings, A-Wings, and B-Wings. In addition to the fighters was a large, multi-level transport craft, which housed the Rebel commanders during interstellar flight.
The only other craft in the small fleet was a Bothan cruiser, which belonged to Captain Baaka Mal'lar.
Descending toward the clearing on the steppe, Baaka gave the appropriate clearance code and the hangar slowly opened under his ship. He waited for a few moments, sitting back in his chair and giving a sigh of relief. Although he was one of the fleet's most experienced pilots, he still never felt at ease taking the helm of a space vessel. When it came to combat situations, he much preferred to fight his opponent face-to-face.
That is why he was preparing his young co-pilot, whose name was Grendu, to take over his own cruiser when he retired from his combat duties for the Alliance. Grendu was a young officer in the SpyNet and would fly the ship on countless missions, retrieving data and surveying movements of Imperial fleets. Baaka was proud of his apprentice, but he would have much preferred to pass down the ship to his foster son, Terr.
Deactivating the repulsor-lifts, Grendu settled the craft and shut down its flight systems. Baaka exited the cockpit and opened the underside ramp. He began his descent slowly, always conscious of the frail bones in his old body. Inside the hangar, he was met by two A-Wing pilots who had just removed their helmets.
"Baaka!" Terr exclaimed, running toward the old Bothan. He embraced the short, furry creature with a strength that made Baaka's eyes wide. The old pilot chuckled.
"How has my Terr been? Not getting into any trouble, I hope!"
Terr exchanged a funny smile with Sorcha, who was standing beside him. "Not really," he said, turning back to his caretaker. "But I was worried you'd never get back from that mission they sent you on! What happened?"
The Bothan nodded, understanding Terr's curiosity. It was a strictly classified operation, and most of the pilots hadn't even heard about it. "It will all be explained shortly," he said. Descending the ramp behind Baaka was Grendu and the rest of the crew. One of the Bothan spies was carrying some sort of Imperial information disc. Baaka turned his head to note that the plans for the Death Star were intact.
"Come now," he said to the two young pilots. "The commanders await us."
Terr and Sorcha looked at each other, perplexed. Apparently they had been invited to a meeting they didn't know was taking place.
The meeting room was located at the end of a long corridor extending from the hangar. It was a large, circular room whose antechamber housed an elevator. This elevator led to the surface, where the General made his home in one of the small white buildings.
Still in their flight attire, Terr and Sorcha sat beside Baaka on one of the wide, transparent benches that lined the wall. Compared to Baaka, the two humans were rather tall. Terr had a rugged build, and dark, unkempt hair that matched his profound eyes. Sorcha's hair was sun-colored, and tied in a bun behind her head. Her eyes glittered with an occasional green brilliance that reflected the very nature of her spirit.
The General himself, General Amyrran, towered above all the pilots now lining the wall of the room. He stood in the center of it like a great monument, strong and still. As the troops filed in, they fell under his steady, lofty gaze. Despite his commanding presence, the General was in reality a rather benevolent person, and one of the most passionate adherents of the Rebel ideals.
As soon as the meeting room was full, the General ordered the doors closed. One of the Bothans in Baaka's crew brought forward the data disc containing the plans for the Death Star. General Amyrran held the disc up to the light for a brief moment, then handed it to an assistant who inserted the object into a verification scanner. The room was silent. Then the General spoke, with a resonant voice.
"Rebels," he addressed the aggregation, by their proud title. "The time has finally come. The time to overthrow the Emperor once and for all."
Many of the Rebels, including Terr, stirred upon hearing the same old rhetoric. These meetings are pointless. he thought to himself.
But the General went on. "We now have the key to thwarting the Empire's ultimate plan for our destruction." He looked over to his assistant, sitting at the verification scanner, who nodded in reply. "These plans, uncovered by Captain Mal'lar and the Bothan SpyNet, detail the vast system that the Emperor has developed to empower his latest superweapon."
Some of the pilots began whispering amongst themselves. Terr and Sorcha remembered clearly hearing about a battle station with the power to obliterate a planet.a weapon that had been destroyed by Rebels at the Battle of Yavin. The Death Star, Terr recalled.
The Rebels' fears were confirmed at last. "A Death Star," said the General with a solemn tone. Some of the pilots gasped. The Rebels looked at each other to see a shocked expression on every face. Baaka simply lowered his head. He had already known about the new weapon, and couldn't bear to see such sudden fear in the eyes of his comrades and his foster son.
General Amyrran returned to his passionate tone of voice. "We will not let this diabolical weapon be completed. Time is on our side. We will rendezvous with Rebel forces from across the galaxy at Sullust. There, we will plot our final victory. This is the end of the Empire."
Fear quickly turned to excitement within the crowd of troops. Terr and Sorcha became ecstatic at the prospect of finally proving their skills. It was during this frenzied state that Baaka noticed one of the Bothan spies from his crew open the door of the room and sneak out of the meeting. His haggard, hairy face wrinkled in confusion. Where is he going? he thought to himself.
Baaka crept toward the door without letting Terr or the General take notice. He pushed a button on the control panel and the door opened, revealing a small Bothan hurrying down the long corridor. Baaka turned around once more, then entered the passage and began his pursuit.