Title: Inner Demons, Outer Evils

Summary: A tragic event sets Rogue Squadron on the path to the truth...and sends one of the Rogues on a collision course with himself.

Disclaimer: Star Wars is, quite clearly, not mine, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is not written for profit.

---------------

Chapter 15: Complication

---------------

Wedge glanced around the half-empty conference room. 'Where to start?' he asked himself. 'Best to stick with honesty,' he decided.

"All right, everyone, listen up. This shouldn't take to long, as the list of things we don't know is longer than the list of what we do know."

"Good news first," Jesina said. "Wes Janson and Corran Horn are both recovering. Janson will be fit to fly within the next ten hours. Horn will take somewhat longer, as the drugs he was given were at extremely high levels in his bloodstream. He's undergoing an accelerated detoxification program and should be more or less clean within 72 hours. If everything goes as it should, he'll be able to fly again in a standard week."

"Now, down to business," Wedge picked up where she left off. "Right now we're in limbo. On the ground on Zhar, Elscol Loro's little resistance is progressing nicely. Our people down there – those Rogues and Wraiths who didn't come back – are working with her on that. The Imperials are in for a very rude awakening if they send ground forces in."

"What's to stop them from initiating a planetary bombardment?" Pash asked.

"Two things. First, doing that would endanger their entire reason for going to Zhar. Second, in case they decide it's worth the risk, that's where we come in. Or, rather, you."

"Here's how things are going to work," Jesina interjected, "based on what we know for certain right now. Within the next day an a half, we'll," she gestured around the room, "head to Zhar. Except for you two, that is." She pointed at Pash and Iline. "As soon as we contact you to let you know we're on planet, the entire task force will move into the system. It is our hope – not our expectation – that your presence will deter the Imperials from moving on the planet."

"But if and when they do attack, you'll counter their offensive. If Cracken's way of getting us to the planet involves our fighters, we'll join you. If we don't have them, though, we'll continue to work with Elscol on the ground. That's what the Wraiths will do, regardless."

"Pash and I will run the show in space if you're on the ground, right? As far as the starfighters are concerned?" Iline asked.

"Correct. I realize it's a big responsibility, and I don't want to add to the pressure, but it is absolutely essential that we not lose Zhar."

"Are we out of line to ask why?" Inyri asked.

Wedge shook his head. "I was getting to that, actually. The Imperials have reason to believe that somewhere on Zhar, most likely under the planet's surface, there is a secret lab, abandoned with the death of Palpatine, that holds the secret to a biological agent that can be used against whole worlds – or against a single person. This lab, if it even exists, may also house to plans to a weapon supposedly more powerful than the Death Star."

The room was absolutely silent, and then everyone started talking at one. It took Jesina shouting over them to get them to quiet down. "One. At. A. Time!"

"Is this lab for real?" Tyria asked.

"We don't know," Wedge answered. "We have to operate on the assumption that it is, though I certainly won't object if this turns out to be all for nothing."

"Do we know who's behind this? Who's in charge of the Empire?"

"No."

"Yes," a new voice said from the back of the room. As soon as Wedge realized it was Elscol, the knot in his stomach that had been there from the beginning got a little tighter. The only reason she would have come back was if she'd found out something that had the potential to be very dangerous.

Elscol made her way to the front. To anyone who didn't know her, she would have looked perfectly calm and collected. To Wedge, though, she looked...haunted. "I need to talk to you. Wes too. Now."

"Go," Jesina told him, easily detecting the urgency in Elscol's voice. "We can wait."

The two of them walked the short distance to Wes' room. He was sitting up in the bed, eyes fixed on a datapad in his lab, but he set it down when they came in. "What's wrong?"

"I know who's in charge in the Empire now." Two sets of eyes fixed on Elscol. "It's Hekrig."

Instantly the look in her eyes, the tone of her voice, the lack of color in her face all made sense to Wedge. Ytach Hekrig was the one Imperial officer who'd gotten the best of Rogue Squadron and was still alive to talk about it.

They'd gone up against him years before, before even the reorganization of the Squadron. He'd handed them their worst defeat and he'd been a 22-year-old Captain.

Elscol hadn't been with them then, but she'd heard plenty about it. She knew just how badly they'd been beaten, and she knew how he'd done it.

"How do you know?"

"Because he just destroyed one of the cells on Zhar. There are already plenty of Imperial troops on the ground. "They went into one of our safe houses and killed everyone except for one person, who was sent back to me with a message. It's Hekrig, and he knows what we're doing." She shook her head. "I shouldn't have left the planet but I didn't want to risk contacting you and having it intercepted. He may know about me, but I don't think he knows about you. He thinks that I'm responsible for the raid and rescue. I didn't want to give you away. I left Hobbie in charge. He's, ah, he's not too happy."

Wedge and Wes had been listening in silence. "Yeah, I bet he's not happy," Wes muttered. "Neither am I." He shook his head. "I really thought we'd seen the last of him."

"Apparently not," Elscol said tightly. "Wedge, this has just gotten a lot bigger. Not only do I really not like the idea of going up against Hekrig, but now I'm convinced that this lab is real."

"Why?" Wes asked.

"Because Hekrig is taking a big risk by going after Zhar. Not only is the maneuver itself risky, but he's revealed himself. He wouldn't do it just based on a legend. He's got to have something hard."

"What I want to know is, where has he been, and why did he come back now?"

"My guess," Elscol began, "is that he got a hold of something that assured him that the lab actually exists." She met his eyes. What are we going to do?"

"We're going back in there, telling them what we know so that everyone knows what we're going up against. And then Jesina's getting in touch with Cracken and telling him everything you just told us. If he doesn't have a plan for us to get to Zhar, I'm not waiting for him. Rogue Squadron will be paying the planetary governor a diplomatic visit."

---------------

"Antilles will be paying a diplomatic visit to Alul Kesarq, the planetary governor of Zhar. He'll be escorted by Rogue Squadron, in the form of those members of Rogue and Wraith Squadrons who are currently aboard ship with you," General Cracken told Jesina before she could say a word about Hekrig.

"Perfect, because Wedge was planning on doing exactly that if you hadn't come up with anything yet. We've, ah, had a bit of a complication."

The Intelligence Director arched an eyebrow. "What kind of complication?"

"We know who's commanding the Imperial forces. And he knows what Elscol Loro is up to."

Cracken looked thoughtful, but not overly concerned. "Who is it?"

"Ytach Hekrig."

Now he looked concerned. "This changes things considerably." He glanced at something to his left and then returned his attention to Jesina. I'll contact you again within two hours. Do nothing before then." He terminated the communication before Jesina could even acknowledge the order.

Feeling not a little confused, Jesina headed to the pilot's lounge where she knew she'd find Wedge. Lost in thought, she didn't notice the man blocking her path until she'd walked right into him. When she looked, she instantly regretted having ducked away from Face when he wasn't looking.

Vayl caught her arm as she hastily stepped back in an attempt to regain her balance. "I waited for you for over an hour."

"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't make it, but a few things have come up. I am, after all, XO to the man in command of this task force and things are happening very quickly for us, even though it doesn't seem that way. Speaking of which, I need to find him now. There's something I need to—" She broke off when she heard Face's voice.

"Dreis! Wedge is looking for you!" the Wraith called. "He seems pretty mad about something." As he got closer, Face acknowledged Vayl. "Lonciez."

"Loran," Vayl said returning his nod with a dark look. He turned back to Jesina. "I guess I'll find you later." She nodded silently as Face led her away.

Once they were around a corner and out of Vayl's hearing distance, Face stopped and pulled her aside. "I don't care if you do outrank me. Don't ever do that again!"

"I won't," she conceded instantly.

"Do you realize what...what did you say?"

"I said I wouldn't do it again," she said shakily. "Don't worry. If I disappear on you again, it wasn't by choice." She sighed. "Is Wedge actually angry?"

"Yeah. At me, because I lost you."

"You could have commed me."

"Not if you don't have it on."

"It is on."

"Well, you didn't answer."

"When did you comm me?"

"About thirty seconds before I found you."

She frowned as she reached into the pocket of her flight suit. "Maybe it's broken." Then her frown deepened.

Face noticed. "What's wrong?"

She pulled her hand from her pocket and he thought it was empty until she held up a piece of flimsy. As she read it, her face paled slightly. Wordlessly, she handed it to Face. On it was handwritten, "I'll only wait so long."

Face's eyes narrowed. "Let's go talk to Wedge, huh?"

"Yeah, let's," she echoed distractedly.

She followed him to Wes' room – not his room in the medical center, but his actual quarters. She realized just how much better he was feeling when he was on his feet before Wedge was to yell at her for taking off. "Of all the stupid stunts," he began, but Face cut him off.

"Drop it, Janson. She's learned her lesson." He told them about her run-in with Vayl and the missing comlink, and then handed over the note.

Janson's eyes narrowed. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm all right.

"You think it's from Lonciez?" Wedge asked.

"Had to be. He's the only one I've been that close too." She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, though. With luck, we'll be off this ship within ten hours, and I won't have to deal with him anymore." She told them what Cracken had said.

"What do you think he's gonna do?"

"What I would do," she replied. "Make our presence in the system very visible and very official. Make sure people know we're there to prevent the Imperials from taking over the planet and razing it. No more games, no more behind the scenes, no more hiding. Let Hekrig know he's not going to take Zhar without a fight. I'd also send in people to look for that lab – to find it before his people do."

"Now, that makes sense," Face said. "Fifty credits says he won't do it."

"You got yourself a bet," Wes replied. "Jes says he will."

Wedge agreed with Wes. "Don't sell him short, Face. Irritating as he is, Cracken's not a stupid man." He sighed and stood. "I'm heading to my quarters. Someone go with her to get a new comlink, and see if they can do anything about the old one."