Well, I got a little flak for not posting this sooner. Truth is, I was having some uploading problems, but all is well now. So, here it is & I hope you enjoy…
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, etc.
Chapter One
Salvation
Her steps were fast and purposeful. To her left, numerous men, women and children rushed through the spacious corridor as their rescuers led the way out of the facility. To her right, a group of clone troopers stood in surrender while several armed members of her squadron kept their blaster rifles trained square at their chests. Smoke and soot filled her throat and burned her lungs with every step she took, but she pressed on and continued onward nonetheless. Without hesitation, she marched deeper into the structure with her blaster in hand and at the ready; her finger never leaving its trigger.
In all directions Astrid could see her allies speedily evacuating the facility as flames raged and threatened to engulf the entire building. Rounding the corner, she spotted a familiar face and couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.
"Pavel, what are you doing?"
Turning with a smug grin, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was facing impending death, her friend and fellow soldier answered with a tinge of amusement in his voice. "Aah, there you are, love! Running a little late, are we?"
"In case you haven't noticed, it's really starting to heat up in here," Astrid replied, not bothering to hide her annoyance as she joined him. "This is taking too long – their reinforcements will be here soon."
"Relax, you worry too much," Pavel retorted as his grin broadened. "All that stress can be bad for your health."
Ignoring her companions' remark, Astrid brushed past him and continued on her way. "I don't have time for your usual blathering, Pavel. Where is she?"
Pavel didn't have time to answer before a group of rebel soldiers emerged from a nearby room and charged down the corridor; their commander taking point as she carried a blaster in one hand and a small jewel case in the other. Despite her petite stature and slender build, her very presence demanded respect and shone with unquestionable authority. She had long been admired by countless followers; not only out of loyalty to her cause and the ideals she stood for and represented, but out of loyalty to the person herself.
She had devoted her entire life to upholding peace and justice. First, by serving as the youngest queen in the history of her home–world, then as a highly regarded senator in the waning days of the Old Republic, and finally as a freedom fighter in a conflict that would ultimately decide the fate of the entire galaxy. She embodied the perfect symbol of hope. During her relatively short life, she had acquired wisdom and experience that far surpassed her years, and had become an adept and beloved leader.
"Did you find anything?" Astrid asked once she reached them.
"I'll have to fill you in on the details later," her commander quickly replied. "Have the prisoners been safely evacuated?"
"We're clearing the last of 'em out now," Pavel answered.
"Good. Then we should do the same," she said, taking one last look over her shoulder before resuming her previous course. "Follow me, we're running out of time!"
Happy to oblige, Astrid and Pavel fell into line and followed in tow as Padmé Amidala hastily led their retreat.
Astrid sat still and silent. Rubbing elbows with some of the Rebellions' highest ranking commandants had always put her ill at ease, and today was no exception. She had fought her way out of too many skirmishes to keep count, and had risked her life on a daily basis every day since the formation of the Empire…and yet, it embarrassed her to no end that she still felt so intimidated by her superiors. Of course, she would never admit it aloud.
Her foot tapped nervously beneath the oval table positioned in the center of the conference room while she, like the others gathered together for their customary briefing, awaited their guest of honor. Luckily, it wasn't long before Astrid caught the gleam of a familiar protocol droid out of the corner of her eye. Clumsily bumping into the doorway as he stepped through the threshold, C–3PO muttered a few inaudible words to himself before entering the council chambers. The other occupants of the room rose from their seats when Commander Amidala arrived a moment later.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said as she took her place at the table and motioned for her cohorts to return to their seats. Silently, they sat and patiently waited for her to proceed. "Thank you all for coming. As you know, we have much to discuss. I'd like to begin with the processing camp that we liberated last week. We suffered no casualties, and few of our fighters were injured. Fortunately, we were able to hack their system and prevent them from transmitting a distress signal…"
Astrid frowned as memories of their most recent raid flooded her thoughts. Yes, they had liberated the facility and saved hundreds of lives. Yes, they had inflicted serious damage to the installation in the process. Yes, they had managed to retrieve vital information and coordinates from extensive Imperial data records. But none of this answered the one question that gnawed at her mind: what purpose did these 'processing camps' really serve?
They had heard horror stories. Stories of torture, stories of murder, of scientific experimentation. They had liberated nearly a dozen camps, and each of the survivors had shared similar stories. Death. Pain. Suffering. They had been rescued, thankfully; but not before they had endured terrible, unspeakable atrocities under the Imperial regime. Astrid only hoped that after their latest endeavor, Padmé would finally be able to shed some light on the subject.
"And as some of you may already know, we were able to obtain crucial files from the installations' main database," Padmé continued without pause. "Right now our top experts are working hard to analyze and break the Empires' safeguards. Their encryption code is complex, but our people are confident they can salvage the information on the discs we copied from – "
Suddenly, all eyes turned to the door when an ecstatic man carrying a holopad burst into the room.
"I can't…can't believe it!" he panted, trying to catch his breath as he held the pad up in his hand. "Look at this!"
"Son, you are interrupting a very important meeting," one of the commandants spoke up.
"No, it's okay," Padmé swiftly interjected. "What is it?"
Nothing could have prepared anyone in the room for what came next:
"The Emperor…he's dead!"