The journey didn't take too long, but to Drake, it felt like forever. The medic had finished patching up Drake's wounds, and the pain had lessened. The medic took off her helmet.
"You must have had quite a fall out there," she said, trying to be nice.
"Yeah, I guess," Drake responded.
"Oh c'mon. You're so lucky to have survived a fall like that!" she continued.
"Ok," Drake answered, not wanting to talk to anyone. The medic realized Drake didn't want to talk so she put her helmet back on and she left him alone for the rest of the ride.
When they arrived at Coruscant, Drake didn't hesitate to leave. The officer told him that the rest of his squad was in a meeting room near their hangar. They must've gone there from the Star Destroyer.
Drake walked through a door that led to a long hallway. A few Stormtroopers walked past him on his way to the meeting room. The last time he was walking through hallways he was running for his life.
After about a minute, Drake arrived at the door to the meeting room. He opened it up, and sure enough, the rest of his squadron was sitting at the table in their normal black uniforms.
Sitting inside was Commander Drask, Terry Reisan, and a dozen other pilots who he knew but didn't talk to very often. All of them were in shock. They thought Drake was dead, his corpse lying on Naboo's surface. It was like he was a zombie.
"Well.." Commander Drask said, "Look who's here."
"Sir," Drake responded.
"You're alive?" Terry asked still in shock.
"I think so," Drake replied.
"Well then..." Commander Drask said confused, "Why don't you go get changed and we'll go over our plans for the future when you get back." Drake looked at his suit. There were scratched and dents all over it. He hadn't even noticed.
"Yes sir," Drake replied. Drake turned and left the room. He turned towards his quarters and went inside. His room was small but after being in the Empire for five years he learned to accept it as home. It had a small bed, a radio, and a small bathroom with a toilet and a sink. It also had a small closet where he kept his uniforms.
He quickly grabbed one of his uniforms and put it on. He looked in the mirror that he had put in his closet, and he realized just how tired he looked. His face was wet from sweat and he had several scars on his face. He went into his bathroom and washed his face. After drying it with a towel he figured he was ready to return to the meeting.
Drake left his quarters and returned to the meeting room. He went inside and sat in a chair next to Terry. Commander Drask continued with the plans.
"Okay Drake, since you missed the beginning, I'll summarize. We have found that the Rebels have somehow gotten ahold of our plans for the Death Star. As you know it is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month. We believe the Rebels are planning an attack upon our Death Star and our squadron has been tasked to defend it. Of course, we will have help from some other squadrons as well. We also believe that if we can find the secret Rebel base, we can put an end to this Rebellion," the Commander commanded.
"Yes sir," Drake replied. The talk about the Rebellion brought memories of his brother back to him. He would never be able to live with himself if he had to kill his brother, but Cole might make Drake kill him. He was a Rebel. He was against the Empire.
Commander Drask continued. "Okay everyone, tomorrow we have a mission given to us by Lord Vader himself to inspect an area of an asteroid field where there has been a lot of Rebel activity. Our goal is to try and find a Rebel base, and hopefully the Death Star plans."
"Yes sir," five of the pilots said in unision. The day was almost over and Drake was exhausted. He had to go out on another mission already tomorrow. The Empire certainly doesn't give much vacation time. Drake was to recieve a brand new TIE Fighter straight out of the factories of Sullust. Hopefully he doesn't wreck that one as well.
Just after dinner, Drake left the Mess Hall and was followed by Terry.
"Hey, Drake!" Terry exclaimed.
"Hey," Drake replied.
"Man, I thought you were dead!" Terry said. "I thought that I would have to find someone else to hang out with."
"I thought you would to," Drake replied jokingly.
"So, how did you make it back to Coruscant?" Terry asked.
"Well, I got on a Trooper Transport. I wasn't too excited to be getting back though. This place is a polluted, overpopulated junkyard with too much traffic," Drake said.
"But you came back anyway," Terry teased. "We can count on you to put the Empire above your own needs."
"Yeah, I guess," Drake said thinking of his scolding from Cole. He would see him again soon. He didn't know how, but he was certain of it. He could sense it. Almost like the force.
"Yeah, but don't worry," Terry said, "In a few weeks we'll be stationed up at the Death Star. You've got to admit, it looks pretty awesome."
"Yeah, it does," Drake said cheering up.
"Hey man, you look tired. You must have had a long day, you know, dying and coming back to life and all," Terry laughed.
"Yeah, it's exhausting work," Drake smiled.
"Well, you need to get some rest. I'll see you in the morning," Terry said. "Night."
"Night," Drake responded.
Drake stepped outside for a minute and stood on the balcony. He looked out over the towering city. Ads were everywhere, people were walking over all of the bridges and platforms. Signs for the Empire were posted everywhere. Stormtroopers were out for their nightly patrol. That must be the most boring job to get in the Empire.
Drake yawned and turned to head back to his quarters. He got to the door and walked through. He brushed his teeth and got in his bed, but sleep never came. He tried to force himself asleep, but he couldn't stop thinking of his brother, and how he knew he would see him again soon.