Chapter 11

The three speeders zipped across the rocky landscape, dust rising in their wake, branching out into a shallow V-shape. They were racing across the Tundran Pass, a thin section of rocky, bare ground that ran through the city. It separated the port and the warehouses there from the rest of the metropolis, separating the working platforms from the housing communities. It was supposed to isolate the noise, allowing for a more peaceful rest for the workers. The sun was rising quickly, as it often did on Alderaan, cooking the stone beneath. Already, the rock had heated up enough to discourage the carnivorous lizards from staying out on the barren surface for too long.

Barris sat in the middle seat of the rearmost speeder, staring at the silhouette of the port as the sun rose behind it. Her right hand traced her lightsabre's subtle etching, her fingertips rubbing the tiny indents in the metal. She often did this to calm herself in the moments before a journey. Although her master had taught her to be an adequate pilot, she still felt nerves crawl across her back in the moments before stepping onto a ship. Space was not a natural biome for mankind.

A quiet gurgle made her jump, and she spun around to glare at the figure beside her. He lay slumped against the window, the hood of his cloak pulled over his head as if trying to hide the slightly open mouth and shut eyes beneath it. The quiet gurgle continued to drone from his mouth. Rolling her eyes, she reached over and pulled the hood off his head, shaking his shoulder roughly.

"Caloc!", she hissed quietly, "We're almost there!"

"I know.", the boy's head snapped up and he grinned at her, instantly awake. Reaching down, he grabbed canteen from his satchel and unstoppered the lid. "I've been awake this whole time."

She rolled her eyes at that, "You were snoring."

"I was resting.", he held up a finger to reiterate his point before bringing the canteen to his lips.

"We're almost at the docks.", she pointed over her shoulder, knowing that he could keep this argument going all day, and probably into the next as well, "Aren't you piloting your starfighter? You need to be awake for that."

"I was awake!", Caloc spluttered the water from his lips, indignantly sitting up and stretching his arms above his head before bending one behind his back. Several loud pops came from his spine. "Yeah. Stass and I are scouting the hyperspace lane to check for obstacles that could impede us."

"Do you need help?", two arms popped out over the back of their chair, and Anakin's face appeared.

Caloc chuckled. "No, we do not, flyboy. You should get some rest though. I heard you up all night looking at the Senatorial channel, instead of sleeping in that really comfortable bed that was free!"

After the information Caloc had acquired had been reported to Mace, the group had been instructed to spend the night in one of Senator Organa's private hotels while the command group replanned their strategy. The senator owned several luxurious businesses in towns across the planet, and allowed delegates to stay in the luxury rooms. Each was officially run by his wife, Breha, who kept them running smoothly while he was away on Coruscant. Barris had to admit that Caloc was right. The rooms had been extremely luxurious. It had been hard to drag herself away from her own bed when her Master had woken her earlier.

"You watch the Senatorial Channel?", she asked the padawan behind them.

Anakin shrugged, "Yeah. So what? Caloc has ties in the Black Market and the Information Guild. Why am I getting teased for watching the Senate debates?"

"Because no one watches those debates, Anakin. The only reason the channel is still running is because it gets used in schools across the galaxy", Caloc spun his lightsabre hilt idly in his hand before he added, "to put the kids to sleep."

Barris bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. That was probably true, she agreed, but she couldn't help but add in, "And keep a certain padawan awake, apparently."

They burst out laughing, even as the older padawan's face grew a few shades darker.

"The Chancellor and I are friends.", Anakin protested, "Nothing to it."

"So, it has nothing to do with Senator Amidala?", Caloc asked, "You seem to be a fan of hers."

Anakin gave him the famous you will die look he was known for, "I will have you know that…"

His sentence fell short as the speeder fell in shadow, and all three padawans looked up. Somehow, the miles had flown by, and they were in the shadow of the Tellasor Ports once more. Barris swallowed deeply. The nerves were back. A tiny squeeze came from her wrist, and her eyes shot over to see Caloc's reassuring nod. Did he sense her worry, she wondered? She swallowed down the lump that had grown in her throat and turned back to study the ships closer. Alarms could be heard sounding from the docks and loud clanks followed as the fuel lines were disconnected from one cruiser and moved onto the next. Droids of all shapes and sizes could be seen hurrying this way and that. It was clear that the dock's workers were getting the final preparations for their departure completed.

Caloc spoke up, "So which ship are you on?"

"I'm on the Resurrection", Barris answered, "The flagship. What about you, Anakin?"

"I'm on the escort.", he answered, gesturing to one of the round platforms, "Artwelve is pretty excited. We don't get many missions that require battles these days. Why are you and Stass the only ones checking the hyperspace lane, Caloc? Obi-Wan and I would kill for something like that!"

Not able to think of an answer, Caloc wrapped his cloak around him and bent down to grab his satchel, making sure that the lip was sealed tightly. The floor tilted slightly as the speeder pulled up alongside the dock's entrance, they hurried towards the door. Nudging their way out of the speeder behind their Master's, the padawan's winced. The wind was brutal, icy sheets buffering Caloc's limbs and freezing the bare skin of his arms as it blew his cloak back behind him. The thick cloth streamed out like a fancy cape. There was a slight dampness to the wind, the natural humidity of the morning.

"I told you to wear sleeves!", Stass had to yell to be heard over the wind's incessant whistling.

"What can I say!", he yelled back, "I stubbornly refused!"

"That seems to be the norm for you.", she retorted.

"Ticket's and identification please.", a loud robotic voice asked. Caloc turned to find a hulking security droid staring at him, hand outstretched. Fumbling in his satchel for the small chip holding his identification card, he handed it over and hurried through the gate.

There was no more talking as the Jedi split off into their groups. Some hurried over to the transports, mounting the ramp's as they closed. There were already two frigates hovering in place above the docks, waiting for their brothers to join them. He followed Master Windu to where their starfighters sat, waiting patiently for their pilots. They had been moved from the main landing strip to a series of round landing pods suspended above the ground. Thin bridges spanned the gaps, and he quickly ran over the first, ignoring the wind's attempts to push him off. Spotting his fighter a few platforms away, he Force-leapt across the next gap. A sudden burst of wind caught him unaware, and he stumbled as he landed, falling to his knees.

The roar of the nearest frigate's engine crackled above him as it slowly rose into the air. He shielded his eyes from the bright glare and squinted ahead. Just two more bridges to go. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Quinlan Vos smiling at him. The dreadlocked Jedi gestured across the gap and held up three fingers. Confused, Caloc watched as he lowered one finger, then another. The obviousness of the gesture suddenly registered, and realising that he wanted to race, the young padawan began sprinting across the platform. Reaching the starfighter that sat patiently in the centre, he leapt onto the craft's nose and Force-leapt across to the next platform. A half-second later, Quinlan landed beside him. Caloc gave him a quick salute and took off across the platform again. He could hear Quinlan's feet vibrating against the deck behind him and he leapt across the final gap, rolling to a stop beside his fighter. Vaulting into the cockpit, he began tapping the sequence to start the engines. R4-D6, fit snuggly into the droid socket, beeped a greeting to him.

"Good to see you too, buddy.", he looked up at the droid.

Deesix beeped again, a bit more urgently.

"Wait, what?", Caloc looked up. "What do you mean?"

Deesix bleeped as the fighter's landing gear retracted. Caloc groaned and pushed forward on the accelerator. His droid's jokes were the worst. The nose of his craft pointed towards the huge Venator hanging above them, and he pushed forward on the controls. The craft artfully spun in a circle and zipped towards the cruiser above.

Telle watched as each Delta-7 zipped onto the runway below the bridge. The nifty little crafts would speed along for most of the length, then suddenly decelerate, stopping a few metres from the wall and swinging around to skilfully land in their assigned bays. A crackle came across the radio. "This is Ruping-Nine-Nine-Auresh-Besh-Three, requesting use of hyperspace rings nine and seven."

She pressed down the button, "Acknowledged, Ruping. Activating rings."

"Thank you, bridge.", came the response.

Turning, she leant down into the well nearby, "Oi, Reeves. Get rings nine and seven online now!"

The technician nodded and started frantically pushing buttons. A chuckle came from the moustached man behind her. He had been conferring with the Jedi down in the hanger, but had apparently made his way back. He clapped her shoulder. "And here I thought it was my ship."

"Oh, it still is, father.", she replied, "But maybe not for much longer."

"Planning a coup?", Master Windu asked, stepping onto the bridge.

"Only if Caloc doesn't come back.", she answered, not even bothering to look at the man.

Windu looked over at the green-uniformed admiral next to him, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I've stopped reading into this kind of thing.", the moustached man answered, before manning the main console, "All hands, prepare for departure. I repeat departure will occur once we get the all-clear signal established."

"Reeves!", Telle yelled into the well again, "Stop messing around! Get those fighters on board now! We need to leave!"

Standing straight again, she turned and looked out the veiwport. Two of the small triangular fighters curled away and docked with the two circular rings hovering not far away. The radio crackled again, this time with a female voice, "This is Hallas-Desh-Auresh-Five and Ruping-Nine-Nine-Auresh-Besh-Three. We are ready for departure. We'll leave an open signal for you when you follow."

The two ships blurred away from the ship, zipping into hyperspace. Telle nodded to the bridge crew gathered to watch the ships coming into land. She looked around. The final medical frigate rose from Alderaan, completing their small fleet. "Get back to your stations, lads. Power up the engines and get us ready to jump as soon as that signal arrives."

The bridge crew hurried away, and she allowed herself to relax the usually gruff demeanour that she maintained on the bridge for just a moment. "Godspeed, Caloc. Stay safe."

Author's Notes:

To be honest, I did not plan on staying on Alderaan for so long when I was planning this out. But then I realised this was the perfect opportunity to see where Terran was now, and also see more of the Jedi taskforce before _ happens to them.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy,

Sincerely,

Phil.