DISCLAIMER:
Star Wars, and all related material, are copyright George Lucas, LucasArts and LucasFilm. No
money is being made in telling this trilogy, and no copyright infringement is intended. It is written
purely for my enjoyment, and (hopefully) that of others. Feel free to link to or distribute this story,
although notification of such action will be appreciated, as long as no profit is made; it is not altered,
quoted or cited in a misleading manner; it includes this or another appropriate disclaimer, and the
correct identification and full rights of the author are maintained.
 

THANKS:
To the pro-fiction and fan-fiction writers for helping to inspire this story, and in particular to Timothy
Zahn for his SW novels and Mara Jade; Brendon Wahlberg for the New Sith trilogy and Ebony and
Jade, and reminding me of the Marvel character Lumiya; and of course George Lucas, for bringing
us a story set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
 

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
This is a trilogy based Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, and her progression from the Emperor's
Hand obsessed with killing Luke, to the Jedi Master married to him. I'm still not sure how it
developed into a trilogy :) It was only meant to be a simple story continuing from where VOTF left
off, but somehow it grew to take in everything from Mara's childhood; the tortured Shira
Brie/Lumiya, whose similarity to Mara (can anyone confirm that Zahn based Mara on her?) inspired
an interesting twist for both of them; expanding the short-lived character of Dack in ESB; right
through to trying to resolve some of Zahn's most improbable ideas (The Emperor trying to turn Luke
to the Dark Side in ESB and ROTJ, and then sending Mara to kill him between both attempts?), and
loose ends (what happened to the Obdurate, Tyrannic and Ironhand after VOTF?)
For those of you who worship daily in front of an altar to Mara in your homes, you will most likely
be disappointed that she only appears near the end of part 1, despite the title, as it's primarily about
Luke and Shira Brie. If you really can't bear not to see her in a central role, I suggest you skip this
part and go straight to parts 2 and 3.
If you're still with me, it gets worse. The woman whose name Club Jade dare not speak returns.
Yes, Callista reappears, and not as a Dark Jedi, a whining idiot, or frequently both, as so frequently
happens in fan-fiction. She's not hellbent on getting rid of Mara and reclaiming Luke, and neither of
them fight over him either. I just got fed up with everyone knocking her. Can we please have some
rationality here? Everyone hates her for ditching Luke, but they'd have hated her even more if she'd
stayed. After all, she cleared the way for Mara and Luke to get together :)
The trilogy assumes that only the Star Wars films are indisputable, although I have tried to keep the
story generally consistent with the EU novels, especially Zahn's, and I hope I have captured the feel
of the films.
Please send all comments and/or criticisms to BHazard21@aol.com
Enjoy, and may the Force be with you.
 

SYNOPSIS:

Part One: Mara Jade - Emperor's Hand
Timeline: From ANH to TESB.
The Rebellion has destroyed the Death Star, but they are forced to flee Yavin 4 and pursued across
the galaxy by an Imperial fleet led by Lord Darth Vader. Determined to avenge his defeat at Yavin,
Vader seeks to discover the identity of the X-wing and Corellian freighter that thwarted him at
Yavin, and sends his Force-sensitive agent Shira Brie to do so, and if possible, to capture them...

Part Two: Mara Jade - Jedi Knight
Timeline: Three months after VOTF.
It is a time of celebration in the New Republic. The Jedi Knights Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade
are to marry, and the Empire and New Republic have signed a peace treaty, but disaffected
elements of the Empire, allied with a deadly Dark Jedi obsessed with destroying Luke Skywalker,
begin random attacks on the New Republic.

Part Three: Mara Jade - Jedi Master
Timeline: 5 years after VOTF.
It is a time of peace for the New Republic. A great expeditionary force assembles to explore the
Unknown Regions. Meanwhile, the Dark Lady of the Sith, Lumiya, plans for her final revenge on
Luke Skywalker and to turn Mara Jade to the Dark Side, while striking a powerful blow against the
Jedi Academy.
 

PROLOGUE:
                        Four days after the Battle of Yavin...

       Luke Skywalker sprinted through the hangar of the Massassi Great Temple from where the
Rebel Alliance had so recently launched its near-suicidal mission against the Death Star. Now it was
facing an equally desperate mission to evacuate from Yavin 4 before the Imperial Fleet could arrive.
Outside the Great Temple, swarms of transports were ferrying personnel and equipment up to the
Rebel capital ships massed above Yavin. X-wings and Y-wings were lifting off from the hangar in
steady waves, raising the already deafening noise inside the Temple to an almost unbearable pitch.
He stopped as he somehow managed to hear his name being bellowed above the din, and turned to
see Han Solo and Chewbacca fighting their way towards him through the chaos. "General Dodonna
says we've almost finished the evacuation procedure," Han yelled over the roar of fighter engines as
he reached Luke.
       "We've nearly gotten all the fighters and equipment away now. We've just got to get the
remaining personnel lifted out," Luke shouted back.
       Han nodded. "Chewie and I'll be on the Falcon. We're going to get some unwelcome company
if we stay here much longer. We'll see you at the rendezvous point."
       He turned away and nearly ran into Princess Leia. "Leaving so soon, Captain?" she asked with
one eyebrow raised in a manner that Han found intensely insufferable.
       "Sure am, your worship," he retorted. "I don't especially like the idea of hanging around to give
the entire Imperial Navy a wave."
       Luke sighed. Since they had met, Han and Leia had constantly been trying to score points off
the other, a process that they had only briefly suspended during the celebrations following the
destruction of the Death Star. He turned away, leaving them to bicker, and was halfway to his
X-wing when a voice called him. Wedge Antilles approached, wearing an ornate medal around his
neck. "I see you've still got your medal," Luke said with a grin. "They finally got round to giving you
one for your part in the Death Star attack. I thought it seemed unfair you didn't get one when Han
and I did."
       Wedge laughed. "Well, better late than never, I suppose. I'll see you at the rendezvous. Take
care."
       "You too," Luke said, and jogged to his X-wing, one of the few still in the hangar. A fusillade of
anxious beeps and whistles greeted him as he climbed the ladder to the cockpit. "Yes, I know,
Artoo," he said. "I'm sure you've calculated the ETA of the nearest Star Destroyers to a
microsecond. Don't worry, we're going, we're going."
       The X-wing left Yavin for what would be the last time for many years, and climbed through the
atmosphere towards the Rebel fleet.

       A sombre mood pervaded Coruscant, the capital of the Empire. Ten Star Destroyers lay in
orbit around the planet, ready to tear apart any rioting or insurrection with a savage bombardment
from space should it break out. Coruscant was quiet, though, the population venturing out as little as
possible to avoid the detachments of Imperial stormtroopers that were everywhere.
       Inside the Imperial Palace, the sombre mood reached a peak. The normally thronged Grand
Corridor was almost empty, save for platoons of Imperial stormtroopers every few hundred metres.
Grim faced Imperial officers hurried through the Palace, issuing quiet orders to their troops. Deep
inside the Palace, a turbolift rose swiftly through the myriad floors to the very peak of the vast
building. Finally, it stopped at the very highest level, where only a very select few were ever
permitted. The turbolift doors slid open without a sound to reveal two figures. One, clad all in black,
stood taller even than the Emperor's Royal Guards. Wheezing breaths broke the silence. The other
was smaller but no less distinctive. Red-haired and with a slim dancer's figure, she nevertheless had
an air of formidable competence. She had been trained in all forms of combat and other skills, such
as espionage, starship piloting and maintenance, and last but not least, basic force skills.
       Both of them entered the dimly lit throne room of Emperor Palpatine, passing the red-cloaked
Royal Guards standing silently along the walls, and crossed the wide floor between the doors and the
stairs leading up to Palpatine's throne. They climbed the stairs and knelt at the proper distance from
the throne. The throne was facing away from them, completely hiding the Emperor. They waited.
       Eventually the Emperor spoke. "The Death Star has been destroyed," he said coldly, ignoring
Vader. "A small group of Rebels found a weakness which enabled them to destroy it. Grand Moff
Tarkin, General Motti, and General Tagge were all killed. As of an hour ago, I have imposed
galactic-wide martial law. This pitiful uprising will be ruthlessly stamped out. Too many systems
already support the Rebellion, and others will no doubt follow once the news spreads." He
addressed Vader, his voice as sharp as a vibroblade. "You failed to stop the Rebels succeeding. I
do not accept failure, Lord Vader. Have you any reasons why you were unable to stop such a weak
group of traitors?"
       Vader bowed his head. "My Master, I took my own fighter and a pair of TIE fighters against
the Rebel attack, and managed to destroy two Rebel fighter groups. I was about to finish the last
survivor of a third group when the same Corellian freighter on which Kenobi had been travelling
destroyed one of my wingmen and the other panicked and crashed into the trench, hitting my fighter
and sending it out of control. As a result, the Rebels succeeded in their attack. There is, though, a
new development of grave importance, far more troubling than the loss of the Death Star. The Rebel
pilot who destroyed the Death Star had a strong connection to the Force."
       There was a grim silence as the throne turned slowly to face them. The Emperor leaned
forwards on the throne, his yellow eyes burning into Vader. "Are you quite sure, Lord Vader?" he
demanded. "The Jedi have all been destroyed."
       "He was not a Jedi, Master," Vader answered. "The Force is with him but he is untrained."
       The Emperor appeared to relax slightly and nodded thoughtfully. "Good. Without training, he
will be no threat. The Jedi Masters are gone. Nevertheless, he must be hunted down and destroyed."
       "Yes, Master," Vader said. "Not even Obi-wan Kenobi can help him now." He rose and came
forwards, taking an object from his belt, which he held out to the Emperor. "Obi-wan's lightsabre."
       The Emperor smiled. "At least we have gained something from this disaster. Perhaps you have
not failed as badly as I first thought, Lord Vader." His gaze turned to the woman kneeling next to
Vader. "Rise, my servant. Come closer," he ordered, beckoning. She obeyed, coming forwards
silently and gracefully. The Emperor's eyes passed over her, appraising her thoroughly. Her Force
skills were able to sense his probing her mind and she stood calmly while he did so. Finally, the
Emperor nodded approvingly. "You have trained Shira Brie well, Lord Vader," he said. "You have
taught her well indeed. She has control of her fear in my presence. I am almost tempted to test her
against Mara Jade. They are equals in skill."
       He spoke to Shira. "You have studied the files on Mara Jade?"
       "I have, my lord," she replied. "My feelings in this matter are clear. My loyalty is to the Dark
Side and the Empire only."
       "See that it remains so," the Emperor warned. "It is a pity that Jade cannot be allowed to learn
the truth about you and her past. Our experiment in creating Force sensitive agents has done well so
far though, Lord Vader, with my own Hand and your agent here. You will use Shira Brie to help
hunt down the Rebellion and eliminate this mysterious pilot."
       He rose from his throne. "Come with me, my servants."

       R2-D2 shrilled in alarm. "All right, I see them," Luke snapped. He pulled his X-wing hard to
one side, barely avoiding the three TIE fighters that were intent on blowing him into space dust.
"Wedge, Dack, pull in," he ordered.
       "I'm on them, Luke," replied Dack, a cadet who had barely learnt how to fly an X-wing, but
who now found himself pressed into active service due to the Alliance's desperate need for pilots
after the losses in the Death Star attack. He dived in behind the TIEs and managed to score a direct
hit on one. The other two immediately took evasive action, but not quickly enough for one to escape
Wedge.
       Luke took a breath. "Thanks, you two." He took a second to examine the strategic situation,
which had worsened considerably in the two minutes since he had last checked. The fleet had been
on the verge of making the jump to lightspeed when six Star Destroyers and an Interdictor Cruiser
had come out of hyperspace and a desperate battle erupted, with the Rebels trying frantically to
drive the Interdictor away before they were annihilated. The Star Destroyers had so far destroyed
four of their capital ships, and it looked like they were just about to add the Strike Cruiser Valour to
the list.

       On board the frigate Redemption, Princess Leia stared at the tactical display grimly. The
Valour's shields were failing rapidly under a bombardment from two Star Destroyers. It already had
hull breaches in several places, and the turbolasers were being systematically knocked out by
precision firing. "Give me that comlink," she snapped at an aide. "Captain Tanh, this is Princess Leia
Organa. Get your crew to the escape pods now."

       On the bridge of the Valour, Captain Tanh looked down to the damage reports on his board
and then around at his command crew. They met his gaze quietly, and he knew they would follow
him to the death. "Negative, Princess," he replied. "We don't have enough intact pods. May the
Force be with you all." He turned off the comlink, cutting off Leia's frantic pleas. "Divert all power to
the engines. Helm, turn to course 3-7-50 and proceed full ahead." He walked to his command chair
and sat down, ignoring the fact that the bridge lights had gone dark as power was channelled to the
engines, and stared calmly ahead until the end.

       "Valour, this is Princess Organa," Leia nearly screamed. "Please respond!"
       A hand fell on her shoulder. "It's no good, Princess," said General Rieekan, who was
co-ordinating the battle, sombrely. He could see what Captain Tanh was planning. "Order all ships
to jump to hyperspace on my mark," he told an aide. He put an arm around Leia and watched the
Valour making its final attack. Turbolasers blasted from the Star Destroyers in an attempt to stop
the Valour, but somehow the dying ship withstood the fire and moved relentlessly ahead until it
found its target. Leia swallowed hard as she saw the Valour plough into the Interdictor Cruiser, and
both ships erupt in a fireball second only to that of the Death Star. She lowered her head for a
minute, tears pricking at her eyes. So many brave men, women and aliens had died fighting for an
inalienable right, the right to live in freedom.
       "The gravity wells are gone, sir," one of Rieekan's aides announced unnecessarily.
       Rieekan nodded. Comm chatter had ceased for a few moments as the Valour exploded. "All
ships jump to lightspeed," he ordered over the silence. "Captain Tanh and the crew of the Valour
are hereby declared Heroes of the Alliance."
       The Star Destroyers intensified their attack in a last attempt to stop the Rebels from escaping,
but in vain. In a few seconds, the entire Rebel fleet jumped to hyperspace, leaving the Star
Destroyers behind.

       The Emperor's royal Lambda-class shuttle had left the atmosphere of Coruscant and was now
rising past the massive hull of an Imperial Star Destroyer that was lying quietly in space. The
Emperor, seated at a viewport, turned and beckoned Vader and Shira to his side. "Your fleet has
already assembled, Lord Vader," he said with a cold smile. "Behold your flagship."
       The shuttle rose slowly over the hull of the Star Destroyer. Beyond it, the distinctive knife shape
of the bow of another Star Destroyer began to appear, although this one seemed much more
elongated and sleeker, Shira noted. She frowned as more of the hull appeared. It wasn't a typical
Star Destroyer, she realised. Her gaze moved along the hull as it emerged, to the point where the
command superstructure should be. It wasn't there, she noticed with a shock, and still the hull kept
lengthening and widening. Finally, the bridge structure came into view and she let out a breath of
amazement. The ship was truly immense. It didn't end there, though. A hilt like extension jutted out
behind the bridge, on the underside of which three immense drive nozzles could be seen. A score of
Star Destroyers could be seen in an escort formation beyond it. The ship utterly dwarfed them, by a
scale factor of almost eleven, Shira quickly estimated, comparing it to the Star Destroyers.
       Vader leaned forward, almost touching the viewport transparisteel. "Most impressive, Master,"
he said.
       The Emperor nodded, satisfied. "The first of a new class of warships. Super Star Destroyers."
His voice hardened. "This ship, the Executor, was intended to be used in conjunction with the Death
Star to force the galaxy into absolute submission. Instead, it will now be used to exact revenge on
the Rebellion for the loss of the Death Star. You will use this fleet to ensure that the Rebellion is
utterly stamped out, Lord Vader."

                                  * * * * * *

                             THE ARCAZ SYSTEM:
                             Sixteen Months Later...

       With a flicker of pseudomotion, twelve X-wings dropped out of hyperspace.
       "There it is," Wedge Antilles breathed, staring out at the enormous bulk of the Star Destroyer
Repressor as Red Squadron moved into attack formation.
       "Red Squadron, lock S-foils in attack position," Luke Skywalker ordered, reaching up to toggle
his S-foils open. "All fighters, target and fire torpedoes at the Repressor." Behind him twelve
Y-wings came out of lightspeed and began following the X-wings towards the Repressor. "Blue
Squadron, we'll cover you."
       "I copy, Red Leader," Blue Leader acknowledged. "We're starting our attack run now."
       "Targeting solution acquired," Wedge reported.
       "Red Squadron, fire on your marks," Luke said as six torpedoes shot away from Wedge's
fighter towards the Repressor.
       "TIE fighters launching," Red Six reported as Red Squadron began launching other torpedoes.
"12 marks at point 115. No, 24 now."
       "Copy, Red Six," Luke acknowledged. He studied his displays. The TIEs were launching in two
groups, one further ahead of the other. "Artoo, designate them as Alpha and Beta. Red Squadron,
accelerate to attack speed."
       The two groups of fighters closed rapidly. Red and green laser blasts erupted as they came into
firing range, and the formations broke apart into individual battles between fighters.
       "Steady, Red Two," Red Eleven warned. "You've got one on you."
       "I see it," Wedge acknowledged. "Red Leader?"
       "One moment," Luke replied. A sudden flash briefly lit up Wedge's cockpit. "Okay, you're
clear."
       Wedge glanced around. He could see fifteen TIEs left, but then a hail of red and blue bolts
appeared as Blue Squadron entered the dogfight, firing their lasers and ion cannons. The TIEs,
unable to match the Rebels either in skill or firepower, proved easy prey.
       "Red Leader, we're clear," Blue Leader reported three minutes later.
       "Thanks, Blue Leader," Luke answered. "Red Squadron, reform on Blue Squadron. Any
losses?"
       "Red Eight's gone," Red Ten reported.
       "Lost Blue Four and Seven," Blue Leader said.
       There was a brief moment of silence.
       Artoo whistled. "I see it, Artoo," Luke acknowledged, glancing at the image of the Repressor
on his display. "Blue Leader, our torpedoes have taken the aft starboard shield down."
       "Got it," came the reply. "Targeting that section."
       Luke saw the blue streaks of more proton torpedoes racing towards the Repressor. One by
one, they slammed into the unshielded hull. Explosions erupted on the hull, sending pieces of hull
armour plating flying out into space. Secondary blasts flared deep inside the Star Destroyer.
       "Look at that!" Dack shouted as the explosions died away.
       "Good work, Blue Squadron," Luke said, looking at the damage. A huge hole had been torn in
the Repressor's hull. "All fighters, move in."
       "More TIEs launching, Red Leader," Red Seven announced.
       "Copy, Red Seven. Red Two to Ten, follow me," Luke ordered as he turned his X-wing
towards the incoming TIEs. "Eleven and Twelve, keep an eye on the Y-wings and suppress any
turbolaser fire."
       Once again, the two opposing forces met in a dogfight. The TIEs were slightly faster and more
manoeuvrable, but Red Squadron had shields and greater skill, so they were evenly balanced.
       Dack pulled his X-wing into a weaving flight pattern as the fighters reached each other, in order
to avoid enemy fire. At the last second, he pulled straight in front of one of the TIEs, firing all four
lasers at once. Unable to evade in time, the TIE took all four shots in the cockpit and exploded
spectacularly, as Dack's X-wing shot through the fireball.
       Zev and Hobbie swept in behind a pair of TIEs and blew them into twin clouds of red and
black.
       One TIE came in behind Red Four and scored a direct hit on the fighter's port S-foils, and there
was an agonised scream as Red Four plunged towards the Repressor. An explosion flared as the
X-wing smashed into the Star Destroyer. Janson dropped in behind the TIE, which had made the
mistake of forgetting to watch its six, and two shots crumpled a solar panel, sending the fighter
spinning out of control through space until a stray shot from the Repressor blew it apart.
       A few minutes later, the fight was over. Wedge's X-wing shot through the twin clouds of space
dust that had been TIE fighters a few seconds ago, and headed for the Y-wings, which had been
making continual attack runs on the damaged section of the hull. The crippled Star Destroyer was
beginning to pick up speed as it prepared to make the jump to lightspeed, its turbolasers blasting in
an attempt to keep the Rebel fighters at bay. Wedge watched it moving away. They could nothing to
stop its escape, but then they didn't have to. His astromech whistled as a counter reached zero.
       A second later, the Rebel Nebulon-B frigate Sertina came out of hyperspace next to the
Repressor, its turbolasers opening up immediately on the damaged hull. The Repressor began
manoeuvring to bring its own intact turbolasers to bear in the knowledge that it considerably
outgunned the frigate, but even as it did so, Red and Blue Squadron began making strafing runs on
the turbolaser emplacements. Waves of torpedoes were launched from the Sertina, tearing into the
breached section of hull and weakening the shields and intact hull. Under the relentless assault, a
bright glow began to build up inside the Star Destroyer as gunnery, shield and control systems
started to overload. New explosions began appearing as an energy feedback began building up and
travelling through the systems.
       "Look at that," Red Ten said in amazement as an explosion ripped apart a portion of the centre
of the upper hull.
       "Cut the chatter," Blue Three said. "TIEs launching at point 231. No, wait. They're heading
away from us. Looks like they're running."
       The abrupt disintegration of the Repressor's command superstructure confirmed his theory. A
few seconds later, the Sertina ceased fire and began to move away from the Repressor at flank
speed. Escape pods began shooting away from the dying Star Destroyer.
       Artoo beeped urgently. "I know," Luke answered curtly as the image of the Star Destroyer on
his display began flashing red. "All fighters, pull out now."
       X-wings and Y-wings fled away from the Repressor at maximum speed, barely in time, as
moments later, the Star Destroyer blew apart in a tremendous explosion and shockwave. Not all the
Rebel fighters escaped. Two Y-wings, unable to get clear in time, were caught in the explosion and
disintegrated. Luke grimaced briefly as the signals from the fighters vanished.
       Ahead, the Sertina was running up to lightspeed velocity. With a flicker of pseudomotion, it
vanished into hyperspace.
       "All craft, jump to lightspeed on three," Luke ordered. "One, two, three...."
       In perfect synchronicity, the Rebel ships jumped to hyperspace and vanished.

                                  * * * * * *

       A grinning Wedge Antilles climbed onto the S-foil of his X-wing and turned to face the pilots of
Red and Blue Squadron. "Do we know where in Vader's name we are?" he shouted.
       "No!" the pilots roared in unison.
       "Did we let the Repressor escape us?"
       "No!"
       "Are we going to let the Empire win the war?"
       "No!"
       "Did we blow up the Death Star and kick the Imperials from here to Coruscant?"
       "YES!"
       Princess Leia stood a short distance away in the docking bay of the Alliance command frigate,
smiling as they celebrated. The destruction of the Repressor by the Sertina and Red and Blue
squadrons had left both squadrons feeling jubilant, a feeling which, despite the destruction of the
Death Star, had been in short supply since the Alliance had fled Yavin. In that time, they had been
driven across the galaxy by Darth Vader's fleet. Base after base had been discovered and hastily
evacuated. The pressure on the Alliance had been relentless. Knowing they could not possibly hope
to match the Imperial fleet in a pitched battle, they had adopted guerrilla warfare tactics, luring ships
away from the main part of the fleet and destroying them, or launching sudden surprise attacks. The
destruction of the Repressor had been the latest such attack, and one of their most successful, as the
Repressor was one of the best crewed and armed Star Destroyers in Vader's fleet.
       The victory had not been easy, however. Two pilots from Red and four from Blue had died in
the attack, not many against such a formidable Star Destroyer, but the loss of a quarter of the
attacking pilots was a considerable blow when they needed every pilot they could get.
       She nodded at the people standing around her, and walked towards Wedge. A cheer arose as
the pilots saw her approaching. "Congratulations on taking out the Repressor, everyone," she said.
"I'm sorry to hear about your losses. I know they can't be replaced, but we have some new pilots
here to take their place. Yet again, we have some recruits to join us who have lost family and friends
at the hands of the Empire." She indicated four of the small group of six standing behind her. "Dal
Ryukyuan, Deb Shiba, Cerda Yisl, and Osar Nyarrin will join Blue Squadron. The other two, Shira
Brie and Jotunn Sinter, will join Red Squadron." She looked at Wedge and smiled. "Finally, General
Rieekan and I have agreed to Captain Antilles' request for Red Squadron to be renamed Rogue
Squadron for killing the Repressor."
       Her expression became serious. "High Command has decided to establish a new base in the
Marriss system. Our advance scouts have indicated that it is a long way from any Imperial bases or
outposts. General Rieekan has chosen you to help set up the preliminary outpost. You'll leave as
soon as you're ready. Good luck."
       Shira felt elation fill her as the pilots split up, heading to their quarters to get ready for an
imminent departure. Finally, she was getting somewhere. She had infiltrated the Alliance nearly
fourteen months ago, and had spent the time since in a small outpost on Jortal III. Finally, her piloting
skills and other abilities had prompted the commander of the outpost to recommend her for transfer
into Red Squadron. Finally she would be able to hurt the Alliance, she thought. The outpost
personnel had soon revealed who had been responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, and
she had taken great pleasure in reporting it to Darth Vader. Being posted to Red Squadron was
greater luck than even she had hoped for. She would be able to destroy the greatest heroes of the
Alliance from the inside.
       "Excuse me," she said to Luke as he walked past her, giving him an embarrassed smile, "could
you tell me where Commander Skywalker is?"
       "Sure," Luke said. "I'm right here."
       Shira went red. "Oh, Kessel!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry..."
       "It's all right," Luke said a grin. "Look, I've got to get ready. See you around."
       "Sure," Shira said, giving him a dazzling smile before he turned away.

                                  * * * * * *

       Darth Vader stood on the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, deep in thought.
Despite the Emperor giving him command of a mighty Imperial task force, the Rebels had not been
manoeuvred into a pitched battle which they would inevitably lose. They had instead chosen to
attack lone Imperial ships, gradually wearing down his command by a process of attrition. Then two
months ago, following the destruction of the Repressor, the Rebel fleet had vanished into the galaxy,
and no amount of work by Imperial Intelligence could produce any leads...until now. The transfer of
Shira Brie to Red Squadron had been an amazing piece of luck. She had identified the pilot who
destroyed the Death Star as Luke Skywalker, which had given Vader much to think about. His son's
sudden appearance with the Alliance was unsettling, especially if Obi-wan Kenobi had been guiding
him. Potentially, he was a very dangerous threat to the Empire.
       He held a datacard in his hand, which contained the latest information that Shira had sent. His
cloak swirled around him as he turned and strode down the walkway towards Admiral Ozzel,
standing as usual at the back of the bridge.
       "Set a course for the planet Asola in the Marris system, Admiral," he ordered, and left the
bridge.

                                  * * * * * *

       Alarms erupted in the Rebel barracks and Luke Skywalker rolled out of his bunk, grabbing his
blaster and lightsabre as he did so. The rest of Rogue Squadron were already up and assuming
defensive positions in the two doorways, not knowing what was happening but assuming the worst.
       Wedge toggled the comm he was holding. "Headquarters, this is Captain Antilles. What's going
on?"
       "Antilles, we have three Star Destroyers in orbit around the planet," one of the headquarters
personnel announced. "The rest won't be far behind. Get to your fighters and prepare for a ground
assault. The Star Destroyers are launching landing craft right now."

       The Star Destroyers Avenger, Retribution, and Nemesis were in orbit around Asola.
       On the bridge of the Retribution, which was leading the preliminary assault, Captain Nade
Mazzin studied the sensor probe data on the Rebel base. They had no shields or anti-starship ground
weapons.
       "The prototype AT-ATs have been deployed as Lord Vader ordered, sir," an aide reported.
       Mazzin nodded. "Hold here. We will wait for Lord Vader to arrive with the main fleet."

       Rogue, Green, and Grey squadrons emerged from the base hangar in their X-wings.
       "Rogue Leader, multiple marks in sector 9," Rogue Six reported.
       "I see them," Luke answered, checking his sensors. He pulled his X-wing around to intercept
the Imperial ground attack, cursing the sluggishness of the X-wing in an atmosphere.
       In tight formation, the X-wings swept forwards. "What in Vader's name are those?" Hobbie
gasped as small black dots appeared ahead of them. The vehicles ahead of them resembled Imperial
Flying Fortresses, but were walking on four legs instead of hovering on repulsorlifts. Bolts began
spraying out from the sides and underneath of the AT-AT cockpits as the X-wings began closing in.
       "Whatever they are, they're a lot better armed than Flying Fortresses," Wedge observed as he
pulled his fighter up to avoid a volley of shots that were aimed directly at him.
       Bolts shot past the canopy of Luke's X-wing as he made an attack run on one of the walkers.
Pulling to the right, he turned his X-wing into a steep climb and then turned and dived towards the
unprotected flank of the walker. Laser bolts blasted from his cannons and punched through the weak
armour on the AT-AT. Wedge's X-wing followed him in, blasting at the junction between the
AT-AT leg and body. A proton torpedo was fired and smashed into the top of the leg with a brilliant
flash, completely severing it. The AT-AT leaned to one side as it lost balance, and then crashed
sideways into the ground.
       "Not so heavily armoured, though," Wedge noted.
       Other pilots had seen what had happened. Hobbie's X-wing swept head on towards a walker,
dodging its fire, and fired two torpedos into the cockpit. The fireball narrowly missed engulfing his
X-wing as he pulled up. Sinter tried the same attack but was less fortunate. His X-wing was hit
squarely by the fire from a walker, and spun into the ground, sending chunks of debris spraying out
as it hit and exploded.
       The base ground defences opened up as the walkers came into range, and the laser and ion
shots quickly destroyed or immobilised the remaining AT-ATs.

       An entire fleet of Star Destroyers began coming out of hyperspace over Asola, led by the
Executor. Admiral Ozzel assessed the situation. As he expected, the prototype AT-ATs had not
had adequate armour to withstand laser fire, a flaw which the factories would have to make sure was
corrected, and the attack had been wiped out. It was not a strategy he would have allowed. Darth
Vader had wanted to test the new ground assault vehicles, though, and Ozzel had not dared defy him
or even question his decision. "All ships, form a blockade around the planet," he ordered.

       In the Rebel headquarters, Princess Leia checked the tactical situation, which was hopeless now
Vader's fleet had arrived. A second ground attack force was landing, but the defeat of the first wave
had given the Rebels enough time to evacuate most of their personnel and equipment. "Signal for
emergency evacuation," she ordered her aides. "We'll just have to hope most of the transports get
past the Star Destroyers. Instruct all fighters to give them cover."

       "Okay, Rogues, you heard the Princess," Luke ordered as a transport shot out of the main
hangar and climbed through the atmosphere. "Rogues Two and Three, follow me. We'll escort the
first transport out."
       "I copy, Rogue Leader," Wedge and Shira Brie acknowledged together, pulling in behind him.
       "Give the other transports three fighters each as escorts," Luke told Rogue, Green and Grey
Squadrons. The sky began fading to stars as they climbed away from the planet. The shape of a Star
Destroyer appeared, growing larger as it moved to intercept them. "Accelerate to attack speed. Try
and draw the Star Destroyer's fire onto you and away from the transport."
       The three fighters accelerated to their maximum sub-light speed and headed towards the Star
Destroyer. "Switch to torpedo targeting mode," Wedge advised. "That should get their attention."
       Streams of green turbolaser bolts began reaching out from the hull of the Star Destroyer. "Right,
we've drawn their fire," Luke observed, thanking the Force that Star Destroyers were not the best
ships for fighting starfighters. "Just give the transport a few seconds to make it to hyperspace." Bolts
streamed past his X-wing as he made a mock attack run on the huge ship, but then Artoo beeped
and he glanced out of his canopy just in time to see the transport enter hyperspace. "Wedge, Shira,
break off," he ordered, turning his X-wing away from the Star Destroyer. "Well done. Jump to
hyperspace on your marks. Are the co-ordinates ready, Artoo?"
       The astromech droid warbled a confirmation and Luke pulled back the hyperdrive lever,
watching as the stars elongated into hyperspace.

       Another transport raced up from the surface, escorted by the Millennium Falcon and two
more X-wings, but this one was less fortunate. A Star Destroyer and the Executor moved to
intercept it, sending an impenetrable sheet of laser fire at the transport, which was torn apart in less
than ten seconds by the onslaught. In the Falcon's cockpit, Chewbacca bellowed in alarm as the
Executor abruptly shifted aim to fire at them.

       On the Executor's bridge, Darth Vader stared intently at the tiny shape of the Corellian
YT-1300 that had thwarted him in the Death Star trench as it raced away from the Super Star
Destroyer. His rage had erupted when he had seen it escorting the transport, and he had ordered its
capture. Admiral Ozzel stood silently at the back of the bridge, wondering how he was meant to
maintain his authority and conduct a military campaign if Vader kept overriding him on a whim.

       The Falcon corkscrewed wildly in a frantic attempt to avoid the turbolaser fire. Two other Star
Destroyers had broken off from the main attack and were approaching rapidly from either side.
       "Can we go to lightspeed yet?" Han demanded, and received a negative roar from Chewbacca.
"Well, just make a micro-jump in any direction," he yelled as the Falcon's aft shields collapsed under
the bombardment. "If we stay here much longer, we're going to become bantha fodder."
       Chewbacca let out a bark of agreement and in front of them the stars stretched into lines.
       They were safe.

                                  * * * * * *

       Once again, the Alliance had been driven from another base with heavy losses. Nearly a third of
their personnel and equipment transports had been destroyed. Princess Leia stood in the main
docking bay of the cruiser A New Hope, which had been given its name following the destruction of
the Death Star and the consequent surge of morale throughout the Alliance. She watched as X-wings
and Y-wings landed in the hangar, noting the losses the squadrons had taken in giving the transports
cover.
       With relief, she saw three X-wings appear in the hangar entrance, recognising one of them as
Luke's. She waited as the fighters touched down.
       "Leia!" Luke called as his X-wing canopy lifted. He jumped to the deck, not waiting for the
ground crew to bring a ladder.
She smiled at him. "You must have a charmed life, Luke - you and Wedge. The two of you seem to
be invincible. You've both survived far longer than the average for Alliance pilots, not to mention
being the only two pilots to live through the Battle of Yavin." She deliberately omitted Han.
       Luke laughed. "You shouldn't have said that. We'll probably both get shot down next time we
go out."
       He stopped as Shira Brie suddenly appeared. "Come on, flyboy," she said, "you promised to
buy me a drink to celebrate surviving our latest battle." She hesitated, glancing between Luke and
Leia. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?"
       Leia smiled politely. "Not at all," she said and walked away.
       Luke hesitated uncertainly for a moment, torn between the two of them, but then followed Shira.

       Leia watched Luke and Shira vanish down the corridor leading to the cantina, an odd feeling
filling her. Strangely, she didn't feel jealous. Luke often felt more like a close friend than anything
else. She instinctively didn't trust Shira, though. She knew it was illogical; Shira had proven herself
often enough since she had joined the Alliance, seemed pleasant and straightforward enough, and
checks on her background had all come up clean, but there was just something about her that wasn't
right.
       Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud laugh. Startled, she turned to see Han Solo leaning
against the Falcon, grinning broadly. "I've seen Hutts who lost a cargo of 95% pure spice to a
competitor looking more pleased than you," he observed.
       Leia drew herself up to her full height, which didn't help much considering her small size, and
assumed her most regal posture. "What makes you think I'm jealous?" she asked haughtily.
       Han put on a great pretence of thinking deeply. "Well, looking like a rancor that's swallowed a
poisoned womprat was a pretty good clue. Why can't you just admit it?" he demanded. "You're as
jealous as anything. Why don't you forget about Luke, and try someone else, like perhaps a certain
charming smuggler not a million parsecs from here? Or can't you just stand having competition?"
       A thousand retorts went through Leia's mind, but she knew they would just bounce off Han.
There was only one sure way of getting to him. She gave him a penetrating look. "So you think you
can come up to my expectations as a princess, do you?" she asked.
       Han nodded, slightly taken aback by her sudden change in mood.
       "Well, let's see, shall we?" Leia asked. She stepped up to him and put her arms round his
shoulders. "Not bad," she said, turning and forcing Han to duck slightly to avoid hitting his head on
the underside of the Falcon. She stretched and managed to reach his ear, and whispered in it.
       The results exceeded her wildest hopes. "What!!" Han roared, only to stop abruptly as he
straightened up and smashed his head against the underside of the Falcon.
       Leia regarded him without an ounce of sympathy, noting the dent in the hull plate with
satisfaction. She had certainly got through to him. "I don't think you're my type after all, Captain
Solo," she said coolly and walked away.
       Han blinked several times to get rid of the tiny X-wings flying around his head, and glared
furiously after her, seething over what she had said about the Falcon. He reached up and patted the
Falcon's hull. "Pay no attention to her," he said. "What does she know?"

       Luke and Shira stood at a viewport in the pilot quarters on A New Hope, staring out at the
small uninhabited planet that the ship was orbiting. "It was terrible," Shira said quietly as she told
Luke the story of her homeworld's destruction by the Empire. "We refused to recognise the
Emperor's claim to jurisdiction of Shalyvane. He didn't waste any time negotiating. Star Destroyers
arrived and wiped out our defence fleet. My whole family, except for my sister, was killed in the
preliminary attacks. Then they destroyed every structure more than a storey high from orbit. Finally,
just for good measure, they released chemicals that turned the planet into a desert. Those who
survived had to eke out a living scavenging in the ruins like animals. Like many before me, I swore
revenge on the Empire for what it had done to us, and so here I am."
       Luke nodded grimly. "I lost my uncle and aunt at the hands of the Empire. Darth Vader
murdered my father, and Biggs died buying time for me to destroy the Death Star. I swore to
become a Jedi like my father. What happened to your sister?"
       Shira shrugged. "The Empire took her. I don't know any more than that."
       There was a long silence.
       "Do you ever think about settling down with someone?" Shira eventually asked.
       Luke smiled. "Is that a hint? You certainly don't waste any time."
       Shira laughed. "I don't mean with me. What about Leia, for example?"
       Luke frowned. "I don't know. It just feels...wrong for some reason." He reached out to push
some of her hair back. "Anyway, I prefer redheads. Someone tall and slender, with long red hair and
green eyes, and strong-willed."
       Shira punched him lightly. "And you accused me of dropping hints," she teased. "Sounds like
every male fantasy I've ever heard about. Well, I've got everything but the green eyes."
       Any further banter was interrupted by a shout from Wedge to the effect of whether they were
planning to stand there until they died of old age, and they reluctantly made their way towards him.

                                   * * * * * *

       Three months later, Darth Vader sat in the meditation pod in his quarters, studying the latest
report from Shira Brie, which contained the information that Rogue Squadron and Han Solo had
arrived to set up an outpost on the planet Sed Tihonia a week ago. Shira had proved very useful so
far. Her report that Skywalker was trying to learn the ways of the Jedi was worrying. Clearly the
sooner he was captured and shown the true nature of the Force, the better. He had issued Shira with
orders to capture Skywalker in the attack that was being planned on Sed Tihonia. A stormtrooper
assault force would land to catch Rogue Squadron by surprise during the night. In the confusion,
Shira would take Skywalker prisoner. The resulting loss of Skywalker, Solo and Rogue Squadron
would dishearten the Alliance, for whom they were important figures. The whole attack was being
carefully planned to take them by surprise. The minimum amount of personnel were being used to
ensure secrecy. The Rebels would only find out that they were under attack when stormtroopers
appeared in their barracks.
       The pod opened as he turned to face the wall display. Admiral Ozzel appeared on the screen.
"Send the Star Destroyer Revenge to the planet Sed Tihonia as planned, Admiral," Vader ordered,
and the pod closed again.

                                  * * * * * *

       Luke opened his eyes and looked around the darkened barracks of Rogue Squadron. The
sense of someone calling him in a dream had been very strong, so much so that he had woken up.
The barracks was quiet, though, as the whole squadron was asleep. He frowned, feeling a strong
sense that something was wrong.
       "Luke," the voice called again in his head, and this time he recognised the voice.
       "Ben," he breathed.
       "Beware, Luke," Ben Kenobi's voice answered. "The Imperials are attacking."
       There was no more, but Luke had learned the value of Ben's advice a long time ago. Rolling out
of his bunk, he seized his blaster and lightsabre, and shook Wedge awake. "We're being attacked,"
he warned.
       Wedge blinked, still half asleep. "Are you sure?" he asked dubiously. A sudden volley of laser
bolts through the door woke him up fully and dispelled any doubts. The rest of Rogue Squadron was
instantly up and grabbing blasters, as the sound of firing woke them.
       "Stormtroopers!" one of the Rogues shouted over the din as they returned fire.
       Wedge muttered a curse under his breath. "Six of you, get to the rear door," he barked. "We'll
cover you. Give us covering fire when you get there."
       Half the pilots stepped back and headed for the rear door. The others, including Shira,
intensified their own fire. "We're clear, Wedge," Zev called from behind him.
       "Right, come on," Luke ordered. They pulled back from the door quickly, and were nearly there
when a shot caught Rogue Four in the side, throwing him to the ground. Shira was immediately at his
side, despite the danger, dropping her blaster and grabbing the injured man by the arms.
       "Shira!" Luke yelled as stormtroopers burst into the room and the Rogues dived for any
available cover. In desperation, he ignited his lightsabre, and charged the troopers in a near suicidal
attack. Fortunately, he was saved from his foolishness as he was grabbed and pulled behind an
overturned bed, just as a hail of bolts filled the space where he had been.
       "Don't be an idiot, kid," Han snapped from behind Luke. "We heard the shooting and thought
you might need some help." Blaster fire sizzled through the air above them. The Rogues had enough
cover to get through the rear door, except for Shira, who had taken cover behind a table, but was
cut off from them by a row of small closets.
       "Keep back," Luke called to her. He used his lightsabre to cut through the closets and made a
hole large enough for her to crawl through after they pushed and pulled the injured Rogue Four
through.
       Wedge passed his blaster to Han. "Come on, let's go," he shouted, slinging Rogue Four over his
shoulder. Firing rapidly, the group managed to get out of the barracks, and fell back down the
corridor to the hangar.
       Laser bolts from both directions filled the corridor as Rogue Squadron retreated. Luke saw
Rogue Nine take a blaster bolt full in the chest and collapse as a particularly bold stormtrooper came
ahead of the main group to open fire at point blank range. His lightsabre flashed twice, first through
the blaster rifle, and then through the white armour. The man went down without a sound.
       "Come on," Han yelled, grabbing Luke's arm and pulling him down the corridor. "Nine's gone."
       The Rogues entered the hangar and broke for their X-wings. A few moments later,
stormtroopers appeared in the doorway, but got no further, as the Falcon, hovering on its
repulsorlifts in the middle of the hangar, opened fire from its lower quad laser. In a few seconds, the
door was piled with dead and wounded stormtroopers.
       Han took the unconscious Rogue Four from Wedge and sprinted up the Falcon's ramp.
Threepio was standing anxiously at the top of the ramp, and he pushed Rogue Four into the droid's
arms. "Get him attached to the medical kit," he snapped.
       "But Captain Solo, I'm not a medical droid," Threepio protested to thin air, as Han ran to the
cockpit.
       "Nice shooting, Chewie," he said to the Wookiee as he dropped into the pilot's seat.

       Shira stopped by Luke as she ran to her X-wing. "Thanks for helping me out back there,
flyboy," she said, smiling at him. "I know this hardly evens things between us but..." and kissed him.
       Luke grinned at her. "Oh, I don't know. I'll have to save you from stormtroopers more often."
       Shira laughed and ran to her fighter, and Luke climbed quickly up his ladder and jumped into
the cockpit. "Close the canopy, Artoo," he ordered to the astromech, who was already doing just
that. Ahead of him, X-wings were already lifting on their repulsorlifts and leaving the hangar.

       Wedge's X-wing climbed through the atmosphere of Sed Tihonia to see the depressingly
familiar wedge shape of a Star Destroyer in front of him. "Not again," he muttered wearily. "Okay,
Rogues, let's see if we can pay them back a bit for Rogue Nine. I'm going in, follow me."
       The fighters split up and began making attack runs on the Revenge, evading the turbolaser fire
from the laser batteries.

       Luke's X-wing swept over the top ridgeline of the Revenge as he made a strafing run on the
starboard turbolaser batteries.
       From her cockpit, Shira saw his fighter vanish from the sight of the other Rogues. She smiled in
anticipation as she turned her X-wing to follow him. She had played Luke like a chordokeylo from
the moment she joined Rogue Squadron. Trust a simple Tatooine farmboy to fall for the most blatant
enticement hook, line and sinker, she thought coldly. She had been waiting a long time for the right
moment to capture Skywalker, and it had just arrived. It would be a simple task to disable his
X-wing in the confusion of battle, and none of the Rebels would suspect anything. The Alliance
would lose one of its most revered heroes.
       She shifted all power to the engines and raced after him. The fighter came over the ridgeline,
easily dodging the fire from the intact turbolaser batteries. Not far ahead, she saw Skywalker's
X-wing. She acquired a lock on his X-wing, which had now finished its run and was headed away
from the Revenge, and gripped the trigger tightly, waiting impatiently for her fighter to come in range
of Skywalker's.

       Luke turned his X-wing back towards the Revenge in preparation for another strafing run.
Ahead of him, he could see a lone X-wing approaching rapidly. Artoo abruptly let out an alarmed
flurry of beeps and whistles. Luke frowned as words scrolled across his display.
       "They're targeting us?" he said incredulously. He checked his sensors. "It must be a mistake.
That's Shira's X-wing!" He hesitated, not believing that Shira would deliberately target him, and yet
there seemed to be no signs of malfunctioning systems in her X-wing or distress signals being
transmitted. His finger wavered over the firing button, unsure what to do.
       And then Ben Kenobi's voice once again filled his mind. "Luke, use the Force," the voice
urged. "Remember, Luke, let go. Trust the Force to guide you."
       Luke took a deep breath and nodded. Closing his eyes, he remembered how he had seen the
remotes in his mind during his first training session on the Falcon. He felt the presence of minds all
around him for a brief moment, but it was long enough to sense the hostile mind in the X-wing. He
opened his eyes again and acted.

       Shira smiled grimly as Skywalker's X-wing came in range and her finger tightened on the firing
button. She would aim for the starboard engines, which would leave his fighter out of control. It
would be a simple task for the Revenge to pull him in with a tractor beam later.
       A second later, the smile was gone. The X-wing pulled out of her line of fire with amazing speed
and fired all four of its cannons simultaneously. There was no time for her to react. The bolts
smashed into her port S-foils, vaporising them instantly. The sudden loss of balance sent the fighter
into a wild spin. Frantically, she fastened her helmet seals and grabbed for the ejection lever, but
even as she did so, the port engines, damaged by the attack, blew apart in a cloud of shrapnel that
tore through the body of her X-wing. Red-hot pieces of metal slashed into her back, arms, and skull.
For a moment she felt no pain, but then all rationality vanished in a wave of agony such as she had
never experienced before. A ball of fire erupted in the cockpit, engulfing her, and the agony reached
new heights for a few seconds before everything went black...

       Wedge's X-wing, accompanied by the Falcon and Rogues Five and Six, came over the
Revenge's ridgeline just in time to see Luke's X-wing fire on Shira's and send it spinning away into
space.
       "What are you doing, Luke?" Han shouted in amazement over the comm.
       Luke shook his head, still not believing what he had just done himself. "She was going to open
fire," he said softly, as much to convince himself as to explain his actions.
       Wedge glanced at the receding shape of the ruined X-wing. Even from here, he could see the
fire in the cockpit, which was diminishing rapidly as it consumed the cockpit oxygen, and the glowing
remains of the port S-foils. "If she hasn't ejected by now, she's already dead," he said. "Rogue
Squadron, go to hyperspace on your marks," he ordered, and the entire group jumped to lightspeed
a few seconds later. He coughed nervously as the fighters raced through hyperspace. "Uh, Luke, I'm
going to have to report this to General Rieekan."
       Luke lowered his head for a second and closed his eyes. "All right, Wedge," he said softly,
knowing that he would be facing a court-martial.

                                  * * * * * *

       Luke's X-wing touched down in the hangar bay of the Rebel flagship, to see a grim faced
General Rieekan and two guards waiting nearby. The three of them came forwards as he climbed
down the ladder.
       "Commander Skywalker," General Rieekan said heavily as he turned to face them. "Did you fire
on Rogue 3 while you were engaged with the Revenge?"
       Luke nodded. There was no point denying it. "Yes."
       Rieekan nodded to the guards, who came forward. "Commander Skywalker, you are under
arrest pending a court-martial into the shooting down of Shira Brie." He watched silently as the
guards led Luke away.
       By now, the other pilots and Han and Chewbacca had gathered around them. Han's face
hardened as the guards left. "Look, General," he said, "I know Luke. If he shot Shira down, he had a
very good reason for it. He said that he could feel Shira intending to shoot him down. I don't believe
in the Force, but if he says she meant to fire at him, then I believe him. He blew up the Death Star
single-handedly. If you're going to put him on trial, then you're all idiots."
       Rieekan's distaste at what he had just had to do burst out. "I'm not doing this for amusement,
Solo," he growled. "I don't like it any more than you do. For what it's worth, I believe Luke. Given
our security measures, I have no difficulty accepting that Shira was an Imperial agent. Luke shot her
down without apparent provocation, though. If we don't investigate this, we're no better than the
Empire."
       "So you'll send slicers to try and see what information the Imperials have on Shira, will you?"
Han demanded.
       Rieekan shook his head. "High Command will not authorise it. Trying to obtain such information
is too dangerous. I'm sorry, Solo."
       Chewbacca bellowed angrily. "I'm with you," Han agreed. "I'm sorry too, General. We're both
out."
       Rieekan's eyes narrowed. "You'll never going to get information on Shira from the Imperials.
They don't exactly welcome you with open arms."
       "We'll take our chances," Han replied. "We got Princess Leia out of the Death Star. Getting
some files can't be any harder."
       Rieekan smiled faintly. "It'll be easier with some help. Wedge, Dack, you are placed on leave of
duty until further notice. You're a good man, Solo. May the Force be with you." He turned and
strode away.
       Wedge sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that attacking the Death Star again would be easier
than trying to get into an Imperial database?"

                                  * * * * * *

       The Revenge lay in orbit around Sed Tihonia, escorting the Executor, which had arrived shortly
after Rogue Squadron's escape.
       Darth Vader stood in a hangar bay on the Executor, watching as naval troopers cut away the
wreckage of Shira Brie's X-wing. He was enraged by the failure of the attack. Somehow the Rebels
had been ready for them, despite the planning and secrecy. He would have to find out how Rogue
Squadron had anticipated and therefore escaped the attack. Shira's unmasking as a spy by
Skywalker compounded the failure. Now she was useless as an intelligence source. Skywalker and
Solo had escaped yet again.
       He came forward as medical personnel lifted Shira carefully onto a repulsorbed. The fireball had
burned her hair away and she was covered in terrible wounds from the shrapnel. An officer stepped
forward. "My Lord, she's too badly injured to survive. She won't last more than a few hours. She
has collapsed lungs, cranial trauma, severe internal injuries, massive burns, and at least one of her
arms will have to be amputated. It would be kinder just to let her die."
       "No, Captain," Vader hissed. "She will live. She is strong in the Force. Take her to Imperial
Centre and begin cyborg reconstruction on her. I will hold you personally responsible if she does not
survive."
       The man went white. "Yes, my Lord. I won't fail you."
       Fear was an admirable motivator, Vader noted, as the officer began bellowing at the medics to
get moving. A sudden thought struck him. He could report to his master that Shira had been killed,
and no one would dare contradict him. He would then be free to train Shira in the advanced powers
of the Dark Side. She would make an interesting student. He believed that suffering and anger
intensified strength in the Dark Side. It certainly worked for him. Shira would have a huge amount of
pain and hate to draw on. Most of it would of course be directed at Skywalker, but Vader could
control her. His son was too promising to waste on Shira's revenge. As long as he survived, Shira
would not even contemplate attacking Skywalker, or she would face the full wrath of a Dark Lord of
the Sith.

                                  * * * * * *

       Han approached the Falcon's ramp to see Princess Leia standing waiting for him. "Well, your
Highness, you finally got your wish," he said, grinning sardonically. "I'm going. Couldn't you bear to
let me go without saying goodbye first?"
       Leia sighed. "You really have an inflated ego, Han. Why do you even begin to think I want
anything to do with you?"
       To his surprise, she reached out and took his hand. "Take care, Han. Good luck on Shalyvane.
May the Force be with you." She glared at him as he opened his mouth. "Get out of here before I
change my mind," she said and turned away.
       Han gazed after her for a moment, then went up the ramp.

       Wedge and Dack were already strapped into the rear crew seats when Han entered the
cockpit.
       "Threepio's in the cargo hold, switched off," Wedge reported.
       Han nodded. "Good. I don't want to have to listen to him the whole time. Personally, I'd rather
sell him to the first Jawa I meet. I'm going to regret having let you two persuade me that he might
actually prove useful for translating."
       "So what's the plan?" Dack asked Han.
       Han shrugged. "I was hoping you had one. Where did Shira say she came from?"
       "Shalyvane," Dack answered.
       Han nodded. "Then that's where we'll start and hope we learn something".
       He punched the repulsorlift controls and the Falcon lifted from the docking bay and left the
Rebel ship. As soon it cleared the fleet, it jumped to hyperspace.

       One of the flight crew maintenance staff watched the Falcon leave the hangar bay. So they
were going to Shalyvane, he thought, having overheard Han and Leia's conversation. He knew
someone who would pay very well for this information...

                                  * * * * * *

       Five days later, the Falcon came out of lightspeed above Shalyvane. Threepio gazed out of the
cockpit at the planet. "What an awful place this is," he said. The whole world was an yellow and
brown colour from space, showing the extent of the devastation.
       "It used to be a cultured planet," Wedge commented. "It was held alongside Alderaan and
Caamas as one of the most noble planets in the galaxy. Of course, when the Emperor demanded
their unconditional allegiance, they refused point blank. He turned the planet into a desert as
punishment."
       "It certainly would have made the survivors sworn enemies of the Empire," Han observed, "or
excellent cover for Imperial agents, of course. Come on, let's see if we can find anything out."
       The Falcon descended into the atmosphere. "No technology and few lifeform readings,"
Wedge observed, studying the displays.
       Han leaned over to take a look. "That looks like a large concentration right there," he said. "It
must be a settlement. Chewie, bring us around to course 4-13-92."
       A few minutes, the Falcon landed outside a collection of crumbling stone buildings. The ramp
lowered and Wedge,        Han, Dack and Chewbacca came down it cautiously, blasters at the
ready. A small welcoming committee had already formed, Han noted as he came down the ramp.
They stood around watching the four strangers, but didn't seem hostile, although he wasn't
particularly surprised. They were mostly dressed in rags, and all of them had a desperate,
half-starved look. One of them stepped forwards and held out a hand, saying something Han didn't
understand. "Threepio?" he asked. "Can you understand him?"
       The protocol droid stepped forwards. "Oh yes, Captain Solo. He's speaking in Middle
Shalyvanian. An old language, evolved from the dialect spoken by the inhabitants of the northern
continents between approximately 2600 years to 470 years Pre-Empire."
       "We'd be better off with an intergalactic phrase book," Han muttered in exasperation.
"Threepio," he said, trying to stay calm, "I don't want to know the history of every dialect on the
planet. Just tell us what he said."
       "He wants to know if you had any food, Captain Solo," Threepio answered with an air of
wounded pride. "Really, some humans have no patience whatsoever."
       "Hold on," Han said, fumbling in a pocket of his jacket. "I've got a ration bar here," he said,
finding it, and giving it to the man, who immediately seized it and grabbed Han in a joyful bear hug.
       "I think we've got spare ration bars in the cargo hold," Dack said, he and Wedge trying not
entirely successfully to keep from laughing as they watched a distinctly unimpressed Han trying to
break free. "I'll go and get them." The other villagers had come forwards and were waiting
expectantly for more food to appear. They nearly trampled Dack into the ground when he came
down the Falcon's ramp with extra ration bars. In seconds, they had taken all the ration bars.
       "Can't we do anything for them?" Dack asked Wedge once the villagers had seized all the ration
bars. "Surely there must be something we can do."
       Wedge's face hardened in helpless anger as he watched the villagers tearing into the ration bars
as though it was the first meal that they had for a month. "The Alliance barely has enough food for
itself. The only way we can help them is to make sure the Empire can never do this to anyone again."
       The man who had first spoken to them finished eating and came over to them and shook Wedge
and Dack's hands, again saying something. "He thanks you for the food and asks if he can help you
at all," Threepio translated.
       Wedge hesitated. From what they had already seen, there seemed precious little chance that
there were any population records left on Shalyvane, and there was virtually no chance of anyone
here having heard of Shira. "Ask if they know of a Shira Brie," he told the droid nevertheless, and
waited as they conferred.
       "He says not," Threepio announced, as Wedge had expected. "He does say, however, that
some Shalyvanians were taken to the Imperial base at Ord Mantell if that helps."
       Wedge grimaced. "I doubt it." Ord Mantell had once been an important Old Republic supply
planet, and the Empire had built it into one of their strongest bases. The chances that anyone
remembered Shira here or on Ord Mantell were slim, and the chances of finding them even more so.
On top of that, it was more than possible that Shira had lied about coming from Shalyvane, in which
case they were completely wasting their time. He glanced at Han. "What do you think?"
       "I'm trying not to," Han answered. They had almost no hope of finding anything out on Ord
Mantell, but they seemed to have even less chance of finding anything out here. "I don't think we
have much of a choice, though. If Shira was an Imperial agent, though, Ord Mantell has the most
extensive records database after Coruscant."

                                  * * * * * *

       The bounty hunter Dengar smiled as he studied the transmission from his source inside the Rebel
Alliance. So Solo and his Wookiee companion had decided to leave the safety of the Alliance, he
noted with pleasure. He glanced up at the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk standing beside him.
"Soon we will have Solo and the Wookiee," he said, already imagining the reward they would get
from Jabba the Hutt. "For once, Fett won't beat us to the prize."
       Bossk's scales lifted slightly, the Trandoshan equivalent of a nod. "You may do what you like
with Solo, but the Wookiee is mine," he hissed.

                                  * * * * * *

       Two days later, the Falcon came out of hyperspace over Ord Mantell. Three Star Destroyers
and eight Telgorn Corp XQ/6 platforms lay in orbit around the planet, as befitted an important
Imperial supply base.
       Wedge shook his head. "I hope we know what we're doing."
       Han grinned. "Can't be any worse than sneaking around the Death Star disguised as
stormtroopers," he said, ignoring the sceptical look that Wedge gave him.
       A voice came from the cockpit comm. "Unknown freighter, we have you on our screens. State
your identity and purpose."
       Han glanced at Wedge, who nodded. "This is the Corellian freighter Millennium Falcon, with a
cargo of TIE fighter targeting sensors."
       There was a pause, during which Chewbacca kept his hands on the controls, ready for an
immediate 180-degree turn and jump to lightspeed. "You may proceed," the controller said. "We are
transmitting the co-ordinates for your allocated landing site now. Do not deviate from the course, or
you will be fired on."
       "Friendly people," Dack commented, as the Falcon passed between two of the XQ/6
platforms. They were close enough to one to see turbolaser batteries swivelling to track them.
       Wedge took a breath. "That was the easy part. Now we have to somehow get into a high
security Imperial base, download files, and get out without being spotted."
       The Falcon cleared the platforms and began its descent towards Ord Mantell.

       Wedge came cautiously down the Falcon's ramp and looked around the docking bay, unable
to shake off the feeling that an entire brigade of stormtroopers would suddenly appear. Han slapped
him on the shoulder. "See, nothing to worry about," he said airily, and wished he actually felt that
confident. The whole plan seemed a lot less intelligent now they were right in the middle of the largest
Imperial base for a hundred sectors.
       The three of them left the docking bay. Chewbacca had reluctantly agreed to stay with the
Falcon after Han had pointed out that the Empire's prejudice against non-humans would surely
make them conspicuous if he came and that they would need him on the Falcon in the event of a
quick escape being necessary.
       They found themselves standing on the edge of a teeming street. Dozens of civilians hurried
along, nearly of all them keeping their heads down to avoid attracting attention. Stormtroopers stood
every 50 paces along on both sides of the street. Military airspeeders and speeder bikes glided past
overhead, mingling with cargo carriers and landspeeders.
       "Wonderful place," Dack commented grimly.
       Wedge nodded in agreement. "Typical Imperial control. Make sure no one steps out of line.
Anyway, we've got a job to do, and the sooner we get out of here, the better."
       "You won't catch me arguing with that," Han observed as they entered the crowd, and began
heading towards the main Imperial record facility.

       Twenty minutes later, they were outside the facility, studying it from inside a small tapcafe. "It
doesn't look good," Dack observed. The plan, if it could be called that, was looking less intelligent
by the second.
       "You're right there," Wedge replied. "They've turned it into a fortress. Look at those
checkpoints at the main entrance. They've got a squad of stormtroopers, identification systems, and
laser turrets. And then that building on the right looks like a good spot to have some support element
like speeder bikes or even AT-STs. You'd need at least half a brigade of commandos, fighting a
small war, just to get inside."
       "Come on," Han said, getting up. "Let's see if we can find any weak spots before you two make
me nervous."
       Behind them, a figure in a robe lifted a comlink and spoke into it briefly before following them
out of the tapcafe.

       Han, Wedge and Dack moved through the crowd when suddenly the figures in front of them
stopped suddenly enough that they nearly ran into them. "Careful," Dack said, before he realised that
the people surrounding them had blasters in plain view.
       Wedge looked around. There were others behind them, all grim faced and holding blasters as
well. He glanced around, hoping to see stormtroopers for the first time in his life, but the
stormtroopers, so numerous when they weren't needed, seemed to have momentarily vanished into
thin air. The circle began closing in around them, herding them towards an alley, and down it into a
dimly lit cantina. Some of their escort vanished as they entered the cantina. Two stayed with them
and guided them to a particularly dark corner of the room, where a cloaked figure was sitting waiting
for them. The three of them hesitated briefly before the figure motioned for them to sit down. He
nodded to the two men behind them, who turned and walked away.
       There was an uneasy pause. "So are you going to give us to the Imperials?" Dack asked lightly,
despite his apprehension.
       The man laughed, his features hidden by the hood of his cloak. "If we were, we would have
done it a long time ago. Are you Rebels?"
       After a moment, Wedge nodded. "Yes, we are."
       The man nodded. "Good. We've being waiting for the Rebels to come." He beckoned and an
old man appeared beside him. "Skarl here has been wanting to fight the Empire for a long time, but
we don't know how to find any Rebel bases or cells." He sat back in his chair. "We would be
honoured if you would let us join you."
       There was a short silence. "You've got to be kidding!" Han snorted. "A bunch of Imperial
agents trying to get information out of us? Go kiss a Hutt!"
       "A pity," came the reply. "You came here to get into the records centre, yes? You won't get
within 500 metres of it before you're shot."
       Wedge placed a hand on Han's arm, cutting off the retort. "Can you help us?" he asked.
       The man nodded. "I'm an Imperial Intelligence Colonel, one of the senior staff in the records
facility. If you want to get information out of there, you'll have to trust me. We'll help you get the
information you want if you take us to the Alliance. There's a lot of us, but we have our own
Corvette."
       Wedge nodded slowly, much to Han's amazement. "You're not seriously going to trust him, are
you?" he said disbelievingly.
Wedge frowned, not liking it very much either, but not seeing any other way to get information on
Shira. "Come on, Han, you saw the defences around that place. As our friend here said, we'd never
even come close to getting inside, let alone get to a computer. This could be just what we need. And
besides, we take people on trust in the Alliance. We took Biggs on trust, and a certain Tatooine
farmboy, Corellian smuggler and Wookiee."
       Han scowled, but took Wedge's point. "All right, you've got a deal. Any wrong moves, though,
and your name is on my blaster. One more thing, you can go with our protocol droid just so we
know we're getting accurate information. Call it an insurance policy."
       The man nodded and rose. "Very well. Who or what do you require information on?"
       "A suspected Imperial agent called Shira Brie," Dack answered. "Who are you, by the way?"
       The man pushed the hood of his cloak back, revealing a bearded face. "Madine. Crix Madine."

                                  * * * * * *

       A senior controller on board one of the XQ/6 platforms was running through the list of ships that
had arrived that day when the name of one rang a bell. Switching to another directory, he accessed
the list of starships that were wanted by the Empire. Near the top of the list lay the same name. He
rose and went to a Holonet terminal, switching to a high level military frequency, and proceeded to
make a report.

       On board the Executor, a comm officer approached Admiral Ozzel. "Sir, we have a report that
the Corellian freighter Millennium Falcon has recently arrived at Ord Mantell."
       Ozzel nodded. "Very good, Ensign. Carry on." He came up out of the crew pits and strode
down the walkway to Darth Vader.
       "You have something to report, Admiral Ozzel?" the Dark Lord asked.
       "Yes, my lord," Ozzel answered. "Ord Mantell Space Control has informed us that the
Millennium Falcon arrived there a couple of hours ago."
       "They should have sent word immediately," Vader said ominously. "Set your course for Ord
Mantell."

                                  * * * * * *

       A few hours later, Han, Wedge and Dack were back on the Falcon, waiting for Madine to
accomplish his mission. The old man, Skarl, had come back with them, and they soon discovered
that he hated the Empire bitterly.
       "We spotted you from the moment you left the docking bay," he said as they sat around the
game table. "I've seen what they do in the name of their New Order. Hardly anyone on the planet
dares lift their head. You were different. You hadn't been beaten down by fear, and then you looked
like fighter pilots." He glanced at Wedge and Dack. "Y-wing pilot and gunner?"
       "X-wings," Wedge corrected, taken aback. "How did you know we were pilots?"
       Skarl laughed. "It takes one to know one. I flew a Headhunter in the Clone Wars, similar to
your X-wings. If I was younger, you wouldn't be able to keep me out of one."
       Wedge smiled. "I was one of the pilots who attacked the Death Star. I gave my wingman Luke
Skywalker cover while he tried to hit the thermal exhaust port."
       Skarl stared at him for a moment, then slapped him on the back. "The famous Rogue Squadron,
eh? Yes, even here on Ord Mantell we know of the Alliance's battles. It gives us some hope when
we are almost devoid of it. You did a great deed there, Antilles. You struck a blow for all of us who
live under the Empire's tyranny. I wish I had been there to humiliate the Empire," he said wistfully.
       "It cost us dearly, though," Wedge commented. "We lost nearly all our pilots and almost failed
until Han took the TIE fighters off Luke's back, and we had to flee across the galaxy to avoid the
Emperor's retribution. Perhaps you may have a chance to do something to help the Alliance, though."
       Skarl laughed again. "Maybe I will, if the Force is with me. This information you seek, why do
you need it so much?"
       "Luke is under suspicion of shooting down one our pilots. He is attempting to become a Jedi,
and believes that she is an Imperial spy. We came here to learn if she is - was- an Imperial agent."
       Skarl's eyes closed. "I remember seeing the Jedi stationed here. They were a force for good
throughout the Old Republic, until the accursed Emperor hunted them down. We shall have to
ensure that Skywalker can continue his training by obtaining the information you need."

       Crix Madine came up to the security post at the entrance of the record facility, with Threepio
following behind him. He began to understand why the Rebels had been so pleased to see the droid
go with him, as he had spent the last hour listening to his complaints and small talk, and was almost
tempted to stay with the Empire as a result. The stormtroopers at the checkpoint straightened as he
approached. "Your identification," one demanded curtly. "What do you need this droid for?"
       "THX-1138," Madine answered, stepping up to a laser identification reader to have his corneas
checked. He gestured to Threepio, who was being scanned for espionage programming or hidden
weapons. "The droid is here to help translate some documents written in Old Dreeite."
       "All right, you can go," the stormtrooper said, as a light flashed green on the laser reader and
Threepio was given the all-clear.
       Madine entered the building, knowing that this would be the last time he ever did so, although he
would certainly not miss it. His colleagues were a backstabbing, arrogant group of cowards who
would happily sell their mothers to a Hutt if it earned them some reward, no matter how slight, from
a senior official. He regretted that he could not tell them exactly what he thought of them. He entered
his private office and accessed his computer terminal. He had planned what he would do for a long
time, and he finally had the chance. Watched by Threepio, he searched through the records for Shira
Brie and smiled as he found one file on her. He copied the file to a datacard he had brought with
him, and then inserted another datacard. He ran the small program on it, and laughed quietly. In a
few hours, the program would begin destroying the files on computers throughout the facility. They
would certainly remember Colonel Crix Madine for a long time...

       Skarl's comlink beeped, and he took it from his belt. "I have the information," Madine
announced tersely. "Go and tell the others to get the Corvette ready. I'll meet Solo at the
Millennium Falcon."
       "No," Han said, instantly wary of a platoon of stormtroopers arriving at the hangar bay. "We'll
meet you at the Thirsty Mynock cantina. "Come on, let's go," he said. "You stay here, Chewie."
       Skarl shook his head. "It should be safe for the Wookiee to go with you this time. The Imperials
will be in their barracks by now. They don't venture out after dark. There's a lot of resistance here.
So many lone stormtroopers kept disappearing that they eventually stopped night patrols. The
Imperials took severe reprisals for every dead stormtrooper, of course, but it only increased the
number of attacks."
       Han glanced at him, and then nodded. "Okay, come on, Chewie."
       The four of them left the Falcon, followed by Skarl on his way to the Corvette. The walk to the
cantina was uneventful, and they met Madine there with Threepio and the datacard.
       The journey back was destined to be less uneventful, however. They were taking a shortcut
down a narrow, dimly lit street on the way back to the Falcon when Chewbacca gave a loud roar.
"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about this too," Han said, easing his blaster out from under his cloak.
       The words were barely out of his mouth when three shapes on speeder bikes appeared at the
far end of the street. Wedge turned to see another two behind them. "They've got us surrounded," he
warned.
       Two of the figures dismounted and came towards them. "Ah, Solo," one said. "I won't bother
saying this is an agreeable surprise." He gestured. "You know the drill, before I have to settle for the
death fee."
       "We're doomed," Threepio said nervously. "Captain Solo, I believe surrender would be the
most prudent course at this point. You do have a responsibility for me. Someone has to keep an eye
on Artoo."
       Han ignored him. "You always were the pleasant one, Dengar," he said dryly as he dropped his
blaster and kicked it away.
       Dengar laughed as he stepped forward into the light to pick up the blaster. A scar ran down one
side of his face, all the way to his black hair, the legacy of an old vibroblade fight. "Believe me, Solo,
Jabba's going to be even less pleasant with you for not reimbursing him for his lost spice. You should
have stayed with the Alliance. A source told us you were going to Shalyvane and we followed you
there, and then here."
       "Look, Dengar," Han said, "I've got the money to pay Jabba with. I was just going to pay him a
visit when you turned up."
       "I'm not as stupid as Greedo," Dengar growled. "Let me guess, you haven't got the money with
you, not that it'll help you now. Jabba just wants your hide. Anyway, enough small talk." He looked
at Wedge, Dack and Madine. "I don't know who you three are, and you're lucky I don't care. Start
walking," he ordered, waving Han's blaster for emphasis.
       "Yes, of course," Threepio said promptly, hurrying towards the entrance to the alley as quickly
as possible. Wedge held his hands up in submission and the three of them turned away towards the
alley entrance. As they approached the speeder bikes, Dack saw Wedge's hand twitch in a barely
noticeable movement, which he recognised it as an Alliance hand signal code. The two of them
moved to pass either side of the speeder bikes, which lifted up away from them slightly as they
passed. Dack abruptly spun and crouched, kicking out at the foot throttles of the right hand bike,
which shot forwards towards Dengar and his accomplices. Taking advantage of the surprise, Wedge
grabbed the other rider, and yanked him off the speeder bike with one hand, slamming the other
hard behind his ear, and the man crumpled. In a few seconds, he was on the bike and had its laser
blaster pointed to cover the bounty hunters.
       Han grinned as he stepped away from them. "Sorry, Dengar, maybe next time."
       Dengar slowly drew himself to his full height. "Oh no, Solo," he said softly. The figure on his
right abruptly lunged forward towards Han, the lizardlike hiss of rage revealing it to be Bossk, but
stopped short as Chewbacca sent him sprawling with one blow. Behind them, the blaster on
Wedge's speeder bike spat and the rider at the far end of the alley was thrown off his bike.
       Han sprinted for Bossk's empty bike, and Dack jumped on behind Wedge. "Get back to the
Falcon," Han yelled to Chewbacca and Madine as he leapt onto the bike and gunned it out of the
alleyway, followed closely by Wedge and Dack's.
       Behind them in the alley, Dengar jumped onto his own speeder bike. "Get them," he bellowed to
the rider Dack had taken by surprise, determined not to lose his reward from Jabba. A few seconds
later, they were in hot pursuit, with a shot from Chewbacca's bowcaster narrowly missing them.

       Bossk picked himself up and lunged for Chewbacca, knocking the bowcaster away with a
blow. Enraged, the Wookiee seized Bossk's wrists and threw him hard against a wall. Undaunted,
the Trandoshan again lunged forward and sent Chewbacca reeling back with a powerful punch to
the chest. Chewbacca bellowed in rage and grabbed Bossk, shoving him hard down the alley, and
giving Madine, who had grabbed a blaster from the unconscious mercenary, a chance to hit the
Trandoshan with a stunblast. Bossk collapsed, stunned.
       Chewbacca glared at the Trandoshan, growling in rage, and prodded the still form with a foot.
He bellowed angrily at Threepio, who was trying to flatten himself against the wall as much as
possible. "Oh, do be quiet, you clumsy oaf," the droid snapped. "What was I meant to do? I am a
protocol droid and not intended for combat situations."
       Chewbacca gave a series of exasperated barks. He nodded to Madine, picking up his
bowcaster, and led the way out of the alley, heading back to the Falcon.

       Dack twisted his head around to see the two speeder bikes approaching. "Wedge, Han, they're
still with us," he shouted over the slipstream, as laser bolts shot past them.
       "OK, split up and see if we can lose them. We'll rendezvous at the Falcon," Han yelled back.
His bike broke away from them and vanished down a wide thoroughfare to the right.

       "Solo's mine," Dengar shouted to his accomplice as he saw the bikes split up. "Take the others."
He turned his bike after Han's.

       Dack began shifting around as much as he dared on the speeder bike, trying to pull his blaster
from the holster under his cloak. Eventually managing to draw it, he again twisted around and
snapped off a hasty shot, which went wild as Wedge swerved to avoid a collision with an
airspeeder, nearly throwing Dack off in the process. "Can't you keep this thing steady?" he yelled.
       "It's not like flying an X-wing, you know," Wedge snapped as the bike heeled hard over to go
around a corner.
       Both of them instinctively ducked as a laser bolt shot over their heads. "Marvellous," Wedge
muttered, taking a hasty look behind him to see another bike, doubtlessly Dengar's backup, join the
other one pursuing them. He made a quick measurement of the width of the street they were flying
down. "Hold on," he warned, and brought the bike around in a stomach wrenching circle, jamming
the brakes on as he did so, only his pilot's skill keeping them from crashing into the buildings. The
bike's laser cannon spat at the now oncoming thugs and hit one bike directly on the forward vanes,
sending it careering into a building with a massive explosion. Dack fired several shots at the
remaining bike as it flashed past, and managed to hit a glancing blow on the back of the bike,
sending smoke pouring out. The rider decided that, with his bike damaged and the other destroyed,
discretion was the better part of valour and raced off down the street.
       Wedge let out a sigh as he saw the speeder bike vanish. "Come on, let's get back to the
Falcon. I just hope Han's as lucky."

       Laser bolts shot past Han as Dengar fired in an attempt to cripple his bike. In an attempt to
avoid the shots, he jammed on the brakes for half a second. It was the oldest trick in the book, but
Dengar fell for it, and his bike came alongside Han's before he could react.
       "Give up, Solo," Dengar grated as the two bikes began banging into each other. "You haven't
got a chance of escaping this time."
       "Never tell me the odds," Han shot back, using one of his favourite ripostes.
       "I used to be the best swoop rider on my home planet," Dengar warned as he began forcing
Han's bike towards the closest buildings. "I'd be disappointed if you made me dig bits of you out of
the wall."
       "You're breaking my heart," Han muttered, watching the buildings anxiously as they came
dangerously close. "Alright, I'll stop," he said, beginning to cut his speed.
       "Very wise," Dengar said approvingly, matching Han's speed, and watching him carefully in case
he tried any tricks, which was his mistake.
       Abruptly, Han tilted the bike upwards and jammed the throttles down. Dengar immediately
matched his action and looked forwards...and his eyes widened.
       The building ahead had large pieces of ovoid ferrocrete ornamentation jutting out, and he
realised in a flash that he was heading straight for the first one at full speed. Desperately, he hurled
himself off the bike half a second before it hit and exploded. Bits of metal and ferrocrete sprayed out
as the bike exploded, several pieces hitting Dengar in the side of the face and sending a spray of
blood out. Dengar landed hard in the street, stunned by the impact.
       Han's bike shot through the gap between the ferrocrete oval and the building, and then circled
back.
       He hovered over the dazed Dengar. "The best swoop rider on your planet, and you still forgot
to look where you're going?" he commented, and raced off down the street.

       Bossk staggered to his feet and hissed in rage at their failure to capture Solo and Chewbacca.
He climbed on the remaining speeder bike and set off to find Dengar. A few streets later, he stopped
as he saw Dengar limping down a street, blood streaming from a wound that ran down one side of
his face. He glared at Bossk as the Trandoshan came alongside him. "That's the last time we work
together. Trust you to turn this into bantha fodder."
       Bossk hissed in anger at Dengar blaming him for the incompetence of his own hired
mercenaries, and shot off down the street on the way back to the Hound's Tooth.
       Dengar snorted as he watched him go, and then walked up to a reflective sheet of metal on one
of the buildings. He wiped the drying blood away with a discarded white cloak that was lying in the
street, ignoring the pain, and inspected the injury. He realised that it would leave a massive scar. He
looked thoughtfully at the cloak, and then ripped the hood away, wrapping it around his head. He
glanced at his reflection in the metal, and satisfied, strode off back to his ship. Solo would pay for
this, he reflected.

       Han pulled his speeder bike up outside the docking bay, and entered, relieved to see Wedge,
Dack, Chewbacca and Madine waiting for him. "We're ready to go," Wedge said.
       "Skarl says the Corvette is ready," Madine announced.
       Han nodded. "Then let's get out of here before we get into any more trouble."

                                  * * * * * *

       Followed by the Corellian Corvette, the Falcon climbed away from Ord Mantell, passing the
Star Destroyers and XQ/6 platforms. Han let out a breath as they moved out of range of the
platform turbolasers. "Piece of ryshcate," he commented, reaching for the hyperdrive controls.
       Dack stared out of the cockpit. "I've got a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling..."
       And at that moment, the Super Star Destroyer Executor came out of hyperspace directly
ahead of them.
       Chewbacca bellowed a warning. "Yes, I can see it. It's kind of hard to miss," Han retorted
angrily, pulling the Falcon away as every starboard turbolaser on the Executor opened up in an
immense broadside. He turned in the seat briefly to look at Dack. "You had to say that, didn't you?"
he snapped.
       The Falcon suddenly shook violently and stopped moving. Han didn't need to look at the
controls to know that a tractor beam had them. He watched helplessly as the Falcon was pulled
remorselessly towards the massive ship, and knew that he could never break free of the tractor
beam.

       On the bridge of the Executor, Darth Vader watched in satisfaction as the tiny freighter was
drawn towards the Super Star Destroyer. Finally he would have his revenge on Solo for humiliating
him.

       The main docking bay on the Executor loomed steadily closer as the Falcon approached. Han
had the quads firing away at the hull in a desperate attempt to knock out the tractor beam
projectors. "They won't get me without a fight," he vowed, loosening his blaster in its holster. At that
moment, the Corvette suddenly loomed in front of the Falcon, breaking the tractor beam lock. The
Falcon shot backwards as though stung. "I don't believe it," Han muttered as he pulled the Falcon
round and raced away from the Executor. The comm crackled and he recognized Skarl's voice.
       "Get out of here, Solo," the old man said. "Make sure the information gets back to the
Rebellion. Antilles, you said I might get to help the Alliance. It looks like this is it. Don't let the
Empire win the war. May the Force be with you." The comm went dead.
       "We won't let them win," Wedge promised as he stared out of the cockpit, amazed that they
would sacrifice themselves for people that they had never met, in a struggle that they would never
know the outcome of, on the mere word of a Rebel pilot that this information was important to the
Alliance. The Falcon was flying parallel to the Executor and he could see red turbolaser blasts as
the Corvette fired on the Executor.

       Darth Vader gazed in mute rage as the Corvette suddenly appeared to put itself between the
Falcon and Executor. Beyond it, he could see the Falcon turn sharply and drive hard away from
the Super Star Destroyer. "Destroy the Corvette immediately, Admiral Ozzel," he ordered.

       On the Corvette's bridge, Skarl held tightly to one of the crew chairs as the Corvette shook
under the bombardment of the Executor's entire bank of starboard turbolasers. The Corvette was
firing back, but it was caught in the tractor beam, and had no hope of matching the Executor's
barrage. He knew he and the Corvette's crew would die here, but they had finally had their revenge
on the Empire for enslaving them. He straightened up and made a ritual gesture of contempt towards
the SSD as the final remnants of the shields collapsed and the hull was pounded by laser blasts. The
last thing he saw was a white flash as the bridge imploded.

       The explosion silenced the observers in the Falcon's cockpit momentarily, but they had other
things to worry about.
       "TIE fighters coming in," Wedge warned.
       "Well, don't just stand there," Han snapped. "You and Dack get to the quads. Chewie, switch
all power to the shields. If that Star Destroyer gets one lucky shot, we're done for. Get ready to
jump to lightspeed." He banged the navicomputer angrily. "Come on!"
       TIE fighters swarmed in, trying to drive the Falcon back into range of the Executor's tractor
beams. Han thanked his stars that Wedge and Dack were experienced gunners, as blasts from the
quads filled space around the Falcon, blowing TIEs apart.
       And then the navicomputer gave a warbling. Han grabbed for the hyperdrive lever and pulled it,
watching as the stars stretched and became lines. They had escaped.

       Darth Vader watched impassively as the Millennium Falcon vanished into hyperspace. He had
vowed to catch the Corellian freighter. Once again it had eluded him, but sooner or later he would
have them, and when he did, he would take revenge for his failure at the Death Star.
       An officer approached Admiral Ozzel. "Sir, we have been informed that the records facility
on....
       Ozzel glared at him and he fell silent. "Good or bad news?"
       "Bad, sir."
       Ozzel nodded, glancing at Vader, and decided not to risk his anger just yet. "It can wait,
Lieutenant."

                                  * * * * * *

       The Falcon raced through hyperspace on automatic pilot. Sitting around the game table, Han,
Wedge, Dack and Madine examined the datacard that Madine had managed to smuggle out of the
Imperial computers.
       Wedge whistled. "Looks like we got just what we need. Look at this," he commented, scrolling
through the contents.
       Shira Brie (alias). Real name and background restricted. Appointed to Lord Darth
Vader's staff. All previous and current operation details highly restricted.
       Dack grimaced. "Standard Imperial secrecy. Give as little as possible away. Still, this should be
more than enough to get Luke off the hook."
       "Hold on," Han said. "I just remembered, Luke said she had a sister."
       Detail Shira Brie's family.
       Background restricted.
       "Wait a minute," Madine said. "I'm not cleared for the operation details but I should be able to
access the background details. Here..."
       Detail Shira Brie's family. Code clearance 3263827.
       Shira Brie. Parental details ultra highly restricted. Cleared for Imperial Admirals, Grand
Admirals, Lord Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine only.
       Other family details: One sister. Further details ultra highly restricted. Cleared for
Imperial Admirals, Grand Admirals, Lord Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine only.
No other information available.
       Han's eyes narrowed. "Looks like Shira was really cosy with Vader and his friends. Unusual for
information on someone to be so highly restricted. Obviously, there's a lot of secrets in her past. I
wonder who her sister was."
       "I don't suppose we'll ever know," Wedge observed. "Probably an Imperial official somewhere
or perhaps even dead."

                                  * * * * * *

       The Falcon touched down in the main hangar bay in the Rebel base on Vanis 6. Han grinned
broadly as he strode down the ramp to an anxious Princess Leia, who had been waiting in the hangar
since the Falcon entered the atmosphere. "We got it," he called. "Shira was an Imperial spy for
Vader, no less." He gestured to Madine, who had come down the ramp behind him. "We even
managed to pick up some defectors. Madine was one of the senior Imperial Intelligence staff on Ord
Mantell."
       Leia gave him a warm smile. "Perhaps you're not so bad after all, Solo," she said, unbending for
a moment. "Go and tell Security to release Luke on my authority."
       Han winked at her. "Don't I deserve a kiss for getting Luke off the hook?" he asked.
       Leia didn't even bother dignifying his question with an answer. "Madine, come with me. No
doubt General Rieekan will want to speak to you. We may even have a place for you in Alliance
Intelligence."

       Luke looked up as the door to his cell slid open. "You were right, kid," Han announced without
any preamble. "Shira was working for the Empire. You're free to go."
       Luke slapped him on the back. "Thanks, Han. That's another one I owe you."
       "I'll just put it on the tab," Han said as they came out into the corridor. "Leia?" he said into his
comlink. "We've got Luke."
       "Good," Leia said. "Meet me in the briefing room. General Rieekan has requested all personnel
to assemble there immediately."

       A cheer went up as Luke Skywalker, cleared of all charges, strode into the briefing room with
Han, Chewbacca, Wedge, and Dack. Princess Leia smiled at them, and General Rieekan nodded to
them gravely. "Congratulations on recovering evidence that Shira Brie was an Imperial spy," he said,
before turning to the main purpose of the meeting. "This may have given us a splendid opportunity to
strike a powerful blow against the Empire. Captain Solo and the others were able to retrieve a
complete copy of the files on Shira Brie from Ord Mantell, including all the Imperial authentication
codewords and details needed to fool the Empire into believing that she is still sending information
about us. We can use this to draw the Imperials out by giving them information that we are massing
the fleet in the Corlane system."
       Gold Leader spoke. "Excuse me, sir, but the Imperials will come down on us like a ton of
ferrocrete if we send them that information, and we aren't strong enough to stand up to more than six
Star Destroyers in a pitched battle."
       Rieekan nodded. "Not with the ships we have currently, which is precisely why the Imperials
will take the bait so eagerly. When they do, we will spring our trap. If all goes well, the Empire will
suffer a defeat second only to that of the Death Star." He proceeded to explain the strategy...

       Wedge and Dack came out of the briefing room to see General Rieekan striding down the
corridor. "Excuse me, General," Wedge called after him, and he turned and waited for them. "Go on,
tell him," he said to Dack as they caught up with the General.
       Dack hesitated. "Sir, when we landed on Shalyvane, we found the people starving. Can't we
help them by sending food?"
       Rieekan looked at Wedge. "You told him that we can hardly feed our own people?"
       "Yes, sir," Wedge answered.
       Rieekan nodded. "I'm sorry, Dack. We can't send them any food."
       "But-" Dack began, and stopped as Rieekan raised a hand.
       "However," he continued, "we may be able to spare some ships to move them to another planet.
I think High Command will be amenable to such a suggestion, particularly if it's to somewhere
suitable for intensive food production, where we can get the surplus food they produce. And at the
risk of sounding callous, it's also excellent propaganda for us."

       Leia followed Luke out of the briefing room. He seemed deep in thought, striding quickly down
the corridor, and she had to hurry to catch up with him. "Is something the matter, Luke?" she asked.
       Luke glanced at her, and then seemed to come to a decision. "It's just Shira. I suddenly realised
how easy I must have been for her to fool. She must have laughed at how naive I was. I mean, I told
her I destroyed the Death Star, a