Star Wars - X-Wing - The Bacta War

by Michael A. Stackpole

  result of inexperience with the weapon he'd used. / swung wildly, using more

  power than I needed. If I moderated things, kept the blade more under control, I

  could have gotten at least the third stormtrooper. The fourth stormtrooper would

  have shot him, Corran had little doubt, but his attack would have all but

  eliminated half the threat to his friends.

  A gentle tug on the breathing mask he wore caused Corran to look up. He saw a

  round hatch through which light came and a silhouette of a human head and

  shoulders in it. Kicking his legs, Corran made his way to the surface of the

  tank. He removed the breathing mask and hauled himself out through the hatch.

  The medtech there lowered a grate over the hatch and pointed Corran toward it.

  As he had done before, Corran stood on the grate as the tech used a water spray

  to wash the bacta residue from him and back into the tank. Holding his hands

  high, Corran turned slowly beneath the spray, then smiled as the tech tossed him

  a thick towel. "How do you feel?"

  Corran shrugged and wiped his face. "Pretty good. How badly was I hurt?"

  The tech's face screwed up tight. "Pretty bad. You were in shock when we dunked

  you. Internal organ damage, bro-

  ken pelvis, spine, and ribsmore quantity than quality of damage."

  Corran nodded. "So I was in for, what, a week?"

  "Two days."

  "What?" Corran frowned at the tech. "I should have been in there much longer

  than that for those injuries."

  The tech lifted his chin and gave Corran an imperious stare. "You are used to

  dealing with export-qu ality bacta, and Xucphra product at that, friend. The

  bacta here is more potent."

  "Made by Zaltin verachen!"

  The tech bowed his head. "Very good. If you will follow me, your friends are

  waiting for you."

  Lacking clothes, Corran wrapped the towel around his waist and followed the tech

  down some stairs and through a doorway. The room beyond it was lit by a ghostly

  green glow coming from the transparisteel viewport that dominated the left wall.

  It looked back into the tank, the light from which allowed him to see further

  into the room than he had been able while in the tank. Low, long, well-padded

  day beds and high-backed chairs filled the rest of the room and had been

  arranged so anyone using them could keep an eye on his progress. Shadows

  shrouded the archway in the wall opposite the one he entered through.

  As he came through the doorway, Mirax stepped forward and enfolded him in a

  hug. She kissed his lips, then his right ear. "I can't tell you how good you

  feel. I was afraid you'd not make it."

  "And give your father the satisfaction?"

  She laughed lightly. "I'll tell him that the Horn tenacity is, in fact, good for

  something."

  Corran kissed the side of her face and held on tight. One of the most unnerving

  things about being in a bacta tank, with its temperature control and neutral

  buoyancy, was the feeling of floating in a void. If not for the touch of the

  breathing mask on his face, he would have had no connection to the outside

  world. Just being able to hold on to Mirax and feel her body through the thin

  material of her clothes brought him fully back into the world.

  "You weren't hurt, were you?"

  Mirax shook her head. "Nope, I kept my head down and came out in one piece." She

  grinned. "And I even managed to recover your lightsaber for you. It and your

  Jedi credit are safe."

  "Great. Thanks." He released Mirax and gave Iella a hug. "Yet one more time

  you've had to watch me bobbing in bacta."

  Iella smiled. "As long as you keep coming out whole, hale, and hearty, I don't

  mind."

  "Thanks." Corran let her go, then nodded to Elscol and Sixtus. "Sorry to have

  inconvenienced you."

  The big man just shrugged. Elscol's eyes narrowed. "The crossfire was a bit more

  inconvenient than this. We've gotten some work done while we've been waiting."

  "And good work it has been." A tall, slender man came through the archway and

  gave Corran a once-over. "I'm glad to see you healed. You were in a bad state

  when I first saw you."

  Corran hesitated. While he'd floated in the bacta he'd mulled over the identity

  of the man he'd seen standing above him in the spaceport. He'd looked like Bror

  Jace, but Corran knew that was impossible because Bror Jace had been killed by

  the Empire. Corran had decided that the man he'd seen was someone affiliated

  with the Zaltin corporation, as Jace had been, and perhaps was even closely

  related to Jace. That solution made perfect sense to him and seemed to satisfy

  all the facts in his possession.

  But there's no mistaking that tone of voice. Corran's jaw hung open. "You are

  Bror Jace."

  "Indeed I am." Jace bowed his head, then graciously waved Corran toward one of

  the day beds. "You'd like an explanation on why I'm not dead?"

  Corran sniffed. "I've been reported dead myself. Those things happen."

  Mirax slapped him playfully on the belly. "You're dying to know what happened to

  him, just like the rest of us."

  "Well, if the rest of you want to indulge him, then I think the only polite

  thing for me to do is listen." Corran sat and

  adjusted the towel to preserve his modesty. "Go ahead, Bror, knock us out with

  the story."

  Jace, whose blond hair picked up green highlights from the bacta tank, smiled

  easily. "I hardly think the tale engrossing enough for you to endure a second

  telling of it, so I beg your forbearance."

  Corran glanced at Mirax. "You've heard this before."

  "Yes, and I'd rather have him tell you instead of having you get it out of me

  later."

  Corran winced. "Right. Okay, Bror, do it."

  The Thyferran began to pace, clasping his hands behind his back. The short pants

  he wore and the thin shirt rustled with his movementsand Corran found the whole

  ensemble a little hard to reconcile with the pilot he'd known and competed with

  in his early days with Rogue Squadron. The pacing is right, as is the imperious

  tilt of the chin, but the clothes are what kids wear.

  "I joined Rogue Squadron for a number of reasons, not the least of which was to

  maintain parity between Zaltin and Xucphra. This was important because Xucphra

  had Imperialistic leanings. They'd been the first of our two companies to be

  given an Imperial license to be an exclusive producer of bacta, establishing the

  cartel. Zaltin had been brought in by the Empire to serve as competition for

  XucphraZaltin had no real desire to become part of the cartel, but the choice

  we were given was to join or be put out of business. In effect this was no

  choice, so we did what we had to do to survive."

  Corran raised an eyebrow. That was as close as he'd ever heard any human from

  Thyferra being critical of the corporations with which they were affiliated.

  Despite the fact that Jace was attempting to paint Zaltin in a good light in

  comparison with Xucphra, the honesty was welcome and sparked in Corran a

  willingness to trust Jace further than he ever had before. How much I trust him

  depends on the rest of this story.

  "The intention behind my joining the squadron was for me to
become known and

  trusted within the New Republic. Zaltin officials had come to the conclusion

  that the Empire was doomed and wanted to make agreements with the New

  Republic to provide bacta and the means to expand bacta production back along

  the lines of the system that existed before the cartel was created. Altruism was

  not their motivating factorprohibiting the production, sale, and distribution

  of something is much more difficult than managing the same. The cartel only

  worked because of the Empirewith its death, the back of the cartel would be

  broken. The only way Zaltin could profit was to work out a deal with the New

  Republic which allowed us to oversee the expansion of production throughout the

  New Republic.

  "Zaltin officials also realized that the Vratix, through their terrorist

  organization, the Ashern, would make a case to the New Republic for

  independence. They would ask for help throwing off the yoke of their human

  masters. Since bacta production is all but impossible without the Vratix, Zaltin

  began to court them. We supplied money and hiding places for them. We began an

  alliance that would eventually make Zaltin the agents for the Vratix in

  spreading bacta production throughout the galaxy, enriching us all."

  Bror Jace stopped and closed his eyes for a moment. "The Vratix do not think the

  way we humans do. Whereas we would incorporate reports and data produced by

  someone into our plans, they incorporate such individuals into their planning

  groups. It is as if they don't disassociate the report from the person making

  it. Realistically, this is a societal way of ensuring the spread of information

  and stimulating more creativity within groups, though its efficiency can be

  questioned.

  "The Ashern, who were being given reports on my impressions of the New

  Republic, required me to return to Thyferra to join their main planning group."

  Corran nodded. "So you were sent a message telling you that your patriarch was

  dying."

  "You remember. My course home was set by Captain Celchu. Erisi asked about it,

  and I told her my itinerary because I wanted her people watching for my return.

  In my trip I made one deviationan unscheduled stop. I transferred from my

  X-wing to a freighter that brought me back here. Into my X-wing we placed a bomb

  meant to mimic the acci-

  dental discharge of a proton torpedo. The X-wing was slaved to a shuttle and

  dragged off toward Thyferra. We intended to enter the system from quite a

  distance out, send the X-wing in, then have it blow up where everyone could see

  it."

  "But the Imps had an Interdictor Cruiser waiting for you, thanks to Erisi."

  Corran scratched at his upper lip. "Reports we got said there was no Imp debris

  where you died. I knew something was up then, but I didn't think you'd lived.

  Did the shuttle survive the ambush?"

  Jace shook his head. "No, so we had no idea what happened until my family

  received a hologram from Commander Antilles explaining the circumstances of my

  death. At that point I'd already returned and had gone underground, so it didn't

  really matter bow I'd died as much as it mattered that both the New Republic and

  Xucphra thought I was dead."

  Mirax frowned. "Something just occurred to meyou're the reason Qlaern Hirf came

  looking specifically for Wedge."

  Jace nodded. "Wedge is intelligent, resourceful, and respectable, so he was my

  obvious choice. Corran would have been my second choice, but by the time we sent

  Qlaern Hirf out, news of Corran's death had reached Thyferra."

  "You would have sent him to me?" Corran wasn't certain he'd heard correctly.

  He'd never had the impression that Jace had seen him as having the same

  attributes that he ascribed to Wedge.

  "Corran, though we established that I was a better pilot than you, this does not

  mean I have no respect for your skills or experience." Jace's tone of voice

  lightened ever so slightly. "Your long association with the Empire's criminal

  class means you understand a host of methods necessary for eluding authority

  and surviving, which were things I thought would prove useful in keeping Qlaern

  safe."

  "Thanks. I think."

  "I meant that as a compliment."

  "I'll remember that."

  Mirax glanced over at Iella. "Too bad the bacta can't cure annoying personality

  traits."

  Iella shrugged. "Congenital defect, I'm afraid. Corran's always been competit ive

  and contrary."

  Corran gave Iella a hard stare. "I always got along with you."

  "Because you knew you'd lose if we ever went head to head where our skills

  overlap."

  He could have protested her observations, but he knew it was more true than

  false. "Okay, you made your point." Corran forced a smile on his face. "Where do

  we go from here? What's been decided while I've been floating?"

  Elscol folded her arms. "Sixtus, Iella, and I will be staying heretaking

  Jace's place in the Ashern planning councils because he'll be going back with

  you to liaise with the squadron. We're bringing in expertise on how to take a

  planet away from its government and how to deal with counterintelligence

  operations."

  Corran looked at his former partner. "Are you ready for this?"

  Iella thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll probably get the cleanest shot of

  any of us at Isard. Dirk's death still hurts, but if I'm to honor his memory, I

  can't do it by sitting around and mourning. You made that point very

  succinctly."

  "Yeah, but here you won't be among your friends."

  Iella smiled gently and caressed Corran's cheek. "True, but that means I've got

  fewer things to remind me of Diric and distract me."

  "I don't think being away from friends would have made it any easier to get over

  my father's death, but I understand what you're saying." Corran winked at her.

  "Don't do anything stupidespecially in the name of revenge. Promise?"

  "Sure, as long as you make the same promise."

  "Done." Corran got up and gave her a big hug, then reluctantly let her go.

  Looking back at Mirax he asked, "So, what about the rest of us?"

  "Our job here's done. We've delivered our charges, and we'll be safeguarding our

  liaison officer back to the base, so we're going home." Mirax smiled at him. "At

  least we'll be doing that as soon as we get some clothes on you, that is."

  "As long as I don't have to use Jace's tailor, I'll be happy."

  "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

  "I hate shorts."

  "On you, who'd notice?"

  Jace's riposte stunned Corran, then he smiled. "I was thinking I spent a long

  time in the bacta tank, but I have a feeling that's going to be like nothing

  compared to the trip home. I'm glad you're alive, Jace. Life's been much too

  easy since you've been gone."

  1

  16

  Wedge exerted the effort to wipe the smile off his face as his X-wing hurtled

  through hyperspace. Bror Jace's return from the grave had been a most pleasant

  surprise, both because he wasn't dead and because of the insight into Thyferra

  he provided. Zaltin had long kept tabs on Xucphra, and Isard had not changed

  procedures so much that Jace's
intelligence reports had been completely

  invalidated.

  He was very happy to have Jace back in the squadron. Zraii had put an X-wing

  together out of parts for Jace. The Thyferran had it painted red with green

  trimthe corporate colors of Zaltinand had been checked out on it within three

  hours of his arrival at Yag'Dhul. Jace had been a hot hand in an X-wing when he

  was first with the squadron, and his time off had not seemed to dull his skill

  very much at all. With as few pilots as we have, they all need to be sharp.

  Wedge had been less than pleased with learning that Corran had been injured on

  Thyferra. He'd have been angry with Corran except that the smaller man gave him

  a full report on what happened, including an analysis of his mistakes. Corran

  had been quite frank concerning what he had done, reminding Wedge of Corran's

  attack on stormtroopers on

  Talasea. When Corran finds trouble, he never seems to have difficulty just

  diving in, especially when the lives of others are at stake. Nice trait to have

  in a friend.

  Information Jace had brought with him set the basis for the run the squadron had

  headed out on. Isard had initiated escort service for the bacta convoys, moving

  them to centralized locations where the client worlds would come to get their

  bacta. Wedge saw immediately that if he hit the covered convoys he'd be in

  serious trouble, but Jace's people had initiated an operation to get them some

  of the bacta anyway. The Ashern had sliced new code into the navicomps on three

  of the freighters that would produce a course deviation in the final leg of the

  trip. The freighters would fly out from under their cover and be in a position

  for the squadron to make off with them. The navicomps would remain useless until

  the squadron sent them the key code or until the crew stripped the computer down

  and reloaded all of the software.

  Wedge knew the operation was chancy, but to refuse to go after the ships would

  mean that the Ashern's effort had gone for naught. The risk of the operation had

  to be weighed against the good that could be done with the supplies of bacta the

  ships carried. Halanit could still use more, as could several other small

  settlements that found the Thyferran price prohibitively high. More important,

  Coruscant needed more bacta to supplement the rylca treatments for the Krytos