The room was dark, lit only by the soft glow of medical equipment. Its hum was the only sound that broke the silence.
Alex felt exhausted. Her body movements seemed sluggish. Her head ached. How did I get here, she wondered. Where am I?
There was a movement outside the door. She sensed a familiar presence, as if someone thought about entering the room but was frightened away. Then, another pair of footsteps echoed through the corridor. The door into the room slid open. A sudden stream of light caused her to squint at the figure who approached the bedside. She could just make out the insignia of a captain in the Imperial Navy.
“Alexandra?” he called, his voice so distant.
“Where am I?” she asked, barely able to form the words.
“You’re on the Judicator.”
“What?” Alex looked up into the face standing over the bed. She recognized Captain Brandei.
“Don’t you remember what happened?” he asked.
She shook her head slowly.
“Your fighter was hit, then caught in our tractor beam.”
My fighter?
“Your father doesn’t know he raised a traitor to the Empire.”
Father?!
“No!” Alex sat straight up in bed. Her heart pounded as she gasped for air. Her eyes darted around the room. There was no medical equipment, no Captain Brandei. She was in her dorm at the University.
She fell back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Was it just a dream? Me? Flying a starfighter? Captured by an Imperial Star Destroyer!
Could this be a vision of her future? Would the New Republic come to Garos IV? And would she work with them to free this world she called home? That’s what she had always lived for —
It’s what she might die for —
An alarm buzzed. As sunlight streamed through the window, Alex glanced at the chronometer. 0715. She was supposed to meet her father at Imperial Headquarters in 45 minutes.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” Alex greeted the two officers in General Zakar’s reception room.
“Morning, Miss Winger,” Lieutenant Nilo said, nodding his head.
Dair Haslip stood up and walked over to Alex. He squeezed her hand gently. “Hello, Alex. I didn’t think I’d see you today.”
“Father had an early meeting with the general and needed to pick up some reports before we left for Zila. I’ve only got a minute. Can you walk with me to his office?” she asked him.
Dair threw a glance toward Nilo. “Yeah. I think I can trust him to keep an eye on things.”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence, o wise lieutenant!” Nilo kidded him.
Alex led Dair out into the corridor where he delicately slipped his hand out of hers. Proper military protocol. He was genuinely fond of Alex. This “relationship” they’d established as part of their cover with Garos IV’s underground was a lot harder for him than he’d ever admit. But he knew how Alex felt. She’d always been honest with him. Friends, she’d said — just friends.
“When will you be back?”
“Tonight. There’s a study group meeting at 2100 that I plan to attend.” she told him.
He nodded — he was planning to be at that meeting of the underground, too. “Well, then, I guess I won’t see you until tomorrow,” he said, playing along with the conversation for the benefit of those they passed in the corridor.
“Maybe we can have lunch,” she suggested, nodding to a group of officers who greeted her.
“Can I hold you to that?”
“Of course,” she smiled at him, stifling a yawn.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“Just a little tired. I had the strangest dream.”
“Maybe you can tell me about it over lunch.” He stopped just outside her father’s office. “Listen, you be careful out there today — no crazy stunts.”
“Hey! I’m always careful. Lt. Haslip!” she laughed.
He grinned, shaking his head. The door slid open into the Imperial Governor’s reception room. The distinguished looking gentleman standing by the desk turned and smiled at the young couple.
“Well, I’m not surprised!” he exclaimed. “I knew exactly where to send the search team.”
“Oh, Father!”
“How are you. Governor?” Dair asked, extending his hand. For a 70-year-old man. Tork Winger had a grip as strong as any 30-year-old.
“I’m just fine, Lieutenant. Good to see you again. Why hasn’t Alexandra brought you for dinner at the mansion recently?” he chided.
Dair shrugged his shoulders. “You’ll have to ask your daughter that, Governor.”
“All right. If you two are going to gang up on me. I’m leaving!” Alex groaned.
Winger placed an arm around his daughter’s waist, but winked at Dair. “I’ll put in a good word for you, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Shall we go, my dear?”
“Yes, Father.” Alex smiled, looped her arm through her father’s arm, and led him toward the door.
“Have a good flight, sir.”
“Thank you, Haslip.”
“See you tomorrow,” Alex called to him as the door slid shut behind them.
Ariana’s spaceport was crowded with new arrivals, but the regulars couldn’t help noticing one familiar face. Heads turned, faces brightened, and hands waved as Alexandra Winger walked confidently through the corridors. The 20-year-old daughter of Imperial Governor Tork Winger was well known here. She’d been flying since she was 11 — probably one of the best pilots on Garos IV. And if she wasn’t in classes at the University, undoubtedly she could be found deep in discussion with the spaceport techs. Alex knew as much about airspeeders as most of them!
“Good morning, Miss Winger,” the flight systems coordinator greeted her as she checked in with the controller’s office.
“Good morning. Lt. Vilsics.”
“Your airspeeder is prepped and ready to go. Technician Haras worked on the problem you reported. He said you were right about the stabilizer. It’s as good as new.”
“Good. I’d hate for the governor to have a rough ride this morning,” Alex kidded him.
“He couldn’t be in better hands,” Vilsics replied with a smile.
“Thanks for taking care of it,” she called, heading out the door and into the corridor.
Alex hid her emotions behind a smile as she counted at least a dozen ships unloading supplies — supplies meant for the increasing number of Imperial personnel on Garos IV. Their presence on this world had grown significantly in the last few years.
The underground, which Alex had worked with for nearly four years, managed to dent Imperial operations whenever possible, disrupting supply lines, stealing equipment — anything to make Imperial lives miserable. But each day brought increasing dangers as the Empire sought to protect its interest in the mines south of the city of Ariana.
“All set?” Governor Winger asked as she entered the docking bay.
“Yes, sir. Lt. Vilsics said the flow rate problem on the systems stabilizer has been fixed. Shouldn’t give us any problems today,” Alex told him.
“Excellent,” her father replied as they strapped themselves into the airspeeder.
Alex guided the craft out of the spaceport. She took off to the west, flying beyond the Tahika Cliffs and out over the Locura Ocean. It had to be one of the most breathtaking views on all of Garos IV. The Cliffs stretched treacherously along the coastline, presenting an ominous obstacle for those few adventurous souls who dared to climb them.
The airspeeder skirted the Cliffs heading south f
or about a kilometer before Alex moved farther out over the ocean away from the restricted flight zone the Imperials had imposed around the mining center complex. She could fly the route to Zila blindfolded if she had to. It was a trip she made often to visit an old friend, Shana, who also happened to work for the underground.
“It’s great that we were able to coordinate our schedules for a change, Father. Your meeting, my visit with Shana.”
“Yes, Alexandra. It gives us a chance to talk. I don’t see nearly enough of you since you moved on campus,” he said. It had been his idea that she move out of the governor’s mansion. He worried about her safety after the underground had targeted supply convoys that passed near their home.
“I know, Father,” she agreed. “I miss our chats after mealtime, too.” It had been a ritual in the Winger household that Alex had participated in since her adoption at the age of six. Countless meals eaten in silence, followed by conversation. She had gained an immeasurable amount of insight, not only into her adoptive father, but also into politics and Imperial activities on Garos IV. Quite useful for an underground operative. “So, tell me Father, what is so important in Zila these days?”
Tork Winger studied his daughter. It never ceased to amaze him that he had raised this child who could talk knowledgeably about any subject from politics to astrophysics and could handle the controls of an airspeeder like she’d been born to it.
“Councilor Baro wants assurance about the Empire’s intentions toward his enchanting city,” Winger told her.
Alex put on her best incredulous look. “Since when does the Empire need to explain its actions?” I can’t believe I just said that, she thought. The good Imperial daughter — agh!
“Now, now, Alexandra. Diplomacy — that’s the word. A demonstration of the Empire’s good will, my dear,” he replied quite seriously.
Alex nodded her head, but felt like crying inside. Good will, indeed, she thought. That will be the day!
“Father, there is speculation at the University that General Zakar will ask for TIE fighter reinforcements to help secure the mining center.”
“We have been discussing that possibility. But many of the ships in our Imperial Navy don’t have full complements of TlEs.” He paused, wondering how much she knew. “I’m sure you’ve heard the talk about Coruscant.”
“It’s hard not to notice the additional military personnel here.” she said.
“Yes, many of them were evacuated from Coruscant and other worlds in the path of the Rebel onslaught,” Winger told her.
She grimaced to herself. “So, the rumors are true. The Rebels are within striking distance of the Capital?”
“It may be only a matter of days until Coruscant is in Rebel hands.” He shook his head in obvious dismay. He’d visited Imperial City years before and couldn’t bear to imagine the destruction.
Alex reached over and gave his hand a comforting touch. She knew what he was thinking. But in her own heart, she welcomed the news that the New Republic was about to take Coruscant — even if it did mean more Imperials on Garos. Hopefully that situation would be temporary.
Surely the New Republic would head this way. First Coruscant, then Garos IV. One more system slipping from the Empire’s ever-weakening grip. “So, you don’t think we’ll get those TIEs?” she asked.
“Not right away. They can’t be spared.” He noticed her disappointment. “Why do you ask?”
Alex smiled mischievously. “Well,” she said, “I was thinking that I’d love to try flying one!”
“I knew it! Alexandra, what will I do with you?!” he laughed.
“Watch this!” she said gleefully. Alex rolled the airspeeder, peeling off to the east. Second by second its velocity increased. The Tahika Cliffs loomed into view, and the ship dove sharply toward the ocean. With barely meters to spare, Alex pulled up on the controls and the airspeeder glided just above the surface of the water.
The comlink buzzed. “Unidentified ship, you have entered a restricted flight zone. Leave immediately or you will be destroyed,” the voice called over the static as an Imperial patrol craft appeared out of nowhere to parallel her airspeeder’s course.
“Alexandra!” Winger exclaimed.
“Whoops! Sorry, Father. Guess I went in too close to the mines.” she said as she turned the ship toward the southwest to swing around the southernmost part of the continent.
“Open a channel. Alexandra.”
She was surprised when he spoke into the comlink.
“This is Imperial Governor Winger,” his voice boomed, commanding attention. “To whom am I speaking?”
The voice on the other end of the comlink seemed to hesitate a moment. “This is Lt. Norban, Governor.” He paused to clear his throat. “We just received confirmation of your airspeeder’s ID, sir.”
“That’s a little slow, isn’t it. Lieutenant?”
Another pause. “Yes, sir.”
“Work on that response time, Lieutenant.” Winger said, giving Alex a sly wink. She shook her head in disbelief.
“Yes, sir.”
“Carry on.”
“Thank you, Governor,” the voice called as the Imperial airspeeder moved away from theirs.
Tork Winger’s face lit up with the biggest grin Alex had ever seen as he clicked the comlink off. She laughed so hard tears came to her eyes.
“Father, I didn’t know you could be so devious!”
“Me? Devious? Alexandra, now really!” He sighed, then rummaged through a case filled with data cards, finally pulling one out. “Ah, yes. here it is. I must review this report before we arrive in Zila, my dear.”
“All right, Father. I’ll let you get your work done.”
Alex stared out the cockpit. The Tahika Cliffs had given way to rolling hills as the airspeeder rounded the southern tip of the continent and turned eastward. Beautiful sand-covered beaches were brushed by a gentle blue sea.
But all Alex could think of was the encounter they’d had in the restricted flight zone. The defensive response time had not been that bad — couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds, she figured, plus the few seconds it took them to ID the airspeeder. Of course, 30 seconds was plenty of time for a starfighter to move in on the mining center. Maybe, just maybe, the New Republic would be here to put them to the test. Yes, she thought. They will come.
A vision of a Mon Calamari cruiser filled her mind. She’d had this dream many times — X-wings in a landing bay preparing for battle. And she was there, sitting in the cockpit of one of those fighters, staring out at stars that formed a dazzling backdrop of diamonds on the black velvet canvas of space. But suddenly, Alex found herself flying in a pitched battle —
“Blue 4, two marks bearing 0-3-0.”
“I see them, Blue Leader. I’ve got the guy on the left.”
“Watch it, Blue 4, you picked up a tail!”
A shot blew past the canopy of the X-wing as Alex rolled the fighter sharply to port. Twisting through a half dozen turns, she maneuvered the ship until the TIE dropped in front of her X-wing. Alex locked on target and blasted the TIE into a thousand particles of dust.
Her victory was short-lived. Two shots from starboard rocked the X-wing violently. Then there was darkness —
That dream she’d had last night — her X-wing hit, and captured! Was this really a part of her future?
Nilo rolled his eyes as he clicked off the comlink with Major General Carner down at the mining center. He’d done more listening than talking while Carner complained about the normal bureaucratic mess-ups that seemed to plague every delivery he asked for. Nilo wondered if he’d ever get used to dealing with the delicate egos of his superior officers.
Dair noticed the exasperated look on Nilo’s face when he returned to their office. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Carner wants to know when to expect the supplies the Tempest delivered.”
It certainly was helpful to have such a talkative office mate. “The Tempest? That’s a Victory-class Star De
stroyer, isn’t it?”
“Right. From Dulathia,” Nilo told him. “Our guys got out right before the Rebels overtook the place. She delivered some equipment they managed to salvage for us.”
Dair shrugged his shoulders staring blankly off into space.
Nilo shook his head. “Where’ve you been, Haslip?” Then he noticed that lovelorn look in Dair’s eyes. Every time Alexandra Winger stopped in, Haslip’s brain seemed to take the rest of the day off. “Never mind!”
“What? Now, what was it you were saying?”
“Tempest had to store most of Carner’s supplies in Zila.”
“Why?” Dair asked.
“Guess they don’t want the underground to get to it,” Nilo said.
“So, what’s being stored in Zila?” he asked.
“Weapons systems.”
“What do you mean? Like SP.9s?”
“Think big, Haslip. We’re not just talking anti-infantry here.” Nilo nodded self-assuredly, his ego inflated by knowledge of the little details of this major shipment. “Only one minor problem.” He chuckled softly.
“What’s so funny?” Dair asked.
“Seems that when our guys left Dulathia they forgot one vital piece of equipment.” He chuckled again. “It’s awfully hard to dig a 40 meter hole into a mountain without a plasma drill!”
Dair’s eyes grew wide when he realized what Nilo was talking about. A 40 meter hole. A shaft for a reactor?! Good skies! The Empire is putting anti-orbital ion cannon at the mines! He felt sick just thinking about it.
“Hey. Haslip! You okay?”
Dair shook his head. “You know what that means, don’t you?” he asked quietly.
“I do,” he said, the cockiness gone as a frown wrinkled his brow. The only thing it could mean was more protection for the mines in anticipation of a Rebel Alliance assault. “You really think they’ll head this way. Haslip?”
Dair swallowed hard, a worried look on his face. “Yeah,” he said. I’m counting on it. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind as he stared out the window. “I wonder if they’ll evacuate us.”
Nilo looked at him. “Maybe we won’t have to worry about it,” he said hopefully. “Maybe that Grand Admiral will bury the Rebels once and for all!”
Star Wars - The Adventures of Alex Winger 5 - Mission to Zila Page 1
