5

5

The Imperial staff members gathered in the War Room of the Star Destroyer. Isel stood at the head of the room, in front of a large display board. A green circle labeled ‘Alpha 2’ was on the board. In the room were the heads of all of the ship’s departments, General Blous who led the soldiers aboard the Star Destroyer, and Bysal sat in the chairs facing Isel.

“Gentlemen, we have three days until we launch our major operation against Tatooine. We have exactly one day to prepare for this attack. I know it’s been a long time since we have launced a ground assault and for that reason I have arranged for a practice attack.

The planet is a tiny moon dubbed Alpha 2. The terrain is similar to Tatooine and our engineers are already assembling the mock-up of the target area, the city of Mos Eisley. General Blous, your main target will be securing the hargar bays and this back room behind a local bar. Commander Sigun, be sure to have your TIE Bomber and Assault Gunboat squadrons ready for launch to support General Blous if he requires it. You will also have to deploy a fighter screen aorund the ship in case any of the smugglers are foolish enough to attack us. The attack will commence at 1500 hours. Dismissed,” Isel ordered. No one had any questions or comments, they knew their duty. Bysal followed his commander down the corridors and back to the bridge.

“Sir, are you sir that the smuggler is reliable?” Bysal asked.

“We’ll find out, but I suspect that he is. He knows that is life is at stake. These kind of scum value their lives more than their ethics. He is telling the truth,” Isel stopped and looked at Bysal. His violet eyes piercing Bysal’s and forcing him to become silent.

“Yessir. Sir, the engineers have reported that they are ready,” Bysal held the communique that a communications officers handed him.

“Good, now we will see if Blous is as good as he boasts. Be sure to keep in contact with the container ship. I want to know the second that the smugglers arrive. I’ll be on the bridge monitoring the attack,” Isel walked briskly away from his aide and up the corridors to the bridge. Bysal was left holding the paper. He shrugged and walked off to the hangar bay to watch the launching of the AT-AT transports and the TIE Fighters.

So far, everything was going smoothly. Blous rode in the lead of the six AT-ATs marching on the dusty ground. AT-ST scout walkers scurried ahead of the giant walkers. This was the first action Blous had seen in over five years. He had never really gotten the chance to crush the Rebels on the ground, but now would be his chance. He looked out the front screen and could see the target ahead. On cue his walkers spread out and the scout walkers covered the major exits of the false city.

The AT-ATs strode giant steps across the ground until they were where the AT-STs were. Blous put his microphone to his mouth and said, “All troops, deploy now.” Armored soldiers deployed from the machines and soon were running into the city, with the AT-STs following them for back-up. Blous’ AT-AT let out its own payload of troops and Blous looked down at the hangar mock-up. This was the key to the whole operation, impounding the smuggler’s ships before they could blast off and get into orbit where they would have to be trapped by the Star Destroyer. The hope was that they could capture the smugglers in one easy stroke, so that none could slip through their grasp.

“General, all areas secure. What are your orders?” The communications officer on the AT-AT reported.

“Tell everyone to stand down and wait for the TIE Bombers to arrive. Then we’ll be packing up and going home,” Blous said. Blous sat back in his seat and waited for the roar of the starfighter’s engines. The bombers streaked overhead and dropped their payloads onto the Mos Eisley mock-up. The buildings exploded and the troopers rushed back to their AT-ATs. The AT-STs rushed out of the city and Blous saw the TIE Bombers roar back into the atmosphere. Their were only a few buildings left standing and Blous’ gunner sighted them and opened fire. The city was leveled and Blous led his men back to their transports.

Mara sat at the computer console with Ghent on Myrkr. He was finishing coding a message. “Will this work?” She asked.

“It should. They won’t be able to decode it for at least three days, when I send them the instructions. What do you need this for, anyway?” Ghent asked as he finished sending the message.

“Just for insurance. Thanks Ghent. Well, time to go.” Mara shook Ghent’s hand and then walked out to her ship. She climbed into the blastboat and strapped in. She started the ship’s systems and blasted off into space.

The message that Ghent had made would alert Coruscant to the smuggler’s meeting well after it started. Just in case they got into trouble. You never knew where an Imperial would show up, and if they got wind of the meeting, then it would be a very short meeting indeed. Besides, as the liason to the New Republic she knew that she had to at least inform them of the meeting.

She set a course for Tatooine. She had to be there early to help Aves set up for the meeting. She pulled back the levers and the Skipray jumped into hyperspace. As the stars blurred into lines, she undid her straps and tried to relax. She let go of the control stick and her fingers briefly touched the lightsaber that she wore on her belt. The lightsaber helped to gain the respect of many alien races, which helped in negotiations. She closed her eyes and knew that sleep would be something that she wouldn’t be getting much of when she reached Tatooine. Not because she would be busy, but because Tatooine was the place where she had failed the Emperor. She had allowed Luke Skywalker and his friends escape, which ultimately led to his death.

She hadn’t had nightmares in over a month, but going back to the source of her failure might bring them back. She just hoped that she could handle them. Her mind began to drift and she faded into a deep sleep, the first real sleep she had had in a month.

Luke pounded the panel in frustration. After working on the X-Wing for over an hour he had done nothing but cut his fingers. Artoo was in the rear socket, but the ion blasts had fried all of the electronics in it and he couldn’t get any of the X-Wing’s systems running. It was a job for a real fighter mechanic, which Luke knew he wasn’t. He threw down the wrench in his hand and tried to calm down.

He stood up and packed up the tools. Threepio shuffled out of the corner he had been standing in and motioned to Artoo. “Artoo, come down! There’s nothing you can do there!” Artoo beeped a comment and then Luke helped him out of the socket. Threepio was right. There was nothing that any of them could do, and Luke had a feeling that he was going to need the fighter soon.

He couldn’t bring himself to ask the chief mechanic to bump the X-Wing up on the priority list. He didn’t want any special treatment. The mechanics were busy fixing other more important ships, ships the New Republic needed to battle the Imperials. He sighed as he walked back to his quarters. Then he stopped in his tracks.

“You two go back to my quarters. I’ll be back in a little while,” Luke waved them away and Artoo made worried noises. “It’s all right, Artoo. I’m not going to get into any trouble.” Still not satisfied, Artoo rolled away. Threepio glanced back at Luke and then followed the astromech.

Luke walked briskly up the stairs, the sound of his footsteps echoing down the corridors. He threw open a door and was hit by wind as he emerged on the roof of the palace. Luke walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the city. He needed time to think by himself, to sort out his feelings. And to figure out what was the source of that nagging feeling in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and the cool wind rustled through his hair and nipped at his face.

He thought of those horrifying minutes at Cloud City, hanging from a vane as winds threatened to tear him from his perch. Then he thought of his missing hand that had been used to make that dreaded clone on Wayland. The clone’s lightsaber that he had given to Mara, on this same roof. He knew that whatever was going to happen would involve her, somehow. He had to find her! Maybe she was in trouble and the dream had been a distress signal. He gribbed the railing until his knuckles were white. He opened his eyes and then saw that it was nearly dawn. He had been standing on the roof for over two hours, in a trance.

The door to the roof opened and Leia stepped onto the Palace’s roof. “Threepio said that you had been gone for a while. Something’s bothering you, what is it?” Leia asked with concern.

“I’m sorry that you had to interupt your private time to come up here. I just...I just had a lot on my mind,” Luke said without looking at her. She walked closer and stood next to him. She touched him lightly on the shoulder and felt his muscles tense.

“Come on, you can tell me. I’m your sister.”

“I’m not sure that I can. It...it was a dream I had. About Mara Jade. I can almost sense that she’s in trouble somewhere. Leia, I’ve got to find her.” Luke turned and faced his sister. She looked in his eyes and she knew that she couldn’t stop him, this was important to him.

“I’ll ask around and see if I can find her. She is an elusive figure lately though.”

“Thanks Leia.” He hugged her and they went downstairs together.

The Skipray came out of hyperspace near the planet of Tatooine. The brown world, with its twin suns, awaited her and Mara tightened her straps and dove into the atmosphere. She hadn’t bothered to check her sensors, which had shown a container at the edge of its range.

The Star Destroyer cruised through space. There were no nearby planets and Isel relaxed in his chair. All of the starfighter squadrons were in their hangars and the pilots were resting. It was the calm before the storm. There was only a skeleton crew on the bridge.

That was when a communications officer walked over to Isel. “Sir, we have a message coming in from the container ship,” the comm officer reported.

“Very well, put them through,” Isel stood and followed the officer to the communications pit. The captain of the container was on the screen. “Report.”

“Sir, a Skipray blastboat has just landed at Mos Eisley. I ran a scan of it and the markings check out as belonging to one Mara Jade. It was also registered with the New Republic sir,” the captain said.

“Ah...captain I believe that the first smuggler has arrived. Alert me when more show up. Most should be in cargo ships with false cargoes.” Isel ended the conversation and returned to his chair. Mara Jade, the traitorous woman had been known to work with Talon Karrde. Isel hated traitors, people who betrayed the Empire. He would love to capture her and torture her. He flexed his fingers and looked out the window in anticipation.

He had met Jade once, when she had been the Emperor’s Hand. His command, a frigate at the time, had been testing the new TIE Advanced fighters. It wasn’t a long meeting, but just long enough for him to remember her. She had been a symbol of the Emperor’s power, but now she was working for the New Republic. She was a traitor, one of the many that needed to be dealt with.

Bysal arrived on the bridge and handed Isel a status report of all of the ship’s offensive weapons and TIE fighters. Everything was reporting ready. “Sir, we have a small problem. The chief engineer reports that some of the patched up areas of the hull might give way under high stress. He advises against an extended period of combat,” Bysal stifled a yawn and then waited for Isel to give him an order.

“Don’t worry, this operation won’t take long. Tell the engineer to see what he can do to shore up those points,” Isel commanded. “Then you may end your duty shift, Lieutenant.” Bysal nodded and left.

“I’m sorry Princess, but I can’t get a fix on her,” the communications man in the War Room apologized.

“Thank-you Ensign,” Leia turned off her comm. She turned and looked at Luke. “They can’t find her anywhere.”

“How many desert worlds are there in the galaxy?” Luke asked. Leia punched the inquiry into a data pad.

“There are three that are all desert and over thirty with desert areas. It’s a pretty long list. Too many to search. Unless we can narrow it down a little, then there’s nothing that we can do.” Leia looked at him sadly and Luke nodded numbly. Han came in from the twins’ room.

“They went back to sleep. Hi kid. What are you doing here?” Han asked as he finished taking care of the twins’ soiled garments.

“We’re looking for Mara Jade. I can feel that she’s in trouble,” Luke mumbled.

“I see, well...the most obvious places to look would be places where smugglers hang out. I can help you guys look.” Luke wondered how he had missed that. A desert that was home to smugglers.

“Let’s finish this later, you guys could probably use some sleep.” Luke stalked out of the room and went back to his quarters. He still had a lot to think about, to sort out his feelings. Luke sat down and closed his eyes to meditate.

After what seemed like hours, a vision came to Luke. It was of his home planet, Tatooine. He saw Beggar’s Canyon, Ben Kenobi’s old home, and then the port city of Mos Eisley. But Luke could see that something was wrong with the city. And then he could see it, AT-ATs were stomping through the city and screams wailed throughout the city. And that was when he once again saw Mara be vaporized by laser beams. With a start, Luke emerged from his trance and looked around. He knew now what the dream had been telling him. She was in danger, or was she?

Once Luke had jumped to conclusions and ended up causing more harm then good and losing his right hand. It could be the same thing now. She might be able to handle it, but then there was the possibility that she could be in serious danger. He would have to find out, somehow.