The New Imperium Peace With a Price Day Six Typeria REBEL DREAM 0830 hours The hanger bay of the REBEL DREAM was left basically unchanged from when the ship was an Imperial Star Destroyer of the Empire's fleet. It was capable of accommodating up to six squadrons of Ties, and up to four reinforced squadrons of Wings. The only craft in the DREAM's hanger bay at the moment, though, was a single modified Lambda-class transport shuttle. The footsteps of the six people heading towards the shuttle echoed throughout the cavernous bay. A pilot and a co-pilot for the shuttle, Han and Leia, and their guards Kaj Lisra and Myrs "Merry" Spooler, all made their way forward. Except for the sound of the footfalls, everything was silent. Leia entered the shuttle through the rear cargo ramp, flanked by Han and the bodyguards. After they were all seated, the pilot, visible through the open door to the cockpit, pressed a button and the ramp began to rise, sealing the occupants of the shuttle in an airtight container after a few seconds of motion. The co-pilot spoke into the intercom. "Is everyone ready?" Leia nodded in reply, forgetting that the co-pilot couldn't see her. Han voiced her affirmation a few seconds later, and the co-pilot nodded in agreement. The pilot advanced two small T-handles on his right side forward, and the shuttle's repulsorlifts came to life with a hum. The shuttle itself began to float unsteadily off the floor of the hanger. The pilot spoke into the Comm unit. "REBEL DREAM, this is Delta Sierra flight, ready for launch, over." "Delta Sierra flight," the deep voice of Commodore Riley Harnes replied, "you are cleared for launch. Opening hanger bay doors." With that, the huge doors, which had previously been the floor Leia and the others walked across, swung slowly downward. "This is the REBEL DREAM, over and out." "Acknowledged," the pilot replied. To the passengers, he said. "Ma'am, sirs, buckle yourself in. It's always a little rough coming out of a Star Destroyer." Leia secured the seat's straps around her in reply. The pilot pulled the repulsorlift's T-handles all the way to zero; simultaneously advancing the sublight drive's thrust to 100 percent. To the passengers, there was a short, unnerving drop, followed by a sluggish acceleration. After exiting the hanger bay, their was a few moments of weightlessness before the shuttle's artificial gravity unit kicked in, and then they were buffeted by the DREAM's tremendous ion drive assembly for several short seconds. And then they were all clear, out in space. It was silent after that, except for the growl of the shuttle's engines. Looking through the cockpit window, Leia could see the mighty SCIMITAR floating next to the famous HOME ONE. Both ships were surrounded by starfighters and support ships, and dozens of other New Republic craft could be seen at a further distance. Part of the gray sphere of Typeria was visible in the very lower right corner of the window. Around Typeria were many ships, all of them a uniform blue-gray color. Although Leia could only recognize some of the ships, she knew them to belong to the New Imperium. An ugly, boxy frigate, seeming to be welded together from totally unrelated sheets of quadanium and durasteel and bearing the symbol of the New Republic on its side, appeared from between the SCIMITAR and the HOME ONE. "There she is," the pilot said to his comrade. "There what is?" Leia said. "That's the DRAGOON, ma'am," the co-pilot replied. "Our next stop." "That's the most famous assault ship in the Rebel Alliance and New Republic's history?" Han asked unbelievingly. The pilot answered with pride in his voice. "The same. I piloted an escort shuttle out of her bay during the Battle of Garim Minor. That was my proudest moment." "Isn't it kind of..." Han searched for the right word. "...Ugly?" "We prefer the word 'functional,' sir," replied the pilot. "The DRAGOON's one of a kind." The Comm unit squawked at that moment. "Delta Sierra flight, this is the DRAGOON," a deep, gravelly voice said, "we are opening bay doors for your arrival." With that, a huge hinged piece of metal unfolded from the DRAGOON's side, revealing a large hanger bay inside. With the bay doors open, Leia realized that the DRAGOON looked a little like a Nebulon-B Frigate. Except, though, that the DRAGOON's body was much thicker and wider. Also, instead of having a small array of tightly packed engines in back and a large structure in front, the assault ship had a very large array of huge engines in the back, and a smaller, boxy "head" in the front. "DRAGOON," the pilot reported, "this is Delta Sierra flight. Preparing for landing." "Roger," was the reply. The hanger bay seemed to grow around the shuttle for a few long moments until, like a mouth, it swallowed the shuttle whole and closed tightly behind it. The pilot switched the sublight engines off and powered up the repulsorlifts, gently setting the shuttle down. The rear cargo ramp depressurized the shuttle with a hiss as it opened. "It's safe to disembark, sirs, ma'am," a new voice from outside the shuttle said. Upon disembarking, Leia found that the new voice belonged to a young man who wore his staff sergeant's stripes on the uniform of a New Republic Commando. Indeed, all the men in the hanger bay were commandos, without a regular Navy sailor to be seen. As if he knew what Leia was thinking, Han spoke quietly to her. "This is definitely not navy territory. This is a commando ship." Led by the staff sergeant, the group made its way across the crowded hanger floor. "You wish to leave for Typeria right away, correct, ma'am?" the sergeant asked Leia. "Yes," Leia replied. "The sooner, the better." She got a nod in reply. "This way, please." The sergeant disappeared behind the bulk of an Escort Shuttle undergoing routine maintenance, and the rest of the group followed. On the other side of the shuttle, the sergeant was pointing to a bulky assault transport, painted steel blue with blood-red trim. "There's your ride." A tall man leapt down from the top of the transport, where he'd been helping a mechanic prep the ship for its upcoming flight. Although it was a fairly long drop, the man didn't seem to notice, his knees quickly bending to absorb the shock of his spit-shined black combat boots hitting the hanger deck. His boots weren't the only black piece of clothing he wore. His shirt and pants were both black, and dark gold-rimmed aviator's sunglasses obscured his eyes from view. To complete the ensemble, a strange-looking rifle ( Leia thought detachedly.) was swinging from a strap around the man's shoulder, and a small radio headset was holding on to his neck. The sergeant walked up to the man and saluted. "Captain Rendala. Sir." The tall man nodded and returned the salute. He said something quietly to the sergeant, who nodded in reply. "Okay," Rendala said. "Dismissed." With that, the sergeant spun on his heels and strode away. Siric Rendala turned to Leia. "You're wanting a ride down, correct, ma'am?" "And an escort once there," Leia corrected, then added: "For the duration of the negotiations." Rendala turned, his rifle swinging at his side, and led the group around to the rear of the assault shuttle, where the cargo bay was open, revealing an unusually comfortable interior. "Excuse me, ma'am, but we're going to negotiate with the Imperium?" Leia was not in any mood to be questioned. "Yes," she answered curtly. Rendala nodded, letting the point drop. "Wait here one moment, ma'am, sir," he said, for the first time turning his gaze to Han. "I'll assemble the squad." After receiving a 'go-ahead' nod from Leia, Rendala turned and strode briskly up the ramp and into a room forward of the transport's seating area, which none in the group could quite see into. From the room, Siric Rendala's voice emanated. "Alright, squad, form up! Be ready for transit in ten minutes, got it?" "YES SIR!" quite a few voices shouted in reply. Rendala reappeared, and motioned for the group to enter the transport. There were two rows of plush leather seats inside the transport's converted cargo bay, each row with five seats. "I'd like you to all take a seat," Siric Rendala said. "We'll be leaving here in just a few minutes." With that, he re-entered the small room between the cargo bay and the cockpit. "Thank you for choosing Alliance Airways," Han mumbled dryly as the Assault Transport's repulsorlifts began to spool up. "If you're not on a hostile world surrounded by Imperials in thirty minutes, the flight's free." Lisra smiled at the crack. Myrs "Merry" Spooler chuckled. Leia, though, shot a piercing glance at Han. Rendala stepped out of the small forward room then, four other commandos trailing behind him. "We're getting clearance for takeoff now," he told his passengers. He then pointed towards small circular hatches on either wall, then the one on the floor and one on the ceiling. "Il'ik, Usica, Heryt, Wyman - man those turrets." The four commandos complied quickly, slipping their fingers along the edges of the hatches to break the magnetic locks, then pulling the covers away to reveal small compartments, each holding a single quad laser emplacement. Leia noted that the weapons were considerably more advanced then those mounted on Han's FALCON. She looked over at her husband. Certainly enough, he was practically green with envy. "Underway," the pilot said over the cockpit/cabin intercom. Simultaneously, Leia felt the transport rise and begin to move forward. Through the glass bubbles of the laser turrets, Leia tracked the transport's progress as it left the DRAGOON. After the customary bumps and jouncing, they were out in open space. Rendala looked towards Leia and Han. "Fifteen minutes now," he told them gravely. "If everything goes as planned, that is." "That's the trick, isn't it?" Han said with a cocked eyebrow. Siric Rendala smiled wryly. "Yes. Exactly." He then turned to the commandos manning the turrets. "Keep up a good lookout. You know what the stakes are here." The other men nodded in reply. The stakes were high. Typeria E-Wing "Blue Lead" 900 hours Coruscant Mean Time Rale Erkholm thought, his eyes darting between his sensor displays and the cockpit transparisteel windows. The New Imperium was out in force today. They'd regrouped at moonrise last night, organizing a tough shell of ships over about half a hemisphere of Typeria, the SEBRING itself hovering directly over the capital city of Hirscha. He was keeping exactly 6.1 klicks off the nose of the nearest Imperium cap ships, just out of missile range for them. The rest of Blue squadron trailed out behind him in Line Astern formation. Red Raider and Bandit A-Wing squadrons, also under his command as Commander, Fleet Air Group, were off to his left, farther out from the Imps. There were some Ties bridging the gap between the Wings and the Imperium capital ships, but none were acting particularly aggressive. Of course, in a few minutes he and the other pilots would have to herd the Ties out of the way to allow the President's shuttle to pass safely. A call went up over the hypercomm. Rale looked back over his shoulder to see a modified Assault Transport. Typeria Tie Advanced "Iota Lead" The computer made an urgent tone, and the pilot looked up. He couldn't tell what kind of transport it was until he locked the ship up and fooled with the zoom a little. After a few moments, he confirmed that it was an Assault Transport. "Alphas, Betas, Iotas, Mus, follow me," he said sternly over the hypercomm. "You know the plan. Deploy quickly, cut them off, and get to that transport. Don't fire unless absolutely necessary, but let them know that we're in control." There was no response, but the pilot knew everyone understood. He pushed the throttles forward and the Tie Advanced leapt ahead, followed by several squadrons of Tie Fighters, Interceptors, Bombers, and his personal squadron of Advanceds. They were closing on the target quickly, and the nearest Rebel fighter was only three kilometers out. The game was beginning, and in a few long moments it would be over. Mc90a Cruiser SCIMITAR "I knew it!" Kenlamb Sha'hazar shouted as the Imperium's fighters began to advance. "DESRON Three, deploy in a firing position on those fighters! Blues, Raiders, Bandits, move to intercept!" His orders were followed quickly, thank God. The Imperium fighters would have to do some tricky maneuvering to get to the transport now. But it would still be very, very difficult. Assault Transport "Mako" Leia took notice when the commandos manning the turrets straightened up even further and tightened their already white-knuckled grips on the lasers' controls. Something was up. "What's happening?" she asked whoever was willing to listen. One of the commandos answered without looking up from his laser's sights. "Please buckle up, everyone," he answered. E-Wing "Blue Lead" "Gun it!" Rale Erkholm shouted as soon as he guessed what the Tie Advanced squadron was doing. The Ties' pull-up out of formation could've given them a chance to bypass the Corellian Gunships and get a straight shot on the transport, but the nimble acceleration of the E-Wing allowed Blue Squadron to cut the Ties off. Unfortunately, Rale's quick reflexes put him in a bad position. Even as he cut the Ties off, their lead elements cut him off in return. Rale had a tough decision to make, and only a tenth of a second to make it in. In the end, the question was answered for him. E-Wing "Blue Eleven" Darb Yeldarb's targeting reticules turned green, indicating that his next laser blast would hit. No one else had fired yet, but Colonel Erkholm was cut off! As he tried to decide on a course of action, Darb's trigger finger involuntarily tightened, sending red lances through space. They impacted against the shield of a Tie Advanced, forcing the frightened pilot to maneuver crazily. His ship smashed into Colonel Erkholm's, sending both craft reeling. Following Darb's lead, the rest of the Rebel starfighters opened up. Their first volley of missiles and lasers sliced into the Imperium Ties, destroying almost a full third of them. The Ties fired back quickly, and though the Wings' shields saved most of them from destruction, their formations, made up mostly of green pilots, were broken up. "Cease fire! Cease fire!" Colonel Erkholm was shouting. His sentiments were echoed by several other voices, including General Sha'hazar. Darb pulled up, disengaging from the furball. Many other Wings did the same. The ravaged Ties, seeing their chance to return to the relative safety of the capital ships' fire umbrella, withdrew as well. The battle had only lasted 21 seconds, but over forty lives were lost. E-Wing "Blue Lead" "Damn it!" Rale Erkholm shouted at the top of his lungs over the general channel. "Who fired?!" There was silence for a few seconds, but an answer did come. "I did, sir," a single, small voice said. "Who? Identify yourself, pilot." Rale's voice was as cold and hard as stone. "Flight Officer Darb Yeldarb, sir. I fired." Rale was speechless for a second. He could see the demotions now... "Flight Officer, Yeldarb," Rale began trying and failing to keep the anger out of his voice. "Report back to your ship and go to your quarters. The General and I will see you there." "Sir?" Yeldarb's voice was choked with fear. "You heard me. Get your sorry ass back on the ground, where it belongs. Over and out." Darb's ship broke out of formation and turned for the SCIMITAR. "Rale." Jess Elwyn's voice was ice in the same way Rale's had been fire. "Yes?" "We lost Blue Six." The words caused an icy weight to drop into the pit of Rale's stomach. Derri was gone, reduced to ashes. Rale hardened his voice to the point where no emotion could be detected. "Understood." Turning off the comlink, Rale sent his fist crashing down the dash. He clenched his teeth for a few moments, then turned his E-Wing to port to keep it in formation around the Assault Transport designated "Mako." Turning the comlink's channel so that he could talk directly to General Sha'hazar, Rale spoke. "General Sha'hazar." "Yes, Colonel?" "I have a pilot whom -" "I heard the exchange," Kenlamb Sha'hazar replied. "I will accompany you to Flight Officer Yeldarb's quarters." "I appreciate it, sir." A second later, Sha'hazar's voice sounded through the general channel. "Assault Transport "Mako," please hold your position until we get things sorted out. I'll have my XO speak to whomever she can reach of the New Imperium on Typeria." "This is Mako," came the reply. "I understand." Mc90a Cruiser SCIMITAR The door rose and Colonel Erkholm walked in, still in his flight suit. He was followed by the Omwati General Sha'hazar, whose face bore no emotion. Darb wanted to cringe away from such authority figures, but he forced himself to meet the General's thoughtful gaze. Ignoring any form of greeting, Colonel Erkholm's hand shot out and grabbed Darb by his collar. "Mr. Yeldarb," he said, "you have violated clear rules of engagement. You have put your President in danger. You have fired upon a neutral ship. You have committed a crime under the laws governing the New Republican Navy. And, most of all, you have caused the death of one of your friends." Darb's blood ran cold in his veins. "Wh - Who was it, sir?" "Lieutenant Derri Ulske." Darb's felt his body crumple back onto a crate he used as a chair. Darb gathered his strength and looked up at Colonel Erkholm. "What's going to happen, sir?" "Darb, if I could, I would have you flogged for this incident. No ifs, ands, or buts. I was flogged once after a rough incident, and I was a better pilot for it. Unfortunately, the practice of naval floggings died with the birth of the New Republic. Therefore, I am letting your fate rest in the hands of General Sha'hazar." As he finished speaking, Rale turned his back to Darb and his head drooped. Darb thought for a moment that he was crying, but knew better. The Colonel was tougher than that. As he thought that, Darb realized that he was on the verge of tears. General Sha'hazar stepped forward. "Flight Officer Yeldarb, you have been charged with violating a direct order. How do you plead?" Darb opened his mouth, closed it, and then began. "But sirs, I was only trying to -" General Sha'hazar cut him off. "Your motives will be examined by a board of inquiry upon the completion of this cruise, if you choose to plead your innocence. For now, motives make no difference." Darb didn't hesitate. "I'm guilty, sir. I did fire." General Sha'hazar's reply was so immediate that Darb almost didn't catch it. "You're grounded." "What, sir?" "You're grounded. You will not be allowed out of the personnel section of this ship for the duration of this cruise. Upon completion of the cruise..." Sha'hazar trailed off. "Sir?" The General seemed to gather his strength and continue. "Acting in my power as a Fleet General of the New Republic Navy, I shall give you your sentence. After completion of this cruise, you will be dishonorably discharged from the New Republic Navy, transferred to an Army supply depot, and will not be allowed promotion to a higher officer rank unless an Official Board of Inquiry is summoned and modifies your sentence. That is all." General Sha'hazar spun on his heels and left the room. Darb let his face fall into his hands and he began to cry. "You brought the punishment down upon yourself, Darb," Colonel Erkholm said. "But you may be rehabilitated. I'll inform the General of my desire to organize an Official Board of Inquiry upon the completion of this cruise." Darb looked up. "But the General seemed so angry." He knew he was acting like a baby, and part of him was ashamed, but he didn't allow himself to care. "That's the way he has to be. Don't worry. When I was sentenced to my flogging, the General who sentenced me originally sentenced me to death." Darb's eyes widened. "Really?" "Yes. Death by lethal injection, he said. The sentence was reversed almost immediately, though." "What did you do?" "That," Colonel Erkholm said, "is too long a story to be told at the moment. Ask me again later, when this is over, you've weathered through your punishment, and I have some free time on my hands." "Certainly, sir." Colonel Erkholm didn't reply; he simply left the room. Darb let his whole body go limp. He'd never been in such trouble in his entire life. And he'd seen the streaks below Colonel Erkholm's eyes. The man had been crying. Assault Transport "Mako" Siric Rendala returned from the cockpit of the shuttle. "That was the SCIMITAR. They say the NI is ready to proceed. Shall we?" He said the last to words as if he were asking someone to dance at a ball. "Yes," Leia said. Rendala nodded to someone in the cockpit of the transport. "Go ahead." The shuttle rotated on its axis for a moment, then the realspace thrusters kicked in, propelling the ship forward at a good clip. Though Leia couldn't see the cockpit viewscreen from her vantagepoint, she had an idea that Typeria was growing larger by the second. A group of A-Wings formed up around the transport. Sha'hazar obviously did not want Imperium fighters getting close to it again. Leia turned her attention away from the windows and focused herself on the task ahead. It was going to be very difficult, but it had to be done. "No," Siric Rendala said. "I doubt they were trying to frag us. Mattan Balao has to be smarter than that." "So what do you think he was trying to do?" Han asked, dubiously. That Imperium attack sure did look like an assassination attempt to him. "Possibly he was going to board the shuttle and take it over," Siric said, shrugging. "To prove that he is in complete control of the situation." "And if he had sent a boarding party over?" Rendala patted his SL-40 Gauss Rifle. "Then his men would have gotten a nasty surprise." Han nodded, somewhat reassured that Commander Rendala and his team knew what they were doing. "You seen combat before?" "On occasion." Rendala shrugged. "Fired my first shot in anger twelve years ago, when I was sixteen." "Sixteen? You started young." Rendala shifted uneasily in his chair. "Well, I was sort of a mercenary." Han was surprised, but he tried not to show it. Rendala seemed uncomfortable enough about the fact already. "That's still a little young." "I had my reasons. Besides, it seemed a lot easier than smuggling." "Was it?" "I don't know. I never smuggled anything." Rendala cracked a grin. "You would know better than me." Han shook his head. "Not exactly. I haven't really smuggled anything in a long time. Though I was pretty good at what I did, way back when." "When is 'way back when,' sir?" "About twenty years ago or so - you would be what, eight?" "Right." Siric ignored the crack about his age, knowing it all to be in good humor. The pilot's voice emanated from the intercom. "We about to enter Typeria's atmosphere. Please buckle your safety belts, sirs, ma'am." Leia and Han both complied quickly, securing themselves in their seats, but Siric got up. He had a quiet word with each man in the commando escort, and then with Kaj Lisra and Myrs Spooler. The transport shuddered slightly as it entered the atmosphere of Typeria, and almost immediately the buzz of repulsorlifts joined in with the whine of realspace thrusters as the shuttle counteracted the force of gravity to keep its descent steady. The drop was still a little too fast to be comfortable, but Han knew the pilot was in complete control. Everyone's head jerked towards the window on the port side of the transport when they heard the howling. Imperium Tie Interceptors dropped in on both the left and right sides of the Assault Transport, guarding it now that the A-Wings had wheeled away to return to their base. The commandos controlling the laser assemblies kept their weapons trained on the Ties at all times. "We're sixty-thousand feet up now," the pilot said over the intercom. "We'll be on the ground in just a few minutes." Han rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few moments, then turned back to Siric. "Mercenary, huh? You mind if I ask how you got into that business?" Rendala thought for a moment, then pierced Han with his icy-green eyes. "Yes, sir. I do mind. That was a long time ago, and I prefer not to dwell in the past." The curt tone with which the commander said this to Han gave the older a man a few moments' pause. "I see." Siric seemed embarrassed, but simply nodded and then seemed to become absorbed in making sure the clip for his Gauss Rifle was filled to capacity. Seeing that the commander didn't want to be disturbed, Han turned his attention from Siric on his right to Leia on his left. "You ready for this?" Leia shrugged, the elegant lines of her senatorial robes adding grace to the gesture. "As well as I can be. I mean, I've got a speech ready and everything, and I know what I'm going to say to Balao, but I can't help but get the feeling that..." she trailed off, searching for the right words. Han found them for her. "That you're in over your head?" Leia managed a weak smile. "Exactly. I mean, even at Bakura we had better odds of success than this. We were at least united against a common enemy then. That gave me a lot of room to work. Now," she took a deep breath and her shoulders drooped ever so slightly, "I get the feeling that we might as well be negotiating with the Emperor." Han draped an arm over his wife's shoulders, allowing her to lean her weight against him. The physical closeness was reassuring for both of them, despite their surroundings. Leia looked out the transparisteel viewport to her left. "I probably won't have time to give a speech tonight." Han followed her eyes and understood. Even though they were thousands of feet up, the sun was invisible beyond Typeria's horizon. Down below them, it was obviously dark, with the only natural source of light coming from the stars. "Tomorrow, then?" Han asked, giving Leia's shoulder a squeeze. She nodded and tucked a few stray strands of brown hair behind her left ear. "I hope so. It would be nice to have a few hours to relax before beginning negotiations. And as soon as I've finished my speech and met Balao, I'm going to do my best to bring in a group of specialized New Republic negotiators to do most of my work for me. It'll be hard to convince the Imperium that such a thing is in their best interest, but I should be able to get them to grudgingly agree." "Right," Han said. "With their planet blockaded, they're in no position to refuse something that they're told is in their best interest." He cracked his best roguish grin, which broke down the last of Leia's defenses and made her smile, too. Han surprised both himself and Leia when he suddenly cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Stick close to me, Princess, and I'll get you through this." Mc90a Cruiser SCIMITAR Rale shook his head sadly and began to rub the bridge of his nose when he felt the headache coming on. As he walked down the hall, he reflected that there were no words that could really explain his emotions at the moment. More than anything, he felt grief and an void within him from the death of Derri Ulske, an excellent pilot and a true friend. His own words, just minutes old, echoed through his head: "There will be a special ceremony for all friends of Derri and the thirty-fourth of this standard month in the pilots' mess. The time of the ceremony will be made known later." Rale had chosen the date for two reasons: first, since today was the thirty-first, it would give him enough time to think of a short speech to say in Derri's memory, and secondly, because the thirty-fourth marked Derri's nineteenth birthday. Rale nearly stopped in his tracks in his grief when his mental image of Derri, a smiling young human girl who anyone would think pretty (some might even say beautiful), came rushing back to him. After Derri's face, he saw Lorin's, then Tybal's, then Ihtri and Jake. Then there was a rush of faces whose names he could not remember, but he knew that they were all young men and women who had served with him, his friends, and died. Then he remembered Arvel, remembered how he had never had a better friend in the world, and how often the two had saved each other from death. Then he saw Arvel die in his mind's eye, and he stopped his forward progress down the hall, collapsing with his back against the wall. After Arvel, he remembered his earliest losses, those that had left him before the Battle of Endor. Likry and Karin came quickly to mind, then Lance and Troma. And, even before the Battle of Yavin, he remembered Airren, the quiet kid with the big heart. And Jesa, the first man he had ever known who was willing to trade his life for his friends' lives. Last of all, he remembered his parents. The thought of their loss made Rale straighten up. Rale straightened up once more and blinked a few tears out of his eyelashes. Then he balled his hands up into fists and continued back towards his destination. "Where are you going?" Rale spun around and saw Jess Elwyn, one of the few people still living whom knew what he was like before Endor. "General Sha'hazar's quarters. I'm going to get him to repeal the sentence on Darb." "And I bet you're going to your quarters after that." "Yes. I - I need some time alone, to think." Jess smiled weakly, and took one of Rale's large hands in her smaller, delicate ones. "I knew you would say that." Rale met her blue-eyed gaze and added a slightly sarcastic edge to his voice. "You're not going to drag me off to the mess and force me to be among friends, are you?" She smiled weakly. "Will you?" Rale just shook his head negative. He couldn't seem to get words past the lump in his throat. Jess nodded. "I understand. I was talking to the rest of the squadron, though, and they just wanted me to let you know that every one of them understands the way you must feel now. They also wanted me to remind you that you're not just their superior officer, you're their respected friend." Jess paused and sniffled, causing Rale to notice for the first moment that her eyes were a little - just a little - shiny with tears. Jess took a deep breath before continuing. "We're all here for you, Rale. We've all taken losses before. You can't endure the pain alone." Rale kissed Jess on the forehead. "Don't worry, Jesswelyn Ratinli Elwyn. Tell them that the respect and friendship is mutual, but that the grief can wait for the memorial service." He began to feel stronger, his spirits slowly rising closer to normal. He continued. "But tell them that right now, there's a crisis to be watching. It wasn't Darb's fault, at least not directly, that Derri died. It was the fault of the New Imperium. Tell them that at 0600 hours tomorrow morning, I'll be performing a combat-readiness check of their E-Wings, and that all of them, including Darb's had better be ready to fight." Jess gave Rale's hand a squeeze. "I'm glad you're taking this in stride, but remember, if you ever need someone to talk to - " Rale cut her off. "You'll be the first person I come to, Jess. Like I said, don't worry. Now, captain, before it's too late, I have to get to the General and persuade him to repeal Darb's sentence." "Shouldn't be too hard. The General was never a big one for punishing his allies." Rale smiled. "I know his history. His allies remain untouched, but his enemies disappear and are never heard from again. "And I better not be late for this little appointment, or I might just make his enemy list." Rale Erkholm squeezed Jess' hand once more, then turned around and moved off at a jog. Jess shook her head. The best friend she could ever imagine having was also the one person she couldn't understand for the life of her. Typeria 0935 CMT, 2235 hours Local Commander Siric Rendala's hands came together in a transparisteel-rattling clap. Han looked up, along with everyone else. "All right, everyone," Rendala shouted to his small team, "the easiest part of the mission is over. Now let's form up and move out! On your feet!" The big rear door of the assault shuttle began to open, but Rendala ignored it, keeping up the chatter. "...a defense circular formation around the President. Tips and Wily, you got port and starboard, respectively. Ytres? You've got aft. I'll take fore. Keep it tight, don't screw up, and don't fail me now. Got it?" "Ooh-rah!" was the shout of assent from all the commandos, including Leia's personal bodyguards, Kaj Lisra and Myrs "Merry" Spooler. "Then move!" Rendala shouted, clapping his hands together again. The Republican Commandos walked up to the rear door and waited, while Lisra and Spooler got right to the left and right of Leia and Han. With agonizing slowness, the door finally opened, hitting the ground with a metallic clang. The commandos seemed to be fairly twitching with anticipation, but Leia forced them to exit the vehicle slowly by keeping a rather moderate pace herself. "Halt." The voice came from a man wearing what seemed to be stormtrooper armor, only his armor had a larger viewplate in the helmet ( Han thought to himself) and was died the deep blue color that seemed to be the color Balao had chosen to symbolize the New Imperium. There was then a loud stomping sound, and dozens of deep blue stormtroopers Han hadn't seen before suddenly appeared in the shadows as the spun around to face the Republicans. At the same moment, a tremendous rumbling began to shake the ground, and Han sensed a large object eclipsing the silhouette of a Planet Defender ion cannon to the east. The shape was suddenly illuminated as it turned on its running lights, and Han instantly recognized the ship as what everyone was simply calling an Imperium Frigate. The six hundred meter long ship, from what he'd been told, bristled with turbolasers, ion cannons and missile launchers, carried two squadrons of starfighters, and was atmospheric-capable. As little as Han would like to admit it, he had to say that the New Republic didn't have single ship that came close to the Imperium Frigate, except maybe Victory-class Star Destroyers (and the Frigates were more capable even than those were). The lights from the frigate served not only to illuminate the ship itself, but it also gave off enough light that Han could see the many stormtroopers actually formed two rows, with a wide aisle between the rows. The aisle led up to the main doors of a large Imperial-looking building fifty meters distant. The single stormtrooper who had spoken began to pass around Rendala, obviously wanting to insert himself into the group. For a moment Han wondered why no one did anything to stop the trooper, but Rendala himself suddenly moved in front of the Imperium man, stopping him in his tracks. The stormtrooper looked up at Rendala for a moment, then made a move to step around the commando. As he did, Siric's elbow came up and caught the man in the throat, snapping his head back and causing him to back up a few steps. Han could not see the look on Siric's face when the commando finally turned to stare straight at the single stormtrooper, but the stormtrooper seemed to shrink back from it. "Lead the way," Rendala commanded, unmoving. The stormtrooper paused for a moment, then spun on his heels. "Follow me." Han looked over at Leia as they began to advance forward, surrounded by both friendly commandos and stormtroopers of unknown intent. He tried to read the her thoughts from her eyes, but failed. Han thought, The Republicans advanced both away from their transport and into the unknown. ===================================================================== THE NEW IMPERIUM: PEACE WITH A PRICE story by Greg Schutz send questions/comments to: arvel@rocketmail.com This is only DAY SIX of this story. Its not over yet - this story will have ten days. Feel free to post this story wherever you so desire, as long as it is posted in its entirety. (And letting me know about it would be nice, but isn't mandatory.) ===================================================================== DISCLAIMER: I, Greg Schutz, hereby state this: that my work, The New Imperium: Peace With A Price, is not breaking any current copyright laws; that I am not using this work to collect money for possession; and that I recognize that this work is based on characters and/or situations that are copyright-protected by Lucasfilm, LTD. This story is for entertainment purposes only.