Saga A New Path - COMPLETED 12/29 - EPILOGUE Posted

Summary: Tycho Celchu realizes his journey to from the Empire to the New Republic will be a difficult one, compounded by a conflict lurking between him and one of the Rogues.
Begins prior to A New Hope and runs up to a few days before the Battle at Hoth.)

This is a prequel to my story "Bitter Reunion" on the "Beyond the Saga" board.

Prologue

Tycho Celchu took a deep breath of the processed air from his environmental suit as he sat in the cockpit of his TIE fighter. "Engines green," he muttered to himself, "lasers operational." There was no reason they shouldn't be, but it was important to check everything anyway. Besides, going through all his systems allowed him to calm himself before going out -- regardless of whether it was a patrol run or a battle.

This was the former. The Inhibitor's second squadron -- the one he flew with -- would be launching in a few minutes to relieve the first squadron, currently patrolling space around the moon over Kien'tol. The Victory- class Star Destroyer he was assigned to had been sent to investigate suspicious transmissions coming from the supposedly uninhabited moon. Tycho himself was convinced it was probably nothing more than smugglers, but an assignment was an assignment, and he had no say about it.

He heard a click as the channel between his fighter and the ship opened and Captain Rawn's voice came over. "First squadron is under attack. Launch immediately. Repeat, first squadron is under attack. Launch immediately."

The order was instantly followed by a series of clicks from the pilots acknowledging the order, and his commanding officer's voice. "Second squadron, launch by wing pairs."

His attention focused on his controls as he saw the fighter ahead of him drop slowly through the open bay and accelerate away from the ship. A wave from a deck hand gave him the go for launch, and Tycho throttled forward and dropped through the magnetic field of the open bay door, the remaining members of his squadron following in his wake. He watched as the stars changed from pinpoints to streaks of light as his ship's speed steadily increased.

He couldn't yet see the flashes of the battle -- the other squadron must have been attacked on the far side of the moon. Tycho's eyes traveled along the face of the moon as he flew over it. He could barely make out the dark canyons that crisscrossed the rocky surface below him. "Two flight, take point," his CO ordered as the first flashes of light met his eyes. "Acknowledged," he replied, and then throttled forward again, accelerating past the fighters ahead of him.

"Five, I'm your wing," Mith Cabri's voice came over the comm unit. There was a quiet calm in the other man's voice, and Tycho hoped the same emotion -- or lack thereof -- was reflected in his own. This was only the second battle for them both, but Tycho knew his wingman felt like he'd been fighting for years. He himself certainly did.

Tycho glanced down at the HUD and drew a short breath when he saw the lack of friendlies indicated. There were three together, surrounded by several enemy fighters, and then one closer to where he was coming in, flanked by two more unfriendlies. He was just barely out of range when he saw the nearby TIE explode.

Tycho watched the crosshairs on the HUD shift until they were directly over the nearest fighter to him, and smiled grimly. He saw the crosshairs turn green, indicating that he had a targeting lock and was in range to fire. Quickly he depressed the trigger, and watched as the first two bursts of laser fire sizzled against the y-wing's shields, and the third slipped through, slamming into the cockpit. The cockpit shattered, sending metal fragments flying off into space, and was instantly engulfed in flames. There was no question as to the fate of the enemy pilot. The remainder of the ship spun uncontrollably toward the moon Tycho had been looking at just minutes earlier, finally disintegrating in a spectacular explosion as it slammed into the surface.

That was too easy. Y-wings were slow and not very

 

Chapter 1

"Think we'll see any action?" Detar Sekra excitedly asked his wingmate, Tycho Celchu.

Tycho frowned at the flight officer. His last wingman had died in their last engagement, only a few weeks earlier, and he had no wish to see any more fighting. "I don't know, but I hope not. We've seen enough combat already this mission," the lieutenant replied.

Shaking his head, Tycho turned back to the HoloNet monitor. He'd been talking to his family and fiancé, a special call his father, an executive with - and part owner of - the major HoloNet company on his home planet of Alderaan, had arranged to celebrate his birthday. It was his first since he'd graduated from the academy and become a TIE fighter pilot. Unfortunately, the connection had been broken. He'd been trying for two hours to get it back, to no avail. "14:42," he said to Detar. Remember that."

"Gonna give your dad a hard time?" his wingman asked.

"You bet - if I ever get to talk to him again. I can't bring the connection back."

"You will. But probably not today. Give it up, will you, and let's go get something to eat, huh?"

Casting one last glance at the monitor, he stood and nodded. Together they left the room and headed down two decks to the pilots' lounge.

Walking in, Tycho saw a handful of his squadron members sitting in a booth in the back corner, and the two joined the group there. The HoloNews was on, and he glanced quickly at the screen before turning his attention to the menu - a superfluous gesture because he already knew what he wanted.

A droid approached to take his order and promptly departed, and Tycho turned to his friends. "Happy Birthday, kid," Setyn Klay said. He was a lieutenant, like Tycho, but was a few years older. "And may we all live to see another."

"I'll drink to that, but if you keep flying the way you did in the last sim run, you probably won't," Tycho said with a grin as the serving droid set his glass of Whyren's Reserve in front of him. Birthdays were rare for TIE pilots. Their shield-less ships - and the skill of the smugglers, pirates, and rebels they fought - were not inducive to long lives.

"But remember," Kev Tsenae interjected, "The longer you live, the better you get, and the better your chances of getting out of the fighters and getting to play with the big ships."

Tycho shook his head. "Not interested. I like the fighters, thank you. One on one, face to face. That's the way I like to play."

"Yeah, well," Detar commented, "You're good enough to do that. The rest of us who don't have your natural talent won't survive long that way."

"How did a pilot like you come out of a planet that hates violence so much it shipped all its weapons out into the dark side of the galaxy?" Kev asked.

He shrugged. "Not all ships have to have weaponry. And we do need to have ships. Plus, you'll notice that most Alderaanian ships are armed. Alderaanians may be pacifists, but we're also pragmatic." It was a strange statement for him, because he himself wasn't a pacifist, and he believed that those of his culture who were really weren't very practical.

"What good is having guns on their ships, though, if they're not going to pull the trigger?" Kev remarked snidely.

"Let's not start this argument again, huh?" Setyn interrupted. "We've had this conversation, what, twenty times in the last month? Aren't you getting tired of it by now?"

"Yeah, besides," Detar chimed in, "You're supposed to be at least civil to someone on his birthday."

Tycho just shook his head and sipped his drink. Setyn was right. He was getting tired of this argument - and especially of defending a point of view he really didn't agree with anyway.

Suddenly, Tycho's attention was brutally wrenched back to the news by words that would forever be burned into his memory. The reporter was saying, "At just earlier than 1500 hours this afternoon, the so-called Rebel Alliance committed its greatest atrocity yet. A space station they have aptly named the "Death Star" entered Alderaanian space just over two hours ago, at which

 

Chapter 2

Slowly, Tycho opened his eyes. He struggled to a sitting position and looked around, seeing that Detar was leaning against a wall not far away. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "What happened?"

His wingman shifted anxiously from foot to foot. "You're in the med center. You, ah, you passed out in the lounge."

"What?" Tycho started to ask, but then the words of the broadcast came back to him in a rush, and the room again began to swim out of focus.

Detar noticed his friend start to sway and was by his side in an instant. "Take a deep breath, Tycho. Just try to breathe."

Tycho struggled to follow his friend's instructions, and eventually regained control of his faculties, but not of his emotions, as tears slid slowly down his cheeks.

Then the door slid open, and Tycho's training took over and he turned away as he tried to check his emotions. It was his commanding officer, Ishar Liat.

"How are you feeling, lieutenant?" the older man asked gruffly.

Tycho turned back to him and saluted. "I'll be fine, sir. Just a little light-headed."

"Good. I've spoken to the doctor, and he agrees. Take the rest of the evening off, lieutenant. But be back to duty tomorrow, understood?"

"Understood, sir."

The commander turned to Detar. "Why don't you let the lieutenant get some rest?" He worded the statement like a suggestion, but his tone made it a direct order.

"Yes, sir." Detar turned to Tycho. "Feel better, Tych." Then he followed his CO from the room, leaving Tycho alone with his thoughts - and his pain.

As his mind replayed the reporter's words, it hit him. He'd been talking to his family at the exact moment they had-. He swallowed hard and his mind refused to acknowledge the word.

He shook his head. Here he'd been planning to give his father a hard time about the HoloNet's failure and his parents, his sister, his fiancé were-. Again, his mind shied away from the word.

And then another thought entered his head. The newscaster had said that the space station had been a rebel weapon. But that didn't make any sense.

It was strongly suspected that Bail Organa had his daughter, Princess Leia, were major Rebel supporters. If that were the case, the Rebels would never risk alienating them. And the surest way to alienate them was to threaten their people.

As well, the Organas would never allow it to happen. If they knew the Alliance was planning to harm Alderaan, and he was sure they would if they were involved in the Rebellion, they would put a stop to it, instantly.

"No," he said aloud. "The Rebellion would never destroy Alderaan. But if it wasn't them, then who?"

Just as quickly as the question had come to him, the answer hit him. "If not the Rebellion, then the Empire." The Empire certainly had motivation - teaching the Alderaanians who were supporting the Rebels a lesson would be motivation enough. And they were the only ones who would have the resources to build such a planet killer.

His mind reeled with this realization. Here he was, sitting in the Med Center aboard the Victory-class Star Destroyer Inhibitor, serving the people who had killed his family, destroyed his home.

He blinked back tears and thought about the steps he'd taken to get to this point. He'd seen the problems in the Empire. That was actually why he'd chosen to go to the Academy. He had known that change was necessary, but hadn't believed the Rebellion was the answer. He'd sought to affect change from within.

But now he realized that that was impossible. Any government this ruthless, this evil, would never change willingly. The only way to eliminate the prejudices, corruption, and fear was to break the Empire down, once and for all. And the only way to do that was through the Rebellion.

His decision made, he leaned back against the cushions of the cot and stared out the view port at the stars that dotted space. Somewhere, out among those stars, was what was left of his home. And somewhere else out there, was his future.

Now all he had to do was figure out how to get there. H

 

Wow! This is a really awesome story. I love the way you characterized Tycho in this. He's too often an overlooked character, and it's great to see a story dedicated to him.

I liked the fact that the Empire said it was the Alliance who destroyed Alderaan. They most likely would do that, but I never thought of it before.

Great fic! Keep it up!

 

Short, but sweet...

Chapter 3

Tycho forced a smile as he, Detar, and the rest of their squadron mates alighted from the transport shuttle. It had been a grueling six weeks since his home's destruction, and he was officially exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Inhibitor hadn't seen battle in those six weeks, and he was grateful. He didn't think he could have risked his life fighting for a government he no longer believed in.

He was especially grateful that the Emperor hadn't seen fit to involve them in whatever had happened in the Yavin System. He'd heard that the Death Star had been destroyed there, and had secretly rejoiced upon hearing that news, though he didn't know any details - or even if the rumor was true.

Now they had been given a week's leave on the planet Thyferra, and he knew this was his best chance to leave the Empire behind. If only he could figure out how to do that. He still had no idea.

Just as his boot connected with the durasteel floor of the docking bay, he heard a woman calling him. "Tycho! Tycho Celchu!"

Turning, he could not believe his eyes as he saw someone he hadn't seen in years. A woman in black pants and boots and a tight, sleeveless red shirt and black vest was coming toward him. Her wavy brown hair fell over her shoulders, and her petite stature was, he knew, as misleading as her model looks. As she came closer, he could see the familiar passion in her deep green eyes.

He had grown up with Jesina Dreis, and knew her well. She had her Alderaanian mother's mannerisms, poise, and beauty, and her Corellian father's attitude, temper, and piloting skill.

When they were fifteen, her parents had been killed when the ship they were traveling on had fallen prey to pirates. She'd left Alderaan, heading for Corellia, where her father's sister still lived. But she'd been restless, full of anger, and soon turned her skills to a typical Corellian profession - smuggling.

Detar's low whistle dragged his thoughts from the past back to the present. "Who is that?" the pilot asked.

"And what is a girl like that doing in a place like this?" Setyn asked.

"Too dangerous," Kev chimed in. "Maybe we should, ah, offer her our protection," he suggested, raising his eyebrows comically.

Tycho just shook his head and struggled to hold back his laughter. The modified heavy blaster on her right hip was not just for show, and he knew there was a vibroblade strapped to her left leg, just below the knee. He also knew that her vest concealed at least one or two other weapons, all of which she was extremely skilled with.

He chuckled to himself and wondered how his friends would feel if he were to tell them that this woman was more than capable of handling herself - and had, in many rougher places than this. Or that she could fly circles around any of them.

He quickly crossed the bay and enveloped her in his arms. "What are you doing here, Jes?" he whispered.

"I'll explain later," she replied in a low voice. Louder she said, "When you told me you were going on leave, I thought I'd surprise you." She bit her lip and smiled coyly. "I've, ah, got a room in town," she murmured.

He turned to his squadron mates, who were snickering amongst themselves. "I'll see you guys later."

As he spoke, he caught Detar's eye. When the other man gave him a sad smile, Tycho knew that his wingman knew he wouldn't be back. He also knew he could count on him not to blow the whistle on him. Then he slipped his arm around Jesina's waist and walked away from the life he'd spent so long building for himself.


~Jesina~

 

Chapter 4

He was thoroughly confused by the time they'd reached the place Jesina was staying. They'd taken a speeder to one hotel, gotten out, and gone in. But instead of staying there, they went through it onto a side street, into another hotel, through that to another, and from there they'd taken another speeder to a small, nondescript house just outside the planet's capitol city.

As soon as they walked in, she went straight to the back of the house. A moment later she emerged, followed by a black-haired man who was carrying a large box.

As he set it down Tycho asked, "Want to tell me what's going on?"

"After I heard about Alderaan, I knew you wouldn't be able to stay with the Empire. So I found out where you'd next be going planet-side, and decided to meet you, and help you get away." She paused and studied his face. "I was right, wasn't I?"

He nodded, surprised that she would even ask. "Of course."

"Well, we're getting off of Thyferra - and getting you away from the Empire." She opened the box and drew out a roll of bandages, a container of hair dye, and a small holdout blaster.

Then Jesina straightened up and pointed at her companion. "This is Jax Tenore. He's going to pose as your brother. You're going to need to conceal your face if we want to get you out of here. So we're going to dye your hair and bandage you up. We'll tell anyone who asks that you have a strange illness and I'm providing transport for you two to Corellia to a specialist. I don't usually do passenger transport, but I've been known to make exceptions. It shouldn't catch too much attention."

He smiled. "You've really got this all planned out, huh?"

"Have to." She returned his smile. "I can't tell you where we're going. If things don't go as planned, the less you know, the less you can tell. I trust you with my life, but I can't ask others to do the same."

She gestured to a chair and pulled a long piece of cloth out of the box. "Sit down. This won't take long."

She was right. Ten minutes later, his hair was the precise shade of Jax's, and Jesina had just finished bandaging his face. She tossed him the blaster. "Here. I'll hold onto yours. It's too big to easily conceal, but I don't want you to be unarmed."

He took it from her and nodded. She leaned over again, and pulled a pair of baggy, tan pants and a light blue tunic out of the crate. "You can change into these. We'll get rid of your uniform. You can use the room in back."

He nodded again, and walked in the direction she and Jax had come from. As he tossed his uniform on the ground, pulling on the civilian clothes, he shook his head. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been out without a uniform. He sat down on the edge of the bed and rolled up his pant leg to strap on the blaster and holster she'd given him. Then he gathered up the clothing he'd taken off and rejoined Jesina and Jax.

"All set?" she asked, taking the uniform from him.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"You always were." She holstered her own blaster and slipped his into her duffel. Then she walked to the small kitchen just off the main room and stopped in front of the sink. She placed his uniform inside the sink basin and drew a lighter from a pocket. Turning to Tycho she offered him the lighter and asked, "Would you like to do the honors?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. Shrugging, she turned back and flipped the switch on the lighter. As the flame appeared, she lowered it slowly, and watched as it made contact with the fabric.

As the flames grew, Tycho could only stare as the flames consumed what he had always intended to become, burning the proverbial bridge behind him.

Shaking off the doubts that came over him, he met Jesina's eyes and said, "I guess that's that."

"Then let's go, boys."

* * * * *

They caught a public speeder back to the spaceport and were soon nearing the landing bay where her ship was docked. "Captain Dreis," the guard, outside the hanger where her ship was berthed, greeted her authoritatively. "Passengers?" he asked, raising an eyebr

 

Is anyone reading this? Please, let me know.

Chapter 5

Tycho walked silently beside Jesina as she led him back to the ship. He was following her automatically -- he didn't want to get lost on this damned moon -- but his mind was too full of a medley of thoughts to really pay much attention.

He couldn't help but rethink his decision to leave the Empire. He couldn't go back now, of course, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was the right choice. Order and discipline had always been driving forces in his life. The military had really been perfect for him. But now, not only had he left the strict regimen of the Imperial Navy, but he was also on the run from the legitimate government he'd served and on his way to joining the outlaw rebel movement he'd been fighting against only weeks earlier. Provided that Bothan didn't decide to space him on the way to wherever they were heading.

He couldn't help but wonder how he'd fit in. He couldn't imagine the rebels being nearly as structured as the Empire had been, so that alone would be a major change in his life. But that was not his only concern.

He was an Imperial. As much as he hated to admit it, he was. Or, at least, he had been. How would the Rebels look at him? Would they distrust him as much as Gil'fra had?

A firm grip on his arm yanked him out of his thoughts. "I'm fine, Jes," he began to say automatically, before realizing that the person holding onto him was definitely not Jesina. He realized it too late, though -- as one arm snaked around his throat, another grabbed his blaster from the holster on his hip.

A few meters ahead he could just make out Jesina, in a similar position, struggling wildly against two attackers, both human. They had already disarmed her of both her blaster and the vibroblade on her leg, and were trying to pin her against the wall of the alley, their lecherous grins telling Tycho all he needed to know about their plans for his old friend. "Stop struggling boy, you do what we say and you just might get out of this alive." The gravelly voice of his attacker grated in Tycho's ear. The man clearly knew a thing or two about fighting, and had both of Tycho's arms pinned behind him. "All we want are your credits. Well that's all we want from you; looks like my buddies have other plans for your friend." His voice trailed off into a quiet cackle of laughter, and Tycho saw that Jesina would not be able to fight off both attackers for long, her arms held as they were.

With a cry of rage and frustration, Tycho slammed his head backwards connecting solidly with his attackers face. Stunned for a moment, the man loosened his grip on Tycho long enough for him to make a grab for his blaster, which was still in his attacker's hand. The man had recovered however, and fought wildly to hold onto the blaster.

The two men, both gripping the same weapon, soon crashed to the ground, each trying to wrestle the gun away from the other. Blaster bolts splayed wildly across the wall on the far side of the alley, as the weapon went off repeatedly in the struggle. Tycho was unable to see where they struck, for he was whipped around the opposite way, as the two continued to roll along the ground striving for the upper hand in this struggle for the weapon.

* * * * *

Several bolts narrowly missed ending Jesina's struggle as they exploded into the wall mere inches from her face. The blasts did manage to startle one of her opponents long enough for her to lash out with her left leg, connecting solidly with the man's groin and removing him from the fight -- at least temporarily. Unable to regain her balance on one leg, with the second thug still struggling to hold her arms, she fell, hard, crashing into the duracrete pavement. The weight of her assailant falling on top of her forced the air from her lungs.

Her attacker took immediate advantage of the situation, and with her momentarily stunned he let go of one of her arms, and hit her with a devastating right hook. As her head snapped back, cracking against the hard ground, her vision darkene

 

just thought i'd delurk and let you know this is an awsome fic. keep it up!

 

*Jumps up and down, waving arms frantically.*

I'm reading!

Don't get discouraged because you don't have too many reviewers yet. It takes a while to build up a fanbase, but I'm sure that, with a story as great as yours, readers will come.

Anyway, on to the posts...

I'm sorry I didn't review the last couple of posts; I was barely on the computer at all this week.

Still wonderful!

I don't trust that Bothan guy--I think he's the Imp spy, and he's trying to cheat the Alliance out of a good pilot. (When in doubt, blame the Bothan.

Great story, please keep it up!

 

And of course, to lend you my support here.

I like your protrayal of Tycho and how he is trying to come to terms with the loss of his home and family.

Keep it up

 

Tolwin Thanks...this is one of the few longer stories that I actually like where it's going. There's plenty more to come.

Darth_Suzi I meant to common to you before but I forgot. Tycho's one of my favorite characters and he doesn't get nearly enough attention. Eskrit's not so bad...you'll see what his problem is soon.

Sephrenia It always struck me that they gave more attention to Wedge's loss than Tycho's, even though Tycho's seemed to be on such a larger scale.

More soon.

~Jesina~

 

Very soon, in fact...

Chapter 6

Tycho had taken advantage of Jesina?s lack of consciousness to clean her wounds. She?d had a nice gash on the back of her head, and a couple shallow cuts from her struggle over the vibroblade. She?d stirred slightly a couple of times, and gasped from the pain more than once, but she hadn?t woken up, and he was glad. He?d watched her sleep for a while and then fallen asleep himself.

He was awakened by the sound of someone ? he guessed it was Kowladda ? shuffling around in the back. A quick glance at his chrono told him that they had an hour and a half until they had to meet that blasted Bothan. That was going to be so much fun.

Time to wake Jesina. Ugh. Given the choice between dealing with Gil?fra or whatever his name was, and waking her up, he wasn?t sure which he?d choose. Jesina had told her about some friend of hers who worked for the same smuggler she?d been running cargo for who had tried to wake her up. According to her, he was more experienced than she was, and she?d damn near killed him before she was even fully awake. He didn?t have much choice, though.

?Jes?? He said her name softly first, then louder, but got no response. Finally he reached over and brushed her dark hair, having come loose from her braid during the fight, out of her eyes, and then shook her less-injured shoulder. ?Wake up, Jes.?

Her eyes flew open and she stared at him, surprise mixing with sudden fear as she scurried backward away from him into the corner of the decrepit sofa. He held up his hands. ?It?s only me.?

She looked around, eyes flicking from place to place quickly. ?We?re at Kowladda?s,? she said finally, satisfied that they weren?t in any immediate danger. ?Kowladda!? she yelled, and Tycho shushed her.

?Relax, Tycho,? she retorted. ?Kowladda?s well known around here. No one is going to be harmed by my yelling for him.?

?What if the couple of guys who got away last night followed us or something??

She shook her head, laughing at him. ?If they were that stupid, they wouldn?t have survived here this long. Chances are, they didn?t live through the night, if Kowladda had anything to say about it. Like I said, he?s well known around here. People know not to tangle with him.? She studied him for a moment. No one could say the Empire didn?t train their people well for battle, but none of the ones she?d met seemed to have the street smarts to stay alive on their own. Even those that she?d run across who had come from tougher areas of the galaxy ? the Outer Rim, some parts of Corellia ? seemed to have lost something in their training. Tycho was no exception. Though he hadn?t had a rough childhood, he?d had more sense than this. ?Kowladda!? she called the Wookie again.

?Rowr,? he mumbled, coming into the room. He huffed at her, and she held up a hand, laughing.

?You have my apologies,? she told him. ?It?s just that we?re kind of in a hurry.?

He whuffled at her, finishing with another ?Rowr,? and Tycho watched the exchange with frustration as she laughed again.

Sensing his confusion, Jesina turned to him. ?Kowladda says that he knows why we?re in a hurry. Apparently he talked to Eskrit. He says that I?d better get you off Nar Shaddaa before you cause any more trouble.?

?Me?? he exclaimed. ?I didn?t do anything.?

She laughed at him again. ?Don?t be so sensitive, Tych. He knows it wasn?t your fault.? She glanced back to Kowladda. ?Who were they?? More indecipherable growling ? indecipherable to Tycho, anyway. Jesina apparently understood him just fine. ?Thanks.? She looked back to Tycho. ?He said they were second-rate thugs who won?t bother anyone again. And he says you did good against them, for a human.?

Tycho looked at the Wookie. ?Thank you.? He wanted to tell the being that he was sorry for what he had obviously gone through at Imperial hands, and for what other members of his race were still enduring. But he couldn?t find the words, and, given Gil?fra?s reaction to him the night before, doubted the Wo

 

Hi!

Great story!

Keep it up

Mag

 

Mag Glad you think so. I will. In fact...


Chapter 7

After Eskrit had programmed the navcomputer and they were safely in hyperspace, he finally told Jesina where, exactly, they were headed. ?Exocron?? she repeated, surprised. ?Couldn?t get much further from the Core if they tried.?

?They have tried,? he replied. ?This is only a small outpost. A few fighter squadrons, the occasional capital ship or two, and a significant cache of supplies ? supplies you?ll be expected to help transport once we find a new base. No one has paid the planet any mind since around the time of the Old Republic, except for the people that live there ? who don?t much care what we do ? so we more or less come and go as we please. Even if the Emperor knew we were there, he?d be hard pressed to find us.?

?Fighter squadrons, huh? You wouldn?t happen to know where Red Squadron is, would you?? Red squadron was an x-wing squadron. Her uncle, Garven Dreis, was the squadron?s leader, and she knew a couple of the pilots well. One, Wedge Antilles, she?d met when they both were smuggling for Booster Terrik. Through Wedge and her uncle, she?d gotten to know many of them well.

He turned to her, something resembling sympathy in his eyes. ?I had hoped you?d heard.?

She suddenly felt cold. ?Heard what??

?The Alliance was able to obtain the plans to the space station that destroyed Alderaan. They launched an attack that Red Squadron was a part of. They were able to destroy it, but the squadron sustained heavy casualties. Only Antilles and another man, a substitute for Janson ? he was ill and unable to fly ? survived. I?m sorry.? For all his attitude on Nar Shaddaa, he seemed genuinely compassionate now.

Tycho had been watching from the doorway. He didn?t know what connection Jesina had to these people, but it was clearly a strong one. She looked as if someone had punched her in the stomach. But then, just as quickly, the pain was gone from her eyes. ?I knew it could happen. So did my uncle.? She bit her lip and turned away. ?Do you know where they are now??

?They are headed for Exocron. They should arrive a day or two after we do.?

?That?s why you?re bringing us there.?

He nodded. ?It?s not entirely a gesture of goodwill.? Gil?fra glanced back at Tycho, and Jesina noticed his presence for the first time. ?If he can survive Antilles and Janson right now ? and the starfighter commander they?ve assigned there ? I?ll be satisfied.?

?What?s going on?? Tycho finally asked, looking at Jesina?s drawn expression with concern.

?Nothing for you to worry about, boy,? Gil?fra snapped.

Tycho clenched his teeth but nodded. ?Fine. I?ll be in the cabin.? He spun on his heel and stalked out of the cockpit, hoping he?d never have to see the Bothan again after this trip.

Jesina watched him go, then shot Gil?fra a scathing look. ?There?s no need to treat him like that.?

?He shouldn?t be sticking that noble nose of his where it doesn?t belong.?

She stood, finally tired of dealing with him. ?He wasn?t. He simply saw that what you told me upset me, and he was worried. It won?t kill you to at least me civil to him.?

?It might,? he retorted as she shook her head and went after Tycho.

He looked up at her as she approached. ?I don?t suppose spacing him would go very far toward endearing me to the Rebellion??

Jesina gave him a small smile. ?Among some, it might.? She paused. ?How long were you standing there??

?I heard him say that someone would be arriving where we?re going a day or two after we get there.?

She nodded. ?The survivors of a squadron that flew against the Death Star. They went by the designation Red Squadron. My uncle was their commander.?

?Was??

She nodded again, looking pained. ?Eskrit just told me he was killed in the battle.?

?I?m sorry.? He knew from his own experience that there wasn?t much he could say that would actually make her feel any better. She hadn?t used platitudes on him, and he wasn?t going to on her.

She sat down, sighing

 

Ah well, I agree with you on the point that others seem to concentrate on Wedge... but Tycho is, sad to say, a secondary character.

But the fact that his loss isn't emphasised so much lends it a certain poignancy. I think I wouldn't have liked Tycho's character much if he had been whining on and on about Alderaan in the X-wing series (a la Corran going on and on about his Jedi heritage and his father' death).

I'm going to be flattened by Corran supporters here.

 

Sephrenia True, Tycho doesn't get much face time at all, so his loss doesn't get much attention just by virtue of that.

And I agree with your assessment of him versus Corran. I don't have a real problem with Corran, but I do admit I loved seeing him put in his place, by Winter maybe?, when he was complaining about how he'd had it hard, and then he's told what Tycho went through. I love that scene.

~Jes~

 

Already read that at ff.net
Good post

Up

Mag

 

Mag Then you've probably already read these next two chapters, too, but I promise there's more to come.

Chapter 8

The next two days ? two days in which Jesina was ordered to have no contact with Tycho, who was being held in a cell somewhere underground in the small base ? passed very slowly. Jesina spent most of the time wandering around the outpost, familiarizing herself with it, and trying to figure out what she was going to say to Tycho. She?d talked to a few of the command staff there, and what they?d told her wasn?t going to go a long way toward fixing things with her friend.

On the morning of the third day, Narra ? who seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet after her first meeting with him ? knocked on her door. ?Would you like to see the lieutenant??

She nodded curtly, and picked a datapad up off her cot. ?Yes, please.? She didn?t have a problem with Narra. He seemed nice enough, more like a professional officer than many of the Rebels. But she also didn?t have any real desire to get to know the man, either. ?Any word on the Red Squadron officers?? she asked as they walked toward the main building.

?The last I heard was yesterday. They should be here by mid-day, if not sooner than that.? There was a formal, core-world edge to his voice, something she knew slipped through in her speech from time to time, and was blatant in Tycho?s voice.

?Good.? She was looking forward to seeing Wedge and Janson, and wanted to talk to Wedge about Tycho.

Narra stopped just inside. ?Down the stairs, first door on the right. The door leads to a small cellblock, and there?s a guard posted outside. He knows to expect you.?

?Thank you, commander.?

He gave her a brisk nod and turned to leave. Jesina watched him go. Narra would be an interesting man, she felt, if anyone got to know him. She doubted anyone did. He struck her as the type of commanding officer who distanced himself from his men to keep from feeling their loss.

She descended the old stairwell, wondering what this compound had once been ? it was definitely something the Alliance had stumbled across, not something they?d haphazardly put together.

Nodding to the guard, she handed him her identification. ?Blaster, please, ma?am,? he said, holding out a hand. She handed it to him and took her ID back. ?Do you have any other weapons, ma?am??

?Yes.? She leaned over and rolled up her pant leg, drawing her vibroblade, and straightened. She handed it to him handle first. ?That?s all.?

He nodded. ?Go ahead, Captain.?

Jesina opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit cellblock. Tycho was, as she?d expected, the only person there. ?Hello.?

He looked up at her quickly, and then turned away. ?What do you want??

?I came to see how you were doing.?

?I?m fine. For being a prisoner, anyway.?

?You?re not ? well, yes, you are a prisoner. But it?s not like that.?

?Oh, really.? The words dripped with sarcasm.

?Yes, really.? She frowned at him in frustration. ?Tycho, even you couldn?t be so naïve as to think that they?d simply welcome you with open arms. You want to know why Eskrit was so difficult? Because the two people he?s brought over since Yavin turned out to be traitors. They have to be careful. Do you really blame them??

?No. I blame you, for not telling me, for not warning me.? He finally met her eyes. ?That?s what the protocol thing was about, when we landed.?

Jesina nodded. ?I?m sorry. Eskrit only told me a few minutes before you came into the cockpit. And even if he?d told me in advance, I couldn?t have warned you. Even once they found out for certain that you weren?t a spy, they?d have been able to charge me, if they wanted to.?

Tycho?s eyes narrowed. ?Just how long will it be until they find out that I?m not a spy??

?I don?t know.? She handed him the datapad. ?This isn?t helping.?

He glanced at it. It was a copy of an Imperial personnel record. He saw his name, listed as missing in action. ?Missing??

She nodded again. ?Not defe

 

And...I am caught up!

Chapter 9

Wedge knocked on Jesina?s door later that same day. ?You said you needed to talk to me??

She nodded and motioned him inside, and then closed and locked the door behind him.

Her action didn?t go unnoticed by Wedge, who held up a hand to prevent her from speaking just yet. ?Wait a second. There are enough people in the Alliance who dislike me already, and a few who actually hate me. So, please, think twice before you drag me into anything.?

?I?m not ? why do people hate you?? she asked, interrupting herself.

He shook his head. ?Long story. I?m being serious, though.?

?I?m not dragging you into anything. I want to talk to you about Tycho.?

?Tycho??

?My friend who just defected.?

?Why does he concern me??

?He doesn?t just yet, but he might, when they finally clear him.? She told him about the delay.

He shook his head. ?Next time, shoot one of the Imps ? or more than one, for that matter. Leave them with no doubt.?

She rolled her eyes at him. ?You were being serious a minute ago. Can?t you stay that way for a little longer??

?Janson?s rubbing off on me.? When she hit him for that remark, he held up his hands in a defensive gesture. ?All right. I?ll behave. Tell me how Tycho concerns me.?

?He?s a pilot. He flew TIEs ? in battle ? for more than a year. And he?s very good.?

?To last even a year, he?d have to halfway decent.? Wedge paused and studied her expression. ?From the look on your face, I get the feeling he wasn?t flying against smugglers and pirates.?

Jesina shook her head. ?No. He?s flown against the Alliance.?

Wedge hesitated. It wasn?t good, but it wasn?t terrible, either. ?That?s not exactly uncharted territory, Jes.?

?Give me another minute or two and you?ll understand. He flew at Kien?tol.? Kien?tol was a largely uninhabited planet on the outskirts of the Expansion Region. The planet?s smallest moon had been the site of a minor skirmish about a year before.

She had hoped Wedge would recognize the name, but he didn?t seem to. ?When??

She gave him an exasperated look. ?There?s only been one battle at Kien?tol ? only one that mattered, anyway. A patrol from a Vic was ambushed by a rebel squadron and completely destroyed, but the ambushers were chased off by the Vic?s second squadron.?

Wedge frowned. He?d heard this story before. Then he swore. ?Janson.?

Jesina nodded. ?The ambushing squadron was the Tierfon Yellow Aces.?

?If Wes finds out, one of the two of them is liable to end up dead. And ? no offense ? but my credits are on Janson to come out of it.?

?Yeah, mine too. Oh, don?t get me wrong; Tycho?s no slouch. He proved that on Nar Shaddaa.?

?You took an ex-Imperial officer to the Smuggler?s Moon?? Wedge interrupted, incredulous. ?Are you crazy??

?No. It was a safe place to meet. Besides, give me some credit. He blended right in after I was through with him.? A wicked grin appeared on her face, but vanished just as quickly. ?I don?t know what to do about this.?

?Keep them apart,? Wedge said. ?I don?t see that we have much choice.?

?I don?t see how we can manage that,? she countered. ?Think about it. You, Skywalker, Janson and Hobbie are all here to form a new squadron under Narra. It would make sense for Tycho to be assigned to Narra, too. He?s good enough ? I can guarantee it even without seeing him in the sims. And he?s here.?

?So we tell Narra the situation.?

She shook her head. ?I don?t think that?ll do much good. I don?t have much to go on, but Narra strikes me as the type to tell them to get over it or he?ll bind them together for a week and see who comes out the other side.?

?I?ve only spoken to him for a few minutes, but I think you might be right.? He paused. ?So what do we do??

?Tell them?? she suggested.

?Not Wes.? Wedge shook his head vehemently. ?That could only end one way.?

That was true. She could just envision Janson marching down to the cellblock, blaster drawn. ?Then I?ll tell Tycho, and tell him no

 

Was fun to reread them

Me like it

Mag

 

Mag Glad you like. I've read my favorite stories about fifty times. Same with my x-wing books, and most of my own stories.

~Jes~

 

Sounds familiar!
My favourite copies are all nearly falling apart.

Rereading stories in progress is necessary for me because I would get confused (reading so many of them) and English is my second language so I need to reread sometimes parts of the stories for understanding.
Currently I?m rereading all my SW books (finished the X-Wings books a week ago) and it is interesting to read your interpretation of Tychos life (beside Corran and Wes he is one of my favourite characters in the Wing books)

Mag

 

Mag What's your first language? Where do you live/are you from?

I always tend to like the characters that fall by the wayside in the books...I think they're more interesting, probably because there's so little said about them that there's so much room to work with. We know the bare bones of Wedge and Tycho's histories, but know very little about Wes and Hobbie, for example.

~Jes~

 

My first language is German and I'm from Austria.
Where are you from?

Working with characters can be fun. Wes and Hobbie are never really personally described. Like your point of view of them.
Wes could do more jokes I think (would better suit in your other stories. In this one he isn?t mentioned often yet). In the books he always is the prankster but the slight grim character is good too.

Waiting of more

Mag

 

Mag I'm from the US. It's always interesting to see what a wide-ranging appeal Star Wars has, and how large its international audience is.

Trust me, you'll be seeing plenty more of Wes, though I don't know how humourous he'll be, as you'll soon see. I give him plenty of reason to be grim...review the prologue...it might give you a clue where I'm going right now.

~Jes~