A Pilot Story (OT - The Adventures of Wedge Antilles)

I hope Maire makes it. I think she is the one thing that keeps Wedge sane.

 

If you are worried about Wedge, remember he's ten years younger and less experienced than we remember him...

 

Unlike Corellia, where everything?s either manufactured or smuggled in, Dantooine is a thriving world, covered in natural savannas of lavender grasses and desolate, empty steppes. It?s pretty far out of the way of most galactic traffic and largely uninhabited, save for a few nomadic tribes and (previously unknown to me) a secret rebel base.

As we descended down toward the planet?s olive surface, Baby and Piggy leaned over the control board, conferring with each other. ?I think it?s red blue green green yellow blue black,? Baby said.

Piggy shook his head. ?No, it?s purple yellow green blue red black red.?

?Wasn?t there a pink in there somewhere??

?Of course not! Pink?s a sissy color. The Alliance would never stoop so low.?

?I could have sworn there were two greens, though.?

?Maybe it?s green black green blue yellow red red.?

?Oh!? Baby snapped his fingers. ?I remember now! It was purple red blue yellow black green purple!?

Piggy scowled at him.

?Or? not.?

I gave the pilot?s yoke a twist, checking monitors and readouts as we entered Dantooine?s atmosphere. After the beating the Bucket had took at the hands of Captain Tomak, I wasn?t about to have us break apart on reentry. ?Glad you know all your colors,? I said loudly. ?Now do you mind helping me get a fix on this rebel base you claim is here??

?It?s here.? Baby glanced at me. ?You realize it?s fairly well hidden, or else the Empire would have scoured it off the face of the planet a long time ago.?

?Yeah.?

?So we?re not going to be able to find it using standard sensors. They need to send us the coordinates, and the only way they?ll even consider talking to us is if we broadcast that we?re friendlies.?

?There?s a seven word code,? Piggy interjected. ?All colors. If we get too close to them and aren?t transmitting the code, or not transmitting the right one, they?ll use their laser batteries and blow us out of the sky.?

I sighed. ?You forgot the code, didn?t you??

They shrugged. ?We have momentarily misplaced it,? Baby said.

?Fantastic.?

?I have an idea.? Piggy turned to Baby. ?What if it?s black blue purple black green red black??

?There?s a pink!? Baby insisted. ?I know it!?

We were gliding over rolling plains now, blue sky above us, brown earth below. ?Better make a decision fast,? I said. ?Maire isn?t getting any better.? I?d left her dozing in the lounge. She was still suffering from shock, but just having her awake and conscious was a relief. It meant she was holding on, that we still had time. Not a lot, but more than I?d thought we?d had.

?Okay, okay.? Baby donned a com headset. He cast a worried look at Piggy before speaking into the mike. ?Umm? blue yellow red purple black green yellow??

We waited, but all we received was silence.

Baby tried again. ?Green blue pink blue yellow yellow black??

?Try another black,? I suggested.

?Green blue pink blue yellow black black??

Nothing.

?We?re dead,? Piggy groaned.

The Bucket roared over dense thickets and sprawling forests. Baby was rapidly losing his composure. ?Blue green red yellow purple blue red!? he yelled. ?Purple green yellow yellow green purple blue! Uh, uh? Black pink yellow red blue green pink!?

?No pink!? Piggy hollered back in exasperation. ?Pink?s a sissy-?

Baby stuck out his tongue and blew him a raspberry before the other man could finish. I took the opportunity to snatch the headset from his head and put it on my own. Glaring at both the rebels, I shouted at the top of my voice, ?Pink pink pink pink pink pink pink!?

We all froze as the com on the main control board crackled and a man?s voice thundered into the cockpit, ?Would you all please shut up!?

I threw away the headset and activated the main com. ?Is this the Alliance Dantooine base?? I croaked, my voice hoarse. ?We need landing coordinates. We?ve got a member of the crew that needs immediate medical attention.?

?Identify yourself,? the rebel controller ordered.

Baby?s eyes suddenly lit up in recognition. He bounded over to the com unit and shoved me

 

You would think that one of them would remember the code.

 

Never overestimate Wes and Piggy. Their way of thinking defies human logic.

 

Can I just say ROTFLOL?

 

Another part tonight...

* * *

The hammock swung gently, the creaking of the woven fibers lulling me back to sleep each time I attempted to muster up the energy to check the chronometer on the wall. Not worth it, I eventually decided, turning over onto my face. Dreams were so much better than reality anyway?

?Ace??

Someone was standing over me. I pretended not to hear and began to snore obnoxiously.

?Ace? C?mon, wakey wakey.?

I could recognize Baby?s voice now. I mumbled something incoherent, the words fully muffled by the pillow. Baby started yanking at the blankets, setting the hammock to swinging and jerking me back to unwelcome consciousness.

?I know you?re awake!? the rebel said loudly.

I crammed my pillow over my head. ?Lemme alone.?

He didn?t answer immediately. I grunted in protest as the hammock tipped abruptly to the side, but by the time I?d realized the full danger of the situation, my world had literally turned itself upside-down. In the space of a heartbeat, I found myself sprawled full-length on the floor, still half-swathed in blankets, blinking up at Baby?s grinning face.

?Morning,? he said cheerily.

?Nobody tips me out of my hammock and lives,? I growled.

?I just did.?

I struggled out of my makeshift cocoon of blankets. ?Then prepare to die.? I fumbled for the holster on my belt, but all I found was air.

Baby looked bemused and handed me back my blaster, devoid of power pack. ?Until you clear with security, you?re a potential safety hazard and the Alliance can?t very well have potential safety hazards running around their bases, waving guns at folks. You understand.?

?Of course.? I glowered at my useless weapon before putting it away.

Baby had changed since I?d seen him last ? in the medical center, where we?d watched Maire being lowered into a bacta tank ? and he had a fresh shave and clean clothes to show for it. There was an insignia patch on his jacket that I didn?t recognize, next to the sweeping red symbol of the Rebel Alliance.

?You know,? Baby said, ?I don?t know why you wouldn?t take one of the rooms they offered you on the ground. It?s probably more comfortable than sleeping in a hammock in your ship?s storeroom.? He sniffed the air in front of me, then took a lengthy step backwards, his nose wrinkling. I was still dressed in the same stuff I?d been wearing for the previous two days, and unlike him, hadn?t yet had a chance to shower. ?We have bathing facilities too,? he added, as if I hadn?t gotten the hint.

?I needed to stay with the Bucket,? I replied, combing my fingers through my hair (presently defying gravity in several locations), ?to keep away any thieves that might steal her while I?m sleeping.?

He threw up his hands. ?Never going to let us forget that, are you??

I wordlessly rubbed the spot on my neck where the needle of the syringe had pierced the skin. I saw Baby wince and he sighed, temporarily deflated. ?The boss wants to see you,? he said.

?The boss??

?His name?s Garven Dreis. He?s kind of the leader around here. You didn't get a chance to meet him last night, what with all the confusion after we landed.? Baby smirked. ?Call him Dave.?

?May I ask why??

He made a ?well, obviously,? gesture. ?Because he hates it.?

?Ah, I see,? I said, even though I really didn?t. Baby?s logic was difficult for me ? or any semi-rational person, for that matter ? to follow. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. ?I think it can wait until I get cleaned up and check on Maire.?

?No, it can?t.?

I glowered at him with the menace one can only have in the unholy hours of the morning. ?It *can* wait,? I repeated.

Baby pulled a blaster pistol from his belt and pointed it at me.

?I hate you,? I said.

He beamed. ?You love me,? he said. Baby motioned with the pistol barrel toward the open hatch, where bright morning sunshine was spilling in and puddling on the floor. ?Let?s go. Dave is waiting."

 

Great post Rogueleader. I voted for you in the Golden Keyboard Awards.

 

OOOOOH! I love this story! Please post more!

 

To the top! Please write more RogueLeader! This is a wonderful story and you have nothing to be worried about!

 

Come on RL11 I want a post and I want one now.

 

Rogue? You there?

 

With any luck, I should have another installment up by the end of tonight. I'm typing it up now. If not tonight, then definitely by tomorrow morning. No school! Yeah!

Thanks for supporting this story! You guys are great! I really appreciate it.

 

No prob.

Now I just have to find a little more patience.

 

To the top!

 

This is by far the longest post ever! On MS Word it's 4 1/2 pages. Yeesh...

* * *

If the Dantooine rebel base bore any resemblance to an actual military installation, I didn?t see it.

As I walked, directed one way or another by a word from Baby, I took in my surroundings. The base wasn?t so much as a base as a series of caves eaten into the side of a mountain, one in a huge chain that apparently (according to Baby) spanned more than half of Dantooine?s largest continent. The corridors were natural passages carved through the rock by wind and water. People had to stoop or suck in their stomachs in order to get through some of them.

Furniture was minimal and portable devices were everywhere. There were signs on the wall for the mess hall (with the word ?mess? underlined) or the flight hangar. Lights hung from the ceiling, their exposed wire spidering over the stone like veins. As I turned my head, I caught a glimpse of something skittering away into a dark corner.

?Scurriers,? Baby explained. ?They infest these caves. Seems nobody can get rid of them.?

?Are they dangerous??

He shrugged. ?Only if you walk around with slabs of meat in your pockets. This particular specimen happens to be carnivorous.?

We ducked under a low overhang, made a right into a small side passage. There Baby stopped me in front of a cloth curtain strung up across a section of the wall. He tugged on an exposed flap to announce our arrival.

?Enter,? a voice called.

Baby swept the curtain aside with a flourish, revealing a doorway. I went in first and he followed, pulling the screen back into place behind us.

I found myself standing in what appeared to be an office, though it could have passed for a closet at first glance. Besides a pair of file cabinets and the metal crate near the back that served as a desk, the room was sparsely furnished, lit only by a single glow-rod and the sunlight streaming through a window-like hole in the far wall. There was a man sitting behind the desk, his arms folded in front of him, watching us.

Baby remained by the curtain and clicking his heels together, saluted him smartly. ?Reporting as ordered, Dave,? he said.

The man didn?t move.

?Fine.? Baby rolled his eyes and repeated the ritual. ?Reporting as ordered, Captain Garven Dreis, your Royal Highness, Master of the Space Lanes, Almighty Overlord of the Universe and the Caf Machines in the Mess Hall.?

His chair creaked as the man rose, returned the salute. ?You?re learning fast,? he said. ?Even though I was just waiting for you to say ?sir.??

An impudent grin. ?You deserve better, Dave.?

I was expecting a lecture, but all the older man did was rub his temples and wave one hand in the direction of the door. ?Shoo,? he said. ?Go join the other reprobates in the Mess.?

Baby tossed him another mock salute, spun on his heel, and sauntered out into the corridor. He gave me a thumbs up as he passed. The man ignored him. He came around the desk, extended his arm. ?You must be Ace,? he said.

Garven Dreis was a middle-aged man, taller than was normal for a pilot, slightly stocky but not fat. His light brown hair already bore streaks of gray, though he couldn?t have been more than forty-five or fifty. His grip was firm when we shook hands.

?And you?re Dave,? I said.

?I see you?ve already become acquainted with Wes Janson, Anarchist Extraordinaire.? Dreis shook his head ruefully. ?I?m impressed. You?re a Janson survivor. You were trapped in close quarters with him for over twenty-four hours and still managed to emerge mentally intact. Most of the guys and gals on this base would have rather climbed into a rancor?s mouth than undertake such a task.?

?I didn?t have much of a choice at the time.?

?So modest.? He went back behind the desk and beckoned for me to take a seat on one of the two coolant barrels in front. ?I?m sorry I didn?t get a chance to talk to you when you first landed. In case nobody?s told you, we appreciate what you did. Any longer and it?s likely that Miss Saylar wouldn?t even be with us right now.?

 

Awesome post Rogueleader. Hurry and write more.

 

Excellent post. Poor Ace. Can't seem to find a solution or money when he needs to.

 

Really good post! Please continue!

 

What they said.

 

OH!! I almost forgot...

//peer pressure

 

Very good post, Roguelead!

 

Since this one was so good can you post another one soon.

 

Please post more! Excellant stories need many posts....and this is a super excellant story!

 

Up!