The shuttle coasted low enough to avoid Imperial sensors, heading not toward Capital City (which Calen still thought was a highly unimaginative name), but to some coordinates far out and away on Karideph. Farmland stretched out in virtually every direction from another the city, but soon gave way to hills and mountains, one of which they grew closer to. At the direction of Alliance landing control, Calen brought the vessel up over a crevasse and began to descend into it. As the shuttle did so, a hatch beneath opened up to allow them entry into an otherwise hidden hangar bay. The shuttle landed upon the pad, and Calen cut off the engines entirely. They were, for the moment, surrounded by darkness with only the lights of the cockpit to provide any illumination.
"Uh. . .are we sure this is the right pla-?" Calen started.
"They're scanning us." Niyasa cut him off. True to what she was saying, a buzzer blared and lights came up. Blinding for a moment, Calen held up his hand.
"Open your on ramp and prepare for examination." A voice chimed out loudly from the same direction as the point of light.
"Opening on-ramp." Tessa sighed, Calen hearing the pressing of keys and the click of the hatch opening up. Footsteps rapidly approached, and soon others had entered the shuttle. Several men, women, and aliens in white helmets and all brandishing blasters were scanning the entire place.
"Keep your hands where we can see them!" One shouted.
"We deactivated the tracking node. You're golden." Tessa said, nonetheless (with some irritation, Calen noticed) giving no resistance as she was searched. He, Niyasa, and Rook (who looked even less happy than Tessa) were likewise searched.
"Alright, you're clean. Come with us." One of the soldiers gestures for them to head down the ramp. They entered into a hangar, where Calen saw several T-65's either being set into storage on racks or actively being worked on by mechanics and several astromech droids. As they were led through the massive room, two figures became clear. The first, Calen already knew - Glin Gaxan, dressed as gaudy as his quarters back in his bar in Capital City had been. He was a welcome sight, though Calen had a twinge of pain as he remembered that Ordos was no longer with them, and he saw the recognition flash in the man's eyes as he realized that fact as well.
The second, though, Calen had not met. He looked near-human, possibly an Arkanian? He wasn't completely positive, although the very defined, narrow features and the white eyes were a bit of a give away. Unlike Glin, he was dressed more like a military officer in a uniform. On his right breast, just below the collar bone, was a patch that Calen though denoted rank - much like the code cylinders of the Imperial uniforms. Unfamiliar as he was with Rebel insignia, he did not know what the three brown dots arranged in a triangle signified. However, he would soon find out.
"Commander Vos-" Tessa started.
"I don't want to hear it, Lieutenant." The Arkanian raised a hand. "This is an absolutely inexcusable breach of protocol! You'll lucky you're not rotting in that prison around Gesaril, or worse!"
"Vos, if I ma-" Glin attempted to interject, but was cut off with another wave of the hand.
"You're relieved of duty until further notice." Vos said, his eyes flicking from Tessa to Niyasa. "Both of you. Get out of my sight." Calen looked to the other human and the Mrlssi. Niyasa looked disappointed, but not all that surprised. Tessa looked about ready to close the space between herself and the Arkanian and introduce his face to her foot. Niyasa tapped her thigh, getting her attention, and ushered her away. "Now, for the two of you. . ."
Rook gave a deep growl, several blasters were suddenly trained on him.
"Easy, Rook. Easy, old friend." Glin raised his hands. "Everyone, please. . .lower your weapons."
"I'm sorry, Gaxan. Did you think you were in charge?" Vos asked, cutting eyes at the man, but then gesturing for the soldiers to stand at ease. He looked to Calen. "So. . .as I was saying. The two of you. You were the ones that were so important to save."
"I guess so." Calen said.
"Who are you?" Vos asked.
"Calen." Calen replied. "And I'm. . .technically not the person they went after. Sort of."
"Yes, Gaxan has told me. Where is Maddox Ordos?" Vos asked. Calen pointedly did not look at Glin, but he could see the man's face fall at the silent confirmation. "Well?"
". . .he's dead." Calen said, quietly. The Arkanian's eyes widened with surprise, only for an instant.
"Oh. I see. . ."
"He fell in the prison, as we were escaping." Calen said, he reached down into the belt pouch it had been left in, pulling out the datacard. "But. . .now we have this."
"Is that. . .?" Vos leaned in closer.
"The map." Glin said. "If I'm correct, it's the last piece."
"The last piece?" Calen asked.
"That is. . .confidential information." Vos said. "And not your concern." He held out his hand to Calen. "Hand it over, Mr. Calen."
"I. . ." Calen said, looking up to the Rebel soldiers with blasters, then to Glin, then back to Vos. "I'm assuming you're-"
"This isn't a negotiation. Hand it over." Vos cut him off. "Now." Calen lifted up the card, then tossed it to Glin, who managed to catch it in spite of his surprise.
"There you go." Calen said.
"You insolen-" Vos started.
"Vos, I think that's enough." Glin spoke up, holding the datacard between his fingers. The Arkanian's head whipped around to face the man, looking outraged. "You are in charge, yes. But remember who left you in charge. . .and why she asked me to stay around to keep an eye on you."
"Mothma and her leashes. . ." Vos rolled his eyes, giving a huff of frustration. "Fine." He pointed a slender finger into the man's chest. "But he's your problem. Understood?"
"Clear as a corusca gem, sir." Glin gave an exaggerated, fake smile that was bordering on mockery. Vos rolled his eyes.
"Calen. . ." Vos said, gesturing for Calen to fill in a last name.
"Darkhaven."
"Calen Darkhaven is considered having Level One access." He said to the soldiers in attendance. "Have it put on record." Some affirmations were given, and the group departed, leaving only Calen, Glin, and Rook standing on the docking pad. Glin found himself grabbed suddenly by Rook, laughing as the Wookiee growled in a way that Calen took for being happy.
"I'm happy to see you too, Rook, old boy!" Glin laughed. "Rook! Rook! Aiiiir!" The Wookiee set the portly man down, Glin coughing and pushing the new creases out of his robe. "Uh. . .still got a strong hug there, don't you?" He chuckled.
"It's good to see you again, Glin." Calen said.
"And you, my boy." Glin said, patting his shoulder. "Though I wish it were under better circumstances."
"So do I." Calen said, nodding in agreement. "So do I."
"Well, at the very least, you're finally in the place I tried to get Maddox and Caius for years now." Glin said.
"What do you mean?" Calen asked. Glin opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated.
"Let's take a walk, shall we?" He gestured with his fingers for Calen to follow, and the younger man did so. They passed through the racks of X-Wings before heading down into a small corridor to the side. "I think, by now, you've figured out where we are."
"I'm guessing 'Coruscant' would be a poor guess." Calen remarked.
"Indeed it would." Glin said. "You are, right now, standing in the central base of operations for the Minos Cluster's Rebel Alliance cell. This is the heartbeat of the Rebel Alliance in this sector."
"I had a feeling." Calen said.
"You've already fought against the Empire." Glin said. "You started that when you ran away from them." When Calen started to speak, he elaborated. "You and Ordos were in my den when you spoke, and my ears aren't that bad, boy." He chuckled. "But, yes, you have made active defiance against the Empire already. I don't see why doing a bit more should trouble you."
"Are. . .are you trying to get me to sign up?" Calen asked, raising a brow.
"Hoping for a little bit more than trying." Glin said, stopping at a doorway and pressing a few buttons on a keypad. "Going more for succeeding."
"Doesn't seem like I have too much of a choice." Calen said as the door slid open, looking in to see a set of quarters. Three beds that had been welded into the floor, only one of them looking as though they'd been occupied.
"We always have a choice, Calen." Glin said. "The question isn't whether or not we have a choice. It's what we choose." He let that statement hang in the air for a long moment before he added. "What will your choice be?"
In that moment, in that corridor on this planet that was so, so very far away from his home. . .he pondered that question. Calen thought about his family home, back on Coruscant. He thought about being at the Academy on Prefsbelt IV. He thought about that day he'd watched that clip on the holonet of Alderaan being obliterated. He thought about how he'd run. . .and all that he'd run to. Two words came to his mind that encapsulated it all.
"I'm in." He offered the older man his hand. Glin took it, and they shook.
"Well then, Calen Darkhaven, welcome to the Rebel Alliance." Glin said. A Wookiee who had stood mute to this point gave a growl as if to remind the two humans that he was, in fact, still there. "Oh, you were already in, you big walking carpet!" Glin laughed.
* * *
The incense wafted through the air of the chamber. Critus looked down upon the table. One of the few forms of vegetation that grew on Pergitor. . .well, if you could call anything on the ash-covered surface 'growing'. . .were Ashborn Root. Ashborn seeds were used often by the Church of Infinite Perception to do - what else? - increase perception. Three of these seeds, arranged in a neat little triangle, lay before him on the table. He scooped them up gently, tossing them into the small brazier.
"Oh, my Dark Lady. . .open the way to me. Show me your magnificence once more! Foretell that which is to come!"
The vision overtook him, his eyes beholding all that had traversed. The young Calen Darkhaven, having escaped the prison over Gesaril, and from Gesaril itself with a new load. So he did find a portal onto the way! The Preceptor could not help but smile as he beheld the vision. His power would grow, enough that he could fulfill his task of being at his side. It was just as the Dark Lady had foretold to him. This, as all things, were falling neatly into place.
He saw the surface of Pergitor, the scarred world that had been the only world he had known. The ash stung his skin as he walked through it, but it did not stop him. Instead, he walked across the gray, dusty plains and found himself standing before a great, yawning pit. A light from within shone - one brighter than Pergitor's sun (if it could have been seen through the canopy above), and he held up a hand to shield his eyes from its magnificence.
A buzzing came to his ears, drawing him back into his quarters. With the casual wave of a hand, his power pressed a button on the commlink on the wall.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Grand Preceptor, Admiral Ayro wishes to speak with you."
"It is not surprising." Critus said. "Route his communication to my quarters."
"At once, your Grace." Critus rose, quickly wrapping his turban back around his head and moving to the holo-projector that was slowly taking the form of - even Critus had to wince at the view. Ayro looked as though he'd been torn apart and reconstructed. His face was heavily bandaged and one eye even appeared to be missing, replaced at the moment by a bacta unit that was clearly hard to work repairing some hideous wound.
"High Admiral, you honor me with your communication." Critus bowed, his hands slipping into the sleeves of his robes as his arms crossed over his chest.
"I know how I look, Critus. Let's not mince words." The words of Ayro were somewhat garbled, but came through better as the connection stabilized. "We have lost the map."
"We have lost nothing." Critus said. "My agents delivered my piece into the hands of the Rebels yesterday morning."
"...YOU DID WHAT?!"
"Mind your anger, Admiral."
"HIGH Admiral!" Critus resisted the urge to smirk in amusement at Ayro's rage. "WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!"
"It had to be done, Admiral. It was foretold to me." Critus explained.
"SHOVE YOUR JEDI CRAP RIGHT BACK UP YOUR KRIFFING-"
"I am no Jedi, Admiral." Critus cut him off. "The Jedi were a false religion. They could not see the way as I do. They could not perceive."
"I'm not interested in your damned Force nonsense! If they have your piece and the piece that Ordos had, that means they have-"
"Yes, I am aware of your security breach." Critus said. "It is of no concern."
"No concern?! Those fumes must be going to your damned head!"
"No, Admiral. Because there is something in that map that they don't know of. . .when they activated it, it will become clear." Critus said. "Have your fleet prepared. You will know when the time comes."
"You're insa-" The connection cut off right there, Critus waving once again to activate his commlink.
"No more communications from the Admiral until I say so." Critus intoned. Without waiting for the response, he returned to his table and gazed once more into the flames.
Everything was going as he had been foretold.
* * *
"All wings, check in. Blue Leader, standing by."
"Blue Three, standing by."
"Blue Four, standing by."
"Blue Seven, standing by."
"Blue Eight, standing by." Calen said as he had settled into the cockpit of the X-Wing fighter.
"Lock S-Foils in attack position!" The squadron moved out across the dusty plains, the thrusters roaring as they were propelled along their path. A few hundred kilometers later, Calen could see the outlines of their targets in the distance. "Blue Three, Blue Four. Take out the first row of turrets. Blue Seven, Blue Eight, you have the magnetic field."
"Copy." Calen said, pushing the control yoke forward to move into formation with Blue Seven, the two X-Wings zipping off toward the largest of the buildings becoming clearly into view.
"You have to hit the nodes on the far end. It will bring down the field."
"I'm on it. Cover me." Calen pushed forward. "Hang on back there, R5!" The astromech behind him beeped in affirmation as the craft cut through the space between them and their target. He quickly armed the laser cannons. "Firing now." Light erupted from the tip of each wing, tearing through the air and causing a light shining along the battlements of the wall to explode.
"One down! Three to go!"
"I've got fighters coming in, point six!" Calen noted the beeping of his radar.
"I see 'em." His partner spun around, moving to meet the oncoming trio of TIE Fighters. "Stabilize your deflectors, they're movin' fast!" Calen flipped the appropriate switches to power up his deflectors, and not a moment too soon as the first laser blasts hit his fighter. Bringing it around, he dodged another set of blasts, narrowly avoiding another volley of fire.
"R5, target the engines of the closest one." Calen said. After he got an affirmative beep from the droid, he pulled the trigger on the control shift and two photon torpedoes shot out toward their target. The first one, the TIE was able to dodge. The second one, however, it was not, managing to fly right into it. Calen veered to port, getting out of the way of the inferno. "Nailed it!"
"Blue Eight, they're jamming our-" His comms went dead.
"Oh, kriff. . ." Calen heard the pinging of the radar as several more ships were being picked up. An ambush. Nevertheless, his task remained unchanged. "R5, see what you can do with the comms system." He said, switching to manual targeting, putting in the coordinates for the other three nodes. Two more photons were loaded into the barrels, and two were sent away. The second and third nodes erupted just as the X-Wing once more came under fire.
The R5 unit beeped in distress.
"I know, I know!" Calen said. "Divert power from the thrusters. We can coast for a few seconds." Another pair of blasts hit the X-Wing, the deflectors buckling once again. With the momentum picked up swinging back around, Calen made another move toward the wall, another blast taking out the third node. Blue Eight seemed to be keeping pace as well, his shots taking out the fourth. The magnetic field was down! Calen grinned as he twisted the ship around. "R5, full power to the thrusters! Now!"
The burst of speed was just what they needed to clear the wall and send two TIEs flying right into it, exploding on impact. Just as they went off the radar, however, the sensors picked up even more heading in their direction.
"-we have. Blue Eight, get out of the-" The comms coming back online was cut off immediately as Blue Seven exploded, his blip disappearing from Calen's radar.
"Blue Leader, this is Blue Eight. We've got a-" Calen started, but winced and gasped out as feedback sounded over the comms. Jammed! Again! "R5, reroute the-" Another blast rocked the X-Wing, this one punching through the deflector. "R5? R5? Do you copy?!" The astromech made no response. Calen's eyes flickered toward the astromech monitor.
INACTIVE.
". . .oh, krif-" Another hit, and a bright light enveloped the young man.
SIMULATION COMPLETE.
The light faded and Calen looked forward, seeing nothing but the gray wall ahead of him. The cockpit opened with a hiss and he stepped out, and onto the ladder, bringing himself down.
"Not bad, Cadet. Not bad." The proctor of his test, a Pau'an man, spoke up.
"Thank you, Captain Ital." Calen said.
"Your Academy record precedes you." Ital said, looking over a datapad. "How many active combat zones have you been engaged in?"
"To date? Technically two. One of them wasn't against the Empire, though."
"Perhaps not, but you seem to be quite effective against TIEs." Ital said. "Plus, you stuck to the mission. I'm sending my recommendation to Commander Vos that you be placed onto Blue Squadron."
"I don't understand. I failed the mission." Calen said.
"No, you didn't. The magnetic field was lowered." Ital said.
"And then the TIEs took me out." Calen said.
"Which wouldn't have happened if you'd kept your deflectors at maximum." Ital said. "You showed commitment to completing the mission, and quickly at that. So the recommendation sticks."
"Thanks," Calen said, "I'll try not to let you down."
"Oh, I know you won't, Flight Cadet." Ital said, the towering man raising his hand to his brow in salute. Calen, likewise, did the same. "Dismissed." It was something Calen had been missing, honestly speaking. He had come to understand more about the Empire he had been raised to serve, but that structure that it had given him, it had left a hole that nothing had quite seemed to fill. Captain Caius had always been too informal in the year he had been aboard the Dawn and it was something that gnawed at him in all that time.
Stability. Purpose. Now, he had those things again.
He made his way out of the simulator room and down the corridor. The Rebel base here was very sparse, but a small canteen had been set up off of the hangar bay. It wasn't anything elaborate or extravagant, but a meal pack was a meal pack and nobody said no to a bit of hydration. Calen was just happy they weren't situated somewhere hotter. As he stepped through the open doorway, a familiar voice got his attention.
"Heard you were doing some nice shooting, New Meat!" It took Calen a moment to register where he'd heard the voice before, turning and seeing someone seated at one of the makeshift tables. It was an Abednedo.
"Nine?" Calen barely recognized the man out of the prison garb, now dressed in what looked to be a darker-toned tunic and leggings. The brown tinted alien's lips twisted into a smile.
"Glad to see you remember me!" He gestured with a hand for Calen to come over. "C'mon, first round's on me." Calen came right over, sliding onto one of the stools that had been set up.
"I thought I'd seen the last of you on that prison transport." Calen said.
"Same, same." Nine said, nodding as he pulled out another water canister, sliding it over to the human. "If I'd known that Niyasa and Tessa were tailing you, I'd have tried a bit harder to get you in that pod first." He laughed. "Probably would have saved you a lot of trouble."
"Right!" Calen laughed, opening the canister, the lid giving way with a hiss. "So, uh. . .what is your name? Your real name, I mean? I figured calling you Nine would be a little impersonal."
"Ah. . .true, true." He slid a hand across the table. "Bashin Xar, at your service." Calen took his hand.
"Calen Darkhaven." Calen said, shaking it.
"Oh, I know. You're the talk of the base. Or, at least the way you got here is." The newly-dubbed Bashin nodded. He learned forward a bit, gesturing for Calen to do the same. When he did, the Abednedo whispered to him. "Word is you were tortured by Ayro, but managed to escape with his hairpiece. Is that true?"
"Oh, no." Calen had to laugh a bit, shaking his head. "No, no. I mean, he did take a few runs at me, but there was no hairpiece to steal. At least, I don't think so."
"Ah, well you know how rumors go." Bashin said, leaning back. "Still, busting out of the Gesaril Prison. My hat goes off to you there, my friend. Nobody's ever been able to pull it off."
"Well, I'd like to take the credit, but I'd have never gotten out of there if it hadn't been for Niyasa, Rook, and Tessa." Calen told him. "So if you're gonna be impressed, be impressed with them. All I did was fly the ship out."
"Modest to the last." Bashin chuckled. "Well, either way, we do have a good cross-section of what you can do. It's good to have you on." He reached over, tapping the bare patch on the shoulder of Calen's flightsuit. "Flight Cadet, I believe now?"
"I will be." Calen nodded. "According to Commander Ital, at least."
"Then I wouldn't doubt it." Bashin said. "It'll be nice to know you'll be up there with us when we go out."
"Us?" Calen asked. "You're an X-Wing pilot, too?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, but we are a bit short staffed here." Bashin said, gesturing around the sparsely decorated and sparsely populated room. "Everybody's pitching in where they can. When I joined up, I was just doing infiltrations like you saw on that prison ship. Where we needed, we have to step up. You'd be surprised what you can learn on the fly."
"Basically the same principle I learned Huttese on." Calen said. "Necessity."
"Exactly." His friend nodded, sipping from his canister. "To answer your question, however - yes, I am an X-Wing pilot. Blue Three, at your service."
"Well, happy flying to you." Calen raised his canister, the two clinking theirs in toast before taking another sip.
"And you to, my friend!" Bashin grinned as he set the vessel on the table top. It was at that moment, as the Abenedo opened his mouth to speak again, there was the sound of a buzzer.
"Now hear this! Now hear this! Flight Recruit Darkhaven, Lieutenant Gaxan, Lieutenant Jaast, and Rook, report to Central Command. Now hear thi-"
The phrase repeated.
"I believe that means duty calls." Calen said, rising to stand. "Hopefully I'll see you again soon."
"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it." Bashin said. "Especially if they've figured out anything to do with that map."
"Let's hope, right?" Calen waved to him before turning and leaving the canteen. As he moved out into the main hangar bay again, he caught sight of a familar Mrlssi, human, and Wookiee walking his way.
"Ready to go, Recruit?" Niyasa chirped at him.
"Born ready. Let's go." Calen grinned, heading off with the trio.
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