The characters that have appeared in previous Star Wars novels are property of Lucasfilm, Ltd. Captain Amaryl Assay, Admiral Tesh Dorass, First Officer Azzeh, and the name of Tycho's droid belong to the author. Any other characters presented here that have never been seen in a Star Wars novel are property of Iris Bailey. Do not repost anywhere without the permission of the author!
The buzzing of the intercom startled General Airen Cracken, as it always did. It was one of the few things that could surprise him these days.
"Sir, Admiral Ackbar just called. He would like to know if you could spare a few minutes for him. He said it was rather urgent. About what you talked about two days ago?"
The Director of Intelligence was out of his chair and halfway across his office before his aide had finished his last sentence. He swept through the waiting room, and the young man just looked at him as he passed. He had been with the General long enough now that he was used to him arriving and leaving unexpectedly.
"Tell the Admiral that I’m on my way to his office."
He was around the corner and out the door before the young man could reply.
When Cracken reached Admiral Ackbar’s office, his aide didn’t even try to stop him as he passed through the anteroom. He walked into the office and closed the door behind him. Ackbar looked up from his datapad and motioned him to a chair with a webbed hand.
"Tell me they’ve found him," Cracken said as he sat down.
"Not yet, but I have just had a message routed through my office that tells us where he is at least. Have you seen it yet?"
Cracken tried to keep his expression neutral. It had been several hours since he had received a message from Elscol Loro. He had made some inquiries and then contacted her directly with information and instructions. As per his orders, she had re-recorded a message for Rogue Squadron and sent it through regular channels as a high priority signal. Cracken hoped it was this message that Ackbar had intercepted. "Admiral, contrary to popular belief, I do not see every message that comes into Coruscant. So where is he?"
"He was ambushed and is being held by Moff Lathel Tchlinda on Arramsetti III. I am sure that name means something to you."
"Yes, it most certainly does. I have people working with the underground Rebellion there to try and topple what’s left of the Imperial occupation force in that system."
"Would one of those people be Elscol Loro?"
Cracken tried his hardest to look exasperated. "I can’t confirm that and you know better than to ask, Admiral."
"The only reason I ask is because the message that I have is from her. She is the one that found General Antilles."
"There is no controlling that woman! She finds her way into everything." Cracken pounded his fist on the arm of his chair, surprised at the fact that he was actually beginning to feel annoyed.
"In my experience, General, once a Rogue, always a Rogue. You have to let them do what they do. Restrict them and you risk dooming them to failure."
Cracken smiled. He had often heard Ackbar speak of Rogue Squadron and their unconventional strategies. But as he said, it usually worked out for the best. If it wasn’t for their unorthodox thinking, they would not be sitting on the former Imperial Center having their conversation. "So, now that we know where he is, what do we do? Are you planning to send in a fleet to take over the planet?"
"You know as well as I do that the Council will not sanction that kind of action. They will not take the risk of sending a fleet out there and wasting precious resources that you know we can’t spare. Should the attempt fail, many questions will be raised in the council, and no one wants to take the blame.
"But, I can make sure that the message from Loro will reach Colonel Celchu and Rogue Squadron. They will be able take care of the rest. I know that Mirax Terrik Horn has already sent for her father and the Errant Venture. Also, the Thyferran government has given over to Major Bror Jace the use of two Mon Calamari Star Cruisers. As far as I can tell, without one scrap of help from us, Colonel Celchu has managed to build a force more than capable of taking on one single Victory Class Star Destroyer."
The General slumped in his chair. He knew that Mirax had sent for her father. Cracken had been trying to keep tabs on Booster Terrik and his ship for years with marginal success. The thought of a smuggler like Terrik running around the galaxy in a Star Destroyer still irritated him. Especially since he was the one that had been forced to give it to him. But at least this time it was being put to good use.
"Admiral, you may not be able to send reinforcements to the Rogues, but I may be able to do something. I have a way of contacting Loro directly. I may be able to find out what her plan is and do what I can to help them. Also, without the knowledge of the Council, I may be able to insert a couple of commandos onto Arramsetti III. They would be able to help the underground from there while the Rogues put whatever plan they have into action."
"Whoever you send would be on their own, General. They would be working outside the New Republic. Who would volunteer for such a mission? Or do you already have someone in mind?"
"I do. I have a few Wraiths sitting around with nothing to do at the moment. I am sure they would be invaluable to the mission. And I know they would love to help."
"My experience with the Wraiths is limited since they were transferred from my command to yours, but as I recall, they are even harder to predict than the Rogues." He opened his mouth wide in the Mon Calamari version of a smile. "That could be a very good thing."
General Cracken smiled as well. He remembered when he had told the then Commander Antilles that Wraith Squadron was going to be transferred from Starfighter Command to Intelligence. The younger man had given him the crooked grin that all Corellian men seemed to learn at birth. "They may take a little getting used to, General. You can give the Wraiths a simple problem to solve, and they take the most roundabout route to solve it. But they do it with spectacular results. Even I can never tell what they are going to do next."
Now part of the group that Wedge Antilles had founded would come to his rescue.
"Yes, it could be a very good thing. I can’t spare all of them, of course, but the two I can send are two of the best. You remember Face Loran and Kell Tainer?"
"They are hard to forget."
"Well, I’m going to set them loose on Arramsetti III and see what havoc they can cause."
"And I am going to pretend that I didn’t hear you say that so I can truthfully tell your court martial tribunal that I had no idea what you were up to."
"That sounds like a fair deal." Cracken stood and offered his hand to the Mon Calamari Admiral. "I know that we haven’t always seen eye to eye, Ackbar, but I’m glad you came to me with this."
"It was the least I could do for General Antilles. With you and Rogue Squadron working to rescue him, the odds of his survival just increased. You will keep me updated, General?"
"Are you sure you want me to?"
"You have a point there. I will leave it in your hands, then."
"Thank you, Admiral." Cracken stood, offered the Admiral a brief salute, and left his office.
Copyright June 13, 2001 by Susan Hill.
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