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 anger Tycho had felt towards Ackbar had dissolved beneath his sense of duty. He had sworn an oath to the Alliance, then the New Republic, and he was obliged to follow orders given to him by his superiors. He didn’t always agree with those orders, but he followed them. Even if it meant sacrificing himself or his pilots. This case was no different.
He was sure that the Council and Admiral Ackbar believed they were doing what needed to be done for the good of the New Republic. And he also knew that they were privy to all kinds of details that he, as only a Colonel, was not. There were most likely reasons that he would never know of for what they had done.
And Admiral Ackbar did everything he could to help us, including letting us have Wes, Hobbie, and the Wraiths. He is on our side.
Truth be told, Tycho was sick of politics. Whenever he gave it any real thought, he always ended up going around in circles. And that is why I am a pilot and not a politician.
Tycho looked out at the pilots arrayed before him in the small briefing room on the Paladin. Most of the pilots had just arrived from the Venture in Rogue Squadron’s shuttle and would be returning the same way after the meeting. They looked tired and a little ragged, especially with the loss of Arata Voran and the uncertainty of Wedge’s future hanging over their victory.
The five surviving pilots of Venture Squadron had joined them and would remain under Tycho’s command until their small fleet headed for Thyferra. Face and Kell were also in attendance, sitting together at the back of the room, apart from the rest of the group. Tycho had managed to get a quick report from them before holding the meeting. He didn’t know how the ground mission would have turned out if not for those two men.
Ajene Tuvora remained in the medical bay, mostly because of the wound to her leg, but also because she refused to leave Wedge. Tycho could understand that. He would speak with her later.
"I’m sorry to drag you all here so soon after our return, but I wanted to hold this debriefing while all of the details are fresh in our minds. The main purpose of this meeting is to let you all know where we stand and how we will be proceeding from here.
"I know you would all like to get some rest and stay close to Wedge, but I am afraid that we are going to be heading out on patrol in about forty-five minutes, which is the time it will take to get our ships fueled and re-armed."
A loud groan, starting with Gavin and working its way through the rest of the pilots, pulsed through the room. Tycho held up his hands to forestall further arguments. "I know, I know. But there are still pockets of resistance on the planet, and we are going to be strafing some targets for Elscol and the ground teams. Also, a six ship element made up of Venture Squadron and commanded by Mr. Jace will remain on patrol in orbit in case any ships decide to come in to take a closer look at what is happening in the system."
Off to the left of the room, an Ensign in the blue of the Thyferran Home Defense Corps entered through the side hatch and looked over towards Tycho. She stopped several meters from him and cleared her throat to get his attention. When he glanced over, she beckoned to him. He joined her by the door and she whispered a message in his ear. He nodded to her, and she turned and left the room the way she had come.
Tycho returned to the center of the room, letting out a long breath as he went. He looked up and smiled at his pilots. "I’ve just had some good news. The Thyferran medics have pronounced that Wedge is out of danger. He should make a full recovery and be coming out of the tank in two or three days."
A cheer went up, starting this time with Wes Janson, and quickly spreading. It washed over Tycho, easing some of the strain that he felt across his shoulders and neck. He could see the same relief in Corran as he slumped back into his seat.
Tycho waited a few moments, then held up a hand in an attempt to return everyone’s attention to him. "On that note, here are our plans for the foreseeable future. I have spoken with Admiral Ackbar and he is sending in a small fleet to take possession of the planet. That means that we are released from duty here and will be escorting the Paladin, Provider, and the Errant Venture to Thyferra. There, Wedge will continue to undergo treatment. We’ll get some downtime there and stay for at least a week before returning to Coruscant and our regular assigned duties.
"So, if there are no questions..." He glanced around the room, making eye contact with each pilot. "No? Then head for your ships. Form up by flight off the Paladin, and Rogue Control will supply data as to where we will be heading. Dismissed."
As the pilots all rose to leave, Tycho caught Face’s eye and waved him over. Kell trailed behind him, accepting a handshake and a few words from Wes Janson as he passed him.
"Face, I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes if I could." Tycho said.
The former actor smiled. "Well, it’s not like we have anywhere else to go. Since we don’t have any ships, we can’t go flying with you."
"True. Will you be coming with us to Thyferra or heading back to Coruscant?"
"Back to Coruscant. We’re kind of on loan, you know. General Cracken has arranged for a freighter to swing by and pick us up. It should be here in about two hours or so."
"Well, I just wanted to thank you for putting your lives on the line. What you did was...well, stupid, really. But it worked." Tycho let his face droop into a fair imitation of the scowl that Wedge was so practiced at giving. "Wedge was right, you Wraiths never do anything the easy way."
Face feigned a hurt expression, but they all laughed. "If you ask me, Heblon deserves most of the credit," he said. "Without him, Wedge would have been dead days ago."
Tycho thought hard, trying to place the name. He looked from Face to Kell then back again. "Who’s Heblon?"
Face frowned as he looked at Tycho. "He’s the Imperial who was working for us on the inside. You haven’t met him yet?"
Tycho shook his head. "No, I haven’t. I know that Elscol kept talking about the man on the inside, but she never mentioned him by name. Possibly a security precaution. I mean, she never even told us about you two."
Kell chuckled, then crossed his long arms across his chest and leaned on the edge of a table. "Heblon’s the one that was taking care of Wedge the whole time. He used to be a doctor, which is a good thing, with the way they treated the General down there."
Face nodded towards the door. "He should still be in the medical bay if you want to meet him. He was hit in the shoulder when Tchlinda got the drop on us by the monument. From my vantage point, it looked like he stepped in front of a bolt meant for Wedge."
"The medical bay is my next stop. I want to check on Ajene and Wedge anyway." He offered Face, then Kell his hand, and both men took it. "The next time you see General Cracken, give him my thanks."
"Will do." Face said as he headed for the door behind Kell. With a jaunty wave, he was gone.
Tycho looked at his chrono. He had about twenty minutes before he would have to climb back into his X-wing, so he headed straight for the medical bay.
Copyright June 13, 2001 by Susan Hill.
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