Part I - Alone

[Just outside of an Imperial prison on Fador III]

Lt. Chelsey "Vape" Maxfield crouched silently behind a stack of supply crates, clutching a Blastech A-280 sniper rifle in sweaty hands and peering through a crack between two of the crates. Her rifle was trained on the landing zone beside the prison. In a few minutes a shuttle would land there to pick up a group of prisoners, among which was a captured Rebel Intelligence agent.

Vape shifted carefully into a more comfortable position and slowly released a shaky breath that she hadn't realized that she had been holding. Once in position, she peered through the crack and immediately froze as a guard suddenly rounded the corner of the building and strolled by on his patrol of the grounds. Again, this time intentionally, she held her breath. He glanced at the crates, stopped, and came over.

Terrified that she had been seen, she sank to the ground and tried to bury herself in the shadows. She held the rifle ready to shoot the guard if he so much as glanced behind the crates at her hiding place.

The guard spoke into his comlink. "P84236 to S58136, over."

So the guard's smart, she thought. If he alerts the compound to my presence, I'm dead, even if I shoot him on the spot and no one sees. Ever so slowly, so as not to draw attention to herself, she began to ease upwards and brought her index finger up to settle gently on the trigger. Then she waited for him to say the wrong thing.

The guard's comlink hissed a reply. "S58136 here, over."

She could almost see him over the crates now. She gripped the rifle so hard that her knuckles turned white and began to squeeze the trigger.

"Why are these crates still here? I told you to clear them out yesterday!" the guard griped into the comlink.

"Yes, sir, but I was given orders to make transport Theta ready for prisoner transfer."

"Well get on with it, then. You know how the captain hates clutter." The guard huffed a sigh and left.

Immediately letting go of the trigger, Vape sagged with relief and released the breath she had been holding for what seemed like forever. The burning in her lungs eased as she sucked in fresh air. Luckily, her cover was still intact. This is crazy! she told herself. What the heck am I doing here?

But she already knew the answer. The Rebel Alliance would not be planning a rescue on the agent's behalf. Their resources were tied up on larger issues. The Alliance did not like to abandon their people; but considering the current crisis they were undergoing on Hoth, using extremely vital resources and time to rescue an agent who held no valuable knowledge just couldn't be done at this time. And time was of the essence for her and the agent she was there to rescue.

But then, staging a rescue operation with a one-person strike-team was hardly wise, either. However, that didn't stop Vape, formerly A'ruka of Our'en'bauk, from trying anyway. The captured agent was Kiran'ah of Our'en'bauk, and Vape was not about to let the Empire keep her mother. The Imperials would interrogate her, find she held no value, and eliminate her--unless Vape's plan succeeded.

You should have at least brought some help! she chided herself, but she'd had to come alone. Her mother was in danger and she needed to get her out now. She couldn't wait for the resources to be made available by the Alliance. I only wish I had Yale's SpecForce expertise.

The cautious and reasoning part of her mind made one last attempt. If you fail, you'll either get killed or soon wish that you had been.

Then, she growled back at it, I must not fail.

To her profound luck, just yesterday in town she had overheard several guards talking. They had mentioned a prisoner transfer scheduled for today, and as they talked, she gathered that the prisoner to be transferred off-planet was her mother. Further eavesdropping got her the time, place, and how it would happen. So, she planned to wait for them to bring her mother out of the compound to transfer her to the shuttle. When they did, she would snipe the guards, grab her mother, and flee to the "borrowed" speederbike that she had hidden nearby.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the compound doors open and the clink of binder chains rattling. From her position, she struggled to get a good look at the group to make sure that it really was her mother.

It was.

There were three guards as escort--she would have to shoot fast and aim carefully. She trained her rifle on the lead guard and pulled the trigger. He went down. She shot again. The second guard staggered from a leg wound as he and the third guard spun around to return fire.

Vape ducked down and the shots splattered against the crates, making large melting holes. Lucky these crates aren't packed with explosives! She popped up and fired again. The third guard clutched at his neck and collapsed. Two down!

Kiran'ah was grappling with the second guard now. Vape had no clear shot anymore, so she jumped out from behind the crates and ran across the duracrete. "Mom! That way!" she yelled as she pointed in the direction of the hidden speederbike.

As Kiran'ah broke free of the guard, Vape, not slowing, smashed the rifle's stock into the man's helmet. The momentum threw them both to the ground. She rolled to her feet and burnt a hole through his chest plate. When she looked up and saw her mother still there, she remembered that her mother had shackles on her feet and could not run, so she melted the chain with the rifle.

Klaxons were blaring and guards were rushing out of the compound as Vape and Kiran'ah ran for the their lives towards the hidden speeder.

When they reached a comfortable distance from the compound and had seemingly managed to evade pursuit, Vape hurriedly explained her plan.

"I have a transport waiting at the spaceport in our town. If we can get to that, we'll be out of here in a blink."

"They'll be looking for us," Kiran'ah remarked.

Vape grimaced. "Probably. And they already know what our speeder looks like."

"We could avoid detection easier if we went on foot," Kiran'ah suggested. "We'll need new clothes though, because they know what we're wearing now."

When they reached the edge of their town, they stopped and hastily purchased suitable outfits before continuing on foot.

They did their best to blend in with the crowds of people who had filled the streets for a local holiday. It proved easy because they had both lived here for years. However, stormtroopers were scattered throughout the city and scanning the crowds for them.

A group of stormtroopers was headed their way. So she and Kiran'ah squeezed through people until they should have been well out of the troopers' path, but somehow, they still came towards them.

"This doesn't look good," she whispered to her mom. "They haven't seemed to catch sight of us, yet they are following us nonetheless." She could see the concern on her mother's face. She had to think fast. Can't start a lightfight amidst all these people, or use the thermal detonator that I brought--

Suddenly, a man was at their side and pulling them into a narrow alley.

"Serdan!" Kiran'ah cried in a hushed voice.

Vape was confused, but it soon became apparent that Serdan was an intelligence agent like her mother.

Serdan spoke swiftly. "One of you is transmitting a signal; they are tracking you by it. I have to go--the others must be warned!"

He started to leave, then turned back to Kiran'ah. "Good to see you again, Kiran." He touched her shoulder lightly, and then he was gone.

Vape watched blankly, wondering where the signal was coming from, and then she suddenly remembered something. She slid up her sleeve to reveal a black band around her upper arm. She typed a code into its miniscule keypad and the clasp popped open. "This was to tell my droid that I was still alive. I should have thought about them tracking it!"

"Maybe we can mislead them with it," Kiran'ah suggested.

Vape nodded quickly, "We'd better get moving."

They fled through the alley into another street as their pursuers fought their way through the crowds. When they paused to catch their breath, Kiran'ah, looking thoughtful, took the band. "Let's split up and meet at the spaceport. I can hide this somewhere on the way to set them off our tracks."

"You sure you'll be okay?" Vape asked, hesitant to part with her mother before the danger was over, particularly since rescuing her was Vape's whole purpose here.

"I'll be fine, I know the city a thousand times better than they do," Kiran'ah assured her and then hugged her. "I love you, A'ruka. Thanks for coming for me. Never give in to the Empire, remember that!"

Vape smiled, though something about her mother's words seemed vaguely strange. "You too, Mom. I love you."

Remembering that vital time was slipping away, they parted. Vape mingled with the crowd as she forged ahead, and Kiran'ah quickly vanished among the celebrating swarms of people. The spaceport was not far away and she soon approached it. She stood on top of a crate to get a better view and searched for her mother. Glancing around, she suddenly stared in shock as she saw, as if in slow motion, Kiran'ah running towards the hanger. More than a dozen stormtroopers were suddenly jumping out of hiding and surrounding Kiran'ah and more rushed out of the crowds to help.

Vape reached for her thermal detonator. It was gone. The parting words, the hug, and the armband instantly flashed through her mind and she knew what had happened. Her mother had seen the thermal detonator while they were changing, and had taken it during the hug, putting on the armband as well to draw the Imperials away.

A look of horror crossed Vape's face. She sprinted towards Kiran'ah, forcefully fighting her way through the gathering onlookers. As they parted before her, she saw Kiran'ah throw the thermal detonator straight up into the air and was immediately fallen upon by the stormtroopers. The detonator dropped from the sky, bounced off a polished helmet, and vanished into the swarm of white-armored figures.

A huge fireball erupted from its point of disappearance, enveloping the mob of stormtroopers. The shockwave smacked into Vape like a hurtling wall of stone. She flew backwards into blackness.

Tinra Koval jerked awake from her dream, feeling cold and clammy with sweat. A quick glance at her wall chrono told her that the wakeup call would come soon, so she hastily pulled on her standard-issue Imperial cadet's uniform.

Her mind drifted back to the dream. It had been like all her dreams, confusing and senseless. An odd sense of urgency and the oppressive feeling of too many people around her seemed to be a theme. She was having these dreams more often lately and beginning to think that there was more to them than mere dreams. Could they be actual memories? Before, she would always dismiss that thought. She was an orphan. And soon, she would be a TIE pilot! But, still those dreams....

There had been a woman in it. A woman who somehow made Tinra think of the mother she had never known, the one who died when she was just a baby.

Tinra shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. She was a cadet at the Imperial Academy of Carida, training to be a TIE pilot, and she had to get her mind focused before the classes began.

Still, she had a few minutes left, so she reviewed what she knew. She couldn't remember anything that had happened prior to the past year, but the doctors had told her that she had been in an orphanage before she'd enlisted, and that a training accident had resulted in acute amnesia. They had told her that her memory could possibly return, and that if it did she was to report to them immediately.

She thought back to the worst of them, the one she'd had two nights ago...

She came to in a stark white room, feeling a terrible sense of loss and panic. There was a man standing before her, and beside him hovered a black sphere covered with attachments of vague but unsettling purpose. "Answer my questions and this will all go quite painlessly," the man assured with a cold smile. "If you insist on making things difficult..." he gestured meaningfully towards the menacing droid. She steeled herself, instinctively determined to tell him nothing at any cost. "State your name and rank," the man instructed. She opened her mouth to make an adamant refusal to his request, then wondered why she shouldn't comply. "I am--I am...I...." She trailed off, surprised at her inability to recall such a simple thing, even if she hadn't planned to tell him. "I'm waiting," the man said flatly. "I--I don't know!" she exclaimed. "I can't remember!" "Mm-hmm." The man obviously didn't believe her. "I'll ask again, what is your name and rank?" "I don't know!" she insisted. "I can't remember... I can't remember anything!" "I see." The man motioned towards the droid. It glided closer, its warbling increasing in tempo...

Tinra snapped back to the present as the wakeup call blared over the intercom in the barracks. She quickly prepared for the day of training and tried to shove her dream into a distant crevice of her mind.

She filed out with the rest of the cadets and proceeded through her daily routine: first to the mess hall for breakfast, then to the gyms for the daily exercise regimen, to the target range for weapons practice, and finally to the tactics and strategy class. This class was one of the most boring, and she dozed off briefly in the middle.

Her one real friend at the Academy, an older student named Thane Harlon Xanderif, was sitting beside her and nudged her with an elbow. "Hey, wake up," he whispered. "You know how strict they are about these things."

Tinra was instantly wide-awake. Even in the brief moment she'd been asleep, the odd dream had returned. That woman, she must be my mother.

Her face must have shown what she was thinking about, because Thane suddenly smiled. "Those dreams again?" he asked. She nodded, her eyes wide.

"We'll talk after class," he whispered.

"What is it?" Tinra asked Thane as they emerged into the hallway.

"Not here. Follow me."

As the rest of the class went to get lunch, she followed him back to the empty barracks.

"We can talk here," he explained as he checked to make sure that no one was around to listen. "I know who you really are, A'ruka!"

"Who?" She looked confused.

He lowered his voice even though nobody was around. "You went by the name of Chelsey Maxfield, but your real name was A'ruka of Our'en'bauk. You were a fighter pilot for the Rebel Alliance."

A Rebel? Tinra shook her head, trying to deny it. It was impossible. But the names he'd given touched something inside her, something she'd thought lost forever. She kept her voice low as to not be overheard. "Then my dreams...? It was all real?"

Thane nodded. She was coming around now. It wouldn't be long.

Tinra's expression changed from shock to revelation. "I remember now! I can remember it all!" That missing piece of her identity had unlocked all the rest. A split second passed, then tears welled up in her eyes. "Then that means..."

"I'm sorry about your mother, Chelsey. But she saved your life." He moved closer to comfort his friend. She gently sobbed for her mother in his arms. It brought a tear to his eye too. Having to keep the news from her about her mother's death was hard. He had just found out himself about a week ago. Suddenly, she pushed away from him with both arms.

"Wait a minute! How do you know all of this anyway? Who are you?" she said while wiping the tears from her damp face.

Thane let a warm smile come to his face as he told her about himself. "My name is Jaxton Ogton. I'm with the Alliance... well, the New Republic, now. I can't tell you what my mission is here, but I recognized you when I got here and stayed close to you to keep you out of danger once your memory returned."

"So, how did I end up here?" she interrupted.

"Our agent on Fador III was caught in the explosion too. When he recovered and tried to check for survivors there was already too many Imps around for him to get near the place. He reported you and your mother dead."

"My other dream! I must have been picked up by the Imps and interrogated!"

"Yes. We think that they assumed that you were not the other rebel they were after and decided to send you here. By your test scores, they think you would make a natural pilot, so that's why you're here. But, now that you have your memory back..." he trailed off. "I will get word to my superiors now that you have regained your memory and they'll find a way to get you out of here 'cause it's too dangerous for you to be here now."

"I can hold my own," she declared, already beginning to form plans of escape and revenge.

"Maybe, but we don't know how much the Imperials know about your past. If they do find out... well, let's just say that some Imps in high places would pay big creds to get their hands on you."

Lt. Col. Kelly "Zoom" St.Clair sat alone in his office, considering the events of the past six months. True to his worries at the time, the Emperor's death at Endor had not brought an end to the Empire or their troubles. Within weeks a new threat had presented itself in the form of the Ssi-Ruuk. The reptilian invaders had been beaten back, but the crisis distracted the Alliance's attention long enough for Grand Vizier Sate Pestage to plant himself on the Imperial throne. Pestage's position was hardly secure, as other factions continued plotting to unseat him. Meanwhile, still others had declared their independence and carved out their own little empires, reviving the ancient title of "warlord." The most powerful of these was a man named Zsinj, who had already made himself a thorn in the side of the fledgling New Republic.

How naive we all were, Zoom thought. We thought most people would want the Republic back. But we forgot about all those who brought it down in the first place. Those who liked things just the way they were under Palpatine, or saw their big chance when he was killed. And now we're supposed to turn this nest of pirates into honest citizens.

His thoughts drifted to the future. Where would Red Squadron be called into action again? What further sacrifices would they be asked to make? He longed for warm sunny days on Chula, or his first weeks as a Lieutenant, when he could enjoy the flying and not have to be responsible for a dozen lives or more.

A chime from the door broke his train of thought and brought him back to the present. "Come in." With a swish the door opened to reveal the Regis's intelligence officer, Major Gord Faulkner. Intel people always made Zoom uneasy, though he wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was because one never knew exactly what they were up to. Sure, they provided invaluable information for the various missions that the squadron flew, but he always felt they were holding something back. They had to. Spying was a part of war. And like it or not, the New Republic was still at war.

"Welcome, Major. What can I do for you today?"

"I have some information for you, sir."

Zoom chuckled. "Only what I'm cleared for, right?" he asked sarcastically. This time the comment actually made Faulkner hesitate. Zoom was surprised, and worried; if the Major was this readable, the news couldn't be good.

"Actually, I'm here to report an error. Do you remember a report that I delivered to you about a year ago, about one of your pilots that went on a personal mission alone?"

Zoom didn't need to ask who Faulkner meant. Vape. Killed in an ambush, along with her mother, who she was trying to rescue. Her death still haunted him, more than those he'd lost in battle. He'd personally authorized her attempt -- one of his first command decisions -- knowing how risky it was, knowing no backup was available. He'd let himself be swayed by his heart instead of acting rationally and responsibly, as a commander must. He should have said no. Chelsey might have been heartbroken, even resigned her commission... but she'd still be alive. He swallowed the pain and replied, "Yes, I do."

"It now seems that report was... not entirely accurate." That plainly irritated the major; Intel hated to admit they were wrong. "She is, in fact, alive."

Zoom stared. "What? You said an agent saw her blow herself up with a thermal detonator! We had a funeral for her!" He didn't believe what he was hearing, didn't dare believe that Vape was alive after all.

Falkner's face sealed over into the impenetrable mask that went with his Intel-officer persona. "Well, sir, we are looking into it further, but apparently our agent on Fador III didn't actually see your pilot at the explosion, just running towards it. He assumed that she was killed in the blast, but was himself knocked over by the shockwave. When he attempted to verify the deaths of your pilot and her mother there were too many troopers in the area for him to get close enough. Why his report did not initially report these facts is yet unknown. We lost that agent not too long after the rescue attempt by your pilot."

"Oh, I see. So, what makes you think that she is still alive, major?"

"We recently got a report from an agent on Carida that your pilot is attending the Academy there."

Zoom blinked. "There must be some mistake. Vape would never betray the Alliance."

Faulkner held up a restraining hand. "Our agent reports that she had been knocked unconscious and lost her memory. Apparently, after Imperial Intelligence was through with her, she was taken to the Academy to be trained as a TIE pilot. She's doing quite well there, I might add."

"I see," said Zoom, still unsure what to feel. Relief, of course, that Vape was alive; worry and concern for her safety. Renewed anger at the Imperials who had captured her and were even now turning her against her friends. "I assume, if you're telling me this, there's a plan to get her back."

Faulkner relaxed again. "Yes, of course. We know that one of your pilots grew up on Carida and even attended the Academy, so he'll know his way around. Another... well, actually several of the cadets are young enough to be applicants." He smiled briefly. "Anyway, we would like to send in the two as a father and son checking out the Academy as a possible school for the boy. Once there they will locate and extract Lt. Maxfield and bring her back here for debriefing."

Zoom nodded understandingly. "Which two did you have in mind?"

"Schmitty! Hijack! You two need to report to Col. St. Clair's office on the double." Ranger called over to the pilots sitting in the Mug. Steve and Luke looked up from their drinks like womp rats caught in bright light. "Us?" they said in unison. Ranger nodded his head and the two jumped up and hurried out the door.

A little ways down the corridor Schmitty turned towards Hijack and blurted out, "OK, what did we do this time? Did you do something and blame it on me? 'Cause I don't remember doing anything this time."

Hijack stopped mid stride and retorted, "Me? I thought it was something you did. Do you think it has anything to do with that B-wing?"

"I don't know", Schmitty replied. "Let's just get there and find out then."

Moments later, both pilots stood at attention before their commanding officer. Zoom nodded, returning the salute. "At ease, gentlemen. Have a seat. Major Faulkner has a mission for you."

"Hey there, Pappy! How's the shuttle coming along?" Schmitty asked the squadron's chief mechanic.

"She'll get you there and back. Don't worry," he replied. "Why? Are you worried you might get stuck there?" Pappy let a small grin cross his face. He enjoyed giving Schmitty a hard time, as did most of squadron. And in just the short time that he had known Lieutenant Michadick, he'd found all his buttons. Of course, Schmitty didn't hide them very well either, so that helped.

"No, I trust your skills with a multitool. It's just that I want to get going and get this mission over with. I'm not too crazy about going back to that place. Ya know?"

"I know what ya mean. But, Carida and the Academy aren't the same as when you grew up there. Nothing ever stays the same. Always changing. You'll do all right. Just keep your head straight and concentrate on the mission. They tell you who you're going to pick up yet?"

"Yes, but we're not supposed to say anything to the squad about it. Command doesn't want to get anybody's hopes up yet."

"Oh, really?" Pappy looked around to be sure no one was eavesdropping and moved his face closer to Schmitty's ear. "Then I think I have a pretty good idea who you're goin' after."

Schmitty stepped back and looked around again to be sure no one was listening, then leaned in towards the other man. "Who do think it is?"

"Well, if Command doesn't want the others to know yet, then that means that this person may or may not be who they think it is. Or there's a chance that he or she won't want to come with you. I've been aboard the Regis for quite a long time. I've seen pilots and crew come and go, but I'll place my bets that you're going to get us Vape back." Pappy whispered.

Schmitty stood straight up at that and replied, "I can neither confirm, nor deny." He paused a moment then added, "But...just to be on the safe side, you might want to get another X-wing flight-worthy."

With that, Michadick turned to head back to his quarters. He had some packing to do. He took a few steps, then stopped to turn back towards Pappy. Bringing his right hand up to his mouth, he mimed sealing his lips. Pappy got the picture and responded with a thumb's up.

"Reverting to real space in five, four, three, two..." The elongated lines snapped back into countless dots in the void of space in front of Flight Officer Luke "Hijack" Kneller. "We're here!" he announced. Schmitty jumped just slightly at the announcement, awakened from a long nap. It was not a peaceful rest for him though. He sat up in the co-pilots seat to see the huge ball hanging there in space. Directly in front of them was the planet Carida, home of the famous Imperial Academy, and his childhood home.

Seeing the planet again sparked a flood of memories to course through Schmitty's head. He thought about his mother and father when they were both instructors at the Academy. That was a joyous time in his life. He himself had attended the Academy years ago. Oh, how he had enjoyed all of the courses he had been taking. He loved learning new things. That trait came from his parents. His parents. They were now gone thanks to the Empire! He would fight them until his dying breathe for taking his parents away from him! The thought brought him back to reality.

They were close. Anytime now, Flight Control would contact them and they would land. He wondered how much the place had changed over the years. From the briefing slides Faulkner showed him, not much. But, for this mission, he had to act like he had never been there.

Major Faulkner had filled in Hijack and him on most of the details of the mission before they departed the Regis. "Lieutenant Michadick, you are posing as the father of Flight Officer Kneller. He will be posing as your son and you are determined to see that he is accepted as a student at the Academy for the following term. You'll be given a packet with your new identities at your pre-flight. You will meet with the dean of students, a Mr. Grem Filander. He is also in charge of admissions. Play it up for him. He'll want to see Kneller's records and of course, you'll produce them on the datacard we'll provide you. This datacard will contain a special snooper program that will search their database for anything matching Red's missing pilot. You'll also get the pilot's pic and file in your pre-flight packet."

"This snooper program will then secretly copy the captured data back onto the disk so you can analyze it later in your room. It will then be up to you to locate the pilot and get all of you on the shuttle and hyper back here. There will be a fighter prepped for you if you need it for any reason." He paused. "It is important that we get this pilot back in our hands, men. Are there any questions?"

Schmitty and Hijack looked at each other, then at Faulkner. "No, sir!" they said in unison.

Faulkner then stepped out of the room, returning a moment later with Zoom. It was the latter who spoke now. "Gentlemen, due to the fact that we believed this pilot to be dead, and many in the squad were close to them, I do not want you telling any of them about this mission. If it fails, then we won't have to worry about opening old wounds. If you succeed..." Zoom took a deep breath. "Then there'll be a lot of happy people aboard the Regis. I want a report as soon as the mission is concluded. So, if you have no further questions, you're dismissed. Get some rest, gentlemen. And may the Force be with you."

Their packets contained the identity of the pilot they were going to rescue (well, more like "retrieve"): Lt. Chelsey "Vape" Maxfield. Red 12. Missing for close to a year now. Presumed dead in a rescue mission on Fador III. Turned up on Carida soon afterward as a flight cadet in the Imperial Academy, Being groomed as a TIE pilot. Further information unknown. Also in the packet was the datacard. All they had to do was get it in the system and it would do all of the work. Schmitty was glad of that. This extraction was going to be hard enough to having to do slicing as well.

Schmitty pulled out his new ID badge. Rand Janstil, father of Varn Janstil. He was a wealthy banker from Commenor. Varn was top of his class at the local school and a good swoop driver. Rand was a big supporter of the Empire since the Rebels had killed his wife in a hit and run attack at a local Imperial market on Commenor. He wanted his son to become a high-ranking officer and avenge his mother. He and Luke had gone over their packets and practiced their new identities on the flight in. They were ready.

"Are you nervous about this?" Hijack asked the older pilot.

Falling into his new identity as Rand Janstil, Schmitty placed his hand on Luke's shoulders and said, "A little, son. Are you?"

Hijack, also getting into character as Rand's son, Varn, grinned and chuckled back, "Of course, dad. Why wouldn't I be a little nervous to walk into the rancor's den?"

With that, Schmitty rubbed his hand on Hijack's head and messed up his hair a bit. They both laughed. This may even be a little fun, they both thought.

After a brief meeting at the hangar, Grem Filander escorted Rand and Varn Janstil across the beautiful campus to his luxurious office. It was a large room with rows and rows of boxed datacard sets. Hundreds of them. One would have thought that they were standing in the Academy library.

Grem Filander was tall and skinny. He had gone completely gray on top and his face was wrinkled with his many years. He looked like a walking skeleton with hair. Despite his aged and severe appearance, he was spry, pleasant and courteous. If they had met Filander on another world they never would have guessed this old man was the dean of one of the most famous schools in the galaxy or an Imperial for that matter. It was soothing to talk to him. And dangerous. Hijack found himself letting his guard down after a few minutes of playing the wide-eyed schoolboy and had to snap back to his mission.

"Mr. Janstil, did you bring your school records?" Filander had just asked him.

"Oh, yes, sir. I have them right here on this disk. Do you have a terminal that we could bring them up on?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Right over here." Filander invited them to sit while he slotted the datacard into his desk and brought up the information. "Well, young Janstil, your scores are impressive. Most impressive."

Once again, Luke found himself wondering how this kindly old man could be the head of a school that graduated murderers and hatemongers. "Thank you. I worked hard for those scores. Do you think they're good enough to get me into the Academy? I can't wait to do my part in crushing the Rebels!"

Schmitty caught his breath. He's too enthusiastic. Filander will be suspicious for sure! As the dean turned towards the window at the back of his office, Schmitty shot a stern look at his "son," who gulped.

Filander continued to stare out the window at the grand courtyard they had walked across to get to this office. The seconds stretched out in silence. Maybe he was considering just how to bring in security and take them away to be interrogated? Or whether to shoot them on the spot? But suddenly he turned to face them again with a warm smile on his face. "Yes, they are a nasty bunch aren't they?" Hijack relaxed; they were safe this time.

The rest of the meeting went without a hitch and it appeared that "Varn" had impressed the dean. Filander finally ushered them out, explaining that he had another meeting. That gave the two of them some time to roam around the school. Schmitty forced himself to stay focused as nostalgia threatened to overwhelm him.

The Academy dormitories were practically empty at this hour, with all of the students in class. They decided to go back to their guest rooms and see if the snooper program had found anything.

Having verified that the room was clear of surveillance devices, Schmitty and Hijack sat down together to review the report. They didn't have much time. Their target, who now went by "Tinra Koval," would be in a TIE on a one-on-one training flight with a guest instructor in two days. The name of the instructor was not in the data the snooper was programmed to look for.

Schmitty had come up with a plan. They would both return to the Regis to pick up Hijack's X-wing. With the schedule the snooper had found, they would hyper in right in the middle of Lt. Maxfield's flight. Schmitty, in the shuttle, would contact Vape and have her transfer to the shuttle while Luke handled the instructor and any other TIEs in the vicinity. If all went well, they could grab Maxfield and hyper out before the Imps knew what hit them. That was how the Rebels liked to do things: hit and fade.

[FRG Adun, in orbit around Carida]

Vape pulled on her black flight suit, trying to decide whether she loved it or hated it. For most of a year, it had been associated with her favorite activity -- flying. But now that her memory was back, it reminded her of how she had been tricked into being an Imperial, of what the Empire was, and what might have happened if she had not regained her memory. She imagined herself in a ready room, bragging to her Imperial comrades about the day's kills. She shivered at the thought and felt a little sick to the stomach as she made her way to the hangar.

Yet at the same time, she thought about the people she'd met during the year she was here. Some of them, like Krem and his constant jokes about non-humans, repulsed her now; but what about Bexley, who loved the flying as much as she? Or Cidran, so determined to uphold the family tradition? What if she found them in her gunsights someday? She stopped and beat a fist against a convenient bulkhead, fighting back tears. It's not fair. None of this was supposed to happen.

A couple of exhausted cadets were just leaving as she entered the hangar. She paused on the threshold, thinking how much it was like the Regis and yet so different, then took a lift to the overhead racks where the TIE fighters were. The guest instructor was testing everyone in one-on-one dogfights today and now it was her turn. The identity of the guest instructor was a secret, but rumor had it that he was an amazing pilot. Speculation ran wild among the other cadets.

She went through the pre-flight inspection of her TIE fighter. As she lowered herself into her fighter's cockpit, she noticed Thane standing below and waved to him. He gave her a thumb's up in return.

The launch tractor eased her out of the hangar and she went to full throttle, hearing the now-familiar scream of the twin ion engines behind her. The engagement zone was ten kilometers from the frigate and marked by a nav buoy. A single red blip circled it. As she approached, a deep voice with a trace of a Corellian accent challenged her. "Cadet Koval, Pride Four."

Vape swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, sir."

"Defend yourself," the instructor said, and turned to engage her without further preamble.

Vape tried to concentrate on the exercise, but instead found herself comparing the TIE fighter to her old A-wing. The lack of shields and hyperspace capability were obvious setbacks, but its speed was decent and its manueverability excellent. Even so, as she struggled to outwit the instructor in their duel, she threw her TIE into a rolling dive a moment too late. The instructor's powered-down shots splashed across her TIE's aft and her CMD declared her dead.

"Pay attention, Four! You should have seen that coming," the instructor rebuked her. "Let's run through this again. I expect you to try a little harder to stay out of my sights."

"Yes, sir," she replied, and the two TIE fighters whipped and circled around each other in renewed efforts to get a clear shot.

"Dean Filander!" The booming voice of the red-faced, thick-necked man preceded him as he burst into the office, the dean's anxious assistant following in his wake.

Filander's normal good cheer vanished as he looked up at the intruder. "Who are you, and what's so important that you have to come barging in here unannounced?"

The visitor wore civilian clothes, but the way he clicked his heels together was distinctly military. Reaching smoothly into a pocket, he presented his identification. "Keldor Mavan, ISB. I'm sorry, sir, but we have reason to believe that your computer system has been compromised by Rebel agents. Our people have found evidence that records were accessed on specific cadets as well as training schedules and the like."

"Really?" Filander's snow-white eyebrows went up. "How could that have happened?"

"A routine sweep of the system turned up a snooper program. I've just confirmed it myself." Agent Mavan took a breath. "Dean, computer logs indicate the program entered the system from your desk terminal, two days ago."

"Well, then. Let me check my schedule again." Hands shaking with age but not with nervousness, Filander consulted his terminal. "Ah, here it is. Two days ago, you say? Well, that's when Baron Fel arrived, of course. And also a father and son from Commenor. Rand and Varn Janstil were their names. Yes. They did put a datacard in my terminal, but we only looked at his scores..."

"Yes, sir. They departed later the same day -- we've already checked the shuttle records."

"Hmm. Have you been able to determine what they were looking for?"

"Most of the inquiries seem to involve a Tinra Koval..."

"Koval." The name came out as a whisper. Filander's eyes narrowed. "Madame Director's pet project. So."

"You know this cadet, then?"

"Yes. In fact, I've been given very specific instructions concerning her." Filander rose to his feet. "Come. We may not have much time."

Two blue blips suddenly appeared on Vape's CMD and a new voice came through the speakers in her helmet. "Red Eight to Pride Four, do you copy?"

"Affirmative," she replied. "But--"

Her instructor cut her off. "Pride Leader to Red Eight, identify yourselves and your purpose immediately."

"Four, you're not an Imperial," the new voice began a hasty explanation. "Before your amnesia you were a pilot in the Alliance for Red Squadron--"

"I know all that now," she replied. "But Jaguar is Eight, who are-- Uh-oh. Heads up!"

The other TIE fighter flew right by her on an intercept course with the new arrivals, an X-wing escorting a Lambda-class shuttle. "Pride Four, return to base immediately. Unidentified craft, surrender or die."

"Vape, this is Hijack." Now there's a familiar voice, Vape thought. "Get yourself over to our shuttle and we'll get you in then get out of here. I'll cover you," the voice said quickly. "I'm sure a few of the guys in Red would like to see you back in one piece."

Suddenly understanding what was going on, Vape looped her TIE around to head towards the shuttle.

"Four, return to base at once or you will be fired upon!"

Hijack flew his X-wing straight at the attacking TIE, trusting in his shields. Setting his lasers to dual fire, he began firing at two klicks. The fighter juked and weaved like he had never seen before, avoiding every orange bolt. Hijack went evasive himself, but there were no answering shots from the TIE as it roared past his port S-foils. Hijack fought the urge to turn back and try to get on Pride Leader's tail. Instead, he kept his course straight, hoping to tempt the instructor away from Vape and the shuttle. He checked his rear sensors and was surprised to see a bright red dot dead astern. A quick glance back confirmed that the hostile TIE was already latched to his six.

How did he do that? As soon as Hijack asked himself that question, his pursuer finally opened fire. His rear shields melted away under the barrage; the young pilot reinforced them quickly. "Schmitty, I'm in trouble here!"

"I can see that! Go evasive! That guy is all over you!"

No matter what Hijack did, he couldn't lose the TIE on his tail. It seemed to anticipate his every move, and was more maneuverable than his X-wing. There was a jolt and a shriek from his astromech, Swive. Indicator lights lit up all over his panel. "Schmitty! My shields are gone!"

That was the last thing Schmitty heard before the green blip on his sensors faded out.

Soontir Fel banked away from the explosion, then looped his TIE around and diverted power to his engines. He had some distance to make up, but he hadn't let that X-wing lead him too far away to keep him from catching the remaining rebels.

Vape saw it all. Hijack was gone and her instructor was now after her. For real this time. Again she tried to put doubt from her mind and concentrate on flying. If not, she was dead too.

Fel's TIE spun sharply and followed her. She twisted out of his line of fire and into a dizzying corkscrew maneuver that only her fighter's trademark engine design made possible. If she could just evade him long enough to get into hyperspace ... No hyperdrive in this crate, remember? She grimaced as she realized that her getaway plan was not going to work. Time for a new one.

Vape ran through all the tricks she knew as she switched her lasers to full power and quickly called to the pilot of the shuttle, "This isn't going to work! Retreat!"

"I can't leave you behind!" Schmitty called to her.

In the coolest voice she could muster, she replied, "You have no choice, Rebel." She immediately addressed her instructor, who was right behind her now. "Leader! I'm not who they say I am! Please disengage!", she pleaded.

"Nice try," came Fel's icy reply as he pulled his triggers. Green iridescent bolts flew from his TIE's chin cannons and burned through her port solar panel. Her fighter spun out of control as electricity across her controls. With her head spinning, she was barely able to grab the ejection lever and pull it. The spinning stopped as she rocketed free, her crippled fighter exploding a second later. She had made it out just in time. But how long could she last in the cold of space? She turned to see the shuttle was running, its rear shields taking hit after hit from her instructor. A second later, it streaked away and was gone. And she was alone.

She drifted further out into space, slowly tumbling. She watched her instructor's TIE fighter turn toward her and waited for the shot that would end her life. But it never came. With contemptuous dismissal, the TIE turned and headed toward the distant frigate. Vape wondered whether the Imperials would even bother to pick her up, and then wondered whether she wanted them to. Now that they knew she had regained her memory, there would be another interrogation. A longer and more painful one.

The wreckage of the X-wing floated into view, and Chelsey felt tears roll down her cheeks under the flight helmet. Oh, Hijack. She hadn't recognized the other pilot's voice -- probably someone who joined after her capture -- but Luke had been her own age. She was suddenly mad at herself again. My mother is dead, and now a friend, all because I was too reckless. They sacrificed themselves for me.

A moving object resolved itself against the starfield and grew into the shape of another shuttle, approaching from the direction of the Adun. I guess they decided to come and get me after all. Maybe I should just pop my helmet and get it over with. But before she could bring herself to go through with that, a tractor beam gripped her and pulled her irresistibly up into the shuttle's belly.

A medtech and two stormtrooper guards surrounded her. The medtech brought up a stunner, but Vape was ready for this. With her mother's lithe dancing ability, she lashed her foot up and sent it flying. She immediately laid into one of the stormtroopers, but all she did was hurt her knuckles on his white armor. The second trooper seized her from behind and twisted her arms behind her back, preparing to clamp binders around her wrists. Instead he slumped to the floor as the familiar blue cone of a stun-bolt flashed out of the shadows and hit him.

Vape ducked away from the first stormtrooper's grasp and saw Thane--his name is Jaxton, she corrected herself--step out of the dark corner. He was the last person she expected to see here. The stormtrooper was raising his rifle and the medtech was simultaneously diving to recover his stunner. She kicked the stormtrooper from behind, throwing his aim off. The bolt seared a black char mark on the hull just above Jaxton's head. His return shot felled the trooper.

Vape threw herself aside as the medtech started firing. She snatched up one of the E-11s--no time to aim--and hurled it at the man. It struck him in the face and he dropped his weapon to clutch at his broken nose. Vape pounced on him. Jaxton scooped up the binders and tossed them to her and she clamped them shut around the medtech's wrists.

With all of the noise, there was no doubt that the pilot and copilot knew that there was trouble. Jaxton and Vape burst into the cockpit, stunning them both before they could draw their blasters. Vape took the controls, turning the shuttle away from Adun, while Jaxton began plotting a hyperspace jump.

"Get me back to the Regis," Vape instructed, still feeling chilled to the bone despite the insulation of her flightsuit. "They have to know I'm okay, so they don't send anyone else..."

"Slow down there," Jaxton replied. "We can't go straight to your ship." She started to protest, but he continued, "... because I don't know where it is. I'll have to contact a few people first. They'll pass the word. In the meantime, I know just the place to go."

Vape took a deep breath, trying to ignore the red blips that had begun to appear on her datascreen as the Adun began launching more TIEs to investigate the strange behavior of the shuttle. "Okay, so where are we headed now?"

The computer pinged to announce it had finished its calculations. "One moment." Jaxton pulled back on the lever and the stars streaked toward them, melting into the swirl of hyperspace. Now that they were safe, he explained, "I have a bolthole located fairly close to here that I used before I got the Academy assignment. We should be able to hide there until I can get the Regis's location."

Vape nodded, and finally thought to ask, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"My mission at the Academy is still classified. If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Jaxton's serious look was suddenly replaced by a big grin. "And that would make the last few minutes rather pointless, wouldn't it?"

"No, no," Vape laughed. "I meant, here on this shuttle."

"I was watching from the hangar, remember? I heard that they were going to send up the SAR shuttle, so I thought I better stow away aboard it and give you a hand--since if they had gotten you back down there, they would have had you locked away so tightly that any rescue would practically be impossible," he explained.

Vape thought it over for a moment and nodded; he was right. "Not to get sentimental," she laughed, then suddenly became serious, "but thanks for coming. You really saved my hide back there, and at no small risk to yourself. Your cover is probably blown for good, sorry. I hope your mission wasn't vital, I'd hate to be the cause of yet another problem."

"Hey! Enough of that talk!" he chided her. "It can only lead to self-loathing and Red Squadron doesn't need a pilot like that. They only did what you would have done. They risked their lives for a fellow pilot. How were they to know Baron Soontir Fel would be flying against them?"

"What!? Fel? He was the guest instructor?" Vape stared.

"Yeah, I tapped into their transmission to him after the shuttle hypered out. He was ready to fry you, but they wanted to recover you and see what they could get out of you. That's when I knew I had to do something and quick."

"Well, thank you for that again." She looked out at the blurry tunnel and softly said, "I can't believe I flew against the Soontir Fel... and I'm still alive."

"Believe it, Chelsey. You're alive and you'll fight again. Now go in the back and get some rest. We'll be there shortly."

"What's your report, Michadick?"

Schmitty stood at attention in the briefing room of the Regis. All the long and lonely way home, he'd been dreading this moment, when he'd have to tell his commander and Major Faulkner of his failure. The mission had started out well, but then....

"Sir, Flight Officer Kneller and I were able to get into the Academy's computer and get the information on our pilot. She was going by the name Tinra Koval. The snooper obtained the training schedule and we saw the perfect opportunity to get our pilot while she was alone and away from the school. We discovered that she was scheduled for a one-on-one training flight with one instructor. We had planned to hyper in with me in the shuttle and Kneller in an X-wing. He would take care of the instructor while I recovered Lt. Maxfield and we would hyper back out before they had time to launch more TIEs."

"Sounds like a fair plan. But did you take into consideration that Kneller might not be able to handle the other pilot?" That was Major Faulkner.

"No, sir. He convinced me that he was up to it." Schmitty examined the deck plates closely. Despite his denial, he was ashamed he'd been convinced to let Hijack fly the X-wing. He should have been the one in that seat!

"Very well. Continue," Zoom said.

"Well, sir. We arrived right on schedule and I contacted Lt. Maxfield. I told her to fly to me and I would bring her aboard while Hijack handled the other TIE. However, Kneller was quickly shot down and the instructor turned on Lt. Maxfield. She saw that we had run out of time and told me to leave. By her last transmission I assume she was going to try to make her instructor believe that she wasn't one of us. But he fired on her anyway... The last thing I saw before I got out myself was her TIE exploding." Schmitty swallowed. "Sirs, that TIE pilot was good. One of the best I've ever seen. He took out Hijack and Vape faster than I thought possible."

Zoom and the major exchanged looks. "Well, pilot," Faulkner finally said, "it sounds like you did the best you could. You planned a good mission, you ran up against unexpected opposition, and you returned to tell the tale."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better, sir," Schmitty said miserably.

"No, I suppose it doesn't. It's hard to lose a friend."

"Colonel, may I be dismissed now?"

"Yes. Get back to your quarters and get cleaned up. Maybe you should also get something to eat. It may make you feel a little better." Zoom sighed. "Don't say anything to anyone yet about Hijack. I'll make the announcement at the briefing later today. I'll expect your full written report on my desk within the week."

Schmitty saluted stiffly and left, followed by a silent Major Faulkner. Zoom sagged into the nearest chair. Bad enough to find out Vape was alive and then lose her again, but Hijack too. Worse, now he'd have to lie to the other Reds about Luke's death. Lying to my own people. I'm turning into a spook, just like the major. He pounded his fist against the chair arm.

[Four days later, in the main hangar of the Regis]

Vape was overjoyed as she and Jaxton touched down in the shuttle. She threw off the flight harness of the copilot's seat, pressed a button to lower the boarding ramp, and jumped out of her seat. Jaxton looked up at her, amused. "You go ahead. I'll be right behind you in a minute."

She gave him a smile of thanks and nodded. "Meet me in the Citizen's Mug. If I'm not there, someone there will tell you where I went."

As she made her way through the Regis's halls, she tried to walk and not run, least she careen into a tech--or worse, an officer! By time she reached the door of the Citizen's Mug, however, she felt a little nervous.

A lot could happen to a squadron in a year in wartime. There had been at least one new person that she knew of. She winced, remembering Luke. What if they're all new? Maybe they'll hate me for getting Hijack killed. Maybe my old friends will have all left or been killed, she worried, halting by the door. Maybe Zoom finally resigned and turned his position over to someone new; he has considered doing so before.

Realizing just how much could have changed, she couldn't quite make herself open the door and go in just yet. Her eagerness of moments before had been replaced with anxiety. Then the door opened from the inside, revealing a serious-looking Lt. Sazril "Yale" Murshid leaving the Mug.

"Yale!" she exclaimed, startled and relieved at the same time. Throwing her arms around him she hugged him fiercely. She normally would have been embarrassed to outwardly show even friendly affection such as this, but she was too glad to see him to care.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the initial surprise, and then his training took over and he had her at arms' length in a blink. Then the second shock hit him and he stared at her in utter disbelief. "Vape?"

She grinned broadly. "Yep, the very same. Though I might not be the best person to ask, seeing as how I forgot it for a year." She hurriedly gave him a greatly abbreviated explanation. At the end, it occurred to her that she had been almost babbling incoherently, but Yale got the picture anyway. He laughed and nearly crushed her in a bear hug. She had to pound him on the shoulder until he let go so that she could breathe again.

"Sorry," Yale apologized, grinning back. "It's good to see you again!"

Vape caught her breath. "Yeah, you too. No--wait--don't--" But Yale had already opened the door and pulled her into the Mug. To her relief and joy, she found herself being welcomed back by most of her old friends in the squadron and crew alike, although she couldn't help but notice that there were only a few of the Reds in the Mug at this hour. So everyone took turns relating the recent and not so recent news. Then she had to tell her story, at some point during which Jaxton found his way in and sat down to listen.

"I'm sorry about Hijack," she said sadly as she finished the telling of her story.

"He was a good kid," Yale said solemnly. "We had the funeral two days ago."

"I really messed up, thinking that I could pull off rescuing my mother without help, didn't I?" Vape said, looking glum. "I didn't even manage to save her, and what a mess it turned into."

"Hey, even the most perfectly planned missions can do that," Yale told her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But the fact is, you did what you had to do. And you couldn't expect us to just leave you there when we got news that you were alive, could you? We all have our regrets, but right now I am just glad that you're back."

"Hear hear!" Leo agreed, disliking the gloomy mood that had settled over the squadron since Hijack's death. "I propose that we all have a toast to Vape's return!"

"Are the drinks on you?" someone asked hopefully.

Leo got a pained expression but shouted, "Hey Trix! Put the first round on my tab, okay?"

A loud cheer arose from the small crowd in the Mug and there was a clamor of orders. It didn't take too long for the Mug to regain its usual good-humored atmosphere.

"Nothing like spirits to raise the spirits!" Leo exclaimed. "Not to mention spirits coming back from the dead!"

Vape joined in the laughter, but she really didn't like being the center of attention. She nudged Yale. "Where's Zoom? And Schmitty?"

"I think they're both in his office."

"Okay. Thanks." Vape excused herself and headed for the door.

"Hey, wait up!" the others insisted. "We wouldn't want to miss the Colonel's expression!" Vape shook her head in amusement as the other pilots began to make bets on their leader's reaction.

Schmitty followed his commander down the hall toward the Citizen's Mug. They had just come from Zoom's office after having a personal talk. Both he and Zoom were around the same age and they talked about going through some of the same things. It had ended on a good note and Zoom asked him to go with him to the Mug for a drink and to see what the rest of the squad was up to.

As they were nearing the door, Schmitty stopped to say hello to Pappy, who was stepping into a storeroom that was located off the hall to the Mug. "Hey, Pappy. How's it going?" he asked the older man in casual conversation.

"I'm doing all right. How about you? I heard about your 'trip'," Pappy replied with a sadness to his voice.

"It's hard, but I'll be okay. Hey, Zoom and I are headed to the Mug. Would you like to join us?"

"Thanks, but no. I have some repairs to do in the hangar. A certain shuttle needs fixing up." Pappy winked and continued into the storeroom.

Schmitty chuckled and didn't realize that they had arrived at the door to the Mug when he turned and ran right into Zoom, who had stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. The momentum pushed Zoom right into the girl in front of him and they collided.

Zoom stopped in his tracks and grabbed the young woman to steady her. "Sir!" she yelled and gave him a quick hug. As she stepped back so that he could see her, his face went pale for a moment. "Vape...?" he said carefully, as if afraid she would vanish at any moment.

"Yes, sir. It's really me."

"Someone," Zoom turned to look at an equally surprised Schmitty, "told me that you were dead." He paused, then added, "Twice!"

In the background there was a ruckus as everyone in the Mug grinned and swapped credits. Zoom briefly wondered if it was all some joke they were playing on him, but the girl before him was undeniably Vape, even though she was slightly older now.

Schmitty said, "But sir, I saw... oh, never mind." He turned to Vape and offered his hand. "You must be Lt. Maxfield. Hi, I'm Schmitty, the current Red 8. I was flying the shuttle that tried to extract you."

"Yes, I gathered that. Very nice to meet you," Vape said, shaking his hand. "Thanks for trying to rescue me. I'm sorry about what happened to Hijack."

"Thank you. I'm sorry things didn't go the way we had planned. I thought you were dead! What happened? How did you get here?"

"Yes," Zoom chimed in, "that's a very good question. How did you make it back here?"

"I have to give all of the credit to my friend in NRI, Jaxton Ogton." She gestured at the man with a smile. "I'll let him tell the story this time."

Just then Jaxton came up into the crowd and introduced himself. They all shook hands and then retreated into the Mug. Even though the other Reds had heard the story already from Vape herself they stuck around to hear Jaxton's version. As it turned out, he was a good storyteller.

When Jaxton was done with the story, Zoom stood up and gave Vape another big hug and welcomed her back to the squad. Then he picked up his glass and gave a toast where he officially gave her back the designation of Red 12 and her callsign. Cheers filled in the Mug as everyone drank and began to tell more stories of what had happened to the squad while Vape was away. Zoom felt better...for now.

End