**authors note**
((So just a heads up this one has 2 different dream states, it gets a little trippy in each of them but there's a reason for that which will be revealed later!))
Rally-point alpha...
Vishar stood and ran at the shirtless man who was concentrated on Sylvon's body. The man was too engulfed in Sylvon to notice Vishar running at him. The shirtless man quit trying to pull on the piece of shrapnel protruding from Sylvon's collar bone and instead moved to her trouser's pockets searching them. The man never heard Vishar but rather felt him smash his arms into him as Vishar's shoulder thrust him into the sand next to Sylvon's twitching body. The pair of men grunted and struggled as they rolled on the ground. Neither man heard the “blsswoop” of the blue rings of a stun bolts washing over them and sending them both back into the sand unconscious.
Across from the men bleeding from the top of his head and splattered in sand over his face and body was Sergeant Atter holding his DH17 blaster after delivering the stun arcs that pacified both men. “Damn fools.” Atter muttered as he looked up seeing the Alliance Y-wings flying overhead start a steep climb and twist into a return arc. Atter wasn't sure if they had any munitions left to drop but he wasn't going to find out. Atter shuffled over to the men and pulled them both from the remnants of the smoldering titan drop ship just in time to see the Y-Wings pass over and give a few passing shots at the larger cargo containers beyond Atter and the others. He turned back to see Sylvon's body and gave a wince. Sylvon had stopped twitching and laid still blood staining the sand around her. Atter had the quick thought to leave her but he remembered the Captain mentioning her and while the younger generation may leave a fellow soldier Atter's mind flashed to his brothers in arms in the old GAR. It was unthinkable to leave a brother on the field that he could bring home and by the time he finished that thought he had Syvlon's body in hands and tucked her under his arm. Sylvon's face was covered in sand and blood with a lifeless expression as her eyes half open showed her pupils expanded as death took her. A moment later he laid her lifeless body next to the pair of unconscious men that Atter had moved next to a battered and smoking P.L.R. The vehicle no longer held a tie fighter and sat empty when the Y-Wings made their initial strafing run. Atter could only hope the Rebels thought it out of action and wouldn't attempt another run on it again.
Above the Rally-point
Captian Kai clicked his com open his com as he and the few remaining Tie fighters sped across the sky back to the rally point. They had failed to slow the Alliance attack and now he was trying to work at damage control as fast as he could. The voice of Commander Karamat in the back of his mind as she showed her displeasure at Kai's decision to fly in a Tie in the survivor's defense. He spoke into it in quick concise tones “Flight this is Lead, you're to get to the Slipstream for extraction if possible. Those of you unable to make it back across the peninsula to the grasslands find a place to ditch. I suggest somewhere near the Rally-Ring area.”. As the few remaining pilots acknowledged one of the pilots came over the com with a concerned tone.
“Captain, Lieutenant Riyval was going off on his own over the continent we cant raise him.” Kai gritted his teeth. He had no love for Ryvil but he was a good pilot but more importantly Ryvil was an ally to Gridon. He thought for a second that Ryvil was bugging out when another of the few tie bomber pilots voices remaining came over the com “Sir it was odd, he was chanting something into the com, over and over and flying out past the rally-point into the grasslands.”. That sentence caught Kai's attention. “Did you record it?”. “Yes sir, sending it now.” said the other imperial pilot and a second later the voice of Lt. Ryvil came over the com chanting in a strange non common language. Kai stammered into his com as his sensor reading showed a pair of X-wings coming into the range of him an his remaining tie fighters and bombers “X-wing's a pair of them coming into range!” Kai shouted and the tie bombers and his own swung around to escape “Break for the Slipstream I'll follow!”. As Kai clicked off his com he watched the half dozen mix of bombers and fighters swing towards the southeast towards the Slipstream's last position.
In the cockpit of the lead X-wing the large muscular man Wes Janson scanned his sensor readout “Got a half dozen eyeballs and dupes breaking out towards the dragship old buddy.”. In the other X-wing an accented voice called back through the comm-channel and Hobbie Kilikvan's voice replied “Not our hunt now old buddy, Wedge's bird went down somewhere around here and his signal is getting weaker and he's not responding.”
Captain Kai watched the pair of X-wings swinging low to the ground and he understood. They were searching for something. Maybe a downed pilot. While the Ties had been thoroughly routed they had been able to bring down a half dozen or more of the Alliance fighters. Kai thought about trying to reach the Slipstream but he knew he couldn't, not after he heard Ryvil's disembodied chanting. He had heard it once before years ago when he was here with Admiral Jaeger. It had almost lead to disaster but was stopped just in time. But now the sacrifice is alone and in a fast moving fighter. Kai sped from the Ties and locked in the coordinates of Ryvil's last known signal and headed out towards the headed hard east at top speed.
In the cockpit of his X-wing Luke Skywalker was irritated he had missed most of the air battle with the imperial forces over the grasslands and had to expend unwanted energy chasing a pair of wounded Tie's trying to flee and blasted them into pieces. He felt his rage growing as he saw his sensor scopes cleared of any targets or even friendlies. He huffed and cursed and felt his skin tighten around his eyes and cheeks as the spite drifted into his emotions.
It was then the whistles and beeps of R2D2 behind his cockpit broke his hateful half trance and Luke looked at his gloved hand realizing how the feelings of hate and spite have been running through him so much more then it should be. Luke's mind flashed back at the pair of ties he destroyed and remembered he was going to let them flee until the feeling of rage took him and he hunted them down. Luke loosened the chin strap of his helmet and tore it off his head tossing it into his lap as he took deep gasps of breathes before looking out at the grasslands and turned slightly to glimpse the worried astromech behind him “R2.... I'm sorry I.. I feel .. anger.. I feel cold... like death is all around. Something about this place.. is making me feel.. hate.”. R2 gave some soft wobbles in reply and Luke nodded reading the X-wings astromech transreader “Y-yes I think I can control it.. it's tough but I .. I can handle it.”. A moment later a lone tie fighter's signal came at the edge of R2's sensor readings. Luke looked down at the reading and said “Come on, lets follow it.. it may lead us to more.” Luke finished. R2 gave a worried set of beeps in reply as Luke replaced his helmet on his head.
Karamat's toppled AT-ST...
The volley of laser fire and torps exploding was jarring and much more damaging then expected. Karamat had been mid order to her co-pilot of her AT-ST when one of the torps exploded next to her walker's leg and sent the scout vehicle tumbling to the ground. It hadn't exploded but the top hatch had blown off and Karamat was thrown from the wreckage into the half grass half dusty sand that the crags around the edge of the peninsula was covered with. Karamat tried to raise to her feet but made it only half way before her body crumpled over and she slumped to the ground as her eyes view faded into darkness.
What felt like hours later Karamat found herself in a gray void as if she was floating through a storm cloud. Her mind was only slightly aware of her new perspective as she looked down to realize she was nude and high above a small green form below her which she made out was the green grasslands she had been battling the rebel forces with. As Karamat looked down she saw the green form of the continent slowly approach as she realized she was descending towards the grasslands. Karamat descended for what felt like hours before her feet finally touched the grassland. As she did she looked up to see the gray sky and the gray red cloud that had been above the continent the last few days since the Kumo and the rebel forces arrived. A moment later the grassland below her feet felt cold and hard and she looked down to see the grasslands started to morph from dirt and plant life to grayblue checkered stone stretching away from her in all directions for about 10 meters before the checkered stone floor stopped and started rising as stone walls.
The stone walls made of the same grayblue stone that matched the now stone floor appeared and formed a grand cathedral around Karamat. The landscape of the grasslands around her faded away as she looked to each side of her seeing the grayblue stone walls climb fifteen meters high and forming a vaulted roof of a gothic styled cathedral ceiling with dark wood beams supporting the stone and blood red etchings and paintings hanging on the stone walls. Runes in a language she didn't recognize ran down some of the walls and wall tapestries.
As Karamat traced her vision down from the roof of the newly formed gothic looking cathedral she was surprised to see a dozen or more figures standing about six meters in front of her in a group. The figures about average humanoid height were adorned in ornate garb, robes in dark blue or red colors with dark colored fringe and velvet trim. Some of the figures were armored with large heavy pauldrons on their shoulders, others in simple uniforms with gold epaulettes on their shoulders with gold cording on their chests accenting their ornate silver buttons. To each side of the group were more tall thin candelabras burning bright blue flames. Karamat looked passed them and noticed the building had formed a complete cathedral with a pair of tall ornate doors and realized the building that appeared almost from the ether itself had engulfed her completely no longer allowing her to see the skies or the grasslands she was on just a moment earlier.
A second after Karamat again looked at figures once again taking in their clothing she realized their faces. Each of the dozen or more figures were blue skinned aliens, some were bright blue some dark indigo others dark midnight blue or even dark charcoal gray in skin tone. Their eyes were humanoid some of their eyes were totally white from their eye's sclera where no pupil nor iris were even present. Others of the blue skinned aliens had a vibrating blue glow from their eyes and some even had a red translucent glow to them. Karamat noticed their hair, most of the aliens in uniforms had short cropped hair in blue-black or stark white while the aliens wearing robes had long fine hair in the same trio of colors white or light gray, black or dark blue on their heads. But all of the aliens Karamat noticed had pointed ears to each side of their heads. Some had higher pointed ears while others had slightly lower and out turned ears but still pointed none the less. After another second Karamat noticed the group of aliens blank expressions started to smile and smirk at her as some of them lowered their brows in more sinister expressions.
Karamat took a step back from them in reaction to their expressions changing and her backside unknowingly hit a stone object. She turned around to see a large stone slab with ornate edges and a long flat area sitting on legs that brought the flat slab about chest high with an ornate dagger laying in its center. The slab was flanked by a pair of candelabras on each end of it with blue flames dancing from them.
A sacrificial slab if Karamat had ever saw one, and she had back on Phosmai but they were made of jagged edged stone from the Phosmiri tribes that carried out the bloody rituals. Behind the ornate carved slab was a large throne made of red bones and skulls in different sizes. Some were human sized others were huge but all were arranged to draw the center of attention to the sacrificial slab. At the base of the over sized throne and behind the slab stood another of the blue skinned aliens, a female from what Karamat could see. A woman in robes and her skin a bright blue with eyes totally lacking pupils or iris just pure sclera and pointed ears adorning a smirking face with long fine stark white hair. Karamat looked down at the slab and in doing so realized she maybe the one the aliens intended to use as the sacrifice. She turned away quickly instinctively and spread her legs stance and raised her arms open into a combat position. Karamat let the thought of herself play a note of humor in the back of her mind at the sight of her, nude as the day she was born and poised to defend for her life. If she was to be sacrificed she was going out fighting she thought to herself. But to her surprise the dozen figures had spread into two smaller groups on each side of each other allowing a space between them.
They still stood about six meters away from Karamat and she had wondered for a moment if they were waiting for her to walk towards them as they parted ways but then a sense of dread came over her a sense of spite spiked in her temper, flashes of a cold hatred easing her temper in a way even Karamat was not used to she then saw the space between the crowd form small dark red orbs of glowing light that floated up form the stone floor and swirled with each other into a large dustdevil type of phenomenon. Karamat eased her stance a moment as more of the red and black orbs rose from the stone floor and joined the already swirling group of orbs that started to form an almost gelatinous form and then suddenly a huge nearly ten meter tall being started to coalesce from the glowing orbs.
Karamat's defense stance bled away as if some force had entranced her and the large dark form started to turn from a translucent tall being into a more opaque visage. A tall bluegray skinned humanoid being with not hair but a large elongated cranium that gave the being a repulsive appearance. The face was twisted with gaunt dark features and hollowed dark eyes with a permanent furrowed brow and arched fierce eyebrows. The being's nose was small and turned up in a scowl as it's mouth had turned down lips in an angered expression to match its brow. The beings body was long and lanky with malnourished looking arms that were over sized for its torso as the being was hunched over and its legs while in a half squat position was still standing. Karamat had seen holo's of rancor's that took a slouched squatting stance while in captivity she remembered. The being was clothed in a tattered dark silk looking tunic adorned with a yellow trim shapes on the tunic's chest and completed with rolls at the shoulder as well as complementing the beings bicorn outfit with dark silk trousers and full length dark cape running down it's back.
Karamat traced her eyes up and similar to the aliens this beings ears were also pointed at the top but were dwarfed by the large elongated cranium. It appeared male as she could see. After another second the being completed its coalescence and the small sounds of it's large lizard like feet gave a light clap on the bluegray stone. Upon the huge beings feet making physical contact with the stone the blue skinned aliens on either side of the now fully formed being all dropped to one knee as if honoring a sovereign. Karamat never had the privilege of meeting the Emperor but had seen his loyal followers kneel at his arrival much in the same way. Then the huge being looked down at Karamat who stood there half frozen from fear but more so as if a force held her keeping her bare feet dead and and unable to respond to her mental commands to move. Karamat tried to speak but her mouth refused to move at her mental command. The huge being took a long step coming to stand in front of her. Then the huge ugly being spoke and the sound pierced Karamats ears causing her pain, she instinctively tried put her palms over her ears but like her feet and mouth her arms failed her respond. Karamat could feel small bits drips of warm liquid coming from her ears as the bled.
"You have run afoul my realm again... human." the huge ugly being in a deep malignant tone as it motioned a huge lanky arm to Karamat and his long gangly fingers that looked swollen and gray as if infected and healed over came close to her head. One of the soured looked fingers rubbed against Karamat's head and dwarfed her frame as the finger was easily the size of a small tree trunk. Karamat felt the rough patchy skin of the beings finger rub her head and cheek. The hate in her swelled, she was forsaken her attire leaving her exposed, and now this alien dared touch her. Karamat tried to speak against the power that held her mouth still and the tiniest of exhale came from her lips.
The being continued to speak "Why have you returned human?" Karmat felt her body start to spike in pain as if a vibroblade had been stuck into her spine and she tried to turn her body to see if the woman behind her had taken advantage of her current paralyzed state but again her body refused to respond to her wishes. Being stabbed was a consequence of her situation Karamat thought and could rationalize that, the fact that she was in this ornate cathedral in front of these alien creatures and this large ugly being made her mind think of nothing but enacting vengeance on them for placing her here. Mental images of the aliens in pain and despair raced through her mind and it was all Karamat could do not to lose herself in her minds eye with the mental horrors her mind was conjuring.
"Yesss... the hateful fury swells in you." the being said. Karamat's mind snapped back to the being in front of her as she raised her eyes and saw his jagged and yellowed teeth as it spoke. The voice still hurt her ears but the thought of the being and the aliens dying in gruesome torturous ways eased the pain of the beings voice. A half second later she tried to clear her mind and endure the pain of her bleeding ears to allow herself to regain attention to the situation at hand. She was unsure why her mind wanted to keep returning to the deaths of these creatures but mentally told herself to focus even it meant taking the pain of the beings voice. "I ask again... why?" the being said, this time the pain in Karamat's earlobes while throbbing was expected and she mentally endured the physical pain and could hear the tone of the beings voice this time. A deep voice that traced up to a nasally whine was the best description her mind could come with the type of voice the huge ugly creature had. It took another second to realize he spoke galactic basic as she stood there nude and brooding as the trickles of blood trailed down her cheeks and neck.
Then to Karamat's surprise her mouth moved but not at her command as if it was alive on it's own and she stood there listening to her own voice speak "We were led here, we came at his order...". Karamat's voice stopped not because she commanded it to stop but stop it did. The huge ugly being raised a gnarly finger to his chin and spoke spiking Karamat's ears again "The Queenslayer... yes... his presence was felt.". Karamat wasn't sure who or what the queenslayer was or why her own voice no, her own consciousness spoke to this vile being. She attempted to speak herself and this time found her mouth was indeed under her control "Who are you?" she said as commanding as she could in her situation. The being winced his large eyes back at her and gave a half snarl and replied "You are me, you are loathsome, spiteful, ire filled. You are hate...." the being finished.
The words again were piercing Karamat's ears and she endured the pain even though the beings voice seemed not to jump into high octaves it made them bleed all the same. But this time the final word the being said kept ringing in her head over and over. Hate. Karamat tried to still her as her eyes darted with the word still reverberating through her mind. Suddenly the being bent down its body and drew its large head and torso to Karamat, she stood looking at the being eye to huge eye unable to move. Karamat's body was perhaps as large the beings face and head and she felt the breathe from the being touch her naked skin. It was cold as if no warmth of life came from the being's lungs. All the while the last word of his sentence ringing in her bleeding ears.
Hate... Then the being spoke again and as it did Karamat's mouth mimicked word for word syllable for syllable the exact words the huge being spoke aloud as his words left his own repulsive lips Karamat's lips matched them to the instant "Hate empowers us to destroy our enemies. Hate protects us from betrayal. Hate liberates us from the weaknesses of love and mercy.". Karamat stared deep into the dark eyes of the huge being in front of her as the words poured from both their mouths unable to stop her lips from uttering as if they were being controlled. For a few seconds Karamat thought perhaps the being was a telepath that held her in a sort of mind control over her body but her self consciousness being able to question this would undermine that fact. No this was something else..
A moment after the words finished the huge being raised up to his full height easily dwarfing Karamat or any human of the approximate galactic standard height. Karamat for another second tried to return to her combat stance but yet again her arms and legs refused to move as if her body had gone inert bare and lifeless with a still functioning brain. The being again reach out a lanky arm with a gangly finger and placed it on Karamat's forehead, the single fingertip was as big as Karamat's entire face and it touched her forehead covering her eyes and laying up into her hairline. Karamat felt the rough blotchy skin on hers but a split second as her minds eye was suddenly filled with a brilliant white light like a new star imploding and images flooded her mind as did names and places that her conscious self waded through unable to understand them but knew they were something this being was showing her. Fields of grass, more of the blue skinned aliens in grand armies on the march. Magnificent azure and white marble towers that stood along a mountain range and quickly crumbled to ruins. Grand fields of grass and humans similar to those found on Coruscant with armor and clothing similar to the aliens also in the visions as well as matching the ones standing a few meters away. Other aliens flashed in her minds eyes, some she thought she recognized others completely foreign to her, some large and green others small and covered in dark stains. A kaleidoscope of colors flashed between the visions as one was wiped for another and she saw grand mountains with a dark forest at its base. A city inside a huge cavernous system with more blue skinned aliens. Humans in a city on a desert world, as well as an icy plain. After what felt an eternity the large fingertip of the being was removed as it pulled its hand away and Karamat's vision of the goth cathedral's roof returned.
The huge being stood in front of Karamat and simply said "Remember..." with the same voice that again hurt Karamat's ears. Then the huge being turned letting it's dark cape swirl with it's motion and with only a few strides it's large body was over a dozen meters away walking past the twisted looking blue skinned aliens heading towards the huge double doors to the cathedral.
The hold on Karamat's body released and she crumbled to the ground like a wet sack of fruit. Her body lay there nude on the stone bleeding still from her ears and twitching from the experience. She started to fade into unconsciousness just as the blue skinned aliens turned their backs to her and cheered for the large being now opening the huge double doors to this chamber where Karamat and the other aliens stood. The being fit through comfortably and as he swung the door open from her position with her head on the stone ground she could see a red sky with black swirling clouds and what looked like other goth styled buildings of a city from the view she had looking through the door as the being stepped out of the gothic cathedral. The last thing Karamat heard through her bleeding ears was the chanting and cheering of the aliens and a word of praise "rook, or in rook" was all she could consciously make out before her eyes shut and darkness took her.
What felt like hours later the shaking of Commander Karamat's shoulders roused her conscious again and she wavered as she raised up feeling a gloved hand on her body. She instinctively jerked away from the gloved arm on her expecting it to be one of the blue skinned aliens touching her and in the condition she tried to remember she was in it may be for bloody ritual reasons. Then Karamat's eyes focused and she saw the gray uniform and large mushroom helm of her copilot Lt. Manqu shaking her awake. "Sir! Are you hurt bad?" he yelled over the sounds of laser fire ripping through the air and the crackling of metal and fire melting. It took Karamat less then a second to reconnoiter her surroundings. Commander Karamat was laying in the grassy area around the crags where Kai had positioned her ground forces. To her left was the burning remains of the AT-ST she and Lt. Manqu had been piloting and to her left was the squat image of one of the troop transports with personnel rushing into it. Less then a second went by and her imperial training kicked in she stood reaching up to cast off her own helmet but felt nothing on her head except blood trickling down her ears. Karamat looked over and saw her helm laying in the grass. "How- How long was I unconscious?!" She barked at Manqu turning a cold angry stare at him. Manqu snapped upright "A few seconds, maybe a half minute is all sir?" Manqu finished in a questioning tone to the reply. Karamat shook the feeling in her mind that she'd been out for longer, she may be concussed from the explosion she thought to herself it would explain her ears bleeding. "Status?" She said in a less aggressive but very dubious tone. Manqu turned towards the AT-ST and pointed towards an AT-AT that had been flanked to their left for support. Both turned into scrap piles on fire. "We were lucky, the explosion cracked open the side of the cockpit and threw us clear of the wreck when our rig went down. The others in the AT-AT weren't so lucky." Karamat sneered as she looked at its flaming debris. "Death for them either way, by fire or by fall." was her reply. She turned to Manqu his dark skin now covered in blood and soot from the wreckage "Are you wounded?" Karamat questioned. "N-no sir. Shook up but I'm fi-". Karamat cut him off "Good get us to the transport so we can regroup at the rally point. That was the plan should the push back attempt fail." She said rubbing her ear clear of some of the blood that had started to dry on her lobe and in her hair. "Right sir!" Manqu replied as he started towards the transport.
Karamat turned to look at the wreckage of her AT-ST and the few fighters still in the sky overhead, she wondered if they had been destroyed or had the fight moved towards the Rally Point. If it did the rebels would tear it to pieces. The grizzled face of Sergeant Atter flashed in her mind and she winced before turning and following Manqu to the transport. As Karamat got into the transport she looked at the survivors inside. Most were stormtroopers with a few personnel from the AT-AT. It was then she thought of her husband and his original profession was that of an AT-AT driver and she looked to see if any of the driver crew had survived but none were present. Karamat went up to the portal area between the drivers and the rear load area and shouted "Driver! Get us moving within the next minute!" Karamat barked to the nods of the pair of gray clad troop transport drivers in their seats. Then Karamat popped the top hatch on the troop transport to scan the area with a pair of binocs for more survivors but saw none. What Karamat did see was the huge red mist cloud to the east was gone and in its place far in the distance was devastation. The grasslands had been totally destroyed like a fire wave had hit the area to the east of their position in a wave miles long. Karamat was unsure what caused such destruction but assumed it was something the rebels or the interdictor may have done during the firefight. Either way it was not her concern and just as she dropped back down and closed the top hatch the image of Kai's face flashed in her mind's eye and she gritted her teeth knowing of the rebels smashed through them this easily Kai and his aerial forces were probably killed or scattered. She gave a slight breath and turned to see Manqu sitting in one of the fold out seats his helmet off with his hands on his head. Manqu's helmet sitting on his thigh of his scorch stained gray uniform tattered with blood and soot on it. Karamat gritted her teeth and pounded the cockpit wall "Move out! To the fall back point!" She barked. The fallback point was still on the north western peninsula but not at Rally point Alpha in case it's overrun. The drivers instantly started moving the troop transport and circled it away from the burning AT-ST and headed out of the battlefield.
Grasslands, Wedge's X-wing crash
As the pain in his legs became overwhelming Wedge Antilles continued to try and relay his position on his sleeve communicator to his fellow squad mates. The static that filled the comm channels making it difficult for any clear transmission to or from his allies. He made sure to activate the homing beacon on his ejection seat but knew his rebel friends were in a fight in the skies above so he may have a while to wait. Wedge took a look down at the cuts into his lower legs, the blood from his legs had slowed partially to his lack of movement but also because it his legs were starting to clot the blood at the tears in his flesh and muscle. "If you get out of this friend you deserve a few days in the bacta tank." he said aloud to himself. As he lay back on the grasslands Wedge felt his head start to swirl he reach the point of his pain limit with his legs pinned. A few moments later he passed out unconscious.
Wedge's sub conscious took over and he drifted off and his eyes closed. He awoke some time later opening his eyes and seeing a dark gray ceiling above him. Wedge stirred realizing his was laying back still but no longer in pain. He turned his head and small he was in a small bunk with a gray cloth bed cover over his body. After a moment Wedge sat up and swung his legs off the end of the cot. He looked around seeing the familiar dark gray and dark blue paneling of his room. Every few feet a blue or gray panel had a small control panel or button on it to open the panel or activate something meant for the inhabitant of the room. The room itself was small and quite a mess with clothing and data pads strewn about. After a moment of looking around Wedge hopped out of the bunk and strode over towards the small sanitation nook and punched a button in the corner of one of the dark blue panels.
A quick mechanized sound of a whir followed with the small rectangular panel sliding open revealing a small sink and water dispenser head in one corner of the small sink. Wedge tapped it and a small stream of clear water came from the dispenser to allow Wedge to cup his hands under it and fill it with the few seconds of water before it auto-shut off. Wedge leaned over the sink and splashed the water onto his face and hair wetting it as he did he pressed the button again closing the sink and reach up tapping a control button on one of the gray panels at his head and it slid to the side revealing a mirror. Wedge used his fingers to comb over his tattered slept looking hair and wipe his face clean with the water and stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. Seeing his young face and giving himself a humble smirk.”You could pass for 19 or maybe 20.” Wedge said to his young reflection in the mirror. A moment later he closed the mirror panel and slipped on his boots and opened his cabin door.
Beyond Wedge's cabin was the familiar hallway of his parents fuel depot on Gus Treta. His mind started his checklist of things to do before he was ready to spend the week down on Corellia for school. Most of the time he'd never get to see his parents Jagged and Zena but on holidays or the occasional time off from his schooling he was glad to spend time with them.
After a few seconds of walking the interior of the fueling depot hallways Wedge came to a small living area where his parent's had made their residence on the market station. Wedge walked up to the door to the living area and punched on the door control and the door slid open. Inside was the small dining area with a small square table with metal chairs on each side. To back of the area Zena was standing next to a sink and food prep area taking a long sip from a cup as she stared at Jagged who was standing a few inches from her giving her a long loving smile behind his beard. As Wedge stood in the door for a moment watching them the pair turned, Zena lowering the cup from her lips. “How are ya lad?” Jagged said jokingly said to Wedge. “Fine,.. I'm not a lad.” Wedge said slightly annoyed as walked over to the small square table and sat in one of the metal chairs. The door behind him shutting with a hiss. As he sat Wedge noticed a small bowl filled with some small citrus fruits of different kinds and reach for one and picked it up. “Eat up, you're going back to Corellia in a few hours.” Zena said giving Wedge a warm smile.
Wedge peeled off some of the skin of the green and blue colored fruit and took a bite giving his mother a nod “I know.” he replied with his mouth still half full. Wedge swallowed the bit of fruit as he heard the hiss of the door opening again. He turned to see a small petite girl in a while shiny dress behind him standing in the doorway the same he had done a few moments before. She was human perhaps 9 or 10 years of age. Her hair was a blonde gold that came just above her shoulder with a small princess braid at the top of her head. Around her neck was a small thin shiny gold collar. Her skin was soft and pale, so much so Wedge blinked his eyes unsure if his eyes were unable to focus because of how soft the girls skin seemed.
As Wedge sat looking over his shoulder at the small girl smiled at him with a soft smile but to Wedge's surprise was the voices of his parents. “Well we need to prep, we'll leave you two alone.” Jagged said as Zena put her cup on the prep counter. “Don't be too long with him please.” Zena said towards the girl as the pair of adults walked passed Wedge and the girl before Zena turned and took a few steps back and leaned over hugging Wedge and rubbed his head to Wedge's slight annoyance but didn't mind too much. “I won't.” the girl replied as she gave the adults a soft smile. Wedge took note of how soft and calming the girl's voice was. As he watched his parents walk out the door and it give a hissing close the girl walked over to one of the other chairs at the small square table and pulled it out and tucked her dress as she hopped onto it. Wedge saw how small and petite she was as the chair of average size still dwarfed her. “I hope I didn't startle you.” She said as she turned her gaze towards Wedge staring at him with soft green eyes. Wedge wondered who this girl was and more importantly how she knew his parents and why they left him with her. “N, no.” Wedge started with a slight stutter trying to find the words. “Who..?” Wedge started to say as his words for some reason trailed off as if his mind wasn't able to to finish the sentence. “I am a friend.” was the girls soft spoken reply as she sat her eyes glistened in the filtered light and it was as if the aura around her started to glow but more surprising to Wedge he didn't find it strange or even comment on it as if his mind already expected it.
It took a moment for Wedge to gain his mental bearings before he started to think and while doing so the lights flickered in the small living area. “What do you want?” was as much as Wedge's mental capacity could conjure forth towards the small girl in the white dress at the table with him. “I need you Wedge Antilles.”. Was her next words coming in a soft yet louder tone. To which Wedge quirked his young head at her as if to ask why. “Are you up for my charge, young Antilles?” the girl spoke again. A second later Wedge shook his head trying to clear it as he did the lights in the area flickered a few times. It was as if he was blinking away sleep from his mind. “Why me?” Wedge could focus enough to ask that simple question.
The young blonde girl in the white dress gave Wedge a soft almost unrecognizable smile and gazed at him “Because you have the commitment.” she replied. Wedge sat there and finished his fruit as he swallowed thoughts crept into his mind sounds and places he didn't recognize yet somehow knew, he shook his head again and the this time the lights flickered several times as his mind became slightly more focused. “Wait,.. where..” Wedge said half coherently as he turned to look at the gray and dark blue panels of the living area walls. “Back at your home, when you had happier and more tranquil memories.” the girl said as she stared at Wedge who stopped looking around and shook his head again.
This time the lights flickered out totally and the darkness consumed the room only a radiant golden light from the small girl siting in the chair was left giving a soft glow to the table and Wedge and in the darkness images flickered behind her. Of a jungle moon with large pyramid structures in the distance and squadrons of fighters rising in past them and zooming off into the sky, the sky then bled into white puddles on the dark ground of the darkness and turned to the ice and snow of an frozen tundra and the images of troops fleeing from the massive metal behemoths towering over them as it sprayed laser fire into them. Then the metal behemoths blurred into a large metallic sphere as the white snowy plain was whisked away to the darken star peppered sky above a green moon with the second dreaded Death Star above it.
“The Alliance!” young Wedge called out towards the images behind the small girl in the chair. As he did they bled into darkness and after a second the lights to the living quarters returned and Wedge was again sitting at the square table. “What is this?” Wedge said projecting a more serious tone at the girl. “As I told you this is a happier more tranquil vision of your memory then the horror's you've been facing.” she replied. “This is not real, is it? This is.. I'm asleep aren't I?” Wedge said in a dubious tone. “Yes, you sleep under the wreckage of your metallic craft.”
“Who are you really?” Wedge said again this time in a more inquisitive tone. “I am a friend Wedge Antilles. One who is thankful for your crash.” she said to Wedge's surprise. “Thankful? Why?” he shot back. “It was a blessing really. As so many on this accursed land are so emotional from the hate permeating into them it's seeped into their dreams making them inert to my call. You're one of the few that have retained your calmness.” the girl said. “My calmness?” Wedge asked as he tried to keep pace with the girl's phrases, “Hold out your hand my friend and I'll explain.” she said offering her small petite hand that was small enough Wedge could have easily clasped it and for a quick moment he contemplated doing just that to force this girl or whatever she was for answers. Wedge reach out his hand and grabbed the girl's hand but to his surprise and terror his hand with right through her own as if she was a hologram and in that same instant her hand recoalesced with her tiny fingers holding his palm and in that instant his rising anger and annoyance washed away as his body went warm and his mind cleared he realized he was no longer sitting in the chair at the square table in his parent's depot but standing in the darkness that had returned and the girl was gone. Wedge turned around looking for her or anything for that matter in the darkness that surrounded him.
Wedge looked down at his hands and noticed he was once again wearing his orange flight suit and taller no longer in his teenage form. As Wedge looked around in the darkness he notice a large meter length object that was covered in white cloth and a white curtain partially concealing them hung from above the object. Almost without thinking Wedge tried to move the curtain away from the strange cloth cushioned items before he heard the girls voice again “Please do not touch my dress. Mortals are not permitted.” the voice thundered this time unlike the soft spoken girl in the memory of his parents depot. Wedge turned around and then his mind registered her words meaning, and he looked up
“Ah...” Was the gasp that he let out as towering above Wedge Antilles the small petite girl stood over him easily 10 meters in height. Wedge stood back looking up at the girl, who still retained her childlike appearance and still donning her soft smile looked down at him. But her body glowed a golden radiance around her and Wedge could not turn away as if she held his gaze to look up at her as she spoke again.
“I ask you Wedge Antilles, son of Zena and Jagged, brother to Syal, lover of Mala, guard captain of your red knights of the sky. Will you by my champion?”
Wedge was still trying to understand how this being knew all of this but his mind remembered hearing stories from Luke about the force and all the strange powers some being possessed and thought perhaps this being has them to. “What happens if I decline?” Wedge asked trying to turn his head but an invisible force wouldn't allows his muscles to respond. The girl gave a half frown and replied “Then you will return to your point of mortality. Under your craft and bleeding out into the grassland of Tunaria's Corridor as those who bathe in hate and zealotry spill each others blood in crafts and on the land as well. Where you will most likely never awaken from your injuries.” Wedge gave a gulp trying to parse the girl's words. He assumed she spoke of the Alliance and the Imperials, though he had know idea if that was the planet's name or where he crashed. Nor was it lost on him she mentioned his bleeding injuries and if he would live through his wounds. After a half moment Wedge asked meekly “And if I accept?”. “Then I will heal you, and ask for your life a simple charge.” she replied. “To be your champion? But what does that mean?” Wedge said. The towering girl leaned over letting her face come close to Wedge's as her skin was still the soft pale texture that radiated a warm glow. Wedge stared into the girl's barrel size eyes as the soft green and black of the girl's eyes and iris reflected his image showing him again in his mid twenties in age.
“If you accept then you will be the voice of reason, you will be the stability when chaos descends, you will slay those that you must, protect your friends and your foes. You will be my champion, my avatar. Will you be tranquility in this world of hate.“ the small girl finished.
The words of the girl washed over him as she raised back up and suddenly Wedge could move his neck and body again. He stood there a moment and looked around the total darkness that surrounded him was surreal but must have been the girl's doing. He thought for a long few moments contemplating the girl's offer and then she vanished leaving him in the darkness. “Wait! Don't go!” Wedge shouted as if her leaving him was akin to relinquishing to his death “I'll do it! I accept! I'll be your champion!” he shouted.
“Blessing of Quellious bestow upon you.” The girl's voice thundered from the darkness and suddenly the darkness enveloped Wedge and he saw and felt nothing.
What felt like an eternity went by as the girls words thundered through his mind and suddenly his eyes opened. He was back laying in the grassland next to his ejected cockpit. Wedge noticed he was no longer under the wreckage of his X-wing and instead laying next to it. The blood stains were still on his orange flight-suit's legs but his legs themselves felt fine. Wedge shook his head trying to focus on the dream or vision that had disseminated through his mind while he was unconscious. He looked over and spied his commlink laying in the grass and picked it up and tried it. It was still giving static as a reply to his call outs. “Still jammed?” Wedge wondered as he slowly stood up standing next to what was left of his X-wing's cockpit. He reach in and took out his DL44 heavy laser pistol and had thought of walking away from his crash but realized it'd be futile effort as the Riptide's crash was overwhelmed by those arachnids and he was on the other edge of the continent near imperial positions. “I suppose we wait and see if Wes or one of the others picks up the beacon.” Wedge said to his pistol as he holstered it.
...to be continued...
