Chatper 11: Return to Trouble “So you want to get a hotel room while we stay on planet? House Garrik and Trapps in the Tail?” she asked startled.
“No, we’ll take turns. We get the hotel for two nights in a row, and then he and Trapps can have it every third. I just don’t want anyone messing with the ship. Space is premium here. I don’t know if it’ll be possible to get two hotel rooms, much less three. We’ve got the money. Plus, I don’t want to leave the ship unguarded,” I said
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Garrik said
“Me neither. You two are life mates. You need time alone,” Trapps growled.
“Stay, out of, both you” she and I said in unison.
“You’re the most stubborn person and can mask it in logic,” she said.
“Fine, so I try for the rooms, and however many I can get I get. The rest of us take our turn in The Monkey’s Tail.” The comsystem in the lounge of the ship beeped.
“It’s Mirax. I’ve got the papers you asked for and a few credits left over. I’m just about to the platform.”
“Paul and I will be out to greet you, Mirax,” Chief responded. “You coming?”
“Just as long as you understand we’re doing this my way,” with that one comment I knew no matter what the living arrangements that the two of us where not going to be intimate for a few days even if we were all alone. I didn’t bother to check the power on my blaster this time, for I knew now that we weren’t going to be betrayed, but I kept wearing it so just to remind her that I would take care of my wife and friends.
The past two years had been extremely hard on us. We were living basicly onboard The Monkey’s Tail with the occasional week planet side. Running shipments was also incredibly hard during the time. Grand Admiral Thrawn (not my defector friend) had free reign on the shipping lanes. Then the clone Emperor, although I find that rather incredulous, or who ever nearly smashed the Republic into submission destroying Coruscant’s surface and several Republic temporary headquarters.. We’d been moving from place to place mostly residing in three type A Cargo Containers that we’d jurry rigged with life support, gravity, a refresher and a docking station for the ship. It gave us privacy, but not much. It basicly meant that Gabi and I didn’t have to kill each other trying to share a bunk in the living quarters. We stole the moments when we could. We felt so guilty about spending some of the credits we were earning on a hotel room for ourselves. Our food was, well whatever we could fit into our galley while taking on cargo. Our drop off point on Yaga Minor didn’t seem to mind a hundred pounds of food missing. I’m sure they withheld one hundred pounds of ore. We’d then fly the ore to one of the Incom Manufacturing facilities. They were willing to overlook that this ore was from Yaga Minor and paid us quite handsomely for it. There was some percentage of iron to lead that made it more favorable to make X-Wing hulls. When the Sienar Corporation was privatized again, they put out a call for the ore that came from Yaga Minor. The Yagans basically knew that we were profiting off them. They however, were starving. Any food that could be brought in legitimately, or smuggled as we did was paid for. We never asked for anything put a cut of the ore.
“It’s time to leave now. I’ve sent over my resignation. Those damned Omegas should be here in a day or two. This place is going to be crushed,” I pleaded with Trapps. “Chief and I are running. We got some money saved up, you can come with us.”
“I do not wish to intrude on you life mates,” he snarled.
“Fine then,” Chief said angrily at him. “You just forget about seeing fifty. You can die here in your twenties.”
“She’s right. First stop is to see is planet fall to see if Garrik and his family want to come with us too,” I said. “It’s going to be a masacare. We lost half the squadron two days ago. I bought the ship before the mission because I knew it’d be my last,” I added. “I’m not going to let anymore friends die senselessly. JC hypered out of here this morning. Andy is technically AWOL. Admiral Azzameen was badly wounded during the fight. I plan on ordering Zaron and Taugrim to go to Coruscant and report what happened. I ordered and evacuation of all personel with family first, spots remaing to those single. No one would blame them for running.”
“So, were do we go from here?” Trapps asked.
“Alderaan. Gabi wants to make a tribute to her dead family. After that, we’ll be going to the nearby systems to see if there is cargo we can run. If rumors are true, there are people in Imperial space starving. I plan on selling them food for goods that certain companies want in the Republic.”
“Smuggling. How human.”
“Trapps, it’s me. Not smuggling, unofficial trade negotiators. Besides, we can retire soon after that if we succeed.” The closest thing to a grin I had ever seen on his face emerged.
“Let us go prepare.”
“Good, I’ll give the ship once over. Grab my things, sweetie,” as Gabi let go of my hand, kissed my cheek and punched in the entry code to my new ship, The Monkey’s Tail.
The days in the infirmary were slow. The Emdee droid and it’s FX-7 Model assistant weren’t that great of conversationalists. I was surprised to see Adm. Ackbar. He had taken temporary command of General Solo’s task force due to some stranger than life happening. The Gen. Solo kidnapped Princess Leia and was now nowhere to be found. He did seem to show some insight to what happened though. Apparently he had overruled Adm. Azzameen and ordered Defender Squadron to create a diversion for Thrawn’s defection. Thrawn himself was killed in the withdrawl. He put his ship between some TIE Bombers’ torpedoes and the Troop transport used to evacuate his ground crew. They were now being held in isolation and being debriefed. I was to be transferred to Borealis training facilities for long term care and physical therapy rehabilitation. Gabi was going to be granted leave to stay with me while I rehabilitated. We were granted on base family housing exemptions. Basically, we got a room with a refresher station to ourselves and pushed the cots together.
Once on Borealis, I secured a link with The Sentinel and started to download my missing case files. I looked at the amount of work I had before me. I had a year of continuances granted me, with new cases piling on. If I was awake, and I could find a planetary judge, I was to be arguing a case when I got back.
My mornings on Borealis started with Gabi waking me, and helping me to the refresher station and helping me bathe myself. We’d then head to the mess hall and well, watch the fustration on the trainees’ faces as they were given the various scenarios. She then would take push me in the repulsor chair to the sessions with the physical therapist. The physical therapy was to help me regain my strength, endurance and coordination. After two hours of that my legs I was submerged in the bacta tank till lunch.
Within a week I was out of the repulsor chair and had about seventy percent of my original mobility, flexibility and about half my strength and coordination. Gabi stopped helping me into the refresher station and just got in the showering unit with me. We never got totally clean as we did back then, but then again, I really didn’t care. My beautiful new wife and I were together, my appearance fee in court was outlandishly high, and we started to plan what we would do when our terms of service ran out in the next year. She wanted me to retire to some world where I could practice law. I wanted to explore the galaxy, buy a transport or yacht. Trade goods for services or what ever would happen. I think she let me win out now because I was wounded and relatively between the two of us, I was earning a lot more money then she would. Not that I ever cared though. She is what made me happy. Gabi is what kept me going all those months away from her. Now, here she is helping me learn to walk again and get flight ready.
It took six months till I was declared fit for active duty. Occasionally one of the Defender Squad pilots would stop by if they had leave. They all hinted that we were close to finding and drawing out the Omega group. Trapps surprised the both of us when he showed up a week before we were to leave. He had arranged for us to have living quarters in the civilian section of Defender One platform and had re-arranged my quarters on The Sentinel so if it was Gabi’s rotation to be stationed there for that patrol, she could stay with me.
When the day drew upon us, we boarded the Lambda class shuttles that where now winding up with more frequency in our control as we took over base after base from the now Imperial Remnant. Scuttlebutt was before we left, some sort of new commander was running the their fleet. Their hit and fades were becoming more and more accurate. I didn’t have much time to speculate on it. I had a couple years worth of cases and would be charging overtime to everyone. I also needed to get my butt back in an X-Wing and get rechecked for combat on that. It was just good to be flying again.The trip was going to do me some good. It allowed me to get back to flying. I had forgotten what a joy that is. An atmospheric pilot will tell you of the rush they feel when flying. I never got that in any atmospheric speeder or craft. Actually, I rather hate flying in the atmosphere. I love flying in space for two very related reasons. There is freedom, and there is no down. You can fly free and not have to worry about any constraints put on your ships. Angles of attack in space are everything. You must defend a 360-degree sphere. There are many ships that don’t, and those are the ones that get slagged most of the time in combat. Yeah, if another guy gets on your six it’s often deadly, but it just as deadly if they hit your blind spot.
“Ready, Chief?” I asked as I carried our things up the ramp.
“When you going to stop calling me that? We’re married.”
“When I stop working with you.” A smile crossed her face. “What are you thinking about?”
“It’s a four or five day journey to home right?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s just you and me?”
“Yes.” I may be a stupid officer, but I caught on really fast.
“We don’t have to revert to real space for any course corrections do we?”
“Barring catastrophe, no. Are you going to tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Ok. I wonder how long an officer in hyperspace can go. That’s all.”
“Get on board, let’s find out together.” She giggled and led the way up the ramp. She stored our gear as I began the pre-flight check list. “Shuttle’s warmed. I’m going to ask for clearance.” I hit the com-unit. “Shuttle ST-34 reqesting departure headings. Final destination Guardian Wing task force.”
“Rodger that Shuttle ST-34. Head 34 mark 45 mark 3. After that, enjoy the flight.”
“Thanks control. The stay was nice but I have to get back to work, ST-34 out.” I powered up the repulsor lifts and headed us off into the atmosphere. Gabi went into the passenger cabin. When we cleared the Borealis’ moon I pulled back on the hyperspace lever.
“Hey, lieutenant, you going to help a poor lonely Master Chief back here or do I have to teach you how to do that as well?” I swivled my chair around. I loosened the top few bottons of my travel uniform.
“I don’t know. I’ll just have to see if what my wife lets me do.”
“Everything, now get back here or I’ll start with out you.”
