Star Wars: Rebellion and Betrayal

Chapter 10

The room was silent, everyone still processing the last mission. The soldiers of Cloud Squadron were spread out across the room while the six rescued prisoners sat in a group. Twitch was still in the cockpit, taking care of some last minute shutdown procedures on the ship while Oster and McCart secured the two bombers. Abie was waiting for the majority of the group to be present to say anything.

McCart soon walked into the room, followed by Oster. The Bothan surveyed the room, looking for his normal partner.

Abie noticed the worry that flushed over his face. "I'm sorry Oster, she didn't make it."

Oster just stared straight ahead, his hand slowly forming into a fist. He silently sat in the corner, clearly doing his best to control the rage brewing inside of him.

Abie felt for him but knew there was nothing she could do. She waited a few more minutes, eventually giving up on waiting for Twitch. "Alright everyone, I will start by addressing what's on everyone's mind. It seems that the mission we just attempted to complete was a trap from the beginning."

"I tried to tell you that!" one of the newcomers shouted from the back.

Abie forced herself to ignore him, not attempting to defend herself. "Nevertheless, we lost two brave soldiers today. As tragic as the loss of Piik and Gershem are, we must remember that their sacrifice allowed us to save six lives"

"No, you didn't!" a voice called. It was the same man that had spoken up before. "You lost 12 lives today. That stunt you pulled put us all at risk and inflicted even more pain on us. My wife was on one of those destroyed transports as was family of all of us that you rescued. What made you think that trying to save us was a good idea?"

Abie was taken aback by the hostility shown from the man.

McCart was the one who was quick to respond. "Cool it mate, you were being transferred to the capital to be executed for treason. You all would have died anyway. My name is McCart of house Henning of Serenno. We are a group of rebels fighting to free people from the tyranny of the Empire. The woman you just disrespected is our leader, Abie Edge. We were on the side of the Republic before and now we are on the side of you, the people of Serenno."

The man backed down once he heard about their inevitable execution. "But how can we trust you? I am sure you are aware that we served the Separatist Alliance. What's to say you aren't just out for revenge?"

Before anyone could answer, Twitch came running into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but everyone needs to hear this. It just played over the holonet and I was able to record it."

Twitch set down a small holoprojector on the floor of the cargo hold. He tapped a button and the holographic image of a woman appeared above it. It was the same woman who spoke to Abie on the transport. Abie had to suppress the burning anger inside her as the woman began to speak.

"Citizens of Serenno, I come to you, not as a Grand Admiral within the Imperial Navy, but as a fellow citizen of the Empire. Earlier today, Imperial forces were transporting a group of Separatist loyalists to the capital to be commended for their service to Serenno during the war. In a brutal attack, off-world terrorists, led by galactic criminal Abie Edge, assassinated these proud Serennian citizens. Imperial authorities are working to track down these insurgents and bring them to justice. If you have any information, notify the nearest Imperial outpost. Together we can maintain a safe and secure society on Serenno." The woman bowed before the recording ended.

Whispers emanated from the small group of people as Abie continued to stare at the small holoprojector on the ground. Her anger eventually got the best of her as she whipped out her blaster and sent a single blaster bolt into the holoprojector, shattering it into pieces.