Star Wars - Empire of the Innocents

15 - New Chance

From the list of traitors to the empire and, at the same time, worth a reward of five thousand credits for whoever brought her, alive or dead, to the presence of the smuggler Gorok, the best chance for Lorena was to join the Rebel Alliance.

There was no option but to fully take possession of the Outsider and offer her services to the revolutionary movement.

The destruction of Alderaan had been the definitive turning point for the rebellion to gain momentum. Several systems began to support the rebel cause, even if not openly. Moved by the death sentence and summary execution of the Alderaanians carried out from the Death Star, those subjects of the Emperor who still believed in his good intentions finally began to question more vehemently his way of governing the galaxy.

At the same time, the destruction of the Death Star encouraged the most fearful to take a definitive stance in the increasingly evident conflict.

However, despite the recent victories of the rebellion, the empire still stood strong and possessed significant military power, often superior to that of the Alliance.

Faitt, on the other hand, had decided on a different path. He and Lorena still maintained contact, but unlike the young woman, the Ishi Tib remained independent, although he continued to supply contraband to the rebels. The difference was that, for obvious reasons, he had a new supplier. He had changed the name of his ship through a new registration, after canceling the original registration. Faitt knew how to do it, but he also relied on some friends who were experts in these actions to assist him. Hacking his own transponder was the final step to erase his trail once and for all.

However, he was certain that Gorok would never forget the catastrophic losses he had suffered by trusting him. Faitt knew he would spend the rest of his life hiding from bounty hunters.

The onboard computer "beeped," alerting Lorena that her destination was approaching. The captain of the Outsider pulled the hyperdrive control lever back, and the stars turned into streaks of light before becoming static points in the distance, amid deep space.

Right ahead, the gas giant Darion-VI presented itself majestically before the ship's windows.

The planet, which was part of the Darion system along with nine others, had three natural satellites. All of them were completely inhospitable, just like the surrounded celestial body.

Thanks to some modifications made to the Outsider, the ship had considerably improved its performance, making its travels much faster. Lorena didn't have enough expertise in hyperdrive functioning to increase its power. The improvement had only been possible thanks to the help of a new friend. A wookiee named Chewbacca, who had also recently joined the rebels but had been of utmost importance in her victory against the Death Star.

Lorena maneuvered the Outsider to align with another, more recent model of YT freighter. The ship's captain made contact through the radio:

"The system is here. Chewie and I have been here before. We just need to find out if the miners are still around."

This was Captain Han Solo, piloting his YT-1300 in search of a new home for the rebels, as the secret base on Yavin IV had become the most well-known in the galaxy.

Lorena had offered to assist in the search as a way to show her gratitude to Chewbacca for the improvements he had made on the Outsider. Chewbacca was Solo's first mate on the Millennium Falcon and his loyal friend.

Lorena pressed the radio button on the console to respond to Solo:

"We're prepared for anything" - Lorena said, looking at Helzaah who was seated in the newly restored co-pilot seat, nodding her head. – "We hope we won't jeopardize the mission. As I mentioned to Chewbacca earlier, the Outsider is wanted by the Empire and a dozen bounty hunters."