Star Wars: Wanderers

Chapter Five

Scaparus Port, Arkanis
1 ABY

Jasper kicked a rock across the beach, watching it tumble its way down to the water's edge. He scowled. He had gotten nowhere since his escape from Sullust. Now that the Empire knew he was alive and kicking, he had to tread more carefully, and that meant staying out of sight. Taking fewer risks. Making less progress.

A little way ahead up the beach, a small crowd had gathered. Curious, he started making his way toward them. Raised slightly above the crowd he could see a woman's head. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, with long, golden blonde hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Her face was beautiful, yet grim. Her emerald green eyes glittered with a keen intelligence as she spoke to the crowd.

"You're probably all gathered here because you want to fight the Empire," she was saying. "Your reasons might be different: some of you might have a score to settle..." her gaze landed on a tall young man in the crowd. "Some of you have nowhere else to go..." here she made eye contact with a middle-aged woman standing among those nearest to her. "And still others among you may simply be trying to regain what you have lost." Now her eyes met Jasper's. He stood stock still, wondering if she could somehow sense what he was thinking. But the moment passed, and the woman continued to address the crowd.

"Well, our purpose is not to fight the Empire," she said, letting her gaze sweep out over the gathering. "Our purpose is to defeat it, to destroy it utterly, so that we may rebuild our democracy and fashion a New Republic, one wiser and less vulnerable than the old." Her voice trembled for a moment, then she continued, loud and strong. "And above all- we fight for the people of this galaxy, living and dead. We fight to honor the lost, that their sacrifice may not have been in vain, and we fight for the living, for their right to live free from fear and torment."

"We will be conducting several tests for you to take over the next week, to see if you pass muster. I do not admit new fighters into my force lightly. If no place is found for you here, I can refer you to others in the Rebel Alliance who might have a place for you. The Hands of Liberty is not for the faint-hearted. We walk where others do not dare to tread, we fight battles that would make veteran soldiers tremble in their boots, and we are the Empire's worst nightmare." She smiled grimly. "Let's get to it, then. To the ships."

She turned and began walking up the beach, towards a fleet of ships in the distance. The crowd followed her, muttering excitedly among themselves. Jasper made his way forward, weaving through the crowd, until he was right beside the woman. "Excuse me?"

She turned and faced him. "Yes?"

"I..." Jasper was not certain what impulse he was following. He decided to just roll with it. "While you were talking, you seemed to make eye contact with me for a moment. Like you were reading my mind or something."

She laughed merrily, an action at odds with her otherwise hard appearance. "Well, I wouldn't call it that. Let's just say I have a certain intuition. I can sense things others can't. Perhaps I sensed something about you."

Jasper instinctively decided to trust this woman. Perhaps she might be able to help him find Eliza when no one else could. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Jasper."

"Captain Liberty Tilden," she replied, smiling. "I'd love to shake your hand, but I'm afraid that's rather beyond my capabilities at the moment."

She raised her forearms so that the long sleeves of her tunic fell back. Jasper stumbled in his shock, unable to believe what he saw.

Captain Tilden had no hands! Her arms simply ended mid-wrist, in stumps that bore faint signs of burn marks.

"And now you know why we are called the Hands of Liberty," she said quietly. "A bit of clever irony on my part- we need all the humor we can find in this war."

"I'm trying to find someone," Jasper said, feeling a sudden rush of respect for the captain. "My wife. She was taken away by the ISB nine years ago."

"Then there's probably nothing left of her," Tilden said pragmatically, but not without compassion. "Regardless, we will do what we can. My team grew out of the Alliance, but we are not under their direct control. We don't always have to respond to orders from High Command. We can go where we please, as long as we fight the Empire."

Jasper smiled. "Then I will go with you," he said. "Thank you, Captain. This means a great deal to me."

"I know it does," she said softly, looking at the vast array of ships laid out before them. She turned to face Jasper and looked him in the eyes. "You have passed my assessment of your character," she informed him. "If you pass our physical tests, you will learn the history of our force, and something about the Force as well."

"What do you mean?" Jasper frowned in puzzlement.

"You will see, my friend," Tilden said with a faint smile. The smile did not reach her eyes. "You will see."