Trooper

Rebel's Victory

Yavin 4: 0 BBY
"Survivor"
Ryn Alera

They didn't have to fly far to reach the Death Star. It appeared out of hyperspace as soon as they reached the far side of Yavin. Yavin 4 was safely on the other side of the planet. Ryn hoped the Death Star would orbit slowly.

Azie chirped as he completed his scan of the battle station. "Down there," Ryn pointed where Azie had indicated. Mirk and Elide angled the ship towards the hangar. No TIE fighters had come to greet them yet.

"What are they waiting for?" Mirk muttered.

"They don't care about us. They want the fighters," Elide replied.

The hangar was eerily silent as they touched down within it. No troopers were in sight. "They've either set a trap for us or they're all too focused on the base to care," Ryn said. She stood up as Zel and Arwen entered the cockpit. "Zel, stay down below the console until I comm you. Keep the engines running and lock the ship down. If someone tries to board, hide."

Zel nodded bravely, though her eyes were wide. Azie whistled an encouragement to her before following Ryn. He took the lead and rolled into a lift. The others piled in around him. Ryn drew her blaster and readied it. She didn't doubt the detention levels would be guarded.

Alarms began to blare suddenly. "Well, looks like our timer started," Arwen said. Ryn nodded and silently ran the numbers through her head. She could guarantee they had at least eight minutes to find Jess and get back to the ship, but it was a rough guess. She had no idea how long it would take the Death Star to orbit into attack position, or how quickly the X-wings would be able to find the thermal exhaust port. Either way, they had little time to lose.

Yavin 4: 0 BBY
Death Star
Jess

He prayed for unconsciousness but it never came. Even as he relived the nightmare over and over, he remained conscious of what was going on around him. Jess saw Vader lean in closer. A thick metallic liquid coated his throat.

Jess could feel it dribble from his mouth and nose. He could barely manage to draw in a breath. It was taking all of his concentration to keep Vader away from any important knowledge he had. Still, he knew a few things had slipped past his defenses. He just didn't know what.

Jess gasped suddenly and coughed. The pressure within his head welled up even more. He struggled to breath past the force of his resistance and the blood. Jess coughed again. Darkness tinged the edges of his vision. Suddenly, he tasted more blood in his mouth. It clogged his nose. Panic filled his mind. He was drowning in his own blood.

"Lord Vader, he's of no use to us dead," Dak said. The pressure relieved somewhat and Jess drew in a breath. Alarms began to blare. Vader pulled his hand away at last and Jess slumped forward, breathing as deeply as he dared.

"I'll leave him to you. It seems our attack on the Rebels has begun," Vader said. He whirled out of the room.

Dak eyed Jess for a moment. "You look terrible," he said at last. "But I have to admit, that was impressive. Vader didn't get half of what he wanted. Then again, he doesn't know you like I do."

"You don't know me," Jess whispered. The words scratched at his raw throat.

"I know you well enough." Dak crossed the room and pulled up security feed on the monitors. "Look." He pointed.

Despite himself, Jess obeyed. The footage showed a group of people running through a hallway. Dak froze the frame and enhanced it. It was Ryn, Mirk, Elide, Arwen, and Azie.