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Star WarsStar Wars GamerN 1The Starfighter Trapby Steve Miller###############################################################################Part OneThe palace always seemed to fall into a slumber when Queen Ami-dala was away. Most of the government officials and administrators stayed tucked away in their offices, hoping to get as much datawork off their desks as possible during these quiet times.The Royal Naboo Security Force administrative offices were almost completely deserted, the Security Officers using the Queen's absence to work on overdue offworld projects or tend to personal business and family responsibilities. Only Essara Till, flight instructor and member of Naboo's elite Bravo Flight, was working at her desk.For Essara, times like this provided the perfect opportunity to review applications to join Naboo's Starfighter Corps, review maintenance logs and expense reports, and to clear even less agreeable datawork off her desk and the desk of her immediate superior, Bravo Flight's leader and Queen Amidala's personal pilot, Ric Olie.The only sound coming from beyond her office all morning was the distant buzz of the young on-call pilots of Echo Flight conversing in their ready room, so the echo of approaching footfalls broke her concentration. When she realized the sounds were approaching her office, she straightened up and realized how sore her neck was. A glance at the chronometer on the wall told her she'd been hunched over her desk for three solid hours.The lanky frame of Essara's wingman, Dren Melne, appeared in the office doorway. "Hi, sweetheart." he said."That's Flight Leader Sweetheart," she replied with a grin. "With Olie offworld, I'm top veermok. Don't you forget it.""A top veermok who spends most of her time doing secretarial duties or playing nursemaid," Dren said as he approached her desk."We all serve Naboo in different ways," Essara told him, leaning back in her chair and stretching. "How are the troops?""Echo Elight is eagerly studying up on their fighters, hoping that we'll lead them to glory and a chance to fly the N-is." He looked down at her with a slight frown. "Ric really shouldn't waste your talents like this. It's foolish to make his best pilot handle datawork and babysit. Don't tell me you aren't bored stiff.""If it weren't me doing the expense reports, it would be Ric,' she replied."Better him than you. You're one of the best pilots in Bravo Flight.""Y�ur bias is showing." She reached up and gently touched his cheek, smiling as she looked into his eyes. Like her, Dren had spent several years away from Naboo working as a fighter pilot. The two of them had never crossed paths offworld, but when they met after his return to Naboo a little over a year ago, their common experience had fostered an unexpected friendship. In recent months, that friendship had become something more. "Like I told you, Ric doesn't make me do this. I asked to do this. Plus, this way, you and I get to spend some quiet time together."He took her hand and kissed it. "Maybe. On the other hand, there's a way we can have both.""Why don't I finish this report, and then we can rent a couple of aircars and head into the mountains for a picnic?""I was thinking of something more permanent," he replied."Remember the governor of the Agamar system and the fighter contingent he's trying to assemble?"Essara's smile faded. She drew her hand back. "Yes. I told you, I'm not interested."Dren rolled his eyes and reached for the silver starfighter model on her desk. "Essara, come on] You're wasted here! On Agamar...""I'm not interested in mercenary work." she interrupted. "Not any more. I'm on Naboo to stay, and if that means datawork and leading Echo training missions, I can live with that. I've retired from that life, and I like it this way.""Don't get mad." He put the model down and reached for her hand, but she withdrew it and picked up a datapad. He sighed softly. "Promise me you'll give it some thought?"Essara leaned back in her chair and threw an exasperated look at the ceiling. "What is it with you and Agamar?]" she exclaimed, fixing her eyes on his again. "It's not like you have fr..."An alarm blared, filling the office. "All pilots to the briefing room. This is a Class One Emergency." a voice echoed. "I repeat, all pilots to the briefing room."Essara snapped to her feet. "Get your gear. I'll see you in the briefing room.""Think about Agamar." Dren said as he turned and ran from the room.Essara shook her head, scowling with irritation at Dren, the pain in her neck, and the interruption. She opened the locker in the far corner of the office. Her orange flight jacket hung below her helmet and her holstered sidearm with the belt curled around it. She grabbed her gear, pausing briefly to look at the empty hook with Olie's name above it. "I'm happy doing the datawork." she muttered, putting on her helmet.As Essara and Dren entered the pilots' briefing room, a Royal Security Officer activated the holopod at the front of the chamber. To Essara's surprise, Sio Bibble, the Governor of Naboo and the head of the Royal Advisory Council, was standing a few paces behind the Security Officer, looking impatient."Governor Bibble." Essara said, saluting. "This is not a drill, then?""No." Bibble replied. His brow furrowed. "This could be a grave situation indeed."Echo Flight's pilots began to pour into the room with a din of excited conversation and a clatter of equipment. "Echo Flight present and accounted for," Dren said, bringing up the rear."The remains of Bravo Flight reporting for duty," Essara said, offering the governor another salute. "Lieutenant Melne and I will command Echo Flight today.""Fourteen minutes ago, we received a distress call from Station TFP-9," the Security Officer said. The holopod projected a flickering three-dimensional image of the space station at the edge of the Naboo system. It was roughly egg-shaped with a series of docking arrays and refueling ports along its wider extremis.A Corellian freighter was docked at each of two of the refueling ports. As the image rotated, Essara could see the elongated profile of a Sullustan-designed capital ship. "The station is under attack by a Hornet-class carrier and a squadron of Z-95 Headhunters."A buzz of conversation erupted among the Echo pilots. Their voices held a mixture of excitement and fear."Quiet!" Essara said. The voices fell silent, and all eyes fixed on the image of the station."TFP-9, is almost defenseless," the Security Officer continued, offering Essara a slight nod. "Station engineers are still upgrading their point defense weapons systems, so its only defenses are its shields and a pair of stock YT-1250 freighters. I'm sure you can see these are no match for Headhunters. Echo Flight will launch immediately and defend the station. Bravo Flight will lead the mission. Once the raiders have been chased off, a portion of Echo Flight chosen by Flight Leader Till will remain at TFP-o, until their defenses are back online. Questions?""Yes, sir," said Echo Five, a young man named Rhys who had just recently joined the team. 'A TaggeCo Purchasing Agent in Keren once bragged he could buy the whole Naboo system with his personal expense account. Why don't we just get him to pay off these pirates?""Stow it, soldier!" Essara snapped. She noticed Dren give the Echo Five a wink and a nudge with his elbow."Sir, I have a question.' Echo Eight said in a soft voice. She was a young girl, about sixteen years old, who barely filled her uniform.The Security Officer nodded at her."What kind of Headhunters are those? Standard Z-a,5s or AF-series?"The Security Officer looked momentarily perplexed and glanced at Bravo Flight leader, who was standing next to him."The sensors on the TFP refueling platform aren't fine enough to distinguish between the different types of Headhunters," Essara said. "Pirates are more likely to have Mark Is, though."'Yes, of course." The Security Officer tried to sound authoritative, but his cheeks were turning red. "That's all the data we have.""May the Force protect you and the good people of TFP-9" Governor Bibble stated."Echo Flight, to your fighters," Dren called. "Prepare to launch!""Yes, sir!" The pilots rushed from the room.Essara followed her pilots down the dimly lit tunnel to the palace hangar, reminding herself to make sure every Security Officer was supplied with the latest technical data on the current generation of Headhunters.Essara understood why Dren and other "professionals" who had returned home sometimes got frustrated with the Royal Naboo Security Force. Everyone in the Royal Naboo Defense Force was dedicated to Naboo, but most of them lacked the combat experience and mercenary connections that Essara and a handful of others possessed. It was not uncommon for the ignorant to lead the inexperienced in the Naboo's volunteer defense force, but that situation would only change if more seasoned soldiers would impart their experience to the rest. They were living in dangerous times, yet few on Naboo bothered to take notice. Had she ever voiced that sentiment to Dren? Maybe that was the argument that would make him see things her way. Of late, their conversations turned into arguments over whether it was worthwhile for dedicated soldiers to serve in the Royal Naboo Security Force. Dren was clearly unhappy on Naboo, and in darker, quieter moments, Essara wondered if she would have to choose between him and the world she loved.We'll go on that picnic when this mission's over, she promised herself as she entered the hangar. I'll explain how vital we are to Naboo, how much she needs us. I won't lose ... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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