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| Face of a Stranger |
The Face of A Stranger
THE PRINCESS
The Imperial battlestation will be insystem in 2.4 hours; not enough time to get transports here for an evacuation. The decision has been made to stand and fight. The Rebellion's best pilots are here, there will be no greater advantage elsewhere.
High Command is safe, at least. It has received a microburst transmission of the Death Star's plans. Mothma will formulate a secondary attack if Yavin is destroyed.
In a strange way, we have more reason to hope now than ever before.
His name is Luke Skywalker, and there's a way to save him for the future but I might have to balance what he wants against what is best.
He wants to be a pilot. That was all he talked about on the flight here. It was something else he said, on the way here...we were discussing General Kenobi, how Luke came to be with him, and he reported what Obi-Wan had told him about his father. A great Jedi! I should have been surprised. The Jedi have been dead my whole lifetime - but it all made sense. The reason Obi-Wan was hiding on a desert planet. Why my father knew where he would be, and why he had sent me to bring him back when he did.
Luke was the reason. And he doesn't even realize it.
Obviously, Kenobi planned to have a fully trained Jedi ready for the Rebellion. That would have been the sign. The proof that Palpatine's Empire would topple.
Whatever went wrong on Tatooine, Luke is not a Jedi yet. With Obi-Wan dead, there is no one to train him. Being a Jedi is a dream Luke believes cannot come true; so he is reaching for his first dream. To fly.
I promised him he would have his chance; and so he will.
He understands that it is only a chance to prove that he is a combat pilot. The Rebellion's ships are precious and cannot be risked to less than the best pilots available. I have arranged for Luke to go through the process, as all recruits do; but his simulator test will be the most difficult program available. He says he is a good pilot. He may be, but he will have to be a miracle pilot to qualify.
I feel far guiltier about this manipulation than any other in my political career. Eventually, he will understand. Luke will be the last Jedi. He has to live!
When the testing is over, and Luke has been rejected, I'll use the Corellian.
The payment he was promised has been delayed. I'll make Luke understand that he is far more valuable to the Rebellion as a Jedi than a pilot, and that SOME way will be found to enable him to become the Jedi he was born to be. Han Solo will have more than enough time to escape Yavin before the Imperials attack. Chewbacca will be my insurance against Solo's questionable honor. Wookiee's have a profound belief in the Force. To let anything happen to a Jedi under his protection would cause Chewie great shame, and condemnation from his race. He won't let anything happen to Luke.
When Luke reaches the safety of Tierfon Base, Solo will be paid what he was promised, plus a bonus for his trouble. Solo and his partner will either have to settle for these terms, receive far less recompense than they were quoted and leave, or remain and be targeted with the rest of us.
Should the Corellian absolutely refuse to cooperate, I will send Luke to safety in a Y-wing. The fighter and pilot cannot be spared, but if there is no other way...
THE ORIENTATION OFFICER
He was expected.
Usually we have a day or so to prepare for incoming recruits. It takes time away from other duties to get one recruit into the stream of things. Everybody here has multiple duties, and I'll have to get back to perimeter lookout as soon as I get this newcomer straight.
One look at him and I thought-'special circumstance'. Too baby faced, too soft looking to have come up through the regular channels.
With an enthusiastic handshake he introduced himself and told me he had arrived with the Princess Organa and a couple of independent spacers.
He wants to be a pilot. Said it, just like that! Well, he has the self-confidence at least!
It took a few moments for the authorizations to come across my comm screen.
Luke Skywalker. Tatooine national. Orphan. No dependents. Flight experience was decent for a special case. The Princess and General Dodonna have personally authorized this kid's enlistment. Quite a shortcut, coming from a rim world farming community to the Rebellion's top fighter base!
The boy was a little anxious, full of questions, but trying hard to be patient and polite.
They're all amazed at first. He probably grew up believing the Rebellion was a myth, or a that we were a ragtag bunch of fanatics, not a real military organization with procedures like this one to go through.
I took his full history for the records, what there was of it. Pretty typical except that he didn't know who his parents had been. A name like 'Skywalker' should have been easy to trace. None of my business though.
He listened to my speech without saying much, but I could tell he was stunned by the general information I gave him on the size of the Alliance , the military command structure, our security measures and our support network. Then I told him the downside of being a fighter pilot-the mental and physical stresses of strapping into a nuclear powered snub fighter. The long boring patrols occasionally punctuated by an Imp ambush. I went into great detail about spending days at a time with the necessary indignity of being attached to the monitors and tubing of a life-support system; and how being a pilot meant going out with four other pilots and coming back with only one. IF you came back at all.
Skywalker flinched a little, but that was the only time. He was determined and damned confident for someone who's only experience with spaceflight so far has been as a passenger on a tramp freighter.
I told him to he had to report to the Med Center for a complete bio-checkout first but that he was going to get to test on the simulators. He didn't realize how unheard of it is for anyone to take a sim-test without flight classes. Whatever Command's reasons, I've never seen more red-lined authorizations on my comm screens in my life.
With a shrug and a smile, Skywalker stood to leave and I gave him one last does of the hard facts.
The average life expectancy of a pilot in combat is 4.7 seconds. Every pilot on base has seen some combat flying, but nothing like what we're going to face with the approaching battlestation. Even the senior flight pilot, Red Leader, has only eight fire fights to his credit.
The boy stood there, thinking, and it was on his face. Just like every last one of them, he believes he can get into a fighter and outshoot and outfly the Empire's best and end the war all by himself. They're always wrong, but as I shook his hand - good, strong grip, callused fingers (he's tougher than he looks) - I wished him well.
THE FLIGHT COMMAND OFFICER
A personal visit from General Dodonna and the Princess Leia Organa herself prepared me for our newest pilot want-to-be.
They're getting younger all the time. The Rebellion doesn't choose it's fighter pilots by politics, so this Skywalker must have something.
He came in from the Med Department, handed over his data chip. The brief interview we had as I checked his bio-readings told me he had possibilities. He has old eyes.
They grow them healthy out in the backwater! His med scans are first rate. Skywalker is wiry and tough for his size; endurance rating is high. No trouble with the psych scans-normal for his age and situation ( if wanting to get involved in a war can be considered normal), so I settled him into the main simulator and ran him through the introductory program for the T-65. That's all we have available now.
He did fine with the pre-flight. Luckily, he had flown skyhoppers on Tatooine; so I set up the program exactly as I had be ordered to by the Princess.
Any other time I would have objected to what amounts to an unfair test, but we're just under two hours from being targeted by something called the "Death Star" so whether this boy dies with this base or in an X-wing makes little difference.
He wasn't into the program for very long before it became obvious that he was a natural. Word got around Flight Command quickly that there was someone burning up the simulator. He had drawn quite a crowd! Ten pilots stood behind me, watching the show.
Skywalker had six T.I.E.'s all over him. Playing wingman was part of my duty at sim-control and I warned him of his situation. I still can't believe what he managed to do.
Opening the X-Wing full throttle, he turned and sped toward a second wave of T.I.E.'s, firing as he went. He paid almost no attention to the ships behind him or my warnings. He had two locks on him from behind when he opened up with torpedoes. The expanding debris from the destroyed ships caused the pursuers to lose their locks, giving Skywalker just the spilt second he needed to loop around and fire. Eight T.I.E.s destroyed in three seconds! " Maximum Interaction" indeed! Even veterans, it has been reported, rarely survive the final levels of this training program. I know one thing; after watching Skywalker run this, they're going to have to come up with a new level for these simulators!
It went on eighteen minutes.
Most space battles don't last eighteen seconds! The pilots watching the readouts of Skywalker's exercise had long since stopped snickering; not there was only stunned silence. The boy was making mistakes, but they didn't cost him.
Each time he found a way to turn a blunder to his advantage. The systems camera showed him white-faced with horror at one moment, whooping in triumph the next. He mumbled to himself and cursed a blue streak, but he worked the controls like he had ice in his veins. Another wave of T.I.E's assaulted him. His ship took engine damage. He was flying on half power, but the boy the Princess had brought back with her had reflexes you could measure in nano-seconds. I've never seen flying like that, and neither has anyone else on this base.
The word on him was out before we shut the simulator down. Incredibly, Skywalker popped out and asked if he did ok!
The audience embarrassed him. Everyone wanted to shake his hand - congratulate him. I contacted the Princess and Dodonna. Skywalker is going to get his ride, even if another pilot has to be grounded.
General Dodonna was pleased; but giving someone who had saved your life the opportunity to lose his isn't something the Princess sounded prepared to do.
THE PRINCESS
Well, we have our 'miracle."
There's no way to deny Luke his chance to fly for the Rebellion after what happened on the simulator, and it scares me to death.
I have been outmaneuvered by the Force. It obviously wants Luke out there, facing impossible odds against his survival; but I cannot believe that the Force would have protected him this long only to take him from us before he has the chance to become a Jedi. I hope this means that his presence in this battle will change the odds. That we will succeed in destroying Palpatine's abomination and his Empire. If I didn't believe this I would have Luke taken to another base this instant. Sedated if necessary.
He's had one of his dreams come true. The one that still seems impossible will as well. The galaxy - the Alliance - needs a Jedi Knight.
Luke Skywalker is going to live. He is our hope!
THE QUARTERMASTER
The pilots briefing let out a few minutes ago, and the ritual has begun. Debts are being paid off, good-luck's exchanged. No one want's to say goodbye. The new pilot should be coming for his gear anytime now, and I wish Supply was busier, louder; so that she wouldn't hear. She's my friend and I hate to see her get upset all over again.
I can see him now.
He's coming down the corridor with a Threepio unit and I can tell he'll be hard to outfit. Small... and we're out of small pressure suits. Big feet for his size, though. Boots we have. Looks like he arrived in his pajamas; he'll need everything.
I'm checking inventory screens-coveralls, hey, even some civvy clothes and a jacket! No reg uniform though-it's a good thing the dress code is flexible.
This kid is smiling and talking to the droid. Crazy pilots,who can figure them. They all acted like it was 'business as usual' to attack a moon sized battlestation! Shouldn't a first timer like this look nervous at least? I'm nervous! The thing that vaporized Alderaan is forty-five minutes from having us in it's sights and I am handing out basics!
" Hi... I'm Red Five!"
The blonde haired boy handed over his authorization chip and I glanced over my shoulder. Yep- she' heard. It had to hurt; even though she knew it had to happen some time.
"Hi, I'm Vancel." I respond, as if he cares. " We'll get you fixed right up, Sir. It won't take a minute."
I pass Mychel on my way back to the supply room. I put my hand on her shoulder and tell her I'm sorry. She's staring hard at the kid.
"It's not his fault." I whisper. She doesn't say anything, but I think - at this moment - she hates this newcomer.
MYCHEL
I hate him. It's not fair. Command just writes off identities like they never existed. This juvenile from nowhere gets Jegar's call-sign, his ship, probably his bunk! Jegar's so-called 'friends' will forget about him too. I won't . I loved him.
'Don't get involved with a pilot'. Everybody said it over and over again. They don't have a future, only a 'now'. I couldn't help myself. Jegar was always so sure, so gentle and kind. He quickly became my 'now'; and my everything. Now he is my heartbreak too.
It was such a waste the way he died.
A simple courier run and, coming in for a landing in a miserable storm, he crashed within sight of the base. It was birds! Stupid, stupid birds that got sucked into his engines! One of the best pilots on base, and he died from a broken neck. Not a mark on him. Even the ship was in decent shape, he controlled the crash so well.
So here we are, weeks later; the X-Wing's sensor array and stabilizers have been repaired and this simple looking farmboy will die like a hero in it as Red Five!
He's waiting for his gear, and the Princess' 3PO unit is rattling off the impossible odds our pilots face. It's the most emotional droid I've ever seen, and it gets on his nerves. I'm glad. It's saying what I'd like to. He's going to die up there.
That makes the boy angry, and I had '...the droid's right, it's a joke, we're all going to die.' on my lips when Skywalker actually laughed at the droid!
With that condescending chuckle he dismissed all possibility of failure. It was the look on his face that stopped me from speaking. The same look that Jegar had every time he'd blasted off. Every time but the last one.
This boy is coming back.
Yavin is going to be here. He didn't think it, he knew it!
Vancel comes out with his gear, and the next thing I knew I was in our barracks.
I thought I had missed him. He was on his way to the hangar. I don't have clearance for the hangar anymore, and I have to get this to him!
Something of Jegars, something that could never be anyone else's, has to be in this battle! Jegar would want to be remembered. History is about to be made here.
Sir?" I call out, but the PA system drowns me out. I run to catch up to him.
" Sir!" I touch his arm and he stops, turns. His droid waits, quiet now.
" Yeah?" He looks me up and down, curious. The look is still there.
" I'm from QM, we found a helmet that will fit you better." I stammer, afraid that he will prefer the fresh one all new pilots get.
" I didn't want to complain." He reaches for the well-worn helmet I have while handing me the newer one. " This one was a little big."
" It's a little beat-up." I apologize, looking at the helmet, not him." But it's functional."
I want to tell him why I've done this, but I can't bring myself to do it.
The helmet is on and he smiles. It's nothing to him, but it means so much to me.
" It's perfect, thanks..."
He pulls it off, tucks it under his right arm and politely waits for me to end the moment. They're calling all pilots to their stations now.
" You stop that battlestation, Red Five." I am surprised by how fierce my voice sounds.
" I will." His voice is softer, but it's a promise.
I follow him to the hangar entrance and wait, as I have so many times in the past, for Red Five's X-Wing to blast off.
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