The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 19 - Vital Mission

Several weeks after the memorial for the fallen of the Battle of Hoth, the survivors were still at the rendezvous point. It was the best they could do now, since there wasn't any other place to go yet. Scouts were looking for possible places where they could establish a new base. But this wasn't the only concern they had. There was also the need for a supply line.

General Rieekan had ordered Nomi and Wedge to come to the command center. Both met on the way and together they entered the room. The seasoned Alliance commander looked up from his datapad and acknowledged the Rogue Squadron pilots' salute.
"Commander Antilles, Lieutenant Darklighter. Take a seat," the general said and activated the holoprojector in the middle of the table.
Nomi had climbed the ranks fast due to her skills in combat and was promoted to lieutenant recently. The young woman and her commander sat down as they were asked to do. The hologram which came to life showed Corellia. Antilles raised an eyebrow seeing his home planet.
"As you know we are short of food, ammunition, fuel and other supplies," Rieekan began. "I want you to travel to Corellia to establish a supply line. On Corellia you will meet with our contact there." Rieekan pushed a button on the projector and the bluish image of a man in his 30s with a mustache appeared. "The name is Dan Rover and he will contact you as soon as possible after your arrival. Are there any questions?"
Antilles shook his head.
"No, Sir," he responded and cast a glance at Nomi.
"No, Sir," she answered likewise.
The general stood up, after he had deactivated the holoprojector.
"Safe travels and may the Force be with you – dismissed."
Before they left, the two pilots saluted to the general, despite the Alderaanian being busy with another task already.

Outside the command center Wedge turned to Nomi.
"We need your freighter as transport, Nomi. To take our X-wings would raise suspicion," the young man said and looked at his subordinate expectantly.
She nodded her head.
"Of course, I agree on this," she said. "So when will we go, Wedge?"
"As soon as you have packed and readied your ship," he responded. "I'll see you in the hangar bay."
They parted and walked towards their respective quarters to prepare for the upcoming mission.
Wedge remembered only vaguely that Nomi had an YT-1300, like Han's Millennium Falcon, but he didn't recall what the Aquarius looked like and in which condition she was. But did this actually matter as long as she would bring them to their destination? He entered his quarters and packed a small bag. Then he headed for the hangar bay.
Nomi waited at her freighter's lowered ramp, when her commander arrived. She could tell by his expression that he wasn't overly impressed by the sight.
"Oh wow! I thought the Millennium Falcon is a hunk of junk, but your ship is far worse, Nomi," Wedge blurted out.
The young woman chuckled hearing her commander's remark.
"Ah c'mon, Wedge, I don't know what you mean. For me she's beautiful. Tarik and I have also installed some extras and the engines modified so that the Aquarius is the second fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."
"If you say so," Antilles grumbled and walked up the ramp followed by Nomi.
As she closed the hatch, the former smuggler noticed the commander's curious look at the ship's interior. He seemed to be satisfied by what he saw and made his way to the cockpit where he settled down in the copilot's seat. Nomi dropped in the pilot's seat and buckled up. After a quick preflight check she started the engines. Since they already had permission to launch, Nomi steered the Aquarius towards the magcon field, which shielded the hangar from the vacuum of space, and flew through. Minutes later they entered hyperspace.

It was an uneventful, boring journey where Nomi and Wedge passed the time with games of Dejarik and conversations. Two standard days and several micro jumps later they fell back in real space. In front of them they saw Corellia and were hailed by flight control. Nomi sent the falsified ID codes and got a landing pad assigned. Slowly they descended in the planet's atmosphere where the Rogue Squadron pilot weaved her way expertly through the thick traffic, until they reached the coordinates given. She landed the Aquarius smoothly, cut the engines and unstrapped. She looked over to Antilles, who unstrapped as well, rose and stretched.
"So where will we meet our contact, Wedge?" Nomi asked as she rose from her seat as well.
"Rover is expected to meet us in a hotel near Coronet spaceport. We will go there and wait what will happen," the commander responded and walked out of the cockpit.
Nomi followed him and opened the hatch. Together they walked down the ramp and towards the ID card control. Their false ID cards worked out and they passed unchallenged.
The whole spaceport was teeming with stormtroopers and other Imperials. When Antilles looked over he saw a recruitment office, where a holovid over the entrance showed an advertisement telling how great it would be to sign up for the Imperial military. He remembered very well how he fell for this and became an Imperial TIE fighter pilot after attending Skystrike Academy. But it didn't take long until he discovered that everything was a lie and he defected. He shrugged inwardly and followed Nomi who didn't notice that he had stopped.
It took a while until they reached the hotel and they got a room. Wedge looked around, after he had opened the door.
"It will do," the commander said, set down his bag and closed the door after Nomi had entered as well. "Hopefully, Rover will show up soon."
Nomi wasn't overly excited to share the room with Antilles, but playing a couple it would have been odd if they would have stayed in two rooms. She dropped her bag on one of the separated beds and began to unpack.

They have already waited two days for their contact, when Wedge saw a report in the holonet news which let him swear.
"Kark, they've caught Rover. We must leave, Nomi."
She nodded her head, after she stared a moment at the commander and began to pack. The odds were high that Rover broke under the torture and told the Imps about them and where they could find them. It didn't take long until Nomi and Wedge left the hotel and made their way to the spaceport on foot.
As they entered the building and headed for the Aquarius, they saw stormtroopers coming towards them with their blaster rifles at the ready. Wedges' hand drooped down to his holstered blaster, but he still hoped that it wasn't them the troopers were after. But this hope was very short-lived.
"There are the rebels! Blast them!" The stormtrooper commander shouted and in the same instant the troopers fired.
They didn't care that there were also other people around, who sought cover as best as they could. Antilles drew his blaster in a flowing movement, took aim and returned fire. Nomi followed his lead and did the same, as they tried to circumvent the troopers and to reach the Aquarius. There were only three enemies left, when they almost reached the freighter as one of the surviving troopers scored a hit. Nomi cried out and fell to the floor.
"Kark! Stand up, Nomi! We're almost there!" Wedge yelled and pulled her up, while he fired at the troopers.
He barely made it onboard the Aquarius, carrying Nomi more than supporting her to move on her own. After firing a last time at the troopers he pushed the button and the hatch closed. He laid Nomi down on the bench in the mid section and headed for the cockpit after he cast a glance at the wound in the woman's chest.

Antilles' fingers danced over the console flipping levers and pushing buttons until the engine came to life. He knew that he had no time to spare and launched. It didn't take long and the freighter ascended in Corellia's orbit. There weren't any patrol ships and he reached the jump point without any incident. Wedge pushed the lever and the stars resolved in the streaks and whirls of hyperspace. He stood up, took a med pack and walked over to the mid section where Nomi was lying with closed eyes. The commander opened her shirt and patched up the wound.
"Don't die on me," he whispered, being well aware that she couldn't hear him, but he continued to speak to her. "Dash would never forgive me, Nomi."

They reached the rendezvous point after what seemed like an eternity for Wedge. He landed the Aquarius smoothly in the hangar bay, cut the engine and opened the hatch.
"We need medical aid," he called out.
It didn't take long and Nomi was carried out of the freighter lying on a stretcher and brought to the med bay where she was lowered in the bacta tank.
Wedge was waiting outside and breathed a sigh of relief when 2-1B told him that Nomi would survive.