Free The Bacta War by Michael A. Stackpole Page B

we’ll do all we can to set you free.”
    He’s right. Mourning is appropriate, but not here and not now . Corran smiled. “Thanks. I think I will rejoin the group. In fighting the Imps I’ve been in so many places where I’ve been reviled, it’s great, just for once, to be welcomed so openly and graciously.”
    “I’m glad you feel that way.” Jula threw an arm over Corran’s shoulder and steered him back toward the light. “Darklighters believe in treating friends like family and family like friends, and we’re always glad to add yet one more to the family.”

8
    This has to be a dream. A nightmare even . Wedge cracked his left eye open and let it slowly attempt to focus. At first he noticed nothing unusual in the unlit room, but then he caught sight of little motes of light streaking like shooting stars across night sky. The possible presence of something in his quarters did convince his sleep-besotted brain that he should continue his trek toward consciousness, but until he heard the voice a second time, he wasn’t wholly certain he wasn’t enmeshed in a nightmare.
    “Good morning, sir. It is very good to see you again.”
    Wedge rolled over and reluctantly opened both eyes. “Emtrey?”
    “How kind of you to remember me, Comm—I mean, Master Wedge.” The black 3PO droid with the clamshell head stood beside the bed with its hands splayed out. “I realize you may not have fully recovered from your journey here, and were it up to me I’d have allowed you to sleep longer, but this is the time at which you requested awakening.”
    Wedge groaned. Shortly after Corran, Mirax, and Gavin had left for Tatooine, Winter located a possible store of X-wings and parts on Rishi. Using some of the unit’s money,
    Wedge rented a modified Corellian YT-1300 light freighter named Eclipse Rider and headed out with Ooryl Qrygg to check out the report. The trip out from Coruscant went well, but once they arrived in-system they ran into trouble. The freighter lost a repulsor-lift coil upon landing. Ooryl worked on replacing that while Wedge wound his way through a labyrinth of H’kig religious laws that seemed, to him, to prohibit or limit anything that could make life easier.
    He did locate the cache of X-wing parts and managed to purchase it. He estimated two fighters could be cobbled together from the parts, which was something, but far short of what he’d hoped when he set out at first. Regulations on the use of repulsor-lift vehicles complicated the loading timetable and, ultimately, delayed their departure from the world by twelve hours.
    When he and Ooryl finally did make it to Yag’Dhul, Wedge was four days behind schedule and exhausted. He docked the freighter, then had someone show him to his quarters. I thought twelve hours of sleep would be enough, but apparently not, because I’m hallucinating the presence of a droid that should be on Coruscant .
    He rubbed his eyes, then opened them again. Emtrey was still there. “What’s going on here? Did General Cracken send you to keep an eye on us?”
    “Since I do not have eyes per se, sir, I would have to say no.” The droid’s head canted to the right. “I do not recall any orders being given to me by my former owner.”
    “Former owner?” Wedge realized he was becoming more awake all the time, but nothing seemed to be getting much clearer to him, and that caused him some concern. Someone has to be having fun with this . “Get Tycho for me.”
    Tycho cleared his voice and Wedge turned to see him leaning against the doorjamb of the bedroom. “Thought you’d like to wake up to a familiar face, since you’re in unfamiliar surroundings.”
    “Right.” Wedge narrowed his eyes. “As I recall, I’ve not gotten you back for the other trick you pulled—that postmortem message from Corran at Borleias. You better watch your step.”
    “Or what? You think you can cause me more trouble than a treason trial and a stay in an Imperial prison?” Tycho thrust his