Regis’s pulse was hammering in his ears as he made his way through the gleaming black hallways of the Aquiline. He was armored and prepared to leave for Coruscant, to help Luke save what was left of his family. Since he was not on duty, he held his stormtrooper helmet against his side in order to avoid suspicion, but kept a handheld comm pressed to his ear.

“I’ve got some pilots who want in,” Sindo’s voice came through the comm. “I told them to look casual, and play cards in the Praxagora, but I think people already suspect something’s happening. We better…”

Regis removed the comm from his ear as he passed by a security officer in gray uniform. The man was listening to his own comm with a look of grave concern. Regis caught the officer’s gaze and nodded as if nothing was amiss, but the officer did not return the greeting. Regis’s guts turned in a knot.

Taking a turn in the hallway, Regis pressed the comm back to his ear. “Say again, Sindo, someone was watching me. Did you say you’ve convinced some pilots to join us?”

“Yes! But they’re getting nervous. I don’t know if Vasili talked to the wrong people, but the shuttle bay is full of-”

“Hold it right there, sir!”

Regis’s blood ran cold as two security officers drew their blasters at an intersection. Regis ignored the instinct to freeze and forced his legs to move, then forced himself to smile despite the blood draining from his face.

“What is this about, young man?” said Regis.

“I don’t know, sir,” said one of the security officers, “but we have orders to bring you and your friends in for questioning! So just… just hold it right there!”

Regis raised his hands in defeat, and forced out awkward laughter. “There’s been a big misunderstanding!”

“Okay, but just - stop!”

“Listen, do you mind if we go to the Grand Moff? He ordered me to - whoops!” Regis stumbled and dropped his comm unit, which clattered against the floor. As both officer’s eyes glanced at the device skidding past them, Regis lunged and smacked his helmet down on the nearest man’s arm, causing him to drop his gun. Regis dropped the helmet and leaped on the man, then wrapped an arm around his throat as he drew his own blaster and leveled it at the second security officer.

“Drop it, son!” said Regis. “Don’t make me do this!”

The officer’s mouth went wide as he found himself standing before a hero using an Imperial officer as a human shield. Regis’s mind was spinning, racing through his options as the clatter of boots drew nearer. White armored stormtroopers filled the hallway, Regis cursed and dragged his hostage until his back was against the wall - then he realized the stormtroopers had their blasters aimed at the security officer.

“Don’t move a muscle, Cudia!” the lead stormtrooper said as he gingerly pulled the blaster from the security officer’s grasp. “Look at you, pulling a peashooter on Major Regis! I thought you security boys were supposed to have some brains!”

“It’s not like I wanted to!” the security officer stammered. “But look, you guys, they’re gonna throw you in the brig for this!”

“Let me take this off your hands, sir!” a stormtrooper said as he extricated the officer from Regis’s grasp.

The officer turned to look at Regis. “Sorry, sir,” he said.

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” said Regis, drawing in a deep breath.

“Lucky the Major didn’t kill both of you!” said another stormtrooper. “We tried to get here sooner, but… oh.”

Everyone stopped and turned. The officer Regis had passed earlier stood looking at them. His face was a rigid mask covering his alarm. His hand hovered near his blaster - then he went for his comm instead. “Backup! I need backup!” he shouted as he turned and fled around the corner.

The stormtroopers moved to give chase, but Regis said, “Forget it, they’re already on to us! Let’s go!”

* * *

Seeing the shuttle bay full of stormtroopers, Regis skidded to a halt. His companions continued on, as if unconcerned. When everyone turned to watch him, pausing their conversations, grinning as if expecting the hero of an action movie to do something amazing, he knew that stealth was off the table. Several security officers sat on their knees with their hands in the air while a few stormtroopers stood guard over them. Regis’s gaze was drawn to Vasili standing at the Praxagora’s boarding ramp with a group of stormtroopers who obviously wanted inside.

“You again?” said Vasili. “Wait, what did you say your Accuracy Rating is?”

“Well, it’s four point three,” said a baby-faced stormtrooper, “but my instructor says I’ve got a real knack for-”

“No, no, sorry kid, I need guys with a six point oh rating, minimum! Stay here and work on your-”

“Sir!” said another. “I’m rated seven and a half, and I’m certified for demolitions, and battlefield repair!”

“Okay, hotshot!” said Vasili. “Get on, but remember what I said. This might be a one way ticket!”

“For the Emperor!” the stormtrooper shouted, racing up the boarding ramp.

“Sir!”

Regis turned and saw Sindo approaching with over a dozen pilots. She had replaced her scratched stormtrooper armor for the black uniform of a pilot, with sleek black plastoid covering her arms and chest, and a high collar that accentuated her glossy crimson hair. Despite Regis’s growing dread at seeing so many people openly discussing what was supposed to be under the radar, he was still impressed with her appearance.

Noticing that the pilots without helmets were all clean-cut, and looked deadly serious, Regis said, “You’re not thinking what I think you are, are you, Sindo?”

“Sir, they’re all good pilots,” she replied. “And they’re sick of supply runs.”

“Okay, but…” Leaning in, Regis said, “Sindo, I thought we might take two, three guys to help us out, tops. They know we’re going to Coruscant, don’t they? This is-”

“They know, sir. They know. They don’t care.”

“Sir!” said a pilot. “We’re not letting infantry take all the glory!”

Lando entered, and Regis watched as his eyes bugged out. He stumbled as Artoo bumped into him, then Chewbacca came around the corner and stopped short as well. The Wookiee’s gaze swept around the shuttle bay. He opened his mouth, and Regis was surprised when he uncharacteristically fell silent.

“Uh, Regis,” said Lando. “I thought you guys were going to keep quiet about this…?”

Before Regis could open his mouth, another group of stormtroopers entered. “Hey!” one of them shouted. “What are we doing?”

“Going on a secret mission!” someone shouted, his voice ringing off the walls of the shuttle bay. “The Major’s friend is in trouble!”

“Where?!”

“Coruscant!”

“Ha!” said one of the newcomers. “Nice.”

“Step up here if you want in on the secret mission!” Vasili shouted, waving impatiently at the newcomers. Noticing Regis’s look of disapproval, Vasili shrugged apologetically.

“O-o-okay,” said Lando. “Good thing I had Artoo schedule the Aquiline’s weapons for maintenance.”

“You seen Luke?” said Regis.

“No. And to be honest, if he’s smart, he’s already stolen a ship and left on his own. I can’t believe you stormtroopers let this happen! Are you Imperials even capable of-”

Lando froze and fixed his gaze over Regis’s shoulder. Expecting trouble, Regis turned with his hand on his sidearm. Then he gasped, suddenly unsure of himself.

The laughter and clamor of the shuttle bay turned to dreadful silence as the death troopers entered. The leader spoke in a staccato burst, then his black helmet turned toward Regis. Regis swallowed in a dry throat, doing his best to appear confident as six tall, black-armored warriors made their way up to him.

“Well?” said Regis.

The leader adjusted his helmet comm, then said, “Major Regis. Are you responsible for this?”

“Yes.” Regis felt all eyes on him.

“You’re going to Coruscant?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“We’re going with you. Sir.”

“Did the Grand Moff clear you for that duty?”

“No. Nevertheless, it is our duty.”

Regis nodded, accepting their offer and doing his best to hide the waves of relief washing over him. The death troopers saluted him. The leader adjusted his comm again, then spoke to his teammates in their coded language. The crowd parted for them as they strode toward the Praxagora. Vasili watched their approach. Though Regis knew Vasili well enough to know that he was nervous, the sniper of Omicron Squadron still gestured toward the Praxagora’s open entryway as if obliging a request rather than going along with a demand. One by one the death troopers gave Vasili a casual salute, then disappeared inside.

“Death troopers, huh?” said Birdy, approaching with a young comms tech pushing a cart filled with supplies.

“Yeah. Hey, any idea where Luke is?”

Birdy pointed with his chin. Regis turned and saw Luke enter through another entrance. Regis noticed everyone turning their attention toward the Jedi Master, and though he doubted they had any clear understanding of who he was, he did not blame them for being in awe. Luke wore his new black cloak and black leather vest and gleaming boots, his bloodshot eyes only adding to his grim appearance. He did not seem the least bit surprised that half the ship personnel was currently in the shuttle bay to see them off. Luke made straight for the Praxagora’s boarding ramp. Regis, Sindo, Lando, and the others followed.

At the top of the ramp, Luke turned and looked over the crowd. He raised one hand in farewell.

“Thank you,” he said. “I thank all of you!”

Regis was surprised by the stormtroopers’ response. They stood straight and saluted, as if seeing off a Grand Moff. They stood in silence until Luke turned and made his way into the crowded ship, where still more stormtroopers stood at attention.

Leaning in close, Sindo said, “They must know Luke is your friend, sir.”

“No,” said Regis. He turned and saluted the stormtroopers standing at attention. “They can tell when someone is about to kick some ass.”

* * *

Lando moved to turn off the holotransmitter just as the door to his room slid open. He was immediately bombarded by the racket of something like an after-game locker room, with dozens of stormtroopers packed into a narrow space.

“- and that’s why Renkins is a xenophile, and can’t be trusted.”

“Ibbyk just bet me fifty credits I wouldn’t fight without my ass plate when we reach Coruscant!”

“Think trash detail on the Aquiline was a mess? Just wait til you see the Coruscant fish market. From what I heard, it’s nothing but wall to wall-”

Birdy shut the door as he entered. A death trooper shadowing Lando’s every move opened one eye, looked Birdy up and down, then went back to resting his head against the wall with his feet propped up on Lando’s desk. But Birdy was not concerned about the death trooper, for his gaze was fixed on the long face of a Muun crackling within the holoprojector. Lando turned off the device and the face disappeared.

“You’re in here talking to an alien?” said Birdy, not bothering to conceal his distrust.

Lando sat back and sighed, as if too tired to explain. “Yeah, Birdy. But don’t worry. I can’t even go to the restroom without this death trooper informing his commander, so it’s not like I’m in here selling us out.”

Birdy’s gaze roamed over the desk, and fell on Lando’s briefcase. It sat propped open, and Lando’s credit datapads were strewn all around. Seeing that much wealth in the hands of one man - a former New Republic loyalist at that - made Birdy’s upper lip curl up in disgust.

“Well, what are you doing?” Birdy sat on the corner of the desk, adding, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Have you noticed that I lock myself in my room every time we drop out of hyperspace?”

“I have. I’m in charge of keeping fights from breaking out, but the boys notice every time we slow down. They’re eager to get to where we’re goin’, not float around in space doing nothing.”

“And you didn’t think to ask Regis what I’m doing?”

Birdy smiled. “I wanted to hear it from you.”

Behind Lando, the death trooper snorted. Lando had to admit that if Birdy had been a Rebel, or a negotiator in some worthwhile business, he might have appreciated Birdy’s confrontational attitude.

“I’ve been throwing money around,” said Lando. “We found some codes on the Praxagora’s logs that could get us through the shields over the capital, but Regis doesn’t trust them. And I’m inclined to agree.”

“You’ve been bribing aliens, haven’t you?”

“Yes. At least, that’s how it started. I have to admit, I may have gone a little overboard. I’ve bribed a Cheka ship captain to let us past his ship and through the shield, if the shield is up - which it shouldn’t be. I’ve bribed the Cheka official in charge of the spaceport near the New Republic Medical Facility to turn a blind eye to our arrival. I’ve even been bribing generals to schedule…” Lando smiled, laughing quietly.

“What?”

“I bribed a few Cheka bigwigs to run combat drills on the day we reach Coruscant.”

“What!” Birdy spat. “That means they’ll be on high alert when we land!”

Lando held up a finger. “Which means when the fighting kicks off, Cheka officials will have to sift through confusing messages about combat drills. They won’t know what’s real and what’s a dry run. ‘Stormtroopers are attacking!’ ‘No, wait, so-and-so is running drills in that sector, don’t worry about it.’ You see?”

Birdy’s mouth fell open, and he turned away. “That’s really devious. Even for an old Rebel.”

Lando shrugged. “Just tryin’ to help.”

“But, wait. Who in their right mind would take a few extra credits just to jeopardize their career? They have to know the Stralucitor will kill anyone who helps somebody even remotely associated with Luke.”

Lando shook his head. “Not if they get paid enough to buy a home somewhere far, far away from Coruscant, where they can retire and count credits for the rest of their days.”

“But… but, if you were throwing around that kind of money, then…”

“Yeah. It was a lot of money,” said Lando, tapping the stack of credit datapads. “And now it’s all gone.”

“All of it?”

“More or less.”

“I have to admit,” said Birdy, carefully considering his words, “I never expected a person like you to part with their money.”

Lando unexpectedly smiled and leaned back in his chair. “It’s a gamble, Birdy, that’s all. Every action is an investment. Luke is worth it. And what we’re about to do is worth it.”

As if put off by the financial metaphors, Birdy suddenly stood up.

“Anyway,” Lando continued, “you can tell Sindo I’m done transmitting. With my accounts cleared out, there’s nothing more I can do ‘til we reach Coruscant. So, we can go back into hyperspace. But…”

“But what?”

“Tell her not to get there until the time we agreed upon. Alright? I’ve got a lot riding on this little suicide mission. It’d be a shame to show up early for our own party!”

* * *

“You doing okay, Sindo?”

Regis found Sindo in a dark corner of the storage room, one of the few areas where jarheads weren’t lounging around, arguing and playing holochess with flyboys. Sindo looked up at Regis, her eyes concealed in shadow. Instead of giving him a show of bravado, she slowly shook her head.

Regis checked to make sure no one was lingering in the hallway behind him, then closed the door. “Look, I’m nervous, too,” he admitted, pushing a container over to her so he could sit beside her. “I suggested this mission without a lot of thought. I realize it’s stupid. But I-”

“It’s not that,” she said. “I like the idea of going after the Empress. Burning her home down and making her afraid. And I’m fine with lousy odds.”

“Oh. Good. So… what are you…”

“I’m…” Sindo hesitated. She drew in a deep breath. “I’m afraid the others will find out what I was. You know. Before you found me.”

The storage room felt suddenly close, and uncomfortably warm. He did not like to think back to his life on Tatooine, but he was suddenly forced to remember finding his teammate flirting with alien scum while wearing a skimpy outfit. And probably doing much worse.

“They think I’m a hero,” she said quietly. “I was nobody before the Empire. And when the Empire fell, I went back to being a nobody. No, worse than a nobody. I was…”

Sindo gritted her teeth as if holding back the words.

“Sindo, do you listen to those guys out there? They’re worried about whose turn it is to sleep in a bed, instead of on the floor. Half of them are angry because the flyboys went through all the sweet treats without sharing. They… they don’t care, Sindo. Truth is, none of us are anything without the Empire. And that’s why those guys are here. They know that.”

“I get what you’re saying,” she said, shaking her head. “All the same… I feel like a phony. Like I could get called out at any moment.”

“By who? Even those big bad death troopers were sitting on ass, shining their armor while you were out killing aliens. You’re the real deal. It’s time you accept that… and move on.”

Though Regis could not see her eyes in the dark, he knew she was watching him. He could feel her gaze boring into him. Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath.

“Thank you,” she finally said. “I… I almost think you mean it.”

Before Regis could respond, Sindo leaned toward him. Regis froze. Sindo wrapped her arms around him, then placed her head against his shoulder. He hesitated, drinking in the warm pressure of her arms against him. Just as he realized that her soft hair was brushing up against his face, Sindo turned and kissed his cheek, lingering for a moment that stretched out in the darkness. Regis suddenly stirred, and reached out for her, putting his hands on the thick utility belt at her slender waist. He searched for her lips in the darkness - then she pulled away.

“I b-better get back,” she said awkwardly. “I don’t… I mean, the others might - might notice.”

“Yeah,” said Regis, pulling away just as quickly.

The door opened, and in the light of the hallway Regis saw Sindo marching out as if an alarm was going off. The door closed behind her, and Regis was left alone in the dark.