Wraith Squadron
Authors: Aaron Allston
Tags: #Star Wars, #X Wing, #Wraith Squadron series, #6.5-13 ABY
| Wraith Squadron | |
| X Wing [5] | |
| Allston, Aaron | |
| Random House Publishing Group (2011) | |
| Tags: | Star Wars, X Wing, Wraith Squadron series, 6.5-13 ABY Star Warsttt X Wingttt Wraith Squadron seriesttt 6.5-13 ABYttt |
They are the galaxy's most elite fighting force. And as the battle against the Empire rages, the X-wing fighters risk life and machine to protect the Rebel Alliance. Now they must go on a daring undercover mission--as the crew of an Imperial warship.
It is Wedge Antilles' boldest creation: a covert-action unit of X-wing fighters, its pilots drawn from the dregs of other units, castoffs and rejects given one last chance. But before the new pilots can complete their training, the squadron's base is attacked by former Imperial admiral Trigit, and Wraith Squadron is forced to swing into action--taking over an Imperial warship and impersonating its crew. The mission: to gain vital intelligence about Trigit's secret weapons, to sabotage the admiral's plans, and to lure him into an Alliance trap. But the high-stakes gamble pits Wraith Squadron's ragtag renegades against the Empire's most brilliant master of guile and deception.
Are they up to the challenge?
If...
TEST OF WILLS
Myn Donos, the X-wing squadron commander, looked around in confusion. This wasn’t right. He’d been through this already. This mission could only lead to …
Death.
The ambush. They were all about to die.
“Talon Leader to squad, break off! Omega Signal!” He rolled up on his port wing and curved in a tight arc. Away from death.
The other Talons did not follow. They sped down their destined path toward annihilation.
“Leader to group! Break off! Follow me!”
A woman’s voice: “Can’t do it, sir.”
“Follow me. That’s an order!”
“No sir. What does it matter whether I die down there or on the way out?”
Donos continued his arc until he completed a full circle. He now sped on in the wake of his pilots, heedlessly rushing toward their doom. He felt an unfamiliar weight crushing his chest. It wasn’t acceleration; it was the inevitability of those pilots’ needless deaths.
“Please.”
“Don’t ‘please’ me, Lieutenant. You don’t care enough about yourself to live. So you don’t give a damn about us.”
“You’re wrong. Turn back.”
“Swear it.”
“I swear it! Turn back!”
The canopy of his X-wing went black and the roar of his engines died.…
STAR WARS: WRAITH SQUADRON
A Bantam Spectra Book / February 1998
SPECTRA and the portrayal of a boxed “s” are trademarks
of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
®, TM & © 1998 by Lucasfilm Ltd.
All rights reserved. Used under authorization.
Cover art copyright © 1998 by Lucasfilm Ltd.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-79649-3
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada.
v3.1
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks go to:
Tom Dupree, Pat LoBrutto, and Michael A. Stackpole, for the opportunity;
Steven S. Long, Bob Quinlan, and Luray Richmond, my “Eagle-Eyes,” who protect me from the worst of my mistakes;
Michael A. Stackpole, Kathy Tyers, Dave Wolverton, and Timothy Zahn, from whose fiction I have been able to draw details and inspiration;
Shane Johnson, Paul Murphy, Peter Schweighofer, Bill Slavicsek, Bill Smith, Curtis Smith, and Dan Wallace, for the invaluable resources they have written;
Sue Rostoni and Lucy Wilson, for making the approval process a pleasure;
Quel Richmond, for being inspirationally big, handsome, and cowardly; and
Denis Loubet, Mark and Luray Richmond, my roommates, for not casting me out into the cold when writer’s mania and deadline pressures made it an appropriate option.
Contents
Introduction to the
Star Wars
Expanded Universe
Excerpt from
Star Wars: Iron Fist
Introduction to the Old Republic Era
Introduction to the Rise of the Empire Era
Introduction to the Rebellion Era
Introduction to the New Republic Era
Introduction to the New Jedi Order Era
Introduction to the Legacy Era
D
RAMATIS
P
ERSONAE
The Wraiths
Commander Wedge Antilles (human male from Corellia)
Lieutenant Wes Janson (human male from Taanab)
Lieutenant Myn Donos (human male from Corellia)
Jesmin Ackbar (Mon Calamari female from Mon Calamari)
Hohass “Runt” Ekwesh (Thakwaash male from Thakwaa)
Garik “Face” Loran (human male from Pantolomin)
Ton Phanan (human male from Rudrig)
Falynn Sandskimmer (human female from Tatooine)
Voort “Piggy” saBinring (Gamorrean male from Gamorr)
Tyria Sarkin (human female from Toprawa)
Kell Tainer (human male from Sluis Van)
Eurrsk “Grinder” Thri’ag (Bothan male from Bothuwai)
Rogue Squadron Support Personnel
Cubber Daine (human male from Corellia, squad mechanic)
Chunky (Tyria’s R5 unit)
Gadget (Phanan’s R2 unit)
Gate (Wedge’s R5 unit)
Shiner (Donos’s R2 unit)
Squeaky (3PO unit, squadron quartermaster)
Thirteen (Kell’s R2 unit)
Vape (Face’s R2 unit)
New Republic Military
General Edor Crespin (human male from Corulag)
Captain Choday Hrakness (human male from Agamar)
Lieutenant Atril Tabanne (human female from Coruscant)
Dorset Konnair (human female from Coruscant)
Tetengo Noor (human male from Churba)
Zsinj’s Forces
Warlord Zsinj (human male from Fondor)
Admiral Apwar Trigit (human male from Coruscant)
Captain Zurel Darillian (human male from Coruscant)
Lieutenant Gara Petothel (human female from Coruscant)
1
Twelve X-wing snubfighters roared down into the atmosphere.
The world below, Coruscant, former throne world of the Empire, was an unbroken landscape of urban construction, a vast city reaching from pole to pole, blanketed by gray clouds shot through with white and yellow flashes of lightning.
The squadron commander, piloting a black fighter with an incongruously cheerful green and gold checkerboard pattern on the bow, shook his head over the grim vista of the world below. Even after all the time he’d spent here—even after the crucial role he’d played in conquering this world for the New Republic—he still could not get used to the arrogance of Coruscant. It was a world that could only rule or perish, for it produced nothing but soldiers, officers, and bureaucrats, and could not feed its population without importing massive quantities of food from around the galaxy.
He took a visual scan of his immediate surroundings. “Rogue Three, tighten up. We’re putting on a show here.”
A green X-wing closed in tighter to the formation. “Yes, sir.” Though distorted by the comm system, the voice sounded indulgent rather than military.
“That’s ‘Yes,
Wedge’
until we’re formally returned to duty.” The commander smiled. “Or perhaps, ‘Yes, Exalted One.’ Or ‘Yes, O envy of all Corellia.’ Or—”
A chorus of groans interrupted him. The voice of Nawara Ven, the squadron’s Twi’lek executive officer, cut through it: “Stop complaining. He’s earned his little vacation from reality.”
Then the voice of Tycho Celchu, Wedge’s second-in-command, sharp and military: “Sensors register a squadron of fighters rising toward us. Speed is X-wing or better; sensor profiles suggest X-wings.”
“Maintain formation,” Wedge said, then switched his comm unit over from squadron frequency to New Republic military frequency. “Rogue Squadron to approaching X-wing formation, please identify yourselves.”
The voice responding was brisk, amused, and familiar. “Wrong designations, sir.
We’re
Rogue Squadron. You’re simply a rogue
squadron
. But for the next few minutes we’ll do you the courtesy of designating ourselves Red Squadron to avoid confusion. We’re your escort.”
“Hobbie? Is that you, Lieutenant Klivan?”
“That’s
Captain
Klivan … again, just for the next few minutes.”
The other X-wing unit rose into view, gradually attaining the altitude of Wedge’s squadron. Wedge was startled to see that the dozen snubfighters were painted in Rogue Squadron’s traditional red stripes and twelve-pointed insignia. “Hobbie, explain this.”
