Star Wars_ X-Wing 05_ Wraith Squadron - Aaron Allston [172]
Ackbar turned one eye toward him. “Why?”
“I was ashamed.” He wouldn’t have been able to say it a week ago. Now, the words were difficult, but not impossible to utter.
“For not being able to save Jesmin?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I came to thank you. When I read what you tried to do for her … well, it is cruel to learn one you love has died so far away from the heart of her clan, but at least I knew she was in the midst of good friends. Friends close enough to try such a thing.”
“She was, sir.”
Ackbar took a last, long look at the water, then rose. “Enjoy your leave, Lieutenant. Come back strong and invigorated. Warlord Zsinj is still out there.”
“I have a special greeting ready for him, sir.”
Ackbar made a gravelly noise like a chuckle and walked away from the sea.
At the top of the hill, Wedge waited in his skimmer.
The admiral climbed awkwardly in. “You’re still fully dressed, Commander. Shouldn’t you be wearing a scrap and enjoying the weather and the water as they are?”
Wedge set the skimmer in motion, wheeling it around toward the flat field where the X-wings and shuttles waited. “I’m not really as close to the Wraiths as I am to the Rogues, sir. I think I’d make them uncomfortable.”
“So, you are not ‘one of the lads’? More like a real officer? As intimidating as a general?”
“Oh, yes, our bet. Actually, I was rather hoping you’d take this opportunity to acknowledge that the Wraiths had ‘proven their worth,’ as you put it.”
“Your three months aren’t up, General. You are still in danger.”
Wedge smiled. “Admiral, that’s the story of my life.”
About the Author
AARON ALLSTON is the New York Times bestselling author of novels in the Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Legacy of the Force, New Jedi Order, and X-Wing series, as well as the Doc Sidhe novels, which mix 1930s-style hero-pulp action with Celtic myth. He is also a longtime game designer and in 2006 was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design (AAGAD) Hall of Fame. He lives in Central Texas. Visit his website at AaronAllston.com.
Books by Aaron Allston
Galatea in 2-D
Bard’s Tale Series (with Holly Lisle)
Thunder of the Captains
Wrath of the Princes
Car Warriors Series
Double Jeopardy
Doc Sidhe Series
Doc Sidhe
Sidhe-Devil
Star Wars: X-Wing series
Wraith Squadron
Iron Fist
Solo Command
Starfighters of Adumar
Star Wars: New Jedi Order series
Rebel Dream
Rebel Stand
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series
Betrayal
Exile
Fury
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series
Outcast
Backlash
Conviction
Terminator 3 Series
Terminator Dream
Terminator Hunt
STAR WARS—The Expanded Universe
You saw the movies. You watched the cartoon series, or maybe played some of the video games. But did you know …
In The Empire Strikes Back, Princess Leia Organa said to Han Solo, “I love you.” Han said, “I know.” But did you know that they actually got married? And had three Jedi children: the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and a younger son, Anakin?
Luke Skywalker was trained as a Jedi by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But did you know that, years later, he went on to revive the Jedi Order and its commitment to defending the galaxy from evil and injustice?
Obi-Wan said to Luke, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” Did you know that over those millennia, legendary Jedi and infamous Sith Lords were adding their names to the annals of Republic history?
Yoda explained that the dreaded Sith tend to come in twos: “Always two, there are. No more, no less. A Master, and an apprentice.” But did you know that the Sith didn’t always exist in pairs? That at one time in the ancient Republic there were as many Sith as Jedi, until a Sith Lord named Darth Bane was the lone survivor of a great Sith war and created the “Rule of Two”?
All this and much, much more is brought to life in the many novels and comics of the Star Wars expanded universe. You’ve seen the movies and watched the cartoon. Now venture out into the wider worlds of Star Wars!