Star Wars_ X-Wing 07_ Solo Command - Aaron Allston [78]
“You know, you’ve finally earned my gravest revenge.”
“You don’t ever take revenge. That’s beneath Wedge Antilles, Hero of the New Republic.”
Wedge gave him a smile, one full of teeth, and Janson’s own grin faltered. Wedge said, “Dismissed.”
Kell took point, Elassar tucked in behind and beside him as wingman, and led his TIE interceptor unit in toward Kidriff Five. The other wingpair, Janson and Shalla, stayed off to their starboard at the distance prescribed by Imperial regulations.
The world called Kidriff Five gradually grew in their viewports. The planet, at least the hemisphere they could see, seemed to be dominated by three colors: blue for seas and rusty red for vegetation, and a lesser amount of gray-white where the planet’s greatest cities lay.
Comm traffic also increased as they neared the planet. First was an automated signal directing them into one of the preapproved approach vectors. As soon as that signal arrived, Kell transmitted a tight-beam signal back to the Falsehood indicating where they could expect first comm contact.
As they entered the approach vector, they could see, far ahead of them, tiny lights—at the distances shown on their sensors, these had to be massive cargo vessels approaching the planet.
When they were close enough to the planet that Kell could see nothing but its surface unless he leaned much closer to his viewport, they received the first live transmission. “Incoming flight, four Sienar Fleet Systems interceptors, this is Kidriff Primary Control. Please identify yourself and your mission.”
Kell activated his comm unit. “This is Drake Squadron, One Flight, out of the Night Terror, Captain Maristo commanding. We’re here for rec-re-a-tion.” The emphasis he put on the final word suggested a pilot who’d been away from any sort of entertainment for too long. “Inbound to Tobaskin to see how much rec-re-a-tion a cargo bay full of credits will buy.”
“Acknowledged, Drakes. Transmitting your revised approach vector. Will your ship be arriving later?”
“Negative, we’re here solo.” And that lie conveyed a second lie to the traffic controllers on Kidriff Five: that Drake Squadron consisted of hyperdrive-equipped TIEs. This suggested, in turn, that its pilots were very important people. It wasn’t uncommon for high-ranking officers to take their personal TIEs, with a lower-ranking officer as theoretical commander to act as a shield of anonymity for them, on a junket like this.
“Understood. Leave your transponders on at all times, by planetary ordinance. Enjoy yourselves, and welcome to Kidriff Five.”
Kell compressed the exchange and transmitted it, and the point in space where he’d received the opening words of the greeting, back to the Falsehood.
“I do receive combat pay, don’t I?” The speaker was Squeaky, situated behind Wedge’s seat on the Millennium Falsehood.
“If we’re fired upon, yes,” Wedge said. “Otherwise, you just get hazardous-duty pay.”
Chewbacca grumbled something. Squeaky said, “Shut up, you.”
Wedge grinned. He’d never met a 3PO unit as verbally abusive as Squeaky. Most of them, because of standard programming and because they knew themselves to be defenseless, attempted to ingratiate themselves with everyone they met—usually with so much talk they ended up aggravating those they wished to befriend. But Squeaky was a manumitted droid, owned by no one, and had a few quirks. “What did he say?”
“I don’t have to translate comments like that.”
“Translate everything. I’ll decide what’s important and what’s not.”
“He said he could guarantee I receive combat pay by pulling off my legs and hitting me with them.”
“Well, that was very generous of him. You should have said ‘Thank you, maybe later.’ ”
“Sir, I think you lack an understanding of this Wookiee’s violence-laden humor.”
As soon as they dropped to within twenty kilometers of the planetary surface over Tobaskin Sector, which was already under nightfall, Kell and his fellow Drakes began receiving transmissions from sector businesses—some data, some sight and sound, all extolling the virtues of various entertainment