by John Whitman
If that's the case, Tash thought, then he's no uncle of mine. Tash reached the Infirmary slightly out of breath. The hot Gobindi climate made even the slightest exertion diffi- cult, and her sore arm had become stiff. She touched her bruise. Something was wrong. She rolled up her sleeve. The bruise had become a brown lump, and the skin there was dry and rough. What- ever Kavafi had given her had caused some sort of reac- tion. Just as one of the turbolift doors opened, Deevee caught up to her, his gyros straining from the effort. "Tash Arranda!" he scolded as they rode up the liA together. "How do you expect me to function as your caretaker if you continually run ofF like that!" "Sorry, Deevee, but we need to make sure Zak is all right." "I'm quite sure Zak is in good hands," the droid re- plied. "Dr. Kavafi is an expert in his field, and after all, Master Hoole would only bring Zak to a first-rate medical facility." The turbolift door opened, and Tash found herself staring into the face of Dr. Kavafi. His face broke into a warm smile. "Tash, you're back from your walk so soon?" "Um, yes. I want to see my brother," she said, slipping past him and starting down the hall. "Wait!" Kavafi said, catching up to her. "I'm afraid you won't be able to " "I want to see him anyway," Tash interrupted. She had been raised to respect adults, but her concern for her brother overwhelmed her. Besides, it was hard for her to respect someone in an Imperial uniform, even if he was a doctor. She continued her march down the hall. "Wait!" Kavafi called aAer her. Tash reached the door to Zak's medi-chamber with Kavafi running to catch up with her. "If you will only listen to " Tash activated the automatic door and stepped into the room. The bed was empty. Zak was gone.
"Where's my brother?" Tash demanded. Kavafi held out his hands to try to calm Tash. "Now, young lady, I tried to tell you that " "What have you done with him?" "What is going on here?" Uncle Hoole appeared in the doorway. "They've done something to Zak," Tash said. "They've taken him somewhere." "Of course they have," Uncle Hoole replied. "I'm the one who authorized it.". "You know where he is?" Tash said. "Of course I do." "Can I see him?" she asked suspiciously. Dr. Kavafi looked bewildered. "Of course you can see him. But he's at the other end of the hall. This way." Tash reddened with embarrassment. She had imagined that Zak had been taken away to some chamber of horrors and subjected to bizarre experiments. Instead Kavafi led her into a sterile white room bril- liantly lit with glowpanels. In the center of the room was a large tank filled with greenish liquid. A medical techni- cian in a crisp white uniform monitored the tank, making small adjustments. Inside the tank, Zak Aoated peacefully. He was hooked up to an air mask that allowed him to breathe while floating in the fluid, but otherwise, he looked very relaxed and alert. He even waved to Tash. "A bacta tank," Deevee said. "He should heal quickly there." Tash was surprised. Bacta was the galactic cure-all. It helped to heal wounds, stop infections, and regenerate damaged tissue. If Kavafi was treating Zak with bacta, he really was trying to cure him. The medical technician finished adjusting the flow of bacta into the tank and then left the room with a polite nod. Kavafi said, "It seemed the quickest way to treat his infection. I think this should kill the virus. I expect him to make a full recovery from the inpuenza necrosi." Relief flooded through Tash. All she could do was re- peat what she heard. "Full recovery? Inpuenza necrosi?" Kavafi looked at his datapad. "That's right. We diag- nosed it almost immediately and gave him the appropriate medicine. It is a fairly common illness and no danger as
long as it is treated," he concluded. "Once he is out of the tank, the only aftereffect may be a slight skin rash from the virus that should go away in a few days." "Now, Tash, I think you owe Dr. Kavafi an explanation and apology for your behavior," Hoole said firmly. Tash felt her cheeks flush again. Kavafi smiled, but she could hardly meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, doctor. It's just that I heard someone" without knowing why, she didn't want to mention Wedge by name "I heard some people talking in the plaza. They sort of suggested that... that some strange things were going on in the Infirmary." Kavafi sighed. He looked around and said quietly, "Tash, I hope you are not too young to understand this, but working for the Empire is not always rewarding." Tash's ears perked up. She was definitely not too young to understand this. Kavafi continued. "There are people who oppose the Emperor and the government. They start rumors, they spread lies. But I joined the Imperial medical staffbecause the Empire has the money and resources that let me treat patients in the way they deserve. Now, I don't know whether or not some of the other things you may have heard about the Empire are true, but I can promise you that I run the Infirmary as a top-notch research and medi- cal facility. Our job here is to cure patients, and that is what we do." After only a moment's hesitation, Tash replied, "I un- derstand. I'm sorry to have caused a scene." The doctor winked. "Quite all right. Nice to see some- one who cares so much about her family." Hoole said, "Now that that is settled, Deevee and I need to return to the Shroud. Tash, will you stay with Zak until he is released from the bacta tank?" "Sure," she replied. Hoole started to leave, then turned back and said qui- etly, "And please do not make any trouble." Tash watched Hoole depart. She felt a sudden pain stab up through her arm. She could feel the lump there start to swell. "Dr. Kavafi?" she asked. "Will you have a look at this'?" She rolled up her sleeve. The brown lump had grown uglier and larger. It was already a few centimeters wide, and thin brown veins ran down its sides and into her skin. "Hmmm." Dr. Kavafi picked up an electroscope and examined the bruise. "It looks as though you've had a reaction to the injection I gave you. But it is nothing seri- ous. How do you feel?" "All right," she said. "A little tired and hot." The doctor chuckled. "Gobindi will do that to you. I wouldn't worry about that bump. It should go away soon enough." Tash watched the doctor as he put away the visor. The warnings she had received still echoed in her head, and she wondered if she could trust him. Maybe he had in-
jected her with something. He could have given her some sort of drug.... Tash stopped lierself. He had given Hoole the same in- jection. He and Hoole were friends, and Hoole was fine. "I have to go check on several other patients." Kavafi pointed to a computer terminal built into the medi- chamber wall. "Tash, while you are waiting, why don't you look at a rundown of our research program? You can see a complete presentation of the Infirmary's goals." Tash shrugged. "Okay." At the computer terminal, Kavafi punched in a code and the computer displayed a description of the Infirmary. Above the display, the initials "iawo" appeared. Below
the initials were the words ' WELCOME TO THE IMPERIAL BIO-
LOGICAL WELFARE DIVISION.
"Enjoy yourself," he said as he left the bacta chamber. As Kavafi left, Tash began to punch absentmindedly through the computerized tour. Most of the commentary was about the benefits of Imperial research and the wise Imperial scientists who were devoted to improving life for all species. "Yeah, right," Tash muttered. "Except on Alderaan," she said, thinking of the Empire's destruction of. her homeworld. Disgusted, she slapped the controls to wipe the lies off the screen. A moment later the computer exited the tour program and returned to the main menu. The screen went dark except for the command ' ENTER PASSWORD followed by ten blank squares. Tash was about to call for Kavafi's help, then decided not to. Uncle Hoole had told her she was looking for conspira- cies where they didn't exist. He was probably right. But she had nothing to lose by typing the word that came into her head. Tash looked around. No one was watching her.
She typed in the letters ' S-T-A-R-SW-R-E-A"M."
The screen remained blank. Tash was just about to can- cel the entry and start again when an image popped into the center of the screen. Tash's heart skipped a beat until she recognized the same image she'd seen before. She was looking at the familiar display of the Infirmary with the letters "mwo" appearing at the top. But when Tash looked more closely, her throat tight- ened. Underneath those large letters, the text no longer
read, mmasu. BIOLOGlCAL WELFARE DIVISION. Now it read, mr eam. BIOIOGJCAL WEAPONS DIVISION;
Tash read the words over and over. Biological weapons. Biological weapons. She shuddered. The lu
mp on her arm throbbed and stretched. Tash almost thought she saw it quiver under her sleeve. The medical tecbnician came into the room, and Tash quickly hit the computer's Escape button, wiping the im- age clear. She walked back to the bacta tank in which Zak was being treated. He smiled at her again; then he put two hands together and laid his head on them as though nap-
plllg.
This is a bore, he was saying. Tash had no way to mime her own message. She looked to make sure the medical technician was not watching, and mouthed the words, Zak, we 're caught inside a biological weapons plant! Inside the bacta tank Zak raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He didn't understand. Tash mouthed the words slowly. Bi-o-lo-gi-cal weapons! Again Zak did not understand. Tash decided to try a different, simpler word. Tash pointed to a picture on the wall. It was a plain piece of artwork, a painting someone had done of a starfield. She put a finger on the painting itself and pointed to one star in the starfield. Zak nodded vigorously that he understood. A star. Tash walked back to the tank, put her hands on her head, and opened her mouth wide as if she were yeliing. Star. Scream. Starscream. Zak nodded again. He understood. Tash spread her hands wide, trying to cover the entire room, the entire Infirmary. Over the air mask, Zak's eyes grew as wide as saucers. The Infirmary was connected to Project Starscream.
Tash knew Zak understood. She motioned to Zak to re- main calm. She would be back as soon as she could. Tash hurried to the turbolifts, passing Dr. Kavafi in the hall. "Tash, where are you going?"
"I'll be back!" she said. "I need something from the ship!" "Lobby," she said as soon as she had stepped into the lift. As she rode down, Tash suddenly felt so dizzy she had to lean against a wall for support. They had gotten the name Project Starscream from the Shroud's computer files. Forceflow had suggested that Starscream and the planet Gobindi were connected. And now she knew for sure the code name Starscream was a password into secret files inside the Infirmary. And the Infirmary was run by Hoole's friend. Tash needed to talk to Forceflow now more than ever. Exiting the Infirmary, Tash walked passed the storm- troopers and out onto the top of the ziggurat. How to get back to the ship? "Excuse me," she said to one of the troopers. She tried not to sound nervous. The trooper had no reason to think that she was anything other than a thirteen-year-old girl who needed help. "Yeah?" the trooper asked. His voice sounded flat and filtered through his mask. "Are there any shuttles back to the landing dock? I need to get back to my uncle's ship." The trooper checked his chronometer. "No shuttles for another twenty minutes." Tash didn't want to wait that long. Since the ziggurat on which she stood was the highest in the city, Tash could see the landing docks in the dis- tance. Four bridges separated her from the ship. She hurried for the first bridge. As soon as she was out of the stormtroopers' sight, she started to run. Tash wasn't as athletic as her younger brother, but she was in good shape, so it surprised her when, aAer she'd passed through a second ziggurat and crossed a second bridge, her chest started to heave and her clothes to dampen with sweat. She stopped and leaned against a guardrail. Must be the heat, she thought. The sweat had also begun to make her itch. Her left arm felt a little numb. Tash slowed her pace and continued to the landing dock. She noticed that the platform was crowded with starships. Tash guessed that they had been grounded by the blockade. Reaching the Shroud, Tash punched in the access code and slipped inside the hatchway. "Hello!" she called out, expecting both Hoole and Deevee to be there. But she only found Deevee working at his computer on the codes for Evazan's files. "Hello, Tash," the droid said. "I did not expect you to return to the ship so soon." He was focused on the com- puter screen. "Any luck breaking the code?" she asked. Deevee's voice was clipped. "No. As I said before,
much as I hate to admit it, this code is far too complex for my programming." "Then why do you keep trying?" she asked. The droid shrugged. "If I had a cipher droid, I would make use of its talents. If I had a protocol droid, I would request its assistance. But I do not. I only have my own programming, so I use it to the best of my abilities." Deevee stopped, pressed a button, and the screen went blank. "I believe I am done for now. I must go and see how Zak is doing." "I'll come back as soon as I can," Tash said. "No, Tash," Deevee said. "Master Hoole's instruc- tions were that should you come back to the ship, you should wait here until we return." "Right," she replied as Deevee slipped out the door. Tash passed through the main lounge and entered her cabin. Dropping into the chair at her computer, she pow- ered on and tried to catch a link to the HoloNet. She wanted to talk to Forceflow. Whoever he was, he obvi- ously knew something about Gobindi.
HOLONET ACCESS DENIED.
The signal appeared on her computer screen. She typed
111, RETRY. HOLONET ACCESS DENIED.
Tash typed in a command, searching for the cause.
ALL OFFWORLD TRANSMISSIONS PROHIBITED BY ORDER OF THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMKNT. DUE TO INCREASED PIRATE ACTIVITIES IN THE SECTOR, THE IMPERIAL STAR FLEET HAS ORDERED ALL INTER- PLANETARY TRANSMISSIONS IN THIS SECTOR STOPPED WHILE THEY SEARCH FOR ILLEGAL SIGNALS.
8%at 's going on? No interplanetary travel. No commu- nications. The Empire has completely cut Gobindi off from the rest of the galaxy, and no one seems to notice. She typed in more commands, trying to find a way around the jamming. She was so focused on her efforts, that she didn't hear the hatchway open a second time. She didn't hear her own door open. And she never saw the figure that crept up behind her until it was too late.
A shadow fell across her computer screen, and Tash started. She turned around and found Wedge standing in her room. Behind him stood two other figures: Dne was a human with a scar running from the corner of his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and down to the right side of his jaw. The other was a Bothan, a humanoid with blue fur that ruffled nervously. They were the pirates Tash had seen on the data screen. She backed against the wall of her room. She was trapped. "Tash, don't be afraid," Wedge said calmly. "We're not here to hurt you." "What do you want? Stay away from me," she said thickly. Her heart had begun to beat rapidly. "We're not going to hurt you," Wedge repeated. "In fact, we need your help." "You're pirates!" she snapped. Wedge shook his head. "We're not pirates. We're Rebels." Wedge pointed to his two companions. "We were spying on Imperial activities here in Mah Dala when the Empire clamped down and blockaded the system. Now we're stuck." "Why are you telling me this?" she asked. "I know I'm taking a risk," Wedge said, "but we're running out of options. The Empire knows we're here. They've already captured one of our group." Tash re- membered the Rodian. "It's only a matter of time before they find us, unless we get ofFplanet. Your ship is the only one that's landed or departed from Gobindi in weeks. We need it." "You're going to steal the ship!" she said. "You are pirates!" "If we had wanted to steal it, we would have done that already," Wedge replied. "We just need a ride oAplanet. You'll be doing the galaxy a favor unless, that is, I'm wrong, and you really are part of the Empire." "Well, I'm not!" Tash snapped. She was no longer ner- vous, but she still felt strangely warm, and her breath was short. "I hate the Empire. They killed my parents. They were on Alderaan when it was destroyed by the Death Star." Wedge frowned. "You're from Alderaan?" "Yes, and I'll bet I have more reason than you to hate the Empire."
Again the venom in her words surprised her. But she did hate the Empire. She had every reason to hate it. She felt hot tears form in her eyes. She didn't mean to speak these words she was hardly aware that she had thought them but they came out of her mouth. "I want revenge on them for what they did to my parents." "I'm glad you're on our side," the other human joked. But Wedge's eyes grew soft. "I'm glad we agree that the Empire's bad, Tash. But didn't you say you admired the Jedi Knights?" She nodded. Wedge considered. "My people, the people I work with, we believe in the Jedi, too. I've read a lot about them." "Me too!" Tash exclaimed. Wedge continued. "Let me tell you one of the things I learned about the Jedi. It has to do with that word revenge. Don't use it. Don't even think it." He looked hard at Tash. "The Jedi fought in many wars, but do you know what truly made
them great?" "What?" she asked breathlessly. "They were warriors, but they weren't violent. They never forgot that their enemies were living beings, just like they were, with their own beliefs in right and wrong. They didn't get angry. They didn't hate their opponents. The Jedi always kept their minds on what they were fighting for, rather than what they were fighting against." Tash listened to the words. They sounded like good ad- vice. But they didn't sink in. Not hate the Empire? Not hate the people who had destroyed her family and her entire planet? "I I'm not sure I can do that," she admitted. If any- thing, she realized, her anger was growing by the minute. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The blood throbbed in her veins. Her bruised left arm ached. Wedge shrugged. "I'm not sure I can either." He grinned. "But then, I'm just a starpilot. I'm happiest be- hind the controls of a snub fighter, not trying to use the Force." Wedge paused again. "Tash, we have information we need to get offplanet. All transmissions are blocked. No ships can fly. Except this one. This ship's registry has unlimited landing clearance for this dock. We can fly out of here and no one will question us." Tash recalled how easily the Shroud had docked on Gobindi, once they'd activated their telesponder code. How did Hoole manage to do it? she wondered. Is he an Imperial after all? She never got the chance to answer. Behind Wedge, the other human cried out. Something had grabbed him.