Alphabet Squadron_Star Wars by Alexander Freed

Author:Alexander Freed [Freed, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2019-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

Nath slid into a chair in Meteor Squadron’s ready room, two seats to Chass’s side and one row behind Wyl, and slapped a meaty hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Want to guess what we’re up to today?” he asked.

Quell had called them to the briefing without notice. Probably to see if we’d come running, Nath thought, knowing he’d done the same thing with his own crew. Quell hadn’t arrived yet, which also suggested…something. Nath wasn’t sure what.

“We had an elder back home who said she could see the future,” Wyl said, tilting back his head to look at Nath. “I don’t have her talents.”

“One day,” Nath said, “we’re going to talk about your crazy world.” He turned toward the door as he heard the creak of leather and the rustle of cloth. Kairos had arrived, moving to take up a position at the back. “What about you?” he called. “You want to guess why we’re here?”

Kairos lowered her head. Nath laughed. Chass snorted. It was a better answer than anyone had expected.

Quell arrived a moment later. She looked gaunt enough to cut in half with a paring knife, but she was rigid and proud as ever. Adan followed her in, giving the room only a cursory glance. After Adan came a woman Nath didn’t recognize at first—a jade-skinned Twi’lek with white-patterned head-tails and a confidence that made Quell, in comparison, look like a trembling child.

General Hera Syndulla.

Legend of the Rebel Alliance. The woman who’d helped free Lothal, survived Scarif, and led the charge at Endor. Commander of the battle group and special guest aboard the Lodestar. If she was making time for a briefing, they were in for very good news or very bad.

“General?” Quell asked.

Syndulla shook her head. “It’s your show, Lieutenant.”

Quell showed no surprise as she stepped to the front. Syndulla and Adan lingered to one side. “The squadron has been authorized,” Quell said, “for limited noncombat operations. Our first mission has been determined, and we fly in six hours.”

Nath looked to Syndulla. Limited noncombat operations meant a trial run. Syndulla nodded at Quell and said, “The job is recon and asset extraction. I’d send my own people but as you know, we’re short on resources. When this situation was brought to my attention, I agreed that it fell into your area of expertise.”

Nath heard the tortured grammar and smirked. When the situation was brought to my attention suggested she didn’t want to give credit or spread blame.

Quell touched one of the ready room displays, and a series of images flashed onscreen: An ancient city flooded by colorful mud, shattered airspeeders and human corpses floating past; a gleaming Imperial population center, modern chrome-and-crimson towers battered and streets silent and lifeless; a village in a field of black grass, residents running from a lightning storm that filled the horizon.

“Operation Cinder,” Quell said. She spoke with the hoarseness of emotions smothered and stomped. “You’ve seen the reports. Most of the targets were saved. Some of them weren’t. It’ll be years before the full casualty count is known.

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