Star Horse: Empire's Sunsetby Neal WolfChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 5Chapter 6EpilogueChapter 4Chapter 1"Another day, another credit," thought Mon-Teel Cray, watching through his cockpit window as a collection of Gardulla the Hutt's goons carried the "consumables" he'd just delivered out of the hangar. He'd taken up smuggling fairly early in life, after an attempted career as an entertainer - he'd picked up the nickname "Parody" from his knack for changing song lyrics - didn't quite pan out. It was a common enough occupation on Corellia; though born on Alderaan, his parents had relocated when he was still a foal, so he always thought of himself as Corellian. In fact, he barely batted an eye when the Empire destroyed his place of birth. Being a Corellian smuggler flying an unregistered YT-1000 freighter did have its drawbacks, largely from countless cases of mistaken identity. He'd lost track of how many times he'd had to explain... at the business end of a blaster... that he wasn't the infamous Han Solo, even going so far as to point out to one particularly nasty Trandoshan that there wasn't a Wookiee ripping her limbs off at that very moment. When he was being honest (an admittedly somewhat uncommon occurrence), he had to admit the fact that he'd used that mistake to swipe a few loads intended for Solo probably hadn't helped, nor had it endeared him to the more prominent Corellian and his hairy sidekick. He was just about to get up and catch a nap when a nearby viewscreen started flashing information about an incoming transmission. A tap on his instrument panel later, the data was replaced by the smiling face of a chocolate-colored Earth Pony with a black mane. "Cray, old buddy!" the face greeted. "How've you been?" Cray rolled his eyes, barely holding in an annoyed sigh. "Whatever it is, Calrissian, I didn't do it." "Not yet," replied the face of Lando Calrissian from the viewscreen, waving a dismissive hoof barely within the image, "but I hope you will; I've got a job offer for you". Cray thought a moment. "Tell me the job," he said after a pause, "and I'll tell you whether I'm interested or otherwise occupied". "It's dirt simple," Lando explained. "All you have to do is pick up one passenger, a unicorn mare, and take her to a location out near Sullust; she'll have the exact coordinates." "What's the catch?" asked Cray, arching one eyebrow. Lando put on a feigned hurt look. "What makes you think there's a catch?" "You're offering the job," Cray deadpanned, his expression unchanging, "to me". After a moment, Lando sighed. "Okay, your passenger's a Rebel informant, and..." "Hold it," Cray cut him off. "You talking about the same Rebels your pal Solo's been in tight with lately? I smell a set-up." "I assure you," said Lando, "the chance of you running into Han is virtually nil. In fact, you pull this off, and I'll talk him into dropping his grudge against you, plus your pay". "That means there's another catch," Cray said suspiciously. Lando sighed. "You'll be picking her up on Coruscant." Cray's eyes widened in disbelief. "Solo did put you up to this; you're tryin' to get me KILLED! How am I supposed to sneak into Coruscant and sneak out with a REBEL?!" "Jabba the Hutt has Han," Lando told him, silencing any further protests. "Some friends and I are working on a plan to bust him out, but it's gonna take time; otherwise, I'd go get her myself. You're the only other pony I know who'd even have a shot." Cray sighed; being the prisoner of a Hutt was a fate he wouldn't even wish on Solo. "How much?" "Five hundred," the relief was clear in Lando's voice, "half when you say yes and half when she checks in with the fleet you're taking her to". Cray weighed the matter in his mind; sure, there were a few bolt-holes on Coruscant where he could slip in and out without drawing attention, but... "Five hundred credits seems a little low for the amount of risk involved." "Five hundred thousand credits," Lando corrected, shooting the other Earth Pony's eyes wide enough to encompass three quarters of his face, "out of my own account". "You got a name for this mare," asked Cray, now far more enthusiastic, "maybe a picture...?" "Just a set of passwords," Lando told him, shaking his head. "If a unicorn mare asks you if you've ever been to the cantina in Mos Eisley, reply 'I've been there twice'. If she comes back with 'The band's okay, but I've heard better', she's your passenger." Lando's eyes strayed from the screen for a moment, presumably to his own instrument panel. "I'm sending the first half of the money now; thanks, Cray." Chapter 2"Apologies, Shadowdancer," said the voice through the intercom with virtually no sincerity. "It'll be just a moment while we run your credentials. The Imperial Magistrate's been breathing down our necks lately..." Cray tapped a few keys on his control panel, initiating a credit transfer to the dock operator's "special" account. He knew this sort of code well; it was the same in shadier ports all over the galaxy. "Breathing down our necks" meant the operator was looking for a bribe, while "looking over our shoulders" meant the Magistrate actually was watching them and the ship would be better off finding another port. Sure enough, the voice came on again a moment later. "Bannered Mare, you are clear to land on pad eight-fifteen." Another common trait of these ports was a list of registered craft that the dock operator could assign to ships that didn't want to be identified on record. "Eight-fifteen; thank you," said Cray before ending the connection. As he brought his ship, the Shadowdancer, in to lightly touch down on the assigned landing pad, he wondered again just how he'd gotten himself into his current predicament. Sure, the money was good... very good... but there was more to it. Maybe he felt a little sorry for Calrissian; that had to be part of it. Busting Solo out of the palace of any Hutt was no easy trick, and Jabba was a nasty one by even those slugs' standards. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else, something he couldn't quite put his hoof on... "No sense worrying about it now," he muttered to himself, activating the hoofprint-identity lock on his boarding ramp as he stepped off of it. The dive of a bar where Calrissian said his passenger would meet him wasn't far from the landing platform, which he liked. Unfortunately, it also wasn't far from the local Imperial Magistrate's office, which he didn't. Upon entering, he relaxed slightly. The patrons, what few there were, appeared to mostly be "disreputable" sorts, not unlike himself. There was one (off-duty, he hoped) Magistrate officer off in one corner, slowly and thoroughly marinating himself; beyond him, it was the usual collection of smugglers, rogues, and ne'er-do-wells that Cray felt right at home with. He took a seat at the bar, ordered a drink, and waited. Two hours and one very nursed drink later, Cray was about to order a second when he heard a feminine voice next to him do likewise. It was a low alto, soft but firm, speaking in a somewhat hushed tone that gave it a husky quality... a quality that immediately perked Cray's ear. Glancing over, he saw a cloaked and hooded figure, an orange mare's face and a few strands of red and yellow mane poking out of the hood. Her aqua eyes took in everything around her, not furtive and nervous but with a practiced calm. "My tab," Cray said to the bartender, nodding to the female's drink and tapping his own glass with a hoof, "and I'll take another." "You don't have to do that," she said, turning to the smuggler and eyeing him a little warily. Cray shrugged. "I know... and I don't expect more than a 'thank you' out of it; call it my good deed for the day." "Thanks," she said with a soft chuckle, a grin starting to play at her muzzle. "Guess I'm a little paranoid." "Can't say I blame you," Cray smirked. "Mare like you must have every sort of scoundrel hitting on her all the time." "Hardly," the chuckle turned into a genuine laugh, one that reached her eyes... those eyes that Cray could easily get lost in if he wasn't careful. "I... don't get out much, and when I do, those I associate with rarely have romance in mind." "Kind of a shame, you ask me," the Corellian told her, sipping his drink. Sure, he was here on business... as his brain kept screaming at him... but no reason he couldn't take the opportunity to gain a new acquaintance. Before he could introduce himself, her head jerked up, glancing toward the door. "Do yourself a favor: make yourself scarce for the next few minutes." "Was it something I said?" he asked jokingly; his humor fell when his eyes went to the door as well... and the squadron of stormtroopers walking in. "I know we just met, but trust me," she said in a whisper. "Please..." Cray nodded, collected his drink, and went off to a corner, within view of the mare and the bar, but back enough to avoid drawing attention. The troopers' attention, he noted, had fallen on his new friend, and they approached her purposefully. "Ma'am, you need to come with us," the lead trooper announced. "Excuse me, soldier?" her voice took on an authoritative tone as she turned, her hood falling back... no, pushed back; the horn it had concealed was glowing faintly. Her eyes narrowed at the lead trooper. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He simply nodded. "Sunset Shimmer, personal assistant to Lord Vader, wanted for questioning by the Imperial Magistrate on suspicion of espionage, sedition, and treason," he recited as several of his troops readied blaster rifles. "I won't ask for your voluntary cooperation again, ma'am." Chapter 3Sunset Shimmer sat quietly in the cell that had been assigned to her. If she knew Imperial procedure (which she did, intimately), the Duty Officer currently in command would have to wait for both this office's commander and a senior representative of the Imperial Navy to arrive before any questioning could begin. She'd known the possibility of her discovery and capture was high - she was amazed that her true loyalty had remained hidden this long - and had vowed long before to remain stoic in the face of their interrogation. After all, there wasn't much more pain the Empire could cause her than what they already had... Her musing was disrupted by voices outside the energy field that served as her cell door; they were coming from the open door of the Duty Officer's office. "I'm here to collect your latest prisoner," one said. "Lord Vader wishes to question her personally." This statement sent an involuntary chill down the mare's spine... until something in the voice registered as oddly familiar. "I wasn't notified of any transfer," argued a second voice, the Duty Officer's. "You want to question Lord Vader and tell him you're delaying the execution of his orders?" asked the first, a mix of flippancy and incredulity in his tone. "Be my guest; personally, I rather enjoy breathing." After some grumbling Sunset didn't quite catch, two figures emerged from the office. One was a green pegasus, the Duty Officer, and the other was a gray earth pony in a Magistrate's uniform that almost didn't fit quite right. Though her face remained passive, her heart quickened; it was the very same stallion she'd been talking to in the bar when she was captured! "Shall I have a transport prepared?" asked the pegasus, waving a pair of stormtroopers over before keying in the sequence that deactivated the energy shield. "That won't be necessary," the earth pony replied. "I've arranged private transport from a nearby hangar." When the Duty Officer gave him a mildly suspicious look, he continued, leaning conspiratorially toward the officer. "Lord Vader wants this kept as quiet as possible. I probably shouldn't tell you this - I don't know what level of clearance you have - but we have intel that the Rebels have found a way to intercept our transports in hyperspace. If the charges against her are true, they'll want her back; if not, can you think of a better prisoner or hostage for them than Lord Vader's personal assistant?" With a grudging nod, the Duty Officer stepped aside. "Would you like additional escort?" The other stallion waved a hoof dismissively. "I really don't need these two; I'm pretty sure I can handle one unarmed mare from here to the landing platform." "There is the matter of procedure..." "This whole operation is against procedure," the earth pony scoffed, "unless you count following Darth Vader's orders." He thought a moment, scrutinizing the pegasus's face. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll take one of them with me," he conceded. The trio, earth pony, unicorn, and stormtrooper, were soon making their silent way to the landing pad. At one point, when she knew the escort wasn't looking, she arched one eyebrow questioningly at the stallion; he replied with a barely perceptible wink and grin. Upon reaching a somewhat beat-up-looking freighter, the earth pony placed his right forehoof on a sensor pad, unlocking and lowering the boarding ramp, then turned to the trooper. "You're dismissed, soldier," he said simply. The trooper, however, didn't budge. "With all due respect, sir, my orders are to escort you and the prisoner to your rendezvous with Lord Vader's ship." "Your orders are being countermanded," the false Magistrate growled. Seeing a potential problem, Sunset decided to help matters along. She looked toward the trooper, her horn glowing very faintly, as the earth pony continued. "I have more than enough security on board." "You have more than enough security on board," the trooper repeated in a dull monotone. For a split second, the stallion seemed surprised, but he recovered quickly. "That's right, so you can go back and resume your normal duties." "I can go back and resume my normal duties." The trooper performed a perfect about-face and started walking back toward the Magistrate's office. It was Sunset's turn to wink at her rescuer. "If you forget any of this happened when you get back, he'd appreciate it," she called after the departing soldier. "If I forget any of this happened when I get back, he'd appreciate it," the stormtrooper muttered, continuing on his way as the other two boarded the Shadowdancer. "Name's Mon-Teel Cray; some just call me Parody,” said the stallion, discarding his stolen Magistrate's uniform and setting about releasing the binders hobbling the unicorn's front legs. "I'll have you out of these in a sec, Ms. Shimmer. By the way, how'd you do that... with the stormtrooper?" "Sunset's fine," she replied, stretching her forelegs once Cray had them free. "As for our chaperone, well... Lord Vader has taught me a couple of things about the Force and how to use it... plus some studying I've done on my own." As they made their way toward the cockpit, she continued. "So, I have to ask: did you rescue me because I'm his assistant or because I might be a Rebel spy?" Cray snorted. "I don't care if you're Emperor Sombra's concubine; I wasn't gonna leave you in the hooves of those... uh-oh." He leapt into the pilot's seat, his hooves flying over the controls to bring the engines to life. Looking over his shoulder, Sunset could see why: several stormtroopers were pouring onto the landing pad, along with the Duty Officer and another officer sporting a very recent black eye. "Guess that Magistrate at the bar sobered up faster than I thought he would..." Cray lifted the Shadowdancer off the platform and aimed her nose skyward, the ship's atmospheric plating easily absorbing the gathered stormtroopers' blaster fire. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as the ship rocketed toward the heavens. "That was too close." "We're not out of the asteroid field yet," Cray told her, nodding off to his right with a concerned look. In the distance, Sunset could see a trio of TIE fighters closing on them. "Unregistered craft, return to the landing pad for boarding and search immediately," a voice droned through the ship's com. "Blow it out your exhaust," Cray muttered, stretching to the right to reach one of the controls. The ship dipped slightly when he finally hit the switch he was reaching for, but he quickly righted it. "I really need to hire a co-pilot one of these cycles..." Sunset slid into the co-pilot's seat, noting the switch Cray had used and making adjustments on a nearby panel. "Deflector shields up; ninety-seven percent power to starboard bow quadrant." Cray shot her a quick look. "Force training and you can co-pilot a ship?" he asked. "Anything else I should know?" "You'd be amazed at what I can do," she told him with a sly grin. Cray allowed himself a small chuckle under his breath, then returned his attention to the matter at hoof, shooting past the fighters' formation and continuing for the edge of Coruscant's atmosphere as the interceptors-turned-pursuers opened fire. The brief levity in the cockpit was disrupted as the ship rocked violently, an alarm klaxon sounding from Sunset's side of the control panel. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "A stray shot got through while I was re-angling the deflectors." She studied the flashing instrument panel to her right. "Minor hull breach in dorsal cargo bay three... bulkhead is sealed and holding." "She's taken worse," said Cray dismissively, his eyes scanning the panorama of ships, orbital stations, and small moons opening before them. Sunset's eyes, however, were sweeping over the console directly in front of her. "Do you have fire and targeting controls over there?" Cray shook his head. "Don't have 'em at all," he said, angling their course toward a relatively nearby moon. Sunset was so stunned, she almost forgot to adjust the deflector shield. "You don't have any weapons on this crate?!" she asked incredulously. "Nope," he told her simply. "I needed the power cells for something just as useful. Do me a favor: keep the deflector between us and them and let me know the instant they lose visual on us." The unicorn stared at him, slack-jawed. "What could possibly be 'just as useful' as defending yourself?" "Not needing to," said the pilot, a bit cryptically. He could see out of the corner of his eye that his new co-pilot was about to argue further. "Sunset, you asked me to trust you; now I need you to return the favor." The mare started to open her mouth, then sighed; she had no idea what this possibly crazed stallion was up to, but she really couldn't argue the point. She returned her attention to the deflector controls and the small monitor showing the TIE fighters' positions behind them. Slowly, the horizon of the approaching moon came into view on the monitor as well; she realized he was trying to put the orbital body itself between them and the fighters. Thinking a second, she turned on a second monitor and brought up a topographical map of the moon that was now below them. "There's a wide canyon coming up, fifteen thousand meters ahead and four degrees to port," she informed Cray. "If you can somehow duck into it, we might lose them sooner." Cray nodded, making the necessary course adjustment. Sure enough, the beginning of a wide chasm soon loomed ahead. Several tall, craggy hills jutted out from its lip. "Perfect," he thought aloud, sliding to one side of the formation. Sunset guessed his intended maneuver, then focused on the monitor showing their pursuit. "Whatever you plan to do when they can't see us, stand by." The stallion nodded again, resting his left hoof on a control bank Sunset didn't recognize while skillfully navigating the rocky terrain with his right. The instant they passed the ridge line, he banked hard behind it, angling the ship slightly upward. "NOW!" Cray quickly nosed back down, activating the control bank at his left and throwing all power into reverse thrusters, bringing the Shadowdancer to a near-immediate stop. The sudden change was too much for the ship's inertial dampers, and both ponies were thrown forward a bit before the fighters shot past overhead and Cray brought them into a stationary hover just above the lunar surface. Sunset eyed the departing craft warily. "Y'know, it won't take them long to spot..." She stopped, noticing the odd shimmer just outside the cockpit, as if she were looking at a holovid from the wrong angle. She turned to Cray, who had a smirk plastered on his muzzle as he keyed up the ship's communicator. "Group five-seven-seven-four, return to your patrol route," a voice said. "Craft are being notified of the fugitive vessel along their last known trajectory." "Okay, clever colt," she said, returning Cray's smirk with one of her own as he turned off the com. "What did you just do?" The smuggler bowed politely, though the smirk never left his face. "Ms. Shimmer, allow me to officially welcome you aboard the Shadowdancer," he said in a mock polite tone, "possibly the smallest ship in the galaxy with a cloaking device". He pointed out the cockpit window. "At this very moment, strategically-placed holo-projectors are re-creating above the ship images from cameras below it. Also, this particular cloak emits a half-second, false hyperdrive signature just before it activates." "So they think we jumped to lightspeed," said Sunset, her smirk slowly fading into a grin. "I'm impressed." "Thank you, milady." Cray could feel his own smirk becoming a grin, but it faded as he looked out the window. "Now, while we wait for them to get well clear, I need to figure out how to get back down to that bar." He sighed as he turned to Sunset. "If you want me to drop you somewhere first, just say so... but... I'd really like to keep you around for a while..." Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, he cleared his throat. "As my co-pilot, I mean..." Sunset tilted her head curiously. "Why would you want to go back? The drinks aren't that good." A soft chuckle escaped the earth pony. "Got a job to do," he told her. "An acquaintance of mine is paying me to meet someone there and give her a ride." Cray then turned back to the window, so he didn't notice the curious expression creeping into Sunset's features. "Can I ask a dumb question?" she asked. He shrugged, not turning around. "As long as you don't mind a dumb answer." "Have you ever been to the cantina in Mos Eisley?" Cray slowly turned back to Sunset, eyes wide and one eyebrow raised. "I've been there twice," he recited. Those enchanting aqua eyes smiled at him as much as the rest of her face. "The band's okay, but I've heard better." The look on Cray's face made it obvious that he was very pleasantly surprised. "You're the Rebel informant I'm supposed to pick up?!" Sunset's smile widened, a hint of pink coming into her cheeks as she keyed the coordinates for her destination into the ship's computer. "Small galaxy, huh?" Cray just laughed, jumping out of his seat and hugging the mare beside him, which made her blush even more. Realizing what he was doing, Cray pulled away quickly, clearing his throat loudly as he sat back down and looked at the new course information. He made a point of not looking directly at Sunset, trying to hide the red that had come into his own facial fur. "That patrol group should be far enough away in a few minutes for us to leave," he told her, his voice quavering slightly from nerves. "Once we're in hyperspace, we should make these coordinates in about fourteen hours." The pair sat in an awkward silence for a moment. Once the TIE fighters were well out of sensor range, Cray finally broke it as he guided the Shadowdancer out away from the moon. "Um, there are a couple of bunk rooms off the main cabin, if you want to grab some sleep..." "I'm okay, thanks..." Sunset replied hesitantly, then turned toward him. "Thanks for getting me away from the Magistrate, too, since you obviously didn't know I was your passenger at the time. I promise I'll get someone to fix that hull breach when we reach the fleet..." "I'd appreciate it," he gave her a small grin, looking in her direction but not quite making eye contact. Outside, the pinpoints of stars became streaks of light as the Shadowdancer leapt into hyperspace. "So... if you don't mind me asking... what prompted Vader's personal assistant to start helping the Rebellion?" "Being Vader's personal assistant, for one thing," she replied ruefully. "The things I saw him do... helped him do... I just..." Squeezing her eyes shut to push back tears from the memory of Imperial atrocities she'd both witnessed and been party to, she shook her head with a sigh. "It was more than my conscience could take." She felt something touch her hoof softly. Glancing down, she realized it was Cray's; as she faced him, he looked into her eyes, sympathy and concern in his own. She turned her hoof over, giving his a small squeeze while a sad smile played at the edges of her lips. "The last straw was when he let Governor Tarkin destroy my family... my entire homeworld..." Cray's head jerked back just slightly, one eyebrow raising. "Your home... you're from Alderaan?" Sunset nodded. "Actually, Princess Twilight Organa was one of my best friends growing up..." The stallion's whole body jerked back at this revelation, though (despite him not really realizing it) his hoof never left hers. "W-w-wait, THE Princess Twilight?" he asked, "the figurehead of the Rebellion?" "Mm-hmm; she was my first contact in the Alliance," she told him. "Lately, though, I've been working with a group of Bothans, taking whatever intel they gather, following up on it, and relaying to whoever needs it. Sometimes I'd ask them to check on rumors that I'd draw suspicion looking into, which is how I got the data I'm carrying now; fortunately, they were able to get it to me before the Magistrate caught up with them." "So they've been captured?" Sunset looked away, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "The Empire doesn't bother taking prisoners who fight back," she said, her voice cracking slightly, "especially non-equines". "You mean they... your friends are...?" Cray swallowed hard as the mare slowly nodded, the tear in her eye sliding down beside her muzzle. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." "You didn't know," said Sunset, wiping the tear away with her free hoof and subconsciously squeezing his a bit tighter. "Most civilians don't; Emperor Sombra keeps close tabs on what all becomes common knowledge." She took a deep breath to steady herself, letting it out in a sigh. "That might soon change, though." Cray's eyebrow went up again. "Something to do with the data you've got?" "They're building another Death Star," she said with a nod, her tone grim, "nearly twice the firepower of the first one, by all reports. If they finish it..." "The Rebels' cycles are numbered," the smuggler finished for her. "On the other hoof, if they destroy it like they did the first one, it might get more systems to side with them." "It could do more than that," said Sunset. She leaned a bit closer to Cray, not entirely aware that she was doing so and oblivious to the fact that he was leaning toward her as well. "According to reports, Sombra is planning to oversee the final stages of construction personally. If the Alliance can blow it up with him on it..." "The war's all but over," a grin came into Cray's lips... until he realized how close they'd gotten to Sunset's. Apparently, she noticed how close they now were also, and both ponies virtually jumped back to their prior positions, hooves going to their respective laps. "That'd be great," the earth pony chuckled nervously, not noticing the furious blush coming into the unicorn's cheeks. "Yeah," the mare squeaked, then cleared her throat. "Um, not to sound rude or anything, but do you have anything to eat?" Cray hopped from his seat, then took a few steps toward the main cabin. "Yes, food, yes... galley's right this way." He continued on, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that she was following. He guided her to a galley table, then went to a nearby storage cabinet to pull out some rations. "So... um... you mentioned you've been looking into the Force?" "Yes," the mare smiled as she watched him at the rehydration unit. "Vader had started teaching me... I think he wanted me to be his apprentice... but I snuck into the Imperial archives' sealed section and started looking up the old Jedi order. While Vader's view of the Force - and Sombra's - focuses on using your passions to gain power, the Jedi followed the Path of Harmony, or Light Side for short. Gaining understanding through things like generosity, kindness, loyalty... that mindset resonated with something in me a lot more than Vader's Sith teachings." "My mom used to tell me stories about the Old Republic and the Jedi," said Cray, setting a plate of food in front of her and taking a seat opposite. "She said the Jedi turned on the Republic at the end of the Clone Wars and tried to take over..." "That's what Sombra wanted everypony to believe," said Sunset after swallowing a small nibble. "I found evidence in the archives that the Purge... Executive Order Sixty-Six... was part of the clone army's training from when they were first created." "A government official lying to everypony," Cray deadpanned. "Gee, what a shock." He had barely even glanced at the rations he'd prepared for himself; most of his focus was on appearing nonchalant while his mind was racing. He'd run out of small talk, and what he should say or do next completely eluded him. This fact wasn't completely lost on Sunset, who tilted her head slightly. "Is something wrong?" "Wrong? No," the stallion blurted a bit too quickly, then stood and stretched, forcing a yawn. "I think I'm gonna grab a snooze," he told her, then pointed down one corridor. "If you change your mind and decide to do likewise, spare bunk rooms are the first doors to either side down there; if you need me for something, my bunk room's the second on the left." An hour later, Cray was lying on his bunk, staring at the floor. "C'mon, get it together, willya?" he admonished himself, loudly smacking his head against the nearby wall; countless hours alone in space had caused him to think nothing of thinking aloud. "Sure, she's cute... okay, gorgeous... and smart... and talented..." He sighed. "And she's been through a lot, and has a lot more riding on her withers; the drop-dead LAST thing she should have to worry about is a goofball smuggler with an instant crush..." A knock sounded from his door. "Uh, come in?" The door panel slid open to reveal Sunset. "Couldn't sleep either?" "Yeah... I mean no... I mean..." He sighed. "You know what I mean." "Yeah," she said; she stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind her. "I just wanted to ask you something... if you wouldn't mind telling me... why did you agree to come get me? Was it just the money, or...?" Cray considered making something up, trying to appear more noble than he felt; instead, he just shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said that the money wasn't part of it... but only part. Truth is, I've been trying to figure that one out myself ever since I did. Something just... told me it was what I was supposed to do. I'm certainly not complaining..." A small grin began to play at his muzzle, but it faded quickly as he smacked himself, covering his eyes with one hoof. "Sorry, that was corny..." Sunset just chuckled softy, taking a seat on the edge of his bunk. "Maybe it was the will of the Force; maybe you were destined to be the one to carry me away from Coruscant and to the Alliance fleet." A slight blush came into her cheeks as she smiled at him, those beautiful aqua eyes sparkling. "Guess you're contagious; now I'm being corny." Cray shook his head. "Nah, the way I understand it, believing in destiny is a part of Force training; I just never really bought into it. If our lives are pre-destined, we don't really have free will, do we?" "Not necessarily," she said with a yawn. "You can have a destiny and choose to not follow it." She stretched languidly, then glanced down at the bunk. "Is it okay if I...?" "Um, sure," said the stallion; he scooted back as far as he could to give her space to stretch out, though it didn't leave him with much. Even pressed against the wall, the mare was close enough for him to feel the warmth from her back. "Comfy?" "Mm-hmm," she sighed contentedly, nuzzling the pillow under her head, then raised her head enough to partly turn and look at him. "Do you have enough room? I can go to one of the other bunks if you'd prefer; I just... it's nice to have someone close by, y'know?" "No, you're fine," Cray told her, again a bit too quickly, he thought. "You were saying you can choose not to follow your destiny?" She nodded, nuzzling the pillow again. "If it doesn't feel right to you, you can always defy it; then again, if it doesn't feel right, maybe what you think is your destiny really isn't." She couldn't help but laugh quietly, feeling the earth pony fidget around to try to get comfortable without "encroaching on her space", as it were. "Do whatever you need to get settled; I don't mind." There was a brief pause, then she felt his weight settle against her back, one foreleg tentatively slipping around her barrel, then relaxing when it encountered no resistance or tension. She let out another contented sigh; feeling his slow, rhythmic breath blowing through her mane put her at ease. She drifted off to sleep as she mumbled, "I know I never thought I was destined to have a 'goofball smuggler' help me carry out my mission..." Chapter 5Cray sat in the Shadowdancer's cockpit, staring out at the various ships being prepped for battle. He wondered how many of them wouldn't come back. How many of those pilots would fly out of here and never see friends or family again? How many more had to die before this insanity ended? Alderaan, Sunset's Bothan friends, who could begin to guess how many others... hadn't enough beings died already? "Obviously not," he thought aloud. He'd been here since he told Sunset that he wasn't going to stay and fight, hours before. He'd basically told her... and himself... that once the 'dancer's hull was fixed, he'd put this whole mess as far behind his thrusters as he could. She obviously hadn't liked that, but she didn't argue. He realized now that he'd wanted her to argue, to try to convince him to stay, so that he could give his justification again... that he really wasn't a fighter... and see if it sounded as hollow to him as it had the first time. "Parody?" The soft alto voice startled him; it was the last thing he'd expected to hear. He turned to find Sunset standing beside and slightly behind the co-pilot's seat. "One of the deck crew told me the repairs are done..." "Yeah," the earth pony replied sullenly. "Isn't the briefing for the big fight starting soon? I figured you'd be there, since you brought the key information and all..." "Just started a bit ago," the unicorn nodded, then grinned just slightly. "Twilight said the same thing; she and the others got back about an hour ago." This piqued Cray's curiosity a bit. "Did they get Solo?" Sunset nodded again. "Captain Solo's safe and sound... and Jabba's dead in the bargain." This didn't cheer Cray as much as she'd apparently expected. "Yet another," he said more to himself than her, then shrugged. "At least he deserved it, I guess..." He then returned his full attention to Sunset. "You said the princess thought you'd be at the briefing, too... what'd you tell her?" "You're not there," she said simply. For someone attuned to a mystical energy field surrounding all living things, the mare clearly wasn't very good at predicting ponies' reactions, based on her surprise when the stallion narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't even think about trying to blame me for anything, Sunset Shimmer; I..." "Parody, please," her tone was soft and controlled, but her eyes were pleading with him. "Just hear me out, okay? That wasn't what I meant..." Cray simply stared into her eyes. Gradually, his deep purple eyes melted under the pain and... fear? Yes, fear... in her aqua orbs. That was when something suddenly struck him as odd. "Y'know, that's only the second time you've ever called me Parody?" Sunset tilted her head slightly, clearly caught off-guard by the sudden topic shift. "When was the first?" "When you walked in..." a small hint of a smirk teased his lips, but there was little humor in it. "I guess that's kind'a connected to why I came down here," she explained, nodding. "When you said you'd spent your life running and hiding, it got me thinking... and I realized I've been doing the same thing." Cray scoffed. "The way I understood it, you've been fighting the good fight all this time." Sunset shook her head. "I mean, I've been running and hiding from myself... from my feelings. I've always sort'a... closed myself off from everyone... except Twilight and the Bothans... until recently." She gave him a slight, self-deprecating grin. "Did you know you buying me that drink in the bar on Coruscant was the closest thing I've ever had to a date?" "It's true," she continued when he looked at her skeptically. "Lord Vader's personal assistant doesn't get asked out very often... like, ever... so, I was thinking, if that offer of the co-pilot's position was still open..." "Let me get this straight," said Cray, one eyebrow raised. "You'd put aside everything you worked for... everything your friends died for... on the eve of what could be the deciding battle of this whole mess..." he paused, virtually forcing the last two words out of his mouth, "... for me?" A wave of emotion swept over Mon-Teel Cray, the likes of which he'd never felt before, as the unicorn before him simply nodded. He started formulating a plan as he noted two figures outside starting to move away from each other: one heading for an Imperial shuttlecraft and the other toward a ship that looked a lot like the one Cray and Sunset were currently aboard. "So, if I make you my co-pilot, I'm still captain, right?" he asked leadingly. When she nodded, he asked, "So you'd have to do what I tell you, right?" "Yes..." answered Sunset hesitantly, not certain where he was going with this. "Beautiful; you're hired." As Sunset moved to take her position, however, Cray jumped from his and bolted past her, calling over his shoulder, "Now follow me!" "Wait, wha... WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" she stammered, but he was already halfway down the corridor to the boarding ramp. The now thoroughly confused mare caught up with the stallion on the flight deck, just as he was approaching another earth pony; this one was also male, with a chocolate coat and black mane and tail. "Lando!" Cray called. "Hey, Calrissian!" The other male turned, curious at first, then lit with a beaming smile. "Cray! Good to see ya, buddy; glad you could make it!" He glanced over his fellow Corellian's shoulder at the approaching unicorn. "I take it this lovely creature is our informant?" "We'll worry about intros later; let me spit this out before I lose my nerve." Lando nodded, letting Cray continue. "You know the Shadowdancer doesn't carry weapons, so, I was wondering if... maybe... you might need a couple extra pair of hooves on Lady Luck..." "Actually, the Lady's sitting this dance out," Lando told him, "hyperdrive overhaul". Cray tilted his head slightly, confused. "Well, then, what are you..." A small grin spread across Lando's features as he gave a telling glance toward the other YT-1000 freighter in the hangar bay. "No way..." His eyes widened as Lando's grin spread further. "Solo's letting you take the Falcon?!" "He practically insisted," Lando laughed. As Cray gaped in shock and the unicorn with him looked on, still confused, Lando caught the attention of a passing Sullustan pilot. "Hey, Nien, quick word..." The Sullustan paused and greeted Calrissian in his own language. "I need you to grab Higgins and the pair of you take a couple of the retrofit A-Wings." Nien looked at Lando, apparently confused, and asked him something in Sullustan. "Don't worry," Lando replied, then grinned toward Cray and Sunset. "I just got two new flight crew members, but neither of 'em are fighter pilots..." Chapter 6The Millennium Falcon maneuvered deftly among the assembled fleet of cruisers, a single file row of fighters following in perfect formation. In the cockpit, just behind the co-pilot's seat, Sunset looked up from a bank of sensor and communication readings. "The gang's all here, General." Lando Calrissian, in the pilot's seat, nodded and switched on the ship's comlink. "Admiral, we're in position; all fighters accounted for." "Proceed with the countdown," replied the rich voice of Admiral Luna from the speaker. "All groups assume attack coordinates." Cray, seated in the co-pilot's position, was reviewing the attack plan. "This could get real ugly real quick if that shield's still up," he thought aloud. "Don't worry, Han's down there," Lando assured him. "He'll have that shield down on time." Cray looked to the other earth pony with a humorless chuckle. "Yeah, or this'll be the shortest offensive of all time..." "You took the words right outta my mouth," the chocolate stallion muttered. The banter was interrupted by Admiral Luna's voice through the comlink. "All craft: prepare to jump into hyperspace on my mark!" "All right, stand by," said Lando, who then nodded to Cray. "Punch it." As Cray slowly slid down the set of control levers to his left, the starfield outside the ship's viewport blurred and the Falcon accelerated beyond the speed of light. A moment later, Lando excused himself and headed out of the cockpit. Sunset turned and leaned forward from her position, over Cray's shoulder. "So, I gotta ask: why the change of heart?" Cray just grinned sheepishly, not really looking at her. "I figured, if you can stop running, so can I." He then sighed softly. "Besides, my life hasn't really meant much to anypony; maybe my death can..." "Don't talk like that," she softly admonished him. "We'll make it out of this... and I know at least one pony your life means quite a bit to." Her ear twitched, picking up the sound of Lando's return; she very lightly kissed Cray on the cheek and slid back to her own position. "Did I miss something?" asked Lando with a smirk, noting that both of his newest crew members were blushing. "Tell ya later," said Cray, making a point to not look the other Corellian in the eye. "We're coming up on Endor," announced Sunset, also keeping her eyes glued to her instrument panel. Lando nodded, sliding back into the pilot's seat and confirming Sunset's readings. "Cray, cut into sub-light engines in three... two... one... mark." The swirl of hyperspace receded back into the familiar sight of space. Before them floated a green-and-blue swirled ball: the moon of Endor. In front of it was a smaller, incomplete dot: the Death Star. Everyone in the Falcon's cockpit took in the sight uneasily, then Lando flipped on the comlink. "All wings, report in." "Red Leader, standing by." Cray noted that it was the same voice that had greeted him and Sunset when they'd first arrived at the fleet. "Gray Leader, standing by." "Green Leader, standing by." The next command came from Red Leader: "Lock S-foils in attack position." All around them, X-Wings and B-Wings deployed their weapons. "May the Force be with us," came Admiral Luna's voice solemnly. Sunset tilted her head, a bit concerned about the display on her instruments. "General, I've got no reading on the Death Star's shield." "We've gotta be able to get some kind'a reading on that shield," replied Lando, "up or down..." The unicorn mare rechecked her instruments. "It looks like we're being jammed." Cray looked back over his shoulder. "How could they be jamming us if they don't know..." his face fell as realization set in, "if we're coming..." He exchanged nervous looks with the pilot. "Break off the attack," Lando barked at the comlink. "The shield is still up!" "I get no reading," Red Leader's voice replied, sounding confused. "Are you sure?" "Pull up!" yelled Lando, his hooves and Cray's dancing over the ship's controls. "All craft PULL UP!" As the fighters veered away from the Death Star, Admiral Luna began calmly issuing orders through the comlink. "Take evasive action; green group, stick close to Holding Sector MG-7." Sunset's instruments picked up a new... and very unwelcome... reading just as a second voice from Admiral Luna's ship was overheard. "Admiral! We have enemy ships in Sector Forty-Seven!" Everyone who heard it could tell Admiral Luna was struggling to keep fear out of her voice with her next words. "IT'S A TRAP!" As they turned away from the Death Star, the Rebel fighter squadrons, led by the Millennium Falcon, found themselves heading directly for the assembled Imperial force. "Fighters coming in," announced Cray; an instant later, the ship was awash in a swarm of enemy craft. "There's hundreds of them," said Sunset, staring at her readouts, "thousands of them... this has to be over half the fleet..." "Accelerate to attack speed," Lando ordered through the comlink. "Draw their fire away from the cruisers." He then addressed his flight crew. "Sunset, keep calling coordinates for the highest concentration of fighters; Cray, keep a sharp eye on deflectors and thruster readouts." Both ponies nodded, and the Falcon went to work, eliminating entire groups of fighters then moving on to the next. As the ship swooped past the medical frigate, taking out a particularly stubborn knot of TIEs, Cray's eyes started drifting back and forth between his readouts and the viewport, concern clear in his features. This didn't go unnoticed by the pilot. "Hope you're not getting cold hooves now," Lando quipped. "No..." Cray glanced over his shoulder. "Sunset, you know more about Imperial procedure than we do; anything seem strange to you?" "I don't... wait..." she paused, looking at the readouts of the unfolding battle. "Yeah... only the fighters are attacking." "Wonder what those Star Destroyers are waiting for..." said Lando, trying to keep a hint of nerves out of his voice and not quite succeeding. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Cray muttered. As if on cue, the star field before them exploded with light, nearly blinding Cray and Lando. "WHAT THE BLAZES?!" "We just lost the Liberty," Sunset informed the pair, hoping what she was seeing was wrong. "The blast came from the Death Star!" "That thing's operational?!" exclaimed Cray, disbelief mixing with a slight hint of panic in his voice. Lando maintained his composure a bit better, flipping on the comlink. "Home One, this is Gold Leader..." "Dejarik!" replied Admiral Luna's voice. "All craft, prepare to retreat!" "We won't get another shot at this, Admiral," Lando pointed out. "We have no choice, General Calrissian," the admiral countered. "Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude!" "Han will have that shield down," the earth pony assured her. "We've got to give him more time!" Sunset looked over her shoulder as Lando turned off the comlink. "Any thoughts on how?" "Maybe," Cray answered for him, then hesitated. "If you've got an idea, this isn't the time to keep it to yourself," Lando told him. "Well, if this was the 'dancer, I'd make sure the biggest gun didn't have a clear shot," Cray explained, "even if it put me in range of the smaller ones..." he looked to his fellow Corellian, who slowly started to grin. "Cray, you're a genius." Lando turned back to the comlink. "Admiral, I recommend we move our cruisers closer to the enemy fleet." Admiral Luna's voice sounded incredulous. "We must have a bad connection, General; I thought you said..." her words were cut off by a second shot from the battle station... and another Alliance cruiser being reduced to debris. "Yes, I said closer!" yelled Lando. "Move as close as you can, and engage those Star Destroyers at point blank range!" "At that close range, we won't last long against those Star Destroyers," Luna reminded him. "We'll last longer than we will against that Death Star," the con artist turned general shot back, "and we might just take a few of them with us!" There was a short pause. "All cruisers," the admiral said finally, "close in on the enemy fleet as General Calrissian suggests". "Actually, it was Captain Cray's idea," Lando commented, giving his co-pilot a grin and a wink. Admiral Luna's response was deadpan. "I don't care whose idea it was if it works..." The tension was almost physical in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as the battle around them intensified to a fever pitch. "Some good news, at least," Sunset announced. "They're not bothering to jam us any more, and none of my readings indicate the Death Star prepping for another shot." She looked over her shoulder at the co-pilot's seat. "Looks like your idea worked..." Cray didn't look overly pleased. "Trouble with good news is it usually has bad news with it." The unicorn mare sighed, turning back to her instruments. "Both sides are taking heavy losses... and they can afford it a lot more than we can..." Cray then turned to his fellow earth pony. "Remember what I said about this getting ugly?" "Tryin' not to," Lando muttered, then looked out the viewport toward Endor and added, "c'mon, Han ol' buddy, don't let me down..." As if on cue, a new reading popped up on Sunset's panel... one that quickly lifted her spirits. "General!" she began excitedly. Admiral Luna's voice interrupted her from the comlink, unknowingly confirming the mare's new readings. "The shield is down! Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor!" "We're on our way," Lando replied with a grin. "Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me!" He released the comlink and turned to Cray. "I told'ja they'd do it!" The gray stallion couldn't resist a grin himself. "Never doubted it for a second..." out of the corner of his eye, he noted the smirk Sunset shot him. "Well, maybe a second..." A short flight (and slight modification to Lando's order from Admiral Luna, who had one fighter group stay behind to help cover the cruisers) had the Falcon skimming the Death Star's half-finished surface. "I presume we have a way in?" asked Cray. Sunset nodded, though he wasn't looking at her at the moment. "There's a heavy maintenance passage that runs from the surface to the reactor chamber, though not quite directly. Crews take supply shuttles through it, so it should be big enough for us and the fighters." "I've got it marked," added Lando. "We should have visual in just a moment." Sure enough, what appeared at first to be a row of red scaffolding ahead was revealed to actually be a circle of scaffolding around a large hole. "I'm going in," announced Red Leader through the comlink, then the various fighters ahead of the Falcon swept up and dove into the hole. "This is it," said Cray, glancing toward Lando. "Here goes nothing," the chocolate earth pony replied, guiding the Falcon to follow the fighters. Cray looked around at the corridor they were now flying through. "Glad I'm not claustrophobic." "Lock onto the strongest power source; it should be the power generator," Lando instructed both Cray and the fighter pilots. "Marked and plotted," said Cray after a few taps on his console. "Approach won't be easy, but we'll fit." "Form up," came Red Leader's voice through the comlink, "and stay alert; we could run out of space real fast." "We've got company," Sunset announced. "Nine marks right behind..." she noticed one of her readings change shortly after the ship took a particularly tight turn. "Correction: eight marks; one just hit that wall." Another reading then came up, causing her to frown. "We just lost Red Three..." "We're sitting mynocks in here, Lando," Cray added. Lando nodded, then tapped the comlink. "Wedge, stay on target with me; the rest of you, split up and head back to the surface... and see if you can get some of those TIE Fighters to follow you." A chorus of "copy, Gold Leader" followed, then the fighters, save Red Leader, broke off. Sunset rechecked her instruments. "The TIEs are breaking off also," she said. "We're down to two... they're staying on us, but they're not firing." "They've figured out they can't get through the aft deflectors," Lando nodded, looking down at his own instruments. "We should have nothing to..." "LANDO! EYES UP!" screamed Cray, just in time for Lando to see the jutting catwalk ahead of the ship and avoid a full collision. It wasn't in time, though, to avoid a glancing blow that shook the cabin despite inertia dampers. "That was too close," Lando muttered amid blaring cabin alarms. "We've lost rectenna signal," Sunset told them, noting that one of her displays had gone blank. "I think we just lost the rectenna," Cray replied with a smirk toward the pilot. "Short-range communications are still up," she continued, then her jaw fell open at a display update. "I don't believe it... they took out the Executor!" "The what?" asked Cray "The super star destroyer?!" asked Lando in unison. Sunset nodded, grinning. "The flagship of the Imperial Fleet is nothing but debris!" "There it is," Wedge's voice interrupted through the comlink. The passage they flew through opened into an enormous chamber with their objective, the Death Star's main reactor, at its center. "All right, Wedge, go for the power regulator on the north tower," Lando instructed. "Copy, Gold Leader," he replied. "I'm already on my way out." The Falcon's flight crew watched as the X-Wing with them banked up and to the right. The pilot then turned to his fellow Corellian. "Proton torpedoes at your control." "Got 'em primed," said Cray. "Almost in range..." The freighter steadily approached the massive reactor. "A little more... in range!" "FIRE!" Lando barked. A tap on Cray's controls later, several balls of light streaked from the Falcon's nose, colliding with the reactor and igniting a gigantic fireball. "Direct hit!" Sunset told them. "Reactor's going critical!" "Job's done, let's get outta here!" Cray said nervously. "Don't gotta tell me twice," Lando responded, banking the Falcon around and making for the passage they came in through. The Falcon raced back through the corridors, still cautiously but much more quickly than coming in, one TIE and a wall of flames in close pursuit. Sunset's eyes were fixed to her displays. "Good news and bad news, gentlecolts," she said. "Good news is Red Leader is clear of the Death Star." "Do I dare ask the bad news?" asked Lando. She answered his question with a question. "You ever seen a star go nova?" "Once," said Cray as Lando shook his head. Sunset sighed. "We're about to see it from the inside... we'll make the final straightaway, but according to my calculations, we're not fast enough to get out before the firestorm overtakes us." Cray started thinking quickly. "How far from the last turn to the exit?" Sunset checked her readings. "At current speed..." "Top speed at the moment," Lando added. Sunset nodded and continued. "We'd need twenty-four seconds to get clear. However, once we pass the last turn, the firestorm will overtake us in eight and cook us in another ten... twelve if we go to full shield." "We need to buy ourselves four to six seconds," Cray mumbled, then turned to Lando. "Malastare gambit?" "We'll lose a lot more than credits if we bust," Lando reminded him. "You got a better idea?" "What's a Malastare gambit?" asked Sunset as Lando shook his head. "It's a desperation move in sabacc," Lando explained. "You bet everything you've got on one risky play and hope like hell it works." He glanced at Sunset, who nodded, then to Cray before returning his eyes forward. "Do it." "That TIE still back there?" Cray asked as they came around the final turn. "Yes... no," she replied. "Firestorm just got it." Cray's hooves flew across the controls. "Shields down, diverting deflector power to main thrusters." His eyes, as well as Lando's, remained fixed forward, staring at the approaching exit as flames began to lick at the edges of their view. Soon, all they could see beyond the viewport was fire. Cray felt a hoof... Sunset's... rest on his shoulder and held it, prepared for the worst... "YEA-HA!" Lando screamed in triumph as the flames gave way to open space, Endor and the Rebel fleet in the distance. "Wha... WE DID IT!" yelled Sunset, first hugging Lando then turning to hug Cray. As she did, the space station behind them exploded, buffeting the Falcon in shockwaves greater than the cabin inertia dampers could handle and dumping Sunset into Cray's lap. She just laughed and hugged him anyway. "You were wrong, Calrissian," he laughed as he returned her hug. "THAT was too close!" "That extra power boost to the thrusters gave us the extra speed we needed," Lando agreed, then grinned at the pair in the co-pilot's seat. "Don't think this gets you out of the rest of the credits you owe me," Cray told him with a smirk. Lando just laughed. "Get out of it? I'd say this earned you a bonus!" Cray looked into Sunset's eyes, his smirk turning into a warm smile as she smiled back at him. "I'd say I already got one..." EpilogueCray and Sunset strolled casually along one of the wooden walkways that crisscrossed Endor's forest canopy. They had parted company with Lando soon after setting down, opting for some time to themselves before the victory celebration planned by the natives that evening. The pair didn't say much, instead simply enjoying the scenery and each other's company. "Sunset!" a female voice called from ahead. Quickly approaching the couple was a purple alicorn, about their size, accompanied by an orange earth pony with a short, dark brown mane. "Twily!" Sunset beamed, embracing the alicorn in a warm hug before turning toward Cray. "This is Captain Mon-Teel Cray of the Shadowdancer, also called Parody. Parody, Princess Twilight Organa, and..." her beaming smile shifted to a sheepish grin, "I think... you're already... acquainted... with her companion..." If Twilight noticed the uneasy looks exchanged by the two stallions, she didn't let on as she shook Cray's hoof. "Pleasure to meet you, Captain; I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us." Cray blushed slightly. "Aw, I didn't do much..." "No, just rescued Sunset from the Imperial Magistrate, got her safely to us with the data that made this victory possible, and helped pull it off," said Twilight with a smirk. "Not much at all." "Twi, you gotta tell me what happened down here," Sunset put in. "You guys had us worried!" As the mares began recounting their parts of the battle to each other, the two Corellians continued to eye each other warily. The other male finally broke the uneasy silence between them. "Cray," he gave a nod. "Solo," Cray nodded back. After another awkward silence, Han Solo extended a hoof to the other stallion. "Good work," he said with a small grin. The tension between them visibly eased as Cray took the offered hoof. "You, too." Solo's grin grew a bit wider. "Lando told me you were co-piloting the Falcon in the fight..." Cray immediately became defensive. "The rectenna was all him; it's not my fault..." Solo just chuckled. "Relax; he told me that, too. I was just wondering... after years of impersonating her, what'dja think of the real thing?" Cray eased, thinking a moment. "Not bad..." he gave Solo a smirk. "The 'dancer would've gotten out of the Death Star faster..." "The 'dancer wouldn't have lasted long enough in the fight to go in," Solo countered with a smirk of his own, "or been able to blow the reactor if it did." "Fair point," Cray conceded. "Still, once everything settles down, we might have to race some time." Solo laughed. "Careful, Cray; I might take you up on that." "Sorry to interrupt, colts," Twilight broke in, "but the general and I have a debriefing to report to. We'll see you at the party!" Sunset chuckled softly, watching the other couple depart. "Twilight and a Corellian smuggler... didn't see that one coming..." "You got some problem with Corellian smugglers now?" asked Cray with a smirk. "Of course not," she gave him a playful nudge. "Twi just doesn't seem like the type. I figured that'd be more my thing," she added with a wistful grin toward the other pair. The grin slowly became a smirk as, out of the corner of her eye, she watched Cray's face slowly turn to shock, his head whipping back and forth a few times before he stared at the other pair. She couldn't hold long, finally gently resting her hoof under his chin and turning him to face her with a giggle. "Wrong Corellian, silly." She then slid her hoof around his neck and kissed him tenderly. Twilight glanced over her shoulder just as Cray started to happily return Sunset's kiss. "Han, what do you know about this Cray?" her tone was a little worried. "I read the same report you did," Solo replied with a shrug. "I mean about HIM," she told him. "It was obvious you two know each other, at least a little..." Solo thought a moment. "Hmm... smuggler, sneak artist... scoundrel," he smirked at her with the last word. She sighed, resting her head on his wither as they walked. "A good stallion, then," she said with a smile. He spared a glance over her head to the kissing couple, a small grin playing at his features. "Yeah... I guess he is..." Chapter 4Cray groaned softly, only half awake. Something instinctive told him the alert that the Shadowdancer would soon be close enough to its destination to drop out of hyperspace was about to go off, but he was too comfortable; his body pillow... couldn't recall when he'd gotten one... was just so soft and warm. He'd have been perfectly content to stay right where he was... until his "pillow" sighed. Now fully awake and aware, he bolted straight upright, nearly smacking the back of his head on the wall of his bunk as he realized just what... or, more precisely, who... he was cuddled up to. Sunset half-turned and looked over her shoulder at him, a lazy grin across her muzzle. "Sleep well?" "Great!" he practically squeaked, then cleared his throat. "Um, great; best sleep I've had in a while, actually." "Same here," her grin spread into a smile, then she glanced at a nearby display as it started beeping. "We're coming up on Sullust already? I really slept well." She stretched, then... reluctantly, Cray thought at first, then dismissed it as his imagination... got to her feet. "I'll grab us something to eat, if you need to get to the cockpit." "Yeah, thanks," he nodded, working the circulation back into his limbs as they left the room; he turned for the cockpit as she headed to the galley. Sunset joined the Corellian in the cockpit a moment later, passing him a protein bar before sliding into the co-pilot's seat. As the ship dropped from lightspeed, the streaks and swirls of starlight again became pinpoints... behind the most diverse fleet the young mare had ever seen. Fighters of nearly every make and model in the galaxy flitted in tight formations like insects around hulking cruisers, many of them Mon Calamari pleasure craft but with several others scattered through their ranks. "I... I've never seen anything like it..." she muttered, awestruck. "The Imperial fleet's all Star Destroyers and TIEs; this..." "I have," said Cray; though his tone seemed to deny it, the look on his face showed that he, too, was impressed. "Groups of smugglers and pirate bands use a similar tactic: when having a ground-locked base gets too risky, they form up into fleets like this. If pursuit gets too close, they can easily scatter to the far corners of the galaxy and rendezvous somewhere else." He glanced upward, noting a pair of X-Wing class fighters approaching. "Inbound freighter, please identify," a male voice requested from the ship's communicator. As Cray began to reflexively prepare evasive maneuvers, Sunset rested a hoof on his and smiled. "Don't worry," the unicorn told her pilot. "I've got this." As he relaxed, she keyed up the communicator, noting the markings on the fighters. "Red Leader, this is Sunset Shimmer aboard the Shadowdancer out of Coruscant; security code eight-two-five-two-zero-zero-one." The male voice came back on a moment later, sounding a bit less formal. "We've been expecting you, Miss Shimmer; please proceed to the command frigate, hangar bay seven." "Acknowledged," Sunset smiled wider, turning off the comm as Cray glanced at the landing beacon he was now receiving and locked on to it. "You knew they were gonna do that, didn't you?" the smuggler stated more than asked, grinning. She replied to his grin with a wink. "A mare has to save a couple of surprises for... whoever." She let her smile become a smirk, hoping he didn't catch her slight pause and willing herself to not blush, with limited success. The Shadowdancer easily drifted and settled into the larger craft's hangar bay. Cray and Sunset were met at the boarding ramp by a teal earth pony in an Alliance soldier's uniform who escorted them to a nearby conference room, assuring Sunset that the repairs to the ship's hull would be started right away as soon as the unicorn mentioned them. As the door to the conference room opened, the pair were beckoned in by its current occupant: a white alicorn in flowing cream-colored robes, her multi-colored mane and tail flowing seemingly of their own accord. "It's good to finally meet you in person, Sunset," the alicorn greeted as the pair entered, her voice regal with just a mild hint of authority. "I can't begin to tell you how much your service has helped us." Sunset nodded, then indicated the stallion beside her with one hoof. "Ma'am, this is Mon-Teel Cray, captain of the Shadowdancer, the pilot who brought me. Cray, meet Mon Celestia, the recognized leader of the Alliance." "Welcome, Captain Cray," the alicorn smiled as the smuggler nodded. "Thank you for bringing Sunset home to us." "Excuse me, ma'am, but is Twilight here?" asked Sunset. "I'd really like to know her viewpoint on the current situation." Mon Celestia shook her head. "I'm afraid Princess Organa is attending personal business in the Outer Rim, but I assure you, she will be appraised of the information you've brought us upon her return." "Solo," Cray muttered, not realizing he'd said it aloud. When he noticed that he had the attention of both mares, he elaborated. "She's helping Calrissian rescue Solo, right?" "Yes," the alicorn nodded again. "She, Mister Calrissian, Captain Solo's Wookiee companion, and Commander Skywalker are working toward that very goal." "Dash Skywalker?" asked Cray, "the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star?" On Celestia's affirming nod, Sunset asked, "are the rumors true... that she's become a Jedi?" "I remember so little of the Jedi order, it's hard for me to say," the other mare admitted. "She does seem... different... from when we evacuated Echo Base, more calm and focused." She then turned back to the earth pony. "Forgive me, captain, but did you say 'first' Death Star?" Sunset answered for him. "That's actually why I'm here, ma'am." Her horn glowed, and a data card floated out of the saddlebag she wore and settled on the table in front of Mon Celestia. "That card contains schematics, defense and security plans, and construction schedules for a new one. I was also able to discover that Emperor Sombra will be personally overseeing the final stages of construction by the time the Bothan cel was able to get this to me." The pained look on the unicorn's face didn't escape Mon Celestia's notice. "And the Bothans themselves?" She sighed softly as Sunset simply shook her head. "I'm sorry... though we've not spoken in some time, I, too, counted them as friends." "You can mourn them later," said Cray in an uncharacteristic outburst, pointing at the data card. "Them and Alderaan and countless others the Empire's slaughtered. The information on that card can prevent billions more from suffering the same fate!" Sunset looked at her companion curiously, but Mon Celestia's expression grew grim. "You are correct, of course, captain," she said. "You are welcome to remain as long as you'd like, however I must ask you both to excuse me. I must confer with Admiral Luna and General Cadence over this data so that we can formulate a plan." She rose, her horn glowing faintly and the data card rising beside her; as she passed the duo, she rested a wingtip on the now far more uncertain Cray's shoulder, giving him a small grin but not saying anything. Once the alicorn had left, Sunset spun to face the smuggler. "What was THAT all about?" "I dunno..." Cray sighed, dropping to his haunches and staring at the floor. "I just... I've never been a fan of the Empire, but the more I think about what they're really like, and seeing the pain in the eyes of ponies around me: Celestia, you... especially you..." The small hint of a grin that crossed her features went completely unnoticed by him as he continued. "I just wanna..." He sighed again, more of a snort of anger and frustration, really. "You're actually not the only one whose birthplace got blown up by the Death Star." Sunset started to reply, then realized the implications of his statement. "You... I thought you were Corellian...?" "I was a foal when Mom and Dad moved to Corellia," he explained, "so I've always considered myself Corellian, but I was born on Alderaan. I've spent the time since its destruction not thinking about it. At first, I thought it was because I didn't really care; now I realize it's because I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to try to wrap my brain around someone being callous enough to murder a whole civilization..." "This mean you're planning to sign up for the Alliance?" she asked him, the small grin still teasing her features. "Me? The pony who's spent his whole life mastering running and hiding, whose ship deliberately doesn't carry any weapons?" Though her grin faded, Sunset did her best to keep the disappointment off her face as he continued. "Once the 'dancer is fixed, I think the Alliance and I both would be better off if I got as far away as possible..."
Chapter 1"Another day, another credit," thought Mon-Teel Cray, watching through his cockpit window as a collection of Gardulla the Hutt's goons carried the "consumables" he'd just delivered out of the hangar. He'd taken up smuggling fairly early in life, after an attempted career as an entertainer - he'd picked up the nickname "Parody" from his knack for changing song lyrics - didn't quite pan out. It was a common enough occupation on Corellia; though born on Alderaan, his parents had relocated when he was still a foal, so he always thought of himself as Corellian. In fact, he barely batted an eye when the Empire destroyed his place of birth. Being a Corellian smuggler flying an unregistered YT-1000 freighter did have its drawbacks, largely from countless cases of mistaken identity. He'd lost track of how many times he'd had to explain... at the business end of a blaster... that he wasn't the infamous Han Solo, even going so far as to point out to one particularly nasty Trandoshan that there wasn't a Wookiee ripping her limbs off at that very moment. When he was being honest (an admittedly somewhat uncommon occurrence), he had to admit the fact that he'd used that mistake to swipe a few loads intended for Solo probably hadn't helped, nor had it endeared him to the more prominent Corellian and his hairy sidekick. He was just about to get up and catch a nap when a nearby viewscreen started flashing information about an incoming transmission. A tap on his instrument panel later, the data was replaced by the smiling face of a chocolate-colored Earth Pony with a black mane. "Cray, old buddy!" the face greeted. "How've you been?" Cray rolled his eyes, barely holding in an annoyed sigh. "Whatever it is, Calrissian, I didn't do it." "Not yet," replied the face of Lando Calrissian from the viewscreen, waving a dismissive hoof barely within the image, "but I hope you will; I've got a job offer for you". Cray thought a moment. "Tell me the job," he said after a pause, "and I'll tell you whether I'm interested or otherwise occupied". "It's dirt simple," Lando explained. "All you have to do is pick up one passenger, a unicorn mare, and take her to a location out near Sullust; she'll have the exact coordinates." "What's the catch?" asked Cray, arching one eyebrow. Lando put on a feigned hurt look. "What makes you think there's a catch?" "You're offering the job," Cray deadpanned, his expression unchanging, "to me". After a moment, Lando sighed. "Okay, your passenger's a Rebel informant, and..." "Hold it," Cray cut him off. "You talking about the same Rebels your pal Solo's been in tight with lately? I smell a set-up." "I assure you," said Lando, "the chance of you running into Han is virtually nil. In fact, you pull this off, and I'll talk him into dropping his grudge against you, plus your pay". "That means there's another catch," Cray said suspiciously. Lando sighed. "You'll be picking her up on Coruscant." Cray's eyes widened in disbelief. "Solo did put you up to this; you're tryin' to get me KILLED! How am I supposed to sneak into Coruscant and sneak out with a REBEL?!" "Jabba the Hutt has Han," Lando told him, silencing any further protests. "Some friends and I are working on a plan to bust him out, but it's gonna take time; otherwise, I'd go get her myself. You're the only other pony I know who'd even have a shot." Cray sighed; being the prisoner of a Hutt was a fate he wouldn't even wish on Solo. "How much?" "Five hundred," the relief was clear in Lando's voice, "half when you say yes and half when she checks in with the fleet you're taking her to". Cray weighed the matter in his mind; sure, there were a few bolt-holes on Coruscant where he could slip in and out without drawing attention, but... "Five hundred credits seems a little low for the amount of risk involved." "Five hundred thousand credits," Lando corrected, shooting the other Earth Pony's eyes wide enough to encompass three quarters of his face, "out of my own account". "You got a name for this mare," asked Cray, now far more enthusiastic, "maybe a picture...?" "Just a set of passwords," Lando told him, shaking his head. "If a unicorn mare asks you if you've ever been to the cantina in Mos Eisley, reply 'I've been there twice'. If she comes back with 'The band's okay, but I've heard better', she's your passenger." Lando's eyes strayed from the screen for a moment, presumably to his own instrument panel. "I'm sending the first half of the money now; thanks, Cray."
Chapter 2"Apologies, Shadowdancer," said the voice through the intercom with virtually no sincerity. "It'll be just a moment while we run your credentials. The Imperial Magistrate's been breathing down our necks lately..." Cray tapped a few keys on his control panel, initiating a credit transfer to the dock operator's "special" account. He knew this sort of code well; it was the same in shadier ports all over the galaxy. "Breathing down our necks" meant the operator was looking for a bribe, while "looking over our shoulders" meant the Magistrate actually was watching them and the ship would be better off finding another port. Sure enough, the voice came on again a moment later. "Bannered Mare, you are clear to land on pad eight-fifteen." Another common trait of these ports was a list of registered craft that the dock operator could assign to ships that didn't want to be identified on record. "Eight-fifteen; thank you," said Cray before ending the connection. As he brought his ship, the Shadowdancer, in to lightly touch down on the assigned landing pad, he wondered again just how he'd gotten himself into his current predicament. Sure, the money was good... very good... but there was more to it. Maybe he felt a little sorry for Calrissian; that had to be part of it. Busting Solo out of the palace of any Hutt was no easy trick, and Jabba was a nasty one by even those slugs' standards. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else, something he couldn't quite put his hoof on... "No sense worrying about it now," he muttered to himself, activating the hoofprint-identity lock on his boarding ramp as he stepped off of it. The dive of a bar where Calrissian said his passenger would meet him wasn't far from the landing platform, which he liked. Unfortunately, it also wasn't far from the local Imperial Magistrate's office, which he didn't. Upon entering, he relaxed slightly. The patrons, what few there were, appeared to mostly be "disreputable" sorts, not unlike himself. There was one (off-duty, he hoped) Magistrate officer off in one corner, slowly and thoroughly marinating himself; beyond him, it was the usual collection of smugglers, rogues, and ne'er-do-wells that Cray felt right at home with. He took a seat at the bar, ordered a drink, and waited. Two hours and one very nursed drink later, Cray was about to order a second when he heard a feminine voice next to him do likewise. It was a low alto, soft but firm, speaking in a somewhat hushed tone that gave it a husky quality... a quality that immediately perked Cray's ear. Glancing over, he saw a cloaked and hooded figure, an orange mare's face and a few strands of red and yellow mane poking out of the hood. Her aqua eyes took in everything around her, not furtive and nervous but with a practiced calm. "My tab," Cray said to the bartender, nodding to the female's drink and tapping his own glass with a hoof, "and I'll take another." "You don't have to do that," she said, turning to the smuggler and eyeing him a little warily. Cray shrugged. "I know... and I don't expect more than a 'thank you' out of it; call it my good deed for the day." "Thanks," she said with a soft chuckle, a grin starting to play at her muzzle. "Guess I'm a little paranoid." "Can't say I blame you," Cray smirked. "Mare like you must have every sort of scoundrel hitting on her all the time." "Hardly," the chuckle turned into a genuine laugh, one that reached her eyes... those eyes that Cray could easily get lost in if he wasn't careful. "I... don't get out much, and when I do, those I associate with rarely have romance in mind." "Kind of a shame, you ask me," the Corellian told her, sipping his drink. Sure, he was here on business... as his brain kept screaming at him... but no reason he couldn't take the opportunity to gain a new acquaintance. Before he could introduce himself, her head jerked up, glancing toward the door. "Do yourself a favor: make yourself scarce for the next few minutes." "Was it something I said?" he asked jokingly; his humor fell when his eyes went to the door as well... and the squadron of stormtroopers walking in. "I know we just met, but trust me," she said in a whisper. "Please..." Cray nodded, collected his drink, and went off to a corner, within view of the mare and the bar, but back enough to avoid drawing attention. The troopers' attention, he noted, had fallen on his new friend, and they approached her purposefully. "Ma'am, you need to come with us," the lead trooper announced. "Excuse me, soldier?" her voice took on an authoritative tone as she turned, her hood falling back... no, pushed back; the horn it had concealed was glowing faintly. Her eyes narrowed at the lead trooper. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He simply nodded. "Sunset Shimmer, personal assistant to Lord Vader, wanted for questioning by the Imperial Magistrate on suspicion of espionage, sedition, and treason," he recited as several of his troops readied blaster rifles. "I won't ask for your voluntary cooperation again, ma'am."
Chapter 3Sunset Shimmer sat quietly in the cell that had been assigned to her. If she knew Imperial procedure (which she did, intimately), the Duty Officer currently in command would have to wait for both this office's commander and a senior representative of the Imperial Navy to arrive before any questioning could begin. She'd known the possibility of her discovery and capture was high - she was amazed that her true loyalty had remained hidden this long - and had vowed long before to remain stoic in the face of their interrogation. After all, there wasn't much more pain the Empire could cause her than what they already had... Her musing was disrupted by voices outside the energy field that served as her cell door; they were coming from the open door of the Duty Officer's office. "I'm here to collect your latest prisoner," one said. "Lord Vader wishes to question her personally." This statement sent an involuntary chill down the mare's spine... until something in the voice registered as oddly familiar. "I wasn't notified of any transfer," argued a second voice, the Duty Officer's. "You want to question Lord Vader and tell him you're delaying the execution of his orders?" asked the first, a mix of flippancy and incredulity in his tone. "Be my guest; personally, I rather enjoy breathing." After some grumbling Sunset didn't quite catch, two figures emerged from the office. One was a green pegasus, the Duty Officer, and the other was a gray earth pony in a Magistrate's uniform that almost didn't fit quite right. Though her face remained passive, her heart quickened; it was the very same stallion she'd been talking to in the bar when she was captured! "Shall I have a transport prepared?" asked the pegasus, waving a pair of stormtroopers over before keying in the sequence that deactivated the energy shield. "That won't be necessary," the earth pony replied. "I've arranged private transport from a nearby hangar." When the Duty Officer gave him a mildly suspicious look, he continued, leaning conspiratorially toward the officer. "Lord Vader wants this kept as quiet as possible. I probably shouldn't tell you this - I don't know what level of clearance you have - but we have intel that the Rebels have found a way to intercept our transports in hyperspace. If the charges against her are true, they'll want her back; if not, can you think of a better prisoner or hostage for them than Lord Vader's personal assistant?" With a grudging nod, the Duty Officer stepped aside. "Would you like additional escort?" The other stallion waved a hoof dismissively. "I really don't need these two; I'm pretty sure I can handle one unarmed mare from here to the landing platform." "There is the matter of procedure..." "This whole operation is against procedure," the earth pony scoffed, "unless you count following Darth Vader's orders." He thought a moment, scrutinizing the pegasus's face. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll take one of them with me," he conceded. The trio, earth pony, unicorn, and stormtrooper, were soon making their silent way to the landing pad. At one point, when she knew the escort wasn't looking, she arched one eyebrow questioningly at the stallion; he replied with a barely perceptible wink and grin. Upon reaching a somewhat beat-up-looking freighter, the earth pony placed his right forehoof on a sensor pad, unlocking and lowering the boarding ramp, then turned to the trooper. "You're dismissed, soldier," he said simply. The trooper, however, didn't budge. "With all due respect, sir, my orders are to escort you and the prisoner to your rendezvous with Lord Vader's ship." "Your orders are being countermanded," the false Magistrate growled. Seeing a potential problem, Sunset decided to help matters along. She looked toward the trooper, her horn glowing very faintly, as the earth pony continued. "I have more than enough security on board." "You have more than enough security on board," the trooper repeated in a dull monotone. For a split second, the stallion seemed surprised, but he recovered quickly. "That's right, so you can go back and resume your normal duties." "I can go back and resume my normal duties." The trooper performed a perfect about-face and started walking back toward the Magistrate's office. It was Sunset's turn to wink at her rescuer. "If you forget any of this happened when you get back, he'd appreciate it," she called after the departing soldier. "If I forget any of this happened when I get back, he'd appreciate it," the stormtrooper muttered, continuing on his way as the other two boarded the Shadowdancer. "Name's Mon-Teel Cray; some just call me Parody,” said the stallion, discarding his stolen Magistrate's uniform and setting about releasing the binders hobbling the unicorn's front legs. "I'll have you out of these in a sec, Ms. Shimmer. By the way, how'd you do that... with the stormtrooper?" "Sunset's fine," she replied, stretching her forelegs once Cray had them free. "As for our chaperone, well... Lord Vader has taught me a couple of things about the Force and how to use it... plus some studying I've done on my own." As they made their way toward the cockpit, she continued. "So, I have to ask: did you rescue me because I'm his assistant or because I might be a Rebel spy?" Cray snorted. "I don't care if you're Emperor Sombra's concubine; I wasn't gonna leave you in the hooves of those... uh-oh." He leapt into the pilot's seat, his hooves flying over the controls to bring the engines to life. Looking over his shoulder, Sunset could see why: several stormtroopers were pouring onto the landing pad, along with the Duty Officer and another officer sporting a very recent black eye. "Guess that Magistrate at the bar sobered up faster than I thought he would..." Cray lifted the Shadowdancer off the platform and aimed her nose skyward, the ship's atmospheric plating easily absorbing the gathered stormtroopers' blaster fire. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as the ship rocketed toward the heavens. "That was too close." "We're not out of the asteroid field yet," Cray told her, nodding off to his right with a concerned look. In the distance, Sunset could see a trio of TIE fighters closing on them. "Unregistered craft, return to the landing pad for boarding and search immediately," a voice droned through the ship's com. "Blow it out your exhaust," Cray muttered, stretching to the right to reach one of the controls. The ship dipped slightly when he finally hit the switch he was reaching for, but he quickly righted it. "I really need to hire a co-pilot one of these cycles..." Sunset slid into the co-pilot's seat, noting the switch Cray had used and making adjustments on a nearby panel. "Deflector shields up; ninety-seven percent power to starboard bow quadrant." Cray shot her a quick look. "Force training and you can co-pilot a ship?" he asked. "Anything else I should know?" "You'd be amazed at what I can do," she told him with a sly grin. Cray allowed himself a small chuckle under his breath, then returned his attention to the matter at hoof, shooting past the fighters' formation and continuing for the edge of Coruscant's atmosphere as the interceptors-turned-pursuers opened fire. The brief levity in the cockpit was disrupted as the ship rocked violently, an alarm klaxon sounding from Sunset's side of the control panel. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "A stray shot got through while I was re-angling the deflectors." She studied the flashing instrument panel to her right. "Minor hull breach in dorsal cargo bay three... bulkhead is sealed and holding." "She's taken worse," said Cray dismissively, his eyes scanning the panorama of ships, orbital stations, and small moons opening before them. Sunset's eyes, however, were sweeping over the console directly in front of her. "Do you have fire and targeting controls over there?" Cray shook his head. "Don't have 'em at all," he said, angling their course toward a relatively nearby moon. Sunset was so stunned, she almost forgot to adjust the deflector shield. "You don't have any weapons on this crate?!" she asked incredulously. "Nope," he told her simply. "I needed the power cells for something just as useful. Do me a favor: keep the deflector between us and them and let me know the instant they lose visual on us." The unicorn stared at him, slack-jawed. "What could possibly be 'just as useful' as defending yourself?" "Not needing to," said the pilot, a bit cryptically. He could see out of the corner of his eye that his new co-pilot was about to argue further. "Sunset, you asked me to trust you; now I need you to return the favor." The mare started to open her mouth, then sighed; she had no idea what this possibly crazed stallion was up to, but she really couldn't argue the point. She returned her attention to the deflector controls and the small monitor showing the TIE fighters' positions behind them. Slowly, the horizon of the approaching moon came into view on the monitor as well; she realized he was trying to put the orbital body itself between them and the fighters. Thinking a second, she turned on a second monitor and brought up a topographical map of the moon that was now below them. "There's a wide canyon coming up, fifteen thousand meters ahead and four degrees to port," she informed Cray. "If you can somehow duck into it, we might lose them sooner." Cray nodded, making the necessary course adjustment. Sure enough, the beginning of a wide chasm soon loomed ahead. Several tall, craggy hills jutted out from its lip. "Perfect," he thought aloud, sliding to one side of the formation. Sunset guessed his intended maneuver, then focused on the monitor showing their pursuit. "Whatever you plan to do when they can't see us, stand by." The stallion nodded again, resting his left hoof on a control bank Sunset didn't recognize while skillfully navigating the rocky terrain with his right. The instant they passed the ridge line, he banked hard behind it, angling the ship slightly upward. "NOW!" Cray quickly nosed back down, activating the control bank at his left and throwing all power into reverse thrusters, bringing the Shadowdancer to a near-immediate stop. The sudden change was too much for the ship's inertial dampers, and both ponies were thrown forward a bit before the fighters shot past overhead and Cray brought them into a stationary hover just above the lunar surface. Sunset eyed the departing craft warily. "Y'know, it won't take them long to spot..." She stopped, noticing the odd shimmer just outside the cockpit, as if she were looking at a holovid from the wrong angle. She turned to Cray, who had a smirk plastered on his muzzle as he keyed up the ship's communicator. "Group five-seven-seven-four, return to your patrol route," a voice said. "Craft are being notified of the fugitive vessel along their last known trajectory." "Okay, clever colt," she said, returning Cray's smirk with one of her own as he turned off the com. "What did you just do?" The smuggler bowed politely, though the smirk never left his face. "Ms. Shimmer, allow me to officially welcome you aboard the Shadowdancer," he said in a mock polite tone, "possibly the smallest ship in the galaxy with a cloaking device". He pointed out the cockpit window. "At this very moment, strategically-placed holo-projectors are re-creating above the ship images from cameras below it. Also, this particular cloak emits a half-second, false hyperdrive signature just before it activates." "So they think we jumped to lightspeed," said Sunset, her smirk slowly fading into a grin. "I'm impressed." "Thank you, milady." Cray could feel his own smirk becoming a grin, but it faded as he looked out the window. "Now, while we wait for them to get well clear, I need to figure out how to get back down to that bar." He sighed as he turned to Sunset. "If you want me to drop you somewhere first, just say so... but... I'd really like to keep you around for a while..." Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, he cleared his throat. "As my co-pilot, I mean..." Sunset tilted her head curiously. "Why would you want to go back? The drinks aren't that good." A soft chuckle escaped the earth pony. "Got a job to do," he told her. "An acquaintance of mine is paying me to meet someone there and give her a ride." Cray then turned back to the window, so he didn't notice the curious expression creeping into Sunset's features. "Can I ask a dumb question?" she asked. He shrugged, not turning around. "As long as you don't mind a dumb answer." "Have you ever been to the cantina in Mos Eisley?" Cray slowly turned back to Sunset, eyes wide and one eyebrow raised. "I've been there twice," he recited. Those enchanting aqua eyes smiled at him as much as the rest of her face. "The band's okay, but I've heard better." The look on Cray's face made it obvious that he was very pleasantly surprised. "You're the Rebel informant I'm supposed to pick up?!" Sunset's smile widened, a hint of pink coming into her cheeks as she keyed the coordinates for her destination into the ship's computer. "Small galaxy, huh?" Cray just laughed, jumping out of his seat and hugging the mare beside him, which made her blush even more. Realizing what he was doing, Cray pulled away quickly, clearing his throat loudly as he sat back down and looked at the new course information. He made a point of not looking directly at Sunset, trying to hide the red that had come into his own facial fur. "That patrol group should be far enough away in a few minutes for us to leave," he told her, his voice quavering slightly from nerves. "Once we're in hyperspace, we should make these coordinates in about fourteen hours." The pair sat in an awkward silence for a moment. Once the TIE fighters were well out of sensor range, Cray finally broke it as he guided the Shadowdancer out away from the moon. "Um, there are a couple of bunk rooms off the main cabin, if you want to grab some sleep..." "I'm okay, thanks..." Sunset replied hesitantly, then turned toward him. "Thanks for getting me away from the Magistrate, too, since you obviously didn't know I was your passenger at the time. I promise I'll get someone to fix that hull breach when we reach the fleet..." "I'd appreciate it," he gave her a small grin, looking in her direction but not quite making eye contact. Outside, the pinpoints of stars became streaks of light as the Shadowdancer leapt into hyperspace. "So... if you don't mind me asking... what prompted Vader's personal assistant to start helping the Rebellion?" "Being Vader's personal assistant, for one thing," she replied ruefully. "The things I saw him do... helped him do... I just..." Squeezing her eyes shut to push back tears from the memory of Imperial atrocities she'd both witnessed and been party to, she shook her head with a sigh. "It was more than my conscience could take." She felt something touch her hoof softly. Glancing down, she realized it was Cray's; as she faced him, he looked into her eyes, sympathy and concern in his own. She turned her hoof over, giving his a small squeeze while a sad smile played at the edges of her lips. "The last straw was when he let Governor Tarkin destroy my family... my entire homeworld..." Cray's head jerked back just slightly, one eyebrow raising. "Your home... you're from Alderaan?" Sunset nodded. "Actually, Princess Twilight Organa was one of my best friends growing up..." The stallion's whole body jerked back at this revelation, though (despite him not really realizing it) his hoof never left hers. "W-w-wait, THE Princess Twilight?" he asked, "the figurehead of the Rebellion?" "Mm-hmm; she was my first contact in the Alliance," she told him. "Lately, though, I've been working with a group of Bothans, taking whatever intel they gather, following up on it, and relaying to whoever needs it. Sometimes I'd ask them to check on rumors that I'd draw suspicion looking into, which is how I got the data I'm carrying now; fortunately, they were able to get it to me before the Magistrate caught up with them." "So they've been captured?" Sunset looked away, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "The Empire doesn't bother taking prisoners who fight back," she said, her voice cracking slightly, "especially non-equines". "You mean they... your friends are...?" Cray swallowed hard as the mare slowly nodded, the tear in her eye sliding down beside her muzzle. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." "You didn't know," said Sunset, wiping the tear away with her free hoof and subconsciously squeezing his a bit tighter. "Most civilians don't; Emperor Sombra keeps close tabs on what all becomes common knowledge." She took a deep breath to steady herself, letting it out in a sigh. "That might soon change, though." Cray's eyebrow went up again. "Something to do with the data you've got?" "They're building another Death Star," she said with a nod, her tone grim, "nearly twice the firepower of the first one, by all reports. If they finish it..." "The Rebels' cycles are numbered," the smuggler finished for her. "On the other hoof, if they destroy it like they did the first one, it might get more systems to side with them." "It could do more than that," said Sunset. She leaned a bit closer to Cray, not entirely aware that she was doing so and oblivious to the fact that he was leaning toward her as well. "According to reports, Sombra is planning to oversee the final stages of construction personally. If the Alliance can blow it up with him on it..." "The war's all but over," a grin came into Cray's lips... until he realized how close they'd gotten to Sunset's. Apparently, she noticed how close they now were also, and both ponies virtually jumped back to their prior positions, hooves going to their respective laps. "That'd be great," the earth pony chuckled nervously, not noticing the furious blush coming into the unicorn's cheeks. "Yeah," the mare squeaked, then cleared her throat. "Um, not to sound rude or anything, but do you have anything to eat?" Cray hopped from his seat, then took a few steps toward the main cabin. "Yes, food, yes... galley's right this way." He continued on, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that she was following. He guided her to a galley table, then went to a nearby storage cabinet to pull out some rations. "So... um... you mentioned you've been looking into the Force?" "Yes," the mare smiled as she watched him at the rehydration unit. "Vader had started teaching me... I think he wanted me to be his apprentice... but I snuck into the Imperial archives' sealed section and started looking up the old Jedi order. While Vader's view of the Force - and Sombra's - focuses on using your passions to gain power, the Jedi followed the Path of Harmony, or Light Side for short. Gaining understanding through things like generosity, kindness, loyalty... that mindset resonated with something in me a lot more than Vader's Sith teachings." "My mom used to tell me stories about the Old Republic and the Jedi," said Cray, setting a plate of food in front of her and taking a seat opposite. "She said the Jedi turned on the Republic at the end of the Clone Wars and tried to take over..." "That's what Sombra wanted everypony to believe," said Sunset after swallowing a small nibble. "I found evidence in the archives that the Purge... Executive Order Sixty-Six... was part of the clone army's training from when they were first created." "A government official lying to everypony," Cray deadpanned. "Gee, what a shock." He had barely even glanced at the rations he'd prepared for himself; most of his focus was on appearing nonchalant while his mind was racing. He'd run out of small talk, and what he should say or do next completely eluded him. This fact wasn't completely lost on Sunset, who tilted her head slightly. "Is something wrong?" "Wrong? No," the stallion blurted a bit too quickly, then stood and stretched, forcing a yawn. "I think I'm gonna grab a snooze," he told her, then pointed down one corridor. "If you change your mind and decide to do likewise, spare bunk rooms are the first doors to either side down there; if you need me for something, my bunk room's the second on the left." An hour later, Cray was lying on his bunk, staring at the floor. "C'mon, get it together, willya?" he admonished himself, loudly smacking his head against the nearby wall; countless hours alone in space had caused him to think nothing of thinking aloud. "Sure, she's cute... okay, gorgeous... and smart... and talented..." He sighed. "And she's been through a lot, and has a lot more riding on her withers; the drop-dead LAST thing she should have to worry about is a goofball smuggler with an instant crush..." A knock sounded from his door. "Uh, come in?" The door panel slid open to reveal Sunset. "Couldn't sleep either?" "Yeah... I mean no... I mean..." He sighed. "You know what I mean." "Yeah," she said; she stepped into the room, the door sliding closed behind her. "I just wanted to ask you something... if you wouldn't mind telling me... why did you agree to come get me? Was it just the money, or...?" Cray considered making something up, trying to appear more noble than he felt; instead, he just shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said that the money wasn't part of it... but only part. Truth is, I've been trying to figure that one out myself ever since I did. Something just... told me it was what I was supposed to do. I'm certainly not complaining..." A small grin began to play at his muzzle, but it faded quickly as he smacked himself, covering his eyes with one hoof. "Sorry, that was corny..." Sunset just chuckled softy, taking a seat on the edge of his bunk. "Maybe it was the will of the Force; maybe you were destined to be the one to carry me away from Coruscant and to the Alliance fleet." A slight blush came into her cheeks as she smiled at him, those beautiful aqua eyes sparkling. "Guess you're contagious; now I'm being corny." Cray shook his head. "Nah, the way I understand it, believing in destiny is a part of Force training; I just never really bought into it. If our lives are pre-destined, we don't really have free will, do we?" "Not necessarily," she said with a yawn. "You can have a destiny and choose to not follow it." She stretched languidly, then glanced down at the bunk. "Is it okay if I...?" "Um, sure," said the stallion; he scooted back as far as he could to give her space to stretch out, though it didn't leave him with much. Even pressed against the wall, the mare was close enough for him to feel the warmth from her back. "Comfy?" "Mm-hmm," she sighed contentedly, nuzzling the pillow under her head, then raised her head enough to partly turn and look at him. "Do you have enough room? I can go to one of the other bunks if you'd prefer; I just... it's nice to have someone close by, y'know?" "No, you're fine," Cray told her, again a bit too quickly, he thought. "You were saying you can choose not to follow your destiny?" She nodded, nuzzling the pillow again. "If it doesn't feel right to you, you can always defy it; then again, if it doesn't feel right, maybe what you think is your destiny really isn't." She couldn't help but laugh quietly, feeling the earth pony fidget around to try to get comfortable without "encroaching on her space", as it were. "Do whatever you need to get settled; I don't mind." There was a brief pause, then she felt his weight settle against her back, one foreleg tentatively slipping around her barrel, then relaxing when it encountered no resistance or tension. She let out another contented sigh; feeling his slow, rhythmic breath blowing through her mane put her at ease. She drifted off to sleep as she mumbled, "I know I never thought I was destined to have a 'goofball smuggler' help me carry out my mission..."
Chapter 5Cray sat in the Shadowdancer's cockpit, staring out at the various ships being prepped for battle. He wondered how many of them wouldn't come back. How many of those pilots would fly out of here and never see friends or family again? How many more had to die before this insanity ended? Alderaan, Sunset's Bothan friends, who could begin to guess how many others... hadn't enough beings died already? "Obviously not," he thought aloud. He'd been here since he told Sunset that he wasn't going to stay and fight, hours before. He'd basically told her... and himself... that once the 'dancer's hull was fixed, he'd put this whole mess as far behind his thrusters as he could. She obviously hadn't liked that, but she didn't argue. He realized now that he'd wanted her to argue, to try to convince him to stay, so that he could give his justification again... that he really wasn't a fighter... and see if it sounded as hollow to him as it had the first time. "Parody?" The soft alto voice startled him; it was the last thing he'd expected to hear. He turned to find Sunset standing beside and slightly behind the co-pilot's seat. "One of the deck crew told me the repairs are done..." "Yeah," the earth pony replied sullenly. "Isn't the briefing for the big fight starting soon? I figured you'd be there, since you brought the key information and all..." "Just started a bit ago," the unicorn nodded, then grinned just slightly. "Twilight said the same thing; she and the others got back about an hour ago." This piqued Cray's curiosity a bit. "Did they get Solo?" Sunset nodded again. "Captain Solo's safe and sound... and Jabba's dead in the bargain." This didn't cheer Cray as much as she'd apparently expected. "Yet another," he said more to himself than her, then shrugged. "At least he deserved it, I guess..." He then returned his full attention to Sunset. "You said the princess thought you'd be at the briefing, too... what'd you tell her?" "You're not there," she said simply. For someone attuned to a mystical energy field surrounding all living things, the mare clearly wasn't very good at predicting ponies' reactions, based on her surprise when the stallion narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't even think about trying to blame me for anything, Sunset Shimmer; I..." "Parody, please," her tone was soft and controlled, but her eyes were pleading with him. "Just hear me out, okay? That wasn't what I meant..." Cray simply stared into her eyes. Gradually, his deep purple eyes melted under the pain and... fear? Yes, fear... in her aqua orbs. That was when something suddenly struck him as odd. "Y'know, that's only the second time you've ever called me Parody?" Sunset tilted her head slightly, clearly caught off-guard by the sudden topic shift. "When was the first?" "When you walked in..." a small hint of a smirk teased his lips, but there was little humor in it. "I guess that's kind'a connected to why I came down here," she explained, nodding. "When you said you'd spent your life running and hiding, it got me thinking... and I realized I've been doing the same thing." Cray scoffed. "The way I understood it, you've been fighting the good fight all this time." Sunset shook her head. "I mean, I've been running and hiding from myself... from my feelings. I've always sort'a... closed myself off from everyone... except Twilight and the Bothans... until recently." She gave him a slight, self-deprecating grin. "Did you know you buying me that drink in the bar on Coruscant was the closest thing I've ever had to a date?" "It's true," she continued when he looked at her skeptically. "Lord Vader's personal assistant doesn't get asked out very often... like, ever... so, I was thinking, if that offer of the co-pilot's position was still open..." "Let me get this straight," said Cray, one eyebrow raised. "You'd put aside everything you worked for... everything your friends died for... on the eve of what could be the deciding battle of this whole mess..." he paused, virtually forcing the last two words out of his mouth, "... for me?" A wave of emotion swept over Mon-Teel Cray, the likes of which he'd never felt before, as the unicorn before him simply nodded. He started formulating a plan as he noted two figures outside starting to move away from each other: one heading for an Imperial shuttlecraft and the other toward a ship that looked a lot like the one Cray and Sunset were currently aboard. "So, if I make you my co-pilot, I'm still captain, right?" he asked leadingly. When she nodded, he asked, "So you'd have to do what I tell you, right?" "Yes..." answered Sunset hesitantly, not certain where he was going with this. "Beautiful; you're hired." As Sunset moved to take her position, however, Cray jumped from his and bolted past her, calling over his shoulder, "Now follow me!" "Wait, wha... WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" she stammered, but he was already halfway down the corridor to the boarding ramp. The now thoroughly confused mare caught up with the stallion on the flight deck, just as he was approaching another earth pony; this one was also male, with a chocolate coat and black mane and tail. "Lando!" Cray called. "Hey, Calrissian!" The other male turned, curious at first, then lit with a beaming smile. "Cray! Good to see ya, buddy; glad you could make it!" He glanced over his fellow Corellian's shoulder at the approaching unicorn. "I take it this lovely creature is our informant?" "We'll worry about intros later; let me spit this out before I lose my nerve." Lando nodded, letting Cray continue. "You know the Shadowdancer doesn't carry weapons, so, I was wondering if... maybe... you might need a couple extra pair of hooves on Lady Luck..." "Actually, the Lady's sitting this dance out," Lando told him, "hyperdrive overhaul". Cray tilted his head slightly, confused. "Well, then, what are you..." A small grin spread across Lando's features as he gave a telling glance toward the other YT-1000 freighter in the hangar bay. "No way..." His eyes widened as Lando's grin spread further. "Solo's letting you take the Falcon?!" "He practically insisted," Lando laughed. As Cray gaped in shock and the unicorn with him looked on, still confused, Lando caught the attention of a passing Sullustan pilot. "Hey, Nien, quick word..." The Sullustan paused and greeted Calrissian in his own language. "I need you to grab Higgins and the pair of you take a couple of the retrofit A-Wings." Nien looked at Lando, apparently confused, and asked him something in Sullustan. "Don't worry," Lando replied, then grinned toward Cray and Sunset. "I just got two new flight crew members, but neither of 'em are fighter pilots..."
Chapter 6The Millennium Falcon maneuvered deftly among the assembled fleet of cruisers, a single file row of fighters following in perfect formation. In the cockpit, just behind the co-pilot's seat, Sunset looked up from a bank of sensor and communication readings. "The gang's all here, General." Lando Calrissian, in the pilot's seat, nodded and switched on the ship's comlink. "Admiral, we're in position; all fighters accounted for." "Proceed with the countdown," replied the rich voice of Admiral Luna from the speaker. "All groups assume attack coordinates." Cray, seated in the co-pilot's position, was reviewing the attack plan. "This could get real ugly real quick if that shield's still up," he thought aloud. "Don't worry, Han's down there," Lando assured him. "He'll have that shield down on time." Cray looked to the other earth pony with a humorless chuckle. "Yeah, or this'll be the shortest offensive of all time..." "You took the words right outta my mouth," the chocolate stallion muttered. The banter was interrupted by Admiral Luna's voice through the comlink. "All craft: prepare to jump into hyperspace on my mark!" "All right, stand by," said Lando, who then nodded to Cray. "Punch it." As Cray slowly slid down the set of control levers to his left, the starfield outside the ship's viewport blurred and the Falcon accelerated beyond the speed of light. A moment later, Lando excused himself and headed out of the cockpit. Sunset turned and leaned forward from her position, over Cray's shoulder. "So, I gotta ask: why the change of heart?" Cray just grinned sheepishly, not really looking at her. "I figured, if you can stop running, so can I." He then sighed softly. "Besides, my life hasn't really meant much to anypony; maybe my death can..." "Don't talk like that," she softly admonished him. "We'll make it out of this... and I know at least one pony your life means quite a bit to." Her ear twitched, picking up the sound of Lando's return; she very lightly kissed Cray on the cheek and slid back to her own position. "Did I miss something?" asked Lando with a smirk, noting that both of his newest crew members were blushing. "Tell ya later," said Cray, making a point to not look the other Corellian in the eye. "We're coming up on Endor," announced Sunset, also keeping her eyes glued to her instrument panel. Lando nodded, sliding back into the pilot's seat and confirming Sunset's readings. "Cray, cut into sub-light engines in three... two... one... mark." The swirl of hyperspace receded back into the familiar sight of space. Before them floated a green-and-blue swirled ball: the moon of Endor. In front of it was a smaller, incomplete dot: the Death Star. Everyone in the Falcon's cockpit took in the sight uneasily, then Lando flipped on the comlink. "All wings, report in." "Red Leader, standing by." Cray noted that it was the same voice that had greeted him and Sunset when they'd first arrived at the fleet. "Gray Leader, standing by." "Green Leader, standing by." The next command came from Red Leader: "Lock S-foils in attack position." All around them, X-Wings and B-Wings deployed their weapons. "May the Force be with us," came Admiral Luna's voice solemnly. Sunset tilted her head, a bit concerned about the display on her instruments. "General, I've got no reading on the Death Star's shield." "We've gotta be able to get some kind'a reading on that shield," replied Lando, "up or down..." The unicorn mare rechecked her instruments. "It looks like we're being jammed." Cray looked back over his shoulder. "How could they be jamming us if they don't know..." his face fell as realization set in, "if we're coming..." He exchanged nervous looks with the pilot. "Break off the attack," Lando barked at the comlink. "The shield is still up!" "I get no reading," Red Leader's voice replied, sounding confused. "Are you sure?" "Pull up!" yelled Lando, his hooves and Cray's dancing over the ship's controls. "All craft PULL UP!" As the fighters veered away from the Death Star, Admiral Luna began calmly issuing orders through the comlink. "Take evasive action; green group, stick close to Holding Sector MG-7." Sunset's instruments picked up a new... and very unwelcome... reading just as a second voice from Admiral Luna's ship was overheard. "Admiral! We have enemy ships in Sector Forty-Seven!" Everyone who heard it could tell Admiral Luna was struggling to keep fear out of her voice with her next words. "IT'S A TRAP!" As they turned away from the Death Star, the Rebel fighter squadrons, led by the Millennium Falcon, found themselves heading directly for the assembled Imperial force. "Fighters coming in," announced Cray; an instant later, the ship was awash in a swarm of enemy craft. "There's hundreds of them," said Sunset, staring at her readouts, "thousands of them... this has to be over half the fleet..." "Accelerate to attack speed," Lando ordered through the comlink. "Draw their fire away from the cruisers." He then addressed his flight crew. "Sunset, keep calling coordinates for the highest concentration of fighters; Cray, keep a sharp eye on deflectors and thruster readouts." Both ponies nodded, and the Falcon went to work, eliminating entire groups of fighters then moving on to the next. As the ship swooped past the medical frigate, taking out a particularly stubborn knot of TIEs, Cray's eyes started drifting back and forth between his readouts and the viewport, concern clear in his features. This didn't go unnoticed by the pilot. "Hope you're not getting cold hooves now," Lando quipped. "No..." Cray glanced over his shoulder. "Sunset, you know more about Imperial procedure than we do; anything seem strange to you?" "I don't... wait..." she paused, looking at the readouts of the unfolding battle. "Yeah... only the fighters are attacking." "Wonder what those Star Destroyers are waiting for..." said Lando, trying to keep a hint of nerves out of his voice and not quite succeeding. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Cray muttered. As if on cue, the star field before them exploded with light, nearly blinding Cray and Lando. "WHAT THE BLAZES?!" "We just lost the Liberty," Sunset informed the pair, hoping what she was seeing was wrong. "The blast came from the Death Star!" "That thing's operational?!" exclaimed Cray, disbelief mixing with a slight hint of panic in his voice. Lando maintained his composure a bit better, flipping on the comlink. "Home One, this is Gold Leader..." "Dejarik!" replied Admiral Luna's voice. "All craft, prepare to retreat!" "We won't get another shot at this, Admiral," Lando pointed out. "We have no choice, General Calrissian," the admiral countered. "Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude!" "Han will have that shield down," the earth pony assured her. "We've got to give him more time!" Sunset looked over her shoulder as Lando turned off the comlink. "Any thoughts on how?" "Maybe," Cray answered for him, then hesitated. "If you've got an idea, this isn't the time to keep it to yourself," Lando told him. "Well, if this was the 'dancer, I'd make sure the biggest gun didn't have a clear shot," Cray explained, "even if it put me in range of the smaller ones..." he looked to his fellow Corellian, who slowly started to grin. "Cray, you're a genius." Lando turned back to the comlink. "Admiral, I recommend we move our cruisers closer to the enemy fleet." Admiral Luna's voice sounded incredulous. "We must have a bad connection, General; I thought you said..." her words were cut off by a second shot from the battle station... and another Alliance cruiser being reduced to debris. "Yes, I said closer!" yelled Lando. "Move as close as you can, and engage those Star Destroyers at point blank range!" "At that close range, we won't last long against those Star Destroyers," Luna reminded him. "We'll last longer than we will against that Death Star," the con artist turned general shot back, "and we might just take a few of them with us!" There was a short pause. "All cruisers," the admiral said finally, "close in on the enemy fleet as General Calrissian suggests". "Actually, it was Captain Cray's idea," Lando commented, giving his co-pilot a grin and a wink. Admiral Luna's response was deadpan. "I don't care whose idea it was if it works..." The tension was almost physical in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as the battle around them intensified to a fever pitch. "Some good news, at least," Sunset announced. "They're not bothering to jam us any more, and none of my readings indicate the Death Star prepping for another shot." She looked over her shoulder at the co-pilot's seat. "Looks like your idea worked..." Cray didn't look overly pleased. "Trouble with good news is it usually has bad news with it." The unicorn mare sighed, turning back to her instruments. "Both sides are taking heavy losses... and they can afford it a lot more than we can..." Cray then turned to his fellow earth pony. "Remember what I said about this getting ugly?" "Tryin' not to," Lando muttered, then looked out the viewport toward Endor and added, "c'mon, Han ol' buddy, don't let me down..." As if on cue, a new reading popped up on Sunset's panel... one that quickly lifted her spirits. "General!" she began excitedly. Admiral Luna's voice interrupted her from the comlink, unknowingly confirming the mare's new readings. "The shield is down! Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor!" "We're on our way," Lando replied with a grin. "Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me!" He released the comlink and turned to Cray. "I told'ja they'd do it!" The gray stallion couldn't resist a grin himself. "Never doubted it for a second..." out of the corner of his eye, he noted the smirk Sunset shot him. "Well, maybe a second..." A short flight (and slight modification to Lando's order from Admiral Luna, who had one fighter group stay behind to help cover the cruisers) had the Falcon skimming the Death Star's half-finished surface. "I presume we have a way in?" asked Cray. Sunset nodded, though he wasn't looking at her at the moment. "There's a heavy maintenance passage that runs from the surface to the reactor chamber, though not quite directly. Crews take supply shuttles through it, so it should be big enough for us and the fighters." "I've got it marked," added Lando. "We should have visual in just a moment." Sure enough, what appeared at first to be a row of red scaffolding ahead was revealed to actually be a circle of scaffolding around a large hole. "I'm going in," announced Red Leader through the comlink, then the various fighters ahead of the Falcon swept up and dove into the hole. "This is it," said Cray, glancing toward Lando. "Here goes nothing," the chocolate earth pony replied, guiding the Falcon to follow the fighters. Cray looked around at the corridor they were now flying through. "Glad I'm not claustrophobic." "Lock onto the strongest power source; it should be the power generator," Lando instructed both Cray and the fighter pilots. "Marked and plotted," said Cray after a few taps on his console. "Approach won't be easy, but we'll fit." "Form up," came Red Leader's voice through the comlink, "and stay alert; we could run out of space real fast." "We've got company," Sunset announced. "Nine marks right behind..." she noticed one of her readings change shortly after the ship took a particularly tight turn. "Correction: eight marks; one just hit that wall." Another reading then came up, causing her to frown. "We just lost Red Three..." "We're sitting mynocks in here, Lando," Cray added. Lando nodded, then tapped the comlink. "Wedge, stay on target with me; the rest of you, split up and head back to the surface... and see if you can get some of those TIE Fighters to follow you." A chorus of "copy, Gold Leader" followed, then the fighters, save Red Leader, broke off. Sunset rechecked her instruments. "The TIEs are breaking off also," she said. "We're down to two... they're staying on us, but they're not firing." "They've figured out they can't get through the aft deflectors," Lando nodded, looking down at his own instruments. "We should have nothing to..." "LANDO! EYES UP!" screamed Cray, just in time for Lando to see the jutting catwalk ahead of the ship and avoid a full collision. It wasn't in time, though, to avoid a glancing blow that shook the cabin despite inertia dampers. "That was too close," Lando muttered amid blaring cabin alarms. "We've lost rectenna signal," Sunset told them, noting that one of her displays had gone blank. "I think we just lost the rectenna," Cray replied with a smirk toward the pilot. "Short-range communications are still up," she continued, then her jaw fell open at a display update. "I don't believe it... they took out the Executor!" "The what?" asked Cray "The super star destroyer?!" asked Lando in unison. Sunset nodded, grinning. "The flagship of the Imperial Fleet is nothing but debris!" "There it is," Wedge's voice interrupted through the comlink. The passage they flew through opened into an enormous chamber with their objective, the Death Star's main reactor, at its center. "All right, Wedge, go for the power regulator on the north tower," Lando instructed. "Copy, Gold Leader," he replied. "I'm already on my way out." The Falcon's flight crew watched as the X-Wing with them banked up and to the right. The pilot then turned to his fellow Corellian. "Proton torpedoes at your control." "Got 'em primed," said Cray. "Almost in range..." The freighter steadily approached the massive reactor. "A little more... in range!" "FIRE!" Lando barked. A tap on Cray's controls later, several balls of light streaked from the Falcon's nose, colliding with the reactor and igniting a gigantic fireball. "Direct hit!" Sunset told them. "Reactor's going critical!" "Job's done, let's get outta here!" Cray said nervously. "Don't gotta tell me twice," Lando responded, banking the Falcon around and making for the passage they came in through. The Falcon raced back through the corridors, still cautiously but much more quickly than coming in, one TIE and a wall of flames in close pursuit. Sunset's eyes were fixed to her displays. "Good news and bad news, gentlecolts," she said. "Good news is Red Leader is clear of the Death Star." "Do I dare ask the bad news?" asked Lando. She answered his question with a question. "You ever seen a star go nova?" "Once," said Cray as Lando shook his head. Sunset sighed. "We're about to see it from the inside... we'll make the final straightaway, but according to my calculations, we're not fast enough to get out before the firestorm overtakes us." Cray started thinking quickly. "How far from the last turn to the exit?" Sunset checked her readings. "At current speed..." "Top speed at the moment," Lando added. Sunset nodded and continued. "We'd need twenty-four seconds to get clear. However, once we pass the last turn, the firestorm will overtake us in eight and cook us in another ten... twelve if we go to full shield." "We need to buy ourselves four to six seconds," Cray mumbled, then turned to Lando. "Malastare gambit?" "We'll lose a lot more than credits if we bust," Lando reminded him. "You got a better idea?" "What's a Malastare gambit?" asked Sunset as Lando shook his head. "It's a desperation move in sabacc," Lando explained. "You bet everything you've got on one risky play and hope like hell it works." He glanced at Sunset, who nodded, then to Cray before returning his eyes forward. "Do it." "That TIE still back there?" Cray asked as they came around the final turn. "Yes... no," she replied. "Firestorm just got it." Cray's hooves flew across the controls. "Shields down, diverting deflector power to main thrusters." His eyes, as well as Lando's, remained fixed forward, staring at the approaching exit as flames began to lick at the edges of their view. Soon, all they could see beyond the viewport was fire. Cray felt a hoof... Sunset's... rest on his shoulder and held it, prepared for the worst... "YEA-HA!" Lando screamed in triumph as the flames gave way to open space, Endor and the Rebel fleet in the distance. "Wha... WE DID IT!" yelled Sunset, first hugging Lando then turning to hug Cray. As she did, the space station behind them exploded, buffeting the Falcon in shockwaves greater than the cabin inertia dampers could handle and dumping Sunset into Cray's lap. She just laughed and hugged him anyway. "You were wrong, Calrissian," he laughed as he returned her hug. "THAT was too close!" "That extra power boost to the thrusters gave us the extra speed we needed," Lando agreed, then grinned at the pair in the co-pilot's seat. "Don't think this gets you out of the rest of the credits you owe me," Cray told him with a smirk. Lando just laughed. "Get out of it? I'd say this earned you a bonus!" Cray looked into Sunset's eyes, his smirk turning into a warm smile as she smiled back at him. "I'd say I already got one..."
EpilogueCray and Sunset strolled casually along one of the wooden walkways that crisscrossed Endor's forest canopy. They had parted company with Lando soon after setting down, opting for some time to themselves before the victory celebration planned by the natives that evening. The pair didn't say much, instead simply enjoying the scenery and each other's company. "Sunset!" a female voice called from ahead. Quickly approaching the couple was a purple alicorn, about their size, accompanied by an orange earth pony with a short, dark brown mane. "Twily!" Sunset beamed, embracing the alicorn in a warm hug before turning toward Cray. "This is Captain Mon-Teel Cray of the Shadowdancer, also called Parody. Parody, Princess Twilight Organa, and..." her beaming smile shifted to a sheepish grin, "I think... you're already... acquainted... with her companion..." If Twilight noticed the uneasy looks exchanged by the two stallions, she didn't let on as she shook Cray's hoof. "Pleasure to meet you, Captain; I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us." Cray blushed slightly. "Aw, I didn't do much..." "No, just rescued Sunset from the Imperial Magistrate, got her safely to us with the data that made this victory possible, and helped pull it off," said Twilight with a smirk. "Not much at all." "Twi, you gotta tell me what happened down here," Sunset put in. "You guys had us worried!" As the mares began recounting their parts of the battle to each other, the two Corellians continued to eye each other warily. The other male finally broke the uneasy silence between them. "Cray," he gave a nod. "Solo," Cray nodded back. After another awkward silence, Han Solo extended a hoof to the other stallion. "Good work," he said with a small grin. The tension between them visibly eased as Cray took the offered hoof. "You, too." Solo's grin grew a bit wider. "Lando told me you were co-piloting the Falcon in the fight..." Cray immediately became defensive. "The rectenna was all him; it's not my fault..." Solo just chuckled. "Relax; he told me that, too. I was just wondering... after years of impersonating her, what'dja think of the real thing?" Cray eased, thinking a moment. "Not bad..." he gave Solo a smirk. "The 'dancer would've gotten out of the Death Star faster..." "The 'dancer wouldn't have lasted long enough in the fight to go in," Solo countered with a smirk of his own, "or been able to blow the reactor if it did." "Fair point," Cray conceded. "Still, once everything settles down, we might have to race some time." Solo laughed. "Careful, Cray; I might take you up on that." "Sorry to interrupt, colts," Twilight broke in, "but the general and I have a debriefing to report to. We'll see you at the party!" Sunset chuckled softly, watching the other couple depart. "Twilight and a Corellian smuggler... didn't see that one coming..." "You got some problem with Corellian smugglers now?" asked Cray with a smirk. "Of course not," she gave him a playful nudge. "Twi just doesn't seem like the type. I figured that'd be more my thing," she added with a wistful grin toward the other pair. The grin slowly became a smirk as, out of the corner of her eye, she watched Cray's face slowly turn to shock, his head whipping back and forth a few times before he stared at the other pair. She couldn't hold long, finally gently resting her hoof under his chin and turning him to face her with a giggle. "Wrong Corellian, silly." She then slid her hoof around his neck and kissed him tenderly. Twilight glanced over her shoulder just as Cray started to happily return Sunset's kiss. "Han, what do you know about this Cray?" her tone was a little worried. "I read the same report you did," Solo replied with a shrug. "I mean about HIM," she told him. "It was obvious you two know each other, at least a little..." Solo thought a moment. "Hmm... smuggler, sneak artist... scoundrel," he smirked at her with the last word. She sighed, resting her head on his wither as they walked. "A good stallion, then," she said with a smile. He spared a glance over her head to the kissing couple, a small grin playing at his features. "Yeah... I guess he is..."
Chapter 4Cray groaned softly, only half awake. Something instinctive told him the alert that the Shadowdancer would soon be close enough to its destination to drop out of hyperspace was about to go off, but he was too comfortable; his body pillow... couldn't recall when he'd gotten one... was just so soft and warm. He'd have been perfectly content to stay right where he was... until his "pillow" sighed. Now fully awake and aware, he bolted straight upright, nearly smacking the back of his head on the wall of his bunk as he realized just what... or, more precisely, who... he was cuddled up to. Sunset half-turned and looked over her shoulder at him, a lazy grin across her muzzle. "Sleep well?" "Great!" he practically squeaked, then cleared his throat. "Um, great; best sleep I've had in a while, actually." "Same here," her grin spread into a smile, then she glanced at a nearby display as it started beeping. "We're coming up on Sullust already? I really slept well." She stretched, then... reluctantly, Cray thought at first, then dismissed it as his imagination... got to her feet. "I'll grab us something to eat, if you need to get to the cockpit." "Yeah, thanks," he nodded, working the circulation back into his limbs as they left the room; he turned for the cockpit as she headed to the galley. Sunset joined the Corellian in the cockpit a moment later, passing him a protein bar before sliding into the co-pilot's seat. As the ship dropped from lightspeed, the streaks and swirls of starlight again became pinpoints... behind the most diverse fleet the young mare had ever seen. Fighters of nearly every make and model in the galaxy flitted in tight formations like insects around hulking cruisers, many of them Mon Calamari pleasure craft but with several others scattered through their ranks. "I... I've never seen anything like it..." she muttered, awestruck. "The Imperial fleet's all Star Destroyers and TIEs; this..." "I have," said Cray; though his tone seemed to deny it, the look on his face showed that he, too, was impressed. "Groups of smugglers and pirate bands use a similar tactic: when having a ground-locked base gets too risky, they form up into fleets like this. If pursuit gets too close, they can easily scatter to the far corners of the galaxy and rendezvous somewhere else." He glanced upward, noting a pair of X-Wing class fighters approaching. "Inbound freighter, please identify," a male voice requested from the ship's communicator. As Cray began to reflexively prepare evasive maneuvers, Sunset rested a hoof on his and smiled. "Don't worry," the unicorn told her pilot. "I've got this." As he relaxed, she keyed up the communicator, noting the markings on the fighters. "Red Leader, this is Sunset Shimmer aboard the Shadowdancer out of Coruscant; security code eight-two-five-two-zero-zero-one." The male voice came back on a moment later, sounding a bit less formal. "We've been expecting you, Miss Shimmer; please proceed to the command frigate, hangar bay seven." "Acknowledged," Sunset smiled wider, turning off the comm as Cray glanced at the landing beacon he was now receiving and locked on to it. "You knew they were gonna do that, didn't you?" the smuggler stated more than asked, grinning. She replied to his grin with a wink. "A mare has to save a couple of surprises for... whoever." She let her smile become a smirk, hoping he didn't catch her slight pause and willing herself to not blush, with limited success. The Shadowdancer easily drifted and settled into the larger craft's hangar bay. Cray and Sunset were met at the boarding ramp by a teal earth pony in an Alliance soldier's uniform who escorted them to a nearby conference room, assuring Sunset that the repairs to the ship's hull would be started right away as soon as the unicorn mentioned them. As the door to the conference room opened, the pair were beckoned in by its current occupant: a white alicorn in flowing cream-colored robes, her multi-colored mane and tail flowing seemingly of their own accord. "It's good to finally meet you in person, Sunset," the alicorn greeted as the pair entered, her voice regal with just a mild hint of authority. "I can't begin to tell you how much your service has helped us." Sunset nodded, then indicated the stallion beside her with one hoof. "Ma'am, this is Mon-Teel Cray, captain of the Shadowdancer, the pilot who brought me. Cray, meet Mon Celestia, the recognized leader of the Alliance." "Welcome, Captain Cray," the alicorn smiled as the smuggler nodded. "Thank you for bringing Sunset home to us." "Excuse me, ma'am, but is Twilight here?" asked Sunset. "I'd really like to know her viewpoint on the current situation." Mon Celestia shook her head. "I'm afraid Princess Organa is attending personal business in the Outer Rim, but I assure you, she will be appraised of the information you've brought us upon her return." "Solo," Cray muttered, not realizing he'd said it aloud. When he noticed that he had the attention of both mares, he elaborated. "She's helping Calrissian rescue Solo, right?" "Yes," the alicorn nodded again. "She, Mister Calrissian, Captain Solo's Wookiee companion, and Commander Skywalker are working toward that very goal." "Dash Skywalker?" asked Cray, "the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star?" On Celestia's affirming nod, Sunset asked, "are the rumors true... that she's become a Jedi?" "I remember so little of the Jedi order, it's hard for me to say," the other mare admitted. "She does seem... different... from when we evacuated Echo Base, more calm and focused." She then turned back to the earth pony. "Forgive me, captain, but did you say 'first' Death Star?" Sunset answered for him. "That's actually why I'm here, ma'am." Her horn glowed, and a data card floated out of the saddlebag she wore and settled on the table in front of Mon Celestia. "That card contains schematics, defense and security plans, and construction schedules for a new one. I was also able to discover that Emperor Sombra will be personally overseeing the final stages of construction by the time the Bothan cel was able to get this to me." The pained look on the unicorn's face didn't escape Mon Celestia's notice. "And the Bothans themselves?" She sighed softly as Sunset simply shook her head. "I'm sorry... though we've not spoken in some time, I, too, counted them as friends." "You can mourn them later," said Cray in an uncharacteristic outburst, pointing at the data card. "Them and Alderaan and countless others the Empire's slaughtered. The information on that card can prevent billions more from suffering the same fate!" Sunset looked at her companion curiously, but Mon Celestia's expression grew grim. "You are correct, of course, captain," she said. "You are welcome to remain as long as you'd like, however I must ask you both to excuse me. I must confer with Admiral Luna and General Cadence over this data so that we can formulate a plan." She rose, her horn glowing faintly and the data card rising beside her; as she passed the duo, she rested a wingtip on the now far more uncertain Cray's shoulder, giving him a small grin but not saying anything. Once the alicorn had left, Sunset spun to face the smuggler. "What was THAT all about?" "I dunno..." Cray sighed, dropping to his haunches and staring at the floor. "I just... I've never been a fan of the Empire, but the more I think about what they're really like, and seeing the pain in the eyes of ponies around me: Celestia, you... especially you..." The small hint of a grin that crossed her features went completely unnoticed by him as he continued. "I just wanna..." He sighed again, more of a snort of anger and frustration, really. "You're actually not the only one whose birthplace got blown up by the Death Star." Sunset started to reply, then realized the implications of his statement. "You... I thought you were Corellian...?" "I was a foal when Mom and Dad moved to Corellia," he explained, "so I've always considered myself Corellian, but I was born on Alderaan. I've spent the time since its destruction not thinking about it. At first, I thought it was because I didn't really care; now I realize it's because I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to try to wrap my brain around someone being callous enough to murder a whole civilization..." "This mean you're planning to sign up for the Alliance?" she asked him, the small grin still teasing her features. "Me? The pony who's spent his whole life mastering running and hiding, whose ship deliberately doesn't carry any weapons?" Though her grin faded, Sunset did her best to keep the disappointment off her face as he continued. "Once the 'dancer is fixed, I think the Alliance and I both would be better off if I got as far away as possible..."
