Project Boussh: A Room With A View
by Nick Coghlan

Tolip Egatsoh swallowed nervously as she got visual on the 
Lusankya. The Executor-class was a good thirty klicks away, 
but it still seemed to take up most of the sky.

"Go on," said the battered Rebel, and the Ewok standing by 
Tolip's right shoulder poked her with its spear.  Nodding, 
she keyed the communicator.

"Lusankya, this is transport Endor, previous designation 
Admonitor Omicron-Three.  Request permission to dock."

"Omicron-Three, this is Lusankya.  What are your intentions?"

"To deliver my cargo of Ewoks, Lusankya."  Tolip glanced 
nervously at the Rebel, then turned back to the comm.  "And 
to defect to the New Republic."

"Verifying your request, Endor.  Do not vary your course or 
speed until ordered.  Lower your shields.  Powering-up 
weapons will be construed as a hostile act, and will be 
treated accordingly."

"Roger that, Lusankya.  Complying."

There was a pause, and Tolip leaned back in the chair, 
shaking slightly as she studied the Lusankya.  She turned 
back to the long-haired Rebel. "Why couldn't you speak to 
them?" she asked.  "Surely you've got codes. Then they'd just 
let us on board, they wouldn't be getting firing solutions as 
-"

"I'm not sure it would be wise for me to announce myself at 
this point in time." The Rebel - no, simply the soldier, now, 
she herself was now a Rebel - spoke quietly, but with an air 
of menace that discouraged further questions.

"Why not?"  Tolip demanded, ignoring the unspoken warning.  
Any reply the soldier might have given her was cut off when 
the comm unit crackled back to life.

"Transport Endor, this is Lusankya.  Slave your navigation 
controls to this signal, do not attempt to vary your course.  
You are being scanned.  Any attempt at interference will be 
treated as a hostile act."

"Roger, Lusankya.  Transferring control now."

********

Wedge's comlink buzzed as he reached for the ladder attached 
to the side of his X-wing. Glaring at it, he seriously 
considered sending it on an extended journey through space. 
The nearby magcon field was just so tempting. After a few 
seconds of blissful contemplation, he sighed and thumbed it 
on. "Antilles."

"Wedge, we have an incoming Imperial transport requesting 
permission to dock and discharge a load of Ewoks."

Wedge blinked. It didn't *sound* like Wes. Besides Wes had 
already headed dirtside for the Terran's victory celebration. 
Then the voice behind the words registered. "Admiral, did you 
say Ewoks?"

"Yes General, the pilot says she is transporting Ewoks and 
would like to defect to the New Republic."

"You haven't been spending too much time with Rogue Three 
have you, Admiral?"

Tabanne's chuckle was audible through the comlink. "No Wedge, 
although I can see how it would sound that way. I've directed 
them to land in the docking bay nearest the one your fighter 
is in. Feel free to go join the welcoming commitee."

"You've managed to intrigue me, Admiral. I'll be there."

********

As the transport's entry hatch hissed open, Nick ducked his 
head out for a quick look around. Troops. More troops. Still 
more troops. No sign of any TGers. Good. Holding his hands 
clear of his sides with the palms out, he strode confidently 
down the ramp. At the base of the ramp, he halted and snapped 
an Australian-style salute at what appeared to be the ranking 
officer. "Terra Six reporting, sir. We captured this 
transport in New Hampshire. I wish to report to General 
Antilles."

The officer drew himself up, as if to deliver some sort of 
scathing reply, when Nick suddenly turned to one side, 
repeating the salute. "General!"

Still wearing his orange pilot's suit, Wedge returned the 
Terran's gesture, although in a style more commonly seen in 
the New Republic. "Six." Having even one of the missing 
Terrans return was almost enough to bring a smile to Wedge's 
face. A faint one, anyway. "What have you brought us?"

"Sir, we have a number of captured Imperial guards and pilots 
on board, as well as a large complement of Ewoks."

"I see. Lieutenant, please see to the processing of the 
prisoners. Try to avoid upsetting the Ewoks in the process."

"Of course, sir." The lieutenant turned away, gesturing a 
number of her men up the ramp of the transport. She followed 
them on board.

With the lieutenant taking care of the prisoners, Nick and 
Wedge moved away from the troops occupying the area near the 
transport. "So, those Ewoks _are_ going to behave themselves, 
aren't they."

"Oh yes. Yarg gave them strict instructions to stay well out 
of the way of any New republic forces, and not to start 
gnawing on the Imperial captives... much."

Wedge stopped in his tracks. Nick stopped as well, waiting 
for Wedge's indignance to surface. "You, you... you're as bad 
as Three."

Nick bowed extravagantly. "Yub, yub, Commander."

The brief moment of levity inspired by Nick's safe return 
fading, Wedge held up a hand. "Please, not right now. I'd 
like to hear your verbal report, and then we can both head 
down to join everyone else for Thayer's victory celebration."

Wedge's tone and his words sobered Nick instantly. The focus 
of Wedge's attention, he gave as clear and concise an account 
as he could of events in New Hampshire after the Red Home 
departed. The charge by the Imperial troops. The pursuit of 
the escaping AT-ST. As he reached the part about the fate of 
the Winnebago, Nick paused in his tale. Looking out at the 
pale blue globe of the planet Earth far below he asked, 
"Where's Alison? Down in Mendellia?"

There was a long pause before Wedge replied. "Nick, Alison's 
gone. We lost a lot of people out here today.  The Defiant 
was destroyed, and many of her crew didn't make it out. The 
commando teams and the Ewoks that attacked the Admonitor took 
severe losses. Somwhere amongst all of that Alison got 
separated from her group, and all Wes was able to bring back 
was her sword. If the Admonitor had survived the battle, 
there might have been some hope of finding her, but after it 
was destroyed so effectively..."

Nick's only visible response was a slight tightening around 
his eyes as he continued to gaze at the world of his birth. 
The only world he had ever known. A world that now missed one 
fiery redhead, who'd had a zest and passion for life that 
Nick couldn't help admiring. The crew of the Defiant, the 
commandos, the Ewoks, their deaths weren't really something 
that affected him. There were no names, no faces connected to 
them, nothing to make them real for him, nothing for him to 
care about. But in the short time he'd known her, Alison had 
made her way into the circle of people he classed as friends. 
And that made a difference.

As he turned back to Wedge, the cynical comments that 
occurred to him were too dark even for his sense of humour. 
It was too soon, too raw a wound. For himself, as well as 
those around him. From the looks of it, especially for Wedge. 
So he went back to his report, taking refuge in the events he
was recalling. Watching helplessly, trapped within the 
wreckage of the 'Bago, as the damaged AT-ST marched away 
through the woods. Being found by Yarg, and carried back to 
the transport the Ewoks had already captured. Remaining 
conscious long enough to instruct one of the Imperial pilots 
to bring them up to orbit, and to give himself some basic 
treatment from the transport's medical supplies. Waking up to 
find the transport hanging back, the pilot staring at the 
vast dagger-shaped form that was the Lusankya, uncertain if 
she was more terrified of the New Republic vessel, or the 
blaster-toting and spear-wielding savages that had occupied 
her ship. Avoiding announcing his presence until he had 
thought of a way to break the news to Alison about the loss 
of her Winnebago. With that last, Nick smiled sadly. "I guess 
I don't have to worry about that anymore."

Smiling once again, Wedge clapped him on the shoulder. 
"You've done well, Nick. More than could reasonably be 
expected of you. And, from the sound of it, I'm impressed 
you're in as good shape as you are. We've sufferred losses, 
but today still goes down as a victory. The Admonitor is 
destroyed, Thrawn's clone is dead, the bulk of the Imperial 
forces in this system has been eliminated. Now, I'll get you 
a replacement pilot, and we can go join the others."

As Wedge turned away, Nick saw the forced smile on his face 
drop slightly. Yes, today had been a victory, but Wedge, for 
one, was still counting the cost.