Project Boussh: In The Eye of the Beholder
by Vickie Boyd



Vickie and Wes ran into the cockpit. "What's going on," she asked the
tall Ralltiirian pilot.

Hobbie pointed out the viewport. "The debris, it's taking out escape
pods left and..." He stopped. "Oh sith."

They looked out and saw the Defiant explode. Vickie's eyes went wide,
and then she felt it. The thousands of people loosing their life. She
sat down hard. "How," she asked.

Hobbie switched on the comms. "Red Seven to Red Lead, do you copy?"

Wedge had his eye on Four as his comm came to life. "Hobbie? Where the
sith are you?"

"In the middle of this mine field. What's going on?"

"Four is trying to get information on those 'mines'. If his plan works,
we'll be able to get you out of there."

"I copy lead. Thanks. We'll be waiting." He switched off the comm and
looked back at Wes and Vickie. "I guess we wait."

"Wait," Vickie said in exasperation. "Josh is still on that bucket! We
have to go get him."

An explosion rocked the ship. "We're not going anywhere," Wes said. He
put his hands on her shoulders. "You are staying right here with Hobs
while I go clean up your mess."

"Mess," Hobbie asked.

"You don't want to know." Wes moved out of the cockpit, closing the door
behind him.

Vickie looked out at the explosions. "I can't take this." She stood and
began pacing.

Hobbie looked up at her. "So, what happened?"

"Joosh killed Korak and I killed Joosh."

"You what?" Another shockwave shook the ship.

Vickie fell into a chair. "We don't have Josh. We have... well, had a
clone. There may be more."

The comm clicked and Hobbie flicked it on. "Seven."

"Hobbie, you get out of there now. There are two mines left, and they're
right around a couple of the escape pods. Get to the Lusankya."

"Wedge, we're mobile here. Shuttle."

Vickie jumped up and flipped the comm open. "Wedge, Crispy is still on
the Addy."

"Sith," Wedge cringed. Red Four had reached the mines and was about to boost
his shields.

"Wedge? No." She saw it before it happened. A great ball of flame. "NO!"

The two last mines hit the Admonitor and it shattered. To her it was
like slow motion. She saw the explosion bloom and rip through the rear
of the ship. In her mind's ear, she could hear the ship pulling apart.
"Josh," she whispered.

The hull exploded outward. She thought it must be near the cloning
tanks. Falling back down into the copilot seat, she looked with unseeing
eyes out the viewscreen. More explosions were happening on the
Admonitor. She had lost Josh. About the only Terran who had come to see
her, who had thought about her while she was locked up on the Red Home
for letting Brad leave.

He was gone.

Hobbie looked over at her. "Um, Vickie, are you ok?"

She had killed him.

"Vickie." He waved his hand before her face.

"I killed him," she said as she stood and ran out of the cockpit.

Hobbie's mouth fell open as he watched her leave.


Wes grumbled, moving out of the room where Vickie had disposed of the
clone Josh. He had bagged up both his and Korak's bodies and piled them
in a corner. He locked the door behind him and headed towards the
cockpit.

He saw Vickie heading his way and smiled. Perhaps he could get her in a
better mood. "Hey Vic, how's it..."

She kept moving past him.

"... going. Huh." He watched her run into a room and somehow slam the
door. He shrugged and walked to the front. "What's with her," he asked
Hobbie when he got there.

Hobbie shrugged. "I don't know." He looked out into the darkness ahead.
"Wedge wants us to dock on the Lusankya."

Wes looked back towards the door. "I need to speak to him as soon as we
get there."

"Why?"

Wes frowned. "Just because I need to."

Hobbie knew the look. Janson didn't want to talk. Without another word,
he turned the shuttle towards the huge dagger in the sky that was the
Lusankya.