Star Horse: Empire's Sunset

by Neal Wolf

Chapter 4

Cray 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..."