"Sir?"

Captain Andal Sait continued to fix his gaze on the glittering stars shining through the window. Lieutenant Kenkirk glanced around the bridge and whispered urgently, "Sir!"

Sait closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Months of careful planning had brought him to this moment. He was ready.

He opened his eyes, turned to Kenkirk, and said simply, "Begin."

Chief Olum heard the klaxons echoing through the ship and knew that the traitorous captain had put his plan into motion. The stormtroopers could be heard thundering down the hallways, carrying out Sait's orders to remove all crew members who were not loyal to him. Olum didn't have much time.

When Kenkirk had approached Olum the day before to test his allegiance, he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. The Star Destroyer was in deep space, far from the eyes of the Empire, and the chief engineer was well aware that Sait had an entire legion of stormtroopers at his command.

"The captain has decided to join the Rebel Alliance?" Olum had asked the lieutenant.

"Don't be foolish," snapped Kenkirk. "The Empire will squash that little uprising before too long. This isn't about politics."

"Then what is it about?"

Kenkirk grinned and said, "Money. Captain Sait has a contact in the Black Sun who is willing to take this ship off our hands for a good sum of credits. You'll make more than you would in a lifetime of service to the Empire. All you have to do is stay quiet and go along for the ride. A ship this size can't stay running without its chief engineer, so what do you say?"

Olum noticed Kenkirk's hand slowly moving toward a blaster concealed under his jacket, and said quickly, "Of course I'm in, if the payoff is as good as you say it will be."

Kenkirk's hand paused. "Excellent, the captain will be pleased. You will be rewarded for your loyalty, Chief."

Olum knew he had to get a message back to the Empire to inform them of the traitor's actions. He couldn't send a message through subspace without gaining the attention of Watch Captain Prat or the other officers loyal to Sait, so it had to be sent off the ship. The TIE fighter pilots were the only ones who might be able to escape.

The chief engineer was familiar with the Star Destroyer and its weaponry. Although the turbolasers packed a punch unlike any other in the galaxy, small ships were difficult to target. The TIE fighters should be able to weave through the crossfire and get within transmission range to contact the Empire. Anyone else monitoring subspace radio might also pick up the message about the rogue captain, but Olum had to take his chances.

Olum picked up his comlink and spoke into it. "TIE Hangar, this is Chief Olum, do you copy?"

"Yes, sir," came the immediate answer.

"I am sending a message to your terminal now." Olum said. "Launch all TIE fighters in the hangar bay and relay the transmission to the fleet immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Olum quickly started making adjustments to his terminal. The TIE fighters might be able to escape the lasers, but to have a fighting chance, the tractor beam had to be disabled. Thanks to the warning Kenkirk had given him, he was prepared.

"Captain! The TIE fighters have launched!" Kenkirk shouted frantically.

"Activate the tractor beam and pull those ships in." Sait ordered.

"I can't, sir." Kenkirk looked at the captain in desperation.

"Open fire." Sait pressed a button on his terminal. "Olum! Why aren't the tractor beams functioning?"

"Sir, it appears the power cells are inactive. One of the crew must have disabled them before the stormtroopers got to them." Chief Olum responded.

Sait paused. "One of the crew, is it? Well, no matter. Without hyperdrive, those ships won't get far." Sait turned his attention to Kenkirk. "Lieutenant, has the rest of the crew been captured?"

"Yes, sir, the stormtroopers have the crew secured."

"Excellent. Escort them into the escape pods and launch them into space. When you're done, take Olum to one of the holding cells. We need him alive to keep the ship running. Oh, and Commander Kenkirk?"

"Sir!" Kenkirk snapped to attention with a small smile.

"Send a message to Krix and inform him that Grand Admiral Sait has his merchandise ready. We'll meet him in Ord Mantell space. We might have some company on the way, so he best come prepared."