Марта Уэллс - From a Certain Point of View

In her new life, traveling from planet to planet, she listened from the corners where no one looked. She heard whispers of rebellion. Seeing clearly fictitious reports from her onetime colleagues, like Alton Kastle, further pushed her to seek out the Rebel Alliance. The Empire’s influence and control were spreading. She wanted to push back against the Emperor in any way she could, to do her part to bring life back to the corners of the galaxy the Empire had drained until they became a dull gray. When Mon Mothma resigned from the Senate and announced her intent to restore the Republic, Corwi knew how she could help. She realized the Rebellion was in need of their own version of the Imperial Press Corps. People to craft and release recruitment holos to raise awareness and bring more allies to their cause. It would still mean putting a certain spin on events, yes, but Corwi knew this would be for the good of the galaxy. She held herself to a code; she wouldn’t twist the truth. She’d only bolster it. Corwi believed it to be an acceptable compromise. It took a while to get in front of rebels who would listen and pass her ideas on to the new leadership.

But eventually, she stood in front of Mon Mothma and earned herself a place. A place that made a difference. A place she would use today to speak to Commander Skywalker.

Corwi stood straight. She removed the holorecorder from her pack, slung the bag over one shoulder, and cut a focused path toward the medical bay. She spotted a medical droid.

“Excuse me. Have you seen—”

An overhead announcement cut Corwi off. She couldn’t make out the words, but beings started moving in every direction—not with panic, but with purpose. The base flipped from brisk business as usual to a hub of overlapping activities in an instant. Something was happening. She’d been adjacent to combat before; that experience didn’t stop the heavy weight suddenly pressing on her chest. Corwi tried to capture the attention of someone in a pilot’s uniform without getting in their way.

“What’s happening?”

“The Empire found us,” the pilot replied in an unnervingly calm voice.

He ran off before Corwi could ask follow-ups. She let raw emotion course through her veins for exactly ten seconds, a calming method she’d discovered in her days in the press corps. She could allow herself to worry but only because she knew she could control her reactions. With a clearer head, Corwi tried to recall the evacuation instructions. When she drew a complete blank on what she was supposed to do and where she should be going, Corwi turned her holorecorder on almost reflexively and raised it to eye level—she may as well use the circumstances to get shots she could insert into holos that needed some dynamic action—and raced in the direction of the hangar deck. That’s where the ships were, that’s where she’d find a way off Hoth. She hoped. That feeling of desperation, of wanting to survive another day, started to creep in like a haze around her thoughts. She had to keep moving.

A sense of urgency saturated the air of the hangar. Corwi sidestepped droids rolling into action, technicians scrambling to fighters. She rooted herself to a clear area and slowly rotated in a circle, capturing the oddly delicate motions around her. She could almost pretend she was watching a choreographed scene, planned and blocked to the last detail with everyone moving in harmony. Unlike her, Corwi noted, they evidently knew the procedures backward and forward. She watched these soldiers operating in a remote, uncomfortable location preparing to confront a threat without a second thought. Everyone had an important role. Everyone was ready to risk their—

A sharp voice interrupted Corwi’s musings. “All troop carriers will assemble at the north entrance. The heavy transport ships will leave as soon as they’re loaded.”

She recognized it as belonging to Leia. Corwi saw her just ahead, gathering the pilots for a briefing. She stepped to the side and spun her holorecorder in the princess’s direction. Finally! She was catching a rebel hero in action. Corwi felt a brief second of joy despite her surroundings. She already envisioned folding Leia’s words into a holo targeted at pilots. Even if Leia didn’t give the most eloquent of speeches here, the visual would stand on its own. Potential recruits would see Leia, survivor of Alderaan and leader of the Rebel Alliance, leading from the front lines, caring about those who serve. And she clearly did care; Corwi wouldn’t be stretching for that angle. It was just what she needed.

But it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t get on a transport. The recordings she’d gathered had to leave physically with her or not at all.

Corwi may have been caught up in her work, but she heard a pilot mention a Star Destroyer. The Empire had arrived in force. Corwi watched the pilots scramble to their ships while she got her bearings. She had a vague idea about where she actually should have gone and that was enough. Worst case, Corwi figured, she’d just move in the same direction as everyone else. No, the worst case was that she would get lost and killed or captured by the Empire. She couldn’t allow that. As she turned to what was probably the escape route, she saw a familiar face cross in front of her. Luke Skywalker! Even the briefest moment of Luke preparing to head into battle would be invaluable.

“Commander Skywalker!” Corwi shouted.

He didn’t hear her. Corwi scrunched her face, annoyed that she was so close and yet not close at all. She fully understood the unfortunate timing, but she felt compelled to keep trying. She just needed to stretch over a tangle of wires to get a little closer. Corwi leaned back to give herself momentum to take a big step, but she slammed squarely into a solid mass.

The rebel soldier skidded to a stop. “Karabast! Keep an eye out, won’t you?”

Corwi picked up the bag he’d dropped. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying—”

“To what? If you’re not part of the battle, you need to get out of here,” he grunted. “Do you know which carrier you’re assigned to?”

“I didn’t know there were assignments,” Corwi admitted, upset with herself for not paying closer attention to Farr. “I’m not even sure how to get to the transport ships. I thought they would be here.”

“Follow me. We’ll figure it out when we get there,” the soldier shouted.

Corwi looked around him to see Luke clambering into a fighter, like everyone else—a hero of the Rebellion yes, but also just a pilot trying to do his part. Several other pilots surrounded her, their dedication no less remarkable for not being Luke Skywalker. Then her whole world narrowed to the soldier ahead of her and the rugged hallway they soon rushed through. The sounds of the ground assault rang outside, the walls of the base shaking from the attack. Small chunks of debris fell from the ceiling. Corwi put her left hand up as if it could alone stop a cave-in; with her other hand, she folded her holorecorder in near her body protectively. She wanted to preserve her life, but she’d rather not lose her work if she could help it. Her job was to get the word out for recruitment. It was important, and she couldn’t do it if she didn’t survive this.

Finally, Corwi and the soldier emerged from a compact hallway into a wide transport bay. She spotted bulky transport ships in every direction she turned. She’d thought the hangar deck was chaotic; that was nothing compared with this. She registered the columns of evacuees as a blob of white and gray. Again, rebels moved with a seeming order, but to Corwi, it was overwhelming. She wasn’t ashamed to put her hand on the soldier’s arm so as not to lose track of him in the crowd. If he was irked with having an unexpected charge, he didn’t show it. He helped her weave through the crowd and deposited her in a line boarding a personnel carrier.