X-WING

　The old warehouse was buzzing with low, nervous voices. Each of us had been assigned different arrival times, and small groups of Resistance members had been entering the meeting place for about an hour. As I watched the room fill to capacity, I could feel the tension rising.
　There was good reason for the nervousness. This was a big gathering of Resistance members, and would therefore be a perfect target for an Imperial surprise attack. Despite the assurances we had been given, the risks involved seemed considerable.
　While the crowd waited for the meeting to come to order, I took the opportunity to strike up several brief conversations, learning some interesting bits of information in the process. Speaking in hushed tones, I discovered:
　・That the Old Republic was indeed a democratic union of worlds, governed by a duly elected Senate, and that it represented the needs of all beings, regardless of their race, species or home sector.
　・That Emperor Palpatine was a Senator himself, before seizing power and beginning a tyrannical rule. Under Palpatine, much personal freedom had been subjugated, and all but a small faction of dissent crushed.
　・That currently the Empire was in the process of enslaving or destroying all the nonhuman races.
　・And that, despite the seemingly invincible might of the Empire, many in the audience held out hope for the Rebel Alliance.
　The background noise evaporated abruptly as a woman stepped onto the makeshift dais at the front of the room. I heard whispers of "Mon Mothma," and I realized that this was the founder of the Alliance herself. The entire room tensed in preparation for her first words. A few scattered whispers were the only sounds.

Agamar