“No”, Pam chuckled at the absurdity of the tale, “his family does not have a meiloorun farm!”  

Jim shook his head vehemently, “I promise you Beesly they do.  Dwight showed me a picture of it.  It’s hilarious.  He even tried to sell some to me.”  

Pam giggled without control.  “Wait wait.  Does he have meilooruns with him here at the academy?”  

Jim chuckled and shook his head.  “No, he said that if I gave him the credits he would give them to me one day.”  

Pam laughed at Jim’s roommate’s antics.  When the laughter subsided Pam finally started on her food.  This was a common attribute of meal time.  While Pam was supposed to be eating during this limited break, she ended up just laughing and talking with Jim most of the time, the food all but forgotten.  

Pam had grown to become best friends with Jim.  As much as she loves being in the academy, the workload got a bit much occasionally and Jim was the one who helped her get through the day.  Whenever she was sick and tired of studying the schematics of ships or doing complex calculus problems in her room, Jim would be the one to cheer her up with a joke or his animated retellings of his pranks on his roommate.  But, there is not a shot in hell that she has the feelings for him that Tydie thinks she does.  Plus, that’s not even allowed at the academy.  Tydie could be a bit dramatic at times.  Just because Pam hung out with Jim most of the time and they had grown close, this doesn’t mean they have a crush on one another.  Or at least Pam didn’t. 

“Hey, I forgot to tell you why I wasn’t at class yesterday.”  

Pam’s train of thought broke away and she perked up to listen to Jim.  “Oh yeah?  I was wondering where you were.”  

Jim smiled at that.  “Well I got called to Deenlark’s office and apparently I’ve been reassigned,” Pam's eyes widened, “to the track of being an agent of the ISB.”  

“Wait what?”  Pam was shocked.  “You’ve been training to be a pilot like me, not to be some secret agent.”  

Jim shrugged nonchalantly.  “I dunno.  It’s not like flying was my passion like you.  They said that I had done well on all the mental tests and was better at hand to hand than flying, so I guess I’m better suited for the ISB than the Navy.”  

“Oh.”  Pam wouldn’t admit to Jim, but she was disappointed that now there would rarely be a chance for them to see each other after the academy.  She would need to cherish the time they had together now, they were on different paths now.

“Forgery?  Certainly not.  You’ve got the wrong person.”  

The Imperial officer dressed in all grey did not waver.  “The Empire is never wrong”, he pointed to the woman standing in the oak doorway, “Helene Beesly you are under arrest for the forging of Imperial documents.  Your trial will be in 72 hours.”  

The stormtroopers accompanying him stepped forward and grabbed her by the arms.  Despite her husband’s protests, they marched her away to the shuttle without even a glance back.  Along with the stormtroopers’ fearsome march, the Imperial officer strided away with a smirk on his face, knowing the roles the Beeslys would play in this little game he had orchestrated.

Pam was walking back to her dorm after her lunch with Jim when the piercing noise of the academy’s PA system erupted.  

“Cadet 2061, please report to academy headquarters immediately.”  

Confusion filled Pam’s features as realization hit her.  She was Cadet 2061.  With confusion trailing her, she made her way to academy headquarters.  She walked through the automatic doors and into the office of Commandant Deenlark.  

He was waiting for her.  “Welcome Cadet.  I have some news for you.”  

Pam quickly sat down on the seat in front of his desk.  

“Oh.  May I ask what it is, sir?”  

“Unfortunately, your mother has been arrested.”  

Pam gasped with shock, “What?”  She shook her head vehemently.  “Certainly not, you’ve got the wrong person.”  

Deenlark smirked.  “That’s what your father said.  But I assure you the Empire has found the right person.  She was found forging Imperial documents.  Disappointing isn’t it?  I have to say I was disappointed in her behavior considering her husband and daughter’s role in the Empire.  Nevertheless, her trial is in less than 3 days.  But, I am allowing you to take time off to go and attend the trial.”  

Relief filled Pam.  “Oh, thank you very much sir.”  

Deenlark nodded, “Your welcome Cadet.  Be sure to represent the Empire well”, his eyes darkened as he emphasized the word ‘Empire’.  

Pam swallowed nervously as she got up and thanked him again.  She quickly made her way to her dorm, packed up some supplies and proceeded to the academy’s hangar bay.  A shuttle and its pilot were waiting for her.  As the shuttle took off and began its journey from Coruscant to Corellia, she contemplated the situation that had begun to unfold.  She was worried about her mother.  The Empire had to have made a mistake.  She was always a valid rule follower and would have never done anything to jeopardize her husband’s business.  Pam wondered how her father was doing.  His work at the Imperial shipyard was crucial to her family’s well being and the Empire’s naval production.  With his important relationship with the Empire, he was in a sticky situation.  Much like her, he had to make a choice between duty to the Empire and loyalty to family.