DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Wars and I don't want to. I have not and will not make any money off this story. Lahira Samarkiri and Thrackan Inkeebo are mine.

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Lieutenant Lahira Samarkiri pitched and rolled in the Rebel Alliance battle simulator, dodging computer-generated Imperial fire. Her wing mate, Sergeant Thrackan Inkeebo, also known as Blue Two, stayed at her wingtip, spinning on his own axis. Lahira spun like a top, fired on the virtual Death Star glowing ominously on her screen, and kept track of all the members of her squadron zinging around in the vicinity.

"I'm getting in position for an attack run," Thackan's voice came over the speaker.

"All right, I'll cover you," Lahira called back. Thrackan and Lahira spun around each other, hopefully confusing the Imperial TIE fighters facing them. The Imperials fired crazily, but the Rebel X-wings evaded them.

Thrackan's intention was to come out of a wild swing and head into the sensor arrays on the side of the monster battle station, hoping for a chance to fire his proton torpedoes into the reactor core.

"Imperial deflector shields have been reactivated," the computer standing in for General Calrissian intoned. "Abort attack. Abort attack!"

"Zork!" Thrackan slammed his fighter into an evasive maneuver, nearly crashing into Lahira in the process. They streaked away from the Death Star, clearing the intensifying deflector shield at the last moment, the canopies of their X-wings nearly touching.

The simulated battle continued, the fighters of Blue Squadron looping over and around each other in an effort to confuse the enemy as much as possible. Such instinctive teamwork was a distinct challenge for nonForce-sensitive individuals, which was why Lahira made her squadron practice so much. They were preparing for the battle of the century, and defeat could mean the end of the Rebel Alliance.

Eventually, the computer announced, "Death Star destroyed by Red Squadron." Lahira hit the button to power down the simulator and said, "Okay, let's call it a night."

A chorus of exhausted "yea's" issued from the members of Blue Squadron.

The fighter pilots of Blue Squadron emerged from their simulator booths. "Awesome flying, guys," Lahira said. "You're going to be great." She brushed strands of sweat-soaked black hair out of her eyes as Thrackan stepped up beside her.

"You better not get yourself killed out there," Thrackan said. "We're all going to die if I have to take over."

"We're all going to die anyway," Lahira replied. "This mission is suicide. I just hope we manage to take out Palpatine and Vader in the process. Otherwise it won't be worth it."

"You're awfully young to be so fatalistic, Lieutenant."

"Thrackan, I was ten years old when I saw my cousins, who were only a couple years older than I was, get gunned down by stormtroopers. That's more than enough to make anyone fatalistic." Lahira shook her head. "I honestly have no idea how we can win this war and stay alive at the same time."

Thrackan looked at her in surprise. "Surely you're not doubting General Calrissian's ability?"

"Not at all. I've never fought with him before, so I have no idea what kind of leader he is."

"I was at Taanab with him," Thrackan said. "Trust me. If he can't do it, no one can."

"I'm sure all the good things I've heard about him are true," Lahira acknowledged. "But he's not the one I'm worried about. It's that crazy pack of mynocks that's going to the surface of Endor to turn off the shield generator. They're going to face one zark of a fight before they even get near that generator."

"'Crazy pack of mynocks?'" Thrackan repeated. "Princess Leia's on that team."

Lahira rolled her eyes. "She's just going because she's in love with Han Solo."

Thrackan stared. "What?"

"You mean you didn't notice?"

"No! Well… maybe it's a guy thing. We don't notice that stuff. But now that you mention it, I can see why you said that."

"I'm sure it's a guy thing," Lahira said. "You're twice my age and you didn't notice. Of course, maybe you didn't want to notice. Maybe you're secretly in love with Princess Leia."

Thrackan threw his hands up. "Oh, come on! Leia's just a kid – like you. How you ended up being my wing commander, I can only guess. Oops, you could courtmartial me for that. Well, whatever. I'm going for a shower."

"Okay, have a good night," Lahira replied. "Get a good night's sleep. We're attacking in a few days, so enjoy the last days of your life."

"Harrumph. I don't know about you, but I'm not intending to die in this."

"I'm not either, but I have no illusions about getting out of this alive. Zorf, my purpose in life is fighting the Empire. If I survive the end of this war, I'll have to find something to do with my life."

Thrackan shook his head sadly. "There is more to life than warfare, you know."

Lahira sighed. "I know. I'd like to live long enough to experience it. Good night, Thrackan."

"Good night, my fatalistic friend." Thrackan headed toward the cabins, and Lahira made her way to the galley.

Seated at a table before a big plate of food a few minutes later, Lahira forced her mind and body to relax. During the long hyperspace journey to the Endor system, Lahira had spent her mornings working out in the exercise room and her afternoons fighting practice battles with her squadron in the simulator. It was only in the evening, after supper, that she had a little time to herself, and she could think of her home and family on Naboo and the cousins whose lives she had joined the Alliance to avenge.

"Hello there, do you mind if I sit here?"

Lahira spun around, and felt her eyes widen in surprise. "Good evening, General Calrissian." Lahira gestured vaguely toward the table as if to say, Sure, you can sit here, but why are you choosing to dine with a mere lieutenant?

"Please," the commander said, laughing, "call me Lando. 'General Calrissian' is an awfully big name for a scoundrel like me."

"You don't look like a scoundrel to me, sir."

"I was, for quite a few years," he said as he sat down across from Lahira. "But I've grown up a lot recently." He turned and looked out the huge viewport across the room. "Seeing that, it's kind of hard to believe there's a war going on, isn't it?" he said, gesturing toward the immense field of stars outside.

"I've never known a time when there wasn't a war going on," Lahira said. "Peace must be nice."

"So…" Lando said, stirring the food on his plate. "I know you as 'Blue Leader,' but what's your real name?"

"Lahira Samarkiri," the X-wing pilot replied.

"A lovely name to go with a lovely face," Lando smiled, a twinkle in his eye.

Lahira gave him a questioning look.

Lando swallowed, then asked, "How long have you been in the Rebel Alliance?"

"A long time," Lahira said. "I joined up as soon as I was old enough – at seventeen."

"Wow. Why so early?"

"When I was ten years old," Lahira explained, "there was an uprising on Naboo, my homeworld. They didn't care who was a Rebel sympathizer and who wasn't. The stormtroopers just killed everyone in the village. I saw my cousins, who were children like me, get gunned down in the street. I tried to run home to tell my mother, but ran around a corner and almost crashed into Darth Vader himself."

Lando grimaced, remembering his own unpleasant encounter with the Dark Lord.

Lahira continued, "I looked right up at him and said, 'You're mean! You told your men to kill my cousins.'"

Lando's eyebrows shot toward the ceiling. "Wow, you were amazingly brave for a ten-year-old."

"More like amazingly stupid," Lahira said. "Anyway, that stopped Vader. He said, 'So, you know what it's like to lose a family member,' and I said, 'Yes.' Then Vader sat down on a rock and motioned for me to sit down, too. I did, about two meters away from him. Then he told me, 'When I was a young man, on the cusp of adulthood, Tusken Raiders on my homeworld of Tatooine killed my mother.' I said, 'You miss your mother every day, don't you?' And he said, 'Yes, I do.' We just sat there for a few minutes, and then Vader said, 'Go home and look after your mother. You never know when she's going to be gone.' With that he stood and walked away. And I ran like a blaster bolt."

"I bet you did," Lando said. "I wonder what made him just want to talk to you? Being a cute little kid must pay off."

"I'm sure it did," Lahira agreed. "And, just what he said – I knew what it was like to lose a loved one. I was someone he could identify with. Anyway, that's why I joined the Alliance. Ever since I saw my cousins fall, I knew I wanted to fight the Empire. However, whenever I think of Vader as I saw him at that moment, I have a hard time wanting him dead, even though he's second-in-command of the Empire I hate."

"I have no trouble wanting Vader dead," Lando said. "My first encounter with him was not nearly so positive. He forced me to betray my friends in order to save the lives of everyone in my city. He tortured them and then froze my friend Han in carbonite and gave him to the bounty hunter Boba Fett. The rest of us barely escaped with our lives and then had to infiltrate the lair of that slimy slug Jabba the Hutt to get Han back."

"Eeeew," Lahira shuddered. "I hate Hutts. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that, since I've never met one. They're just so ugly."

"Yeah, they're ugly, all right. Ugly personalities, too. They're mostly crime lords. I'm afraid I have more experience with them than I care to admit."

When they finished eating, Lando said, "May I ask you for a game of magnetic-repulsor ball?"

"A game of what?" Lahira replied.

"Oh, okay, I'll teach you," Lando said. "It's a lot of fun."

"Sure," Lahira agreed. "I don't get much chance to have fun around here, and I'm free in the evenings." She pushed back from the table and followed Lando to the game room.

Magnetic-repulsor ball turned out to be a game played with balls about eight centimeters in diameter that were powered by mini-repulsors. The magnetic field in the table prevented the balls from taking off into the room. The players batted the balls back and forth with soft paddles, and the object of the game was to get the balls caught by a moving tractor beam on the opponent's side of the table which would result in a score and in one ball being removed from play. This was a distinct challenge because each player had a foot pedal that would cause the tractor beam to move away from the ball's trajectory. The tractor beam was also a challenge for defense because the foot pedal caused random movement, so the tractor beam might catch another ball and allow the opponent to score.

When Lando finished explaining the rules, Lahira said, "Ooh, boy. You'll cream me."

"We'll see," Lando laughed. "You're handy with a turbolaser. You might be pretty good at this, too."

As it turned out, they were evenly matched. The game started with seven balls in play, and after two hours they were still at it with three balls in play, laughing like children. In fact, their game was so exciting that a group of onlookers had gathered, cheering them on. The game eventually ended with Lando scoring with the last ball, and the game powered down. The audience finished cheering and then dispersed.

"Thanks for the game," Lando said as they left the game room. "That was more fun than I've had in a long time."

"Thank you," Lahira replied. "That's the closest thing I've had to going back to a time when my cousins were alive."

"You were really close to your cousins, weren't you?"

"Yeah, extremely. They lived next door to us, and my brother and I played with them every day. After they died, we eventually found some other kids to play with, but it was never the same."

"May I walk you to your room?" Lando asked suddenly.

"Sure."

They headed toward the cabins, and at one point, when there was no one else in the corridor, Lando briefly allowed his arm to rest across her shoulders. Lahira gave no outward response, but he noticed that she didn't pull away, either.

Moments later, they reached Lahira's door. "Well, have a good night," Lando said awkwardly. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

"Good night," Lahira replied. "May the Force be with you."

"Thank you," Lando smiled. "And with you." He watched as Lahira disappeared into her room, and then returned to his own quarters.

When Lahira finished her workout the next morning, her exercise clothes were soaked through with sweat. In the women's locker room, she retired gratefully into a shower stall and washed up before heading to the fourth official practice assault that would include all the fighter squadrons and the real commanders responding to the scenarios algorithmically determined by the simulator's computer.

As Lahira headed down the hall, she felt someone watching her, and turned to see Lando poking his head out of the simulator's command pod. Lahira waved and smiled, then disappeared into her pod.

After the practice session, Thrackan and Lahira headed to the galley, talking kilometers per second about how they could have improved their response to the conundrums thrown at them by the simulator computer. When their meals were about half finished, Lando joined them at the table.

Thrackan jumped in surprise. "Good afternoon, General Calrissian."

Lahira smiled across the table. "Hi."

Thrackan stared, half expecting the Force to vaporize her for disrespect.

The general noticed the look on Thrackan's face and started laughing. "Hey, don't look so surprised! I'm friends with your wing commander, okay?"

Thrackan turned to Lahira, baffled. "Whaaat? When…?"

"I'll explain later," Lahira replied.

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Thrackan resisted a temptation to roll his eyes.

"Anybody up for a game of magnetic-repulsor ball tonight?" Lando asked.

"Me!" Lahira blurted.

"Great! Actually, I've got a better idea. How about if we play doubles? You and Thrackan on one side, me and my friend Han on the other."

"Han Solo?" asked Lahira.

"Yeah."

"Isn't he planetside… I mean, moonside?"

"The surface strike team isn't leaving until tomorrow, when we get close enough to the Endor system," Lando said.

"Okay," Lahira replied. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

Meanwhile, Thrackan was staring openmouthed, looking from Lahira to Calrissian and back, trying to figure out what in the frozen lands of Hoth was going on. He didn't see how such a game was possible. Calrissian and Solo were generals, Lahira was a lieutenant, and he, Thrackan, was a lowly sergeant!

Lahira poked him in the arm. "Say yes!" she hissed.

"Oh! Yeah." Thrackan straightened up and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Calrissian laughed. "Oh, will you drop the military discipline for five seconds and learn how to have fun?"

Thrackan shook himself. "Uh, yeah, okay, sure, General."

"You can call me Lando under informal circumstances. You call Lahira by her first name, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. But she's not a general."

"I am an officer," Lahira reminded him, "even if I'm half your age and twenty centimeters shorter than you."

"Your squadron is practicing again this afternoon, right?" Lando asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, have fun. Yeah, right, what am I saying? Anyway, I have a loaded schedule this afternoon too. I'll see you after supper tonight, okay? I'll introduce you to Han."

"Sure," Lahira said. "May the Force be with you."

"Thanks. You, too." Lando pushed back from the table and left the room.

Thrackan turned to Lahira. "Okay, you little mynock. What in the Force's name is going on?"

Lahira shrugged. "He's a nice guy. And he likes to play repulsor ball. What can I say? We live in a durasteel bubble! We were bound to run into each other at some point."

Thrackan threw his hands in the air. "But – but – you're socializing with him!"

"Yeah. So? You socialize with me, don't you?"

"Of course. But that's different," Thrackan insisted. "You're only a lieutenant. He's a general! Well, whatever. You're a good kid. I hope you survive this war. You remind me of my daughter. She's almost your age."

"You're giving away your age, Uncle Thrackan," Lahira teased. "I bet your daughter doesn't look like me, though."

"No, she doesn't. She's blonde and blue-eyed like her mother and me. She's helping her mother with her younger siblings while I'm away."

"What does your wife think about you being out here?" Lahira asked.

"She hates it! She's painfully aware that I could get myself killed out here and leave her to raise four kids on her own."

"My parents aren't happy about me being out here, either," Lahira said. "But they understand why I have to do it. I think my dad would be out here too, if my mom would let him. Come on, let's go get that practice session going."

"Yes, Lieutenant. You're a little task master, you know that?" Thrackan pushed back from the table and followed Lahira back to the simulator.

"Yes, I am," Lahira replied. "And if you don't stop calling me a kid, I'll make you practice taking over."

Thrackan shook his head. "You little…"

That evening, after a grueling practice session in which Lahira backed out and forced Thrackan to take her place three times, the two of them headed to the galley for dinner.

"You mynock!" Thrackan exclaimed as they sat down. "I'm going to cream you at repulsor ball tonight."

Lahira grinned. "You're playing on my side, remember?"

"Oh, zark. I forgot."

"Well," Lahira said, "at least I know that if I die, you can win the battle in my stead."

"You better hadn't get killed out there. I don't think your mother would be happy."

"My parents are expecting it," Lahira said. "I told my family long ago not to plan for my return."

Thrackan grabbed Lahira and hugged her. "Boy, are you a pessimistic little girl."

"Yeah," she said as she wriggled out of his grasp, "I am. Come on, let's go have some fun."

Thrackan rolled his eyes. "This game is going to be weird."

"No weirder than you," Lahira shot back. She took off down the hall, forcing Thrackan to jog to keep up.

Moments later they reached the game room. Lando was already there with a brown-haired man that Lahira recognized as Han Solo, who was accompanied by Princess Leia and a huge Wookiee.

"Oh, great! There's the other team," Lando exclaimed. He pushed Han forward. "This is my friend Han Solo, and his friends Princess Leia and Chewbacca."

"Pleased to meet you," Lahira and Thrackan said, shaking hands with each in turn. Lahira had never met a Wookiee before, and she felt like a small child when Chewbacca took her comparatively tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger.

The two teams took their places at the repulsor table, Thrackan and Lahira on one side and Han and Lando on the other. Leia and Chewbacca sat down on ergonomic chairs to watch.

The game was a bit confusing with four players instead of two, because the seven balls moved much faster and in much more varied patterns. Thrackan manned the foot pedal for his team and Lando manned the pedal for himself and Han. Leia and Chewbacca cheered them on, with Chewbacca squawking comments that Lahira suspected only Han could understand.

As the players warmed up, this game became as spirited as the one the previous night, with twice the people leading to twice the action. At one point, in an uncharacteristic moment of clumsiness, Lahira tripped over her own feet and stumbled, shocked, into the arms of an equally stunned Lando. He caught his breath as she thunked against his chest. Knowing that this might well be his only chance, he took his time lifting her to a standing position. He felt her trembling slightly against him, and realized that she was having the same response that he was. She inhaled sharply as he allowed his cheek to "accidentally" brush her hair. His muscles protested vehemently, but he forced himself to set her on her feet and backed away. It took both of them a few moments to compose themselves.

"Oh, for Sith's sake!" Han exclaimed.

Thrackan, meanwhile, was staring out the window, studiously ignoring the whole situation. Lahira noted with relief that Leia and Chewbacca had wandered off, probably to the galley.

Lando and Lahira each took a few deep breaths, and then the game continued with Han and Thrackan politely pretending that nothing had happened. When the game ended, with Han and Lando winning 4-3, the group said good night and dispersed rather quickly.

Lahira and Thrackan left first, heading for their dormitories. "Just so you know," Thrackan said as they disappeared down the hall, "I didn't see anything tonight."

"Good," Lahira said. "Thanks."

Thrackan rolled his eyes. "This is not the time to do this."

"Yeah. I know. But the Force works in mysterious ways. You were right about one thing, though. That game sure was weird."

Meanwhile, Han and Lando left the game room, heading in the other direction. Han clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Man, you better watch yourself."

"Yeah, I know." Lando shook his head. "Wow, that was a problem I never thought I'd have. I guess it means I'm getting old."

"You are not getting old," Han replied. "It just means you're not as gleeping self-centered as you used to be."

"Hey!" Lando protested.

"I'm not saying I wasn't!" Han shot back. "We both had our share of growing up to do. You just happened to do it in a way that can get you into trouble."

Lando rolled his eyes at his own foolishness. "Yeah, I know."

"I won't breathe a word," Han said. "You know that. But what about that Thrackan character?"

"Don't worry. Lahira's his immediate supervisor. She has him under tight control, I'm sure. He wouldn't dare. And he's Correllian like you, you know."

"I gathered," Han replied. "My cousin's name is Thrackan, too. I hate that little Sith spawn. He tried to kill me a few times when we were kids."

"Oh, so that explains your reaction when I told you his name." By this time, they had reached Lando's door. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Good night. And pleasant dreams," Han teased, winking.

"Shut up, Solo." Lando disappeared into his room and closed the door.

Han shook his head, making his way to his own quarters. This war was making everyone crazy. What was the galaxy coming to?

The scheduled time for the assault was coming close. The strike team was leaving this morning, attempting to get clearance to land on Endor by flying in a stolen Imperial shuttle. They even had an Imperial code, but no one knew if it was current enough to work. If the code failed, the strike team would never make it near the surface of the moon, and would probably be destroyed while attempting to retreat. If that happened, the fighter squadrons would never have a chance to attack the Death Star, which was still supposedly not operational.

If that happened, Lando would lose four good friends: Han, Leia, Chewie, and Luke.

Lando awoke early that morning and accompanied Han to the flight deck to see the strike team off. "I just want to say good-bye and good luck," Lando said. "I hope to see you again, friend."

"Aww, don't worry," Han protested, cocksure as ever. "We'll be fine. We'll just shoot a few stormtroopers, walk in, and deactivate the generator. It'll be easy – compared to coordinating who-knows-how-many squadrons of fighters, anyway."

Lando rolled his eyes. "I thought you said you weren't crazy. I'm afraid I have to revise my opinion. You're crazier than a drunken tauntaun. You're going to face all kinds of resistance down there."

Han shrugged. "Maybe so. But I've always gotten out of stuff before, haven't I?"

"You only got out of the carbonite because we came and rescued you. You may not be dead yet, but there's a first time for everything, braggart." On an impulse, Lando reached out and embraced his friend.

As they continued walking, Han reminded him, "You've got more to worry about than losing me."

"Yeah," Lando agreed, shaking his head. "Don't I know it. Why does this have to happen now, of all times?"

"I don't know, old buddy. But that's why I want you to take the Falcon when you lead that attack. We can't be losing you, either."

"Oh, no, no, no," Lando protested. "I couldn't do that."

"Listen, I want you to take her, okay? She's the fastest ship in the fleet! Take her."

"Okay, okay," Lando relented, "I promise she won't get a scratch."

"All right. Take it easy." Han walked away toward the shuttle's boarding platform. Then he turned around. "I got that promise – not a scratch."

"Good luck," Lando called after him.

"You too. You're going to need it." Han turned to board the shuttle, then hesitated.

"Get moving, you pirate." Lando kept his eyes on Han for one more moment before turning and walking away.

If anyone could do this, Lando reflected as he left, Han was the one. They would be fine, as long as that code worked.

It had to work, Lando told himself. It would work. The entire mission depended on that. He took a deep breath. The mission was under way.

Meanwhile, Lahira headed to the workout room before breakfast. She planned to spend her morning studying the battle plans that Admiral Ackbar had provided to everyone before heading to practice in the afternoon, so she could go over it with the members of her squadron. This was the battle of a lifetime, and they had to get it right. The very existence of the Rebel Alliance depended on it.

After her post-workout shower, Lahira headed to the galley for breakfast. She was just finishing up when Lando sat down beside her. "Well, it's started," he said. "The strike team left this morning."

"May the Force be with them," Lahira replied. "I just hope that crazy pack of mynocks know what they're doing."

"You and a whole lot of other people," Lando sighed. "Han's a good hand, but even he's not invincible – no matter what he says. I know he can do it, though. I have to believe that."

Lahira laughed. "His notorious ego proceeds him wherever he goes." She packed up the remains of her breakfast. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to prepare to go over Admiral Ackbar's battle plans with my squadron this afternoon."

"Of course," Lando replied. "I have a lot of preparations do, too, as soon as I finish my breakfast. I was just at the flight deck seeing Han and everyone else off. They're going to have their hands full down there."

"He has a reputation for getting out of tight places," Lahira said. "I'm sure he'll be fine." She didn't feel nearly as confident as she sounded. "May the Force be with you."

"Thanks. And with you," Lando replied, resisting a temptation to reach out and touch her. He sighed, watching her walk away. If this karking war ever ends…

Stop it, he told himself irritably. You're being foolish.

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