She coasted the snub fighter to a halt in her usual space. Spitting an order to the astromech to finish the power down process as she raised the canopy. She stood, carefully pulling her specially crafted helmet off, draping her lekku over her shoulder as she climbed from the cockpit. As she stated down the ladder, she muddled through the wild thoughts in her head, trying to make sense of all that had happened in the past few day. Her jaunt into the silence of space had done little to help sort it all out.
She paused at the base of the ladder, sucking as much fresh air into her lungs as she could, trying to center herself, calming her roiling thoughts. She strode casually towards Wedge, trying not to draw his attention too soon. Failing. He waved away the flight tech he'd been conferring with and motioned sharply at her to follow him as he turned and strode towards his office.
He waited at the door for her, not saying a word as she slowly dragged herself into the small room. He could feel the fear radiating off her and he sighed as he realized what she must think. He shut the door firmly behind her and motioned her to sit as he rounded the desk, moving towards his own chair. Her head was hung in despair or shame, he couldn't tell which, hands in her lap. He noted with some distaste how badly the orange of her flight suit clashed with the bright green of her skin. Her lekku twitched gently, almost trembling in fear, like a small animal caught by a larger carnivore.
"Dia, I need an explanation, please."
He didn't yell? Why did he say please? She was all ready for him to yell at her and punish her. She was not ready for 'please'. Her mouth opened and closed several times as she fought for the words to come out.
"Sir, I needed to get away and think. I needed to be away from everyone to get my head together. I needed… well I don't really know what I needed."
She continued to study her hands as she sat. He waited for more but it didn't come. Wedge sighed and clasped his hands in front of him, steeling himself for the storm that was about to break.
"Dia, I understand what… no. No I don't understand what you've been through. I've never had to make that kind of a choice before. I've never had to decide if one of my teammates is more important than the others. I can't imagine what you had to go through. But, you did the right thing. You survived and you did the right thing. If what Face put in his report is correct, Donn was near death anyway and you probably put him out of his misery. The mission was, all in all, a success, largely in part to you and that horrible choice you had to make."
He watched her carefully, waiting for a reaction. He knew her past, the slavery and her escape. He knew she was waiting for a harsher reaction from him. So, he didn't give it to her. She needed to know that he trusted her and he cared for her. He noticed that her lekku were twitching more now, almost as if she were sobbing. He reached across the desk putting his hand under her chin to raise her face to his. Brilliant green eyes slowly rose as her face lifted, the eyes of a cowed slave. He saw how much pain filled her eyes and the sheen of tears unshed.
"Dia, I will not make any mention of you taking the ship. However, you have to promise me this will not happen again. There are plenty of places here you can go to get away from the others. You can even come here and sit in my office if you like. I can't begin to understand what you had to go through as a slave. But, I can understand what the flying does for you. I've always felt a kind of freedom when I fly too."
He looked at her across the desk as a single crystal tear slid down her cheek. Rising slowly he walked around the corner of the desk and knelt by her chair. He draped his arm across her back in a brotherly embrace and pulled her to him. The sobs started slowly, quietly. He held her tighter and stroked her back assuring her through his gentle touch that everything would be all right. He felt the wetness of her tears spread through the shoulder of his shirt. Her lekku slid from her shoulder and draped themselves over his, rubbing their warm silkiness across his neck. He held her there for a long time, letting her grief pour out and fill the office like a tangible cloud.
She cried for everything. For being put into slavery. For killing her friend and teammate. For the loss of her family and friends. For putting the team in danger and not being able to get them all back out of it. She cried until the tears could come no more. She slowed her sobs as she settled into the warm embrace Wedge offered her. He patted her back gently as a father would pat a child to make them calm after a nightmare. She moved away from him, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked at him in surprise to see a fresh wash of tears on his own face that he hastily wiped away as he rose and went back to his seat.
"Dia, as I said. I will not report you taking the ship. I'm more worried about you than a piece of metal. However, if you get to this point again, please, come talk to me. Or talk to one of the others, don't let this build until you are taking New Republic property with out permission. Do we understand each other?"
She simply nodded, not trusting her voice yet as she fought to stop sobbing.
"There is one question I have for you. Why did you take Kell's x-wing?"
"Si-ir?" she hiccupped.
A smile spread across Wedge's face. "You took Kell's fighter instead of your own. I'm surprised you didn't notice. I noticed his ship gone and I was going to tear him a new one but, then I saw him in the hallway. I had to do a quick headcount, very discretely mind you, to figure out who was missing. Next time you steal a piece of the New Republic's expensive machinery, could you steal your own so I know who to yell at?"
She grinned at him as he began to laugh and she joined him laughing at her foolishness. He rose from his seat again and walked towards the door.
"Come on Passik, let's go get a drink. I'll buy."
"Yes, sir," she smiled at him, taking his hand in hers and heading for the bar.