Rieekan and Madine were with Mon Mothma as Han and Chewbacca followed Luke and Leia into Mothma's office. Mon Mothma turned, greeting them with a smile, the two men acknowledging them with slight nods of their heads. "Please, Gentlemen, Your Highness, sit down. We have some details we wish to go over with you, concerning your mission outline."
Luke shot a glance at Leia as he sat down. Leia shrugged slightly.
"Mon Mothma tells me that you have already laid some of the ground work, Your Highness," Madine began, "How far have those preparations gone?"
"Completed and ready to go. The ship has been converted and is already in Demerin. The stand-ins have both been chosen and kited out. General Calrissian is waiting for the final briefing."
Madine nodded as Rieekan asked, "The elapse time for the different segments of the task, Colonel Skywalker, how were they arrived at?"
"Calculated from the time that it took Ben Kenobi to reach the controls for the tractor beam on the first Death Star and return to the landing area," Luke told him. "As you can see from the plans, the distance from the hanger where the Falcon was secured," he continued, indicating the hard copy printouts sitting on the desk on front of both Madine and Rieekan, "to the tractor controls is roughly two thirds of the distance from the controls to the central reactor. The Endor Death Star had no really significant differences from the one at Yavin, therefore we've assumed that the Crevan station will also have virtually the same layout. The estimated elapse time of the first part of the operation we calculated using the hanger furthest from the controls, then added a percentage for error. Using that figure to average out the timings for the second and third segments, gives us approximately three hours. On top of which we'll have to add some for doing the initial dealing, and then whatever it takes to talk to them inside. That, obviously, we have no way of knowing."
Rieekan looked at Madine, who shrugged, then at Mothma, "We can come to some agreement about total elapse time..." He turned back to Luke, "Would four hours be acceptable?"
Luke turned to Leia, looking across at Chewbacca, then back at the Princess. The Wookiee whuffed a comment. Leia nodded, "That would be fine, Sir."
Rieekan sat back in his chair. Mothma looked at him. He lifted his hand as if in acceptance, then crossed his arms over his chest. Madine gave her one, simple nod of agreement. Mon Mothma clasped her hands on the table, leaning forward. "The mission plan," she told the quartet sitting on the other side of the table, "as laid down by yourselves, has been accepted: with one proviso."
Leia relaxed, finally, feeling the tension of before rapidly being replaced by excitement shaded apprehension. She glanced sidelong at Luke who gave her a quick grin, then turned his attention back to Mothma, who continued, "The worst case scenario was, as I said before, unacceptable. Therefore, in addition to the Infiltration Task, a second Task will be put on standby, nominally to cover your retreat, but also to destroy the Death Star should the Infiltration fail."
Han suddenly came to life, sitting forward, "Who's in command of the second Task?"
"Are you volunteering, General?" Mothma asked.
"The Millennium Falcon and her captain are at your disposal, Ma'am!"
"Thank you, General Solo," she accepted quietly, having had an idea, right from the beginning, that he would offer his services. She sat back, handing the rest of the briefing over, "Governor Rieekan?"
"The proviso runs like this: You shall have the agreed four hours to get inside the Death Star and complete your part of the mission. At the end of that time, or sooner if you notify us that things have gone wrong, General Solo will lead a fleet against the Death Star. If everything has run to plan then the fleet will be there to cover your escape. If not then they will exploit the same weakness utilised at Yavin."
"The plans of the Death Star at Endor," Madine took over, "as you pointed out, Colonel, were almost identical to the one at Yavin. Most importantly there were no details of increased defenses around the targeted exhaust port. We have assumed that, as this station must have been built concurrently with the one destroyed at Yavin, their defenses will be similarly lax...."
"Comprehensive layouts of deck planning are one thing, General Solo," Mothma broke in, quietly, "but the lack of increased defenses around this susceptible area have given us..." She paused, searching for the phrase, finishing finally, "cause for concern. Admittedly, we have made a considerable assumption that the Imperial fleet have no idea how the Yavin station was destroyed.... but should the Colonel and the Princess' plan fail, it is the only hope we have of obliterating this new threat. With the information that Lieutenant-Colonel Antilles can supply, the new Empire has it within its power to cripple the Rebel Alliance, decimating a great many worlds in the process. We have no choice but to act quickly lest we lose the advantage."
"I understand, Ma'am."
"Then, General Solo, if you remain behind we will brief you on your orders." She turned to Leia, "Your Highness, contact General Calrissian and brief him. He must be ready to go as soon as possible. Please inform me when he leaves for Demerin."
The Princess nodded, "I will."
Mothma regarded all of them, "The plan has already been initiated. As we speak, as many fighters and bombers as we feel will arrive in time are enroute to rendezvous at a central location where Governor Madine will give them their initial briefing. All that is left is for me to wish you success in this endeavour. Gentlemen, Princess, I pray that the Force be will be with you. Dismissed."
~ # # ~
Han walked into another mess room, scanning the sea of faces. At last! And, as usual, the very last place he'd tried. Shaking his head in disgust he strode past the tables, carefully side-stepping as a ground tech turned away from the man he'd been chatting to, almost covering Han with the hot liquid in his cup.
"Sorry, Sir..."
Han smiled, waving him away, continuing towards the two pilots he'd been searching for, for the last hour. Jomanock looked up as Han reached the table, pulling out a chair and sitting beside Gabhaan. The General leant forward, elbows on the table. Looking first at Gabhaan, then Jomanock, he asked softly, low enough that no-one else would hear, "How do you guys feel about going up against the Death Star again?"
Jomanock glanced at Gabhaan, who licked his lips nervously. "Exactly what do you mean, Sir?" the Lieutenant asked, keeping his voice low.
"I've got orders to take just about every fighter and bomber we've got against that thing. But first I'm going to do a little business and I need a fighter escort for the Falcon. I just wondered if you guys were interested."
"Count me in, Sir," the Lieutenant told Solo, his mouth drawn into a tight line. Gabhaan could feel the blood draining from his face and had to put down the cup he was holding, not wanting the others to see how badly his hands were shaking, remembering the fireball that erupted from JavraH's fighter. But he still found himself saying, "I'm up for it too, Sir."
Han grinned, "Thought you might say that. That's why I had your orders held back!" He pulled two small packages from his jacket pocket, handing them to their respective owners. Then he stood up, telling them softly, "Field commissions. Be in the hanger by oh-six hundred. Lieutenant," he acknowledged Gabhaan, then to Jomanock, "Commander."
Jomanock stared after him, open mouthed, as the General turned away, winding his way back through the tables. Gabhaan had already broken the package open, swearing softly, holding his orders in one hand, clutching the Lieutenant's insignia in the other. Jomanock looked at him and grinned, breaking open his own container. He pulled out the orders, then tipped the Commander's insignia onto his palm.
"Sir?" Jomanock looked up at Gabhaan. "Sir," the younger man admitted, "I'm..." But he found that he couldn't quite say the words.
"Scared?" Jomanock asked. Gabhaan nodded. "Hells," Jomanock told him, "I'm terrified!" He grinned again, leaning forward, "But if my name's written in the stars for the next battle then I'm damned sure that I'm going to take some of those Imperials with me!" The grin faded abruptly, his eyes clouding over as he looked back down at the rank pins in his hand: thoughts of the man he'd left behind, never far from his mind, crashing back in. Guilt stabbed at him again, conscience turning the pleasure sour, "I owe that much to the Lieutenant-Colonel."
