Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Star Wars Universe, nor do I make any money while I'm amusing myself with them. I only claim the rights to any new characters that are products of my own imagination; however they can be borrowed by others if you ask nicely.
Author's Note: I am reposting Chapter 7, because of some errors. Thank you for the kind reviewer who pointed them out, it is appreciated.
ONCE UPON A REBELLION – CHAPTER 7
A Few Answers
Solo quickly organized a scouting party, realizing that some of the wildlife he'd been concerned about earlier sounded like it was getting way too close to camp for anyone's comfort. With Chewbacca leading the way, a few hardy souls headed out to see what they could learn. Reluctantly, Han remained behind, and sent Wedge in his stead. He preferred leading people, but knew if something happened, he would need to be at the camp to help protect the others.
Although it seemed forever, only about 10 minutes passed before Solo heard the party returning. What surprised him, was that over the din of the horrible sounds still emanating from the darkness, was a much more familiar, and hopefully, welcome sound. Some kind of vehicle was approaching.
Squinting into the darkness, Han just barely made out a ground vehicle, with four tires, something like a roll bar at the top and a steering mechanism that resembled a round wheel of some kind. What caught his primarily caught his attention was the person driving the transport.
"Aiken!" he shouted, sprinting forward to grasp his friend by the arm, then giving him a good pounding on his back, even though the action caused him to wince and draw back slightly. "You're alive!"
"I might say the same about you, Solo. Although you don't look as good as I do. I guess you older guys don't stand up under stress and pressure as well as kids like me." Even though his words were lighthearted, Solo had no trouble sensing the pain behind the words, and knew without asking there hadn't been any other survivors.
Ducking his head slightly, he whispered "Damn. We lost some good people." Chewbacca quietly added his sympathy, and wondered if his bond brother had any idea how often he included himself in the very fabric of the Alliance these days. Chewie knew that once, Han would have scoffed at the concept of being part of something as big and worthy as the Alliance. Although rebellion was a very real part of the Corellian's nature, it was usually reserved for his own purposes, and not for the benefit of others.
"First things first," Solo said, turning toward Wedge. "Did you learn what is making that god-awful noise? I have a feeling it isn't anything good." Wedge indicated the being slowly making his way out of the ground car, and said succinctly, "Ask him.
Aiken motioned the humanoid forward and said in standard basic, "Vice-Comptroller Laungle. May I present Captain Han Solo, leader of this rescue mission?"
"Vice-Comptroller," Solo bowed slightly in his direction, proving that at least some of the diplomacy Leia Organa tried so hard to instill him had taken effect. Solo assessed the man before him, even as he extended his right hand in the universal gesture of greeting. Laungle was a small being, standing only a little over 4 feet high. But there was a dignity about him that Han could see would lend decorum to most encounters. He had fairly standard humanoid features, although his legs were a bit too short for his torso, which was quite long. This gave him the appearance of being slightly off balance, and Solo narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering if that was a tactic he used to keep negotiations a little off balance as well.
Laungle presented his right hand, palm down, toward Solo, then turned it up and Han saw Aiken relax just slightly when the greetings were complete. "Captain Solo. Aiken has told me much about you. I can see he did not exaggerate. May we speak frankly here, or should we seek somewhere more private?"
Solo nodded for him to proceed, saying, "Everyone has the right to hear what that noise is all about; after that, we'll find a place to talk alone."
Inclining his head slightly, the Vice-Comptroller suggested Aiken make the explanation, stating his knowledge of the customs of Solo's people would make it more efficient. Solo grinned a little at the comment about "his" people, but let the remark pass.
Aiken jumped up on a large rock, and explained what they were hearing. "Apparently, some of the beasties on this planet don't like humans too much. Or, more to the point, they DO like humans too much. They like them for dinner." At the obvious consternation this announcement caused, Aiken grinned a little himself. Chewbacca couldn't help comparing the young man to Solo, and was well aware why the two got along so well.
"The best I can tell, these creatures are similar to a bear, but smaller and have very bright orange fur. While they are incredibly strong and very dangerous to humans, they are equally afraid of fire. What you hear is them warning others of their kind to stay away – they smell the fire and won't approach closely enough to cause any real threat here in camp. However, no one should go out after dark, and if you have to, be sure and take an adequate fire source along. These little buggers are deadly, especially if they encounter one or two humans alone. They don't seem to have a taste for non humans, so Chewbacca and Fuzia would be good guards if anyone does have to be out after dark."
Solo gave instructions to build up the fires higher and make sure they were kept burning at all times, then led the way to a more private area so he could get a thorough update from Hugik and Laungle. Joined by Wedge, Chewbacca and Jenina, Solo indicated they should fill him in. Hugik looked pointedly at Jenina and slowly shook his head. Han, being Han, started to bristle at the implied insult, but Jenina put her hand on his shoulder and said "Han, no worries. I just wanted to check and make sure Aiken is ok. It seems he is, so I'll go sit with Colm. He's getting more and more restless, and won't let me give him anything else to calm him." Her gentle smile lit her face. "He reminds me so much of you." With that, she walked away, still smiling.
All business now, Solo turned to Aiken. "Tell me everything." Aiken told him about a beam of light or something hitting their ship, and then the terrifying freefall that followed. Solo and Wedge nodded, acknowledging they had experienced more or less the same thing. Hugik's shuttle had been much closer to land when the beam had hit, and he had no time to react, and had lost consciousness during the crash. When he came to, he was being pulled out by Laungle, who was much stronger than he appeared. A quick check revealed everyone else had perished, and Aiken was still feeling the effects of guilt for surviving, when no one else had.
Han turned to study Laungle again, and making a quick judgment, trusting his instincts, decided he was trustworthy and had had no hand in any sabotage or attempt to ruin the plans for Tal-Edonn. The discussion turned to who the source of the trouble could be, and Han's expression darkened as it became evident someone from the Rebellion was likely involved.
"I wondered at first," Klaskan stated, "if it was someone who died in the first crash. But I have been monitoring all incoming and outgoing communications, and though there was a lull in the ones I was beginning to have suspicions about, they resumed shortly after I rescued Aiken."
"So," Solo contemplated, "it could be someone back on base, or it could be someone who came with us." He glanced at Wedge and Chewie, who considered it.
"Seems if the saboteur was trying to infiltrate that way, he or she would be careful not to be in a ship that was going to be brought down as soon as it tries to land," was Wedge's comment. Chewbacca gave a series of barks and hoots, that Klaskan had no way of understanding. Solo looked pensive for a moment and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'd thought of that."
Turning to Klaskan, he explained. "It could have been someone on our ship, if they knew what to expect, and because ours was a larger ship, they could have prepared themselves for a hard landing." Solo's brows pulled together as he absently rubbed at his left shoulder, trying to remember the details of where everyone had been when they had been pulled out of the wreckage. But since Solo himself had been unconscious for an unknown period of time immediately following the crash, he really couldn't be certain if those he found afterward were in the same positions they had been in during the crash itself. Something tickled in the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite zero in on it. Giving himself a quick shake of his head and realizing he was simply too tired to think, he looked up and squinted toward the sky.
"Does it get light around here as fast it gets dark? And how long are your days? How long before we don't have to worry about the animals if we need to be out and about?" Solo had a dozen more questions crowding his mind, but was stopped by a huge yawn. Aiken shook his head and grasping his mentor by his good shoulder, turned him around, steering him back toward camp. "Get some rest Solo – all of you. Sunup won't be for a few hours yet and it does happen instantly, just like nightfall. In the meantime, I'll contact command with an update and find out when and how rescue is going to be attempted."
"We're safe enough from the beasts, as long as everyone stays in camp," Laungle added.
Han was only too glad to comply, realizing that if he didn't get some real rest soon, he was likely to simply fall over, and his dignity had suffered enough lately, without that added problem. Waving at the others, he stumbled back to his sleeping area and was asleep literally before his head made complete contact with the ground.
