Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or its characters.

A/N: Inspiration struck so here's a bonus chapter for this weekend.

As Wedge Antilles entered the empty mess hall, he breathed a sigh of relief. So many questions plagued him since arriving on Dantooine. He had yet to see his old friend, Luke Skywalker and he knew that Luke had the answers. Purposely, Wedge waited until shift change to find a desperately needed cup of caf, knowing he could be alone. When he exited into the seating area with his steaming mug, he froze, seeing Rey seated by herself. Wedge hesitated, not sure whether he should go to the girl. She seemed lost in thought, a tray of food untouched in front of her. If she knew he was there, she was yet to acknowledge him. Wedge walked towards her, stopping at her table.

"Mind if I join you? It's Rey right?" Wedge asked in a friendly tone. Rey seemed surprised when she noticed him waiting for her response.

"Sure," she said, gesturing to the empty chair across from her. The two enjoyed a companionable silence, Wedge sipping his caf and Rey absentmindedly moving food around her tray.

"So, Reylen, you're from Jakku?" Wedge questioned the young woman.

"Yes," she responded. Rey's face didn't reveal the turmoil churning through her mind. The man in front of her hadn't noticed his slip but Rey certainly did. He had called her Reylen and coming from his lips, it sounded so familiar. It had triggered something that she couldn't quite comprehend. Hesitantly, Rey held her fork suspended in midair and eyed Wedge. "General, did you know Thea Charaeysa?"

Wedge began coughing almost spitting out his last sip of caf. When he recovered, he found a pair of familiar brown eyes focused on him. He knew there was no putting her off. He had his suspicions; he had them since meeting the girl but had hoped to talk to Luke first. "I did. She was a good friend."

Rey's heart sped up, knowing she was so close to getting all of her questions answered. She wanted to know everything about Thea and clearly, she had been right. Wedge Antilles knew her. He not only knew her. He knew her well. The true question was how well? If she was right and Thea was her mother, could she be sitting across the table from her father? If so, why did they leave her? Taking a deep breath to calm her wildly beating heart, Rey decided to start from the beginning. "How did you meet her?"


Wedge walked the seedy lower levels of Coruscant, an acidic stench burning his nostrils. The darkness and heat heightened the smells and unease, coursing through his body. This would be his last mission to Imperial City for the foreseeable future. High Command had received a warning from Fulcrum. Their recruitment network into the Imperial Academy might be compromised. In most circumstances, all ties would be severed immediately and the Rebellion would never look back. This operation had been one of their most successful. For the past two years, the Alliance had a direct link to recruits, mainly pilots, inside the Academy. Their contact, code name, Ray, had had incredible luck targeting specific cadets, grooming them to desert and then passing them off to Wedge and his fellow operatives to transport to various rebel bases.

Over the course of two years, Wedge had seen Ray as frequently as was safe. All he knew about her was that she was very young but somehow uniquely positioned to identify sympathizers with the skills the rebels so desperately needed. Surprisingly, prior to his latest departure to Coruscant, General Rieekan had called him into a meeting with Mon Mothma. There he had learned about the threat to Ray. Rieekan pulled him aside and revealed to Wedge that Ray was like a daughter to him. Years ago he had been friends with her father and ultimately recruited her mother to aid the Alliance. Her mother's allegiances had been discovered. The Empire sent its agents to Jakku, killing her mother but sparing Ray. Rieekan did not elaborate further about how Ray got to Coruscant or where her father was.

As Wedge waited anxiously, he thought back to the first time he met her, not too far from where he currently stood . . .

Wedge Antilles adjusted his black fedora to better cover his eyes. Anxiously, he scanned the crowd, trying to guess who might be his contact. Wedge was new to the spy game. He had been an Alliance pilot for a couple of years but he quickly learned that in a ragtag group of freedom fighters, you had to multi-task. He had been dispatched to meet a contact on Coruscant who would be recruiting new individuals to join their ranks. The rebels were in desperate need of numbers.

A slight figure in a dark blue cloak approached his location. A hand snaked out from beneath the folds of fabric, roughly grabbing his arm and jerking him further into the shadows. "I'm . . ." Wedge began.

The figure held up her hand, silencing him as she pulled down her hood. Wedge stood shocked, seeing a blond girl, not more than sixteen standing in front of him. She grabbed his hand, forcing a Corellian credit into his palm. He then repeated the gesture, transferring an Alderaanian commemorative medallion into hers. Both breathed a sigh of relief, as they confirmed the identity of the other. "First time on Coruscant, Flyboy?" the young woman questioned. Wedge raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I had you pegged for a pilot from 50 yards out," she replied to the unasked question. "So I take it you understand the protocol and how to contact me?" Wedge nodded. She continued, "They haven't advised me of a code name."

Appraising the girl, Wedge smiled. "I think with that hair, we'll call you Ray."

Ray smiled. "Alright, Flyboy, Ray it is." As she turned to leave, she stopped and looked back. "Watch yourself and maybe leave the hat behind next time. " Wedge feigned hurt as he readjusted the hat on his head and watched her disappear into the crowd.

Wedge's daydream ended abruptly when he saw a familiar figure walking in his direction, hidden in her usual azure cloak. Concern flashed in her eyes when she stopped in front of him. Her voice rasped, "What's going on? This is totally against protocol and extremely dangerous. Are you ok?"

"Ray, we've gotten information and you're going to have to make a decision. You may be compromised so we can end our contact and you can continue about your normal life or . . . ."

"Or?" she asked.

"Or you can officially join the Rebellion."

"When do you need to know? I had a couple of other cadets I was vetting," she questioned, her brown eyes filled with concern.

"It's now or never, Ray." Sucking in a deep breath, Ray tried to quell her nerves.

Gulping, she cleared her throat. "Let's go. But before we leave, maybe I should know your real name after all of this time."

Reaching out his hand Wedge replied, "Wedge Antilles."

Grasping his hand and giving it a firm shake, she said, "Thea Charaeysa."


Wedge breathed a sigh of relief as pilots poured into the mess, giving him an avenue of escape from Rey's questioning. He was fairly certain he knew who the girl was but he wanted to speak with Luke before he continued the conversation on Thea. Weaving his way through the base corridors, he found Luke's quarters. Softly he tapped on the door. "Come in, Wedge," he heard Luke call. Even after all these years, he recognized his voice and was slightly unnerved that Luke already knew it was him.

"You are a difficult man to find," Wedge said as he entered the sparse quarters. As Luke got up from his seat, Wedge stood awkwardly in the doorway. He almost felt as though the man before him was a stranger, not his friend of over thirty years.

"What can I do for you Wedge?" Luke asked calmly, no hint of anxiety marring his face.

"Well, Luke I'd like to know what the hell is going on?" Wedge demanded.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Luke asked nonplussed at his old friend's tone.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. I've met Rey," Wedge declared.

"Yes, my new padawan," Luke responded evenly.

"So that's how we're going to play this then?" Wedge questioned exasperated. "I'm not stupid, Luke, but what I want to know is, if she's alive, does that mean . . . ."

Before Wedge could finish, Luke cut him off, a flash of anger in his eyes. "Thea is dead, Wedge. She's never coming back. Leave it alone."

Wedge's heart clenched. Even after all of this time, hearing Thea and dead in the same sentence still stung. There had been so many questions surrounding her death that closure had never come for him. Then seeing Rey, he had the smallest glimmer of hope that maybe they had all been wrong. "You can't keep this hidden, Luke. She's going to figure it out. And I for one am not going to let that girl believe her mother simply abandoned her on Jakku to fend for herself."

"This doesn't concern you, Wedge. I don't know what you think you know, but don't stir up the past. It will only cause everyone more pain," Luke warned wearily. "Leave Rey to me. She's my padawan and not your concern."

"You keep telling yourself you're doing this for her, Luke, but you and I know the truth. You're doing this for you. You're the one that doesn't want to face what all of this means. I came to you before I told her anything out of respect for you and for Thea, but I won't deny her the truth about her mother. It would be better coming from you but I'll tell her if I have to," Wedge stated angrily as he stormed from Luke's quarters.