Kess wanted nothing more to get this beating over with so she could get back to filing down that custom oil valve flange. She tried to meditate as she marched and reported as ordered to the Gold Group once more. Inside the managers' office were the five of Gold command, but now also General Madine stood on the side as if waiting in line to yell at her too.

"General, would you please close the door."

Upon entry to the stewing room, Lt Lendra instinctively snapped to attention, stood stiff and stared at nothing.

Commander Tolgray threw a datapad with a clatter. Other managers stiffened at their desks to wait this out. Madine stepped back into her view and crossed his arms in silence.

"You're either in my squadron or you're not." Tolgray pressed his palms to his desk and drilled his anger into Kess. "I'm not going to have a fair-weather engineer on my team only showing up for work when you don't have more important things to do. I don't care if you're a Jedi, you tell that boyfriend of yours he's got to leave you to your assignments."

Embarrassment stabbed Kess in the gut.

"Excuse me?" Madine barked. "Skywalker is a Jedi Master and a decorated pilot and deserves more respect out of you—

Tolgray yelled back—and louder—before Madine had even finished his sentence. "I don't care if he's the second coming of the Messiah; no one has the right to pluck my crew off my pad without my approval!"

Madine nearly smiled, "In point of fact, there is one who does."

Shorkey scolded her from the side. "Lendra, you were supposed to handle this."

"I don't know what we're talking about." Kess shrugged out of her attention, "Antilles and I agreed to handle the rest of it off the clock."

Tolgray stood tall and whipped a pointed finger in the air at her. "I heard you on Flight Ops—

"Oi!" Madine silenced them all with an army shout. "Look! Tolgray! Antilles didn't send me! Skywalker didn't sent me!" He thumbed over his shoulder. "I don't know what all that's about, but this," he jabbed at the floor in front of him, "is coming down from the Chief Commander. The order was issued this morning. And we need her in the CIC bunker right now!"

Tolgray threw his hands up the air. "Fine. Whatever. Dismissed."

Kess fumbled apologies. "I'll be back as soon as I can—

"Yeah don't be surprised when you get re-ass'ed to Hoth when you get back." Tolgray dropped into his desk chair and fumed.

Madine motioned her to leave before she said anything else. Shaking with confusion, Kess climbed into the runner and tried to meditate before stomach imploded. Her skin prickled with stress. Madine stomped on the speed pedal and wet wind blew the sweat from her brow.

She huffed low. "What the hell is going on?"

Madine grinned the obvious. "Tolgray got his toes stomped on."

"I mean—

He turned a corner and drove them out to the quad. "Can't blame him for it. No one likes working with a subordinate who outranks you."

"I'm a Lieutenant grease monkey!" She coughed. "I don't outrank the GC of Gold Group!"

Madine cocked a glance at her that she was being an idiot.

Jedi errands.

Kess cussed.

She didn't know how to explain that it would be inappropriate for her to quit her day job and report to Master Skywalker on a full time basis. Even if she and Luke were separated to different entities to serve their Jedi roles, Knighthood didn't have the capacity to function as a full time job. Jedi didn't draw a paycheck! They had no rights to a barracks room! Where would she live? What would she eat?

She exhaled a defeated huff. "General—

"Oh please, Kess, we've both been in this rebellion longer than that. Call me Crix."

He dove the runner down into basement parking of the Council Building.

"Crix . . . I could really use some sound advice on this and, honestly, I can't ask Luke."

Madine's mouth grinned with dark understanding. "Copy that."

She sighed hard. "You heard him. Tolgray is going to fire me if I keep popping off the pad for Jedi stuff—

He stomped on the brakes and the runner skidded to a stop, but Madine dropped back in the driver's chair with a shrug. "So quit."

"But, Crix, I'm a repair grunt! I'm only Luke's lab rat apprentice. I'm not going to be jumping into the fray to save the galaxy!"

Crix turned his beard to her, speaking soldier to soldier. "Why not?"

Kess shut her mouth. She huffed a breath out of her nose.

Crix shut down the runner but he didn't get out yet. He shifted in the driver's chair so he could eye her with impatience. "What makes you think any of us thought we could 'jump into the fray and save the galaxy.' None of us did it alone. We all did it together." He squinted at her like she was nuts for thinking otherwise. "The rebellion didn't win because of Luke Skywalker or because we have the Jedi on our side. The rebellion won because we all worked for it. All of us jumped into the fray not expecting to win. Not even expecting to live! Luke wouldn't have won at the Death Star if his wingman wasn't willing to die to protect his flank. Those are the heroes, Kess. Not the ones who live to get the medals." As if pissed at her for even asking, Crix jumped out of the runner with a scoff.

"Biggs." Kess climbed out and met his march across the empty garage to the elevator, eating crow all by herself. "His name was Biggs."

Crix glanced over.

"Frond, Wilkerson, and Joust died in the Battle of the Y-Wing to save my hide." She met his eye and stopped her feet, pissed at him for making her explain it in painful detail. "But I'm afraid I don't have the list of the thousands that died in the Battle of the Line just to save my hide." She stressed hard at Madine. "That's what I'm talking about! We lost good people just to save my grease grunt hide?"

Madine snarled at her audacity. "You got yourself kidnapped? And raped? Just to save your own hide?"

Her eyes squinted. "No, that's not—

"You sacrificed your life to save all these people!" He nearly shouted at her, pointing at nothing in the empty hall. "And you almost didn't succeed. I can't believe I've got to be the one to tell you this: What is your real duty here, Lendra? Where can the rebellion best use what you've got to offer?"

She sobered.

Madine cocked a brow at her. "You want my advice? Put away the wrench." He motioned to her lightsaber. "You've got a new tool now."

Kess rubbed her lips, humbled, as she had guessed she would be after asking advice from this man. Maybe that's why the Force drew her into this place at this moment so she could ask this man. She swallowed hard, sighed slowly, and nodded at nothing.

"Now." With attitude, Crix Madine ushered her kindly to the elevator. "Are you ready to see why I say that?"

Eyes stretched to realize where they were. She nearly forgot all this began with a summons to the command center from Mon Mothma herself. And Kess was specifically summonsed to the extent of sending General Madine to come get her?

Kess blew up at her bangs and braced herself as she stepped into the lift.