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.

Author's Notes: Since you have been so nice to review, I will post Chapters 10 & 11 today. I realize this has been a rather slow-developing story – which surprised me, since I usually start with major action. But this one has more or less been writing itself, so what is an author to do?

Thanks for being patient – there is a bit of action in these two chapters, with the good stuff starting up in Chapter 12. I will do my best to post Chapter 12 this weekend. Thanks, and as always, reviews motivate me to write and post more quickly.

ONCE UPON A REBELLION – CHAPTER 10

Plans and Revelations

Seeing the tense look on Jenina's face, he took her by the arm and led her to a secluded area. "What is it, Je?" he asked. He nodded at Chewie who had come over when he saw Han and Jenina standing together. "I'm not sure if it is anything, Han," she replied, "but Colm was muttering about something last night. I figured I'd better tell you and let you decide what it means, if anything."

Glad to have something a little more practical to think about than Aubie's snoring, Han suggested the three of them take a short walk. Checking in with the camp guard, he told him they were going to stretch their legs. Walking a little ways into the surrounding treed area, Han asked her to elaborate.

"Last night he kept saying 'It's him. I know it's him. They did it.' When I asked him who he was talking about, he didn't make much sense. He did say Aubie's name once, but he kept mumbling another name as well – something like Antha. Or Anthea. I couldn't make it all out." Jenina shook her head in frustration.

"Hmm, Antha. Know that name Chewie?" Han asked. Chewbacca remained thoughtful for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I think so." he acknowledged. "I saw a tech leave camp with Simek yesterday. I think her name is Anthea, but I'm not sure. They said they were looking for water but when they came back, they didn't have any. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I wonder what they were really doing."

"How long were they gone?" Han asked. "And what time was it? I want to check with Laungle and see if he detected any more transmissions during that time. If he did. . . " Han's voice trailed off, not needing to give voice to his suspicions. "Not a real long time, maybe an hour or hour and a half, at about 2:00 or 3:00, I think. I didn't really pay much attention," Chewie responded, tilting his head and thinking hard.

Han led them in a fast trot back to camp, holding his arm close to his body to lessen the impact on his collarbone. Stopping just short of the perimeter, he cleared his features and entered into a lighthearted conversation with Jenina, trying to make sure no one realized what they had been discussing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aubie, standing by a tech he didn't know by name and noticed Aubie turn his head and follow them with his eyes all the way across the open area. As soon as they went behind a screen of sorts that had been set up for Solo's "quarters," Solo raised his eyebrows in Chewie's direction. Chewie looked grim and nodded, giving Solo all the information he needed. "Stay here," in instructed both Jenina and Chewie. "I'm gonna' go find Fuzia, and we'll ask Laungle and see if anyone has been sending somthing."

Han rounded Fuzia up and the two left camp from behind Solo's quarters, hoping to avoid detection from Simek or any of his possible cohorts. Crossing back behind the camp, still staying out of sight, they came to the area Laungle and Hugik had set up for communications, with help from Fuzia. "Klaskan I need you to check your equipment," Solo's tone brooked no argument. "See if there have been any more of those suspicious transmissions." Laungle shook his head, "No, I'm sure there haven't. I've been monitoring pretty closely."

"Check anyway. In fact, I want Fuzia to check, he knows some tricks no one else does." Fuzia didn't wait for Laungle's permission, but immediately leaned into the communications area and started pushing buttons and listening intently, with his funny extra ear cocked to one side. Though basically expressionless, his body language soon betrayed his dark thoughts. "There," he said succinctly. "See that tiny wave in the lines?" He pointed at a minute difference in the lines that charted all the communications screens. "It's different. And it shouldn't be. Someone was on a frequency we don't have access to – and we are supposed to have them all."

"Can you tell when it was sent?" Solo asked. "Looks like last night sometime, long after dark, maybe 3 hours or so before sunrise. Hard to pin it down exactly, since I don't have any other point of reference," Fuzia replied.

Solo turned to stare at Laungle, wondering if he had misjudged him. Sensing his friend's indecision, Aiken spoke up. "I can vouch for him Han. He was with me, in camp all night. I slept practically across his feet; no one could've gotten in or out without me knowing it." Solo still looked grim and wary, but nodded. He knew how light of a sleeper Aiken was; Corellians were well-known for that trait. It was one, however, Han didn't share. He slept like a rock, although he woke readily enough when necessary, and was always alert as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Then it must be coming from another type of communication set. That would explain why it has been so hard to track." Fuzia nodded in agreement with the Captain's logic. "How did you know what time to start looking?" he wanted to know. Solo shook his head, preferring to keep all knowledge about communications and possible traitors to himself at this point.

"It's not important. But I think we may have a real problem. If we can't monitor the transmissions, I's gonna' be that much harder to catch anyone." Thinking a moment, Sola made a decision, one he was pretty sure command wouldn't like. Not that he care much, one way or another, what Command liked. "Aiken, put a call through to Base Command."

When Hugik hesitated, Solo reassured him. "Do it. I'll take responsibility." Aiken quickly adjusted the radio; he had set it up so only he and Fuzia knew the correct frequency to use. "Hugik, 249 to Base. Come in. Repeat. Hugik, 249, calling Base Command." After several minutes, he was rewarded with a brief, "Command. What is it?"

Han stepped to the microphone at that point. "Solo here. Who's in charge there?" After being told to stand by, he fidgeted impatiently, and grimaced when he heard the voice that came over the radio. Next to Aubie, it was his least favorite person in high command. "Yes, Solo. What do you want? Why did you break radio silence?" Dodonna's nasally voice rasped back.

Taking a deep breath to better control his rising temper, Solo responded. "We have a situation here. We've uncovered some new transmissions, picked up after we've been monitoring them. Last night to be exact. Just wanted to advise you, and make sure you let the rescue team know it looks like our saboteur is still active. I figured it would be better for me to contact you, rather than trying to reach Luke or Leia directly."

"Solo, under no circumstances are you to contact Rieken's ship, none whatsoever. Do you understand?" Solo closed his eyes, wishing he was close enough to Dodonna to throttle him. "I copy, command. Will update if we get more information. Solo out." And he cut the transmission before he could hear Dodonnas's response.

Murmuring, "Well, that was certainly productive," he decided there wasn't much else to do. "Why don't you stick around here Fuzia?" he suggested. "You might be able pick something else up, and being more familiar with this equipment won't hurt anything." With a nod, Fuzia immediately began a more thorough examination of the unit, which had been cobbled together from the parts they had retrieved from their down ship and the set Laungle had brought with him. It had slightly more power than either set by itself, the operative word being slightly.

Solo went back to camp, checking again to see if anyone noticed where he'd been. It didn't appear anyone had, but he couldn't know for sure. In fact, Aubie, though pretended to be engrossed in a conversation with one of the crew who had been drafted as a cook, was very aware that Solo had left with Fuzia and come back alone. He determined not to let Solo out of his sight, wondering if somehow the whole accident was his fault. If he could only convince Princess Organa that at best Solo was no good for her, and at worst, a traitor, he still thought he might just better his own chances.

Solo spent most of the rest of the day helping out around camp and discussing their tense situation with Chewie and Wedge. At about 4:00 in the afternoon, he decided to go check on Colm again and see if he'd said anything else to Jenina. He was gratified to find Colm awake and more alert than he'd been. After chatting for a few minutes, updating the temporarily blinded pilot on the most recent camp happenings, Han eased down beside him.

"Colm. Je tells me you were talking about something in your sleep. Something about 'it' being him. And 'they did it.' You remember anything?" Colm concentrated for a few seconds, and then his expression cleared. "Yeah, some. It's a little more clear now. When we were still in the ship, after it went down and before you had Chewie haul me outta' there, I thought I heard someone talking, more like kind of whispering. I think it could have been Aubie. He was talking to someone in an undertone. I didn't recognize the other voice, and I can't even say for sure that it was Aubie doin' the talking, but it sounded like him. Whiny voice, 'ya know? I thought he said a name, Anta, or Antem…I, I'm just not sure though. "

"What were they saying?" Solo demanded. "I don't really know, it's fuzzy and I just heard bits and pieces. Something about, 'it wasn't supposed to have happened this way. That it was supposed to have been a clean kill, and was supposed to take out, take out . . .', I can't remember who it was they said they were supposed to get." Colm's frustration with his muddled memory was plain.

"Think," Han demanded, knowing he was being unreasonable in his need to know who might be putting the entire team at risk. "You don't have to remember what was said. Can you describe what the voices sounded like? Anything stand out – besides sounding 'whiny'?" Colm sighed and concentrated for a few minutes, absently rubbing his hand over his sightless eyes. After a few minutes, he smiled a little. "Okay, the other voice. It was female, I'm sure, but it was kinda' deep and had a sort of lilt, ya' know? Almost sounded kind of Celtic. Does that help?"

Colm couldn't see Han's face as it tightened in alarm. But he could feel his friend's muscles tense so wasn't surprised by his answer. "Yeah, it does. I think I know who it is. Don't tell anyone about this, Colm, okay? Let me check into it first. I don't want someone getting' hurt because of rumors. Thanks Buddy, ya' done good. Now, don't push it, just let me or Je know if you think of anything else, 'kay?" Solo patted him on his arm and pushed himself up. Jeffries signed dejectedly, but was determined not to say anything that would add to the pilot's already heavy load. "Will do, Han. You be careful, okay?" Nodding, and not remembering Colm couldn't see him, Han waved and headed to the mess area to get some grub.

While eating, Aiken joined him and asked if Solo had learned anything else, something he hadn't told him about, that might explain how or why the shuttle had been brought down and the crew under his command killed. Aiken had been talking to Fuzia, and knew Solo had stumbled onto some kind of new information that had caused him to send the recent transmission.

Seeing how agitated Hugik was getting, and knowing how he felt having only lost a few crew members, Han decided to let Aiken know what Colm had overheard, even though it was against his better judgment. Understanding how Aiken felt, and remembering just how hotheaded the young man was, was something Han would later wish he'd worried about a little more.

Talking around a mouthful of, well, something made out of rations, Han updated his fellow Corellian with what little he had learned from Colm, leaving out the part about the possible involvement of a female tech. "So, it's Aubie, isn't it?" the kid grunted. Solo just raised his eyebrows, and wondered if he'd made a mistake taking Aiken into his confidence when he heard his angry retort. "It figures it would be. I haven't trusted him from the minute I met him. Don't know why he was sent up to high command so fast, anyway."

Han, who had wondered that himself, found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to defend Simek, since they had no real proof he'd had anything at all to do with the sabotage. 'How does Leia do this all day?' he wondered, not for the first time, as he tried to find a way to both reassure Aiken that there wasn't anything he could have done differently that would have saved his crew, and at the same time, keep the kid from shooting Simek on sight.

Hoping he'd gotten through to Aiken, Solo saw Wedge motioning him over to where 3 or 4 people had gathered and appeared to be in a rather heated discussion. Admonishing Hugik to stay cool, Han headed over to see what the problem was this time.