Chapter #38

"Wildfire alert! Wildfire alert!" Wedge's voice screeched through Luke's headset. "Standby for orders!"

Luke blinked rapidly and breathed deeply. The pain was gone, but he shuddered when he realized it had been a sudden cry through the Force that had assailed him. He started at the sound of Admiral Akbar's voice pouring through his comm. unit:

"This is Admiral Akbar 3-7-8 quasar zero tundra…your mission is a rescue and retrieve on the planet's surface of Geonosis."

"Ho-lee—" stammered Wes.

"It is unknown whether Project Wildfire has been fully successful. Expect Imperial forces both in the air and on the ground. Red Squadron 1 is to assist and acquire Intelligence team members, Marcus Rylan and Mara Jade. Sending planet and hyperspace coordinates to Squadron leader now. Akbar out."

"Mara…" Luke whispered.

"Listen up!" barked Wedge. "Relaying hyperdrive coordinates—now."

Luke punched in the coordinates and waited.

"Sound off!"

The entire Red squadron checked in with no banter. Luke could feel the tension radiating from his fellow pilots.

"On my mark…3…2…1…mark!"

Luke paused as the first four X-Wings disappeared and then blasted into hyperspace. He had known Mara was part of Cracken's team, but had no idea she was on Geonosis. Stang. He doubted any, but a select few, knew about their mission. He fiddled with his chin strap and swallowed hard. He hoped she was all right. There had been so much left unsaid between them. He should've called her. He should've…

"Approaching planet coordinates in 3…2…1...mark!"

Luke watched the star lines disperse and keyed up on Wedge as they attained orbit.

"Sending encrypted communiqué now," said Red squadron leader.

Please, please, please, thought Luke to himself. He blew out a breath and swallowed. Was his hand shaking? Breathe….

"Wedge?"

Luke turned to his left at Wes' inquiry and saw the veteran pilot pulling at his gloves.

"Nothing, yet."

Silence.

"Sending message again," said Wedge.

Five more minutes strained by. Luke clenched and unclenched his fists. Would he be able to sense her from here? He doubted it. Uncle Ben probably could, but…closing his eyes he reached out with his feelings…

"Nothing."

"What do we do, Wedge?" asked Hobbie.

Wedge hesitated for a minute. "We go in. Sending surface coordinates—now!"

Each pilot plotted the retrieval site and then checked in.

"Keep in communication at all times, understand?" said Wedge. "Let's go."

Luke pulled back on his stick, hoping they would make it in time.

XXXXX

"Turbo laser fire coming in at 223.45!"

Luke juked, dodging the incoming blast and leveling out over what used to be some kind of huge warehouse.

"Luke," barked Wedge, "do you see anything on your 3?"

"A lot of destruction, not much left of the structure, Wedge. You sure these are the pick-up coordinates?" He checked his radar, then swore when he realized they were being jammed.

"Completely…what…do you…Imperial jam… switch to hyper…communi—"

Luke changed to hyperdrive communications. "Red Five standing by."

As each pilot checked in, Luke reached out with his feelings and drew on the Force. Faint. It was very faint, but he recognized her from somewhere deep beneath the rubble. Mara.

"Do you think they've already left?" asked Hobbie.

"Not according to Akbar," said Wedge.

Luke saw Wes whip under another cannon blast and circle back towards where the warehouse used to be. "I sense her."

"Your sensors are online?" asked Wedge.

"No, said Luke. "I sense her in the Force. She's under all that wreckage."

Wedge growled. "Still no response to my comm. You sure she's alive? What about the other one?"

"I'm not sure." Luke banked and zeroed in on one of the turbo cannon. "I've got a clear shot on the cannon. Permission to engage, Red leader."

"Do it!"

He fired a proton torpedo and watched it detonate into a blaze of fire.

"Direct hit!

"Way to go, Red Five!" said Wedge. "Everyone fall back into formation. Luke…"

"Yeah, Red leader?"

Wedge sighed. "The parameters have changed. I don't know if we're capable of completing our mission. You sure about this Force thing. This agent is still alive?"

Luke filed into formation and adjusted his mic. "I'm positive, Wedge. It's faint, but I can sense at least one life form."

"What are you thinking, Wedge?" asked Wes.

"I'm thinking of something stupid," said Wedge.

"How stupid?" asked Hobbie.

"Really stupid," said Wedge.

Wes laughed. "All right, my kind of plan."

"Listen up, not sure how this will play out, but I'm thinking Luke and Wes go land in that clear patch of tundra we flew over about a click from here—"

Wes groaned.

"—travel back on foot to the pick-up site and infiltrate what's left of that building. Luke can do his Jedi thing and, hopefully, find the Intelligence team and bring them back to their awaiting ships."

"That's your plan?" said Hobbie.

"The rest of us will continue to do fly overs and attempt to take out those cannons. I can't order you two to do this, I can only ask for volunteers," said Wedge.

"I'm in," said Luke immediately. He held his breath waiting for Wes to respond.

"Know what?" said Wes. "I love this plan—as long as I get to carry a big scary blaster."

"Done!" shouted Wedge. "Get going, you two. We'll do our best to keep the Imperials off your backs."

Luke and Wes banked away from the others, descending with Wes in the lead.

"You positive about this Force thing of yours, Luke?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. 'Cause I've done a lot of stupid things in my time…"

"But never left your X-Wing unguarded on a hostile Imperial planet while searching a blown up building for two, probably injured, people all under turbo laser fire and possible face to face combat?"

"No…I've done that. It's getting one of the team members in the storage hull of my ship that's got me concerned."

"Wes…I'm glad you're here."

"I'm not."

XXXXX

Mara coughed and tried to open her eyes. So much dust. She attempted to lift her hand to her face and was met with an intense flare of pain. Broken. Was it her right or her left? She tried again. Another surge. Her right. So much for using her lightsaber with her dominant hand. "Rylan?"

Mara lifted her head, blinking and surveying the wreckage. Where were they? Last thing she remembered…the hallway and Rylan was behind her. Everything was gray and covered in soot. She grimaced at the smell of burning oil and coughed again. They needed to get out of here. "Rylan?"

Her legs were free, but her left arm was immobile. "Rylan? Can you hear me? My arm is under something…" she looked to her left, and felt a metal tool poking into her hip. Mara winced as she discovered a huge chunk of durocrete restraining her arm. Great. Her right arm throbbed and her left one was numb under the big hunk of wall. "Ry…"

She tried to reach out with the Force, but her head felt strange. Probable concussion. Why hasn't he responded? Her heart dropped to her stomach as a possible realization hit her. "Rylan—answer me!"

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps running toward her. Oh no no no…. They had to get out now, before the Imperials got there. She attempted to draw on the Force again…

"Over here."

"See them?"

Mara saw two figures covered in gray, advancing fast. It was hard to make out whether they were storm troopers or Imperial ground forces.

"Here's the lieutenant."

"I'll find Mara."

Mara? How did the empire know her name? She looked up into the face of what appeared to be an Alliance pilot. She could see the orange of his suit now. The pilot cursed and lifted the durocrete from her arm. Stars, guy's strong. That must've weighed at least...

"Mara, can you hear me?"

She blinked, losing focus and seeing a kind of haloed silhouette around the pilot.

"Come on, cheeka, don't give up on me now. Open your eyes for me."

Mara felt her brows clench in confusion. Only one person ever called her cheeka.

"How's the guy?"

"Not so good."

Mara fought to keep her focus. "Rylan?"

"How bad, Wes?"

Mara shifted to take in the other pilot. "Is he okay?"

"I'm sorry, miss. He's dead."

...to be continued.