Rebel Victory – The Bridge
1 Hour East of Zaphthosis
"Do you think that is sufficient protection?" Thane asked Captain Jebbick as the escort party of ships formed took their positions around the Aleeyana.
"I want to believe it is, Admiral. Then again, another two Vanquishers?" Jebbick was only giving voice to what Thane and every analyst had been thinking since their run in with the Dark Alliance. There was no getting around it; they were dealing with a much bigger Naval threat than they anticipated.
Thane looked at the system of planets and routes hovering about the Comm Center. "The Bornea Sector is not far and if anyone has the resources to make quick work of analyzing the Aleeyana it's Nadiri." Thane surveyed their beautiful surroundings on the Rebel Victory's Bridge. The Nadiri Shipyard was responsible for constructing the Starhawks and other impressive vessels with wreckage from Imperial warships. They knew Republic, Separatist, Imperial, and New Republic vessels down to the smallest bolt. Rumor had it they even had resources knowledgeable of Chiss craft.
"Will Admiral Ackbar be sending reinforcements?" Jebbick asked.
"We're spread thin right now. He has the latest intel and offered to divert a battle group from his Fleet to escort the Aleeyana. I accepted the offer, though I am fairly certain they won't get here in time."
The comment caught Jebbick by surprise. "In time, sir?"
Thane nodded and turned to face the expansive view of space through the Bridge's viewports. "The Jedi are on their way." Thane glanced back at Jebbick. "All of them."
"All of them, sir? As in—"
"More than we've met or even knew existed. I think it is safe to say that Master Skywalker would not mobilize the Jedi unless the threat was imminent," Thane shared.
"Then we will be ready, Admiral. Your Fleet is ready. We won't let the New Republic down." Thane was always impressed by the Captain's reasoned confidence and appreciated it even more at that moment.
"Captain, with you, this crew, and the Jedi in her corner, I have no doubts who will prevail," Thane firmly asserted. He then sighed and shook his head, "My only regret is I cannot predict the cost of victory. We lost nine men and women during that single run-in. We lost a bomber, two Y-Wings—"
"Forrgive me for speaking out of turn," Jebbick interjected. Thane was surprised, but not offended. He nodded for the Captain to continue. "When you first arrived, I knew you were a young man. I don't know if you ever had thoughts on this or maybe wondered how others felt about it? But I think you need to know. As your Captain, I'd like to request permission to speak frankly about this with you."
Thane's initial impulse was to smile, but Jebbick was very serious. Thane nodded and walked across the bridge to the Comm Console. They both took a seat. Thane removed his hat and set it on the table beside him. Jebbick was hesitant - protocol demanded the crew be in full uniform on the Bridge at all times. But he followed his Admiral's lead.
"What did you want to share with me?" Thane's tone was earnest. He wasn't at all confident he would like what he was about to hear, but he was certain he needed to hear it.
Jebbick took a deep breath, then began. "Many of us have been through a lot of terrible things – the kinds of things that make it really clear what matters when the shooting starts. It's pretty cut and dry when the shields are failing and you're losing ships," Jebbick paused, "and lives," he added quietly. "It's not the height or weight or age of our Admiral that will determine our fates. Sure, you're a tall, slender, young-ish man," Jebbick said, cracking a small smile.
"You forgot handsome," Thane added dryly.
"And modest," Jebbick snorted. They both chuckled.
"Admiral, you have stood precisely where we stand - in this very moment – numerous times. You need to understand this. It isn't the crew, the officers, and all of these beings in the Fleet that need to understand this. You need to understand this. Those who had misgivings before you took command simply lacked information. Once they met you and were aware of your history, it became clear why you're in command."
"There are a few holdouts, but it is nice to hear that," Thane conceded.
"There will always be those few, but there are considerably less in your case. Admiral Molkin was greatly admired, but he had a number of detractors. They mainly just grumbled and complained behind the scenes." Jebbick noticed Thane's surprise at this revelation. He shrugged and said, "Molkin made his way up in the old regime. Politics played a part in everything back then. In Admiral Molkin's case, he was worthy of his advancement. But in those times, with every promotion were potential opportunities to score political points or return favors. People who weren't qualified to clean the refresher were often put in command positions. Even knowing they weren't deserving, beings could be mighty bitter if they weren't."
Thane leaned back in his chair. It was hard to consider Admiral Molkin in this light. Still, his newfound understanding of the Force had barely made a dent in his trademark cynicism. He sighed. "I'm probably fortunate in that regard – being that we're at the beginning. It would be naïve to believe the New Republic won't have to address the same challenges. We should be proactive. Decisive measures should be taken to eliminate political influence in strategic military decisions."
"We can add that to your to do list," Jebbick suggested in jest. "But back to what I was wanting to say. As your Captain, I want to encourage you to recognize that you are not untested in situations like this. You've been through countless battles where you either did not know or were misinformed about your enemy. In every circumstance, someone – be it you or your commanding officers – had to modify and adjust to meet unanticipated conditions as you faced them.
But it takes more than experiencing and surviving battle to make a strong leader. Almost everyone who survives warfare responds in one of two ways. They either file away the memories or lose themselves hopelessly in grief as time passes. In either case, they lack what it takes. You are different. I've been there as you draw on memories of brutal combat in pursuit of knowledge we need for a current mission. You focus on the strategic elements of the mission when needed and are able to talk openly about the emotional aspects later. You don't have to sacrifice one for the other. That's a gift."
Thane shifted in his chair – probably due as much to awkwardness with the compliments as combat anticipation.
"One final observation, if I may?" Jebbick asked, holding up a finger - a knowing smile making a brief appearance.
Thane paused his movement, grinning, then sighed and nodded as he settled back in his chair.
"All commanders understand both certainty and risk have their place in warfare, and that both can come with a cost. But when having to act, most only consider the costs of taking risks. They delay taking a course of action in pursuit of a more certain outcome, all the while we lose lives and assets until finally doing what was deemed too risky but right all along. You are an exception to that rule. I saw it when we were attacked. You considered the options and you didn't hesitate to order our response. You are able to care at the same time you command. To know this is a tremendous relief to your crew… and to me. It's because of this you have the loyalty of the crew – even those of us old enough to be your father."
Thane didn't know how to respond to the praise, so it was a relief when the Captain picked up his hat and stood. Thane did the same, then extended his hand. "Thank you, Captain."
Jebbick shook Thane's hand, nodded firmly, then turned to rejoin the busy Bridge crew. Thane couldn't help noticing – and it brought him an added degree of confidence to see – the Captain repeatedly adjusting his hat until it sat perfectly on his head. Thane would give Jebbick's observations of him thoughtful consideration, but Thane was already confident that It was Jebbick's level of impeccable, seemingly mindless commitment to the tiny details that could make the difference between victory and defeat.
Thane then noticed for the first time that Leia and Han had entered the Bridge and were headed his way. Leia mad her way to a Comm Center station near Thane's and keyed in some information. A large holo of Zaphthosis, its three moons, and nearby planetary bodies instantly appeared, replacing the rotating field of Dark Alliance vessels that were the subject of Thane's growing consternation.
Leia stood with her hands on her hips, staring up at the image. Thane glimpsed Han staring at Leia with a very subtle, cockeyed grin on his face. Thane recognized what that was, and it made him miss Ciena more than ever before. He could read Han's thoughts as well as any Jedi.. How can so much fierceness, strength, determination, intelligence, compassion, devotion, and love fit in such a soft, beautiful, graceful, and tiny human being?
Both men were jerked out of their momentary distraction by Leia's voice. "We need to dig deeper into this. Those two ships showing up like that, then Captain Kodix's ship arriving within minutes, and then the two battlegroups that followed responding to a 'distress call'? They were obviously all close to home."
"And therein lies the mystery," Thane declared. "There are several reasons Nash could be keeping his ships close to home. We need to know which one it is."
"He's gearing up for a fight – no question about that," Han grumbled. "Thing is, those two ships were already hovering about the planet before we arrived." Han walked over to the Command Center, paused to look at Thane, who nodded his silent permission for Han to "tinker" with things. Han coded in a few instructions and a vast area of space appeared above the Comm Center. Han stepped back with a wide grin and exclaimed, "Stang! I love nice toys!"
Muffled chuckles could be heard from crew at nearby stations. It came as no surprise to Thane that people would take notice when hearing Han's voice. Han had a lot of admirers among the crew – of both the male and female persuasion. Ask one person and he'd say Han Solo was a legendary pilot who survived the daring life of a smuggler turned General who flew with the Jedi. Ask another, and she'd say he was a dashing scoundrel who fell in love with Princess Leia and became one of the "good guys".
"Lieutenant Endells, would you pull up a time lapse representation of the movement in this area?" Han was pointing to a series of small green dots that marked undefined objects. The eager Lieutenant looked to Thane, who nodded.
Leia and Thane stepped back a few steps to get a better view of the expanded and surprisingly busy Holo. Leia pointed up at the massive numbers of moving green blips and slowly turned to stare at her husband, one eyebrow raised.. Her tone and her expression were more than familiar to anyone who spent time with the famous couple: What did you do and what is this?
"Han," Leia asked, "what are those?"
Han flashed her a sheepish, lopsided grin. He gestured to both Thane and Leia to be patient. Soon it come together, including the locations and movements of their two battle groups that had been out scouting.
"Chewy and I had a little time on our hands." Leia's eyebrow ticked up even higher. "Aaaaaand we had a hunch." He shrugged and Leia shook her head in defeat. "Hey Endells, how about slowing it down to 3-minute intervals." As the view reset and all eyes watched the position of the Fleet relative to the movement of the Dark Alliance vessels, Han's point was becoming clear. "They didn't know we were on top of them before yesterday. The Aleeyana and S. Winchester weren't expecting us."
Han pointed to the movements of the ships – always in pairs. "Everything I see tells me they're shaking these vessels down – checking them out - like the two that ran into us. They are Ecks', so they'll be new or heavily refurbished, probably with new crews and commanding officers. In this 48-hour period, you see at least eight ships arrive from this lane," Han pointed to an area where ships were steadily emerging from a single hyperlane. As one appeared, Han paused the motion, then honed-in on Zaphthosis and the surrounding space. It was impossible to get closer than a wide planetary view revealing the vast oceans and small areas of land on its surface. Fortunately, the point could be made well enough by noting that nearly every ship that entered the planet's atmosphere took a trajectory leading it directly toward the location of the Dark Alliance.
Thane stepped closer and called Captain Jebbick over to join them. "Captain, I believe we have our answer.".
"Sir?"
Before Thane could clarify his meaning, Han continued. "It is worth noting that this hyperlane is not on your maps."
"Damn Imperials," muttered the chief navigational officer, who sat within eavesdropping range.
"Nope," Han said, "not them. Thank the stars for that… or yours truly might not be around to tell you about it."
Thane smiled, "And grateful we are to have our very own smuggler turned General turned –"
"No thanks needed, Admiral," Han said dryly. Leia and Thane shared a sideways grin.
"Admiral, you were saying we have our answer. What answer would that be?" Captain Jebbick asked.
"By sheer luck, we positioned our Fleet so close to the point of exit that the Aleeyana and S. Winchester emerged practically on top of us. The commander on the Aleeyana was a seasoned combat officer. A precursory review of his file reveals he's been everywhere and had a part to play in most recent battles of significance. He wouldn't rattle or take precipitous action. However, the commander on the S. Windrider is young and there is no record of his having been tested in combat. In fact, I'm not entirely convinced the ships so-called 'commander' was really more than a custodian of the vessel while it was in transit… to its true…" Thane's voice trailed off. He didn't need to finish the sentence.
"Commander," said a deep, hard voice. They all turned to see Dalven, who had quietly joined the group, standing there staring up at the Holo. He had fire and fury written all over his face. "It was his… and we took it!" Dalven's mouth gradually turned upward with unmistakable menace . "Now that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.".
The doors to the bridge slid open and a youngLieutenant hurried in, making a beeline for Thane. He whispered something into Thane's ear, and before anyone had a chance to ask, Thane had bolted through the still open doors and disappeared from the Bridge. Dalven was hot on hs heels.
Leia looked at Han and they both smiled. Han donned a charming, lopsided grin and said, "I think we can all guess where he is going?" Leia laughed and joined Han for a more leisurely stroll down to the Docking Bay.
