Chapter 26- Below Freezing and Scouting
Lena looked around the new rebel base her father and Rieekan had discovered about a week ago. Not even the Force could take away this kind of frigid cold. Granted, it helped but more often than not in the last few days Cora had come crawling into her bed on account that she could hardly take the cold. At seven years old Cora was very pronounced in her complaints when she had them. But this time Lena pitied her little sister and allowed her into the bed.
Now it was morning and Lena stood by her tauntaun. At the moment the rebellion was having a hard time adjusting their equipment to the cold, so everyone had to use tauntauns to brave it and run a sweep to make sure they were all safe. Luke, Han, Lena, and Rogue Squadron were getting ready to leave. Lena checked to make sure the clasps on her insulated coat were fastened and her lightsaber hung from the leather belt on her waist. Watching Anakin Skywalker's holocrons had driven the point home to Luke, Lena, and Cora the importance of always keeping their lightsabers handy.
"Here you are, Princess," the deck officer said, handing Lena a pair of goggles to shield her face from the snow and wind.
"Thanks, Deck Officer. If you see Commander Skywalker and Captain Solo, tell them that I am outside," Lena said, getting on her tauntaun.
"Yes, Your Highness. May the Force be with you," the deck officer said, inclining his head in obeisance to her.
"Thank you and you as well, Deck Officer. Everyone on the base knew that Lena, Talon, Cora, and Luke were either in training to be or were Jedi Knights and gave them the respect due to a order that was nearly extinct save the four of them and Master Yoda, the last one being somewhere that even Talon didn't even know where.
Luke looked off into the distance as something crashed to the ground. Some distance away his twin sister Lena and his friend Han Solo were looking at their quadrants. Granted, knowing his sister for the last three years, she was probably using the Force to look. Luke hadn't had enough training to do that and he hadn't had time in the last three years either, even though Talon had offered to teach him along with his daughter Cora on how to stretch out using the Force. Needless to say, Cora had learned the aspects of that training a lot quicker than Luke.
"Echo Three to Echoes Seven and Ten? Han, old buddy, Lena do you read me?" Luke asked in his communicator after looking through his binoculars.
"I'm here, Luke," Lena's voice said amidst static.
"Loud and clear, kid. What's up?" Han asked.
"Well, I finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings. Do you, Lena?" Luke asked.
"Other than some of the wildlife and everyone's Force signatures at the base? No," Lena said.
"You can feel all that, Princess?" Han asked incredulously.
"My sister Cora is a youngling, Solo, and she could feel "All that," Lena said, barely keeping the edge out of her voice. After three years Han still didn't have much faith in the Force, even though he had seen it work for Luke and Lena when they destroyed the Death Star.
"There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. Sensors are placed. I'm going back," Han said, earning a chuckle from Luke.
"Mine are all down. I'm right behind you, Solo. You coming, Brother?" Lena asked.
"Right. I'll see you shortly. There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I want to check it out. It won't take long," Luke said.
"See you back at the base, Luke, and don't take to long," Lena said.
"Right," Luke said as his tauntaun started to bawl and move around nervously. "Steady. Steady, girl. What's the matter? You smell something?" Luke asked, patting the tauntaun's neck. Luke looked as something huge and white got in his path and knocked him out.
Lena entered the base and removed her hat and goggles. Granted, the base was freezing, but not nearly as bad as outside. It would take awhile for her face to go back to her normal pale color. Right now her face was red from the wind and snow blowing in it. "Solo, I'm going to the command center to check in with Father and Leia," Lena said, removing her gloves and moving her fingers to get the blood flowing in them again. T-1B, the base medical droid had warned about frostbite and every time anyone went outside, they checked their feet and hands to make sure no one was frostbitten
"I'm right behind you, Princess," Han said as he handed his tauntaun to the handler.
Lena more or less ran into the command center and went to her father who was leaning over a console. "Papa, the sensors are in place," Lena said, leaning over to kiss Talon's cheek.
Talon pressed his large hand to the back of her head and kissed her forehead gently, a practice he had done for as long as Lena could remember. "That's fine, Sweetheart. Your face is cold," Talon said, pressing the palms of his hands to her face.
"Yeah, I know. That would be the cold air," Lena said dryly as Han came in and came to stand in front of Talon.
"Solo," Talon said, releasing Lena and turning his attention to the Corellian smuggler. In the last three years Han had proven to be one of the best pilots in the Alliance and had earned the respect of everyone there.
"No sign of life out there, Your Highness. The sensors are in place. You'll know if anything comes around," Han said, his statement sounding dangerously like goodbye. Judging from the look on Talon's face, he knew it too. Even though the Jedi Order was nearly extinct, Talon's Jedi training that he had given in turn to Lena and Cora was still strong in him.
"Commander Skywalker reported in yet?" Rieekan asked from behind Lena and Talon.
"No. He's checking out a meteorite that hit near him," Han said.
"With all the meteor activity in this system, it's going to be difficult to spot approaching ships," Talon said, holding some headphones to his ear.
"General, Your Highness, I got to leave. I can't stay anymore," Han said.
"We are sorry to hear that," Talon said.
"Well, there's a price on my head. If I don't pay off Jabba the Hutt, I'm a dead man," Han said with a logic Lena understood.
"A death mark's not an easy thing to live with. You're a good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you," Talon said, shaking Han's hand with an understanding smile.
"Thank you, Master Jedi," Han said, giving Talon his honorific title for the first time in three years. For the most part, Han called Talon, Leia, and Lena by their royalty titles, or more or less made fun of Leia's title, but this was the first time he hadn't referred to Talon as royalty.
"Han, you don't have to go. We can protect you," Lena said, touching Han's shoulder.
"I know you can, Princess. But I need to get this done. Well, Your Highness, I guess this is it," Han said, turning to Leia, who straightened from her station to look at him.
"That's right," Leia said stonily, an answer that Han didn't want to hear.
"Well, don't get all mushy on me. So long, Princess," Han said, with barely controlled anger as he left the command station.
Leia left her station, Lena behind her. "Han!" Leia shouted as the two of them tried to catch up with him in the corridor.
"Yes, Your Highnessness?" Han asked snarkily.
"I thought you had decided to stay," Leia said.
"Well, the bounty hunter we ran into in Ord Mantell changed my mind," Han said.
"Han, we need you," Leia said emphatically.
"We need?" Han asked, putting emphasis on the "We."
"Yes," Leia said.
"Well, what about You need?" Han asked.
"I need? I don't know what your talking about," Leia said, clearly in denial. It didn't take a Jedi of Lena's skill to see the obvious lie Leia just told.
"You probably don't," Han said as he walked away and Leia and Lena followed him.
"And what precisely am I supposed to know?" Leia asked.
"Come on! You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me," Han said.
"Yes! You're a great help to us. You're a natural leader," Leia said, causing Lena to snort. That was not what Han had in mind when he mentioned Leia's feelings.
"No! That's not it," Han said, putting his finger in Leia's face in correction. "Come on. Aha!" Han said when Leia hesitated.
"You're imagining things," Leia said.
"Am I? Then why are you following me? Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a good-bye kiss?" Han asked. Lena turned her head so Leia couldn't see her laughing.
"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie!" Leia said, the ridiculous statement making Lena bite her lips so hard she nearly drew blood.
"I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss!" Han shouted as he stalked away. Lena all but ran back to the command center, finally cracking up as soon as her father saw her face. He didn't even have to ask what was so funny. Leia's stormy expression as she came in was all the answer that was needed.