Chapter 5- Coming to Aid

By the time the frigate reached Bakura Lena felt much better. She no longer felt as if I sarlacc had eaten her and spat her back out. Of course she still had to sit for most of the trip on orders from Two-OneBee and her father, but the double vision and aches had more or less subsided. Lena looked out at the third moon in Bakura's system and the moon had battelships surrounding it. "Looks like a party, Lena," Han said. Since the incident with him, the carbonitw, and Jabba the Hutt, Han had stooped using their titles with the exception of Talon.

"I'm with you. We're hailing the Imperials now. No sense-" Lena started to say before she was interrupted.

"Your Highness," the communications officer said sharply.

"Hang on," Lena said and turned, her leg cramping miserably; the only remainder of the emperor's Force lightening. "Did you raise someone?" Lena asked, limping over to the man's console. Lena looked back at her father as he rested a hand on her rich brown hair and stroked her head gently. He smiled at her. It was the same kind of smile he used to give her when she was little and had fallen in the palace and skinned her knees.

The Virgillian soldier pointed to a blinking light, an indicator that it was time to send a message. "Imperial Navy, this is an Alliance battle group. We have the white flag out for you. Looks like you're in need. Would you accept our help, as between fellow humans?" Lena asked. There was no point in telling the Imperials that there were a few among them not human. Palpatine had no love for anyone who wasn't human and worlds that were ruled by the Empire were no exception.

The speaker crackled as if it was being jammed. Lena switched to the Alliance frequency. "All fighters, maintain defensive formation. Shields up. We don't know what they are going to do," Lena said, layering her voice with the Force to calm down her fighters.

The static then cleared, followed by music and voices breaking up. It then cleared. "Alliance battle group, this is Commander Pter Thanas of the Imperial Navy. Declare your purpose here," Thanas said with brisk authority.

Lena looked at first Talon and then Luke. She wasn't quite sure how she could answer that question given that the Rebel Alliance may not be welcome in this system; not even one who was willing to help the said system out. "We intercepted a message Governor Nereus sent to the Imperial Fleet, which is, ah, mostly in airdock at the moment. It sounded like serious trouble. As I said, we came to help you if possibe," Lena said with a wince as spasms shot up her legs. She had come to the realization that she had been standing and her legs were punishing her for it.

"Lena, be subtle. You're dealing with Imperials. They're going to see us as hostiles and chase us away," Leia's voice came over Lena's chair intercom.

"They're not chasing anybody at the moment. They're about to be wiped-" Lena started to say before she was interrupted.

"No wonder nobody picked up the standard distress transmissions. Alliance battle group, we would be grateful for assistance. I am coding a status report twenty cycles below this frequency," Thanas said, the relief obvious in his voice.

"Well, all right," Han said over her chair comm.

"Indeed. Now, sit down, daughter," Talon said, pressing his large hand gently to her shoulder and sitting her back down on her chair.

Lena looked over at the Communications Officer Delckis who opened the channel that Thanas had told them about. The status board came up, revealing the yellow-gold dots that made up the Imperial Navy. Lena heard Luke whistle softly at the sight, due to her ability to hear through the Force. Along with the Imperials there was other ships, that had the danger color red. From what Lena could gather Thanas and his navy was no match for the intruders. It could have taken out the frigate that Lena was using, but not the interlopers.

"You sure you want to do this, Master Jedi?" Manchisco muttered to Lena.

Lena touched the button lightly that would call the troops under her command to their ships. "Reading your information," Lena said to Thanas to remind him that the Flurry was still there to help and that she hadn't abandoned them in their time of need.

"Can you...stand by," Thanas's voice came out garbled before it was swallowed by static. "Sorry. Jamming. If you can throw a cone of ships into the gap between the Ssi-ruuk's three central cruisers, it could inspire them to retreat. It would buy us time," Thanas said as the comm cleared and his voice came back as if the jamming had never happened.

Lena looked at her father , sister, and brother and could see they were mentally storing the name away for later. "Commander Thanas, we're going to sweep down from solar north just spinward of those three cruisers. Set course," Lena said softly to the Duro navigator.

"Valtis, establish eight-seven norrrth, six spinwarrrd," the Duro ordered, in the drawl that was familiar among his race. Lena felt the ship vibrate as the engines came to life and the access hatch slid shut.

The intercom came back after about a minute. "That's within our sphere of greatest need, Alliance Group. Come in...and thanks. Just keep it away from the gravity well," Thanas warned.

"What do you think, Your Highness, kid? Doesn't look good," Han asked both Luke and Lena.

"I've got to get to Bakura. I have to convince this Governor Nereus to declare an official truce. Otherwise they have no reason to work with us. You can't end-run the entire Imperial Navy," Leia interjected before Luke and Lena could say anything.

"Han, did you read how we're going to move?" Luke asked.

"Oh, yeah. Good luck, hero. I'm afraid our only trained diplomat is going to wait this one out," Han said, sounding amused. Leia being the only diplomat was right as Talon and Lena had only been Leia and Bail Organa's aides and not really senators.

"Good idea," Luke said. Lena agreed with the point and from the look on Talon's face, so did he. Leia and Talon also planned battles. They weren't normally in the fighters like Luke, Lena, and Cora.

"What? What are you talking about?" Leia asked.

"Excuse us," Han said into the comm. Leia was the more stubborn among the Skywalker triplets and Lena remembered how she had taken the speeder on Endor before the battle.

"Leia, look at the board. Bakura is blockaded. All communications out must be jammed- we haven't heard a peep, except some scatter from entertainment bands. You're too valuable to risk in the battle zone," Han said, sounding like the voice of reason this time.

"And you're not? I have to talk with the governor. Our only hope is to persuade him that we're coming in as nonaggressors," Leia said, with a little heat in her tone. Leia was angry. Hopefully this time she would want to learn the ways of the Force and not get angry as it led to the dark side.

"I agree and we can use the Falcon in a sweep, but we're not risking you. Be grateful you're on your own gunship, child," Talon said, entering the argument, which was followed by stony silence on Leia's end.

Lena started to issue orders before Leia answered grudgingly. "All right. The sixth planet isn't far from this vector. We'll head in that direction. If it looks safe, we'll land and wait for a rendezvous," Leia said, her indignation at Han, Luke, and everyone else coming in clear through the Force.

"Planet Six, sounds good, Leia," Luke conceded. With a look at Luke and Talon, she knew they felt Leia's irritation at Han and them.

"Be in touch, Han. Use standard Alliance frequencies, but monitor the Imperial ones," Lena said.

"Affirmative, Lena," Han said.

Lena looked out at the stars and sat back down in her chair as she waited for the coordinates to jump into lightspeed to join the battle at Bakura. "Calculations are in. Prepare to jump," Lena said, as the stars formed green lines. "Now," Lena said and they made the jump.