A/N: Right, I don't own it, GL does. Don't sue, etc.
Chapter 4
Abiona opened her eyes slowly, her head pounding from the after-effects of the stimshot. She stretched, testing out her shoulder. It felt a bit sore, but other than that it was as good as new. A medical technician came in and looked at her shoulder. He cleared her for duty and left.
"Well, doesn't look like I'll ever get a day off," she thought.
Abiona got up and changed into her uniform. She ran a hand through her hair and put on her hat. With a bit of trepidation, she went to the Admiral's office for her debriefing.
She saluted. "Reporting as ordered, sir!" She hoped that the shame she felt didn't show on her face. Piett nodded to the chair and she sat down. His silent reception did nothing but feed Abiona's growing fear.
"What went wrong?"
Abiona stared at his desk. "I just...I was really taken in by the beauty of the ship. I was looking in the log files to see if it was space worthy, and I got jumped. Some guy named Antilles." Looking up, she saw no reproach in his gaze. Fear crept across her face. "Will I lose my commission because of this, sir?"
"You're too good of an officer to dismiss. The mission was off the record. Only two people outside of this office know about it, and they would never think of revealing it."
Abiona relaxed a bit. "Thank you, sir." For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a smile cross his face.
"Dismissed."
Abiona saluted and left his office, feeling as though something more than a debriefing had happened. She decided to the let the feeling pass and marched to the hangar to report for patrols.
*****
After a month of heavy fighting, a time of relative peace settled on the fleet. With the Rebellion chased out of Hoth, the fleet moved back into the Core. Everyone was looking forward to some well-deserved shore leave.
Abiona held a 48-hour pass in her hand. "Two whole days of leave," she thought. She tossed some civvies and a few weapons into her bag and set out. "I get to stay in a hotel, and I don't have to wear a uniform for two days," she thought. She boarded a shuttle with many other happy looking officers. The shuttle took them to the surface of Corellia. Abi walked to her hotel and checked in. The clerk slid her key across the counter with an envelope. She arched an eyebrow as she picked up the key and envelope.
She shouldered her bag and went to her room. She unlocked the door and looked around. "This place is bigger than my quarters. That's just depressing," she thought. She took off her tunic and sat down on the bed. Abiona gave in to her curiosity and opened the envelope. Inside, she found a ticket and a note.
"You mentioned how much you wanted to see this play," the note read. "I'll pick you up at 7:30. Andries."
She looked at the ticket. "Front Line Rules", 8:00 p.m., Dress Circle, Seat A14. "Good seats," she thought. "Of course, this date doesn't have to be a secret like the others." She looked at the clothes in her bag. "Looks like I'll need to find something appropriate to wear." She looked at her chrono. "And I've only got four hours." She stood and changed into her civvies. She put her ID, money, and key in her pocket and left the room. After getting directions from the hotel clerk, she walked to the shopping district.
The shopping district crowd was sparse. Abiona perused dresses at shop after shop. After trying on more dresses than she could count, she found the perfect dress. It was a simple black sheath dress that came just above the knee. She bought the dress before she could change her mind, and found a pair of high-heeled black boots to wear with it. Two shops later she found a purse that she liked. She checked her chrono. "Two hours. I still need to eat and get makeup or a makeover or something." Abi grabbed a quick lunch at a cafe then went to a salon to get her hair and makeup done. She hurried back to the hotel and changed. She looked in the mirror and was amazed. She had forgotten what she looked like in civilian clothes. "But I still can't get away from that military look," she thought with a smile. She unlocked the door, then realized that she had forgotten her purse. She went back over to the bedside table to get her things, but in her haste, she dropped a couple credit chips and her ticket on the floor. She knelt down to get her things, and there was a knock at the door.
"It's open," Abiona yelled over her shoulder as she gathered her things. She turned to get up and Piett offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her up.
"Such a beautiful woman shouldn't be kneeling on the floor."
Abiona blushed. "I'll try to be less clumsy in the future." She shouldered her purse, and they walked to the theatre.
*****
For a two-hour play, "Front Line Rules" had certainly kept Abiona's interest. She had seen an exquisite albeit dark play, and with Piett's arm around her, there was little more she could wish for.
"That was phenomenal," Abiona said. "The sets, the lighting, everything just came together so well."
"It had a rather dark message, though. I'm rather surprised that it's doing so well."
Abiona shrugged. "Yeah, I didn't expect him to commit suicide, but it does have a powerful social commentary. I think it was based on a true story. At any rate, I'm rather surprised that the Politburo let it through."
"The manager must have the right connections."
"More like the right size pocket book," she said with a slight sneer. "It's the first piece I've seen that's critical of the Army." She paused, trying to find a more pleasant topic. "So, what are you going to do on the rest of your leave?"
"Try to relax for the first time in a few years. You?"
"The same. I have wonderful plans for sleeping late," she said unlocking her hotel room.
She leaned in the doorway of her room. "I had a really great time tonight. I'd forgotten what it was like to be a civilian."
"You needed the shore leave. I thought you were going to have a nervous breakdown," he said jokingly.
"Well, there has to be more to life than work," she said with a mischievous look.
Piett arched an eyebrow at her. She pulled him into a kiss, letting the door close behind them.
*****
Strapped into her TIE Avenger, Abiona pulled the craft out of its spin and leveled her sights at the X-Wing that had been on her six. She shunted laser power into her shields, but they were barely at ten percent. The fighter shook as a laser blast hit it. Abiona pulled on the yoke, but the fighter was unresponsive. She checked the computer. The display told her it would be another thirty seconds before flight control was restored. She hit the control panel in frustration. The missile lock warning wailed in her ear. She stared helplessly at the missile screaming for her fighter.
With a small gasp, she jerked awake. As her heart slowed to normal, she looked around. "Good, still in the Admiral's suite on the Executor," she thought. She snuggled up to Piett. "I'm almost surprised that we haven't been caught after three months," she thought sleepily.
"Are you all right?" Piett whispered.
"Just a nightmare, nothing to worry about," she whispered. He pulled her closer and she drifted back to sleep.
*****
Avenger Squadron stood in the docking bay. Abiona felt like a cadet during her first inspection. Glancing down the line of pilots, she counted nine.
She nudged Wade, trying to be inconspicuous. "We seem to be missing the CO and XO," she whispered.
"Didn't you hear? They got transferred," Wade whispered back.
"Transferred? To where?"
Before Wade could reply, she heard the calls of 'Admiral on deck', and everyone snapped to attention.
"As most of you have heard, Avenger Squadron's Commander and Executive Officer have been transferred." Piett began to walk down the line of pilots and stopped in front of Abiona. "Lieutenant Commander Reed, you will be promoted to the rank of Commander and given command of Avenger Squadron."
Abiona saluted. "Thank you, sir!"
Piett moved to Wade. "Lieutenant Marek, you will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and will serve as Avenger Squadron's Executive Officer."
Wade saluted in turn. "Thank you, sir!"
Piett motioned them to follow, and the three of them moved out of the earshot of the other pilots. Abiona frowned slightly when she heard quite murmurs of dissent from the rest of the squadron. She glanced over at Wade and he shrugged. Piett did not lose his serious demeanor.
"These appointments are directly from Lord Vader."
Abiona glanced over her shoulder at the disgruntled looking pilots. "You might want to tell them that. Right now, they assume this promotion is some sort of..." she cleared her throat. "Favor."
"Lord Vader gave me specific orders not to inform anyone other than the two of you."
"And neither one of us can say anything without risking our careers," said Wade with a sigh.
"Right, then. I guess I might as well try to win some of them over." She nodded at Piett. "Admiral." She marched back to the squadron and Wade followed her lead. She looked down the line of pilots. "I know none of you are happy with this decision. If you wish to transfer, I understand completely. However, I would remind you that this is the Imperial Navy's elite squadron. You're all here because you are the best pilots in the Navy. Just keep that in mind. Dismissed."
As the other pilots filed out, Wade gave her an incredulous look. "And you were worried because...?"
She smiled slightly. "It's only the beginning of the battle. And we've got more important things to do than speculate. Like finding two new pilots for the squadron."
Wade grinned at her. "Let's go, Commander."
Abiona rolled her eyes, and they went to find two new hotshot pilots.
*****
Two months later, the pilots of Avenger Squadron again stood at attention, this time on Coruscant, to receive recognition from the Emperor himself. Abiona could feel her heart pounding and wanted nothing more than to change out of her dress uniform.
"Starch. I hate starch," Abiona thought. She let the Emperor's speech drift past her. All she and her squadronmates had to do was stand at attention for a while, and eventually the Emperor would present the medals. Everything went according to plan, and when the Emperor reached her, she bowed respectfully as the rest of her squadron had done. As he placed the medal around her neck, she felt coldness unlike anything she had ever experienced and had to suppress a shudder. They marched off and went back to their temporary planet side quarters.
"Thank goodness that's over," Wade said to her on the way back.
"Yeah...did you have a strange feeling...a cold chill?" Abiona asked.
"No, not that I remember. It was probably just your nerves getting to you."
"You're probably right. I see ya later," she said going into her quarters. She took off her uniform jacket and tossed it on the bed. The freedom from the stiffer than usual collar was wonderful. Unbuttoning the top couple of buttons on her shirt, she checked to see if she had any messages, but no one had called. Just as she took out one of her cufflinks, the door chime sounded. "Just a second," she said. Taking out her other cufflink, she pushed the door button with her elbow. She looked up to see Piett standing just outside her door.
"Admiral, come right in, sir," Abiona said, moving aside. She locked the door behind him and set her cufflinks down on the bedside table.
"You don't have to be formal with me, Abi," Piett said.
She shrugged. "I figured I'd put on a front, just in case someone was listening. But," she said hanging up her uniform jacket, "COMPNOR probably has every centimeter of Coruscant bugged, so it doesn't really matter."
Piett raised his eyebrows. "You're more cynical than usual."
"Just the side effect of being in command of pilots that don't-and won't trust or respect me." She thought about mentioning the cold chill she felt during the ceremony but decided against it. Dejectedly, she sat down on the bed, put her elbows on her knees, and cupped her chin in her hands. "It's just so frustrating."
He sat next to her and put his arm around her. "You knew how it would be when you joined the Navy. And you weren't forced to accept the promotion."
"Not accept an appointment from Lord Vader?" she asked with a scoff. "That would bring me a surer and swifter death than any mission the Navy could throw at me." She sat up. "Besides, it's a matter of honor. I wouldn't turn down a promotion that I knew I had earned."
"Honor comes with a price."
"Oh, not that speech again," she said as she stood.
Piett pulled her back down into a kiss that silenced any other protest her mind could create.
Chapter 4
Abiona opened her eyes slowly, her head pounding from the after-effects of the stimshot. She stretched, testing out her shoulder. It felt a bit sore, but other than that it was as good as new. A medical technician came in and looked at her shoulder. He cleared her for duty and left.
"Well, doesn't look like I'll ever get a day off," she thought.
Abiona got up and changed into her uniform. She ran a hand through her hair and put on her hat. With a bit of trepidation, she went to the Admiral's office for her debriefing.
She saluted. "Reporting as ordered, sir!" She hoped that the shame she felt didn't show on her face. Piett nodded to the chair and she sat down. His silent reception did nothing but feed Abiona's growing fear.
"What went wrong?"
Abiona stared at his desk. "I just...I was really taken in by the beauty of the ship. I was looking in the log files to see if it was space worthy, and I got jumped. Some guy named Antilles." Looking up, she saw no reproach in his gaze. Fear crept across her face. "Will I lose my commission because of this, sir?"
"You're too good of an officer to dismiss. The mission was off the record. Only two people outside of this office know about it, and they would never think of revealing it."
Abiona relaxed a bit. "Thank you, sir." For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a smile cross his face.
"Dismissed."
Abiona saluted and left his office, feeling as though something more than a debriefing had happened. She decided to the let the feeling pass and marched to the hangar to report for patrols.
*****
After a month of heavy fighting, a time of relative peace settled on the fleet. With the Rebellion chased out of Hoth, the fleet moved back into the Core. Everyone was looking forward to some well-deserved shore leave.
Abiona held a 48-hour pass in her hand. "Two whole days of leave," she thought. She tossed some civvies and a few weapons into her bag and set out. "I get to stay in a hotel, and I don't have to wear a uniform for two days," she thought. She boarded a shuttle with many other happy looking officers. The shuttle took them to the surface of Corellia. Abi walked to her hotel and checked in. The clerk slid her key across the counter with an envelope. She arched an eyebrow as she picked up the key and envelope.
She shouldered her bag and went to her room. She unlocked the door and looked around. "This place is bigger than my quarters. That's just depressing," she thought. She took off her tunic and sat down on the bed. Abiona gave in to her curiosity and opened the envelope. Inside, she found a ticket and a note.
"You mentioned how much you wanted to see this play," the note read. "I'll pick you up at 7:30. Andries."
She looked at the ticket. "Front Line Rules", 8:00 p.m., Dress Circle, Seat A14. "Good seats," she thought. "Of course, this date doesn't have to be a secret like the others." She looked at the clothes in her bag. "Looks like I'll need to find something appropriate to wear." She looked at her chrono. "And I've only got four hours." She stood and changed into her civvies. She put her ID, money, and key in her pocket and left the room. After getting directions from the hotel clerk, she walked to the shopping district.
The shopping district crowd was sparse. Abiona perused dresses at shop after shop. After trying on more dresses than she could count, she found the perfect dress. It was a simple black sheath dress that came just above the knee. She bought the dress before she could change her mind, and found a pair of high-heeled black boots to wear with it. Two shops later she found a purse that she liked. She checked her chrono. "Two hours. I still need to eat and get makeup or a makeover or something." Abi grabbed a quick lunch at a cafe then went to a salon to get her hair and makeup done. She hurried back to the hotel and changed. She looked in the mirror and was amazed. She had forgotten what she looked like in civilian clothes. "But I still can't get away from that military look," she thought with a smile. She unlocked the door, then realized that she had forgotten her purse. She went back over to the bedside table to get her things, but in her haste, she dropped a couple credit chips and her ticket on the floor. She knelt down to get her things, and there was a knock at the door.
"It's open," Abiona yelled over her shoulder as she gathered her things. She turned to get up and Piett offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her up.
"Such a beautiful woman shouldn't be kneeling on the floor."
Abiona blushed. "I'll try to be less clumsy in the future." She shouldered her purse, and they walked to the theatre.
*****
For a two-hour play, "Front Line Rules" had certainly kept Abiona's interest. She had seen an exquisite albeit dark play, and with Piett's arm around her, there was little more she could wish for.
"That was phenomenal," Abiona said. "The sets, the lighting, everything just came together so well."
"It had a rather dark message, though. I'm rather surprised that it's doing so well."
Abiona shrugged. "Yeah, I didn't expect him to commit suicide, but it does have a powerful social commentary. I think it was based on a true story. At any rate, I'm rather surprised that the Politburo let it through."
"The manager must have the right connections."
"More like the right size pocket book," she said with a slight sneer. "It's the first piece I've seen that's critical of the Army." She paused, trying to find a more pleasant topic. "So, what are you going to do on the rest of your leave?"
"Try to relax for the first time in a few years. You?"
"The same. I have wonderful plans for sleeping late," she said unlocking her hotel room.
She leaned in the doorway of her room. "I had a really great time tonight. I'd forgotten what it was like to be a civilian."
"You needed the shore leave. I thought you were going to have a nervous breakdown," he said jokingly.
"Well, there has to be more to life than work," she said with a mischievous look.
Piett arched an eyebrow at her. She pulled him into a kiss, letting the door close behind them.
*****
Strapped into her TIE Avenger, Abiona pulled the craft out of its spin and leveled her sights at the X-Wing that had been on her six. She shunted laser power into her shields, but they were barely at ten percent. The fighter shook as a laser blast hit it. Abiona pulled on the yoke, but the fighter was unresponsive. She checked the computer. The display told her it would be another thirty seconds before flight control was restored. She hit the control panel in frustration. The missile lock warning wailed in her ear. She stared helplessly at the missile screaming for her fighter.
With a small gasp, she jerked awake. As her heart slowed to normal, she looked around. "Good, still in the Admiral's suite on the Executor," she thought. She snuggled up to Piett. "I'm almost surprised that we haven't been caught after three months," she thought sleepily.
"Are you all right?" Piett whispered.
"Just a nightmare, nothing to worry about," she whispered. He pulled her closer and she drifted back to sleep.
*****
Avenger Squadron stood in the docking bay. Abiona felt like a cadet during her first inspection. Glancing down the line of pilots, she counted nine.
She nudged Wade, trying to be inconspicuous. "We seem to be missing the CO and XO," she whispered.
"Didn't you hear? They got transferred," Wade whispered back.
"Transferred? To where?"
Before Wade could reply, she heard the calls of 'Admiral on deck', and everyone snapped to attention.
"As most of you have heard, Avenger Squadron's Commander and Executive Officer have been transferred." Piett began to walk down the line of pilots and stopped in front of Abiona. "Lieutenant Commander Reed, you will be promoted to the rank of Commander and given command of Avenger Squadron."
Abiona saluted. "Thank you, sir!"
Piett moved to Wade. "Lieutenant Marek, you will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and will serve as Avenger Squadron's Executive Officer."
Wade saluted in turn. "Thank you, sir!"
Piett motioned them to follow, and the three of them moved out of the earshot of the other pilots. Abiona frowned slightly when she heard quite murmurs of dissent from the rest of the squadron. She glanced over at Wade and he shrugged. Piett did not lose his serious demeanor.
"These appointments are directly from Lord Vader."
Abiona glanced over her shoulder at the disgruntled looking pilots. "You might want to tell them that. Right now, they assume this promotion is some sort of..." she cleared her throat. "Favor."
"Lord Vader gave me specific orders not to inform anyone other than the two of you."
"And neither one of us can say anything without risking our careers," said Wade with a sigh.
"Right, then. I guess I might as well try to win some of them over." She nodded at Piett. "Admiral." She marched back to the squadron and Wade followed her lead. She looked down the line of pilots. "I know none of you are happy with this decision. If you wish to transfer, I understand completely. However, I would remind you that this is the Imperial Navy's elite squadron. You're all here because you are the best pilots in the Navy. Just keep that in mind. Dismissed."
As the other pilots filed out, Wade gave her an incredulous look. "And you were worried because...?"
She smiled slightly. "It's only the beginning of the battle. And we've got more important things to do than speculate. Like finding two new pilots for the squadron."
Wade grinned at her. "Let's go, Commander."
Abiona rolled her eyes, and they went to find two new hotshot pilots.
*****
Two months later, the pilots of Avenger Squadron again stood at attention, this time on Coruscant, to receive recognition from the Emperor himself. Abiona could feel her heart pounding and wanted nothing more than to change out of her dress uniform.
"Starch. I hate starch," Abiona thought. She let the Emperor's speech drift past her. All she and her squadronmates had to do was stand at attention for a while, and eventually the Emperor would present the medals. Everything went according to plan, and when the Emperor reached her, she bowed respectfully as the rest of her squadron had done. As he placed the medal around her neck, she felt coldness unlike anything she had ever experienced and had to suppress a shudder. They marched off and went back to their temporary planet side quarters.
"Thank goodness that's over," Wade said to her on the way back.
"Yeah...did you have a strange feeling...a cold chill?" Abiona asked.
"No, not that I remember. It was probably just your nerves getting to you."
"You're probably right. I see ya later," she said going into her quarters. She took off her uniform jacket and tossed it on the bed. The freedom from the stiffer than usual collar was wonderful. Unbuttoning the top couple of buttons on her shirt, she checked to see if she had any messages, but no one had called. Just as she took out one of her cufflinks, the door chime sounded. "Just a second," she said. Taking out her other cufflink, she pushed the door button with her elbow. She looked up to see Piett standing just outside her door.
"Admiral, come right in, sir," Abiona said, moving aside. She locked the door behind him and set her cufflinks down on the bedside table.
"You don't have to be formal with me, Abi," Piett said.
She shrugged. "I figured I'd put on a front, just in case someone was listening. But," she said hanging up her uniform jacket, "COMPNOR probably has every centimeter of Coruscant bugged, so it doesn't really matter."
Piett raised his eyebrows. "You're more cynical than usual."
"Just the side effect of being in command of pilots that don't-and won't trust or respect me." She thought about mentioning the cold chill she felt during the ceremony but decided against it. Dejectedly, she sat down on the bed, put her elbows on her knees, and cupped her chin in her hands. "It's just so frustrating."
He sat next to her and put his arm around her. "You knew how it would be when you joined the Navy. And you weren't forced to accept the promotion."
"Not accept an appointment from Lord Vader?" she asked with a scoff. "That would bring me a surer and swifter death than any mission the Navy could throw at me." She sat up. "Besides, it's a matter of honor. I wouldn't turn down a promotion that I knew I had earned."
"Honor comes with a price."
"Oh, not that speech again," she said as she stood.
Piett pulled her back down into a kiss that silenced any other protest her mind could create.
