OK, people. here's the next post. You know what to do with it. ;)
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Chapter 4
Wedge looked around the crowded conference room. Almost everyone that needed to be here was, and Wedge decided to call the meeting to order although Jaina was conspicuously absent.
"This meeting-" Wedge was interrupted by the door sliding open.
"I hope you weren't about to start without me, General." Jaina, again in the guise of the Goddess Yun-Harla, sauntered in and sat down in a chair next to Jag Fel.
"Goddess, am I senile, or did I tell you to be here at 1500 sharp?" Wedge demanded.
Jaina smiled lazily. "You [i]did[/i] tell me to get here by then," she answered. "But you're also senile."
Laughter erupted among those present in the conference room. Wedge decided to ignore Jaina's crack (for now) and pursue an answer from her instead. "Then why are you late, Lieutenant Solo?"
Jaina did not respond.
"Lieutenant Solo?"
Still no response.
Wedge sighed in aggravation. "Goddess?"
At this, Jaina finally looked up from her datapad. "Yes, Wedgie?"
Wes Janson snorted with laughter. "[i]Wedgie?[/i]" he gasped, his face bright red.
By then, Wedge felt like killing something.preferably the cocky young lieutenant/goddess showing him such blatant disrespect. "Lieutenant Solo, ten-hut!!" he bellowed.
Startled, Jaina leapt up and snapped a sharp salute more from force of habit than from anything else.
"[i]Lieutenant,[/i]" said Wedge, stressing the word, "You seem to be forgetting that we Insiders are privy to the Goddess scam and all know you are not really a Goddess. Therefore, you have no need to continue the charade at Insider meetings. Is that understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Jaina barked and sat down, her demeanor subtly changing back into that of a lieutenant in the New Republic military.
"Anyway," Wedge continued, "We'll be leaving soon for the planet of Basulen, a small planet midway between Kashyyk and the Hapes Cluster. As its location suggests, it would be a tremedous vantage point for the Vong. It will be our mission to protect it, and in turn Kashyyk and Hapes, at all cost. From there, we also have to do some major rebuilding of our forces before we attempt any mission against the Vong. While we did manage to procure a victory of sorts at Borleias, it was not without losses of our own. Therefore, all squadron leaders will spend the next couple of weeks recruiting new pilots, with some help from us old veterans. Any questions? No? All right, then. Will all squadron leaders remain, please? We have some things to discuss. The rest of you, you're free to go."
Jag stood with the other non-squadron leaders. "I'll see you later," he whispered to Jaina as he squeezed her hand. Jaina smiled at him in response.
"OK, people," Wedge said. "You'll get lists of potential pilots soon. It's your job to sift through them and decide which ones will be fit to fly against the Vong. I realize this is not usually a sensible thing to do in the middle of a war, but fortunately the Vong have eased up a little and granted us a temporary reprieve after we killed the warmaster at Borleias. We're going to take full advantage of that reprieve and make them wish they never gave it to us." He paused. "Jaina, I realize this is your first time recruiting. Get my nephew to help you."
Jaina smiled, thinking that was one order she would have no trouble following.
"Any questions, people?" Wedge saw Wes's hand immediately shoot up. "Let me rephrase that. Anybody besides Wes have a question?" No one responded. Wedge sighed. "I know I'm gonna regret this," he muttered. "What is it, Wes?"
Eyes glinting, Wes replied, "Well, General, what do we do if we don't have to recruit?"
Wedge was confused. "What do you mean, not have to recruit?"
"Well, for instance, I don't really have to recruit because about a third of the people in my squad were killed over the period of time we stayed at Borleias."
Wedge blinked several times. "Sorry, Wes, I'm not seeing the connection here." He frowned. "You lost a third of your squad, and you 'don't really' have to recruit?"
Wes nodded. "If you remember, Wedge, the Tanaab Yellow Aces started out at about eighteen ships, a normal squad and a half. Now, since a third of that number was decimated, I now have a normal squadron. If I was to recruit more people, I would only be taking people that were needed to complete other squads."
Wedge nodded. "All right, Wes. I never thought I'd say this, but you're right. Congratulations. Command has done more for you than I ever thought possible."
Wes stopped him, grinning. "That's only because you haven't heard the other half of my request. Since I won't have anything to do, and since I'm an old hand at this, can I help Gavin recruit?"
Wedge smirked at Gavin. "Sure, Wes."
Gavin jumped up. "NO! No, Wedge! I refuse to let this monkey-lizard help me!"
Wedge smiled innocently at him. "What's the matter, kid? Afraid you won't be able to handle him?"
Gavin shook his head. "No, Wedge. I [i]know[/i] I can't handle him."
Wedge grinned. "Now, Gavin. It's not fair that you get to be leader of Rogue Squadron without going through at least one recruit session with Wes. In addition, look at it this way. By letting him help you, you're going to know [i]exactly[/i] where he is at all times, and therefore you don't have to worry about him sending you fake comm messages."
Gavin's eyes widened, realization dawning. "That message from the Ewok General requesting immediate assistance? All those holos from that blond woman? That was [i]you?[/i]"
Jaina chuckled. "Actually, the blond woman was me." At Gavin's shock, she shrugged. "Wes paid me 50 creds to put on a blond wig. How could I refuse?"
Wedge smirked at Gavin's expression. "Now it's your turn," he said. "Dismissed." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope you enjoyed. I did! :)
Note: Basulen is entirely fictitional, but pivotal in this story. ;)
Wedge looked around the crowded conference room. Almost everyone that needed to be here was, and Wedge decided to call the meeting to order although Jaina was conspicuously absent.
"This meeting-" Wedge was interrupted by the door sliding open.
"I hope you weren't about to start without me, General." Jaina, again in the guise of the Goddess Yun-Harla, sauntered in and sat down in a chair next to Jag Fel.
"Goddess, am I senile, or did I tell you to be here at 1500 sharp?" Wedge demanded.
Jaina smiled lazily. "You [i]did[/i] tell me to get here by then," she answered. "But you're also senile."
Laughter erupted among those present in the conference room. Wedge decided to ignore Jaina's crack (for now) and pursue an answer from her instead. "Then why are you late, Lieutenant Solo?"
Jaina did not respond.
"Lieutenant Solo?"
Still no response.
Wedge sighed in aggravation. "Goddess?"
At this, Jaina finally looked up from her datapad. "Yes, Wedgie?"
Wes Janson snorted with laughter. "[i]Wedgie?[/i]" he gasped, his face bright red.
By then, Wedge felt like killing something.preferably the cocky young lieutenant/goddess showing him such blatant disrespect. "Lieutenant Solo, ten-hut!!" he bellowed.
Startled, Jaina leapt up and snapped a sharp salute more from force of habit than from anything else.
"[i]Lieutenant,[/i]" said Wedge, stressing the word, "You seem to be forgetting that we Insiders are privy to the Goddess scam and all know you are not really a Goddess. Therefore, you have no need to continue the charade at Insider meetings. Is that understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Jaina barked and sat down, her demeanor subtly changing back into that of a lieutenant in the New Republic military.
"Anyway," Wedge continued, "We'll be leaving soon for the planet of Basulen, a small planet midway between Kashyyk and the Hapes Cluster. As its location suggests, it would be a tremedous vantage point for the Vong. It will be our mission to protect it, and in turn Kashyyk and Hapes, at all cost. From there, we also have to do some major rebuilding of our forces before we attempt any mission against the Vong. While we did manage to procure a victory of sorts at Borleias, it was not without losses of our own. Therefore, all squadron leaders will spend the next couple of weeks recruiting new pilots, with some help from us old veterans. Any questions? No? All right, then. Will all squadron leaders remain, please? We have some things to discuss. The rest of you, you're free to go."
Jag stood with the other non-squadron leaders. "I'll see you later," he whispered to Jaina as he squeezed her hand. Jaina smiled at him in response.
"OK, people," Wedge said. "You'll get lists of potential pilots soon. It's your job to sift through them and decide which ones will be fit to fly against the Vong. I realize this is not usually a sensible thing to do in the middle of a war, but fortunately the Vong have eased up a little and granted us a temporary reprieve after we killed the warmaster at Borleias. We're going to take full advantage of that reprieve and make them wish they never gave it to us." He paused. "Jaina, I realize this is your first time recruiting. Get my nephew to help you."
Jaina smiled, thinking that was one order she would have no trouble following.
"Any questions, people?" Wedge saw Wes's hand immediately shoot up. "Let me rephrase that. Anybody besides Wes have a question?" No one responded. Wedge sighed. "I know I'm gonna regret this," he muttered. "What is it, Wes?"
Eyes glinting, Wes replied, "Well, General, what do we do if we don't have to recruit?"
Wedge was confused. "What do you mean, not have to recruit?"
"Well, for instance, I don't really have to recruit because about a third of the people in my squad were killed over the period of time we stayed at Borleias."
Wedge blinked several times. "Sorry, Wes, I'm not seeing the connection here." He frowned. "You lost a third of your squad, and you 'don't really' have to recruit?"
Wes nodded. "If you remember, Wedge, the Tanaab Yellow Aces started out at about eighteen ships, a normal squad and a half. Now, since a third of that number was decimated, I now have a normal squadron. If I was to recruit more people, I would only be taking people that were needed to complete other squads."
Wedge nodded. "All right, Wes. I never thought I'd say this, but you're right. Congratulations. Command has done more for you than I ever thought possible."
Wes stopped him, grinning. "That's only because you haven't heard the other half of my request. Since I won't have anything to do, and since I'm an old hand at this, can I help Gavin recruit?"
Wedge smirked at Gavin. "Sure, Wes."
Gavin jumped up. "NO! No, Wedge! I refuse to let this monkey-lizard help me!"
Wedge smiled innocently at him. "What's the matter, kid? Afraid you won't be able to handle him?"
Gavin shook his head. "No, Wedge. I [i]know[/i] I can't handle him."
Wedge grinned. "Now, Gavin. It's not fair that you get to be leader of Rogue Squadron without going through at least one recruit session with Wes. In addition, look at it this way. By letting him help you, you're going to know [i]exactly[/i] where he is at all times, and therefore you don't have to worry about him sending you fake comm messages."
Gavin's eyes widened, realization dawning. "That message from the Ewok General requesting immediate assistance? All those holos from that blond woman? That was [i]you?[/i]"
Jaina chuckled. "Actually, the blond woman was me." At Gavin's shock, she shrugged. "Wes paid me 50 creds to put on a blond wig. How could I refuse?"
Wedge smirked at Gavin's expression. "Now it's your turn," he said. "Dismissed." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope you enjoyed. I did! :)
Note: Basulen is entirely fictitional, but pivotal in this story. ;)