Part Two: Antilles Vs. Fel

Perhaps three hours later, I was 'sneaking' back into the hanger bay that was housing Baron Fel's Interceptor.  As expected, the General himself was standing in the hanger, talking to one of the mechanics.  Vaguely I saw Iella throw her hands up in disgust and Wedge dart into the hanger once more.  I was about five strides from the TIE when I felt a blaster tap my shoulder.  Without even turning around, I knew it was the Baron.  Slowly I backed away from the ship, a hopeful grin on my face.  The Baron removed the blaster from its position leveled at my head after I was about ten paces away.  Wedge was making a move towards Fel just as Iella grabbed her husband's collar.  Wedge stopped abruptly as Fel moved away.

Seizing my chance, I darted back towards the TIE, this time intercepted by Nicola.  She grabbed my arm and began trying to pull me back.  Fel had turned back around to glare at me as I muttered darkly about stealing the TIE fighter.  Immediately I felt the anger and annoyance pouring off the general in the Force.

"You do that, you die," he said, very simply.

Surprisingly, it was Wedge who responded.  "You kill her, you die."

I jerked my arm out of Nicola's hold before I looked back at the two generals.  "Gee, I love being an asset."

"That would just be another reason for you wanting to kill me, Antilles."  Apparently Fel didn't care that death threats on his head.

Iella, however, seemed to have had enough.  She grabbed Wedge's arm and dragged him off towards the hanger door.  As she went to pull him through it, Wedge grabbed the door frame and jerked himself out of his wife's grip.  He was really set on killing Fel, it seemed.

"It's called an excuse, Fel; I've already got hundreds of reasons."

Jees'm, this was growing into quite a show.  Leia and Han Solo had just appeared through another hanger door.  Through the Force I could sense Han's amusement.  Probing a bit further, I grinned at finding that he was comparing the Antilles dilemma to when Leia was mad at him.  I took another sidestep towards the Interceptor just as Fel spoke again.

"That's nice to know, Antilles, I'll keep that in mind," he began.  Then he opened his mouth, as if to continue, only to have his face pale.  His gaze was locked on the woman entering behind Leia and Han.  When he spoke again, his voice was somewhat higher than usual.  "Syal?"

As Fel was very, very distracted at this point, I took the opportunity to dart around the back of the ship.  Unconsciously I heard Nicola yelling at Face, Bror and Kell again.  Then the footfalls came around the back of the TIE just as I lifted myself into the cockpit.  Below me I heard the tumult I had obviously caused by that last move.  Nicola was letting of a string of curses just as General Fel's supernova presence got closer to the ship.  Face, Kell and Bror's were already underneath it.

"Get back here Tallon! Get the sith out of my TIE!"  That would be General Baron Fel, right on schedule.  I, however, completely ignored him, too interested in my work at the moment.  Abruptly I felt indecision mark Fel's Force presence and realized that he was debating firing his blaster at me.  And then, thank the stars, Syal Fel's presence in the Force was stalking over from where she had been talking with Leia.

I glanced up from what I was doing just in time to see the woman grabbing the back of the Baron's collar, mimicking Iella's hold on Wedge.  "I can't leave you alone for three minutes without you trying to shoot someone."

Stifling a laugh, I listened as Fel muttered from unintelligible things in reply to his wife's accusation.  Syal didn't seem to accept that as a reply, for she prodded the mutterings.  "I didn't quite catch that, Soontir."

It took him a minute, but Fel finally did respond.  "Never mind.  Just let me get this crazy pilot out of my craft."

Oh yeah, that would be me, wouldn't it?  Yeah, I knew that.  Quickly I went back to downloading the information I wanted from the craft.  Syal's voice journeyed up to me again.  "There's easier ways to do it without shooting them, Fel."

Score! Fel was, of course, muttered more unintelligible remarks.  I hit another button on the datapad then glanced down to see Fel nod.  "Fine then, you proceed and remove the sithing pilot."

Indignant at being referred to as a 'sithing pilot', I must admit that I seriously considered putting a virus into his systems.  However, if I did that, I'd ruin the ship.  And it was a nice ship too.  Below, I could sense Syal walking over to the edge of the TIE.  Then came her voice, much less angry, and it was directed at me.

"I know you're enjoying looking at the TIE dear, but you're making my husband a bit more than nervous.  That TIE's like his toy and he's rather protective of it."

I quickly put the computer panel back together and grabbed my datapad.  Just for the record people, it's much easier to ask for things to be done than to threaten.  I looked out of the cockpit to see Fel standing behind his wife, a scowl on his face.  Wedge and Iella were standing by the door and Face, Bror, Kell and Nicola were waiting just behind Fel.  With a sigh, I jumped to the durasteel below.

"Sounds good to me," I said to Syal Fel before continuing.  "After my extensive study," I grinned to Nicola, "I've deduced that my TIE was a superior vessel...until those sithing Anti-Empire over-enthusiasts blew it up."

Fel had been opening his mouth, presumably to thank his wife as I'd finished speaking.  Apparently my words hadn't been what he'd wanted to hear though.  His mouth snapped shut and he toyed with the blaster in his hand.  Nicola saw the situation, as only she would, and at once made another attempt to drag me away.  Syal took the blaster from her husband and then took a firm grip on his collar.  Fel seemed to be resisting the urge to murder me with his bare hands.  In spite of myself, I gave an unconscious shudder at the thought for Fel, judging merely by his size, probably could do that.  So instead of being an idiot for once in my life, I allowed Nicola to lead me away.

Wedge was still attempting to break away from his wife, who appeared to be rapidly losing patience.  As Nicola, Kell, Bror, Face and I approached, Iella appeared to snap.  Abruptly, Wedge met to wall as Iella shoved him into it, speaking angrily.

"Enough!  Put the pig-headed, over-cocky Corellian back in his little durasteel box and greet your guests as if you are the general I know you can be.  If you find trouble doing this, I will take Han's 'suggestion' to Jag and use it on you, introducing your face to carbonite."

I glanced over my shoulder once at the surprise rolling off General Fel.  Apparently he didn't know about Jag and Jaina, otherwise he wouldn't have been so shocked at Iella's comment on Jag.  Taking the momentary confusion to my advantage, I twisted from Nicola's grip and went over to a computer bank, inserting the datacard.  Abruptly two TIE models appeared on the screen, their makings coming up beside them.

Behind me, Wedge was finally reholstering his blaster, still glaring at Fel no doubt.  I glanced over to see him saying something to Iella just as I caught the words.

"I didn't want to be a general, and you know it too.  Just because Ackbar shoved the rank insignia on me doesn't mean I have to be little-Mr.-Perfect-General."

Iella didn't appear impressed, as was plainly seen in her next comment.  "No, but that doesn't mean I don't expect you to be."

Nicola had come up behind me by now, shaking her head at what she saw on my screen.  "Adra, that's getting annoying.  It looks a hell of a lot like my old ship too, but I'm not drooling over Fel's ship like you are."

"Oh shut up, Fighter Girl," was my immediate response.  Rather snappy, too.  "I'm enjoying seeing how badly that idiot who calls himself my father wanted to impress his colleges with the ship he bought his eight year old kid."  After a minute, I closed down the program and grabbed the datacard as it appeared.  It went straight into my jumpsuit pocket and then I turned and headed for the lounge.  Behind me, I heard Nicola speaking.

"That's nice, Computer Girl.  Go tell it to Tyria."

"I will, I will..." I said absently.

Of course, I didn't actually go off to the lounge.  I stopped just outside the hanger bay and muted my Force-presence.  Fel was speaking again, closer this time.

"Well, that was odd."

"What might that be, Fel?"  That would be Wedge.  And he would probably be glaring.

Fel didn't take that long to reply.  "The choices you have in pilots."

At this point, I debated murdering that man through the Force.  But thank the stars for Wedge.  "I like my choice in pilots just fine."

Fel's remarks were growing more and more rude.  "That's probably a good thing; otherwise you would get even less done around here."

Ooo, I didn't like that man.  I don't mind if he insults me personally, but when it gets turned on the residing commanding officer then he's gone too far.  Through the Force I felt Wedge make a violent move in Fel's direction.  Was there some trait in all male Fel's that made them rude?  Jaina had commented that one of the first things Jag had said to her was a stuck-up thing.  More movement through the Force caught my attention.  This time it was Han Solo trying to move to Wedge's side, getting caught by Leia.  Iella cuffed Wedge over the head, but personally I thought Fel deserved to be taken down.  After a few moments, Leia released Han.

The ex-general stepped over to Wedge's side just as Leia's Force presence moved over to Iella's.  Then the Alderaanian Princess's voice was meeting the air again.  "Alright, this is getting ridiculous.  If the public knew what went on inside our supposedly-infallibly wonderful squadron headquarters, you'd become the laughing stalk of the New Republic.  Now go back to what you were doing and exchange friendly remarks."

Leia's words were met with silence before Fel broke it.  His words seemed to be directed at his former classmate- Han Solo.  "I do believe you married a smart woman. Head strong, but smart."

At Leia's remarks on how this would look to the public, however, Adra had felt Wedge cringe.  The Force was showing him putting on a forced smile as he spoke.  "Welcome to Coruscant, Fel.  I hope you'll be staying long enough for a simulator run."

The Baron was obviously wearing a similarly forced smile as he replied.  "Thank you, Antilles.  I believe I might have time for said simulator run.  Now if you would kindly direct me in the direction of my son, I'd be most obliged."

Wedge's Force presence was suddenly marked with a bit of worry.  I knew then that my assumptions had been right; Wedge hadn't told either Syal or Soontir Fel that Jagged Fel was going out with Jaina Solo.  However, for sake of appearing friendly, Wedge replied.  "Look for Colonel Solo.  He's most likely with her."