Chapter Two – Back to Base
The trip back from Bastion was as uneventful as one could imagine. Sitting in the cockpit of an X-Wing for four hours isn't exactly the most wonderful thing to do right after you've talked to your Imperial-brained parents. Especially when said Imperial-brained parents haven't spoken to you in ten years and aren't exactly pleased with your choice of future-husband. So Adra got to sit and think about all the wonderful joys of the conversation over and over again...not to mention the fact the her mind was giving her lovely little dialog ideas of what might be said at their next 'family reunion'. Sith lords, she was absolutely not inviting them to the wedding. As if they'd even come, but still.
As the chrono began counting down the minutes until the craft exited hyperspace, she smiled. She could definitely do with a good, strong drink to get her mind off everything that had to do with the Imperials.
* * * * *
Coruscant spun before her, seen through both her eyes and by her computer screens. The astromech just behind the cockpit whistled slightly, sending a message onto the X-Wing's screen.
DO I GET TO GET OUT OF THIS THING THIS TIME?
"Of course you do. We're going back to Wraith headquarters and that'll give you plenty of time to share conspiring ideas with Vape and Twic and Defuse. Sith only knows what sorts of ideas you droids concoct when we're not watching," Adra told her droid.
I TAKE THAT AS AN INSULT! WHY IN THE NAME OF MECHANICAL ARMS WOULD I DO-
"Oh just shut up. You'll get to get out of the X-Wing and that's all you really needed to know." she snapped.
FINE, FINE. BE A GRUMP. JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE GETTING YOUR LIFE PARTNER DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO YELL AT THE REST OF US.
Adra glowered at the sarcasm in her astromech's words. She seemed to be rubbing off on a bit more than Gaeriel and Ryok. "Alright you, if you don't quit it, I'm going to introduce my blaster to your dome."
That certainly shut the droid up. The smile on Adra's face broadened as she looked over and saw the nose of Face's X-Wing over her port side. The planet was coming closer and the X-Wings were breaking the atmosphere now. Her comm. unit flared into life, Face's voice coming through. With a silent curse at herself, she realized her comm. had been on the entire time.
"So were you talking to that droid of yours, yes?" Face inquired.
Adra grimaced at the comm., though she knew he couldn't see her expression. "Yes. Yes I was. Stupid little insubordinate little thing. Those droids are lucky they don't have to deal with ranks, because I'm betting that all of the droids in the New Republic squadrons would have court martials in a great variety of numbers by now."
Face's laughter filled the comm. and in spite of herself, Adra had to grin. No matter what she was mad at, what she was upset over, 99.9% of the time, Face could make everything seem okay again...even it if wasn't.
The X-Wing over her wing suddenly spurted past and Adra knew it was because he just had to be the one to get to the docking bay first. One of the many perks about Face when it came to his 'territory', also known as Wraith headquarters.
The Enigma found its spot next to Nicola's A-Wing and Adra hopped out. Quickly she took her helmet off, shaking loose the hair that had been clamped against the back of her head by the thing. Behind her, the astromech was being lowered from his spot behind the cockpit. Helmet under her arm, Adra walked towards the building, easily falling into step with the waiting Face.
"You know, you could be called insubordinate too, Adra," Face commented, the grin he was trying to hide- and failing to do so- appearing on his features.
In spite of herself, Adra couldn't help the feeling of something like drowning in his smile when it appeared. Her mind scolded her quickly, Come on Adra, snap out of it. You can't walk into the base looking like the love-struck idiot we all know you are! So instead her mind seemed to hit the button marked 'sarcasm'.
"Oh, thanks, glad to know I'm being told I can't follow orders," was the reply that came spilling out.
Face looked half amused, and half, was that nostalgia? Whatever it was, he recovered quickly. "Well you already knew, just confirming I suppose."
For all outward purposes, Adra made it look as if she were still slightly annoyed, yet underneath she considered. While his expression was enough to spark her interest, she had to think about the phrasing. Yes, of course she knew that. Who didn't know that! Well, not many when it came to the worlds she'd been on. She'd only openly defied a General a few hundred times.
"Of course I knew that. After shooting at the General in front of an entire Imperial assembly, I think I'd know that," she replied, then walked into the building.
Kell Tainer looked up the moment she entered the lounge. Deciding she might as well give him a 'thanks' for the detonator, she went over, put her helmet on one of the conveniently placed shelves, then turned to him.
"Thanks for the detonator, Tainer. I'm beginning to see why you and your...er...'colleges' enjoy blowing things up so much," she grinned at the last bit.
Kell's reply was quite and utterly to the point. "Nice to hear that Ta- Loran. But you still owe me a detonator."
Adra glared at him. Why was it that just because she was suddenly engaged to Face she was suddenly called 'Loran' and not 'Tallon'? Not that she actually cared of course...it was far better to be a Loran who people knew only as a New Republic fighter pilot that happened to marry an ex-holostar than as a relation to Imperial General Trude Tallon by last name if nothing more. But still, she wasn't exactly married to Face yet. The grin that was pulsing its way across her mind was easily kept from her face.
"That's nice to know. I'll make sure I find something worthy of your time," her sarcasm kicked in again as she spoke.
After she was done talking, she turned and walked over towards Nicola and Tyria who were talking about vong knows what. Not that it really mattered if she just decided to talk with her wingmate.
Nicola looked over at Adra as she came to a stop next to her friend, and nodded. Adra nodded in a reply, then listened with interest to the conversation.
"-I still don't see why that's relevant to what I pulled out of the Knight Hammer, Nicola," Tyria was saying. Adra's brow furrowed. Information pulled out of the Knight Hammer? What about that sithing ship?
Nicola was shaking her head and Adra decided she'd best just listen and not comment. "It's relevant because it means that somehow the Imperials are getting information on our new ships and their technology before the ships even leave the shipyards!"
It was easy to tell that Nicola wasn't enjoying having to explain this as if Tyria was stupid. She wasn't, after all. Tyria shook her head, her gaze narrowing.
"I realize that Nicola, but I still don't see how you're making that a necessary topic for discussion-" Tyria was cut off as Adra finally figured out enough to make a statement.
"Tyria, I think what Nicola is getting at is that we either have to upgrade our security on the information lines that power the information to the shipyards or that the Imps have someone on the inside handing them the information. She's bringing it up to you specifically because you've been at this hacking business for the New Republic longer than I have and henceforth you'd probably know how to fix it."
Nicola shrugged, "More or less what I was trying to say, yes. But I was also telling her because you weren't back yet and so I couldn't tell you."
Adra grinned at her friend, "Ah, I see. Then why didn't you just explain it to Tyria in the same way you would've to me? We both speak the same computer language."
Tyria grinned at her comment, though Nicola found a glower more appropriate instead. Adra couldn't help but laugh at the expression. Nicola certainly wasn't stupid, she just had her methods. Adra listened to the conversation go on without her, her mind traveling back instead to her parents and what had- probably- prompted their annoyance with her today. Possibly it had to do with the fact the she all but walked out on them after lying, but that was irrelevant to her. She could care less. Still...it made her wonder just how much of her history she wanted to have spreading around the New Republic as public knowledge.