Chapter Nine – Strike for the TIE
Adra and Nicola looked up exasperatedly between Gaeriel and Asyr. Gaeriel had just finished, for the most part, complaining about getting 'fat', Asyr chipping in her own complaint. Adra glanced at Nicola, raising her eyebrow as she did so. Nicola stood up, glaring between the politician and the talkative pilot.
"Neither of you are fat, honestly. If anyone in this squadron is, it's me," Nicola plainly stated. Unconsciously, it seemed, Gaeriel and Asyr looked pointedly at her stomach.
Adra, still sitting on the end of the couch, feigned annoyed sadness in her voice. "Nicola, I don't need you to remind me of what I'm going to look like."
Asyr and Gaeriel both blinked at Adra, wondering if she were talking about some time in the near future. Nicola looked back over at Adra and the latter grinned. Nicola grinned back at her and then looked at Gaeriel and Asyr. The two raised an eyebrow a piece, yet seemed to be more accepting to the upright accusation of Nicola being more 'fat' than anyone else.
"Adra, shut up. I'm already looking like it," Nicola told her friend.
Adra smiled slightly as Gaeriel and Asyr's expressions returned to something like confusion. Glad to know that she and her friend had successfully duped a politician, she grinned. "That's life, my friend." She patted Nicola's arm as she said it.
Nicola scowled slightly while answering. "Life isn't fair." A grin appeared in the scowl's place. "So logically I'm going to turn these comments right around in your face in a few months, m'dear."
At this point, Gaeriel's face suddenly cleared, her jaw dropping very slightly as her eyes widened. Asyr scowled deeply, and then stalked off to find a conversation she wouldn't have to decipher. Adra, meanwhile, was glaring pointedly at Nicola. "And then, when we're all slim and petite again, we can spar this debate off."
Nicola smiled and nodded. "But of course!"
Adra felt her face lighten in a smile. "There's a way to do things." Her smile deepened as she glanced around the room. "So when Antilles starts annoying me, I'll make sure I have a chance to spar with him and his limited lightsaber knowledge."
Glancing up, Adra spotted Face over Gaeriel's shoulder. As their eyes met, Face raised an eyebrow. Adra smiled slightly, the desire to be sarcastic taking over. "What are you raising your eyebrow at? If I'm not going to be allowed to fly after sith knows how long, then I'm going to have a lot of fun when I can beat people up again."
Most of the present Wraith's faces clouded with confusion at the first comment before abruptly clearing with small grins at her second. All but Kell rolled their eyes at her 'beating people up' comment, though they knew it was true. A lazily slow smile crept up Adra's face as she saw Kell wincing. Quickly, she offered the demolitions expert a sardonic smile.
"Yes, especially at you, Kell. I somehow get the feeling that you and your demolition gang are going to be...should we say...annoying?"
Before Kell could comment, Elix jumped up and away from Kell. "I just want to make this known right now: I'm not with him!" Adra raised an eyebrow at the pilot. He gulped and backed away behind Cloud.
Kell was rolling his eyes. "Great, now it's four and two instead of five and one."
Adra glanced at Cloud, but spoke to Kell. "Explain, Tainer." Cloud looked between Kell's sardonic smile to Adra's angry glare. The mechanic backed slowly away from the two, carefully moving as though if he moved too quickly they'd pounce like tusk-cats.
"Alright; I thought we had five insane males in Wraith, not four. Myself, Face, Cloud, Elix and Ryok being the insane ones, and Bror being the sane one. Apparently Elix has decided to change sides on us," Kell said, not glancing away from Adra's face more than to take a quick look at Cloud.
Adra wasn't bothering to watch Kell, however. Instead she had her attention fixed on Cloud. On Cloud...and Tyria Tainer. Tyria had stopped Cloud from running to any other room and Cloud was glancing between the two Tainers. Elix's voice broke her thought.
"No, I just don't fancy getting Adra's fist in my stomach as you did, Kell."
She couldn't help grinning at that. About to reply, she snapped her mouth shut, feeling a familiar presence coming closer in the Force. The sounds of an X-Wing on the hanger greeted her ears, but she listened to Ryok and Kell instead.
"I fancy going to my lab and creating a new illegal detonator to black market," he seemed to be replying to Elix's comment.
Kell perked up, beaming. "I'll help!"
Adra didn't even bother stopping the explosives experts. The angry form of Vana Sage standing in the lounge's doorway was sufficient in stopping her. The Jedi was muttering very darkly, glaring at Ryok and Kell as they darted towards the lab- her lab.
"I poured my own credits into that lab and this is what it's put to use as?! FACE LORAN!" Vana's first words were enough to show her displeasure.
Face looked up quickly. "Nice to see you again too, Vana. What now?"
Vana brushed off his comments, glaring at him. "Either you find a way to get Ryok to use that lab properly or I'm going to find a Supe to drag that part of you headquarters out of it."
From his expression, Adra could tell her fiancé wasn't really worried about Vana's threat. Just from her time in Wraith squadron, most of its members knew that Vana didn't revert to following up on major threats like the one she'd just made.
"May I remind you, Vana, that you are the one who transferred out of Wraith instead of staying when the order came from the wonderful High Command, meaning you can't demand that I make Ryok do anything."
Slightly startled by the sight of Right To Rule coming over the horizon, Adra blinked. Vana hadn't been joking. Quickly she looked towards the scientist to see her putting away her comm. "No, but because I was the one who funded the creation of it, I can do anything with it." At her words, Adra saw Face roll his eyes.
It was Nicola that distracted her by standing up abruptly, catching her eye. Adra herself stood and walked to her friend. Plans, Fighter Girl? Nicola nodded.
You take Face, I'll take Vana. I really don't want to have to hurt them, but if they insist on this squabble, I will. Nicola explained briefly, but the images accompanying her words were sufficient.
Adra raised an eyebrow. I'll take Face if you want, but I think it's going to be Vana who's taking Ryok. She nodded after Vana as she stalked after Ryok and Kell into her lab. All of five minutes later a scream was heard from the lab. The pain of another radiated through the Force, the sounds of durasteel being ripped from durasteel meeting the air. There was a crackling hiss identifying what could only be wires being pulled from their sockets.
Nicola darted out of the room. She was gone all of two seconds before she came back in, half-dragging Vana. Adra glanced at the Jedi's face, slightly surprised to find Vana looked extremely pleased with herself.
"Vana Sage! You're as bad as Kell!" Nicola was yelling.
Vana smiled and Adra winced, knowing what words would be coming. "And proud of it, Fighter Girl, and proud of it."
"I wouldn't be. You know what I do to people like Kell?" Adra had heard that one before. Heard it more than once, in fact. Without waiting to see the former-Wraith's reply, she walked into the lab. As she entered the ruins, her eyes roaming over the panels on the floor. As she saw the hissing wires, Adra let out a string of curses that would've made even Han Solo blush. She suspected in her subconscious that Jaina might've been highly pleased with them, but didn't bother to contemplate. Adra hadn't even noticed that Nicola had come in behind her. Ryok couldn't be seen, but Kell was hurriedly leaving the room. Adra dimly heard Nicola add a few curses to the end of her own string.
What the sith did she do to him? Without asking who, Adra knew Nicola meant Ryok.
But she could care less about finding and aiding Ryok right now. Her feet carried her instead to the cackling wires. No, it's not what she did to him. Two black eyes and broken ribs can be fixed. It's what she did to the lab! She pulled the cables out of the walls! As she picked up the middle of a green-covered wire, she let out a scream both aloud and in the Force. AND SHE PULLED THE COMPUTER CABLES!
She was on her feet instantly, running in to the computer room. One look at the monitors and lack of green and orange lights told her the truth. Adra turned tail on the excruciating sight to return to the wires in the science lab. Nicola was relaying the information to Tyria. Quietly, Adra spoke four words: "That pilot is dead."
Tyria came running into the science lab, presumably to aid Adra. Adra felt Vana depart, but didn't care. She held some of the pieces of green computer cables in her hands, whimpering. Nicola's voice went through the Force once more to request Bror aid Ryok. Unconsciously, she felt Bror's Force presence moving off to fulfill the request. The pilot in question was hiding in a closet. Tyria took one of the wires from Adra's hands, a look to kill evolving on her face.
Adra was one step ahead of her. She didn't know how, but her feet were carrying her towards the hanger bay, her mind plotting ways to murder Vana Sage as she went. She started for her X-Wing, before she reconsidered. Quickly she jumped into General Tallon's TIE Interceptor that had been left on the docking bay. The fighter was off the docking bay a moment later. Adra caught sight of Tyria jumping into a TIE that was left over from Wraith's Hawkbat days, powering the thing up to come to her wing. Her scanners registered quite easily that Vana was flying towards Rogue base. Vanguard was a bit beyond that. At this point, she honestly didn't care if she received a court martial for this.
The TIE Interceptor was nearing the X-Wing with increasing speed, Tyria's TIE right on her wing for cover. Quickly, Adra fired her lasers at Vana's dancing X-Wing. Through the Force, she saw Nicola roll her eyes. Not really caring, she began tapping into the Interceptor's systems. A grin spread over her face as she punched in a code, allowing the TIE to switch over to the new guns.
Without realizing she was talking allowed, Adra spoke. "Hope you don't mind big booms, Vana." With the pulse reflex of her index finger, the missiles fired, hitting Vana's X-Wing square on a port wing. The Force was telling her that Nicola was debating on putting a hole in her TIE fighter, but she was beyond giving it thought. She switched back to lasers, firing at the other wings of the spiraling X-Wing.
Over the open comm, Adra heard Nicola's voice. "Face, please don't kill me for this." A second before she did it, Adra knew what Nicola was on about. With a muttered curse, she realized she'd stayed in one place a second too long. The laser fire hitting one of her solar panels confirmed it. Adra somehow maneuvered the spinning craft to a somewhat-decent landing in the field below.
In the wreckage of Vana's X-Wing, a figure, blue lightsaber drawn, was making her way towards Adra and her TIE. Adra was out and on the ground within the second, her lightsaber jumping to her hand. Through the Force, she heard Nicola reprimanding her. Don't curse me, young lady, thank me. Do you have any idea what you could've done to your child with this nonsense? Nicola took long enough talking that her A-Wing had landed.
What? I wasn't involved in any physically straining activity...thought I may be very soon. Adra's lightsaber flashed on as she spoke, her trained eyes locked on Vana's movements.
Nicola seemed to sigh. My point exactly. Abruptly her friend switched to talking to Vana. If you want to get out of here, take my A-Wing and fly like mad to Rogue or Vanguard. I'll knock some sense into Adra's brain.
Though she very much doubted Nicola could do that, though she would try, Adra kept her gaze level with Vana's. The other Jedi was glancing between the A-Wing and Adra, seeming to be wondering if she could make it to the craft before Adra herself.
Adra saw Nicola grit her teeth, then heard her voice. Just get the sith out of here, Vana! Right now the only reason I'm protecting your ass is because I don't want to see my friend turn into a murderer.
Watching the scene before her, the beams of blue and green flickering across her vision, Adra stood undecided. She could sense both Nicola and Vana tensing, anticipating her attack, but instead she abruptly deactivated her lightsaber. Vana's confusion was evident as she spoke through the Force.
What that sith is she doing? The question must've been aimed at Nicola, for it was Nicola who answered.
I don't know, and I'm going to find out. Are you sane now, Adra?
Adra looked between the two other Jedi, her face neutral behind the Jedi mask. I will never be sane, Nicola. But I am beginning to see why Jade prefers that lair of hers and the silence that comes with it. Before either could reply, Adra turned abruptly on her heel, just as abruptly as she had turned her lightsaber off. Quickly, she began the trek to Wraith headquarters but didn't get very far as Vana's voice came pouring into the Force.
Stang! That's even worse! I'm getting back to base.
Nicola had started after Adra. Shut up, Vana. Now get out of here. Nicola switched abruptly to yelling as Vana retreated to her own base.
"ADRA LORAN!" Adra didn't have to look behind her to know that Nicola was stalking after like an angry tusk-cat. Honestly though? She couldn't care less. Adra didn't look over her shoulder; she just kept walking.
Nicola wasn't in the mood to be ignored, it seemed. She caught up with Adra quickly and grabbed a shoulder to pull her around. Adra allowed herself to come around to face Nicola. Not saying a word, she raised an eyebrow.
"Are you back to the world of the living yet? Or, more correctly, to the Adra that I know?" Nicola asked her tentatively. Adra shrugged, moving quickly from Nicola's grip. Her feet whirled her around and she continued on towards Wraith headquarters.
Behind her, she felt the boiling emotions that were Nicola. Her friend caught her again. This time she didn't bother saying a word, but instead just slapped Adra across the face. Adra stood there calmly, waiting for Nicola to either be done or to finish up with her attempts of returning her to normality. It appeared that Nicola was not going to continue slapping her silly, but she certainly wasn't going to let her pass.
"Alright Adra, you've got two options. You can either go back to being the good old Adra we all know, the one who's engaged to Face, expecting a baby and who is my friend, or we can stand out here all day until you do go back to that normal Adra instead of little miss I-wanna-go-into-hiding-because-I'm-a-wimp."
As if on cue, Adra felt a smile begin to creep along her face. "Hmm...wimp..." Nicola looked at her tentatively, waiting for her to continue. Her smile broadened. "No, I believe the only wimp that was ever present here in the last half hour is Vana Sage."
Adra both heard and saw Nicola sight with relief at what must've been her words. There was no way she could stay out of her sarcastic, 'normal' mode for any period of extended time. Nicola smiled as she spoke. "So Adra Loran does exist; I was starting to wonder."
Rewarding her friend a smile, Adra nodded. "Yes and unfortunately for you, Adra Loran also will have to pay you back for your little 'sanity-slap' there, Afyon."
She saw her friend's sarcastic smile and at once knew the jist of the response. Who didn't, for sith's sake? No matter. "I don't think so, Loran," Nicola began. "Sure you can try, but it doesn't mean you'll succeed."
No verbal reply was necessary. Adra merely delivered a Force 'sanity-slap' to Nicola's face and then turned tail to run the seven or so kilometers back to base. She glanced over her shoulder to see Nicola rolling her eyes, then her friend set off to her A-Wing. No doubt Nicola would beat her back to base. But she couldn't give it a care in the universe.