Title: A New Path
Summary: Tycho Celchu's journey from the Empire to the Alliance.
Disclaimer: Star Wars is, quite clearly, not mine, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is not written for profit.
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Chapter 24: Departure
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Tycho walked into the north entrance way and immediately gravitated toward Jesina, who was locked in some argument with General Rieekan. It wasn't an abnormal sight – this was how she'd spent the better part of the last week and a half, when she wasn't working on the Nightwind, that was. Just as he approached, he saw her throw up her hands and heard her say, "You need to go out on a date, General. I hear Mon Mothma's available. I'm sure that would work out. Your paranoid, overbearing personalities suit each other perfectly!"
He instantly backpedaled, eyes wide. He didn't know what had set her off this time, and wasn't sure he wanted to. General Rieekan had a reputation for being a fair and somewhat kind man – though he could be as cold as the ice that the base's walls were made out of if the situation demanded it.
She turned on her heel and stalked away, shoving her hands into the pockets of her parka. On her way out, she nearly knocked him over. He spun around and jogged after her, catching her arm. "You all right?"
"I'm fine…he just…" she waved her hand toward the General and sighed loudly. "I need to get going and he won't let me leave. Not that that's anything new. There were reports of activity a couple of systems over – three days ago! – and he's afraid my leaving will alert someone to the base's presence." She blew out a hard breath and quickened her pace, clenched fists hanging by her side.
"Well, we were about to start a sabacc game – feel like joining?" he asked.
She brightened quickly. "You sure you feel like letting me take off with all your credits? Whenever I finally get to leave, that is?" she asked, shooting a frustrated look over her shoulder at Rieekan, who was watching her with some amusement.
"Well, you can have whatever credits I have left. Solo's managed to take most of them."
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"I'm out," Wes said, tossing his cards down on the table in disgust.
"Me too." Jesina gathered the credits on the table in front of her – slightly more than she'd started with and stood.
Wes pushed back his chair and straightened up as well, stretching. As he lowered his arms, he brushed his left hand against the small of her back.
"You're going to give us a chance to win that back tomorrow night, right, Dreis?" Han Solo asked.
"Tell you what. I'll give you yours back if you manage to talk Rieekan into letting me get out of here."
He snickered. "Deal," he agreed, reaching across and shaking her hand.
She returned the handshake and nodded to Wedge, Hobbie, and Skywalker. "Night, boys."
Wes followed Jesina out. "Feeling any better?" he asked once they were out of earshot of the other pilots. He'd barely seen her since that first night, and it had had him a little worried.
She turned to him, offering him a small smile, and nodded. "Better. Not entirely, but mostly." She shifted from foot to foot. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah."
"My quarters?" she suggested. They could go to his but it was possible that Hobbie would be back earlier than she would like. Given the way that the Raltiirian had been going, he'd be heading to bed in short order.
"Yeah."
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"What's up?" Wes asked, sitting down on her bed and marveling at how much more comfortable it felt than his. "Why do you get a nice bed?"
"I…I don't…" she gave him a bewildered look. "It's a bed, Wes. In fact, it's not even a bed. It's a military issue cot. There's really not much difference between one and the next." She shook her head. "Would you be serious?"
"Yeah…it's just…it's much more comfortable." She shot him a look and he sobered. "What's up?" he asked again.
"You…and me. I want to try this."
It was his turn to look confused. "I'm not tracking you."
"What almost happened when I first got back – you were right. I was upset, and I wasn't thinking straight, and you were right to put a stop to it. But I do have feelings for you. And I do want to try." She shook her head and sighed.
"I know this is a really awkward conversation. But I'm not experienced with this. Before…there was Tycho and one other man who I don't care to talk about. Relationships are so not my thing it's sad. I just…I don't know any other way to do this."
He stood, taken aback by the direction of the conversation, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down."
"I…what?"
"Relax, Jes." He leaned forward, pressing against as he finished the kiss he'd abruptly broken off the last time she'd been in his quarters.
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Jesina walked out of her quarters and directly into General Rieekan. "Nicely done, Captain."
"Excuse me?" She regarded him suspiciously.
"You've got your clearance. General Cracken seems to have taken an interest in you. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
"I…I'm sure if General Cracken would have wanted you to know anything about his dealings with me, he'd have told you." She was still annoyed with him for stalling her as long as she'd had. She'd planned on her stopover on Hoth lasting a week at the most – not nearly as long as it had. He'd done everything from grounding her because of additional, unnecessary repairs he claimed her ship needed to the nonsense about activity in a nearby system, and she was in a mood to be difficult in return.
"Well, you're free to go. But you have a narrow window, so I suggest you take it."
Her eyes narrowed. "If you were than anxious to get rid of me, you shouldn't have delayed me so long."
"You needed a break, Captain. Any fool could see that, and I know of quite a few who did. I gave it to you – against your will as it was. You'll get over it. And perhaps you'll stay alive a little longer as a result." Then he turned and walked away, leaving her staring at his back, slightly dazed.
There was not one member of the Alliance Command structure that she understood – or cared to.
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"Hey."
Jesina straightened a little too quickly, bumping her head on the bulkhead. "Hey," she said, dusting off her hands.
"You're leaving?"
She nodded. "I needed to leave two weeks ago, but Rieekan delayed me as long as was in his power."
"When will you be back?"
"I don't know. Tycho, I have my own work, and you have yours. There's no telling how long you'll be here – the Alliance doesn't exactly have a track record for staying in one place for an extended period of time. And it may not be convenient for me to make it all the way out here, or wherever you end up." She shrugged. "Besides, you can get along just fine without me."
"I know I can. That doesn't mean I want to, though. You're all I've got left, Jes."
"No I'm not. As strange as all this is to you still, you have this. Janson's finally accepted you, and Wedge and Skywalker did from the start. And Hobbie, of course, is glad to have you on board. Consider this starting over."
"I thought I already had started over."
"No one ever said you only got one chance to start over." She hugged him. "I'll be around, and I'll stay in touch. But you're a big boy. You don't need me around to threaten the Rogues for you."
"How about threatening Solo so I can get back some of my credits?" he suggested.
She laughed and put an arm around his waist. "Come on, I have more crates to move."
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Jesina and Wes bid each other a private good-bye in his quarters. They'd decided that they were going to keep their relationship – or whatever one might call it – to themselves, at least for the beginning.
Though he expected the others to figure it out in short order.
"I'm going to miss you," he said softly. "You know, you could always join up with us. We've got an opening right now."
She shook her head. "That's not for me, Wes. Can you see me in an environment as structured as a fighter squadron? I'd go crazy."
He sighed. "I know. It's just…I'm not exactly in love with the idea of you running around the galaxy on your own."
"Janson, don't get all protective over me now. You never doubted my ability to take care of myself before. Don't start just because we…because of this."
"I always worried about you before. It just wasn't my place to say so."
She glared at him, swatting him lightly on the arm. "I have to go. I promised Tycho I'd stop by once more before I left."
He kissed her lightly, then released her, forcing a smile. "Keep in touch, Dreis."
She smiled in return, but it was just as fake. Leaving was turning out to be harder than she'd expected. "I'll see you around, Janson."