Note: Go back and read Chapter 23 Good News and the Not So Good because I just noticed that for some reason it didn't load right. How come none of you told me? scolds readers :) Anyway, it's a REALLY important chapter if you want to know what's going on.
Note 2: I will be revising and reposting this on the boards at under the name JesinaDreisafter I have finished its prequels, A New Path and Bitter Reunion. Those of you reading all of them have probably noticed that there's a lot happening in those that isn't incorporated into this one. Iwill most likely not be reposting it here, but I encourage you all togo there. The authors there are wonderful, and there are a number of Rogue/Wraith fics as well as the standard Han, Leia, Luke, Mara, and NJO.
RowenaR: I try to update quickly. Right now I am updating about every three days. And I am well aware that I am not nice to Wes and Jes. If you are reading the other stories, you will know that without a shadow of a doubt.
ninjaturtle: I agree, but it's nice to see a guy who isn't afraid to cry.
Nikki: Here is some more for you.
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Title: Inner Demons, Outer Evils
Summary: A tragic event sets Rogue Squadron on the path to the truth...and sends one of the Rogues on a collision course with himself.
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 28: Going Home
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Wedge stood on the bridge of the Valor, looking out at Coruscant. The city-planet hung against a black backdrop dotted by the occasional star. It looked so peaceful from out here. Looking down on it one could hardly believe it was the bustling, crime-ridden capital world.
"Glad to be home?" He turned to see Jesina standing a few meters away. She'd been up and around the last couple days – the only of the four injured to be released from the Med Center yet. She was more or less recovered, but he still wished she'd rest.
"Except that being home means telling Tycho about Hobbie," he admitted.
"I could do it," she said softly.
"No. It's my responsibility."
"No, it isn't. Hobbie was as much my friend, Wes' too, as he was yours. Your responsibility is to report to command, not to break the bad news to friends."
He didn't answer, just changed the subject. "Any word from Lusankya about Lonciez?"
"No." She sighed. "I doubt they'll ever find him."
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, then shrugged. "There's not much I can do. I'm certainly not going to let his lack of sanity dictate how I live my life. I'd end up just as crazy as he is."
He nodded thoughtfully. She had a point. The Rogues had made more than their fair share of enemies in their time, but they'd never let paranoia run their lives. He couldn't expect her to do any different. "Just do me a favor? Don't take any stupid chances, all right?"
She smiled, coming closer and putting a hand on his arm. "I won't."
"You been down to the med center lately?"
Jesina nodded. "I just came from there. Face will be able to fly down, provided he goes to bed right after. They expect Wes and Gavin to regain consciousness soon, but they'll both have to be transported down to Coruscant." She looked out over the planet. "If Hekrig comes back too soon, we'll be flying short."
"We'll be flying short no matter what," he pointed out.
She nodded again, knowing he was referring to Tycho. "Have you heard anything about his condition?"
"I got a message from Winter a few days back," he told her. "You were still in the med center, and by the time you were out, it wasn't in the front of my mind anymore. He's improved a lot in the, what, four months since he was admitted. Might be able to be released soon."
"Five," she corrected gently. "Hard to believe, isn't it?"
He nodded. "When things go wrong, time always seems to move so much faster."
She looked back out toward Coruscant. "It certainly does."
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Wedge walked out of the debriefing after six hours without seeing anyone other than Admiral Ackbar, General Cracken, General Bel Iblis and the rest of the squadron. He was tired, hungry, and not a little unnerved.
He glanced at Jesina, who was leaning heavily on him. The session had been emotionally draining for her – he'd finally gotten to see just how much of a toll Lonciez had taken on her. Not to mention that, since she hadn't fully recovered, it had been physically draining as well. Force! It had been physically draining on him, and he hadn't recently been sick or injured.
"You get the feeling…" he began once they were a short distance away from the room and the command staff still inside.
"Yeah. He knows something," she answered, referring to Cracken. "And as soon as I've gotten food and sleep, I'm going to find out what it is."
"Just so long as you get some rest," Wedge warned.
She nodded. "You going to talk to Tycho tonight?"
He glanced at his chrono. Fourteen hundred hours. "Yeah. I'll get something to eat on the way."
"I'll go with you."
Wedge shook his head. "No. Go home and go to bed. You need it. You can see him later."
"I should be there now."
"Get some sleep," he admonished. "You know he'd say the same thing."
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Tycho looked up as the door slid open and saw one of the orderlies. "Mister Celchu, you have a visitor."
He stood slowly, wondering who it might be. He knew it wasn't Winter – she'd told him that she'd be busy this afternoon. He presumed whatever had dragged her away had to do with Hekrig, and hoped that the Imperial Admiral hadn't returned. She'd kept him filled in on what was going on outside the hospital walls as much as Doctor Lur had allowed her. She'd gradually increased the amount of time Tycho got to spend with Winter – and the amount of information his wife was allowed to give him – as his recovery had progressed.
He followed the orderly down the sterile corridors to a visiting room and stopped short when he saw who was inside. Wedge. He swallowed hard. He'd seen Wedge since his hospitalization – the night of the dinner for the Adumari delegation. But his friend hadn't had the opportunity to visit him in the hospital, and he'd been secretly glad of that.
But Wedge was here now and there was no sense in hiding. Holding his head high, he walked in and hugged his CO. "It's good to see you back." He didn't say that he was surprised to see him alone.
Wedge must have noticed anyway. "The others would have come, but, well, circumstances intervened."
Wedge watched as Tycho sat down after glancing over his shoulder. Wedge guessed his friend was grateful that the orderly had left. Winter had told him that because Tycho had been doing better, he didn't have to be monitored all hours of the day, and he was even allowed to wander the halls on occasion.
He could believe it. He remembered how the other man had looked the last time he'd seen him. He'd gained back much of the weight he'd lost – not that he looked entirely healthy, yet, but Wedge guessed that was probably because he was used to seeing the Tycho that worked out fairly regularly. Being in the hospital had caused him to lose some of his muscle tone, though that would surely come back with time.
His coloring was better, too – he was no longer so pale. He just looked healthier – and sounded it as well. His voice wasn't as weak and strained as it had been.
But what struck Wedge the most were his friend's eyes. The emptiness that had been there from the night that Tycho had gone into the hospital to the night of the state dinner was gone. The sadness was still there, but the vacant look that had worried them all so much was gone.
"What kind of circumstances?" Tycho's voice brought him out of his reverie.
"To begin with, Jesina has a stalker," Wedge said, sighing. "Her ex-partner from NRI. Long story short, we thought he was dead but he wasn't. He tried to kill her by rigging a bomb to the door of her quarters. She, Wes, Gavin, and Face Loran were caught in it. They're all going to be fine, but some faster than others." He briefly described their injuries and told him about their current conditions.
Tycho shook his head. "Sounds like I missed all the fun."
Wedge inwardly groaned. Every second he waited this got harder and harder. "Not really," he said softly.
Tycho stared, his stomach suddenly feeling like a block of ice. "Who?" he asked.
In the moment before he answered, Wedge wondered if this was how Janson had felt telling Jesina when she woke up. Probably, he decided, as he said gently, "Hobbie. Winter knows, but I asked her not to say anything. I wanted to tell you in person."
Tycho swallowed hard and thought back to about a week ago. Winter had come to visit, and looked like she'd been crying.
"Winter?" he asked slowly. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing. Just, a lot of things going on." She gave him a wan smile. "Too much stress, that's all."
He frowned. Winter didn't cry very often, and so he had a hard time believing that it was nothing more than stress. Pushing wouldn't get him anywhere, though. Especially if it was something Ishana had told Winter she couldn't' talk about. He had to try once more, at least, even though he expected he'd get nowhere with it. "Are you sure?" he asked gently.
"I'm sure," she replied, though she didn't look it.
"How?" was all he could manage to say.
"He was with Elscol on the ground, leading some of the Rogues and Wraiths. They came under fire and he was hit twice. There was nothing anyone could do."
Tycho folded his hands in front of him, taking several deep breaths, counting to five in between. He looked away and Wedge reached over, putting his hand to the side of Tycho's face. Gently, he forced Tycho to face him. Winter had warned him about this reaction, and told him what to do. Apparently, Doctor Lur had told Winter that it was his way of withdrawing, and that was something she wanted to avoid. "You don't really think Winter didn't tell me what to expect, do you?" he asked gently. "You're not going to do that with me here. Come on, Tych."
The Alderaanian gave him a weak grin. "I should have known," he said ruefully.
"Yeah," Wedge agreed, offering him an encouraging smile, though he really didn't feel like smiling.
"I don't believe it," he admitted after a moment. "I…" He shook his head. "I don't believe it," he said again.
"I didn't either. I wasn't around when it happened. I was on Lusankya. Jesina was in a coma – more of the long story – and Wes had just recently recovered. Inyri and Gavin had to take over. I'm putting in for commendations for them both, by the way." He paused. "Did you know that Inyri and Hobbie were together?"
"I suspected," he admitted, "but I believed them when they said they weren't, especially considering what happened between them on Hoth. So they really were?"
Wedge nodded in the affirmative. "Oh yes. He asked her to marry him the night we left Coruscant."
Tycho rested his chin on his hand. "Oh, wow."
"Yeah. I couldn't believe it."
"How is she?" Tycho asked, both anxious to talk about someone's feelings – anyone's feelings – other than his own, and genuinely concerned about her.
"Better than I expected. She and Wes seem to have bonded over it – he and Gavin are the only ones she'll really talk to. But then when both of them were hurt in the explosion, she started to shut down again. Now that both of them are coming along well, she's doing better too."
"You think Hekrig will be back?" Tycho asked, changing the subject. His mind needed time to process the news and he was glad that Wedge let him redirect the conversation.
"No doubt in my mind. Wes and Gavin won't be able to fly, though." Then he shrugged. "We've gotten used to flying shorthanded, though."
Tycho looked away but looked back before Wedge could react. "I'm sorry."
Wedge shook his head. "Don't be. You needed this." Then he paused. "Tycho, if you were able to return to the squadron, do you think you would? Have you given it any thought?"
"I've considered it," Tycho replied. "But I really don't know."