Yes! There's more! :) Thanks to all you who have reviewed, especially Sianne. I'll try to post more frequently on this story. In the meantime, enjoy the next chapter or two.
Hearts are Meant To: Chapter 16
By Knight Mara
A proximity alarm jerked Luke out of his doze. Blinking the sleepy haze out of his eyes, he glanced at his readouts, trying to get himself reoriented. According to the data scrolling across his screen, he was approaching Derra IV. Memories flooded back then. His mission, his encounter with the mammoth Star Destroyer, and his escape to lightspeed all hit him with crystalline clarity. Wearily shaking his head, he reached forward and brought his ship out of hyperspace. Genna's ship, he corrected himself as starlines became pinpoints once more. Derra IV floated peacefully in front of him, beckoning him to land. Never in all of his flights for the Alliance could he recall such a desperate urge to land an X-wing. Apparently, he'd been through too much for one day.
Opening up a channel, he hailed the base below. "Base, this is Rogue Leader. Requesting permission to land." When he failed to get a response, he repeated, "Base, this is Rogue Leader. Do you copy?"
"Copy that, Rogue Leader," an unfamiliar voice greeted him several panicked seconds later. "Where's the rest of your party?"
"On their way," Luke replied, suppressing the urge to add, "I hope." He was sure they'd jumped to lightspeed as soon as he had, but in the heat of the moment he hadn't been able to tell. "We ran into some trouble and had to jump out of there," he added.
"How bad?"
"We'll soon see," Luke answered grimly. "Has Commander Narra arrived?"
The voice that responded was instantly recognizable. "I'm right here, Luke. You say you boys had some trouble?"
"Yes, sir," Luke said with a sigh. "As soon as I'm planetside, I'll be sure to tell you all about it."
"Copy that," Narra agreed. "Proceed to 525 point 77."
"Roger. And keep an eye out for the cruiser. They were right behind me." He then proceeded to maneuver the X-wing to the given coordinates. It wasn't long before he spotted the base, still partially under construction. Guiding the ship to the hangar bay, he was unaware he'd been holding his breath until he touched down. Almost as though he feared something else would happen before he got a chance to land. He shook his head reproachfully. Even after the nap he'd taken, he was still shaken up from his encounter. Why?
With a weary sigh, he popped the canopy and climbed out of the ship. As soon as his feet hit the ground he heard the sound of running footsteps. He turned to see a young man he didn't recognize hurrying toward him.
"Sir, Commander Narra sent me to get you," the young man panted. "He's in the Command Center."
"I'll be right there," Luke replied, taking a moment to close the canopy of the ship. He saw a few techs approaching, nodded to them, and then turned his gaze on the young man. "After you," he said, gesturing for the man to lead him to the Command Center."
"Yes, sir," the young man said before turning and leading Luke out of the hangar and through the cavernous maze of the new base.
A few moments later, he entered the Command Center. Amid the bustling activity, he spotted Narra hunched over a console and made his way over to him.
"Commander Narra," Luke addressed.
Narra came up to look at him with a concerned expression. "Skywalker," he replied. "Laire's ship has just come out of hyperspace and should be landing shortly. They say they have one wounded and a traitor in captivity. Would you mind filling me in?"
One wounded and one a traitor? What had transpired in the past four hours? Luke should his head, bewildered. "Sir, I can only tell you what I know, which is hazy at best."
Narra nodded. "Well, why don't you start with why your squadron didn't arrive here right behind ours?"
"That I can answer," Luke spoke, not even trying to hide the grimace on his face or the bitterness in his tone. "While en route, Laire got new orders to drop out of hyperspace for some diversionary tactic involving a lone Imperial cruiser."
"Sounds foolhardy," snorted Narra.
"We all agreed with that sentiment," Luke continued, "but Laire was not to be swayed. Said the order came from High Command, although now I'm not so sure. Turns out it was a trap."
"Losses?"
Luke sighed. "Well, to tell you the truth, I sorta knew something was up, so I told the Rogues to return to the hangar, since I didn't want them stuck out there with no hyperdrives. I took Gen---Cage's X-wing and headed out there alone, knowing I could jump to safety if things got bad."
"And?" Narra pressed, now fully absorbed in Luke's tale as the younger man seemed to be growing more and more tense as the story was relayed.
"It could have been very bad," concluded Luke stiffly. "An Imperial ship, one we've never seen before and several times the size of an ordinary Star Destroyer, came out of lightspeed as I was drifting there. As it was bearing down on me, I got the order to jump, so I did." He paused, looking downcast. "Cowardly, I know, but what's done is done."
"I see," spoke Narra when he had finished. "Any idea what they were after."
The clinical way in which Narra spoke to him now froze Luke's blood. Was the older man blaming him for what happened? Was he ashamed that Rogue Leader had run from the battle? Not wanting to give Narra any more doubts about his competency as a pilot and a leader, he weighed his answer. Swallowing hard, Luke lied, "No idea."
Narra nodded at him. "Well then let's greet Laire and see if we can fill in all the missing pieces. Then, maybe we can get some answers as to what exactly happened up there."
He turned and headed out of the Command Center, and Luke followed in his wake, his mind racing the whole time. One injured and one a traitor? He only hoped the situation would not turn out to be as bad as he feared.
Hearts are Meant To: Chapter 16
By Knight Mara
A proximity alarm jerked Luke out of his doze. Blinking the sleepy haze out of his eyes, he glanced at his readouts, trying to get himself reoriented. According to the data scrolling across his screen, he was approaching Derra IV. Memories flooded back then. His mission, his encounter with the mammoth Star Destroyer, and his escape to lightspeed all hit him with crystalline clarity. Wearily shaking his head, he reached forward and brought his ship out of hyperspace. Genna's ship, he corrected himself as starlines became pinpoints once more. Derra IV floated peacefully in front of him, beckoning him to land. Never in all of his flights for the Alliance could he recall such a desperate urge to land an X-wing. Apparently, he'd been through too much for one day.
Opening up a channel, he hailed the base below. "Base, this is Rogue Leader. Requesting permission to land." When he failed to get a response, he repeated, "Base, this is Rogue Leader. Do you copy?"
"Copy that, Rogue Leader," an unfamiliar voice greeted him several panicked seconds later. "Where's the rest of your party?"
"On their way," Luke replied, suppressing the urge to add, "I hope." He was sure they'd jumped to lightspeed as soon as he had, but in the heat of the moment he hadn't been able to tell. "We ran into some trouble and had to jump out of there," he added.
"How bad?"
"We'll soon see," Luke answered grimly. "Has Commander Narra arrived?"
The voice that responded was instantly recognizable. "I'm right here, Luke. You say you boys had some trouble?"
"Yes, sir," Luke said with a sigh. "As soon as I'm planetside, I'll be sure to tell you all about it."
"Copy that," Narra agreed. "Proceed to 525 point 77."
"Roger. And keep an eye out for the cruiser. They were right behind me." He then proceeded to maneuver the X-wing to the given coordinates. It wasn't long before he spotted the base, still partially under construction. Guiding the ship to the hangar bay, he was unaware he'd been holding his breath until he touched down. Almost as though he feared something else would happen before he got a chance to land. He shook his head reproachfully. Even after the nap he'd taken, he was still shaken up from his encounter. Why?
With a weary sigh, he popped the canopy and climbed out of the ship. As soon as his feet hit the ground he heard the sound of running footsteps. He turned to see a young man he didn't recognize hurrying toward him.
"Sir, Commander Narra sent me to get you," the young man panted. "He's in the Command Center."
"I'll be right there," Luke replied, taking a moment to close the canopy of the ship. He saw a few techs approaching, nodded to them, and then turned his gaze on the young man. "After you," he said, gesturing for the man to lead him to the Command Center."
"Yes, sir," the young man said before turning and leading Luke out of the hangar and through the cavernous maze of the new base.
A few moments later, he entered the Command Center. Amid the bustling activity, he spotted Narra hunched over a console and made his way over to him.
"Commander Narra," Luke addressed.
Narra came up to look at him with a concerned expression. "Skywalker," he replied. "Laire's ship has just come out of hyperspace and should be landing shortly. They say they have one wounded and a traitor in captivity. Would you mind filling me in?"
One wounded and one a traitor? What had transpired in the past four hours? Luke should his head, bewildered. "Sir, I can only tell you what I know, which is hazy at best."
Narra nodded. "Well, why don't you start with why your squadron didn't arrive here right behind ours?"
"That I can answer," Luke spoke, not even trying to hide the grimace on his face or the bitterness in his tone. "While en route, Laire got new orders to drop out of hyperspace for some diversionary tactic involving a lone Imperial cruiser."
"Sounds foolhardy," snorted Narra.
"We all agreed with that sentiment," Luke continued, "but Laire was not to be swayed. Said the order came from High Command, although now I'm not so sure. Turns out it was a trap."
"Losses?"
Luke sighed. "Well, to tell you the truth, I sorta knew something was up, so I told the Rogues to return to the hangar, since I didn't want them stuck out there with no hyperdrives. I took Gen---Cage's X-wing and headed out there alone, knowing I could jump to safety if things got bad."
"And?" Narra pressed, now fully absorbed in Luke's tale as the younger man seemed to be growing more and more tense as the story was relayed.
"It could have been very bad," concluded Luke stiffly. "An Imperial ship, one we've never seen before and several times the size of an ordinary Star Destroyer, came out of lightspeed as I was drifting there. As it was bearing down on me, I got the order to jump, so I did." He paused, looking downcast. "Cowardly, I know, but what's done is done."
"I see," spoke Narra when he had finished. "Any idea what they were after."
The clinical way in which Narra spoke to him now froze Luke's blood. Was the older man blaming him for what happened? Was he ashamed that Rogue Leader had run from the battle? Not wanting to give Narra any more doubts about his competency as a pilot and a leader, he weighed his answer. Swallowing hard, Luke lied, "No idea."
Narra nodded at him. "Well then let's greet Laire and see if we can fill in all the missing pieces. Then, maybe we can get some answers as to what exactly happened up there."
He turned and headed out of the Command Center, and Luke followed in his wake, his mind racing the whole time. One injured and one a traitor? He only hoped the situation would not turn out to be as bad as he feared.