Acquaintances quickly became friends. When the salty TIE pilots eventually asked Ren about his silent date, he told them that he didn't remember what her name was, but she was deaf and mute anyway. He added as an after-thought, "but I think she can read lips so be careful what you say."

They weren't careful. In fact, they threw insulting comments about her without holding back, and Yana successfully pretended she was bored enough to watch the rest of the crowd, to be interested in the war decor on the walls, since she couldn't follow the conversation anyway.

Ren was doing a great job of snaking his way into their inner-circle conversation topics, making them think he was one of them, and eventually slid in a deviously-smiling comment. "Actually, I heard someone was going to throw a Darverk here tonight and I just came to enjoy the show."

They didn't rise to the bait, but they didn't shy away from it either. The imperial group shared open consensus that such an event would be worth staying longer for. Yana began to suspect Ren had chosen to infiltrate the wrong group of suspects, and realized that, if they were smart, they wouldn't admit to anything with a stranger standing their anyway - deaf and mute or not.

After a minute, she turned to Ren with lover's eyes and signed that she was going to the ladies room.

Ren shrugged comically in front of his friends, "I don't have any idea what you just said, darling, but get me another drink while you're at it." He handed over his credit chip. Yana took it with a cute grin and turned to disappear into the crowd.

"Is she for hire?" One of the pilots asked him.

"Of course she is." Ren grinned smugly, "Why?"

"Deaf and mute. That's how I like them." The pilot chortled, "You let me know when she's concluded her contract with you, eh?"

He angled his head. "We'll see how the night pans out."

Yana listened to everything and didn't react to any of it. There were no murmurs about Darverks, or pranks, or anything insidious - Just the grumbling of rebel scum in one group and the grumbling of palpy jackasses in another. Then she passed by a group where one was saying. "It sure is him. That's Luke Skywalker. Right there."

Without pausing her feet, Yana caught a glimpse of the two Jedi across the big central room, nearly cuddled together in their laughter at the far end of the bar. They didn't see her, but that didn't mean they didn't know she was there. They were likely just putting on a show. Yana was relieved to see them present for this potential disaster.

The line for the ladies room on the Imperial side stretched beyond its little hallway where women watched four people flying TIE simulators like they were arcade games. Four big-screens hung on the walls to show the mock battle to the rest of the audience. These TIE-simulated pilots shouted and cawed from their VR helmets and fake cockpits as their digital selves chased down and fired upon digital X-wings.

Yana's eyes looked up on the second-story wall above the four big screens to find a fifth. It was a solid stream of video looking down on four X-Wing simulators manned with four VR-wearing, cockpit squatting rebels operating similar arcade games. The other side was being watched by as many people as watched this one. The flashing lights, the crowd, the cheesy war memorabilia... The opposing forces were in the same bar. Did they any of them notice they were fighting against other real people?

Her eyes took in the battle screens as the fake TIEs and fake X-wings swarmed each other. When one X-wing smashed into another TIE, taking them both out in balls of bright flame until that screen went blank, the TIE pilot whipped off his VR-helmet and cussed.

Yana's eyes flicked up again to see it. The X-wing pilot also pulled off his VR Helmet to hand it over to the next guy waiting a turn. The pilot was Wes Janson, Wedge's old wingman from Hoth days, and he handed the helmet to Dan Rogan, Wedge's wingman now.

Yana closed her mouth but masked all other expression. She waited in line at the restroom and watched just like all the others did, but struggled with near impatience to see who else was behind the other helmets.

The line moved. She stepped forward. But her eyes remained on the screen above.

Within seconds, another X-wing spun out, clearly operated by an amateur, and the TIE pilot raised his fists with a hoot of victory. Through the upper screen, Yana watched a second 'pilot' take off his helmet: Nik Lendra.

She glanced back to check Ren's status. He was hunched over on his elbows on the high table, smiling and chortling with the those from which he was trying to glean information. She wished she had been more useful. Though she knew some of the Imperial faces, she didn't identify any of them as known problems. Maybe they weren't at the right party.

But her eyes flicked back up to the upper screen. Just as Nik was climbing out of the fake little cockpit so someone else could get into it, Wedge Antilles stepped up from nowhere and offered Nik one of two drinks in his hands.

Can't talk tonight, huh? But she scolded herself too that she had cancelled the datalkink meet up for the same reason, even if she had a better reason for it. Still, she recognized that Wedge handed Nik something in a glass designed to signify a non-alcoholic drink, so maybe Wedge had a better reason for it too. Wedge sipped a beer an Nik sipped his non-alcohol as they bumped shoulder to shoulder and studied the mock battle of their shipmates. Wedge murmured and gestured with his hands, explaining things to Nik, how to fly, how to fight, how to understand what was going on. Nik watched the fight like he was studying for a test, nodding with new understanding. And Wedge kept on explaining the shop talk.

The line moved some more and Yana stepped forward, now nearly out of view of the whole thing and mostly blocked by others collected to chat by the wall. She peeked one eye over that near shoulder to soak in the look of Wedge on that high screen, and her heart thumped again. He was so cute the way he got giddy about flying. He was smiling and jolly, and patting Nik on the shoulder with manly friendship like they were already close pals.

Yana tried to remind herself again that she wasn't 100% certain it was Wedge on the other side of the burner datalink anyway. The whole think could have been a ruse to infiltrate her.

But what if it was?

Her mouth smiled in spite of herself.

At least she'd find out in the morning. Benduday. 1000. Everyday clothes.

Please be you.

The line moved again, and she began to step entirely out of view of that upper screen, when on that screen Nik looked up to their screen to look the TIE-pilots in their fake cockpits.

His face struck shock when he saw and recognized her.

Before she realized he was looking at the same view of this room, Nik whipped his fingers against Wedge's chest, and Wedge looked up too.

His mouth fell open. His black brows knitted with confusion. Blindly, he shoved his beer into Nik's hand and turned away in a rush to hunt out the other camera.

Yana panicked. She saw the restroom line was still five people deep and turned away from the hall entirely. She sifted through the crowd to the main room as fast as she could, intent on intercepting Wedge before the Imperials realized she was a Rebel.