Chapter Twenty-Two:

Luke had to give Han and Chewie credit where it was due. They had been at the spaceport for four hours now, moving slowly from one cantina to another as they sought work. Chewie had only crossed Luke and Han's path twice, and even when they were in the same cantina, Luke only knew it was Chewie because of his Force aura. Nella had not been immediately with Chewbacca each time, but she had shown up in time for Luke to not worry, and he realized that she was simply following her programming.

Luke smiled to himself at that as his gaze roamed the current cantina from his seat in a corner booth. He had the hood of his jacket drawn up to conceal most of his face, but even so, Luke could make out Han across the room.

The smuggler was seated on a bar stool beside another patron: a shifty-looking Sullustan that Luke didn't trust at all. But Han had heard from another patron— who'd done a job for someone else and heard from them— that the Sullustan was the one to talk to for expensive jobs in the area.

So of course Han would take the chance... Luke thought sourly.

Luke sighed as he watched Han for a moment longer, and then allowed his gaze to pass on to avoid suspicion.

"This seat taken, Handsome?"

Luke blinked up in surprise as a redheaded teenager— she looked to be about two years younger than himself— with vivid green eyes took a seat across from him without awaiting his reply. Luke eyed her openly for a moment out of shock before he collected himself and took a sip of his drink.

"I'm not really in the mood for company, actually," Luke told her.

The young woman smirked knowingly. "Well then I guess it's a good thing I'm not here for companionship."

Luke lifted a brow, intrigued by her mannerisms. She was beautiful, Luke would willingly admit, and yet there was something... dangerous about her that he found both alluring and frightening. Her body was well toned and strong for a teenager, and Luke saw nothing but fiery spirit and keen intelligence in those emerald eyes.

Willing to indulge her, Luke sat back some, eyeing her from under his hood. "Alright, I'll bite. What do you want?"

She glanced toward the bar, right in the direction of Han and the Sullustan. "You two are looking for work, right?" Luke blinked, wondering how in space she'd figured that out—he had been rather careful, Luke was certain of that— and her smirk widened. Her words were not challenging, however, when she next spoke. "There's no need to make a scene. I didn't come here to make trouble."

Luke eyed her more intently, and then sat his glass down, leaning forward to give her his full attention. "Alright. Yes, we are looking for work. Do you know of any?"

"I do, but I can also tell you that anything that Sullustan offers will be rigged. He has a history of double-crossing his agents." The young woman informed Luke before she straightened proudly. "I work for someone who can get you boys some good, clean work, won't double-cross you, and you'll profit in the end."

Luke threw a glance at Han, who seemed to be haggling final details with his companion, judging from the handshakes happening now. "Something tells me my friend's got a gig already, and he won't be swayed easily... but I'm listening."

She reached into a pocket and slid something across the tabletop to him. "The Smuggler's Alliance is fairly new, but we're a respectable business. Talon Karrde is the head of the Alliance, and he is always willing to take on help, as long as they're honest working people." Her eyes hardened in warning. "He doesn't like being played."

Luke nodded, moving to take the chip. When his fingers touched hers he felt a jolt, and with a sharp breath of surprise, Luke realized she was Force-sensitive. And rather powerful, Luke instinctively knew.

He saw her own similar reaction to his touch before she covered it up expertly. Luke similarly swallowed his own emotion, yet held her gaze. "What is your name?"

She hesitated, and Luke got the impression she rarely divulged that information. "Mara Jade," she murmured so only he could hear.

Then she was standing up, straightening her shirt and nodding to the chip he now held. "Think it over."

Luke watched her go with great interest, but just before she ducked outside his view was blocked by Han, who walked by Luke's table and tapped it once. Luke shook himself and pocketed the datachip, promising himself to look it over later.

He waited ten minutes after Han's signal and then stood to leave also, making his way back to the Falcon.

00000

Leia breathed in deeply as she waited for her starfighter to emerge from hyperspace. She had volunteered to fly with Rogue Squadron since they were the only group willing— or perhaps crazy as some other pilots had whispered— to allow her to come along with them.

After General Hurst — Obi Wan— had verified her data to be correct, Leia had volunteered to join the attack on the next vessel they were to raid for supplies. This particular ship was said to be carrying proton bombs, something the Rebellion would love to have more of.

The princess had heard the whispers and seen the looks as she emerged wearing an orange flightsuit and approached her borrowed fighter.

Now, however, Leia pushed those things aside. Leia slipped into battle-mode as she had been trained to do, though she took a measure of comfort in the knowledge that Artoo had volunteered to be her droid for the battle. When the timer counted to zero she pulled back on her hyperspace levers and was greeted with the sight of an Imperial freighter leaving an otherwise neutral space-dock.

"Alright boys, the target has been painted," Wedge Antilles announced over the squadron's frequency. Leia looked down to see the freighter marked red, indicating it as the target, and nodded as Wedge went on. "Split into trios as discussed. Rogue Thirteen, you're with Rogues Leader, Two and Three."

"Copy that," Leia replied, moving into position as the other X-wings split into formation and came in at the freighter.

Red laserfire spewed put from the small one-man ships as the Alliance task-force bore down on the freighter. They had speed and surprise on their side, but the freighter would reach the jump point for hyperspace in five minutes, so that didn't leave a lot of room for error.

"Rogues Seven through Twelve focus on taking down their shields. Leader, Two, Three and Thirteen will take out their communications array first, and then Four, Five and Six can disable the hyperdrive!" Wedge ordered.

Several acknowledgements were heard, and Leia took in the larger ship. "Artoo, can you find the communications array for me?"

As she conversed with her droid Leia focused on staying clear of the return fire now being shot at them from the enemy. Leia dodged the larger green laserfire with relative ease, and she was pleased to know she was doing well so far. But there was still a lot of battle to go.

It's near the cockpit, on the starboard side of the ship, topside. Artoo answered while Leia watched two sets of wing-trios raze the shields of the freighter like flies to a piece of dung.

Artoo showed her the precise location of the communications suite, and Leia nodded. By now the freighter would have alerted the nearest Imperial vessel to the attack, which meant help was likely on the way. "Thanks."

Leia saw the shields flicker dangerously on the larger ship and she knew they were weak enough that her shots might now get through. "Rogue Leader I'm going in."

Leia veered in the indicated direction, listening as Wedge replied that he was right with her. He also called for Rogues Two and Three to form a new wing-pair and make sure there weren't any nasty surprises waiting for them.

Leia spied the communications array and she aimed for it, but though her shots were on target, the freighter abruptly barrel-rolled away, and Leia had to jink hard port to avoid a collision.

She went out several yards before she hit her thrusters just so, feathered her brakes and flipped a one-eighty to come back in at the freighter while other X-wings took shots at the engines that would allow the ship to jump to lightspeed.

Leia half-expected the ship to roll again, and wasn't disappointed when it in fact did just that. Leia was ready, however, rolling in the opposite direction and taking a shot at the communication equipment as the two ships rolled by each other. The young woman saw the shields on the larger ship finally sputter out just before her shots hit true.

She was then rewarded with a brilliant flash and a whoop escaped her.

"Well done Thirteen!" Wedge cheered. "That was some killer flying!"

Leia smiled somewhat bashfully at the open praise, able to sense that Wedge in fact meant every word. That was something she wasn't used to save from her brother.

"Thank you, Lead," she murmured, moving back in to help the other Rogues take the freighter down.

"Let's wrap this up, everyone!" Wedge went on. "Only two minutes 'till they get away!"

Leia watched as three other Rogues came in from a sharp angle to pepper the engines. Now that the ship was about to go down, Leia felt it in the Force when the Imperials sought to fire away at the Rebels with more of their ship's limited weaponry.

"We need to take out those turbolasers, or we won't be getting on that ship when it's time," Wedge called.

"I'm on it, Leader," Hobbie replied, and he indeed dove in toward the ship, following its bow with such precision that Leia whistled softly. She had seen her father and brother fly like that, but few others.

Hobbie's X-wing pulled up at the last second and a missile was shot into the starboard turbolaser, and the thing exploded in a brilliant fireball that the smaller ship barely made it through.

"Hobbie, are you okay?" Leia asked worriedly.

"I got a little singed, but I'm alright," Hobbie returned.

Leia nodded to herself and then had to shut her eyes against the brilliant flash as the engines finally blew out on the Imperial freighter. Moments after the second turbolaser blew, and Leia pumped a fist.

"Rogue Leader to the Yellow Fling, we're ready for a pickup!" Wedge called over the comm. unit. There was a larger Alliance freighter waiting in two minutes out for them to signal, and Leia felt her hopes of success rise as phase one of the operation was completed.

Leia and the other Rogues moved out of the path of the out of the path of the Yellow Fling as she appeared, already extending a docking tube so the Alliance could board the Imperial ship.

Leia spoke up then from her X-wing. "Rogue Thirteen to Yellow Fling, use caution upon entering, the Imperials will likely ambush anyone who comes aboard. And expect the cargo to be tagged so it can be traced."

"Will do, Thirteen, thanks." Leia noticed the other's barely restrained annoyance at being told how to do his job, but Leia didn't back down.

She felt it in the Force when the ground-troops engaged in battle, and despite her warning, she felt a few Rebels get injured, with two being killed. Leia winced at that, and waited with baited breath as the fight continued, with a secondary group entering the Imperial freighter to retrieved the cargo as previously planned.

The first wave was to keep the Empire busy while the second retrieved the supplies. Leia had just felt a victorious shift in the troopers aboard the Imperial vessel when a shiver of warning went up her spine.

"Hurry it up Yellow Fling, we're about to have company!" Leia warned.

Not thirty seconds later an Imperial-class Star Destroyer appeared, though thankfully it was currently out of firing range. But Leia knew it would close the distance quickly.

"Stang!" Wedge swore on the Rogue's frequency. "Yellow Fling, we need to go NOW!"

"We're already retreating. Hold them off for another minute and we'll be all clear."

"Copy that!" Wedge responded. "Rogues, let's give them some cover."

Leia nodded even though no one could see, and veered toward the approaching Star Destroyer, now marked as the Ravager on her scopes. Thirteen X-wings scattered and began making careful runs at the Ravager, though in reality their efforts were doing little.

Leia didn't complain, however, even as the larger ship opened fire. Then, of course, a couple wings of TIE fighters were loosed and the battle became a little more even as dogfights broke out in the space between the Ravager and the Yellow Fling, which was now releasing its hold on the disabled freighter.

"They're away, let's go home Rogues!" Wedge ordered.

Leia dodged the incoming fire from a pair of TIE fighters and as she leveled out she saw the Alliance ship disappear. Leia let out a breath of relief, though it was short lived as several green flashes lit up her shields. Leia grimaced as they flickered dangerously and she dipped below the enemy's line of fire, looping around to come in behind them.

Leia loosed a salvo of laserfire and the left-most TIE exploded in a fiery ball. Leia saw Rogue Five appear then, a gaggle of TIEs on his tail.

"Five pull to port!" someone called.

"I can't shake them!" Five cried as he tried to roll away, but the TIE's refused to leave him alone. One hit a part on the man's X-wing and it began to trail smoke.

"Get out of there!"

"I... aahh!" Five's final scream was cut off as his ship exploded, and there was a moment of stunned silence before Wedge's strained voice broke through.

"Twelve don't you do anything stupid! Let's get out of here while we still can!"

A few X-wings vanished almost instantly as they leapt to lightspeed upon the command, while others had to evade TIE's before they jumped.

Leia hung back with Leader and Twelve as the other obviously debated going against Wedge's orders. Leia took another hit from the pursuing TIE fighters and now she felt her danger sense flare.

"It's now or never you two!" Leia warned. They were the only Rebels left in the area at this point.

"Go, Thirteen," Wedge replied as Twelve finally veered away. "We will be right behind you."

Leia punched it, hearing Artoo twitter sharply as she did so... and Leia gasped when something hit her ship just as it jumped into hyperspace, though unconsciousness took her soon after that.