Benduday. Despite the rapidly oncoming 'Big Day', it was vital that the troops still got a day off, for sleep, for laundry, for taking care of their own lives for a while. And though the schedule was only known by a few, many seemed to sense it that no one was going to get Benduday off next week. The rebellion had cranked it up to sixteen-hour days to get it all done. Everyone was exhausted, but few were complaining. As usual under this kind of stress, many of the troops coagulated together to play and scream and fight and fuck all their stresses out onto each other.
Freshly showered of the Falcon grime and back in civvies, Kess wandered over to the grinder just as the giant planet overhead was starting to go to bed. Luke wasn't at the bench yet; but Kess found a whole bunch of other people out there instead.
Two park grills flamed up over food, accompanied by an urging for all present to eat so they didn't have to ship it. Someone brought out an ammo crate of bottled ales buried in a bath of cold nitrogen capsules. An old audiobox poured out young music. Three were throwing a handball around in their self-made triangle on the grinder. Kess stopped her feet toward the Hot Shop when Kayla came skipping out of the crowd.
The girly girls greeted each other and caught up on who was where and why they were here. Kess strolled over with her friend to partake in the free food. Wedge was trying to burn everything. Rogan was flirting with Yana. Joanne was sharing jokes with Ashten. Half of Rogue Group was out there, accompanied by another two dozen random barracks loiterers. Out on the nearby grinder, Kess sensed Seidrik's mischief and turned quickly to catch the ball before it hit her in the back of the head.
"Oh!" Crooned Joanne, laughing and commenting. "Did you see that?"
Meanwhile, Kess glared in play back at Seidrik and threw the ball back at him (she wasn't much of a pitcher) and instantly closed her eyes to try to Force Telekinesis it into his forehead. But the ball had to slow down in the air for her to maneuver it and Seidrik deftly waited until he could leap up and pluck it out of its slowed hover.
"Dammit," she groaned playful, then pointed hard at him. "I'm gonna get you back though."
Luke strolled up and dropped the training duffel at his feet. He put his hands on his hips and looked out at the event with a smiling shrug. "Not exactly the purpose of that trick, but I can't say I disapprove." He smiled hello at Kess as he snagged an ale out of the ammo box.
Wedge complained without looking up, "Are you steeling my beer?"
"I am steeling your beer," Luke confirmed. His eyes shined at Kess as he popped it open.
She looked him up and down. His civilian clothes were filthy from rolling in mud and skidding in chlorophyll. She glanced back to find Zach Vanech still standing outside the big group and looking over the crew as if to take in clues. He, too, was filthy from the exercises.
Kess smiled up, "So dud training has begun already, I see."
"Ugh," Luke grunted, but he grabbed another beer and smiled out. "Zach!"
Zach looked over just in time to catch the flying bottle. Unsmiling, he popped it open and strolled to join them, but still hovered a pace away, silent and watching, observing everyone.
Kess lowered her voice. "What happened to, 'light first, tricks later'?"
Luke sat down on the bench beside her, both of them facing away from the table to watch the ball throwing on the grinder. He murmured, a little more privately, "Too many tricks already. Seeing if we can practice tricks on the light side instead."
Kess secretly watched Vanech stroll a few steps away with his beer. He listened to the chatting of the crew, eyeing various people, then eyed Kess that she was watching him. She pulled her eyes down and murmured to Luke, "Can 'we'?"
Luke leaned back against the table and crossed his ankles. His eyes carefully watched Vanech and murmured back to her, "We're trying. That's what counts."
Wedge yelled over the noise. "Yo, Vanech! Want some grub?" His eyes on Vanech were honorable and peace-offering.
Vanech looked at Wedge a beat; then he stepped over to peruse the menu being burnt.
Kess watched. Vanech was like a wild animal afraid to take an offering, but the man seemed to have use of enough Force Empathy to know these people were trying to welcome him with respect. The only part Kess couldn't be sure of is if the man wanted the friendship. He could easily be here just to infiltrate them, but she didn't think so. She tried to sense out to him again . . . nothing. Her only clue to his demeanor was his body language.
Kess sensed the ball coming and ducked when Luke's hand reached out and caught it before it flew over her shoulder.
Luke called out to Seidrik with friendly warning, "Are you trying to start a fight?"
Seidrik smiled and motioned Luke to throw the ball back. Luke wasn't going to, but Kess told him to.
She was already leaning down to reach into the training duffel. "Go ahead. I'm going to put an end to this right now."
Luke smiled at her idea as he sat up and threw the ball hard. It sailed overhead and Seidrik stepped under it to catch it like a pro. But while Seidrik's eyes were on the ball, Kess hopped to her feet and paced to the grinder with a dud lightsaber in her hand.
Snap-vrooom.
"Oh shit!" The ball players scattered like rats.
Kess smiled as she spun the harmless white blade in the air, nodding pugnaciously at Seidrik. "Come on. Throw it at me one more time. I dare ya."
Seidrik walked fast to stay out of her reach, and Kess paced slowly for him like she was trying to catch a cat, but they were both chuckling at this display. The whole crowd of forty-some troopers chewed sausages and slurped beer to watch this.
"I don't want you to slice my ball in half." He leapt out of the white blade's reach again. "Or me."
She shrugged. "This thing won't hurt you. It's a dud. For practice."
Seidrik stopped his feet. "Yeah? Prove it on you."
She cringed a fresh smile. "I'm not going to prove it on me. I'm going to prove it on you."
Snap-vroom.
Vanech spun the other white blade in his hand and strolled sideways onto the grinder with a dark dare. "Prove it on me."
Seidrik trotted entirely off the grinder. Others backed up until they were well beyond reach of this craziness. Standing bodies now stepped out of Luke's way so he could jump up from his seat.
But he didn't jump up.
Kess paused. Her eyes took in Vanech's steady stalking and glanced to Luke to see if he was okay with this. Luke considered it and eyed her back with an invisible nod, but he shifted on the bench until he wasn't lounging anymore and quietly pulled his real lightsaber hilt into his lap. He held it on his knee at the ready and watched close.
Vanech was swinging the dud saber, after all. His own little one was still in the holster at his hip. And Kess still had her real one hanging beside her thigh. She could defend herself in case this got ugly. Although Luke was ready to jump and lend a hand if necessary, he knew Kess didn't need it.
The crowd hushed and settled. Chewing mouths hung open. Eyes stretched to watch as bottles were sipped. Vanech paced out beyond her on the oval grinder and faced her down several meters away. Kess readied herself on both feet and gripped the hilt with both hands.
Watching him carefully, Kess gave Vanech a taunting smile, "Bring it on, Padawan."
Was that a glitter of humor in Zach's gaze?
Holding his hilt with only one hand, blade up, he stepped forward to her, slashing once as if to hit her blade away. It was as quick as a striking snake. He paced around her and did it again. Kess held her ground, blocking them easily. Short, quick strikes. Easy reaches to meet them. He was feeling this out, and she was learning his moves.
He lunged and swiped down for her calf and she turned hard over to block it with twisted wrists. He stepped back a pace, paused, and he came in again, slashing twice.
She caught both, but the twist of her wrists was a hard stretch. He had more maneuverability by holding that big hilt with one hand and he knew it.
Fine, she thought. She brought back one hand behind her back and shifted sideways, holding the white blade at an angle between them. The hilt was too big and heavy for proper one-handed fencing, but she worked her muscles to manage it.
She felt Luke's new grin.
Vanech's brow twitched. His mouth parted in what was almost a smile. He slashed again, this time with three fast swipes.
Kess danced back and blocked them all with precision.
Cusses erupted from their audience.
Vanech paced back and around again. He was trying to work out an angle. Kess realized he wasn't used to practicing with someone. She also deduced that his weakness was his intent to win. She skipped back over, her feet never staying in the same place for more than a beat, and faked him two quick strikes.
Vanech reacted to both, catching them both, and seemed to know they were fakes before she made them. Before the last of her attacks was over, he lunged up, swiped high to the right and down low with a backhand.
Kess leapt aside and smashed blade to blade before it snatched her in the thigh.
He seemed to think this was going to be easy because he was bigger and stronger, but Luke trained her for that already. Her focus was more on smoothly evading his blade than trying to get him back. After all, lightsabers were for defense, not attack.
Still, she managed a few fencing-style strikes that came close but she didn't overreach to make the kill. He elbowed out of one of them with a deep step sideways. And he skipped out of the other with a laugh that ended in a little shuffle to get back in position.
"Wrap it up!" Luke ordered from the crowd.
Neither of them glanced at the command, but they heard it. Kess wasn't sure if Vanech was going to comply.
Vanech stalked forward once more, this time swirling his blade on either side of him in a fast figure-eight, a spinning tactic aimed to unsettle one's opponent until they didn't know where it was going to land, but she had never seen it performed quite like this.
Kess shuffled back from the advancing blade, watching his eyes carefully. She couldn't sense him, so she couldn't know from which direction the blow would finally fly, so she used another idea instead. Instead of focusing her mind on his blade, she focused on his body.
Ready . . .
When Vanech twisted around for the final blow, Kess yanked his torso forward with a Force Pull, jumped quickly out of the way, and nailed him flat across the back as he went down.
The crowd erupted with alarm until they realized he wasn't dead; then they laughed with disbelief.
Vanech growled briefly at the pain and rolled onto his back with an angry huff. His lightsaber shrank away before she turned hers off, and, as the gathering groaned and commented and cussed, she stepped over and offered a hand over his chest.
Vanech looked her in the eye as if surprised by this offer, but he reached up and took it so he could pull himself back to his feet.
Kess noticed Luke latching his lightsaber back to his hip as they strolled back over to the party. Vanech picked up his beer and tossed the hilt back to the duffel. Kess stopped in front of where Luke sat and sighed big to catch her breath.
The group bubbled back up with new laughter and wild conversation around them.
With a hidden grin locked on her, Luke lounged against the table behind him once again, and smugly sipped his beer. His expression was nearly audible. That's my girl.
She smiled. Kess wasn't expecting visible signs of affection here, not with the smattering of Rogue Group amongst this crowd. The Commander/Lieutenant thing was Luke's biggest ethical dilemma. Kess understood that. She kicked his boot with her boot, and he kicked back. That, and the glowing eyes, said enough by itself.
Vanech cancelled the moment by slapping the empty bottle on the table with an order to Luke, "Take me home."
Easily, Luke climbed to his feet to do so. He reached down for the duffel by her feet and murmured secretly as he raised his full height again. "We could go somewhere else."
Kess shook her head at the ground and lifted her face to eye him directly. "No, I'm going to stay here."
His eyes changed.
Kess looked out over this easy gathering. Everyone was having a good time, but she saw it all with lament. Orange Yavin was sinking over the steamy green horizon. Music danced. Food sizzled. Friends laughed. This little gathering wasn't a big deal, but something told her to absorb it all anyway.
She returned her gaze to Luke and wondered if he sensed that.
Luke rubbed his lips at the ground, nodded, and he met her eyes again, but sadly, perhaps even a little coldly. "I'll see you later."
It stung a little, but Kess felt she shouldn't have to explain it. The discomfort on her face was probably obvious when she rolled her shoulders up and turned her back to the departing pair. She swigged her beer and found Wedge's eyes snagging a glance at all this. He looked displeased when he turned his eyes back to flipping the food on the grill.
Kess strolled over. "You're burning it."
Wedge pretended to scowl. "I like it burnt."
She laughed. It was good to have friends that had nothing to do with the Jedi or Kenobis or Skywalkers. She sat on the edge of the nearby picnic table and swung her legs. "Did you figure out how to get Five back with her pilot yet?"
Wedge twitched a black eyebrow with deep guilt and grinned mischievously over at her.
She laughed some more.
. . . And Luke's fingers paused on the ignition when he saw it.
He could see the attraction with clarity. Without him standing by, Kess wasn't stuffing the emotion away and Wedge wasn't careful with his expressions. Luke's brain snagged with disbelief, but he looked over the big crowd, including Kayla, and Yana, and Ashten, and Joanne. . . . Yet Kess stepped specifically over to hang out with Wedge.
And Wedge warmed to have her company.
One didn't need the Force to see the flirting flowing between them, but the Force confirmed it anyway. Luke now knew 'who' it was over which she had practiced stuffing away her feelings. He had practically forgotten about it, but now his heart tightened. For a moment, he pulled his eyes down to the dashboard and stared at nothing.
He tried to dismiss it, but he couldn't. He adjusted himself in the seat and turned on the speeder.
"Now you know why we used to be celibate," Vanech said.
Luke looked over.
Vanech eyed him with clarity, almost grinning over the whole thing. But he turned his face away and gazed at something else instead.
Luke forced himself into action and drove Vanech back to the hotel.