A/N: At long last, I've returned. I have a number of chapters in this written, so updates should be regular, for a while at least. Thanks, Solo by Choice, for reminding me that I'd had this story posted here. I have my own board, so I post there, and forgot it was up here.


Chapter 8

Hobbie walked into his and Lana's suite as nonchalantly as possible. He didn't actually expect her to think that his absence was even remotely innocent in nature, but there was no sense in being completely obvious about it either.

She was sitting on the sofa, legs folded under her, reading over some file on a datapad. "Where were you?" she asked, eyes remaining on the datapad.

"Out," he replied shortly, thinking for a moment how much they sounded like an estranged married couple. "No place special."

She finally looked up, eyebrow raised. "I'm sure."

He gave her a sarcastic smile. "Been gone a while. It's kind of nice to be back. Thought I'd look around."

"I'm sure," she repeated, setting aside the datapad and standing. "Look, Major, I'm not a fool and I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from attempting to play me for one. I know you met with Antilles and Forge, and I know why. And let me tell you, you've got it wrong."

"Really?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Because right now it seems an awful lot like Rogue Squadron's only purpose in being here is to take the fall for something – an assassination, maybe.

---------------

Wedge and Inyri had just sat down when Landis walked into the suite. He stopped, looking over them both, and then said simply, "Very nice."

Inyri leaned back and looked at him askance. "What's nice?"

You two, your little trip today. I admit, I underestimated you. We underestimated you."

"Well, I'm really the brains of the operation," Inyri said airily. "Wedge is just the pretty face."

Landis snickered. "Indeed."

"Well, you can't have everything," Wedge replied with a shrug.

The agent cast just the slightest glance in Inyri's direction. "Ah, but some are so blessed."

Wedge fought to keep from rolling his eyes. He saw Inyri's face flush and knew she'd heard the comment. Then a strange look passed over her face and she stood abruptly. "Wedge, can I talk to you?"

He nodded and followed her into the bedroom. "What's up?"

"He gave me a perfect opening," she said, being careful to keep her voice low enough that the microphones wouldn't be able to pick it up. "I can play into that like I thought he was really flirting, see if I can catch him with his guard down, or at least make him think I'm an idiot."

Wedge frowned. Landis was probably too much of a professional to fall for what she was proposing. Not only that, but it was dangerous. If he did fall for her – and Wedge had no doubt that Inyri could make him if she really tried – then it could end badly. And it wasn't any 'relationship' that they might have that he thought might end.

Besides, he didn't like the idea of her degrading herself like that. "I don't know," he said slowly.

"I know it probably won't work," she replied. "And I know it's risky. But I think it's worth a shot. Especially if I feed him little things here and there – nothing significant, but just enough to get him to trust me. I think it's worth a shot," she said again.

"Maybe, but if you go out there and start acting that way now, though, he's going to know something's up. Not that he won't anyway, but…" he trailed off as Inyri shrugged.

"So I'll ease into it."

---------------

After waiting nearly three hours for Karin to come out of hiding, Corran had gone down to the hotel restaurant both to get food and to give Wes a chance to try to talk to her. He'd already tried four times, and had gotten progressively louder admonitions to leave her alone.

Wes knocked on the door. "Corran left, Karin. You can come out now."

A minute or two passed before he heard the door lock disengage, but by the time he opened it, she was back on the bed, lying on her stomach and staring at the headboard.

"Look," he said after a moment, "I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean anything by it – it was just a joke."

"I'm such an idiot," she muttered, turning away from him.

He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed. He really hadn't meant to upset her. He'd thought that she had a crush on Corran, but this seemed to be a little more than just that. And if he'd known, he would have kept his mouth shut. "No you aren't," he finally said.

"Yes, I am," she mumbled. At least, that was what he thought she'd said. The pillow in which she'd hidden her face kind of muffled the words. "I'm stupid." He heard that clearly.

"No, you aren't," he repeated. "Now would you look at me?"

She rolled over and sat up, finally meeting his eyes. "Yes, I am," she said again, wiping away a few tears. "Falling in love with a married man is stupid!"

Wes didn't have anything to say to that.

---------------

Hobbie wasn't sure exactly how long they'd been standing here like this, how long she'd been staring at him. But it was long enough that he was getting nervous.

Then, suddenly, she stepped toward him, close enough that he backed away until he hit the wall. "Don't you ever suggest such a thing again." Her voice took on a dangerous edge. "I would never be party to an assassination."

As much as he was thinking that he'd already gone too far, he didn't keep his mouth shut. "You'll forgive me if I don't trust anyone with Intelligence anymore."

She shook her head, eyes blazing. "No, I won't. I know what you people went through on Adumar and I'm sorry for that. But not all of us are like Tomer Darpen. Not all of us have our own agendas and, contrary to popular belief, most of us do care who gets hurt in the course of our assignments."

"Well, you could have fooled me," he shot back, but he heard his voice waver.

Her eyes narrowed to slits but the fire in them didn't die. She was so angry she was actually shaking. "You want to know why we're here?" she hissed.

"I realize that it might seem strange to you but I do actually like knowing what I'm risking my life for. So, yes, if you would be so kind."

"To see to it that a man pays for all the lives he ended." Then she turned on her heel and stalked out of the suite.

---------------

Wedge looked around the warehouse Tycho had come up with for a meeting place. It hadn't been used in months, had no light except for the glow rods Tycho and Gavin had brought, and it wasn't very warm, but it served its purpose. "How'd you find this place?" he asked his XO.

"I had a feeling we might be doing this and Gavin and I had some time to kill." Tycho shrugged. "We scouted around for a place. I thought we'd better have an idea about where to meet for whenever we got the opportunity."

"Good idea." He glanced over the gathered squad members. "You get the feeling there are a few problems we don't know about?"

"Yeah. Something's up with them," Tycho told him, nodding toward Corran, Wes, and Karin. "And Hobbie seems on edge about something."

"I know what that's about," Wedge replied. "At least, I think I do. Something seems strange about Donos, too." Tycho raised an eyebrow and Wedge shrugged. "I don't know. But it might have to do with whatever's going on with Wes and Corran. He's been talking to them since he got here."

"Maybe," Tycho murmured.

"Pull them all together, will you? I want to talk to Hobbie for a second."

---------------

Corran frowned. Karin still refused to so much as look in his direction. He was going to have to do something about that, and soon. Wes had told him what she'd said, and he'd been floored. Crushes, minor attractions…that was normal. But Karin… He shook his head. Too many complications.

He looked up as Wedge and Hobbie rejoined the group. "All right," Wedge began. "Does anyone have anything they need to bring up, before I get to what we," he gestured toward himself and the Ralltiirian, "already know?"

Corran pointed toward Wes and saw Myn do the same. They'd run into Myn on the way over and had told him quickly about what had happened. He'd expressed concern about the situation the night of the party, so Corran felt pressed to fill him in.

Wedge groaned. "This has something to do with the shooting, doesn't it?"

"No, actually, it's about what I had for breakfast," Wes said. "The hotel restaurant makes a wonder—" He stopped talking when Inyri's jacket hit him in the face. "Ow!"

"Then shut up and make sense," she told him, smiling sweetly.

He frowned at her for a second before looking back at Wedge. "Yeah, it's about the shooting. Cesra's assistant offered me a job."

"As court jester?" Inyri asked, eliciting snickers from most of the pilots.

"I'll get you back," Wes retorted.

Corran shook his head. And he calls me blind.

Wes turned back to Wedge once more. "As Alisse Cesra's bodyguard. He said Cesra was pretty set on my taking it, and he wants to move me into his house, in a room near Alisse's and move Corran and Karin into a guest house he's got."

"He's got to know who you are," Hobbie said, and Corran leaned forward so he could hear the man better. Hobbie wasn't quite the loudmouth Wes was. "Alek wouldn't be doing this otherwise."

"You think it's a trap?" Wedge asked.

Hobbie shook his head. "Alek wouldn't use his daughter like that. He probably wants you – all three of you, probably – where he can keep an eye on you. But if he's asking you to look after Alisse, it's because he really thinks she's in danger."

"How do you know this?" Corran asked.

"Alek Cesra and I grew up together," Hobbie replied quietly. "We were good friends, and I knew Alisse's mother well, too."

"So what do you think, Hobbie?" Tycho asked. "Should he accept it?"

The other man nodded slowly. "I think so. He'd never do anything to put Alisse at risk, and if someone is after her, then Wes can keep her out of the way, so she doesn't end up in the middle of what's going on."

"Speaking of, do we know what's going on?" Gavin looked confused and more than a little uneasy – which was more or less how Corran was feeling right now.

"We have theories," Wedge replied. "The first of which – and why I agree with Hobbie about keeping Cesra's daughter out of the way – is that our dear friend Major Tierney had something to do with Alisse getting shot at."

Unease just gave way to alarm. "What, are they trying to intimidate Cesra into cooperating?" Corran asked.

"Quite possibly," Wedge replied. "Hobbie flat-out asked Tierney if we were here to take the fall for an assassination attempt."

"Are you insane?" Wes interrupted, eyes on Hobbie. "What would you do a thing like that for?"

The Ralltiirian shrugged. "She's the one who said that whoever shot at Alisse wouldn't have killed her. And then she told me that I was jumping to the wrong conclusions."

"Tell them what else she said," Wedge said quietly.

Hobbie shifted from foot to foot. "She said that the reason they're here is to make a man pay for the lives he ended. Then she took off, and I haven't seen her since."

"I am wondering if she refers to Minister Cesra," Ooryl said.

Hobbie shook his head. "The way she said it, it sounded like mass murder, or genocide. Alek would never be a part of something like that."

"Then who?" Alar asked. "Has anyone else even been mentioned to us?"

"The President is a man named Desaten," Hobbie said. "But he was a huge supporter of the Rebellion when it was just starting out. I don't think he'd do something like that either."

"It's got to come back to Cesra." Wedge gestured toward himself and Inyri. "Our contact, a man named Landis, wanted us to cozy up to Cesra."

Corran was starting to feel almost physically dizzy. All the circular talk must be getting to me. He reached out for the wall, intending to sit down on an overturned crate, and missed. Falling to his knees, he heard a crash and thought he saw Karin stagger forward.

Then the black crept in at the edges of his vision, and he didn't see anything anymore.