Chapter 5

WAN

"Welcome aboard this XS Freighter, everybody!" said the well-built, dark-skinned woman who greeted the members of Havoc Squad as they stepped onboard the starship. "My name is Captain Nalah Atar, and I will be guiding–well, sneaking, really–you into Imperial space. In the meantime, can I get you lovely soldiers anything to drink? Alderaanian wine, maybe? I guarantee it'll wash away your worries."

Wan looked over to his CO. "Commander, with all due respect, why is it that Havoc Squad, the most elite squad in the Republic Armed Forces, is going into Imperial space on a freighter?"

"Because nobody would suspect a freighter, Lieutenant, and because the captain happens to know how to get to Dromund Kaas without raising the Imps' radar. She's a smuggler, you see."

"So," Gandred said, "we're going into the heart of Imperial territory on a freighter that doesn't have nearly enough guns for my liking, which is piloted by a smuggler who, for all we know, could be an Imperial operative, or a sympathizer, or something. Yeah, that's great, Commander, because that always works. If by some miracle I don't die on this mission, let alone actually make it back to Coruscant, I'm gonna recommend you for a big kriffin' shiny medal."

"Trust, me, bud, I'm no Imp sympathizer," the captain said, coming back with a large bottle of what Wan could only assume was that wine she was talking about earlier. "I'm simply enterprising. I will gladly transport cargo for any faction, be it the Republic, the Empire, or even the Chevin Conglomerate. You get more credits that way." This brought a huff from the sergeant. He seemed like he was going to say something, but then changed his mind.

"So… how much of that wine do you have, Captain? Willing to share?" Commander Moekno asked, making an attempt to lighten the mood. Wan simply smirked and walked away, leaving his commander, who was attempting to open the bottle with his bare hands.

He went to a spare room and thought of what the commander had said about leaving Vir- Sergeant Molin behind if he had to. Was he really serious about that? It had troubled Wan the entire time he was trying to fall asleep in preparation for this mission. He was pretty sure he'd even had a dream about it, though he couldn't be sure.

What was Wan to do? He had to admit, the sergeant would probably be little more than dead weight on a place like Dromund Kaas. And yet… he couldn't just leave her. Could he? If he did, he could possibly lose his job and probably his life. He thought some more, until he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Wan," a voice called. "Are you in there?"

For the love of… "Um, yeah," he called back. "I'm in here. You, uh, wanna tell me something?"

The sergeant opened the door and walked in. She stood next to him, following his pacing pattern. "I just wanted to talk to you about this mission we're doing. Seeing as you're the squad's second in command, and the CO is currently engaged in a wrestling match with that bottle, I decided to talk to you. Do you, by any chance, have some tips for fighting when heavily outnumbered? I read what I could on Havoc's file as soon as I was recruited, and I read quite the impressive story about how all of you stood with only a few other soldiers against something like, two hundred Imps. Care to enlighten me on how one does that?"

Wan smirked. "Well, Sergeant Molin, that takes years of training to pull it off correctly. Now according to your file, you completed your basic training at the top of your class on Brentaal, and when offered the chance to join the Republic SpecForce, you accepted, and trained on Quesh." This brought a nod from the sergeant. "Well, to receive the amount of training to properly hold against up to twenty times your force's numbers, you have to train for... probably at least five more years. That is 1825 extra days on that horrible poisonous planet. You know how bad it is over there, with the frequent and sudden changes in climate, the native wildlife, all of those toxic swamps, and now it's even contested by the Imps... all that, for another 1825 days."

Molin smiled. "Well, that's all fine and dandy, but that really wasn't what I came here for, honestly. What I wanted was tips, Lieutenant. Tips, Wan, not an entire rundown of all the crap one goes through when training. I'm sure there's something you can tell me."

Wan smiled. "Well, if you wanna be simple… Are you sure you don't want the full rundown? I could tell you of my harrowing rescues and bold attempts, or… something. You really don't want that?"

"No!"

Wan laughed. "Yeah, I didn't think so. I'm just messing with you. So, tips… Oh! Here's a golden one: Stay. In. Cover. You get to a place where they can see you, and your friends will be sending a hole-riddled corpse home to your loved ones. Also, use grenades. Keep lots of them handy when you know you're going up against a large force. Hell, keep them with you even when you're in a small skirmish. It never hurts to have something that can make a crater. Third, always carry a big gun, and lots of ammo. And even have a smaller gun that you can draw and reload quickly for when your enemies catch you by surprise. Make sure it has lots of ammo too." Wan paused as he tried to think of something else. "Well... that's it, really. Makes me wonder why I needed five years to learn that. I'm sure there's more, but… it was just so boring on that planet sometimes that I found it hard to pay attention. If it wasn't for this war, I probably would've forgotten it all by now."

The Mirialan woman laughed. "Well, Ed, I suppose I should thank you for those 'helpful' tips, but I'm kind of craving some of that that wine right about now, and it really sucks to wait. Although... I wouldn't mind just spending some time chatting with you."

Wan's eyes widened just a bit. Spend time with him? What did that mean? Was that a come-on, or did she really just want to talk? Damn, women were so confusing. Did they feel for you, did they not, were they just teasing you when they flirted, or were they actually implying something? Wan was freaking out, so he came up with the first answer that popped into his head: "Sure. Whatever, y'know?"

'Whatever, y'know'? Wan thought. I'm not a teenager! I don't say 'whatever'. Apparently, the sergeant thought the same thing, and chuckled. "Wow. If that was some sort of attempt at being cool, then I suggest you stick with what you did before."

Wan flushed. "I feel like I should scold you or something, being your superior officer, but I just agree with you too much to do that. But, I'm going to make an attempt anyway." He cleared his throat. "Sergeant Molin, I demand that you apologize to your superior officer. That was extremely inappropriate, and I expect you to say sorry... or something... Okay, I admit, that was terrible. Please don't laugh at me."

"Yeah… don't ever do that again. Leave it to the stuffs like Moekno. I don't know much about you, but I think he's got enough broodiness in him to rival the Imps."

Wan laughed. "Yeah, it's really pretty ridiculous sometimes. He's also not willing to let anything get in the way of a mission. He actually wanted me to- you know what, never mind. Forget I even mentioned it." He mentally slapped himself. How could he have considered that? He couldn't just tell her! Telling her would destroy her optimistic personality that he'd come to love. If he kept her spirits high, she could still look at him with those wonderful blue eyes, those eyes that just made him melt. He'd still be able to hear her her, laugh, and see her smile, and continue to appreciate everything else about her.

There was no way he could simply leave her behind. But if he got involved with her, they'd probably both be discharged from Havoc Squad the moment they got back to Coruscant. Maybe even sooner. "I have to go," he said, and walked out the door. He was partially down the hallway when he found her gentle touch on his shoulder. "Wan, what is going on? What do you need to tell me?"

The lieutenant sighed. "I'm… I'm afraid that's classified."

"From another member of Havoc Squad?"

"Yes."

The sergeant frowned. "Come on, Ed. We're all in this together, and I have a feeling it involves me somehow. Now, tell me what's going on." This brought another sigh from the lieutenant. "I'm sorry. That's just not an option." He left her, walking back towards where the rest of the squad was waiting.

When Wan arrived in the mess, he witnessed the commander still trying to open the damn bottle, while Nalah looked as if she were about to die of laughter. Wan sighed, ripped the bottle from his commander's hands, and undid it with a sharp twist. He then proceeded to sit down and pour himself a glass. Everybody watched in silence for a few seconds, until the captain suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you have no idea how funny that was!" she said, wiping a tear. She laughed more. Eventually, she stopped, and tried to regain her composure. "Anyway, why don't we get you soldier boys off to Dromund Kaas, hmm? I have stuff to pick up and transport back here after this run, so why don't we get going?" With that, she walked off to the bridge.

Gandred stared at Wan, who was sitting there, pouring a second glass. "Well, um… I have a feeling that you, Wan, are in a state of stress or something, so I'm just gonna... leave now, okay? Okay. I'll be seeing you." And with that, the sergeant left, leaving, yet again, just Moekno in the room with Wan. The other man sat down next to the lieutenant. "Wan, you're always so damn gloomy. What is it this time? Did Molin do something?"

Wan looked up. "Sort of. It wasn't really her fault. I… sort of… almost let it slip that I was ordered to leave her behind, should the situation demand it."

Moekno stared at his XO for a while. Then all of a sudden, an armored hand whipped out and slapped Wan across the face. "ARGH!" he said, clutching his face.

"God dammit, Wan!" the commander snarled, drawing his hand back. "I really didn't like doing that, but you can't just spill the beans! It's not that hard. You have no idea the kind of secrets I keep from all of you! I've been keeping them for years!"

"Secrets? What kind of-"

"Don't interrupt me, Lieutenant!" Moekno roared. He suddenly seemed to realize how loud he was being. He lowered his voice, coming closer to Wan. "Listen, Lieutenant. I know that you care about her, and that you don't want to leave her, but I'm going to tell you why we have to."

"Why, Commander?" Wan asked, growing a little bit annoyed. "Why do we need to leave a good soldier to either die out in the wilderness of be tortured for information by the Imps? You know they'll take her, so don't even try to convince me otherwise. We're Havoc Squad, sir."

"We leave her because she could very well hinder our mission, Lieutenant," Moekno said, getting angrier himself. "We have four, count 'em, four men for this mission, a mission which involves rescuing Satele Shan, Grand Master of the Jedi Order, and one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. That, Wan, is why we may need to leave her. Four soldiers against an army is bad enough. Three soldiers and a green-as-grass recruit against an army that doesn't know the meaning of the word mercy... If we fail, Satele will still be in Sith custody, and the greatest squad in the Galactic Republic will be tortured by the Empire's inquisitors until most, if not all, of the Republic's secrets are revealed, and then we'll be killed, or left to rot in a vegetative state. We will have sealed the Empire's victory, and the Republic will become a thing of the past. That, lover-boy, is why we'll leave her, or anyone else, if we have to. I'll see you when we get there." And so Moekno departed, leaving Wan, yet again, to think about what had been said.

AN: Yes, it's sort of a filler, and yes, I think it might be considered a bit angst-y, but I couldn't really think of anything to write. I didn't want them to just get there