Chapter 7

Searching for Respite

Generals Crix Madine and Carlist Riekaan had just completed their reports on their reconnaissance missions. They already knew that Admiral Teradoc laid claim to a small part of the Mid Rim and Harrsk controlled the Deep Core. Madine had reported that Grand Moff Kaine held a large part of the Outer Rim territory and Riekaan stated that Delvardus held the Rimma Trade Route. As Han had reported the previous day, the Corellian Sector was still up for grabs with several grand admirals viciously fighting over it. Although hundreds of planets had joined the New Republic, few held great value in terms of needed resources. Kuat, the planet with the largest shipbuilding facilities, failed to switch its allegiance to the New Republic. The building and repair of ships, a dire need for the provisional government, was a gaping hole left unfilled.

The Council agreed that military campaigns would have to be expanded, but there was no agreement as to the next target. Borsk Fey'la continued to argue that conquering Coruscant should be the immediate goal. Admiral Ackbar felt that the New Republic needed to make a decisive strike on Kuat in order to control the shipyards. Madine, a Corellian, argued that the Corellian Sector had to be stabilized while Riekaan felt that Thyferra's resources were necessary and that planet should be invaded.

Growling stomachs were all that put a stop to the endless debating. Mon Mothma declared an adjournment until the next morning. Leia was a bit surprised that they would have the evening to themselves. She lingered after the others left to check with their leader. "How do you lean, Mon Mothma?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, Leia. All are important. Perhaps Coruscant, or, no… uh, Kuat, but then again, Thyferra is vital. I don't know, Leia," she replied.

Mon Mothma seemed quite distracted and Leia had never seen her so indecisive. "Mon Mothma, are you feeling all right?"

"Perhaps after a night of… of respite, I will think more clearly in the morning. Good night." She rushed out of the chamber.

Leia stared after her, wondering what had gotten into her mentor. She didn't notice the figure that crept up behind her and grabbed her around the torso. Her quick intake of air was met with moist lips on her neck. "Hm… You know… Han is back. He wouldn't like us meeting here like this."

"Then we won't tell him," a deep voice replied.

"I think he already knows." She turned to meet the smiling eyes and added, "Besides, we really shouldn't be meeting here like this."

He nodded. "Which makes it that much more fun." He leaned down and parted her lips, circling his tongue around hers. The door rudely swung open and a Corellian stood at attention, his body silhouetted by the harsh hallway lighting. Leia turned away in embarrassment as her partner confronted the intruder. "General Madine."

"General Solo. I see you've infiltrated your way into the council's good graces," Madine replied. "Having a private meeting?"

"Meeting? No. Private? Yes. What do you want?" Solo responded.

"I came back to ask Mon Mothma's opinion of our next military move. Where is she?"

"Not here."

"I can see that, Solo. Leia? Do you know where she's gone?"

"I have no idea, Crix. She was in a rush to leave and said she needed a night of respite before giving her opinion," Leia answered.

"Respite?" Madine folded his arms across his chest. He didn't like the sound of that. "Respite," he repeated to himself.

"Do you think she's sick?" Leia asked.

"Sick? No, but since interrogating our visitors' prisoner…"

"Dr. Smith?"

"Yes, that was his name. She's been somewhat… scattered."

Han chuckled, quietly at first, but then erupted into full-fledged laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Leia demanded.

"Our dignified leader is smitten," Han concluded.

"Mon Mothma? No!" Leia exclaimed.

Madine narrowed his eyes. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, Solo, I swear I will…"

Solo stopped him. "Hey, no problem here. That's her business."

Madine glared at both of them and stomped out of the room.

"I didn't realize he'd be so worried about Mon Mothma's reputation," Leia mused aloud.

Han was still surprised at her naiveté about relationships. "I think his concern is a bit more selfish, sweetheart."

"You mean?"

"Yup."

Leia giggled into her hand. "Crix and Mon… If Mon prefers the 'bad boy' Dr. Smith type, I think Wes Jansen has a better chance than Madine does.

"And you were worried about us!"

John and Maureen returned to the Jupiter to find Will and Don engaged in a chess match and Penny closed up in her room, most likely with her video diary. Although the Robinsons had enjoyed their stay in the more luxurious suite of rooms provided by the New Republic, they found themselves missing 'home.'

"Who's winning?" Maureen asked as she entered the gaming area.

"I am, but I think Don is distracted," Will answered.

"Yeah, I think I'll bow out now. Good game, Will," Don said.

"Worried about the ship?" John asked.

Don nodded. "Chewie and I went through all of the systems today."

"Chewie? You mean that huge, hairy thing? How did you communicate with him?" Maureen asked.

"We had that gold robot with us. Man, is he annoying. I thought Chewie was gonna twist his head off once or twice."

"So, what's the bottom line?" John asked.

"Not good. Our ship's way different from theirs. We might be able to modify something for the rear shields, but the warheads are going to be a problem. They need to be specially made. The good news is that our navigation system can be upgraded to include planet coordinates from this part of the galaxy. If we're lucky, they'll be some overlap with the information we got from the Proteus."

"I'm wondering if we can modify the hyperdrive with some of their technology to make it more predictable."

Maureen interrupted, "Don, where's Judy? I haven't seen her all day."

"I saw her this morning. She's probably off with the wizard, Luke."

"Huh," John interjected. Now he knew what was really bothering the major. Luke would be a formidable rival for Judy's affections. On the surface, at least, Luke and Judy seemed to have a lot in common. Both were serious, dedicated and mature beyond their years. He caught Maureen's eye and knew she was thinking the same thing.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, Don. He seems to be an honorable fellow," Maureen offered in sympathy.

"I'm not worried," he lied. The fact was that he was more afraid than worried. They were a perfect match… maybe too perfect.