Chapter 3: Done-for
[The next morning]
Luke was in for a rude awakening.
Wedge had woken up first, and carefully placed all of last night's dirty duds all around Luke, crafting for him a cozy little odorous nest to wake up in.
He was trying not to laugh as he proceeded with his stealthy prank, as he knew Luke would likely wake up and hit his head on the top bunk once he realized what was resting on his face. He really didn't want to ruin it by laughing.
Wedge was in a good mood this morning, because now that the Death Star was gone, maybe he could start thinking about settling down somewhere permanent, rather than living base-to-base as he'd grown accustomed to during the past five years. He wasn't getting any younger - none of them were.
As much as he liked being a pilot, he knew he couldn't keep doing this job forever. The near-total loss of their squadron was a sobering reminder that time was precious, and also slipping by each day.
His friendly and humorous demeanor concealed a well-hidden undercurrent of loneliness and despair that slowly ate at him each day - a feeling that ultimately drove him to the Rebellion.
Young Antilles joined soon after returning home from his repair station late one night to find his Corellian family slain in their sleep; a panicked unanswered holo from his girlfriend sent ice through his veins. His worst fears were soon confirmed, she too was slain, but much more violently. She had put up a fight – his family was too afraid to fight them.
The Empire took everyone that he truly loved away from him. He wasn't there to save them.
He never even had the chance to start his own family.
He was going to propose in a few days.
They tore that joy from him.
Why couldn't they let anyone be happy?
He still kept the ring, just in case the sun rose on the right side of the galaxy one day.
Now it was impossible to find anyone willing to defy the Empire enough to openly be with a Rebel pilot.
Even if he grew old, alone and lonely, never again would he let another family die or suffer. Not on his watch.
Wedge let out a heavy sigh as he walked into the 'fresher, and just stood there, looking at the greys that now peppered his jet-black hair.
Perhaps he was too young to be worried so much. But if he were being honest with himself, he really wanted to start a family now that the Empire had finally been taken care of. Maybe now the galaxy was finally safe enough to begin considering the possibility of bringing another life into this world.
A galaxy ruled by evil was no place for a child - a child that on one day might be happy and have everything at her feet, only to wake the next day suddenly alone alone amidst in a vicious, heartless reality. He didn't want his child to live in a world where nightmares were real.
He knew he'd be lucky if he ever had the chance to live in a galaxy free from evil, and even luckier to regain some of his old life back….
Worrying could wait though, for now.
Today was a day to relax, and Wedge decided that the best way to honor the fallen Rogues was to throw one hell of a party, just as they would have wanted after the greatest victory the Rebellion could have imagined.
There was a lot to do today, but at least the remaining vessels were inventoried, parts were on order, and there were a few ships on standby… just in case. "UGH Stars, I hope we don't need to use them anytime soon!" grumbled Wedge to himself.
Last night's grease was almost out of his hands – not that there'd be anyone to impress tomorrow anyway, thought Wedge, sighing to himself.
"Oh well, at least we're going to look damn fine!", he said, checking himself in the mirror one final time. He could finally have two whole days without helmet hair, he thought, as his mood lifted.
As he finished contemplating his hair and party preparations in the 'fresher mirror, Wedge noticed for the first time that everything in their quarters belonged to him.
Wedge had a sobering thought: Luke had nothing except his lightsaber, and the clothes on his back…"well, the clothes that were now awaiting his consciousness to catch up to his nose", Wedge reminded himself with a smirk before his thoughts returned to Luke's situation.
Last night before going out with the guys, he had heard all about what Luke had been through just this week– the sudden loss of his family, and the murder of his mentor at the hands of Vader. Some say the old man had been a Jedi.
Wedge suddenly realized that he had not seen nor heard of anyone in possession of a lightsaber since the Clone Wars. He wondered if Luke would become a Jedi – if that were even possible anymore.
He really hoped so – this galaxy could really use a few more "good guys".
That would make his job a heck of a lot easier, he thought with a sigh.
Wedge decided that the first order of business would be to make sure Luke had a good day tomorrow, he knew the Rogues would have wanted it that way. It was the least he could do to help his new friend out. He reflected upon the weeks after the loss of his own family, how he had wished he had one true friend to make him feel a little better while he was grieving, to be there if he needed him.
Knowing Luke had a lot on his mind, Wedge decided to take post-ceremonial preparations into his own hands, letting Luke take the day to do whatever he needed…he'd get the droid crew and mechanics to help out if needed.
As he strode out of the dark room, he stopped suddenly, recalling a foggy memory of Luke, all worked up about some mystery woman on base - of all the crazy things he'd heard! …oh Force, if only that were true! He better not be talking about Mon Mothma! Maybe he had really discovered his limit last night…
Now grinning to himself, he knew exactly what he was going to do for Luke.
Though it wasn't much – and frankly, not much was possible on a bare-bones base in the middle of a dense jungle - he knew that his wingman would really appreciate the gesture, as small as it would be.
As he resumed walking out the door, Wedge could have sworn he heard a certain bunkmate wake up as – "WEDGE!" – echoed off the rocky walls of the base.
He could not contain his laughter as he made his way toward the 'Cargo Holdings' bay where Luke's surprise awaited.
0000000000000000
Luke rubbed his forehead. He had woken up to Wedge's trap and hit his head on the prankster's upper bunk.
He had to admit, it was pretty funny, but he would get him back…real good. Though he was an only-child, Luke already felt that he had found a long-lost brother in Wedge. It was a refreshing feeling, not to be so alone.
Speaking of alone - before he attended to any preparations for tomorrow, he decided that he had to go see how Rue was. He hoped that she was recovering alright and that she would be feeling much better after her second night in the med bay.
His stomach was churning as he quickly readied himself for the day, and for what he wanted to ask her. Why was this so nerve-wracking? Blowing up the Death Star felt a lot easier right about now.
As Skywalker left his room, he was happy to find that the base was alive with energy despite everyone's exhaustion after the battle. There was so much to do: pick up the pieces after yesterday, prepare for tomorrow's ceremony, pack everything up, scout out a new location for the upcoming relocation, move… it was a lot. He decided that if he were stressing about it, Leia must be doubly stressed, so he took the long way, knocking on her door.
"Leia! It's Luke, you in there?" No answer. He knocked again. Still nothing. "Well, maybe she's busy – everyone will be bugging her today, I'm sure," he thought. He hoped that she was doing ok. Surely their victory had left her with a sense of justice.
As he finally strode up to the med bay window, the droids had screened off the room.
Oh no, what was happening? His gut sank. I hope she's alright. They could be doing anything in there. Surgery. Amputation. She could be…dead.
He ducked into the droid room to calm his nerves and was pleasantly surprised to find Artoo on standby power. It looks like they had managed to work on him a little bit since he'd found him shut down last night. He let out a relieved sigh - at least one thing was working out properly.
"Hey old buddy, I hope they're taking good care of you here, I'll be back later to make sure you're out of here in no time", he said to the droid. He still didn't think he could hear him, but in case he did, he wanted to reassure him. He found it a bit morbid that the sick bays for both droids and humans were directly across from one another. He said to Artoo, "I guess if someone needs a hand, they can just walk across the hall!" No answer. "I know I know, baaad joke" he said to himself, laughing at his own goofy humor.
The rustle of the shielding caught his attention, and then he saw that Leia was in there with Rue, and not only that, she was up!
When he was sure they were finished up with whatever they were doing, he approached the window, and waved at Rue. She pointed at him, and Leia turned around with a big smile on her face.
Uh oh.
It was bad.
Girl talk.
He was done-for.