CHAPTER 16
Leia didn't mind that a Command meeting had been scheduled immediately after the memorial. She preferred it that way, actually. She knew that some people whispered about how Princess Leia hardly showed any emotion regarding the destruction of her home planet, but those close to her knew better. She cried by herself in her room late at night. She wrote letters to her dead mother and father. She talked with her best friend and adopted sister, Winter, about all they had lost.
But she was a High Councilor in the Rebel Alliance, and it was her job to help restore freedom to the galaxy. She could not do that if she was overcome with grief. So she pushed aside her sadness when it was necessary, and vowed to continue making her father proud.
Although she was glad for the distraction, Leia was also glad that the meeting wasn't scheduled to last long. She was starving and had several reports to type up later that night. And of course there was always the possibility that she would run into Captain Solo—not that such a thing would appeal to her, of course. It would just be nice to talk to him again. He'd been surprisingly comforting to her on her father's birthday, the day he had promised that he had no intentions to leave the Alliance. He'd kept his promise, and Leia was happy about that, but nothing else between them had changed. She often wondered why, but had never gathered the courage to ask. She worried that she was imagining things between them. After all, most of the time he was incredibly frustrating and made her want to kill him.
The Rogues had teased that such behavior was just another kind of foreplay. Luke had blushed profusely and assigned the guilty parties to a month of kitchen duty after they'd made that comment.
Leia glanced down at her datapad as she shifted in her cold, hard chair. While the agenda for the Alliance Command meeting was rather short, they were discussing several crucial upcoming missions.
General Crix Madine, a recent defector from the Imperial Army, was standing at his chair, going over a plan to assault supply lines leaving the bacta-producing planet Thyferra. The world, along with all bacta-producing planets, were under tight Imperial control, and all previous attacks by the Alliance had been disastrous. But with General Madine's new expertise, Mon Mothma had authorized a new attack on the supply lines.
"As you can see, the supply lines have several key points where the defenses are weakened. Taking control of just one of these points will allow the Alliance to strike against an outgoing convoy and overrun their forces, at which time our cruisers can sneak in and take possession of the bacta and other supplies. The casualties for such an attack would be minimal."
"Thank you, General Madine," Chief Mothma replied. "You will coordinate with Admiral Ackbar and General Bryl on the attack." Madine nodded to the Mon Calamari and the Sullustan, then resumed his seat.
"Next on the agenda is a status update on Echo Base. General Muvunc?" Just several months ago, Thila base had come under attack and the Alliance had been forced to evacuate at a moment's notice. Mon Mothma and General Rieekan were both antsy to move to a new location.
Ral'Rai Muvunc, the green-skinned Twi'lek who controlled the Ordnance and Supply division, followed Madine's lead and stood to give his report. "Thank you, ma'am." He tapped a key on his chair, and the holographic map the center of the briefing room table sprung to life. "As you can see, the planetary defenses have been strengthened since our last report. The final step, which is the base shield, should be operational in a month's time."
General Muvunc tapped another key, and the map changed to a hologram, showing an external view of Echo Base. The camera zoomed through the large entry doors, then began traveling down the small corridors. "Similar to Thila base, Echo Base is largely constructed underground, with the entrances and hangars at ground level. These areas were previously occupied. Several new areas are nearing completion and will be ready for habitation as soon as the base shield is operational. At that point, I recommend shifting the Command staff to the base."
"Thank you, General Muvunc," Mon said. "General Rieekan, Chief Ruk'fey, and I will compile a list of the staff members who will transition first. Are there any questions?" The middle-aged woman glanced around the table, then nodded. "If there is no other business, I would like to move to the final item on the agenda."
Leia once again shifted in her seat while calling up the appropriate files on her datapad. She had read the outline for this mission and knew that she was the right person for this mission. Not only that, but she had been stuck on Home One for an extended period of six weeks, much longer than she'd ever stayed in one place since joining the Rebellion, and she was beginning to get antsy.
It was not, as Han Solo had so unwisely claimed, because she missed sleeping in his ship. She merely missed her work.
"I assume you all have read the report about the mission to the Shelsha sector to recruit their various forces into the Alliance." Everyone at the table nodded. "Very well. Their leader, Yeeru Chivkyrie, is an Adarian and will only be recruited by someone of a higher tier that he. There are many of us who fit that rank, but only one who is sure to accomplish the task."
With that, the regal woman turned to Leia…who grinned like a schoolgirl. "You can count on me, ma'am."
"I knew I could, Princess. I assume that you would like to travel with Captain Solo for this mission?"
Leia furrowed her brow. Why would she assume such a thing? Leia huffed under her breath. "Actually, ma'am, whatever transport is available would be more than adequate for this mission."
"As a matter of fact, Captain Solo has already volunteered his services."
I'm sure he has.Leia's heart skipped a beat. "Well. I suppose it'll be just like old times, then." She sank back in her chair, unable to determine if she should be happy or frustrated at this turn of events. At the very least, the trip would be very entertaining—for Chewbacca.
"Commander Skywalker has also volunteered Rogue Squadron, and they will escort you to just outside the system. You will be meeting on Drunost, so feel free to call for backup if any trouble arises."
Leia nodded. There was a Rebel Alliance base on Drunost, and several supply lines ran through the planet.
"If there are no other comments or questions, then this meeting is adjourned."
Leia stood up to stretch, then grabbed her belongings and made to leave the room. She was stopped, however, by Chief Mothma. "Princess Leia, I'd like to introduce you to Crix Madine."
Leia nodded and shook the general's hand. It had been a huge coup for General Madine to defect from the Empire; the HoloNet was constantly displaying the many warrants for his arrest. He was the highest ranking Imperial to ever come over to the Alliance's side, and Leia knew that his knowledge could help turn the tide of battle. "It's an honor, sir," she said politely.
"The pleasure is mine," he returned. "I am grateful to have found such acceptance in the Alliance."
"Anyone who wants to fight the Empire is welcome here, General Madine," Chief Mothma said. "Princess, would you care to join us for some dinner?"
"Oh," Leia replied, suddenly feeling shy and overwhelmed. While she had grown into a confident leader in the Alliance, she was well aware of her youth compared to the other Command staff and often felt more at home with Luke and the Rogues. But the daughter of Bail Organa would never refuse an invitation from Chief Mothma. "It would be my pleasure, ma'am, sir."
Leia walked with them to the mess, still amazed that the Commander in Chief of the Rebel Alliance insisted on eating in the mess with her soldiers. But that, after all, was one of the reasons why Leia fought for the Alliance and not the Empire. She couldn't imagine Emperor Palpatine eating in the commissary in the Imperial Palace amongst a legion of stormtroopers. She had to suppress a chuckle at the very humorous image that ran through her mind.
The three of them sat down in an inconspicuous corner of the mess and began to discuss Leia's upcoming mission to the Shelsha sector. Leia grew excited, knowing that she'd soon again have the opportunity to prove her worth to the Rebellion.
And if Han Solo acted nicely to her, maybe the trip would be doubly advantageous.
If not, well, at least she could brush up on her dejarik skills with Chewbacca.
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By the time Mara left the simulator, she was still somewhat reeling from her spontaneous confession about her past to Luke. She still couldn't believe that she had admitted that she had been a high-ranking Imperial agent, and even more, that Luke had not seemed bothered at all by that fact. In his mind, she was still the soldier who had defected to the Rebellion many months ago on Dantooine. She knew that he wasn't just acting like everything was okay in order to ease her mind, either; he really and truly didn't care about the true nature of Mara's status in the Empire.
While she felt somewhat horrified that she had told him a modified version of the truth, she felt even more horrified that she hadn't confessed the entire truth. She knew that confiding in him would be the right thing to do, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him that she had been the Emperor's Hand. Sure, it was no problem for the great Luke Skywalker to accept that the object of his affection had once been an Imperial agent; would he be able to accept that she had once been Emperor Palpatine's secret assassin? Would Luke be disgusted to learn that she had once shared a mental bond with the Emperor? Would Luke hate her after he learned all that she had done in under Palpatine's command?
No; she couldn't bring herself to tell him. It had been difficult enough trying to explain her knowledge of the Force. He had accepted her explanation, and hopefully he would never again bring up the topic.
Yeah, right. That will happen right around the time Skywalker stops volunteering the Rogues for every mission in the Alliance. Mara laughed at herself as she traveled through the corridors that led towards her room, in need of a shower and some rest before yet another mission briefing with Rogue Squadron.
Before she got to the turn off, however, her stomach rumbled audibly and she decided to make a quick detour to the mess. Besides, what did she care what she looked like during the mission briefing? She doubted that the other pilots cared what they looked like around Skywalker.
But kriff it all, she did.
Mara sighed, thoughts wandering back to when her life seemed so simple—when the Emperor gave her a command and she followed it without question. She hadn't been content then, but she also hadn't been fretting like a schoolgirl over a boy she could never have.
Mara entered the mess, trying very hard to forget about her confusing feelings, when her past smacked her directly in the face.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Mara stuttered as she bent to pick up her datapad. "I didn't see you there." She stood up…and found herself face-to-face with Mon Mothma, Leia Organa, and the newest member of Alliance Command—Crix Madine.
The high-ranking general who had recently defected from the Empire.
Mara forced herself to hide her shock, while Leia gave her a genuine smile. "Hi, Mara! I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to speak with you lately. Busy busy; you know how it is."
Mara nodded, trying her best not to stare at the bearded general. "Oh, yeah. We'll have to get together soon."
"I'll have Winter comm you." Leia stepped forward and gave Mara a hug. The redhead returned it tentatively, still uncomfortable with displays of affection, before turning to Chief Mothma.
"Ma'am," Mara acknowledged, saluting crisply. "I apologize for the mishap."
"No mishap at all, lieutenant. Have you met General Madine?"
Mara turned to the former Imperial, her mind and heart still racing. She vividly remembered a mission she'd undertaken a year ago, when she had provided assistance to Madine's group of storm commandos. She had never come in contact with him personally, but they'd spoken via HoloNet several times. Mara had to imagine that Madine was the type of man who never forgot a face—or a voice.
She cleared her throat. "I haven't had the pleasure yet. Sir." Again she saluted.
He returned her gesture and shook her hand. "This is Lieutenant Mara Jade of Rogue Squadron," Leia introduced. "Mara, you and the general have something in common; he just defected from the Empire."
"Yes, I know," Mara said; the story of his defection had spread like wildfire over the past several days. When she'd first heard the story, Mara had hoped she would never be introduced to the former Imperial general. Now, she could have kicked herself for not formulating a plan of attack much earlier. What if he recognized her? Sure, she could lie; nobody in the Empire knew what her name had been, after all. But Madine was smart; surely he'd be able to figure out if she was lying.
Thankfully, that was not necessary for the time being, as Madine didn't seem to show any sign of knowing her. He merely smiled, then nodded sadly. "Congratulations for getting out of the Empire, lieutenant."
"Same to you, general." After an awkward good-bye, the trio brushed past Mara, allowing her to enter the mess. Even though she had completely lost her appetite, she forced herself to pick up a ration bar anyway. She needed strength. Mara sighed, realizing that her desire for fuel was just another aspect of her old training forcing itself to the surface.
Mara sat down at an empty table, absentmindedly chewing her bar while contemplating the gravity of what had just happened. What would she do if Madine recognized her? What would he do? Would he first approach Alliance Command, and force Cracken to perform yet another search of Mara's background, or would he come right out to confront Mara about her status in the Empire? Would he believe her even if she confessed? Most high level officers in the Empire knew the rumor of the Emperor's Hand, but had never had occasion to meet her face-to-face. Many times officers had balked at Mara's claim to be the Emperor's Hand—until she quoted her recognition code, of course. Then everyone would clamor to be at her service.
She had used that recognition code with Madine, and they had even strategized on a mission. At the time, she had insisted on speaking with Madine through audio link only, as she did with all her contacts. Now, she was eternally grateful that she'd had such foresight. If Madine had recognized her outright…
Mara shook her head, forcing herself to push the anxiety out of her mind and focus on something she could change. The best thing to do would be to tell Skywalker everything before the truth was revealed in a horrible way. Luke would understand. He had the Force, and he would know how much she regretted her past life and how much she wanted to make up for what she once was.
He would understand, but would he forgive? She suddenly was unsure, remembering what Luke had confessed to her not long after she'd arrived in the Alliance—that Darth Vader had killed his father, a Jedi Knight. Mara had worked with the Sith Lord on many occasions while serving as the Emperor's Hand. Luke had the capacity to forgive many things…but could he forgive someone who had once assisted the monster who had killed his father?
"Mara?"
Startled by the voice, Mara jumped several centimeters out of her chair, then immediately chastised herself. She should never have allowed someone to sneak up on her while she was preoccupied. Not allaspects of her training as the Emperor's Hand were bad, she reminded herself.
She quickly forced a smile on her face. "Hi, Winter. How are you?"
Winter Retrac, the Intelligence officer who had first escorted her and the other defectors around Home One, stood across from her. The pair had become good acquaintances, maybe even friends, over the past six months, and often ate dinner together or talked about silly female things that Mara never dared bring up around the Rogues—unless she was trying to make them very uncomfortable. Despite their budding friendship, Mara still felt somewhat awkward around the Agent Retrac. Maybe it was because Winter had been adopted into the Organa family after her parents had died, and Mara still did not know how to act around Leia. Luke and Leia were such close friends, and once or twice Mara had gotten the impression that Leia felt Mara was infringing on her territory. Of course, those feelings had subsided just as quickly as they'd manifested, but that didn't ease Mara's concerns very much.
"Very well, thank you," Winter replied. "However, I have a problem with which I hope you can assist me."
"Sure, have a seat." Mara gestured to the empty chair across the table.
"This problem is one that needs to be discussed in private, I'm afraid."
"Let me guess—a certain Alderaanian is giving you trouble?" Winter blushed a fierce shade of pink and Mara gave a knowing smile. She'd recently become aware that Tycho and Winter were spending a lot more time together. Tycho had insisted that he and Winter were just reminiscing about Alderaan, but his protests had fallen on deaf ears. The other Rogues were already ribbing him mercilessly; Mara had been nice so far, but she couldn't wait pay back Tycho for all the times he'd teased her about Luke. Perhaps now was the time to gain some ammunition.
"Don't worry," Mara said, rising from the table and guiding the Intelligence agent from the mess. Although she couldn't wait to tease her surrogate older brother about his love life, she did genuinely want him to be happy. He, more than anyone in the galaxy, deserved it. Mara gave Winter an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. "Your secret is safe with me. Now, let's go to my room and have a nice, long talk about Mr. Celchu."
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Looking down at his datapad, Luke walked into the briefing room, still reeling from his conversation with Mara but trying his best to concentrate on the upcoming mission to the Shelsha sector. He'd had a bad feeling ever since Mon Mothma had told him of the mission, which was why he'd immediately volunteered. If Leia was in trouble, he wanted the Rogues to be there to help her.
He was so distracted with his thoughts about Mara's confessions and his concerns about the upcoming mission, that he didn't even notice that he already had a full audience when he stepped inside the briefing room.
Luke's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the neat rows of expectant Rogues. He immediately knew that something was wrong; his pilots never arrived to a briefing before he did, and they definitely never looked so excited. It was when Luke realized that the briefing room was missing one particular Rogue—Mara—that he knew that he was in deep poodoo.
"What the hell's going on?" he asked.
Wes, with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him—Hobbie, that chair's occupant, kept trying to push his feet off—was the first to speak up. "Intervention, boss."
"Intervention? What are you talking about?"
"Jade," Dack answered with a knowing look. "You're mooning over her, just like you did with Princess Leia, only worse. Much worse. So we've decided it needs to stop."
"We've?"Luke repeated, staring pointedly at Wedge.
His executive officer nodded gravely. "Sorry, Luke. Don't punish them. This was my idea."
"No it wasn't," Tycho interrupted. The Alderaanian, sitting next to Wedge, stood up. "I suggested this meeting, Commander Skywalker. If you're going to punish anyone, punish me."
Wedge stood up as well. "No, you suggested that we do something about the situation, and I suggested this intervention. So he should blame me."
"I'm not letting you take the fall, Wedge—"
"I don't carewhose idea this was, okay?" Luke cut in loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Suddenly tired, he dragged a chair to the front of the room to face his subordinates. He sank down into the chair and sighed. "Just get this over with, okay, so we can get on with the mission."
Tycho and Wedge shared a glance, then sat back down. "Well, like we said, boss," Wedge started, "this situation with you and Mara is not—"
"Wait!" Luke sprung from the chair, suddenly nervous. "Where is Mara? If she walks in on this she'll hurt us all, and don't think that's an over-exaggeration."
"Oh, we don't," Tycho said. "That's why we recruited Agent Retrac to keep Mara busy until the briefing."
"Winter? How'd you get her to go along with that?"
Tycho blushed and looked away. "Tycho offered to do something nice for her!" Wes answered for him. "Or to her; we haven't gotten the entire story out of him yet."
Rolling his eyes, Hobbie turned in his chair and finally managed to shove Wes's feet off the backrest. The Taanab native nearly fell off his chair onto the floor. "Ow!" he yelled. "Was that really necessary, Hobbie?"
"Yes!" everyone exclaimed in unison. Wes made a rude gesture.
"The point is," Wedge continued for his now thoroughly embarrassed friend, "that Mara is fully preoccupied for another fifteen minutes."
Luke sat back down and motioned for his pilots begin their analysis of his love life. He suddenly wished he'd thought to bring the bottle of Whyren's Reserve, given to him by Han, that he kept stashed under his bunk. He'd never had occasion to drink it and had never really cared to, until now. "Go on," he sighed.
To Luke's surprise, it was Dack who was the first to get the conversation rolling. "We're worried about you, boss. You're preoccupied, you're not as diligent in the sims as you used to be, and on the last few missions you seemed really distracted. And then this morning you barely seemed alive in the mess, and hardly talked to anyone. As your wingman, I'm worried that you're gonna get yourself vaped if you don't snap out of this funk."
Luke nodded, unable to protest any of Dack's arguments. He had been distracted, ever since Mara had once again overrun his thoughts. It had only gotten worse since their conversation yesterday.
They were right; it needed to stop. If Luke was preoccupied, he'd be getting all his pilots into trouble, especially Dack, his wingman.
But he didn't know the solution. He couldn't stop thinking about her, no matter how hard he tried.
"Look, Luke, we know that you care about her," the normally quiet Zev said. "And it's obvious that she cares about you, too. So we have a plan."
"You have a plan, Zev? Why does that scare the living daylights out of me?"
Zev smiled. "It wasn't just my idea. It was a mutual decision made by all the Rogues." he gestured around the briefing room.
"Oh. That does not make me feel any better whatsoever."
Tiom, one of the newest Rogues, waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, Kit and I approved of the plan too, so it can't be that bad, right?"
"You and Kit have been fully indoctrinated into the Rogue Squadron tradition of antagonizing the commanding officer. Your statement does not reassure me at all."
"Listen Luke." Wedge stood up, taking command of the situation as he often did during briefings. "We discussed the situation with you and Mara, and could only come to one conclusion: you need to forget about the rules and just go be with her."
Slowly, Luke's eyes moved across the room, taking in everyone's expressions. Nobody was smiling or laughing. Luke blinked incredulously at his XO. "You're not serious."
"We're very serious."
"This is a ridiculous idea, Wedge."
"It's not, Luke," Tycho said, joining Wedge to stand in front of the other Rogues. Luke had been grateful that Tycho had assumed somewhat of a leadership role since joining the squadron, but now all he wanted to do was slap the Alderaanian. "It is very necessary for the survival of the unit."
"You're telling me to break regulations," Luke emphasized. "I can't do that!"
"Why not?" Wes asked.
"Why not? Because I'm in charge! I'm not like you, known across the Alliance for always getting into trouble."
Dack grinned. "You should, then people would expect this of you."
"Listen, boss," Wedge said. "Why do regulations exist? To keep people safe, right? Well, how is you being separated from Mara keeping all of us safe? It's not, and therefore it would be for the best if you just pretended that this rule didn't exist and went for it with her."
"Of course, this is all assuming that she wants to be with me too, and that she's willing to break regulations as well."
"Stop being modest, Luke," Rade piped up from the back of the room. "It's obvious that she likes you."
Luke still wasn't very confident, and his cheeks warmed upon hearing the insistence that Mara wanted him as much as he wanted her. "Okay, fine, but what if we get caught? Base isn't very big, you know."
"We'll cover for you, and if you do get caught you know that Alliance Command will turn a blind eye."
"Why would you agree to help me break regulations?"
Again, Tycho and Wedge shared a glance. "I'm here for Mara," Tycho said.
"And I'm advocating you," Wedge added. "The both of you have been miserable lately, and you're driving us nuts."
"It's true," Tycho agreed.
"And we don't want to get killed," Wedge said.
"So to protect the squadron—"
"And preserve our sanity—"
"We say you should forget this rule ever existed and go for it with Mara." Tycho smiled. "It's for the best, really."
"Oh yeah?" Luke raised an eyebrow. "And when have you ever broken a rule, Tycho?"
"Dantooine," Tycho replied without missing a beat. "And every day I stay in the Alliance."
"We're Rebels, Luke," Zev said. "Yes, regulations are important, but they only go so far. Plus, that rule is in place to protect subordinates from misbehavior. Do you really think that Mara needs protection from you?"
"Hell no," Luke admitted. "I'm the one who probably needs protection from her."
"Exactly," Hobbie said. "You would never take advantage of Mara, and she would never let you. She'd kill you first. Or just beat you up. Either way, it's irrelevant in this situation."
"Plus," Tycho said, "you'd have to deal with me if you ever pulled any shenanigans."
"Are you threatening me, Tycho? Do I need to write you up for insubordination?"
"She's like my sister, Luke. Of course I'm threatening you. Would you not do the same if any one of us hurt someone you cared about?"
Luke thought back to that conversation with Han in the Falcon several months ago. "I guess I can't blame you. But I still want to write you up for insubordination," he added, grinning.
"So, what do you say, boss?" Wedge asked, rubbing his hands together. "Are the Rogues going into collusion in a cover-up operation?"
Luke opened his mouth, about to say yes…but something stopped him, something he'd come to know intimately over the past year—a prodding from the Force.
He thought of Mara, and her confession to him the previous day. She had been desperately worried that someone would find out her secret and she'd be forced to leave Rogue Squadron, the Alliance, and all that she had come to call home. Could he really ask her to keep another secret?
Did he want to keep such a secret? He'd learned many things about the Jedi from Mon Mothma, who'd been a senator with close ties to the Order. The most disturbing of all was Chief Mothma's revelation that the Jedi, at least the ones who trained and lived on Coruscant, were not allowed attachments. They could not get married or have families. This new piece of information shocked Luke, as Ben had never mentioned anything like that in their short time together. Also, nobody in the Alliance had seemed to bat an eye when Luke turned up, claiming to be the son of a long-dead Jedi Knight. Perhaps the desperation of the situation shoved aside all their questions over how Luke's existence was possible.
But Luke couldn't stop thinking about it. He remembered a day not long ago, when he lied awake in bed well into the night, thinking about his parents. He had so many questions about their relationship, the identity of his mother, if they had been married or if it was a whirlwind romance that ended tragically. Somehow he knew that his parents had loved each other deeply. Why had they decided to keep their romance a secret? How had that been possible after his mother got pregnant?
Luke was unable to comprehend how his father could have kept such a relationship a secret. He vowed then and there that he would not follow in his father's footsteps on that particular issue. He did not want to keep his feelings for Mara, or any other woman he cared about, a secret. He wasn't that type of person. Besides, if the attachment issue was so important, wouldn't Ben have mentioned it to him? Luke could only come to the conclusion that such rules were no longer relevant.
So Luke shook his head sadly, unable to accept the Rogues' offer. "I can't, guys. Thank you for this, I really do appreciate it. You're really great friends. But I can't lie about this. I can't keep my feelings a secret, and I don't want to ask Mara to have to do the same."
Tycho and Wedge nodded and resumed their seats. "I had a feeling you would say that," Wedge said. "But it was worth a shot."
"You need to do something, though," Tycho said. "Talk to her about your feelings. Maybe you could work something out."
"I can't ask her to leave the squadron," Luke instantly protested.
"I'm not saying that you should," Tycho replied. "But, maybe she would on her own accord."
"Oh, I don't think so."
"You don't? If she was your commanding officer, would you request a transfer so that you could be with her?"
"Yes." The word was out of his mouth before Luke realized what he was saying.
Tycho looked at him knowingly. "See?"
Maybe Tycho was right…but as Luke thought on the idea, he just couldn't see it happening. Mara had worked so hard to become a part of Rogue Squadron, and after what she had confessed to Luke yesterday, he couldn't imagine her giving it all up just to be with him. It wasn't worth it—was it?
"Luke!" Wedge admonished. "Stop thinking. Just do it. We're at war; you might never have another chance."
"Okay, okay, I'll talk to her." Luke ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Then he stood up and affected his commanding officer pose. "Now. Is this intervention over?"
Tycho smiled. "Yes. Everyone else needs to get out of here before Mara gets here, realizes we're up to something, and wounds us all."
Luke paled. "Agreed."
His pilots, with the exception of Tycho and Wedge, filed out of the briefing room. Luke took his place behind the podium and began flipping through the mission summary on his datapad. Tycho and Wedge walked over to him, obviously wanting to make sure he was okay.
Luke smiled at them, suddenly feeling more upbeat than he had in days. "I'll be fine, guys. We'll figure something out."
"Good," Tycho said. "But if you hurt her, I'll kill you."
Luke rolled his eyes. "If I hurt her, she'll kill me."
"That is true."
Luke chuckled. "You know, this whole crazy situation could have been avoided if I'd just taken Mara's suggestion to heart."
"Oh really?" Wedge raised an eyebrow. "And what suggestion would that be?"
"Oh, back when she first arrived she said something about how she was good at interrogation, and that I should talk to Cracken about her being in Intelligence. It was just a silly joke."
Now Tycho was the one to raise an eyebrow. "You know she went through basic Intelligence training at the academy, right? They used her a few times for questioning when we were stationed on the Accuser."
"That's not surprising," Luke mumbled.
Wedge grinned slyly. "I suddenly have an idea…"
"Oh, I don't like the sound of that."
"No, this is a good one, boss. Possibly the best I've ever had."
"As opposed to all your other 'great' ideas?"
"Hey, you're the one who named me XO. You have to trust my judgment; it's in the handbook. Don't worry, I'll get Tycho to help on this."
Luke began to bang his head against the podium. At that moment, Mara walked in the room. The three men looked up in fear and she gave them all a weird look. "I don't want to know," she said, then took a seat and buried her face in her datapad.
Tycho and Wedge took their seats, then the other Rogues slowly filed in, under the guise that it was their first time in the room. Luke forced himself to breathe steadily, doing his best to ignore Mara's shining Force presence, and forget about his promise to talk to her soon. They had a mission to accomplish first, once that, for some reason, he knew would require his full attention.
Mara looked up for a moment, met his eye, and gave him a shy smile.
Gods, Luke hoped whatever hair-brained idea Wedge had come up with was as good as his XO promised.