Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to George Lucas/Disney. Anything you don't recognize probably also belongs to them.

Convolute

The heels of Luke's boots tapped quietly on the temporary durasteel plate floor that had been laid out throughout the base, the corridor he was walking down slanting down the further he went. The Procurement and Supply Department was located away from the main housing and control area, and it could be seen in how the natural tunnel-like appearance of the walls. Bundles of wires hung along them and the ceiling, branching off from the source of power in the main section of the tunnel: the power rods. When he focused he was able to feel the energy snaking through the lines as if it were the Force electrified. It was a strange feeling which he generally tried ignore as best he could because it gave him goose-bumps and made him feel on edge. The energy felt wild.

As he continued on, his headache slowly fading, the plates on the floor became more and more irregular until he was walking on the natural dirt floor that was interspersed with rock. After a few moments more the tunnel opened up into a space that was larger than the mess-hall, though it certainly didn't feel that way due to the lower ceiling and the shelves upon shelves of supplies.

He looked around and spread his senses away from himself before heading into the maze of shelves heading towards the group of life-forms that he was aiming for. The closer he got to the back of the room the more wires spread around the space until they finally culminated into the rows of computer banks and machines that comprised of the Procurement and Supply Department's subsection: the Technical Division.

Before he could even get out a greeting he was set upon by an overly enthusiastic astromech that he immediately recognized even as it deliberately ran over his toes somehow managing to sound thrilled by his presence and chastising all in the same string of beeps.

"Oi! Artoo, calm down! I'm sorry!" Luke winced as the little but heavy droid rolled back off of his toes with a sound that was a rather accurate rendition of someone blowing a raspberry.

Luke laughed and placed his hand on the droid's dome, "I promise I wasn't ignoring you, I've just been busy bud." The droid rocked back and forth on its treads before it rotated and rolled away from him in the midst of several members of the tech department laughing at them both.

"That droid's got quite the personality," a short human male commented as he rubbed his black beard, "I hooked it up one time to get a reading on it and I kid you not the little bugger made the data-screen say, 'What's the magic word?'"

Luke smiled and knocked the droid on the dome affectionately, "Yeah, this little guy's been through a lot. I read on the holonet that the R2-series had a tendency to get quirky the longer they went without their memory-banks being wiped. Out of the entire R-series they were the only ones that the company advised periodic wipes for. 'Too free-thinking and headstrong' is how the company described them I think."

The droid squawked indignantly and Luke grinned, "Don't worry buddy, I wouldn't do that to you. You're already great the way you are."

The astromech rocked forward and backward on its retractable centre leg for a moment appearing to scrutinize Luke before it reached out with one of its utility arms and swatted Luke on the leg in some semblance of sentiment before it rolled off as if to pretend nothing had happened in order to protect its dignity.

The other man chuckled, "Ah yes, I remember when that line first came out. Remarkably well made and versatile."

Luke nodded, "I'll say. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's a combat droid masquerading in the guise of an astromech. He's saved me more than once." He held out his hand to shake, "Luke Skywalker by the way."

The man took his hand and shook it then looked sharply at it, "Oh I've heard of you Lieutenant Commander." He flipped the hand over and looked more closely making Luke feel uncomfortable, "The craftsmanship on this is almost second to none." He looked up and met Luke's eyes knowingly, "The Princess must really like you."

Luke swallowed dryly and shook his head, "Oh no, it's nothing like that. We're friends." He pulled the robotic hand free and rubbed it with his other hand.

The other man patted him on the shoulder, "I apologize, I'm something of a cybernetics and droid enthusiast when I'm not masquerading as the Captain of Logistics. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Luke smiled hesitantly at the man's reference to what he had said about Artoo, "So then Captain of Logistics, this must be your division I take it?"

"Ah yes, where are my manners! Captain Kavel Mesa at your service, though I insist you call me Kavel. Mister Mesa has been and always will be my father." He turned and led Luke further into the tangles of wires and machines before reaching a table that unlike most of the other tables was only mostly buried in electronics with a few empty spaces still visible. He gestured to a chair before sitting in another one himself.

Luke settled into the seat and glanced around taking in the other sentients that all sat at different tables or consoles working on their own projects before he turned back to the older man, "You guys seem pretty busy."

"Yep. Most of us have mattresses somewhere in here where we sleep when we don't pass out where we sit. There are only so many of us and we're responsible for the entirety of this base as well as maintaining proper distribution between all of the other bases. Thankfully each base has their own PS Department and Tech division, but we're basically the main hub here that keeps it all moving efficiently." He glanced over at Luke with tired smile, "We're overworked and understaffed, but that's just the way the Alliance does everything unfortunately."

Luke winced and looked over the table in front of him realizing that this table and most of the others were covered in items that were waiting on repairs, "I definitely know where you're coming from. We make do with what we have over in the Starfighter Department, but it's dangerous out there and we lose so many. Not a lot of people want to volunteer to fly a one manned death-trap."

"Myself included young man, no offense. I've never been one to enjoy flying," the man said as he began fiddling with an old com-link.

Luke snickered slightly before he reached for an old portable holoprojector that lay on the table. "More like afraid of flying I'd say," he said jokingly as he he picked it up turned it over in his hands, "This looks like it's old enough to be from the Clone Wars," he muttered distractedly. The world seemed to fade as he reached for a hydrospanner and deftly took off the outer casing with a practiced hand, following the connections of the inner workings with a careful eye before he paused instinctively, his focus drawing him to several wires. Something tugged at his mind and he reached for and grabbed a pair of insulated tweezers from the mess on the table without looking. He began separating the small clump of wires and pulling them to the sides until he felt that he had found what he was looking for: a small wire that appeared to be connected still, that he somehow wasn't. With careful maneuvering he pulled the loose wire further out and grabbed a small welder. Barely allowing the wire to heat past the melting point he quickly put the wire against the connector that it had come free from and allowed the slightly melted metal to cool, securing it in place. Using the tweezers he placed the wires back where they had been and then screwed the lid back on with the hydrospanner. He flipped the device over and hit the on button causing a small hologram to spring up in the air over it.

Luke closed his eyes and sighed realizing he could feel the calming waves of the Force flow through him. He had been utilizing it without noticing like he used to ages ago, back before he even know what he was doing.

He opened his eyes and looked over at the Captain who had gone quiet watching him, then he turned back to the hologram. It was a woman with dark hair, though the blue of the hologram made it impossible to know the true colour. She stood almost regally with her hands clasped over her rounded stomach, her intricate flowing dress nearly disguising what Luke knew for some reason was a pregnancy. On her face was an honest, loving smile, and her dark eyes danced in happiness.

"Who does this belong to?" he asked, his voice almost a plea, though for what he didn't know.

"That belongs to Princess Organa, though how you managed to figure out what is wrong with it is beyond me. We've had that thing for months now and as far as we could tell it should have been working. How did you do it?"

Luke's stomach flip-flopped at the mention of Leia. "I've just… always been good at fixing things," he said haltingly. "I used to fix stuff back on the farm for my Uncle."

"Well your Uncle was a very lucky man then," the man commented off-handedly.

Luke felt a wave of sorrow go through him followed by a stab of guilt, "He was a good man. I always used to think he was being strict, but that was just his way of protecting us. I miss him and Aunt Beru every day."

The older man seemed to realize that he had stepped into a delicate area and changed the subject, "Well since I don't think you originally came here to volunteer your services, though I certainly wouldn't say no if you did, what exactly did you need from us young man?"

Luke turned off the holoprojector and fiddled with it nervously, "Ah, about that. I accidentally broke the datapad I was assigned and I need another one."

"Another one? What did you do to it if someone with your skill can't fix it?" The man asked rocking his chair back on its rear legs.

Luke blanched and looked around feeling apprehensive, but none of the others were watching them, "Look, please don't tell anyone Captain. I don't need them worrying about me. I have too many people depending on me already okay?"

"I told you to call me Kavel son, now what's the problem?"

Luke grit his teeth as he felt an unexpected torrent of anger shoot through him. He placed the holoprojector on the table with a controlled and deliberate motion from his left hand, even as right hand spasmed and clenched tightly. The mechanical joints pulled at the synthflesh, their shapes visible through it, "Don't call me that."

"Don't call you what?" The man watched him in concern.

"You are not my father, so don't you dare call me son," Luke looked up and some small part of him felt satisfaction when the Captain flinched backward from him ever so slightly. Luke could feel the man's emotions streaming out in the Force.

Fear. Unease.

That same small part of Luke was drawn to it, and it took more effort than it should have to keep himself from smiling in response.

"I'm sorry Luke. It's just a habit of mine, I didn't mean anything by it," the man said eyeing him warily.

The sound of his name broke whatever hold the anger had on him and Luke shook his head trying to clear it and banish the trickles of unanticipated anger further into his mind. It wasn't this man's fault that he was having an identity crisis because the father he had always wanted was someone everyone here would consider an enemy, and it certainly wasn't something to get angry with the Captain about either.

'Anger, fear, aggression; the Dark Side of the Force are they,' the memory of Yoda's words echoed through his mind hauntingly.

He sighed and slumped down in his seat covering his eyes, "I'm sorry, it's just a touchy subject for me Mister Kavel. I didn't mean to go off on you like that."

The man looked at him thoughtfully and nodded, "I can tell. Is this what you don't want others worrying about?"

Luke lifted his eyes past his hands and looked over at the other man. He thought for a moment before he sighed and decided to speak. The man already knew more than he had intended to reveal anyway due to his outburst earlier.

'In for a decicred, in for a credit.'

"Kind of. I keep having nightmares and sometimes they carry over to when I'm awake. I didn't even mean to go to sleep when I broke the datapad." He held up his right hand and raised his eyebrows pointedly, "Apparently my unconscious self expects more strength out of this hand than I do consciously. I woke up holding what was left of the datapad."

Kavel nodded, "Our subconscious often ignores normal expectations, flying dreams for example. The more concerning part is how it appears to be affecting your body while you sleep. Is this the first time something like this has happened?"

"As far as I know," Luke shrugged helplessly. "Of course I'm asleep and since I'm a Commander I have my own room, so it's not like I have a roommate that could tell me if they saw something."

The Captain looked at him consideringly for a moment, "Well I can tell you from research that crushing a datapad is far from the height of strength for a cybernetic such as that. As I said before, this is a very well made piece of equipment. If you think this could become an issue I would suggest shutting it off whenever you plan to go to sleep to help avoid such a thing happening again."

Luke grimaced in displeasure. Shutting the hand down would mean losing all feeling in it and leaving it as a dead weight on his arm. As much as he disliked the idea of the mechanical limb he realized that having no feeling in it at all would be far more disconcerting. At the same time if crushing the datapad was a fraction of what the cybernetic was capable of, then something much worse could occur if it happened again. "I'll think about it," he hedged warily.

"It is merely a suggestion," Kavel said with a shrug. He clapped his hands together as he changed the subject back to the purpose of Luke's visit, "And now, you need a datapad, let me see what I can find." He stood and Luke followed behind him even further into the packed area that the Tech Division was assigned to. They were greeted by several of the busy Tech personnel, but they appeared to be too busy for conversation. The Captain, who was shorter than Luke by a couple of inches, continued to weave through the space with relative ease and they eventually reached a table with various datapads laying on it. The Captain looked over them and stroked his beard, "Let me see… you need one that supports encryption and decryption and has a thumb-print scanner and preferably facial recognition. Ah, here's one." He plucked it off of the table and plugged it into a nearby dataport. His hands danced over the controls for several minutes before he unplugged the device and handed it over to Luke. "There you go, just like your old one. Try to keep this one intact hmm?"

Luke snorted at the man's humour as he took the device, "No promises Mister Kavel."

The man shrugged, "Ah well, it was worth a try, no?"

Luke smiled slightly, his mood slowly lifting, "I suppose I can't blame you for trying."

"Come, I will show you out," Kavel said and headed back the way they came. As they passed the table they had been sitting at earlier he picked something up off of the table. "Catch," the Captain said, and tossed it at Luke who had continued on.

Luke turned instinctively and snatched the item out of the air before his mind caught up with his body. He stopped moving to look at the item thoughtfully, "The holoprojector? What's this for?"

The man placed his hand on Luke's back and continued to usher him towards the edge of the Tech Division, "You're the one who fixed it. I figure you deserve to be the one to return it to the Princess."

"Oh," Luke blinked for a moment at the idea, "Well alright then, I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it makes sense boy!" Kavel clapped him on the back, "Now go on and get some sleep. You're lucky enough to have the time."

Luke cringed slightly at the thought, "I'm sorry I took up so much of your time Mister Kavel. I know you're busy."

"Nonsense, you were good company and you fixed something for us that had us stumped. Perhaps you might consider joining us more often. We could certainly use the extra hands even if it's part time."

Luke grinned, "I'll definitely consider it. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime Luke. You have a good evening," Keval returned Luke's grin and stuck out his hand.

Luke reached out and clasped his hand in a handshake before he turned and headed back into the maze of shelves on his way towards the exit, and subsequently his bed.

=-.-=

General Crix Madine was not a morning person if he did say so himself. It had always been his least favourite time of the day, and he still had flashbacks to the times that he had been woken daily by the morning reveille. That was the past of course, however despite his status of Ex-Imperial Military he still heard the echo of it in his mind every time his chronometre's alarm went off each morning.

'It's not actually there,' he always reminded himself before he forced himself to rise from his bed. It was the one moment of weakness he allowed himself before his self enforced efficiency fully kicked in and he made himself ready for the day.

Today was no different.

He went through his morning routine with a meticulousness that came from doing almost the same thing every day for longer than he cared to remember.

'You can take the military man out of the military, but you cannot take the military out of the military man,' he had been told once by Mon Mothma. He had to agree.

Sonic shower. Clean his teeth. Comb his hair. Trim his beard (he hadn't been allowed one when he was with the Empire, and this was one of his defiances). Press his uniform and shine his boots (two habits he couldn't force himself to break). Uniform on. Boots on. Check his datapad for updates. One last check in the mirror, then head to breakfast. Leave the mess-hall twenty minutes before he was required to be somewhere.

Today would be no different.

Crix heaved a sigh as he stepped into the ready-room, a mug of caf held firmly in his hand. He looked around and took note of all of the people that had arrived early. Most of the people in the large room were the usual group of people that had previous military or law enforcement background, though he had to suppress an unprofessional smile at the sight of Wes Janson bowed over a large cup of caf like it was his only hope for staying awake. The man was even less of a morning person than he was, but unlike Crix he didn't have the military history to train him into being an early riser.

Beside him sat Jouffer Talamiin, likely the reason Janson was here early at all. She probably had to drag him out of the bed he mused, which suggested something in the way of a relationship, though he wasn't particularly inclined to look further into it.

The woman was talking animatedly with Wedge Antilles who was responding with his usual calmness, though equal enthusiasm as they discussed the finer points on X-wing repair.

Crix allowed his gaze to drift and continued to watch as others began to trickle in from the various departments that had been assigned to the mission. The room was becoming closely packed when Luke Skywalker walked in. Crix frowned as the blonde walked through the mass of sentients exhibiting the same unnatural grace that he had seen Lord Vader utilize when he was fighting. He had realized long ago that the Dark Lord was deliberately being less light-footed and graceful than he was capable of when he wasn't in a battle environment. Crix knew that most people that noticed the same thing thought that the Sith did it for the intimidating factor that came with the giant man sending slight vibrations through the floor as he walked, but as he watched Luke he figured he had a better idea as to the reason.

It was eerie watching Force users move. They had a kinetic stillness about them, no unnecessary movements to adjust their balance even as they stood still, and yet they always seemed to be ready to explode into motion at any moment. He figured that the Sith Lord already looked inhuman enough to others due to the mask, so the man likely chose to appear more human by not allowing the Force to control his movements as much.

The Alliance's Supreme Commander mentally shied away from the idea of anything influencing his movements. The idea of some disembodied Force controlling anyone seemed disturbing to him.

That wasn't to say that he couldn't see the advantages. He had once seen Lord Vader protect Storm Troopers by simply deflecting blaster bolts that would have hit them with his lightsaber, and all while attacking as well (something Luke would soon be able to do if the recordings in the training room were anything to go by, though the boy currently lacked a saber after the Bespin incident). Simply seeing the Imperial Supreme Commander stepping on to the battlefield and leading an attack himself had been mind-blowing at the time given how many of the top Imperial brass would never risk themselves in such a way. He knew that Vader's tendency to go to the front lines and fight was a huge factor in the loyalty many in the Imperial Military felt towards the man, and despite the fear that everyone felt when around him - for good reason, for he did not take failure well - most respected and even revered their Supreme Commander. It certainly helped that the Sith was highly skilled in the art of combat.

Yes, Force users were dead useful… when they were on your side and followed orders.

Luke had a penchant for not following directives, something that annoyed Crix to no end. He would always say he had followed some elusive feeling from the Force and the rest of the Command Staff ate it up.

He despised it.

For all the good the Force caused, the idea of relying on vague feelings instead of strategy, hard facts, and evidence was simply foolhardy to him. He was man of plans and logic, not elusive gut feelings.

And that was nothing compared to the rumours of Force users being capable of mind control. The entire concept was rattling and horrifying all at once. The loss of control of yourself to someone else was something out of a nightmare. Luke had yet to exhibit the ability as far as anyone knew, but that didn't stop Crix from being wary.

Puppets dancing on the Force users' strings.

All in all, despite knowing that Luke appeared to be nothing but an innocent farm boy, Crix didn't, no, couldn't trust him. He had broken protocol too often over his years in the Alliance.

Not to mention the fact that he came from a Hutt planet. That said enough in its own right.

The boy looked up from chatting with several pilots and met his eyes without pausing to search them out, a knowing look conveying that Luke knew he had been watching him. He watched as Luke raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'What's your problem?' Crix scowled as the ice blue eyes bore into him and he wondered if the budding Jedi had been feeling his emotions, or worse was hearing his thoughts.

No, her certainly didn't trust the boy, but he would use him. A resource was a resource after all. He would just have to work on getting said resource to follow commands.

He resolutely stepped forward to the podium to begin the possible suicide mission's break-down determinedly looking everywhere but at the now suspicious pair of icy eyes.

AN: And so we have another chapter. This seemed as good a stopping point as any, and I'm sick at the moment. Hopefully it turned out alright given the low-grade fever that's trying to muddle my mind.

Random Info: Captain Kavel Mesa is a pre-existing EU character that I kinda took what information there available and ran with (though really he kinda ran off on me as characters tend to do and he and Luke ended up conversing far more than I had initially planned for).

Still un-beta'd. If you notice any mistakes let me know.