Chapter Nine

The morning the Death Star was due to arrive in the system, Luke went out on his circuit as he always did. But none of his fellow Padawans joined him today. Today, as he had for the past two days, Luke ran with Leia. After stumbling upon the truth of their blood relationship, they had gone to great lengths to find ways of spending more time together, not less. Obi-Wan and Bail, as two of the three guilty parties, had expected it to be the other way around and were surprised when Leia joined Luke in all but the aspects of his training that required skill with a lightsaber. Luke almost expected her to find a way to join him in those, too. He led her to the top of the pyramid, and they sat on the peak together, watching the sunrise.

"Have they decided what to do?" Luke asked finally, passing her the water canteen.

"General Dodonna has proposed sending out our snubfighters to launch an attack against the Death Star based on what we've learned from the plans."

"And they think that's going to work?"

"It's all we have, Luke."

"I know." He looked up at the sky, "But we both know how big that station is and exactly what it's capable of doing. I just don't want that happening to Yavin VI."

"I don't want it to, either. That's why a snub attack is our best defense." Leia put both arms around him and hugged him. They only stayed on the pyramid for a little longer, General Dodonna and Commander Willard didn't want anyone outside the central outpost longer than necessary. When they got back, they showered and went to find the others. Luke found Adrai, Angi, Yomi, and Disu gathered with their masters. He saw his own master there as well and joined them.

"Jig, what's going on?" he whispered to Angi.

"They need every pilot they can round up, and our masters are debating whether or not to let their precious Padawans be heroes."

"Really?"

"I guess you heard about the plans?"

"I think they're nuts, but that's my opinion."

"Mine too. Who's to say Knight Viann isn't just full of it?"

"Jig! Shush!" Adrai hissed, "Do you want them to hear you?"

"Padawan Rhal, Padawan Dyril, and Padawan Skywalker." Obi-Wan fixed them with a stern look, "Do you have something to add?"

"N-no, master." Luke almost choked.

"This is not a game, this is war. We are in serious peril, this is no time for behaving like Younglings."

"Yes, Master Kenobi." They chimed together. Luke knew he would be getting a lecture later, but he had to take comfort knowing Adrai and Angi were in for it, too. Satisfied that they wouldn't cause further disruptions, the discussions continued.

I am in so much trouble.

You're in so much trouble? Hah! Adrai scoffed.

I've never seen what Master Obi-Wan is like when he's angry, and I really don't want to know. No thanks to you two. He glared at Angi, who just glared right back.

"After considering Commander Willard's quite reasonable request, Padawan Nadeb and Padawan Dan'cha will be joining the pilots of Gold Group for the battle." Master Rilsyer interrupted, "Padawans, report to the briefing room in ten minutes in full gear. The rest of you, stay behind." Luke was pretty sure his jaw had dropped open as Yomi and Disu left.

"Sorry, Luke. I know you wanted to go." Yomi whispered as she passed him, "Better luck next time?"

"I don't think there's going to be a next time." He saw the way Master Obi-Wan was watching him and knew he'd be lucky to get away from this with a slap on the wrist.

"Master Kenobi, you have more experience in this matter than either Master Taiel or myself, we leave these three disruptive Padawans in your custody." Master Rilsyer gave the three of them a very unpromising look and departed with Master Taiel.

"Well, that's it." Angi muttered, "We're done for. Nice to know you."

"That's enough of that, Padawan Dyril." Master Obi-Wan said, "I want to see the three of you in the contemplation room in five minutes. Now go." Luke bit his tongue and trooped off obediently. He'd never been inside that particular room, but he knew it was never good if you were asked to go there. Angi, Yomi, and Disu had been there before, and Adrai had been there once since she'd arrived. He never had the guts to ask what happened there, part of him didn't want to know. Now he was about to find out first hand.

"Not you, Luke." His master called, "Walk with me a while."

"Bad luck, old man." Angi whispered as he miserably fell behind to walk with his master. The girls hurried off to the contemplation room, and he dropped back the dictated two paces. The silence grew so long and so heavy Luke finally had to say something.

"Master, I'm sorry."

"Why, Padawan?"

"Those things I said back there in the hangar were…just disrespectful of me. I wasn't…"

"You weren't what?"

"Thinking before I spoke. I'm sorry if I said anything that disgraced either of us. I know I did, at least once."

"You know what you said was wrong, and you still said it. Why?"

"I have no excuse for my behavior, Master. I shouldn't have said those things, or thought them."

"You're allowed to think them, Padawan, speaking them aloud is something else entirely. What have you learned from this?" Obi-Wan turned to him, and Luke ducked his head.

"To think before I speak and always be respectful to those who give us what we have. If not for the Alliance, there would be no bed for me at night, no empty rooms for me to train in. I wouldn't have anything, not even my sister."

"Especially not your sister. Does she know these thoughts?"

"Yes, Master, we talked on the pyramid this morning."

"And what did she say?"

"She said…" Luke licked his lips, "She said it was all we have."

"She's right, it is all we have. Which is why you have five minutes exactly to get to the briefing room."

"Master?" He looked up for the first time.

"I will speak to the girls as I have spoken to you, I will listen to them, and judge appropriately. Now, you're wasting time with your mouth hanging open that way, get moving."

"You're letting me…"

"Yes, Luke. Go!" His master waved him off, laughing as he wheeled and sprinted back the other way. He reached the briefing room just in time and slipped into an empty chair near the back.

"Did I miss anything?" he whispered to the pilot next to him.

"Not much. They're just starting."

"Good." He looked for Disu and Yomi and spotted them two rows down, dressed in dark orange flightsuits. "Om! Suz!" he called softly. As the girls turned, he waved.

Luke! What are you doing here? Yomi whispered excitedly, I thought Master Kenobi sent you to the contemplation room with the other two!

I think I've been forgiven for the way I acted earlier, and this is his way of showing me.

Oh, nice. Best of luck, old man. Yomi gave him a thumbs-up as the briefing got underway.

"The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the starfleet." Dodonna was saying, "Its defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defenses."

"Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snubfighters going to be against that?" an older pilot below them stood up.

"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia and information passed on from Yuma Viann have demonstrated a weakness in the battle station." A diagram appeared on the holograph screen, "The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point." He pointed out the proposed approach, "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station." The pilots whispered excitedly and the girls turned to Luke, grinning. He winked as Dodonna continued, ignoring the excited chatter, "Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."

"That's impossible!" the young Corellian pilot next to Luke was shaking his head, "Even for a computer!"

"It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home." Luke shook his head, looking at the read-out, "They're not much bigger than two meters."

"Then man your ships!" Dodonna said, "And may the Force be with you!"

"Don't worry, general," Luke whispered, "it will be." He got up and followed the rest of the pilots out of the room. Just outside, Yomi jumped him and rode piggy-back.

"Two meters? That's it?" she crowed, "It'll be…"

"Just like Beggar's Canyon back home!" Luke and Disu finished, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"Boy, Master Kenobi must have been in a good mood! I thought you'd be grounded!"

"I sure hope Rai and Jig get to come along, or I'll never hear the end of it." He shrugged as Yomi slid off his back to walk next to him. He wasn't sure if he would actually see a cockpit or stand by in the control room. Obi-Wan had just told him to get to the briefing before he was late. Not what to do after. He tagged along to the hangar, where he found his master waiting. Adrai and Angi stood behind him in full gear, looking perfectly miserable.

"What's with the long faces?" Yomi tucked her helmet under one arm, "We're the lucky ones."
"Lucky? I hate flying!" Adrai wailed, "I always have!"

"Oh stop whining." Angi jabbed the other girl in the ribs, "You're not the only one."

"What's wrong?" Luke was a little confused. He would give anything to fly, and yet Adrai and Angi seemed all too willing to stay grounded.

"Maybe flying in this suicide attempt is your idea of a reward, Skywalker, but not me. See how you like it with a TIE-fighter right up your afterburners." Adrai spat, storming off towards one of the many fighters lining the hangar in ranks.

"What barked up her tree this morning? Geeze." Yomi whistled, "I mean, I've seen Adrai in a bad mood, but this is really bad." Luke scratched his head and watched Angi hurry after Adrai.

"Master, what just happened?"

"Adrai has never been a particularly skilled pilot, and avoids it when she can. For her, this is punishment, not reward."

"Oh. What about Jig?"

"Oh, come on, Luke. You've seen those two!" Disu rolled her eyes, "Wherever Adrai goes, Angi goes with her. Have you seen Angi do something without Adrai in the past year?"

"No."

"No, exactly."

"Master?" Luke was almost afraid of what his master would say. Maybe he was grounded, which would be the worst of all worlds.

"The flights leave soon, get ready." His master looked very tired suddenly, and Luke didn't want to leave.

"Are you sure, Master?"

"Yes, Luke. Go on, I'll be alright." His master shooed him off and he ran back to the ready room. Yomi and Disu followed him to help him get suited up.

"Whatever happened to Adrai, she's still not over it. She's been acting really weird lately." Yomi said as he pulled on the flightsuit after discarding his cloak and uniform.

"But why?"

"I don't think we want to know. Facing the Empire is the last thing she wants to do, but Master Taiel won't let her back out."

"Poor Adrai." Luke finished buckling various clasps and made sure his harness was secured right. Yomi handed him the helmet and gloves, shrugging.

"Come on, Luke. If you're lucky, you'll get an X-wing."

"Oh nice." He grinned. He'd admired the X-wings since he'd seen them a year ago, and he loved the speed and agility of the fighters. He and the girls had been given three to use for training, and took turns in the cockpit. With any luck at all, he would have his own today, one he might not have to give back at the end of the run. Halfway across the hangar, he ran into Red Leader, who took a good long look at him and smiled.

"You're Luke Skywalker, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thought so. Saw you sitting in on the briefing. Think you're up to the job?"

"I am, sir."

"I know you've been checked out on the X-wing, I've watched you fly this thing. Biggs Darklighter tells me you the best bushpilot this side of the galactic center."

"Well, the Outer Rim anyway." Luke could only imagine the wild stories Biggs had told the pilots and blushed.

"You'll do alright, kid. Hell, if you're half the pilot your father was, you'll do more than alright." Red Leader chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.

"You knew my father?"

"When I was just about your age. Damn good pilot, good friend too. Sad to hear about his death when it got around. You'll do fine, Skywalker." Red Leader left them for his own ship and Luke scratched his head.

"Not another one."

"What?"

"I keep thinking there's something about my father no one wants to tell me, I just can't figure out what it is or why. Every time someone tells me they knew him, I have to wonder." He shrugged, looking for Biggs.

"If it was really important, I know Master Kenobi would tell you."

"I don't know." He rubbed his forehead, deciding not to worry about it right then. Yomi and Disu broke off to find their fighters and he wandered after them, pacing himself.

"Luke! Hey, Luke!" he heard someone shouting his name and turned to see Biggs and Leia coming toward him. For the first time since he'd shown up a year ago, Luke noticed that Biggs wasn't in flight gear. He frowned.

"Biggs, you're coming up with us, right?"

"Sorry, Wormie, no room on the roster for me today."

"But…"

"Hey, take it easy." Biggs clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a shake, "Some kid named Rhal is taking my place."

"Oh no, Adrai? She hates flying!" Luke could see the disaster just waiting to happen.

"Hey, I don't make those choices. You've got your stuff ready?"

"Like Suz and Om said, it'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home."

"Good girls, I like those two. Stick with them and you can't go wrong." Biggs crushed him in a hug, "Listen, I'll be in the control room the whole time, I'll be listening. You need anything, give a holler."

"Thanks, Biggs." He watched the stocky pilot go off, and sighed, continuing on his way with Leia in step beside him. He wondered for a moment where Han was, he hadn't seen the pirate since earlier that morning.

"What's on your mind, Luke?"

"Oh, it's Adrai."

"What happened?"

"She's just about lost it, Leia, and I'm worried about her. For a while there, I wasn't even sure I'd get to fly, I was in so much trouble with Master Obi-Wan. She and Angi got it, too, but I think she would have been just as happy here in the outpost. Maybe happier, she doesn't like flying at all."

"That's so sad. Why?"

"Bad experiences, probably. I don't know. She's not at all the way I remember, I kinda miss her sometimes." He shrugged uneasily, "That's a weird thing to say, but it's true."

"Don't worry so much, Luke, you can't afford to lose focus up there." She hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and clambered up the ladder of the X-wing with Artoo being tucked into the socket.

"This R2 unit of yours seems a little beat up." The crew chief said, "Do you want a new one?"

"Not on your life! That little droid and I have been through a lot together!" he looked at the loyal R2, "You okay, Artoo?" he got a series of affirming whistles and beeps and grinned. He dropped into the cockpit and put on his helmet. Threepio and Artoo said goodbye as all ship-checks were done. When everything was cleared, he gave the crew chief a thumbs up and moved out onto the aisle runway. At a signal from the ground-guide, he accelerated and shot out of the hangar, joining the rest of the fighters on their way to the Death Star. As they cleared the tree-line, Red Leader called for a check-in of all wings. Red Ten, Red Nine, Red Six, Red Two, Red Eleven, and Angi as Red Seven were quick to report in.

"Red Five standing by." Luke called in. There was nothing from Adrai's fighter, and he frowned, "Red Three, report in. Do you copy?"

"Red Three…standing by." Adrai sounded anything but ready, and Luke almost suggested she turn her fighter around and returned to base, but it was already too late.

"Hang in there, Red Three. Don't freeze up." Red Leader coached, likely to no avail. Poor Adrai. Luke, Adrai, and Angi stuck together. Wedge Antilles, who flew as Red Two in the flight, was with them too. He was one of Luke's Corellian friends. If Red Leader thought anything of his youngest pilots sticking together he kept it to himself.

"Lock S-foils into attack position." Red Leader called. Luke activated the proper control and watched as the wing's of Angi's fighter, the one directly infront of him, unfolded to form the X for which their fighters were named.

Things got nasty the minute they were in firing range, but it was fairly easy to outmaneuver the turret-guns and cannons. A quick look over Luke's shoulder showed the cluster of fighters that made up Gold Group. Yomi and Disu were over there. He listened as Gold Group called in it's numbers and found out that Yomi was Gold Four, Disu was Gold Five. Easy to remember. When Gold Leader rounded up his group for an attack run, Luke watched as Gold Four and Gold Five held positions out of the trench.

"Gold Four, Gold Five, this is Red Five."

"Copy, Red Five. I didn't know the Death Star was this big! It's huge!"

"Cut the chatter, Gold Five. Red Five, keep your eyes open." Red Leader broke in, and Luke looked around for any danger. Things happened quickly once Gold Leader started his attack run, and all of a sudden, Disu and Yomi were the only two pilots out of Gold Group still around. Disu picked up a TIE-fighter, and Luke had seen enough.

"Gold Four, you've picked up a TIE, get out of there! Bring your fighter around to oh-point-seven!"

"I can't shake him, Luke! Do something!" DIsu cried, twisting to avoid the barrage of fire. Luke lined up the TIE and pressed the firing switch. It was blown to dust and he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Got him, Gold Four! Where's Gold Five?"

"Down here!" Yomi was below them, picking off Red Leader's new friend.

"Red Group, Gold Four, Gold Five, set up for the attack run."

"Red Leader, this is Base One." Luke heard Dodonna's voice, "Hold half your pilots in reserve for a second attack run, and keep your eyes open for those TIE fighters."

"Copy that, Base One. Alright, kids, you heard the man. Red Five, take Red Two, Red Seven, Gold Four, and Gold Five and wait for my mark."

"Got it, Red Leader." Luke pulled out and waited for the others to catch up, "Good luck, Red Three." He didn't hear back from Adrai, and wished she would say something. Things didn't go well for Red Leader and his wingmen, and Luke didn't even have time to warn Adrai.

"Adrai! Red Three, no!" he watched in absolute horror as the fiery debris of Adrai's fighter painted the stars for a brief moment. Adrai! Oh, Adrai, why didn't you do something? He cried. With Red Ten, Nine, and Three gone already, it was just Red Eleven, Red Six, and Red leader. But they were picked off, too.

"Base One, this is Red Five. Red Leader, Red Eleven, Six, and three other pilots are gone. Tell Master Taiel I'm so sorry." He looked at his wingmen, "Alright, Wedge, Jig, let's close it up. Gold Four, Gold Five, you two stay up here. Keep an eye open for those TIE fighters."

"Got it, Red Five." The response was definitely subdued. As he dove for the trench, he could only think of Adrai. She wouldn't have wanted to die that way, she didn't. Had Master Taiel known his Padawan would more than likely end up so much dust? A spot on the surface of the Death Star? Had Adrai been sent to her death? Once in the trench, things went so fast he didn't have time to think let alone breathe. Suddenly, Angi gave a cry and he twisted around to see her spin out of the trench.

"Red Seven! Are you alright?"

"I'm hit! I can't stay in, Luke!"

"Not with that kind of wing-damage! Stay out of it, Jig! Wedge, go with her, make sure she doesn't get picked off!" he barked a series of orders that were followed. He'd already lost Adrai, he'd almost lot Angi just now, more than half of Red Group was gone, Disu and Yomi were all that was left of Gold Group, and they were running out of time. As he readjusted the targeting computer, he heard a soft voice.

"Use the Force, Luke." It wasn't his Master's voice, it was…Qui-Gon Jinn? He frowned, turning back to the computer.

"Let go, Luke." There it was again, this time followed by the man himself in miniature.

"Master Jinn?"

"Trust me, Luke, as you've never trusted me before." The deceased Master offer a sly grin. He shrugged and switched off his computer.

"I hope you know what you're doing, old man." he looked at the figure on his control panel. Qui-Gon just smiled.

Down in the war-room, Biggs Darklight and Leia Organa listened in on the conversations, horrified by how quickly their ranks had been depleted. They had run out of time, ad if Luke didn't make it, they were doomed. When Luke's computer went off, Biggs almost tore his hair out.

"His computer's off!" a technician cried in alarm.

"Luke, you just switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?" Biggs snapped into the headset he had worn the whole time.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm alright." Luke sounded fine, but Biggs swore to throttle the kid once he was back on solid ground.

"Like hell you are! What are you doing up there, Luke? We don't have time for games!"

"Can it, Biggs. I know exactly what I'm doing." Luke barked. Biggs arched an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Smart-ass kid." He grumbled. Around him, the others smiled. He had to trust Luke not to screw up, against all better judgement and experience.