Disclaimer: The usual…I own nothing.
A/N: I apologize ahead of time for this part. I'm not very good at writing battle scenes.
Aurora entered the command center still flushed. She hoped no one noticed, or if they did, they blamed it on her hurried rush through the base. She was trying desperately to keep her mind off what had just occurred, or nearly occurred, in the medcenter.
"Commander Kenobi, thank you for coming so quickly." General Rieeken said as he saw her. He and Leia were standing near a tactical display, listening to a comlink.
"General." Aurora replied, her voice still somewhat breathless. She exchanged somewhat cool nods with the Princess. That kiss was still uppermost in both their minds.
Rieekan explained the situation quickly. "We've got an unknown contact in sector five. Solo and Chewbacca are investigating. I've sent Rogues Ten and Eleven to station three-eight as backup for them. I'd like you to have the rest of the squadron on standby, just in case."
"Yes, sir. I'll get them ready now." She started to leave when the comlink beeped and Han's voice came through, crackling with static. He detailed his actions with the intruder, ending with: "Afraid there's not much left."
"What was it?" Leia asked.
"Droid of some kind." Han replied. "I didn't hit it that hard. It must have had a self-destruct."
"An Imperial probe droid." Aurora declared.
"It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here." Han answered her.
"We'd better start the evacuation." Rieekan stated grimly.
The two women exchanged worried glances, any animosity temporarily forgotten.
"I'll get the Rogues." Aurora announced and left the command center at a dead run, calling Rogue Flight to action even as she cleared the door.
Wedge was receiving last minute instructions from Aurora when he suddenly heard her breath catch and saw her cheeks flush. Wondering what had caused such a reaction in the normally collected Commander, he turned his head, searching the hangar deck. He followed her gaze to where Luke was standing next to the Millenium Falcon, talking to Chewbacca. Even as he watched he saw the giant Wookiee lift Luke into his arms in a hug and saw the laughter spreading across his friend's face. Next to him, Aurora cleared her throat. She continued her instructions, deliberately avoiding looking in Luke's direction. Unfortunately for her, Luke had spotted them and headed right over.
"Luke. How are you feeling?" Wedge greeted the other man.
"I'm fine, Wedge. Thanks."
"Next time you decide to go for a stroll, you might want to check the weather report." The Corellian pilot teased his friend.
Luke laughed, but his eyes remained on the woman standing silently next to them. "I'll try to remember that."
Wedge chuckled, but the other two didn't join in. The silence grew uncomfortable and the Corellian cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing back and forth between his companions. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh, so – I guess I'll just go, uh, check on my speeder." He forced a laugh. "Make sure Janson hasn't been fooling with my seat controls or anything."
"Probably a good idea, knowing Wes." Luke said, wryly.
"Yeah." Wedge cast another glance at Aurora who hadn't uttered a word since Luke joined them. She was studiously staring at the activity around them, but a flush was riding her cheeks. "So, I'll just, uh, go. See you later." He waved and hurried away, blowing out a relieved breath at escaping the awkwardness. What was going on with those two? He'd never seen them so ill at ease with each other before.
The silence left after his departure grew even more uncomfortable. Luke desperately wanted to say something, anything, in order to get Aurora to look at him, but he couldn't think of what. He felt clumsy and out of his depth, like the farm boy he was. Finally, the tension got to be too much.
"Look, Aurora, I – ," he began.
"Luke, I'm -- ." She said at the same time.
Luke gave a strained laugh. "Sorry. Go ahead."
Aurora huffed out a breath. "I told you this wasn't a good idea."
"What?"
"This." She gestured between them. "We can't even talk to each other anymore."
"We're talking now." Luke joked lamely, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
Aurora gave him a withering look. "You know exactly what I mean. One small incident and now everything between us feels strained."
Disappointment tugging at his heart, Luke tried to keep his face and voice neutral. "So, what are you suggesting?"
She dropped her gaze to the floor. She couldn't look into those eyes and still maintain her resolve. "I think we should forget it and try to pretend nothing ever happened."
"Nothing ever happened." Luke repeated tonelessly.
Aurora flinched, but didn't look at him. "Yes."
"Fine, Aurora, whatever you want." His voice sounded harsh, even to him.
Devastated, her eyes flew up to his. "Luke, please." One hand reached out as if to touch him, then she thought better of it and it dropped back to her side. "I care about you too much to risk what we already have. I don't want to lose my best friend."
Luke wanted to yell and rage. He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her, and yet at the same time he wanted to kiss her until she couldn't stand. He struggled to control the emotions that were storming through him, to try to rein in some control. After all, it wasn't her fault that she didn't feel the same way he did; it wasn't something he could force. And acting like a spoiled brat because he didn't get what he wanted was only going to add incentive to her resolve to remain friends. Still, it was hard to have come so close to what he'd been dreaming about for ages and have it snatched away at the last second, before he'd barely gotten a taste.
He just needed to accept that it might never happen; that maybe he and Aurora were just destined to be good friends. And why did that thought send a shaft of despair through him so bleak that he felt his heart ache?
But this wasn't the time and it certainly wasn't the place. He could already feel eyes peering at them, wondering what Rogue Leader and his second-in-command were discussing so intensely. Taking a deep breath and pushing all of the swarming, confusing feelings to a place deep inside where he wouldn't have to deal with them right now, he managed to touch her shoulder hesitantly.
"You won't." He gave her a half-hearted smile as he finally responded. "You can't get rid of me that easy."
Aurora glanced up at him in surprise. He was actually sort of managing to smile. She realized that he was attempting to do as she asked and put this behind them. Grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood, she smiled back and searched for a change of subject, something far more neutral. "So, did they release you from the medcenter or are you a fugitive?"
"They released me. I guess Twoonebee figured it didn't matter since we were evacuating anyway."
"Either that or he just got tired of listening to you nag at him." Aurora retorted.
Luke attempted to look offended. "I beg your pardon. I do not nag. Leia nags. I whine."
She laughed, as he'd intended, then slowly sobered. Her eyes were on the claw marks on his cheek, visible reminders of his near death. "Luke, are you sure you're up to this?"
He nodded. "Yes."
She watched him for a moment, and then gave her own nod. "Alright then." With a sweeping gesture that included the speeders around them, she stepped back. "Rogue Flight's all yours, Boss. Take us up."
"With pleasure." He gave her a mock salute before turning and heading to his own speeder. Dack was serving as his gunner and had already done the preliminary checks.
"Feeling all right, sir?"
"Just like new, Dack." Luke replied. "How about you?"
The kid's whole face lit. "Right now I feel like I could take on the whole Empire myself."
Luke glanced across the hangar to where Aurora was strapping into her own cockpit. She looked up and their eyes met briefly, a slight flush staining her cheeks.
Luke couldn't help the thrill that went through him. She wasn't as indifferent to him as she wanted to be. "I know what you mean." He replied quietly to his young gunner."
As the squadron raced towards their targets, the frozen snowfields beneath them passed in a blur.
Luke thumbed his comlink. "Echo station Five-Seven. We're on our way."
In the distance, he could just make out dark shapes that must be the Imperials.
"All right, boys, keep it tight now." He announced.
Behind him, Dack sounded nervous. "Luke, I have no approach vector. I'm not set."
"Steady, Dack." Luke assured him. "Attack pattern delta. Go now!"
The Imperials were firing now, the heads of the enormous walkers turning to track the incoming speeders. In front of him, he watched Aurora and Wedge's speeders fire on the lead walker, then bank to the right.
"All right, I'm coming in." He selected his target and flew directly towards it, diving between the legs.
Checking his rear scope, he failed to see his wingman. "Hobbie, you still with me?" He called into the comlink.
Receiving no answer, he twisted in his seat, trying to spot the other Rogue. "Anybody see Four?"
"He's fine, Lead." Wedge's voice replied. "He got a little crisped on that run, but made it through."
Luke sighed in relief, as he zeroed in on the closest walker, hearing the sound of Dack firing the guns repeatedly. The laser fire splashed against the side of the machine, but didn't penetrate.
On the other side of the battle, Aurora sent her speeder into a twisting climb, avoiding the searing bolts of laser fire from the monster behind her. Two other speeders shot past her, heading back towards her previous target. As they neared the Imperial, the giant head of the walker swiveled and fired, the bolts striking with deadly precision into one of the speeders. It went down in a ball of flames.
Aurora felt her blood freeze with horror as she yanked the controls hard to make a pass over the downed ship. "Four is down, repeat, Four is down."
Behind her, Nir'Deen was frantically trying to raise Hobbie on the com.
Aurora switched the signal. "This is Commander Kenobi, we need medical immediately. We have a pilot down." She listed the coordinates, desperately hoping Hobbie was still alive.
"Aurora? Where's Four?" Luke's voice came through, sounding calm, but worried.
"Hobbie's ship is down, Luke. No movement." She hated how cold her voice sounded, but there wasn't time for emotions. "I've contacted medical and given them the coordinates."
"Good job." He paused for a moment. "That's all we can do. Get back to work."
"Yes, sir." She hated to leave Hobbie alone, but the faster they took out these bastards, the faster they could get to Hobbie. She banked and headed back to the battle with a vengeance.
Anger and fear for his friend swirling in his gut, Luke headed for the lead walker. He dove straight for its viewport, firing constantly. The lasers lit up the viewport, but when the explosion dissipated, he could see that there wasn't any damage.
He lifted up and over the walker, swearing under his breath.
To himself he muttered: "That armor's too strong for blasters." He twisted the speeder around for another run and flicked the com. "Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them." He turned off the com and called over his shoulder to his gunner. "All right, stand by, Dack."
Behind him, Dack flipped several controls. "Luke, we've got a malfunction in fire control. I'll have to cut in the auxiliary."
Luke swore again. It was always something. "Just hang on. Hang on, Dack. Get ready to fire that tow cable." He sent the ship on a jarring, spiraling course to avoid the heavy incoming laser fire. Dack was tumbled around in his seat, but gamely continued to struggle with the harpoon gun.
Suddenly, laser fire was all around them as another walker joined the leader to flank them. Luke had his hands full doing all he could to avoid the deadly storm. He could feel the jolts shaking the ship as some of the blasts made contact. He finally made it through the heavy volley and called back over his shoulder to check on his gunner.
"Dack?" Receiving no answer, he twisted his head, trying to see the younger man. "Dack!" The boy was slumped over the smoldering controls, blood running down his forehead. Luke closed his eyes briefly as anger and grief rose up in him again and he absorbed the loss of another friend.
Aurora was desperately trying to avoid a hail of laser fire when she heard a voice squawk out of the com. "Lead is hit!"
Recognizing the voice, she jabbed the link. "Two, report!"
Zev sounded a little calmer when he replied. "Luke took some fire, but he's still flying. Looks like most of it hit the rear."
Aurora let out a breath. He was okay. For now, he was still okay. She headed back into battle.
"Rogue Three."
Wedge responded instantly to Luke's hail. "Copy, Rogue Leader."
"Wedge, I've lost my gunner. You'll have to make this shot. I'll cover for you. Set your harpoon. Follow me on the next pass."
"Coming around, Rogue Leader." He could hear the grief and the guilt in Luke's voice. Lost another one. He knew Luke would blame himself. Not just another squadron member, but his own gunner. And so young. Behind him, Janson was silent. Pushing away his own sorrow, he headed out to do his duty.
As they approached a walker, he heard Luke's voice again. "Steady, Rogue Two."
Wedge threaded between the legs of the walker. "Activate harpoon." He ordered Janson.
The harpoon flashed out, hitting the forward right leg, just as Wes announced: "Harpoon away.
"Good shot, Janson." With a grim smile on his face, Wedge sent the speeder into a tight circle around the walker's legs, trailing the harpoon cable, which quickly wrapped itself around the machine's legs. Banking past the front of the walker again, Wedge checked his controls. "One more pass." He decided.
"Coming around. Once more." Wes confirmed.
The speeder made another swift pass. "Once more." Wes called.
Wedge flew the ship between the towering legs of the walker.
"Cable out!" Wes declared. "Let her go!"
"Detach cable." Wedge stated.
"Cable detached." Wes confirmed firmly.
As the speeder headed away from the Imperial machine, Wedge watched on his scope while it tried to take another step and found its legs restricted. The walker teetered for a moment, then slowly, almost momentously; it toppled over on its side in a spray of snow, ice and metal. Almost immediately, Rebel troops swarmed out of the trenches towards it.
Wedge let out a victorious whoop, echoed by Wes.
"Whooha! That got him!"
"I see it, Wedge." Luke's voice came over the com. "Good work." The two ships separated to target more walkers, spirits rising at the first sign of possible victory.
Aurora felt a surge of pride as she saw the walker go down. They could do this. Immense and invulnerable as the walkers seemed, they could be taken down and Rogue Flight was just the group to do it.
"Okay, Deen, let's go take down some walkers and show these males how it's done."
Her gunner laughed. "Yes, sir!"
She headed the speeder towards the nearest walker, weaving erratically to avoid the incoming flak, only half listening to the chatter on the com. She heard Luke's voice again. Sounded like he was running interference for Zev now. She heard him say something about crossfire and then tight and low. Amazing, how even in the middle of a battle, she could still be so attuned to his voice. She shook her head in self-disgust. "Not now!"
Just as she was finishing the final loop around a cabled walker, the sound of an explosion ripped across the com. Almost immediately a panicked voice called out: "Rogue Two is gone! Repeat, Two is gone. And Rogue Leader is down!"
Sickening fear choked her. Trying to control the surge of fear, she tried to focus on the Force. Forcing her voice to remain calm, she thumbed the com. "This is Rogue Seven. Status on Rogue Leader?"
"Commander, this is Lt. Edmonda at Echo Station Five-Seven. Rogue Leader took some flak in the explosion that took out Rogue Two. He went down, but the ship is still intact. I'm sending troops for rescue and evac right now."
"Thanks, Five-Seven. Keep me informed."
"Yes, sir. Wait –."
The fear surged back in the few seconds between words.
"I'm seeing movement. The canopy just came up and -yes! Commander Skywalker is getting out. He's alive!"
Aurora felt light headed from the relief. He's alive! She heard the words echoing in her head. "Thank the Force! When you pick him up, tell him I've got command."
"Uh, we can't do that, Commander. Pick him up, I mean. He's, uh, heading back into the battle."
"The ship is still flyable?" She asked in surprise.
"No, he's, uh, heading back on foot."
"What?" Her voice must have been sharper than intended because the voice on the other end of the comlink sounded almost scared.
"He headed back towards the walkers. We can't see him from here."
Wedge broke into the conversation, sounding half amused half worried. "I've got him on my scopes, Seven. He's underneath a walker, looks like he's firing something."
Behind her, Nir'Deen snorted. "What's he planning on doing, taking these things out with a blaster?"
"No, it looks like -." Wedge's voice broke off then came back full of disbelief. "He took the harpoon gun out of the speeder and just shot it into the belly of the walker. Now he's being pulled up the cable.
"Kriffing idiot!" Aurora swore viciously. "What does he think he's doing?" She desperately wanted to fly over and check on Luke herself, but she was needed right where she was. "What's our illustrious leader doing now?"
"I don't know." Wedge replied. "I can't see him. He's dangling underneath the walker somewhere. Wait! I just saw a flash of bright blue light. I'm not sure what it was."
"Lightsaber." Aurora replied grimly.
"What the hell does he think he's going to do with a lightsaber?" Nir'Deen asked.
Her teeth gritted while she swooped around another walker, Aurora had to take a moment to reign in her anger and worry before she could answer. "He's cutting through the armor."
"Why?" The Twi'lek questioned in disbelief.
Before her commander could answer, Wedge's voice came back through the com. "Luke just dropped from the walker! He's down in the snow!"
"Hit?" Aurora asked her voice tight with dread.
"I don't know. I didn't see anything. Hang on." There was an agonizing pause before Wedge replied again. "No, he's okay. I just saw him lift his head, but – Blazing Stars! The walker just exploded! It just blew up, from the inside!"
"Is Luke okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine. The walker was a ways away from him when it blew."
"Thanks, Wedge. Get his coordinates to Station Five-Seven so they can pick him up. I think he's had enough fun for the day. Bloody damned moron!" Aurora switched com channels. "Lt. Edmonda, this is Commander Kenobi. Rogue Three is going to send you Commander Skywalker's coordinates. Send someone out there to get him immediately; he may be hurt. Bring him back to the base, by force if necessary. That's an order."
"Ah, yes, sir, Commander." The lieutenant sounded intimidated.
"Kenobi out." She switched the channel back and leaned back in her seat, feeling the tension drain out of her shoulders. Luke was safe, and at least for now, he was out of the battle. "Idiot! Kriffing sith-spawned idiot!"
"Ah, Aurora," Nir'Deen's voice sounded amused. "You do realize that you can't order Luke back to the base, don't you? He's your commanding officer."
"I'm fully aware of that."
"Well, I thought you might have forgotten since you didn't bother to switch off the com before calling your commanding officer nasty names."
Hearing muffled laughter; she looked down and realized that the com was still on. She'd switched back to the squadron channel after speaking to the base, but hadn't turned it off. "Are we in battle here or on break? Get back to it and take the rest of these bastards out." She snapped at the rest of the squad, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. With an irritated twist of her wrist, she zeroed in on the closest walker and prepared to take it down.
If at all possible, I'd really like some reader input on the story….