Disclaimer: The usual…I don't own them.
It seemed like days later when Aurora found herself trudging towards her X-Wing, Wedge and Wes at her side. She was bone weary and they still had to get off this planet and past the Star Destroyers waiting in orbit. Although, from what intel she could gather, it sounded like they were pretty scattered, chasing the transports. Shouldn't be too hard for three small fighters to slip past them. Make that four small fighters, she thought, spotting a lone figure standing next to the four X-Wings. Somehow she wasn't too surprised to see Luke waiting next to his ship. He was the flight Commander. He wouldn't leave while he still had men on the ground. And she had a feeling, from the way his eyes were focused on her that he had waited specifically for her. The idea both warmed her and scared her.
"Enjoying the weather, Commander?" She asked sarcastically as they drew close enough to talk.
"I thought I'd work on my tan while I had some free time." He returned.
"You feeling alright?" Wedge asked, ignoring the byplay. "That was quite a drop from that walker."
"Pretty good." Luke answered then cut his eyes back to his second in command. "For a kriffing sith-spawned idiot."
Aurora winced while the other two men grinned and moved towards their ships.
"Figures that in the middle of evacuating a damn planet somebody would find the time to get that back to you."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "You're lucky we're in the middle of evacuating a damn planet or you'd be on report."
"Is that why you're waiting here?" Aurora damned herself the minute the words left her tongue. It was just going to lead to another uncomfortable discussion about their feelings.
But to her surprise Luke didn't look uncomfortable. Instead, his face changed into serious lines. "I thought we'd better discuss our plans." When she looked blank, he elaborated. "Dagobah."
She blinked. "You want to go now?"
"What better time? In all the confusion of escaping, no one's going to notice right away if we don't immediately show up at the rendezvous."
She glanced around quickly; to make sure Wes and Wedge weren't in ear shot, but they were busy getting their X-Wing's prepped.
"You realize that you're talking about going AWOL?"
He nodded grimly. "What choice do we have? It's not like we can get leave in the middle of the war."
Aurora glanced at the X-Wing looming above her and then at their companions. If they did this, there was a good chance they wouldn't be able to come back to the Rebellion. They'd be court marshaled for desertion. Was pursuing the possibility of becoming a Jedi worth giving up the only home, the only family she had? She thought of her mother, dying, her missing husband's name the last word on her lips; she thought of her father, giving up his own family and even his life, so that the Jedi could survive.
Luke waited for her response. He didn't want to do this without her. It wouldn't feel right. He needed her with him. For whatever reason: friendship, companionship, whatever. She was necessary. He watched her eyes turn towards Wedge and Wes again, then back to him.
"Wedge should be able to handle command while we're gone."
Luke let his breath out in relief. "Yeah, he should. We'll send them ahead, stay behind for some reason. I'll have Artoo plot the coordinates for Dagobah."
He started to turn towards his ship, but stopped when Aurora put her hand on his arm. "Luke, we need to tell them, Wedge and Wes, something. We can't just let them think we -." She stopped, unwilling to say the word.
Luke rubbed his chin, thinking. "We can't tell them where we're going. I don't think it's supposed to be general knowledge."
"No, but a hint. Just something to let them know that we're missing on purpose. So they don't end up trying to mount some fool rescue mission."
He nodded. "Good point. We'd probably end up having to rescue them."
"What are you two doing? Giving the Imperials a fair chance?" Wedge demanded, coming around the wing of his ship. "Let's get out of here."
Within moments, the four fighters had lifted off and we're blasting towards space. In the confusion leftover from the ion blasts and the other ships' departures, it was simple enough for them to slip through the debris and away from the planet, exchanging only a few volleys with the remaining Star Destroyers.
Aurora heard her com crackle and then Luke's voice. "Looks like those Destroyers might be trying something. Wedge, you and Wes head for the rendezvous point. Aurora and I will be right behind you. I just want to make sure that everyone got away."
"What? Those Destroyers can't possibly catch us." Wes blurted.
"Let's just be sure." Luke replied. "We'll be right behind you."
When Wes sucked his breath in again to argue, Aurora interrupted. "That's an order, Janson."
"Yes, sir." Wes muttered.
"Get going," Luke ordered, "And Wedge?"
"Yeah?"
"You're in command until we get back, got it?"
"Uh, yeah." The Correllian pilot sound confused.
"May the Force be with you." Aurora said quietly.
There was a pause and then Wedge's voice came back, an edge of concern riding it. "You too…with everything."
He clicked off and the two X-Wings headed off while Luke and Aurora watched them.
"Wedge knows." Luke stated quietly.
"Oh, yeah." Aurora was silent for a moment. "I hope that's enough to keep everyone from worrying."
"They'll still worry."
"Yes. Especially Leia."
Luke sighed. "I wish we could have said goodbye to her and Han."
Aurora didn't like the emotion she could hear in his voice and liked even less the feelings of jealousy that it invoked in her. "You can tell her goodbye later…after all, you'll get a chance when they court marshal us for desertion."
Luke snorted. "Probably." He shook himself. "Okay, enough maudlin stuff. Let's get out of here before those Star Destroyers really do catch up to us."
He had Artoo send her the coordinates for Dagobah that he had accessed and the last two members of the Rebel Alliance blasted away from the no longer hidden base on Hoth.
The two X-wings sped towards the distant planet. As they got closer, they could see that the planet was almost entirely blanketed in heavy cloud cover.
Artoo twirped a question to Luke.
"Yes, that's it. Dagobah." The young pilot replied.
"Looks damp." Aurora commented over the comlink.
Luke privately agreed, but he wasn't about to say so out loud. Artoo was already having misgivings.
As if on cue, the little droid beeped a hopeful inquiry.
"No, I'm not going to change my mind about this." Luke replied firmly, hoping his voice sounded more confident then he felt.
"I'm not picking up any cities or technology." Aurora reported. "Massive life-form readings though. There's something alive down there…" Her voice trailed off. Apparently she wasn't feeling any better about their decision to come here than he was. Not exactly a thought designed to make him feel better. What had Ben been thinking to send them here without any information? Or maybe that was the point. Was this whole thing designed as a test to see how much they were willing to trust in the Force? He hated all the second guessing he'd been doing lately. Just once he wished he could make a decision and just know that it was the right thing to do, without having to worry about all of the consequences.
Artoo broke into Luke's thoughts with a worried question.
"Yes, I'm sure it's perfectly safe for droids."
The two ships began to drop through the cloud cover. It was thick enough that his view screen was completely obscured and he was forced to rely on his instruments to guide him.
Suddenly an alarm began to buzz and Artoo let out a frantic whistle.
"I know, I know!" Luke replied, flipping various switches. "All the scopes are dead. I can't see a thing!" He flicked the com. "Aurora? Do you still have the use of your instruments?"
He waited for a reply, but heard only static. "Aurora? Are you there?" He could feel dread settle in his stomach as he was greeted with only dead air.
Behind him, Artoo let out a moaning whistle.
"Relax." Luke told him. "I'm sure everything is fine. The com is just out, that's all." He tried to reassure the little droid and himself at the same time. "Just hang on; I'm going to start the landing cycle."
He fired the retrorockets, hoping desperately that there was something underneath them to land on.
Tree branches suddenly appeared out of the fog, cracking and snapping as the ship pushed through them. Before he could begin to seriously panic, the ship settled on something with an abrupt jolt. The sudden silence in the cockpit was deafening. Luke heaved a shaky breath. Well, at least they were down…he hoped.
He tried the com again, but it was still dead. Fear wanted to take hold of him, but he fought it down. Aurora was fine. She had to be.
He popped the hatch on the X-Wing and inhaled sharply as warm, humid air poured into the cockpit, nearly overwhelming him with the scent of stagnant water and decaying plant life. Almost everything around him was obscured by the thick ground mist. He could just make out some twisted looking trees at the edge of the area lit up by the X-Wing's landing lights. Pulling himself out of the cockpit, Luke took a deep breath and shouted for Aurora. His voice seemed muffled by the clinging mist. The unseen creatures that had been calling to each other were suddenly silent. Luke called again, waiting breathlessly for an answer. But there was only silence.
Artoo popped out of his hatch and whistled, sounding worried.
Luke looked back at the little droid. "No, Artoo. You stay put. I'll have a look around."
Artoo beeped a hesitant affirmative as the young commander moved forward along the nose of the ship. He felt the ship rock suddenly and then there was a sharp electronic squeal, followed almost immediately by a loud splash. He whipped around to see that the droid had disappeared. Dropping to his knees, he tried to peer into the dark water that he could now see surrounded the ship.
"Artoo?" There was no response and the water remained still and dark. Feeling panic creeping up again, Luke called again, desperation evident in his voice. "Artoo! Where are you?"
Suddenly, a small periscope broke the surface of the water followed by a somewhat shaky beep. Luke's shoulders dropped in relief. "Artoo!" The periscope began to make its way towards shore.
"You be more careful." Luke admonished, feeling exhaustion creeping up in the wake of the adrenalin surge he had just experienced. He ran along the nose of the ship and jumped into the water, swimming only a few meters before he felt ground under his feet and was able to pull himself clumsily onto the muddy ground. He turned to watch Artoo's progress. The still submerged droid was humming a jaunty tune to himself as he made his way through the water.
Exasperated with the droid's nonchalance, Luke pointed an annoyed finger at the shoreline. "Artoo. That way."
Artoo beeped what sounded like an embarrassed apology and turned slightly. Luke caught a brief glimpse of a large dark form in the water behind the droid, and then it was gone. But the wake in the water make it clear that whatever it was, it was heading right for Artoo! There was a metallic sounding clunk from the water and then a sudden panicked electronic scream from the little droid before Artoo abruptly disappeared from sight with a shocking speed.
"Artoo!" Luke yelled, grabbing his lightsaber and wading back into the water, trying to spot the astromech.
But there was no sign of him. The water was dark and still around him. Luke felt despair start to overwhelm him. First Aurora and now Artoo. He couldn't have lost them. Suddenly, he saw a few bubbles break the surface of the water and then abruptly Artoo came flying out of the muck with a loud spitting sound. The little droid soared through the air before crashing onto the muddy shore. Luke staggered back towards him as fast as he could.
"Oh no!" He dropped to his knees next to his metallic friend. "Are you all right?" He struggled to lift the heavy droid back to his wheels. "Come on. You're lucky you don't taste very good." With a grunt, he got the droid upright. "Anything broken?"
Artoo let out a pathetic series of beeps. Feeling overwhelmed, Luke began to clean the muck off of the little droid.
"If you're saying that coming here was a bad idea, I'm beginning to agree with you." He sat back on his heels and stared around him at the ominous landscape. "Oh, Artoo. What are we doing here? It's like….something out of a dream, or, I don't know." Disgusted he let his filthy hands drop into his lap. "Maybe I'm just going crazy."
As if in agreement, Artoo spit out a large amount of muddy water from one of his ports. Luke sighed. Yep, that about summed up the situation they were in: sitting in the mud on some barely known planet, Aurora lost somewhere, his military career probably in ruins and no Jedi Master in sight. How pathetic was he?
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Aurora ran a hand through her hair in disgust, staring around her. There was nothing to see but mist, mist and more mist. And mud. Couldn't forget the mud. Not when it was everywhere. She tried calling for Luke again, but just as in her previous attempts, there was no response. Just the muffled echo of her voice in the damp fog that seemed to cling to everything in sight.
"Great." She muttered. Lost in the muck on some muddy disaster of a planet, with no clue where Luke was or this mysterious Master Yoda.
She slumped back against the X-Wing, her legs dangling over the wing.
"Lost are you?"
Aurora jumped and swore, aiming her blaster at the sound of the voice which was coming from somewhere near the ground.
Keeping her blaster trained towards the sound, she leaned over enough to view the speaker.
A small, green alien with large pointy ears was standing on the ground, calmly staring back at her.
"What do you want?"
The alien continued to stare at her curiously. "Help you I can."
"Yeah?" She asked suspiciously. "Help me with what exactly?"
"Your way to find."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Who says I'm lost?"
The alien looked around at the surrounding swamp. "Come here not many do."
"I was looking for somewhere to find a little peace and quiet." She also looked at the mist shrouded landscape. "Looks like I found it."
Her companion chuckled. "Yes, yes. Quiet, yes." He nodded to himself and settled his hands more firmly on the gnarled walking stick he held. "But still, help you I can."
"I thought we already established that I didn't need any help."
"Help you find your friend I can."
Aurora froze. She'd been reluctantly amused by the little creature's harmless appearance and bizarre way of speaking, but his last words wiped away the spell. "What friend?"
"Came here with someone you did, yes? A companion? Lost him you did."
"How exactly did you know that?" She asked, sitting up straighter against the viewport of the X-Wing.
"Know many things I do. . Like, where is your friend, yes?"
"Why don't you share some of that knowledge with me?"
"Take you to him I can."
Aurora lifted the blaster and pointed it directly at him. "Or you can save us both some trouble and just tell me where he is."
The alien considered her for a moment and then turned and pointed into the trees. "There."
The young commander turned and studied the wall of grayish-green foliage. "Can you be a little more specific?"
The alien continued to stand patiently watching her. "Take you to him I can."
She sighed in futility and frustration. "I think we've just about exhausted the possibilities of this conversation."
"Trust me you do not."
Aurora snorted. "Not hardly."
Again the alien seemed to consider her. "Why?
"Because I don't know you or what you want." She replied.
"Told you I have what it is that I want. Help you to find your friend."
"Yeah, right. And I suppose you stand around this swamp all day just waiting to help find lost travelers. And you don't expect anything in return either, right?"
The alien shook his head, ears flapping slightly. "Expect nothing do I. Why think this do you?"
"Because everyone expects something. Everyone has an agenda."
"Cynical you are." The little alien sounded disapproving.
"No, just realistic."
"A good attitude this is not…for a Jedi."
She stilled, slowly turning her head towards him. "What?"
"Ah. Yes." The small green being smiled. "A secret it is, yes?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said flatly.
He sighed. "Pointless this is, and foolish. Come with me and find your friend, or here stay and get rained upon. Yours is the choice." He turned away and started towards the nearest group of trees.
Aurora hesitated, watching his back. Something didn't feel quite right here. Another swift glance up showed the same swirling fog that had been there since she landed. Nothing indicated it was going to rain. But if the little creature really did know where Luke was…. Why did this decision seem so much larger than it actually was? With a huffed breath, impatient with her waffling, she stood up.
"Hey, wait up. I'm coming." She slid down the ladder of the X-wing and quickly joined the alien.
"Of course."
"Nobody likes a smartass." She informed him.
His soft chuckle seemed to echo out of the trees and Aurora couldn't stop the quick shiver of apprehension that raced down her back as she followed him further into the dark swamp.