Chapter 16
Luke sprinted through the darkened and blackened hallways of Brionelle Memorial Military Academy, following Andover's force signature. Mara trailed by about twenty feet. She was running very quickly, but could never keep up with Luke. And she needed water immediately.
Luke didn't, however. He was able to function without water for a long time if he needed to . Admittedly, this was one of the very few benefits of growing up on Tatooine.
He rounded a bend in front of her, and she hurried to catch up. Not watching where she ran, Mara crashed into him as soon as she turned and they both ended up on the floor.
"Sorry," she said, dusting herself off.
"It's nothing," assured her.
"Why'd...?" she began, but he shushed her. He pointed down the hallway, then gestured for her to be quiet. A metal door reading Auxiliary Hangar C6 was cracked open .
Do you really think someone is in there? Mara sent through their mental bond. As efficient as it was, she still felt awkward communicating this way.
I don't know, Luke replied, but Andover is that way too. Chances are somebody's with him, otherwise he would have already come to us.
Mara nodded. She held up three fingers, then two, then one and pushed the door open with the Force. Luke ignited his lightsaber, they ran in. The hangar was completely empty; the sun shined through the open wall to their left.
"See? Nothing to worry about," Mara commented.
A weak groan came from behind them. A body lay on the ground, pushed up against the side wall next to the door. It was Andover. His face was pale and tear-streaked, and he had a long, bleeding gash on his right arm.
"They took her," he moaned simply, holding his hands over his eyes and sobbing softly.
"Who took who?" Luke asked hurriedly.
"My sister!" he wailed."I felt her go unconscious, and by the time I got here, she was gone!"
"She can't be far," Mara reasoned, scanning the room for any paths of escape.
"She's probably in hyperspace, you idiot!" Andover shouted. "A shuttle left the second I ran into this room. Bearing Brionelle markings. It could have been anyone within the base."
"Vader wasn't here," Mara said. "I would have felt that."
"She's gone and it's all my fault," he moaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Luke patted him on the back gently, while he sat and cried.
"I might never see her again," he lamented.
Outside of the obliterated military academy, a gray cloud of dust still hung in the air.
The rebel patrols swept through all of the apartments, houses and offices in Hanna City, arresting as many known Imperial sympathizers as possible.
Andover crouched despondently in one of the (forcefully) vacated seaside condominiums, blankly staring at the waves below.
"Um, excuse me?" a teenage girl said from behind him.
"What do you want?" he snapped, glancing back over his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," the girl replied. Andover looked down ashamedly.
"I'm the one who should be sorry," he mumbled. "My twin sister is probably dead because of me." He frowned. "Here," he continued, gesturing to an open seat.
"Now I am sorry," she consoled, smiling sympathetically. She sat down. "Who are you?" she asked.
"My name's Andover," he replied weakly.
"I've heard of you,' she said. "You were the one who destroyed the Capitol Dome. Yeah. My mom says you're a terrorist."
He frowned. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm Lieda. I'm Mon Mothma's daughter."
Andover glanced back again. "I feel bad for you. Your mother can't stand me. In fact, she seems to oppose me on just about everything I do."
Lieda walked over to the condominium's refrigerator.
"It's like she doesn't want the Alliance to get anything," he continued sourly. "I know she does, but she's too conservative. Her Senator mentality prevents anything getting done on time, and anything that isn't necessary in this war is disregarded. That's not how you win a war! Besides, you can't lead a revolution from behind a desk."
Lieda re-entered the room, carrying two cans of root beer. "I know what you mean," she said. "But she is under a lot of stress. She takes personal responsibility for any and all deaths under her command, and the success or failure of the rebellion rides on her shoulders."
"I wish I could trade places with her," Andover complained. "I would actually get something done."
Lieda snorted. "I just wish I felt like I had a mother again. She's practically left me here while to lead the Rebellion; I haven't seen her for a year and a half. Heck, I would do anything just to see her."
Andover grinned, a characteristic sparkle in his eyes. "Really?"
(the following week, back on Hoth)
"I wonder what happened to Andover," Mara said, as they climbed out the Nicomedia. Behind them, the ground crew was already at work hosing down the glistening white craft. The roundup of imperials in Hanna City was a near-perfect success. In the following week, the Rebel task group had practically wiped the Chandrilian capital of all imperials.
"I don't know, but Mon Mothma is going to be furious with him," Luke pointed out.
Mara disagreed. "The mission was a complete success, though. She'll get over it."
He leaned against the wall, observing the ship. "I feel bad for Andover. Losing his sister must be rough."
"Her name was put at the top of the list of missing personnel the second the fleet left Chandrila," Mara informed. "Soon the entire Rebel Alliance will be on the lookout for her."
Luke stared out of the hangar. "I wonder where he is," he thought aloud. As if on cue, a plane dropped out of the blizzard and glided into the hangar. Andover force-leapt out of it and strode towards the double doors on the back wall.
Luke approached him. "Hello, Lieutenant..."
"Shut up and get out of my way," Andover remarked coldly, brushing past him.
Lieda jumped out of the plane's rear cockpit, holding her jacket tightly. She stopped next to Mara, and handed her a small flimsy. It crinkled in her hand. "Come to Mothma's office in five minutes," Lieda told her. Then she disappeared through the doors.
"Luke, come have a look at this," Mara exclaimed, as she read the note. Her eyes widened.
"Hmm?" he asked, perusing the flimsy.
"We may have a coup on our hands," she commented.
Mon Mothma was furious. The planet's dignitaries were not interested in the Alliance. They didn't even know she was coming. Something in her timetables must have been wrong. Furthermore, an invasion had occurred without her permission. A fake signal, apparently from her ship, had authorized it.
Sighing in exhaustion, she entered her office and closed the door behind her. The room's two guards relaxed as she sat down in her desk chair and picked up a debriefing packet.
Suddenly, the doors were kicked open, and a hooded figure forcefully entered the room. He had a firm grip on a handcuffed Lieda and was holding a red lightsaber to her throat.
Mon let out a shriek of terror and the two guards on either side of the room drew their blasters.
"Don't hurt her! She's my daughter!" Mon cried, addressing both the assailant and the two guards.
"Care for a bargain?" the man replied, tightening his grip on Lieda's wrists while still holding the lightsaber.
"Mom!" Lieda wailed. "Help! He's going to kill me!"
Mothma stood up behind her desk. "I'll give you anything you want," she exclaimed. "But please don't harm my daughter!"
"Anything?" the hooded figure clarified. He levitated a flimsy out of his back pocket. "Sign at the bottom, and nobody gets hurt."
Mon immediately scribbled her signature at the bottom of the form, while the guards readied their blasters.
"Stand down," she ordered anxiously, as the hooded figure examined the paper. He then released his grip on Lieda's handcuffs. Her mom ran to meet her and enveloped her daughter in a hug; Lieda just smiled mischievously and backed away slightly.
The hooded figure sat down in the desk chair and calmly began flipping through the papers. The guards fixed their blasters on him.
Andover removed his hood, smiling widely. "That's no way to treat the new Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance," he remarked. He then held up the flimsy and pointed to it with his free hand. "According to this document, I am the undisputed commander of the entire Rebel Alliance and all of its territories for the next six months." He turned to the guards. "Now put down the blasters, boys. We don't want to be charged with sedition, do we? Now go make me a grilled cheese sandwich."
He turned to a gaping Mon Mothma. "I must commend you, Mon," he said. "Your daughter is a surprisingly good actress."
Lieda gave him a thumbs-up, and was promptly smacked by her mother.
Just then, Mara kicked the doors in and Luke jumped inside, igniting his lightsaber. Mara brandished her blaster and entered immediately after him. Andover stared back at them from his new desk.
He interlocked his hands and rested them on the table. "Hey guys," he greeted. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, but hey, as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Alliance, I'm allowed to say what I want. Isn't that correct?'
"What did you do this time?" Mara groused.
Andover smirked. "Show some respect, please. Tomorrow you'll be working for me."
Everyone in the room stared as he began reading the computer on his desk. After a few seconds, he glanced up. "Commander Skywalker, Lieutenant Jade, Miss Mothma, you are dismissed. If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
Mara rolled her eyes.
Hello people, I finally updated. Sorry about the wait. I have been bogged down with school stuff, but I might be able to manage another update this weekend.
For all of you patient followers out there, thank you. I can definitively promise that things are really going to start happening now. Andover is somewhat...belligerent... in both his personality and his tactics. Now, he has the entire rebel military on a leash. We all know what will happen next...
Yes, Lieda Mothma is a canon character. I found her on Wookiepedia.
And finally, thank you to all of those reviewers. Especially you, Mike3207.
May the Force be with you all, and have a happy Thanksgiving.
-ClaptonJr.