The Manarai Medical Center had far too much experience playing host to Jedi, Luke thought sadly.
Kam would live.
That had been far from a certainty two days before. Now, though, he was again immersed in bacta and the doctors were confident that his wounds were healing properly. Kam's burns from the lightning had been more severe than what Luke had experienced during and after Endor, and Kam had also been repeatedly shot by the droids even before he fought Roganda. Most serious had been the wounds he had sustained when Roganda's lightning had shattered his armor. Cilghal was already on her way back from Mon Calamari, and would be arriving soon to help care for him.
Between Tionne, Kirana Ti, and Tyria, the worst injuries were Tionne's. She had taken a blaster shot to the side and initial confidence on the part of her doctors had given way to more serious concern when it became clear the damage was not superficial. Like Kam she had gone into bacta, and like Kam she remained immersed. While Kam would stay in the tank for at least a few more days, Tionne was scheduled to be removed sooner. For now, though, her white hair floated all around her head, her eyes closed, wearing that terrible breathing mask that Luke had first encountered on Hoth.
Kirana Ti and Tyria stood with Luke in the hospital. Their wounds were not as serious—Tyria wore a bacta patch under her tunic to heal her ribs, and Kirana Ti had already recovered from her concussion. But their failure—all of their failure—to stop Roganda loomed around them, a chill wind that Luke could feel with every breath. Soon, very soon, they would pursue Roganda… but first they needed to know where to go.
Luke felt in his gut that they would know soon.
Leia was astonished by just how poised Captain Asori Rogriss was. She and Commander Dreyf sat at the center of the Inner Council Room, surrounded by the Inner Council members—minus Councilor Midanyl, who was still on Corellia negotiating with the new Corellian government.
The sudden chaos of the previous days—starting with Daala's assault on the fleet and culminating in Roganda's invasion of the Jedi Consulate. The resulting disastrous panic caused thousands of airspeeder accidents and subsequent falling debris had caused death and destruction on the capital's surface on a scale equal to—perhaps greater than—when Lusankya had broken free from its hiding place buried under the world's surface. The cataclysm had whipped the Senate into a fearful frenzy and they had taken that fear out on every convenient target. Only that morning, they had subjected a very weak Kam Solusar, only recently decanted from bacta, to a twelve-hour long interrogation, demanding he take them through every single minute of the attack on the Consulate. The day before that, they had gone after Mara—and Leia remained astonished that Mara had not either stormed out or killed them, with some of the accusations and insinuations Borsk Fey'lya had thrown at her.
Today, they were doing the same to Rogriss and Dreyf. Rogriss looked frazzled, but she doggedly persisted in answering every question she was asked, never once losing her temper.
"—and you say you do not have any knowledge of Roganda Ismaren's plans for the artifact she stole from the Jedi Consulate?" Threepio translated for Councilor Sian Tevv.
"As I answered before," Asori said stiffly, clearly trying hard not to reveal her annoyance or exhaustion, "I have no knowledge of Roganda Ismaren beyond her role within the New Order's hierarchy, and I have no knowledge of the artifact beyond what I saw at Nar Shaddaa."
"So you say," Fey'lya growled, cutting Tevv off. "But I find it very convenient that you found Jedi Skywalker and Mara Jade on Nar Shaddaa at exactly the right time to become involved in their efforts to find and secure the artifact. And it's clear that you knew exactly where the artifact was during its entire trip from Nar Shaddaa to Coruscant. You could have told Ismaren exactly where the artifact was, where it was going, and how it would be secured on Coruscant. We have no reason to believe that you aren't a New Order agent now!"
Please, don't lose your temper, Leia thought worriedly, watching as Asori's expression darkened with barely-suppressed anger seasoned with a frisson of condescension. He wants you to lose your temper.
"I hardly think speculation without evidence should count against the Captain," Councilor Ackbar interrupted. His hand moved in large, circular gesticulations as he pointed in Asori's general direction. "And there is no doubt that Captain Rogriss was a senior officer in the fleet that defeated the New Order at Poln Major."
"It wouldn't be the first time that ISB has sacrificed ships for one of their plots," Fey'lya retorted.
"To what end?" Ackbar shook his head. "I see no reason to believe—"
The doors at the back of the room opened at once. Through them Leia could see a figure in a New Republic field uniform, flanked by the two ceremonial guards who watched the doors. The three figures approached quickly, the center figure leading the other two (who had to make a few hurried motions to keep up). As they grew nearer, the middle figure resolved into General Airen Cracken.
"What is this?" demanded Fey'lya. "General Cracken, you know better than to barge into the Inner Council unannounced and uninvited. We are in the middle of—"
"It can wait," Cracken said. Fey'lya's eyes widened with anger, but Cracken seemed neither bothered nor concerned by that. "I've just intercepted a communication addressed to Captain Rogriss from Baron Soontir Fel. It is vital that both you and she see it at once." Ignoring Fey'lya's aborted attempts at bluster, Cracken produced a datachip from his pocket. He walked up to the desk where Rogriss and Dreyf sat—the two Imperials stared at him—and plugged it into the interface in the middle.
The shimmering blue form of a broad-shouldered Imperial, with dark black hair and an uniform festooned with awards, appeared larger-than-life in the space between the large round table occupied by the Inner Council members and the much smaller desk occupied by the two Imperials. Fel's image looked out towards the center of the Council, which meant he was making eye-contact with Mon Mothma, while Rogriss and Dreyf saw only his back.
"Captain Rogriss. I understand you have made contact with the New Republic government. At your first convenience, you need to bring them this message.
"We have gained additional information on the New Order's activities. They are in possession of a mobile platform they call Silencer Station. The Station and its artificial intelligence were designed under the Empire; I am told that Emperor Palpatine himself played a role in its genesis and Roganda Ismaren oversaw the project for him. That station is now fully online. If our reports are accurate, while it lacks a superlaser it otherwise matches a Death Star in its combat abilities. It also is capable of constructing TIE droids and other droid armaments for the Empire in large numbers. It does this using something called a 'molecular furnace', which dismantles objects and reuses their raw materials. This furnace is in essence both a weapon and a construction tool, as it can be used to disintegrate anything—including planets, if it has the time to do so. UREF Defense Intelligence has thus designated Silencer Station a 'World Devastator.'"
Fel's expression hardened. "Captain, we are reliably informed that Silencer Station will attack Poln Major in an attempt to defeat Grand Moff Ferrouz's resistance against the New Order. All forces within range of Poln Major have been recalled to resist it."
It was obvious that the next words were difficult for Fel. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking. "We no longer have the luxury of time. Inform the New Republic's Inner Council that this World Devastator poses a threat to both them and us, and we should collaborate to destroy it as soon as possible. Our forces are rallying at Poln Major. If they can provide anything to assist us, that could save many lives among the world's civilian population, and the populations of all its future targets in the Republic.
"Report in when you can. Fel out."
Leia's heart was in her throat. Memories of Alderaan, of the moment of sudden destruction that erased her world, its history, and its people in an instant flashed before her. It made her tense, made her fingers clench at the warm woodgrain of the table they all sat at, made each breast suddenly come fast and haltingly.
Asori's face was suddenly pale and the fear there could not possibly be feigned, but even more revealing was Dreyf. The man had been virtually unreadable, even for her, playfully unflappable nearly every minute Leia had seen him in the negotiations. His face did not change much, but the sudden tension at the corners of his mouth was almost as revealing as the sudden, unmissable spike in his emotions she could read through the Force.
"This must be a trick!"
"We must rally the fleets at once!"
"Is there any way to confirm any of this?"
The Inner Council was all speaking at once. As Leia gradually disentangled their words, she started putting them into boxes. The ones in favor of sending immediate aid—really, only Ackbar. The ones who wanted to know more, which was most of them. And the ones who were crassly dismissing the entire thing as a trick, a lie, an Imperial deception, led by Borsk Fey'lya.
It was a roar from Kerrithrarr which brought the morass of murmurs back to stillness. "The Honorable Councilor from Kashyyyk expresses his uncertainty about this situation. He says that before we risk vital fleet assets, the New Republic must be certain that we confirm the reality of this threat. If the Empire had this kind of weapon, why have we not seen it sooner?" Threepio translated.
"Because they didn't have it sooner," Leia said. "The artifact that was stolen from the Jedi Consulate is what the Empire needed to complete the project, and it was too tough to be destroyed where it was found."
"But we know the Empire was able to construct TIE droids before they had that artifact. As Captain Rogriss has told us, she was sent because those droids were used at the Battle of Poln Major."
"Then the artifact was needed to make it fully operational," Leia insisted. It was hard to explain why she was so certain she was right. So often, she dealt with people who thought they knew more than they did, or thought that they were certain when they should only have been confident. But she had the Force, and the Force's guidance occasionally spoke loudly. "If they were able to build so many TIE droids before without that artifact, what can they do now that they have it?"
"Nonsense," Fey'lya objected. "I agree with Councilor Kerrithrarr. And even if they do have such a weapon, the solution is not to send our fleet to fight for an Imperial world! We defeated two Death Stars and we are stronger now than we have ever been! No single station can be a threat to the allied forces of the entire New Republic! We do not need to rush to act before we are ready."
"I'm afraid I agree, Leia," Mon Mothma said softly, her first words spoken. "This Imperial faction is asking us to take a lot on their word. Whether they mean it to be or not, it could be a trap laid by the New Order meant to draw as many of our forces away from our territory so they can launch a surprise attack. We can't take that risk."
"We can't take the risk that this thing exists, either!"
But Leia was the only one on the Council who wanted to take that risk. The others were either vociferously opposed to helping the Empire at all, or opposed to acting in haste on the word of Baron Fel.
She raised her hands. The room gradually stilled around her, then she lowered them and began to speak. "I concede that we cannot send Baron Fel a battle fleet to help protect Poln Major," she said reluctantly. "Especially after what happened with Grand Moff Kaine, the Council is nearly unanimous in its opposition and is correct to be wary. With your permission, I will speak with General Antilles and arrange an observation and reconnaissance force, so that we can see this 'World Devastator' with our own eyes."
Nods went around the room. "That seems wise," agreed Councilor Ackbar. "Until we know Silencer Station's capabilities, we cannot begin to plan an appropriate defense."
Kerrithrarr growled something short and cruel. Threepio glanced at the Wookiee, then shifted uncomfortably. "Councilor Kerrithrarr wishes to express that if one of us is to be the target of the Empire's wrath, it is only fair that it be the Empire."
Asori and Dreyf maintained outer command, but Leia caught twin spikes of shame and rage.
"I would further suggest that Captain Rogriss accompany the observation force," Leia continued. "She knows Poln Major and its defenses and should be able to defuse any potential crises, should our observers be confronted by ships aligned with Baron Fel."
There were fewer nods this time. "I would prefer we keep Captain Rogriss here," Fey'lya countered. "You can send Commander Dreyf. Captain Rogriss is Grand Moff Ferrouz's designated negotiator—we cannot make a deal with Commander Dreyf."
If you had any intention of making a deal, we would already have one, Leia thought dimly. "Commander Dreyf is an intelligence expert. He will be more able to review the information that Baron Fel sent and estimate its importance. Captain Rogriss is a fleet officer, she will be better at interfacing with other fleet officers."
"Councilor Organa-Solo makes her points well," Airen Cracken said. He nodded at Dreyf. "There are still a number of things I would like to ask the Commander about."
Dreyf looked calm enough and he nodded his acquiescence, but Leia could sense his discomfiture. He had no choice in the matter, and Airen must loom as large in his subconscious as Isard did ours.
Fey'lya receded reluctantly into his chair. "Very well," he conceded, eyes promising a reckoning at a later date.
Leia stood. "I move to adjourn, so that I might take Captain Rogriss to confer with General Antilles."
Asori was still not a prisoner exactly, but she was feeling more like one with each passing hour. Being bartered over by New Republic politicians was an unnerving—and slightly humiliating—experience. As Councilor Organa Solo came to usher her away, she leaned towards Dreyf. "I don't see that we have any choice but to go along."
"I'll be fine," Dreyf promised calmly. "They won't interrogate me. Much. Go help the Admiral. I think you'll be of more help in the battles to come than I would, and Termagant needs you."
"I just can't believe the vaunted New Republic is missing out on a chance to send its full fleet into battle." Asori said, "You'd think they'd want every opportunity to fight the New Order."
Dreyf just shook his head minutely. "Sir, if the implacable enemy you had been fighting for your entire life decided to turn on itself, would you feel a burning need to get involved?"
Asori didn't answer. She didn't need to.
The approaching footsteps of Councilor Solo brought her head up. "We should be moving," Organa Solo murmured, nodding briefly at Dreyf, "before the Council decides to change its mind."
"Is that a concern?"
"In a democracy it's always a concern," the Councilor said dryly. "With me now."
The two of them hurried through the halls, through the gauntlet of guards that parted like waves of grain before a reaper, and out towards the landing pads. Asori practically ran alongside the Councilor, struggling to keep pace with the other woman even though they were of a height. The golden protocol droid which had performed translations in the meeting whirred along behind them, talking unhappily to himself as he did. "Oh my," she heard him say more than once. "Not again! It's almost like the Imperials have another Death Star!"
A shuttle was waiting for them, and a white-haired woman, Winter Celchu, if Asori's briefing slates were at all accurate, stood at its ramp next to a triple-seat hover-stroller, with a pistol belt slung over its handlebars, a metal cylinder hanging from it like a short tail. A lightsaber, similar to Skywalker's. Leia took the weapons and strapped the belt around her formal vestments.
And as Leia bent to whisper something private to her own children and the little baby, Asori could not help but remember all the goodbyes her father had given at the ramps to so many similar shuttles, leaving for weeks and months, and coming back half-remembered.
Her world, her parents, her culture, time with her children. Yet another thing the Empire has stolen.
And I helped.
Leia's eyes were wet with unshed tears as she embraced her friend. When she finally turned back to Asori, Dreyf cleared his throat. The Councilor turned towards the Imperial, wiping her eyes without embarrassment. "Yes, Commander?"
Asori had never seen Dreyf hesitate before, but he hesitated now. "Councilor… I'm from Poln Major. My mother and family are there…"
His voice trailed off. Leia offered him a tight smile and a nod. "I promise, we'll do what we can."
Dreyf swallowed. "Thank you."
Asori said nothing. She waited, she watched, and then she followed Leia up the ramp, Leia's formal cape billowing like the promise of an approaching storm as they left her friend, her children, and Dreyf behind them.
Within five minutes they were departing the Senatorial Skyhook; within ten they were closing on Lusankya's position in orbit. The damaged Super Star Destroyer was swarming with repair teams, patching damage and reinforcing armor with an eye more towards short-term functionality than perfect form. They flew low over the ship's hull, an enormous red Starbird Seal just below them, heading towards the bridge tower. There the mag-sealed opening of the captain's personal hangar loomed; within it were a handful of vehicles. Repair skiffs, a large, industrial-looking freighter, and a single pristine X-wing marked with an impressive-to-the-point-of-absurd number of kill markers.
When they debarked, Asori realized that the gathering was quite a bit larger than it first appeared. Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade were both there, looking grim. So were General Antilles and his aide Atril Tabanne. The last figure she recognized was Han Solo. It was, she thought with a bit of trepidation, a parade of Rebel luminaries.
"I already know about Fel's request for help," Antilles said as they all clustered together. "Cracken sent me the holo. What's the verdict?"
"I got permission for you to send an observation team," Leia said.
The General's eyes narrowed in thought. "Do you think I can designate Lusankya as an observation vehicle?"
That sent a light chuckle rippling around the group, but it was without much genuine amusement. "I think anything as large as a Star Destroyer will need to be accounted for," Leia said.
"Only sub-capital craft then," Wedge nodded. "I expected as much. Atril, you're transferred back to Rendili Vigil. You're hereby ordered to reconstitute Mirage Formation. Take every Mareschal we have in Fifth Fleet—reconnaissance is part of their official mission profile, after all. I'm also lending you all our elite starfighter squadrons, so you'll be taking the Rogues with you. Take Captain Rogriss, too."
Asori's eyes moved from Wedge to Atril, her expression grim. "What are my orders once I'm there?"
"I can't order you to do anything the Inner Council hasn't already authorized," Wedge said. "So observe and use your best judgment according to our rules of engagement."
That was an order no Imperial officer would dream of giving to a junior subordinate. It was simply too broad, too vague, and too subject to interpretation. But then, Asori thought, in this case that was the point. If Wedge and Atril were Imperial officers, there was a good chance that order would get them both brought up for disciplinary action… but they weren't, and she wondered how common that kind of discretionary order was for officers in the New Republic Defense Forces.
From Atril's grim expression as she accepted the weight of the responsibility, it was notably uncommon. "We have seventeen Mareschals in-system. I'll take them all. When are we leaving?"
"The instant you are ready," Councilor Solo said. "We are not giving the Inner Council the chance to change its mind. We'll be leaving for Vigil immediately."
It took her choice of words a few seconds to register. When it did, Asori felt herself staring. She wasn't the only one.
"We?" General Solo asked darkly.
The Councilor took her husband's hand. "Not you, Han. You have duties here… and with Atril serving as my escort, Wedge is going to need you more than ever."
Asori blinked. Nothing in the Inner Council meeting had even hinted at the Councilor going herself as part of the observation team, but that explained the emotion of Leia's parting with Winter. She couldn't imagine a Moff putting himself into that kind of personal danger! Except, she reminded herself belatedly, wasn't that exactly what Grand Moff Kaine had done? But that also got him killed, she thought.
"That misses the point, Leia!" Han exclaimed. "We've got two kids at home! I was already putting myself at risk, but at least I'm going to be on the bridge of a Super Star Destroyer! You're heading off into Imperial space in a barely-tested heavy corvette to a place you've just been told something called a 'World Devastator' is preparing to attack!"
Tabanne's eyes narrowed at the aspersion cast upon her ship—she had helped design the Mareschal, afterall—and Han made a nervous, placating gesture.
"Chewbacca and the Noghri will stay and look after the kids," Leia said firmly. "I already ordered Cakhmaim and Meewalh to protect them while I'm away—I can't bring Noghri to a peace negotiation with the Empire anyway, it would be viewed as an affront. And Winter will be there." She squeezed Han's hands, and Asori felt out of place at being part of this intimate moment, like she was seeing the inner workings of a family she had known for years, but who she had, in truth, barely met. "This is just like Councilor Midanyl going to Corellia, or Grand Moff Kaine coming to us. There's an opportunity here for me to make a difference, maybe create lasting peace, and I'm not going to miss it, because if I do, more people are going to die."
"She won't be alone," Luke said. He glanced at Mara, whose stone face was utterly unreadable, then he said, "Mara and I are coming too."
General Solo's mouth opened and closed a few times. He pointed at Luke, then at Mara, then at Leia, but whatever he almost said he held back. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I know better than to try to talk you out of this," he graveled. "But I do not like this. I don't like it at all."
"We'd be going even if Leia wasn't. If we had to, we'd go alone," Luke said. "If the artifact we recovered has been used by the New Order to create another Imperial superweapon, it's our responsibility to get it back. And even if it wasn't, as Jedi we can't allow Poln Major to be attacked by that kind of weapon without doing everything we can to stop it."
"How long will it take to have Mirage Formation ready?" asked Mara grimly.
"I'll be ready in a few hours," Atril replied, looking up from her datapad. "It'll take some time to move all the fighter squadrons to the Mareschals, but the personnel transfers are already underway. Are you going to bunk on Rendili Vigil or Tempered Mettle?"
"Mettle," Luke and Mara said as one.
"I'll ride with my brother," Leia said. "Captain Rogriss should go with you. That way you can discuss the best way to approach our arrival while we are in hyperspace."
Asori's eyes met Atril's. "Is that alright with you, Captain?" Atril asked.
"I can't reveal any classified information," Asori said hesitantly, "But yes, we can discuss the best approaches on the way."
"Fine." Atril pressed a few buttons on her datapad. "Vigil doesn't have much in the way of guest capacity, but we have enough." She looked at Antilles, then extended a hand to him. "I'm going to get to work, Wedge. We probably won't see each other again before I leave."
They shook hands. It was a casual gesture, one unlike the formal partings of senior and junior officers that Asori had been a part of. It was more like one of her father's informal, familial partings than anything like Asori's own departures from assignments, and she felt a fierce pang of its absence in her memories. "May the Force be with you, Atril."
"I'm bringing three Jedi," Atril said, jerking her finger towards Luke, Mara, and Leia. "So that's a given."
"More than three," Luke corrected. He had tried to talk Mara out of coming—tried to convince her to be the one to stay behind—but she made it clear that if he persisted he would actually make her angry, so he had relented. Her pregnancy was still in the very early phases, he reminded himself. It would be a long time before she would need to hold herself back. And, as she had pointed out with grim seriousness, it was their mistake—their personal distraction—that had allowed Roganda to swoop in and pluck the artifact out of the Consulate… and he would need her help to get it back.
Hers would not be the only help.
"We'll need bunks for three others," Luke explained. "Tyria, Streen, and Kirana Ti will be coming too."
Atril tapped away at her datapad, issuing new orders. "I'll find them berths on my other ships."
"All right. Let's move," Wedge said. "Atril, take Captain Rogriss back to Rendili Vigil and get her situated. I'll clear your departure so that the moment you're ready to leave you can."
Han placed his hand on Leia's lower back. "You already said your goodbyes, but we're both going to go call Chewie and the kids and let them know how long we're probably going to be gone. And you, Councilor Organa Solo, are going to convince him that it's okay to stay behind with them when we're going off into obvious danger. He's going to be furious."
Leia winced.
The others started to head in their own directions. Behind him, Luke heard Threepio's sad reflection: "Danger never does leave us alone for very long, does it."
Artoo's somber whistle in reply filled Luke with an indescribable sense of weight and sadness.
With most attention off him, Wedge's resting expression had progressed past concern and had landed on grimly drawn. In the Force, Luke could feel his friend's exhaustion, not just see it in his already-graying hair and premature worry lines. He was suddenly reminded of one of the harder moments of the Rebellion—when they found out that Renegade Squadron and the convoy of supplies it had been escorting had been destroyed by the Empire at Derra IV. The loss had crushed the Rebellion's morale, and despite Wes Janson's antics, Rogue Squadron did not truly recover until Luke's return after their successful evacuation from Hoth. This time, Wedge's exhaustion was not borne of sorrow, but sheer accumulated stress and fatigue.
To Luke's surprise, Mara was the one who initiated the hug. She stepped in close and embraced Wedge, offering murmured words that Luke couldn't hear. The hug didn't linger—even a brief hug was more than Mara typically offered—and then Wedge and Luke shared a much fiercer embrace.
A vision flashed before Luke's eyes. Wedge, not in the beige and blue General's uniform he currently wore, but clad in an orange flight suit, with a green ribbon around his arm, in his X-wing's padded seat. Through the canopy, Luke could see flashes of green and red lasers. Wedge's mouth worked as he spoke into his comm, eyes flashing with tightly suppressed emotion, then the entire cockpit blazed with light as his X-wing was hit by something. Controls sparked and dimmed; the X-wing spun above the ecliptic of a hazy-featured planet.
As they broke apart, the image fled.
Wedge tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly. "What is it?"
Luke managed to keep his sudden fear from being too obvious—or he hoped he did. "Fighter-fear flashbacks. That's all. I thought we were past the worst of it," he said.
Maybe it was a vision of the future. But maybe it wasn't, and allowing the fear that followed from this particular premonition to dictate his decisions—or Wedge's decisions—would surely be the Dark Side.
Always in motion is the future, Yoda's memory-voice quietly reminded him.
Wedge shrugged his shoulders and huffed out a slow exhale. "Someday it'll be someone else's responsibility, but today it's ours. So we carry it."
"Anyone ever tell you you'd make a good Jedi?" Luke asked, too-lightly.
"Stars preserve us!" His friend blanched, rearing back in mock-fear. "If you say that anywhere near Wes, he'll steal me a lightsaber and then I'll have to track down the owner!"
Luke surprised Wedge by giving him another hug. "Take care of yourself, Wedge."
Wedge laughed, patting Luke's back. "You're the one going into the path of a 'World Devastator.' At this point, now that we've confirmed Corellia isn't under any immediate threat with the Imperials busy fighting themselves, I doubt the Inner Council will even let me leave Coruscant. And Han is right—unlike the rest of you, I'll be on the bridge of a Super Star Destroyer. There's no safer place for me to be."
Hours later, Wedge was alone in his quarters—the massive, spacious quarters that were the farthest thing he could imagine from the cramped bunks that the Rogues would be sleeping in aboard Rendili Vigil—when his door chime rang.
He opened the door. Iella was there, wearing an affectionate expression and one of the robes she kept in his stateroom closet. She went into his arms, her hands sliding around his back as she leaned in to steal a kiss. His own hands dropped to her hips and when the kiss broke, they just stood together, foreheads pressed to one another, hands in each others' hair, moving softly.
Wedge knew that Luke and Mara had a gift that other couples could not replicate. The two of them could read one another's minds through the Force, which gave them an intimacy that no couple that lacked their Force gifts could replicate. But Wedge had known Iella for a long time, better each day they spent together. She might be an intelligence operative, but Wedge found her all-too-easy to read.
"You're going with Luke and Mara," he murmured, tightening his arms around her.
Her lips firmed with surprise, and then apology. "Yeah," she admitted. "Cracken wants someone present with an intelligence background, and I'm the only person in the service Mara would be willing to keep close. Don't worry too much, I'll be with Mara, and Kapp is bringing his commando team."
He hated it. But Wedge had hated a lot of things over the years. He'd hated it every time he ordered pilots into battle, knowing many of them wouldn't come back. He'd lost so many friends over the years… and Iella was going with Luke and Mara, two people who had proven to be able to walk across coals and come away with only scars.
So far, his mind whispered insufferably. So far.
"You know I need you," Wedge said, the words coming without thought. "As my friend, and more than my friend, for good." He stroked her cheeks gently, pushing her dark blond hair back over her ears, then he put one hand behind her neck and the other around her waist and drew her to him. "I love you." He pulled her face to his and kissed her, and was lost in the sweetness of her lips.
The milliseconds stretched into full seconds, and her arms snaked around his neck and held him tight. When the kiss broke, because no matter how much he loved her he could not breathe love alone, her lips were curved ever so slightly in an enigmatic smile. "That sounded like a proposal."
"Let me make it formal." Wedge pulled back, but Iella didn't release him.
"Later," she said. "When I come back." She stroked her fingers over the back of his neck. "How long until Rendili Vigil is ready to go?"
"Another few hours at least."
"Good," she sighed, and she kissed him again.
Author's Note
Elements of Aaron Allston's Starfighters of Adumar, including descriptions and dialogue, were re-used in this chapter.