The image was grainy, as you had to expect with a scrambler over this distance, but Mon Mothma's presence still cut through, emanating from the electronic imagery of the hologram almost as strongly as if she was here, in this office, in person. She smiled, asking quietly, "Your Highness, you have news?"

Leia returned the smile, telling her, "Yes, of our Performer. The man appears to be genuine. All the information we have at this end and from the first point of contact checks out. Our people here recommend that we organise a collection assignment and bring him in."

Mothma considered the information Leia had given her for a moment, then asked, "And his little friend, she has agreed to meet him?"

Leia nodded, "Yes. We're working out the fine detail right now. I'll notify you when we're ready to go."

She nodded once, telling Leia simply, "Thank you, Your Highness. My thoughts are with you all. Please give my thanks to those involved. May the Force protect them."

The briefing had finished an hour or so before and Derlin had dispatched Karrik to get something to eat while he and Anders worked out the first draft of the plan. They had chosen a meeting point and Anders’ contacts had given them two ships that could possibly take Karrik on the second part of her journey. They had identified another ship to take her and her cousin to wherever Mon Mothma decided they were to go. The only problem at the moment was finding a ship for the first jump. Blearily, Derlin rubbed his hand across his eyes, looking up as the door opened. "Major, Commander," Leia admonished, "get some sleep!"

Derlin gave her a tired smile, "We will, Ma'am, we’re almost finished the preliminaries."

Leia walked across to the table, looking over his shoulder at the data, "How are things progressing?"

Derlin sighed, "We’re having difficulty trying to find a ship that will take Tennan to the drop... at the moment everything's assigned. The only ship lying available is the Millennium Falcon."

"So why not use the Falcon?"

Derlin frowned at her, "Solo isn't exactly committed to the cause, Ma'am. The only reason he hasn't left yet is Rieekan grounding him."

For reasons she couldn't fathom and didn't want to explore, she found her anger rising at the Major's obvious distrust of Solo, "If I remember correctly, Major," she told him testily, "Captain Solo is grounded because he risked his life to save Commander Skywalker and Lieutenant-Commander Antilles!"

Anders heard the irritation and glanced up at the Princess before returning her attention to the documentation in front of her. But Derlin was too tired to hear the undertone in the statement. Instead the frown creased further, "Do you really think he would go for this?"

Leia relented, reminding herself that the Major had been awake since three that morning. She, at least, had managed to get some sleep, as had Anders, "We can only ask, Major. Which is exactly what I intend doing, while you get a few hours rest!"

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied sheepishly.

"What can I tell Solo about the operation?" she asked as she turned away. Derlin hesitated. "He is partly responsible for this situation, Major," she reminded him gently.

"Then if he agrees to do the drop you can fill him in on why Tennan needs to get there so quickly. Anything else can be left to the final briefings."

"Thank you, Major." She touched him on the shoulder but her next statement was aimed at Anders, "Make sure the Major gets some sleep!”

Anders smiled, “I will, Ma’am.” Leia returned the smiled then she turned, heading for the door.

Luke pulled off his jacket as he walked into the mess hall. Karrik was there, sitting at a table across the room. He frowned, heading towards her. The ground tech sitting opposite her was just standing, lifting his empty tray from the table. Luke cornered the chair, dropping his jacket over the back. Tennan looked up. "Stay there!" he told her, moving off to get something to eat.

Karrik groaned inwardly. Here it comes, she thought, running through in her mind the story that Derlin had come up with. Skywalker was already dumping the tray on the table, sliding into the seat, "Hi, Boss," she greeted, waiting for the tirade.

She had three spoonfuls respite, then he asked, "Where were you at oh-eight-hundred this morning?"

Karrik pulled a face, sighing, "Not my fault, Boss. Rieekan asked to see me."

"How come?"

She leaned closer, dropping her voice, "They're never going to let me forget this Taspin thing! I've been in debrief for the last five hours!" She saw the look on his face and decided that, considering the deception they'd pulled with Rieekan, it would be better if he knew at least some of the truth, "And now that you and Solo are back we're going to have to get together and get our stories real straight!"

Skywalker's fork paused half way to his mouth, "For what?" he demanded, quietly, "They've gone through it..."

"The Destroyer that dropped in just as we were leaving Taspin," she told him, her voice so low that he had to strain to hear the words, "it was the Executor, Commander." Ice clawed at his guts, sweeping up his spine as she continued, "They're assuming that the TIEs we tumbled on must have sent a message that we were there. But if they find out about the Scout..." She trailed off, suddenly realising that when they debriefed Verl, they would find out about the Scoutship.

"Hells..." he breathed, dropping his fork on the plate, suddenly no longer hungry.

A ground tech grabbed the reins as Han pulled the Tauntaun to a halt, swinging his legs over the saddle and sliding to the ground. The animal turned, muzzling into his neck. Han ducked, sidestepping swiftly, almost losing his footing. Ignoring the Tauntaun's warble of indignation, he pulled off his gloves and walked away, absently rubbing his sore backside. Muttering darkly under his breath about the universe in general, looking forward to a wash and getting rid of these foetid clothes for some clean ones, he headed for the Falcon: not seeing Leia until he almost walked into her. Despite the grime and discomfort he found himself unable to stop himself as he grinned, "You don't have to throw yourself at me, your Princess-ship!"

She gave him a withering look, "Captain Solo, we need your help..."

His grin widened, "I've been telling you that since Yavin, your Highness!"

Biting down on the acid reply, swallowing her pride she replied, "Unfortunately I need to discuss this in some place a little more private." She had thought it impossible for his smirk to get any wider, but somehow it did. She counted slowly to five as he took a step towards her.

"I knew it would only be a matter of time before you finally fell to my charms! Is the Falcon private enough for you?"

"Perfectly adequate, Captain," she shot back disdainfully, deciding that she was definitely not going to spend any time alone with him! Inspiration, thankfully, hit, "I'll find Pilot Officer Tennan and meet you there." She turned on her heel.

"Tennan?" he said to her retreating back, shouting after her, "What's she got to do with this?" But Leia had already been swallowed by the crowd. Muttering under his breath he stormed across the hanger towards the Falcon.

Chewbacca, having watched the exchange with interest from his vantage point on top of the ship, chuckled low in his throat, pulling the visor back down over his face. Igniting the welder he went back to the repairs, planning to stay well out of the way until his partner cooled down.

"Leia!"

The Princess turned, smiling at Luke as he pushed his way down the corridor towards her, "Luke... have you seen Karrik? I need to find her."

"Erm, she was in the mess hall a little while ago..." He caught her elbow, pulling her over to the side, demanding softly, "What's happening? Karrik said something about Vader's ship... and them maybe finding out about the Scout."

Leia glanced round quickly, realising that the corridor was no place to talk about this. She grabbed his arm, guiding him towards the nearest doorway. It was a storage area, but it was empty of personnel. She turned to him, seeing the anxiety in his eyes, "Command already know about the Scoutship. I told the General..." Holding up a hand to stop the incredulous questions, she continued, "Luke, I needed to reinforce the fact the if Karrik hadn't moved so quickly, both you and Wedge would be dead. But I told him that Han had destroyed the Scout before it landed."

"So what's all the fuss about? How come they dragged Karrik back into debrief?""

"Developments since then: mainly involving the Executor which, by the way, was the ship that dropped into normal space as you were leaving Taspin. Karrik's involved only because they want her to bring someone in." She sighed, "Luke, I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you at the moment."

The young pilot smiled at her in apology and relief, "That's okay. I was just kind of worried. Look," he continued quickly, changing the subject, "I've got an idea where Tennan may be. Where do you need her?"

“In the hangar. He began to turn away and she caught his arm, “Luke, wait. There’s something else… General Rieekan’s issued new orders about the two X-wing flights…”

Karrik walked into the hangar searching for Leia. The Princess was standing by the Deck Officer’s niche and Karrik crossed the floor towards her. Leia saw Karrik walking towards her. “Sorry to drag you away from your free time,” she apologised, “but we need to talk to Captain Solo.”

“That’s okay, Ma’am.”

Leia frowned, seeing the troubled expression on the pilot’s face, “Karrik, what is it?”

“It just suddenly occurred to me Ma’am.” She stopped, glancing round then lowered her voice, “The other night you said that Luke and Solo had told you everything about Taspin. What exactly did they tell you?”

Leia drew Karrik towards the side of the hanger, telling her softly, “That an Imperial scoutship arrived before you did, that it started to lift off with Luke on-board and that Han stopped it.”

Karrik nodded, looking away, deep in thought then lifted her head, “Ma’am, does General Rieekan know about the scout?”

“He knows that it was there.”

That, at least, was something, Karrik thought then asked, “Who told him?”

“I did.”

“Did you tell him that Luke was on-board?”

Leia frowned again, Karrik’s obvious discomfort beginning to make her feel uneasy, “Why?”

Closing her eyes, Karrik sighed, “When they debrief Verl, Ma’am, they’re going to find out the truth. And General Rieekan is going to be really unhappy.”

Leia’s stomach flipped. She stood for a moment thinking through the implications then assured Karrik, “We’ll sort it. Don’t worry. Just concentrate on what you’re involved in at the moment, all right?” Karrik nodded, still worried but feeling a little better about things now that the Princess was involved. Leia smiled then rolled her eyes, “Now, unfortunately, we have to talk to Han Solo.” She started to walk towards the Falcon and Karrik dropped into step beside her.

“What for?”

“We need to find a ship for the first part of your journey. The Falcon is the only one available.”

~ # # ~

Zev climbed out of the simulator and grinned as Wedge Antilles walked through the door. Luke also turned as the door opened, “Wedge! When did they let you out?”

Wedge shrugged, “About a half hour ago. But only on the understanding that I don’t do anything too strenuous.”

“So what are you doing in the simulators?” Zev demanded. “I hope you weren’t thinking about flying?”

Wedge glanced at Luke sheepishly, “Well, actually I sort of…”

He got no further. The two other pilots exchanged looks then Zev ordered, “Out!”

Wedge glanced at Luke who lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. “Okay, okay!” Antilles grumbled, “Can’t blame a guy for trying though. Can I at least stay and watch? I was bored enough in the med bay.”

“I can roster you on as a sim instructor for later, if you want?” Luke suggested. Wedge’s eyes lit up then the sudden enthusiasm died as the blond pilot continued, “Once I’ve checked with the med section, of course.”

Antilles muttered something about everyone ganging up on him then the door opened again. Alissha stopped in surprise as she saw Wedge, a slow grin spread across her face, “Good to see you up and about. How long you grounded for?”

Wedge shot her a dark look that wasn’t helped by the sudden innocent expression on her face. She smiled at him angelically. He glanced at Luke, “Even my own Flight have it in for me now!”

Zev laughed then saw the look on Luke’s face. He sobered demanding, “What do you know that we don’t?”

Alissha frowned looking from Zev to Luke to Wedge. All trace of boredom had suddenly left Wedge’s face and his attention was centred on Luke. The blond pilot sighed, then began, “New orders from Rieekan. The two flights have been amalgamated…”

“What?”

“When?”

Luke held up his hands stopping the questions, “There aren’t enough experienced pilots to continue with two flights. Wedge and I are grounded. That leaves you,” he explained looking at Zev, “Janson, Alissha and Hobbie. And one simulator.”

“Hadn’t thought of it like that…” Zev commented.

“I’m experienced?” Alissha muttered in disbelief, “Hells…”

“Perhaps they’re not talking about flying…” Wedge began then ducked as Alissha swiped at his head.

Luke shook his head turning to Zev, “I’ll leave Alissha in your safe hands and take this man here to find something for him to do.”

“How about sending him for a long wait?” Zev suggested.

“Or he could test fly the snowspeeders,” Alissha put in.

“Oh, ha ha, very funny!” Wedge said, sourly then threatened, “Just you wait until I get you in the sim!”

Alissha clasped her hands to her chest, fluttering her eyelids at him and in her sexiest voice said, “Promises, promises.” Zev also clasped his hands to his chest, sighing softly, telling Wedge, “I didn’t know you cared!”

Luke tried desperately to keep a straight face and failed. Unable to stay miserable in the face of his colleagues’ idiocy Wedge shook his head, muttering, “Awe nuts!” Then he walked across the floor, planting a kiss on Zev’s forehead before disappearing past Alissha and out of the door. Luke followed him leaving Alissha laughing and Zev standing stunned. As the door closed, both Wedge and Luke heard Zev shouting, “Does this mean you’ll marry me, Antilles?”

“Let me guess, you’re looking for Karrik?” Luke asked as they walked along the corridor.

“She came back to the med bay this morning,” Wedge admitted, “I sort of promised I would find her.”

Luke pulled Wedge to a stop, “I’ll talk to medical then rearrange the roster for this afternoon. Meanwhile, Karrik’s with Leia in the hangar I think.” He held up his hand as Wedge opened his mouth then pulling a serious face, he warned Wedge earnestly, “Just make sure you have her home for eleven!”

~ # # ~

Solo lounged on the sofa, feet up on the table, "So what's this all about, your Highness-ness?"

The hostility between the Princess and Solo was more than a little evident. Karrik shifted position, uneasy with the tension. Chewbacca, sitting beside her nudged her surreptitiously. She turned to look up at him, and he rolled his eyes at her. Quashing a grin, she returned her attention to the Princess. Neither Solo nor Leia had noticed the bi-play, intent on their own little struggle of wits.

"We are mounting an operation that will involve dropping Alliance personnel into an area controlled by Imperial forces," Leia had begun, "We need a fast ship..."

"And you naturally think that I'm going to jump to attention and offer the services of Chewie, the Falcon and myself?"

Leia counted to five before answering, "The Falcon would be a great asset to the mission..."

"Oh!" Solo accused, dropping his feet to the floor, "The Falcon would be an asset." He turned towards Chewbacca, "Hear that, Chewie? The Falcon would be an asset. Not you! Not me!"

Karrik sighed softly, closing her eyes. Chewbacca slid down in the seat, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. Leia clamped her jaw shut, then tried again, "Han, please..."

But Solo was on a roll, "So how many people do you expect us to drop behind Imperial lines?"

"Han, that's classified. Unless you agree to do this...."

"Classified! In other words Chewie and I are supposed to make a decision on information not available to us?"

Karrik had had enough. She had a fair idea that without the Falcon the mission could be delayed. And any delay could make Verl decide that he was safer denouncing her. And then her mother would suffer. She pushed herself to her feet, glaring at Solo, then at Leia, "Your Highness, with all due respect..." She turned back to Solo, "You'll be dropping only one person! Me! So now you can make your decision!"

Han looked up at the pilot, seeing the frustration and anger on her face, tinged with something else he couldn't identify. He glanced across at Chewbacca, who nodded. Then leant back against the sofa, turning a smile on Leia, "Well why didn't you say so before? What are the arrangements?"

"Stop!" Saskin yelled as yet another coolant pipe ruptured at the flange, spurting the fluorescent pink liquid over the floor.

Carron swore loudly as the T-47 emptied the full load of coolant. Larne kicked it, "Piece of... AH!" she finally finished in frustration, throwing her hands into the air, "I thought we had it this time!" Turning, she leant against the speeder, patting the bodywork with her hand, "Sorry baby, I know it's not your fault. Wait til I get my hands on the Bantha-drool at Incom who did this to you!" She turned to Saskin, who had begun spraying foam onto the coolant to dry it up, "Thanks, Sas."

"It has to be something really simple that we're missing, Ryinne," Carron said, shaking his head in disgust, "They'd know that we'd think of re-configuring the thermo-conductor brace! They've done something else that we can't see! Probably so simple that we're overlooking it!"

"It could be anything, Jed..." She trailed off, watching Saskin. Another idea slowly surfaced. Pushing herself away from the speeder she turned round and crouched down to look at the liquid-soaked foam. If it was the cold that was affecting the coolant then why was it in such a liquid form? Granted, even before they'd reconfigured the system, the coolant had never frozen solid but it had solidified towards a gloopy gunge. She dropped to the floor, crawled under the speeder and watched for a few moments as the pink fluid dripped like water onto the floor. "What if its not the coolant system at all?" she suggested, pulling herself out from beneath the T-47 and looking up at Jed. "What if its something like a smart circuit, buried deep into one of the boards. I mean, we assumed that it was the cold that was somehow dropping the coolant below a workable temperature. At first it was...."

"But we've reconfigured and it still hasn't worked..." Carron finished, running the idea through in his mind as she clambered to her feet.

"But how could a smart circuit crack the flange?" Saskin asked.

Both Flights stood, deep in thought, Saskin glancing from one to the other. Then Ryinne found an idea slowly forming. She dropped to the floor, wriggling beneath the T-47 again, inspecting the failed flange..."What if the very first shot of coolant is superheated...." she began.

Jed’s face lit up as caught hold of what she was saying, "Then, in this frigid atmosphere, the flange won't be able to expand quickly enough to cope with the sudden temperature change..." he continued.

"Resulting in catastrophic failure," Ryinne finished, reappearing from beneath the speeder. For a moment they looked at each other, then Jed grinned and grabbed Ryinne’s arms. Pulling her to her feet he kissed her soundly on the mouth then broke away, "If you're right I'll buy you dinner! Saskin, go get another flange! We'll refill the coolant and run it again!"

Karrik stormed through the corridors towards the mess hall, fed up with Han Solo, fed up with the Princess Leia, fed up with the whole damn Rebellion: unable to lose the worry about her mother's safety being compromised and the lies they had told Rieekan about the scout. She passed a door. Someone reached out, grabbing her, dragging her out of the corridor. Reacting instinctively, she dropped slightly, twisting round, taking the feet from her assailant. Giving them a hefty shove to help them on their way to the floor, she lifted her foot to smash it down on their chest.

"Karrik!" Wedge croaked, winded, "Wait!"

Mid flow, she diverted the blow, bringing it crashing down onto the floor beside his arm. He turned his head, gulping, then looked up at her. Smiling bashfully, he attempted, "Surprise!"

Karrik gaped at him, "Wedge! What the hells did you think you were..." She trailed off as she began to see the funny side, unable to stay angry with him when he had that innocent, wounded expression on his face. Grinning, she dropped to her knees beside him, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Only my pride...."

"Idiot! When did they release you?"

"About an hour ago. Luke said that you were deep in discussions with the Princess...." He heard the small sound of disgust that she made and asked, "Problems?"

"You have no idea!"

He reached out, running his fingers down her cheek. She caught hold of his hand, turning her head to kiss his palm. Twining her fingers with his, she quirked an eyebrow, "Hadn't we better get up off the floor?" She looked around, taking in where they were for the first time, "I mean, can you imagine the rumours were we to get caught by one of the Ground guys? On the floor of a store room."

He grinned, “You have a point...” His gaze wandered around the room as he added, “There again, it’s about the only place on this frozen rock that we can almost guarantee to spend some time alone.”

She leant closer, brushing his lips with hers, "So, Lieutenant Commander, do we move? Or do I have your orders to jam the locking mechanism?"

Rieekan was loitering at the back of the Operations room, his presence keeping the Ops personnel on their toes. When Leia walked in, he pushed himself off the wall, acknowledging her with a nod and moving to his office. He waited at the door, closing it behind her as she entered, indicating for her to take a seat. She shook her head, "I won't take up too much of your time, General. Major Derlin is getting some rest at the moment, but the planning is almost complete. And Captain Solo has agreed to take Karrik to the first drop."

Rieekan nodded, "When do we send the message to Verl Tennan?"

"The Major has all those details..." She smiled, "I didn't get much of a look at each of the elements before I ordered him to get some rest. He was almost asleep at his desk. I'll have him report to you as soon as he's awake."

"That will be fine, Your Highness..."

She looked at him, "You're still not totally convinced, General?"

He smiled, laughing slightly, "Four years of fighting the Empire, Princess, has made me too suspicious for my own good, I think. But to answer your question: no, there's still something that I don't like about it, only I can't identify it. So there's no point in getting everyone else jittery, especially when this defection could throw our cause so far forward. As I said, I'm probably too suspicious for my own good."

She laid a hand lightly on his arm, "My Father once told me, General, that nothing is quite as lonely as being in Command when you're never quite sure who you can trust."

"You must miss him very much, Highness," he said, laying a hand on hers.

"Yes," she admitted, her eyes sparkling with tears that, even now, she refused to shed. Because weeping over the loss would mean acknowledging the guilt. And acknowledging the guilt would destroy her… So she forced them back. And then found herself admitting to this man who was so like her Father in so many ways, "I miss them all."

"Hey! Slow it up!" Yannon Lourd yelled at a young tech who dashed across the ice floor of the hanger carrying a length of tubing - and almost took out another engineer, only narrowly avoiding the woman with a quick, slithered side step. "You'll kill someone!" Yannon finished. The tech either didn't hear him, or ignored him. Lourd chose to believe it was the former. But, damn it, this was his hangar, he was responsible for the safety of these people and he wasn't going to let this pass! The idiot boy could have seriously injured someone!

He stormed across the hangar towards the now vanished engineer. Then realised that he was heading towards the snowspeeders. For a moment he hesitated. Knowing the mood that the Flights had been in lately, this perhaps wasn't the best time to be reprimanding one of their crew. Then he decided that on top of all the other problems they had here, someone getting themselves injured or killed wasn't a situation that he relished being involved in. Something had to be said.

Carron was manoeuvring a droid into place on the far side of the T-47, the silver, humanoid-shaped, skeletal unit carrying a drum of liquid. Larne was underneath the speeder with another tech who could only be Yannon's target. The Deck Officer stopped beside Larne's feet, "Flight?"

"Hang on a sec! Nearly finished!" There was a slight pause, then she and the young engineer appeared from beneath the speeder. "Fill her up, Jed!" she shouted as she climbed to her feet, dusting ice particles off her jacket and pants, "Deck, what can I do for you?"

Yannon, slightly thrown by the Flight's obvious good mood, began, "Ryinne, I'm sorry, but I really can't allow engineers to race around the hanger, especially when they're carrying replacement parts."

Larne turned to Saskin. The young man's face reddened and he stumbled over an apologetic, "Sorry, Deck."

"You would have been if you'd brained someone!"

From the far side of the snowspeeder, Carron shouted, "She's topped up, Ryinne."

"Got that," the Flight replied, turning back to the Deck Officer, "Yannon, my apologies for this lame-brained idiot. My fault, I think I infected him with my enthusiasm." She looked round at a now scarlet-faced Saskin, "Get in, Simpleton and start her up!"

Enthusiasm, Yannon thought. Enthusiasm? Cautiously, he asked, "What's going on?"

Ryinne grinned, "We think we've cracked it!" She pulled a sensor from her pocket, scrambling onto the top of the T-47 and crawling towards the back. Intrigued, Yannon stood watching as she stuck her arm into an access panel then shouted, "Start her up, Sas!" The engines fired, beginning their slow whine upwards. There was a resounding crack and fluorescent fluid began rushing onto the already pink foam. Carron cut his fingers across his throat and Saskin shut the speeder down. Both of them turned towards Ryinne. She pulled her arm out of the panel, checked the readings. Grim faced she slid off the top of the T-47 and handed the sensor to the other Flight. He looked at it, then up at her. A grin was slowly pushing itself across Ryinne's face, "Coolant temperature's cold, but not that cold!" Carron whooped in delight, grabbing hold of her and hugging her.

"Way to go, Flight!" Saskin shouted, punching the air and doing a little jig that sent the speeder bouncing slightly on its landing gear.

Yannon stood looking at them in astonishment, convinced that they had all finally succumbed to some sort of brain rot. He glanced down at the slowly expanding pool of fluorescent goo beneath the speeder, wondering how this could possibly be an achievement. Then Ryinne grabbed him, spinning him round. Her laughter infected him and he smiled, demanding gently, "Flight Larne! What is going on?"

"Ryinne here," Carron told him as he leant back against the T-47, "has just traced the fault that's grounding these babies!"

"Hey," she reminded him, sobering slightly, "we're not all together home and dry. We still have to find out how the coolant’s being super-heated. Then we have to trace the circuit or the chip that's causing the fault."

"But you know what the problem is?" Yannon asked, the light-hearted atmosphere now beginning to affect him.

"Sure do! And we’ll definitely know after we’ve tested some of the other T-47s for the same readings" She turned away towards Saskin, "Okay, Lamebrain, go get your friends and let's start testing these darling flying machines before we begin to pull this one apart board by board!"

"I'll go get them," Yannon offered, "if you guys want to start testing the speeders right away."

"Thanks, Deck..."

"I'm on my way," Yannon told them, turning and walking quickly back across the hangar.

Jed looked at Ryinne, "So when do we get to give the good news to Rieekan?"

"Not until I’m one hundred percent convinced that we’ve got this right."

"Okay. Then let’s start pulling out a test group...."

"We're going to have to leave here at some point, Wedge."

Antilles sighed, "I know. My butt's getting cold..." He sat up, "Come to think of it, I don't actually know what quarters I've been assigned."

"It's bound to be a lot more comfortable than an ice-floored store room," she quipped, then added, "Sir."

He pulled a face, climbing to his feet, offering a hand to help her up, "So. What do we do now?"

Karrik rubbed the ice off her uniform, "Is that a rhetorical question? Personally," she continued, checking her time piece, “I’ve got a briefing session in twenty minutes.”

He rested his hands gently on her shoulders, "What I meant was, do we walk down the corridor, boldly proclaiming our situation to everyone who passes? Or would you rather we kept it quiet for a while, just between us, sort of clandestine?"

"I think Skywalker suspects," she began, breaking off as Wedge laughed.

"Luke more than suspects. He damn well knows. But he'll keep quiet if I ask him."

She pulled away from him, suddenly wary of his intentions, the uncertainties of before flooding in again, "Why?" she demanded, "Am I so awful that you need to keep me under wraps?"

"Karrik..." he floundered, completely thrown by her sudden change of mood.

"I won't be just another name in a long list of women, Wedge. I deserve better than that!"

"Karrik...” Anger flared, replaced suddenly by a numb ache, “It's nothing like that... it's just...." Tell her! Damn it, tell her. Sure, you've been with other women, but never, never have you felt like this. Not since.... Alderaan.... Tell her, damn it!. But the words wouldn't come. He just simply stood there looking at her.

The expression on his face was so lost, so taken aback that she almost relented again. He stood looking at her. And for the first time the glint of devilment that had sparked in his eyes was gone. For the first time she saw the hurt behind the strength, a hint of the truth behind the facade. It was the same look she had seen in her Mother's eyes every time the family made those snide little remarks, after her Father had gone, when he was no longer there to protect his wife and daughter from their poison. She took a step towards him, but he had looked away. "I'm sorry," he said, voice almost a whisper as he turned towards the door, "Just... forget it…"

"Wedge..."

He stopped, hand poised above the door release, but didn't turn. Behind him he heard her take a step towards him and he flinched away, suddenly terrified that she would touch him. Another wash of anger swept away the terror: anger that she could cause such a reaction. His hand swiped at the catch and as the door slid open, he stepped into the corridor, letting the door cut her off from him.

Karrik stood, looking at the closed door. Stunned, angry and devastated by the reaction her words had caused, she simply stood looking at the space he had occupied only moments before. The anger grew as she ran the events through in her mind. So that was it then, she had been just another of his long line of conquests! Just another notch to add to the others on his belt. And she had walked into this with her eyes open, thinking that she knew the risk! Goddess, what a fool she had been. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen the effect that grin had had on all the others... and she had still fallen for it!

Funny how she had believed him when he said that her saving his life meant something to him.... Oh, it had meant something all right: it had meant a quick grope in a locked storeroom. Well Antilles, that’s all your going to get from this dumb female...

And then she remembered the hurt on his face, the raw emotion in his eyes. Goddess, he had meant it. He’d been serious, hadn’t he.... Tears choked her again and she allowed them to spill down her cheeks. Damn it! What a mess! What a complete mess...

~ # # ~

Fists clenched, he stormed through the base, oblivious to the looks he was getting as he pushed his way past personnel. The fury turned slowly to a cold, empty ache that he couldn’t explain. Why the hells had she reacted like that? He had only been thinking about her! He was well aware of his reputation as a womaniser... goddess, he’d gone out of his way to maintain it!

After Alderaan, after everything that he’d lost, he’d found that only there, in those brief moments when he was with a woman, when he was loving her, could he forget the past, shut away everything that had happened and throw his whole being into the “there and now”. For that short time he was just like anyone else in the galaxy... something that eluded him at all other times: even when he was flying. The worst times were when he was alone at night. Then the memories came tumbling back, dreams turning to nightmares. So most nights he’d found himself sharing a bed....

Damn it he hadn’t felt this way about anyone since Ilyana died with Alderaan. He hadn’t allowed himself to! And then Karrik had snuck up behind him. He’d found her less than three days ago and already he felt as if he’d been with her for months. All that he’d wanted to do was reassure her that he wouldn’t play the field, that this time his feelings were different. Except he’d somehow blown it! And now, belatedly he realised that he should have stayed with her.... sorted it out....

Abruptly, he slowed up, reaching out to steady himself against the wall of the corridor as he tried to take a breath and it turned into a fit of coughing that burned deep into his chest. He reached for his leg pocket, fumbling with the fastening as he tried to get to the inhaler they had given him in the med bay. From far way he was aware of someone touching his shoulder, a concerned voice asking if he needed any help. He couldn’t find enough air in his lungs to talk. He lifted his head, looking at the two ground troopers.

“Okay, Sir, just take it easy,” the Sergeant told him. Wedge felt the ground tilting as his knees buckled. But the Sergeant had already anticipated, “Whoa,” he grunted catching Antilles easily, slowly lowering him to the floor, “I’ve got you....” He moved Wedge’s hand to the side, opening the pocket, pulling out the little mask and pressing it to the Lieutenant’s face.

The other trooper dumped his gear on the ground stating, “I’ll get a medic!” before racing away along the corridor. The Bacta spray was already working its magic and after a moment Wedge stopped coughing, slowly feeling the tightness in his lungs ease. He closed his eyes, concentrating solely on breathing.

~ # # ~

“No,” Janson explained as they walked towards the simulator. Then he stopped for a moment, lifting his hand to demonstrate, “If you start pushing the nose down a fraction of a second before you kick the rudder in, she’s already started the dive, then the back end pushes out and she flips over. You come out heading in almost the opposite direction. And she straightens out a lot quicker...”

“Giving you a few extra seconds to line your target up...” Dack finished, the light suddenly dawning.

“Exactly!” Hobbie agreed, punching the younger pilot on the shoulder. A ground trooper raced past them knocking into Hobbie and sending him flying into Janson, “Hey!” Janson yelled after him as he and Hobbie stumbled against the corridor wall.

The trooper turned, running backwards for a moment as he shouted, “Sorry! Emergency. One of your guys!” Then he turned, dashing away along the corridor.

“One of our guys?” Hobbie asked the retreating back, but Janson had already grabbed him by the arm, shooting a look at Dack.

“Let’s go find out,” he said, breaking into a run, dragging Hobbie with him, Dack following at their heels. They ran down the corridor, pushing their way past a small number of people who were standing watching. Antilles was sitting on the floor, propped up against the wall, a ground forces Sergeant kneeling at his side. Janson dropped to a crouch opposite the Sergeant, “Boss?”

Wedge turned to him then looked up at Dack and Hobbie. Dismayed by the sudden appearance of the pilots, he croaked, “I’m fine...”

“Sure you are, Sir,” Collim contradicted, “That’s why you landed in a heap on the floor for no apparent reason...”

Hobbie dropped to a knee beside Janson, “You can’t be long out of the med section, Lieutenant...” It was a comment, not an accusation. But coupled with shame at his own stupidity and with the medical droid’s warning that he shouldn’t exert himself too soon suddenly floating into his memory, Wedge’s anger flared. He pulled the mask away from his face, snapping, “I said I was fine.” He pushed himself away from the wall, sending Janson tumbling backwards out of the way and onto his butt. Shocked at Antilles' reaction Hobbie stood up. Collim frowned but remained exactly where he was, watching as the Lieutenant Commander clambered rather indecorously to his feet.

Immediately Wedge found himself regretting his actions as his throat closed and he found himself coughing and gasping for breath again. Hobbie reached for him, steadying him. Shaking his head, Collim rose to his feet, taking hold of Antilles’ other arm, “Don’t exactly look fine to me!” Then he amended, “Sir.”

Dragging in another lungful of Bacta spray, realising finally how stupid he must look, Wedge glared at the Sergeant, then pulled a wry face, “Sorry...”

Collim smiled, “Accepted, Sir. And if you’re quite finished with the histrionics, perhaps we ought to get you back to the med bay.”

The door to Leia’s quarters slid closed behind her and the Princess slapped the lock, leaning back, resting her shoulders and head against the metal. She closed her eyes, stretching her neck from one side to the other, trying to ease the tension in her shoulders. Then she pushed herself upright, dragging off her jacket as she walked across the small reception area towards the little cache of alcohol she kept for entertaining. She dropped the jacket onto a chair, rubbing the base of her neck with her fingers and poured herself a drink.

Turning to sit down on the small sofa, she changed her mind, scooping up the jacket from the chair and throwing it onto the back of the sofa before dropping into the place it had previously occupied. Propping her legs up on the sofa, she slid down in the chair and sipped the brandy. Despite her fatigue, excitement thrummed in the pit of her stomach as the liquid burned down her throat. So much had happened in the last twenty-eight or so hours that she couldn’t quite believe it was all happening. One day the were fleeing from a compromised base, their ships caught in an unwitting ambush: the next they were contemplating an event that could potentially win this war for them.

A high ranking Imperial intelligence officer dropped into their laps. And all because a pilot had bucked the rule book.... Well, two pilots, if she actually thought about it. Although, technically, Luke had only bent the rules. Granted he’d bent them to breaking point, but he’d still only bent them. She smiled. Typical really, you couldn’t leave him alone for two minutes without him getting into some sort of trouble. Between him and Han Solo it was a miracle they were even able to hold their own against the Empire.

Han.... Her smile faded slightly. Arrogant, self opinionated, overbearing... rogue with a heart of gold, she admitted to herself. No matter how infuriating he could be, he had also saved Wedge and Luke’s lives. And then he had stood up for Karrik Tennan. Just when she thought she had him figured out he turned the tables on her and left her feeling... what? She pushed the thoughts away, not allowing herself to think about Solo for too long, turning her attention back to the planned pick-up of a defecting Imperial agent.

The console set into the table chimed. She swung her legs onto the floor, leaning forward to swipe at it, “Yes?”

“Your Highness, apologies for disturbing you, but General Rieekan said that you ought to be informed.... Lieutenant Commander Antilles has been re-admitted to the medical section. He collapsed in one of the corridors, Ma’am.”

She was already on her feet, reaching for her jacket, “Has anyone informed Commander Skywalker?”

“Yes, Ma’am. One of the other pilots was with Antilles, he’s gone to find the Commander.”

“Good,” Leia said, dumping her glass on the table, shouldering her way into her jacket, “Let the Commander know I’m on my way.”

"Okay," Anders said as she sat down in the chair beside Karrik dumping data pads onto the table, "let's see what we can come up with...." She lifted one of the pads, keying through the data, "We want something that you can convincingly talk about if you get stopped for any reason, so it's probably better if you stay as a pilot...” she looked at Karrik, finishing, “unless you're trained in any other discipline?"

Tennan shook her head, "Pilot by nature, pilot by deed."

"Well that makes it simple enough," Anders said, punching data into another pad, "Now, places that you've visited? Preferably with a working knowledge."

Karrik ran back through her memory, "Bestine... two of their main cities: Thervaald and Tenouvi."

Anders punched the data in, "Doing what?"

Uncomfortable with the answers she would have to give, not wanting to go through it all again, Karrik evaded the question, “Look, I gave all this information to the guys who debriefed me when I joined up. Can’t you get all this from them?”

For a moment Anders said nothing, empathising with this young woman. Of those who had joined the Rebellion from the ranks of the Empire, there were few who didn’t have a past they wished they could forget. A colleague had once told her that every now and then he saw a face among the personnel, or heard a name being called out along a corridor and the guilt would flood in for a moment to swamp him. She looked at the young woman beside her, “Yes,” she answered softly, “I could. But it takes time. And there’s also the chance of the information being intercepted by the Empire and never getting here. Karrik, I need this information now. And I need to know everything. Something simple, that you haven’t even considered, could potentially blow your cover.”

Karrik closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that the Commander was right. The success or failure of this whole thing could potentially hinge on the information that she gave her. She was totally aware of that - of how important it was - and yet part of her still tried to stall for as long as possible. Finally she admitted, “Dropping munitions and troops.”

“Okay... where else?" Anders pressed.

"Kitonak... one of the colonies on the South Polar Region..." She frowned, stalling again, "There was a decent sized space-port, but I can't remember the name..."

"For precisely that reason I come equipped with charts!" Anders picked up a holo-pad, punching in the planet's name and standing it on the desk. Karrik’s heart sank as a three dimensional image of Kitonak leapt into being, turning slowly in space. She’d thought she’d get away with just the planet. Once she mentioned the city, her reasons for being there would be obvious... But the southern region of the globe rolled slowly into view, bringing with it the shaded grey area that marked the city, "That's it: Geniiky Pralak."

"Okay... dropping troops again?"

Taken aback that Anders hadn’t immediately linked the city name to its detention centre, Karrik sat for a moment, then shook her head, “Not exactly.”

Anders was well aware of the city’s reputation and that of its detention centre and she almost knew what Tennan’s answered was going to be, “I’m sorry, Karrik.... I need to know.”

Karrik closed her eyes for a moment, then told her slowly, “I was carrying prisoners.” Now that it had begun she figured that she may as well get it over with, “Same thing on Ryloth... and....” Her memory rested for a brief moment on Melmaas IV and skittered away again, as it always did, before she could acknowledge its presence. But then she found herself on ground that was just as difficult for different reasons: Alderaan. And thus to, "Wedge..."

She hadn't realised she'd said his name out loud until Anders asked, "Where's that?"

Karrik looked at her, distractedly, "What?"

"Wedge? I don't recognise it..." She saw the quickly disguised dismay on Tennan's face and her instinct for intrigue kicked in. She quirked an eyebrow, saying nothing. Karrik had looked away. Anders put the pad down, "Want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing..."

"Wrong! You react like that if you're picked up and you're dead. We need a watertight story." So, she was exaggerating slightly, but something was obviously distracting Karrik and that could ultimately endanger the mission. At least, that's what she told herself as justification for prying into this young woman's life, "So where's Wedge?"

“Probably crying on Skywalker’s shoulder.”

“Pardon?” Confused by Karrik’s answer Anders assumed that she’d misheard the pilot.

Karrik groaned, resting her head in her hands on the table, "Wedge isn't a place.... it's a disaster."

Now we’re getting somewhere, Anders thought, "Why don't you just start from the beginning," she pushed gently, "Take your time."

Laughing without humour, Karrik lifted her head, "Oh, it's all very simple really; I saved his life, I fell in love with him... I think. And now I've blown it." She dropped her head back onto her hands, "And it's all a complete mess."

It wasn't quite the explanation that Anders had envisioned and for a brief moment she sat stunned. Recovered quickly, she asked, "So where is he now?" She half expected to hear that he was still in the ranks of the Empire, or that he had gone off with someone else and now had umpteen children. But a small voice somewhere at the back of her mind was telling her that it was going to end up being something much more spectacular - or mundane.

Karrik was shaking her head, "Don't know. But as I said, probably crying on Skywalker's shoulder."

The pieces slipped into place. Anders’ eyes widened, her mouth dropping open slightly, "Wedge... You mean Wedge Antilles? Lieutenant Commander Wedge Antilles?"

"The one and only."

The Intelligence Commander closed her mouth, swallowing hard, wondering if she should mention the reputation that Antilles had when it came to women. Even she had been on the receiving end of his charm for a while before he realised that he wasn't getting anywhere. Then she remembered Karrik’s words: “I saved his life, I fell in love with him... I think” and decided that now was probably not the best time. Instead she tested the ground, cautiously, "What happened?" Karrik looked at her. "Nothing you say in here," the Commander assured her, "will go further than these four walls. You have my word."

Tennan sighed, "He asked did I want to keep the relationship quiet. I took it the wrong way, demanded to know why he wanted to keep it all hush-hush and told him that I wasn't going to be another in a long line of conquests. And he walked out and left me."

Anders breathed a silent sigh of relief. Tennan obviously had her head screwed on the right way. "Are you sure you hadn't just dented his ego?" she asked.

"No," Karrik insisted quietly, shaking her head, "It really hurt him. I saw it in his face.... For a moment that happy-go-lucky mask slipped and I saw how he really felt." She paused for a moment, then finished, "I screwed up."

"And you love him."

Tennan gave another cold laugh, "Commander, I've never been in love before... didn't have the time for it and actively discouraged getting involved. I never meant this to happen...” Her expression softened, “But he's got this spark of mischief in his eyes.... And then he gives you that evil little grin." She stopped, trying to put her feelings into words, "When we found them on Taspin, he was so ill. There was no life in his face. I know it sounds stupid, but every time I think of him like that, it scares me."

Anders grinned, "Sounds to me as if you've got it bad!" Ah, the course of young love.... "Look," she suggested, laying a hand on Tennan's arm, "I'll cut you a deal..."

Karrik frowned, asking tentatively, "What?"

"We get this stuff over and done with, build you a water-tight alternative identity. And then we'll sort out Lieutenant-Commander Antilles."

~ # # ~

Rieekan’s door was, as always, open. Ryinne stood for a moment then cleared her throat. The General looked up, “Flight! Please, come in.”

“You wanted to be kept up to date with our progress on the speeders, Sir...”

“Yes, of course. Take a seat.”

The door closed at her back as she walked across to his desk, sitting down opposite him. He leant back in his chair, crossing his arms, “Do we have any progress?”

Ryinne couldn’t stop the grin, “Yes, Sir. Well.... sort of....”

Rieekan quirked an eyebrow at her, “Define sort of!”

“We re-configured the thermo-conductor brace but it didn’t help. The moment we wound the engines up, the main coolant flange cracked and dumped the entire reservoir onto the hangar floor. No matter what we did, the flange kept cracking. Then we realised that the coolant was being dumped in liquid form, not the gunge that it had been before the re-configuration. That meant that we had cured that particular problem and something else was to blame for the flange rupturing.”

Rieekan sat listening to the explanation. He was a soldier, not an engineer and he was sending a quiet prayer to the Goddess that the Flight wasn’t about to switch into technical jargon that he would never be able to understand. But thankfully he was following it so far. Ryinne slid forward in her chair as she continued, “We checked the temperature of the coolant through the system. The first jet that hits the flange as the engines are wound up.... is superheated! Because of the temperatures in the hangars, the flange can’t expand fast enough and ruptures.”

“Where does the sort of come in?” he asked her, wryly.

Her smile faded, “The only way the first jet of coolant could be superheated is if it’s being controlled by something like a smart circuit. That’s the sort of. We’ve identified the problem, but we’ll have to rip out all of the control boards and check the circuits one by one. Working round the clock it could still take us another five or six days.”

“So we have a saboteur somewhere at Incom?”

She shook her head, “Maybe not, Sir. It could be a design fault that no-one’s picked up before. The T-47s were never designed to operate in temperatures as low as this. It’s a glitch that may never have shown up if we hadn’t had to get those modifications done.” She shrugged, “It could be perfectly innocent... but if it is sabotage then its good. And in that case there’s no guarantee that the circuit will be in the same place in each speeder.”

The General nodded slowly, “I think Incom should still be informed of the possibility of sabotage. In the meantime, draft in any of the technical staff you require on my authority. We’re getting far less survey work done than we should, we need those speeders up and working as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said, pushing herself to her feet.

“Good work, Flight. My compliments to the rest of your team.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Karrik wandered wearily along the corridor towards the mess hall, running through the details of her new persona, committing it to memory, checking the data pad every now and then for some elusive detail. She was still deep in thought as she joined the end of the chow queue, absently lifting a tray as she walked through the door.

Hobbie saw her and dropped the fork onto his tray. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he told the other pilots, pushing himself away from the table to wind his way towards her. She shuffled along with the queue. “Tennan!” he called, but she was reading a pad in her hand and didn’t hear him. He pushed his way the wrong way along the line towards her, “Tennan!” But she still didn’t hear him. Finally he reached her, reaching across to touch her arm, “Tennan!”

She looked up, “Oh. Sorry. Hi.”

“Commander Skywalker said that if I saw you I should let you know that Antilles is back in the med bays.”

Karrik’s heart lurched, “What?”

“He collapsed in one of the corridors,” Hobbie began, then stopped in bewilderment as Tennan swore and shoved her tray at him. Open mouthed he watched as she turned and rushed back out of the door, scattering personnel in her wake. “Women,” he muttered, standing still for a moment, shaking his head before turning and winding his way back the rest of the flight.

Karrik raced along the corridor towards the medical bays, her heart in her mouth. Goddess, what had happened? He’d seemed fine when she’d last seen him, health wise at least. What had happened? Finally she reached the med bay and stumbled though the opening door. The droid in the hallway turned towards her. And now that she was here, she faltered. “Um...” she began finally, “Lieutenant Commander Antilles... I heard that he... um.... how is he?”

“Recovering and resting,” Leia told her, appearing from one of the rooms.

Karrik dragged herself into some semblance of attention, acknowledging, “Your Highness.”

Leia smiled at her, “Karrik, relax! Please.”

“What.... what happened?” Karrik asked, attempting to relax and failing miserably.

“He over did it, as usual,” Skywalker answered also appearing from the room, walking across to lay a comforting hand on her arm, “He’s going to be fine. He just decided that he could run before he could walk... I’m sure they’ll let you in to see him.

Karrik flinched away from the idea, her resolve deserting her. She had already caused too much damage. She looked down at the forgotten pad, still in her hands, “That’s all right, Commander. I don’t want...” But the grip on her elbow tightened.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, “Karrik, go in and see him.”

She swallowed, looking at him uncertainly, fidgeting with the pad in her hands. Finally she pulled her arm from his grasp, “No... Thank you, Sir... but no.” She backed away from him towards the door, “I... um... need to be somewhere else right now. I just heard that.... and thought... well....” She stopped in a quick sigh of exasperation, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter... Thank you, Commander, Your Highness.” Then she turned, walking out of the door, leaving Luke staring at the space she had just occupied.

Leia moved to stand at his elbow, also looking at the closed door, “What was that all about?” she asked, smelling intrigue.

Luke glanced from the door to her, to the entrance of Antilles’ room, “I don’t know,” he admitted slowly, “I thought they’d finally managed to get their acts together.”

Leia’s eyes widened, “Who? Wedge and Karrik?”

“The very same,” he grinned. “And from what I can tell, he’s fallen hard this time.”

Leia looked at him for a moment, then shook her head, “Wedge Antilles staying with one woman is like... Han Solo being sincere!”

Luke laughed, “Han may surprise you yet you know, Leia.”

“The man continually surprises me...” she assured him, “with just how loathsome and insufferable he can be!”

Ouch, Luke thought as she looked at her timepiece. Did I hit a nerve or what? Still, as long as Han continued to rile Leia like he did, there was still a chance for Luke... And that was the problem. He was never exactly sure of his feelings for Leia. Most of the time she was all business and politics and he knew that he didn’t stand a chance. But then he would see the flash – however quickly covered – of vulnerability and all he wanted to do was hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. He sort of knew that he loved her. But somehow he wasn’t sure that it was in the right way. Maybe it was the influence of the Force that Ben Kenobi had talked about, but somehow he knew that it was going to be a long time before he made the commitment to share the rest of his life with someone.

She looked up, “I’m sorry, Luke. I’ve got to go. But keep me updated on the Karrik Wedge saga.”

He watched her as she walked out the door then, sighing, he shook his head and turned back towards Wedge’s room. Wedge was sitting up in the bed looking sorry for himself and Luke couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, Lieutenant Commander,” he ordered, “up and out!”

“I’m released?”

“As long as you don’t try running a marathon through the corridors again.”

Wedge grinned, swinging his legs off the bed and dropping gently onto the floor, “Brilliant! Where are we going?”

“Glad you asked that. The rest of the mob are waiting in the rec room. And by our count, it’s your round!”

Anders stopped at the door of the rec area. She had wondered earlier if she was going to have to adapt her little plan when she had heard that Antilles was back in the med bays. But she had been assured that he wouldn’t be kept in for long. Sure enough, there he was, sitting with Luke and a group of pilots in the far corner of the rec room. And, if everything went to plan, the other half of the romantic double act should be meeting her here in about fifteen minutes.

Pulling her coat more tightly round her, she ran her gaze quickly over the area, trying to decide how best to play this - whether to join the pilots or wait until one of them arrived at the bar for the next round. No matter what, she only had fifteen minutes. Finally she walked across to the bar, slid onto one of the stools and ordered a glass of racheit wine.

“So, Commander,” a voice at her side asked, “what devious plans are we plotting this evening?”

Surprised, she looked round, then treated Luke to one of her most devastatingly innocent smiles, “Me? What would I possibly be plotting, Commander?”

“Oh, I don’t know....” he laughed, then suggested, “How to get some virtuous, young pilot to buy you a drink!”

“Why, thank you, Commander, I’ll have another wine. Even if you do only qualify for one of the three.”

He shook his head, holding up his hands in mock supplication, “Caught! Red handed!” He paused for a moment, then said, “I hear that we’ve lost Karrik Tennan to your section.”

It was a not an implausible or even unexpected statement. Yet she gave him a level look, suddenly getting the uncanny feeling that he was working along similar lines to her. She looked round, glancing across at the table, seeing that the pilots’ drinks were only half finished. Turning back to the bar she asked carefully, “I don’t suppose that you’re buying this round early... I mean, it wouldn’t have something to do with Karrik and another pilot not a million parsecs away?”

Grinning at her he admitted, “And would I be wondering if you knew what had happened. And was there any way we could undo the mess that the idiots have managed to get themselves into...”

“I can see my informant was right. Antilles has been crying on your shoulder!”

“Not exactly...” he began, but her drink arrived and Luke ordered a round for the table adding another wine for her. As the bartender turned away she lifted her glass in salute, “Uncle Skywalker.”

He winced, then started grinning again, “That makes you Auntie Anders...”

She almost choked on her wine. “Oh,” she groaned, “Please, don’t! This could really ruin my credibility.” She put the glass down, Luke’s order beginning to arrive on the bar, “Look, I think I’ve got it covered. All I really need is a quick, quiet word with him.”

“That,” Skywalker assured her, “I can do for you. I’ll send him back for the rest of the drinks.” He winked at her, lifting four of the glasses and moving away towards the table. Moments later, Wedge appeared at her side, gathering the remaining glasses.

Gazing into her wine, not looking up at him she asked, “Can I give you a bit of advice, Lieutenant Commander?”

He glanced at her, not quite sure that she was talking to him, “Sorry?”

She looked up, continuing, “Well, not advice really. Just a bit of information.”

“Sure...” he said, still not certain about what exactly she wanted.

“My husband and I were both in the Corellian Militia,” she began softly. “He died during the riots there, just after Palpatine dissolved the Senate and seized power for himself. I’ve spent almost four years with only memories of him. I lived sixteen glorious years with him… And I’d give every one of those sixteen years up, if he could be with me just one more time.” She looked back down at the wine, “This time last week we were sitting happily in another base. I guess my point is that you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. If you get a chance at even a little happiness in this life, it would be a crime not to seize it with both hands.” She paused for a moment, allowing time for her words to sink in then looked back up at him, “Now if you want, you can forget I ever talked to you. And you can also forget that I’ve arranged to meet Karrik Tennan here in about, oh, ten minutes.... Or you can admit that whatever happened earlier was just a glitch. And then do something about it.”

He looked at her, astonished, pleased, nervous and angry all at the same time. She smiled, then clarified, “Getting information is my job, Lieutenant Commander. It comes with the territory. And I am Karrik’s new Boss....” she trailed to a stop then gave a small laugh, as she suddenly realised that she was trying to justify her actions, “And I have absolutely no idea why I’m explaining myself to you.”

Wedge swallowed, opened his mouth to say something then changed his mind, sliding onto the stool next to hers. She sat, watching him think for a moment, then he asked, “What exactly did she say?”

Shaking her head, giving him a ten for trying, she laughed, “Wedge, I can’t tell you that... debrief is an exchange of trust. I just... Well, I couldn’t sit back and watch the two of you moping around and generally being anti-social.”

“Hey, Antilles, a bloke could die of thirst over here!”

Wedge glanced over at the table, waving at them to shut up. He turned back. Anders quirked an eyebrow at him and, realising that he wasn’t going to get any more information out of her, he squeezed her hand, “Thanks.”

“My pleasure. Just leave the wine.” Unable to resist she continued, “Your lovely Commander bought that for me.”

Wedge shook his head and lifted the remaining drinks, making his way back towards the pilots. “So,” Janson asked him as he dumped the glasses onto the table and dropped into the seat, “did you strike it lucky?”

Giving Luke a sidelong glance, Wedge admitted, “Could be. Could be.”

Anders had disappeared. Nervous and anxious, Wedge watched the chronometer. Finally Anders walked back through the door, shepherding Karrik down to the bar. Wedge watched them sliding onto the barstools. Luke nudged him, “You okay, buddy?”

“What? Oh... yes, fine.”

“Yeh,” Janson challenged, “He’s fine now that the a certain Major in the Intelligence section has come back in.”

Zev turned, making the action very obvious, and looked across at Anders. Janson mimicked Zev, giving Anders a quite, low and appreciative wolf whistle. Wedge winced but said nothing, glancing at Luke who just grinned at him, quirking an eyebrow. Wedge glared at him. After a moment Zev turned back, an impish smile on his face. Then Janson turned, telling Antilles, “Forget it, Boss. She’s way out of your league!”

The gauntlet had been thrown and Wedge couldn’t quite stop the smirk that began to pull at the corners of his mouth. Karrik had obviously told Anders something about regretting the earlier incident in the storeroom – when he’d been a fool. Anders had all but forced him into doing something to change the situation. Armed with that knowledge all hint of anxiety faded in the face of his friends’ jibes. They thought he was after Anders. He was about to prove them wrong. He pushed himself to his feet, “Out of my league is she?”

He slid out from behind the table. Luke watched him go, grinning. “The man has no pride!” Alissha sighed in disgust, dropping her forehead onto the table. Janson, Zev and Hobbie looked on in disbelief. “He’s not really going to do what I think he’s going to do?” Zev asked, “Is he?”

“He’ll get blown out of the sky...” Hobbie murmured, standing up to stop Wedge as Alissha muttered, “With any luck!”

Zev kicked her, “You’re just jealous!”

Luke grabbed hold of Hobbie’s arm, pulling him back down into the seat, “Watch” he told them, “and learn. This is a master at work.”

Wedge walked towards the bar. Now that he was actually out here, on his own, he found that the certainty of before was beginning to fade and he began to wonder if he was doing the right thing. What if she turned him down? What if she laughed in his face? Goddess, what was he doing? But it was too late now. He was almost at the bar. Swallowing hard he took the last step towards her. “Karrik?”

She turned, and for a brief second he saw the fear and dismay flit across her face. Then he looked into her eyes... and he was lost. He took another step towards her, “Karrik.... I....”

The words failed him and instead he found himself reaching out, taking her hand and gently but firmly pulling her to her feet. Still caught in the depths of her gaze, he heard himself telling her, “I’m sorry... I... I never meant...”

Heart hammering in her chest, Karrik watched him floundering for an explanation. The bravado had disappeared again and he was standing there, defenceless. She saw the pain and the vulnerability that drove him, the strength and the love that he had to offer and sent a silent thanks to the fates. The flutter of tension in her stomach disappeared. She reached up, stopping his words with a finger placed lightly on his lips. “Shh,” she admonished. And then his arms were around her and everything that had happened before was forgotten as she threw her arms around his neck and returned his kiss.

“Well I’ll be damned...” Zev muttered under his breath

Janson’s mouth dropped open, “How... How does he do it?”

Alissha shook her head, “Karrik?”

Dack, dumbstruck, glanced across at Luke who grinned at him. For Hobbie, the penny had finally dropped. So that’s why she went racing off in the canteen, he thought as he jumped to his feet, putting his fingers in his mouth and gave an ear-piercing whistle. “Way to go, Boss!” he yelled, “Way to go!” Zev also stood up, starting the applause as Hobbie and Dack followed.

Everyone else in the room glanced across at the table, then turned their attention to Wedge and Karrik. There were more catcalls and whistles, the applause growing louder as everyone began to join in. Anders lifted her glass of wine, moving past the couple and walking towards Luke and the other pilots. Luke slid along the bench, making room for her, lifting his glass in salute. She sat down, lifting her own glass in recognition then drained the contents.

Wedge finally pulled away from Karrik. They stood alone, surrounded by sound, clinging to one another. Then Wedge looked round, smiling awkwardly at the ruckus. Karrik laughed, pulling away from him long enough to give a quick bow to the audience before slipping her arm round him again. He turned back, looking at her. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. For a long moment, as the sound began to die down they simply looked at one another. Then, taking Karrik’s hand, Wedge led her through the cheering crowd towards the table where Anders sat with Luke and the others.