Saga Rebel Heart, OT fic. Some news 22/10

I don't know what you've got planned, but I wouldn't mind seeing more of Keitin and Luke.

 

Keladry: *sharing the Luke-love*

Reihla: Luke and Keitin? Well, we'll see...

 

"Um...what? Who is 'she'?"
Keitin.
Keep her away from my Hobbie.
MY Bugbite!!! *cuddles Hobbie*

 

This story is too good not to be on the first page. Up!

UUUUPP!

 

Good post.

I'd probably say more but my brain's fried. Formal methods = pure evil distilled into a University module.

 

GrandAdmiralKyrrona: She's not going to do anything to Hobbie (except maybe pat him on the head when he gets maudlin drunk )

Keladry: Thank you!

ETA: Vasey, our posts crossed. My housemate has a module of Formal Methods; she isn't too happy with it either

 

Okay, seeing as the end is nigh (2 or 3 more posts, I tihnk):

Ask any questions about the characters (canon or original) or plotline of Rebel Heart, and I'll post the answers.

I was going to do this at the end of the story, but I got bored If you have more questions at the end, we'll do it again!

 

The end is nigh? I thought this had ages left to go yet!

Formal Methods is the single most tedious module I have ever had. The last lecture spent about 20 minutes on a single, simple petri net. Utter tedium. It makes my brain go into standby mode. I almost fell asleep in that lecture (I saved the actual falling asleep for the algorithms lecture that day...).

 

Where's Ari? Did he die?

 

Two or three more posts. We're coming up to RotJ now.

Lumi:

No, Ari isn't dead. He and Rix have been continuing to work in Supply, using Swift. He and Keitin write to each other, but the post is very hit-and-miss, which is why we haven't heard much about him.

 

Oh, by the way:

Keitin at the party

Keitin

 

Is that Trini Alvarado or Rose Byrne? Or is it a picture of you, Sock?

Up! Looking forward to more.

 

Flying update, insanely busy...

Secondmonth 1104

It wasn't long after Life Day that Luke Skywalker left the Fleet to join the search for Solo. Leia was more withdrawn without him, more driven. One evening she called me up to talk to because 'I want to hear someone call me Leia'. Though sometimes we spoke of our childhood, we never talked about Alderaan's destruction. It hurt too much.

One morning Vega, coming off the night shift told me that a priority message had just come for the Princess 'from that Force-forsaken hole Skywalker and company are on'.

"Huh?" I propped myself up on one elbow.

"I thought you would be interested, being so friendly with her."

"She and Luke have been having a high-priority argument for the last week," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. "And can't you come in a bit more quietly? We were working late last night."

"You may as well get up; you must have had eight hours."

"Urgh. Well, I didn't join the Rebellion for my beauty sleep, I suppose-"

I met Leia between the main canteen and the rec room. I knew at once her news had been good.

"Keitin! Lando's seen him!"

She grabbed my hands and we did an impromptu war dance in the middle of the corridor. Leia's face was shining, brimming with contagious joy.

"Breakfast on my tab," Leia said, beaming. "If it's breakfast for you, that is?"

I nodded, and we squeezed into the canteen, Leia giving sunny greetings to everyone we passed.

"Well?" I prompted as I sat down, leaning my elbows on the table-top. Leia sobered, pursing her lips.

"Lando got into Jabba's hide-out. Apparently Han's still in carbonite, and hanging on the wall"

"On the wall?"

"Like some kind of-of trophy," Leia confirmed, her voice brittle. I waited silently until she went on, "It's a relief to know he's there, at least. And there's not a lot can happen to him in the carbonite-Jabba could have thawed him out and done something worse."

"So now?"

Leia smiled. "Now I'm going to persuade the High Command that a sting operation on Jabba the Hutt is a good idea."

-~-~-~-~-

Fourthmonth 1104

For some reason, the High Command, after keeping Leia dangling for a couple of weeks, turned her down flat.

"And Dodonna bleating like a sick nerf-calf, 'I think your emotions are clouding your judgement, my dear.' Of course my emotions are clouding my blasted judgement!" Leia ranted to me afterwards. She flung herself into the nearest chair and scribbled on a piece of flimsiplast.

"Get that coded and send it off to Luke, would you?"

-~-~-~-~-

Despite soothing messages that clearly bore the mark of a worried Luke, Leia insisted on setting off for Tatooine shortly after that. He, like most other people, couldn't help but capitulate to a determined Leia.

"Just because I'm female doesn't mean I'm going to sit around while everyone else does the dangerous jobs," she told me as she packed. "Have I ever done that? I mean, it's sweet of him, and he wouldn't be Luke if he wasn't being protective, but I can look after myself! The number of times I've saved his skin-! Anyway, who's in love with Han?"

"Threepio?" I suggested, sabacc-faced. Leia laughed.

"It's certainly unrequited, then! Oh, the joys of being short-" She held a pair of uniform trousers against her waist; the cuffs trailed past her boots.

"Well, at least you have a figure you don't have to look for with a microscope," I said consolingly, waving a hand at myself.

"Thanks, Keitin-for everything," Leia said as I left.

"I hope everything goes okay. May the Force be with you," I replied awkwardly.

 

I didn't think the High Command would go for it.
Looks like this operation will have to go without the best wishes of the Rebel higher-ups.

Nice pics!

 

All right! Thanks for the update, I like this chapter. I never would have pictured dignified Leia doing a war dance in front of God and everybody, but you made it plausible - good work!

Bully for Leia to go off on her own, since the Rebel Commanders won't support her.

 

I enjoyed the idea that Leia just wanted someone to call her that rather than by a title.

Glad that Leia recognised that at least Han was safe in carbonite, there are a lot of nasty things Jabba could have done to him even if the Hutt stopped short of any permanent maiming.

Dodonna is sounding like a right patronising bastard.

Also glad that Leia recognises the difference between Dodonna?s attitude and Luke?s earnest attempts to protect her.

 

First of all let me just say I love the name! It cracks me up every time I see it. And second WOW! I mean, I really like the story. Everything was done very well and you portrayed the characters very well. Good job.

 

Reihla: No, I thought that no matter how sympathetic certain members of the High Command might be, they couldn't spare a mission at this stage of the Rebellion. Sure you knew they wouldn't go for it, you watched RotJ!

Keladry: Well, it was a quiet corridor and it wasn't a very elaborate war-dance
Of course Leia's going to rescue her Han no matter what

_JM_: Luke's gone off to Tatooine at this point to sneak round outside Jabba's and build a new lightsaber, so there really is noone around who calls Leia by her name apart from Keitin. I think Leia could be quite insistent about that, being her own person, like Anakin.
(So you're the Princess?
I'm a person, and my name is Leia!
Chez Organa could get a little interesting considering little Leia's temper )
My version of Dodonna doesn't aproppove of Han in general, and as Leia's SO in particular. As for Luke, he's a sweetie. Just a little overprotctive. Leia doesn't realise it, but she acts exactly the same way to him


Fated2BDespised: You mean Sock_of_Darth_Vader? Thank you, and welcome! Glad you like the story.

 

Microscope?!
Good chapter, as always
Loved the pics!

 

GrandAdmiralKyronna: She's exaggerating for comic effect. She'as an A-cup. The undocumented down-side of being thin

 

Sixthmonth 1104

"Something big is on," Vega said. I tugged a comb through the ends of my wet
hair.

"Afoot," I suggested.

"Yeah, good word-something is afoot. I'm certain of it. We've never been so busy in comm, and all the officers are permanently in meetings. The whole place feels different, like we're gearing up for something."

"Some big assault, perhaps," I suggested, brushing the curl out of my hair.

"Yes. I hardly see Tycho these days, he's so busy training on this new fighter."

"Should you be telling me that?" I asked absently.

"Oh, fudge, you're not going to tell anyone, are you? You're such a close-mouthed little thing-I don't mean that in a bad way," she added reassuringly. I shrugged. I had always known I listened more than I talked. Both Vega and Leia, in their different ways, were talkers-I supposed that was part of the reason I was friends with them.

"Have you seen that Imperial defector, Madine?" Vega asked.

"Have you seen his haircut?" I responded, laughing.

"You know, there's a limit to what natural good looks can do to alleviate a really bad haircut," Vega grinned. "I'm sure he's nice enough, but I can't pass him in the corridor without wanting to snigger."

"Wedge says Han said he wasn't trustworthy," I said vaguely.

"Since when was the third-hand word of Captain Solo good enough, and since when was he 'Han'?"

I twirled my hairbrush. "Oh, I have a thing for unattainable men-I thought I might as well go for the ultimate: not only frozen and captured by a galactic crime lord, but in love with the princess to boot."

"Why not Rieekan, or-I know! Madine!"

I threw the hairbrush at her, but she fielded it deftly.

"Eww! Vega!"

-~-~-~-~-

Vega had been right about what was happening. The ships moved to a rendezvous near Sullust, to join with the rest of the Alliance's starships. Mon Calamari and Sullustians became as common in our ranks as humanoids. Rumours flew about the fleet, from suggestions of strafing Coruscant to engaging the Imperial Fleet directly.

"A new Death Star, even bigger than the first." I refused to believe it when I heard it. I ran to the nearest head and locked myself in until I had stopped shaking.

"It can't make any difference to me," I told myself firmly. "A thousand Death Stars couldn't make home any more gone than it already is. And as for dying, I've been in danger of that for five years."

I had been sending messages to Ari, frequently at first, thought they had dropped off since Hoth's evacuation. I handed the canister to someone who was on a likely-looking mission that would bring them into contact with someone from Supply, and hopefully it would be passed on. Everyone did this sort of thing, trying to keep in contact with their families. It was very hit-and-miss; I'd had only one message form Ari since we had parted, though whether that was the success rate of the informal mail, or just bad letter-writing on Ari's part was debatable. The second message arrived with some of the troops gathering at Sullust.

Keit:
I hope this reaches you, and you are all right. I haven't heard from you in an age, and there have been rumours. Take care of yourself, Keitin. The kid and I are just the same as ever. The old girl continues to do well. She had her repulsorlifts reconditioned and is very nippy at getting out of docks. No more excitements though. The family business had the auditors in, we heard, but they found nothing incriminating.
Ari.

I stood in the messhall where I had read this message, the ever-present babble of voices washing over me unheard. I could see Ari in my mind's eye sitting in Swift's cockpit, biting his stylus thoughtfully. Ari was good at writing when it wasn't personal; cargo lists or theoretical astrography were fine, but not letters.
My hand was clenched around the scrap of flimsi. Ari's hand had travelled over it not so long ago, transferring thoughts from mind to page; thoughts divided about equally between my safety and Swift, by the look of it. I smiled rather sadly, an

 

Great post! And I agree... ewwww.. MADINE?

 

Poor General Madine getting giggled at.

I liked Keitlin trying to persuade herself that another Death Star didn?t make any difference to her.

Glad that Ari has condescended to actually reply to Keitins letters.

 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... MADINE!!!

 

GreatOne: Poor Madine, nobody loves him...

_JM_: It's not Ari's fault, the postal service is non-existant. Keitin's lucky to get any news at all. She's really stretching about Death star II, isn't she?

GrandAdmiralKyrrona: WHAT???!! [face_shocked] [face_shocked] [face_shocked] [face_shocked] [face_shocked]