Saga Alliance of Heroes - post-ANH AU (L/M, H/L, Vader, Palpy, Rogues) - COMPLETE - Part 2 cover up!

Lovely chapter!!

Yeah, back to the Alliance!

Things not to say to Mara?in the words of Han Solo ?I can imagine quite a bit?.

Mara surrendering her weapon? ?yep I bet she has one hidden on her, or maybe not because if they search her and find it she would be in a world of trouble.

Agent Retrac?Winter?AAAHHH!! It?s love!! Lol, sorry about that, I?m a romantic.

I love smitten Luke. Of course I like any Luke but when he is smitten with Mara?I melt.

Have I mentioned I love the rogues?...Well I do!!

I snorted out loud on the ?Nah?He?s just a Correllian??so true, great job on characterization there.

Luke and Leia both in denial?definitely twins. The whole conversation between the two was very well done, I love the fact that they seem to subconsciously act like brother and sister?Great job!

I?m so in love with your story! You really manage to keep the overall feel of the movies. Keep up the amazing work!

 

I really like this.

 

Rogue banter... ROGUE BANTER!

Luke is so adorable! And Wedge is an emminent XO... and friend. Poor Luke... all this teasing over Mara and he's barely met the girl!

(You know, Lukie-poo, there's an easy solution... GIVE THE ROGUES TO WEDGE! )

Wonderful interactions all around. I love them all!

Thanks... I needed the banter to make me laugh this morning.

 

Had this thought on the way home... what if Vader's ploy was because he knew, realized, or suspected that she knew about his inquiry about Luke Skywalker, thereby going from "mere" assassin to a liability? It's also interesting to see her not draw that conclusion yet herself... while that oversight may be due to the "rush" of what's gone on, her realizing why Vader would want her dead would be a sign that there's even more to Skywalker than she or her fellow defectors had thought... perhaps it's something she could offer up at a future debriefing? (Not THIS debriefing, but if she needs a bargaining chip later...)

Also, regarding her surrendering her weapons: they can take her blasters, they can take her vibroblades, but Mara Jade IS the weapon, and compared to that -- or more specifically, her cover -- the blasters and vibroblades are expendable.

YET ANOTHER EDIT: Looking over Tycho's evaluation of who could have been the mole, I wonder if Alliance counter-intel will pick up on his distinction between Jade and the other defectors... and if he might, feeling protective of her, subconsciously give them a different version of his evaluation? (Possible tip on writing this process: There is such a thing as confirmation by omission...)

 

Perhaps Luke could bribe the accident-prone pilot into getting sent to the bacta tank again.
Lukie! That's horrible! Maybe Mara needs to punish him


Anyways. Hilarious banter! Gotta love all the Rogues.

But Luke can't listen to Wedge, just this one time.

 

This story is one of two reasons why I'm not sleeping now and the second one is much less thrilling.

Poor Luke, as if all his doubts weren't enough... Now Wedge decided to be helpful.
Looks like he won't ask the girl out in the nearest future.))

Sorry, I've been rather incoherent... awfully tired.

 

Chapter 9

That was the second time he had narrowly escaped Vader?s Super Star Destroyer and Han would not have complained if he never laid eyes on it again.

Yeah. Don't get your hopes up, flyboy.

But things had started to get serious and Han couldn't help but remember the words he?d uttered to Luke before the Battle of Yavin:

?What good is a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station isn't my idea of courage. It's more like suicide.?

Always pragmatic, that Han Solo

?You didn?t happen to train under Fel, did you??

Celchu nodded. ?Yes sir, Captain Fel was one of my instructors at the Prefsbelt IV Naval Academy.?

Han chuckled. ?I?ll try not to hold that against you.? He brushed past Celchu, who furrowed his brow in confusion.

A popular man, Fel is ^_^

Han turned to Jade. ?I'm Mara Jade. Thanks for coming back for us,? she said, avoiding his gaze, looking highly uncomfortable.

He waved dismissively. ?Thank the Princess, and Luke for keeping all those TIEs from blasting us.?

?He means Commander Skywalker,? Leia added, smiling brightly at the mention of her friend.

And I mean your future bunkmate. If you catch my drift.

Your future horizontal mambo partner.

Your future co-conspirator in the carnal arts.



?Honestly?? She glanced back towards the hold. ?I think one of them is a mole.?

Go with the pretty one! It's always the pretty one.

Leia paused. ?Jade.?

Leia's with me here.

?O-kay. So an Imperial lieutenant who?s about to defect to the Rebellion is carrying a blaster, and that automatically means she?s a mole??

?I told you, Han, I just got a bad feeling! I can?t explain it any more than that.?

Come on Han, you get bad feelings all the time and you expect people to just trust you!

Somehow Han?s other hand had reached out to clutch Leia?s arm. He was suddenly very aware of how warm her skin felt against his; how flushed her cheeks got when she spoke passionately about something she believed in;

Just jump her bones and save us years of angsting!

?I think Luke should be whatever he wants to be, Captain Solo.? The door hissed open and she stepped into the hallway, pausing once to look back at him. ?And I think the same for you.?

You know, I can just hear the OT era haughty Leia voice shining through in this dialogue

But happy? She didn?t think she?d ever truly felt that way before. And yet, here she was, in a ship filled with Rebels, on her way to the Rebel command ship, and she was laughing?but not because she was about to betray them. She was the one who had been betrayed.

Rebellion life is so much nicer, Mara. Sure the rations are worse. And you get shot at all the time. And you have to be on the run constantly. But really! It's better.

She had to report to the Emperor. The man who had raised her like a father. The man who had controlled her implicitly.

No, you really don't have to.

The Princess was on her feet immediately, pulling Mara with her. She wanted to protest but decided it wasn?t worth it; she needed to get alone now before she could no longer ignore his presence in her mind.

Or maybe you do

I am very pleased, Mara. Very pleased indeed. You will receive high commendations on your return to the Palace. Public commendations.

It was something she had always wanted; as the Emperor?s Hand, she lived her life in shadows, receiving praise only from the Emperor in private.

But you know he wouldn't resort to this unless he desperately was trying to please you. Run Mara, run.

Mara smiled, knowing exactly what her next mission entailed. Yes master. I won?t fail.

She purposefully excluded the you.

Clever, clever girl.

Would she ever be free?

Yes, but it's going to require time

Leia followed, undeterred. ?You were sick.?

?I?m well aware of that,? Jade snapped.

?Do you need any medicine??

?No, what I need is to be left alone.?

Don't speak with Jade when she's mad. Don't look at Jade when she's mad. Do

 

Whooo, finally caught up!

This story is truly amazing and has thus far proven to be extremely enjoyable. I'm eager to see how Luke and Mara's first real conversation goes and I also find it a bit odd taht Luke didnt' immediately share his sense of Mara's abilities with Leia--I was expecting that he would and that that would totally re-align some of Leia's suspicions of Mara.

Excellent writing! Can't wait for the next chapter.

 

Thank you everyone for reading! We're at the halfway mark of Part 1.


Phoenix: Thank you! I do love banter.


Luna: What Mara will do - you'll find that out over the next four chapters. What Vader will do? That might take awhile longer.


Fels: Poor Hobbie is the buttmonkey in every universe! And Luke can keep insisting all he wants, but we know the truth, he looooooooves her!


Jade: I've really enjoyed writing Luke and Leia. It's cute, writing them as brother and sister when they don't even know it yet. I hope that L/M's first talk meets all expectations!


kataja: I recognize that! There?s something deeply satisfying in writing stuff into canon that you know beling there!

Yes! This is why we write fanfic!

I love the skilled way you toss the different possibilities around in this chapter - starting with Tycho's fine analyze here!

I thought that Tycho was the best person to present all the possibilities, and make them all realistic - even though we, the audience, know the truth.

Aww, a first meeting. Also great to see Winter so close to ANH! Not to speak of how her perfect memory upps the suspension about Mara's debriefing!

Hee, you gotta love Tycho and Winter. And I felt that Winter should be involved in this story, as she's Leia's "sister" and she's involved in intelligence (which will come into play in Part 2).

Awwww!!!! Perfect them, and perfect Luke!

Luke is always so self-deprecating when it comes to those things, isn't he? He's such a quandary, arrogant one minute and self-concious the next!

Nooo! I really, really wanted to reach into the story and smack Wedge - but he is doing the rithg thing, of course... Unfortunately... [/i]

Poor Wedge, he's got a bunch of fangirls mad at him. But he's got good intentions!

Oh, Leia. I suspect you'll blame Han for what you do for quite a while yet...



Lol, I'm glad you set Luke free of Leia before he met Mara - but of course it could be hilarious to play that a little longer too...

Haha, it would, but I couldn't make things TOO difficult for poor Luke.

You really come up with a great deal of deliscious AoH Infinities here!

Lane gave me the BEST one. What would have happened if Mara did leave the Rebellion and go into smuggling on her own. Of course, I said that she'd have to meet up with Mirax.

I loved this! You really show how well Luke and Leia know each other and how close they are
already at this point!/i]

Yay, I'm glad! I have a line in the next chapter between the two of them that is my favorite yet.

As always, youy leave me drooling for more! Can't wait to see how Luke & Mara will interact!

Aww, thanks! Luckily, it's in the next chapter!


Hazel: I hope you enjoy the conversation! There will be more Tycho/Winter, but not for awhile.


Ocelotl: We'll have to wait and see. You will find out in Part 1!


jaded_jewel: Thank you so much!

Things not to say to Mara?in the words of Han Solo ?I can imagine quite a bit?.

Or if you just look at her funny.

Mara surrendering her weapon? ?yep I bet she has one hidden on her, or maybe not because if they search her and find it she would be in a world of trouble.

Nah, she doesn't need a weapon.

Agent Retrac?Winter?AAAHHH!! It?s love!! Lol, sorry about that, I?m a romantic.

Lol! Well not yet. Remember, Tycho's fiancee died not that long ago.

Smitten Luke and the Rogues are two of my favorite things.

I?m so in love with your story! You really manage to keep the overall feel of the movies. Keep up the amazing work!

Awww, thanks! I will try!


ccp: Thanks!


Katana: ROGUE BANTER YAY! And yes, can you blame the Rogues for giving Luke a hard time? I mean, it would be completely uncharacteristic for them no

 

Holy crapola, I can't believe I skipped this fic so many times when browsing the boards! It's exactly my favorite kind - the whole gang, back when they were still fun and the EU hadn't blasted their characters beyond recognition...what a great ride you have going! I'm happy I finally got the memo (shall have to scold kataja for not telling me sooner). And Lane, I'm very happy you keep making all these detailed comments b/c there are so many X-wing-series references I would be missing otherwise . PM please!

 

frodogenic: Thanks for stopping by! I'm really glad that you're enjoying this! I'm using to writing in the Beyond Era, so writing these characters so young has definitely been a challenge for me, but I'm enjoying it. I'm glad to hear that it's working for you. I will definitely add you to the PM list.

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[u]CHAPTER 11[/u]





It took three days before Leia finally called in her favor. Luke had just finished a short briefing with the Rogues and was looking forward to some downtime, in which he would finally get in some much needed lightsaber practice, but he quickly ignored his plans as soon as he received Leia's comm. He realized he was acting ridiculous, being so excited to talk to this woman he barely knew, but he didn't care. He had tried many times over the past three days to start a conversation with Mara, but she was always either stuck in debriefings or surrounded by the other pilots and Winter. The few times they'd exchanged words, she had seemed closed off and distant. Luke wondered if that was because she was embarrassed about having to be rescued, as she seemed like a strong woman who would hate appearing to be so weak, or if she just wanted to avoid him. Whatever the reason, it made his stubborn streak flare and he grew even more determined to find out what was going on behind her enigmatic green eyes.

As he hurried to meet Leia, he wondered how Mara would react to their conversation. He'd been so certain that they had shared something special on the Dantooine plains...and now he had no idea what would happen between them. Luke's rescue of Leia had spawned an amazing friendship, but Mara was different than any other woman he'd ever met, and he didn't expect her to throw her arms around him in thanks any time soon. Not that he would mind if she did, of course...

Luke groaned as he quickened his pace. He really needed to put those thoughts out of his mind. As Wedge had said, Luke couldn't think such things about Mara. He wanted her for the expanded Rogue Squadron, so that was that.

Besides, even if he could ask her out, she'd probably turn him down.

He crossed through the doorway of the observation room and found Leia staring through a transparisteel window. Mara sat at a durasteel table on the other side of the window, her head propped on her hands and looking entirely bored. She glanced at the window as Luke came in the room and he stiffened, but Leia shook her head. "It's two-way. It's a mirror on her side. She can't see anything."

Luke tore his eyes from the redhead to give Leia a brief hug. He didn't say what he was thinking: [i]She can sense that I'm here.[/i]

It would be an understatement to say he was disappointed that Leia would be watching their conversation. He definitely would not be able to speak to Mara about her abilities in the Force with someone listening in. Luke had argued that he be allowed to speak to Mara in private, saying that having an audience would make him uncomfortable, but Leia had insisted that someone needed to observe the conversation for security purposes. Luke begrudgingly accepted the stipulation as long as Leia would be the observer.

"You ready?" Leia asked.

Luke took a deep breath. He was more than ready to talk to Mara, but not under these circumstances. "Ready as I'll ever be." Leia squeezed his hand in support and he left to face the woman on the other side of the window.

As he walked through the doorway, Luke had to force himself not to stare at Mara. She was sporting plain coveralls and her hair was pulled back in a loose braid. She looked like every other female tech that Luke had ever met...but different. Even though she was unarmed, she projected the aura that she could hurt someone very badly with her bare hands. Somehow, that made her even more intriguing.

She nodded at him as he entered the room, raising one red gold eyebrow as she looked him up and down. He wore a plain gray shirt and pants, and now he wished that he had chosen to wear something nicer, may

 

Tee-hee! Loved that they got lost in each other's eyes.


?Perhaps you should be in Intelligence.?

Actually, Luke, you should think about that carefully. It would solve that certain problem.



Loved that interrogation, although I think there was some confusion as to who was being interrogated.



"Ah Leia, you're like the sister I never had and never wanted."

Oops!

 

Gosh, Luke has it bad for Mara?not that I have a problem with that. I love how you write Luke, you manage to get his whole complicated persona, well done!

I don?t blame Mara for getting lost in Luke?s eyes?what girl wouldn?t want to?
Mara, if you stayed amazing things could happen?of course if you and Luke are as slow as you are in the books, good things won?t happen for 10 years but the point is you should stay.

Farmboy!!! I?ve been waiting for it! Well written scene between the Luke and Mara. You have their banter down pat.

Wonderful work as usual!!

 

Oooh, they fine each other's eyes the most sparkling and clear and vibrantly blue (or green).

How they do click with one another.

Fave line:

"Ah Leia, you're like the sister I never had and never wanted."

!!!

Loaded statement and how true you don't even know yet

 

I loved seeing Luke and Mara interact in this way. It's a very delicate dance between the two of them that is very fun to watch. I'm impressed that Mara managed to fool Luke--he's definitely emotional by now! Great update--love the budding romance.

 

Brilliant interrogation. Fantastic interaction between Mara and Luke. That whole blazing in the force and comparison with Vader and palpatine was well written and defined. Above all, awesome chapter. 10/10.

 

Well done! There is hope.... sly grin inserted...

Best line I have read in a long time:
"Ah Leia, you're like the sister I never had and never wanted."

 

Amazing!!!!!

Back tomorrow with more!

Okay - I'm back


frodo: shall have to scold kataja for not telling me sooner
Hey! When did it become my fault!???

Luke's such a quandary, arrogant one minute and self-concious the next!

Heh, arrogant ? yes, he?s definitely that too. You should comment that on the SOS thread before we?ve done with ANH.

What would have happened if Mara did leave the Rebellion and go into smuggling on her own. Of course, I said that she'd have to meet up with Mirax.
She absolutely would! I got a bunny that says Mara rescued Leia before L&H could make it and went with her into the Rebellion, shooting down the Death Star. Meanwhile Luke followed Han & Chewie to live a smugglers life and quickly got taste of money and willing girls? But the paths of those four will cross eventually? Dunno when I can find time to write it, though?

Luke wondered if that was because she was embarrassed about having to be rescued, as she seemed like a strong woman who would hate appearing to be so weak, or if she just wanted to avoid him.
Aww, he?s already got her figured out ? I love that? But of course there?s more to her embarrassment this time?


Besides, even if he could ask her out, she'd probably turn him down.
No confidence there, huh farmboy?

She was sporting plain coveralls and her hair was pulled back in a loose braid. She looked like every other female tech that Luke had ever met...but different. Even though she was unarmed, she projected the aura that she could hurt someone very badly with her bare hands. Somehow, that made her even more intriguing.
Great desciption there!


He wore a plain gray shirt and pants, and now he wished that he had chosen to wear something nicer, maybe something more colorful. Not that he had many nice outfits, but what he was wearing suddenly seemed woefully inadequate now that he was standing in front of her.

Gods, she was beautiful.
And Luke's feelings captured perfectly! I suddely remember my own youth...


Skywalker entered the room and sat across from her, his sense in the Force overwrought with nervousness and insecurity, but also determination. In a way, he reminded her of the overeager Academy graduates she'd run into at Palpatine's court, and yet he wasn't like them at all. He was eager to earn her approval...but not for his own gain. He just wanted to talk to her, and learn about her, and perhaps be her friend.

They stared at each other intently and, against all her better judgment, she found herself becoming lost in his eyes. They were a sparkling, clear blue, purer than anything she?d ever seen before in her life?and she?d seen a lot. It was magnetic, the way they pulled her in, the honesty that glowed there, the hope promised.

She couldn?t not look at them. She dove into the orbs as she would a lake, headfirst, and it was powerful and she pushed up, trying to tread water.

Again - just perfect! Pure gold for a Luke-lover and so very spot on! And love how you mirror their experiences!



He was incredibly strong in the Force and he was so oblivious to that fact. He was young and naïve and a wonderful pilot. His talent in the Force was raw and unbridled.

(- - -) And yet he fidgeted and questioned himself and tried so hard?and he had absolutely no idea of what he could be.
I could imagine how that would lure Mara out. She reminds me a little of the women in the Icelandic saga's - she's so proud and would only want the strongest man. Yet, here you alspo manage to weave in a soft spot to her; she would definitely relate to someone else trying his very, very best!


"Yeah, I remember. It was my leg that got injured, not my head."



Again she raised an eyebrow. It appeared to be her default facial expression.
Ha! That was elegant! I w

 

Hehe. I loved the Luke / Leia exchange. But darn, I'm guessing we will have to wait awhile before Mara and Luke start taking the hints from the Force, and Wes.

 

Gosh, this is such fun! I don't think I've ever read a fic that threw Mara and Luke together at this particular point, where he's still such a gosh-darned farm boy. And it's working surprisingly well - Luke gets embarrassed so easily, but Mara's got softer edges and doesn't cut like she does later in canon...Now it makes me wonder what Mara would have thought of him if she'd met him back on the actual farm...there might be a fic there...

Also, loving Tycho! I've never read that much about him in EU but what I did read years ago stuck and he's always been one of those characters I keep in my fic-writing toybox because he's got such interesting possibilities. You're making great use of him.

 

Amazing.
This chapter reminds me of one film where a man was under arrest and a woman he loved came to visit him - they didn't talk at all but you could "hear" their real talk behind the scenes.
Luke and Mara talked about mundane things but it feels like much more was said...

 

Hazel:

--?Perhaps you should be in Intelligence.?--

Actually, Luke, you should think about that carefully. It would solve that certain problem.



Loved that interrogation, although I think there was some confusion as to who was being interrogated.

Thanks! I figured Mara would be one to throw Luke for a loop. Although I think he did the same to her.


jaded_jewel:

I love how you write Luke, you manage to get his whole complicated persona, well done!

Thank you! He's one of my favorite characters to write, and it's been so interesting writing him at this point in his life. I'm really looking forward to writing all the Jedi training scenes. I think Farmboy needs a slight attitude readjustment.

Mara, if you stayed amazing things could happen?of course if you and Luke are as slow as you are in the books, good things won?t happen for 10 years but the point is you should stay.

Lol, well it won't be ten years, that would be a REALLY long trilogy. But first, we have to see if she stays...

Farmboy!!! I?ve been waiting for it! Well written scene between the Luke and Mara. You have their banter down pat.

Thank you, I do love writing them snarking at each other.


Jade_eyes:

How they do click with one another.

It's that pesky Force!

Fave line:

"Ah Leia, you're like the sister I never had and never wanted."

Loaded statement and how true you don't even know yet

Haha, I had to put that line in. I'm an only child and I've been known to say that to my friends.


Luna:

It's a very delicate dance between the two of them that is very fun to watch.

That's a really good way to describe their interactions at this point in time!

I'm impressed that Mara managed to fool Luke--he's definitely emotional by now!

Ahh, but did she fool him?


Phoenix:

That whole blazing in the force and comparison with Vader and palpatine was well written and defined.

Thank you! I figured that, having lived her entire life around Palpatine, Mara would be most impressed by Luke's sense in the Force. That would pull her to him more than she would normally be...but there is some attraction there regardless of the Force. I wonder if perhaps Mara will one day realize who Luke "feels" like...


Ocelotl:

There is a little bit of hope there...perhaps something will happen to allow the lovebirds to get around that rule?

Best line I have read in a long time:
"Ah Leia, you're like the sister I never had and never wanted."

Thanks, I loved writing it!


kataja:

Hey! When did it become my fault!???



Heh, arrogant ? yes, he?s definitely that too. You should comment that on the SOS thread before we?ve done with ANH

I need to remember to go over there! I'm really looking forward to writing Luke's Jedi training scenes. He's so arrogant and confident in some ways, but in others he's completely defeatist. I really want him to realize that and try to change his ways of thinking, but still be the Farmboy.

She absolutely would! I got a bunny that says Mara rescued Leia before L&H could make it and went with her into the Rebellion, shooting down the Death Star. Meanwhile Luke followed Han & Chewie to live a smugglers life and quickly got taste of money and willing girls? But the paths of those four will cross eventually? Dunno when I can find time to write it, though?

Oooh that sounds great!

And Luke's feelings captured perfectly! I suddely remember my own youth...

Yeah, mine too.

Again - just perfect! Pure gold for a Luke-lover and so very spot on! And love how you mirror their experiences!

You know sometimes I really do have to temper down the Luke descriptions because I have a tendency to go overboard...gotta realize that it's MARA thinking these things, not me.

 

Skywalker entered the room and sat across from her
Love how you already have her calling him "Skywalker" and "Farmboy."

Hmmm, wonder when Luke will find out the truth.

Great update!

 

Fels:

Love how you already have her calling him "Skywalker" and "Farmboy."

Well "Skywalker" was a given, and he actually is a Farmboy at this point in time so I had to do it. When will Luke find out the truth?

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[i][b]A/N:[/b] Thanks go to [b]Lane_Winree[/b] for his assistance with the dogfighting in this chapter. [/i]





[u]CHAPTER 12[/u]





?Mara??

With a loud [i]smack[/i], Mara smashed her palm down on the red button, stopping her preferred treadmill in the gym. Turning to the door, she saw Tycho standing there. ?Hey, what's up?? she said, breathing heavily.

?Sorry to interrupt. Commander Skywalker would like us all for a briefing in fifteen minutes.?

Rivulets of sweat were threatening to fall down her face, so she quickly grabbed a towel to wipe her brow. ?What about?? she asked.

?Rogue Squadron, I assume.?

She gave Tycho a nod. ?Sure. Let me shower first. I?ll be there in a few minutes.?

?Showering, huh??

She couldn?t ignore the hint of teasing in Tycho?s voice, and shot him a harsh glare. ?Yes, that?s what civilized people do after a workout.?

?When we were stuck in debriefings all day long, you never bothered to shower after a workout.?

?Yeah, well, maybe I thought that General Cracken and everyone else deserved to smell me.?

?Or maybe you just want to get freshened up for Commander Skywalker??

Mara?s eyes narrowed. ?You got something to say, Celchu?? she growled.

?Yes, I do. You might want to rethink your shower. Some men find women very attractive after a workout. You know, all sweaty and disheveled.?

Her arm reared back to smack him, but Tycho was too fast and he caught her hand in his. ?Very funny, Tycho.? She pulled her arm away.

Tycho just smiled and left the room.

After her shower, Mara stood in the mirror cursing her friend; much to her chagrin, she had begun dabbing on perfume and styling her hair in a vain attempt to look decent. Letting out a snarl, she threw down her brush and violently pulled her wet hair into a ponytail. ?Kriff it,? she mumbled. Why should she care about what Skywalker thought of her appearance? Foregoing the clean clothes she had brought in her duffel, she pulled on her pair of old coveralls, threw her workout clothes in her bag, and headed to the briefing room, trying and failing to put Luke Skywalker?s face out her mind.





Mara was the last pilot to enter the briefing room. She took a seat next to Tycho and avoided Luke?s gaze, which was probably a good thing as Luke could hardly keep from staring at her. She was wearing old, disheveled coveralls and looked like she had just finished a workout?but dear gods her hair was wet and Luke?s mind immediately went places they should never go for fear of imminent death. Petrified that Mara had sensed his thoughts, he glanced down at his datapad and began to recite the alphabet backwards in his mind. When he got to [i]aurek[/i], he finally felt calm enough to address the group.

He was very careful not to look at Mara while he spoke.

Without preamble, he informed the four pilots exactly why he?d asked them to this briefing. For over six months, Rogue Flight had consisted of only six pilots, half of a regular squadron. Luke had never thought to expand his group until Commander Narra's suggestion, and now, with the arrival of the four TIE pilots and Narra's promise to find two additional pilots to fill out the roster, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to expand.

?Lieutenant Jade has already assured me of her ability to fly an X-wing. Would the rest of you happen to have similar experience??

?Just the basics,? Tycho said. ?But we?re all fast learners.?

?I?m sure you are. I?ve already transmitted the relevant manuals to your datapads. I?d like to start working with you in the simulators as soon as possible.?

Mara raised her hand, and Luke had no choice but to look at her again. ?Yes, Lieutenant Jade??

?Are we permitted to use the sims

 

Oooh, LOL!!!!! Luke all distracted in the briefing by Mara in old shaggy coveralls and a straggly half-damp ponytail - woot! He's got it bad!

"You want to fly with me?"

Yes, he does.

In several kinda ways.

*

Love the Han and Luke talk, very much IC and candid. Both are right - Han about Mara and Luke about Leia

*

Stunning sim action detailing. Bravo to Lane's assist with that too.