[ The Resistance was buzzing as it always did. Poe Dameron would be in the hanger bay on top of Black One holding a datapad connected to certain parts from the one compartment. He seems to be in deep thought looking over all of the modifications while making the necessary repairs that he can do himself over the help of an astromech. However, it was greatly appreciated to have another set of eyes. There was something he couldn't quite figure out. ]
I thought I would have found it by now.
[ As a pilot and also a mechanic at times on his own, he should be able to figure out a simple fix. What was he missing? What other connect needed to be put back together? Poe ran all of the diagnosis he could. But he kept running into walls and kept getting further away from fixing the repair. He crouches on the wing looking over it to see if there was anyone around that he could call over. He spotted Ben not too far off. ]
Hey!! Can you take a look at this? Maybe give an opinion?
[Ben hadn’t set out to be a part of his mother’s Resistance but somehow, he’d found himself being dragged into it almost against his will. He’d spent a large portion of his childhood and teenage years being resentful of the fact that Leia always seemed to have abundant time for the universe but when it came to her own child, she never seemed to know what to do with him.
Well, up until the day when she’d shipped him off to train with his uncle Luke that was. Ben had tried to fit in there at his uncle’s Jedi Academy but even there amongst other younglings who could harness the same mystical abilities as him, he couldn’t ever seem to manage to fit in.
And that was the story of his life, wasn’t it? Being the odd one out, the guy who tended to subtly make those around him uneasy without even trying who never quite fit in anywhere. Maybe the Resistance with its rag tag group of equally out of place misfits was the perfect place for him.
Hearing that familiar voice call out to him, Ben looked up from the A-Wing deflector shield generator he’d been tinkering with. He’d always enjoyed tinkering with machinery and tended to find them easier to deal with than other people. But Poe Dameron wasn’t just anyone. He was one of the few people Ben Solo counted as an actual friend.] Yeah, sure thing, what’s up?
[The taller man asked as he crossed over to Poe’s fighter.]
[ Poe was glad that he could make a friend out of Ben, even if General Organa may have suggested it. He wasn't just going to force it from the other either. That's not how things worked. Talking, conversing, is mostly what the pilot did with others. He would try to get their full stories. So if he sees something that's bothering them out on a mission. He could try to help them come back to the reality when he needs them. There's many stories he has heard and he'll continue to try to get Ben's when he's ready to talk about it.
For now he would bring up things that Ben seemed to like. Machinery, fighters, anything that would help. Things like not following Leia's shadow. Since Ben was his own person too. Poe could make a name for himself, Ben Solo could too.
He offers a smile to him while walking over to him still in a crouched position. He hands turns the datapad so that Ben can give a look over at it. ]
I feel as if it's something small that I'm missing. A tiny repair that's not quite there. She's holding up pretty good in everything else. Yet, running everything the systems don't quite link up as they should.
[ The modifications seem fine, but several important systems don't seem to responding to them. Especially the weapons and speed. ]
I've tried reworking them in several ways but these two things are stubborn and I can't seem to figure out another way.
[ He looks a bit frustrated by that fact but he knew he could learn a thing or two from Ben. If he was willing to show him. ]
[Ben wouldn’t admit it out loud but he was secretly glad that the other man had been so willing to accept him into his circle of friends. Of course, that just seemed the kind of person Poe was naturally. The man radiated a friendly sort of charisma that people just seemed to react positively to the man no matter where he went.
A guilty, not very Jedi, part of Ben envied him that ability. But then, he'd never been a particularly good Jedi as his travesty of a time at Luke Skywalker's academy had proven. He had plenty of potential his uncle had repeated more times than he cared to remember but it was finding a way of harnessing that potential towards the Light that he'd always struggled with. Ben had never been good at suppressing his emotions and even from a young age, he'd sensed his parents' passing sense of wariness and uncertainty every time little Ben Solo had thrown a tantrum. It hadn't been until he was old enough to learn the tale of Anakin Skywalker and what he became that those uncertainties made more sense.
But the problem was, if people around you held their breath waiting to see if you would fail then really in the end, it just became a self-fulfilling prophesy. That was why he'd finally fled Skywalker's Academy and why he'd dropped off the radar for years before one of Leia's agents managed to stumble upon her wayward son embroiled in a bloody dispute with the Kanjiklub.
Being dragged back to his mother by his proverbial ear hadn't exactly left Ben in the most receptive of moves but Leia had managed to browbeat him into agreeing to at least give the Resistance a fair try. Ben didn't have his mother's idealism but even he could see that the First Order was bad news. There were apparently enough his mother's rebellious tendencies in the man that he'd stuck around thus far but he always seemed to be keeping a weather eye on the horizon in search of something better coming along.]
Yeah, sure, I'll check it out. [Ben accepted the datapad with a smile and started to read over the diagnostic read outs from Black One. Some of Ben's earliest—and happiest—memories were of hanging around with his Uncle Chewie helping him work on the Millennium Falcon. He’d teethed quite literally on hydrospanners much to Leia’s exasperated dismay and Han’s quiet amusement. Bots, machines, they all just made sense to him and despite the fact that he hadn’t been with the Resistance for too long, he’d already found a place for himself with the repair crews. Ben would have preferred being allowed to fly but his mother wasn’t completely convinced he wasn’t a flight risk still so that had been firmly shelved.]
They recently upgraded your engines with those parts we got in from the New Republic, right? The parts between the T-70 and T-85 are pretty compatible but if the chipset for the T-85s require more power. It could be drawing too much power from your system and it’s not able to keep up with the draw which would make things run sluggish and seem a little glitchy.
[ Poe would at least try to expand his friend's circle. Even if he would talk to anyone in the Resistance. It would do good to know them. Since they would be around a lot but friending Ben could have been a challenge. He knew that could be a possible and he would at least take his time. He always appreciated the other in showing him and thing or two on things he should already know. But he can easily miss something as a chipset.
There's a small tiny sigh as he rubs at his forehead. He sits down on the wing while looking down at Ben. ] I guess I have been looking too long at the datapad that I missed the chipset power completely. Yeah, it's the upgraded parts. That would explain a lot things that I was encountering and tried fixing.
[ He presses his lips together in thought. The question would be did the Resistance have the required chipsets that were needed. Poe was sure they could be within the hanger somewhere. ] You wouldn't happen to know how to give it more power. She'll still need to operate. I wouldn't want to get rid of the upgrades either knowing that it's possible to keep it. They'll come in handy.
Unless you were doing some pretty hefty mechanical work back in the Republic it's unlikely you or even the other mechanics here would have come across that particular problem. [Ben tried to reassure Poe somewhat awkwardly.] Only reason I happen to know about it is because I might have "borrowed" an T-85 from a Bothan who was being a real sleemo.
['Borrowed' was a pretty...generous term. He'd hijacked the Bothan's X-Wing and methodically taken the complicated piece of machinery down to it's frame just the prove a point before calling in an anonymous type letting the New Republic know where they could find their missing fighter. It hadn't been long after Ben had fled from Luke's academy and the young man had been full of piss and vinegar and ready to prove a point...any point. He wasn't particularly proud of that event but really? The son of a Hutt had it coming. Not only had he maligned everything his uncle, father and the rest of the people who'd flown against the second Death Star had done but he'd personally insulted his mother.]
We'll figure something out. [He clapped a heavy hand on Poe's shoulder and squeezed it briefly.] It's good you figured out something was wrong now rather than in the middle of a battle.
Not all the time. I would when it was needed and when I wasn't patrolling around. The other mechanics here all try to figure out how to do their own modifications on their ships. [ As did the rest of the Resistance. Everyone was basically finding things out on their own. ]
[ He tilts his head slightly at hearing the borrowing. His eyebrows knit together as if in thought. Perhaps he was recalling certain stories buzzing around in the hanger when he was still in the New Republic. ] I might have heard about that incident. I do remember someone being highly upset that their fighter suddenly went missing.
[ There's a small smile as he looks at Ben. ] Thanks, and you're right. It's a good thing that I came across this problem here and not up there. I would have had to try to be creative. It might have been rough if the power drained from the engines though.
Yeah, gotta make do with what we have. Still, it'd be nice if we weren't flying fighters that probably saw duty in the Clone Wars. [Ben said with a note of exasperation in his voice. He'd heard all about the privations and shortages the Rebellion and then the early New Republic had to deal with more times than he cared to remember. Leia had been dead-set in making sure her son understood the sacrifices that had been made in order to overthrow the Empire.]
Unfortunate, here I was hoping to hear he'd gotten in trouble having to explain how he managed to lose his snub-fighter. [Petty was definitely not a good look on anyone, especially an ex-wannabe Jedi. Though, there was a reason Ben had flunked out of Jedi school.]
Gotta take care of the best pilot in the Resistance, right? [His words could have come across as mocking or sarcastic but there was enough fondness in Ben's tone to steal any potential venom from his words. The taller man climbed up onto the X-wing with enviable grace and started to fiddle with the right engine.] Worst comes to worst, if we can't fix the power issue, we might have to pull the upgraded chip and see if we can manage a work around.
It's all we can do. Some of the fighters may be old, but they still do the job we need. [ Poe would wish for newer tech but he had to make do with anything the Resistance could get their hands on. Even if it may be doing trade deals in the dark, 'borrowing' other ships and maybe giving them back after the fight. He wasn't even sure how things would truly go but they all lived with what they had. Poe would appreciate everything. ]
Well... [ There's a sheepish grin. ] He did have to tell his major why it went missing. Since the guy was so flustered all he could keep saying was he didn't know. And the major kept saying did your astromech just fly off with it on auto-pilot repeatedly. Fighters just don't go missing like that. [ He gives a small shrug glad that it wasn't him. Poe would have made up some dumb story of it running out of fuel and begging another pilot to come fetch him. ]
If you so, Ben. [ Poe shakes his head a little with a smile at him. He would stand back up on the wing once Ben was on it so he could take a look at what he was doing. ] I mean... that might be the only option we have. If we work on it together we might be able to manage the work around.
As my mother is far too fond of saying, they had to make do with way worse during the Rebellion. So I guess there's no point in complaining. [The taller man said with a hint of exasperation or maybe irritation in his voice. It was hard, being what was essentially a second generation of rebels when your parents had paved the way in far more dire circumstances.
At least they weren't being hunted from one end of the galaxy to the next by the Empire and while the New Republic officially had written them off as persona non grata, there were still people like Leia and other sympathetic Senators who were helping to funnel them support and supplies underneath the nose of the Senate.] I'm not surprised his astromech left him to hang, we had a really enlightening conversation and apparently he wasn't just a kriffing ass to me but generally everyone in his vicinity. Not everyone treats their droids as nicely as you do, Poe.
[The pilot was ridiculously close to his droid but it was something he actually admired in Poe Dameron and had been one of the first things he noticed when they'd been introduced when Ben had been assigned to the base. There were a lot of people who took droids for granted and dismissed their own thoughts and feelings as them being nothing more than well...droids.]
I do say so and I've seen the recruitment posters to back that statement up. [He shot the other man a teasing smirk before turning his attention back to the engine. Ben's hands were as large as the rest of him but somehow, he managed to slide them inside the internal mechanisms of the engine all the same and after a minute with a hydrospanner, he was able to pull the power generator out along with the offending new part.] We could try and do a work around with a bigger power-cell but honestly, I don't want to do that and then have you head out on a mission only to have the entire engine fail at the wrong time. Let's get with the other mechanics and see if they can come up with any ideas. And see if BB-8 has any suggestions too.
It's better to appreciate what you have versus complaining about what we need. Sometimes we could just get lucky and those parts could be around. We could go digging ourselves if we get pointed in the right direction. [ Poe meant his words since he knew they could have way worse starfighters, more outdated things. Things could be breaking off versus being in way better condition than they were. The Resistance still had resources and supplies thanks to Leia being great on her connections. However, there were times where plans didn't always pan out. The First Order could get to those supplies before they could even swoop in for the taking. No matter how in the shadows they could have been. ]
Maybe I won't be the only one to treat astromech's with respect. If that guy couldn't be respective to a droid he wouldn't be able to be respective to the pilots he was working with. [ There's a small smile after that. ] I know I can get very opinionated over certain things but... I'm only trying to do the right things. [ Even if they may not be exactly right at the time. ]
Oh, have you? I'm sure you have. They can be a bit embarrassing. [ Poe shakes his head while pressing his lips up a bit at the tease.There may have been a small eye roll to go along with it. He watches Ben though carefully. ] I'm not heading out for a while. Unless something major happens but you never know around here. That sounds like a great idea. Going to find the other mechanics. BB-8 has already tried, he's probably with the other astromechs trying to get suggestions from them.
It helps that mom can get her senator friends to mark certain things that happen to fall in our lap as ‘military excess’ too. [Ben was all too aware of the shell games Leia and her compatriots in the Senate had to play in order to supply the Resistance under the table. The fact that she’d spent her youth in the original Rebellion and had trained at Bail Organa’s elbow had certainly helped sharpen her resourcefulness.]
That was sorta my thoughts too. Sure, Bothans can have a bit of an attitude to begin with but this guy was a real asshole. [And Ben had a pretty healthy respect for astromech droids or even droids in general. Sure, he didn’t have much patience for the protocol droids like C3P0 but he’d cut his teeth trying to tinker with R2 much to the foul-mouthed droid’s exasperation. The fact that he’d learned how to swear in binary from R2 and Basic thanks to his father just meant his childhood had been interesting and colorful.]
Me and just about everyone else on the base and probably a good portion of the New Republic Navy as well. I have it on good authority your recruitment poster hangs in more than a few cadet’s lockers. [When Ben smiled like that, all slow and sly, you could definitely see Han Solo’s influence on him despite Leia’s attempts to civilize her son and make him respectable.] Well, let’s not tempt the universe by saying that and just concentrate on getting you back in the air, flyboy.
[Again, there was that note of something akin to wistful envy in the younger man's voice honed with a trace of bitterness.]
Yeah, but, how much longer can those few friends of her keep that up? [ It's a worry he could question. Poe knew that it could go on for so long before it stops. The missions for those supplies could be tough never knowing if the First Order was right around to swoop in for them instead. ]
Glad you could do us all the favor and get him re-stationed to a different system. [ He grinned a bit because it's the truth in the end. Poe knew how to treat other astromechs and BB-8 could always surprise him by being doing things he wouldn't believe to do on his own. ]
I don't need to hear all or any of this. [ He looks at Ben with a small smile but it slowly fades at the tone of the other's voice. Poe moves a bit quicker to stop in front of him while looking up at Ben. ] Why don't you join me on my next mission? When the next one comes around.
I have no idea but I learned a long time ago not to underestimate my mom. [Leia had made a habit of making people regret having underestimated her time and time again.] 'Sides...just between you and me? I think she likes being a Rebel way more than she ever did being a Senator.
[Ben just smiled in a serene sort of way and held up the hydrospanner as though to illustrate his point.] Allegedly. And I will denounce you as a filthy, filthy liar if you ever tell anyone that story. [The taller man climbed from one side of the X-Wing to the next by using the s-foils as a bridge from one side of the ship to the next so he could get to the engine on the other side.] That's what you get for agreeing to be the Resistance's poster boy.
[He said with perfectly cheerful schadenfreude but some of that humor faded when Poe made that unexpected request. Ben's expression closed off abruptly and he spent a moment ignoring Poe while internally, he seethed.] No can do, I'm too much of a flight risk. Besides, mom isn't going to let me get right in the middle of the action." This time, he didn't even bother to try and mask his bitterness. Being dragged home to Leia like an errant schoolboy still chaffed his pride something fierce.]
What made you come to that conclusion? [ He had to be curious about it. Ben had a reason to say that. Poe had seen how her planning strategies goes. There's always little surprises that can be put in or she would expect Poe to figure things out on his own. ] You think so? I would think she would be great as a Senator too.
No one would believe that story of me as a liar. You can try though but I don't have to say anything. People may not believe me anyway. [ Poe smiles giving him a slight tease at that since it's Ben Solo. He follows after the tall man while sighing at the comment. ] I never asked for the job.
[ Leia Organa though would use it as a political move, trying to recruit more pilots, get more people to see their side. Poe doesn't argue over those things knowing that it's true. Plus Ben wasn't wrong about underestimating his mother. ] Flight risk, really? So did she ground you or is this just a suggestion don't do it kind of thing? You can't even do one simple supply run? That's all it would take for her to see you're not. Everyone out there is. We need more pilots and she knows that.
It’s easier to be a Rebel than trying to work within the lines, especially when it comes to something like the Senate. Sure, it might not be as corrupt as the Imperial Senate but you saw the way those bastards dragged her name through the mud when they found out about my grandfather.
[Anger kindled in the younger man’s dark eyes when he thought about that disastrous time and the air around the disgraced ex-Jedi trainee grew almost palpably thick. It wasn’t the Force per-se but there was definitely an air of menace surrounding the other man.] Let’s be honest, I doubt my reputation could get any worse so I guess it doesn’t matter either way.
[He finished pulling the second chip from Poe’s starboard engine and jumped down off the wing. His heavy boots made an audible thump when they hit the ferrocrete and that tall, lanky body absorbed the shock of recklessly jumping from such a great height with ease.]
She doesn’t trust me, Poe. [Ben said sharply as his hands curled into fists at his side.] She thinks I’m going to run off and pull another disappearing act again. [The ‘just like my father’ hung unstated bitterly in the air. And really, considering the fact that Ben Solo had quite literally dropped off the radar for years after he’d run away from his uncle’s Jedi Academy, maybe Leia was justified in her fear of her son pulling another disappearing act. But he wasn’t the same scared boy he’d once been!] Feel free to tell her that.
[He said with bitterness dripping from each word while he concentrated on cleaning some of the engine grease from his hands with a spare shop rag.]
It's probably easier to be a Rebel, but she's a General too. She has to keep other people in line. I'm sure some don't stay within their paths. [ He knows that he has to drive her nuts with his moving forward and decisions. A lot of them being reckless but they worked it got the job done. ] I know what they did. I don't like it. They would use anything to get people on their side. When we're so desperately trying to get people to understand our story. We're trying to get them to see who the real threat is.
[ He presses his lips together while moving to get in front Ben to get him to stop moving from whatever path he was going in. It almost felt routine as if he was on autopilot. ] She can't keep you grounded. I'm sure you're feeling as if you're not being able to do enough. [ Poe seems to go through a few emotions before looking as if he's agreeing with Ben. ]
I will tell her. You should tell her how you feel about this. If you're going to run off and disappear... I think... maybe... [ He glances away while putting his hands on his hips. ] I think you would have already done so.
That’s mom for you, always trying to save the universe. [Ben scoffed quietly but wasn’t able to mask the trace of bitterness in his words when he said that. Growing up in Leia Organa’s shadow was hard enough but her continued split attention between being a senator and being a mother had left the young man feeling as though he’d always come secondary in his mother’s list of priorities.] Look, let’s just…no talk about this anymore.
[Judging by the way the taller man’s shoulders had grown tense, Ben’s infamously notorious temper was at risk of boiling right over. Luke had tried to teach his nephew how to control his wild emotions and had tutored him in the risks of those very same emotions leading him on a path to the Dark Side.
But the way Poe physically moved to put himself in his path had the younger man jerking to a halt and for a brief moment, irritation flickered across his face.] I’m pretty sure she can keep me grounded. Can’t risk those Solo genes taking over and me turning into yet another flight risk.
[A sneer started to pull at the man’s lips when he spoke about his father before his expression started to turn rebellious and petulant.]I don’t need you fighting my battles for me, Poe.
[ Poe read up on his own parents when he got the chance to do so. He knew that they both helped Han Solo and Leia Organa. The life he lived was peaceful. A community home that his father built and on a ranch. Poe took in the stance of the other knowing that the conversation needed to end. ] You do know you can tell me things. When you're ready to tell them.
[ Sometimes certain conversations needed a bit more face to face interaction. ] She can. But, would you take the risk of disobeying her command and fly if you saw it to be the right thing to do?
[ Poe gives a nod at that. ] I'm not trying to fight your battles. I'm only offering to help if you don't want it, I can provide it somewhere else.
[Coming out from time in the medbay was never an easy thing, not with everything that had been weighing on Luke. He'd rested in fits and starts if at all, and he was still getting his head back into anything resembling order when he stepped into the mess hall. It'd been a long time since he was on the fleet, but even still it felt like stepping back into an old home. Walking over to a counter to grab a meal and a mug of something warm, he stood and looked around at the assembled crew, pilots, and other members of the Rebellion for a familiar face.
Anybody would've been welcome, but when his attention settles on Wedge, he nods and starts that way.]
[Home One really had become the closest thing they had to a home these days. It felt like every time the Rebellion found a base to set up shop, there was the Empire on their heels a few months later chasing them out of their burrow. Of course, compared to the likes of Hoth, Wedge would happily take a Mon Calamari cruiser any day of the week even if the air was uncomfortably humid at times.
He was seated at a table pretty much absorbed in the report he was typing into the datapad when he heard that familiar voice address him. Wedge looked up at Luke and for a moment, his eyes widened in surprise to see him there. Command had kept the full details of what had happened on Cloud City pretty firmly under wraps so the last thing he expected was to see Luke Skywalker standing there in person.] I think I might be able to make room for you, Luke.
[It was the first time he'd seen him since that snowy day on Hoth and when Luke had up and disappeared, all manner of speculation had been bounced around. Had he been caught by the Imps? Abandoned the Rebellion in their darkest hour? That one in particular had really stuck in his craw because no way was Luke a coward. But as time had passed with no word from the last Jedi, doubt had begun to creep in at the back of his mind. Thankfully, there had been plenty of work to bury himself in on top of flying missions regularly for the fleet. Some days, it felt like there just wasn't enough hours in the day.]
[Luke smiled, a muted, somewhat strained expression that nevertheless touched his eyes. He moved and took a seat across from his fellow pilot, doing his best to avoid wincing as his legs nearly gave out under him. The medical droid had said a week's bedrest, minimum, and that'd been back on Hoth...before everything had going topsy-turvy. It didn't take a Jedi's senses to tell something was bothering Wedge, the lack of a smile was enough, but that didn't make him any less glad to see the older man.
Flexing his (new) hand after depositing the tray, Luke looked his friend right in the eye, not put off in the slightest.]
Glad to see you.
[The simple truth, even if the other man isn't pleased to see him.]
[He was beyond glad to see Luke, it was just a surprise considering everything that had gone down. He'd pretty well written the man off for dead, something that had happened more times than Wedge cared to think about. A wry sort of smile finally tugged up the corners of the other pilot's mouth.] Good to see you too. I'd ask where the hell have you been but something tells me that's above my paygrade.
[Self-deprecation softened his words so they weren't as biting as it could have been. Wedge would probably hound him for an answer eventually but right now, concern was beginning to fill the man's expression because he didn't miss the stiffness of Skywalker's movements as he moved to sit down in the chair.] I'll settle for are you okay?
[The brunette grimaced when Luke asked him how he was holding up which really...said all that needed to be said.] You know what they say, no rest for the wicked. Starting to wish I'd turned down that promotion.
[Luke closed his eyes and nodded, slowly. Considering how best to explain this, well, it was a lot to take in and there was a good bit to say that he just wasn't sure Wedge needed to know. It stung, a little, thinking of it like that, but he wasn't entirely sure what to do, himself. Or how he felt.]
I'm alright. [He does smile, a glimmer of his old self shining through.]
And I'm not sure I'd say it's above your paygrade. A lot of it is...Jedi stuff, and the rest is just a lot to take in.
[Flexing his hand again, he turns it so Wedge can see the fresh seam in the synthflesh. He wasn't sure how to broach the topic, though, given the prevailing attitude towards cyborgs. Wedge was a friend, and he'd find out though, so he just puts it out there.]
...Not quite as whole as I was, when I left. But I'm alright.
[Wedge sat there patiently while Luke visibly mulled over just what all he could say. In the meantime, he studied the younger man closely as though he could discern what was wrong with him by just visual clues alone.
The Corellian shot him a concerned look across the table. After the staggering losses Red Squadron had suffered in the battle of Yavin 4, Wedge had been about as low as he’d been since his parents deaths. The bratty farmboy from Tatooine who had helped save the day had pulled him out of that funk and these days, he considered Luke Skywalker to be one of his closest friends. So the thought of having lost him during the exodus from Hoth had been unconscionable.] Don’t go disappearing off on your own like that, Skywalker. Seems to me every time Jedi business comes up, that’s when you need a wingman more than ever.
[His gaze was dragged down to Luke’s arm briefly and his eyes widened briefly at the unmistakable seam of synthflesh that indicated the site of the fresh prosthetic hand.] Stars, Luke…I was working up a real head of steam to be pissed off with you but then you go and pull something like this.
[Luke flashed a weak smile, quickly suppressed. Of course Wedge would've been mad at him, that just made sense. He had left without a word, and in this day and age, that could mean anything from an unexpected fuel detour to being captured by the Empire. Quite a large range of possibilities and few of them good.]
Doesn't quite work like that. But next time I go haring off, I'll try and at least let you know. That wasn't good of me, Wedge, and I'm sorry.
[Shifting his hand to cover up the seam, drawing a black gloves down, he grimaced. But ignoring it wasn't going to make it any less weird to have one hand that was slightly larger than the other.]
There's a lot that's happened that I can say though. Mostly Vader. That's how I lost my hand.
I thought you'd been captured by the Imps or vaped, Luke. Everything was a farkled mess after Hoth. [The dark-haired pilot said with a deadly serious look on his face. Wedge had always taken the deaths of their squad-mates hard.
Pilots, especially Red Squadron pilots didn't have a very long life expectancy and Wedge had lost more than his fair share of friends throughout the course of the war. It went without saying that survivor's guilt was a heavy weight that rested on the Corellian's shoulders.]
I’d prefer there wasn’t a ‘next time’, boss. [Wedge was hardly the most physically intimidating person but he’d perfected the sort of penetrating look that could freeze a man’s blood and currently, Luke found himself on the receiving end of that look.] Still, I get it, it's can't be easy being a Jedi and I figure by now I outta trust your instincts. But a little heads up next time would be nice.
[He smiled wryly and tried to convey without words that he accepted the apology all the same. Wedge could hold a grudge with the best of them but he'd also learned a long time ago that wasting time being angry with those you cared about was pointless and could just end up biting you in the ass in the end. Especially in places like the Rebellion where any man, woman or alien might not live to see the next day. Just hearing Vader's name coming from Luke's mouth had the older man going still and all traces of humor left his face.]
Rumor mill said Leia and Solo ran afoul of Vader but no one's saying what really went down. But I don't think Chewie has left the Falcon since she docked with Home One and no one has seen hide nor hair of Solo.
[Luke felt it. Survivor's guilt weighed heavily on him, as well...though in a different way. He knew what he'd done had been unfair to Wedge, but he hadn't been the most rational person then. The concern in Wedge's voice, the heavy tone of the reunion, and the snarl of emotion that he felt in the Force coming from the older man made him resolve to do better. If he didn't tell anyone else, he'd at least tell Wedge.]
You'll get it, Wedge. Promise. I don't always know when or how Jedi business is going to happen, but I have to pursue that. If only so I don't lose to Vader again.
[And no bones about it, he lost.
Though, the mention of Han shifts the topic in Luke's head to something else. He is going to be leaving soon, that's for sure. Mon had already given him and Leia leave to do so, and he figures it's best Wedge hears it from him, and not from a duty roster.]
Han and Leia ran afoul of him, alright. He had them for a while, and he sold Han to a bounty hunter. Guy named Boba Fett, working for Jabba. [A familiar, unwelcome name.] Leia, Chewie, and I are going to get him back. The man that came back with us, Lando Calrissian, he's got some connections and we've been given leave by Mon Mothma and General Madine to go for it.
[They were both too young to feel as old as they did. War had the ability to age your heart and soul prematurely with the horrors and pain one was forced to endure. Some became callused and numb to those horrors, others shut down and many broke or burned out quickly. Wedge hadn’t shown any signs of burn-out just yet but that didn’t mean the war didn’t weigh on his shoulders. He’d been surprised how much the thought of Luke’s death had unsettled him especially since by now, he’d learned to accept the deaths of his squadmates and friends with an almost stoic acceptance.]
That’s all I can ask for, I suppose. [Wedge was smart enough to know that he had little hopes of helping out against the likes of Darth Vader and the Force. Maybe he could go toe to toe with the man in an X-Wing but face to face his chances dipped down into suicide territory.
The brunette uttered a pretty foul curse under his breath when Luke mentioned that Han had been sold to the likes of Boba Fett. He was one of the more brutal and infamous bounty hunters who seemed to work for both the Empire and sleemos like Jabba the Hutt.] Can I help in any way?
[He had contacts in the smuggler’s world thanks to Booster but Wedge figured the most logical place Boba Fett would take him if not to the Empire was to Jabba the Hutt. The damn worm had put a death mark out on Han after all.]
[Luke closed his eyes and considered the offer. He knew Wedge had contacts in the underbelly of the Galaxy, a fact that had stood them in good stead on missions in the past. A hidden moon base here, and fuel depot that didn't want Imp attention there, that had saved their bacon more than once.
But did he want to involve his friend in this? More directly, probably not. This was Luke's problem, not Wedge's. Han was important to the Rebellion, but being down both of them, plus himself, that would be bad for the war effort. And that was, as loathe as he was to admit it, more important than Han. Or himself. So, with a resigned sigh, he shook his head.]
Nothing directly. The Rebellion needs you here. [He taps his chin, the synthflesh feeling odd against his skin. Not quite warm enough.]
However, I could use some help less directly. I'm going to need to get in touch with someone on Nar Shaddaa. Leia and I have the beginnings of a plan, and Lando has some contacts, but apparently he's not the most welcome face in the Galaxy there. We're going to need to swap ships, because the Falcon is going to be a dead giveaway.
[And if there was anyone he trusted to point him to a pilot, or a ship, it was Wedge.]
[Wedge didn’t like being relegated to the sidelines but he kept that to himself and just accepted Luke’s decision with his typical near unflappable calm.]
You’re right, it’s unfortunate, but you’re right. [He said regretfully. The only sign of his hidden agitation was the restless way the brunette was toying with the handle of the mug holding his half-finished caf.] I’ll reach out to my contacts and see what I can dig up.
[Mirax was currently smuggling cargo both for the Resistance and for other independent entities, or at least she had been last time they’d spoken together on the holonet.] What kind of ship? What's your cover story going to be? I'm sure we can hustle you up some kind of nondescript freighter pretty easily, especially if you're looking to go the smuggler route.
[His brows knit together in a concerned frown for a moment though as he considered his next words carefully. The last thing Luke needed was him needlessly pointing out that if Boba Fett had decided to cart Han off to say the central systems or even Coruscant itself to be made an example of by the Emperor, the chances of them successfully rescuing him plummeted to near zero.]
But depending on where in the galaxy you're going, a craft that will mark you as a smuggler or someone who just plain doesn't belong in that area is going to end up being more of a pain in the long run. Do you have any idea where Fett was planning on taking Han?
[Luke flashed a smile, because he did know, he had a lead from Lando. And despite what had happened, he trusted the gambler.]
He was taking him to Jabba directly. And I know exactly where to find Jabba.
[It wasn't really a secret that the gangster had a fortress set up on Luke's homeworld, after all. It was getting someone close to Jabba that was going to be the problem. He had some ideas, but getting a smuggler in close was going to be the goal.]
The plan is to get someone into his palace, and in his good graces. Leia and I are working out the specifics, but we were thinking a bounty hunter, someone who can come and go most places unnoticed. Probably not me, because my face is right up there with yours on the list of most wanted men in the Galaxy...but a freighter we could scrub the title from would be perfect.
[Yeah, it's an audacious plan, but that's something the two of them have done before.]
Also, if you know someone with contacts in the slicer community, maybe someone who knows about setting up a fake identity?
[The bounty had specified dead was just as preferable as alive, if his memory served him right. Plenty of people in the Rebellion had a Death Mark on their heads but Jabba apparently had a pretty big axe to grind because he’d placed a significant bounty out on the smuggler.
So hearing that bloated parasite of a worm had Han Solo in his grasp had a chill running up Wedge’s spine.] The princess’s face is just as recognizable as yours. She’s been a burr in the Empire’s side long enough that I’m pretty sure her holo has been blasted across the entire universe. You’re going to need an unknown face or a hell of a disguise. See if you can hook up with some of General Cracken’s people over there in Intelligence? Not that the princess probably doesn’t have all of that well in hand.
[He admitted with a crooked looking smile.] By the time you and I finish flapping out gums, she’s prolly gotten three-quarters of an extraction plan already worked up.
[Wedge admired the hell out of Leia Organa, not because she was royalty or one of the ‘faces’ of the Rebellion but because she’d proven time and again that she had just as much mettle as the lowliest, most hard-working grunt. In a way he almost might have been able to scrounge up the tiniest bit of pity for the foolish bounty hunter and the damned slug who’d conspired to steal Han Solo away. Leia wouldn’t stop until she’d either seen the smuggler home safely or avenged his death if it came to that.]
I’ll see what I can come up with but again, that’s definitely something the people over in Intelligence should be able to help you out with. Faking identities and inserting operatives into hostile environments is their job.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
For Ben Solo - Resistance AU
Date: 2018-01-09 09:43 pm (UTC)I thought I would have found it by now.
[ As a pilot and also a mechanic at times on his own, he should be able to figure out a simple fix. What was he missing? What other connect needed to be put back together? Poe ran all of the diagnosis he could. But he kept running into walls and kept getting further away from fixing the repair. He crouches on the wing looking over it to see if there was anyone around that he could call over. He spotted Ben not too far off. ]
Hey!! Can you take a look at this? Maybe give an opinion?
[ He was being hopeful. ]
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Date: 2018-01-11 01:54 am (UTC)Well, up until the day when she’d shipped him off to train with his uncle Luke that was. Ben had tried to fit in there at his uncle’s Jedi Academy but even there amongst other younglings who could harness the same mystical abilities as him, he couldn’t ever seem to manage to fit in.
And that was the story of his life, wasn’t it? Being the odd one out, the guy who tended to subtly make those around him uneasy without even trying who never quite fit in anywhere. Maybe the Resistance with its rag tag group of equally out of place misfits was the perfect place for him.
Hearing that familiar voice call out to him, Ben looked up from the A-Wing deflector shield generator he’d been tinkering with. He’d always enjoyed tinkering with machinery and tended to find them easier to deal with than other people. But Poe Dameron wasn’t just anyone. He was one of the few people Ben Solo counted as an actual friend.] Yeah, sure thing, what’s up?
[The taller man asked as he crossed over to Poe’s fighter.]
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Date: 2018-01-12 12:13 am (UTC)For now he would bring up things that Ben seemed to like. Machinery, fighters, anything that would help. Things like not following Leia's shadow. Since Ben was his own person too. Poe could make a name for himself, Ben Solo could too.
He offers a smile to him while walking over to him still in a crouched position. He hands turns the datapad so that Ben can give a look over at it. ]
I feel as if it's something small that I'm missing. A tiny repair that's not quite there. She's holding up pretty good in everything else. Yet, running everything the systems don't quite link up as they should.
[ The modifications seem fine, but several important systems don't seem to responding to them. Especially the weapons and speed. ]
I've tried reworking them in several ways but these two things are stubborn and I can't seem to figure out another way.
[ He looks a bit frustrated by that fact but he knew he could learn a thing or two from Ben. If he was willing to show him. ]
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Date: 2018-01-15 04:04 am (UTC)A guilty, not very Jedi, part of Ben envied him that ability. But then, he'd never been a particularly good Jedi as his travesty of a time at Luke Skywalker's academy had proven. He had plenty of potential his uncle had repeated more times than he cared to remember but it was finding a way of harnessing that potential towards the Light that he'd always struggled with. Ben had never been good at suppressing his emotions and even from a young age, he'd sensed his parents' passing sense of wariness and uncertainty every time little Ben Solo had thrown a tantrum. It hadn't been until he was old enough to learn the tale of Anakin Skywalker and what he became that those uncertainties made more sense.
But the problem was, if people around you held their breath waiting to see if you would fail then really in the end, it just became a self-fulfilling prophesy. That was why he'd finally fled Skywalker's Academy and why he'd dropped off the radar for years before one of Leia's agents managed to stumble upon her wayward son embroiled in a bloody dispute with the Kanjiklub.
Being dragged back to his mother by his proverbial ear hadn't exactly left Ben in the most receptive of moves but Leia had managed to browbeat him into agreeing to at least give the Resistance a fair try. Ben didn't have his mother's idealism but even he could see that the First Order was bad news. There were apparently enough his mother's rebellious tendencies in the man that he'd stuck around thus far but he always seemed to be keeping a weather eye on the horizon in search of something better coming along.]
Yeah, sure, I'll check it out. [Ben accepted the datapad with a smile and started to read over the diagnostic read outs from Black One. Some of Ben's earliest—and happiest—memories were of hanging around with his Uncle Chewie helping him work on the Millennium Falcon. He’d teethed quite literally on hydrospanners much to Leia’s exasperated dismay and Han’s quiet amusement. Bots, machines, they all just made sense to him and despite the fact that he hadn’t been with the Resistance for too long, he’d already found a place for himself with the repair crews. Ben would have preferred being allowed to fly but his mother wasn’t completely convinced he wasn’t a flight risk still so that had been firmly shelved.]
They recently upgraded your engines with those parts we got in from the New Republic, right? The parts between the T-70 and T-85 are pretty compatible but if the chipset for the T-85s require more power. It could be drawing too much power from your system and it’s not able to keep up with the draw which would make things run sluggish and seem a little glitchy.
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Date: 2018-01-15 05:52 am (UTC)There's a small tiny sigh as he rubs at his forehead. He sits down on the wing while looking down at Ben. ] I guess I have been looking too long at the datapad that I missed the chipset power completely. Yeah, it's the upgraded parts. That would explain a lot things that I was encountering and tried fixing.
[ He presses his lips together in thought. The question would be did the Resistance have the required chipsets that were needed. Poe was sure they could be within the hanger somewhere. ] You wouldn't happen to know how to give it more power. She'll still need to operate. I wouldn't want to get rid of the upgrades either knowing that it's possible to keep it. They'll come in handy.
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Date: 2018-01-16 12:09 am (UTC)['Borrowed' was a pretty...generous term. He'd hijacked the Bothan's X-Wing and methodically taken the complicated piece of machinery down to it's frame just the prove a point before calling in an anonymous type letting the New Republic know where they could find their missing fighter. It hadn't been long after Ben had fled from Luke's academy and the young man had been full of piss and vinegar and ready to prove a point...any point. He wasn't particularly proud of that event but really? The son of a Hutt had it coming. Not only had he maligned everything his uncle, father and the rest of the people who'd flown against the second Death Star had done but he'd personally insulted his mother.]
We'll figure something out. [He clapped a heavy hand on Poe's shoulder and squeezed it briefly.] It's good you figured out something was wrong now rather than in the middle of a battle.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-16 12:26 am (UTC)[ He tilts his head slightly at hearing the borrowing. His eyebrows knit together as if in thought. Perhaps he was recalling certain stories buzzing around in the hanger when he was still in the New Republic. ] I might have heard about that incident. I do remember someone being highly upset that their fighter suddenly went missing.
[ There's a small smile as he looks at Ben. ] Thanks, and you're right. It's a good thing that I came across this problem here and not up there. I would have had to try to be creative. It might have been rough if the power drained from the engines though.
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Date: 2018-01-18 04:17 pm (UTC)Unfortunate, here I was hoping to hear he'd gotten in trouble having to explain how he managed to lose his snub-fighter. [Petty was definitely not a good look on anyone, especially an ex-wannabe Jedi. Though, there was a reason Ben had flunked out of Jedi school.]
Gotta take care of the best pilot in the Resistance, right? [His words could have come across as mocking or sarcastic but there was enough fondness in Ben's tone to steal any potential venom from his words. The taller man climbed up onto the X-wing with enviable grace and started to fiddle with the right engine.] Worst comes to worst, if we can't fix the power issue, we might have to pull the upgraded chip and see if we can manage a work around.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-19 08:09 pm (UTC)Well... [ There's a sheepish grin. ] He did have to tell his major why it went missing. Since the guy was so flustered all he could keep saying was he didn't know. And the major kept saying did your astromech just fly off with it on auto-pilot repeatedly. Fighters just don't go missing like that. [ He gives a small shrug glad that it wasn't him. Poe would have made up some dumb story of it running out of fuel and begging another pilot to come fetch him. ]
If you so, Ben. [ Poe shakes his head a little with a smile at him. He would stand back up on the wing once Ben was on it so he could take a look at what he was doing. ] I mean... that might be the only option we have. If we work on it together we might be able to manage the work around.
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Date: 2018-01-21 06:21 pm (UTC)At least they weren't being hunted from one end of the galaxy to the next by the Empire and while the New Republic officially had written them off as persona non grata, there were still people like Leia and other sympathetic Senators who were helping to funnel them support and supplies underneath the nose of the Senate.] I'm not surprised his astromech left him to hang, we had a really enlightening conversation and apparently he wasn't just a kriffing ass to me but generally everyone in his vicinity. Not everyone treats their droids as nicely as you do, Poe.
[The pilot was ridiculously close to his droid but it was something he actually admired in Poe Dameron and had been one of the first things he noticed when they'd been introduced when Ben had been assigned to the base. There were a lot of people who took droids for granted and dismissed their own thoughts and feelings as them being nothing more than well...droids.]
I do say so and I've seen the recruitment posters to back that statement up. [He shot the other man a teasing smirk before turning his attention back to the engine. Ben's hands were as large as the rest of him but somehow, he managed to slide them inside the internal mechanisms of the engine all the same and after a minute with a hydrospanner, he was able to pull the power generator out along with the offending new part.] We could try and do a work around with a bigger power-cell but honestly, I don't want to do that and then have you head out on a mission only to have the entire engine fail at the wrong time. Let's get with the other mechanics and see if they can come up with any ideas. And see if BB-8 has any suggestions too.
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Date: 2018-01-23 11:03 pm (UTC)Maybe I won't be the only one to treat astromech's with respect. If that guy couldn't be respective to a droid he wouldn't be able to be respective to the pilots he was working with. [ There's a small smile after that. ] I know I can get very opinionated over certain things but... I'm only trying to do the right things. [ Even if they may not be exactly right at the time. ]
Oh, have you? I'm sure you have. They can be a bit embarrassing. [ Poe shakes his head while pressing his lips up a bit at the tease.There may have been a small eye roll to go along with it. He watches Ben though carefully. ] I'm not heading out for a while. Unless something major happens but you never know around here. That sounds like a great idea. Going to find the other mechanics. BB-8 has already tried, he's probably with the other astromechs trying to get suggestions from them.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-27 02:16 am (UTC)That was sorta my thoughts too. Sure, Bothans can have a bit of an attitude to begin with but this guy was a real asshole. [And Ben had a pretty healthy respect for astromech droids or even droids in general. Sure, he didn’t have much patience for the protocol droids like C3P0 but he’d cut his teeth trying to tinker with R2 much to the foul-mouthed droid’s exasperation. The fact that he’d learned how to swear in binary from R2 and Basic thanks to his father just meant his childhood had been interesting and colorful.]
Me and just about everyone else on the base and probably a good portion of the New Republic Navy as well. I have it on good authority your recruitment poster hangs in more than a few cadet’s lockers. [When Ben smiled like that, all slow and sly, you could definitely see Han Solo’s influence on him despite Leia’s attempts to civilize her son and make him respectable.] Well, let’s not tempt the universe by saying that and just concentrate on getting you back in the air, flyboy.
[Again, there was that note of something akin to wistful envy in the younger man's voice honed with a trace of bitterness.]
no subject
Date: 2018-01-31 12:55 am (UTC)Glad you could do us all the favor and get him re-stationed to a different system. [ He grinned a bit because it's the truth in the end. Poe knew how to treat other astromechs and BB-8 could always surprise him by being doing things he wouldn't believe to do on his own. ]
I don't need to hear all or any of this. [ He looks at Ben with a small smile but it slowly fades at the tone of the other's voice. Poe moves a bit quicker to stop in front of him while looking up at Ben. ] Why don't you join me on my next mission? When the next one comes around.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-31 03:55 am (UTC)[Ben just smiled in a serene sort of way and held up the hydrospanner as though to illustrate his point.] Allegedly. And I will denounce you as a filthy, filthy liar if you ever tell anyone that story. [The taller man climbed from one side of the X-Wing to the next by using the s-foils as a bridge from one side of the ship to the next so he could get to the engine on the other side.] That's what you get for agreeing to be the Resistance's poster boy.
[He said with perfectly cheerful schadenfreude but some of that humor faded when Poe made that unexpected request. Ben's expression closed off abruptly and he spent a moment ignoring Poe while internally, he seethed.] No can do, I'm too much of a flight risk. Besides, mom isn't going to let me get right in the middle of the action." This time, he didn't even bother to try and mask his bitterness. Being dragged home to Leia like an errant schoolboy still chaffed his pride something fierce.]
no subject
Date: 2018-02-11 10:25 pm (UTC)No one would believe that story of me as a liar. You can try though but I don't have to say anything. People may not believe me anyway. [ Poe smiles giving him a slight tease at that since it's Ben Solo. He follows after the tall man while sighing at the comment. ] I never asked for the job.
[ Leia Organa though would use it as a political move, trying to recruit more pilots, get more people to see their side. Poe doesn't argue over those things knowing that it's true. Plus Ben wasn't wrong about underestimating his mother. ] Flight risk, really? So did she ground you or is this just a suggestion don't do it kind of thing? You can't even do one simple supply run? That's all it would take for her to see you're not. Everyone out there is. We need more pilots and she knows that.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-19 05:41 pm (UTC)[Anger kindled in the younger man’s dark eyes when he thought about that disastrous time and the air around the disgraced ex-Jedi trainee grew almost palpably thick. It wasn’t the Force per-se but there was definitely an air of menace surrounding the other man.] Let’s be honest, I doubt my reputation could get any worse so I guess it doesn’t matter either way.
[He finished pulling the second chip from Poe’s starboard engine and jumped down off the wing. His heavy boots made an audible thump when they hit the ferrocrete and that tall, lanky body absorbed the shock of recklessly jumping from such a great height with ease.]
She doesn’t trust me, Poe. [Ben said sharply as his hands curled into fists at his side.] She thinks I’m going to run off and pull another disappearing act again. [The ‘just like my father’ hung unstated bitterly in the air. And really, considering the fact that Ben Solo had quite literally dropped off the radar for years after he’d run away from his uncle’s Jedi Academy, maybe Leia was justified in her fear of her son pulling another disappearing act. But he wasn’t the same scared boy he’d once been!] Feel free to tell her that.
[He said with bitterness dripping from each word while he concentrated on cleaning some of the engine grease from his hands with a spare shop rag.]
no subject
Date: 2018-02-25 02:50 am (UTC)[ He presses his lips together while moving to get in front Ben to get him to stop moving from whatever path he was going in. It almost felt routine as if he was on autopilot. ] She can't keep you grounded. I'm sure you're feeling as if you're not being able to do enough. [ Poe seems to go through a few emotions before looking as if he's agreeing with Ben. ]
I will tell her. You should tell her how you feel about this. If you're going to run off and disappear... I think... maybe... [ He glances away while putting his hands on his hips. ] I think you would have already done so.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-07 04:27 am (UTC)[Judging by the way the taller man’s shoulders had grown tense, Ben’s infamously notorious temper was at risk of boiling right over. Luke had tried to teach his nephew how to control his wild emotions and had tutored him in the risks of those very same emotions leading him on a path to the Dark Side.
But the way Poe physically moved to put himself in his path had the younger man jerking to a halt and for a brief moment, irritation flickered across his face.] I’m pretty sure she can keep me grounded. Can’t risk those Solo genes taking over and me turning into yet another flight risk.
[A sneer started to pull at the man’s lips when he spoke about his father before his expression started to turn rebellious and petulant.]I don’t need you fighting my battles for me, Poe.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-03 09:12 pm (UTC)[ Sometimes certain conversations needed a bit more face to face interaction. ] She can. But, would you take the risk of disobeying her command and fly if you saw it to be the right thing to do?
[ Poe gives a nod at that. ] I'm not trying to fight your battles. I'm only offering to help if you don't want it, I can provide it somewhere else.
For Wedge. Post Empire.
Date: 2018-01-31 02:02 am (UTC)Anybody would've been welcome, but when his attention settles on Wedge, he nods and starts that way.]
Room for another, Wedge?
no subject
Date: 2018-01-31 04:39 am (UTC)He was seated at a table pretty much absorbed in the report he was typing into the datapad when he heard that familiar voice address him. Wedge looked up at Luke and for a moment, his eyes widened in surprise to see him there. Command had kept the full details of what had happened on Cloud City pretty firmly under wraps so the last thing he expected was to see Luke Skywalker standing there in person.] I think I might be able to make room for you, Luke.
[It was the first time he'd seen him since that snowy day on Hoth and when Luke had up and disappeared, all manner of speculation had been bounced around. Had he been caught by the Imps? Abandoned the Rebellion in their darkest hour? That one in particular had really stuck in his craw because no way was Luke a coward. But as time had passed with no word from the last Jedi, doubt had begun to creep in at the back of his mind. Thankfully, there had been plenty of work to bury himself in on top of flying missions regularly for the fleet. Some days, it felt like there just wasn't enough hours in the day.]
icons are a mess, whoops
Date: 2018-01-31 05:16 am (UTC)Flexing his (new) hand after depositing the tray, Luke looked his friend right in the eye, not put off in the slightest.]
Glad to see you.
[The simple truth, even if the other man isn't pleased to see him.]
How've you been holding up?
Tell me about it, I feel you. orz
Date: 2018-01-31 10:46 pm (UTC)[Self-deprecation softened his words so they weren't as biting as it could have been. Wedge would probably hound him for an answer eventually but right now, concern was beginning to fill the man's expression because he didn't miss the stiffness of Skywalker's movements as he moved to sit down in the chair.] I'll settle for are you okay?
[The brunette grimaced when Luke asked him how he was holding up which really...said all that needed to be said.] You know what they say, no rest for the wicked. Starting to wish I'd turned down that promotion.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-01 05:13 am (UTC)I'm alright. [He does smile, a glimmer of his old self shining through.]
And I'm not sure I'd say it's above your paygrade. A lot of it is...Jedi stuff, and the rest is just a lot to take in.
[Flexing his hand again, he turns it so Wedge can see the fresh seam in the synthflesh. He wasn't sure how to broach the topic, though, given the prevailing attitude towards cyborgs. Wedge was a friend, and he'd find out though, so he just puts it out there.]
...Not quite as whole as I was, when I left. But I'm alright.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-01 09:07 pm (UTC)The Corellian shot him a concerned look across the table. After the staggering losses Red Squadron had suffered in the battle of Yavin 4, Wedge had been about as low as he’d been since his parents deaths. The bratty farmboy from Tatooine who had helped save the day had pulled him out of that funk and these days, he considered Luke Skywalker to be one of his closest friends. So the thought of having lost him during the exodus from Hoth had been unconscionable.] Don’t go disappearing off on your own like that, Skywalker. Seems to me every time Jedi business comes up, that’s when you need a wingman more than ever.
[His gaze was dragged down to Luke’s arm briefly and his eyes widened briefly at the unmistakable seam of synthflesh that indicated the site of the fresh prosthetic hand.] Stars, Luke…I was working up a real head of steam to be pissed off with you but then you go and pull something like this.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-02 06:44 am (UTC)Doesn't quite work like that. But next time I go haring off, I'll try and at least let you know. That wasn't good of me, Wedge, and I'm sorry.
[Shifting his hand to cover up the seam, drawing a black gloves down, he grimaced. But ignoring it wasn't going to make it any less weird to have one hand that was slightly larger than the other.]
There's a lot that's happened that I can say though. Mostly Vader. That's how I lost my hand.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-09 02:43 am (UTC)Pilots, especially Red Squadron pilots didn't have a very long life expectancy and Wedge had lost more than his fair share of friends throughout the course of the war. It went without saying that survivor's guilt was a heavy weight that rested on the Corellian's shoulders.]
I’d prefer there wasn’t a ‘next time’, boss. [Wedge was hardly the most physically intimidating person but he’d perfected the sort of penetrating look that could freeze a man’s blood and currently, Luke found himself on the receiving end of that look.] Still, I get it, it's can't be easy being a Jedi and I figure by now I outta trust your instincts. But a little heads up next time would be nice.
[He smiled wryly and tried to convey without words that he accepted the apology all the same. Wedge could hold a grudge with the best of them but he'd also learned a long time ago that wasting time being angry with those you cared about was pointless and could just end up biting you in the ass in the end. Especially in places like the Rebellion where any man, woman or alien might not live to see the next day. Just hearing Vader's name coming from Luke's mouth had the older man going still and all traces of humor left his face.]
Rumor mill said Leia and Solo ran afoul of Vader but no one's saying what really went down. But I don't think Chewie has left the Falcon since she docked with Home One and no one has seen hide nor hair of Solo.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-11 03:54 am (UTC)You'll get it, Wedge. Promise. I don't always know when or how Jedi business is going to happen, but I have to pursue that. If only so I don't lose to Vader again.
[And no bones about it, he lost.
Though, the mention of Han shifts the topic in Luke's head to something else. He is going to be leaving soon, that's for sure. Mon had already given him and Leia leave to do so, and he figures it's best Wedge hears it from him, and not from a duty roster.]
Han and Leia ran afoul of him, alright. He had them for a while, and he sold Han to a bounty hunter. Guy named Boba Fett, working for Jabba. [A familiar, unwelcome name.] Leia, Chewie, and I are going to get him back. The man that came back with us, Lando Calrissian, he's got some connections and we've been given leave by Mon Mothma and General Madine to go for it.
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Date: 2018-02-13 11:14 pm (UTC)That’s all I can ask for, I suppose. [Wedge was smart enough to know that he had little hopes of helping out against the likes of Darth Vader and the Force. Maybe he could go toe to toe with the man in an X-Wing but face to face his chances dipped down into suicide territory.
The brunette uttered a pretty foul curse under his breath when Luke mentioned that Han had been sold to the likes of Boba Fett. He was one of the more brutal and infamous bounty hunters who seemed to work for both the Empire and sleemos like Jabba the Hutt.] Can I help in any way?
[He had contacts in the smuggler’s world thanks to Booster but Wedge figured the most logical place Boba Fett would take him if not to the Empire was to Jabba the Hutt. The damn worm had put a death mark out on Han after all.]
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Date: 2018-02-15 04:49 am (UTC)But did he want to involve his friend in this? More directly, probably not. This was Luke's problem, not Wedge's. Han was important to the Rebellion, but being down both of them, plus himself, that would be bad for the war effort. And that was, as loathe as he was to admit it, more important than Han. Or himself. So, with a resigned sigh, he shook his head.]
Nothing directly. The Rebellion needs you here. [He taps his chin, the synthflesh feeling odd against his skin. Not quite warm enough.]
However, I could use some help less directly. I'm going to need to get in touch with someone on Nar Shaddaa. Leia and I have the beginnings of a plan, and Lando has some contacts, but apparently he's not the most welcome face in the Galaxy there. We're going to need to swap ships, because the Falcon is going to be a dead giveaway.
[And if there was anyone he trusted to point him to a pilot, or a ship, it was Wedge.]
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Date: 2018-02-21 02:29 am (UTC)You’re right, it’s unfortunate, but you’re right. [He said regretfully. The only sign of his hidden agitation was the restless way the brunette was toying with the handle of the mug holding his half-finished caf.] I’ll reach out to my contacts and see what I can dig up.
[Mirax was currently smuggling cargo both for the Resistance and for other independent entities, or at least she had been last time they’d spoken together on the holonet.] What kind of ship? What's your cover story going to be? I'm sure we can hustle you up some kind of nondescript freighter pretty easily, especially if you're looking to go the smuggler route.
[His brows knit together in a concerned frown for a moment though as he considered his next words carefully. The last thing Luke needed was him needlessly pointing out that if Boba Fett had decided to cart Han off to say the central systems or even Coruscant itself to be made an example of by the Emperor, the chances of them successfully rescuing him plummeted to near zero.]
But depending on where in the galaxy you're going, a craft that will mark you as a smuggler or someone who just plain doesn't belong in that area is going to end up being more of a pain in the long run. Do you have any idea where Fett was planning on taking Han?
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Date: 2018-02-22 06:13 pm (UTC)He was taking him to Jabba directly. And I know exactly where to find Jabba.
[It wasn't really a secret that the gangster had a fortress set up on Luke's homeworld, after all. It was getting someone close to Jabba that was going to be the problem. He had some ideas, but getting a smuggler in close was going to be the goal.]
The plan is to get someone into his palace, and in his good graces. Leia and I are working out the specifics, but we were thinking a bounty hunter, someone who can come and go most places unnoticed. Probably not me, because my face is right up there with yours on the list of most wanted men in the Galaxy...but a freighter we could scrub the title from would be perfect.
[Yeah, it's an audacious plan, but that's something the two of them have done before.]
Also, if you know someone with contacts in the slicer community, maybe someone who knows about setting up a fake identity?
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Date: 2018-04-07 04:25 am (UTC)So hearing that bloated parasite of a worm had Han Solo in his grasp had a chill running up Wedge’s spine.] The princess’s face is just as recognizable as yours. She’s been a burr in the Empire’s side long enough that I’m pretty sure her holo has been blasted across the entire universe. You’re going to need an unknown face or a hell of a disguise. See if you can hook up with some of General Cracken’s people over there in Intelligence? Not that the princess probably doesn’t have all of that well in hand.
[He admitted with a crooked looking smile.] By the time you and I finish flapping out gums, she’s prolly gotten three-quarters of an extraction plan already worked up.
[Wedge admired the hell out of Leia Organa, not because she was royalty or one of the ‘faces’ of the Rebellion but because she’d proven time and again that she had just as much mettle as the lowliest, most hard-working grunt. In a way he almost might have been able to scrounge up the tiniest bit of pity for the foolish bounty hunter and the damned slug who’d conspired to steal Han Solo away. Leia wouldn’t stop until she’d either seen the smuggler home safely or avenged his death if it came to that.]
I’ll see what I can come up with but again, that’s definitely something the people over in Intelligence should be able to help you out with. Faking identities and inserting operatives into hostile environments is their job.