[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
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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?
no subject
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?
no subject
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.