Omega Sqadron Black Knights
Chapter 6

Antilles looked at her over the rim of the mug then dumped it back onto the table in disgust. "So, what are you going to do then?" he demanded.

"Wedge," she tried, "please... I’ve just…"

"A desk job will kill you, Kaz!" he continued more gently, "Goddess knows, I can understand how you’re feeling right now… But… Damn it! You’re not thinking straight!"

She looked at him, "Aren’t I?" She sighed again, "Wedge, as the Knights’ CO, I’ve watched them wiped out three times now. I missed my chance at Yavin because in was lying in a Bacta tank on Celnos Seven, Lainy and I were the only ones to make it out of Telmarak… and now… this. And this has me scared, Wedge, really scared. They knew our moves before we even made them, they anticipated everything that we did… And with Pon’Ton escaping like that..."

She shook her head, "Wedge, I’ve just got a really bad feeling, like I’m some sort of bad omen for them. They can rebuild Omega, but something here, deep in my gut, tells me that I shouldn’t be part of it…"

"Or is that just a convenient excuse because you’re tired of the responsibility?"

She looked at him and for a moment he saw a flash of anger in her eyes. And then she looked away, sinking back into the chair, "Possibly." The com chime rang and she pushed herself to her feet, walking across the floor to the unit, "Hawkspar."

"Commander, have you seen Commander Antilles?"

"He’s with me here."

"You’re both required in briefing room four immediately, Commander."

Kaz shot a look at Wedge as he jumped to his feet, already heading for the door, "We’re on our way!"

~ * ~

Lainy Kal’Ten sat in the dark silence of the observation deck, alone with her thoughts and the stars. If the morning had gone badly, the afternoon had gone even worse. She had stood in stoic silence as Notrahw carpeted her, stripping her of her position and busting her back to Lieutenant. And Kaz had simply stood at the side, staring straight ahead, unmoving and saying nothing.

The Vice-Admiral had asked Kaz if she had anything to add and she had simply shaken her head. Then the sim runs had been awful because she couldn’t concentrate and Kaz had said nothing. Nothing at all, when usually she would have chewed her head off.

Lainy had never seen her like this. In all the years that they had been friends she had never seen Kaz like this. It was almost as if she had given up, lost the will to fight on… and that scared Lainy. But what scared her even more was the thought that Kaz would give up - and leave the squadron. She would never admit it, but after everything that had happened over the past few years, the only things stopping Lainy Kal’Ten from going to pieces was her responsibility, as Second, for the squadron. And Kaz Hawkspar…

Sighing, she leant forward in the seat, elbows on her knees, dropping her head into her hands. Damn it she was not going to cry. She wasn’t!

The worst thing about it though, was that Notrahw had been right. She had been irresponsible. That tiny little voice had warned her not to involve the techs and she had ignored it. When would she ever learn?

The doors opened, spilling light into the darkness. She sat up, cursing silently at the intrusion and brushing away the tears from her face. The door closed, plunging to room back into gloom. "Lainy?"

She said nothing. But the voice pressed, "Lainy?"

"What?" she snapped finally.

Ary walked across the deck, sitting down beside her, looking out at the stars for a moment before asking, "You okay?"

"Yes," she replied automatically

"Liar!" he accused. Then when she said nothing more he turned to her, "What did Notrahw say?"

"That I was childish and irresponsible. And that Kaz deserved a Second that she could trust."

"Ouch," he commented softly. Then he told her, candidly, "It was stupid, Lainy… and irresponsible!"

"And it gave the Knights’ a laugh," she countered, "just before..."

She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence aloud, superstition nagging at her. Just before they died, she finished in her head, closing her eyes. "And nothing would have come of it if we hadn’t had to fly…"

On impulse he put his arm round her and then, when she didn’t resist, he pulled her to him, "Things will be better in the morning…"

"Will they?" She pulled away, "Are you sure about that? Because I’m not! Goddess, I didn’t think it would affect Kaz this way…"

"Kaz Hawkspar will be fine," he assured her, gently.

She looked at him through the gloom, "Did you see her at all today?"

"Well, no" he admitted, realising that he hadn’t. He’d spent all day with the Flight and Jengl trying to work out what the Fates was jamming the Rogue fighter’s guns.

"She’s walking around as if she’s in a dream, Ary. She’s just going through the motions. I screwed up big time in the simulators this afternoon and she didn’t even yell at me."

"Maybe she thought that you’d been through enough…" he attempted.

But she shook her head, "No, Ary, she’s lost something. I’ve known her all my life and…" She sighed, "Goddess but I’ve made a mess of things."

He smiled, running his hand down her cheek, "Don’t you always?"

She laughed, coldly, "Not usually this badly." She leant against him and he dropped his arm back round her. "Thank you," she told him finally.

"You’re welcome…" Then he asked, "For what?"

"For last night. And for being there this morning. And for being here now."

"I just happened to be passing," he smiled. He dropped his hand, running his fingers down her arm, "I was thinking…" he began tentatively, "that if you wanted to get back into the Flight’s good books…. There might just be a way…"

~ * ~

Mags Ronnoc gave the Commanders an uneasy smile as they both walked into the briefing room, wondering yet again how they would react to the information they were about to be given – especially Hawkspar. "Commander Antilles, Commander Hawkspar. Please, take a seat."

Kaz exchanged another look with Wedge and they both slid into one of the front rows. They’d made their way here in silence, neither of them wanting to speculate openly about why they had been summoned, but Kaz had a fair idea… And the butterflies were already dancing in her stomach as the Lieutenant began, "A shipment of medical supplies and engineering parts was due to rendezvous with the Home Two at thirteen hundred tomorrow. However, after recent events and due to the number of personnel we now have to re-deploy to other ships, those orders have been changed. The supply ship Austen Marke will now rendezvous with the Troubadour Aayirdree and the Valiant Heart here…" She punched a button on the briefing desk and a three dimensional hologram of a star map sprang into the air.

"We’re going out?" Hawkspar interrupted.

Ronnoc looked at her, "Yes, Commander. Admiral Notrahw has ordered Omega and Rogue to combine initially, running escort to the Valiant and the Troubadour."

Wedge gave the Lieutenant a flat, level look, "I’m down one fighter because the guns won’t fire."

"Flight Enilra has identified the problem and rectified it," Ronnoc assured him. "All Rogue fighters are now fully operational."

"Unless things have changed in the last two hours, Lieutenant," Hawkspar put in, "there are only three of the Knights’ X-wings left. That makes seven fighters."

"To cover three ships," Wedge finished.

"Four," Ronnoc told them. Wedge’s jaw dropped. Kaz looked at Ronnoc in astonishment. Forcing her voice to remain, calm, steady and emotionless, Maggs explained, "The Coral Brekin will also rendezvous."

Four ships, Kaz thought. Four ships? What the hells were they playing at? The Knights were in no fit state to patrol, let alone ride escort for four ships! And there was no way they could throw Baz into this. She wouldn’t do that to him, she wouldn’t do that to any of them. Her face showing her displeasure, she reminded Ronnoc, "Omega has only three seasoned pilots, one of them only just out of a Bacta tank!"

Mags looked at Hawkspar and then at Antilles, understanding how they must feel, sympathising with them. But there was no other way. She had been there when Notrahw made the decision. She had seen his face. "You," she told them, "are the only fighters available to rendezvous in time. The Coral and the Austen have no escort and if we wait…"

And finally Hawkspar understood.

"If we wait…" Wedge had interrupted.

Kaz cut him off. "If we wait, the Empire will get there before us."

He glanced round at her and could have sworn that there was a hint of a smile on Hawkspar’s face. Wedge’s eyes widened. He looked back at Ronnoc, whose face remained calm and business like. And then, incredibly, Hawkspar was saying, "We take six fighters."

Wedge turned, gaping at her in astonishment, "What?"

"We take six fighters."

"Six? Kaz! For the sake of the goddess…"

"Commander," Maggs interrupted softly, dropping another bombshell, "The squadrons will only combine until the rendezvous and to cover the transfer. Rogue will then ride escort to the Valiant and Austen, while Omega escort the Troubadour and the Coral."

Hawkspar looked round slowly, giving Ronnoc a flat, insulting stare as Wedge laughed slightly, asking, "You’re kidding. Right?"

Kaz knew that the pale-skinned woman was serious, she could see the discomfort in her stance, but the little voice of sanity in the back of her mind was telling her that she was wrong, that she had somehow misheard. "That was a very bad joke, Lieutenant."

Maggs Ronnoc gave her a long, level look. Then repeated, "There is no-one else."

Wedge swore. Kaz laughed at the absurdity of it all, shaking her head, "Well, at least we don’t have to decide who to leave behind…"

"But you do have another fighter arriving later tonight," Ronnoc told her, "pulled from Rogue, I’m afraid, Commander Antilles…"

"Who?" he asked.

She lifted a datapad, keying through the pages, "Lieutenant Ahab Gee-Em."

"Hobbie?" Wedge turned to Hawkspar, telling her, "He’s a good man…"

"Due when tonight?" Kaz queried.

"Not until the early hours… about oh-four hundred."

"He’ll be too tired to fly again so soon," Kaz thought out loud. She still wasn’t going to take Baz, but Shei could fly Hobbie’s fighter… She flashed Wedge a grin, dread mixing with excitement in the pit of her stomach, the lethargy of before evaporating, "I promise I’ll be gentle with him!" Then she turned back to Ronnoc, "So, when do we leave?"

Mags smiled at her, "If you would let me finish the briefing…"

~ * ~

Xen Edraa walked slowly along the corridor from the simulators, deep in thought about the mess she’d just made of the last run. Part of her was telling her that she’d lost that edge, another part of her telling her not to be so stupid. And yet another little voice was telling her that she should never have done that last sim run on her own. She was tired, she’d pushed herself too hard…

Or was that just an excuse to cover her newly found inadequacy? She’d lined the TIE up, had him perfectly in her sights. And then the warble of the alarm had warned her that another TIE had locked onto her six… And she’d hesitated, wondering for that split second whether to break off the pursuit, or take the shot. By which time the decision was academic – the second TIE had blasted her into oblivion.

She shook her head, settling further into the self-recriminated depression. Her shoulder ached.

"Lieutenant? Lieutenant Edraa?"

Sighing in dismay, wondering if she could make out that she hadn’t heard, she walked a few more steps. And then a gentle hand on her arm stopped her. She turned. Baz Ahtron grinned at her, "Lieutenant?"

"Xen," she told him. "Enough with the formality, just call me Xen."

"Oh. Okay…. Erm... Xen, I was wondering…"

He trailed off and she smiled at his discomfort, prompting, "Yes?"

"Well… you see. I hope you don’t mind but I was kind of at a loose end and I watched that last run…"

Edraa swore, and he coloured, blurting, "Lieutenant, I’m sorry. I didn’t…"

Xen shook her head, "Look, it’s okay, it’s just… Well. It wasn’t the best run I’ve ever done."

Stunned he looked at her, "I thought it was fantastic! I was just about to ask if we could run through it again - as a pair?"

She laughed, lightly, the melancholy lifting a little, "You thought that was fantastic? Believe me, it was far from fantastic…"

"Only because you had no back-up!" he contradicted, "If your wingman had still been there, he’d have taken out the two TIEs on your six. And that flip turn…" He trailed off suddenly, as if realising that he may have said too much.

Edraa looked at him. According to Kaz this man had very little time in a fighter but Xen got the sudden feeling that he had far more experience than he was letting on. Maybe it was just the enthusiasm that was throwing them off… "How many hours do you have, exactly?"

He pulled a face, shrugging, "Not enough… although Lieutenant Kal’Ten didn’t seem too worried earlier. She said I showed promise."

Which, Xen thought, means that she was impressed. What are you hiding, Baz Ahtron?

He’d neatly evaded her question. For a moment she thought about taking him up, about running the sim again just so that she could watch him, but her shoulder was really beginning to ache. "Baz, I’m wrecked. And the Doc said I ought to take it easy with the shoulder for a while…" She saw the concern flit across his face and explained, "My X-wing was side-slammed by wreckage last time out."

"Hells, Lieutenant, I’m sorry…" he began.

"Xen," she corrected. "My name is Xen!" She took his arm, "However, I have arranged to meet Shei for drinks and I’m sure she won’t mind if I bring you along too." Dragging him along the corridor at her side she began, "So, Baz, tell me about yourself…"

"Um…" he floundered, "There’s really not all that much to tell…"

"Nonsense," she contradicted. "Where did you come from? Why did you join the Alliance? What were you doing before you came here?"

"Honestly, Lieu… Xen," he amended, "it’s all very boring…"

"Well, that’s all right. If it sounds too boring we can make something up! So, where are you from?"

~ * ~

Arms hugging herself, Major Elhen Anders paced slowly across her office, deep in thought. This was going to be tricky. This was going to be very tricky - not to mention bloody dangerous. But what this agent was implying left them no other choice than to bring him out. There was no other way he could get the information to them – it was too sensitive to be transmitted by their normal methods and far too detailed to try to encode…

No, they had to have him here in person. They had to be able to cross-examine him and there was no way they could do that unless he was here – there was too much that they could miss. The implications of his message chilled her to the bone – and yet why had it been so unexpected? It had been over three years since the destruction of the Death Star at Yavin… why did it seem so surprising that the Emperor would attempt to build another?

She had seen the report. And if the Rebel Alliance had been able to identify the one weakness in the massive station, then after a defeat of such magnitude the Empire would also have found it. If a second station was being built… then almost certainly the Rebel Alliance would be helpless against it.

They had to get him out. More importantly they had to send someone in to get him out. They couldn’t take the chance of him somehow being stopped en-route to a rendezvous. And she knew right now that Mon Mothma would never sanction the use of bounty hunters for something as important as this.

~ * ~

The briefing had taken longer than either Kaz or Wedge had expected – or wanted. But there were too many items they had wanted clarified, going over the plan more often than they would usually, beating out every possibility and going over every last detail. In the end they had given up, both of them agreeing that if anything untoward did happen, then the questions would be academic. With only four pairs of X-wings, any cover they could give to four ships would be minimal.

They finally walked into the hangar in silence, both lost in their own thoughts about what they were going to tell their respective squadrons – and the possibilities of what could happen by the same time tomorrow. Wedge stopped, catching hold of Kaz’s arm, pulling her to a stop, and motioned to the other side of the hangar. Both Omega and Rogue squadrons’ pilots were grouped together watching Lainy Kal’Ten trying to scrub down the back of Hawkspar’s T-65 with a brush. Flight Enilra stood beside her, arms folded across her chest, foot tapping impatiently on the ground. Hawkspar’s Chief stood behind her.

"Hi, Boss!" Xen greeted.

Lainy turned which earned her a light kick on the backside from the engineer. She yelped, glaring at Lori, who smiled coldly, telling her, "Come on, Ell Mo, get scrubbing!"

"It’s what she’s best at…" someone muttered.

Kaz deciding against making any comment and began "Sorry to break up the little party, but there’s work needs to be done!" She turned to Lori, "Oh, Flight, there’s another fighter arriving for us at about oh-three hundred."

The Flight nodded, "I’ll make the arrangements myself, Commander, once our practical joker here is finished."

"Awwww, Flight…"

"Aww Flight, nothing! Get that paint scrubbed off my T-65!"

Kaz ignored the muttered rumblings of her Third. As Lainy picked up the brush again, she continued, "Once we’re finished, everyone meet in the rec room for drinks..." There was a whoop of joy from behind her, and she smiled, finishing, "Ell Mo’s paying!"

The cheer choked into a muttered curse. Xen grinned openly, Shei made a small noise that sounded like an abruptly silenced laugh as Kal’Ten shot them a glare. Schooling her face into seriousness, Kaz turned to her engineer, "Flight, would you care to join us? I’m sure Lieutenant Kal’Ten would love to buy you a drink… to apologise for all the trouble she’s caused."

Lori glanced at a once-again muttering Lainy then quirked an eyebrow at Kaz, "Will there be any Wookiees there?"

The Rogue squadron pilots watched in bewilderment as Lainy threw down the brush and the other pilots collapsed into hysterical laughter. "That’s it!" Kal’Ten fumed at her Commander, "That’s it! I knew you would never be able to keep your mouth shut about that!" She looked at Wedge, "I was doing pretty damned well on my own, thank you very much, before Commander Hawkspar here decided to intervene!"

"That," Kaz chuckled, "is exactly what the Wookiee was telling his Mate as she was busy pummelling him into insensibility!"

Lainy threw her hands up in the air in disgust. Then gave her Commander a long, measured look before asking, "I’ll bet you didn’t tell them about your run in with the local militia?"

The laughter died away as everyone’s attention turned to Hawkspar. She grinned, "That was a simple misunderstanding…."

"So was the Wookiee!" Lainy defended.

Shei collapsed again in laughter. Edraa, however, was more interested in what exactly Hawkspar had done to fall foul of the aforementioned militia. "So, Boss," she pressed, sensing even more embarrassment and treating Kaz to her most charming smile, "what was this simple misunderstanding?"

"Wait," Shei interrupted, making a grab for Xen’s arm, "you can not ask her that! There are Rookies present!"

Baz made a small sound of disgust, as the Rogue pilots sniggered, pleading "Will you guys stop with all this rookie stuff!"

Shei had turned to look at him, her expression incredulous, eyes flashing green in delight. "With a flight-suit as pristine as yours, how can we?" she demanded.

"This is a quality suit! Just feel the quality! I know the Supply Officer, you know!"

"Yeh!" Xen quipped, "Every single inch from what I’ve heard!"

Baz looked at her in momentary loathing. Then his eyes narrowed and he put his arm round her shoulder, "I didn’t realise you were jealous…"

"Enough!" Kaz ordered before the conversation degenerated completely. She turned to Wedge, "See what I have to put up with?"

Wedge laughed, "You ought to see this lot when they get going!" He turned, "Okay, people, follow me." He glanced at Kaz as he walked past, "See you in the rec room… I hope."

Kaz turned back to Lori as Rogue squadron followed Wedge across the hangar, "Can I borrow your prisoner, Flight?"

Enilra grunted noncommittally then reached out, taking the brush from Lainy, telling her, "Go on, get out of here! Get lost before I change my mind. And leave my engineers in peace!"

She nodded, "I will. Honest!"

"Honest? Lieutenant," Lori informed her quietly, "you don’t have an honest bone in your body!"

Lainy grinned and the Flight groaned, pleading, "Get her away from me, Commander! Now!"

Kaz caught hold of Lainy’s arm, drawing her away from the grumbling Flight, motioning the other three to follow. They dropped into step beside her as she asked, "What was with the brush?"

Lainy grinned at her, falling easily back into the usual banter, her misgivings about where her friendship with the Commander lay, evaporating. She knew she’d let Kaz down, but the easy wise-cracks showed her now, more than anything else, that whatever had and would happen, Kaz Hawkspar and Lainy Kal’Ten would always be a double-act. "Your Chief suggested that I could make things better with the Flight if I offered to take the target off the back of your fighter. I sort of saw his reasoning… although I think the brush was just a little extreme!"

Hawkspar looked at her, not entirely convinced, "Are you trying to tell me that you’ve decided to turn over a new leaf?"

Lainy’s grin widened, belying the sincerity of her voice, "Of course!"

Kaz shook her head, holding up her hands, "Okay, I don’t want to know any more!" She walked on a little further, then began, "As you heard, we have another pilot arriving tomorrow in the early hours – ex Rogue and according to Antilles he’s sound. So, I’m putting you in as my wingman, Baz. Shei: you’ll be shadowing Xen and that leaves Hobbie to your tender mercies, Lainy - goddess help him..."

Kal’Ten glanced at her then shot a look at Xen. She knew Hawkspar well enough to realise that there was something else, that she wasn’t telling them the whole story. "There’s a but hanging there. I can tell there’s a but hanging at the end of that sentence…"

Kaz said nothing for a moment, knowing that they weren’t going to be happy with what she was about to tell them. Finally she admitted, "We’re going out tomorrow."

Kal’Ten and Edraa stopped in their tracks, exchanged looks. Then they turned their attention to their Commander’s back. "You mean out as in training exercise out! Right?" Lainy asked.

Kaz stopped, turning back to them, the calm lack of emotion on her face giving them the answer that neither of them wanted. Lainy swore. Xen looked at her in disbelief, "Boss, we can’t! I mean…"

"Damn it, Commander, I won’t!" Lainy attested. She took a step towards Kaz, lowering her voice, the vehemence still cutting through. "Shei flies A-wings!" She glanced across at the pilot, "No offence intended…"

"None taken," Shei assured her as she continued, "…with next to no experience of a T-65! Baz – sorry kid, but you’ve got what, ten - maybe fifteen hours!" She shook her head, taking another step towards the Commander, "I will not risk my safety and theirs by agreeing to go out tomorrow!"

Xen put a gentle, restraining hand on Lainy’s shoulder, her attention fixed on the calmly controlled expression on her senior officer’s face. "And what did Command tell you when you gave them exactly those arguments?" she asked Hawkspar.

Kaz looked at Kal’Ten for a moment longer then turned to Xen, "It’s a simple mission. And we’re the only ones available..."

Lainy shrugged off Xen’s hand. "It’s always a simple mission!" she accused. "And we’re always the only ones available! And if we go out tomorrow we’re as good as signing our own death warrants!"

"Lainy!" Xen warned.

"Command wouldn’t send us if they didn’t need to, Lieutenant," Kaz told her quietly.

"Don’t pull that rank crap on me..." Kal’Ten began.

Xen threw her hands up in disgust, glaring at her, "Will you pack it in!"

"It’s medical supplies and the Richlo survivors," Kaz interrupted, watching the sudden change in the pilots – knowing that she had won them over. "And as the ships are already here…" She let the conclusion hang for a moment then continued, "We ride escort with Rogue for two ships out - cover them while they transfer - then we ride escort back while Rogue take the other two ships to their next rendezvous - simple. Or I go tell Notrahw that the Knights refuse the mission. Rogue go out on their own and the Troubadour and Coral have no cover for coming back."

"Damn it!"

"Lainy," Xen warned again, "Goddess help me I’ll..."

"No!" Lainy told her, glaring at her. "It’s not fair! I get all riled up and really mad at her... then she pulls the damned hyperdrive out from under me by mentioning another squadron or medical supplies or emergency rations or something!" She turned her attention back to Hawkspar, "One question. Do you think we’re fit to ride escort to anything?"

Kaz shook her head, "No... but we’re..."

"Yeh, yeh, we’re the only one’s available. You’ve already hit us with that angle!"

Hawkspar turned to Ahtron, "Baz, I’m sorry, you’ll be staying behind. We need experience on this call, so Xen will be taking your fighter."

He hid his disappointment well, but Kaz saw the flash of dismay cross his face. "Understood, Commander."

Her heart went out to him. She couldn’t remember being this young, being this enthusiastic. It reassured her, adding to the excitement that was already beginning to grow – along with the dread – in the pit of her stomach. "Next time," she assured him, then turned to Lainy, "I take it you’re tagging along?"

"Well someone’s got to look after your butt! It’s never quite as much fun when you’re not around, Revered Leader." She grinned, then amended, "Commander, Sir."

"You forgot to grovel!" Kaz pointed out.

"That’s it!" Xen announced, shaking her head in disgust, "I give up! You are both odd!" She turned, walking away and telling them over her shoulder, "If anyone wants me I’ll be hiding in the nearest cupboard!"

"Drinks!" Kaz shouted after her, "Rec room! Fifteen minutes!" But Xen was already swallowed by the crowd, any reply lost. Kaz turned back to the others, "I want you all, you as well Baz, in the briefing at oh-eight hundred tomorrow! Now get lost, I’ll see you in the rec room. There’s some stuff I need to do." She left them, walking across towards the entrance to the adjoining hangar, where the Troubadour was berthed.

Lainy glanced across at Ariyes Drayke, who was now scrubbing the remaining black paint from the back of Kaz’s T-65. "I suppose I really ought to go help him," she ventured, unenthusiastically.

"Your conscience always gets the better of you!" Shei grinned, eyes flashing gold. "Baz and I will go to find Xen, just in case she manages to lock herself in the cupboard... like you said she did the last time!"

"Why did she lock herself in a cupboard?" Baz asked, completely confused at the whole idea.

Lainy laughed, "Shei will tell you everything!" She looked at Redav, warning, "Just don’t frighten him too much! He still has to fly as the Revered Leader’s wingman!"

The group turned, Shei dragging off an even more confused Baz. Ary saw Lainy approach and stopped, leaning on the brush, watching her. She was so alive, so full of vitality and laughter that in the short, infrequent moments when she looked as vulnerable as she had on the observation deck, he loved her all the more. Right now he wanted to throw his arms round her, to hold her, to kiss her to within an inch of her life...

Neither he nor Lainy had been able to help what happened between them and, indirectly, it was Hawkspar’s fault. She had insisted that he check in on Lainy the night of the Remembrance Ceremony. And because of that he knew now, for the first time in his life, what it was to love someone. He had fallen in love with her the moment he had seen her lying on the bed, breaking her heart, when he had seen a little of the true Lainy Kal’Ten.

But they were treading a fine line. Hawkspar had watched four pilots die in a minor skirmish because two of them were romantically involved and he had been there as she vowed never to let it happen in her squadron again. So had Lainy. They had also been there when Kaz had transferred Turner Sandrifter’s Chief out of the Knights because he and the Chief had fallen for one another. Turner had asked for, and been given, a transfer shortly afterwards, to be with Shirma, but the precedent had been set.

Neither he nor Lainy could help what had happened. But neither he nor Lainy were willing to risk a transfer. Lainy wouldn’t trust Hawkspar’s safety to anyone else. He wouldn’t trust the maintenance of Hawkspar’s T-65 to anyone else.

This last practical joke, however, had been something else. He’d known it had to be Lainy. Even as he dragged the two junior techs in under Special Orders he had known that it had to have been Lainy Kal’Ten who put them up to it. And sure enough she had stepped forward, admitted guilt and tried to shield the engineers. Which would probably have worked and all three of them would simply have earned a bollocking - and possibly a fine if the Flight had decided to be stubborn about it. But then the call for assistance had come in from the Richlo. And there had been no extra fighters and Hawkspar had had to fly in a T-65 with a large black and white target painted on the back. He loved Lainy, heart, mind and soul, he knew that now. But, gods, she exasperated him at times.

She looked at him, giving him the quick, little grin that he found he adored, and asked, "Can I help?" He handed her the brush wordlessly, resisting the impulse to smack her across the head.

~ * ~

"Commander?"

Hawkspar turned at the soft shout, stopping as Catterin Poom-bar jogged across the hangar towards her. "If this isn’t good news," Kaz told her, "I don’t want to know!"

Poom-bar grinned at her, "Well there’s good and there’s bad. Notrahw just got word that you have one ferry pilot and three squadron pilots arriving tomorrow, complete with serviceable fighters."

Kaz blinked, stunned. Another four fighters… Then she grinned warily, asking, "Is that in addition to Hobbie Gee-Em?"

Catterin checked the data pad, "Must be, cause he’s not listed here…" She trailed off them looked back up at Hawkspar, "In addition?"

"Hobbie’s arriving at about oh-four hundred…"

"Wonderful!" she moaned, pulling a face, "No-one tells me anything! Is there anything else I should know, like needing an extra long cot because he’s a Wookiee?"

"I haven’t a clue. I only just heard about it in briefing. I had other things on my mind. So, was that the good news or the bad news?"

Catterin pulled a face, admitting, "The bad news is that the fourth pilot has been delayed by another four days – medical wouldn’t release him."

Kaz shook her head, "That doesn’t matter." In four days she could do a lot of training with the pilots she had... build up some sort of bond… Every squadron had a slightly different way of working. Four days would get them all used to working as Knights. And despite the ribbing they’d been giving Baz, she’d been impressed by the way he handled a fighter. She could try pushing him to the limit while Lainy and Xen worked with the other three pilots. And with Hobbie here … She grinned, Hells it was almost like the old days.

Then, suddenly, she remembered the last time she’d been this excited over the slow re-building of Omega squadron… only to have the Knights shattered again. Absently she rubbed her hand across her collar bone, the jovial mood evaporating. She pushed the thoughts away, forcing a smile for Catterin, "When are they due to arrive?"

Catterin gave a short laugh and shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, Commander. Some time after mid-day. That’s all the information I have. As usual. Do you want me to let the Flight know?"

Kaz shook her head, "No, I can do that. But either you or Baz will have to meet them. I doubt we’ll be back in time... Or both of you can if you can take the time?"

"Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. And I’ll get quarters sorted out for them."

~ * ~

Xen walked along the corridor deep in thought, going over the information she’d been able to get out of Baz before her questions had been halted by the boisterous arrival of the Rogue pilots. Then Shei had rushed in and dragged them all along to the hangar to see what Lainy was doing and any further opportunity had been well and truly lost.

Everything he had told her was perfectly reasonable. He was from Coorgaaine Prime. He had been a floor manager in a large department store up until six months before, when the truth about the destruction of Alderaan had finally reached him. He had a sister still on Coorgaaine. But he still maintained that he’d never flown any sort of ship until he joined the Alliance…

Maybe he was simply a natural fighter pilot. Or maybe she had just read too much into a simple statement. Or perhaps she was still too strung-out after the Richlo fiasco. She knew from experience that everything would be better after tomorrow. Her stomach flipped at the thought, but it also pushed adrenaline through her and she couldn’t deny the tinge of excitement that thrilled up her spine. Once she was back in an X-wing, flying a real mission her nerves would settle down and she’d be able to think more clearly, work out whether or not she was over-reacting.

And he wasn’t going out with them tomorrow so she could keep her misgivings to herself for a little longer. That gave her time to sort through things a bit more – get a little more information out of him before she made a decision on whether or not to take her suspicions to Kaz.

~ * ~

Rishard Bess, Captain of the Troubadour Aayirdree was waiting for Hawkspar at the bottom of the ramp. Tall, elegant and dressed completely in black, he took a long, last draw on his tabac stick, breathing the smoke out through his nostrils as he dropped the remains onto the ramp and ground it out under his foot. He stooped picking up the dout, smiling at her as he straightened, "Saw your Supply making for you and wondered if you’d ever get away…"

Kaz returned the smile, "I only start worrying when I see her wandering across, scratching her head."

"Mmm," Rishard agreed slowly, "With that little frown that always means trouble. It’s happened to me twice today already." He flashed her a grin, admitting, "I left my First Officer to deal with it!"

Hawkspar smothered a laugh, shaking her head and tutting at him. "So what happened to the legendary Aayirdreen’ hospitality?"

He shrugged, "I could say that that it was my beneficent nature and that I have a feeling they’re sweet on one another. But you and I both know that it’s just too long spent with inhospitable Tureinchans!" Before she could protest he turned, striding up the ramp into the ship.

Vowing to get even with him for that slur on her home world, she followed him onto the Troubadour, noting that his limp - legacy of a run in with the Empire when the bridge of the Troubadour had taken an almost direct hit - was almost gone. The explosion had left him trapped beneath the crushing weight of a shattered console, but he had managed to stay conscious long enough to keep the freighter alive until help had arrived - in the form of the Knights and the Home Two.

A memory stirred, and something that had been bothering her since the Richlo disaster, resolved itself. She stopped just inside the ship, deep in thought. She hadn’t personally heard the initial distress call from the Richlo’s Rest but now that she thought about it, the details had been exactly the same as the call from Rishard’s ship – taking heavy fire from an Imperial Corvette, engines damaged, unable to make the jump to lightspeed…

If the Imperials had jammed the Richlo’s communications right from the start having first sent out the distress call themselves... that would explain why the Richlo’s Corvette had suddenly become a Star Destroyer? It wouldn’t have been difficult… Imperial ships continually recorded all communications frequencies. Anything concerning the Rebel Alliance or any other incident was archived. All they would have had to do was find an appropriate distress call and transmit it…

No! She was reading too much into this… she had to be. Because if the Imperials had sent the distress call then it meant that the whole Richlo thing could have been a trap set up for the Home Two or whatever other Rebel Alliance cruiser had been in the area. But how could they have known the distress call would be answered so quickly? The destroyer hadn’t even been in range when the Knights had dropped in.

But then that wouldn’t have mattered, they’d just have stuck around until the rescue ships turned up.

Unconsciously, she rubbed her collarbone again, where Pon’Ton’s shot had hit her. Okay, so things still didn’t add up, in fact they were even more confusing. But certain items were dropping slowly into place. If it had been a trap then it explained why a Corvette had become a Star Destroyer inexplicably carrying three squadrons of TIE fighters. And how an all-but-dead Imperial pilot could suddenly spring back to life…

But surely they wouldn’t have counted on the Richlo’s sacrifice just to get him onboard? Security had checked every inch of the ship and Morrit Pon’Ton hadn’t had a chance to touch anything.

She made a small sound of disgust as her argument crumbled around her. Still, it would be interesting to listen to that distress call. She realised, suddenly, that Rishard was looking at her with a small, patient smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "In you own time, Commander," he drawled. "When you’re quite ready."

She smiled, "Sorry… Look, do you mind if we check something first. There’s something I need to go over about what happened with the Richlo’s Rest."

~ * ~