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Wedge’s lips pinched in. Jaina and everyone else on the battle station were doomed if they left now. Not a good reward for what they had done, but if he attempted an evacuation, the crew of Mon Mothma might join them.

He sighed. “Prepare—”

“Sir, I’ve got an incoming message—priority one, from Millennium Falcon.”

“Put it on.”

A few seconds later, Leia Organa Solo spoke over the channel.

“Wedge,” she said, “can the Mothma make the jump?”

“Yes. Where are you?”

“In the docking bay of the Golan Two. Wedge, I’ll explain later, but we’re okay here. We’ll cover you on your way out.”

“That’s good enough for me,” he said. “Commander, take us out of here.”

So long, Bilbringi, he thought. If I never see you again, that’ll still be two times too many.

“It was easy enough slipping into a berth, after we lost the skips,” Han explained. “What with all the shooting going on, I guess nobody was watching the dock.”

Jaina, her mother and father, and Wedge Antilles were sitting around a table in the refectory of the Alliance-commandeered Golan II Battle Station, currently occupying an orbit in an uninhabited system with what remained of Wedge’s ships and Admiral Gilad Pellaeon’s fleet. A few Yuuzhan Vong ships had followed their vector on the jump, and had paid dearly for it.

Now they were awaiting orders on how and where to disperse to. Prann’s people were in custody, waiting to be charged, and the near-system lookouts hadn’t spotted anything that looked like an imminent Yuuzhan Vong attack. The combined fleet remained on high alert, but there was time for a little relaxation.

Wedge poured another round of Corellian brandy.

“If this station had lips,” Wedge said, “I’d kiss it. Since it doesn’t—Colonel Solo, I’ll drink your health instead.”

“Hear, hear,” Leia said, and they all raised glasses.

“We really have Prann and his people to thank, in a way,” Jaina said, after the toast was over. “I mean, it’s not like they intended to help, but if it weren’t for them—”

“Yes, if it weren’t for them we would have all died,” Wedge said. “Even as it is, we lost way too much here. Pash Cracken, Judder Page …” He shook his head. “Old friends, young people I never knew.”

He looked up at them, and to Jaina he seemed suddenly old. “You’d think I would be used to it by now.”

“You don’t get used to it,” Han said.

From the corner of her eye, Jaina saw a flash of uniform, then an aging human face with an iron-gray mustache. She came quickly to attention.

“Grand Admiral Pellaeon, sir,” she said, saluting.

The others at the table came to their feet more slowly, Han slowest of all.

“Please,” Pellaeon said. “At ease, Colonel Solo. After what you’ve been through, you deserve a rest.”

He turned to Wedge and saluted stiffly. “General Antilles, I’ve come to offer my apologies. Captain Devis’s man found us, but we hadn’t had time to prepare the fleet for lightspeed before you arrived here. I should have joined you regardless, but when our communications failed—”

“You did exactly as I would have done, Grand Admiral,” Wedge said. “The battle plan was explicit. It simply didn’t take into account that all our communications might fail.”

“That’s very generous of you, General Antilles. I hope if I were in your situation I could be as forgiving.”

“Has anyone heard from Admiral Kre’fey?” Wedge asked.

Pellaeon nodded. “The couriers Captain Solo dispatched established communications between us, a bit belatedly. It seems, General, that the ships that initially jumped from Bilbringi when you arrived there encountered Kre’fey’s fleet. They engaged briefly.”

Jag? Jaina thought. Had she sent him into a firefight?

“Admiral,” she asked, “do you know if Colonel Fel reached Admiral Kre’fey?”

“I do not, Colonel Solo, but I shall make inquiries.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Leia said. “We’ll find him.”

Wedge cleared his throat.

“Grand Admiral,” he began, “I wonder if you would care to join us for a drink. I believe the brandy is from your home province.”

Pellaeon hesitated.