Star Wars_ X-Wing 03_ The Krytos Trap - Michael A. Stackpole [19]
Asyr’s violet eyes sank into crescents. “Are you ordering me to stop seeing him?”
Wedge laughed. “No, not at all. You’ve only been out twice—”
“Have you had someone watching us?”
“No, and that’s just the point.” Wedge opened his hands. “Gavin is so taken with you that his enthusiasm isn’t always kept under control. While he remains very circumspect about private moments you have shared, he is very happy to let others know how much fun you’re having together doing all the things you have done. It’s all very innocent and natural, but it’s also a sign of his falling in love with you. He may not quite be there yet, but he’ll be hurt badly if you pull away from him abruptly after too much longer. I don’t want to see him hurt, so if you don’t really care for him, let him down easy and now, please.”
Asyr’s chin came up and defiance blazed in her eyes. “What makes you think I might be toying with him?”
“The second thing I want to discuss with you does, Sei’lar. I wonder if you don’t have another agenda that you’re working on.” Wedge met her hot stare unflinchingly. “You graduated near the top of your class from the Bothan Martial Academy but never formally entered the military. Your records are decidedly sketchy, but I would imagine, given your age, that you were recruited into the Martial Intelligence Division of the Bothan military in an effort to replenish the supply of spies who died securing the plans to the second Death Star. The fact that you were already here on Coruscant when our operation arrived suggests the Bothan government had its own goals here on Coruscant.”
“But you forget, sir, that I did help organize and partidpate in the operations that cleared the way for the Rebel Alliance to take the planet.”
“I never accused you of being stupid, Sei’lar. Quite the contrary, I think you are very intelligent. You saw an opportunity that had to succeed and you did your best to make it succeed.” Wedge let a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “That self-same intelligence is why I want you in this squadron.
“The fact is, Sei’lar, who and what you are makes you very valuable and desirable. I want you here in Rogue Squadron. I think you are an incredible asset to the Rebellion. Flip a bit, though, and it’s easy to see that your Bothan masters also find you quite useful. That means, sooner or later, you’re going to have some decisions to make.”
Asyr glanced down. “Decisions about Gavin.”
“And about your loyalties to your planet and your nation.”
“Or my squadron.”
“Exactly.” Wedge nodded slowly. The pressure is not on you right now, but it will come. Borsk Fey’lya likes having a Bothan in Roque Squadron, but at some point he’ll want to exert control over you.
Her head came back up. “Do you want me to make those decisions right now?”
“I want you to make them when you feel they need to be made. I trust you, and I want to continue to trust you. If you find you can’t be part of the squadron, you can walk away and I’ll have been proud to have you as one of us.”
Asyr arched an eyebrow. “No threat of retribution if I betray you?”
Wedge shook his head. “If you decide to betray us, I can’t imagine we’ll survive long enough to avenge ourselves on you. On the other hand, Rogues tend to take a lot of killing, so you can’t be sure of how things will turn out.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Asyr smiled and Wedge took it for a good sign. “And, Commander, concerning Gavin, there is no hidden agenda. His wide-eyed way of looking at everything is refreshing and, perhaps, even energizing. I’ve lived a long time in the shadows, so moving into the light feels very good. I’ll do nothing to hurt him.”
“Good.” Wedge waved her toward the door. “Go get your stuff and get to the briefing. I’m trusting you’ll see the holes in this plan and help us plug them before Zsinj accomplishes what the Empire could only dream about: the destruction of Rogue Squadron.”
6
Corran Horn let his joy at