Star Wars_ X-Wing 07_ Solo Command - Aaron Allston [70]
“As if she’d forget.”
“Sometimes I think she should.” Solo was silent a long moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was quieter. “I don’t deserve her. And someday she’ll realize that. When she’s away from me, I think, ‘Maybe today’s the day. Maybe today she’ll figure it out and get on with her life.’ ”
Wedge shook his head. “That’s ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not. She’s the one with the goal, the plan for her life. She’s a driving force in the New Republic. Without her, I don’t have a place. I’m just a drifter with an irresistible dose of roguish charm. And someday she’ll get tired of the charm and there won’t be anything else for me to offer her.”
“You know,” Wedge said, “I can’t do it myself, because you’re my superior officer. But I could call Chewie down here, and tell him what you’ve just said, and then he’d beat you nearly to death with a hydrospanner. Maybe then you’d figure out how wrong you are.”
Solo managed a smile. “I think maybe that’s why I volunteered for this Zsinj assignment. I thought it was because of how I felt when I heard about his bombardments. His assaults on defenseless worlds. I could just see myself as a child on the streets, looking up to see the turbolaser blasts coming down to destroy the little bit of world I could call my own. But, really, it might have been just to show Leia, ‘Here I am, see, I can function in your world.’ But after months of it, I just get tireder and crazier. I find myself wishing I could leave Zsinj be, and Leia could come home right now, with her mission unfinished, so things could go back to the way they were. And if she knew that, she’d be ashamed of me.”
“It’s a natural human emotion. And I have a three-stage plan to let you get back to the way things used to be.”
That caught Solo’s attention; he looked at Wedge for the first time since he’d boarded the freighter. “How?”
“Stage One.” Wedge opened a comm channel on the copilot’s control board. “YT-1300 to bridge. This is Commander Antilles. Please cut all lights in Bay Gamma One.”
A few moments later, the overhead lights darkened. Chewbacca made a noise of complaint.
Wedge said, “Including the magcon shield indicator, please, bridge.”
The rectangle of light around the magcon field faded. Now they sat in near-perfect darkness, illuminated only by the stars outside the field. They hung there, perfect, not blinking because there was insufficient atmosphere to make them twinkle, a perfect space vista.
Solo fell silent, just staring at the view for a long moment. “That’s nice,” he said. “I think you’re right. I could use more of that. What’s Stage Two?”
“Well, you’re not the only member of the crew who could benefit from some blissful irresponsibility right now. So I’m going to stage an insurrection and seize control of Mon Remonda.”
Solo gave a curt laugh. “Wedge Antilles, mutineer. That I have to see.”
“Bring your Wookiee and I’ll show you.”
Donos and Lara walked into the officers’s cafeteria and stopped short. It didn’t look the way it was supposed to.
Tables, normally arrayed in neat rows, had been dragged out of line into zigzags, into four-table rectangles. Though the chamber was sparsely occupied, even that was different; normally the diners would be scattered across the chamber, but now they were concentrated at three or four tables.
Donos and Lara approached the closest table. The one where their commander sat with General Solo and Chewbacca. Sabacc cards were laid out on the table before them.
“Excuse me, sir,” Donos said, “I hate to interrupt—”
Wedge looked up. “What did you call me?”
“Uh, sir.”
“Who do you think I am?”
Donos glanced at Lara, but she seemed as puzzled as he. “Commander Wedge Antilles, New Republic Starfighter—”
Wedge shook his head. “No, no, no. I just look like him. If I were Antilles, wouldn’t I be wearing appropriate rank insignia?”
It was true; he wore none. For that matter, neither did General Solo.
“In fact,” Wedge said, “what’s that you’re wearing? Lieutenant’s insignia?”
“Uh, yes—”
“Off,” Wedge said.
“Off,” Solo repeated.