The Rebel Faction

[font=Franklin Gothic Medium]Mon Calamari
En route to Foamwander City[/font]

[font=Georgia]Foamwander... The name was, bar the news reports earlier that day, unfamiliar. No matter, the major contemplated to himself. It was still somewhere...and that somewhere was far better than in actual Coalition territory. At least here, he might actually get the chance to do...

...something.

Sighing to himself at the absurdity of such a notion, Lance switched his comm frequency to what he'd found--through a scan of the local bandwidths--was the city traffic controller. "Foamwander Traffic Control," he began calmly, "this is Shadowhawk Lead. My wingmate and I are here on business from Section 8, and require immediate landing clearance. Over."

The reply was quick, which was surprising, given how normal flight control personnel usually responded. "Please transmit your verification code, pilot."

"Zulu eta niner tango."

Here, the anticipated delay kicked in, which invariably drove Lance insane every time it took place. Whether it was in supplies requisition, or anything else, so much as a single delay could drive him mad. Fortunately, it did at least get taken care of quickly. "Welcome to Foamwander City. You and your wingmate have been cleared for Landing Pads 29 and 30. Is there anything else you need?"

There was a very short, restrained sigh from the major. He didn't want to admit this on the open comm, especially since he knew Jalyne would hear...and probably laugh at him for it later... "Uhh...yeah, there is. Personally, I haven't done much, err...flying. I might need some help landing this thing."

A soft chuckle could be heard over the comm, coming from the flight control officer. "Understood; I'll have someone here shortly to guide you through it. Your wingmate is cleared on landing pad 30, and may begin as soon as possible."[/font]

<st1><st1>Foamwander</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>
Evacuation Base Camp


<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->

Kalbrac seemed unconvinced, but Leia spoke before he could take the conversation a step further.


“If the Resistance movements take an interest in what I am doing here, I am sure we'll know soon enough. Consider it a standing order that anyone suspected of being a part of a resistance movement is not to be arrested; bring them straight to me.


In the meantime, yes… we will lend a hand in the evacuation zones.”

<o></o>


***



<st1><st1>Foamwander</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>
Evacuation Assembly Area



The evacuation assembly fields in Foamwander were packed with frantic Calamarians, all dragging as much luggage as they could possibly carry. Even with the added support of Leia’s troops, the scene always seemed on the verge of erupting into total chaos. Parents clung tightly to their children and what few personal possessions they had been able to bring… everywhere refugees wept, screamed, or simply stood trembling.


The Force itself seemed to echo with the sound of millions of voices, all crying out in pain, sorrow, anger, and fear…


It was a nightmare.


Roughly half of the men under Leia’s direct command had set aside their gear to help load refugees and their belongings onto the transports, while the others kept a watchful eye on the crowd. In the meantime, Leia had opted to take the men assigned as her ‘honor guard’ to serve as a sort of ‘negotiation’ team. <o></o>


Presently, the team found itself trying to subdue a large group of Calamarians who were harassing Coalition workers. The group was made up mostly of young adults, and though they were old enough to sit down and have an intelligent discussion about their concerns, they seemed to prefer yelling and throwing rocks instead. Leia could sympathize with their position; they had probably all been enrolled in some sort of schooling with big plans for the future, and now that was all being taken away from them. But there was no call for throwing rocks at those trying to help.<o></o>


“…the BDE war was wrong lady, what is so hard to understand about that?” One of the protest leaders was explaining his group’s viewpoints to Leia.<o></o>


“Yeah, Regrad only declared war on the Dragons because he’s a warmongerer...” another one chipped in. “He just wants to make the Coalition some big territory he gets to control, he’s no better than the Empire!” <o></o>


She was pretty sure that one did spice…


“I doubt Regrad sent the Coalition off to war all by himself” Leia responded carefully, not daring to speak any further on that particular subject – her own opinions on the matter were iffy. “Have you ever visited the Empire? You might change your mind about the Coalition pretty quick… if you have the time. They might imprison you for walking down a ‘humans only’ street before you get a chance to see anything. Or, more likely… they’ll enslave you and put you to work in some rusty space barge hauling scrap metal. Or maybe building the next Death Star?”
<o></o>

Leia would have liked to continue, but a frantic civilian shoved his way up to the front of the crowd and interrupted her.


“Negotiation… are you the negotiation people with the Jedi? I was told to find you… a group of people barricaded themselves inside the ruins of a warehouse and they’re trying to force people to join them… they have guns!”


Leia glanced over to find the sergeant she had met during breakfast waiting at her elbow for an order.


“Sergeant, grab your squad from the watch rotation and come with me… the lieutenant can handle this.”


“So now you’re just going to run away too?” The protesting young Calamarian called out to Leia’s back as she turned to leave. “Just like the rest of the Coalition!”


She briefly paused to glance over her shoulder and address the alien. “If you really want to make a stand against corruption, try joining a respectable resistance movement!” Not waiting for a response, she began to push her way out of the crowd, leaving the lieutenant and his remaining soldiers to handle the group.




***

<o></o>

Leia allowed the civilian messenger to lead her forces to the supposed insurrection site. The trip took them away from the evacuation fields and into the wartorn city. Though the sergeant she had met at breakfast seemed to be well seasoned, the same could not be said of the rest of the Cooperative Defense Force men… as they neared their destination, tension among them mounted.
<o></o>

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to be soldiers…” she tried to assure as they moved along. “This isn’t a…”


The word ‘war’ never came, a large group of Calamarians wearing makeshift masks suddenly emerged from the rubble of the nearby warehouses and descended on the group.


The men of the Cooperative Defense Force seemed to forget their fear, and they instantly sprung into action. Several of them exchanged melee blows with their attackers, trying to form a protective circle around Leia and their defenseless civilian guide.


The attackers possessed superior numbers, and several quickly broke through the line. Though she was keenly aware of the lightsaber strapped to her back, hidden under clothes, Leia did not draw it. She had only brought it along as an emergency last resort… and things weren’t that bad yet.


At least, she thought they weren’t… until the messenger who had previously been dismissed as a helpless civilian suddenly drew a blaster from his jacket and aimed it at Leia’s head.

<o></o>
“Everybody stop!” He shouted.
<o></o>

“Wha…?” Leia started, confused. As she turned to see the gun pointed at her head, she cursed under her breath.
<o></o>

How had she been that stupid!? Slowly, she turned to face the new threat.
<o></o>

“The Calamarian Resistance requests an audience, Leia Organa Solo” the armed civilian announced.
<o></o>

Leia’s hand twitched, wanting to sneak inside her robes to grab onto the familiar metal hilt of the lightsaber; a sure way to quickly turn the tables in her favor. But above all else she was a diplomat… she would try to talk her way into a more favorable position first.


“At gunpoint?” she asked dubiously.


“Nobody knows which side you’re on, we were ordered to take every precaution.”
<o></o>

“Side? I didn’t come here to pick sides; I came here to keep people from getting killed,” Leia stated flatly, crossing her arms.


The Calamarian opened his mouth as if he were about to reply, but ultimately he shook his head. “I am not authorized to speak in depth with you, you must come with us.”


Leia refused to budge. “Lower your weapons, then we’ll talk.”


“I have my orders, Jedi. I cannot compromise the security of the Resistance by leading a bunch of armed Coalition lackeys right into the middle of my cell. The resistance requests a word with you, but it asks you alone.”
<o></o>

“So you think I’m simply going to allow you to separate me from my men and allow myself to be escorted alone at gunpoint to some undetermined location? I don’t think so…”
<o></o>

After a moment, their –former- guide let the blaster drop. “Fine, we walk to our destination together. Your soldiers come blindfolded.”


“Blindfolded? That’s not fair...” Leia protested.


“You’re lucky we don’t blindfold you!” the Calamarian responded impatiently. He was a soldier, not a negotiator...
<o></o>

“That would accomplish nothing. I am a Jedi, I don’t need my eyes to see” Leia stated matter-of-factly.


The Calamarian appeared thoughtful for a moment.


“They come blindfolded, or not at all. I will not compromise.”

<o>

</o>
***

<o></o>

The Calamarian lead Leia and her blindfolded men to a warehouse that had been damaged at some point during the war – part of the roof was missing. The only useful thing Leia managed to learn during the walk was that the civilian guide’s name was Maddux, and he was actually the leader of the group that had attacked them.


Once inside the warehouse Leia’s men were lead off to one corner, where they were allowed to remove their blindfolds. Reluctanly, Leia allowed Maddux to lead her into a small office. As she entered the room, a man seated behind the desk rose to greet her. The office was sparsely decorated, furnished only with a battered desk, a single cluttered shelf, and several plain chairs.
<o></o>

“Leia Organa Solo… Jedi Master, isn’t it? I’m Ross Maklo, Commander of the Calamarian Resistance Movement. Have a seat…”


The guards directed Leia to a chair in front of the desk, and as she settled into her seat she was keenly aware that both of them took up stations right behind her chair. She didn’t seem to be their prisoner, but she certainly wasn’t being treated as their guest either.
<o></o>

“You’re the leader of the entire resistance?” She asked as Maklo returned to his seat behind the desk.
<o></o>

Maklo leaned back in his chair and lit a cigar. “We’ll get to that later, perhaps. First things first. I’ve read the official copy of your Coalition orders, we seem to have a little problem here… you’re here to shut us down.”
<o></o>

“No,” Leia answered firmly. “The Coalition officially requested that I work to keep the Resistance cells from interfering with the evacuation, they haven’t ordered me to do anything.”


Maklo tilted his head back and blew a plume of smoke towards the ceiling. “No? Then what brings you to this ravaged little water world, Miss Solo?”


“The lives that are at stake,” she replied evenly. “These people deserve peace… they’ve sacrificed too much for everything to be taken away from them again.”


Maklo frowned. “Don’t you think it’s a little late to be stepping in? There was a war about that, you know... it ended a while ago. Where were you then?”


A question she wouldn't answer... Leia found herself staring at a curved, alien looking sword mounted on the wall, one of the room’s few decorations. She was losing control of where the discussion was headed, it was time to try a more direct approach...
<o></o>

“Stop encouraging the civilians to stay behind and fight the Dragons… you are encouraging them to commit suicide! They should have more to look forward to than being a part of a pointless massacre!”
<o></o>

Suprise briefly flickered across Maklo's face, but he quickly recovered. “I’ve heard stories about Naboo," he retorted. "If you’ve come here to disband the resistance and send it's members scattering to all corners of the universe, you’re not going to have much luck.”


Still seated in her chair, Leia bristled defensively. “When you’ve dealt with Rebellions for as long as I have, you’ll realize that the Jedi had no choice… we were undermanned, underpowered, and invasion was imminent. It was in Naboo’s best interest, and ours… we’re scattered, but we’re still alive. We can still make a difference.”


She took a deep breath, deciding to throw her entire hand on the table all at once.
<o></o>

“The situation here is similar. Even if every last citizen chose to stay here and fight, you’d still stand no chance against the Dragons in the end. But if you evacuate with everyone else, and move the resistance to a more secure location... you could give the Calamarian people new purpose and hope, and recruit more people to the cause. The potential exists for a new Galactic Rebel Alliance to be formed…”


This did illicit a response, as Maklo guffawed.


“The galaxy is tired of fighting, nobody is eager to plunge back into another civil war! And who is going to coordinate and lead all of this, are you volunteering?”


Leia sighed. “No.”


“You said these people deserved peace… yet you seem to have come here with the intentions of taking advantage of their desperation to serve your private agenda… a new civil war! That doesn’t seem very Jedi-like, Master Solo.”


“As much as I would love to give them the peace and freedom they deserve, first it has to have to be fought for… again. You’ve already realized that, you started a Resistance movement… but if you really want to make a difference you have to take the next step. It’s the right thing to do, for everyone’s sake. I have come to offer to show you the way, and convince you to accept my offer. I would do more, but… I am not the fiery young rebel I used to be, Commander. It is time for the next generation to step up and lead the way under the guidance of the veterans… just like I did some 20 years ago.”


The Jedi Master suddenly rose from her chair, startling the two guards standing watch behind her. Despite her abruptness, her voice was soft when she spoke.


“Take the next step, Commander… help rekindle the flame of the Lightside. Think about it, talk to whoever you have to… you know how to find me.”


As Leia turned and headed for the door intending to let herself out, neither of the guards moved to stop her.

<st1><st1>



Foamwander</st1> <st1>City</st1></st1>
Evacuation Base Camp
Day 2




0540 hours…


The young Calamarian diplomat named Kalbrac nervously moved through the endless rows of personnel tents, looking for the one which belonged to Leia Organa Solo. Like the higher ranking officials helping coordinate the evacuation, she had been assigned a small private tent. This had narrowed the scope of his search considerably, but he was still having trouble; all of the tents looked nearly identical, save for a small makeshift nameplate tacked on the door… and many of them didn’t even have that!

Fortunately Leia’s tent was marked, and he eventually did find it…

After double checking to make sure he did in fact have the correct tent, Kalbrac knocked on the door. <o></o>

There was no answer. After a slight pause he knocked again… this time, harder. “Master Solo?”

There was still no answer, but he was fairly certain he heard some sort of noise coming from inside… perhaps she was sleep talking? He recalled from their flight to Foamwander that she had slept restlessly, muttering or grunting incoherently every so often. If she was still asleep, it wouldn’t be so bad to wake her up… this was important! <o></o>

On impulse he pulled on the door handle experimentally, and to his surprise it swung open easily.

Leia was sitting bent over something on her cot, her back to the door. <o></o>

“Close the door!” She gasped without turning to look at the intruder, and then her shoulders heaved forward and she made a wretching sound.<o></o>

Kalbrac’s eyes widened… he had been around humans enough to know that sound never meant anything good. “Master Solo…! Are you ill? I’ll send for a doctor…”<o></o>

“No!” Leia snapped irritably. “Just close the door!”

Standing in the middle of the doorway, the young Calamarian hesitated with uncertainty. Did she want him to wait outside…? He simply let go of the door, and it closed behind him… shutting him inside the tent with the Jedi Master.<o></o>

Kalbrac stood self consciously by the door, and Leia sat on the bed with her head hanging in a bucket, ignoring him. Kalbrac felt compelled to help her, but he was fairly certain any attempt he made would be met with hostility…

Several uncomfortable minutes passed, and then Leia lifted her head from the bucket and seemed to recover a bit. She set the bucket out of sight, stood, and moved to a nearby table with a basin of water on top of it.

The young Calamarian finally mustered the courage to speak again. “If you are not well, you…”

“I am fine, it will pass soon” Leia interrupted.

“But…”

”It’s just morning sickness, it happens to all pregnant human women. I’m fine,” the Jedi Master declared with finality.

Kalbrac blinked in surprise. Pregnant…? According to popular belief, she’d lived alone since the famous Rebel hero Han Solo had disappeared… was Han actually alive, had he returned?

As Kalbrac entertained his thoughts, Leia bent over the basin and splashed water on her face. “Was there some reason you just barged into my tent uninvited?” she asked. Though she didn’t seem noticeably annoyed or angry, Kalbrac was sure his presence had to be an unwelcome intrusion.

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to ah, uh…” the young Calamarian faultered.

Leia turned to face him, waiting patiently for him to collect his wits. <o></o>

“I must speak with you in private; I’ve come on behalf of the Rebellion” he managed at last.<o></o>

If Leia was intrigued, it didn’t show. She grabbed the blue robe she had worn the previous day, and slipped it on in an effort to cover the loose, wrinkled shirt and pants she had slept in. <o></o>

“I know about what happened yesterday…” he pressed on. “Someone made a horrible mistake, it never should have happened.”

He paused, leaving an opening for Leia to respond. She remained silent, apparently content to let him present his case without interruption. As her father had taught her years ago as an emerging young diplomat, silence was the most effective form of communication... and also the most underused.

“I know I can speak for the Resistance in saying you have our deepest apologies. Our leader has sent me here to request that you consider agreeing to meet with our leader, to discuss the future of the movement. This time, on more equal terms…”<o></o>

Leia nodded. “I am glad to hear that, you may tell them I will meet with them at their earliest convenience…. Now will you please get out of my tent?”

Kalbrac blinked in surprise… that was it?

"Thank you for listening, Master Solo... I will make arrangements at once."



***
<o></o><o></o>

As the Calamarian made a hasty exit, Leia turned her attention back to more personal matters.

Opening herself up to the Force, she focused on the little Force presence developing inside her belly. So warm, tiny, and bright… it brought a smile to her face every time she touched it’s presence.

But… there was something wrong.

She concentrated harder, focusing only on that presence… it was happy and content.

No, wait... they were happy and content.

Yes; she was sure of it. It wasn’t one big presence, there were two smaller ones… <o></o>

Two, there were definitely two... Twins!

Leia closed her eyes and flopped onto the bed.<o></o>

Tyscio!

The rusted speeder moved through the streets at a canter, one side dipped slightly due to the increased weight of the Wookiee that sat on the right side. Han, on the other hand, wrestled with the controls, keeping the vehicle from pulling in that direction on its unstable hover wells; that would teach him for trying to save a cred, and hiring from a sleazy looking Mon Cal.

“You see anyone, Chewie?” The old smuggler asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror, wondering if his hairy companion had managed to catch a glimpse of anyone where he couldn’t. The other shook his head, hunched forward as he was under the speeder roof.

Han felt relieved. So far they hadn’t managed to attract unwanted attention, and their attempts at shaking any shadows had proved pointless – yet, it was never reason to become careless, especially not in their profession. As it was, the two were running a little late for their meeting, though Han was certain the other guy would be willing to forgive and forget, even if only just to feel secure in the deal.

From the seat beside him, Han listened to Chewie’s low grumble.

“Couldn’t tell ya,” Han replied, shrugging as he pulled in behind a hover-taxi, following the directions he had been given en route to the planet. Either way, the smuggler hoped their vehicle would make the distance, especially given the rattling coming from the rear right side. “All I know is that we’re meetin’ our guy in some building room, so we’ll need to set up some sort of escape route just in case. I want you guardin’ the corridor, while I go inside… I can handle whatever they throw at me, as long as they don’t bring in any reinforcements.”

Chewie grunted agreement, nodding his head as he looked behind to check the way – the Wookiee saw a blue speeder zip behind another vehicle in traffic, the window tinted from what he could tell. Seemed the pair had gained a shadow, after all…

As soon as the furball mentioned the potential follower, Han began shifting lanes. He wanted to see if the vehicle would swap as well, in order to chase them onto whatever lane they turned down – to which it did. Clucking his tongue, Han furrowed his brow as he thought; he had to get rid of the tail, because they were pretty close to their rendezvous. Then, glancing to his left, Han got an idea…

Turning sharply into the far left lane, the smuggler brought his near-broken down speeder into a drive-through line. Turning down the window, the pair waited patiently as the line began to move forward, watching as the shadow pulled in behind them – the windows were dark enough that Han couldn’t see who was inside, but clearly the other guys were hesitant to be so close. As the line moved again, Han pulled up to the ordering holo and was greeted with a young Mon Cal’s voice – or he assumed it was young, as it cracked with certain words through it’s Basic:

“Hello, gentle sir, welcome to Fast Dine; what can I get for you today?”

Han looked at the menu, squinting as he thought. He turned to Chewie, raising his eyebrows; the other replied with a series of growls, before giving a hearty smile, leaning back as best he could in his chair.

“I’ll have one medium Skywalker meal, two large Mon Cal specials and…” Han scanned the boards, about to put his plan into motion. “I need to order for the car behind, too. They’ll be picking up the check. I think… we’ll have six large Tauntaun deals, with extra Tauntaun sauce. The patties need to be cooked well-done.”

As the Mon Cal repeated the order, Han gave a smirk to Chewie, who in turn gave a throaty chuckle. As he moved forward, to the window that would produce his meal, Han tapped his thumb on the wheel. As he expected, a young Mon Cal leaned out the window, offering the three serves for the first speeder.

“Thanks,” Han said, nodding as he passed the bags toward the Wookiee. “The guys behind will grab the tab.”

Chewie suddenly nudged Han, motioning to the window, giving a pleading whine.

“…and can we add the toy of the day,” Han added, rolling his eyes. The Mon Cal dipped back, grabbed something, then returned and offered it to the smuggler. Han blinked, looking at the plasi-cast bust of Emperor Hyfe; for a minute he considered not bothering, but then decided that was about the credibility of the old Emperor these days, anyways.

“Thanks,” Han muttered, taking the toy and throwing it into Chewie’s lap. “Gnaw on this or somethin’… I don’t want to see it in the Falcon’s cockpit, either.”

As they began to pull away, Han stalled the speeder purposefully. This brought the shadows right up to the ordering window as they attempted to slip through after their charges. The Mon Cal began handing out bags, which the driver reluctantly accepted after a series of taps on his window…

Han, in the meanwhile, had started the speeder and was pulling around the building corner. As soon as they were out of sight, the smuggler put his foot down on the throttle pedal and cut across the garden bed, out onto the main road and across through traffic into the next right turn. Chewie growled as he bumped his head, but otherwise was preoccupied with stuffing a number of nexu-rings into his waiting mouth…



About ten minutes after the Fast Dine ordeal, Han pulled the speeder to a stop. The pair had reached their meeting point, and now it was time to get down to business. As the two stepped out, Han finished off the burger he had been eating and tossed the wrapper. Motioning with his head, the smuggler began leading the way into a rundown apartment complex, the front of which looked like it had been without decent upkeep since it had been constructed.

“Keep your eyes peeled, Chewie,” Han said, glancing over his shoulder. “We don’t want to be taken by--”

Han stopped short, blinking as he turned back forward to look down at the blaster muzzle pressed against his chest.

“…surprise?”

The man holding the weapon gave a short smile, looking up as the Wookiee let out an angry roar, clearly about to charge into action to save his comrade.

“Indeed, but before your friend can start attracting unwanted attention,” The other man started, his voice somewhat calm. “I suggest you follow my associates and I… you have a meeting with someone who doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Without a word, Han turned full about and pushed Chewie back the way they had come. The speeder van that pulled up opened its side door, and another three men – dressed the same as the thug with the blaster – peered out, motioning for the pair to enter.

“Come on… just move it, furball,” Han muttered, ducking as he followed the Wookiee into the van. “Good one, Chewie. You would have made a blind Jawa look-out proud...”

The van door slammed closed and the speeder began moving out into the traffic, the men inside with weapons clearly intent on ensuring the smugglers remained under control and cooperative.

After a time in the confines of the speeder van, Han began to become restless. He didn’t know what was happening, but he had an idea; perhaps his contact wasn’t as forgiving as he had first thought? Either way, the men holding the smuggling pair hostage were extremely tight-lipped, and nothing was really getting past their nonchalance demeanours other than ‘soon’.

Around the time that Han was considering trying an escape, the driver motioned and pulled up into a parking spot. The men with blasters toward Han and Chewie withdrew their aims, shouldering their weapons, while one opened the van door.

“Alright, we’re here,” One of the thugs said, seemingly taking charge. He had been the one who had snuck up on Han back at the apartment. “Just get out, follow us, and don’t do anything stupid. We don’t want to hurt you, the location for the meeting has changed somewhat… don’t worry, we just had to make sure you two weren’t complete mynocks by overreacting.”

Han snorted as he stepped out into the fresh air, taking a deep breath. It was good not to smell contained Wookiee. The talker of the thugs followed in the smuggler’s wake, before moving ahead and motioning for them to come along; but what really surprised Han was the large building before them all – it looked as though they had reached some kind of complex.

“Well… guess we don’t have to worry about blasting our way out,” Han muttered to Chewie, leaning toward his tall companion; to which the Wookiee let out a grumbled chuckle, before giving his own comments on their situation.

As they pair were led through the security area, relieved of Han’s weapon much to his annoyance, and taken into the complex, the smuggler couldn’t help but feel his curiosity grow. He had been calm, he had been following orders – despite his belief – and he had been more than willing to follow the men sent by their contact; however, Han soon felt that it had almost come to that time to demand answers, or get the heck out of the proverbial maw’s range.

“So who are we meetin’ with?” Han asked the man leading the two. The Corellian narrowed his eyes, watching the thug as best he could, trying to discern if he replied with the truth or not.

“Maklo,” The other said simply, giving a slight glance toward a pair of doors the group passed. “He’s currently in a meeting, so we’ll head to a waiting area until he’s ready to see you…”

Han, however, having caught the subtle response to the thug’s thought concerning his leader, knew that they had just passed the supposed meeting room. Pulling up short, the smuggler nodded to Chewie, and began stalking toward the pair of doors; while, at the same time, the Wookiee turned and grasped the two men following closely behind, picking them up clean off their feet, one in each arm.

“I think we’ll see Maklo now, really,” Ignoring the rushed shout and response of the lead thug, Han glanced over his shoulder and gave a shrug. “I just don’t feel like waiting any more, kid…”

Bursting through the doors of the conference room, Han looked about at the various beings congregated within, giving a lop-sided grin…

Foamwander City
Evacuation Base Camp
Day 2




Lance McCallister is directed to the Evacuation Base Camp in Foamwander city, where he intends to continue his search for Leia Organa Solo...



A man named Lance McCallister stood waiting outside the command tent of the evacuation base camp, waiting for someone to answer his queries reguarding Leia Organa Solo.


Unfortunately, the Jedi Master was nowhere to be found. According to the logs she had taken a platoon of soldiers out into the city... but calls to both the platoon's comlink and Leia's personal comlink were going unanswered. No alarm had been raised however; communications had been sporadic at best ever since the evacuation had started.


Inside the command tent in the evacuation base camp, two Cooperative soldiers and one officer were debating who was going to be the unlucky messenger. Someone had to deliver the news to Lance, and rumors reguarding the newcomer had been circulating all day...


"But... Sir, he tried to strangle a flight controller at the LZ!" One of the soldiers nervously pointed out.


The officer shrugged. "Then don't piss him off. Just keep him occupied until Jedi Organa Solo gets back. Take him to the mess hall or something."


"And try to feed him that crap? You do want him to strangle us..." the second soldier quipped.


The officer smiled, but pointed at the door. "Just get out there!"



***



Two Cooperative defense force soldiers emerged from the command tent and approached Lance McCallister.


"Sir? We just checked in with command, Leia Organa Solo is out on a field mission. She should be back in a couple hours, if you plan on waiting we can show you around. The mess tent makes a mean clam chowder..."