The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 18 - Rendezvous Point

After a long trip in hyperspace the survivors of the Imperial attack on Echo Base reached the rendezvous point which was far away from any inhabited planet. Not every survivor was there already. But since they took different hyperspace lanes and were supposed to make several micro jumps, nobody was overly worried that Princess Leia, Luke, Han and Chewbacca hadn't arrived yet.

Nomi had landed her X-wing smoothly onboard the capital ship and was surprised to see the Outrider and the Aquarius standing side by side in the hangar bay. When she turned to leave she saw Dash Rendar who leaned at his beloved freighter, his faithful droid Leebo was just walking down the ramp.
"Nomi!" He shouted and grinned, when others in the hangar turned their heads.
The young woman smiled and hurried over to him. Rendar took her in a tight embrace and kissed her. Then he let go of her and pointed at the Aquarius.
"I thought it was a good idea to bring her along," he said and looked expectantly at the small woman standing in front of him. "She is a fine ship, not as good as my Outrider, but I noticed that you've made a lot of modifications."
"Yes, together with Tarik. He's a good mechanic," she responded with a smile. "How have you managed to bring both freighters?"
"It wasn't this hard to do," a mechanical voice was to be heard, as Leebo answered Nomi's question.
The droid had approached them without being noticed, since Nomi and Dash had only eyes for each other.
"Thank you for doing this," the Rogue Squadron pilot said and turned her attention back to Dash.
"Do you have quarters here, Nomi?" Dash asked and took her hand. "They didn't assign some to me, since I'm not an Alliance member."
His fiancée nodded her head.
"My quarters aren't large, but large enough for us, Dash," Nomi said and pulled her future husband out of the hangar.
Hand in hand they walked towards the young woman's quarters. The subdued mood all over the ship was almost palpable, but the couple was happy. They were happy to have each other and happy to have survived the Imperial attack against all odds.

It didn't take long and they reached the quarters. Nomi entered the access code, the door opened with a hiss and she stepped in followed by Dash.
"As I said, it isn't large," she remarked, as the mercenary wrapped his arms around her from behind. Nomi leaned her head against his chest, enjoying the closeness.
"It's large enough for us," he whispered in her ear. Maybe now was the time to tell the woman he loved about his greatest wish. "We should try for a baby."
Her thoughts were in turmoil. Trying for a baby? Was Dash out of his mind? She had always dreamed to be married someday and to have children, but now wasn't the time for a baby. She took a deep breath and wiggled out of Dash's embrace to look him in the eyes.
"I love you, Dash, but now isn't the time to have a child. The Alliance has no need for a pregnant pilot. We should wait until after the war."
The mercenary's face fell. It was to be seen clearly how disappointed he was. Nomi had no idea how important it was for him, but he wasn't ready to tell her. So he nodded only his head.
"It's hard to accept this, Nomi," he said with a sad undertone, walked over to the cot and sat down.
Nomi noticed that Dash had somehow changed since the recent battle. The Dash Rendar she was used to know would have asked how much the Alliance would pay for his service, like every mercenary did. But he had simply joined the battle.
Her musing was interrupted when the intercom went off and they were called to the main hangar bay, where a funeral for the fallen would take place.

When Nomi and Dash reached the main hangar bay many were gathered there already, waiting in silence for General Rieekan to appear. The location was dimly lit and several R2-units were situated in the center. The Alliance members were standing to the left and to the right, leaving an aisle between them. As the general entered the hangar everybody snapped to attention. He walked through the ranks until he turned and cleared his throat. Then he began to speak. With every name Rieekan called, one of the droids projected a holo image of either a pilot or a foot soldier, which gave an eerie light casting shadows on those gathered. It was a depressing sight, since those attending the funeral knew all too well that their comrades who were killed in action wouldn't get a grave. There were also many of whom they didn't even know if they were dead or still alive, captured by Imperial forces and might be facing a fate worse than death.
General Rieekan had finished calling the names and spoke some personal words giving the fallen a proper farewell. After this the holo images faded away one by one. The ceremony was over and the crowd left the hangar bay. There was silence and some faces showed traces of tears they had shed, but they weren't ashamed about this. Nomi wondered how many funerals they would have to attend until the Empire would fall and she shivered. Dash Rendar noticed his fiancée's mood, took her hand and squeezed it. The young pilot turned her head and gave him a sad smile. Maybe he would understand now why there wasn't the time to populate the galaxy with Rendar offspring.