Chapter 20 - Aftermath of a failed Mission

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Dash Rendar stood in front of the bacta tank where his fiancée was treated the third day already. He had his arms folded over his chest and watched Nomi floating in the tank. Wedge entered the room and approached him. It was the first time after the failed mission the two men met. Rendar turned his attention to the Rogue Squadron commander.
"You should have protected her better, Antilles," he said and glared at the younger man.
"I did my best, Rendar," Wedge responded, "but nobody figured on our contact being caught by the Imps. We are at war and there are casualties. You helped us on Hoth, but this doesn't give you the right to criticize me or anyone else here."
Now Wedge Antilles glared at Dash Rendar.
"You speak like an Imperial, Antilles," Dash remarked. "Do you even care for your pilots or are they only useful tools to you?"
Wedge clenched and unclenched his fists. Rendar has gone too far now.
"You speak about something you have no idea about," the commander responded and turned to the bacta tank. It hurt him to see his friend being in this condition and he wished desperately he would have been able to prevent this. But he saw no reason to tell Dash about this. And he didn't need a smuggler and mercenary to twist the knife. He cast a last glance at Nomi before he turned and left the room, leaving Dash Rendar behind who didn't want to leave the woman he loved alone.

The young woman floating in the tank wasn't aware of the argument which happened in front of her. She gave in to the healing effect of the fluid with closed eyes. It wasn't a nice experience to hang in the tank, since bacta was sticky, but she knew that it would help her.
After a while she was pulled out of the tank, dried off, carried over to her room and put in the bed standing there. Dash followed and sat down at the bedside, taking Nomi's hand.
"I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," he said silently.
Nomi gave him a faint smile.
"A Loth cat has nine lives, Dash," his fiancée responded.
"Your damn commander, everything is his fault," Dash said angrily. "If it wouldn't be for him you wouldn't be here."
"You are right, I wouldn't be here, but in another way from how you see it. It was Wedge who saved my life. Without him I would be dead by now, Dash."
"Either way, it was him who put you in danger," he muttered, still angry.
Nomi sighed and leaned back on the pillow.
"You don't understand." The young woman said and freed her hand. "I wish you would."
Dash shook his head, being unable to explain his reasons why he wasn't content if it came to Nomi's decisions concerning her role in the rebellion. He was unable to speak about his fears.

Just in this moment Tarik entered the room. The winged alien frowned seeing Dash Rendar sitting at his friend's bed, but then he walked over and inclined his head to Nomi's fiancé before he took a chair and sat down.
"Hello, Nomi, how are you doing?" He asked with a worried expression. Maybe he should try to get along if it came to the man in Nomi's life.
"It's going better, Tarik," the young pilot responded. "The bacta seems to work miracles.
2-1B said that there won't be any scars left."
Tarik nodded his head.
"You are lucky," her old friend remarked. "But I learned that the guy you were supposed to meet on Corellia wasn't this lucky. There was a report in the holonet news that he was executed yesterday."
Nomi stared at Tarik, when it sank in what the alien just said.
"See," Dash said with a stern expression. "The Empire shows no mercy to those who dare to oppose it. You are walking a dangerous path, Darling."
"I can't help it, Dash," his fiancée responded. "I must do what must be done. Biggs died for the freedom of the galaxy. His sacrifice shouldn't be in vain."
Tarik nodded his head and looked at Dash.
"Nomi chose her path and I did the same. Nothing can change this, Rendar," the former smuggler said solemnly.
Dash looked first at Tarik then at Nomi and noticed in both their eyes their determination. He realized now how much they burned for the cause. Maybe they were right. He had experienced firsthand what the Empire was capable of. Rendar stood up, bent down and gave Nomi a kiss.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Honey."
Then he inclined his head to Tarik and left. There was a lot he had to think about.
It didn't take long and Tarik left as well.

But Dash and Tarik weren't the only ones who visited Nomi on this day. There was a knock on the door and then Luke Skywalker entered the room. The Rogue Squadron pilot watched him carefully and noticed that this wasn't the joyful and unconcerned Luke from her childhood back on Tatooine. He looked somehow haunted.
"They didn't tell me that you're back, Luke," she said as he sat down at her bedside.
"I've been here for two days, Nomi," her childhood friend responded, but there wasn't even the faintest smile on his face. "And was also in the med bay. It seems that both our missions failed."
Nomi raised an eyebrow and looked at Luke, who clenched and unclenched his right hand. She heard a faint noise as if servos were working. Skywalker noticed where the woman was looking.
"I paid the price for not listening to someone who warned me. Instead of rescuing Leia, Han and Chewie..."
He hesitated and took a deep breath. Luke was unsure if he should tell Nomi what happened in Cloud City. But she was one of the few he really trusted. So he plucked up the courage to tell her.
When he had finished his report, he looked at Nomi. There were mixed emotions to be seen on her face: disbelief, doubt, sympathy, even a bit of disgust.
"Vader must have lied to you, Luke. It can't be that this monster is your father," she finally managed to say.
Skywalker stood up and shook his head.
"It's the truth, Nomi."
There was so much pain in his voice. He turned and walked over to the door, opened it and left, leaving a baffled Nomi behind.

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