The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 42 - The Briefing

After several hyperspace jumps Home One and her escort ships had finally reached Sullust.
Everybody was prepared for a longer waiting time until the other fleets would arrive. Many of them would come from distant star systems and were forced to avoid a direct route to Sullust for security purposes.
There was a high risk to be discovered by the Empire and everybody was on high alert. The waiting time was filled with daily drills.
Luke Skywalker still wasn't back and his friends began to worry about him.

A standard month later the last fleets had arrived at Sullust. Oddly enough the Empire hadn't noticed the accumulation of warships. It seemed the Force was with them.
Nomi Darklighter fitted only with effort in her pilot gear and her X-wing as well, since she was in the 7th month of her pregnancy now.
She was called to Wedge's office and when she entered were not only her commander sitting there but also Dash, her future husband. The young woman wondered why she was called.
After the door closed behind her, Wedge pointed at a chair.
"Please take a seat, Nomi."
The pilot followed the request and looked at the two men expectantly.
"I noticed that you look pale and tired, Nomi," the commander said straightforwardly. "You need some rest and therefore you will not take part in today's drill. Dash is also the opinion that..."
Nomi cut her friend short.
"You can't be serious about this. I need no rest, I need to train. Without training I would be easy prey for every TIE. Do you want this to happen?"
Dash Rendar exchanged glances with Wedge before he spoke up.
"I'm afraid for you and our babies. All the stress can't be good," he said carefully, since he knew from experience that his fiancée had a short fuse.
"What use would I have for the Alliance if I won't participate in the possibly major battle?
You've heard Mon Mothma when she arrived onboard Home One and spoke to me. The Alliance needs every pilot available. I can't just sit and look on while my comrades fight and die. I want to do my duty. Don't take this from me."
She looked at the two men with blazing eyes and saw their emotions. There was worry for her, but also admiration for a woman who was ready to sacrifice everything in order to bring the Empire to its knees.
Wedge Antilles sighed, after he had weighed up the pros and cons. He had made up his mind and spoke as her CO and not her friend now.
"You will fly in combat and therefore you will also take part in the drills."
The young pilot smiled hearing this.
"Thank you, Wedge," she said, rose and left the commander's office, followed by Dash.
The former mercenary had trouble coming to terms with Nomi's decisions, but there was no way to change her mind.

Some hours later all personnel were ordered to the briefing room. More and more gathered there and the tension was palpable.
When Mon Mothma entered the room, the crowd fell silent and all eyes were on her.
Calm and serious looking, the rebel leader stood in front of those gathered and began to speak.
"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come. The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star."
An astonished murmur went through the assembled crowd, before Mothma was able to finish.
"Many Bothans died to bring us this information. Admiral Ackbar, please."
As the dead Bothans were mentioned, Dash, who sat at Nomi's side, flinched. Soothingly she put a hand on his arm.

Admiral Ackbar stepped forward and explained at a hologram the structure of the new Death Star and how they would proceed. Then he gave General Madine the floor.
"We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle..."
Nomi recalled it differently, since it was the shuttle they took to bring her to Home One after she had been rescued from Vader's clutches.
There were only a few who knew the truth and those were required to keep their mouths shut about it.
Dash gasped in surprise when he learned that Lando and Han were promoted to generals.
If he recalled right it was the fastest promotion ever.
Madine continued to lay out the battle plan, which would consist of two independent acting strike forces. General Calrissian would have the command along with Admiral Ackbar if it came to the fighter pilots and capital ships in battle, while a strike team commanded by General Solo was tasked to destroy the shield generator situated on the forest moon of Endor. When Solo asked for volunteers Leia and Chewie were the first ones who wanted to take part.
In this moment a familiar voice was heard.
"I'm with you, too!"
Everybody turned their heads in the direction where Luke Skywalker had just entered the briefing room.
Nomi watched her childhood friend carefully, who was surrounded by Leia, Han, Lando and Chewie, after the briefing was over. Something must have happened. Luke seemed to be matured. There was nothing left of the naïve Tatooinian farm boy he once was.

Leaving Luke alone, the four left to prepare for the upcoming battle. This gave Nomi and Dash the opportunity to have a few words with Skywalker.
The young Jedi was baffled when he saw Dash Rendar being sound and well.
"I believed you dead, Dash," he said, looking the man up from head to toe. "And I'm glad that I was wrong. And as I see you changed your mind and have joined the Alliance."
Then he looked at Nomi and noticed her pregnant belly.
"And you are pregnant. It seems like a lot happened and changed when I wasn't around."
The young woman gave him a big smile.
"Yes, Luke, I carry Force sensitive triplets. There is so much I have to tell you, but I think it will be better to wait until after the battle."
Skywalker looked at his childhood friend with a strange expression before he responded.
"I know what you want to tell me."
Nomi stared at him, wondering if he did the same as Vader did back in Bast Castle.
"Yes, and it will not happen again, Nomi," the young man answered her unspoken question. "We will meet after the battle. May the Force be with you."
He turned and left to head for the Lambda-class shuttle which would bring him and Han's squad to Endor.
"May the Force be with you," Nomi responded automatically, even though Skywalker was gone already, while Dash Rendar kept silent and looked at his fiancée in irritation.
But there was neither the place nor the time for lengthy explanations.

After Nomi and Dash had reached the main hangar bay as well they heard the loudspeaker announcements. Every pilot was ordered to man their fighters and to wait for the command to launch.
To their surprise they saw Lando Calrissian enter Han's beloved Millennium Falcon, but it seemed as if the circumstances demanded it.
Dash turned to Nomi, bent down and kissed her, not knowing if it would be for the last time.
"May the Force be with you," she said after the kiss and caressed his cheek.
The young woman smiled at her fiancé, before she turned and walked over to her X-wing, where Fuzzy was in his socket already.
When she had settled down in the seat and made the necessary preparations she waited patiently for the command to launch, which came a few minutes later.
One by one the fighters flew through the magcon field and assembled outside Home One.
Nomi looked in awe at all the capital ships and fighters which were floating in Sullust's orbit.
Fuzzy gave a flood of beeps and whistles, but this time she didn't care, being tensed up. The adrenaline was running through her body already and she itched to get the order to make the jump to hyperspace. Her hand lingered over the lever which would engage the hyperdrive.

Then the order by Admiral Ackbar finally came. Nomi pushed the lever forward and the stars resolved in the streaks and whirls of hyperspace.
The offensive of the Alliance had begun.