Kalon - Han Solo [1]

Chapter 16 : Play the Part

Tasha pulled the black shirt over her head and glanced in the mirror. She tossed the ripped one into the trash compactor chute, and suppressed a shudder. That wasn't an experience that she wished to repeat. The briefing room was almost full by the time she showed up, but she didn't want to waltz into an important meeting in a shirt that was barely covering her.

She leant against the wall, crossing her arms and sinking into the background, something she was well practised at. Luke sank into one of the chairs sat in front of the projector, smiling at her as he sat down. His orange flight suit looked good on him; it made him look more mature, his dirty blonde hair handsomely scruffed up. She smirked back, waving at him. Leia and general Dodonna walked in behind Tasha, and she acknowledged them with a nod. A few of the pilots acknowledged her as they walked in, and she smiled to them.

Han walked in as Dodonna began to outline exactly what they were up against, his eyes instantly finding Tasha across the side of the room, her green eyes focussed on the presentation.

Tasha knew Han was watching her as he came in, and caught his dark eyes with her green ones. He smirked at her, causing her to glare, turning back to the presentation, ignoring him. But there was that clawing, irritated feeling in the back of her mind that annoyed her; she wasn't used to people getting under her skin like that.

And it infuriates her. It scared her. If she let people get under her skin, then she became vulnerable, and if she became vulnerable . . . she didn't want to think about what dreadful things would happen to the galaxy if that happened.

"The death star's main weapons systems are designed around a single, large-scale assault; a small one man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defence."

"With all due respect sir," said a pilot in the second row, "what good are snub fighters gonna be against that." Tasha scoffed.

"Well obviously the Empire doesn't consider a small one man fighter to be any threat," Tasha said, "or they would have a tighter defence, but they shouldn't underestimate us,  right?" Shouts of assent travelled around the group, and Tasha smirked. Han watched her, smiling slightly. She caught his eyes again, a smug smile on her face.

"Yes, thank you." Said the general after a moment, "it is possible for a small one man fighter, to penetrate the outer defence. Once you do, you manoeuvre down this trench to this point." The computer flashed through the course the x-wings would take on this attack as the general spoke. "The target is a small exhaust port. When hit, it will set up a chain reaction that should destroy the battle station."

"And only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction," Tasha put in, "and the port is ray shielded so you'll have to use proton torpedos. Oh, and umm," she gritted her teeth in a nervous grimace, "the target area is only two metres wide." A series of uncertain mutters and comments sounded around the group and Tasha raised her hands to shush them.

"Hey, hey, hey!" she shouted to them, and the room fell quiet, all eyes on her, "I know it sounds impossible, but there's no help in sitting around here worrying about that. That won't help us or the galaxy or the people we're fighting for. That will only help the empire." The room was silent, all of them watching her, enraptured by the dark headed girl. Dodonna smiled; this was exactly what he needed Tasha to do. She was perfectly playing the role of the warrior princess he needed from her without even trying. The cameras rolled from the back of the room, capturing her brilliance perfectly.

"We are fighting for our right for freedom, something the empire seems to value less than the millions of lives its battle station has already claimed. We're flying up there to make sure all this doesn't happen again to someplace else, anywhere else. . ."

Han watched her, just as enraptured as the others, if not more so. It made him wants to put off his plan of leaving and fight alongside them, alongside her.

"Gentlemen," she glanced at Leia, who was eyeing her sharply, "to your ships, and May the force be with us." Her eyes caught Han's again, and she kept them there "all of us."