Reunion (#3 Post-Order 66 Series)

Reunion - Part 26

Rex breathed a sigh of relief as the emerald orb that was Yavin 4 became larger in the viewport as he and Gregor made their approach to the moon. It had been an arduous week, but he felt that he and Gregor had at least been able to come up with a plan.

We'll start in the mountains on Fest and go from there. If we need to move, we've got plenty of other options. Lah'mu, Seelos, Maridun, Quell. There are plenty of places to hide.

He'd spent every night comming Senna, whether it was just a message or taking a walk to speak with her for a few moments. It was the part of the day Rex most looked forward to, and as much as he missed her at times, he couldn't deny it was better than the time he'd been without her.

To Rex, it almost felt as though taking the next step would bring him closer to the day he and Senna would be reunited. He knew Wolffe would require patience, but with the doubling of his remaining lifespan, he suddenly felt as though patience would be an easy ask. He knew Wolffe. His brother would recover, and when he did, Rex and Senna would start their life together, whatever that looked like.

We have a plan. We can do this. She's right, it will be better than it was. We can do this.

He wasn't so disillusioned as to think that there wouldn't be times that would be difficult, nights where he'd miss her so bad his heart would ache. But he'd taken time to consider where he'd been a year ago, lying awake and wondering if she was alright, if she was safe, if she ever thought of him. Now, they'd be counting the hours together, comming frequently, seeing each other as much as they could.

A marked improvement.

In a way, Rex found he was grateful for the time he and Senna had spent apart. It gave him a perspective on their current plan that made it easier when compared to what they'd already endured.

Just one last thing to take care of though.

He'd had Gregor make a stop on the way back at a metal worker's shop on Naboo, and he hoped Senna would like the idea he'd come up with. Now, as Gregor piloted their ship into the upper atmosphere, he ran his thumb over the identical metal bands he'd had made that were resting in his pocket, smiling to himself.

Senna was waiting for him on the tarmac as Gregor set the ship down, and he couldn't help but grin as she jogged towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his before settling back on her heels and gazing up at him.

"Good trip?" she asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so. We've got a place and a few back-ups scouted just in case."

"Whereabouts?"

"Fest."

He could see her smile falter for just a second, as if hearing the name of the place that he'd be made it more real to her, but her smile was back in place before he could really register the flicker of emotion, almost so quickly that he could have fooled himself into thinking he imagined it.

"Cold there, isn't it?" she asked.

"It is, but that makes it fairly uninhabited. Plenty of places up in the mountains for us to hide out and stay out of the way."

"A great place to brew spotchka," Gregor cackled from behind them. "There's a root that grows in those mountains that I've heard makes it even more potent." He winked as Senna rolled her eyes, giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze before stepping past the couple and heading towards the base entrance, his rucksack slung over his shoulder.

"Good luck with that," Senna joked. "You and Wolffe will undoubtedly be his test subjects."

"We'll see about that," Rex replied. "Don't think my gut can take too many trials."