War {3}

Chapter 26

Leia was extremely restless, and trying her best not to show it. The evac ship had been in hyperspace for at least an hour, and the pilot said that it could be at least thirty more minutes until they reached the fleet. She wasn't a child anymore, but she had to admit she still became restless easily.

But now that she was a general she had a reputation to uphold, and if any pilot or citizen saw her fidgeting like a toddler they wouldn't exactly be impressed. Sighing, Leia put her comm used to contact Han away and situated herself so that she was sitting up straighter in her chair and checked her datapad, planning on catching up on Imperial news. It was imperative that she knew what was happening politically at all times, just in case there were to be a weak spot in the Imperial Senate system.

But before her mind could become fully distracted with the news a massive jolt rattled her mind, leaving her standing up and looking around before she'd even realized what had happened. Everyone around her was equally confused and concerned, and after calming them down she promised that she'd give them answers as soon as she knew them.

Leia raced up to the cockpit and looked out, seeing that the ship had dropped out of hyperspace. "Pilot, what's happened?"

"I don't know Ma'am." The older gentlemen declared nervously, his fingers running along the dashboard. "But for some odd reason the hyperdrive had frozen up."

"I'll get an engineer down there." She reassured him, squeezing his shoulder and waiting until she was back in the hall before frowning worriedly. This ship was in Imperial territory with a faulty hyperdrive, and the chances of being spotted crept higher each second they stayed stationary.

"If anyone knows how to inspect a hyperdrive, please step forward!" Leia declared as soon as she returned to the seating area, and the people inside exchanged whispers and worried glances until one young man stood up.

"I do, Ma'am." He squeaked, obviously terrified. Leia flashed him a reassuring smile and waved him forward while speaking to the rest of the crowd.

"Not to worry everyone, just a slight hyperdrive malfunction. We'll be up and moving in no time, but until then it's important that you stay calm and seated. I'll be back shortly."

Leia and the boy exited the seating area and headed down to the engine room, where the heart of the ship operated. The boy's grey-blue eyes flitted around the room nervously, more than once landing on Leia herself before continuing.

Soon enough they reached the engine room, and Leia opened the door manually because it was standard build for the engine room to have a manual door instead of the sliding automatic ones. The two exited down the ramp and into the hot, steaming room that housed the engine and hyperdrive.

Leia spotted the hyperdrive, but apparently the boy located it first because he started approaching it before she did. They reached it quickly with little to no interference besides ducking under and hopping over pipes, and Leia crouched down next to the boy and watched him work intently. His nervous demeanor had vanished immediately, and his blue-grey eyes now gleamed with determination as he carefully removed the outer shell of the hyperdrive to expose the wires and mechanisms underneath.

"What's your name?" She asked, her brown eyes diverting briefly to meet his. He smiled softly, and Leia was struck with how cute he would be to a girl his age. A boy like him would surely attract a lot of attention.

"Ailerto, Ma'am." He introduced himself politely, taking a brief moment to nod his head at her and smile before continuing his work. "But people call me Ailer."

Leia smiled before letting him continue, sitting back and watching as he deliberately disassembled the first inner coating of wires and inspecting each and every one for cuts or deficiencies.