Rebel {Luke Skywalker}

"to be a hero."

It was rather inspiring, thought Ace, to be surrounded by people who risked everything for the revolution and to get ride of the empire. They risked their lives, their comfort, their happiness, their families, everything just in the hopes that one day the empire would cease to exist.

     Yes, to Ace, it was all very inspiring.

     After Leia's brief debriefing with the Commanded, Luke, Han, Ace, and Chewie had been sent off into a war room briefing area. In the front was a large electronic display of the Death Star, which, Ace found out, had been the ship they were all on, with Leia and several other senators all on one side of it. The rest of the low-ceilinged room was filled with star pilots, navigators, and a sprinkling of R2 pilots, all listening intently to what Dodonna was saying. Dodonna was an elderly man who gave Ace a fleeting impression of Ben, who stood at the front, explaining the attack to everyone.

"The battle station is heavily shielded," Dodonna informed them all, "and it carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet. It's defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defenses."

"Yeah, not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate." Mumbled Ace to Han and Chewie, the three of them standing in the back. Han snorted, Chewie letting out a light groan.

"Pardon me for asking, sir," broke in Gold Leader, a rough looking man in his early thirties who stood up, "but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"

"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have tighter a defense." Answered Dodonna, Gold Leader slowly sitting down back into his chair. "An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station."

"He does realize that we helped get those, doesn't he?" Huffed out Han quietly, "And how much longer until we get the money? We've gotta get out of here."

"The approached will not be easy." Dodonna continued, warningly as he surveyed the room filled with eager soldiers. "You are required to move straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point," his fingers traced the path he spoke of along the electronic display, "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station."

A hushed murmur of disbelief ran through the room. Ace listened with rapt attention, leaning forward, hanging on every word, too absorbed for a person who was going to be ditching the entire base and leaving them all to die in minutes.

"Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction." Either ignorant or indifferent, Dodonna paid the talking no mind. "The shaft is ray shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes." He paused, "Man your ships! And may the Force be with you!" He added, effectively bringing the meeting to a close.

Loud talking filled the room now, light laughter and jokes hardly covering up the desolate mood that had overcame all of the pilots and navigators that now quickly made their way out of the room and towards their battle stations.

"I'll be right back." Said Ace to Han, unable to help the slight feeling of guilt that was creeping over her. "I need to use the bathroom."

     Han dismissively waved her off, in a rather heated discussion with Chewie over something ridiculous. Slipping away, Ace found herself in a much quieter and empty hall as she made her way into the bathroom. Doing her business quickly, she watched her hands, shaking water droplets off of them before reentering the hall, only this time it wasn't silent.