The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 4 - Another Possibility

After a while Nomi Darklighter came to and looked around in the white room she was in. Monitors were beeping in a constant rhythm. She felt dizzy and her head hurt badly. When she touched her head carefully, she felt a bandage. The young woman tried to sit up, but regretted it immediately.
"Easy, Nomi," Tarik said, who was sitting at her bed. "You've got a concussion and the docs said you shouldn't move."
Nomi cast a glance at her friend and noted that his feathers were scorched.
"How are the others?" She asked, when she remembered what had happened hours or days before. The former smuggler wasn't sure how long she was out cold.
Tarik hung his head, before he answered the question.
"Chigrin didn't make it," he sighed. "Jenkins is severely wounded and still hanging in a bacta tank. The medics aren't sure if he will recover. If it comes to Pola, she was lucky and has only some minor burns. The Imps scored a direct hit."
"Your feathers look awful, my friend," she said and sighed, knowing that he looked this way because he rescued her from the inferno after the explosion.
"The next molt will fix this," the former smuggler said with a slight chuckle.
The young woman tried to sit up again. This time she managed to do so, since Tarik supported her.
"How long am I here already?" She asked holding her head. The room was spinning, she closed her eyes and lied down on the pillow again.
"You should rest, Nomi. We can speak when you feel better."
Tarik rose and smiled at his friend before he left the room. He was glad that their first task for the Alliance wasn't their last.

Several days went by when the only people Nomi saw were medics, nurses and Tarik. If she wasn't sleeping she stared at the ceiling.
One day the door opened after someone knocked and a young, dark haired man entered. He wore a pilot's coverall and walked over to Nomi's bed. After he pulled a chair over he sat down without saying a word. The young woman raised an eyebrow and waited patiently for the man to address her. After looking at the wounded gunner the man cleared his throat and spoke.
"So you are the woman who is assigned to my squadron?" He frowned and cast another glance, before he continued to speak. "But I think I should introduce myself. I'm Commander Wedge Antilles, the leader of Rogue Squadron. Since the Battle of Yavin we're in desperate need of pilots."
"Nomi Darklighter, but I think you know this already, Commander," she said and sat up carefully.
Antilles nodded his head and kept his emotions in check. "Yes, and I hope that you will be such a talented pilot as your late cousin was. Biggs told me about his childhood on Tatooine. How he and his friends flew in Beggar's Canyon."
The young woman smiled at Antilles.
"I was flying there as well. It was a lot of fun back then. Especially if it came to who would be able to fly through The Needle, Sir," Nomi said while trying to become more comfortable.
"I can imagine this," the commander responded with a slight grin. "But nevertheless I must test your abilities at the yoke, Ms. Darklighter. The medics will inform me when you are able to sit in the simulator." Wedge stood up. "Get better soon."
Then he left the room leaving Nomi alone again.