"How did your meeting with Rieekan go?" Leia asked him.

Luke sighed. "I'm not really sure. He said he was impressed by my work so far, but he thinks that Wes might have pulled a prank that went over the line. He told me I need to find out who did it and report back to him."

Leia made a face that Luke couldn't quite interpret, but she didn't comment, so he continued. "I'm hoping it wasn't Wes. I actually don't think it is, but he's certainly the most likely suspect," he conceded.

"Why do you think it wasn't Wes Janson?" Leia asked.

"Rieekan said someone put water in the seat in Zev's X-Wing and it's frozen. It's damaged the wiring and it'll probably be out of commission for a while while we try to figure out where to get the parts. I just don't think it's something he'd do. Wes is a fighter pilot – he wouldn't destroy one of his squadron mate's fighter like that. Besides, the Rogues always tell me about his latest pranks and no one has said anything," Luke explained.

Leia seemed dubious. "If Janson knew he had crossed the line, would he own up to it? It might cost him his rank and placement with Rogue Squadron," Leia suggested.

Luke shook his head. "Wes wouldn't do that. The Rogues come first and if he was responsible, he'd come tell me then go to Rieekan himself," he replied, becoming more convinced as he spoke that Wes was not the culprit. "Anyways, it's getting late and I need to go tell Han I can't come tonight before I go speak with him. I should get going." He jumped down from his bunk and landed in front of Leia.

Leia nodded and hugged him. As they were parting, the door opened and Wedge stepped into the room. He seemed surprised and then blushed and stepped back out. The door closed and the small quarters were left in silence. Luke was confused for a moment until he realized how close he and Leia were standing. Leia cleared her throat and mumbled a good bye, then rushed out the door before Luke could say anything. She brushed past Wedge, who was standing outside the doorway with his back to the room. When he saw her pass, he nonchalantly turned and sidestepped into the room.

"So, nothing's going on with Princess Leia?" he teased.

Luke groaned and reached for his scarf, hoping to leave the room and escape Wedge's curiosity. When he stepped to the door, Wedge moved to block him. "No way, Boss," he said. "I've been a good boy and minded my own business but enough is enough. Do I need to find somewhere else to stay?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Come on Wedge. She's gone to bed for the night, and I'm telling you nothing is going on. We're good friends, she had a bad day, and we were just hugging. I'd hug you too but apparently you consider that foreplay and that makes me kind of nervous," Luke replied. He was rather proud of his response, since if he was going to be honest he would have to admit he really wasn't sure what was going on between him and Leia. They obviously liked each other, and he had certainly had a crush of some sorts since the very first moment he ever set eyes on her holograph, but he had always imagined a romantic relationship would be a little different somehow than the relationship he had with Leia.

Wedge chuckled and replied, "Well, all I know is that's the second time today she's been here."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, confused.

"She came here this morning looking for you. I told her you'd probably be in your X-Wing," he said.

"I was," Luke replied. "That feels like yesterday. It's been a long day, and she actually was looking for me to warn me about a meeting with Rieekan this evening." Luke filled Wedge in on the evening's events, and was relieved that Wedge agreed the prank seemed out of character.

"I think I should go with you to talk to Janson," Wedge said. "If he did do it, he certainly won't lie to the both of us."

Luke frowned. "Do you think he'd lie to me alone?"

"No of course not," Wedge said hastily. "I just think that with both of us there he'll understand how serious this is. Zev didn't say anything about it all day, so I don't think he knows yet. If Zev hasn't found out, Wes might feel inclined to keep quiet about it until he does."

"Well, then maybe you should come with me. I've got to go tell Han that I won't be able to come by tonight though. He was trying to get together some people for a game and I told him I'd be there," Luke said.

"I'll come with you if you'd like. Maybe having both of us questioning him will loosen Janson's tongue," Wedge replied and stepped aside to allow Luke through the doorway.

Han was easy to find, since he and Chewbacca had returned to the Falcon directly after eating. Han was lounging next to the Dejarik board barking unnecessary orders to Chewie, who was crouched on the floor tightening the bolts on one of the loose seats.

"About time you got that chair fixed," Luke commented. "I swear that thing was ready to go flying into the cargo hold the next time you took off."

Han gave Luke an annoyed look. "Like that's happening anytime soon, with Rieekan running this operation. I'm starting to think I'm going to die of boredom in this horrible place."

"Well, it's going to be getting even more boring. I can't make it to the game tonight. I've got some things to take care of, and I'm not sure how long it's going to take," Luke said.

"Well, some people like to say that duty comes first. Me, I'm more of a live for the moment kind of guy. But...if you're not going to make it tonight, can you at least loan me your wingman here so I can have an even table?" Han asked sarcastically.

"Sorry Captain," Wedge said. "This wingman's on duty tonight too. I'll have to catch up with you another time."

"Can't rely on anyone," Han mumbled as Luke and Wedge waved their goodbyes.

The walk back to the barracks wing was shorter than Luke would have liked. He hadn't worked out yet what he was going to say to Wes Janson. He was almost certain Wes had not been the one responsible for the prank, but he needed to be sure. He just hoped he could get an answer without Wes walking away from the meeting feeling unjustly accused by his own commander.

Wedge opened the door and stepped aside to allow Luke to enter the barracks room first. Luke stopped short when he cleared the doorway. The pilots barracks had gotten a lot more crowded since Luke had last seen it, before Green Squadron was also grounded on Hoth. Luke sighed as he surveyed the room. A row of bunks and a divider wall separated two halves of the cramped room, and he could immediately tell that the Green Squadron had the left side, while the Rogues had claimed the right. A few pilots Luke recognized from Green Squadron were standing to his left, engaged in quiet conversation. He could see another pilot lying on a lower bunk reading a datacard. The area around them was neat and tidy, which was a marked difference from the side of the room to his right.

It was standard operating procedure for pilots to keep their belongings packed at all times, so that the entire Squadron could be ready for an extended mission on a moment's notice. The long period of flight restrictions had apparently convinced the Rogues that they could be more carefree about their living space. Luke could see several bags on the floor, their contents spilling haphazardly onto the walkway between the bunks. There were several overturned containers spread through the piles of clothing that contained a few more personal items.

Hobbie, Zev, and Dash were seated around a one of the overturned crates, deeply engrossed in a game of Sabacc. Kasan lounged on a bunk behind them, watching the game, but clearly not interested in the proceedings. She brightened a little when she saw Luke and Wedge and crawled out from the bunk to salute. The other pilots did not look up from their game.

Luke gave Wedge a meaningful glance, and his normally laid-back lieutenant stormed towards the Sabacc game with a dark scowl on his face. There was a mad scramble as Luke's presence and his displeased expression was noticed by each of the room's inhabitants. When the Rogues finally formed a line along the far bunks, Luke stepped towards them.

"I realize we have been grounded for quite some time and while I encourage you to take this time to relax, high command would be highly displeased with the state of this room. What am I supposed to say if someone breaks a leg trying to get out of here in a hurry? I expect all of this to be cleaned up by the time we get back. Jansen, come with me please," Luke said. He worried for a moment his speech was overdone when no one moved at first, but then Wes stepped forward with a confused look on his face.

"It wasn't just me, Boss," he said quietly, and clearly a little worried. Wedge stepped up behind him and prompted him forward when Luke turned to leave. He led them into the hanger bay and walked towards the line of frozen T-47 snowspeeders, well out of the way of any casual passersby.

He propped himself against the silent machine, and jumped as he felt the cold metal even through his suit. He gave the speeder an annoyed glance and turned to face Wes. Wedge stepped up beside him.

"I'm not interested in wasting your time or mine, so I'll get right to the point. I've been told someone sprayed water in the cockpit of Zev'z X-Wing. It's frozen and destroyed some electronics. Some people have assumed that you're the culprit. I've assured them you would not do this, and if you had you would have reported yourself to me or Lieutenant Antilles," Luke said sternly and unconsciously leaned forward for Wes' response.

Wes was quick to agree. "No sir!" he said adamantly. "Even if I had done it, like you say, I would have turned myself in."

Luke could feel Wedge relax beside him, and his lieutenant took a casual step towards the other pilot, which served to give his question a more conversational tone. "Do you know anything about the incident?" Wedge asked.

Wes turned his attention to Wedge and Luke could see the confusion in his face. "No sir. I didn't even know about it until you told me just now, and Zev hasn't said anything about it," he said.

"Do you know anyone who has motive to do this?" Luke asked.

Wes raised his eyebrows. "You mean a malicious motive? You don't think it was a prank?"

"I'm just trying to consider all possibilities here," Luke assured him. "I don't know of anyone who would try to pull a stunt like this as a prank."

"Me either," Wes replied. He glanced from Luke to Wedge and back again. "Sorry, Boss," he said. "I was telling the truth when I said I know nothing about it. I don't even have any guesses. Can't imagine anyone has a problem with Zev."

"Thanks, Wes. You can go on back now, and send Zev out here to talk to us. I need to get to the bottom of this," Luke said.

Wes gave him a sharp salute and walked briskly off. Wedge grinned. "You sure put some spring in his step. I think they were all shocked to hear you take such a hard line on them," he teased Luke.

Luke blushed. "I was just furious seeing what their side of that barracks looked like. Commander Crynyd's pilots keep their area spotless. It makes the Rogues look bad, and it makes you and me look bad."

"Oh I agree with you, Boss," Wedge hurriedly replied. "I wasn't criticizing. I think it's good for you to keep them on their toes. You're a laid-back Commander, and that's why they're all so loyal to you, but you also can't let them take advantage of you."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Zev Senesca. After grilling him for twenty minutes, Luke was still no closer to solving the mystery. They interviewed each Rogue member individually until at last Dash Rendar stepped into the hangar bay.

"I heard all about it from the others," Dash said as he walked up. "I got nothing to tell you except I did notice a fellow who doesn't seem to care much for Zev. It's just this one little thing, and I would have gone on thinking nothing of it weren't for how things have gone down around here."

Luke gestured to the hangar transport Wedge had pulled over for them to sit on while they conducted their investigations, and Dash flopped into the drivers seat. He draped his left arm over the controls and turned to face Luke beside him. Wedge was propped behind Luke, sitting on a container.

"Thing is, I can't figure out why this guy would do this. I mean, it's not exactly a great prank to pull on a grounded pilot," Dash continued.

Luke held up his hand. "I'll worry about the why. You just tell me what you know."

Dash was clearly annoyed by Luke's comment. "Fine, however you want to handle it, Boss," he said. Wedge shifted on the container behind him and cleared his throat. Dash rolled his eyes and dropped the issue.

"A few days after the Greenies moved in, Kasan was having little trouble with one of the pilots. Not real trouble," Dash hastily added when he saw Luke and Wedge both sit up sharply after hearing that piece of information. "He was just being annoying that's all. And she couldn't get him to leave her alone. Hell, he was bugging everyone else too, even his own Squadron. We'd all pretty much told him to shove off by that point, but he still wasn't getting it. Zev was the one who finally got fed up enough to stand up and give this guy a real warning. Mind you, all he did was push the guy a little. The Greenies all jumped up like we were gearing up for a brawl, but they pretty much relaxed when they saw it was just Zev. Except for this one pilot.

"I'd not taken much notice of him before that day. He pretty much kept to the Greenies just like most of us keep to ourselves too, but I never liked the look of this guy. And that day, I decided I really didn't like the look of him, when he stalked on over to Zev and gave him a shove in return. Now, you know Zev, he didn't have much in the way of a reaction, just asked the pilot to help his annoying friend to bed so we could all get some rest. I thought for a second I might actually have to get out of my bunk and take this guy down. He was clearly ready to get into it with Zev, but he backed down when he saw me and Tarrin ready to jump on him. That was pretty much the end of it. The Greenies went back on their side, and we went on to sleep," Dash concluded.

"Why didn't anyone else mention this other pilot – what's his name?" Wedge asked.

"Pretty sure his name is Hund. We did formal introductions and all when they moved in, but I don't remember every one," Dash replied. "And as for why no one else mentioned it, well I didn't talk about it while I was in the barracks. Didn't want to with the Greenies sitting on the other side of the wall, but I wouldn't be surprised no one thought of it. Zev clearly thought they were all just drunk. Tarrin and me were the only ones who had a really good view of what happened, and Tarrin's not as suspicious as I am. It wasn't a big incident, but I am certain that guy had some kind of grudge against Zev that he doesn't have against the rest of us. I don't know if it's enough to ruin his fighter, but it's clear he doesn't think much of Zev."

Luke rubbed his brow as Wedge thanked and dismissed Dash and then swung around to sit beside Luke. "Interesting story," he murmured. "Rendar's not been around that long, but he seems an honest sort. And I will admit he's more perceptive than most."

Luke lowered his hand and gazed through the front view port. "I have a feeling what Dash told us is an important piece of information. I just don't like where this is going," he replied.

Wedge nodded and chewed his lip. "Yeah. I can't imagine you'll get very far going to Commander Crynyd with a small incident like that."

"Maybe, maybe not," Luke replied. "He seems pretty friendly. I might be able to turn it around so I'm investigating possible bad behavior on Zev's part."

"That's stretching it a little," Wedge said. "It'd be more believable if you sent your lieutenant to talk to this Hund than if the commander of Rogue Squadron himself shows up to investigate a pushing incident in the barracks that didn't go any farther than that."

Luke chuckled. "You're probably right. See if you can talk to this Hund fellow, and find out the name of the drunk one Dash talked about. Talk to him too."

"Will do, Boss," Wedge said as he stood and stretched. "This is starting to get a whole lot more interesting," he said. Luke couldn't help but agree.