Jax climbed into Alema's ship (which they had named the Protector) sitting in the copilot's seat. "Ready?" he asked Alema, who fired up the engines.

"More than ever," Alema said with a grin. "Training courses with the Captain are fun."

"More fun than staying at base," Jax said, grinning back at her. As much as he loved being a Fulcrum, it could get boring sometimes.

"Exactly," Alema said with a smile.

"Phoenix squadron, follow my lead," Hera's voice said through the comm. "We're behind schedule the way it is."

Alema smiled and followed Hera out of Atollon, where they made the jump to hyperspace.

"So," Alema said. "We've got two hours in hyperspace. What should we do?"

"Prank calls to the Empire?" Jax suggested. It was one of the things he and Ahsoka would do in hyperspace, and they would laugh until they would cry when they would get higher officials. They even called Tarkin's personal comm once.

"I like the way you think," Alema said, her smile growing.

----

"Phoenix Squadron," Hera's voice came. "I'm going back to base early. My second-in-command, Lieutenant Alema, will be in charge. Stay out for a few more hours, and then report back to base. I don't want you all staying out here without me."

"Scared you'll miss all the action, Captain?" Alema asked.

"You can't have fun without me, now can you?" Hera replied. "Phoenix Leader out."

"Looks like you're in charge," Jax said, sticking his tongue out.

"Lieutenant Alema, what are your orders?" Wedge asked.

"Survey the perimeter," Alema ordered. "Report if you see anything. Hobby, take a small group out to another system and tell us where the Empire is located. Report immediately if you all see anything unusual. Protector out."

----

After the two groups had reported back, they were back in hyperspace. Surprisingly, nothing new had occurred, and it had been peaceful.

"How did it feel to be in charge?" Jax asked.

"I don't want to rush things," Alema said. "But Hera needs to be promoted so I can take her spot. That was fun."

"Wait until you're in command during a real battle," Hera's voice came from the comm.

"Captain!" Alema yelled. "We're almost at Phoenix Base. We should be exiting hyperspace anytime now."

"How'd it go?" Hera asked. "Anything out of the normal?"

"No, surprisingly," Alema replied. "I had a perimeter sweep done and I also had a few pilots check out what planets the Empire had a blockade on. All was normal. All the information we had was correct. How's it there at base?"

"Zeb just had an issue," Hera replied with a hint of annoyance. "But we'll talk when you get back to base. Spectre 1 out."

The Protector exited hyperspace as soon as Hera hung up, and Alema landed the ship. Jax stretched his arms behind him. "That was fun. You're a really great leader."

Alema turned away from Jax to hide her blush. "Thanks. I had fun, too. It's been a while since we've spent so much time together."

Jax leaned forward, his lips inches from hers. "I know," he whispered. "But we're both busy."

Alema looked into Jax's eyes and Jax could see how much he meant to her. Jax was the one who had given Alema a family, and Alema was the one who saved Jax from the hardest time in his life.

"Are you two lovebirds done?" Hera asked.

Jax jumped, stumbling into the copilot's seat. "Hera!" he exclaimed, a blush taking over his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Asking my Lieutenant to give her report," Hera said bluntly. "Didn't mean to interrupt your make-out session."

"Captain," Alema squeaked. "Can I just give my report?"

Hera gave Alema a smile, all signs of teasing from a moment ago gone. "Of course. Follow me."

Jax let out a sigh of relief.