Rogue Two (short story)

"Rogue Two" is a short story that was published in the 2020 anthology book From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back. It was written by Gary Whitta and focuses on Zev Senesca.
==Plot summary==
Senesca was among the Rebels stationed at Echo Base on the ice-planet of Hoth, where he flew a T-47 airspeeder under the callsign of Rogue Two. Senesca organized a betting pool for the worst thing about their new base, which pilot Dak Ralter won for betting on "too damn cold." Senesca and his fellow pilots liked to fly the airspeeders, but they were not operational for some time due to the cold weather and the squadron were forced to use tauntauns until the engineers were able to adapt their equipment.
When Rogue Leader Luke Skywalker went missing during a patrol, Captain Han Solo went in search of him. As news spread of their missing leader, Senesca, as the new first in command of Rogue Squadron, gathered the pilots in the barracks and started a new betting pool, saying the first Rogue pilot to find Skywalker would win a week's worth of wages off of his squadronmates. Ralter and Wedge Antilles wrote their names on the board, but when Derek "Hobbie" Klivian said that it was morbid, Leia Organa walked in and said that she thought it was a gesture filled with hope and that she was confident they could find him. The entire squadron then entered the pool. The following morning, Senesca led Rogue Squadron and located the two missing officers. Thinking of Organa's words, Senesca smiled to himself as he approached Solo and Skywalker, also remembering that he had won a lot of extra flight pay.
Soon after, the Galactic Empire discovered Echo Base, and the Rebel Alliance began an evacuation. During the subsequent Battle of Hoth, Senesca piloted his snowspeeder, with Kit Valent serving as his gunner. While defending Echo Base, Senesca's snowspeeder was hit by an Imperial All Terrain Armored Transport twice. The first shot damaged their snowspeeder enough to slow it down, making the second the killing strike that killed both Senesca and Valent.
==Continuity==
Leia rewards Luke Skywalker with the rank of commander and permission to form his own squadron after his incredible feat at the Battle of Yavin. However, Star Wars (2015) 55, released in 2018, instead depicts Mon Mothma promoting him after the Battle of Mako-Ta at the same time she promotes Leia to general and Han Solo to colonel.
==Appearances==
==Notes and references==
Category:From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back