*Note: I wrote this fic prior to TLJ being released*
So here is my little pipe dream for a proper send-off for Leia now that Carrie Fisher has passed. Now, this fic will never be even remotely canon as Leia is actively present in the scenes I have written, but I felt as though she deserved a better send off than just having her death reported after the fact as is likely to happen in either episode VIII or IX now that Carrie has passed. Well I assume this as she had finished filming her scenes for episode VIII prior to her passing, and it was rumored that Leia was to be in episode IX as well but, given that they really can't recast the role, it would only make sense that they fit in an off screen death of Leia either at the end of episode VIII or the start of episode IX. But as episode VIII is not yet released and there has been very little leaked about episode IX this is, of course, speculation on my part. Of course there is the option of using CGI – which, don't get me wrong, is great and all – but I feel like it would be in poor taste to use the technology in this case. Yeah they used it for Rogue One and it worked out fine, and Carrie was cool with it, but that was to recreate a young Leia (which, realistically, could not be portrayed by Carrie) to suit situational plot needs. In this case it would be recreating a recent Leia as we most immediately remember her, and it just doesn't sit right with me. In my opinion it would be disrespectful to Carrie and her family, not to mention it wouldn't really be our Leia. So, that being said, I'll ask you to give me a little latitude on this journey into my imagination and I hope you enjoy what I've come up with.
This story is what I would have ideally liked to see happen at some point post episode VII (I see it as some point in an extended episode VIII and have written it as such, but it could be re-worked for start of episode IX as well), as a way to give some proper closure to Leia after losing Han while still paying homage to them as the iconic couple that they are. If you read "Han and Leia's Last Stand" you'll remember how much of a die-hard HanLeia shipper I am, and how less than impressed I was with how/when they killed Han off – and without Leia at his side to top it all off. That fic was my "screw the canon" fix to the problem. This fic is my "let's write my own canon twist that will never be actual canon because they've already filmed but the movie hasn't been released yet so who cares" fix to the situation. So at the risk of sounding redundant to those who did read my previous fic, my main issue was that they brought Han and Leia back together in TFA just to separate them again. Call it the hopeless romantic shipper in me, but I feel like when you have such an iconic couple you should really give them a fitting end to their story together, not one full of heartbreak and separation. That being said, I just had to find a way to reunite HanLeia at the close of Leia's story, even though Han is dead…so yes, that meant I had to find a way for Leia to die so they could be together again. This kind of also serves to address the fact that we have lost our beloved Carrie Fisher and won't be seeing anymore of Leia post episode VIII (the rumors about her in episode IX via previously unused shots/CGI have been really all over the place and contradictory so for the time being I will just assume episode VIII is the last we will see of her), and Leia dying is the only way her disappearing from the story would make sense. Let's be honest here, Leia isn't the type to just one day – after finally processing the reality of all she has lost – up and say "Fuck this shit, I'm done" then run off, never to be seen or heard from again, with no rational explanation to anyone (yes I had her willing to run off with Han in Han and Leia's Last Stand, but that was so they could be together and presumably the threat of the First Order would have been neutralized at that point). She has dedicated her entire life to the Rebel Alliance then the Resistance and has sacrificed nearly everything for this fight – she'd never just quit to go live a life of complete isolation, it would be totally out of character. Honestly, its Luke's job to run off and hide like a big baby when something goes wrong (come on, you know I'm right!). So here I present my version of Leia's end that stays somewhat true to the existing canon, at least what we do know for sure until episode VIII is released anyway.
This fic is very Leia-centric (well duh, lol), so I haven't written anything of what happens after the end of this fic in regards to everyone's reaction to her death and the continuance of the fight against the First Order. In case you really, really want to know – because I have no intention of actually writing these scenes out – I imagine the period immediately following Leia's death to be a period of great mourning for her loss (especially on the parts of Chewie, Poe, Connix, Rey, and Finn who had developed very close relationships with her over the various stretches of time they all knew her), but a quick return to the continued fight against the First Order – everyone now also fighting in honour of their General's memory. In my realm for this story Connix is, again, a general like in "Han and Leia's Last Stand", and takes over in Leia's place. I really loved seeing Carrie and Billie together on screen and how they gave Connix a version of the "Leia-buns", and I thought it would have been really nice to see a progression where Connix/Billie took over in place of Leia/Carrie – a generational passing of the torch if you will (maybe I have another fic in the making lol). So enjoy the story and let me know what you think.
As always, I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters, they belong solely to LucasFilm and Disney – I'm only borrowing them for my own entertainment and yours. All legal rights/licenses/ownerships belong to LucasFilm and Disney. I am not receiving any sort of compensation/payment – financial or otherwise – for this work.
Chapter 1: One Last Fight
The late afternoon sun beat down on a large forested area of D'Qar where an epic battle raged between the fighters of the Resistance and First Order Stormtroopers. The soldiers on both sides engaged in heavy blaster fire and explosive assisted combat, occasionally meeting in hand-to-hand battle. Mass casualties lay scattered about the forest floor like discarded rag dolls; small fires caused by errant blaster fire and detonated explosives burned through the brush of the forest floor, causing the air to take on a hazy quality with the resulting smoke. While both sides fought valiantly, the First Order seemed to be gaining quite a bit of ground and the situation was rapidly growing dismal for the fighters of the Resistance.
In a large clearing on the other side of D'Qar sat the remains of the Resistance base – a few bunkers and the command centre surrounded by various X-wings and Resistance transport crafts, with the Millennium Falcon resting in background watching over all that was happening like some guardian angel. All of the remaining personnel on the base were scattering about, preparing for evacuation, as Leia stood in the thick of it all directing various officers and technicians to their escape crafts, her blaster drawn and ready to fight.
Rey and Chewie came into view as they crossed the tree-line into the clearing, carrying Finn under the shoulders between them. He appeared to have sustained a shot to the leg, along with some other milder injuries to his face and torso. Upon seeing them approaching, Leia rushed over immediately to them, the worry evident on her face. Over the past months she'd grown very close to Rey and Finn, they being two of her last links to Han. They truly were wonderful young people, so full of fire and life, and they reminded her of herself, Luke, and Han in their younger days. And, if truth be told, they had made her feel like a mother again. Yes they were adults, but both had lacked parental figures growing up, and after losing Han they had all come together as something of a makeshift family. They had needed her, and she had needed them, and being there to help and guide them had given her purpose, as well as filled the motherly void that had been left in her heart when Ben had succumbed to the Dark Side.
"What happened?" Leia gasped as she came to a stop in front of them, looking over Finn's injuries and trying to estimate the severity of his condition. He'd only recently been cleared of his injuries sustained in his fight with Kylo Ren and she was deeply concerned he would suffer extensive setbacks with these new injuries so soon after.
"The First Order's landed troops on the other side of the ridge," Rey replied breathlessly. "They caught up to us as we were detonating the last charges on the observation deck. They're approaching fast and outnumber our resources still on base. We need to get out of here now."
"Get to the Falcon, we'll cover you," Leia responded briskly. She had been afraid it would come to this, and the fear in the young woman's eyes before her was all she needed to know that things had truly gotten to the worst point imaginable.
Finn looked up at her with confused eyes clouded over with pain from his injuries. "What do you mean you'll cover us? You're coming with us!"
Chewie whortled vehemently in agreement, only quieting down when Leia raised a hand to silence them all.
"I need to make sure the base is evacuated – I'll be on the last transport out of here. You need to go now while there are still enough of us left to delay their forces – Kylo Ren wants Rey and he won't stop until he gets her. This is your best chance to get out of here so you can find a way to defeat him," Leia explained diplomatically. As much as she longed to go with them and the idea of being separated from her newfound family pained her, she knew their safety had to come first.
"What about you? He's after you too…" Rey said in a small, child-like voice with concern evident in her eyes. She wasn't ready to face the possibility of losing the only mother she'd had since she was a very small child.
"I can handle it – "
"This isn't what Solo would want!" Finn interjected powerfully before Leia could say anything else.
Leia looked up into Finn's eyes then, her face hard but not unkind – more so guarded and trying to hide the pain caused by the mention of her husband, and the shambles that were the remains of her heart. "Han's not here," she said softly, though with a strength in her voice that let the young man know she meant business. "And I know he'd want you three to get out of here safely, so that's what you're going to do right now."
"But – " Rey tried to interject, but was quickly silenced by Leia's once again raised hand.
"This is not a negotiation," she said with finality. She activated her wrist comm then and spoke into the small speaker. "Black Squadron, stand by for air support of the evacuation of the Millennium Falcon."
Rey, Finn, and Chewie exchanged frustrated stares before starting towards the Falcon, followed closely by Leia.
Rey and Chewie laid Finn down on a cot in the Falcon's medical bay while Leia got the monitors booted up and gathered the wires needed to connect Finn to the screens so his condition could be assessed. As Leia hooked Finn up to the monitor he reached up and grabbed her hand, looking up at her with pleading eyes.
"Please come with us," he begged. She had been so kind to him, and she had been so important to Han – he felt as though he owed it to them both to try and help keep her safe.
"I can't," Leia sighed with a motherly smile. "You'll be fine – I'll meet you at the rendezvous point. Just rest now." She patted his hand affectionately then turned to face Rey, putting gentle hands on her shoulders. "Stay safe and trust your instincts. The Force is always with you Rey."
Rey pulled Leia into a fierce hug then, knowing all too well that there was no changing the older woman's mind and that it could very well be the last time they saw one another. "May the Force be with you," she said softly with a small catch in her voice.
Leia pulled away a moment later and gave the younger woman a reassuring smile before heading to the exit of the medical bay, laying a friendly hand on Chewie's arm and giving him a smile of farewell as she left.
Leia had no sooner exited the bay when Chewie went after her, finally catching up to her at the top of the boarding ramp and laying a furry paw on her shoulder to halt her movement.
"Chewie, please, you need to go while we can still cover you," she pleaded as she turned to face the Wookie with tired eyes. She was so tired of having to argue with everyone.
Chewie responded with a series of frustrated moans, eliciting an exasperated sigh and glare from Leia.
"I know what Han wanted! But it can't be that way, so will you please just do as I ask and get them out of here before it's too late!"
Chewie whined sadly at her outburst. He had grown to love the Princess like he'd loved Han, and he'd always promised his best friend if anything ever happened to him that he would protect Leia.
"I love you too Chewie," she said softly, regretting having lost her temper with him. "Everything will work out as it's meant to, ok? Now go – I'll see you soon."
Chewie hugger her fiercely then, as though he might not get the chance to again, and Leia returned the embrace warmly. After they parted he patted the top of her head lovingly and whortled a goodbye before heading down the corridor to the cockpit as she descended the boarding ramp.
Leia watched as the Millennium Falcon's boarding ramp closed and the ship made its ascent into the atmosphere before jumping to lightspeed, sighing with relief that her friends were safely heading off the planet. There wasn't much she could do to help the Resistance and those serving under her now, but she could at least face whatever came with the knowledge that she had gotten those nearest and dearest to her out of immediate danger. She was about to make her way towards the last of the transport vehicles when a series of small explosions erupted from the tree line, hitting several of the still stationary X-wings and transport crafts.
The Resistance personnel that remained on base began to engage in heavy blaster fire with the emerging Stormtroopers. Leia quickly became caught up in the blaster fight, firing shots in every direction as she made her retreat towards the transport vehicles, dodging explosions on her way. She managed to activate her wrist comm and shouted above the din that surrounded her, "All Resistance personnel evacuate base now! I repeat, evacuate now!"
Leia began to run towards the last transport craft still standing but fell under heavy blaster fire, taking a hit to her shoulder. She stumbled to the ground and rolled for cover behind the body of a destroyed X-wing, trying to plan another route of evacuation for herself. Her wrist comm suddenly opened to transmission, the voice of a Resistance officer patching through static interference.
"General Organa! Report your location, we'll come retrieve you!"
Leia peered over the edge of the body of the X-wing and saw Stormtroopers swarming the area – there was no clear path for her to exit, let alone for a rescue team to come get her. She lifter her wrist closer to her mouth so her message could be heard over the barrage of blaster fire and explosions and called out, "Negative! Evacuate now!"
"General, we aren't leaving you behind –"
"Evacuate now! That's an order!" she barked back, frustration and pain evident in her voice.
There was a rush of static on the other end of the comm before the officer's voice patched through once more. "May the Force be with you General…" he said with reluctance.
"May the Force be with you," she responded before hearing the transmission go dead. She looked over the edge of the X-wing once more to see the transport take off successfully, albeit under heavy fire. She breathed a sigh of relief, having succeeded in getting the last people she could off the planet safely. She scanned the area, searching for any way out of her predicament and a bit frustrated with the turn of events on her end – she really was in a mess this time. She settled back behind the X-wing, gripping her shoulder as a bolt of pain zapped through it, and her gaze fell to a duffle bag on the ground to the left of her. Upon a second look she saw that the bag was full of hand-held explosive devices.
"That could work," she mused to herself as she got up onto her knees and swung the duffle onto her good shoulder, albeit with some difficulty, then readjusted her grip on her blaster. She carefully looked over the edge of the X-wing once more and fired off several shots at a few approaching Stormtroopers, hitting every one of her marks. She threw a few explosives in the direction from where the Stormtroopers had approached for additional cover, then made a run for the tree line and the high ground. As she ran she intermittently tossed explosives in her wake, creating continued cover for her retreat and taking out a few Stormtroopers in the process.
However, despite her best efforts at evasion, Leia sustained another blaster shot to her already injured shoulder and one above her hip as several Stormtroopers began to close in on her. She was growing tired and her wounds bleeding profusely, but she refused to surrender. By some miracle of fate, or the Force, or whatever, she managed to push through the pain and make it to the cover of the tree line. She reached into the duffle and pulled out a remote detonator, then placed the duffle on the ground in a thick collection of trees before running several feet off and detonating all of the remaining explosives with the remote before running deeper into the forest.
The massive blast that followed caused the pursuing Stormtroopers to stop dead in their tracks so as to prevent their own injury from the explosion. A swatch of forest at least a fifty feet wide and of unknown depth burst into a wall of flame and smoke, blocking all visibility of the regions behind the blast. After watching the blaze for several moments with no sign of anyone running from the forest and the flames, the first of a group of three Stormtroopers took a few steps back and began to retreat from the area.
"No one could have survived that, let's head back to base," he said, his voice distorted by the large helmet he wore.
"But Lord Ren will want evidence of her demise," called another of the two remaining troopers, his tone clearly indicating that he was a younger trooper despite the interference of his helmet.
The third trooper scoffed and said, "What evidence? After a blast like that there won't be anything left."