A/n: I know I'm awful at sticking with things, but now that I'm stuck in the hospital, what better time than to rewrite this story AGAIN and continue it? Enjoy!


Wild, Caged, and Free

Chapter One: Away from Home

Twenty years later...

Bridgette opened a can of soggy noodles. She scrunched her face at the sight, but food was food and she needed the energy to sustain another day of training in back alley beside her house. The alley was just dark enough for no one to notice a Force-user practicing away with a stick and using the force to shatter garbage bins and thrown out boxes. So far, she went unnoticed.

She wrapped her fork around the noodles, swallowing the forkful whole. Her taste buds begged for something different as it reeked of expiring ages ago. There wasn't much choice in the matter. It was difficult enough to find whole cans of food let alone ones that hadn't already expired. No one down on level 277 of Coruscant threw out good food. Only the rich could pick and choose to throw away perfectly nutritious meals because they had plenty more where that came from. Down on level 277, there weren't any rich families. None that she knew about anyway, because if she did, she would be sneaking through their garbage trying to find better food than expired noodles from a dented can.

Just as she took her last bite, she felt a familiar aura in the Force: her birth father.

Immediately, she ran to the door to open it up for him. She did this every time in hopes that there would be a happy greeting—or at least one that didn't have him drunk off his rear as he was right then. Still, she mustered up a wide smile for him.

He was clearly drunk before arrival. The rims of his eyes were red while the rest of his eye was completely bloodshot. Whenever he tried to speak, it only came out in mumbling nonsense in which the only thing she could truly make out were the words "I'm sorry".

"No need, father. How about we go to fair-front and get something to eat?" she suggested, hoping they could do something fun.

He nodded. "I'll take a nap. Then we go," he managed to slur.

Bridgette's father walked past her then, walking up to his room and shutting the door behind him. This wasn't out of the norm. This happened every time; almost exactly the same as if this scenario was stuck on an endless loop. Yet, she kept trying each time to greet him kindly and strike up a conversation about his adventures. Of course, the end result was always the same. There was never any progress. In fact this was the most progress there had been. Soon, they would be at the fair-front munching on some cakes and drinks and hopefully he can sleep off the alcohol before then. That would make up for his long absence.

Her father started leaving for long stretches of time soon after her mother walked out on the both of them. He was a horrible wreck after that day; the alcohol and extended leave being the physical evidence of that. Sometimes he would leave for months on end only to come back for a few days. Other times, he would be gone for years then come home for a mere few hours. Sad to say, Bridgette sometimes felt he was a stranger.

Because of an absent father, when she was younger, she had to scavenge for food after everything in the house had been eaten. The younger she was, the harder it was; however, she made a good friend with one of the smugglers doing business on level 277 who was able to teach her tricks to survive whenever she was on her own.

She stepped out, heading south down the street. It was the skills that Han the Smuggler taught which helped her now to sneak into one of the club's kitchens and snatch herself a few rolls with sauced meat stuffed inside.

What Bridgette learned entirely on her own, however, was to toy with some of the people she dealt with whenever she was caught. She relished the teasing and playing with them like a child poking fun at another to chase them. Like a game of tag.

The kitchens were empty. Through the hole in the wall, she could see the chefs serving the food to those sitting at the bar. Taking this opportunity when no one was looking, she added a few cans of non-expired noodles and beans to last her three days. Bridgette regretted not bringing a bigger satchel before leaving her house. She would have been able to take a lot more with how long the chef's took chatting up the customers wearing scantily clad outfits.

The few cans and bread would have to be enough for now.

Bridgette went back out the kitchen door and into the alleyway. She debated on going back home or finding another restaurant or club to wander into. She stood outside the club for a moment, looking out onto the the landing platform where ships and transports settled from the above levels. Looking up into the far away sky, a familiar ship came down, resting on the platform. It's ramp came down in a cloud of smoke revealing a tall furry creature groaning as he stepped foot on the dirty ground of level 277.

She ran to him as fast as her feet could take her.

"Chewie!" she exclaimed, jumping up to hug him tight around the neck. The hair on his body tickled her arms.

Chewbacca moaned in excitement.

"Hey, kid." Han Solo stepped off the ramp as coolly as ever with a smile that never aged.

"How was your adventure?" she asked.

Chewie answered before he could with a loud, annoyed groan.

"That much trouble, huh? Well, can't say I'm all that surprised." Bridgette gave a sly smirk to Han in mockery.

Han cocked a brow and pointed a finger at her. "Listen, kid. You try dealing with five different clans who are as impatient as Jabba the Hut. Then come and tell me how little trouble you would be in."

"Okay, I concede. So what brings you back down here in the dark basement of Coruscant?"

"You did, actually." The ramp closed, sealing itself as Han searched for words. "The Resistance is in a bit of a predicament. I figure you may be able to help. The First Order has a weapon that can destroy systems. It appears they found the Resistance base and are planning on using their weapon to destroy the planet."

Bridgette felt a pang of sorrow for Han and the rest of the Resistance. This wouldn't be the first time Han asked for help. She declined every time for various reasons, most of which were hard to explain.

"I don't think there is anything I can do. I'm not sure how can help. Sounds like it's too late. We should probably be evacuating the Resistance now."

"Well…" Han hesitated again, rubbing the back of his neck.

She narrowed her eyes, knowing full well that he was hiding something.

"I know it's a lot to ask knowing so little about all that's been going on, but we could use the help with the Resistance."

Chewie hissed at him, ashamed that Han was holding back the full story from Bridgette. If Han was holding back, things must have been really bad with the Resistance. Did she even want to know what was going on? Her life here was no fairytale but at least it was a simplistic life where she didn't have to worry about anyone but herself. Selfish as it may sound, Bridgette always found it difficult—almost exhausting—when there was someone else that needed help. Normally she would avoid it completely, which is precisely why she always turned Han down whenever he asked her to come with him. Here, it was just that much easier and predictable.

However, the itch to leave was always there inside…growing greater by the day.

"What is it you clearly aren't telling me?" she asked, raising her brows in earnest.

Han sighed. "That might be better for my wife to explain. There's a lot to do and discuss, but you might be the only one who can help us."

Chewbacca groaned again stating that that wasn't completely true. She stared at the both of them, debating whether or not to push further. Clearly, Han was in slight distress with telling Bridgette much of anything. She could go with him, have a new adventure. Or, she could stay here where it was safe and familiar. Twenty-five years of familiarity was hard to break.

A stumbling figure caught her attention just as she opened her mouth to speak. The figure was only fifty feet away, handing money over to a dealer leaning against his rusty speeder. Her heart sank watching the transaction. Her father. Her jaw clenched and her eyes burned with water. Turning quickly away from the pathetic scene, she nodded to Han.

"I'll go."

Han's eyes lit up. "Great. Do you need to go pack? Chewie and I can help carry your things to the Falcon."

"No, I'll be quick. I only have a handful of things," she said, already making her way back to her house. She had to be quick. If her father were decide to come home, she didn't want to run into him having made the decision to leave level 277.

She opened the front door of her home, feeling an overwhelming sense of loneliness creep over her despite knowing Han and Chewie were only blocks away waiting just for her.

In haste, Bridgette put away all the rations she took from the club into the cabinet. She was sure she wouldn't be needing it at the moment.

She walked up to her room, hoping for a sense of nostalgia that might change her mind about leaving. It had been quite a few years since she went in there. Whenever she slept, her arrangement was on the couch downstairs. She tried to avoid it because of the painful memories of being abandoned by her mother and frequently left by her father.

The room was almost entirely pink. No one ever bothered changing anything about the room as she grew older. It stayed the same. The same childish stuffed animals and small rocking chair in the corner. It looked like a little girl's room—an infant's room—not a woman of twenty-five years of age.

Even so, she loved the child-like feel of it. Her favorite part of the room was the picture on the nightstand. It was of her as a very small infant being held by her mother with the picture of Han, little Bridgette, and Chewie in front of the Falcon tucked in the corner of the frame. A smile crept to her face as she recalled the memory.

The picture of her mother and herself as a baby was just as smile-provoking. She never once saw her mother happier than in that picture holding her closely to her chest in a hospital bed. It must have been easier for her mother to like her back then. It's impossible to hold a baby and not be joyful. Sometimes Bridgette would wonder what happened for her mother to never show her love like that again. At least, as far as she could remember before she left, her mother never showed as much as she did when she was born.

Bridgette snatched the picture frame with her favorite pictures, shoving it in her forest green sack. The only things she packed were a few trinkets and her only other pair of clothes. She didn't need to take another look around the room. She had little doubt she would be back again in hopes to see her father.

Tyeing the sack closed, she went straight back to the Falcon where the ramp was opened for her to board.

"Hey, kid!" Han said with his crooked smirk. "Ready for a new adventure?"

Bridgette nodded, smirking with confidence as if she were truly on a mission to save the Resistance. "Ready as ever."

"That'a girl!"

Chewie groaned in approval.

"Well, it's good to finally convince you to join us, kid." The two of them started up the Falcon, lifting off the platform and flying up to through 276 levels of Coruscant to the surface.

Each level you went up, the cleaner and brighter it became. The sun's rays leaked down into the higher levels making the estates glisten in their bright green lawn. The sight was magnificent. Never in all her years did she believe houses could get so big or bright.

Han kept his eyes on the path as he said, "If you look in that brown satchel, there is a present. It was Leia's when she was a little girl. Her adoptive parents gave it to her, saying that even when we are older, we should always keep like a child. We need to remember the fun, the innocent times in a world of Darkness. She was given this doll around the time of the rising Empire. Leia said it reminded her of you now and thought you should have it. Says your like the daughter she wished we had. I don't doubt she always felt outnumbered with just Ben and I." He chuckled at that last part. "You are a daughter to us, know that."

Bridgette searched the satchel, taking out a doll. She smiled at it, but then looked up, frowning. It was a strange gift to give a grown women; Han must have mentioned to his wife about her absent parents. Pity wasn't something she appreciated, but she tried her best to appreciate the doll despite having never met Han's wife in person.

"Thanks," she managed to say. Though the gift was sweet, Bridgette couldn't help but be distracted by all the beauty of the surface of Coruscant. There was so much beauty in the shining skyscrapers and the high-tech speeders and ships that ran around the cities. So much to look at and so little time as Han put the Falcon into space, initiating hyper-speed.

Coruscant disappeared into nothing.

The Rebel base was underground, partially hidden except for the garage of fighter ships. Pilots of all species and races were working on their vehicles, others were chatting with one another, drinking from canteens. Ships were flying in and out of the base, so their landing went almost unnoticed.

Two figures approached the ship. A dark-haired man and a short, older woman both confidently strolled up to Han. The woman embraced him fondly.

"So this is the Bridgette I've been hearing a lot about." The woman's eyes landed on her admirably. They glistened with a happiness that shocked Bridgette after hearing the claims of the Resistance being in such urgent trouble. Such behavior didn't suit the situation. In fact, it seemed that everyone was rather happy or at the very least, not concerned at all with the impending weapon that could destroy an entire system.

The man with dark hair and charming smile extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. Can't believe how well this day is turning out. Not only do we have a treaty to end the war, but now we have a second Jedi in training on our side. Couldn't get any better than today, isn't that right, General?"

Leia beamed at him. "You are quite right, Poe. Today is a day to celebrate, which is why I'm glad you decided to come with Han. We are having a big dinner tonight. Would you like to join us, Bridgette?"

"Can't imagine what else I would be doing. I'm already here, I might as well." Bridgette put her hands behind her back, tugging at the ends of her hair. They all just stared at one another awkwardly for a moment.

"Alright," Han said, breaking the silence, "How about we show Bridgette around?"

Leia agreed, leading the way into the base.

There were more Rebels than Bridgette ever dreamed off. The halls and rooms were teeming with people and creatures chatting about everything from war stories to family problems to what their favorite sport was to watch on the holonet.

"Most of these rooms are just for seating and lounging about on our off days when there isn't anything to be concerned about," Leia explained as she led them down hallway after hallway, room after room. "This is the cafeteria. We serve three meals a day at seven-hundred, thirteen-hundred, and eighteen-hundred. This is the room with vending in case three meals a day isn't enough for you—"

Poe inserted himself. "Trust me, the vending is a life saver. Don't forget to stock up on snacks before you go on a mission. First time I did that, I will never make that mistake again."

Bridgette faked a smile at his attempt at humor. Hard to laugh or pay much attention to what they were saying when she was trying to take everything in. She couldn't remember the last time she saw anything new. Not to mention this was going to be her new home. That in itself was terrifying. Of course, she won't be showing her fear.

"This is the hallway where all the bedchambers are. Everyone is assigned a room. None are shared for any reason, so you will be getting your own as well." Leia pulled out a key, handing it to Bridgette. "Yours is room 124. I can have Poe bring your things to your room if you like."

She shook her head. "I just have this sack."

Now there was pity in Poe's eyes.

That made her feel sick and her blood boil. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not materialistic," she hissed.

Han chuckled. "Okay, let's keep this tour moving."

Leia escorted them all to chamber 124 where Bridgette dropped off her belongings before they continued to the tour. She brought the lot of them to a large room with a circular table in the middle. Monitors lined the walls and a holoboard three times the size of Chewbacca hung above the center ceiling. It was a room full of technology Bridgette never saw before, and it was difficult not to run in and burst out into a million questions about what each thing does.

"Neat, isn't it?" Poe asked, coming up behind her.

"Of course," she said, smirking, "But my guess is you couldn't start up even half of what is in here."

Han coughed, hiding a laugh. "Sometimes Bridgette can be a bit rude. To everyone. Try not to take it personally."

Poe cocked a brow. "Sounds personal to me."

"Because it is," Bridgette said.

He gave Han a look that said I told you so.

"Alright, children," Leia piped in mockingly, "Now this room is for missions only. We don't spend a whole lot of time in here unless it's our tech staff who keeps an eye out on information being brought in and other observations across our security cameras located all around the base. There is also a medbay here but hopefully knowing where that is located won't be necessary for you. I've got to get back to Lady Hux on some things before we have our dinner tonight."

The General walked out with Poe tagging along behind her. "Nice to meet you, Bridgette," he called out without so much as looking back at her.

"I think you made quite the impression on Poe," Han said with a loud laugh. "You know you could be nicer."

Bridgette rolled her eyes. "Says you! You make fun of people all the time."

He shrugged. "I've never really abided by what I teach."

She sat at the edge of the bed in chambers 124. She stroked the doll's hair, wondering what in all the galaxy made her come to a strange planet with more than enough strangers to fill the first five levels of Coruscant.

Well, the answer was easy; however, she was still in a state of shock that a wave of emotion brought her to agree to Han's invitation to join the Resistance. Her whole life she tried ignoring the disappointing times when her father fell through on his promises. There was no surprise that he was out getting more for his fix than going to the fair-front but it bothered her all the same, pushing her to make irrational decisions.

Would she go with Han if her father hadn't disappointed her? The Resistance was in trouble, Han told her one last time, but that wasn't enough all those times before to leave her home.

She went through her satchel and pulled out the picture of her and her mother. Bridgette got her mother's long golden locks. Her father's dark brown hair somehow didn't overcome the her mother's genes.

Bridgette stroked the picture, wishing things had been different twenty years ago. Whatever made her mother leave, she felt as though she would never fully know or understand. Every time she asked her father, he ignored her and rummaged the cupboards for alcohol. He never spoke of her, never dared touch the subject. It was like stepping into a minefield.

Yet, there was a treaty. If there was a treaty, that meant no war. If there was no war, why did Han say that the Resistance needed her help? Maybe it was silly to question why there wasn't a war. After all, she may not have helped, but she would get to enjoy the aftermath with a nice banquet dinner to celebrate. Food was always nice. Just the thought of it made her mouth water. At the moment, it was difficult to picture the possibilities of food she would get to try.

The clock above the door read seventeen-fifty. She supposed by the time she walked all the way down to the cafeteria, the banquet would start. Putting the picture on the stand next to the bed, she stepped into the hallway with a few others coming out from their chambers and made her way to the cafeteria.

As she walked, she kept wandering just why Han asked her to come here as if there was still a war ensuing.