" She's an orphan, after all. "
A gruff voice spoke up, boldly catching the attention of the room. His statement demanded the eyes of his audience. There was a small hesitation in the group of elders, no one wanting to correct him nor deny the fact.
" She does have a living relative, an Aunt, I believe. "
Another voice spoke to end the silence, this time shifting the conversation to something less harrowing. There were smaller conversations happening now, each weighing the benefits that having the young woman would bring. One more member stood up, making eye contact with everyone in the room, before clearing her throat. The woman held the curiosity of the room.
" General Organa. "
One of the much older men spoke to her directly, causing a small smile to form on her lips. She spoke effortlessly to her audience as if she knew the answer to everyone's question.
" You're deeming this young woman's abilities, based on her lineage alone."
Leia Organa spoke not from anger or frustration, but from experience.
" I've met with her before, she will be an excellent addition to the others. Have faith.."
Leia's words were worth more than most, and collectively, they agreed that the young girl, along with a few others would be allowed to train at a secret location.
The meeting afterward would be brief, they'd talk about The New Republic and what these bright young Kids could offer. Ultimately deciding the fates of the young woman and men before they had even begun to train.
" You okay? "
June's eyes had lost their focus, as she stared off amongst the thickening tree line around them. Never in her entire life had she seen so much green. Her perplexed expression and lack of volume warranted the voice to repeat itself again, this time sounding more concerned. A friendly hand extended forwards to touch her, but upon instinct, she shifted away from her shoulder.
She didn't like people touching her.
It had started when she was a young child. Her parents had found out that she was force sensitive early, and were elated to find out that their daughter carried the Horlow gene, that had been passed down generations ago. However June wasn't that thrilled.
Still unsure of her own abilities, she would have terrible thoughts or visions whenever a person made skin contact with her. Not knowing at the time, that she was simply tapping into her natural abilities within the force. As she grew she could control who's memories or thoughts she prodded through and who got into hers. But the ugly memories had stuck and even now, she didn't exactly enjoy being touched. Especially by strangers.
Surprisingly, the young woman who had tried to get her attention immediately apologized and introduced herself.
" How rude of me, my name is Linn,"
The woman's voice was soft and sweet, gaining her attention for a few moments.
" Juniper. "
June spoke in a quiet tone, as to not draw any attention to herself. She spoke to the young blonde woman with little to no interest, trying to focus all of her attention on the new area they'd seemingly been abandoned in.
" Oh, pretty, like the planet? "
June looked at her, slightly confused. Her expression was beginning to give her away, as her lips hadn't even managed to muster a smile.
" No, like the tree. "
June's eyes looked over to the woman, as though she half expected the young woman to cry or insult her, but to her surprise, she only laughed quietly to herself and nodded.
" Did you hear who our teacher is going to be? "
The eighteen-year-old pressed June again, this time sparking her interest. June shook her head slowly, watching the young woman's eyes light up with excitement as she told her.
" Rumor has it, The Resistance specifically had Luke Skywalker come to this-this, " her hands flew up in excitement as she spoke, " this deserted island! "
She nearly squealed as she spoke, prompting some of the other ship passengers to look over to them in curiosity. Although the young woman's tone of voice had agitated her just slightly, the thought of a Skywalker, The Luke Skywalker, training her and everyone else here? It was almost too much to believe.
There couldn't have been more than ten of them in the lot. Everyone had been extracted at different locations and boarded onto a ship in the middle of the night. They'd been dropped off at an undisclosed location, given little to no information about why they'd been taken, and were now left to fend for themselves. Lucky for June, it was a lush forested Island.
" I heard that Han Solo's son is supposed to train with us too, "
" Han Solo, the war hero? "
June listened as more conversations grew. The excitement of the moment was finally breaking the bitter silence of the group, as the woman who had led everyone from the ship, began to look more and more nervous. Instinctively June could tell that their temporary guardian was not force sensitive, so where was their real instructor?
Everything would be answered in a matter of minutes as a strong welcoming voice boomed through the area. There were lush forests all around them, the only really clear spot to see was the minimal landing strip where their ships had landed, which was well over an hour ago.
A man emerged from the thick green brush, startling nearly everyone in the group. His discolored robes trailed behind him as he pushed past the large group of young men and women, boasting loudly for everyone in the area to follow him.
The man who had led them from just outside the ships and further into the island was quite old. His pale silver hair was short, showing his heavily receding hairline and deepening facial wrinkles. He waved impatiently at them, and slowly the group began to filter from the landing area and to a more closed in location.
The heavily forested area finally gave way, as a large settlement was displayed before them.
" My name is Icarus Lowen, and I will be assisting Mr. Skywalker in all of your training. "
The man spoke only once, both introducing himself and letting his purpose be known before heading into the settlement, with or without his group.
" My name is Leia Organa. I am the general to the growing resistance, that is putting all of our faith, in all of you. "
Not needing much of an introduction, Leia took control of the group almost immediately after they'd entered the settlement, letting them know their place in all of this. The general stood out in front of the group, her stern words and kind eyes drew affection from the group, not one person wanting to break eye contact with her as she spoke.
" For the next six months you will be training under the watchful eye of my brother, Luke, and when your training is complete, you'll be given your own military rank and sent out to defend those who do not have a voice. You'll be the hand that finally puts this bloody war to rest. "
Leia mentioned that the island that they were on was at the far edge of a quiet galaxy and that the odds of Snoke or anyone else from The New Order finding them, would be minimal.
They were given a small tour of the area, shown their individual rooms and specific lodging areas to train, shower and eat. June had finally gotten a good look at everyone in the group and assumed that there was no one underage. Everyone was at least eighteen years of age.
The small group was brought into a larger, open ceiling room that was expected to be a dining hall. It looked as though this area had, at one point, been some sort of vacation stay for visiting aliens or people alike.
" Juniper. "
It was very odd to be hearing her name called out so affectionately, so warmly. Her startled eyes looked up to the woman who had uttered her name, and to her utmost surprise, it was someone she'd never expected to be on a first name basis with; Leia Organa.
" General."
Juniper's face frowned some as she watched General Organa send a perturbed smile her way. The formal words didn't seem to sit well with the aging woman. The general reached forwards, leading the young lady over to a table where a few students were already sitting.
" I know that this must be quite a bit to take in, but I want you to know that I'll be just an earshot away if you need anything.
" Leia paused briefly before letting her hands fall from Juniper's shoulders. " I've spoken to your aunt just recently, and if you need to speak with her please don't hesitate. "
Juniper managed to push a small smile, her eyes still showing how uncertain she was with all of this.
" I knew your parents when you were just a young girl, Juniper," Leila's voice trailed off for a moment as she collected her thoughts. " They were some of the finest people I've had the pleasure of meeting. "
June's stomach turned onto itself as her emotions caught up into a ball in her throat. She managed to force a small smile as Leia led her across the room.
" Let me introduce you to my son, Ben, " Leia spoke again, but this time catching her off guard.
June turned her attention from her shoulder and to the table in front of her, where a nervous young man had quickly rushed to his feet to introduce himself.