A/N: Here's chapter two! Thank you all who followed, favorited, and reviewed! It meant the world to me that you guys liked my first chapter of my first fic! Hope you like this chapter and please tell me what you think!
General Leia Organa sat alone with her thoughts in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon while it barreled through hyperspace. The blue color of it was vast and cold. She stared out at it, seemingly lost in thought. Leia's mind and heart kept replaying what had recently happened. She felt pain, the pain of her husband dying by the hands of their son, the elation and pain of reuniting with her twin brother only to lose him moments later, the pain having to watch her childhood friend sacrifice herself, the pain of losing almost all of Resistance in one swipe, and the pain of fully losing her only son to the lure of the Dark Side of the Force and the power of the First Order, again and again and again. It was as if her mind and heart was on repeat, like a record skipping and playing the events over and over again without her permission.
She felt weak when she knew she must be strong. Strong for herself, for her loved ones, for her friends, and for the Resistance, but her heart can't seem to shake it off and let her mind continue on. She let out a shaky breath as her vision blurred. She tried to fight the tears that form in her eyes, but one slipped out. This caused more tears to fall like a domino effect. Soon sobs choke her and she could finally cry with her heart's content.
She was unaware to her surroundings until giant furry arms fully engulf her shaking body. Chewbacca could hardly bare the sight of his best friend's wife and one of his closest friends sob so uncontrollably. He tried to comfort her, but it made her cry harder and more fiercely than before as she clinged to him. After a few minutes, Leia's sobs turned into quiet sniffles. Chewbacca roared softly as he caressed her hair. She gave him one last squeeze before she removed her arms from his body.
"Thanks, Chewie," said Leia, slightly hoarse from her crying.
Chewbacca growled reassuringly. Leia wiped her cheeks and eyes to get rid of the evidence of any tears that fell from her eyes. She needed to be strong, for herself and for the Resistance. There were trying times ahead and she needed to be able to lead the last remaining people of the Resistance to a safe base. She had one in mind, but she was still wary about it due to it being years abandoned. However, it was their only hope.
"Chewie, would you please get the word out there will be a meeting on what happens now in the lounge area?" asked Leia.
Chewbacca roared in affirmation and walked out of the cockpit, turning back at the doorway and sent a small smile in Leia's direction.
Rey, Finn, and Poe were back in the lounge area after talking to Rose. Rey was still a blushing mess after being called "pretty" by a high Rose Tico. After living on Jakku most of her life, she wasn't used to people calling her pretty. In fact, it was the first time that Rey could remember someone ever calling her that. Both Poe and Finn tried to smother their laughter at both woman's reactions, but they failed miserably. Even minutes after Rose passing out again, both men were just as red in the face as Rey, but for very different reasons.
"Okay! You two can shut up now!" exclaimed Rey, slightly annoyed with their antics.
"We're sorry, but both of your reactions were priceless!" laughed Poe as he wiped a stray tear from his eye.
"Yeah, that had to be the most hilarious thing I've ever experienced," grinned Finn," I can't wait for Rose's reaction when we tell her. She'll be as red as you, Rey."
Rey rolled her eyes at their antics. She wouldn't tell them she was looking forward to properly introducing herself to the person that helped her friend save the Resistance. She just wanted to do it when said person wasn't high on pain medication. To Rey, Rose seemed like a kind and brave person. She, also, wondered if they were going to end up good friends like how Finn and Poe were.
As Poe and Finn still joked about Rey's and Rose's reaction to each other and Rey sitting quietly, still thinking about the high mechanic that called her pretty, Chewbacca walked into the lounge area announcing that General Leia said there will be a meeting on what happens next in the lounge area shortly.
As Chewbacca left to go tell others, Rey, Poe, and Finn turned towards each other.
"Wonder if the General found a safe enough base for us yet," remarked Finn.
"Yeah, probably what this meeting is about," said Poe with a slight nod.
"I wonder where the base will be. There's only so many Resistance-friendly systems in the Outer Rim," said Rey, trying to think of a plausible planet.
"Wanna take bets?" said Poe with a slight grin, hoping both Rey and Finn would do it, "the one that picks the planet furthest from the one we actually go to has to carry Rose into the new base."
"Okay," said Finn and Rey at the same time.
"So I say Dagobah, it's remote and uninhabited," said Poe, placing his bet.
"I say Bespin 'cause it was neutral during the Galactic Civil War, so maybe they'd help us," said Finn, adding his bet.
"Ooh, good one," agreed Poe, patting Finn's knee with a smile, "How about you, Rey? Where do you think we're going?"
"How about Jakku?" said Rey with a teasing smile aimed at Finn.
"No! We are not going back there!" exclaimed Finn.
"I'm gonna have to agree with Finn on this one," said Poe nodding, "We've all had enough of Jakku to last a lifetime."
"Fine, then I choose Endor," said Rey rolling her eyes at the pair.
"Also a good one," hummed Poe, "My mom used to tell me stories about Endor and the Ewoks. Said they were the cutest and fiercest creatures she'd had ever seen."
"So, Endor, Dagobah, and Bespin," clarified Finn, pointing to Rey, Poe, then himself as he listed their bets.
"Yep," confirmed Rey and Poe, nodding.
People started to wander into the lounge area for the meeting that General Leia called. The General herself walked in with a sense of purpose. She looked at the remainder of the Resistance with hope and a tinge of sadness. Her eyes were slightly red, but her face held a small smile.
"Thank you all for being here," said Leia, "I know you all have been waiting patiently to know what happens next and what happens next will be hard. We have lost many great people, but we must continue on and fight so they don't die in vain. We're going to rebuild ourselves slowly, but surely. Because it's what we must do. We must fan the flames of hope. My brother…my brother gave his life so that the Resistance may persist in our mission to take down the First Order."
Leia's voice wavered for a brief moment during her last statement. Her heart still aching with his recent passing. She continued her speech strong and unshakable.
"Our new base is located on Eriadu in the Outer Rim. It's an old secret Rebel base hidden in the mountains," explained Leia. She activated a hologram of a star system map and pointed to the planet as she spoke.
"Eriadu? Wasn't that the home planet of Grand Moff Tarkin?" asked Finn.
"Yes, that's exactly the one," said Leia, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"You mean the former commander of the first Death Star? That Grand Moff Tarkin? And we're just setting up home base on his home planet?" questioned Poe as if he misheard.
There was a sly smile on the General's face. The irony of where the new Resistance base was going to be located. She was going to use the home planet of the man that blew up her own home as a Rebel base.
"Yes, Commander, that one," affirmed Leia, "We will be in orbit of Eriadu in about fifteen minutes, so be ready when we land."
People started to disperse out of the lounge area of the Falcon to get ready to land. Rey, Finn, and Poe stayed in there place at the long lounge couch.
"So, who lost the bet?" asked Rey, tilting her head to the side a little.
Both Finn and Poe looked at each other and grinned from ear to ear and then looked back at Rey.
"You," they said in unison, hardly holding back their gleeful laughter.
"What?!" exclaimed Rey, who was shocked she had lost.
"You have to carry Rose to the base now," beamed Poe, barely holding back his delight at his luck.
"Rey the Pretty Jedi, sweeping Rose off her feet," teased Finn.
"You two are unbelievable!" huffed Rey, a blush taking over her face, "Why are you acting like this?
"No reason," they said in unison again, side-eyeing each other. Both Finn and Poe agreed that they wouldn't stop until they got their friends together.
"Fine! If the both of you are going to cryptic, I'm going to go wake up Rose!" snapped Rey as she got up from the lounge couch and walked towards the crew quarters.
Finn and Poe made kissy noise as she left and Rey retaliated with a rather rude hand gesture she learned as a child on Jakku.
As Rey walked into the crew quarters, Rose was still fast asleep right where they left her. Rey couldn't help but admire how small and cute Rose looked when she was sleeping. Rey stopped in her tracks, her mind reeling. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, but they still lingered.
Rey touched Rose's shoulder and shook it gently, trying to wake her up. Rose's eyelashes fluttered as she came to. She blinked quickly as she woke fully.
"Hi," said Rey smiling softly, "Hopefully you remember me from earlier. I'm-"
"Rey. Yeah, I remember from earlier," blushed Rose.
"Do you remember…everything?" hinted Rey.
Yeah, sorry about that," winced Rose, "I was slightly out of it – not that you're not pretty, you are! It just slipped out because I was high on pain meds."
Both Rey and Rose were bright red after the confession, unable to process what just happened. Just then C-3PO walked into the quarters announcing that they have landed at the base on Eriadu.
"Thank you, Threepio," said Rey to the droid as he left.
Rey cleared her throat, "So, can you walk or would you like some help?"
Rose sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bunk bed and attempted to stand.
"I think I'll be okay with walking," said Rose as she tried to take a step and nearly fell straight down, "Okay maybe not."
"I could carry you, if you'd like," offered Rey as she awkwardly shuffled her feet.
"Are you sure?" questioned Rose, unsure if she should take up the Jedi on her offer.
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Rey put one arm around Rose and under her knees and lifted her gently trying not to irritate her injuries. Rose placed her arms around Rey's neck to hold on. Both of their faces were blushed scarlet as Rey carried Rose out of the crew quarters and out of the Falcon to where everyone was gathered at the entrance of their new base. Rey walked over to Finn and Poe where standing, along with BB-8, with Rose still in her arms. As they approached, both men (and droid) were smirking at how their plan was working out so well.
"So, Rose, how are you feeling?" asked Finn, genuinely concerned for his friend's health.
"Much better, thanks," chirped Rose.
"Yeah I bet," muttered Poe lowly so only Finn would her him. Finn could barely hold in his laughter at Poe's remark. He tried to disguise his laugh as a cough. BB-8 nudged his leg as if to tell him to be quiet.
"We should get you to the med bay, you know, if there is one," said Poe, looking at their new base.
"Yeah. Let's go find out and get you settled, Rose," said Rey walking towards the base with Finn, Poe, and BB-8 following her and plotting behind their backs.