A/N: Ronny is back with a new chapter, kittens! =)

Politics, politics… I hate writing about politics. But the galaxy is in the middle of the war, so we need to leave our favorite pair for a while and dive into the depth of intrigues and strategy. Skywalker twins are starring in this chap.

I would like to introduce a new member of our "The Star Nightingale" spaceship crew, which now flies with me and my co-pilot Darth Retailation (you're the best co-pilot, babe, you know that). She can fix anything, so let's call her the main mechanic =). The master of the adjectives and verbs, commas and direct speech, who makes the texts really "English" – Garden Guru! We can soon form an international girls' band, I think ;) She'll also edit some of my previous chapters to edit some grammar fails I had.

Also, I'd like to thank my pal in real life, Michael, "the great tactician", for the essential help with all chapters, regarding "Star Wars" politics and war. I know that he is reading the story, so – hey, Misha, thank you!

UPD 2016-09-09 I'm very sorry for the delay, both my betas are busy this week =) Meanwhile, I'm writing new chapters, so don't be afraid that I left you ;) you won't get rid of me so easily.

UPD 2016-09-16 Oh, guys, if you knew how I wait for the chaps to come back to me after the beta-reading... So, let me give you something to make the waiting more bearable. I had a birthday on 7th of September and got a new graphical tablet ;) So now you can find some of my artworks on Tumblr (ronrines) and DeviantArt (ronrinesu). Of course they are on Star Wars (actually, I've drawn only one full artwork during this week, so saying 'they' is a little bit incorrect). I'm looking forward to drawing some illustrations for The Star Nightingale, so, if you enjoyed my story so far - you'll find them both on Tumblr and DeviantArt.


Chapter 12. The Lull Before the Storm

"Eva! Eva! Come here, don't run away from me!" The mother's voice was soft, but held a strict note. "Eva!"

But Eva didn't want to listen to those boring adults. The sun was caressing the high grass, making water droplets glisten like tiny rainbows, and she noticed a beautiful dark blue butterfly, sitting on a bright red flower. The insect dangled slightly, as it was greeting the little girl.

"Are you magical?" Eva sat in front of the red flower and stretched her little hand toward the beauty. "Are you my flying little sister? We look so similar."

The butterfly dangled its wings again and flew from the flower, fluttering around the girl's head, and then sat on one of her lekku. Eva desperately needed to show Mommy her new friend, so she walked out of the high grass very slowly and carefully in order not to frighten the butterfly. Perhaps the tiny creature felt something towards the girl too, for it didn't fly away even when Eva stumbled against a small stone.

"Evak'neja! Where have you been, darling? I was looking for you."

Talking to the butterfly seemed much more interesting than listening to Mommy's scoldings, so Eva waved her hand impatiently and pointed to one of the lekku on her head.

"Do you see her, Mommy? Doesn't she look a lot like me?"

The older Twi'lek woman leaned toward the child and looked at the spot the tiny blue finger pointed at. She noticed a blue butterfly, sleepily sitting on one of her lekku, almost blending with the color of the girl's skin, and smiled.

"Yes, my little Eva, you two look like sisters," Mommy stretched her hand and the butterfly moved onto the woman's palm, maybe considering that there was no difference between the two equally blue objects. She carefully brought her palm at the level of Eva's eyes and the girl studied the butterfly closely with her bright orange eyes.

"Mommy," her face suddenly became serious, as only a child's face could, "Can we take her home?"

"No, darling, we can't," the woman's voice was soft. "She needs to fly home too, to be free. Every creature needs to be free."

"I understand," Eva sighed, disappointed with the fact that she needed to say goodbye to her new friend so soon. However, the summer sun shone bright and there was no reason to feel sad. When the butterfly waved its wings and flew away, she laughed and lifted her small palm to her eyes while watching the tiny creature flutter among the flowers. The Twi'lek woman stood behind the girl, observing her child with tenderness.

"Mommy, what's that?" The voice of the girl was full of curiosity. "Over there?"

"Where?" Mommy tried to see the subject the small finger pointed at, so she approached Eva and lifted her blue palm to her eyes, wondering what the girl had seen in the blue sky. Suddenly, her face became pale and she exhaled as if somebody had stabbed her in the stomach.

"What is that, Mommy?" Eva didn't notice her mother's reaction to whatever she saw above. "They look like birds, but there are so many of them… I never saw so many birds! They are all grey as if they're made of metal!"

"They are not birds, Evak'neja," the Twi'lek said, her voice sounding hollow. "Now come here, I need to tell you something."

She knelt before the child, stroking her cheek. Eva studied Mommy with a blank stare.

"Listen, darling, let's imagine this is a game," Mommy tried to speak calm and clear, "Run quickly to the Library and tell the elders you saw metal birds in the sky. Whoever arrives there first gains extra sweets for dinner."

"What are they, Mommy?" The girl didn't sound scared, only perplexed.

"They come to take our freedom from us. Now run, Eva, and don't look back."

She ran, as fast as her short legs could carry her.

-x-

Luke pressed the replay button on the portable holoprojector and a petite figure in huge glasses appeared before his eyes. He knew Maz Kanata well, although they hadn't been in contact for a very long time. She was possibly the oldest Force-sensitive still alive in the galaxy. The small holographic copy of Maz rearranged her glasses and the message began playing again.

"Dear Luke, I'm sending you this message on a disc because I can't entrust this information to the Holonet. I saw a vision through the Force, regarding the greatest warrior of the past, who looked both into the Darkness and into the Light and was equally powerful in both. You know how I love to collect artifacts of the Force, but this one is not for me. If I understood the vision right, the holocron of Revan is hidden on the Ialia planet, inside the Temple of the Ancient, now destroyed and buried deep inside the mountain. It may contain the answers you seek. But be fast: Ialia has already fallen under control of the First Order. Given that the population consists mostly of scientists and historians, the victory of the Order was fast. Maybe it is a coincidence, but I don't think so. Ialia is not a resource planet." The little woman sighed and continued, "Now about Rey. I saw the girl, Luke. She is strong with the Force, but unbalanced, and the Dark Side lures her. She already has more Darkness than when I first saw her. Aside from the knowledge of the Ancient, which can be essential for the defeat of the First Order, I hope the information inside the holocron gives you a clue to balancing Rey. Now I must go. May the Force be with you, last of the Jedi."

The message was over. Luke sighed and tipped back in his chair, hands on the back of his nape. He remembered a vision he had had not long ago, mirroring the one Maz talked about. Now, everything fell into place.

Unfamiliar landscape in the middle of a thunderstorm. Luke sees a tall, dark hooded figure on the stairs of a great temple. The figure slowly ascends the stone stairs towards the carved entrance. A bright red lightsaber ignites in their hand, revealing the warrior as a Dark Side user. The wind is strong and the rumble of thunder reverberates on the ancient walls. Suddenly the figure stops and turns around, revealing a mask, which seems familiar to Luke. It resembles the mask of Kylo Ren, forever carved into Luke's memory after the night he saw it for the first time. However, this mask is different in shape and is grey and red instead of black and silver. The dark figure lifts its hand to remove their mask, letting out a light so bright that their face is indistinguishable. It stands in contrast with the dark attire of the figure and the lightsaber's red color. The warrior turns around and continues its path toward the entrance of the temple. Thunder strikes again and the temple begins to crumble, burying the figure under the falling rocks. Everything goes black.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Luke turned his head and saw Leia leaning on the doorframe.

"Are you coming to the meeting?" Her expression seemed very serious and concerned. "Admiral Ackbar informed me that he has important information."

"I'm coming, but I'd like to show you something first." Luke pointed at the holodisk. "Maz delivered it through one of our spies on Takodana. You should take a look."

The petite figure of Maz Kanata appeared again as it repeated her message. After it finished, Leia shot a look at Luke, the degree of her concern obviously increased.

"Who is Revan?"

"The greatest warrior of the past, the Jedi and the Sith, the Savior and the Conqueror, the Hero and the Villain. The one who looked into both sides of the Force. I had the same vision, but I hadn't understood the true meaning. I saw the mask and thought it was Ren, in some moment of his past or future. But it was not Ren. It was Revan. Maz recognized him and the planet where his temple is buried now. The holocron of Revan contains the hidden knowledge of the ways of the Force, both Light and Dark." He looked into Leia's eyes with his pure blue ones, and she recognised the fire that sometimes shone at the back of his gaze. It worried her.

"I see where you are going with this, Luke, and my answer is no. No going to Ialia and no risky operations." She began to pace nervously, "You know we have enough problems as it is. We cannot afford more. I need you here, and in diplomatic missions. The Resistance doesn't need some old holocron. We need allies, people, resources. You just returned from a diplomatic mission on Toydaria and saw for yourself how difficult it is to find ships and weapons." Leia's eyes turned from strict to pleading, "Besides, I am afraid to lose you, as I lost Han and Ben. I need you here. Not on some forsaken planet who knows where, swinging your lightsaber and risking your life for something that may help us."

"You cannot hold me back, Leia." Luke's voice remained calm. "The Force is guiding us, and I know you feel this knowledge is essential, too. What if Snoke finds the holocron? What then?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Poe Dameron coughed to attract the attention of the Skywalker twins and said, "General Organa, Master Luke, the Council has gathered and is waiting for you."

Leia sighed and nodded.

"We haven't finished with this conversation, Luke, and you have yet to convince me."

Luke shrugged his shoulders but didn't answer, letting her pass through the doorway before him and following Poe towards the Council room.

-x-

The leading heads of the Resistance stood around an oval table with a big holoprojector in its center.

"We need to discuss our current situation and strategy," General Leia Organa began, her voice strong and clear. "I'll try to summarize what Luke and I learned from our recent diplomatic missions. As we all know, after the destruction of Hosnian Prime, the New Republic split up. Several systems joined the First Order, breaking the remaining Senate into pieces. The tension between these factions increased rapidly and conflicts which had previously been settled with peaceful debates are now regulated with violence instead of diplomacy. The Senate tries to perform its functions, but it's met with criticism from both the First Order and its Senators." The audience began to grumble indignantly, but the general silenced them with a wave of her small hand. "We have part of the former Senate standing with us, which didn't support the Resistance from the beginning. Some are now blaming us for the loss of Hosnian Prime and demanding a stop to our actions. However, there is some good news. We still have our true allies, and with Luke's return and his diplomatic skills, we have found new ones. The victory against Starkiller Base has also brought us help, including new ships, information, people, and resources. But the New Republic's trust in the Resistance is still weak and the First Order strengthens its positions. Many in the Senate remain uncommitted and we need to do everything we can to gain their support. We need new victories!" A round of applause followed the General's declaration.

"Now I give the floor to Admiral Ackbar, who has an important message for the Resistance."

The Mon Calamari stepped forward and began his speech, "I have a message from the Head of Ialia, Ajoah'nipad." Leia flinched in surprise, as she remembered her conversation with Luke. "He is an old friend of mine from the days of the Civil War. Many of you remember him from the Battle of Endor as a great war tactician and brave warrior. After the end of the war, he returned to his home planet and was offered the position of the Head of Ialia. They are a peaceful nation and didn't provoke any attacks."

Admiral Ackbar pushed a button on the holographic table and a short Twi'lek male with two very long lekku appeared.

"My dear Gial, I'm sending you this message in a time of great desperation and disaster for my people," the recording said in a deep voice. "I hope this message reaches you and that you'll be able to forward it to General Organa. As you know, the Empire came after the people of Ialia and we, who never were enslaved and worshiped knowledge and science, became slaves. After the war passed and the Empire fell, my planet slowly recovered and we lived in peace until today. The hungry beast calling itself the First Order came and ripped away our lives and our freedom, enslaving most of our population, forcing them to work in mines created below a mountain near the capital." He sighed and continued, his voice trembling from emotion, "I have already sent an official aid request to the New Republic, but I know they won't help us due to the absence of a military fleet. My most trusted political assistant, the Library Guardian, was seized and executed, as were most members of the Council of Elders. I managed to kill the Stormtroopers who came into my office and hid in the labyrinths of the Library. However," his face shuddered, "I couldn't protect my wife - she was killed in our home. She has been ill for several years and bedridden. The First Order's stormtroopers, who came into my house, considered her unworthy to live because she couldn't work in the diggings and couldn't be sold as a slave. All citizens who object to the First Order or can't work in the diggings are executed without trial. The children are separated from their families in order to force the parents to cooperate. As the only member of the government who is still able to talk, I beg you for help."

"I think this is a good opportunity for the Resistance to strengthen its position, " Luke broke the silence that followed the end of the message. "We may gain the trust of several Republic systems."

"General, I will talk not because Ajo is my friend, but as your officer," Ackbar said calmly. "A victory under the guidance of Luke Skywalker will prove that our victory against Starkiller Base was not an accident or a fluke, and will confirm the Resistance's reliability in protecting the members of the New Republic. We have an official aid request from the government of the planet. Besides that, a rescue of an enslaved population will boost our position in the eyes of the Senate and can help us obtain new allies."

Leia chewed her lips for a few moments in thought and then reservedly nodded, looking at the star map of the sector which replaced the blue figure of Ajoah'nipad. The map indicated the Karnian sector with a bright star in its center and a lone planet rotating around it.

"You're both right. We'll send four Resistance Attack shuttles with landing forces, as well as X-wings and gunships. They'll start an attack on the garrison in town and the slavery complex around the mountain. Meanwhile, Luke and Rey will fly the Millennium Falcon on a mission of their own."

"I have a suggestion, General," Admiral Ackbar approached Leia and waved his hand, diminishing the scale of the map, "We can perform an attack somewhere else in the First Order's territory to distract the main forces and increase our chances on Ialia. We'll fly somewhere out here," he pointed at the sectors he talked about, "Make a commotion and then just run off."

"I approve your suggestion, Admiral." Leia lifted her gaze to everyone in the room and asked, "Does anyone have objections? You know that you can speak freely."

Poe Dameron raised his hand. Leia nodded to her best pilot, "Yes, Poe?"

"I have no objections, I want to volunteer for the operation. The Black Squadron will cover the landing forces."

"I accept your suggestion with gratitude, Black Leader. However, I asked for objections. Does somebody have any?" She paused. "No? Then we begin preparing for the operation on Ialia. I'll give the orders regarding preparations during the next hour. Return to your duties."

-x-

The conference room was empty, except for the Skywalker twins. Leia folded her hands on her chest, but she didn't look angry or annoyed.

"Is that what you meant by 'another Force sign'?"

Luke smiled and approached his sister, unfolding her hands and holding them in his own.

"What are the odds of Ackbar receiving a call for help and Maz's vision? It's not a coincidence, Leia."

Leia sighed and pursed her lips, the very same way she did when she was young.

"I know, Luke, I know. The ways of the Force cannot be understood by a mere human. But what of Rey? What if the Knights of Ren are there, too? Will she need to face him again? And what if she is not ready?"

"She never will be." Luke squeezed his sister's palms reassuringly, "She'll have to come out of this condition sooner than later, and face her demons. I know she'll make the right choice, when the time comes." He sighed, "You know, she told me enough to realize that something happened between them, not as teacher and apprentice, but as man and woman. Rey told me that despite the conflicting feelings she has for Kylo Ren, she'll kill him in cold blood if he directly threatens the Resistance. Does that sound like anyone you know?" He shot a insightful glance at Leia.

A bitter smile appeared on her lips, "What else could I tell her? If I were younger, I'd advise her to listen to her heart. But I'm not so young anymore and I know listening to your heart sometimes brings you nothing but pain."

Luke looked into her tired, brown eyes and hugged his sister, understanding that she needs his support. She mumbled into his shoulder, "I'm so tired of this war, so tired of losing people. In two or three days you'll fly to Ialia and I will sit here and wonder which faces I'll never see again. What if it's yours, Luke?"

"Shh, don't speak like that. I'm a Jedi, I'll definitely return," he soothed her as if she were a child. She hugged him back and hid her face in his brown attire, and he stroked her hair. They stood in silence, and the world around them seemed unusually calm, the hot sun of Atollon shining through the window, making their shadows look grotesque. The Skywalkers were both fighters and both knew that this serenity was only an illusion, a respite before the next fight, but they relished it, giving strength in each other's support.


A/N: Looks like everybody is going to have an adventure on some new planet!

The beginning of the war through the eyes of a child – did I touch you heart, my readers?

Phew, I'll tell you, that imagining a new world is challenging. No emotions, just planning the city, citizens, their professions, climate, the buildings and communications… It regards not only this particular chapter, but some of the upcoming ones, which are now being proceeded through the beta-reading.

Reviews are welcome ;)