It's pretty much in the title, but this chapter features a character going through a Military Bootcamp. Just in case that is a trigger for anyone.
Chapter 51 - Bootcamp
Leia passed the medical exam and the fitness test with flying colors, but then what would you expect. While she waited with the other recruits for their drill sergeant to show up, Leia pulled out the bundle of supplies they gave her. 'A uniform, kinda stiff and not at all fashionable, but I can live with it.' She thought. 'Oh, what's this?' She pulled a flimsy card out from under the folded uniform.
'Daily schedule: Four thirty wake up call,' Leia read.
'What! That's before the dawn of time. They can't be serious about this.' She hoped.
"Attention!" in marched a tall man in uniform with a sticker in his hat. "Pick up your bags and stand along the wall. When I say march, you will march. Do you hear me!" he yelled.
Leia stood slowly, fumbling to put the card back in her bundle.
"Do you hear me!" he walked right up to Leia and shouted at her.
"Yes!" Leia yelled back.
"Does it say recruit on my uniform!?" he yelled.
He was standing close enough to Leia for her to read his nametag. 'Sergeant Vill Lennis.'
"No," Leia replied.
"I will be your drill sergeant for your stay here. You will address me as 'Sir.'
"Sir, Yes Sir," The group of recruits replied all at once behind her.
Leia was starting to have her doubts about this.
The next morning, before the dawn of time itself, someone threw on the lights and blew a really loud whistle. Leia almost threw her pillow over her head and swore at the idiot. The next thing she heard were marching boots, and if anything about the previous day sunk in, that did not predict a good thing. She pulled her feet underneath her and stood up beside her bedroll. It did not meet expectation.
"Recruit One Four One" he used her serial number. "Is this how the Rebel Alliance operates?" Leia was starting to wonder why they didn't just say what they meant and insisted on questioning everything. "Make your bed!"
Leia sighed and turned to do as he ordered.
"What do you say?" He shouted, never completely pleased.
"Sir, Yes sir." Leia said, then she turned to make her bed.
When she was finished, Leia stood beside her made bed and waited for acknowledgement. It came when the drill sergeant came back around to her after inspecting the other recruits. Without saying a word he pulled the sheet off her bed and threw it on the floor. "Do it again. Without wrinkles this time."
Leia huffed and almost swore again. Instead she answered, "Sir, Yes sir," and she turned to repeat the chore.
Leia was convinced by the end of week one that she had made a mistake. Bootcamp was way worse than anything Master Yoda made her do. Plus, they allowed for no personal freedom. One day during her personal time, Leia had just managed to spruce up her uniform to her own exacting standards, when Lennis, the drill sergeant, came over and pulled out the ribbons she'd used to give it some color.
"Not Regulation!" Lennis's voice boomed. His voice boomed rather a lot actually. Leia was pretty sure she'd be hearing it in her dreams for the next several years.
But today Leia had had enough. She had been screamed at this morning for not dressing fast enough. Then this afternoon for mishandling a Rubber Pelikki. Yeah, no one trusted them to carry real blasters yet. And now none of it matters! Not that she'd spent three days debating color combinations, or what combines to four hours braiding that ribbon.
"Hey that's mine!" Leia screamed back at him.
Lennis turned to look at her with a very unaffected face. He pulled out his whistle and blew it, then shouted to the room. "Recruit Skywalker here thinks she deserves special privileges. Everyone drop and give me fifty!"
Leia was sure Lennis wasn't aware of this, but due to her force sensitivity, she immediately felt the irritation of everyone in that room. A few of them did succeed in giving her glares of disapproval.
Leia folded her arms. She wouldn't be played by such a simple trick. 'Talk about an overreaction!'
Lennis walked up to one of the recruits, now on his stomach doing a push up. "Recruit, let's remind Skywalker what the Alliance's Core Values are. What's number one?"
And through grunts and physical exertion, that recruit recited the value.
Leia nearly rolled her eyes. These "Core Values," that the instructors went on and on about were very similar to the Jedi Code, which she'd already had to memorize. Sure a different code, but a code of rules all the same.
But Leia did not think about packing up and going home. She was too stubborn for that. Instead she imagined staying just to teach Lennis a thing or two. Why the man would be driven to such extreme emotions by an unregulation uniform, Leia didn't understand, but she planned on testing his resolve.
Try as she might, Lennis never broke down. He'd yell and hold Leia to the same standards as the rest of her troop. And he continued to give punishments to the whole troop whenever one of them would fall short.
In the middle of week two Leia found herself standing at attention listening to an instructor give instructions on how to safely activate and throw a grenade. The routine of military life was starting to get easier. Her brain was objecting less to the early wake up time, and she made her bed perfectly the first time without thinking sometimes.
But the tasks her instructors were training her to do were still difficult. And Lennis expected perfection each and every time! Leia wished for Master Yoda's laid back approach more and more often.
'It's not like any of my Jedi training applies here.' Leia thought with a sniffle. 'It's not like the instructors would consider adding a Lightsaber training course or meditation exercises.' And Leia had tried to suggest the former, but they refused to consider it, and ruled that Leia's Lightsaber stay in storage until she completed her training.
Someone blew a whistle, "Alright, get in lines of four and practice this with your training dummy. One, two, three, go."
Everyone scrambled and Leia found herself in a group with one other human female named Jill'ax, one Ardennian female named Xio Tullan, and a Cinglon male named Arrelo Brix. Arello was not the strongest specimen. He'd said many times he joined, hoping to be sent to the mechanics squadron. It was only by regulation that he had to go through the same training everyone else did first.
Xio, on the other hand, was very strong, and fast. Her species had four arms with which they could pull out two detonators at once. And of course, when she went up to the target, she hit the target with the grenade on the first try.
Jill'ax went next and she took two tries, before she managed to hit it. Arello waved his hand to allow Leia to try next.
Leia stepped up to the line. 'First pull out the detonator. Next hold it like this and swing.' Leia went over the instructions in her head as she threw… And missed. She picked up another to try again. 'Miss again.'
She looked over and saw Lennis glancing at her group. Anticipating another bout of yelling if he saw her doing it wrong, Leia pulled out another and prepared to try a third time. This time when she was about to throw it she remembered another lesson she once received.
"Breathe deep." Master yoda had said. "Through you to the knife, let the force flow. Where to go, you will tell it." Master Yoda had been teaching Leia how to throw the dagger Han Solo had gifted her some years ago. That blade was with her lightsaber in storage.
And as Leia stepped up to the line, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her mind sink into meditation as it once had. She pulled the Force through her body and through the grenade. Then she threw it, and it hit the target head on.
Lennis didn't shift. His cool expression remained unmoved. But Leia could have sworn she felt a hint of pride from the sergeant. Almost like he was smiling inside.
"Alright, Last time we trained with duds. This time the grenades and blasters you handle will be real. I expect you to have mastered all safety protocols. This is not the time to forget them." Lennis's eyes did a sweep of the room. "You will be working in teams again in the field. Your target is this. He waved a cloth flag with an empire logo on it. It will be behind enemy lines and guarded by droid armermants."
In the previous exercise they all had to demonstrate strategy and suggest a battle plan. It was Leia's idea to attack from the west side. She felt surprised when Lennis approved of her plan.
And there they were. Leia pulled out her blaster and prepared to escort Arello through the bush. Arello was not that good at shooting a blaster yet, so he was given the task of carrying the explosives they'd use to get through the wall. To his credit, it was his idea to blow a hole in the wall using well placed grenades, and to carry them on a repurposed armaments vest.
Leia turned suddenly to shoot at a droid wearing old clone trooper armor. Behind her she heard Arello stumble and fall.
Click.
"Oh no," Arello said. "Oh no, no, no." He wiggled and pulled off his vest as quickly as he could.
"Give it to me," Leia said. It became obvious that click was the first bomb activating. Leia threw the vest towards the wall.
"That's not going to do anything, the bombs need to be placed with exact precision to break through," Arello informed her. "Besides, we're too close."
Leia reached out. Scaring her troopmate half to death, she built a wall with the Force around the bombs, leaving only one direction for their explosive power to go.
Boom!
The ground rumbled.
"Wow!" Xio came up and prepared to enter the hole they'd created in the wall. "These are some explosives they've given us."
Arello stood back and blinked with confusion. "B-but that shouldn't have worked. These were grade 2 explosives."
"Good work, Skywalker, Arello" her teammates continued to congratulate them both as they went past them to finish the task and acquire the flag.
Leia enjoyed a feeling of pride whenever she found a new way to use the Force in her training. It was something she had that made her unique, and that her drill instructors couldn't take away. She was learning new skills as well, and learning how to integrate them with her Jedi abilities was thrilling.
She was becoming a stand out recruit, and before she even realized it, Leia was staying because she wanted to learn more. Today when she had her personal meeting with her drill sergeant, he actually gave her a compliment. "Good Work Soldier," and he nodded.
Leia felt proud. Before he dismissed her, he pulled an envelope out from his office drawer and handed it to her. She looked down dumbfounded at it for a second.
"Mail call," he spoke up, shaking her out of her shock.
"Thank you, Sir." Leia took the envelope.
"You are dismissed," He finished. She turned to leave his office.
One of the rules they had at bootcamp forbade commlinks. If the recruits wanted to communicate with anyone back home, they had to use old fashioned flimsy letters. And the rate for flimsy mail to Tatooine was double her monthly salary as a recruit, so she hadn't been able to afford sending any letters home. Not that she didn't write her family, but those letters remained in her journal until she could find a way to send them.
But this letter didn't come from Tatooine. It's stamp came from Alderaan. 'Hmm?' Leia thought. 'Who do I know from Alderaan?'
Given nothing else to do, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the flimsy letter inside.
The letter was written on an official letterhead. In the top corner was a Rebel Alliance Logo. Below that was written:
Lieutenant Ahsoka Tano
Army of the Rebel Alliance
'Oh, this is from Auntie Ahsoka! She probably heard from Dad.'
"To my niece, Leia Naberrie Skywalker,
WHAT are you thinking girl! How dare you leave your family like that! Not even a word. Do you know how worried your folks are right now? Really worried. Your father had a panic attack! It was only thanks to Obi-Wan that he didn't fall, after a shock like that. When I get my hands on you…"
And Ahsoka left it at that. Angry words and a vague threat.
Leia took a moment to calm herself. 'Aunt Ahsoka just doesn't understand yet. I should write to her. Explain my reasons for leaving. Then she'll see my point of view. Maybe she'll even be able to deliver my other letters home.' And Leia pulled out a fresh sheet of flimsy and started writing her reply.
By the end of her sixth week in bootcamp, Leia was a stand out recruit that Lennis had no qualms about recommending for Advanced Individual Training in a number of advanced fields. He was actually having a hard time picking which one.
Infact, her unit was his first choice, when he read that Bail Organa was coming to his base to observe training. His next task was to pick which training exercises would be most impressive for the Viceroy and Rebellion General to observe.
He had a passing thought, through it all, that the General might even be aware of some covert units that Recruit Skywalker would excel at. That even might be the reason for his untimed visit.
Lennis left for the barracks to inform the unit of the change in schedule for the next day. As he did he allowed a slight happy whistle to escape his lips. Something even he hadn't done since his own Reception Battalion.
Leia's eyes opened automatically as the alarm bell in her head roused her to consciousness. The whistles blew a minute later. As she got up with everyone else and made her bed, she remembered the news from the previous day.
A "Special Recruiter" was coming to observe her unit. It made Leia bubble up with pride.
Later that morning, she marched with her unit out onto the field. They could not see Lennis or the "Special Recruiter," but assumed both were watching from nearby. They were given several tasks to perform today instead of just one or two to practice till they got it right.
When her unit was finished they were given orders to march into the company area. "Attention." Lennis ordered. Beside Lennis, a tall man with dark hair stood next to a familiar Togrutta.
'Aunt Ahsoka!' Leia almost broke formation to cry. Then she remembered the last letter she'd received from her aunt.
She could tell by the glare that was sent her way, her written reply hadn't convinced her Aunt of her point. Still, Leia hoped, now that she could defend herself in person, Ahsoka would see reason.
The man leaned over and whispered to Lennis, and he nodded. "Skywalker, forward. Unit dismissed."
Leia stepped out of line and the rest of her unit turned behind her to go to the dining hall.
"At ease," came the gentle voice of the dark haired man. "Leia, I have known your family for a long time, though we haven't met before today. I am Bail Organa of Alderaan. It displeases me to hear you left your parents without even saying goodbye."
"Permission to speak, sir?" Leia inquired and Lennis nodded. "I did say goodbye. Via personal holo-recordings I left with my brother. They would not have understood why I had to leave. I was only following the example of my esteemed Aunt." She visibly nodded in the direction where Ahsoka stood gaping. "The rebellion needs me, Sir, and Sergeant Lennis here will tell you I make an excellent soldier, and…"
"Yes, that may be said, but it leaves me in a very difficult position. I can't put the daughter of one of my own dear friends on the front line. If I dismissed you from service…" suggested Bail.
"No! Sir, you can't. I'm not a child, I'm eighteen now. If you send me home, I'll reenlist, and under an assumed name. This is what I want to do, Sir."
Bail nodded, "Well then, we'll have to think about your placement." Aunt Ahsoka turned to him with a glare. "I know teenagers, when they get determined, nothing will stop them. What about the White Forty Seventh?"
"The White Forty Seventh? Are you sure, sir?" Lennis sounded confused.
"Yeah, an accomplished recruit like this, with both Skywalker and Amidala in her blood, she deserves a special assignment. Don't you think?" Bail continued, and Leia smiled with pride.
"Yes, but…" Lennis was ignored as he mumbled.
Ahsoka turned back to face Leia. "I'd like to talk to the recruit privately."
"Yes, of course." Bail said, and he led Lennis out of the room.
Ahsoka stood there staring at her niece until they were well out of hearing. Eventually Leia piped up in a nervous voice, "Aunt Ahsoka."
"Silence."
"But you have to understand. The Jedi, they were doing nothing, and.
"Stop. I got enough of those reasons in your letter. Why are you here?"
Leia took a deep breath and started again. "The empire needs to be stopped, and the Rebel Alliance needs an army to fight it. They need recruitment rates of at least…"
Ahsoka stopped her again. "I don't need to hear the statistics. Why are you here?" She asked again, enunciating the 'you' to add extra emphasis. "When I was a teenage Padawan I was dropped off on a battlefield to meet my master. I lived in war time, and I know what it costs. What your father want-, what I wanted was for you not to have to pay that price.
Leia closed her eyes to brush away forming tears. "I am here because I feel it is right. Because the Empire doesn't care about giving people's children that choice. Because it is what I need to do, whatever the cost."
Ahsoka nodded, "Then welcome to the Rebellion." She looked disappointed as she turned to join the men outside.
Hello again,
I rewrote this chapter a few times and I'm not sure I'll ever be 100% satisfied with the flow of it. Please let me know what you think.
I did some research on military boot camps for this, now Google thinks my disabled self is considering joining the military. Aah, life as a writer, forever confusing internet search engines.
Next week we'll find out what Leia's new special assignment is. It's nothing that's in canon. I had to make this stuff up. You'll understand when I write the next chapter what Bail is thinking now, though he did pretty much say it.