Chapter Two
The freighter touched down on the tarmac and Nell gathered up her bag, pushing her unruly chestnut curls out of her eyes and straightened her shoulders. She didn't know what to expect. She had heard tales of the Resistance, and was unsure what was fact and what was fiction. There was one name which kept cropping up in the tall tales she'd heard – Poe Dameron. The 'Best Pilot In The Resistance'. Nell was captivated by the stories she'd heard, daring to hope that one day she might get to fly in Red or Blue squadron under the command of the legendary Black Leader.
Nell stepped out in to the sunlight, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright daylight after the darkness of the freighter's hold. On her descent to D'Qar she'd noticed how green the planet was, but nothing prepared her for the sight of the base. Hangars had been built into the rolling hills of the green planet, virtually unnoticeable from above. They were mostly empty, but a few held X-Wings that were being repaired by mechanics. The base was alive with action, and Nell stood on the tarmac, at a loss as to what to do now that she'd arrived. Nell let her bag fall to the ground as she tried to spot someone who could tell her what to do.
Nell straightened her back as she spotted a small, but dignified figure approaching her. Despite being just over 5 feet tall, General Leia Organa was instantly recognisable, her brown eyes burning in to the depths of Nell's soul. Nell gulped nervously as the General stopped about 3 feet away from her, staring.
"Nell Evaan. We've been expecting you. Your uncle was a great man – I felt his loss keenly. He knew you would join us eventually."
Nell was stunned.
"General...I...I've come to offer what assistance I can. I want to honour my uncle's memory."
Nell shifted uncomfortably under the General's assessing gaze, though her expression had softened.
"We are grateful for your offer of help. I feel that we may need all the pilots we can get after the current mission. Follow me, you'll need to be assigned a bunk and given a briefing."
As the General began to move away, the two women stopped in their tracks. A bright streak of red slashed across the azure sky, converging in to five points, each ending with a small burst of light. Nell blanched and fell to her knees in shock, deaf to the General's gasp. The Hosnian System. It was gone. She vaguely heard the General calling her name as the world faded to black.
