Sorry for the hiatus, guys, but this is Alice, back in action! Hope all is going well. Danny and I just finished putting on West Side Story at our local high school, and took a little break from the whole Star Wars fanfiction thing for awhile. But, worry not! We will hopefully be posting more up here, and hopefully, you guys will like it!
So, without further ado, let's take a look back at our two stars and how they're dealing with life as they know it right now!
"They're near Havath Minor?" Barrett muttered, "Empire'd sooner come to Dantooine than that gas ball…"
Nina hadn't returned to the cockpit since their conversation an hour ago. While he felt the need to go check on her, he pushed it away. The two needed time to sort out their own problems, alone. The Rebels were waiting.
"Alright, Jeight, time to go. Hyperdrive ready?" With an affirmative beep following his question, Barrett nodded. "Then here we go. Breaking out of the planet's orbit."
The Gorskin's engines fired, propelling the freighter away from the verdant agricultural planet and into the darkness of space. Barrett's eyes remained on the green-yellow orb until he could no longer see it from the cockpit. He thought about how it must be down there, a collection of farmers just practicing their trade far from the Galactic Civil War, far from organized crime, far from everything. There were people down there whose only worry was pulling in a good harvest for the season. No fears of enslavement, conquest, or death. Just simple, mundane troubles that Barrett and so many other galactic citizens could only dream about. Another thought crossed his mind: People had homes down there. Homes. Permanent residences. Most Dantooinians would never venture far beyond their own lands, let alone leave the planet entirely. Barrett's home was the Gorskin, a Ghtroc Class 720 freighter he won in a gambling match. It had walls of cold durasteel and thick glass windows, no wood or stone or synthetic compounds. Barrett always viewed it as a temporary residence; a pit stop on the way to something more permanent. Until then, all he could do was dream about finding his permanent home while drifting from system to system, selling out his services to the highest bidder. A hard life, and not exactly a long one, but the idea of success and its profits has made men do much crazier things, like build superweapons able to destroy an entire planet.
Jeight's chirps brought Barrett back to reality. "Sorry, right. Got it." He muttered, initiating the Gorskin's jump to lightspeed.
She wore a thin leather uniform, one she had only seen in a dream before. A single braid trailed down her shoulder, while the rest of her hair was piled atop her head in a tight bun. Where had it come from? Wasn't she in Barrett's starship, awaiting her delivery to the Rebel Alliance?
An older man stood before her, his eyes a sight that tugged at her oldest memories. What comfort she found in them, those beautiful, deep gray eyes…
A thick brown robe covered his own set of the tan uniform as a small weapon was placed at his hip, one foreign to her. As she looked back to her own fingers, the same weapon stared back at her, willing itself to connect with her, to be held and used by her.
The scene changed suddenly, melting away to an underground base with plans and maps laid out across the dozens of screens and different counters. Standing at the table was a group of several rugged looking men and women in uniform. "While Rogue Squadron and the troops hold the line at Outpost Beta," An older officer began, "Renegade Squadron, you will protect the Ion Cannon team while running torch and burn on this base. The Empire cannot be allowed to reap important information from our databanks. Destroy everything, and set charges to destroy the base when the Imperial soldiers arrive. Commander Serra, you and your men know what to do."
She shifted her eyes to an assemblage of men and women from various species in the galaxy, dressed in combat gear and white fatigues. But one caught her eye and didn't let go. It was Barrett. Barrett Vance. He was directly in front of Nina, dressed in a military uniform with his favorite DH-17 on his hip. The tiny emblem of the Rebel Alliance was on his shoulder. Barrett was standing to the left of the older man who was talking earlier, a man called "general" by the assembled soldiers. To the officer's left was a woman dressed in white with her brown hair woven into a braided crown atop her head nodded at the plan, adding onto the conversation.
And suddenly, the scene went black.
The feeling of a calloused hand that Nina knew slipped out of her own. Screaming. Terror. Fright. She felt her hands tingle once more, the tingling she knew to be only trouble.
And the famous symbol of the Rebellion, shattered into a dozen pieces before her. Bodies upon bodies were littered among the remains of broken ships. Blood scarred her memory, making a mosaic of broken dreams.
But the final scene hurt the most.
She saw those amber eyes she found solace in, staring back at her. As her vision drew back, she found hands shackled, legs bound. His clothes were in tatters, blood staining his lips and shirt. His mouth moved to say something, but a single sound rang out against his words.
A gunshot. A gunshot that vibrated Barrett's body and shook Nina to her core.
Barrett's stiff shake woke Nina more than her scream did.
"Hey!" He screamed at her as she struggled against his grasp around her shoulders. "Nina!"
She clamped her mouth shut, hands shaking as if she was in an earthquake. "W-What?!"
"Calm down!" He shouted back at her as she drew back, her eyes wide. "You were screaming in your sleep!"
Scenes she wished would have disappeared flashed before her eyes. Her in that uniform with the old man in front of her. The Rebel Alliance's defeat.
Barrett's eyes, staring back at her, the light in them gone forever.
Tears came to her eyes, joining the ones she didn't know were there. "It, I-I saw, y-you, and t-the R-rebels, and there was blood, a-and, …" She stuttered before she felt more tears come to her eyes.
Barrett's eyes stared back at her, the amber eyes that had been lifeless almost moments before. She pressed her fingers into her eyes once more, trying to blot out the vision. "N-No, it was j-just a dream, a stupid d-dream…"
The man in front of her wasn't so easily deterred. "We were in hyperspace on our way to the rendezvous point, then you started screaming, so I came to check on you, and you were writhing around on the floor, screaming your lungs out! Ain't exactly your typical night terror victim."
Nina pushed her head farther towards the ground, as the screams kept echoing in and out of her ears. "S-Stop… Stop the screams…"
A hand pushed her chin upwards, holding her upright as she replayed the events of the dream over and over in her head, Barrett searching her face. Her fingers wove themselves into her wavy hair, as if they were trying to pull the images out of her mind.
His thumb rubbed her smooth cheek as Nina involuntarily leaned into his touch. "Come on. Tell me."
She forced her head back down, ripping her head out of his grasp. "No, Barrett. Please… I d-don't want to talk..." A sob took over her words as she shook her head, drawing her knees up to her chest as if to hold herself away from him. Slowly, tentatively, Barrett snuck an arm around her, patting her gently on the back.
"I'm sorry, Neen." Barrett said quietly, patting her hair tenderly as he drew her closer to him, letting her rest in his lap gently. "It's okay. Just breathe. It was just a stupid dream."
She shook her head against his lean frame, wishing to pull away but not having the strength to. "I-I don't know. It seemed too real…"
"Relax," Barrett replied, pressing her hair back down against her head, "everything will be alright soon. The Rebels understand this sort of thing. They deal with it a lot."
Nina shook her head against his body as her hands shook with fear. "Please, j-just be quiet, Barrett…"
He nodded, rubbing her back kindly while letting her eyes cry themselves out. Before long, her breathing had slowed and she picked her head back up, eyes ruby red and exhausted. "I'm sorry." She murmured, rubbing her face harshly before leaning away from Barrett more and more until the two weren't touching anymore. "Thanks…"
Barrett nodded back at her, willing himself to not reach out to her and hold her longer. He gave a smile, a rare, sweet one. "Well, lucky for you, I have a soft spot for crying girls."
Nina smiled back, pulling her knees to her chest before tucking her chin over them. She had stopped shaking, even if it was only for a moment. The two sat in silence, not making eye contact with each other as they listened to the hum of the ship as Jeight piloted them towards the rendezvous point.
The Rebel convoy was a group of three Corellian frigates, headed off by Borgan's Horizon. The crisp white and red paint on the hulls made the starships look more royal than rebellious. In fact, the only feature denoting the vessels' allegiance was the Rebel insignia on the side. The paint here looked fresher than on other parts of the ship. Barrett let out a low whistle.
"Jeez." Nina breathed out from her seat behind Barrett in the cockpit. "Those make your ship look like a dump."
"Thanks," Barrett grumbled, fighting the urge to pop an insult back. He flicked open the comlink channels, broadcasting to the Rebel ships. "Alliance convoy, this is the Gorskin. Requesting permission to dock."
Nina had left Barrett for a seat in his bunk, trying to sort out her dream before she broke into tears again. The images never ceased, but at least she was able to hide herself from Barrett. She refused to talk about the dream anymore, and Barrett couldn't help but imagine what had actually happened in that mind of hers.
There was nothing but static for a moment, but then a woman with an aristocratic accent responded. "Gorskin, this is Bright Horizon. Permission granted. Link with docking ring 2 and you will be escorted to the lieutenant's quarters. Welcome aboard, Captain Vance."
"That was easy." Nina replied, sinking back into her chair and pulling her knees to her chest, picking at her toenails.
"There are some boots near my bunk. Should be around your size."
Nina nodded to him silenty as she began to slide down the cockpit ladder, towards the crew quarters.
After easing into the docking ring on the side of the ship, Barrett got up from his seat and went for the ladder. A wistful beep drew him back to a sad looking Jeight. Barrett chuckled and sighed, then said, "Come on, buddy." With an excited series of chirps, the little droid sped for the airlock. The smuggler followed his little friend still smiling.
Nina was slowly trudging towards them, her feet swallowed by the boots which were obviously too big for her. She huffed a sigh, blowing her red hair out of her eyes before pulling her feet out of the shoes and tossing them back to the door near the crew quarters. Her eyes caught Barrett's as she blushed a bright pink. "Thanks for the boots, but I'll stick with my feet for now."
"Don't mention it," Barrett said smugly. He nodded for Nina and Jeight to follow while slipping on his green jacket. With a hiss, the door snapped open. The first thing the two noticed was the staunch difference between the interiors of both the ships. Barrett's ship looked a very cold and dismal grey compared to the sleek, well-lit white corridors of the Horizon. It also had a complement of guards, decked in black and blue combat uniforms and white domed helmets. Two of them met the crew of the Gorskin, resolute and noble with their blaster rifles slung over their shoulders.
"Welcome aboard, Captain Vance," An older trooper stated with a smile and an outstretched arm. "Your blaster, please."
Not wanting to cause any trouble, Barrett reluctantly turned over his DH-17. The older guard made a motion to the younger guard, who pointed down the hall, and then set off. "I think that means we should follow them," Barrett whispered with a smirk before sauntering behind the escorts.
Nina's eyes scoured the bustling hallways of the Rebel corvette, soldiers in fatigues and officers conversing with one another as each made their way to their destinations. It almost felt like a cleaner, shinier cantina, instead this one was full of freedom fighters as opposed to drunks. She felt oddly at peace amidst the constant chatter with not a single glance thrown her way.
Before long, the group disappeared into a long corridor, stopping at an intersection of the two hallways. The older trooper turned to look at Nina with a small smile. "Lieutenant Borgan wishes to speak with you alone, Captain Vance, and General Organa would like to speak to you as soon as possible, if that's alright with you."
Nina's eyes went to Barrett's as he gave a short nod. "Sounds good." He turned to Nina, plastering a smile over his lips. "Well, I guess this is it. See you around, sweetheart."
The girl nodded, her eyes falling to the ground. This was probably the last time she'd ever see Barrett, and she felt inclined to say something, though nothing seemed to be appropriate at the time. "Um, stay safe, I guess."
"Yeah, you too." The man smiled at her before turning down another corridor and away from Nina. For a brief moment, she watched him leave, wishing he might come back and stay with her in the Rebellion. She rolled her eyes at the useless thought, before turning around and facing the other way.
"Well, here goes nothing…" Nina whispered to herself before pacing towards the other side of the hallway in a forced silence.
Borgan's quarters were dark as a cave. The only light source was a small datapad screen built into his desk, the green glow casting faintly on his bearded face. He did not raise his head to look at Barrett as he walked in, but instead continued clicking on his datapad and scanning the aurebesh characters in silent concentration. Barrett stood in the center of the room before the desk, waiting for the Alliance Intelligence agent to address him. Borgan enjoyed taking his time unless there was no time to waste, so he must have figured that analyzing reports from his fellow agents was a bit more pressing than discussing payment with a smuggler.
"Do sit down," the lieutenant muttered, indicating a chair on the other side of his desk. Barrett slid the chair toward him and did as Borgan said. More silence permeated the air until the Rebel finally clicked off his datapad and turned on a desk lamp. "Captain Vance. So good to see you again. My guards tell me you have delivered the girl and she is on her way to debriefing now."
"If that's what they said, then yeah."
"Your payment will be loaded onto your ship momentarily. Five thousand on top of the fifteen 21-LOM gave you. I trust that is more than sufficient?"
"Yeah, that'll do. Thanks, Borgan," Barrett rose and made his way to the door, "Now, if you'll-"
"Captain." The sternness in the lieutenant's voice surprised him. "We're not done yet."
Barrett huffed, turning around to face him. "What, another job?"
"Something like that." Borgan snapped his fingers and pointed back at the chair, which Barrett reluctantly returned to.
"What do you want?"
"I want you." Borgan said with a smirk.
"Sorry, but I don't swing that way."
"You know what I meant," Borgan said, rising from his chair and walking to one of the viewports, "I want you to join the Rebellion."
Barrett chuckled for a bit, thinking this was some kind of joke. But the look in the lieutenant's eye convinced him otherwise. "No. No way."
"Barrett, your skills serve you and your crew very well. You're a great pilot, a crackshot, and you work well under pressure. I'm giving you the opportunity to use those talents for a cause greater than yourself. Please, Captain."
"I said, 'No.'" Barrett replied, walking towards the door. "And I mean it. I don't sign with causes bigger than myself-"
"Ah, yes, because the last cause you were part of only caused you pain."
Barrett stopped, taking a quick, deep breath before turning around to glare at Borgan. "What did you just say?"
The lieutenant smiled, picking up another datapad and pulling up a file. "Sergeant Joss Barrett, Black Sun foot soldier. Partook in the unfortunate, yet relatively unknown Underworld Massacre, in which several civilians were injured or killed in the crossfire of a showdown between Black Sun forces and Coruscant Security, most of them women and children. Soon after went AWOL while on security duty, later presumed dead… Funny, one Barrett Vance started his smuggling career only a few weeks later." The lieutenant had been padding closer and closer to the man in his office, looking up from the data pad periodically to mark his posture, his breathing, his movements. Barrett's fists clenched tightly as Borgan stopped talking. "And this is interesting… Tell me, does the name 'Resdon' mean anything to you, Captain Vance?"
Something snapped in Barrett's mind. Something cracked. Something fractured. Something shattered. Who was this man to know so much about his private life, the life he left behind? He could hear the broken glass of his temper exploding around him, prompting him to act.
The first blow, a left elbow jab, caught Borgan by surprise, smashing into his left cheek. The Rebel soon recovered, though, managing to block three more punches before delivering a swift, sweeping kick that sent Barrett sprawling. He groaned in pain, trying to get up, but a foot on his neck pinned him to the ground, strangling him.
"Alright!" Barrett croaked, "You win!"
Borgan accepted the surrender, ending his crushing assault on the smuggler's neck and returning to the viewport, mumbling something Barrett did not care to hear. He slowly got up, coughing and sputtering before asking Borgan, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"The Mabari warriors of Zolan."
"What? That's impossible, the Zolanders would never take a human…"
It was at that moment Borgan turned around, his neatly styled hair, piercing grey eyes, and well-groomed beard began to ripple and fade. Barrett watched with amazement as the man whom he knew as Borgan transform into a less human and more reptilian figure. The green-skinned, yellow-eyed alien being before him blinked and smirked.
"You're… A Clawdite." Barrett said, laughing.
"Got some kind of problem with that?" Borgan croaked with a glare.
"No, I just shoulda known that no man in the galaxy could have such a clean beard for so long."
The two shared a round of laughter, and then silently returned to their seats. It remained tranquil for a few moments more while the lieutenant donned his human form. Then, Borgan opened his mouth, saying, "Barrett, please. The Rebel Alliance could make great use of your talents. You could lead your own fighter squadron, or even join SpecOps. Your skills are-"
"I said no, Borgan," Barrett stated firmly, crossing his arms.
Borgan frowned. "So be it. You may go, Captain. May the Force be with you."
"Yeah, you too. Take care of Nina," Barrett said, taking two fingers and performing a very quick and informal salute before ducking out of the door and back into the sleek white hallway of the Corellian corvette, slowly heading towards his ship.
After separating from Barrett, Nina felt extremely vulnerable amidst the ring of soldiers that led her down a long hallway. They walked along in silence, before stopping in front of a small door, one of the men in the front punching in a few numbers on a keypad before the door hissed open.
"General Organa will see you now." The man who opened the door told her, standing at attention beside her as she peered into the small room, a hologram emitting a green light into the room.
Nina stepped carefully inside the dimly lit room, her bare feet almost silent on the steel flooring of the Rebel ship. Her eyes kept staring at the hologram with increased curiosity.
"Hello there, Nathalia." A strong voice blared at her through the machine, slightly garbled and static-y with every word. A face shimmered back at her in the light, a braid woven around the crown of the woman's head, a slightly plump face glowing in front of Nina. "Nice to finally meet you."
"Um…" Nina replied, standing awkwardly in the empty room. "A-And you too, I guess?"
The woman's light laugh filled the room as Nina relaxed a tiny bit, her shoulders sinking down. "Don't be afraid, now. My name is General Leia Organa of the Rebellion. I was the one who sent out the initial order to have you retrieved from Tatooine."
"Oh!" Nina nodded, her hands finding a stray lock of her auburn hair to run her fingers through. "Then I guess you're the one I thank for getting me out of there."
The General nodded. "Now, I hope you understand that I don't do this for all of my new recruits, but I would like to formally invite you to join the rebel alliance. We were surprised to find someone directly related to Obi-Wan Kenobi in your terrible situation, and we thought you'd be a wonderful asset to us, especially in the difficult times we're in right now."
Nina sat up straighter. "Wait, what?"
"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" She repeated, crossing her arms over her chest. "I suspect you do know the name of your father, don't you?"
"My father?"
"Yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Formerly known as Ben Kenobi while he was in the deserts of Tatooine." She replied slowly, hoping the girl might understand the situation at hand. "Nathalia, you are the daughter of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Nina's mind froze. She couldn't form any words, much less think anything except the last sentence she heard General Organa say.
A father. She wasn't sure she knew the true meaning of the word. She barely remembered her mother, much less, her father. The only words she knew of him were salty, coarse ones that would earn her a beating in an instant from Chalmun, her owner. A slow smile broke over her face.
"Nathalia?"
Nina tried to bring her gaze back up to the woman on the screen, but giddy excitement filled her entire world. A father. She actually had one of those! Secretly, she always suspected it, but now she had a name to go off of, and a woman who knew the man she longed to know.
"Can I see him?" She blurted out.
The woman's face fell. "I'm terribly sorry, Nathalia, but he's no longer with us."
As much as those words stung her, she barely cared. She had a father. A real father! One that seemed to have left behind a legacy for her that would overshadow the years of solitude she spent without him.
Nina let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in, before looking back at the General, her face perfectly aglow. "I have a father. A father!"
The General smiled endearingly at Nina. "I'm glad. Now will you accept our invitation?"
"Absolutely!" She laughed. "As long as I'm not in that awful cantina anymore."
Just as she uttered those words, the small room she had been in was plunged into darkness, the General's face disappearing. She let out a small shriek as sirens began to echo through the halls of the Rebel ship.
Outside the small room, she heard dozens of shouts and heavy stomps as the lights desperately tried to flicker back to life. Muffled words were exchanged outside before the door to Nina's room slid open, revealing a man in an guard's uniform, his helmet haphazardly thrown onto his head. "Ma'am, Imperial ships have dropped out of hyperspace. We're under attack. You need to come with me, now."
A single thought crossed Nina's mind as she was grabbed by the soldier and dragged out of the small compartment.
Barrett.
Sorry for the dramatics. Nina's a little bit of a drama queen. But also, if you think about it, Barrett's one of her only friends in like, ever. So why shouldn't she be concerned with his safety?
I'm rambling. Sorry.
Well, have a nice life, my dear readers, and please let us know what you think in the reviews! We're always up for some constructive criticism! Thanks! Alice, over and out!