Star Wars: Cross Paths Part 3

Thanks to Anon, Guest, Daisy, LOVEM, Elen, Sue, DirksTalia, RedLigth16, JediLukeSkywalker, princesselsamidala22 and Connors for reviewing. And to everyone who took your time to read it. You guys are great. Love you all.

WARNING: SPOLIERS FOR ANDOR

Chapter 47 – Marva's Speech

Luke pressed the little button, and an image of an old Lady dressing with differently clothe appeared. Everyone looked at her. She looked like she was sick and she was staring at them, like she was seeing them, even if they knew she recorded this not for them, but for someone else.

Even the kids stopped what they were doing and stared at the hologram. R2 beeped gently.

Then the old lady started to speak:

"My name is Maarva Carassi Andor. I'm honored to stand before you. I'm honored to be a Daughter of Ferrix, and honored to be worthy of the stone. Strange, I feel as I can see it…"

Ines looked at Luke as he wrapped his right arm around his wife and stared at the Maarva's hologram, as she continue her speech:

"I was six, I think, first time I touched a funerary stone. Heard our music, felt our history. Holding my sister's hand as we walked all the way from the Fountain Square. Where you stand now, I've been more times than I can remember. I always wanted to be lifted. I was always eager, always waiting to be inspired…"

Iris sat on the floor, with her legs crossed looking at Maarva's face, smiling with Bail went to her, as she pulling him closer to her, at the same time the girls went to Luke and Ines, but never took their eyes off the hologram. It was like they knew something big and important was about to be said.

Kissing the top of his daughter's head, Luke smiled at them and then looked back at Maarva. He knew this woman would say something important soon and it would be emotional. Taking a quick look to his twin sister, who nod at him, they payed attention to the speech Maarva was saying:

"I remembered every time it happened, every time the dead lifted me, with their truth. And now I'm dead, and I yearn to lift you. Not because I want to shine or even be remembered, it's because I want you to go on. I want to Ferrix to continue. In my waning hours, that's what comforts me most. But I fear for you."

Ines had three of her kids near her and she already started to feel emotional as her eyes started to filled with tears. This woman was about to tell her people to do something important. Alli looked at her and she smiled back to her daughter and pulling on to her lap, she kissed her cheek, assuring her she was okay, as Maarva's hologram continue.

"We've been sleeping. We had each other, and Ferrix, our work, our days. We had each other, and they left us alone. We kept the trade lanes open, and they left us alone. We took their money and ignored them, we kept their engines churning, and the moment they pulled away, we forgot them. Because we had each other. We had Ferrix."

Han looked at his wife.

"She is talking about the Empire."

Leia looked at him, with Anakin closer to her, while her baby nephew was in his grandmother's arms, as the baby kept looking at the hologram with his blue eyes, while sucking his right hand.

"Yes she is. And I believe she is about to open the eyes of her people about them," she replied and the speech continue.

"But we were sleeping. I've been sleeping. And I've been turning away from the truth I wanted not to face. There is a wound that won't heal at the center of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us. We let it grow, and now it's here. It's here and it's not visiting anymore. It wants to stay. The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness. It is never more alive than when we sleep."

Ines gasped at that while tears started rolling down her cheeks. This woman was about to inspired her people to rebel against the Empire. She was sad that she never got to see that in the end, her wish became true and the Empire was gone 9 years later.

"It is easy for dead to tell you to fight, and maybe is true, maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it's too late. But I'll tell you this, if I could do it again, I'd wake up early, and be fighting these bastards from the start. Fight the Empire!"

And the hologram vanished, leaving everyone in the room in silence for a while, still processing what they just heard.

Ines started wiping the tears from her cheeks, making Luke kissed her forehead. He understood what she was feeling cause he felt emotional. They just witness the start of the rebellion.

Iris was the first one who broke the silence.

"Wow that was amazing I have to say," she smiling to her parents and Uncle and Aunt.

"Yes it was," Ines nod.

"Mom are you sad?" Ben asked her, making Ines smiled and pulling closer to her, she kissed the top of his head.

"I'm not sad," she replied.

"But you are crying!" he continues.

"That because it was emotional what we just heard and that cause mom to cry a little."

"Well I have to say, that speech was intense," Iris said agreeing with her aunt.

"Her speech was amazing sweetheart," Leia said. "To bad she is not around to see that well, we won at the end. So far."

"How Mothma ended with that hologram?" Han asked.

"Well Ken explained to me yesterday when we were heading back home," Amidala replied, smiling at her grandson who decided to get busy with her necklace. "As you heard her name, she was Cassian Andor's mother, one of the crew of Rogue One."

"You mean the rebels who stole the plans of the first death star?" Leia asked surprised, which made Amidala nod.

"Exactly."

"We knew Cassian Andor," 3PO spoke making everyone look at him.

"You knew? How?" Iris asked the protocol droid.

"Miss Iris, we didn't knew him quite well, but we remember seeing him back in Yavin 4 many times with Senator Mothma," he replied while R2 beeped by his side. "Very interesting human being I have to say."

Han rolled his eyes and looked back at Amidala.

"So Mothma knew him and that his how she got this?"

"You can say that. It was a friend of hers, Luthen, who recruit Andor to the Rebellion. They were both in the Rebellion. Actually Luthen was responsible for the first lost of the Empire, when his group robbed an Imperial base and made an attack in Aldani."

"I study that in school. They took around 80 million credits from it, and it was not even half of what they had. The Empire, especially the Emperor was furious." Iris said and grabbed her table right away and started to type in it.

"But what that has to do with this?" Luke asked his mother.

"Because Andor was part of that crew too. That was one of the reasons that Luthen guy recruit him. Apparently it was not the first time he stole things from the Empire."

Ines looked at Luke and then back to her mother in law.

"Well knowing what he did in the future, I think he got the right guy."

Amidala smiled and not.

"I agree."

"But how Mothma knew all this?" Leia asked.

"Well her cousin, Vel was part of it too."

"Oh, so it runs in the family I see," Han nod.

Putting her grandson on the floor, the baby started to crawl around the room, which made R2 going after him right away, beeping, which made Luke and Ines smile. R2 would always made sure that their kids would be safe no matter what.

"Mama?"

Looking at Alli, she ran her fingers through her daughter's blonde hair.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Where the lady come from?"

Ines looked at Luke and then to the others, until Iris spoke.

"I was just searching for that. She spoke of Ferrix, right?"

"Yes. Did you find anything kid?" Han said, indicating to his daughter to sit next to him.

"Well yes, cause I wanted to know why she did that speech against the Empire."

"What did you find out?" Luke asked his niece.

"Well when she spoke of Ferrix and being a daughter of Ferrix, I kind remembering reading that somewhere. And now I know where. This speech started the Rix Road Riot, that happened 5 BBY during the president of daughter's of Ferrix funeral procession."

"What is that?" Ben asked his cousin.

"It is said to be kind of was a citizens' society, so to speak. And the riot has that name cause it happened in Rix Road, the main street of Ferrix and is where their citizens broadcast they message During "Stone to the Sky" ceremony."

Seeing that everyone looked confused, Iris sighed.

"It is a tradition that Ferrix has, that every citizen when they died, their ashes are mix with clay and create their stone and put on a wall."

"That's creepy. It means they have a wall filled with dead people?" Han said.

"Well I think it a nice gesture to be honest," Leia said.

"So it apparently she decided that her last message was to make her people riot against the Empire."

"Why the Empire was there anyway? According to the message they always left them alone, until everything change! Why?" Ines asked wondering why the Empire was interesting in Ferrix. "Is Ferrix a rich planet or something?"

"Not really. According to the data here, Ferrix is sparsely populated and barren planet, dominated by vast and desolate wastelands, rocky mountains and oceans of water. The wastelands came to be tamed and colonized by the population, harboring farmlands, industrial scrapyards and sprawling cities made of brick and stone. The planet was frigid and by the winter months, the ground became covered in layers of snow."

"Then why there?" Luke asked agreeing with Ines.

"Apparently they were because of Andor," Amidala informed them.

"They knew he was part of the attack in Aldani?" Leia asked. "How?"

"No. It was for some other reason, that involve some security guards, and because of that, the Empire found out about it and decided to stay for good in Ferrix." Amidala continue. "That's what Mothma told us."

"Well knowing what happened 5 years later, I guess they failed in Ferrix." Iris said looking at her grandmother.

"Yeah, but I wonder what happened to Ferrix and its citizens after that riot," Luke said. "I'm sure the Empire was not happy and they got their revenge on those poor people."

"That is why we joined the Rebellion, to free people like Ferrix and give them at least a freedom," Ines said holding his hand.

"That is why we need to make sure that freedom is not taken away again," Leia replied. "And we need continue to gather more allies, not only to be on our side but not be afraid to fight. Like soldiers, bounty hunters, and so on."

The door beeped and after 3PO went towards, Ahsoka entered in the room.

"Well if you want soldiers, I found a group of them that are eager to help us."

"Who?" Luke frown.

"Some clone friends," she smiled making everyone gasped at that information.

Now we know what Ahsoka was doing all this time. What did you think of the Maarva's speech and everyone reaction to it?