Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
StarBorn Michael: Yes, but I won't say when they'll appear.
Shan01: Not for a long time, I'll say that.
Ke-Pa: Well, he's definitely dead by this point. I will say he lived longer in this universe. And no, the Jan 6 incident did not happen in this timeline
us navy: Yes, they do.
GREAT CELESTIAL DRAGON: The Alliance has almost a thousand member worlds and hundreds of colonies
Chapter 9- Sisters
(May 5, 2049)
In the living room of her home in Charles Town, West Virginia, Kelly walks over to the couch and carefully sets down her commlink.
"Ben?" she calls out.
"Yeah, mom?" Ben calls out from the next room where he's working on making pork dumplings for dinner. One of his favorite types of cuisine to make and eat is Chinese, so he likes to make it when he can.
"I'm about to start my call with Aunt Leia. I'll be done in 5 to 10 minutes," Kelly says.
"Alright. If I finish these before then, I'll come in and say hi," Ben calls back.
Kelly smiles a bit before she sits down on the couch and presses the button to begin the call. The commlink beeps for several long moments before it chimes, and then an image of Leia pops up on the screen.
Kelly smiles at the sight of her sister in law. Just like herself, Leia has definitely aged a bit. Her hair is gray, and a few wrinkles on her face. She also no longer wears the dresses and robes she used to wear during her days in the Senate. Now, she wears a violet military uniform, wearing a 4 star insignia, the design borrowed from the Terrans, to signal her position as the General of the Resistance.
"Well. If it isn't my favorite sister in law," Kelly says with a smile.
"I'll try not to repeat that if I meet your other sister in laws," Leia says with a smile. When she's around Kelly or even just talking to her, Leia is able to relax and be at ease more than any other time.
"I'd appreciate that," Kelly jokes.
"How is Ben doing?" Leia asks with a smile.
"He's doing very well. He just graduated from University of West Virginia with a double major in International Studies and Physics, with a minor in History." Kelly says. Ben had actually started college back when he was 17, and really focused on it after his dad disappeared. The double major was the reason he took so long.
"Wow, I'm almost surprised he actually did it. I wasn't sure if he could manage it, but I shouldn't be surprised. He is a very intelligent young man," Leia says.
"Yup. Think he got my dad's smarts," Kelly says with a smile.
"Well, I'm proud of him. I had enough trouble getting one major without a minor. I hope you're proud of him," Leia says with a smile. After the Galactic Civil War, Leia had decided to get a degree from a college on Earth, partly for the knowledge and partly for the experience. Most of her courses she took online or via conference call. In 2028, she had earned a Master's Degree in History from Yale.
"I am definitely very proud of him," Kelly responds. She pauses, her face falling a bit, before she says, "I only wish that Luke were here to see what Ben has been accomplishing."
Leia looks a bit more somber as well. "It'll all be alright, Kelly. We are looking for everything that could possibly lead us to Luke. With luck, we'll soon know where Lor San Tekka is. If we find him, he can hopefully lead us to Luke," she says, trying to lift Kelly's spirits.
"I hope so, but I try not give myself any hope these days. Keeps me from being disappointed by reality," Kelly says.
"That's not much of a way to live," Leia says.
"Maybe not. But after 7 years, I feel it's the best way to deal with things," Kelly responds.
Leia just nods a bit. The two sit in silence for a minute before Kelly speaks up and says, "Let's not spend too much time on drab subjects. Let's move on to what's going on with you. How are things going on your end?"
"Bad. The First Order is growing bolder. And our assessments of their strength are getting worse. They're growing stronger," Leia says in a grim voice. She pauses, then says, "I'm afraid that if this search for Lor doesn't pan out…we are going to have even more trouble than we are already in."
"Did you receive the recent shipment?" Kelly asks. With the Republic limited in what they were wilkling to give the Resistance, the Alliance had taken most of the role of sending weapons and ships to the Resistance. They had even given the Resistance a Jutland class heavy cruiser that had been retired around the time the Resistance was formed, and they had made regular arms shipments since then. The most crucial shipments were of fighters. The Alliance had supplied the Resistance with over 40 fighters over the years, most of them being SFA-181 Star Hornets, the most advanced variant of the SFA-18. The last shipments of arms included half a dozen 181s, dozens of assault blasters, a thousand tons of bombs and other ordnance for their fighters and bombers, and about two dozen artillery pieces with a thousand rounds of ammunition.
"Yes. The Grant and the Naboo delivered it all yesterday," Leia answers Kelly's question.
"Good," Kelly responds simply. She pauses, then says, "I spoke with Fleet Admiral Page yesterday. They're already planning on another shipment of fighters for you. They're talking an even larger shipment. At least 10 fighters, probably more. I also heard they're trying to run an interference against the First Order agents trying to occupy the Colossus."
"That's good. We may have the better pilots with you guys training us, but every fighter makes a difference," Leia says.
"How are things with the New Republic?" Kelly asks.
"Not very good. Most of the Republic is still against supporting the Resistance. I sent my primary envoy, Kor Sella, to Hosnian Prime to speak to the Senate about our most recent findings and encounters with the First Order. However, when I talked to her earlier today, she said that she is so far not meeting with any real success. The only real allies we have are those we already knew were our allies. We have converted no one new to our cause so far," Leia says.
"I swear, they won't know that war is coming until the First Order attacks the Hosnian system," Kelly says with a bit of disdain.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. But I will not stop trying until it is too late to try any more," Leia says firmly.
"And there's that Skywalker determination I know so well," Kelly says with a smile. Leia smiles too, the sisters in law just sitting there for a moment, reflecting on all the years they've known each other.
(Castilon)
On the massive refueling station known as the Colossus, it's a relatively calm day. Most of the station staff is a little tense despite the calm day. With the recent bandit raids on the station, they feel they cannot afford to be off guard. However, none of them know of the new protection they have at their disposal.
In one of the docking bays on the station, a human employee sets down a crate and looks out of the bay at the surroundings. He and a number of other humans had recently joined the crew of the station, claiming to hail from Corellia. However, in reality, they are from innocent workers looking for a job. The man and all of his fellows were in fact Russian Spetsnaz, deployed to the Colossus under the guise of looking for jobs. However, they were in fact here to help protect the station and sway it's owner, Imanuel Doza, towards the Resistance and the Terran Alliance.
One of the other Spetsnaz walks up to him, setting down the crate he's carrying. He looks at his comrade for a moment before speaking in Russian, "It's been a few days since the last raid. You really think they may try and hit us today?"
"They seem to be on a fairly regular interval. It's time for the next attack. If not today, then tomorrow," the first man says.
Suddenly, the second man stiffens before pointing out of the bay. "Looks like you were right," he says. The first man turns around, and in the distance they can see several pirate ships approaching the ship from orbit.
"Well, guess I was right," the first man says. He then pulls out a commlink and presses the button to transmit before saying into it, "This is the Colossus Squadron. The next pirate raid on the station is underway."
"Copy that," a voice responds over the commlink.
Up in orbit, a pair of SF-23 starfighters on a secret patrol dive down into the atmosphere. They streak down towards the Colossus, ready to engage the pirate ships as the Spetsnaz down on the station ready themselves to defend the station.
And, I'll end the chapter there.
Before we get into the Force Awakens, I wanted to show Kelly and Leia interacting at least one time. Hope you liked their little conversation. As for Leia getting a degree from a Terran university, it just feels like something she'd want to do in this universe.
So, you may have noticed that I've mentioned the SF-23 several times. The Alliance still uses many of the same starfighters they did in the past stories, though they have made some new additions. So, you'll still see a lot of the same starfighters and bombers, and even atmospheric fighters, you saw in The Terran Alliance Strikes Back.
Next chapter will be up soon. Until it's up, please leave a review and stay tuned!