Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter six of "Not So Far." This chapter introduces Threepio, Artoo, Leia, Holdo, and Ackar as well as the Resistance base on D'Qar. I am so glad to finally feature the Resistance base and some of its occupants. I have been wanting to do that since I started this fic. Stay tuned for chapter seven.
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Chapter 6: At the Resistance Base
Clouds covered much of the early afternoon sky above the Resistance base on D'Qar. The sounds of various animals echoed through the air. The base bristled with much activity. Some people worked on the starfighters such as X-wings outside. Others monitored the computers. Holdo and Ackbar stood near a young man as he tapped his headset. They observed him speaking inaudible words.
Threepio walked around as Artoo rolled alongside him. They listened to people talking and laughing. Threepio looked all over the room. Suddenly, a human boy ran past him in which he bumped into him without excusing himself. Threepio came to a stop, as did Artoo. He huffed angrily as the boy went out of sight while letting out a loud laugh.
"How rude!" Threepio griped. "Why do parents have to let their kids run around inside when there is plenty of room outside? Kids can be such rotten brats!"
"They can be, but they are also very precious," Artoo beeped.
"That is true, but parents need to keep a tight leash on them. They can get into all sorts of trouble," Threepio pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Not all the time. Kids need to explore areas to satisfy their curiosity," Artoo commented.
"They can do that outside. There is plenty of room. They do not need to do it around here. The space is as confined as it is," Threepio whined.
"It is not that confined, Threepio. Besides, someone needs to keep a tight leash on you because you have a habit of wandering off," a female voice said with a snicker.
Threepio and Artoo turned around to see Leia, who stood a short distance away from them. She had her arms crossed and a big smile on her face. She raised her eyebrows.
"Princess—General, it is good to see you. How was your nap?" Threepio asked in much curiosity.
"It was very good, Threepio. It was what I needed," Leia said, warmth echoing from her voice. "It can be very draining leading an army at my age."
"Droids like us do need to shut down from time to time. It is our version of sleep," Threepio said.
Artoo beeped as if he were snickering. "You need to be shut down way more than I do. Your mouth is so big that you can fit Tatooine in it."
"Oh, shut up, you overweight glob of grease!" Threepio snapped, looking down at him.
"Artoo is right, Threepio," Holdo said while coming to his side. "You do have a really big mouth."
Ackbar joined her side. "A big mouth like yours can get you in a great deal of trouble."
Holdo smirked. "It may not move, but it does need to be shut tight."
Threepio huffed and walked past Leia, who uncrossed her arms. Artoo rolled behind him while emitting soft beeps. She and her longtime friends watched them until they were gone. They came together as Holdo put her hands behind her back.
"It's so good to see you refreshed, General," Ackbar commented in great happiness.
"We want to let you know Poe told us the humanitarian mission in Tovi is going very well. The villagers are really happy to have received the food and water they needed," Holdo added, smiling lightly.
Leia chuckled warmly. "That's good. We are so fortunate this lull in the fighting came at the right time. Tovi would have experienced a crisis eventually since the drought was dragging on." She frowned a bit.
"There is no telling when it will end," Ackbar responded in much uncertainty. "The villagers have relied on the surrounding forest and waterways for generations. They have been through droughts before, but they were not as long as this one is."
"Luke told me about Tatooine going through the Great Drought when he was a little boy. Moisture farmers couldn't harvest much water with their vaporators. Jabba the Hutt actually collected a water tax, so he could hog all the water," Leia said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That was just cruel to the moisture farmers who were barely scrapping by as it was."
"Jabba didn't give a shit. He just wanted another way to make money," Ackbar hissed angrily.
"Thank the Force that he is dead," Leia whispered in relief. "His slimy ass can no longer cause trouble."
Holdo let out a soft giggle. "Thanks to you."
Ackbar sighed softly. "As well as your brother, your husband, Lando, and Chewie."
Leia let out a shuddering breath. She recalled when Luke went into exile and Han on his first search for Ben. She wished them well and hoped they would return safely. She was very saddened when the latter came back empty-handed, but she encouraged him to keep searching. She grew uncertain the former would ever return as the years passed. She was overjoyed when her brother made his presence known while she was talking with her husband after he and Chewie returned from another trip.
"I should never have kept the fact that Anakin was Darth Vader from Ben," Leia said and sighed heavily. "It could have prevented what happened at Luke's temple if we had told him just before he began his training. Then again, darkness was also growing rapidly in Vari."
"There was also a possibility he would've been scared he would turn out like Vader, even if Luke reassured him that he wasn't like him and told to focus on being like Anakin," Holdo said truthfully.
"There are so many what-ifs we could imagine. The fact remains is you never felt Ben fall to the dark side, Leia. It is quite possible he is living a happy life somewhere. He may have taken on a padawan of his own," Ackbar added.
"But I did feel Vari fall. It was so cold that I started shivering. The darkness in her is much worse than it ever was in Ben according to Luke," Leia said seriously.
"Now, she is trying to hunt your brother down in addition to your son. She is obsessed with ending the Jedi once and for all," Holdo said and shuddered badly.
"There is just one problem," Leia commented with a smirk. "I had some Jedi training of my own. Even if Vari were to succeed in killing Ben and Luke, I can pass what knowledge I have on to a padawan if I need to take one." She clasped her hands together. "The Jedi will live on."
"You were smart to keep your Jedi training a secret and disclose it to only those you were closest to," Holdo replied, giving her a wink.
Leia sighed in much warmth. She remembered how patient Luke was with her when she trained with him. She thought he was the best teacher she could have hoped for. She was saddened when she decided to end her Jedi path due to experiencing the vision of her son dying, but she felt she made the right decision. She gave Luke her lightsaber for safekeeping. She knew he still had it. She cleared her throat.
"Though I am sad Luke won't be helping Han and Chewie look for Ben anymore if this trip turns out to be unsuccessful, I am happy he will take on a new student," Leia commented.
"I can't blame him for not wanting to take on a new student right away. He needed time to grieve the ones he lost. He thought it was best that he did it alone," Holdo said.
"Luke used to be impatient and reckless like Poe is," Ackbar answered with a roll of his eyes.
"Poe is the best pilot we have. Impatience and recklessness tend to come with youth," Leia said honestly.
"That guy has pulled so many crazy stunts with his X-wing that I have lost count," Holdo admitted and giggled to herself. "One could say he is his generation's own Anakin, who was well known for pulling similar stunts."
Leia pressed her lips together. "When I read my grandmother's journal entries about him, I felt bad for the young boy who had to separate from her to become a Jedi. Despite his recklessness, impatience, and arrogance, he was very compassionate and would protect people he cared about with his life." A tear fell from her eye. "I found in my heart to forgive him for the terrible things he did as Vader."
"His fear of losing your mother was what led to his fall to the dark side. He wanted to keep her safe, but he went about the wrong way in doing it," Ackbar murmured.
"Darth Sidious twisted his confused mind in hopes of turning him. He succeeded after a long while. His dark side name was perfect for him. He was insidious to the extreme. He cared for no one but himself. Even Vader was just a tool for him," Holdo hissed in a blunt way.
"You know what happens with old tools. They get thrown away. Sidious wanted Luke as his new apprentice, but he failed to get him. Snoke tried to get my son, but he was unsuccessful. For the second time in galactic history, the dark side failed to get a Skywalker," Leia whispered.
Holdo expressed sympathy. "I hope Ben will reconcile with the whole family when Han, Luke, and Chewie find him."
Ackbar nodded in agreement. "Many of us do."
"I hope so too, but I am prepared he may not. After all, I wasn't there for him like I should have been," Leia said with a heavy sigh. She ran her hand over her hair as she began talking about Ben's birth.