Rise

Chapter 15

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I always wonder why birds stay in the same place

when they can fly anywhere on the earth.

Then I ask myself the same question.

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Two days later, we'd landed on Hoth.

The planet was blanketed in a sheet of snow, and I got the feeling that no matter the season, it was always this way.

The rebel base here was dug into the side of a mountain; the mountain was part of an even bigger mountain range. Everywhere you looked, you could see icy mountains in the distance, beyond the barren plains of snow. In the day-time, the cold was tolerable. At night, it was only a bit more freezing than it normally is. However, if there ever is a blizzard or storm on the horizon, it's considered an emergency and the whole base is to be locked down--no one enters, and no one leaves. Apparently, the snow storms here can freeze somebody in mere minutes. Not all storms were this bad, but it was always wise to be cautious.

As the Falcon lands, me, Leia, Luke, Han, and Chewie (who I'd forgotten was still with us) climb out of the cockpit and walk towards the boarding ramp of the ship. Luke presses the button for it to open, and we all walk down the ramp. Leia is first, Han second, Luke third, Chewie fourth--and then I'm last.

We walk outside and the cold wind buffets my face. Snow is crunching under my boots. I raise my head and look around at the rebels gathering around to see our arrival. As I do, I hear shouts of "congratulations" and "well done", and I realize that they're congratulating on completing the mission to liberate Taris.

The rebels' eyes are on our group as we walk forward, heading towards the entrance to the base. The crowd parts and makes a path for us, and as I look around, I'm acutely aware of every single pair of eyes that lands on me. I see expressions of surprise and pride as people look at me, and I feel a bit happier to know that I've proved I'm not some useless new recruit.

Looking up ahead, I see Leia, Luke, and Han continuing forward. Is this what they come home to, everyday? Cheering and shouts of pride, because they've served well in the Rebellion? Is this normal for them? I can tell that they are dearly loved by the Rebellion. I get the feeling that the other rebels themselves are inspired by Leia, Luke, and Han. I feel like these three are the walking symbols for the Rebellion.

And what am I? Am I an outsider in this situation? I can tell, from the looks on many people's faces, that I hadn't been expected to return in one piece from the battle on Taris.

But I had come back. And as I think this, I stand taller and keep up my steady pace, looking only forward, so that I looked like I'd known all along that I would return.

We walk into the rebel base; the ceiling is a thick layer of ice. At first this frightens me, because we're technically underground, inside a mountain. But I shake off my nerves and keep going.

As I walk, I realize that there's close to no pain in my chest. The wounds that Stephan had inflicted on me three days ago, at the cantina, had been greatly healed by the bacta shots that I'd been given recently. The shots had hurt a bit at first, but they'd been nothing compared to my previous pain.

The bruises on my neck are still there, and barely visible. One could easily mistake them for dirt or ash stains. Where I'd been punched in the temple, it was slightly purple and green around that area, but my hair covered most of it.

My emotions, also, have healed, if that makes any sense. I'm not as distraught as I was a few days ago, but I'm not completely mended either.

We're deeper into the base, and the hallways are literally tunnels in the snow. Taking a right and then a left, we walk into a room packed with rebel officials. I'm taken aback by the bustle of this place. There are diagrams and cameras, plans and computers, documents and files, literally everywhere. Everyone looks busy and in a rush.