Rise

Chapter 37

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The rebel in me will never die.

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 I feel a wave of striking fear as me and Han jump away from the other, turning to look at the sky. At first we see a fleet of TIE-Fighters, and my fear lessens a bit; TIEs aren't too big of an issue.

But then I hear the words in my head.

"Oh, Ellie, did you really think I wouldn't come looking for you?" 

My heart turns to ice as I recognize Darth Vader's dark, cold voice. I think that he must be in one of those TIEs, and that if we can just shoot them all down with our X-Wings, everything will be fine. But I was a fool to think so.

As me and Han are staring up at the approaching fighters, there's a loud BOOM. I feel as if the universe around us is bending, stretching as a Star Destroyer pops into the sky, out of hyperspace. 

My heart sinks as I see countless ships leaving the Destroyer, circling down towards the snowy plain below. These ships could only be carrying troopers. And they were armed, readily and heavily. A planned attack from the Empire was guaranteed to be horrific. 

I'm suddenly aware of Han's hands on my shoulders, then him grabbing my arms as he pulls me inside, off of the balcony. We break into a run, reaching the door to my room and opening it. We charge out into the hallway of our squad's quarters, and I'm having trouble processing what's really happening. 

As we skid into the hallway, we're met by Cecily, who stops in front of us. It appears as if she, too, has been running. "The--the sirens--" she gasps, her shoulders heaving. "What's going on?" she asks us, her eyes searching mine and Han's.

"There's a whole fleet of TIEs outside," Han starts, and I finish his sentence.

"And a Star Destroyer. It's carrying all sorts of troops on it, and all of their ships are landing one by one. My guess is that they're here to kill all of us, and not keep anyone prisoner." I hear my heartbeat in my skull as the weight of the situation hits me. No one was prepared for this attack. We could all easily be wiped out tonight.

Cecily's eyes widen, but she quickly erases the fearful look on her face. "Okay, um...you two go and find your weapons while I find mine, and then we'll group up here...hopefully with Luke and Leia." her command comes so quickly, so easily, that I wonder if she's still holding onto her Imperial habits. I don't doubt that she's a good person now, but there's still some Imperial in her blood. 

Me and Han nod, and everyone splits up. I run back into my room, and I quickly change into my other clothes; the clothes I wear when I'm going to fight. These were the clothes I've worn almost all the time; I've worn them since my time in Mos Eisley. I find my black leather long-sleeve and throw it on, pulling the zipper up to my collar bone. My pants are also black, and though they aren't leathery, they're almost a military-like material. I tie my belt around my waist, my fingers shaking from the adrenaline rushing through me. My breaths are coming out fast and short. I shove on my military boots, and rush to the side of my bed, where my lightsaber is resting. I feel my gun and my swords in my belt, but I feel better with my saber. 

I grab the lightsaber and quickly get out of my room, already hearing the booming noise of the Empire trying to break down the doors to Echo Base. The doors won't hold for long; they're old and weathered. I can only hope they'll give us rebels enough time to make up some way to survive.

Han's standing in the hallway with Cecily, and as I see all of us in our fighter gear, I try to take a deep breath to calm down. Whatever happens, I cannot lose focus. I have to stay calm.