Rise

Chapter 48

What do you do when there's no hero in your story?

simple; you kill the monster

and crown yourself.

*****************************

We're on the Falcon, zooming through space, toward's what I'm worrying is my demise (as well as everyone else's). Han and Leia are piloting the ship, while I'm sitting at the Dejarik game table, nervously wringing my hands. Mentally, I'm trying to prepare myself for the plan we're to execute.

Luke is sitting next to me, his shoulder up against mine. I'm suddenly taken back to the first time I'd ever talked to him. It was in this very seat.

My name's Luke; Luke Skywalker, he'd said. I smile softly to myself as the image of his (at the time) unfamiliar yet welcoming grin.

As if he's read my mind, he says, "Do you remember when we first met?"

I look up and laugh a bit. "Yeah. I remember being awkward, and you being super smiley."

Luke chuckles. "My smiles are known to win over all the girls." he winks at me, and I playfully shove him. I liked being able to joke and play around with him, and us just be best friends; nothing more. That way, he could be my strong and steady person if Leia or Han weren't around.

Weren't around. Its a term that could mean a lot of things.

"You okay?" Luke asks, his joking tone gone as he looks closer at me.

There's no point in saying I'm okay; I don't think any of us are. "Not really...I mean, we're going to war again, and we're all going to have to worry about keeping each other alive again."

"Technically, we've always been at war; we're just going to a battle this time. And it's not like we don't worry about keeping one another alive already," Luke replies, looking in the direction of the cockpit and then back at me. His tone turns a shade darker. "We've already lost one crew member, and none of us is going to let that happen again."

I sigh deeply. "It's not like we let that happen to Cecily." talking about Cecily still hurts, but the dread of going to battle makes mentioning her less painful. I recall walking in on Luke crying in that control room, a day and a half ago. It feels like an eternity.

"I wish we had her with us," Luke murmurs. "She had a way of making things less scary."

Nodding, I remember how feisty she could be. "I wish we'd known her longer."

"Maybe we should stop wishing for...." Luke stops, then continues, "Maybe we should stop wishing for things that are impossible, and that can't happen. It's blunt, but it keeps you from dreaming of a reality that'll never..."

"Never actually exist?"

Luke meets my gaze, and nods sadly. "Yeah."

We're both silent, then Han and Leia walk in. I look up at Han and, despite my somber mood, smile just a bit. I remember our kiss on the clifftop and I feel my stomach do a flip.

Leia sits beside Luke, and Han beside me. I barely catch the meaningful, almost teasing look Leia gives Han. I see that Han notices me catch the look, and I blush deeply. His shoulder presses against my own as he takes my hand.

Leia talks first. "So..." she starts, "I take it we're all scared to go on this mission."

Everyone nods. There aren't any words for a few moments. It's not an awkward silence; its a silence full of many, many unspoken things.