The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 105 - Adapting to the New Situation

Nomi Darklighter decided to inform the members of her Resistance cell about the new threat.
She had summoned them to the main hangar, where she climbed onto a crate for all to see. The Jedi amplified her voice with the Force after commanding silence and began to speak.
"I know there are rumors about one of the last transmissions we intercepted," she said, looking at those gathered. "Those rumors are true. There was a transmission from a man we all thought was dead. But it seems the man is still alive and pulling the strings when it comes to the First Order. The man I speak of is the Emperor who has managed to rise from the dead. I must admit that I have no idea how, but it really was him whose voice I heard."
A murmur could be heard and she saw many doubtful looks as Tarik cleared his throat. Then the former ambassador took the floor.
"What the commander says is true. I heard it myself. It was the voice of the Emperor. It's a voice I'll never forget. We don't know how, but the man seems to be quite alive and poses a threat to all our efforts."
There was shouting and a general hubbub. The veterans of the Galactic Civil War knew very well what their leader and her friend were talking about, while the younger ones, born after the war, had no idea why the others were so upset.
With a wave of her hand, Nomi commanded silence again and thanked Tarik, bowing her head.
"Tarik is right, the Emperor could destroy everything we have fought for, but we will not let that happen. We suspect he's hiding somewhere in the Unknown Regions, since all the convoys we've intercepted have come from there or were bound for there. We can't investigate where he is, but we can still be a nuisance to him in his war effort. We will continue to intercept First Order convoys and delay his plans. We still hope to get more and more support and be able to stand against his forces when he comes out of hiding. But for now, we will continue our attacks. That is all for now. May the Force be with us."

The Jedi jumped down from the crate and was about to leave when her daughter approached her.
"So the Emperor is back? That's really bad news, Mama."
Nomi looked at her daughter, who was so much like her.
"Yes, I have no idea how, but he's back."
Dash was standing nearby and came over now.
"Don't worry, we've beaten him and his damn Empire before and we can do it again," he said, putting his arm around Nomi's shoulders. His wife leaned against his chest and sighed.
"I wish I had your optimism, Dash," she replied.
Dash bent down and kissed his wife's head.
"So we'll continue our raids, but do nothing to find the Emperor's hideout?" The experienced warrior asked.
Tasherit watched her parents and smiled despite the situation. After all these years, the two were still deeply in love.
"Exactly, darling," the commander replied, breaking free from her husband's embrace. "I have to plan the next raid, there's another convoy on the way."

Tasherit saw her brothers standing together and walked over to them.
"That was quite a surprise, wasn't it?" She said, looking up at them.
"It wasn't a surprise to us, sis." Corran chuckled. "Tarik already told us what happened in the command center."
Her sister crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned.
"And you didn't tell me? That wasn't nice of you."
The triplets laughed when they saw their sister acting like old times when they denied her a favorite toy.
"We were sure mother would tell you sooner or later," Dash Jr. finally said, still laughing.
His sister stared at him with a slightly offended look on her face.
"It was along with all the others on base. That wasn't fair," she replied, kicking a small rock with her foot. "We're in this together, Dash, and I would have preferred it if I had gotten the news before the other members of the base."
Tash's eldest brother shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave.
"It is what it is, sis. Next time, you might be the one who gets the information sooner than we do."
As her other siblings followed their brother, she looked after them, still slightly offended.

Meanwhile, Nomi was back in the command center, planning the next raid. After hearing the Emperor's voice, it was even more important for her to thwart his plans. She was just about to discuss the tactics for the next attack when she felt a strong presence in the Force.
"Leia?" The Jedi whispered and reached out with the Force, but before she could make sure it was her friend, the sensation vanished.
Perhaps she had been mistaken and the wish was the father of the thought.
They were still on their own in the fight against the First Order and now against Palpatine. She took a deep breath and continued to point on the holomap to the sector where they would intercept the convoy.
After the briefing, the pilots left the command center and went to their ships. Shortly afterwards, the engine noises of the freighters and X-wings taking off could be heard.

Nomi reached out with the Force again and there was the strong presence she had felt before. She was now pretty sure it was Leia. The general was shining brightly like a homing beacon in the Force. Her friend breathed a sigh of relief that the heart and soul of the Resistance was alive.
Reaching out to touch the general's mind, the Jedi realized something was wrong, terribly wrong. It was the same feeling she had when Luke had died. That couldn't be true. Not Leia. But Nomi knew it was true. The brightness before was just a last flare. Her friend's life was fading and then there was nothing.
Leia Organa, the leader of the Resistance, was dead.
The Jedi sat down on a chair and buried her head in her hands to hide the tears running down her cheeks.