Star Wars: Sisters of the Force

Avelen

I open my eyes to impenetrable darkness and am shocked by the cold around me. It is hard to return to the ice cold of the Star Destroyer after the heat of the rich desert of Mordgra from my nightmare, from my past. I remember my mother, or the farm, or the animals that I had loved so much, but most of all, I remember my twin sister Aisha, who I remembered tonight. This is my dream, just one piece of the huge puzzle that is my past.

I feel a soft buzzing in the air around me and open my eyes. Aisha is awake and is using the Force to make my blanket float up and down. I smile.

"Good morning, Aisha," I murmur.

"Sis, you should be up by now! Aren't we going to play Mind Reader before Mother gets up?" Aisha asks.

"I forgot! Let's play!"I leap into a sitting position.

Mind Reader is a fun game because we are both so strong with the Force that neither of us ever wins. Aisha enjoys showing off her Force skills, while only she knows about mine. Not even mother knows. I roll out of bed, excited for the game, when I feel a presence outside the house. I sense that they are looking for something here. Aisha senses it as well, and, by silent mutual agreement, we both dress and race to the door. The same presence from outside is now just outside the door. They knock and we open the door. Outside is a woman with graying brown hair. Her face looks vaguely familiar, but I cannot place where I have seen her before. I open my mouth to ask a question, but Aisha beats me to it.

"Who are you?" Aisha stares curiously at the woman.

"I am General Organa. Leia Organa," the woman reveals.

"The general Leia Organa? Leader of the resistance?" I gasp.

"You've heard of me," She sounds surprised.

"I read about you somewhere."

"She reads about everything," Aisha points out. She glances at me, smirking. "She's constantly reading."

The general laughs lightly, and some of the worried creases etched into her face vanish for a moment.

"Why are you here?" Aisha manages to look calm.

"I sensed a strong presence in the Force," General Organa explains.

Aisha looks like she is going to burst in excitement.

I look at her.

"That would be my sister!" I say.

"Hi, I'm Aisha!" Aisha tells her.

She is so excited she says it like one word. General Organa seems to understand.

"Aisha... what a lovely name. And your sister?" General Organa smiles brightly at me.

"I'm Avelen," I inform her.

Just then, Mother walks into the room.

"What is all this commotion abo- Oh. General Organa. I read your letter. Aisha, I need to ask you a question," Mother says.

Aisha and I each sense what the question is.

"I sense what the question is, Mom. The answer is yes!!!!!" Aisha is just barely keeping herself from jumping up and down.

I stare. My sister is leaving to join the resistance. because they need the Jedi order back. This is a morally good reason for her to leave, but for some reason, chills pass over my body, like someone just walked over my grave. I get a spark of Force intuition that tells me that her leaving will cause problems for me later. Aisha always wanted to leave this "Rat-ridden sand dump" as she called it, and now she can. Me? Of course I wanted to leave too, but Mother needs me. She would lose the farm if I left, and if she lost the farm she would lose her money, and if she lost her money she would lose her life, and then Aisha and I would be orphans and as lost as a lone kite cut free. General Organa and Aisha leave, and as it grows dark, a lone ship soars up through the sky and blinks out of existence. I can sense that Aisha is on that ship, and, for the first time, I admire her freedom.

I snap back into the present. Horror fills my mind. Hot bile rises in my throat. It is sickening to realise that the person I have been looking for since I got here, I have been fighting all along.