Valkyrie

Chapter 1: White Light

A/N: Hello all! Welcome to another one of my hare-brained schemes and plot ideas. Yes, I know that some of you are put out that I'm not updating my other fanfictions. But as you can see, I have poor self-control when it comes to the particularly vicious plot bunnies that just won't leave me alone. But hey, it's just more practice before I eventually write my own world-changing series that rivals JK Rowling's work.

Anyways, just a little background info before we begin. This story takes place a couple years into the future from now (2022), about five or six years after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as you read in the description, this story is about a female Navy SEAL named Rebecca. But for those of you who are serving, have served, are in reserve, or just know your military history (both former and current), you know that there are no female Navy SEALs. At all. In fact, until around the year 2016, women were not allowed to serve in front line ground combat positions. Roughly 200 sailors out of 1000 applicants wash out of the harsh training to become a SEAL, which is designed to push you to your physical, emotional and mental limits (and sometimes even beyond that too).

Now admittedly, I do not know much about the military in general beyond my brief stint in high school as a MCJROTC cadet, and I am unfortunately medically disqualified from joining the service. But I hope to do all you veterans some justice in this story and am willing to take any advice you can give me into consideration. Most of my friends and even some of my family are mostly Army brats or Air Force flyboys, so I will openly welcome any chance to interview any sailors that I meet. (Hopefully without sticking my nose into anything that's classified).

Who knows? Maybe this story will even inspire any aspiring female sailors to go through training, if only to have to make national history, right? After all, from what I've read, two women have already successfully become Army Rangers. Why not some Navy SEALs? It's now just only a matter of when, not if.

Okay. Now that I've said my piece, let's get to the good stuff, shall we? Relax, read, and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Clone Wars or any other recognizable works. And any offensive or seemingly racist remarks that you find in the text are purely for storytelling purposes and are not intended to insult you, the reader.

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Chapter 1: White Light

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." 

—Lao Tzu

I used to want to save the world. It's a charming, idyllic notion that is perhaps a little outdated or clichéd, but the concept has always held a thrilling notion in my mind nonetheless. As a child, I wanted to be the one to save the day. In my young mind, I donned the hero's cape, always off on another adventure, fighting monsters and slaying dragons. A shining sword held aloft as I stood victorious over my foes; a protector of the common folk and that one, singular person people turned to when they were in dire need.

It was a charming daydream for a while. An idea of grandeur; something only a very young child could invent.

But perhaps, the only reason such idealistic notions exist in the first place is because those fantasies are so much easier to handle than this world's harsher realities.

—X—

Growling lowly as the door slammed shut behind her with an almighty crash, the young woman marched away with a huff, shouldering her thick pack with one hand as another heavy duffel swung from the other in a white-knuckled grip. High ponytail swishing behind her, her thick boots barely made a sound over concrete as she took a firm right turn after leaving the driveway and making it to the end of the suburban street. Features painted in a golden glow in the light of the dying Arizonan sun, the warm rays felt amazing on her exposed skin and face. As sidewalk turned to granite gravel, the smells of freshly mown grass and some neighbors' pre-summer barbeque tickled her nose, reminding her half-empty stomach that she hadn't been able to eat much for dinner before being evicted. Behind her, dark storm clouds rolled in from the east, seemingly matching her current mood to a T.