Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Chapter 3

"Ben! Ben Ben Ben, look at what I can do!" I raced through the halls of our New Jedi Temple, looking for my new friend. I had been at the temple for less than a week when I had my first breakthrough, moving a rock with the force. It had only taken three tries and a fair bit of excited tingling for me to achieve my first goal, and Ben was ecstatic to hear my news. 

"BenBenBenBenBenBenBen!" I ran into a solid body and fell backwards. Two hands reached out and caught my shoulders, saving me from falling onto the hard floor. 

"What is so important that you need to run through the halls yelling for me?" Ben asked firmly once I had regained my balance. "Master Luke likes the hallways to be quiet. 'This Academy is a place of peace.'" Ben said, mimicking his uncle. "'That means no running in the halls, no shouting, and no fighting.'" 

I giggled nervously, my face flushing lightly from the scolding, no matter how indirect. "It's okay, Kiddo," Ben said softly, taking my hand and pulling me into an empty room. "Come on, what is it you wanted to show me?" I grinned. Siting down on the ground, my legs crossed, I called out to the force, letting it flow from around me, inside me, and out, moving the rock I held in my hand up into the air and slowly, back down. 

"See?" I asked, beaming. "Isn't that cool? Master Luke taught me. I can do it all by myself." Ben smiled down at me, almost sadly. 

"Yup, I see," he said, pulling me up to standing position. "You've got a lot of the force inside you, Mira. You're strong. And see? Now you can lift a rock. Isn't that wonderful?"

I hadn't caught the steely edge of his comment as he turned on his heel and left.

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Four hours later, I was ready to go, and waiting at Dock 7 for the pilot. Of course, if the General would let me, I would fly the X-Wing myself. But as always, I was just the little 14 year old pity case of the Resistance. 

"Hey soldier," barked Poe. "Look sharp." 

I whirled around to see the man approach the fighter from behind me, a droid right on his heel. "A BB unit," I stated as he came closer. "Nice. Durable, all-terrain, long-lasting, so long as you take good care of him."

Poe looked impressed. "Done your research, have you?" he asked, fretting about the exterior of the fighter. "This is BB-8."

"I'm just well educated," I replied, bending down to the droid's level and eyeing him closely. "Nice to meet you, buddy. I'm Mira." The droid beeped in conformation as he was lifted up to the back of the X-Wing. 

"All set, Kid?" Poe asked as I clambered into the co-pilot seat. He smiled reassuringly at me as I buckled in. "You'll be fine." I nodded, a small smile flitting onto my face. "I almost forgot," Poe said suddenly, reaching back behind the seat panel. "Here. Leia doesn't like the idea of giving you a weapon, but I don't like the reality of a dead co-pilot, so..." He tossed me a small blaster, light-weight and compact. 

"Thanks." I held it in my hand, running my finger over the smooth metal. 

"You ready?" I nodded. Poe fired up the engine. "One last chance to back out. Take it or leave it."

"Leave it," I replied, smirking, forcing the nerves out of my system. Soon I'd be out of the base, doing something for the Resistance that was better than washing dishes or sorting through orange jumpsuits. I'd help Poe Dameron, the renowned Resistance pilot, find the map to Luke Skywalker. I was ready. 

And as we took off, there was no going back.