The Vanished Light: A Star Wars Story

VII

"Jayden, where are you going?" Oberon yelled as she ran towards the cockpit.
"Piloting!" Jayden responded without stopping.
"But you canno-"
"If I can walk, then I can pilot!"
Shira stared in bewilderment as she saw Jayden ran off.
The wrinkled man took the same direction as Jayden did and he sat down on the left seat next to her. He looked at her awkwardly as she flicked multiple switches on the control panel, then stared directly at him.
"You gonna let me?" she asked him.
He sighed.
"Go on, but do it quick otherwise WE WILL DIE!" he yelled and she pulled the lever.
He leaned back in his chair as the ship slowly lifted from the ground.
"This ship hasn't flown in years," Jayden said. "Hasn't it?"
"30 years and it still hasn't - or hadn't - taken off from that exact spot." he smiled.
Jayden focused on the instrumentation which was ahead of her and instantly, she knew what to do, she just needs to spread the message.
"I know what to do," Jayden yelled over the whirring of the old scrap piece of metal.
"What is it then?" the man asked.
Jayden's eyes locked on the upcoming TIE Fighters.
"Someone get down to the gunning station!" Jayden shouted to the control room and the corridor.
The woman with long flowing hair walked up to the two. "Oberon is down there,"

Oberon's hands clasped hold of the handles and his fingers wrenched hold of the triggers. His palms were sweating with fear as he is used to piloting, he might kill the passengers on board. But if Jayden knows what to do, then Oberon had to rely on her skills otherwise they will all die of a horrific death.
He pulled the triggers towards him, making his black leather seat jolt. Then pushing it away.
"Gosh, this thing really moves!" Oberon said.
He took slow breaths to calm himself down.
"I can do this, I can do this." he tried to encourage himself.

Jayden's sweaty hands tightened onto the wheel, her shoulders were tense and everyone was depending on her and Oberon.
"I can do this, I can do this." Jayden told herself.
Red bullets blew from underneath the vessel, blowing up a few TIE Fighters.
"Did you see that?" Oberon's shout travelled to the cockpit.
Jayden smiled. "Nice shot!"

Oberon carried on concentrating on the Fighters which were approaching them very quickly. He pulled the triggers, releasing two bullets.
He pulled them again, only making him jump as a few sparks came from the cannon.
"The cannon's jarred! It's stuck forwards, again!"

Jayden's jaw clenched until an idea struck her head.
There was ruins of the Resistance terminals and smoke ahead of them, trees which were once standing had crashed onto the D'Qar surface.
Her jaw loosened and her lips formed a reassuring smile. "Hold on to the walls or... anything stable!"
Her fingers tapped the wheel and she pushed it away from her. The ship blew against the wind, into the grey, opaque smoke.
She saw a button on the otherwise of her and she stretched her arm, hand and fingers towards the button.
"Hurry!" Oberon shouted.
The man walked and pressed it for her, pushed her back into the seat and made her relax.
"Thanks," she thanked the man.
Jayden identified a broken spire and quickly made the ship dive under the falling pillar, swirving in and out of multiple ruins, still in the smoke.
A few explosions could be heard from the distance and they flew out of the smoke.
"Get ready, Oberon!" she called out and she pulled the wheel towards her, making the ship turn upside-down. Jayden released the wheel and the ship fell.
"Now!" Jayden shouted.

Oberon pulled the triggers and the TIE Fighter blew into a ball of flames.
"Yeah!" Oberon yelled triumphantly and he pounded his fists in the air.
He rose from his seat and climbed upwards, towards the main floor.
He got up and ran to Jayden to ran towards him.
"I thought you'd be piloting still!" Oberon exclaimed.
"Zen said he will," Jayden informed him. "But those shots were dead on!"
Oberon grinned. "But your skills were tremendous! I have never seen such piloting in my life!"
"But your shooting was amazing!"
Then they stopped.
"Why are we..."
"Staring at each other?" Jayden interrupted as she stared into Oberon's eyes.
"I don't know." Oberon answered nervously.
Zen walked up to them with Jackal.
"This is the Fugitive Fourteen, the infamous ship, but not as famous as  the Millennium Falcon." Zen broke the silence.
Jayden gave Oberon a smile then looked at Zen.
"Not exactly," Jayden told Zen. "According to the my-"
"Can you shut up about that myth?" Shira walked up to Jayden and Oberon.
Zen smiled a bit but Jackal shook her head at Jayden's reaction.
"Aura, Gaiden, why don't you two show this Jayden girl around?" Zen asked the man and woman.
The woman nodded and with a single hand gesture, Jayden raced towards the two and they disappeared.
Jackal looked at Shira and Oberon with her arms folded. "Where did you find Jayden?"
"We found her on Cardent, where Captain sent us on our mission, but she fell from the sky, into the snow and we had to abort the mission." Oberon answered. "Oh, Shira, have you got Fennec's lightsaber?"
"Yes I have, it's in my bag." Shira pulled out the weapon from her bag.
"Don't change the subject. Tell me, why were you down at Cardent?" Jackal asked.
Oberon looked down to his feet, unsure what to say or how to respond.
"It was because we had to find out what was happening in the First Order." Shira answered.
Jackal laughed. "Jayden's part of the First Order!" she clasped hold of her hands. "There's a prison there and she's a prisoner! That's why the TIE Fighters were after us!"