Learning to Fly - A Star Wars Fanfiction - Part One of the "Balance" Trilogy

Jay

    "Bay Three under attack, repeat, Bay Three under siege. This is not a drill-" The commander's voice fired into JD-2629's ear, repeating without any hesitation. Heart pounding, he ran, armor clanking, blaster held out in front of him. His eyes scanned the hallways of the third bay, searching for the intruder. He could hear footsteps in the distance, the crackling of other soldiers' radios. Then something slammed into him from the back and he stumbled into the wall. Two teenagers in worn clothing charged past him, a boy and a girl, regular-issue First Order blasters in their hands. The girl fumbled with her blaster's trigger, aiming at JD-2629, but it had overheated. Tossing the useless weapon over her shoulder, she ran away with the other teen before he could retaliate. He hit his comm, speaking before it clicked on.

    "-Two of them!" he heard his voice crackle over the speakers in his helmet. "I repeat, two rebels! Hall seven! Requesting backup!" Then, without an answer, he ran after them. Adrenaline rushing through his veins, he slid over to the console on the wall nearest to him, ripping the cover off and removing his gloves with a burst of speed. His fingers jumped across the keypad as he hacked into the system, starting the lowering of all blast doors in a two hundred meter radius. Then he continued his chase. As the doors lowered, he heard someone curse, then the slam of footsteps heading towards him. He set his blaster to stun, tucking himself against the wall, preparing for their arrival. But a sudden invisible force sent his blaster flying out of his hands. The two appeared and the girl aimed a kick at his chest. He slipped out of the way, removing his handgun from his belt and firing three blasts at them. The boy extended his hands and another blast of energy shot into him, sending him toppling. He smacked into the wall, then, groaning, got to his feet. He raced towards the boy, firing again, but at the last second he turned his gun on the girl. The blue beams enveloped her and she fell to her knees, then onto her back as she lost consciousness. The boy turned to her, then back to JD-2629, expression furious. He fired his own blaster, red beams aiming straight for his enemy's heart, and just as the young trooper was about to die, he closed his eyes, preparing for the worst -

    Jay sat up in his bed, breathing hard, drenched in sweat. He looked down at himself , expecting a scorching hole in his shirt where the beam had pierced him less than a year before. But there was nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief, falling back into his pillows. Still he saw the moment, replaying in his head. The blaster had been set to kill. He had felt the fiery beam, felt his legs give way. But he was alive. He was alive.

    How?

    He knew how. But still he was afraid. Still, in the middle of a Resistance base, light years away from the First Order. Because in their ranks, people like him were taken away, never to be seen again.

    His squadron had called them magicians.

    But he knew what they were really called.

    Force-Sensitives.

    Even now, a Lieutenant of a rebellion against the First Order's evil, he hid his secret from everyone he knew. It wasn't too hard. The boy who'd shot him was able to direct his energy away from himself in blasts, a telekinetic weapon. Jay could only use the Force for healing. And he'd only ever done it that day.

    Until he hadn't.

    Until the battle in which he'd earned the rank of Lieutenant, the day Rey, the last Jedi, was taken by the Supreme Leader, right from their base. The day after Rose Tico woke from her coma and the day she took off with Finn, the other ex-trooper, to find any remaining allies to the crumbling Resistance.

    It was also the day he'd been killed in action, cut down by the blade of the one who used to be Ben Solo.

    Only the General knew his secret. And he had to keep it that way. She'd made it very clear. Because the two of them knew another truth. The truth about that day.

    Rey hadn't been kidnapped.

    And no Force-Sensitive was safe.

    There was a new alliance in the galaxy. And they were recruiting.