Dawn of a new Force

Chapter 10 - Erasure.

Leïa slept peacefully, as much as the last events could let her sleep. She was awakened by a woman's scream, a horrible and heartbreaking scream. Her heart started beating hard and she struggled to get up quickly. Not even bothering to grab her cane and coming out of her cabin in her nightshirt, her long braid hanging behind her, she came out breathless in the Falcon's main mess. Chewie was dozing off on her pilot seat and Rose was still unconscious on the mess bunk. Everything seemed calm and as she was about to ask where the cry came from, she realized that no one else seemed to have heard it. A female Porg was also sleeping with her chicks under her in a corner of the room, and nothing seemed to have disturbed the tranquility of that night. Through a porthole she approached, she could see the Corvette Rebirth who had joined their group only hours earlier. The legend of Rey slaying Snoke began to circulate everywhere, and to encourage the old allies and the new ones to join the remaining Resistance that remained.She closed her eyes and searched for a long time. She did not even remember the voice that had screamed, it must have been a woman, but who? It had vanished, like a dream from which one leaves and where one would like to leave, that one can only touch with the end of the fingers then which evaporates without leaving a trace.

Her mind projected, as she had learned to do, across the galaxy. She saw the Falcon now, the planets, the comets, the debris, the circulating energy like billions of flying dragons. She blew because the effort was considerable and she knew that she would soon loose the strength to do it. Her mind raised an alarm: the effort was too much, but Leïa knew that she alone could discover what was happening. She continued and in one last impulse she finally felt it, and he too. Rey was in pain, Rey was suffering like never before. She did not hurt physically, she was destroyed from the inside. And her light was darkening. She felt Ben ... who was no longer him but whose light seemed to be fighting against the darkness. And she felt Finn and Poe, their despair and their pain.

She opened her eyes, she finally understood. But it was too late. She collapsed, emptied with all her strength.

                                                       ------------------------------------------------

Chewbacca gasped when he heard a thud in the mess. He got up as fast as his hasty release of sleep allowed him, cursing in advance against the rough loading of provisions on makeshift shelves. The last load had been done in a hurry, because it was necessary to take off again quickly so as not to risk being spotted by the forces of the First Order. Chewbacca had a horror of disorder, yet he had spent his life with the biggest junk, Han. On the one hand, this disorder was common with him, and it reminded Chewbacca of his best friend. 

On the other hand, he did not understand that the Falcon had always been so badly ranged. There was lot of rooms and plenty of storage space! 

It was so tired and foggy that he entered the mess. He looked quickly around him but nothing but an indefinite form on the floor. He thought at first of a sack of cloth that would have sunk, but as he approached he saw a foot protruding from the night gown. Chewbacca squeaked and raised Leïa who moaned in pain. He kicked the way as he led Leïa back to his room at R2, who waved as he awoke. Chewbacca grunted at him to warn the medical droids of the freighter to dock immediately and bring Commander Tyder to Leïa's bedside. 

                                                      -----------------------------------------------

It was only two hours later that Tyder came out of the room, letting the medical droid continue to care for the General.

About fifteen people had invaded the mess, Chewbacca having taken refuge in the cockpit. Tyder spoke, looking serious.

- My friends ... he cleared his throat. My friends, the General Organa is dying.

A sigh of alarm passed through the assembly.

- The droids do not know why, but all her energy leaves her and she can not move anymore. She is in a semi-coma, and can not speak anymore. Before she could do it, she had a note written, which I admit was very hard to take down.

Tyder felt the tears come to his eyes but he did not have to. He cleared his throat again, then continued.

- There she is. "Hope will not be extinguished as long as the galaxy remembers why this war is waged. It is essential to continue to celebrate our dead heroes, but even more to bring back to us all the living who are ready to fight and work for a better future. The Fluency mission is in check and will need more than a big battle to bring the young Rey back alive, Finn and Captain Dameron are kept prisoners. I do not have the energy to think to the means of saving them, but there is inevitably one, Rey is the sun that will bring light back to the galaxy. Although many of you do not know her, I beg you to believe that she is unparalleled, and an importance for our cause, and even more for me, incomparable. Help them, it will be the first milestone of our dreamed future. I pass my title of General to the commander Tyder and will find you all in the Force, when the moment will have come. May the Force be with you all, my family of heart. I am going to find Han and my beloved brother, as well as all those who sacrificed their lives for their ideals. "

The little crowd was silent, Tyder dropping drops, and there were just sniffles, and hands wiping wet eyes. Some took themselves in their arms, and slaps on shoulders were exchanged. 

Tyder spoke again, for it was up to him to take his hand now. 

- Beyond our present emotion, we need more than ever to remain united and vigilant. The General, The Princess, was our cement. We must keep our belief in a better future. I do not know Rey, but I know for having heard about her and also by my conversations with the General, her importance. I know Poe well to have been to school with him, and shared his fights, his drinking party sometimes ... (the assembly smiles at the evocation of the agitated evenings that sometimes organized Poe). Finally, many of you, including myself, have recently been able to appreciate Finn's courage and spontaneity, his loyalty to our cause despite his past conditioning. We must do everything to save them. We will never adopt the logic of the First Order, which consists in sacrificing masses for individual power. We will save every single life that can be saved, and we will start by saving our friends. Because every life counts, every life carries valuable assets and gifts to all. So at your posts! Let's think about bold and courageous techniques, and bring home our friends. At your posts! 

His end of speech was greeted with a collective hooray then everyone started. A good part of the assembly of which Tyder joined the Rebirth. Chewbacca came to Leïa's bedside and put down his hairy paw, which seemed huge on Leïa's hand. So many of his friends were gone now, he felt like a relic, and would have preferred to face a battle rather than remain helpless there. He thought of Finn, he would have liked to see him right now.