GIDEON (Star Wars)

Not Dead

The ride to D'Qar aboard the Millennium Falcon was tense and quiet. Gideon was half asleep and half in deep thought, still in disbelief about her interaction with her mother.

"Hi, Mom." Gideon offered a smile, unaware of what to do or how to act. The last time they saw each other was their huge fight, the day she left the Resistance.

"You've cut your hair?" Leia asked, which eased a small laugh from Gideon as she tucked a chin-length curl behind an ear.

"Yeah." She nodded, "A while ago."

There was a long, heavy moment of silence. Gideon and Leia stared at each other, but both couldn't make eye contact with the other for long. The memory of their last fight was hanging over their heads, and the recent massacre of billions of people was not helping either side.

"It makes you look grown up." Leia added, to break the silence.

Gideon pointed to the T-70's flying back into the sky, most likely heading back to the Resistance's new location.

"I... uh... I like what you've done with, you know..." The captain offered another smile, "Thank you."

"Thank you for Nowhere." the General said, obviously meaning Gideon's warning of a First Order ambush, "It saved a lot of lives."

"Well, I didn't want the past to repeat itself."

There it was.

Both women winced at Gideon's remark. Neither knew what to say or how to act around the other, and it was painful for onlookers such as Han or C-3PO to watch.

Leia opened her mouth to say something, but luckily Dameron's intuitive little droid knew how to save the day.

"Finn needs you on the ship." The droid beeped, bumping into Gideon's leg.

Gideon knelt down, patting the droid on the head. She was glad he was okay, knowing that they all were almost captured or killed until the Resistance moved in... well, one person was captured.

"I should go." Gideon cleared her throat, "Our... our friend was kidnapped."

Leia bit her lip, "Later, I think we need to talk."

Getting back to her feet, the captain nodded, "Yeah. I think we do, too."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Gideon ran a hand down her face. She hated the awkwardness and the tension that surrounded her and her mother, but obviously knew that they both had good reasons for it being there. They were stubborn women who both strongly believed in their side of the argument. It would take more than a cheery reunion to make their differences on politics disappear.

Next to her, Finn was stiff and quiet, his eyes focused on his hands. It was obvious he was still thinking about Rey, probably blaming himself for her being captured.

"Hey." Gideon's voice was quiet, not wanting their conversation to carry down to the cockpit. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze of comfort, "I'm sorry."

He looked up, "For what?"

She shrugged, "I know how close you were getting with Rey. It's hard seeing the people we care about being taken away."

Finn nodded solemnly, "It never gets easier."

She saw it in his eyes, "That's why you left?"

He nodded again, "I watched one of my squad mates die right in front of me. No one did anything to help. No one mourned them. No one cared."