Chapter Text
She couldn't even exactly pinpoint the moment it had gone to shit.
Maybe it had been at the very beginning when she had walked into the cantina in the first place. Perhaps it had been slightly after when she had accepted the job from the suspicious-looking creature who seemed to be expecting someone to pop up and blast it at any second. Now that she had some insight, she knew the weird vibes she had gotten when walking into that place were not entirely due to the run-down tables and stitched-back chairs that littered the room in a clump. Something had been shady from the beginning.
Now that she was in such a predicament, Y/N couldn't help thinking the true moment of her downfall had been when she had gone through with the plan.
She should have known it was a bad idea.
Actually, scratch that. She knew, but at the time, she didn't care.
Present Y/N hated past Y/N and her carelessness very much.
She groaned once again against her recklessness, for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last five minutes.
But in the emptiness of space, nobody could hear her curse or complain about her complaints.
That was good.
It also meant nobody could hear her scream as she was blasted into oblivion, which was specifically what would happen to her.
Alone with the man in that run-down cantina, the woman had sat down on the fragile stool. It had been bent too many times from being used as a makeshift weapon during bar fights. Perched on the edge of the seat, she had listened. The man, a Twi'Lek, had leaned forward conspiringly, using his merchant voice to sell her on the mission he needed her to take care of.
A nice pile of credits had been thrusted her way. A bigger one than any other pile she had ever seen in her life.
She should have known it was too good to be true. Now she was being hunted by ex-imperial fighters, slaloming between celestial objects. Asteroids zoomed past her at full speed; she barely registered how close they were. Her eyes were more focused on the fuel tank alert. She was running low.
There was no way she would be able to escape.
Five ships had started to follow when she stole one of them. In hindsight, she realized she shouldn't have done it.
But the pile of credits had been way too enticing. And now, the damn thing was burning a hole in Y/N's pocket.
The Twi'Lek mission was easy; steal a TIE interceptor from an abandoned base on the outskirts of the planet, bring it back home.
He had forgotten to tell her (which probably justified the hefty amount of money he had offered) that the damn thing was heavily guarded.
Stealing it had been easy.
Escaping with it, however...
Five ships had started following her as soon as she had turned on the engines. And they had been trying to shoot her down ever since.
They had been at it for an hour. Even though Y/N had managed to destroy half of them, her TIE had been hit. The engines were overheating and the cannons were damaged.
It was only a matter of time before they blew her kriffing brains off.
Dying in space was an honorable death. She was just sad
that the last person she would have talked to was a random Twi'Lek.
She had been doing a fairly good job at keeping the fallen soldiers at bay, for a simple reason: she was an awesome pilot.
"Legend Han Solo himself" level of greatness, if she did say so herself.
What? She usually never gloated about her skills, but if there was a moment in her life she should gloat, it would have been right before she died.
Y/N Thunderbird was a great pilot. The best, actually, according to her tests.
At least, one of the best the Empire had ever had.
Yes, she was an ex-imperial pilot.
Hey, nobody was perfect.
But it was rather ironic that her ex-colleagues were now the ones trying to blow her up. If she wasn't so damned focused, she would have laughed.
The cabin beeped loudly; she sent the ship spinning, avoiding yet another shot. Hah. She was not going down easily.
But right as she avoided hitting an asteroid, she found herself flying right toward a TIE who was also flying toward her.
Crap.
They had gotten smarter. It had taken a while, but they had.
She was going to die.
Eyes fixated on the ship, she raised her right hand, touching the pendant her mother had given her all those years ago.
That was it. The end of the road.
She did her bit.
Even though she was terrified, she refused to look away. She was going to stare death in the face like the fighter she was. A silent prayer went to her parents, whoever they were. Time slowed down around her as the TIE aimed at her.
The explosion lit up her entire face.
Wait.
She wasn't the one who had exploded.
At least, she was pretty sure she wasn't, considering her skin wasn't melting off her bones and she hadn't been burned alive. What?
Her eyes incredulously fell on the now fuming (quite literally) wreckage of the TIE in front of her. Y/N stared at it, bewildered. What, did the thing have a malfunction?
Impossible.
When she saw something flying past her, she quickly realized that it wasn't a malfunction.
An X-Wing.
She hadn't seen one of those in a long time.
The green light of an incoming transmission blinked on her console; she accepted the call. Static was heard and crackled ominously, and then...
"...Do you copy? Do you need help?"
Great! The Twi'Lek wouldn't be the last creature she would hear before dying, after all.
She didn't know who she was talking to, but the guy hadn't tried to blow her up yet, so that was an improvement; she would take her chances. Smiling to herself, letting relief wash over her, Y/N grabbed her comlink.
"Hey. Yes. They've been chasing me for almost an hour; I'm running low. I stole that TIE and they followed me."
The X-Wing disappeared from her peripheral vision; Y/N was afraid she had scared him away.
Great.
But when it did come back, it was with two other X-Wings and a Y-Wing. A whole squadron.
Kriff.
They were here to help.
Y/N turned her ship around, watching over her guardian angels. The five of them quickly wiped out the rest of her stalkers; she heard the guy compliment her through the radio.
His name was Skylen.
That's what he had told her when they had landed on the planet. Well, they had; she had crashed unceremoniously into the hard, sandy ground, finally running out on fuel. With a groan and several curses, the woman had extirpated herself from the ship and walked to her saviors. They were wearing flying jumpsuits, but what had piqued her interest the most had been the logo on their helmets.
A Starbird.
They were Resistance.
Her new friend —a guy around her age with an untamed beard, broad shoulders, and an impressive height— was very wary of her at first. Once she got close, he had grabbed his blaster and aimed it at her, asking about her identity.
"I'm Y/N. I'm from Tatooine."
This was the truth. As far as she was aware.
She then explained what the hell she was doing in a TIE and the man was sufficiently surprised with how well and how long she had managed to survive with a damaged ship that he had lowered his gun, much to Y/N's delight.
Being held at gunpoint wasn't her favorite thing in the world.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" Skylen had asked, and the woman had shook her head no. She hadn't had a home in more than twenty years.
"Then come with us."
She happily did, but not before handing him her blaster. Safety reasons, he had said, and she didn't complain. She would have done the same.
Now, the woman was safely sitting in the Y-Wing, behind a pilot she hadn't quite grasped the name of. He wasn't much of a talker either, but he did tell her something: where they were going.
Kuat. The new base after Ajan Kloss.
After the battle of Exegol, the location of the Resistance base became fairly well-known, at least to the people who had taken part in the fight.
Y/N was one of them.
She had come to help, like many others, her spirits boosted by the sight of the Millenium Falcon. She knew where the base was because they had gone back there after the fight was won. Y/N hadn't followed; she didn't feel like she belonged.
After all, she had killed some of them. Eons ago, yes, but she had.
That wasn't something she could forget. Some people there probably had lost someone because of her.
And now, she was going to be brought right where she didn't belong. Why Skylen was so adamant about having her come with them, she didn't know.
After the death of Palpatine and the end of the Last Order, one could have argued that peace was back. But it wasn't. Even though the Empire was gone, many people in the galaxy still mourned the death of the old days. The dark side was still something that existed, and former warlords or stormtroopers were still wreaking havoc across the galaxy. The Resistance's work wasn't done yet. Maybe it never would. They weren't at war anymore but their help was still required, and Coruscant had decided to treat them as an independent militia, much like it had been created to be years ago. It wasn't rare to see the X-Wings roam across the galaxy, even though it wasn't common to see them so far away from their nest. Now that the Republic had been reinstated, those who wanted to serve were welcome to do so as a peace-keeping group, which meant a lot fewer missions, a nicer life, and way more warships flying around.
Since the battle of Exegol, a year ago, Y/N hadn't seen the slightest tip of the infamous Starbird-tagged ships. She didn't particularly mind; she could live just fine without the Republic's militia.
But now that they were getting closer to the new base they had created so they could be closer to the capital planet... uneasiness was settling in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes twitched relentlessly, her hand searching for the comforting metal butt of her blaster, smooth and rounded under her fingertips.
But she didn't have it. Skylen did. She cursed under her breath.
The woman felt naked without it.
"Buckle up. We're landing."
The warning was short and came a second before the Y-Wing took a dip, sensing Y/N deep back into her chair. She was quite used to violent flying movements but it didn't mean they made her feel comfortable.
She had never been on Kuat before, but she had heard stories about it: the planet that used to be the siege of the Empire's army. It seemed fitting now to have it as the Republic's militia headquarters. It looked so peaceful. Stunning shades of green and blue swirled together on the surface, the sea and the land mixing together as they got closer and closer to the ground. It was a beautiful planet, suitable for a nice life. Now that the Empire had fallen and wasn't terrorizing civilians anymore, they could undoubtedly enjoy the natural beauty of their planet.
Y/N wasn't too upset about the change of scenery. She hummed to herself but the pilot heard her.
"Stunning, isn't it?"
"Yes," she simply answered when he tilted his head slightly toward her, the side of his orange visor coming to face her. It was indeed stunning.
But then, they took a turn above the trees and the base came into view.
It was massive, although Y/N was sure it didn't give off threatening vibes like the former Empire base used to. It felt... reassuring. The Resistance's logo, and now the New Republic's, the infamous Starbird, flaunted the flags that floated lazily in the wind.
"Green Leader coming in. Asking permission to land on deck four. Over."
"Ground control speaking. Permission granted. Head for deck four, Green Leader. Over and out."
The familiar buzzing of the comlink was heard and the pilot flicked some switches, expertly maneuvering his ship until the reactors turned and he lowered it to the ground. It hit it with a soft thud and a metallic clatter. A few seconds later, the engines were turned off and the ship stopped rumbling softly. The pilot took off his helmet and unbuckled his safety belt, standing up to face Y/N.
"Welcome to our HQ. Come on. Don't be shy."
She wasn't shy, she was fucking terrified. Realization dawned on her as she looked through the window of the ship, seeing two mechanics approaching the arriving vehicles. She knew she had to get off. Gulping away her uneasiness, Y/N followed after the pilot, walking behind him with her eyes glazing over every detail.
More eyes started following her as the rest of the team she had met disembarked and more people piled into the hangar. She stuck out like a Bantha, in her all-black outfit clashing with the bright orange of the flying suits. Y/N was feeling incredibly out of place but she squared her shoulders and forced her chin to be held high as she followed her almost mute friend around. Don't let them see how awkward you feel, they might suspect something.
The pilot led her to Skylen, who had taken his helmet off too. He gave his friend a pat on the back and sent a brief nod in the woman's direction.
"Flight went okay?"
"Yes Sir," she answered automatically, before realizing how military she had sounded. She grimaced, but the man only snorted. It seemed his wariness has worn off during the flight. Or, at least, his brashness had, because she didn't have a blaster pointed at her this time.
"Nah, call me Skylen. Everyone does. Come on, Duckling, I gotta take you to the General."
Duckling?
Y/N frowned and stared at him but he was already walking away with his helmet under his arm. Her eyes met the ones of the only woman on the squad and she gave her a warm smile.
"That's Commander Lightring to you. He has pet names for everyone. You'll get used to it. He doesn't mean any harm."
Sure. She could work with that. It was a nice change from the nicknames she had when she swung for the other team.
They had been slightly less endearing.
"I'm Lieutenant Klana, by the way. But you can call me Klan. Everyone does."
The woman extended a hand for Y/N to take and she shook it with a soft smile. She must have been around her age, with a kind smile etched on her face and bouncy, black curls flowing free from the ponytail she had tied them into. Her brown eyes were warm and kind.
"Y/N."
Klana mouthed the name for herself before nodding toward her Commander.
"Alright, Y/N. Better follow that one or we will both get in trouble. But don't worry, okay? You'll be safe here. We look after one another. You'll fit right in very soon. I know it can be overwhelming to step inside a place like this one. I've been here before."
Y/N wasn't much of a talker but she appreciated what the other woman was doing a lot. She made her feel welcomed in such a foreign place and that wasn't nothing.
She had never felt welcome anywhere before. Nobody had bothered with warm greetings.
The stares had become more numerous as they got closer to the entrance of the main building. Y/N did her best to ignore them but it wasn't easy. She knew she was very obviously an intruder, especially dressed like she was when everyone else was clad in orange jumpsuits. But the woman thought about Klana's warm smile and it eased her worries a bit. They couldn't know who she had been, so why be worried?
The main base wasn't as depressing and harsh as Y/N would have thought a military base would be. It was far from the white, spotless, cold hallways of the First Order she had once walked in. The warm light was cast on the grey walls from small lamps and the place was swarmed with plants. They decked the hallways and the ceilings; it gave them a jungle-y feeling. Small windows pierced the concrete here and there. Not what she had been expecting.
As they got inside, they crossed paths with more people dressed in various uniforms and people stopped paying attention to her as much. Y/N was expecting the place to be packed, but she was surprised to see that it wasn't. She had a feeling most of the people she saw had been around during the war. They were all ex-Resistance, keeping their job in a more normal setting.
Y/N gulped.
Just how many of them had she fought before...?
She stared at the many faces she saw, trying to recognize them and at the same time dreading it would happen. Realizing who they were only made her feel even more of an intruder. Why had she accepted to come here? Why hadn't she lied to Skylen? It would have been so easy to just say "oh yes, I have a home here" and stay on that shitty planet.
But something inside of her had stirred when he had asked the question and she had found herself unable to lie.
Probably the untamable wish to be useful.
Or the wish for a better life. She wasn't sure which one it was.
Either way, she insulted it profusely.
Skylen had turned around two times to check on Y/N. He seemed pleased to see she was following him, Klana by her side. Her new acquaintance had started to talk lowly under her breath, nodding left and right toward the various hallways they were passing.
"This is region four. Probably where you'll end up having your room."
A confused glance had answered her and the woman had frowned.
"... You do know what a room is?"
Y/N had nodded. Of course, she did.
"Yes. I do. It's just... we get our own rooms?"
She cringed at the hint of amazement and incredulity in her voice. Klana stared at her speechless for a few seconds.
"You poor soul. What did you go through...?"
Hell would have been an accurate answer, albeit a scary one, so she kept quiet.
She wasn't sure she had ever had her own room before. Not once in her life. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Such accommodations were solely destined to be enjoyed by officers, at least in the First Order. The woman was quite sure there were too many soldiers to give them each a room. However, with the end of the war, it wasn't rocket science to understand that a fair amount of the troops had gone home or just quit the Resistance. Who could blame them? Anyone would want some peace after the hellish years they had gone through.
More hallways were starting to merge together and Y/N realized they were getting closer to the center of the base, where the commanding room must have been located. It was obviously an old Empire compound organization-wise, and so far, she had been rather successful remembering where everything was. Apparently, Skylen had taken them on a grand tour because she was quite sure there was a faster way to get to the main room.
"That's the place," the bearded man suddenly said, stopping in front of a door. Metallic, military-grade. It didn't open when they got closer, and Y/N realized that was because Skylen had made them stop right before they got too close to the captor.
Smart man.
"Ready to get in? Don't worry, they don't bite the first time."
Well, that was a relief. She gave him a curt nod, letting the comment slide, and the man smiled before walking straight into the room. Klana gently touched Y/N's elbow and the woman turned to the pilot.
"It's gonna be okay."
She went in after Skylen, leaving Y/N outside. She breathed deeply and followed after them.
The room was stunning.
A huge glass dome formed the ceiling, much like a glass bell protecting a frail flower. But instead of the beautiful scenery of Kuat, the glass was showcasing various dots, stars, and paths. Blinking names. It was a map of the galaxy, showing everyone who was dispatched. Y/N felt like she was staring right at the starry sky. It was beautiful.
With trained eyes, she was quick to take notes of everything else she saw. The room was circular, about two hundred feet in diameter. Various communication devices flanked its sides and people were sitting behind them, furiously typing away or listening with their commlinks. If you looked slightly more to the center of the room, ranks of screens with smaller maps were used. It was a circle within a circle, not entirely closed. The ground was made of cement, but a huge Starbird had been painted and took half of the room at least. On the metallic pillars that supported the roof, Y/N could see various machines she didn't recognize. Undoubtedly security-related.
And in front of the door they had just walked through, a huge table. Round with a hole in the middle, covered with various buttons and devices, it projected several pieces of information Y/N didn't really care about. And standing in front of it was a man.
It was obvious from the look the others were giving him that he was the General. From the way he held himself, he was... young.
But she didn't have time to ponder since Skylen spoke up.
"General Finn. Green Squadron reporting for duty. We've come back from a mission on Arvala-7."
The guy turned around.
He was indeed very young. Around her age, without a doubt. Dark-skinned, with kind eyes and short, black hair. He acknowledged Skylen with a smile and a nod.
"Commander Lightring! Glad to see you back in one piece this time. Went well?"
Skylen nodded and absentmindedly stroked his coarse beard.
"As good as it could go. We blew up a half-abandoned place of the old Empire. There were a dozen men, not more. A few ran-down TIE. We encountered no resistance."
He looked pretty pleased with himself and his team's work in general. He could be; successful missions were often so at the price of several human lives. The fact that it wasn't was good news. This seemed to get Finn's attention. He frowned.
"Really? Poe was sure there'd be some." He muttered, more to himself than to his companions.
Skylen gave a boisterous laugh.
"I'm sure there would have been, had they been free and not already busy hunting one of their stolen ships."
Uh-oh. So that's why they had been so angry? They thought she was a rebel?
Well, shit. That was kriffing ironic.
But she also realized that since he was talking about her, he was gonna-
A hard push against her back had Y/N tumbling forward. Skylen had hit her gently, pushing her toward Finn. Said man was looking at her with great curiosity.
"This one stole a TIE and they went after her. We found her with an almost dry tank. She had already busted down half of their fleet; we only had to pick up the scraps."
At least he was modest. She did do most of the work.
Finn studied her for a second before breaking into a warm smile and extending his hand for her to shake.
"That's cool. What's your name?"
"Y/N." She answered without missing a beat. It made him smile and his eyes twinkle in amusement as she shook hands with him. His palm was warm.
"Okay, Y/N, care to tell me why you stole that ship in the first place?"
Oh, well. So much for not looking like an idiot. She grimaced and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.
"Well. It was a stupid mission a stupid Twi'Lek gave me. The bastard forgot to mention the damn thing was still watched over. They almost blew my head off. I barely made it out alive, and I'd be dead if it weren't for your men, General."
That was the truth. She wasn't stupid; she owed her life to the militia. Skylen chuckled.
"You were handling yourself pretty well before we arrived, Duckling. Took out three of these suckers by yourself. That's neat work."
Y/N shrugged. It wasn't that impressive to her. Her overconfidence had quickly vanished now that she was sure she'd live long enough to see someone knock her down a peg if she got too cocky. She wasn't one to boast uselessly.
"It is indeed. That Twi'Lek did you dirty," Finn commented. Before she could stop herself, Y/N rolled her eyes and answered:
"Oh, he did. I'll blow the sucker's head off if I ever cross paths with him again."
Finn snorted and Skylen burst out laughing. Oops. She had just cursed like a droid in front of the General of the Resistance.
"That's fair. So, wanna enroll, then? I promise we don't have any lying Twi'Leks among us. I assume if Skylen brought you here, it's because you told him you wanted to come. I sure hope he didn't kidnap you."
Y/N chuckled slightly, her nerves dissipating. He was really nice. Definitely a nice change from the officers she was used to.
"I did. I do," she quickly corrected herself. "If you'll have me? I'm a decent pilot."
Finn nodded thoughtfully. Y/N felt oddly scrutinized under his warm gaze. It was almost as if he were... looking for something.
His gaze dropped slightly lower than her eyes, to her throat. What was he-
"What's that around your neck? A necklace?"
How did he know about that?!
Y/N's blood ran cold with apprehension; she instinctively raised her hand and pressed it against her jacket, feeling the piece of jewelry through the thin material of her shirt. It was hidden. He couldn't see it. He shouldn't have been able to know there was something underneath her shirt...
All sense of relaxation disappeared from her body, pushed out by the innocent question. She was quite sure he didn't mean no harm but it gave her a weird feeling...
"It was my mother's. I suppose she gave it to me when I was a child."
Finn frowned, obvious confusion showing in his dark eyes. But he wasn't looking at her with anything else but curiosity.
"You suppose?"
Y/N gulped, feeling ill at ease. Why did it feel like she was being questioned?
"Yes, I... have no memories of my life before I was twenty-two."
Finn mouthed an "O".
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just felt something. The need to ask about... never mind."
He seemed genuinely embarrassed and Y/N smiled faintly. She was still feeling a bit weirded out, until Klana cleared her throat.
"General, allow me to give her a tour of the place? I can make her take the test run for the pilot job after she's a bit rested. She was in that TIE for an hour. She must be starving and tired."
Maker blessed this woman. Y/N loved her already. She shot the pilot a grateful glance and Klana winked subtly. Finn nodded, a warm smile spreading back on his face already. The guy was obviously a ball of energy.
"Oh, sure, sure. Poe wanted to host the tests tonight but I'm pretty sure he won't be back in time from his run on Yavin IV. This man is always behind schedule, I swear," he grumbled.
Skylen laughed at Finn's annoyance. Y/N watched with great curiosity. She had instantly noticed that the command chain was very different from what she had been used to. Flashbacks of her service came to her insidiously. The condescendence of the higher-graded soldiers. The humiliation. The fear and lack of respect.
Nothing like it was here.
"Trouble in paradise, General?" Skylen asked, and Finn waved his hand dismissively with an exaggerated eye roll.
"No, we're good. I love Poe like a brother but the man pisses me off daily. If you think he is annoying, you should try working with him twenty-four seven. I'm a patient guy, but his jokes will kill me. Or have me kill him. I don't know yet."
Y/N smiled slightly, feeling a bit more at ease for the first time since she had taken off in the TIE hours ago. Finn bid them adieu and walked away to tend to his duties, leaving silence in his path. The woman could feel Skylen's eyes burning a hole through her skull. His curiosity was almost palpable.
As soon as the General was out of earshot, the pilot turned to their guest.
"So! That wasn't so bad! I've seen grown men almost shit their pants when facing our leaders. You did good! You'll fit right in. Now, Klan, I'm leaving you to it. I gotta take a shower. See you around, Duckling."
He patted her shoulder and left. Klana called after him.
"Yes, please, you stink like a Wookiee!"
The man flipped her off and disappeared out of the room. Y/N could only notice they all seemed to be so close to one another. It was... interesting.
Also... had he just said "leaders"? As in more than one?
This piece of information left a weird taste on her tongue. It was as if the plural word had crystallized something in her mouth. Something that tasted like a bitter, old treat... one of her past. She could almost taste the memory. The words to describe it were metaphorically waiting on the tip of her tongue. Y/N could almost-
"Alright! Time to get out of here before the techies throw us out. Come on, Y/N, I'll bring you to the cafeteria. You must be starving."
Her stomach rumbled, effectively answering for her, and Klana chuckled. She was right; the woman was hungry. Her last meal had been some watered-down soup made of Maker knew what, with shapeless pieces of... something floating inside. Not exactly a filling meal.
Back to the hallways, they went, turning and turning and walking. Klana was chatting away, telling Y/N more about the base. The places she liked, the ones she couldn't get to, the opening hours of the cafeteria, and tips and tricks to find her way in the facility. Y/N soaked in every piece of information like a sponge, nodding along when it was needed. She wasn't talking much, out of fear, perhaps, of scaring her new companion away. Realizing that made her huff bitterly on the inside. Before the Empire, she was such a lively woman. She had been for a while with her fellow troopers, too. They weren't as emotionless as everyone made them out to be. But then, the war had taken a toll on her— on everyone. Laughter couldn't be heard anymore, even behind closed doors. It had been replaced by pain, suffering, and wishful thinking.
Violence, too.
Memories of a man in a black mask flashed behind her eyes and she had to blink several times to dissipate them.
"Y/N? Are you okay?"
Klana's soft voice brought her back and she looked up, her eyes facing the woman's warm gaze.
"Yes. Sorry. I was just thinking."
If the pilot was intrigued, she didn't show it. Instead, she merely nodded.
"Okay. Well, we're here. I propose you grab something to eat quickly and I'll have someone sort out your room in the meantime so you can take a nap before you head to the test, alright? Usually, we'd give you more time to recover, but you arrived at a weird time and..."
She strained off, but Y/N cut her off by shaking her head.
"No, it's okay, I get it. I'm actually glad to be jumping right into the action. I'm not a sitting porg."
Klana seemed satisfied with the answer and led the other woman to a spacious room with several metallic tables aligned in the middle. It was a standard cafeteria, though the vegetation she had noticed before was still present on the walls and the ceilings were fairly high. It wasn't very busy at this time of the day. Only a couple of soldiers, either with their orange flying suits hanging nonchalantly around their waists or in the uniforms they had popped open a couple of buttons on. They were chatting quietly; nobody seemed to pay attention to the newcomers.
The pilot pat her new friend on the back and nodded toward the metallic counters behind which droids were stationed.
"Get some food. I'll come back once I've got your situation taken care of."
She disappeared through the door they had just come through and Y/N instantly fell incredibly alone. She felt like an outsider, standing in the middle of a room she didn't know, without knowing anyone. She was one, after all.
Still, the woman had left the Empire years ago. She was their guest, Klana had assured, so no reasons to feel awkward, right? People wouldn't mean her no harm. And they had been really friendly so far. No need to worry.
With her chin held higher, she strolled across the room and walked to the droid cook. It was outside of the meals hours so there weren't many items available, but the woman didn't care.
"Hello. Are these available?" Y/N asked the droid, a thin I-shaped tin can with glowing green eyes. It nodded.
"Yes. Chicken stew and broth. Nourishing."
It dipped a spoon in a large cooker, taking out a spoonful of liquid. The droid poured it into a bowl without any delicacy, letting tiny droplets of soup splash around and add grease to the already sticky-looking counter.
"Here you go." The droid said in its metallic voice, pushing the bowl toward Y/N. It grabbed one of the bottles of water she had asked for as well and put it on the counter, slightly denting it with the force of its hand. The woman reached for her credits but the robot shook its head.
"No payment. Soldiers eat for free."
Without moving its body, it turned its head and went back to work. Y/N threw a "thank you" at it but it never answered and she decided to go and sit in a corner, at a free table. The stew was lukewarm at best and obviously reheated. But she ate the whole thing in five minutes, too eager to finally put something in her empty stomach to care about manners. Real food was rare. The bottle of water was drunk in record time too; the woman realized it was the first time in weeks she felt content. She was still hungry but it was better. She was grateful.
Since Klana hadn't returned yet, she decided to do some people-watching. She absentmindedly tied up her greasy hair strands in a high ponytail, a hairdo she didn't wear often since it wasn't very suited for helmets. While her fingers were playing with her hair, she let her eyes roam across the room. Most of the fighters were humans, but there were a few other species. Some she was used to, and some she wasn't. They didn't look exhausted or depressed. It was evident that the war was over. The atmosphere on the whole planet was different. It felt less suffocating and it reflected on the troops.
A sad smile made its way to her lips. She wished she could have been able to experience that earlier... but it didn't do any good to dwell on the past. Her Empire days were behind her. Buried forever in her mind. Nobody would care, as long as she did her job, right?
She knew the reason why she has felt compelled to go with Skylen; the X-Wing he piloted had been her redemption ticket. Maybe it was fate or luck. Either way, Y/N was grateful to him, because he had given her a new start.
"So!" Klana's voice interrupted, making the woman's head turn in her direction. She walked fast toward the seated newcomer, a holopad tucked under her arm.
"Good news! We have rooms available. The bad news is, it's near the commanding wing so it's quite far from the hangar; the rooms are smaller since the officers' quarters are bigger..."
She looked genuinely embarrassed and that baffled Y/N to no end.
"That is just perfect. You know, I would sleep in an X-Wing if you asked me to. Whatever you have is more than enough."
Klana laughed and her curls bounced around her face.
"You're very accommodating! Come with me, I'll show you to your quarters. You can nap for two hours before it's time for the tests."
That sounded like heaven.
Y/N happily followed her new friend through the variety of hallways. They all looked the same but she wasn't worried. First, because they were numbered, and second, she could find her way in the gigantic Empire ships; this would be a piece of cake.
Klana was still babbling; Y/N found herself tuning the woman out. It wasn't intentional, it just was a bit overwhelming.
She was used to silence and focusing on another person was exhausting. She did try, though, because the pilot was so kind, she felt too bad not to listen.
"We need to make a quick stop in the uniforms room. They need to scan you so they can get you some clothes. They're standard fitting, but they're nice. Oh, I almost forgot!"
She shoved her holopad in Y/N's hands. She glanced at it; it had some basic information, like her height, hair color, first name, etc. She looked back at the woman, who gestured toward the device.
"Your ID file. It's mandatory to fill it, you know, so we can give you access to the right places and have proof that you joined willingly... after the whole enrollment process the Empire created, we're careful..."
There was a certain tinge of sadness in her voice; Y/N wondered if she had lost people to her former employer. Probably. She knew the draft system all too well. As she stared at the screen, memories flashed behind her eyes. Screams. Wheezing sounds of blasters. Burned flesh. She shut her eyes for a few seconds; when she opened them again, she found Klana's gaze on her, tinted with worry.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. I always speak before I think, and I didn't think it could be a sensitive topic..."
She was genuinely embarrassed, and Y/N smiled.
"It's okay. Not talking about it won't make it disappear from my mind. It's just... I have a common history with the First Order."
Understatement of the century.
Still, Klana didn't push. Y/N focused on the form and filled in the blanks. Her name, age, planet of origin. Her fingers made quick work of the questions, until-
'Former employment.'
She stopped, index hovering over the screen. Her eyes were burning a hole in the two words as if they were responsible for her misfortune. She sighed and typed "pilot." She had contemplated lying for a second, but then again... they would quickly find out she had some experience when they would see her during the test. She could only hope they wouldn't push the matter any further... Y/N wanted a fresh start but she didn't like to lie to the people who were nice to her either.
Once she was done, she handed the holopad back to Klana and followed the woman once again. They walked across the compound very quickly, zooming from one place to another. As she has indicated, they made a pit stop so the tailors could scan her body, and they were on their way once again shortly after. They took some turns and a shirt while layer, Klana stopped.
"Okay! This is it."
The door was similar to others they had walked past on their way here. The small screen by its side was already displaying her name, white letters softly glowing on the blue surface.
(Y). Thunderbird.
It was a minute detail; one that filled her chest with a warmth that quickly spread through her body. Her home. It was her home!
Klana punched a code on the pad and the door opened with a pneumatic whoosh. It was a small space, three by three meters perhaps. A bed took most of the place, headboard propped against the left wall. In front of it, a dresser and some shelves. A screen took up the whole wall on the left side of the door, and it currently showed a peaceful forest. On the wall in front of the two women, a tiny window and some more shelves could be found, above a small desk and charging unit intended to welcome a droid. There was a door next to the bed, leading to the bathroom.
"Welcome to your palace! Standard room, tinier than others like I mentioned. But it's yours; you can do whatever you want with it. I'll let you relax a bit and I'll come and get you for the test run, okay?"
The test run... this got her to tense up, and it didn't go unnoticed by the other woman. Klana smiled warmly and gave Y/N's shoulder a squeeze.
"Don't be afraid! I'm sure you'll do great."
That was what she was worried about.
Her concern was touching, but it was misplaced. Y/N wasn't afraid to screw up: she was scared to do too good. Of course, there was still the unknown variable of the X-Wing. She had never flown one before. They were notorious for their easy controls, yes. But the size, shape, and behavior were different. It would take her some time to get used to.
But her main worry was the test itself. She knew she was a good pilot. And the sort of skills she was able to showcase could not go unnoticed... someone was bound to ask questions, and she wasn't ready to answer yet. As selfish as it was, she wanted to enjoy the kindness for a bit longer, to bask in the welcoming atmosphere that would undoubtedly wear off eventually.
But she didn't say anything to Klana, whose hand had landed on Y/N's shoulder. Instead, she smiled.
"Thank you so much," she said genuinely, and the brunette waved dismissively.
"It's nothing! Us girls need to stick together. I'd love to have you join our ranks. We could kick the men's asses."
Y/N laughed at that. She would love to.
Klana left her in her room after showing her how to change the code and the door whooshed again, closing on the woman. The test run was scheduled at five; it was three.
She started by shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on the desk chair. It was the only possession she ever had; the thing had seen better days. She had woken up on Tatooine with it years ago and had hidden it a few days later.
Right before the stormtroopers stormed the place she lived in.
When she had finally managed to escape, she had gone back and found her jacket unharmed.
Probably the first piece of good news she had ever had.
It was sturdy, slightly too big but very resistant. Once upon a time, a patch had been attached to the left shoulder. It had left a slight print on the smooth material from being there for so long. Y/N didn't know where it came from but she knew it had meant a lot to her. She smiled fondly at the piece of clothing and proceeded to strip out of her dirty clothes. She found standard, white ones inside the top drawer. There were too big, but they would do. Taking the pajama set with her, she made her way to the bathroom. It was a tiny washing unit with a fresher and a small metallic shower that shot vivifying water sprays through the nozzles. It looked like a paint stripper, but at least it would clean her off.
Y/N stepped under the warm water without a second thought, grimacing when the powerful jets hit her fresh wounds and bruises. But the pain quickly faded, replaced by an intense feeling of relaxation. The jets were massaging her achy muscles; it felt amazing.
Head low, Y/N watched the grime and dirt disappear, washed off her body. The soap soon bubbled in the tiny cubicle; she felt clean for the first time in a long time. Every inch of her body was soft, clean, and fresh. Even though the shower felt amazing, Y/N needed to rest. The massage had made her sleepy and she quickly turned the water off, silently thanking the Maker for allowing her to enjoy such luxuries. She felt unworthy but was so grateful. She had never experienced anything like that... at least, not that she remembered.
Y/N tied her hair into two symmetrical braids that ran on both sides of her head, giving them a quick blow dry before slipping into the soft cotton ensemble. Her fingers ran delicately against the smooth fabric. This was... more than nice.
The bed was wonderful. It was firm, maybe too much, but she didn't care. She hadn't slept in a real bed in...
She didn't remember.
She fell asleep the second her head touched the pillow. Y/N forced herself to relax, even in an unknown environment. Even if her instinct was screaming for her to stay alert. She was safe.
She felt great for the first time in her life, and she wasn't going to let her paranoia ruin that for her.
Unsurprisingly considering how bad her day had been, she slept like a log. When she awoke, taken away from her slumber by a rapid knock on her door, it took Y/N two seconds to remember where she was. Her heart jumped in her chest and she slid her hand under her pillow, reaching for her blaster, only to remember it had been taken away from her. Her erratic heartbeat slowed and she stood up, opening the door to face her visitor.
"Uniform delivery."
The man, in his late forties, handed her a pile of clothes. Orange, shapeless.
The pilots' jumpsuit.
A shapeless lump of cloth had never looked so appealing. "If you're selected, we will deliver more to your quarters. Good luck."
He disappeared around the corner without adding anything else and Y/N quickly went back inside. The clock on the desk indicated that she needed to be on the airstrip in fifteen minutes.
Realizing that made her square her shoulders, military rigor kicking in. In record time, she rummaged through the small pile of clothes and found fresh underwear she put on. Her jumpsuit followed, and when she turned to the big screen which was now a mirror, her heart skipped a beat.
The black, bulky uniforms of TIE pilots were long gone. The jumpsuit sat at her waist, arms tied around her midsection like she had seen others do in the cafeteria earlier. She looked well-rested, her skin looked soft and her necklace was softly resting in the valley of her breasts, disappearing slightly under the neckline of her white tank top.
She looked like another person. It made her smile involuntarily.
She could get used to it. This was her chance to earn herself a new shot at life, and she would be damned if she missed it.
She left her quarters and started walking back to the airfield she had landed on hours ago. It took some trial and error, but after a few minutes, she found other pilots with their helmets under their arms; followed them. They didn't seem to mind.
"You new?" One of them asked, a bald man in his early thirties. Y/N nodded, and he laughed.
"Figured! Good luck out there, rookie. Make us proud."
She would most definitely try.
Y/N knew the guy was only trying to be encouraging, but hearing that people actually had expectations for her test run was... unnerving. She didn't feel like she belonged yet, and being trusted again after being on her own for so long was a weird feeling. She would get used to it, undoubtedly. But for now, she was slightly overwhelmed.
The pilots led her back to the landing strip she had left earlier, specifically in an area she hadn't visited yet. It was a hangar, fairly large, with dozens of X-Wings parked next to one another. The metallic clatters of tools hitting scraps of steel, droids beeping and mechanics screwing some bolts tightly while humming or talking filled the air, complex music made with a plethora of instruments. The place was buzzing with activity, and it did nothing to calm down Y/N's nerves.
She parted ways with her accidental escort and walked toward Skylen. The man stood near a ship, his beard sticking out of the crowd as a pink droid would. Klana was by his side; she smiled as she saw Y/N approaching. The woman smiled back and did what she usually did whenever she was about to get on her ship: she breathed and busied her hands with her hair. She tied her strands into a low bun with trained fingers, the perfect hairdo to wear under a helmet. It took her years to master the exact height she needed to tie it at.
A couple of steps later and she reached the small group. Aside from Klana and Skylen, there were a couple other people. They were young, undoubtedly here to take the test as well. They looked positively terrified, which reassured the woman a bit. At least she had experience... She knew the nerves would settle down once she was in the cockpit. But until it happened, her heart would be pumping adrenaline into her whole body and she would be questioning her plan. Should she go all the way? Show off her skills? If she didn't, she would end up in a team where she'd be bored, and her talents would go to waste.
But if she did, questions would be asked... the question was, what did she value the most? Her passion and the truth, or her safety and psychological well-being?
She didn't have time to think about it because Skylen gathered everyone around him with a loud "listen up, kids" that boomed across the hangar. Y/N stood at the back of the group, not ready to attract attention to her yet. Next to the bearded man, another pilot stood. Undoubtedly the guy in charge of the recruits.
"Welcome, all. As you know already, you're about to take a flying test which will determine if you made it to the pilots' ranks and if so, in which squad. It won't be easy, even though you all have experience with simulators and have flown ships before. There's a difference between simulation and real life. That's why we're going to simulate a real flight. If you'll follow me..."
The group huddled closer to the man and he led them slightly away from the X-Wing to a control unit with a screen on top. Blinking dots and green streaks formed the silhouette of the planet they were on.
"This is us. See the square here? That's the base. Your mission is simple: fly to the moon here," he said, pointing to an unmoving dot, "and come back as fast as possible."
Seemed easy enough, which meant it was too good to be true.
"You'll have to avoid asteroids and go through some loops in a specific order."
Ah, here it was. The difficulty.
None of them looked worried anymore and they were whispering among themselves. Y/N observed them in silence. They obviously didn't understand the dangers of asteroids.
"Questions? No? Good. Prussia, you're up first."
A tiny woman made her way to the X-Wing, putting her helmet on her head. She sat down in the cockpit and the glass panel closed on her. A few moments later, the heat radiating from the reactors forced everyone to stand back as she took off.
It was a long wait. There were half a dozen candidates and each run took around four minutes. And that was without the time needed to board the ship and take off.
Y/N was sat on a crate, her jumpsuit fastened perfectly and her helmet resting in her lap. She would be the last one to do the run. It didn't matter anyway. Her heart was beating fast as she strategized while observing her new comrades. They were all pretty decent pilots. They needed some work, sure, but they weren't half bad. It would be trickier than-
"Y/N! You're up next."
Oh.
She rose to her feet instantly, meeting Klana's eyes as she walked toward the ship. The woman shot her a smile and raised both thumbs as Skylen winked. She couldn't disappoint them.
Y/N straightened her back and climbed onto the ship.
The X-Wing, much like the TIE she used to pilot, was small on the inside; made to fit one person with little room to move. The droid's place was empty and-
She blinked. Why did she feel like it shouldn't be empty?
Ah. Who cared.
Sat in the leather, worn-out seat, Y/N looked around. The commands were almost identical to the ones she was used to. The joystick was bulkier and felt heavier in her hand; she could get used to it. The mechanic asked her if she was ready, and she nodded once, sliding her helmet on her head. It felt way more comfortable than her TIE one did...
She barely heard the guy screaming at her over the sound of her beating heart. The flesh-made pump felt like a wild animal trying to claw its way out. She was used to the feeling: pre-flight jitters.
They vanished as soon as the cockpit closed.
Her comlink crackled; she listened carefully.
"Okay, newbie. You're good to go. The hangar is open; you're clear for takeoff. Whenever you're ready."
She glanced to the side. Klana and Skylen were staring at her.
She turned on the engines, feeling the ship roar to life and purr like a big cat ready to pounce on its prey.
She breathed in, hands gripping the joystick. In her head, she was back on the battlefield with the other TIEs.
She punched it; the ship zoomed forward at full speed, leaving a trail of dust behind it.