Daughter of the Force: The Fallen

Prologue

Smoke begins to ascend from the tops of many of Kachirho's treehouses. The raid by the Imperial forces shook the calmness of the fortnight. My father stirred awake from the sound of blaster fire and the crackling of flames near our home. Quickly, he threw on a tunic, attached his lightsaber to his hilt, and rushed outside to see what was happening. My mother hobbled over to my pallet to tend to me if I was wide awake, as she was. She sat near my pillow and sighed a heavy sigh. I opened my eyes, knowing something was wrong. Outside my window, I could see the flames of the village getting closer to our hut. I looked at my mother, and she began screaming. In the doorway stood two ghost-white Imperial Stormtroopers. One grabbed hold of my mother by her long, shoulder-length blond hair as another picked me up, throwing me over his armored shoulder. I then began screaming for my father, but he was nowhere to be found. Far away from the village stood a steel bunker. After being tossed inside, I scrambled over to my mother's side. In the dim light, she raised her hand covered in blood. Her silk light blue nightgown was wet and bloodied. She screamed again, and I knew that it was time for the baby to come. I yelled for a medical droid to tend to her, but my cries went unheard. A Wookiee that was taken with us helped me prop up my mother against the solid steel wall. The Wookie motioned for me to sit behind my mother as a support for her when it was time to push. My mother tightly grasped hold of my hand as the labor intensified. Even with her screams of pain, the Stormtroopers did nothing but guard the door in front of us. With one push, my little sister made her way into this galaxy. I brushed my mother's brow so she could look upon her newborn daughter. Only for a mere minute did the pain subside, then she screamed again, as I knew my little sister wasn't the only one. With another push, I had a little brother. I carefully slid out behind my mother's back to shed my overcoat, to wrap my little brother and sister in. Without a second thought, my mother named them Kento and Mallie after our grandparents. My mother's tears ran down her cheeks as she quickly gave both of them kisses on the tops of their heads. A part of me then reached out into The Force and noticed my mother's body growing limp. I grabbed my brother and sister out of her arms as they both began to drop to her sides. Putting my forefingers against her neck, I could feel her pulse begin to weaken. This couldn't be happening, not to her. She's the strongest and bravest person I have ever met. I held onto my mother's hand, yelling at her to keep eye contact with me, to stay with me until my father could find us. She brushed her now pale hand up against my cheek, trying to wipe away the tears from my eyes. Placing her head gently in my lap, I began rocking back and forth to try to keep the blood in her body moving. I knew I was losing her with every minute that went by. Not knowing it, I closed my eyes for just a second, only to be woken again by a sudden gasp. I peered down at my mother's face as her eyes closed for the very last time. I screamed at the top of my lungs, wanting the whole galaxy to hear my cries. I touched her head with mine, hoping I somehow breathed life back into her. The Wookie pulled me away from her lifeless body to tend to my cuts, but I wouldn't have it. She eventually talked me down as the tears flowed even more from my eyes. The sound of the steel door opening was a sure sign my father was near. With a lantern at his side, he entered as I held tightly onto my little brother and sister. But once he saw that my mother was nowhere near my side, he looked into the corner to find her there. He fell to his knees, yelling and screaming as the babies began to wail. I could hear him cursing under his breath, swearing he would get them all. That he would have them pay for what they had done to her, and that was the last time I saw my father.