Hearts of Rebels | Star Wars Fanfiction

Chapter II

A man lumbered about his homestead still half asleep, his tanned skin and white hair were the telltale signs of hard labour on the harsh planet. Under his tunic, however, his toned muscles and various scars told another story. One that haunted him most nights despite it ending decades ago.

A flurry of beeps brought him back to reality as droids scurried around his home. He reached the weathered stairs and stepped out of the sandstone dome that rose out unnaturally compared to the rest of the flat sandy land.

A few yards away, Rhea stood gazing at the horizon through binoculars, he walked up to her and patted her shoulder.

"No Sand People this morning, Dax," Rhea handed the binoculars to him as he withdrew his hand from her shoulder with a chuckle.

"You probably scared them off with your constant talk of the Academy,"

"Uncle Dax, you're sure you'll be able to manage the farm alone?" She asked. Dax shook his head, letting out a fake sigh.

"Of course, I've got more than enough droids to work the vaporators. It'll be much quieter here a nice difference for me and my old age,"

Rhea shot him a dirty look as he smirked. His jokey tone always broke her stern expressions. It didn't last as long this time around.

"You know I might not come back? I might get drafted into the Imperial navy or get work as a cargo pilot for the Kessel Spice Mines,"

"Rhea, you're not a little girl anymore. You've got to find your own path in the galaxy, and we've both known for a long time it isn't farming," He smiled warmly at her. His expression dropped as he returned his gaze to the sunrise.

The one thing that most of the settlers on this planet could agree on was the sunrise and sunset could wash away anyone's troubles for a while.

For Dax, it was a time to reflect. He was deep in thought of what life would be like without Rhea. She was like his own daughter. She was his daughter on some level, despite them not being blood-related. All of a sudden, he felt her presence around him as she wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Remember Rhea. Failure is our greatest teacher. Without it, we would never succeed. Never give up, my little ray of hope,"

Rhea shut her eyes as her Uncle hugged her back with his wise words, she felt a knot in her stomach form as she realised everything she was leaving behind and what she was about to gain in her new life. What was she about to gain in her new life? Her uncle had bought her excuse, or at least she thought he did. She was about to make her escape into what she hoped was a way to the Rebellion, but at what cost?

Only a few hours later, she was on her way to her new life. The wind whistled noisily in her ears as she zoomed past canyons and rocky outcrops in her landspeeder. The sky and desert blurred together as she raced to the spaceport creating a gold blue blur in her vision.

The colourful horizon was joined by red and green warning lights flashing on the dashboard. She withdrew her focus from the horizon and pulled the speeder to a rough stop. Small clouds of smoke billowed from behind cracks in the dashboard as the engine rattled aggressively before it turned itself off.

"Blast it," She cursed aloud.

She hopped out the speeder carelessly, nearly tipping the vehicle over. She walked to the back and yanked the engine compartment open being attacked by a sudden wave of black smoke.