Through The Wars To Reach The Stars

Chapter 4

I was looking out into the never endingness of space, and yawned. "Cady?" "mmmm?" "tell me something good" I looked over at Han, he looked rather sad almost lonely, I smiled softly "ok" I looked back out to space "I come from a place called the academy, it's a school at the most northern point of a town. The whole place has a wall running around it, even the town. I've never left those walls before three days ago."

I rested my cheek on my knees "I was born there and I thought I was going to die there until the academy was converted into a rebel training facility when the Empire took control. It was my ticket out of there, it was my family's ticket out of there, I have six siblings, all brothers. Three of them are older than me and three of them are younger than me I'm the middle child" I smiled fondly at the memory of my brothers. "When I was twelve my mum passed away, my father and three older brothers were working with the rebellion so it was up to make to take care of my younger siblings."

I glanced at Han, he was watching me intently "Andrew helped me through everything, we met when I was three and we became best friends. He helped me when I was left to take care of my brothers. We were supposed to graduate together next month, we were supposed to be co-pilots in fighter ships for the rebellion. That's why I left when he was kidnapped, I couldn't imagine my life without him. I spoke to one of my instructors, I just asked him some innocent questions about how to get in touch with the rebellion, he told me that if I wanted to get in touch I would have to go to Aldeeran but to get there I would have to be smuggled there, he mentioned you and Tatoonie so that's where I went."

I lifted my cheek from my knees and looked straight out into space "I snuck onto a bus ship that was headed to Tatoonie, on the way some smugglers took my sword so when I arrived to looked for it, my father had given me that sword when I was ten when he went on his first mission, I found it in a merchant tent and bought it, turns out it wasn't actually my sword but some piece of junk in my sword's sheath. I found you and overheard your conversation with Luke and Ben, I snuck aboard your ship and well here I am" I finished rather lamely "I don't know if that's what you meant by good but it's something." I smiled weakly, looking over at Han, he has a confused look on his face.

"What?" I asked, tilting my head to one side "your sword? What colour is is?" I blinked "blue, why?" But Han left and moments later he returned holding my sword. He handed it to me and I grinned, I stood up and hugged him "thank you" I whispered "anything for you sweetheart" he hugged me back, his long arms encircling me "how'd you get it?" I asked, pulling away slightly so I could see his face "I think I'm the one who stole it from you" I just laughed and hugged him again.

Just then Luke walked in, Han and I sprang apart "I'm....I'm going to go get my things" I awkwardly left the cockpit. "You shouldn't get involved with him" I looked up and saw Leia standing in a door. "What do you mean?" I asked, taking off my cloak and walking past her through the door.

"Han Solo, you can't get involved with him" Leia followed me down the corridor. "I'm not getting involved with him" I laughed, as I sat down on the floor and began to pull on my boots. I looked up and saw the look on Leia's face "I swear I'm not getting with him" I stood and behind to attach my weapons.

"Cady, trust me he's bad news" Leia looked at me imploringly, "Leia trust me I know. Don't worry" Leia looked at me, unconvinced, before saying "Luke's a catch though" I looked up, slightly shocked "for you not for me" she pointed out.

"Yeah, I gathered that much. But seriously Leia I'm not going to get involved with either of them" Leia just looked at me "seriously! Look it's just not the time, not the place, and most certainly not under the right circumstances, also think of my father" I pointed out, Leia nodded "he'd have a hard time dealing with the fact his only daughter was banging a smuggler" I grabbed the pillow from the bunk and flung it at Leia, she caught it, laughing. "It's not funny" I growled "trust me, it is."

I rolled my eyes and walked back to the cockpit "we almost there?" I asked sitting in the seat behind Luke's "just arriving now" Luke turned around in his chair to face me "I forgot to ask, where are we going?" Luke rolled his eyes, laughing "we're going to Yavin 4" he informed me, turning back to face the front. "Oh goody" I muttered when I saw the planted loom before us. "Why oh goody?" Luke asked, not looking back at me but focusing on the controls "my father is stationed on Yavin 4, with my older brothers" I said, dreading the moment, I felt sure would come, when I met my father once again. "It can't be that bad" Luke tried to console me "my fate is sealed" I said grimly, but laughed when Luke turned to look at me.

"When you two are ready I'd like some help in landing this thing" I looked at Han, surprised at the expression on his face, but I just shrugged it off. "What do you need me to do?" I asked, ready for almost any command "get out of here, I need to focus" Han grunted, not looking at me. I raised an eyebrow, but left without saying anything. "He's landed this blasted ship by himself a million times" I muttered to myself, annoyed.

When we landed we were met with a weird kind of golf kart. Leia, Han, Luke and I sat on the small, knee high mode of transport, I wasn't entirely sure what to call it. I sat down on the thing and almost fell off when it began to move, both Han and Luke reached out to steady me, then they both pulled back realising what the other had done, Leia giggled at us as I re-positioned my self on the transport thing, wrapping my arm around Leia's waist as she was sitting in front of me.

We were taken into an air hanger and were met by an elderly man. An elderly man who greeted Leia warmly and gave me and icy cold glare. "Leia, we're so glad that you're ok, when we heard about Aldeeran we feared the worst." He gave Leia a warm, kind hug, then turned to me. Han and Luke backed away after seeing his face. "You have some nerve!" the man's voice was threatening "good to see you too dad." "Dad?" Luke and Han gaped at me, then looked at the elderly man, then back to me.

My father just glared at me "what you did was wrong, foolish, idiotic, dangerous, you had no right, no right to after that poor boy, you had no concern for your own safety or the safety of others, what about me? What about your brothers?" I looked over my father's shoulder and saw my three older brothers standing, staring at me. "What would we have done without you?" I looked back at my father "what would we have done if we lost you?" my father's voice cracked and he pulled me into a tight hug.

My brothers bounded over and hugged me after my father had stepped back. They hugged me all together, it was like some kind of weird three person bear hug, where they lifted me off the ground. They finally let me go, we were all laughing and Leia, Han and Luke were watching bewilderment clear on their faces. My brothers stepped back and stood beside me as I faced my father once more. "You'll have to be punished, you realise this, you can't just be left off just because you're my daughter" I nodded "I understand" but apparently Luke and Han did not, they both stepped forward, protesting loudly.

"You can't do that!"

"Yeah she was only trying to help her friend"

"if anything she should be honoured for her loyalty"

"Yeah!"

"Silence" my father's commanding voice cut through the protests "this is how we do things, she knew the consequences when she left" I nodded solemnly "but did you find him?" I looked into my father's eyes "yes" my father looked relieved as did my brothers, they beamed down on me "then where is he?" my eldest brother, Thomas, asked looking around for Andrew. "We have reason to believe that he has joined the Empire" I held my head high, and did not waver when I delivered the bad news, I did not cry as I wanted to, I did not scream, I did not crumple, I showed no emotion

"What do you mean you have reason to believe? What is your reason?" my father asked, almost frantically. Andrew's father was my father's best friend, partner and co-pilot. I faced my father, my bottom lip trembling "I saw him" my voice cracked and tears flooded down my cheeks, I hung my head and Thomas wrapped his arms around me and I wept into his chest at the memory of what my best friend had become.