The Jedi From Earth: A Star Wars Story, Part 2 #Wattys2024

Ch. 10

******Military hospital outside Albany,New York, August 2nd 2016

Johnson walked down the rows and rows of stretchers with wounded soldiers alongside Matthews in disbelief. Against the wishes of her advisors she had left the bunker and slipped through a gap in the lines to head north, figuring that if people saw her out in the open and not hiding it would strengthen their resolve. Except she wasn't expecting to see eighteen, nineteen year old boys missing an arm or leg or a once handsome face now half burned and covered in bandages. It reminded her of when she first saw the aftermath of a battle, when she drove a Humvee on the b during the Gulf War, and saw burned Iraqi soldiers all around. Or in Bosnia where she had seen small children torn to shreds by Serbian landmines, where she had also been tasked with interviewing dozens of women who had been raped numerous times by Serbian soldiers.

But that was when she was a mere marine and not the Commander-in-Chief. "The captain said they were draftees fresh out of training" Matthews explained as they continued down the enormous tent. "About three days ago, they were helping some people evacuate Providence when the Empire ambushed them, they're all that's left of their battalion". "How many were in the battalion?" Johnson asked. "About a eleven hundred" Matthews replied and Johnson's heart sank further as she noticed there were only seventy or so left. One of the soldiers then lifted his arm up to get Johnson's attention. She stopped and walked over to him. "Ma'am" he said in a raspy voice, "you shouldn't be worried, we won't quit fighting til you tell us to stop". "That's good to hear, you rest now" Johnson replied before continuing onward.

"I have to ask" Matthews said, "has this Admiral Sloane offered a truce?". "Yes she did" Johnson replied, "but only if the Alliance left and the Empire was allowed to look for those like Contact Zero". "What'd you tell her?" Matthews asked. "I told her to piss off" Johnson stated in a somewhat triumphant manner. Matthews raised an eyebrow with a commending expression, "well then". Then he glanced around before he spoke in a hushed tone. "Senator Organa thought you should hear this", "he said the Rebellion is tracking down the daughter of an Imperial scientist named Erso, and not just any scientist but some guy who's been helping develop their most powerful weapon ever". Johnson was intrigued, "did he mention what kind of weapon it is?" She asked. "Something about it being a single station with more firepower than the entire Imperial Navy" Matthews explained, "Organa said he was taken to the station a year ago before the Rebellion was formally declared, but it wasn't finished yet and that now their spies have said this stations main weapon has been completed".

Johnson wondered what kind of weapon it could be, a station covered in cannons or maybe some kind of solar reflection weapon. Whatever it was she knew that if it wasn't destroyed, the Empire would crush any and all armed opposition. "When Grayson was interviewing Contact Zero, did he ever mention this weapon by any chance? If he is a highly ranked spy for the Emperor he must've surely heard of it by now" Johnson inquired. "No he didn't, should he ever turn up again that would be a great question" Matthews replied as they walked out of the tent.

********Dragonpit

Shawn watched Cersei's expression turn into one of intense disbelief and concern at Jon's declaration. Euron then stood up and walked over to the now lifeless wight and knelt down. "Can they swim?" He asked. "No" Jon replied. "Good" Euron said, then he stood back up, "I'm taking the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands". "What are you talking about?" Cersei said in shock but Shawn sensed some inauthenticity in their exchange. "I've been all around world, seen things you couldn't imagine and this is the only thing that's ever terrified me" Euron said while gesturing at the wight before he turned and walked toward Daenerys. Shawn tensed up a little as Euron leaned down at Daenerys. "I'm going back to my little island, you should go back to yours" Euron said with a creepy smile before he began walking off out of the arena.