Growing up on Alderaan had it's benefits. It was a beautiful and peaceful world, despite the conflict in every other corner of the galaxy. But a peaceful life was not for you. As soon as you were old enough to join the empire, you did. You felt a calling to action, which meant staying on Alderaan had never been an option, though your parents tried.
Only now, after so many years of learning from and serving the "Glorious Galactic Empire", you understood why your parents told you to stay. Your parents were clearly anti-empire, but they covered it up well for beimg so much in the public eye. The Empire told everyone that they were in control. But honestly, they weren't. Not anymore at least. There were more defectors now, than ever before. Which meant more Rebels and more attacks.
Part of you longed to return home and hug your parents again. They had been so good to you. They let you "follow your dreams", though they did not agree. They only ever wanted the best for you and it broke your heart to know how ignorant you had been. Though you hurt your parents more than you ever hurt yourself. Maybe it was pride that stopped you from returning home. But you told yourself that your calling had been to action, only at the time, you didn't understand that a call to action wasn't the same as a call to the empire. You had been right, from a certain point of view. But now, you knew it was time to leave the empire and join the rebellion. You had to fight for those who couldn't.
•••
"Y/n!" A voice whispered. Harshly. You grabbed the thin, scratchy pillow and made an effort to dramatically cover your face with it. But your bunkmate, Zyna, paid no attention. Or maybe she chose to ignore it. It was supposed to be your first day at Skystrike Academy, and you had to be there by 0600, no exceptions. You also knew it was still far too early, but removed the pillow and peered up at her regardless. You were surprised to see that she had partially climbed onto your bunk in order to speak to you without waking the other cadets. "Rise and shine you womp rat! We've got some strategizing to do!"
"Now? It's so early." You whispered with pure annoyance in your voice. You hit your face with your pillow before sitting up and silently cursing at the fact you had to be awake at this kriffing hour.
You looked to the side slightly, finding the girl whose credentials wouldn't work, sitting up in her bunk, looking amused. You had talked to her some the night before and she had seemed friendly enough, but she didn't really talk much about her past. But to be fair, neither did you. The only thing you knew about her was that her name was Ria Talla. Maybe? You had a knack for reading people. She hadn't done anything to make you not believe her, but somehow you just knew she was lying.
Thankfully, Zyna had taken control of the conversation last night. She had a surprising amount of enthusiasm and communication skills for being an Imperial. The Empire tends to wear you down in order to bend you to their will. You saw how corrupt The Empire is, but there was not much to do about it other than hope The Rebellion got Wedge's message. Ria Talla climbed on your bunk next to Zyna, shaking you from your thoughts. You looked around at the other bunks, and everyone still appeared to be asleep.
"Why don't we move down to your bunk, Zyna, our efforts to be quiet won't amount to much if this whole bunk comes crashing down."
The three of you climbed down carefully and sat on Zyna's bunk. You sat in silence, making sure none of the other cadets woke up from your little maneuver. Part of your conversation the previous night had been planning for this meeting. There had been a great deal of anti-imperial comments made and it was clear that Zyna and Ria Talla had no trust in the Empire.
You stared expectantly at Zyna, but when she said nothing you glanced at Ria Talla. She had short, dark brown hair that fell to one side. It was cut so that it would not be longer than her ears, while the bottom was shaven. It was an interesting fashion choice, it was different. You liked it. You looked back at Zyna, expecting her to start talking, but instead, Ria Talla's voice began softly whispering. "My real name is Sabine Wren. I was sent in to get the defectors out. I know you both do not trust The Empire. Are there others?"
A faint smile crossed your face as you realized that you were right about her lying. The one good thing about The Empire was that it encouraged competitiveness, which you loved. The smile faded quickly though, as you realized that Sabine was a genuine Rebel. She was extremely brave to sneak into an Imperial training facility, especially one as prestigious as Skystrike. You and Zyna shared an surprised expression before you responded. "Yes, three others. Wedge, Rake, and Hobbie. We've had trouble talking to them recently, so you should probably be very cautious in case one of them changed their mind."
•••
Ria Talla, or Sabine apparently, was a surprisingly good pilot. She took out two y-wings swiftly in the simulation. Almost as quick as you had. You watched as she approached the rebel vessel. You had already participated in the simulation and you knew there was a surprise rebel transport vessel approaching. It took both Sabine and Wedge out incredibly fast.
"What kind of Rebel ship was that? That was no transport." Sabine said as she approached the debriefing table.
The instructor stepped out of the third pod and responded, "Ah, but you are wrong cadet. It was a transport called The Ghost that has been modified for combat. The Rebels are a desperate group of extremists. They will fight with any ship using any means necessary to undermine our authority. That is why orders must be followed without question. Insubordination like yours will get you and your wingman killed. Understood?" You could feel the tension in the air and you had to stop yourself from scoffing at the lies the instructor had just said. And you could tell Sabine was not at all happy with him either.
"Yes, sir." Wedge instantly relied.
The instructor turned to Sabine, looking her dead in the eyes. "Understood, cadet?" You could feel the poison that laced his words. It made you sick. You couldn't wait to leave this wretched academy.
"Yes, sir." Sabine finally replied. She had said it with such sass, it made you smile beneath your helmet. She was definitely a brave one, and your decision to leave The Empire was seeming more and more like a good idea.
You stood and waited for Sabine, but she stopped to talk to Wedge, finally. Instead, you set off alongside Zyna. "I knew that vessel was coming. I don't know how, but I knew."
"You're an amazing pilot y/n. I'm not surprised you did as well as you did."
"Thanks, but you were a pretty great wingman. I couldn't have done it without your help, Zyna." You laughed as you elbowed her. "But seriously, it was the weirdest thing. My brain was screaming at me, telling me that there was something coming. And there it was! But it shot me before I could attack."
"Your instincts are spot on! Only that doesn't really matter if you don't do anything about it." Zyna laughed and elbowed you back.
•••
You were relieved to finally return to the bunks. Zyna plopped down on her bunk as you climbed up to yours. "I am exhausted! I never thought flying in simulations would be so tiring!"
"Ugh me too." You muttered as you slammed your face into your pillow. You dozed off slightly, trying to ignore the rising stress about the fact that you were about to become a traitor to The Empire.
When Sabine returned to the bunks, you could tell nothing of importance had happened, so you remained sprawled across your imperial bed. Zyna and Sabine were engaging in a conversation of intense whispering beneath you. You knew you should probably join them, but you had more important matters to figure out in your own head.
If Sabine is really who she says she is, can she get us out? Where will she take us? Who will she take us to? Does the Empire know? Will we have to stand trial for being a former Imperial? Millions of questions swirled through your mind. You knew your decision to defect from The Empire was morally correct... but still immensely risky. If you got caught, the Imperials would not take "I was uncomfortable with the things I was forced to do," as a valid reason. If you got caught, you would become a slave to The Empire. More so than you already were. Nobody really knew what happened to defectors, especially not ones at your level in Imperial academies. Spice mines? Imperial prisons? Worse? Part of you doubted they would even care enough to waste a transport or a prison cell on a defector. So that meant... lets just say that horrible things would happen if you got caught, you knew that at least.
So then I just won't get caught. It was a promise you made to yourself. Easier said than done, but somehow, something inside you knew that you were going to get out of here. You had heard your past instructors speak of the Rebels, or rather anyone who dared oppose The Empire. You constantly heard horrible things of the Rebellion, but was it truly as bad as they made it sound?
Climbing down from your bunk to join Sabine and Zyna, you knew something had changed. Once you saw Zyna's face, you knew what had happened. She was getting cold feet, but more intensely than you were.
"I can't do it y/n. I can't leave The Empire." Her words confirmed your thoughts exactly. "I wish I was as brave as you. The Empire gave me a stable life, something I never had. I just don't have the courage to turn my back on it now, not after everything I have done for them."
You nodded. "I understand leaving would be difficult. I broke my parents heart by joining The Empire. I feel like I am completely undermining their sacrifices and it breaks my heart." You paused, feeling the weight of your admission looming over your shoulders. Inside, you knew it to be true. But it still hurt to truly acknowledge it out loud. "My only motivation is that I have to fight because I can. For those who can't." You had only known Zyna for a short time, but the fact that she backed down scared you. Can I really go through with this?
"Like I said. I wish I was as brave as you. At least if I stay here, I won't have an entire empire trying to kill me."
With soft words, Sabine carefully said, "If you can't leave, I understand. But you have to make a choice y/n."
Both girls smiled faintly at you. All of the questions you had just gone over flooded your mind once again. Memories of the horrible things you had seen The Empire do overwhelmed your senses. Memories of the horrible things you had seen the Rebels do, added to your rising stress. "From a certain point of view" you reminded yourself. After what felt like an eternity, but was only a few seconds, you made your decision. The Empire was fighting for "peace, freedom, justice, and security" but they did just the opposite. The Rebellion was truly trying to repair the broken galaxy, and you wanted to be a part of it.
"No. Get me out of this kriffing prison."
Hey everyone! First chapter is done! It was a short one, but how do you all feel? Any reccomendations? I'd be happy to hear any feedback you might have and thank you so much for taking the time to read the first chapter of this fanfic. I plan on putting a lot more heart and soul into my writing as the story develops. But I want to try getting a few readers first. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, I hope I am creating an enjoyable story here :)
I will be posting updates and answering any questions on my tik tok: star.wars.simp
Now, go drink some water, have a healthy snack, get some sleep, and remember that you are loved!