SHE WASN'T just going to let him leave without a proper goodbye. Sure, their conversation in the woods was one thing. Him giving her his mother's ring to hold onto was another thing. But Amara needed to see Poe off. Snap, Jess, and Karé were at their respected X-Wings. They were all in their flightsuits and getting their last minute things prepped. The three pilots were even saying their final goodbyes to their friends that remain from the Battle of Crait.
Poe stood at the bottom of the ladder of his X-Wing. Next to him was Finn. Poe and Finn were talking quietly, and Finn placed a hand on Poe's shoulder. Amara walked over slowly. She watches as BB-8 is hauled into the X-Wing. Amara watched as Finn and Poe turn to her.
Finn has a smile on his face, "I'll give you two some time," He says, "Be careful out there, buddy."
Poe and Finn embrace in a hug.
"I will, pal." Poe says.
The two let go. Poe watches as Finn walks off. Finn placed a hand on Amara's shoulder and slightly nudged her forward.
Poe looks at her, "Hey,"
Amara gives him a sad smile, "Hi."
She steps over to him and is quickly embraced into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his hands on her waist.
"I'll be back in no time," Poe tells her.
Amara nods and pulls back, "I- I want you to hold onto something for me," She says, "For luck."
Poe gives her a puzzled expression, "What?"
Amara reached into her pocket and pulled out a crystal necklace that is attaches to a sting like material. The crystal was green.
"Amara," Poe looks at her in confusion, "I've- I've never seen you with this before."
Amara nods, "I've kept it hidden as a child and even now," She says, "This was a gift from my mother the day I was born."
Poe's eyes drift from the crystal to Amara.
"She gave one to Ben too," Amara says, "She had hoped that we'd use this to make our own lightsaber if we possessed the ability of the Force."
Poe's eyes widen, "This is- This is a Kyber crystal?"
Amara nods.
Poe gestures for her to keep it, "Amara, I cannot take this." He says, "It's too valuable."
Amara shakes her head, "Yes you will take this." She pulls out from under her shirt to reveal his mother's ring, "If I can protect this, you will protect that."
Amara puts the ring on the chain back under her shirt. Amara puts the crystal around his neck. Poe stared at the Kyber crystal for a moment, before hiding it under his flightsuit. Amara's hand rested on his chest and looks at him.
"When you come back to me," Amara says and smiles, "'We'll return each other's property."
Poe gives her a small smile.
"Commander!" Jess yells, "We ought to be heading out!"
Poe and Amara glanced over.
All three pilots were ready. Jess was the only one who put on her helmet, Karé and Snap were giving each other a final kiss before parting into their X-Wing. Poe nods at the pilot and then turns to Amara. He cups the side of her face and kisses her deeply. Amara didn't want him to pull away, but sadly, he does. Poe reached down for his helmet and then stood up, he rested his hand on her cheek. Amara held onto that hand and stares at him.
Poe gives her a smile, "I love you," Poe says.
Amara nods with small smile on her face, "I know." She says.
Poe pulls away now. He turns and puts on his helmet as he walks to his ladder. He climbs up the ladder and into his cockpit.
Amara steps a little away from the X-Wings and watches him from where she stood. She saw him look at her as he turns on the controls for the ship. The two held their gazes on each other until, until the four X-Wings took off. Amara felt the gust of wind from the X-Wing blow their her hair. She remain there, standing, even for a little bit the ships were gone from her sight.
{RISE OF SKYWALKER}
REY HAD taken her training seriously. Leia had pulled Rey aside to teach her what little she got from Luke in their younger years for training. Hearing that her mother had some sort of Jedi training was shocking to Amara. She never knew her mother had training with her brother, but to be honest, there was probably a lot that she didn't know.
During the afternoon, Rey was far deep into the forest with Leia, that left the rest of the Resistance working. Amara was taking holocalls from people from the New Republic leaders. Her job, with Larma D'Acy, was to try and negotiate for supplies and men.
"Commander Solo," The Senator spoke through the holocall, "Our resources are thin as it is. With the First Order gaining more number by the minute, we barely have enough for our own people."
Amara grit her teeth, "With all due respect Senator, while you're people have been living a cozy and peaceful life, my people have been dying to protect your life style." She narrows her eyes, "This war has come with a lot of loss and sacrifice and with the New Republic showing a decent amount of mercy for those putting our lives in jeopardy would be grateful."
There is a sigh. The sigh came from the Senator. Through the holocall, the Senator rubbed the bridge of his nose and looks back up at her.
"My people can merely spare some supplies," He spoke, "But no one here is remotely ready for war. They are either too old or far too young."
Amara looks into the holocall, "I've been here since I was fifteen," She adds, "I would appreciate you putting the word out there to your people, Senator."
Another sigh.
"Very well, Commander Solo." The Senator says, "I'll contact you back in forty-eight hours with updates."
Amara nods.
And the call ended. Amara felt a little odd, she glanced over to D'Acy. She wasn't even sure if she was handling these calls alright or if she was ruining them.
"Are you sure I'm doing an okay job?" Amara asks D'Acy.
D'Acy nods, "You remind them of your mother," She says, "And if you don't get the answer you want, they think they'll have to deal with Leia."
Amara nods.
Leia can be threatening. She can be intimidating.
"We've called all we need to call," D'Acy says, "How about you get some lunch and meet back here in a few hours."
Amara nods, "Yes, ma'am." She says.
Amara walked out of the command center tent. She walked down the campsite of the Resistance. She passed people sitting around eating, cleaning their weapons, working on droids, and so on. Amara looked up at the sky. It had been nine hours since Poe left. Nine hours since he had kissed her goodbye. Nine hours and she wondered how he's been doing.
She knew he was capable of taking care of himself, he had BB-8, he has his squad. He should be fine. But that didn't rid her anxieties over him being out there, alone. Amara had decided that she was going to go to her tent for a few moments, she wasn't exactly hungry and she needed some time alone. So the commander walked to her tent. When she reached her small tent and zipped it partially shut behind her, she collapsed on her sleeping bag. She stared at the cover of her tent and closed her eyes.
She was a little surprised when her mom asked her to speak to New Republic Senators in hopes to get some supplies, either weapons and or food, and finding out recruits. She wasn't one for politics. Amara never got into that, she was just a follow the orders kind of girl. She thought to herself, before Poe left for Jakku, Amara really didn't have a certain trait that made her stand out to another person in the Resistance at that time. She didn't have advanced combat training, she wasn't a pilot, she wasn't a tech genius, and she was no politician.
What did she have to offer at that moment? Probably nothing.
Although, now look at her. She is Commander Solo. She is working close with D'Acy on setting up calls with the New Republic demanding some sort of help since no one bothered to aid them on the Battle of Crait. She is this Force sensitive young woman, who apparently repressed any knowledge of it at age six because she was scared. Scared of what, Amara still didn't know. She had considered giving up on mediation. It doesn't seem to do her any good. She can't focus on it, and Rey claims it because Amara is distracted by something. Amara could name a few things she might be distracted over.
Her brother. The Resistance's survival. Poe's well-being. Her Force ability.
Amara ran a hand through her hair as she laid on her sleeping bag. She exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes in frustration. She had decided at that moment, mediation is officially done and maybe even more so with Jedi training. If she was scared of something when she was six, maybe she had a valid reason in repressing it.
{RISE OF SKYWALKER}
REPAIRS TO the Falcon was a must, and Amara volunteered her services to Finn and Chewie later that day. She had spent the rest of her afternoon with D'Acy, who was helping Amara with command. If Amara didn't know better, she could've sworn her mother was up to something.
Finn was working on the ship's engine room. Apparently after their last trip into space, both Poe and Finn agreed the Falcon needed some maintenance. As Finn was working in the engine room, Chewie was in the cockpit overseeing other issues with the Falcon. Which left Amara "helping" Finn, and by helping, she just sat next to him and handed him tools. Amara felt herself zoning out and reaching for the ring around her neck. This was the thing that made her feel close to Poe, despite him being beyond her reach.
"Wrench," Finn spoke.
Amara snapped her head in his direction and offered the wrench. Finn thanked her and went back into his groove.
"Hey, Finn," Amara says.
"Yeah?" Finn asks with his head still working on the engine of the ship, "What is it?"
Amara looks at the ceiling of the ship, "I'm at a cross-road and I need advice," She glanced at him, "And you don't seem to hold any bias towards me which makes you the perfect person to ask."
Finn pulled his head back and looked at her. There were some grease and oil on the boy's face, he reached over to the towel next to the tool box and rubbed his face with it.
"What is it?" Finn asks holding the wrench in one hand.
Amara looks at him, "I know you know about me being Force sensitive and about the incident at the Force sensitive tree,"
Finn nods.
"I just- I'm trying to figure out why I decided to repress my knowledge of being Force sensitive as a child," Amara sighs, "But Rey says I can't focus, which is why mediation is failing me."
Finn kept his gaze on her.
"I want to know, but- but what if what I find out makes me scared again?" Amara asks herself nearly forgetting Finn is there, "Like, when I went there as a child, I was with my brother. I recall that day and I remember from my vision."
Finn moves and leans his back against the wall, the same wall Amara had her back to. He fumbles with the wrench and then looks at her.
"He touched the tree in my vision but didn't seemed pleased by it," Amara furrows her brows, "What if it's connected?"
Finn kept his glance at her, "What if it is?" He asks, "Are you willing to find out or just question it for a long time?"
Amara glanced at him, "I don't know." She says, "Part of me wants the answers, but another part of me is afraid."
Finn nods, "Rey has been telling me, that Jedi did not worry or held fear. Fear was an emotion that held them back." He tells her, "I know you don't need to listen to what I have to say, but I'd say don't give up just yet."
Amara looks at him with a small smile before looking up at the ceiling. Maybe Finn was right. Maybe she needed to try again. Giving up accomplishes nothing and the questions remained unanswered.
Amara nods, "Alright," She says, "I'll try again."
{RISE OF SKYWALKER}
TIME HAD passed and Amara went to the lounge of the Falcon to get something to drink. She was also suppose to be getting drinks for Chewie and Finn, seeing as those two have been working harder than she was. When Amara reached the lounge, she had a small smile on her face looking into the room. The Falcon held a lot of memories, good and bad.
As she took one step inside the room, her eyes widen. She sensed something and then turned behind her, nothing was here. Amara took in a deep breathe and slowly exhaled. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on things, remembering how she handled these moments on D'Qar and with Rey's advice. Focus.
Amara was thrown down to the ground. She fell hard and groaned. She looked around and saw she was no longer on the Falcon. She didn't even know where she was, clearly not Yavin 4. She looked around, it was dark and cold.
Amara stood up and tried to piece where she could be. But, something felt familiar about this place. Amara shuttered and wrapped her arms around herself in a hugging manner. She looked around.
The surface as barren, dark, rocky desert. Amara looked to the sky, seeing lightning bolts. One had strike next to her, which caused Amara to run from the source. Amara had to be careful, the ground had long narrow openings made by cracking in the surface of the earth. Amara stopped and saw a large narrow opening below her feet. She stared below at it and then turned behind her.
"This place," She spoke, "I've sensed it before."
Her eyes tearing up. The large amount of fear building inside of her. This feeling, this place, this was what she had sensed as a child.
A bolt of lightning had hit right next to her, causing her to loose her footing and fell through the opening in the ground. She fell and landed on her back. Groaning in pain.
"Uh," Amara slowly got up, "What is this place?"
She sat up and looked around. It was dark and cold here. She pushed herself to stand and look around more. She walked further in the unknown. She had sensed this before, at a young age, but didn't know what was.
She looked around. Seeing a chamber of statute people. Amara wasn't sure who they were and why they were on this world, and even still where she was. Amara halted in her steps, the last step she took echoed.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Amara says.
"You have a bad feeling, child?" A dark and sinister voice spoke out.
Amara jumped back and turned around. No one was there, but that didn't make her feel better. That voice, it was something evil. She knew it.
"Do not fear, child, if I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead." The sinister male voice spoke.
Amara turned to in front of her. She didn't see anything in front of her, it was pure darkness. She took in a deep breathe and took one step forward, she felt a calling in that direction, whether it was stupid or not to go.
"I called to you," The voice says, "Years ago, my child."
Amara swallowed her nerves and pushed herself to continue further in the dark corridor. She needed to figure this out, once and for all.
"Between you and your brother," The voice says, "I was more focused on your untapped ability, but the second I reached you, you shut it all out."
Amara stopped for a second. She and this mysterious man connected once? They connected from the tree? Did Ben connect with him then, too?
"Yes, yes, yes." The voice says, "Yes to all of those questions, my dear child. Your ability is beyond any past Force user I've seen. The raw potential is unlimited."
Amara considered taking another step forward, but then stopped herself again. She knew she was near the end of the hallway, because she looked up and saw a small light illuminate from where she stood.
"Don't you want answers, child?" The voice spoke.
Amara swallowed her nerves again, "You're what happened to my brother, aren't you?" She asks, "You changed him."
The voice laughs, "I did not such thing. He became Kylo Ren on his own."
"He wouldn't have if it wasn't for you!" Amara screamed.
The scream echoed in the room for a bit. There was silence for a moment. Amara wasn't even sure if the voice was even there anymore. She moved her foot forward and then stopped herself again.
"Anger," The voice says, "Yes, child, yes. Allow that anger to flow through you."
Amara shakes her head, "I will not go down the path of the Sith." She says aloud.
A chuckle escaped the voice. Amara felt herself shutter at that, she took two steps back in a slight bit of fear.
"They always claim that," The voice says, "Anakin Skywalker did before he became Darth Vader. Ben Solo claimed that before he became Kylo Ren."
Amara felt tears sliding down her cheeks.
"What makes you so different?" The voice asks.
Amara saw a bolt of lightning coming near her. She didn't have time to move from the blast, she was hit by it and knocked unconscious.
"Amara-?" Finn spoke.
Amara laid on the floor of the lounge inside the Falcon. Chewie and Finn had went to find Amara after she hadn't come back with their drinks, only to find her unconscious on the floor.
Chewie growls at Finn.
"Yeah, I'll let Leia know." Finn says, "You get her to medical."
{RISE OF SKYWALKER}
LEIA DIDN'T need this. She didn't need to be sitting in the medical tent next to her unconscious daughter. Doctor Kalonia had assured Leia that Amara's vitals are fine and wake up any minute, but that didn't put the mother at ease.
Finn had filled her in as she, him, and Rey ran from the forest to the medical tent. No one knew why she had collapsed and for how long. Leia noticed around her daughter's neck was Shara Bey's wedding ring. A sad smile appeared on her face, Poe had entrusted Amara with that. Leia reached up and held onto Amara's hand.
Behind the General was Chewie, Finn, and Rey. The Wookiee refused to leave, this is as hard for Leia as it is for Chewie. Amara is Han's daughter and in a way, Chewie is family to her. Rey and Finn felt obligated to stay as well. Amara had sat in medical for Finn when he was unconscious because he took a lightsaber to the back, so Finn felt he owed her. Rey just felt a connection to Amara because of the Force, that Rey couldn't abandon her.
Leia sighs, "I can't loose her too," Leia say quietly.
Rey steps over and placed a hand on Leia's shoulder. It was for comfort and support. Leia did not bother to look at the young Jedi in training, her eyes too focused on Amara.
"You won't." Rey says, "She's strong."
Leia just squeezed her daughter's hand.
Leia wondered if this is what Amara felt when they were aboard the Raddus when Leia was unconscious. Was this the feeling her daughter felt? Alone? Fear? Numbness? Leia rubbed her other hand over her face. She knows she can't sit here much longer, she had to make contact with Black Squadron. She then mentally swore to herself. How was she going to let Poe know something was wrong with Amara? He would want to turn around and come back.
Leia stands up, "I have to make contact with Commander Dameron," She says as she still looks at her daughter and held her hand, "I will not be notifying him of this."
Finn steps forward, "But General-?"
Leia glanced at Finn, "She is stable and her vitals are fine." She tells the former trooper, "Therefore, she's fine. Kalonia says she just needs to wake up. So unless something changes in her condition, we keep it under wraps."
Rey nods despite hating the idea of lying to her friends. Finn does the same.
Leia glanced from the two young adults and Chewie to her daughter. Leia leans over to Amara, moving some hair out of her face and then kisses her on the forehead. Leia rested her forehead on top of Amara's.
"I love you," Leia says.
Leia let's go of Amara's hand and then turns to head out, Chewie follows along side the General. Both Rey and Finn assumed it was to keep an eye on her, but they weren't sure. Rey and Finn moved to sit next to Amara's bed. Rey looks at Amara. A soft smile appearing on the Jedi in training's face. Rey reached out and even held onto Amara's hand.
"We're here, Amara." Rey says, "Finn and I will be here when you wake up."
(re-uploaded: 7/18/21)