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Astrid was awoken by the sound of a familiar, ecstatic beep, and her eyes flew open to find Artoo propelling towards her with both of his utility arms extended as if he might give her a hug. A wide grin spread across Astrid's face as she exclaimed, "Artoo!"
Anakin's faithful astromech settled to a stop beside her with another gleeful beep, and Astrid gave him a loving pat on his blue and white domed metal head. "Have you been with Obi-Wan this entire time since, well, since everything went downhill?" Astrid asked the astromech. "I haven't seen you around in a while."
Artoo gave a low beep that Astrid interpreted as a glum yes. Astrid had been trying to learn droid language sounds for a while now so she could better understand Artoo's beeping, but she wasn't quite as good as Anakin was-- or had been-- at interpreting Artoo's beeping.
So, when Artoo said something along the lines of, "I had to leave Master Anakin and go with Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan said I could help Master Anakin," Astrid's earlier excitement dimmed as it transformed into confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Astrid asked in a low voice, the crease between her brows deepening as her brow furrowed further.
Before Artoo could respond, Obi-Wan suddenly entered the room from the entrance tunnel, and he greeted, "Good morning. I had to run to the town to buy some more food supplies." He held up two sacks full of what Astrid supposed was food in his hands. "I figured I could try and make breakfast since we hardly ate last night."
Astrid nodded and forced a smile in answer to Obi-Wan's tentative smile. But the moment he brushed past her, her smile dropped as she glanced back at Artoo. "Um, Artoo was just telling me something quite, uh, interesting," Astrid began uncertainly as she watched Obi-Wan's back as he rummaged loudly through his various sized pots and pans.
"Hmm," Obi-Wan hummed absentmindedly, and Astrid took that as a signal to continue.
"Artoo said that he left Anakin to go with you, and that you said he could help Anakin if he went with you?" Astrid told him, a silent question in her voice. She thought over her words in her head and grimaced at how little sense they made.
There was a beat of silence, and then Obi-Wan replied with his back still turned towards her, "I believe you may have misinterpreted Artoo. I told him to come with me because there was no helping Anakin. He'd already been killed." He cleared his throat roughly before he added, "I didn't want Artoo to fall into the Empire's hands knowing the information he undoubtedly knows."
"Oh."
They descended into silence, and Astrid frowned at the tension she detected in the air. She raised a questioning eyebrow at Artoo, who simply folded his utility arms back into his domed body with a sad beep.
Astrid remained sitting on the ground beside Artoo in the living room as Obi-Wan made them breakfast in the circularly shaped kitchen area, the sound of cackling fire filling the silence. Astrid toyed with the japor snippet necklace with a hand, something she'd made a habit of doing when she felt uneasy.
A couple of minutes later, Obi-Wan sat down in front of her with two plates of what appeared to be some sort of... sausage?... and a cut up purple fruit. Astrid accepted the plate gratefully as her stomach growled quietly.
They ate in silence for the first minute before Obi-Wan asked between bites, "What are you planning to do next, Astrid?"
Astrid looked up at him from her plate in surprise, and she quickly swallowed the food in her mouth before she answered, "What do you mean?"
Obi-Wan raised a brow as he remarked dryly, "Well, you found me, and you know I'm not going anywhere, so what are you doing next? Where do you plan to go?"
Astrid drew her eyebrows together as she replied with no small amount of hurt at his slight dismissal, "I'm staying here with you for now, and I--I hope I can persuade you to join me in that time." He gave her a doubtful look. She continued, "And then after that, I, uh, will go--"
She trailed off with uncertainty. Astrid hadn't really thought that far ahead. She'd truly only been thinking in the present.
A faint smiled tugged at Obi-Wan's mouth as he said, "Perhaps you can find more allies for your cause."
"Allies," Astrid repeated thoughtfully in a murmur as her eyes turned down to her plate.
What other allies were out there?
None.
Her mood plummeted. Bail's Resistance had failed before it had even begun.
Obi-Wan must've noted her sudden downturn of mood because he asked, "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"
Astrid raised her eyes to his face as she answered curtly, "I'm thinking that this Resistance is doomed to fail. And I'm thinking it might just be easier for me to go solo and kill Vader, myself. Then I could go and kill Palpatine, and someone like Padmé Amidala or Bail Organa could take over as Chancellor of the New Republic."
Obi-Wan's forehead creased with concern, and he began gently, "Astrid, you must realize the futility of your plan here. You can't possibly best Vader alone. He's too powerful. He has the strength of the Dark Side."
"Then maybe I'll join the Dark Side just so I can kill him," Astrid retorted sharply, angry now. Her hands clenched into fists. "We will both go down together."
Obi-Wan gave her a disapproving look before continuing as if she hadn't spoken, "Not to mention Palpatine-- or shall we say, Darth Sidious-- is perhaps even more powerful than Darth Vader. If you die in order to kill Vader, then who will be there to kill Sidious?" He waved a flippant hand as he spoke with a carefree tone, "Darth Sidious would simply find a new apprentice, and your death would have been meaningless."
At that moment, Astrid hated Obi-Wan's sensibility because she knew he was right. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she released a heavy sigh, her eyes turned downwards in shame.
"You're right," she murmured.
Artoo gave a small beep of sympathy.
Suddenly, Astrid's comlink gave a beep, and her and Obi-Wan both flinched in surprise. Astrid lifted her wrist as she looked down at the comlink Cleo had given her, and she saw that Cleo, herself, was signaling her.
With a slight frown, Astrid accepted the call, and a miniature, blue hologram of Cleo appeared above the comlink. "What is it?" Astrid asked immediately.
Cleo looked mildly distressed as she answered, "Look, Astrid, you need to come back. Bail happened across some intel. He's gathered a few more allies, and he wants you to go with them to investigate the intel. He trusts you more."
"What intel?" Astrid asked as curiosity and confusion swirled inside her.
Cleo swallowed before saying, "It's best if you come back from wherever you are to hear this." She paused before adding, "You never know if someone has tuned into our frequency."
Yet, Astrid felt it was more than that.
Nevertheless, Astrid nodded and replied, "Fine. I'll be there within a day."
Cleo nodded once, her circular gold hooped earrings swaying with the movement, before her hologram vanished. Astrid sighed as she dropped her wrist to her side, and she glanced at Obi-Wan.
"I don't want to leave you here," Astrid told him. "Can't you just come with me, Obi-Wan?"
But Obi-Wan merely shook his head and said firmly, "I'm staying here, Astrid."
"But why?" Astrid cried out, nearly overcome with frustration. "You don't have to hide here on Tatooine of all places! You can hide in Alderaan!"
Obi-Wan pursed his lips, his brows dipping with displeasure, and he remarked, "Astrid, I can't tell you why. I won't tell you. All you need to know is that I am staying here for the time being. I have a duty to uphold."
But what duty? Astrid wanted to ask, but she kept silent, sensing he wanted her to drop it immediately. Through the Force, she could sense his mood darkening with every second she continued to press on the topic.
Astrid nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat before she rose to her feet. Artoo gave a sad beep, and Obi-Wan glanced at the astromech with saddened eyes. "Take him, Astrid," he told her, his eyes still fixated on the droid. "Artoo could be of some use to you."
"Thank you," Astrid whispered. "And thank you for giving me a place to stay the past three days."
Obi-Wan only nodded, and his caramel colored eyes lifted to her face as he replied, "May the Force be with you."
Heart heavy with sadness at the thought of having to leave her friend behind, Astrid dipped her head as she echoed, "And may the Force be with you, Obi-Wan."
She turned towards the tunnel that would lead her outside before pausing, one foot forward. She twisted back around towards Obi-Wan and caught his eye as she added, "I'll see you soon," and then she was disappearing around the tunnel bend.
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The Alderaan sky was cloudless and vibrantly blue as Astrid's starfighter zipped through the atmosphere and over the towering snowcapped mountains towards Bail's summer home. She certainly hadn't expected to be back so soon. And she hadn't expected herself to return empty-handed.
When Astrid landed before the large house, Cleo was waiting for her by the front door. She was wearing a dark green dress that highlighted the gold of her hair, and she was wringing her hands anxiously in front of her.
Astrid shoved open the glass ceiling of the cockpit before leaping down to the plush grass with the agility of a Jedi. Astrid began striding towards Cleo the moment her feet touched the thick grass, and she demanded as she approached, "What is it you needed to tell me?"
Cleo swallowed before beckoning towards the door and saying, "Bail wants to tell you, himself."
Astrid followed Cleo into the house and down a brightly lit hallway before entering a room that appeared to be some sort of sitting room. There were three crimson armchairs and a brown leather couch gathered around a fireplace sizzling with a small fire. On the far wall was a large window that offered a view of the towering mountains.
Bail sat in one of the armchairs. The couch was occupied by three people-- two young men and a young woman-- all wearing fighting clothes, and one of the other armchairs was occupied by an older woman with brown hair cut into a pixie cut hairstyle. She wore a white dress that screamed Senator. Astrid recognized the older woman as Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila, a planet in the Core System.
All conversation in the room ceased as they noticed Astrid and Cleo's entrance. Astrid stopped by the door as Cleo stepped farther into the room. Cleo twisted towards Astrid when she realized the Jedi wasn't following behind her, and she let out a small sigh.
In the ensuing silence, Bail rose from his seat and greeted with a relieved smile, "Astrid, thank you for coming back. Where have you been?"
"Tatooine," Astrid answered shortly, still mildly angry at how Bail had tried to dissuade her from following after her Jedi friend. "I found Obi-Wan Kenobi."
There was a small intake of breath from around the room at the mention of Obi-Wan, another surviving Jedi from Order Sixty-Six. "Master Obi-Wan Kenobi lives?" Senator Mon Mothma spoke, her grey eyes wide with surprise.
Astrid nodded before saying in a voice full of bitter cynicism, "He refuses to leave Tatooine to help our cause. He says he's fulfilling his duty there, whatever that is."
Was it just her or did a look of understanding cross Bail's face?
"Perhaps he will come to our aid in time," Bail told her placatingly, appearing to Astrid not too concerned on Obi-Wan's unwillingness to help. Astrid couldn't help her disapproving disbelief at his indifference.
Bail continued, "But we have other important, more imminent things to worry about." His eyes settled on Astrid as he said, "We've come across some intel from a few small, scattered rebel groups around the galaxy that the Empire is constructing a ship that has the power to destroy entire planets. They call it the Death Star."
Astrid's eyes widened in horror at such terrible power.
Bail nodded in agreement to her expression before he said, "We hear there's a base on Scarif that might be related to the construction of the Death Star."
"Scarif?" Astrid repeated with growing horror.
Bail nodded before his face transformed into a frown at her obvious distress. "Does Scarif mean something to you, Astrid?"
Astrid nodded weakly, feeling faint. "My family lives there." She thought she might collapse as she broke out into an anxious cold sweat.
She couldn't lose her family, too. She'd already lost everyone else to the Empire; she didn't think she could take any more loss.
Suddenly, she felt blessedly cool hands on her cheeks, and she blinked as she looked up to see Senator Mon Mothma standing there with a sympathetic look on her face. "Don't worry, Astrid. Your family will be relatively safe on Scarif if they don't make too much trouble for the Empire. The Empire wouldn't destroy the planet housing their own base."
Astrid nodded weakly, understanding the calm reason behind the senator's consoling words. "You're right," Astrid whispered with another nod as if to reassure herself, too.
Mon Mothma led Astrid over to the last available armchair with a gentle hand, and Astrid sank down onto the cushion with a shuddering breath. Her gaze found the young woman and the two men sitting opposite her on the couch.
The woman looked around her age, and she appeared to be a Twi'lek judging by her light green headtails. Unlike a Togruta, like Ahsoka, the woman did not have any facial markings or montrals, the curved horns on top of a Togruta's head. The woman had sea-green eyes that both contrasted and complemented her green skin. Her face was more heart shaped compared to Astrid's face, but she had the same fierce glint in her eyes.
The older man on the left side of the green-skinned woman, was human judging by his olive-skinned tone. He had dark brown hair with a thin stripe of grey, and stern brown eyes. The downward tilt of his mouth made it appear as if he was constantly frowning.
The boy on the woman's right side had reddish-brown hair and a smatter of freckles across his cheeks and over his nose. His green eyes held a liveliness that reminded Astrid of Ahsoka, except she couldn't help but note the nervous tension radiating off of him. He exuded inexperience, unlike the woman and the older man, who looked like a long-time fighters.
The woman offered Astrid a friendly smile and greeted, "Hello, I'm Hera. Hera Syndulla. Nice to meet you." She beckoned to the green-eyed boy beside her and introduced, "This is Matthew."
Before Hera could introduce him, the older man said, "I'm Jun Sato, commander of the Phoenix Rebel Cell. Hera is my captain."
Astrid forced a friendly smile on her face. "I'm Astrid."
"You must be the Jedi that Bail mentioned earlier," Hera stated, and Astrid nodded.
Astrid examined the three with a slight frown, noting their measly crew and wondering if this was truly all the crew members they had. She finally gathered the courage to ask outright, "So, is it just you three in this Phoenix Squadron?"
Hera laughed quietly before replying, "No, we have others, but they're in Lothal in the Outer Rim right now. That's sort of our home-base planet. The three of us came when Bail and Mon Mothma called us here, saying he had important information to discuss." She gave Bail a playful, pointed look with a small smile.
Bail noticed her pointed look and gave a short laugh before sombering.
Jun interjected, "Senators, you've called us here to tell us about the Death Star, but I have yet to hear if you have a plan to deal with the ship. You want us to destroy it?"
Mon Mothma shook her head as she replied, "No, we will not be destroying it yet. We don't have the numbers or organization right now. Instead, we wanted you four to investigate the base on Scarif and possibly the Death Star, just so we have an idea of what exactly we're dealing with."
"I've already been to the base on Scarif," Astrid interjected, remembering the time when her and Anakin had visited Scarif years ago for the sole purpose of investigating the base. They'd seen Darth Sidious there. Astrid shuddered at the memory and its accompanying icy chill.
"When?" Bail inquired.
"A couple of years ago?" Astrid answered with slight uncertainty. "Maybe two and a half years."
"The Empire has been planning this since two years ago?" Matthew muttered incredulously under his breath.
Bail pursed his lips before replying, "Much has changed within that time frame, Astrid. I suggest we continue forth with this mission to see how much progress the Empire has made on the construction of the base and this Death Star."
Astrid dipped her head in understanding. It was true. A lot of time had passed since then. When her and Anakin had visited the base, the Clone Wars was still being waged and the base was only composed of its foundation. Astrid felt a pang of sadness as she remembered how she and Anakin had married on that same mission.
Oh, how she wished she could return to that time.
She had a sudden flashback to that night when they'd married. She remembered standing on the balcony with Anakin, both of them bathed in the moonlight, and telling him, "You are going to live a long life, and you and I... we're going to be happy, and we're going to be happy together."
What a lie that had been.
She'd been so naive. She supposed Anakin had been right; he had lived a short life.
Astrid quickly swallowed the emotion building in her throat as she clutched the japor snippet with a hand, and she lifted her eyes to find everyone's eyes trained on her. Astrid focused on Hera in front of her, and she beheld the genuine kindness in her eyes. Through the Force, Hera was a bright beacon of hope and compassion. Astrid couldn't help but feel her own hope being rekindled by Hera's determination.
Astrid vowed then that she wouldn't let the Empire take another kind soul. They'd already taken Anakin, but they would not take Hera Syndulla.
So, Astrid set her face determinedly as she spoke fiercely, "Let's go ruin the Empire."
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