chapter seventeen

       THE EMPIRE HAD DISCOVERED their location, meaning they didn't have much time until an unavoidable battle.

       Amora stood in hangar bay seven, out of breath. She had spread the word to as many officers as she could. Even those who weren't fighting still needed to evacuate, and that was much easier said than done.

       Leia and Han were nowhere to be seen during preparation. They were probably off doing their own important tasks and Amora didn't have any time to worry about them. They could take care of themselves.

       Across the hangar, she spotted Luke coming from the direction of the Millennium Falcon. He smiled and waved at her, but she just ignored him. He didn't seem to take the hint, however. He just assumed she didn't see him. So he walked over to greet her.

       "Luke, will you be commanding Rogue squadron?" she asked him as formally as she could.

       Maybe she was just being petty, but Amora was still bitter after the incident that occurred earlier that day. She knew that his feelings had nothing to do with her and that he was free to do as he pleased, but she couldn't help but feel a little hurt by it. And maybe she just wasn't ready to forgive him so easily.

       "Like I'd pass up the chance," he answered casually.

       He either didn't notice her cold tone, or just chose to ignore it. But knowing him, he was probably just oblivious to Amora's annoyance.

       She almost rolled her eyes at the realization, but restrained from doing so.

       "Alright, you should get to your ship, then."

       Luke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. She had never been so dismissive before. And quite frankly, he didn't understand why. She was always kind, patient, and supportive of him, even though she had no problem yelling at the other rebels. Especially before battle, she would make sure to find him and give him a quick hug. But that didn't seem to be happening this time around.

       Before he could reply, an officer by the name of Korb Trysher approached the duo and faced Amora. "General Everbright, your presence is requested in the trenches!"

       Amora nodded in acknowledgment at Trysher, who stood back after delivering the message. She looked back at Luke nonchalantly.

       "Guess I'll see you after," she said simply, promptly turning away to exit the hangar.

       For a moment, he just stood there, stunned by her stiff words. This was very unlike her, at least to him. He wanted to ask her about it, ask her what he did wrong, but suddenly remembered something a little more pressing.

       "Actually," Luke called out, causing her to stop in her tracks. "I won't be going with you after."

       Any pettiness that Amora had been holding onto crumbled under the weight of his words. She narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms, and marched right back up to him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

       Luke shifted with nervousness before replying. "Last night, I got a vision from Obi-Wan. He told me to travel to Dagobah to find a Jedi master who would train me in the ways of the Force."

       She just blinked at his plan. Was he really serious?

       "Okay," Amora began slowly. "So what you're telling me is that you're ditching us because when you were barely conscious... you hallucinated and saw Obi-Wan... who told you to go find a stranger on an uninhabitable planet... with probably no way to recontact us after relocation...?"

       Luke instantly recoiled after that, running his hand through his hair with a sigh. "Well, when you put it like that, I just sound crazy."

       "Not crazy, just... well, yes, crazy, but that's not the point," she blurted out. Sighing at the bluntness of her words, she attempted to rephrase her thoughts. "Maybe you should just... wait? Come with us now and see if Obi-Wan speaks to you again?"

       "No... I have to do this now," he insisted firmly.

       Amora didn't understand why, but just figured it was something to do with the Force that she would never understand. So in a way, she did get it.

       "I don't know why," Luke continued quietly. "But it just feels right."

       She unfurled her arms and pursed her lips, sort of understanding, but also not satisfied.

       So it was some Force-thing that she wouldn't understand.

At this point, she really didn't care about how upset she was earlier. Luke was her friend. And if he was leaving, she wasn't about to let him go without saying goodbye. She was used to people leaving, anyways. She knew the drill. Everyone leaves at one point or another, some sooner than others.

But in all honesty, she just really didn't want to admit how much this information hurt her, remembering just how close they became over the past few years only for him to leave so suddenly. It was hard not to take it personally, even though it wasn't. So instead of actually facing the truth that she was very distraught, she swallowed it down and put on a facade of strength. It was easier than being honest with him.

       "It's not like I can stop you," she finally spoke, this time wrapping her arms around him for their usual hug. It was quick and simple, yet Amora still relished in his embrace that always felt like home. "Just please be safe. You have a habit of getting into trouble, and you know it."

       Luke returned the hug gratefully. He was glad that he would be getting a before-battle hug from her, even if it was rushed because of the situation they were in. But before he could even fully appreciate her touch, she pulled away and glanced backwards.

       "I should head out," she spoke softly, then raised on her tip-toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

       With a brief smirk, she turned away to locate Trysher before she could see his reaction, but it was exactly as flustered as she expected. It's not like she'd never done that before, it's just that he never seemed to get over the boldness of her actions.

Surprisingly, Amora was actually a very touchy person, that is, when you got to know her. Hugs and kisses were casual to her, but only with the people she felt most comfortable around. The concept of intimacy and friendship that she'd grown familiar with over the last three years filled her with so much joy that she vowed to make it count. Leia and Han adapted easily, but Luke, not so much. He couldn't get over the "flustered stage." And maybe Amora just found a little bit of amusement by teasing him like that.

       If Leia can do it, then so can I.

       Once she found Trysher, they began the walk to the trenches. He caught her up on everything so far; the evacuation progress, the walkers, the weapons, everything. Apparently, Rieekan wanted her there to discuss the best plan of action.

       They exited the hangar, which led them right above the trenches. Hopping down into them, they walked the length to arrive at the small crowd that Rieekan had arranged. Amora didn't want to waste any time, so started her battle plan right when she showed up.

       "Alright," she yelled out to the group loudly. They shifted their bodies to face her, silencing themselves accordingly. "Our main goal here is to protect the power generator from any imperial contact, along with holding them back long enough for our transports to evacuate safely. The Rogue squadron is our first line of defense. It's our job to take down what they cannot. Those walkers most likely won't be affected by our blaster firepower, so we'll need to utilize the cannons. And if a commander instructs you to evacuate the trench, you will do so without hesitation. Understood?"

       The silence from the troops gave her an answer.

       Amora clasped her hands in front of herself and nodded with pride. "Alright. Prepare for the battle. And may the Force be with you."

       The small crowd dispersed and spread out through the trench, setting up their stations for the attack. Amora glanced over at General Rieekan from beside her.

       "General, all the cannons are manned three to one. I think I'd be more useful helping with evacuations inside, to be honest."

       "Yes, they do need a lot of help," Rieekan agreed, waving his hand towards the base entrance in approval.

       "Thank you."

       She approached the trench wall and hoisted herself up hurriedly. There wasn't much time before the base would be exploited. They needed to get everyone and everything as far away as possible before that point came. She only hoped that her friends could get out of there on time.

       Facing the base with a huff, she jogged through the hangar entrance to assist with evacuations.

~ ☼ ~

       Amora spent the entirety of the battle speeding through the halls of the base, running fast examinations of every room for anybody left behind. They couldn't afford to lose anyone to this unplanned scuffle. They barely had enough support as it is.

       She couldn't find anyone, let alone a friend like Zolynn or Chewie. She assumed that they all made it to the transports safely. Well, except for Han.

       She truly didn't know what he was planning to do. He had the perfect opportunity to disappear right now without a trace, but would he? Amora selfishly hoped he wouldn't.

       Once she had looped around the entire base, she emerged in the main hangar bay. She needed to board a transport before it was too late. But based on the large, empty spaces left in the hangar, it seemed that it already was.

       Amora felt her legs go weak at the thought. If they left already, then that means the Empire was already here. They were infiltrating the base at that very moment. She'd have to find some other way to get out of here, and fast. Her mind raced to find a solution.

       There are emergency transportation units on the west side!

       Amora nearly gasped at the realization. The ships were just around the corner! With a newfound determination, she bolted through the hangar, out into the freezing, snowy wild.

       She whipped around the corner of the cave, heading straight for the cluster of ships that were parked in the snow. They were there for emergency purposes, and this was clearly an emergency. She only hoped that there was a spare X-wing for her to take.

       All the remaining T-47 pilots had already prepared their ships and were getting ready for takeoff. A collection of other ships were grouped near the active X-wings, but Amora knew that none of them could carry her far. She was working on them earlier that day. They weren't fueled.

       "Amora!"

       The familiar voice sent a wave of comfort crashing through her body, forgetting any stray pieces of petty anger that she still held onto. She frantically searched the faces of the pilots nearby, who all looked the same in their orange uniforms, before eventually finding Luke, who jogged over to her through the snow. She met him halfway with relief.

       "What are you still doing here?!" he questioned with a panicked tone, reaching forward to lightly grasp her elbow.

       She glanced around at the thinning crowd of pilots once more before answering. "The transports left already and the Empire has taken over the base! I'm looking for a ship to get outta here!"

       He waved his other arm around to the large assortment of ships nearby. "Take your pick!"

       "None of these ships are fueled!" she explained nervously. They were her only options, yet they were all so bad. "I'd never make it to the rendezvous point!"

       He stared at her for a moment in thought, to which she raised her eyebrows in confusion. Finally, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Come with me."

       She blinked, taken aback by the suggestion. It wasn't that she was necessarily opposed to the idea, but it was completely out of the picture. "What? I can't just do that!"

       "You said it yourself. You'll never make it to the rendezvous point. Just come now and think later."

       Amora bit her lip and quickly reviewed the pros and cons.

       If she went with Luke, then there was a chance that the rebellion would relocate without her knowledge. She would be abandoned, along with him, with no plan of action. Not to mention that Dagobah probably didn't have any form of fuel, let alone any way to get off safely. And then there was always the possibility that Luke was crazy. That there was no Jedi master waiting on Dagobah. That was a strong possibility.

       Then again, if she didn't go with Luke, she would most likely be found by the Empire and killed after they tortured her for information.

       Amora didn't realize how long she was taking until she noticed Luke staring at her expectantly.

       "Do you trust me?" he whispered, looking urgently into her eyes.

       Amora smiled softly. "After three years, I'd hope so."

       An adjacent X-wing sat amongst a group of ships that were previously scheduled for repairs, mixed in with some that were already fixed. Amora remembered working on that X-wing earlier in the morning. It was a T-65, worn, but strong. It would have to do.

       She shuffled through the snow to get to the ship while Luke headed to his, bolting up the connected ladder and throwing open the transparisteel hatch. There was no droid to help with navigation, she noticed, but there wasn't time to find one. She hopped into the cockpit, pulled the hatch down from above her, and scanned the controls worriedly.

       Amora was no pilot. There was no doubt about that. The thought of flying always made her uncomfortable, not to mention it killed her parents and her brother. She stuck to repairing the ships, not flying them. And luckily, up until now, she had never really needed to be an expert pilot. But good things could only last so long. She needed to do this. She needed to fly the ship.

       As precious seconds ticked away, she heaved in a deep breath and shook away her nerves.

       Luke flies this thing every day... how hard can it be?

       Acting only on memory from what he had taught her, Amora reached forward blindly and flipped a few switches. The ship hummed to life and began vibrating with energy.

       It's now or never.

       She carefully lifted the ship into the air, paying special attention to her surroundings. The last thing she wanted to do was crash into another rebel ten seconds into the flight.

       There was finally a safe amount of distance between her and the ground, and she exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding. That had been anxiety-inducing enough. It was a small accomplishment, but an accomplishment nonetheless.

       In front of her, Luke hovered patiently. He knew that they were pressed for time, but he also knew that she wasn't exactly comfortable with flying. She was trying her best. He didn't want to make her feel rushed.

        Once Amora was ready to go (after taking a little longer than it should've been), Luke turned his ship around and sailed off into the horizon. She followed with decreasing nervousness and increasing excitement.

       While there were still great possibilities of danger, she couldn't help but think that the hard part was done. Now she was in the sky. If she could get off the ground, then she could definitely fly in collision-free space.

       The last images of Hoth sped through her line of vision in the form of white, pure streaks. The mountains of snow and ice zipped by as she sailed out of the planet's atmosphere. Amora was happy to leave Hoth, yes, but it was a little upsetting to be leaving so soon.

       It would've been nice to have a little bit of notice before the evacuation. But of course, that's not how the rebellion worked. They were ambushed and they ran. That's how the rebellion worked. And sometimes, there just wasn't any time to pack before you left. That was a definite downside.

       Soon, the blurred white lines outside the cockpit window turned into a dark, starry blur. She had officially left Hoth. In her own ship. She let out a childish giggle at the thought.

       Amora stared at the great vastness of space in front of her. Never before had she seen it with herself in control. She could travel anywhere she wanted. Her choices were limitless.

       But she knew where she needed to go. And to be honest, there's no other place else in the galaxy she wanted to go. Not because of the planet itself, but because of the person she was going with.

       As her heartbeat steadily slowed down, she followed Luke into their unknown journey that lied ahead.

~ ☼ ~

author's note -

soo amora's off to dagobah too!! i'm excited to get to that. and just to clarify, han didn't wanna leave without amora but they absolutely had to, plus they all figured she could make it out on her own. they didn't just abandon her lol. and that do you trust me scene?? yeah that's like their thing and there'll be one in each act :') and did anybody catch that amora said luke taught her how to fly?? that may or may not be a chapter between anh and esb that i'm adding in later ;) also thank you so so much for reading! i appreciate you all. until next time! :)

ps - i'm not happy with this chapter so i'll be rewriting it and turning it into two separate chapters when the book is done!