Star Wars: Rebellion (Chapter 1)

Prologue
         
         Sol 3. That was the planet's official designation. Just a tiny blue ball in a ten-planet solar system on the outskirts of Wild Space. Seemingly unimportant, its inhabitants still pre-space capable.

         Wait, that's not true, Admiral Neelif thought to himself with a slight smirk, they do have spacecraft, if they even qualify as that. He brought up the holo-scans of the planet, of their lumbering, inefficient spacecraft. But despite there apparent lack of technology, they had quite a few accomplishments. There satellite system was unorganized, yet effective given their technology level. Their computers were archaic at best, yet they managed to cobble together so much with what they had. They even had a working orbital space station. It paled in comparison to even the smallest of capital ships in the Admiral's fleet, but it was still impressive in a way. The station and the satellites had given there scouts some problems when they went to investigate Sol 3 closer, but the primitive technology was easy to hide from.

         Neelif straightened his all white command uniform, taking a moment to fix the elaborate rank emblem he wore below his left collarbone. Yes, the technology was quite easy to get past. His thoughts drifted once again to the question he had been asking himself since he embarked on this mission. Why send so much firepower, the fleet is large enough to take on every rebel in the galaxy at once! Why am I out at the edge of known space, playing kid games? He leaned back in his chair, contemplating. He knew why he was out here. This planet wasn't unimportant. This planet held a very, very precious material.

         Dryadium. Just that one word was enough to put his questions to rest for the moment. The planet, and it's uninhabited sister planet, Sol 4, was filled with the material. Preliminary tests showed that roughly 14 kilometers down from the surface of Sol 4 was a planet-encompassing vein of the precious, crystalline substance. Planet encompassing, it was an unbelievable find. Dryadium was one of the most precious substances in the galaxy, and never was it found in such abundance. Tests were also taken of the asteroid field (although it barely qualified as one, as most commonly the asteroids were so far away from each other that they rarely collided). The tests of the asteroid field indicated that each asteroid was practically composed of Dryadium.

         Neelif grinned slightly. And that's not even the best part. He switched to a different view of Sol 3, this one showing an underground concentration of the precious ore, so thick they couldn't even get an accurate measurement of how far down it went. At least 100 kilometers, that's all they knew for sure. He marveled at that... a fist-sized amount of Dryadium would be enough to produce enough power for a fleet of Star Destroyers. It took only a minute amount to create the power source for the Emperator-class Star Destroyer he was on, the Judge. And that was the magic behind Dryadium. It could create stable, man-made, stars. And with it's rarity, mining operations would be made to extract microscopic amounts of the material, even if an entire planet had to be mined. That same fist-sized chunk of Dryadium would be enough to purchase a fleet of star destroyers.

The Empire will be able to build a hundred more fleets, Neelif thought, and I will be the one that makes it happen. Even if the resources at his disposal were well more then necessary. He could probably bring the entire planet under his control with a Victory-Class Star Destroyer and two squadrons of TIE's. Maybe a garrison of troops to help run the slave operation. He chuckled at the thought. Not only is the material so abundant, but also it comes with about 7 billion people to mine it. The people at intelligence and recon probably fainted when they received that report from the probe droid. What luck! A system filled with one of the most precious materials in the galaxy, and an entire population of people to mine it. Humans, no less.

         Still, he thought, why not just send my fleet? His fleet of Six Emperator's, nine Victory's, an Interdictor and about a thousand other, smaller capital ships were more then enough to handle an entire Sector of space, much less a single system. A single, pre-space aged planet. But five more fleets, in addition to his? What kind of resistance could the inhabitants of Sol 3 possible put up? He laughed at the thought. A single fleet is overkill for this planet, hell; the Judge by itself would be overkill. He pondered for a moment; the Emperor is probably just worried that rebels will find out about this planet. If they mined here for a single day they would become rich enough to buy themselves several fleets.

         He stretched slightly, standing from his chair, checking the croon and grimacing. He should have been sleeping already. Tomorrow was a big day.


Chapter 1

         Jet Black pulled into the long, unpaved driveway leading to his old country-style home in Hampshire, Illinois. He let out a long sigh, grateful to be home after a long day of work. He was manager of the lumber yard a couple miles away, but he never let being "the boss" stop him from getting his hands dirty. He cricked his neck, popping a toothpick into his mouth. He had long since quit smoking, and he found toothpicks to be much healthier.

         He smiled as he admired his neatly kept yard, his several very large trees, the rarely used hammock. He pulled his beat up old truck into the parking space, hitting the button for the garage door and easing the tough old vehicle in. He loved his truck, older then him and probably twice as tough. He had bought it for a few hundred dollars when he was twenty. Now, 5 years later, he had barely put any money into the thing and it still worked great.

         He slammed the door behind him, walking into his house, tossing his keys on the counter as he entered the kitchen.

         "Honey, I'm home!" He called, grinning slightly, knowing full well the only person he called "Honey" was still at work, and wouldn't be getting back for another hour.

         "Who the hell are you calling honey?" Came the slightly amused reply of Jet's best friend, Caleb.

         "Not you shnookums," He replied teasingly. Kai (Caleb's nickname) was truly Jet's best friend, not to mention roommate. He walked into the front room, seeing Kai sitting on the couch, eye's glued on the TV, his thumbs flying across the controls of the game-pad in his hands.

         "Is that all you do when you’re not working?" Jet asked, grinning slightly as he reached for the second controller.

         Kai glanced at him, "No, I eat and sleep too."

         Jet chuckled, playing the game with his younger friend. He didn't even know why they ever played against each other they were so evenly matched. When one of them would get ahead, the other would catch up. Every time they competed against each other when it came to almost anything, they came up even. Jet's girlfriend had remarked on more then one occasion that they were the same person. Then teasingly added Jet being slightly more attractive, but even there, they were pretty even. They looked completely different, Jet being taller, with broader shoulders and a lean, muscular build.  He let his hair grow down almost to his shoulders, and he would usually keep it back in a ponytail, and always kept it neatly trimmed. While Kai was on the more average side with height, and a smaller frame, not incredibly muscular. Although his small frame packed incredible punch, his smaller, leaner muscles containing as much power as Jet's, and he was probably tougher, too.  Kai's hair was also kept long, but darker, almost brown, unlike Jet's light blond. Nearly the only physical thing they had in common were they're eyes. They were both hazel, but different types. Jet's were more a blue and green, while Kai's were more a blue and gray. The common thing was the intensity, the years of wisdom they had acquired from the hard lives they had led. It showed through in there eyes.

         Jet paused the game to get a couple cups of iced tea, with plenty of ice, and he sat back on the couch, eyeing the time. He played a few more rounds of the fighting game, sipping at his tea.

         "I gotta go pick up Jaxie" Jet said suddenly, realizing that that last round had taken longer then expected. While he wouldn't be late picking her up, he wouldn't be early either. He liked to be timely for the woman he loved.

         "Yea, you got time. Want me to go with ya?" Kai asked, eyes glued to the TV.

         Jet just laughed, walking towards the door, "Nah, you relax. You work harder then me. Later."

         "Later."

         Jet grabbed the keys off of the counter, pulling out his cell phone and hit a couple buttons. He was already pulling out of the driveway when she answered.

         "Hello, my love," came the singsong voice of Jaxie Petersen.

         "Just checking up, Hun. I'll be there in about 15 minutes, I sort of lost track of the time with Kai..."

         He heard a beautiful laugh come from the phone, eliminating any remaining guilt he had. "Oh it's ok Jetty. I won't be out for another 15 minutes anyway.

         "Ok, well I'll see ya in a bit then angel. Aishiteru," He smiled. The first time he had told her he loved her he'd said it in Japanese. The habit stuck.

         "Love you too."

         Jet hit the disconnect button and tossed the phone on the seat next to him, and took a right. He flicked the chewed up toothpick out the open truck window, replacing it from the small container her carried with him, and checked the time once again. He was more confident now that he saw how traffic was, he would probably get there a couple minutes earlier then expected. He couldn't wait to see her; it was a Friday so they had the whole weekend to themselves. It seemed like all they had been doing recently was work, work, work. He had been looking for a chance to do something he'd wanted to do for a long time now, 

         His hand slipped into his pocket, pulling out the ring. He slowed to a stop at a red light, and took a moment to admire the small wedding band, a large ruby surrounded by diamonds. Red was her favorite color...

         He shook his head, putting the ring back into his pocket just as the light went green. I have to ask her soon, I can't put it off any longer. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll propose, He had said something similar to himself many times, and something always seemed to come up. In truth, he wasn't afraid of asking, he just wanted the time and the place that he proposed to be just right. He knew he would be spending the rest of his life with her, and knew that he could never find anyone better.

         His phone beeped, just as he was pulling into the parking lot of the hospital where Jaxie worked. He flipped it open and looked; it was his home number.

         "Hey Kai, what's up?"

         "Jet! Turn on the radio now!" came Caleb's serious voice. He rarely lost control of his emotions, just like Jet. But Jet could tell something was wrong.

         "Ok ok, no problem," He said, flipping on the radio, “What’s going on, Kai?"

         "Flip it to a news station. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we're being invaded."

         Jet could tell he wasn't lying, just as he found a news station. He listened...

         "-unidentified crafts. Several thousand large-scale craft in orbit have launched many, many smaller craft. We don't know who or what these things are, but early reports say they're are protrusions similar to guns and missile emplacements on these vehicles." There was a pause," This just in, we have confirmed there are at least 90, that's nine zero, confirmed, city-sized craft in a high orbit above earth. The White House is cautioning everyone not to fire at these unidentified craft, as we do not know if they're hostile. We'll be back in a moment.." A commercial started, and Jet turned down the radio.

         "Kai, are they showing anything on the TV? Like what these things look like or anything?" Jet nervously chewed on his toothpick, leaning over to look for Jaxie, eager to get her home as quickly as possible.

         "Uh... heh," Caleb's usual control faltered for a moment.

         "Out with it. You know I don't like beating around the bush." The toothpick snapped in half. He quickly replaced it.

         "Well, I’ve never seen the larger ships that are apparently coming out of those big, 'triangle craft' as the media has dubbed them. But, there escorted by fighters."

         "Fighters? How the hell would you know that-?”

         "They’re TIE fighter's, Jet."

         "What?!" Jet looked at the phone, wondering if he heard correctly.

         "You heard me Jet. TIE fighters. Those 'triangle craft' are apparently city-sized, as you heard. Those have to be Star Destroyers, what else is that big and triangular? But, 90 star destroyers?"

         "This can't be happening."

         "It is, Jet. What the hell are we going to do?" Jet could hear fear betray his friend's voice.

         "We'll talk about it when I get back, Jaxie's walking out the door right now," He hung the phone, seeing Jaxie walk towards the truck, her nurse uniform slightly worn, several specks of blood around it. Despite the situation, he couldn't help looking her over. She was quite a bit shorter then he, with a much smaller frame. She had dark blond hair, that curled, and her eyes were a radiant light blue, practically glowing. To him, she was perfect.

         She waved towards him, smiling as soon as she found him. As she walked up he quickly got out and opened the passenger-side door for her, giving her a quick kiss.

         "What's wrong?" She could tell something was bothering him. Just from a kiss.

         Jet sighed, helping her into the truck. "Plenty."

         She rested his hand on his, “Tell me"

         He turned up radio and pulled out of the parking lot, "Angel, we're being invaded."

         She looked incredulous, “Wait, what?"

         He motioned towards the radio, and focused on driving as fast as he could safely.

         "-not know where they came from. But it is confirmed; the unknown forces have begun a global invasion. There have already been attacks on major military installations around the globe. The US combined military forces have been reduced to an estimated one third, due to bombardment by bombers. The military forces outside the United States are also being attacked, but by far we're getting it the worst. Plans on using nuclear weapons may already be formulating-"

         Jet saw her go pale, as her hand squeezed his hard, "Jet, what are we going to do?"

         He glanced over at her for a moment, and then back at the road, "We're going to go home. We'll figure out the rest there. All I know is that right now we're not safe, I have that feeling I get sometimes," He noticed her bite the lip out of the corner of his eye.

         "Ok."

         He could tell she was nervous, worried. He felt the same way, but his face wore a grim determination. He knew what was going to happen. He just knew, that something bad was going to happen. He was one to always trust his instinct, his "gut feelings". Four years in the Marines helped him hone it, and it was one of the reasons he survived the second Korean War.

         "It'll be ok Hun. We'll be fine."

         She looked at him, reached out for his hand and squeezed reassuringly.

         He just went faster.


~~~~~

         "What do you mean 'shutting down the highway'?" Officer Chris Mcdowel asked the unmoving man in the black suit, "Under whose authority?"

         The man quickly flipped open a wallet, and Mcdowel saw the ID with the letters FBI. across it. He suppressed rolling his eyes. He had dealt with Fed's before, and they always seemed to make a situation more complicated.

         "Well, I need to get back to Mchenry county, my precinct is there," he sensed what the man was going to say, so he added, “I know the risks."

         "I'm sorry sir," though his tone said otherwise, “I cannot let anyone through, my orders are clear."

         Mcdowel just rolled his eyes and walked back to his car, slamming the door shut behind him. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

         I guess I should check out the Hampshire police department. He grimaced; they can't have more than two people in that tiny place. What help will I be in this hick town.

         He pulled out of the road-blocked highway, and lit up a cigarette. He knew where the Hampshire police department was, a small building in the "middle of town". The town was almost all farmland, and "Downtown" was one street with half a dozen stores.

         Mcdowel pulled on to Main Street, parking in front of the tiny police department. He wondered for a brief moment where they kept their off-duty cars, but laughed to himself at the thought. They probably didn't have more then two squads.

         If they even use squad cars out here, He thought as he was walking up to the entrance, They probably just use there own cars and make a siren noise by yelling out the window.

         Bracing himself, he opened the door and walked up to the counter. They had a reception room, at least.

         "Hello," he said, approaching the receptionist, trying to be as upbeat as possible.

         She looked up from the computer," Hi, how can I help you today?"

         "Well, I'm Officer Chris Mcdowel, Mchenry PD. Unfortunately, the highway has been closed due to the emergency,"

         "And you want to help out here?" She stood up, walking around the counter.

         "Well, yeah. There isn't much else I can do," He took a moment to look around, "Looks like you guys need all the help you can get. How many officer's you got working?"

         "Everyone. We usually have twenty on-duty officers, but today we have fifty, and we've drafted a lot of our personal vehicles into service. We have five squads, but we're using twelve personal vehicles as well. To be honest, we do need all the help we can get. We're understaffed usually, and now there's a crisis. We're just a small town police department,"

         He could see the poor woman was stressed. His mood changed considerably, he just wanted to help as much as he could, "Look, Mchenry is a fair sized city, and I'm pretty experienced. We need to keep the people calm, and do our best to keep order." He glanced up towards the ceiling "At least we're not a big target for the bad guys."

         She bit her lip, probably imagining thousands of craft landing all over the country, " Well, I'll get the commander on the phone, get his permission to get you to work. Would you mind using your car?"

         "No, not at all. I even got an off-duty light I can use. I also have my '38, you guys wouldn't happen to have some bigger guns, just in case? I'm sure my precinct is breaking out the M-16's."

         She stopped dialing to look at him, “Why would you need it? Your not planning on fighting, are you?"

         He just looked back at her evenly, evaluating his situation. He was sure that they were being invaded, and he was sure that his country would not be giving up. Of course he would fight, no matter what. "Of course I'll fight, if it comes to that. I'd rather avoid it, but these guys are coming from space, or at least that's what the news is leading people to believe."

         She shook her head, "That's what ever officer at this station believes. Am I the only sane person left?" she shrugged, " Yes we have some weapons, I'll take ya down to our new armory as soon as I get you checked out with the commander."

         A few minutes later he was on the phone with Commander Dougan, the chief of the Hampshire PD. Part-time. His primary profession was corn-farmer. He squared away the paperwork with a couple choice words about "Procedure" and had given Mcdowel some work to do. He also had the man issued a standard uniform, though it looked slightly different with a Mchenry shield at the breast instead of the typical old-fashioned Hampshire shields. He took a bit pride in that, at least wearing his usual badge.

         He also had full access to weapons storage. He saw that they recently turned a room into an armory, and they had all kinds of weapons. Weapons he didn't expect a backwater town to have, an automatic shotgun and a brand new M16A3, with the new bullets they had introduced nearly a year back. Same power, double the bullets. He had taken a look at the magazine to check, and counted all sixty of the sleek looking ammunition. They had an abundance of weapons, so he checked himself out plenty of ammo and a spare handgun, a powerful '44 magnum. Sometimes a '38 wasn't powerful enough, and a shotgun and a rifle can get clumsy. He grabbed a bulletproof vest and a spare, putting most of his cargo into the trunk of his car. Except for the A3, he kept that on the passenger side. He also made sure to holster for both handguns, and kept them unbuttoned just in case.

         Doing a once-over of his equipment, his radio, and his car, he pulled out of the parking space and slapped the off-duty light on the dash.

         At least I have something to do, he thought to himself, as he drove down the main street, towards his patrol route. I have a feeling that "boring" is the last thing this new situation is going to be.

~~~~~

         "Jet.." Jaxie spoke softly, trying to get a response out of the man she loved so dearly.

         His intense eyes looked back at her, clearly concentrating on something. He sighed slowly and put his arms around her, curling up next to her on the couch a bit more, the small act making her begin to well up slightly with tears.

         "We can just hide, we can hide and live out here, wait for this whole thing to blow over," She tried reasoning the point with him, knowing full well he was not one to cower down and hide. He wasn't stupid either.

         "Angel," Finally, he said something. It lifted her spirits more then she thought it would, a small glimmer of hope fluttering up her chest that he wouldn't go and put himself in danger. "Angel.. I won't be able to stand by and do nothing. I know what these guys are capable of.. even you know what they're capable of." The thought made her slump her shoulders. She could be stubborn, but she wasn't stupid either.

         Caleb came walking into the room, tossing his cell on the table and sitting in the chair adjacent his two friends. "Well from what a couple people I know are telling me, there's battle's going on all over the world right now, but it's all aerial and bombardment. They're going to crush the Air force, navy, and any missile emplacements and stuff first. Then they'll worry about the army, and the Marines. I hope we give 'em hell."

         "I don't get it." Came Jet's voice.. small, distant.

         Jaxie quickly looked at him.. so she squeezed his hand and looked at him questioningly.

         "Don't get what? There is a lot here not to get, Jet," Caleb asked the question a second before Jaxie did.

         Jet sighed, as Jaxie watched him gather his thoughts.. the same look of concentration on his face. "Why us? Why now? And you heard the reports.. there are probably a few sector forces up there! Why send all that firepower just to conquer one backwards civilization? Even if they do want to turn us all in to slaves, or kill us, or whatever, they would only need to send a star destroyer in, tops. We don't listen? Take out a couple major cities. That's all it would take and you know it.. but no. They're not even using orbital tactical bombardment. It's all being done with gunboats and bombers. Nothing from orbit. Maybe there is something in the atmosphere that would react to turbolaser blasts or something.. "

         Jaxie couldn't help but feeling helpless. She could only comfort him as much as she could, be there for him no matter what. God I love him.

         Jet just gave her a look, and smiled for the first time in hours. It's like he could tell what she was thinking sometimes.

         "Well let's look at our options then," Caleb interjected.. looking serious.

         Jet knew what his friend was planning on, "Caleb. I'm fighting."

         "Jetty!" She tried to meet his eyes, but he refused to look at her.

         Jet stared at the floor, his words serious, "I have too. I've been waiting for this my whole life, I think. Maybe it's fate. The Empire is going to enslave us, I know that for a fact. You don't come with that much firepower if your just gunna let a planet govern itself for the most part and impose a heavy tax. We're going to be enslaved. We're going to lose our freedom. I'm not going to let that happen, and I'll fight them to my last breath."

         Tears came streaming from her eyes.. as she slumped down. "Why Jet? Why you!" she practically screamed, not wanting to hear it. She had to wait for him when he was in the military.. she went.. four years. With him at war for two. Worrying every day that he would be killed, hurt, captured... It was unbearable. And when he came home.. "The Returning Hero".. how happy she was. And stayed.

         And now? Now he would be taken away again. Away to a war he couldn't possibly win, a war with an unstoppable force the world had never seen.. in reality. Something that was only dreamed of, it was so horrible.

         His arm's came around her tight.. pulling her close to his chest. She couldn't stop herself... she didn't want this to happen. She just cried... her tears wetting his shirt, as she just held him back.. her body racked with emotional pain.

         His voice came through in a whisper, she was sure that Caleb didn't hear. "Because, my love. It's all I can do."

         She struggled to control herself.. finding it about as easy as willing the sun to fall from the sky. She sniffled, and accepted the box of tissues gratefully as Caleb offered them to her.. the look of concern on his face making her want to start up all over again.

         Her voice wavered as she tried to control herself, "What can you do? Your not even in the Marines anymore."

         He nodded, kissing a stray tear off her cheek, "Angel.. I'll do whatever I can. Maybe get some people together.. start a resistance movement of sorts. Our own little rebellion, right here on Earth."

         She nodded to him, gathering that's what he planned on doing from the outset. "How will we start?"

         "We?" Jet and Caleb said in unison.

         She raised a brow in typical Jaxie-stubbornness. "Yes, 'we', boys. If you’re going I'm going."

         The two men just looked at her... Jet obviously weighing his options, Caleb probably wondering what his friend was going to say.

         Jet just sighed, shaking his head, "Ok."

         Now it was Jaxie's turn to be surprised. She didn't expect that without a fight. "Uhm.. 'ok' what?"

         "You can come with. Hell, it's safer then staying in one place when thing's will be getting bad, and with me it will be up to me to protect you. That means in order for you to get hurt, I'll already be dead," He said, simple and to the point.

         "Wait.. wha-" she was cut off by Caleb.

         "Your gunna let her go with?! She hasn't had any military training!" Caleb burst out.

         Jet just leveled a stare at him, Jaxie already knew what he was going to say, the same thing she was going to argue; "Neither have you, my friend. And last time I checked, she was a first degree black-belt, and you were just a blue."

         "Yeah but.. "

         "No but's, Kai. We're all going to be doing this, I need all the help I can get."

         "We still haven't settled you being my bodyguard all of the sudden Mister Jet-" Jaxie tried to put in, a little frustrated at being treated like something that needed to be protected.

         "Hun, it's the best deal your gunna get, because if you think I'm not going to protect you with every fiber of my being, your wrong." She saw a smile creep on his face, that slightly smug look he sometimes would get when he won an important point. She still loved him madly.

         "Fine.. " She said with an exasperated sigh, defeated.

         "Now that that's settled, let's get to work then. First step? Arms and armor." Jet stated. Jaxie couldn't help but bite her lip, hearing him talk so seriously. Clearly intent on what he was doing, concentrating. He had the same expression when doing certain other, activities, and it always gave her goose bumps.

         "Well, we got the hunting rifles, my shotgun, and your custom job, Jet," Caleb listed off. The "custom job" he spoke of was Jet's '50 caliber magnum. He commonly referred to it as the "Hand Cannon," Jaxie remembered.

         "Yeah, well it's a start. We also have more blades, knives, swords and whatnot then we'll know what to do with. Oh, and you have that machete of yours, don't ya Kai?" Jet added, all three of them being avid sword/knife/shiny sharp thing collectors.

         Kai grinned, and Jaxie smiled at that, "Well you can't go anywhere in the house and not be within arm's length of a sword or dagger. How the hell are we going to manage having kids?"

         She immediately regretted saying that.. the reaction on his face telling her everything. He said in a pained, low voice.. "If the world is safe enough for us to have children..."

         She lowered her eyes. It's just because kid's had been on her mind so much recently.. maybe her biological clock was ticking..

         His warm arm's tightened around her again, pulling her closer. "And that's just what we're fighting for Hun. Our children," the two words sending a tingle through her body. God she loved him.

         "Well, I guess I can make a few calls," She said, standing up, kissing both his hands before releasing them, "You have more important things to do then call up people around town to join a militia, now don't ya?"

         He smiled, she guessed because she had taken the initiative, "You do that Hun, I'll be making a few calls of my own actually, and maybe go through some old source-books and do a little research on the Empire itself. I'm always bragging about my skills at strategy, right?"

         Jaxie chuckled at that, Caleb joining her. Jet hardly bragged about anything, in fact that was one of the only things he admitted being competent in. He had a healthy self-esteem, but he never flaunted it. God she LOVED this man!

         "I guess that leaves me with gathering up weapons and ammo, and getting a few packs together?" Caleb asked, not thinking anything of it.

         "That would be a great help, Kai. So.. lets get a checkup on what we're all doing in two hours. Maybe we'll make a dent in getting started," Jet kidded, trying to keep their spirits up.

         Jaxie nodded towards him, already bringing up a list of friends on her cell phone. She smiled when a thought occurred to her.. a thought that actually, inspired hope in her. Great hope. "Well.. this seems appropriate, given the circumstance.." she started.

         The both just looked at her curiously.

         She smiled, looking back at the man she loved, and her best friend in the world. There was only one thing she could think of to say that would wish them luck.. hope for success.. and hope they all survived.

         "May the force be with us."