All of it was slowly coming into focus for her.

The glow of a green lightsaber.

The wind gently moving between blades of grass.

The sun setting at the end of the day.

She sensed something... a force that connected her to all of this. But Caddesca didn't understand what it was yet.

Small pale hands reached out to her. A young redheaded girl. Her eyes were closed.

"I can feel it." She whispered.

"Feel what?" Caddesca asked her.

"The force." She smiled genuinely.

Her blue eyes flew open suddenly and settled on Caddesca. "Did I do it?" She said, shifting her gaze to what was around her. Caddesca shifted her eyes as well, her eyes taking in the sight before her.

It was magical. Something she had never seen before. The dew that had collected on the blades of grass were suspended in the middle of the air. She didn't need to understand what was the cause.

It was her.

It was the force.

Caddesca felt like she was being shaken awake but there was no one there. She blinked, sitting up slowly, trying to make sense of what she had dreamed. It felt so real, almost like it happened in the past, but Caddesca knew for sure that it didn't. She couldn't make sense of how it familiar all of it seemed and she shook her head.

Her thoughts moved to Luke, knowing him to be a jedi. She wondered if he could make sense of all of this to her but she didn't know how to talk to him about it. He was Luke Skywalker. She used to be a slave girl. She couldn't imagine that she was important to a growing legend amongst the galaxy.

But she remembered what he said to her.

It's only the beginning.

She removed Luke's cloak, having used it as a blanket, looking around the ship. While they had reached the rebel fleet hours ago, Han let her stay behind to rest. It wasn't like she had anywhere else at the moment to stay. She got on her feet slowly, feeling lightheaded. Caddesca let out a breath, feeling nervous as she went to exit the ship.

"There she is." Maeve moved past Han, ignoring what the smuggler had asked her. The redhead approached Caddesca, giving the girl a hug. "How was your recovery? Good?" She asked gently. Caddesca was surprised by the hug, blinking at the girl in confusion. "I guess..." Caddesca trailed off. "Maeve, I asked about Chewie." Han reminded the rebel, approaching the two of them.

Maeve frowned, remembering. "Right!" She said. "I checked on him. The fuzzball is fine." The woman assured him. Han gave her a look,"Only I can call him that." He reminded her. Maeve rolled her eyes at him, giving him a smile. Caddesca narrowed her eyes, not recalling a moment when she had seen the woman smile but she knew it looked familiar to her somehow.

"We can go get him right now if you're so worried. The briefing is starting soon anyway." Maeve said before looking at Caddesca. "Are you coming... rebel?" The woman asked, eying the girl's attire. Caddesca looked down at herself, knowing that after she changed from her slave clothes she looked like one of them.

Rebel.

It was odd thinking herself as one. But it couldn't hurt to try.

"I'm coming." Caddesca nodded her head, showing a small smile. "Welcome to the team." Han patted the girl's back with a chuckle. He looked around,"Try not to die." Han probably saw it as helpful advice but Maeve shook her head at him the second she noticed it had made Caddesca uncomfortable. "What'd I do?" He asked her while Maeve just shook her head again.

"Chewie!" Han exclaimed as he was reunited with the wookiee. Chewie greeted his friend, standing up from the medical bed. The tall and furry creature approached the smuggler, pulling him into a hug. "Chewie– Chewie! Not again... not so tight!" Han tried to tell him but only got fur stuck in his mouth. He coughed as Chewie released him from his embrace. Han chuckled lightly,"You've got to stop doing that, pal." He scolded.

Caddesca and Maeve smiled at the scene the two caused in the medical bay. Other medics had stopped to take notice as well, including the head medic. "Good to see he's much calmer now." The head medic let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. Caddesca turned her heads towards him, catching sight of his eyes.

He had such familiar blue eyes.

She started to realize how much her dream scared her. She wanted to question all of it but she could barely form the pieces together.

"Careful now, doctor. You're beginning to sound like you have a heart." Maeve teased the man with a smirk. He furrowed his brows, looking over at the redhead. "Were you beginning to think I didn't, Miss Tyree?" The medic inquired, approaching her with a playful smile. She crossed her arms over her chest,"You know me, Val. You know what I think of you." She reminded. "I do." Val smirked before leaning in, kissing her gently.

Maeve smiled into the kiss before pulling away. "Buckethead." She told him. "Rebel scum." He winked at her.

"I thought you said you wanted to keep things professional in the medical bay." Maeve recalled, using the exact phrase he had used. Val shook his head at her,"Doesn't sound like me." He joked. Maeve narrowed her eyes,"Really? Because to me, it sounds like the exact same boring person I fell in love with." She pointed out.

He rolled his eyes,"And how about the exact same reckless person I fell in love wth? Has she gotten any new scratches I need to take care of?" He asked. Maeve shook her head,"I managed not to take any blaster shots this mission actually. Disappointing, I know. You know how much I love my scars." She said jokingly. Val nodded his head,"I do." He sighed, looking past her for the first time since she had arrived back in the medical bay.

Val took notice of an unfamiliar person. He extended his hand to Caddesca,"Valence Fayar." He introduced. She was surprised by the gesture, having not seen it in a long time. She smiled, reaching out to shake his head. "Caddesca Racca." She told him. "You can call me Val if you'd like." He told her. Caddesca nodded,"I don't really have nickname myself." The girl admitted, a little embarrassed.

The man shook his head at her,"That's not a bad thing. Let's see... I mean, if you want– Caddesca... how about... Caddy." He finally landed on a nickname.

A memory came rushing back to her at the nickname. It wasn't new to her but she hadn't heard it in years. She remembered where she first heard it though, recognizing she had repressed the memory in order to make her years in slavery easier. "My older sister used to call me that." She recalled, frowning sadly. Maeve reached out, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry... if your family is out there, you'll find them. The galaxy isn't as big as it seems." Maeve told her.

But Caddesca couldn't help but believe that it was.

"Are you sure I'm allowed to be in there?" Caddesca asked as she approached the main briefing room with Maeve and Leia. Han and Chewie followed closely behind them. "Not to worry, you're a guest of a princess." Leia informed, looking behind her shoulder to assure the girl. Caddesca's eyes went wide,"You're a princess?" She asked. Maeve chuckled,"I'm surprised this is the first you're hearing about it." She remarked.

Leia sent her a look. "We both know it's nothing but a title. I'm a diplomat before anything else." She clarified to Caddesca. Maeve raised a brow,"I would argue you're a rebel before anything else." She pointed out. Leia shook her head at her, chuckling. "I'm a rebel because I'm a diplomat." She reminded. It was how she started out but Leia knew she was passionate about this because she knew it was the right thing to do.

Caddesca agreed with the sentiment, smiling.

The three of them took a seat as other rebels began piling into the main briefing room. Han looked around, noticing an old friend in the crowd with a new insignia on his chest. "Well, look at you, a general, huh?" Han questioned, clearly amused as Lando approached. Lando sent him a smile,"Well, someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the battle of Taanab." The man guessed, already knowing he was right.

"Well, don't look at me, pal. I just said you were a fair pilot. I didn't know they were looking for somebody to lead this crazy attack." Han commented, looking around the room. "I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it." Lando said. Han sent him a smirk as he went to sit down next to Leia,"Well, who says they didn't? But I ain't crazy. You're the respectable one, remember?" He joked.

Mon Mothma took the room's attention, making everyone fall silent as she faced them. They knew to respect her. She was the leader of the Rebel Alliance after all. "The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come." She revealed, causing a stir in the room. The woman turned on a holographic model of the new Death Star near the Endor moon. "The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all... we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star." She informed.

The woman looked around the room,"Many Bothans died to bring us this information." Mon Mothma confessed, looking sorrowful for a second before passing on. "Admiral Ackbar, please." She gestured.

Ackbar approached,"You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest Moon of Endor. Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest Moon of Endor." He explained, the hologram showing a visual of his words. "The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor." Ackbar finished, shutting off the holographic project.

He looked over at Lando,"General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack." Ackbar mentioned. "Good luck." Han told his friend. Lando narrowed his eyes at Han's sarcastic tone, looking over at him. "You're gonna need it." Han said simply.

"General Madine." Ackbar called upon the man and Madine moved forward. "We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator." Madine informed. "Sound dangerous." C-3PO spoke up. Leia leaned over to Han,"I wonder who they found to pull that off." She told him.

The smuggler frowned, remembering he hadn't told her yet. Before he had to chance to explain, Han was cut off. "General Solo, is your strike team assembled?" Madine questioned. Leia was surprised, mostly because she never expected him to volunteer for that kind of mission. "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." Han explained. Chewie raised his arm up, waving with a growl. Han looked over,"Well, it's gonna be rough, pal. I didn't want to speak for you." He told the wookie. Chewie growled at him, making Han smile. "That's one." He said, looking over at Madine.

"That's two." Maeve spoke up with a smile.

"General, count me in." Leia gave Han a look he recognized and he grinned at him.

"I'm with you too!"

People turned their heads as Luke Skywalker entered the room. Leia was quick to stand up on her feet, reaching for the boy as he approached her. She brought Luke into a warm embrace before pulling away, sensing a change in him. "What is it?" She asked him. Luke looked at her,"Ask me again sometime." He told her. Luke was hesitant about telling her the truth, especially since he wasn't sure if Leia would believe him. But he knew it. As soon as he realized it, he knew it was true.

Han stood up,"Luke." He greeted the boy, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Hi, Han... Chewie." Luke smiled, looking at the wookiee behind Han. Luke looked at his other companions,"Lando. Maeve." He greeted, noticing the two of them.

Luke's eyes finally fell on the person who was waiting for him to notice her. Caddesca met his gaze, earning a smile from him. "What do you say, Caddesca? Are you with us?" He asked softly and extended his hand towards her, hoping she would say yes.

She was walking away from him faster than he could catch up.

"Caddesca! Caddesca!" Luke called, wanting it to be enough to stop her but he knew his words wouldn't do much. He could try something else but something told him not to use the force against her. It would only frighten and push her further away from him.

"Please." He tried again. This time, something in his voice got her to stop. Caddesca halted, facing away from Luke. She was terrified of turning around, knowing that part of her trusted him enough to let her convince her to do this. But she didn't want to do this. She just wanted to go home. "Luke... I can't." She spoke honestly as she finally turned around to face him.

His eyes met hers, understanding her hesitation. It was one he once had.

Luke held out his hand to her once again,"I know you're scared... just talk to me. Maybe I could help you." He managed to persuade her to take a few steps forward. Caddesca eyed his hand and frowned at him. "I barely know you." She argued with him, still hesitant. "Then get to." Luke told her.

The boy chuckled a little,"I'm not that scary, am I?" He asked, making her smile. Caddesca shook her head at him,"You're not." She replied. Luke looked at his hand before looking back at her,"You can trust me, Caddesca. I promise you." Luke spoke firmly. Caddesca frowned sadly,"I already told Leia... I am tired of promises." She remarked. His eyes softened at the sorrowful look on her face.

"How about an agreement then?" Luke suggested.

She furrowed her brows in surprise. She hadn't expected him to say that. "What kind of agreement?" Caddesca questioned, narrowing her eyes.

Luke knew it was a risk.

He was still young and unsure of his capabilities. Luke had managed to become a jedi knight, Yoda had confirmed that for him, but he wasn't sure he could ever be a jedi master like Obi-Wan. Not to mention, Luke wasn't sure if he was powerful enough to face his father.

Darth Vader.

"If I trust you... you have to trust me." Luke said carefully, his hand still held out to her. Caddesca shook her head at him quickly,"You don't have to trust me, Luke–" She began to argue but Luke cut her off. "It's the only way I'm going to get you to trust me. I know it." He was completely determined and she knew she couldn't talk him out of it. "Take my hand." He instructed.

Caddesca was still hesitant but she reached her hand out and took his head.

All of her breath suddenly escaped her.

Blue and red lightsabers clashed against each other.

A fight.

But he was no match for the likes of Darth Vader.

The sith swung his lightsaber, cutting off Luke's hand, making the boy scream in pain.

"There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you." His voice was dark. Inhuman.

"Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy." Vader was trying to persuade him.

He had the opportunity to kill Luke but he wasn't.

Why?

"I'll never join you!" Luke shouted, barely hanging on.

Vader was growing frustrated. "If you only knew the power of the dark side." He squeezed his fist tightly. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."

Luke frowned,"He told me enough! He told me you killed him." He spat out, glaring at Vader.

"No." Vader spoke. "I am your father."

"Your father... is Darth Vader?" She stumbled the words out, barely believing them to be true. Luke nodded his head slowly,"Yes... it's true." He confirmed. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him. "Your father is Darth Vader?!" Caddesca exclaimed, concerning him. "Keep your voice down." Luke begged, his eyes searching the frigate to see if anyone heard her.

He let out a breath of relief when he realized no one had.

Caddesca looked down, seeing her hand was still in his. Slowly, she moved her hand away. "You– you shouldn't have trusted me. You were wrong to." She told him. Luke was surprised by her comment. He could see that she didn't think very highly of herself but never imagine it would be this bad. "Caddesca– I believe in you. Please, believe in me." He begged of her.

But it was evident that he hadn't gotten through to her.

She turned on her heel, trying to leave once again. "I thought we had an agreement." Luke stated, getting her to stop. Caddesca looked over her shoulder at him,"I never agreed to anything." She reminded him.

He frowned at her,"Talk to me, please. I can help you, Caddesca. I know you don't like promises but– I promise you." Luke kept trying to convince her, never losing hope once. She was almost impressed. Caddesca looked at him gently but shook her head. "I can't." She insisted.

"I feel it too." Luke finally said, getting through to her.

"What you're feeling now... I feel it too." He explained.

The girl debated for a moment before meeting his eyes once again. "I don't know what you're talking about." She whispered the lie. Luke studied her, taking a step closer to her. "What you saw... you would have never been able to see it if you didn't feel it." He explained. Caddesca's eyes were wide as she stared at his face. "I'm frightened." The girl confessed.

"You don't have to be." Luke told her. "Please, Caddesca... trust me." He pleaded.

She saw no dishonesty in his eyes. Luke had given her no reason not to trust him. But somehow part of her knew that if she allowed herself to trust him, her life would change forever. Caddesca took a step closer to him, leaving them only inches apart from one another. "I want to trust you, Luke. If you only knew– if you knew how long I've waited for someone I could trust again–" She stopped the moment she felt tears in her eyes.

Luke looked at her gently,"Caddesca..." He breathed out. "I know I am not asking something that is easy. But I'm going to ask this of you anyways because– because you're– different." Luke said, not finding the right word for it. Caddesca almost laughed at him,"Different?" She questioned. Luke smiled sheepishly at her,"It's not a bad thing." He barely recovered but still managed a warm smile from her.

"How about another agreement then?" Caddesca suggested, surprising the boy. He nodded immediately after, however. "Yes." Luke answered, eager to make that connection with her. "When I do trust you... you'll know." She whispered to him. Luke met her eyes,"When?" He asked, almost teasing her. She hid a smile from him. "Don't flatter yourself." Caddesca warned him. He let out a light chuckle,"I'll try not to." Luke promised.

The pair were interrupted shortly after. "Is she coming?" Maeve questioned, appearing at Luke's side. Luke then suddenly realized how close he was standing to Caddesca and cleared his throat, taking a step back and bumping into Maeve. The redhead sent him a weird look, deciding to ignore his embarrassment. "Are you coming?" She asked again but this time looked right at Caddesca.

Caddesca's mouth opened but no noise came out. She was still nervous and unsure but found herself nodding her head.

"I'll come." She decided, immediately regretting her decision.

Maeve helped Caddesca into the camouflage poncho that had been selected for this mission. The goal was to best disguise themselves when they reached the forest moon but Caddesca didn't see the point of herself wearing one. She frowned,"Is this absolutely necessary? I'm green." It was the easiest explanation Caddesca could find but it didn't seem to be working.

"If I have to wear the poncho– if Luke has to wear it– if Leia has to wear it– we all wear it." Maeve stated firmly, adjusting the poncho on Caddesca before putting on her own. Caddesca watched as the other woman got changed, still clearly bothered by the new dress code. "Do I have to come?" Caddesca asked quickly which made Maeve frown. Luke already had warned her about Caddesca's nerves and made her promise she would take care of them. "You already said you would." Maeve pointed out, hoping it was enough to shut her up.

It wasn't.

"But am I completely necessary–" "Caddy." The voice of a man cut her off and Maeve was grateful. She was even more grateful when she turned around to realize the one who cut her off was Val. Maeve was surprised, knowing he rarely gave her goodbyes that were public as the docking bay they were in. But to be fair, she hadn't gotten a chance to visit him privately before she left.

She took a step towards the medic,"Came to say goodbye?" She asked him with a playful smile. Caddesca watched as Val approached Maeve, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I always hate it when you say that." He let his eyes close gently, pressing his forehead against Maeve's. "I came to say that I'll see you soon." Val whispered to her. Maeve closed her eyes, leaning down to kiss the slightly shorter man.

The woman pulled away, opening her eyes again. "You don't have to always act like you're never going to see me again." She mentioned. Val rolled his eyes,"Forgive me for fearing the worst." He sighed. Maeve softened her gaze,"I don't mind. Keeps me in check." She assured her. Maeve touched his face gently,"Save a kiss for me when I get back, okay?" She told him. Val nodded his head firmly, moving his hands away from her. "When you get back... can we continue our talk about–" "Not now, Valence." Maeve stopped him, frowning.

He nodded his head, understanding her avoidance. "Good luck." Val told her before letting her get onto the ship.

Caddesca followed after Maeve in a hurry. "What's the talk about?" Her curiosity was hard for her to fight but unfortunately, Maeve didn't seem to appreciate it. "It's none of your business." Maeve told her. Caddesca tried sending her a soft look,"Please." She asked. Maeve looked over at the girl, cursing underneath her breath. "It's nothing. Val– he and I– we... we had a disagreement." Maeve said simply. Caddesca sent her a look,"It sounds like more than just a disagreement." She pointed out.

"He– he wants children." Maeve admitted and Caddesca blinked, coming to realization. "You don't." It was a presumption but Caddesca knew she was right. Maeve nodded her head a little,"Look at the world we live in. You should understand this more than anyone. The galaxy... it isn't safe. Not when there are people out there like the Emperor and Darth Vader. As long as the Empire rules the galaxy– I don't wish to bring a child into this world if they will only suffer the same scars I have." She explained.

"You've suffered?" Caddesca asked quietly. Maeve looked at her with sad eyes,"My mother was a strong woman. She was kind of like you. She feared conflict. She wanted to be peaceful but something in her nature wouldn't allow her to be. She started training for something important. But then she met my father and decided to leave her training, never becoming what she had spent her life trying to become. My father was a brave man. When the time came, he wanted to join the fight and my mother supported him. She never imagined it would cost him his life. After he died, she swore to continue the fight for him. However, in the end... all of this took too much out of her. Her heart grew weak and I lost her in an instant." She recounted.

She blinked back tears, lowering her gaze from Caddesca. "It was recent, wasn't it?" Caddesca questioned, hoping she wasn't prying. Maeve nodded her head slowly. "Yeah." The woman confirmed. "A little over a year ago. She was young too. I was all she had and she was all I had. I was left alone when she died. Val... he was there for me. But– I... I can't imagine what was going through my mother's head when she met my father. Did she know that she was going to give everything up to be with him? She left her entire life for him... for me. I can't figure out how she was able to do that." Maeve confessed.

Caddesca thought it over. "Like you said... she was strong." She recalled with a small smile. Maeve chuckled at the girl's response, appreciating it more than she herself knew. "I wished Val could understand. He doesn't know much about families. He never really had one. But he looks at our friends and I don't know– wishes for something... more. My friend Shara has a son. He's cute. Val and I met him and ever since..." Maeve shook her head. Caddesca reached out her hand, patting the woman's shoulder. "I understand." Caddesca told her.

Maeve met her eyes, believing her completely. "I honestly don't know how you can." She said sincerely. Luke entered the ship, interrupting them. C-3PO and R2D2 followed closely behind them. Luke smiled at Caddesca and she smiled back. "I don't know either... but I'm beginning to think I'll learn to." Caddesca said, looking back at Maeve. Maeve grinned at the girl,"Come on, let's take a seat." She directed. Leia was the next to enter the ship, along with Chewie.

It wasn't long before the leader of their mission and pilot showed up. Han entered the cockpit, eying the control panel. "You got her warmed up?" Han questioned as Luke was starting up the ship's engine. "Yeah, she's coming up." He confirmed. Chewie took a seat in the co-pilot seat, moaning a complaint.

"No. I don't think the Empire had wookies in mind when they designed her, Chewie." Han told his furry companion as he sat in the pilot's seat of the imperial shuttle. Han's eyes difted outside the ship however to the Millennium Falcon in the distance. He knew he could trust his ship with Lando but the man still felt uneasy. He ddn't even notice when Leia put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey." Leia said sweetly, gaining his attention. "You awake?" She joked.

Han nodded his head,"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling. Like I'm not gonna see her again." He said, referring to his beloved ship. Chewie barked, looking out at the Falcon as well. "Come on, General, let's move." Leia told him, pulling him back to reality. "Right. Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?" Han asked. Luke looked around, making sure if everyone was ready for the mission.

Luke did up his seatbelt,"All set." He said, looking at the droids. R2D2 beeped in confirmation as well. "Here we go again." C-3PO lamented. Han flew the ship out of the docking bay, preparing for lightspeed. "Alright, hang on." He told the group before the ship jumped into lightspeed.