Star Wars: Starkiller

When we boarded, Sabine and PROXY were waiting for us. Both of their first reactions were surprise at seeing the new passengers, though Sabine quickly shifted to a mocking expression as she looked at me. Her gaze sparkled with barely contained amusement.

"What's up with the uniform?" She asked, trying not to laugh.

Before I could respond, PROXY intervened with his helpful, analytical tone. "Did you want to change clothes, Master? If that's the case, there are much better options in my database. I could've helped you—"

"No need, PROXY," I interrupted. "I wore the uniform to infiltrate an Imperial base."

Sabine frowned, incredulous. "You infiltrated an Imperial base alone?"

"Yeah, but I survived, didn't I?" I replied with a slight smile.

"And why did you do it?"

I pointed to our companions. "To bring them."

She looked at them more closely, still skeptical. "Galen, who are they? Don't tell me you kidnapped them."

"What? Of course not! She's Leia Organa, the princess of Alderaan, and that's her droid."

Sabine raised an eyebrow, sizing me up. "A princess? Well, welcome aboard, Your Highness. PROXY, can you escort them to the back, please?"

"Of course, Captain. This way," the droid replied, guiding Leia and her companion out of our sight.

Once we were in the upper atmosphere and the ship stabilized, Sabine turned to me with her arms crossed, her expression shifting from curiosity to irritation.

"Are you going to explain what's going on here? Because from my perspective, you went to Kashyyyk without giving any reasons, and now we have two new passengers."

I sighed, knowing this conversation was inevitable. "Look, if it helps, I didn't plan this either. But it wasn't something I could ignore."

"Ignore? What do you mean? Galen, explain what's going on right now," she insisted, clearly frustrated.

I took a breath before starting. "I went to Kashyyyk looking for a place from my past. Something I saw in a vision... or maybe a memory within a vision. I'm not sure. The important thing is that I found it, and I also found my father."

Her eyes widened. "Your father? You have a father?"

"I did. He was murdered by the Empire a long time ago."

Sabine frowned, trying to understand. "Then, how did you find him if he was murdered? Did you see his grave or something?"

"Something like that. But more than his grave, I found him. His spirit appeared to me. I know it sounds crazy, but it was him. He looked just like the man in my memories."

Sabine looked at me as if she was trying to process what I had just said. "You know you're not making much sense right now, right?"

"I know. It's hard to explain, but that's what happened."

"And how was it, seeing him?"

I lowered my gaze, reflecting. "It was... strange. He told me something. He said this wasn't the life he imagined for me, that he was sorry. But he also said that no matter what path I chose, I would do what was right."

Sabine fell silent, processing my words.

Finally, she asked in a softer tone, "And you? How did you feel when you met him?"

I looked down, feeling a pang of sadness. "I don't know. I barely had any memories of him. But when he appeared and left... I just wished we had more time to talk."

Sabine reached out and gently placed her hand on my arm. "I'm sorry, Galen."

"It's okay," I replied, forcing a smile.

"Sometimes life's complicated, right?"

"Yeah, no kidding," she murmured. "So... what do you plan to do now?"

"First, we need to take the princess back to her home planet. After that, there are a few worlds I want to visit."

Sabine gave me a sideways glance. "So, going back to the others is still out of the question?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "If you want to go back, I won't hold it against you. Besides, I've been flying this ship for years; I'll be fine."

"Don't even think about it," she replied with a smile. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. But when we drop Her Highness and her droid off on Alderaan, you and I are having a talk about keeping secrets. Got it?"

"Got it." I replied with a nod.

"Good. After all, couples don't keep secrets." She added with a playful expression.

My brain stopped for a moment. "Wait, couples?"

"Well, yeah, right? I mean, it's obvious we're attracted to each other. And even though you haven't said it officially, I already consider it as such."

The statement caught me off guard. I felt my heart race, but I gathered the courage to do something I never thought I would. "Sabine Wren," I said, looking her in the eyes, moving closer. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Her expression shifted from surprise to happiness in an instant. "Of course, you dummy."

Smiling, I leaned in and kissed her. We stayed like that for a few seconds until we broke apart. When we pulled away, Sabine turned toward the console, entering new coordinates.

"So, to Alderaan?"

"Yes." I replied with a smile, as the ship made a slight jump into hyperspace, leaving Kashyyyk behind.

---

In the back of the ship, Leia Organa, her astromech droid, and PROXY were conversing in what seemed like a calm atmosphere. I decided to join them to check on our passenger.

"Hello," I said as I entered, surprising the princess. Leia quickly turned toward me, and her droid, R2-D2, began emitting a series of binary sounds.

"What is he saying?" I asked while sitting in one of the seats next to them.

"He's just greeting you. Although it may not seem like it, R2 is a very polite droid," Leia explained with a slight smile.

"R2?"

"R2-D2, that's his name."

"Ah, I see," I replied, nodding slightly before an uncomfortable silence settled between us.

Finally, I broke the stillness. "Can I ask you something? What was a princess like you doing on Kashyyyk? I know you're hiding something."

Leia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You know, you're quite perceptive. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Not really." I replied with a shrug.

"Well, the truth is, I lied when I said I was on a diplomatic mission. I actually went to the planet alone, only accompanied by R2."

"Why would you do that?"

Leia's expression hardened. "I suppose you noticed the gigantic structure that rises into the atmosphere, right? Once it's finished, the Empire will use it to transport the wookiees directly to other systems from there."

I was stunned. Not so much by the purpose of the structure, but by how I hadn't noticed its vastness before. Sometimes, it seemed like the Empire's resources were truly limitless.

"So, your diplomatic mission was actually a protest mission?"

"Yes. I went directly to speak with Captain Sturn to try to convince him to stop the construction, but instead of listening to me, he locked me in his residence until my father could come get me. In the end, it was a pointless mission."

I let out an involuntary laugh, unable to contain myself at her naivety. "Obviously it was. Honestly, what did you expect? That they would stop everything just because you asked them nicely? Hahaha."

Leia's face turned red as she pressed her lips together, visibly embarrassed by my reaction.

"Well, I had to try. If I didn't, no one else would," she replied firmly, her tone full of determination.

Her words hit me like a reminder of Hera and Kanan, of their unwavering will to do what was right. My smile faded slowly as I sighed.

"Listen," I began, my voice more serious. "It's noble that you want to help them, but if you really want to make a difference, it would be best to use your family's influence to your advantage in the future. You could do much more for the galaxy from that position."

Leia frowned. "How do you know my family has connections?"

I shot her an incredulous look. "Seriously? It's pretty obvious. If you're royalty, it's logical that you're wealthy, and wealth always comes with connections."

The princess was quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." I replied with a wry smile.

Silence took over us again, but this time, it wasn't uncomfortable.

"By the way, if you were waiting for your father, why did you decide to come with me?" I asked, looking at Leia curiously.

She crossed her arms and gave me a slight smile before responding. "Because I knew that if my father came, he'd scold me. So when you showed up wanting to rescue me, I had to take the opportunity. Besides, when I saw you in that stormtrooper uniform so poorly worn, I realized you weren't actually going to hurt me. No professional assassin would go around looking so sloppy while undercover. That would be way too risky, they'd be found out immediately."

I stood there speechless for a moment, impressed by her deductive reasoning. Despite being a teenager, Leia showed a sharp intellect, at least for some things.

"You know, for a little girl, you're pretty perceptive."

She narrowed her eyes with indignation.

"Hey! I'm not a little girl, I'm 14 years old."

I suppressed a smile and responded mockingly, "You know, you're not helping your case by saying that, right?"

"Shut up!" she exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"Okay." I replied with a satisfied grin, enjoying the last remark.

There was a brief moment of silence before I decided to speak again. "Galen."

Leia blinked, confused. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"My name is Galen." I clarified calmly, looking her straight in the eyes.

Her expression gradually changed, and a small smile formed on her lips. "Galen," she repeated softly, as if she were testing the sound of my name for the first time.

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