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chapter three: first impressions
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     D'QAR IS STUNNING. Indira feels her breath catch the moment that the ship first exits lightspeed and enters the planet's atmosphere. The base planet is all green; lush wildlife decorates the landscape, painting the surface a hundred different shades of emerald for miles and miles on end, interrupted only by calm cobalt bodies of water. After spending her entire life on Hosnian Prime, surrounded by towering structures and urban architecture, Indira knows she has never seen anything like this.

      She presses her face up against the glass of the nearby window, standing so close that her breath fogs the glass. "It's beautiful," Indira breathes, awed by the world outside.

    "We certainly think so," a female voice says in agreement, startling her. She hadn't thought anyone was near enough to hear her. General Organa stands a mere few feet away from Indira's spot at the window and shoots her a faint smile. "D'Qar is a wondrous planet for many reasons. Her beautiful terrain is one of them, yes, but the cover she provides is another. Here, we're far away from the eyes of the First Order."

     The First Order. The name sends a jolt of anger through her, reminding Indira of why she's here. The reality of what she's signed up for washes over her like a bucket of freezing water being tipped over her head. This is war and she's now earned herself a seat on the frontlines.

      "I... see," she replies haltingly, staring more intently out the window as the ship approaches a sector of land that is set apart from the rest of the jungle planet, where small grey fortresses are camouflaged within the greenery.

     "Different from what you expected?" The general asks.

      Indira shoots her a glance before nodding grudgingly. "Very."

     "Good," the older woman replies, eyes crinkling with the hint of a smile.

      She steps away from Indira then, striding towards a Mon Calamari male that Indira easily identifies from her history lessons — Grand Admiral Gial Ackbar, who'd also been a hero of the war against the Galactic Empire. The two veterans begin conversing in hushed tones, far out of reach from Indira's prying ears.

      "Hello!" A tinny, metallic voice says loudly just behind Indira, making her twitch with surprise. Startled, she clutches a hand to her chest to slow her pounding heart and finds herself face to face with the golden protocol droid that had been with the general earlier that day.

     "Oh," the droid pauses, sounding apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry to have startled you."

     The dark haired girl shakes her head quickly, letting her hand fall away. "No, no," she admits. "It's fine. I was just distracted."

     The droid stares at her with its unblinking glowing eyes, as if analyzing her, before speaking once more. "I am C-3PO," he introduces himself. "Human-cyborg relations."

      Indira nods. "Nice to meet you, C-3PO," she replies politely. She'd always had a fondness towards droids and machines over most people. "I'm Indira —"

      "— Beren," the droid finishes. "I knew your mother once."

     Her brow furrows. "Did you?"

     "Oh, yes," C-3PO nods. "She was a dear friend to General Organa during the days of the Galactic Civil War. We became acquainted during that time."

     Indira frowns at that. "What?"

      C-3PO stares at her unblinkingly. "I'm sorry," he says. "I don't understand the question."

     Her mother had never mentioned anything to Indira about being part of the rebel alliance. In fact, her mother had been quite adamant that she had not played any part in the previous war, claiming to have been hard at work during that time as a bartender on Tatooine. She said that she had met General Organa after the war and that the two of them had only become friends during their shared terms in the senate.

     Was she lying?

     Shaking her head quickly, Indira forces herself to smile at the protocol droid. "It's nothing," she says, even though it isn't nothing. "Please, continue."

     "Very well," C-3PO says, resuming his spiel. "I've been assigned to show you to your accommodations as soon as we arrive and to give you a tour of the entirety of the grounds."

      "Sounds invigorating," Indira says wryly. "You'll be my babysitter?"

      "Oh, no," C-3PO replies, shaking his metallic head. "Nothing of the sort. More like a tour guide."

     "Well," Indira sighs, "that's very kind of you."

      The droid practically glows at the faint praise. "Oh, thank you!" He begins. "No one ever seems to appreciate my hospitality these days. They're all too busy running from place to place, doing Maker knows what, because —"

      "— our numbers are scarce," a male voice interjects. Indira turns to see the man who'd been with the general earlier standing a few feet away. Beside him, a round, orange-and-white BB unit rolls back and forth slightly, examining her with its one black eye while beeping curiously.

     "Commander Dameron," C-3PO says, waving a hand at him. "It's good to see you, sir."

      The man smiles that same easy grin he'd given her earlier on the dock, clamping a hand on the droid's shoulder. "It's only been an hour, buddy," he says. "You missed me already?"

     The BB unit beside him beeps loudly; a series of musical tones in binary before bumping into the commander's leg. The man looks down in surprise. "Alright, easy," he scolds lightly before turning his focus back to Indira.

      "I've been rude," he tells her, offering her a hand to shake. "I'm Poe. Poe Dameron."

      Indira takes his hand, slightly weary. "Indira Beren," she says, feeling the warmth of his skin as his fingers curl around hers for a brief moment before his touch is gone.

      "I know. It's good to meet you," he replies, still grinning, until the BB unit nudges his leg again, beeping impatiently, causing the man to roll his eyes. "Alright," he huffs in annoyance, before looking at Indira once more. "This is BB-8," he says, gesturing towards the round droid.

      "BB-8," Indira repeats, looking down at the droid curiously to study its unique craftsmanship. "You're incredible. I've never seen another droid quite like you."

      The droid gives a series of pleased beeps, sounding its approval, while its master beams widely. "Yeah, one of a kind." BB-8 gives a few more smug sounds and Poe frowns at it. "Easy, buddy. Your head's getting a little big there, don't you think?"

      EV-1, who had been hovering over Indira's shoulder for the entirety of the encounter, lets out an unimpressed string of sounds in binary. Indira whips her head towards the jealous little droid. "Evie," she scolds. "Be polite!"

      The commander's eyes crinkle with amusement before C-3PO makes his presence known once more. "As I was saying," the golden droid interrupts. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room with one of our other recruits. We only have so many rooms available and —"

     "It's fine," Indira says quickly. "I shared a room for four years at the academy. I'm used to it."

     Before she'd left the dorms, Indira had been roommates with a feisty fighter pilot named Kali Kilam. The two of them had grown close during that time until Kali decided to join the Resistance. After that, they lost contact with each other and shortly after, Indira's life sort of crashed and burned, so she hadn't really made en effort to keep in touch.

     "What, exactly, will I be assigned to do on base?" Indira asks, eyebrows knitting together as she leaves her thoughts behind. "Do you know?"

      "Well," C-3PO begins, but Dameron cuts him off once more.

     "Most recruits would be required to go through boot camp," he says. "Target practice, medical training, flight drills — the basics. It's meant to prepare Resistance fighters so they can step up whenever there's a need, no matter what role they might play."

      Indira's brow furrows. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

     The commander grins. "You ever flown an X-wing before?"

       Immediately Indira's stomach rolls unpleasantly, filled with queasiness. "I fix ships," she says, feeling way out of her depth. "I don't fly them."

     Dameron shakes his head; smile still annoyingly bright. "Anyone can learn how to fly," he says, spirits undiminished. "It just takes the right teacher."

      Indira bites her lip, but says nothing. The last time she'd tried flying a ship had been in her very early days at the academy. Being behind the controls of a spacecraft had made her so nervous that Indira had vomited almost immediately afterwards. She hadn't tried flying since.

     "But," Dameron continues, drawing her out of her thoughts, "you'll likely skip most of the bootcamp process and head straight to the brains of the operation, since the general needs your technical expertise. You are a technician, right?"

      Indira nods, then shakes her head. "Kind of?" She says unsurely before frowning. "I mean, I was going to be a technician before I ... dropped out of school," she finishes, realizing just how lame it sounds to tell people that she is, officially, an academy dropout.

     Dameron doesn't seem bothered. "I get it," he says. "I dropped out of the Defense Fleet a few years back. Couldn't stand being part of a navy that sits by doing nothing while the First Order is out there blowing people to hell —"

     Indira flinches slightly at that, shutting her eyes for a brief moment. Out of habit, her hand goes to the string around her neck, touching it for reassurance. The commander's eyes follow the movement; curious and full of wonder.

"Is it true?" He asks, voice low. " Sorry, I don't mean to pry. I just heard that," he nods his head at her necklace, "is a real kyber crystal?"

       Indira's hand tightens around the string. "Yes," she says, feeling defensive for no particular reason. "And no, you can't touch it."

      "Where'd you find it?" He asks, completely undeterred by her standoffishness.

       Her throat tightens. "My mother gave it to me."

      She watches as his eyes go soft; a mixture of understanding and pity within them. Her family history was fairly public knowledge. After all, her mother's assassination had been the tipping point that led the New Republic to officially ally themselves with the Resistance. Still, Indira loathes the pity in his stare.

      "Where did she get it?" Dameron continues, softness still apparent in his voice.

     Indira stiffens out of reflex. "My father gave it to her."

     She can already see the next question forming on his lips. "And where did he —"

      "That," she replies testily, "is none of your business. I think I've answered enough personal questions for one conversation."

      Immediately, the commander's eyes widen with surprise, but before he can say another word, C-3PO interrupts. Silently, Indira thanks the powers that be for small miracles.

      "We're about to touch down," the droid announces just as the ship enters the hangar. "If you'll please follow me, Miss Beren, I would be happy to take you to your quarters."

       Indira nods, bending down to pick up her duffle bag and heave it over her shoulder just as the transport makes its landing, touching down smoothly with minimal impact. She can feel Dameron's gaze on her as she straightens up to meet his stare, brow furrowing with suspicion.

      "Beren," he begins, but he's cut off by the sound of the doors to the spacecraft opening noisily. She turns away from him quickly, eager to be away from his intense gaze.

      As the doors to the transport lower, Indira turns towards C-3PO. "Lead the way," she says, gesturing towards the base outside, and he obliges, stepping off the ship's ramp whilst chattering away rapidly. EV-1 follows close behind him, providing her own commentary through a series of beeps and whistles.

    Clutching her backpack straps tightly, Indira follows after them, taking in the sight of the base that would serve as a fresh start for her. It's similar to the academy's structure — military, uniform, and sound — and it provides her with a sense of familiarity. Indira breathes a little easy easier then.

      Well, she thinks, steeling herself for whatever the Resistance might throw at her, I guess this is home now.

EDITED ON:
08.06.19