Ughhhhh, what to make of this book.
I really grudgingly dragged my heels through this, and it felt like it took forever to read. Mostly I'm irritated at what an
utter waste it is, because I loved The Force Awakens SO MUCH (saw it three times in theatres in the course of like two weeks, y'all), and the characters are so great and the imagery so gripping and plot so FUN... and this book, mostly through its stiff, tepid prose, pretty much sucks all that joy out of it.
And it's not that I'm judgmental of cheesy tie-in writing! Because the thing is, this
isn't even cheesy fun! I have written
gushing 5-star reviews for freakin' novelisations of the non-canonical Alien comic books, with the campiest prose. Whereas the writing in this book makes me want to punt it into the nearest star, because Alan Dean Foster has a tendency to make his sentences really garbled and convoluted in an attempt to a) use lofty words rather than their simpler counterparts, and b) jump through every hoop possible to avoid ending his sentences with prepositions. Seriously, it's fucking painful and stilted to read. Apart from a couple key scenes, usually with Han or Han/Leia, I just didn't feel the
emotion of the story; it read more like a flat plot summary than a rollicking tale.
His characterisations of the new characters, apart from Poe and fleeting moments with Finn, also pretty much suck. He didn't capture Rey's scrappy spirit (there was just something
lacking even in the scenes which bowled me over on-screen); Kylo Ren just sounds super pompous; scenes that were hilarious in the movie come across forced here.
So. 2 stars mainly because it has a plot that I love (which... is more indebted to the movie, and my vicarious feels still buzzing along from the movie), his characterisation of Han is actually pretty good, and the rathtar sequence, which was the most exciting in the whole book.
Mostly I picked this up because I have a Star Wars problem, and I was hoping to glean the tiniest pieces of extra world-building -- which naturally wasn't really here, because PLOT SECRETS remain secrets.
In short, go read
Before the Awakening instead.
Favourite quotes below, and by "favourite" I mean "some things I highlighted because I did like the prose, mainly to do with Han and Han/Leia and STORMPILOT" and "some other things I highlighted because the writing was so tremendously fucking bad that I wanted to share it with you":
(view spoiler)[For an ordinary trooper like him, ignorance was not simply an abstract value. It was in the manual.
***
ăThe examination did not take long.
ă“Nothing,� declared the first stormtrooper, standing at attention.
ăPoe winked up at the trooper who had used his hands. “Good job.�
ăForgetting himself for a moment, the goaded trooper kicked the prisoner’s legs out from under him. Poe went down hard on his knees, still defiant.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: poe dameron is so great you guys. THE CONFIDENT TOTALLY-GAY HOTSHOT PILOT THE GALAXY NEEDS]
***
ă“On my command!� Weapons were raised. The reactions of the villagers were typical. Some stepped forward, insolent to the last. Others fell to their knees. There was whimpering and crying and shouts of defiance. None of it lasted very long.
�“F!�
ăIt wasn’t a massacre. In the lexicon of the First Order it was nothing more than a prescribed chastisement. Appropriate retribution for harboring a fugitive of note. It was the nature of the tutorial that was important, not the numbers involved. It took less than a minute.
***
That was her life, Rey reflected: a succession of anxious moments, interrupted only by the novelty of occasional panic.
***
When uncertain as to anything taking place on Jakku, Rey knew, it was always reasonable to assume that something untoward was happening.
***
ă“Can you fly a…�
ăHaving long since surrendered anything resembling hope, it took Poe more than a moment to begin regaining it. “I can fly anything. Wings, no wings, push-pull echo force, in or out of lightspeed—just show it to me. But why are you helping me?�
ăThe trooper spoke while staring nervously down the corridor. “Because it’s the right thing to do.�
ăPoe shook his head, not buying it for a second. “Buddy, if we’re gonna do this, we have to be honest with each other.�
ăThe trooper stared at him for a long moment. “I need a pilot.�
ăPoe nodded. A wide grin broke across his face. “Well, you just got me.�
ăFN-2187 was taken aback by Poe’s quick agreement. “Yeah?�
ă“Yeah,� Poe insisted. “We’re gonna do this. If you can get me into something that flies, that is.�
ăThe trooper slipped his helmet back over his head. For an instant, the whole enterprise teetered on the edge of believability. Was he being set up? Poe wondered. No longer needed, was he being made the subject of some cruel psychological trial, only to be thrown away at the conclusion? Yet there was something about the trooper that made Poe feel he could trust him. His manner, his look: There was something that said “throw in your lot with this one and you won’t be sorry that you did.�
[NOTE FROM JULIE: STORMPILOT STORMPILOT STORMPILOT]
***
ă“Told ya you could do it! What’s your name?�
ă“FN-2187.�
ă“FN-whaa?�
ă“That’s the only name they ever gave me.�
ăThe longing in the trooper’s voice was all too human. That, and something more. Something that had driven him, among his hundreds, his thousands of colleagues, to step outside the comfort zone of training and regimentation, something that had ignited some exceptional spark of individualism within him. Poe knew that spark was present in the man behind him, and he now made it his task to see that it did not fade away. But where to start?
[NOTE FROM JULIE: STORMPILOT!!!!]
***
The dusky dune field stretched in all directions, to every horizon. Somehow blue sky and sand now seemed more forbidding than the blackness of space. The warships that had largely been his home were sealed, environmentally controlled little worlds. Anything one needed was readily available, right at hand. Food, water, entertainment, sleeping facilities: All were no more than a few steps away. It was more than a little ironic that someone comfortable in the vastness of space should suddenly find himself suffering from a touch of agoraphobia.
***
ăThe three-dimensional imagery was mundane: standard-issue trooper personal history and training records. Nonetheless, Hux reviewed it carefully. When analyzing a psychological profile in search of an anomaly, one looked for small clues. A bit of correspondence, a favored quote, even the posture of the individual in question: Any of these might suffice to point to an explanation for the trooper’s inexplicable behavior. He did not expect to find a picture of FN-2187 holding up a sign that read “I am going to go berserk and free a prisoner and steal a TIE fighter.� If there were any indications of mental imbalance or Resistance sympathies in the trooper’s records, Hux expected they would be subtle, not blatant.
ăBut so far, there was nothing. Nothing to suggest that FN-2187 might one day go rogue. Nothing to indicate he was anything other than a representative of his kind, no different from his comrades. Nothing to distinguish him as a person, as a soldier, as an exception.
ăWhen he thought about it, Hux mused, the fact that FN-2187 came across as mind-numbingly ordinary was more unsettling than if his history had been full of semi-traitorous rants and near psychotic episodes. It suggested that the ranks might harbor others like him. They could not be permitted to know what he had done. Psytechs were already hard at work counseling those who had come into contact with him, whether through unremarkable everyday interaction or in the course of his violent flight. The whole incident had to be tamped down, obscured, and buried lest the germ of an infection spread through the ranks.
ăIf there was one thing a competent fighting force did not need, Hux knew, it was unforeseen outbursts of individuality.
[...]
ăHux shook his head slowly as he continued to scrutinize the records. If anything stood out in the history of stormtrooper FN-2187, it was his exceptional banality. “No prior signs of nonconformity. Not so much as talking back to a superior. He appears so ordinary as to be invisible.�
[NOTE FROM JULIE: As good as Greg Rucka's writing was in the prequel, I don't agree with FN-2187 being an ~exemplary supersoldier and leader of his squad~ as depicted in Before the Awakening; I think it's so much more important for him to be an unexceptional everyman, as detailed in this excerpt.]
***
“Obviously,� he told her, drawing himself up. “I’m with the Resistance, yes. I am. I’m with the Resistance. Who else would have helped a Resistance pilot escape the First Order except another member of the Resistance? I’m surprised you have to ask.�
***
ăShe was saved from having to make a decision as he came to, blinking at his surroundings before his attention settled on her. Swallowing, he managed to gasp out, “Are you okay?�
ăIt struck her that in her entire short life, this was the first time anyone had asked that question. “Yeah,� she murmured.
***
[NOTE FROM JULIE: LOL THIS IS SO FUCKING BAD. THE BELOW IS NOT A FAVOURITE QUOTE BECAUSE IT IS GOOD. I HIGHLIGHTED IT BECAUSE IT SUCKS, WRITING-WISE.]
ăHis smile gave way to a touch of self-satisfaction. “It was a pretty good shot, wasn’t it?�
ă“It was perfect!� Rey told him. It was silent in the lounge for a long moment before he murmured, “Why are we…�
ă“Staring at each other? I don’t know…�
ăThe need for possibly uncomfortable answers was obviated by a series of insistent beeps from BB-8, who had rolled in to join them.
***
[NOTE FROM JULIE: Seriously, I hate the stilted way that Foster often forms his sentences, especially when he's trying to be funny: this sort of weird, stiff, formal attempt to sound clever and smart, which instead just makes the sentences convoluted and awkward and un-funny.]
This time Finn settled into the copilot’s seat. Looking back at him was a dead console. One did not have to be trained as a pilot to infer that a dead console did not bode well for future voyaging.
***
ăRey was plainly impressed. “You Resistance guys really know your stuff.�
ăHe smiled uneasily. “You know what they say: Know your enemy.�
***
The man holding the blaster on them was not wearing a helmet; not even a protective visor. There was nothing to interfere with his angry expression. It filled a face scarred with know-how, aged by experience, and world-weary—characteristic of someone who had set foot on dozens of worlds. His eyes were hazel, his gray hair tousled, and he wore the look of a man who had seen too much, too soon, and been forced to deal with idiots all too often. His evident age notwithstanding, the hand holding the blaster neither shook nor wavered. Eying him, Finn felt he knew the type if not the man. His only fear then was that the man might shoot first and ask questions later. Thankfully, he did not.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: And then that ^ was actually a really good description of Han Solo. ahhhh.]
***
ă�۴dz’r Han Solo,� she said, looking askance.
ăThis time instead of a smile, a grin: part amused, part knowing, and maybe a little bit bitter. “I used to .�
***
Entering the cockpit ahead of the others, Han scanned the console. A wave of something washed over the Millennium Falcon’s rightful owner. Not nostalgia. That wasn’t part of his makeup. But there was definitely something. Possibly remembrance of old friendships, or adventures long past, or exotic destinations once visited. Most likely the financial opportunities missed.
***
ăHolding her ground, she indicated the silently watching BB-8. “This droid has to get to the nearest Resistance base as soon as possible. He’s carrying a map that leads to the present location of Luke Skywalker!�
ăThe strangest look came over the Falcon’s owner. In an instant and in response to Rey’s distressed request, all the hardness seemed to drain out of him. For a moment he was no longer on the ship. He was not even in Jakku’s system, but somewhere else.
ăUnable to stand the lack of response, Finn spoke up.
ă“You are the Han Solo who fought with the Rebellion? If so, then you knew him.�
ă“Knew him?� The flinty stare had gone hazy, the strong voice soft. “Yeah, I knew Luke.�
***
[NOTE FROM JULIE: so bad in its telling-not-showing...]
ăFinn moved closer to Rey. “I know of a perfect example that explains everything you’d ever want to know about rathtars.� She eyed him expectantly. “Ever hear of the Trillia Massacre?�
ăShe shook her head. “No.�
ă�Good,� he replied. And that was the extent of his explanation, briefly referencing an incident so vile and depraved that he wished only to assure himself she knew nothing about it.
***
“Get up! Chewie, get up!� Striving to divide his attention between the wounded Wookiee and the gang members who were trying to break out of the far corridor, Han got one arm underneath Chewbacca and strained with all his might. It was like trying to lift a mountain. A big, heavy, hairy, smelly, and badly bleeding mountain. One that he would no more leave behind than he would his ship or himself.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: FEELS]
***
[NOTE FROM JULIE: More stilted formal-funny speak, with entire sentences turned on their head just to avoid ending them with prepositions. Hate it.]
A towering stone castle came into view as he prepared for touchdown. Looking at it, Finn could not tell by whose hands—or other manipulative appendages—it had been raised. The study of architecture was not a subject on which incipient stormtroopers tended to focus.
***
Otherwise the room was sparsely furnished. The individual who claimed the space had no need of the usual accoutrements favored by sentient beings.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: what even]
***
He spoke now in a tone different from the one he usually employed when conversing with others. There were no orders to be issued here, no pathetic underlings to command. The one with whom he was presently communing would understand everything Ren chose to say, in whatever voice he chose to employ.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: ugghghhhhh]
***
Alone in the room, Kylo Ren—saturnine of aspect, lithe of build, tortured of mien, and troubled of eye—gazed at the silent recipient of his confession.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: UGGHHHHHHHH]
***
Origins didn’t seem to matter, either. She grabbed and consumed examples of anything within reach without bothering to ascertain its genesis.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: Seriously, Foster, talk like a fucking human being.]
***
She could not avoid the fact that his breath was a suitably aromatic match for his visage.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: TALK LIKE A HUMAN BEING!!!!!!!]
***
ăHaving circled her, he moved even closer, peering into her face, her eyes. Then the red lightsaber he held came up: close to her flesh, close enough to cast a red glow on her skin.
ă“Something.� He sounded mystified. “There is something�Who are you?�
[NOTE FROM JULIE: the mystery~ of Rey's origins is going to drive me crazy 5ever for the next couple years!!!!!!!!]
***
ăTaking cover, Han and Chewbacca returned fire. No one noticed the troopers who had come up behind them—except Finn. Charging, he surprised one trooper with the glowing blade of the lightsaber, then another. A third came at him with a close-quarters weapon and the two locked in combat. Despite lack of any training with a lightsaber, Finn was athletic and courageous. In tandem with such traits, the saber made him a formidable fighter.
[...]
ăThe trooper who had engaged Finn was big, strong, and agile. Finn realized the fight would have long since been over if not for the trooper’s regard for the lethal potential of the lightsaber. That didn’t stop him from finally knocking Finn to the ground and raising his own weapon for a killing strike—only to fall backward, shot before he could deliver the blow.
ăRolling over, a relieved Finn saw Han racing toward him, blaster in hand, with Chewbacca not far behind.
[NOTE FROM JULIE: TR-8R's scene was so amazing in the movie, I'm so bummed that it's so underwhelming and not-even-a-big-deal in this book :(]
***
ăThe sight of a singular figure in the cockpit of an X-wing that had just landed sent Finn running. Fast as he was moving, he was no match for BB-8. Rolling at maximum speed, the droid nearly knocked him down as it shot past him in its haste to reach the fighter with the black insignia. Its canopy was already open; the pilot had removed his helmet and was chatting with one of the techs as he descended from the cockpit.
ăPoe Dameron.
ăNo wonder, Finn thought, he and the others had marveled at the pilot’s skill during the course of the counterattack at Maz’s castle. This was clearly, indisputably, the best pilot in the Resistance. His presence, however, defied reason.
ăFinn just stared at him, hardly believing what he was seeing.
[STORMPILOT!!]
***
ă“I wasn’t dead, just momentarily out of it,� the pilot explained. “Came around long enough to see that you had got out. Pulled out of the dive just long enough to set down—hard. Impact threw me clear. Woke up at night; no you, no ship, no nothing. Went looking—in the wrong direction. Got picked up by some itinerant trader.� He grinned. “Tell you all about it sometime.� A plaintive beep caused him to turn and look down. “Beebee-Ate says that you saved him.�
ăFinn eyed the droid. “It wasn’t just me.� A slow smile spread across his face and his eyes twinkled. “Tell you all about it sometime.�
[BRB WRITING FIC WHERE THEY BUY EACH OTHER DRINKS AFTERWARDS AND SHARE ADVENTURES]
***
ăFrom a corner, Han spoke up. “Told you.�
ăLeia ignored him. “What a fool I was to think we could just find Luke and bring him back.�
ăHe moved toward her. “Leia…�
ăShe growled at him. “Don’t do that.�
ăIt stopped him cold. “Do what?�
ăHer voice was flat. “Be nice to me.�
ăWhirling, she stomped off. More than a little bewildered, he followed.
[Another interesting dialogue-switch, from "Do what?" "Anything!!" � "Be nice to me."]
***
She knew that trying to resist him physically would not only be useless but would likely result in unpleasantness of a kind she preferred not to imagine. So she remained motionless and silent, her arms at her sides, as his hand rose toward her face.
[I'm actually really mad about the different detail in this scene, where Rey is kept prisoner: Kylo Ren releases her restraints, then mentally probes her, and she chooses to remain motionless with her arms at her sides even though she could try to fight back physically?? Rey is a fucking scrappy fighter and survivor. She would not do this when unrestrained!!!]
***
[I deleted some quotes here but it was about the Starkiller Base weapon, and the science is ludicrous. MORE LUDICROUS THAN THE MOVIE, EVEN.] (hide spoiler)]Cont'd in comments...
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Camilla wrote: "Wow the change to "Be nice to me" is so interesting and feelsy. Idk what I prefer but wow."
I think I may be glad I skipped this. Foster was a hack when he was writing Star Wars tie-ins before Empire came out. I think he wrote the original novelization too. It's a tradition.
Thank you Julie. This review perfectly sums up the way I feel about the movie as well.
(view spoiler)[ ăHan Solo understood, all right. Understood what had to be done.
ă“Okay, so it’s impossible, and it’s big. How do we blow it up?� The attention in the room shifted to him. His expression was knowing. “I don’t care how big it is; there’s always a way to do that.�
ăHaving cut through the science, he waited for suggestions. None were forthcoming.
ă“We have to wait until the technical staff have run their detailed analysis,� Wexley said. “Then, once they’ve done that—�
ăLeia cut him off. Han grinned, but not so she could see it. She was good at cutting people off, he knew.
ă“We don’t have time to wait on analyses and scientific hypotheses. Han’s right. We have to act, and act now.� He eyed her in surprise—and concealed that reaction, too.
ă“This is the moment that counts,� she continued. “Everything we’ve ever fought for is at stake. We can’t wait on theories. We need something, anything, so we can fight back!� She straightened. “We have to take this weapon down before it can be used again.�
[idk man, I don't have a massive grasp on Leia's character, but it feels wrong for her to be so gung-ho about 'RUN IN WITHOUT GATHERING INTEL'? Like, the speed of their attack was already implausible in the film, but this extra stress on how unprepared they are makes it stand out even further.]
***
ăSeeing the downcast expressions of those around him, Poe reached out and indicated the containment control structure. “They may raise their shields, but if we can find a way past them, we can and will hit that oscillator with everything we’ve got.�
ăHan grinned broadly. “I like this guy.�
[d'awww of course the cocky rakish hot-shot pilot would like the cocky rakish hot-shot pilot :"]]
***
ă“I’ll get you there.�
ăGazing at Han, Leia saw something that had been absent from her life for a long, long time: Solo bravado. “Han, how?�
ăHe grinned broadly at her. She had missed that, too, she realized. “If I told you, you wouldn’t like it.�
***
ăThe voice that joined in was one that had always been able to bring him to a stop whatever he happened to be doing. He turned to see Leia approaching.
ă“No matter how much we fought,� she said, “I always hated watching you leave.�
ăHe grinned. “That’s why I left. To make you miss me.�
ăFor the first time in quite a while, she laughed freely. It was infectious, happy, and, these days, all too rare. “Well, thank you for that, anyway.�
ăHe turned reflective. “It wasn’t all bad, was it? I know we argued a lot.� He smiled affectionately. “Maybe it’s because we both have such shy, retiring personalities. Of course, if you’d only done what I said…�
ă“And you’d only done what I asked,� she riposted, still smiling.
ăHe chuckled softly. “I mean, some of it was—good.�
ă“Pretty good,� she agreed, nodding.
ă“Some things never change.�
ă“Yep.� She glanced downward, remembering, then met his gaze once more. “You still drive me crazy.�
ă“Crazy as in crazy good, or crazy as in borderline insane?�
ă“Probably a little of both,� she admitted.
ăHe put his hands on her shoulders, and thirty years fell away in an instant. “Leia, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you for a long time.�
ăFighting to hold back tears, she put a finger to his lips. “Tell me when you get back.�
ăHe started to object, caught himself. There’d been too much arguing over the years, he knew. This time he really might not come back; the last thing he wanted was to part on even a semblance of a spat. Instead, he took her into his arms, which really was much better than arguing, or even talking. They stood like that for a long moment, holding tightly to each other.
ă“If you see our son,� Leia whispered, “bring him home.� He nodded without speaking. If nothing else, in thirty years he had learned when to be quiet.
[ACTUAL BEST-WRITTEN SCENE IN THE ENTIRE BOOK]
***
Human and Wookiee hands flew over the main console, supplementing as best they could the approach and landing information they had preprogrammed into the Falcon’s instrumentation. Not unexpectedly, more than one last-second override was required in order to make the ship do something that was against its nature and perform maneuvers for which it had never been designed.
[yes good, we'd had these worldbuilding questions re: how the fuck do you land a ship at lightspeed, so I'm glad to see that Kati & my suspicions about there being safety measures built into the ship were right]
***
ă“That should’ve gone better.� Han was studying the readouts that were still functioning. He shook his head, leaning forward to examine a particular telltale. “That wasn’t supposed to be so rough. Nearly was worse than that.�
ăSeeing that Han was having a difficult time coming to terms with their arrival, Finn tried to reassure him. “Hey, you just performed the improbable by doing the impossible. It’s not like there was precedent to follow. I mean, I’m not a pilot, but I’ve been around a lot of pilots, and I’ve never even heard anybody talking about trying what you just did. You did great.� He gestured around them: at the still intact cockpit, at the sky visible through that part of the forward port that wasn’t covered by snow, and at himself.
ă“We’re down, we’re alive, we’re all in one piece. I don’t understand. What more could you ask for?�
ăHan’s expression didn’t change as he rose and moved to help Chewie. “Was a time it wouldn’t have been so rough.�
ăNot knowing how to respond to that, Finn, wisely, said nothing.
[Oh man, this is good. I actually wish this had been in the film. HAN. AGING HAN. HIS FEARS OF LOSING HIS TOUCH. It reminds me of Daniel Keys Moran's short story, "The Last One Standing", which deals so so so well with old!Han and old!Boba Fett and how they're out of their prime.]
***
ă“You can’t be so stupid as to think this will be easy,� Phasma said. “My troops will storm this block and kill you all. Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.�
ă“I disagree,� Finn replied without hesitation. “I was told escape from the corps was impossible, yet here I am. I was told that training prevented anyone from turning against the Order, yet here I am. I was told that I was going to die on Jakku, yet here I am. And here you are.�
[YAS MY PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL]
***
Rey brought the snow speeder to a stop beside a small black structure. To Finn it looked unimpressive. But then, he reminded himself, remove a trigger from a gun and while the trigger itself would look decidedly unimportant, its absence would render the gun useless.
***
“Been doing this all my life. Never thought about it much until now. It was just something I did every day, to survive. A routine, like breathing.� As if to demonstrate to herself that she was more than a little familiar with the components in question, she closed her eyes while continuing to disassemble the interior of the box. When she opened them again, she was gratified to see that she hadn’t missed a single connection.
[YAS MY QUEEN]
***
A glance around the edge of his cover revealed its source, and his countenance underwent a grave shift.
[ok and now here's more examples of how Foster's writing can be stuffy. HIS COUNTENANCE UNDERWENT A GRAVE SHIFT??? He practically never writes "face", always "countenance" or "visage". Calm down and put away the thesaurus. It reminds me of how I wrote when I was twelve.]
***
[T]he squad of stormtroopers looked on as intently as did Finn, Rey, and Chewbacca. Fearful of taking an initiative that might be frowned upon, they awaited a command from Ren.
[again with the unnecessarily convoluted sentences]
***
“Thank you,� Ren murmured, and truly, the darkness above was mimicked by the darkness in his voice.
[eurgh this whole scene is just so badly written, when it had me weeping in the film. Such a waste.]
***
Hostile fire being something the group of stormtroopers could react to without having to wait for an order, they immediately blasted back at Chewie.
[SO CONVOLUTED AND GARBLED]
***
ă“It is you,� Ren murmured.
ăHis words unsettled her: Not for the first time, he seemed to know more about her than she did about herself. But she had no time to ponder his comment, nor was she inclined to do so anyway; she was too consumed with rage.
[WHO. IS. REY!!!!! (I mean, I assume Luke Skywalker's daughter, but.)]
***
ăStanding at the foot of the ramp, an uncertain and uneasy Leia found herself fiddling with the seals on the front of the jacket Rey was wearing. Foolish nonsense, she told herself even as she continued. Unworthy of her status and position. But it felt so right, and so natural, to be doing so.
ă“I’m proud of what you’re about to do,� she told the girl.
ăRey replied in all seriousness. “But you’re also afraid. In sending me away, you’re—reminded.�
ăLeia straightened. “You won’t share the fate of our son.�
ă“I know what we’re doing is right. This is how it has to be. This is how it should .�
ăLeia smiled gently, reassuringly. “I know it, too. May the Force be with you.�
[THIS IS YOUR NIEEEEEECE, THAT'S WHY IT FEELS RIGHT AND NATURAL]
***
Sitting down, she settled herself in. She could do this. If Chewbacca felt she could do it, then who was she to dispute him? As she hesitated, the Wookiee reached over and mussed her hair. Grinning, she made a show of trying to slap his hand away. He had no idea how much this innocent, familial gesture meant to her. Behind them, R2-D2 beeped happily.
[OMG FOUND FAMILY FEELINGS. WAHHHHH. I also kind of wish this had been in the film.]
***
Remembering, Rey reached into her pack and removed his lightsaber. Taking several steps forward, she held it out to him. An offer. A plea. The galaxy’s only hope. She wondered what would happen next.
[GOD. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. SO. MUCH.] (hide spoiler)]