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Nov. 21st, 2020 10:36 amLeadership is a choice. It is a choice in both directions, both to be a leader and to follow someone. Leia’s parents had taught her this when she was young, taught her this again and again through their deeds, with their actions every day of their lives.
It was a choice and once again, Leia was making the decision to lead. She just hoped that others would choose to follow.
Standing on the bridge, looking out at the windows in front of her, she could hear the moments ticking away as the Imperial Star Destroyer appeared in orbit. Moments of her life, potentially ticking away. A shiver of fear ran down her spine, but she didn’t let it control her. No, she grabbed ahold of it and turned it into strength, into a reason for what she was going to do next.
Her planet might be nothing but asteroids and rock, but Alderaan was not gone. Not in any of the ways that mattered. Adjusting the headset on her head, she nodded to R2-D2.
“I’m ready when you are,” she told the droid, assuming her best regal posture, head high as the droid cheeped an affirmative response, motors whirring as he hooked up a broadcast to the assembled fleet.
Leia took a deep breath. Then she just let go.
“To every Alderaanian within the sound of my voice: this is Princess Leia Organa.”
It was just her imagination, but she could feel her mother standing behind her, Breha’s silent encouragement enough to cheer her on.
“To the newcomers: I would ordinarily be very grateful that you responded to our call for unity, but as things stand today -- I wish you hadn’t come. An Imperial Star Destroyer is heading in this direction and will reach us within minutes.”
An absolute truth, even if it was terrifying to admit it. Recently Leia had learned that there was strength in showing fear, expressing concern. Another mental tick as the clock wound further down. She kept going.
“There is no time to escape by standard lanes. No time to attain hyperspace. It wants to kill the last Alderaanians and without the Espirion Fleet on our side, I’m afraid that it has enough firepower to do the job. But we will not surrender. We will defend ourselves. But we won’t land one more blow than necessary.”
Leia took a step forward, expression resolute, absolutely certain that her next words would land. She had to make everyone see. ”We are not our enemy. We are Alderaan. We answer rage with wisdom. We answer fear with imagination. We answer war with hope. If one life with a single drop of Alderaanian blood survives, Alderaan survives.”
She sucked in a steadying breath, voice growing louder, stronger. “If one life with a passion for Alderaanian creativity survives, Alderaan survives. And we are, each of us, important. And whatever happens, I bow to all of you and to our future.”
It feels like the sort of speech her father would have made, should have made. Her mother as well. Even as she spoke, staring out at the gathering storm, the ships both with them and arriving to destroy, Leia could feel her mother speaking through her, feel her father’s hand on her shoulder, guiding her. A tear sprang to her eyes that she forced down, turning her sorrow into strength. Every word that she had spoken had been one that she meant.
Alderaan would survive. That was all that mattered.
The Imperial Star Destroyer entered orbit, tie-fighters spewing forth, blasts coming from both sides. She turned away from the viewscreen, urgency to not be left out, not hiding from those who sought to destroy her. She pulled the headset off, holding it one hand as she worked the clasp of her cloak in the other.
“Come on, Artoo. Let’s get to our stations and show them what we can do,” she told the droid as the door slid open and she exited the bridge, intent to get to her gunnery post as soon as possible. She rounded the corner, tapping open the door to the lift and stepping inside, punching the button for the gundeck. With the familiar tug in her stomach as she went down, she was already moving forward as soon as the doors open. Cool air knocked into her, the smell of it all hitting her like a wall, the sudden dimness making blinkl. It wasn’t the sterile-yet-floral scent of a pleasure craft. It was a smell more like those on Coruscant. It was the smell of the city, the smell of people who surrounded her, bustling down the street that was in front of her, down a series of stone steps.
Leia’s heart stopped and she turned to step back inside, wondering if her ship had been struck. If she was experiencing a hallucination in the last moments of her life.
No. That didn’t make sense. Why would her brain conjure up a place she had never been?
“What is going on?” she exclaimed, hand going to her blaster on her hip, comfortingly resting on the grip, ready to grab at the first sign of real trouble. A cool wind slicing through her, tugging at her cloak, making her glad that she hadn’t finished taking it off. Only the Force knew what was going on now. She certainly didn’t.
It was a choice and once again, Leia was making the decision to lead. She just hoped that others would choose to follow.
Standing on the bridge, looking out at the windows in front of her, she could hear the moments ticking away as the Imperial Star Destroyer appeared in orbit. Moments of her life, potentially ticking away. A shiver of fear ran down her spine, but she didn’t let it control her. No, she grabbed ahold of it and turned it into strength, into a reason for what she was going to do next.
Her planet might be nothing but asteroids and rock, but Alderaan was not gone. Not in any of the ways that mattered. Adjusting the headset on her head, she nodded to R2-D2.
“I’m ready when you are,” she told the droid, assuming her best regal posture, head high as the droid cheeped an affirmative response, motors whirring as he hooked up a broadcast to the assembled fleet.
Leia took a deep breath. Then she just let go.
“To every Alderaanian within the sound of my voice: this is Princess Leia Organa.”
It was just her imagination, but she could feel her mother standing behind her, Breha’s silent encouragement enough to cheer her on.
“To the newcomers: I would ordinarily be very grateful that you responded to our call for unity, but as things stand today -- I wish you hadn’t come. An Imperial Star Destroyer is heading in this direction and will reach us within minutes.”
An absolute truth, even if it was terrifying to admit it. Recently Leia had learned that there was strength in showing fear, expressing concern. Another mental tick as the clock wound further down. She kept going.
“There is no time to escape by standard lanes. No time to attain hyperspace. It wants to kill the last Alderaanians and without the Espirion Fleet on our side, I’m afraid that it has enough firepower to do the job. But we will not surrender. We will defend ourselves. But we won’t land one more blow than necessary.”
Leia took a step forward, expression resolute, absolutely certain that her next words would land. She had to make everyone see. ”We are not our enemy. We are Alderaan. We answer rage with wisdom. We answer fear with imagination. We answer war with hope. If one life with a single drop of Alderaanian blood survives, Alderaan survives.”
She sucked in a steadying breath, voice growing louder, stronger. “If one life with a passion for Alderaanian creativity survives, Alderaan survives. And we are, each of us, important. And whatever happens, I bow to all of you and to our future.”
It feels like the sort of speech her father would have made, should have made. Her mother as well. Even as she spoke, staring out at the gathering storm, the ships both with them and arriving to destroy, Leia could feel her mother speaking through her, feel her father’s hand on her shoulder, guiding her. A tear sprang to her eyes that she forced down, turning her sorrow into strength. Every word that she had spoken had been one that she meant.
Alderaan would survive. That was all that mattered.
The Imperial Star Destroyer entered orbit, tie-fighters spewing forth, blasts coming from both sides. She turned away from the viewscreen, urgency to not be left out, not hiding from those who sought to destroy her. She pulled the headset off, holding it one hand as she worked the clasp of her cloak in the other.
“Come on, Artoo. Let’s get to our stations and show them what we can do,” she told the droid as the door slid open and she exited the bridge, intent to get to her gunnery post as soon as possible. She rounded the corner, tapping open the door to the lift and stepping inside, punching the button for the gundeck. With the familiar tug in her stomach as she went down, she was already moving forward as soon as the doors open. Cool air knocked into her, the smell of it all hitting her like a wall, the sudden dimness making blinkl. It wasn’t the sterile-yet-floral scent of a pleasure craft. It was a smell more like those on Coruscant. It was the smell of the city, the smell of people who surrounded her, bustling down the street that was in front of her, down a series of stone steps.
Leia’s heart stopped and she turned to step back inside, wondering if her ship had been struck. If she was experiencing a hallucination in the last moments of her life.
No. That didn’t make sense. Why would her brain conjure up a place she had never been?
“What is going on?” she exclaimed, hand going to her blaster on her hip, comfortingly resting on the grip, ready to grab at the first sign of real trouble. A cool wind slicing through her, tugging at her cloak, making her glad that she hadn’t finished taking it off. Only the Force knew what was going on now. She certainly didn’t.
