Chapter Three

“Hey, welcome back,” said a soft voice.

Luke groaned as he returned to consciousness. He felt as if his entire skeleton had been removed and now the bones were growing back from scratch.

“Care for a painkiller, sir?” asked the voice of 2-1B.

He opened his eyes and saw Lisa beside him, her hand gently combing through his hair, and 2-1B next to her, his mechanical face, of course, unreadable.

“Why do I feel worse?” he groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes against the bright glare of the lights. For a moment, he felt like he was going to revert to his 18-year-old self who whined about power converters.

There was the sound of a droid moving, then the lights dimmed to a less retina-searing level, allowing Luke to move his arm. Artoo was over at the controls, beeping softly.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on Lisa’s fingers as they combed through his hair, on her double heartbeat she shared with him through their link. The pain ebbed but didn’t fade.

“Doesn’t feel like you did anything,” he mumbled.

“Treatment is complete, sir. Now you must rest. Would you like a painkiller?”

He almost said no; as a Jedi, he was supposed to be able to control sensations. But then he remembered his dream of the students learning the ways of the Force and realizing the old ways weren’t the right way anymore. Not to mention Lisa telling him not to be a hero.

“Yes, please,” he said, and winced as 2-1B used one of his manipulator arms to administer a hypodermic.

“Please try to rest,” said 2-1B. “If you need anything, please do not hesitate to summon me.”

Luke grunted, and Lisa thanked the droid as he moved to another area of the medical bay. Artoo rolled over and beeped a query.

Lisa had never gotten the hang of understanding binary, but Luke seemed to know what the little droid was saying. Either that, or he was just guessing.

“Well,” he sighed, “I won’t say I’m fine, because I definitely don’t feel that way. I wonder how long recovery is going to take.”

“As long as you rest, hopefully not too long,” said Lisa, still stroking his hair. “Try to go back to sleep.”

He felt his eyelids start to droop, but forced them back open. “Wait,” he said, reaching for her other hand. “I had a dream…or a vision? I don’t know, but, Lisa, listen…”

Luke told her what he’d seen – the beautiful planet, the flora and fauna, and most importantly the buildings and the people gathered around it.

“I felt the sense that…that we are supposed to train the new generation. Not just of the Jedi, but of the people who love them, too. Attachments aren’t the problem. It’s not knowing how to navigate them. You and I…we’re the proof that love is not the danger Yoda and Ben thought it was. They told us themselves, remember?”

“Whoa, slow down,” she said. “I do remember. Yoda told me I was your anchor; that I grounded you when things got too much.”

“Exactly,” said Luke, excited now. He almost sat up, but Lisa held him down with a look. He placed his hand over hers and continued. “Our…our school…there will be no isolation. If we find someone Force-sensitive, we will invite their families to come train too. You…you can teach how to be that anchor.” He was squeezing her hand, watching her face for her reaction. Lastly, he said, “Will you help me?”

“Of course I will,” she said without hesitation. “But you’re not going to do all this from the medical frigate. You need to heal first.”

He nodded, sinking back down onto the bed. The adrenaline of needing to tell her everything was fading now, and he felt drained. He yawned.

She smiled softly. “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk later.”

Luke closed his eyes, and he felt her press her lips to his forehead and resume running her fingers through his hair. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he settled down as the painkiller took full effect. He was asleep within minutes.

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