Chapter Twenty-Four

It was two months before Luke was fully recovered and 2-1B deemed him fit enough to be released from the medical bay.

The first thing he did was return to his and Lisa’s bunk room and take a very long shower. The medical droids had given him sonic cleansing while he was in recovery, but there was something so soothing about the feel of running water over one’s body. Growing up on a desert planet, he took advantage of anything involving water, even now, years after leaving Tatooine. Lisa, however, preferred the sonics.

With damp hair, clean clothes, and very high spirits, the second thing he did was head to the mess hall.

He entered to cheers and applause, several crew members patting him on the back. They congratulated him and asked how he was feeling.

“Much better,” he replied, loading food onto his tray. “Glad I can finally move under my own power. Don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly, “I love Lisa deeply; her help has been invaluable, and I have no objections to having my arms around her – but to get anything done, I really need to be able to move on my own.”

“I love you, too,” said Lisa as she came up beside him with her own food.

He smiled and nudged her gently, adjusting his tray without thinking – no hesitation, no weakness – and only then realized he hadn’t needed to brace himself. Together, they headed to a table to sit and eat.

Luke glanced toward the viewport, where the stars stretched endlessly beyond the Fleet. Wedge and a few other members of Red, Gray, and Green Squadrons slipped into empty seats around them.

“Word out in the hangar is you two are leaving,” said Wedge.

“We are,” answered Luke. “It’s up to us to rebuild the Jedi Order.”

Shara Bey, pilot of Green 4, frowned. “Both of you?” she asked.

“Yep,” said Lisa. “Luke trains the Jedi, I train the loved ones.”

“Why does that sound…weird?” asked Horton Salm, Gray Leader.

“Because it goes against all the old Jedi teachings,” said Luke. “And that’s the idea.”

“How do you mean?” asked Wedge.

“Old Jedi teachings say to let go of attachments. Bury your feelings.” He reached over and clasped Lisa’s hand. “That’s not how we work. I’m a strong Jedi because she’s with me.”

“Feelings aren’t the issue,” said Lisa, squeezing his hand. “Not knowing how to deal with them in a healthy way is. And that’s one of the ways we will teach.”

The group nodded and wished them luck, then left them to finish eating. Luke and Lisa smiled at each other and released their hands.

“So,” she asked, poking at her food, “what’s the plan?”

He tapped his fork against the tray, thinking. “I suppose…” he said slowly, “once en route, I’ll use the Force to help navigate to the planet. Once we find it, we’ll need to set up shelter, and then we can explore and survey the place. We’ll need to get a lay of the land, see what’s what.”

“So we need to gather supplies.”

They did just that after finishing their food and leaving their trays in the collection bin. The cargo hold of the X-wing wasn’t very big, so they could only pack the essentials – a shelter to be assembled once they arrived on the planet, a week’s worth of consumables, survival kits, specialized repair tools for Luke and Artoo (Lisa was no engineer), and some personal gear.

Several of the Rebels passed by to bid them farewell and wish them luck. Artoo rolled up, beeping, with Han, Leia, Chewie, and Threepio following.

“We couldn’t find much,” Leia admitted, “but what we did find we loaded into Artoo.”

The little droid beeped an affirmative as Luke secured him into his socket behind the cockpit.

“Thanks,” said Luke. “I’m hoping, now that I’m healed, I’ll be able to use the Force to point us in the right direction.”

“Take care of yourselves out there,” said Leia.

They exchanged hugs, then Han said, touching the hull of the X-wing, “She really is something. Roomier than it looks from the outside.”

Lisa grinned. “Engineers did some nice work.”

Chewie barked and Lisa hugged the Wookiee. “We’ll miss you, too.”

“Once we pinpoint the exact location, we’ll get it to you,” said Luke. “That way if you come across Force-sensitive people in need of guidance, you can send them our way.”

“And you can visit anytime you want once we’re established,” added Lisa.

“Do behave yourself, Artoo,” Threepio said to his counterpart. “Obey Master Luke and Lisa.” At the astromech’s answering beep, Threepio said, “No, you do not ‘always’ do! You’ve gotten into more trouble – ”

He shut up when Chewie roared.

“I am just saying – ”                   

Another roar, followed by a growl.

If a droid could sigh, Threepio would have. There was a collective chuckle, more goodbye hugs, and finally it was time for Luke and Lisa to board.

The bay door was opened for them, only the forcefield keeping the vacuum of space out and the atmosphere in.

As he ran the pre-checks, Luke glanced out the open bay door, the stars calling to him in a way they hadn’t before.

He felt Lisa’s hand on his arm from her seat behind him, and her presence through the link and the Force. Are you sure you’re ready? she asked.

Smiling, he reached over and briefly squeezed her hand. Absolutely. Are you?

She wrapped her arms around the back of his chair and squeezed both of his shoulders. Let’s do it.

Luke manipulated the controls and the X-wing lifted off. They waved at the watching Rebels and Luke pressed the accelerator.

This time, they weren’t just flying missions.

They were going somewhere.

The End

Back *~*~* Chapter Twenty-Three *~*~* Trivia and In-Jokes