Hope Reborn - Chapter 9

Luke closed his eyes. He waited with the other X-Wing pilots for the Death Star to appear. It was due some time today. They would launch their attack once it arrived. Currently, they were in the shadow of the closest moon. The Death Star would have plotted their path before they made the jump, and it should put it somewhere between the moon and the planet.

He centered himself in the force. Slowly, he connected with every part of the ship. He hadn't been able to feel Obi-Wan. In truth, he was a little worried about how that would go. He felt the flow of the force differently than when he had been alive before. The expanse was similar, but the strength was not.

Currently, the X-Wings were in a standby mode. The life-support systems were active, but there was little else powered on. When the Death Star arrived, their scans wouldn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. At most, the fighters would register as satellites or an abandoned mining operation.

They came up with a decent plan. The fighters had been split into squads, each with their own goal. Luke was part of the group for the Trench Run. There were a couple squads set aside with the sole intent to stir up chaos. They were supposed to target the cannons and anything else that looked important. Another squad had been placed on protection detail. Their purpose was to keep any Tie-Fighters busy.

He hoped it would be enough. It depended on how effective Vader was against the pilots. The man was a force of nature in a starfighter. He was a force of nature period. Their encounter had not gone to plan. He had no idea how to reach Anakin rather than Vader.

Space around them seemed to pulse as the Death Star arrived. It must have been the size of the station. He had never seen something like that happen before. Even with the sudden influx of life force that came with the station, he could feel that Vader was not among them. Luke pushed everything to the background. Right now, his focus needed to be on the ambush and nothing else.

"Squads." One of the rebellion generals spoke. "Power up and engage."

R2 beeped and whistled as the droid powered on the ship.

"Red Squad, report." Wedge ordered.

"Red five, standing by." Luke said once it was his turn in the rotation.

He waited as the rest of the squad spoke up.

"Ready, R2?" Luke asked.

<Are you ready?> The droid beeped in reply.

The screen in the cockpit made it easier to communicate with the droid. Luke had learned to interpret R2 over the years, but it was never a direct translation. Unfortunately, he couldn't use the force to connect for a clear pathway.

"Just another day on the job for you, huh?" Luke joked.

<It's been too long since I've been in a starfighter.> R2 chirped back a quick string.

"You'll have to tell me some stories." Luke laughed.

The squads sped into action. They completed an initial sweep of the cannons before the Death Star was able to prepare their fighters. It didn't take long for the Tie-Fighters to arrive, but they found a small squad already prepared.

Explosions in space were always a strange thing. An object in motion stayed in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. The power from the explosion sent shrapnel out at equal intensity. Even the most basic fighter had a simple escape pod. It launched the pilot compartment away from the ship in hopes of rescue. However, the Empire was not known to give quarter. That and the pilot ran the risk of being ripped apart by their own ship if they ejected too late.

The trench run felt instinctual. He didn't bother to engage the guided aim. It felt as easy as breathing. Things went much smoother without Vader and his escorts. It also helped that they had time to plan this time. There were losses, but not as drastic as the previous encounter.

Luke sent the two proton torpedoes down the exhaust vent with ease. The rebel fighters withdrew as the Death Star exploded. This time, there were more survivors.

<Great shot, kid.> R2 whistled.

Luke felt a pang of sorrow in his chest.

"Thanks, R2." He said softly. "Let's get back to base. I've got a lot of work to do on the Falcon."

<You're keeping her?> R2 chirped.

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "She's a good ship, she just needs some repairs."

<Do you know where you're going?> R2 asked.

"There are people out there that can do a lot of good." Luke sighed. "I have to reach out to find them. Do you want to come with me? You might know one or two of them."

<Skywalkers always keep things interesting.> R2 chirped.

Luke laughed.

><O><

"You didn't come to the ceremony." Leia strolled into the Falcon.

"I wasn't the only one on the run." Luke shrugged.

"You're set on leaving?" Leia leaned against the wall.

He couldn't help but let his eyes trail along her body. Luke sighed and forced himself back to the many repairs. R2 rolled by with a disgruntled chirp. The droid had been given an oil bath and a shine for the ceremony. It had taken a grand total of two minutes before dark streaks of grease marred the clean chassis and the droid hadn't let him forget about it.

"Do you want to come with me?" Luke wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Leia chuckled as she shook her head.

"I'm needed here." She replied.

"And I'm just another pilot." Luke shrugged.

"The word is that you're a jedi." Leia strolled over to him with an extra sway in her hips.

Luke held out his hand. Three nearby tools floated over to him. They stopped at his fingertips and began to orbit his hand. Leia watched with an amused smile.

"We could use some jedi." Leia said.

"I've heard that before." Luke set them onto the floor nearby.

"And?" Leia came to a stop nearby. She was so close he could feel her heat.

"The only thing a jedi could do was draw attention." Luke closed his eyes. "There are Inquisitors, kill-squads, and a standing bounty."

"This is goodbye then?" Leia wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"How about 'see you soon'?" Luke offered.

Leia kissed him. It was a lingering, deep connection that sent a shiver down his spine.

"You'll have to come back to get more." Leia winked at him.