Hope Reborn - Chapter 8

Luke felt a stone of dread settle in his stomach as Yavin-4 appeared before them. He sent a coded message to request a landing space. It came back a moment later with the coordinates. Leia sat next to him in the co-pilot seat. She had changed back into her white dress but kept her hair down. The blaster was still there as well. Her expression was one of intense focus.

She was rushed to the airlock the moment the ship touched down. R2 sped along beside her while 3PO tried to keep pace. Luke took a deep breath as he stood. He had changed too much already to know what would happen next.

Leia was swept into the command center. By the time Luke arrived R2 had already been hooked up to the database. The familiar readout of the Death Star scrolled along a nearby screen.

"What?" The panic in Leia's voice caught his attention.

He rushed over to join her. Those around her shot him odd looks. He hadn't changed back to his old outfit. From their perspective he was just some mechanic that showed up with her.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Dantooine is gone." Leia closed her eyes tight. "They destroyed it after we escaped. We have to stop them before they take another planet."

"The plans you provided will be key in destroying the station." An older man next to Leia spoke up.

"Is that the best option?" Mon Mothma asked.

"What other option is there?" Luke raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

"We could capture the station for our own cause." She answered.

"Why?" Luke shook his head.

"No." Leia slammed her hand on the console before her. "We cannot let that station fall into any hands, regardless of the intent. It is a weapon to destroy and nothing else."

"A weapon we could use against the Empire." Mon Mothma countered. "It could be a gift. A gift to the foes of the Empire. Why not use this station? Long has the Rebellion fought against the Empire. By the blood of our people the planets have hope for freedom. Let the Rebellion have this weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against them."

"And what would you have us do?" Leia yelled as she turned on the other woman. "Hold the Empire hostage under threat of destroying Coruscant? Blow up Anaxes to cut off their ship supply? No. We destroy that station."

Mon Mathma held her tongue. She scanned the room for support but found none.

"Do we know where it is?" Luke broke the silence.

The crowd of people around the room seemed to just now realize he was there.

"Who are you?" The same old man from before asked.

Luke probably knew the old man's name at one point. Not that it mattered now.

"Luke Skywalker." He inclined his head. "I came here with Princess Leia."

"He helped rescue me from the Empire." Leia added. "He's a friend."

He flashed her a smile. She gave him one in return.

"It seems to be on track to approach Jabiim." The old man said.

Luke didn't know the planet, but it appeared Leia did.

"There was a rebel base on Jabiim when I was a child." Leia said before anyone could ask. "It was used to smuggle force sensitive children and their families away from the Empire."

"They are targeting planets connected to the Rebellion." Mon Mothma whispered. "I will alert the network."

Leia nodded.

"How long would it take to get there?" Luke asked.

"Two days for us." The old man answered. "The Death Star will arrive in seven."

"Then we head to Jabiim." Luke ordered.

"What will that accomplish?" The old man asked.

"We get there first." Luke answered. "Once they arrive, we launch our attack."

"We don't have a plan of attack yet." Leia sighed.

"Yet." Luke repeated. "We can look over the plans on the way there." He paused. "It's the best shot we've got."

Leia looked over at the old man and gave him a single nod. He watched as the room around him burst into action. Voices overlapped as orders were issued. People rushed from the room with purpose. Leia stood at the center of the action. He smiled as he watched her in her element.

He slipped out of the room. They didn't need him for this part of things. It was also the perfect time to address some of the more pressing issues with the Falcon. He lost himself in repairs. There were dozens of smaller things that added up to something catastrophic. A loose hose here, coupled with an old bolt there, and a little leak could easily become an explosion. That didn't even take into account the fact that the shield generator currently operated at forty-percent power. It was amazing that the ship had survived for so long.

Luke let his mind drift as he focused on the ship. Working with machines always helped him work through things. For all intents and purposes, the Falcon was now his. There were still people that would come after it. Han made more than a few enemies along the way. The issue became how to spread the word of the smuggler's death. The Rebellion had a good information network. He could potentially use it. They regularly worked with smugglers and less than reputable sources. He couldn't count on Qi'ra to pass the information along.

Thoughts of the woman brought a flush to his cheeks. Their encounter had been unexpected. He was aware that it had influenced his time with Leia as well. She had been fine flirting with him before the stop at the station.

That train of thought brought the recent memories to the forefront. He didn't feel any negative emotions about what had happened. In fact, he would be happy to do it again. He didn't want to count on it though. If it turned out to be a one-time thing to help her relax, then he would be happy with the memory. A memory was much better than a fantasy.

"You're a force user." A female voice from nearby said. It hadn't been a question.

The sudden sound jumped him. He had been so lost that he hadn't felt anyone approach. Luke turned to face the speaker to find it was Mon Mothma. He wasn't sure how she knew. Until he realized that he had unconsciously arranged a selection of tools to hover around him as he worked. Luke chuckled as he directed them to the floor.

"I was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the ways of the Force." Luke nodded.

It was true. In his previous life.

"You're a jedi?" She arced a manicured eyebrow.

Luke nodded then returned to his work.

"This does not look like a ship a Jedi would use." She strode up the ramp into the ship proper.

"It's not." Luke returned to the task at hand but kept her in his attention. "We hired a smuggler to take us to Alderaan. He was captured and killed by the Empire. This was his ship." He sighed. "It's mine now."

"The Rebellion could use a Jedi." Mon Mothma came to a stop just out of arms reach.

"I'm here." Luke shrugged.

"Are there more?" Mon Mothma asked.

Luke paused.

Yes. There were more Jedi. He could find them. Not just them, the other allies he had acquired through the years. The Death Star was the first victory for the Rebellion. There were years of conflict ahead and they could use more allies.

"Maybe." Luke whispered. "That's a thought for after we destroy the Death Star."

"Are you so certain of our victory?" She asked in a low voice.

Luke nodded.

"Has the Force told you this?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"No." Luke shook his head. "That's not how the Force works."

Mon Mothma let out a small hum in reply. She strode away, leaving him to the task at hand. There was still a lot of work to do.