Despite all Odds | Luke SkywalkerxOC| , |Han SoloxOC|

Chapter 3: Revelations

The three of them walked through the corridors of the base with people starting to whisper to each other as soon as they passed.

"Do they know each other?"

"I wouldn't have expected Skywalker to have contact with a former Sith!"

Valerie ignored the comments as best as she could, while Claire had gently put a hand on her arm in an act to calm her down. She took a look at the Jedi walking in front of them, but Luke had a neutral expression on his face, seemingly not hearing what was being said.

They chose a table in one of the corners of the cantina, shielded from the view of the other rebels. This far at one side, the murmur of the others seemed to fade away, making it easier to ignore them. Claire worried about what the Jedi had to be thinking, how he would see Valerie when he knew what she had been, but he only smiled.

"It is great to be in action again, after the few months of rest." He commented to break the silence.

"From what we've heard you deserved the break," Valerie responded and nodded to his lightsaber on his belt. "You cut right through the reactor of the Death Star with that?"

Luke gave a huffed laughter and shook his head. "No, that seems to have been added by rumours. I used the laser canons of my X-wing."

"Then you must be a talented pilot," Claire answered, looking him in the eyes for the first time.

He smiled at her. "Why thank you for the compliment."

They kept on holding each other's gaze for a few seconds and Claire got a sense of deja-vu from earlier. Heat started to keep into her cheeks again and she cleared her throat and looked at Valerie for help to ease the tension.

"So, you wanted to learn something about me and my lightsaber?" Her friend asked and unbuckled it to lay it onto the table, the silver gleaming in the blue light of the cantina.

His gaze was shifted towards the weapon and he looked at it with great interest.

"I did. It looks like nothing I have seen before, certainly not like mine or the one of my former master." He took it in from every angle. "May I?" He asked and reached for it.

Valerie hesitated but nodded then. Without her weapon, she felt defenseless, but he at least seemed to know what he was doing, as he was also wielding one.

Claire couldn't help but jump a little bit when Luke ignited the blade with a fluid motion, the violet blade emerging from its hilt. Valerie hadn't used it often ever since she had joined the rebellion, seeing how frightened people were whenever she did, fearing she'd strike them down, associating it with the Sith.

Luke inclined his head as he moved the blade around. "Fascinating, truly fascinating. I have never seen such a colour before, only the blue of mine and the red..." He trailed off and pushed the button to turn it off again.

"Is it true then, that you have been trained by the Sith before turning to the light?" He asked.

Valerie took the lightsaber back onto her belt, where she kept holding on to it.

"I did yes." She managed to say. Claire looked at her in a hopefully comforting way. She knew how hard it was for her friend to talk about her past. But she trusted her and never mentioned it. She was a different person now after she and her whole family had been turned by the Jedi who had sought refuge on their planet in the dark times.

"But you chose the light. Your lightsaber reflects that. It is a relief that I am not alone in this, that there are others who feel the Force as I do." He smiled.