Back on Coruscant, the night was calm and still as Leia and Han lay deep asleep in bed. Han snored softly, completely at ease, while Leia stirred restlessly beside him, her face twisted in a troubled frown. Her dreams began to take shape, swirling with hazy visions that grew increasingly vivid.
She saw datachips, their small, intricate designs blurring in and out of focus. Images flickered by: a young woman moving purposefully through the desert, Poe Dameron locked in a cell, and a figure clad in stormtrooper armor, his eyes filled with doubt.
The vision shifted, and Leia's breath hitched as she saw a masked man standing in the shadows, his cloak billowing around him like a dark shroud. Slowly, the masked man reached up and removed the covering, revealing the familiar but troubled face of Ben Solo. His eyes met Leia's, and in them, she could see the conflict that raged within him.
Leia's heart pounded, and she awoke with a start, her breath quick and shallow as she looked around the dimly lit room. Beside her, Han remained soundly asleep, snoring softly.
Leia placed a hand over her heart, feeling the echoes of her vision pulse through her. She could sense that the images held a deeper significance, that something was stirring in the galaxy far beyond what she could see.
The darkness settled around her once more, and Leia lay back down, her mind racing with thoughts of what she had seen and the unsettling truth it revealed.
Leia slowly rose from her bed, careful not to wake Han. She tiptoed quietly to the kitchen, her breath steady but her mind racing. She sighed, rubbing her face as she grabbed a glass and filled it with blue milk. The cold liquid was soothing, but it didn't dispel the tension that lingered from her troubling dream.
Suddenly, she noticed a soft light illuminating the room, casting long shadows across the walls. Instinctively, she spun around, her hand swiftly reaching into her pants to pull out a hidden blaster. Her training and trauma from the Empire had left her always prepared for danger, and she pointed the weapon squarely at the intruder.
But her grip loosened as she recognized the source of the light—a familiar astromech droid with a distinctive blue dome. R2-D2 chirped softly, his lights blinking as he rolled forward.
Standing beside the droid was a figure cloaked in shadows, a hood obscuring his face. His silver metal hand rested gently on R2-D2 as he stepped into the light.
Leia knew instantly who it was, even before he pushed back his hood to reveal his features. Luke Skywalker stood there, his face lined with worry and understanding.
He took a slow step forward, and his gaze met Leia's. "I had the same dream," he said quietly.
Leia lowered her blaster, her eyes searching his face. "What does it mean, Luke?"
Luke sighed deeply, leaning on R2 for support. "It means there's something we need to find—someone who needs our help."
Leia nodded slowly, feeling the weight of her brother's words. The visions had shown them glimpses of a distant struggle, one that would need their strength to overcome. Together, they stood in silence for a moment, the faint hum of R2's motors the only sound on the room.
Leia felt the familiar warmth of her brother's presence and offered him a gentle smile. "I've missed you, Luke."
Luke chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the quiet kitchen. "It's only been a month, Leia."
She nodded, but her smile remained. "A lot can happen in a month."
Before Luke could reply, they heard footsteps approaching, and Han Solo emerged cautiously from the shadows, his blaster drawn and aimed directly at Luke. The dim light cast long shadows across Han's rugged face as he scanned the room.
