Star Wars: Lightforce

Chapter 3

The three settled themselves in a flat area that Luke had been using as a camp for the past couple of nights. Artoo was waiting patiently for them and beeped a greeting, rocking from side to side on his tripod legs.

Leia greeted him back. She felt a great affection for the little droid. He had been in her service since Alderaan and had got them all out of some tight spots. He and 3PO were often seen together, bickering like an ageing, married couple, but now he was Luke's loyal companion.

The camp was surrounded by several large rocks, making it both sheltered and hidden from view. Luke lit a fire while Leia removed blankets from her pack to use as bedding for the night. Putting a pot over the fire, Luke and Leia pooled supplies; a few local vegetable based ingredients Leia had managed to obtain from the base and some mountain rat that Luke had caught and prepared earlier, and managed to create a warming stew.

Watching them work together, chatting and laughing, Han thought they reminded him of a couple of kids on a camping adventure. No-one would have guessed that they had only known they were twins for a few months or that they had been separated for most of their lives. It was like they had always been together. The way they laughed at each other's jokes and the way Leia relaxed in Luke's company made Han smile. He had never had family, being orphaned very young, and often felt the loneliness of it but, along with Chewbacca, these two were the closest thing to it.

The food was good and Han expressed his enjoyment.

"Alderaanian stew," Leia said. "It's not the exact ingredients but it's pretty close. I asked Luke to catch something meaty in case we had to stay." She smiled at Luke.

"It's really good," Han said, sincerely. The flavour was spicy and the meat strangely tender.

"Even with the mountain rat?" Luke asked raising an eyebrow. Han grinned.

"Well, I've eaten worse."

They spent the evening eating their dinner, sitting cross-legged in front of the fire telling each other tales of similar nights in their past, trying to best each other with the strangest things they had had to survive on.

Leia told how she and two friends had taken it upon themselves to climb a forbidden peak in the mountains behind Aldera Palace to pick Candala fruit. It only grew in one spot and was so sweet, they couldn't wait for the celebration feast when it was supplied to them. They had eaten so much of it, they had all felt sick and slightly intoxicated and were caught by her father climbing back in through a palace window with fruit stained clothes. She was animated as she told the story, her eyes lighting up at the childhood memory.

Luke described wamp rat hunting and having to make desert frog stew, when there was a plague of frogs on the moisture farm he shared with his uncle and aunt, a concoction which had turned all their mouths green for a week.

Han beat them both with his tale of the time he and Chewbacca had had to hide out in the dunes of the Goazon Badlands while on a particularly hairy smuggling trip and had been forced to eat sand worms with bright red crunchy shells that oozed black globulous liquid when they were bitten into. The smell was so bad they had to cover their noses to eat them. Han's vivid description made Leia screw her face up in horror and make disgusted screams and they all laughed until their eyes watered.

As night drew on, Han leant with his back against one of the large rocks, his leg s outstretched and Leia leant against his chest while they listened to Luke describe his plans to revive the Jedi Temple and start a training academy.

"I think it's wonderful, what you're doing," Leia told him, full of admiration. "The Jedi were protectors of the galaxy for many years and in better times. But while most will support you, there are some who will be afraid of their resurgence. You will need to be careful. I will do what I can to help you." She had many friends in the Senate who appreciated the Jedi's contribution in the Clone Wars and she could pass on whatever historical knowledge she had.

"Why don't you consider training with me yourself?" Luke asked. He had hinted at this subject a number of times since telling her they were related. Yoda had suggested that she may have potential and he was keen to encourage her to develop it. Leia was quiet for a while, pensive, her face serious. Her eyes glazed as she was lost in thought. Leaning forward hugging her knees into her chest and leaning her chin on them, she seemed to be able to see something on the ground that no one else was party to.

"I can't," she said finally. "It's your thing, Luke. Not mine. I'm not a Jedi."

"You could be, Leia. The Force is very strong in you." Luke looked at her in earnest. Han rubbed her back, encouragingly.

"Luke's right. You should consider training. I've seen you when you have those strange visions. The things you know... it's amazing to me. I never would have believed all this if I hadn't known you two." She looked at him, serious, then back at Luke.

"I can't follow you, Luke." She was resolute. "You are a powerful Jedi, so calm and at peace. I'm not. I feel so much anger and hatred. Didn't you say those were feelings that led to the Dark Side?" She thought of the despair that washed over her at the thousands of lives sacrificed for the Rebellion, her hatred of Darth Vader over the mass genocide of the Alderaanian people, and the horror she had experienced on discovering she was his daughter. She considered her legendary temper and how quick it was to rise like a volcano inside her when provoked. She also felt calm and peaceful at times but the volcanic side of her showed too often to be ignored. "I can't risk becoming what we both fear most."

Han knew this was something she had thought about before, something that niggled at her whenever they talked of her relationship with Vader, and her expression showed her dread at the idea.

Luke pressed the point. 

"You don't hate anything Leia. You just think you do. You are full of love and compassion and have tremendous empathy for people, more than I have seen in anyone. It is the intensity of those emotions that you mistake for anger and hate. I don't think you are angry, you just love so strongly that it hurts when you see injustice or loss of life. You need to recognise those feelings. Don't deny them but accept them. Once you do that, you will be able to control them." Leia didn't deny them, that was the problem. She recognised them. It was the control of them that was the issue. She shook her head at him.

"I can't. I'm too afraid of what will happen."

"You need to trust me." Luke looked deep into her dark eyes with his blue eyes. The intense piercing look he always gave when he knew he was right.

"Don't do that," she scolded and looked away, burying her chin in her knees again. "You're good at what you do and I'm good at what I do. Did you not consider that it might have been the intention for us all along; to address an imbalance from both sides – politically and spiritually?"  Luke could see her line of thinking. "We have different talents and we should leave it at that." She didn't want to talk about it any more but it was obvious her mind was still working on it.

Luke glanced at Han for a moment and then dropped the subject. Now was not the time to pursue it. He understood the conflict that was raging inside her. Knew she was well aware that her Force power had been increasing, giving her telepathic abilities and strong visions but she was also aware that the anguish she felt at loss was too similar to their father and she feared she would eventually turn away from the light. He was certain she was too strong to let it happen and that, with training, she would be certain of it too, but it would take more than one conversation to convince her, if he ever could.

As that seemed to have been a conversation stopper, they all settled down to sleep for the night, Leia and Han sharing a blanket with Han's coat spread over them as covers. She curled up with her back to him, still brooding, but pressed herself into Han's body for comfort when he moved to put his arm round her. They fell asleep, sharing the warmth of each other's bodies. Luke went to sit cross-legged on his bed roll and meditated.