Dukes in the Stars

The Briefing

Bo and Luke walked back to where the ramp was. "So, we're fighting the Empire. Maybe our mission here is to destroy or disable the weapon." Luke said.

"Right, if we get rid of the Death Star, we'll get back home." Bo restated. "But how are we going to do that, Luke?"

Luke thought for a moment, then answered his younger cousin. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. We're going to call each other by what everybody else thinks we are. So, you're Luke and I'm Han. Then, we'll lay low and figure it out. We'll follow along with the storyline for now and do our part when it comes."

"How will we know what to do?" Bo asked, worried he'll let his cousin down.

"Remember when we were trying to escape? I ran through this ship to the cockpit like I'd been running through it all my life, and I knew just what to do to get us off the ground. We're filling roles of some sort of characters, and we just need to embrace our character and we'll know what to do."

"Hey, that's kinda like in the Death Star when I knew there was something in the water."

"Right, Bo. So, we'll just ride the storyline until the end."

"I hope neither of us dies in the story like Uncle Jesse..."

"Hey, don't worry about that. Like I told you before, he just disappeared."

Bo sighed. "I hope you're right, Luke."

The ramp door opened to reveal a bustling base, full of people. Most were walking around in either orange suits or some sort of blue, black, and white outfits with strange helmets. Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO walked up behind Bo and Luke, then all six of them walked off the ramp of the Falcon. Bo and Luke looked around, a bit overwhelmed by how many people there were. Leia, R2, and 3PO split up from Bo, Luke, and Chewie. Bo and Luke looked around at the ships, Bo amazed by them. He walked over to one, gently setting a hand on it. "Wow..."

"Hey, Luke!" A familiar voice rang out. Bo ignored it at first until a firm hand clapped down on his shoulder. "Luke, are you alright?"

Bo finally registered that this man was talking to him. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm alright. What do you need?" Bo turned around to find his blonde cousin, Coy Duke.

"Luke, come on! I thought you were going to join the Imperial Academy!" Coy exclaimed, pulling Bo into a hug.

"Now, why would I do a thing like that when I can fight in the Rebel Alliance?" Bo laughed.

"I was wondering the same thing, friend." Coy smiled, throwing his arm around Bo's neck. "Here, this one will be yours." Coy walked Bo over to another X-Wing fighter.

"Mine?" Bo asked.

"Yeah, yours! Luke Skywalker, you're one of the best pilots in the galaxy!"

Bo laughed a bit. "I am?"

Coy laughed too. "Don't be so modest! Now, come on. We have to go get briefed for the mission."

"Alright, let's go!" Bo said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Luke was examining the ships for himself. He had overheard Coy talking to Bo, but wasn't sure he wanted Bo flying one of the fighters. He may have been roleplaying as Luke Skywalker, but he was still Bo Duke. Luke sighed and shook his head, looking around at the people who passed by. That's when a ground soldier came up to him. "Han Solo!"

Luke looked up at the soldier, who took off his helmet. His cousin, Vance Duke, smiled at him. Luke couldn't help but smile back. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm just a foot soldier, it doesn't matter my name. I know you, though. You're Han Solo! What are you doing here?" Vance asked. "I thought you would be out earning some credits or something."

"Oh, uh, I'm just here looking out for my interests." Luke said.

"Well, do you wanna come to the mission brief? I heard Luke Skywalker is going to be leading the mission!"

"Well, why not? Lead the way."

Vance led Luke and Chewbacca to the briefing room, where Coy and Bo were standing side by side near the center console. A woman dressed in white was speaking near the middle of the room. She had red hair and light blue eyes, and was speaking in a very formal matter. Luke was only half listening as he looked at his younger cousin. Bo's eyes were glistening with excitement as he was briefed on the mission.