At the rebel base, we, who included the Rebels, Leia, Han, Chewie, R2-D2, C3-PO, and I, had learned about the Death Star's weak point from the plans R2-D2 stored in its memory. There was an exhaust port that led to the main reactor. If we could fire into it, it would cause a chain reaction, causing the space station to explode. The port seemed small, but we could do it. We had to move quickly. The space station was now coming to destroy the Rebel base in a few hours, maybe less.
I got dressed in my pilot uniform, consisting of an orange jumpsuit with a grey vest that had straps extending to my legs. I carried my helmet that had a dark yellow visor. I was on my way with C3-PO to the hangar until I saw Han and Chewie packing up several green boxes of his money.
I said, "So… you got your reward and you're just leaving, then?
Han replied, "That's right, yeah. I got some old debts I've got to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?" He placed a box on tops of his ever-increasing pile of money. He then said to me, "Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. I could use you."
"Come on," I said, frustrated. "Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them."
"What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like suicide."
"All right… Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?"
I walked away from him as I held my helmet closer to me.
"Hey Luke!" I turned around and he told me, "May the Force be with you."
So now you finally decided to believe in the Force. I thought you didn't believe in "hokey religions" or this "mystical energy." I didn't know if he truly meant it or not. Part of me wanted to, but I just turned around and walked away from him.
I looked at the ground in disappointment as C3-PO walked beside me.
C3-PO said, "It's a shame that he's leaving. He seemed like a nice person."
I replied, "I guess not… I just don't get him. No one could be that selfish."
"He does deal with the most suspicious people in the galaxy, Luke. Don't you remember the Cantina? They all looked like criminals."
"He just seemed different…"
"Yes, he did."
We kept walking to X Fighter until I met up with Leia and the man who briefed us about the Death Star. C3-PO walked ahead of me.
Leia looked concerned when she saw me and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh… it's Han… I don't know. I really thought he changed his mind."
She replied, "He's got to follow his own path. No one can choose it for him."
I was about to say, I just thought that he would choose a path that involved me in some way. But I didn't. I didn't want to talk or think about him anymore. So, I said, "I only wish Ben were here."
Leia gave me a sympathetic look and kissed me on the cheek. I felt my face redden slightly. I smiled and she smiled back. She then left with the man to the room where they would communicate with us over the radio.
I felt my cheek where she kissed me. Her lips felt soft, but something about her kiss felt strange to me… It felt nice… but nothing more than that…
Maybe I was still sad about Ben. Though, I felt that he was still here with me somehow… I heard his voice on the Death Star after Vader killed him. Maybe I was just hallucinating. Still, just hearing his voice in some way cheered me up a bit.
"Luke!" C3-PO called to me. "We must keep going. There's simply no time to waste."
I nodded my head and proceeded to my ship.
I passed by several pilots and their X Fighters until I saw mine. It had two wings and four turbines attached. The wings would split into four wings when in flight, forming an X, hence the name X Fighter. C3-PO was with some engineers and technicians who were lifting R2-D2 with a machine.
I went under the wing and touched its smooth chrome surface. It had been a while since I flew or drove any vehicle since Tatooine. I wondered what Han thought of these X Fighters. When I first saw his Millennium Falcon, it looked like a piece of junk. It had no wings. It was a circular shape that had a trapezoidal shape for its cockpit. It seemed like it would fall apart once we flew. I was surprised that we managed to escape Tatooine with the Stormtroopers on our tail. I was just panicking at the time because I thought the ship wasn't fast enough to outrun them. But Han proved me wrong. He managed to get us into hyperspace before they got us. That was pretty amazing…
"Hey Luke!" Someone called out to me. I turned my head and saw a familiar man with olive skin and a black moustache.
"Biggs!" I yelled, ecstatic to see an old friend from my home.
"I don't believe it." He said, laughing as we placed our arms around each other's backs. "How are you?"
"Great!" I responded happily.
"Hey, coming up?"
"I'll be right up there with you and have I got stories to tell you!"
"Skywalker!" Someone yelled to me. A man with gray hair and a widow's peak walked to Biggs and me. "Are you sure you can handle this ship?" He pointed to the ship there.
Biggs smiled and said, "Sir. Luke is the best bush pilot in the outer-rim territories." Biggs was just exaggerating, but I couldn't help but smile.
He looked at Biggs and then looked at me. He grinned and said, "You'll do all right."
I replied, "Thank you, sir. I'll try." Then the man went away to his X Fighter.
Biggs then told me, "I gotta get aboard. We'll hear all your stories when we get back, all right?"
"All right!" We went under the body of my X Wing and I told him, "Hey Biggs." He turned around with the same curious look he had when I last saw him. "I told you I'd make it someday."
He smiled widely and replied, "It'll be like old times, Luke. They'll never stop us." He put his helmet on and walked over to his X Wing.
The last time I saw him, he came from the Academy, a school that I wanted to go to in order to explore the galaxy, to Tatooine to visit me. I told him a story about my skyhopper, a triangular ship with wings on each corner. I was just flying it around, until my instruments started to go haywire. I tried to stop, but I just kept flying, until I crashed into a rock. It was great, but I broke the skyhopper and my uncle grounded me. Biggs and I laughed for a while at the story.
Then, he told me he was going to join the Rebels and wouldn't be coming back to visit me. I was surprised at the time because he might die in the war against the Empire, but he wanted to fight against its tyranny and for what he believed in. I wanted to spend more time with him after he told me that, but he had to leave early next morning, so we shook hands and said farewell to each other. I wanted to call out to him if he wanted to come with me in my speeder, a hovering automobile, one more time like back then, before he went to the Academy. When we didn't have any more chores to complete at home, we would just sit in my speeder, talking a bit and watching the two suns of the planet set, as I fell into a deep slumber, placing my head on his shoulder without even realizing it. Biggs would always wake me up and I always seemed surprised that my head was on his shoulder, but he didn't mind and I didn't mind either as I smiled sheepishly.
But I didn't call out to him. I didn't want to tie him down to Tatooine any longer. We always wanted to get off the planet. I was a bit jealous that he got off before me. I still remember his cape skirting along the sands as he walked away from me.
I wondered if Han felt the same way when I walked away from him. Did he feel left behind like I did when Biggs left? Part of me wanted to say yes when Han asked me to come with him because I admired him and wanted to have more adventures with him in the Millennium Falcon like our fight with the Empire's ships before.
But destroying the Death Star was more important than anything else right now. This could be one big move towards ending the oppression and tyranny of the Empire. Ben died for the Rebel's cause. I couldn't let his death go to waste.
I went up the ladder to enter my ship as the engineers lifted R2-D2 over the empty space in my vehicle.
Then, a technician on another ladder next to the ship asked me, "This R2 unit of yours seems a bit beat up. Do you want a new one?"
"Not on your life!" I replied enthusiastically. "That little droid and I have been through a lot together." I then said to R2, "You okay, R2?"
R2-D2 responded with three beeps. I assumed that he agreed with me because it sounded enthusiastic. I then got into my ship and placed my helmet on.
I overheard C3-PO tell R2-D2, "Hang on tight, R2. You've got to come back."
R2-D2 responded with beeps and blips.
C3-PO responded, "You wouldn't want my life to get boring, would you?"
R2-D2 beeped and booped in response. I smiled at that. I always thought C3-PO didn't like R2-D2, but it looked like he had grown fond of the little blue and silver droid. If only Han was like C3-PO and grew fond of me…
When the cockpit closed, I started to press the buttons to get my ship into the air. The controls almost feel like my skyhopper, but a bit heavier. I got it up into the air like the other pilots.
I felt a bit uncomfortable. This is the first time I had been on a ship alone since I left Tatooine.
"Luke," I stopped what I was doing and instinctively looked around. I thought it was the radio, but the voice didn't sound filtered through it. "The Force will be with you." That was Ben's voice again. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I needed to get going now.
I flew the X Wing out of the hangar along with the other pilots. We flew off into space, where we would get into the dogfight of our lives.
