(High Command Base, Ilysium; 2 ABY)

"Well, I guess this is it."

Luke had just slipped on his right boot when Cala's declaration caught him off guard. She usually ran every word through a mental filter before releasing them into the open. But this came out of nowhere-

"I'm leaving in the morning." She smiled, a gesture he saw on certain rare occasions during the past two years. Not many, certainly not enough to counterbalance the sadness which hung around her like a tapestry. Through nights and days, in bed and other places, he only discovered the basics about her past. Their relationship didn't allow for grand revelations, so it wasn't strange to know very little about each other. Yes, Luke had to admit it was peculiar so much time needed to elapse before she spoke aloud where she was born. It was only a few weeks ago she finally told him about the death of her parents.

Cala tugged on the fastener of her camouflage flight jacket. "Remember that planet I found?"

Luke could predict where the conversation was headed. "Yeah, the one you called Aurora."

"That's right." One upward pull finally ended her jacket crisis. "It's like one of those places used for stock holos in travel brochures."

"Sounds nice." She seemed destined to be a scout. Life among the stars, roaming the hyperlanes out to the farthest reaches away from civilization, suited her temperament.

"I'm gonna set up house. Drop out for awhile, live off the land like a true pioneer."

"Really?"

"Is that so amazing?"

Luke stared at her. Some kind of transformation had occurred which completely escaped his attention. If their bond had been rooted in something deeper than a mere physical attraction, maybe the conversion would have been obvious. And yet...Cala would always be a mystery, in all the ways and places that were necessary for a deeper bond. Always keeping her distance from others, that's how she preferred to fly through life. Even with him, after all this time ever since their first meeting on Thila. She had walked up to his X-Wing, out of the hyperblue, motivated by nothing more than curiosity. A blonde distraction standing there in black spike-heeled boots encrusted with faux Corusca chips diverted his attention long enough to start a conversation. Like other introductions to strangers in his recent past, that opening changed the direction of his life.

Cala shrugged. "Maybe it does seem funny."

"You've always seemed happier away from gravity."

"Guess there's a little girl still trying to find a home. Sometimes you get tired of being a vessel for heartache."

Luke nodded. Now her motivation was obvious; to seek whatever refuge could be found away from the maelstrom which engulfed too much of the galaxy. She left one home because it never felt right. He still couldn't figure out the precise nature of the childhood Cala presented to him only in fragments but he understood how the loss of both parents before memories were formed harmed the psyche. Her loss came with the Ghorman Massacre; her father and mother both died in the protests during that long ago tragedy.

"Do you think I might be possessed?"

He laughed. "No. Why?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Because it doesn't make any sense. What's pushing me to give up my job and set up house on some floating ball in the Sweetheart Nebula's armpit?"

"You want a place to settle and live in peace. We've all got that dream."

"Yeah, the big cause that's kept us going since Yavin." Cala shook her head. "It just feels weird."

"It's normal." Luke felt a fluttery envious twist in his stomach. Weren't they always running towards home, no matter where or if that notion was real? Didn't he want some patch of earth and a permanent abode to hang his lightsaber? Force preserve him, yes, he wanted that again.

"Hey, you wanna join me?"

"What? Where?" Surely Cala wasn't asking him to give up everything and run off to Aurora.

"I want to grab some drinks before I head out. Did you want to come along and get twisted with me at The Flight Bar?"

Luke released a tense breath. What made him jump to the wrong conclusion? Of course that was all she wanted. Why did he think otherwise? They never had a relationship so deep it would happen-nothing that strong, not between them. Gods, she was attractive, and their "horizontal association" had been wonderful. These past two years weren't always about sex, though it certainly was a major component. Yet other things drew them into a peculiar mutual orbit. They were comrades engaged in a group struggle against oppression individual orphans with shared histories of loss pilots lured to risky endeavors simply for the thrill. Yes, they were friends with something extra but nothing more. That was fine. Commitment never appealed to her, and there was no room for a bond with another person that might become permanent. His ties to the Rebellion dominated most of his waking moments. Of course, his Jedi studies took up a great deal of concentration as well.

"Come on, boyo. I'll credit the first round."

Luke paused long enough to smile before standing up to join her. "Thanks."

No, he could never run away. His pledge to the Rebellion had been made in good faith. The Force interwove his destiny with that of the galaxy. He did not question the nature of these matters.

So why did he suddenly feel disappointed?