Biggs is heading off to the academy and they wonder when they'll ever see each other again, but things change for Luke far sooner than he expected and his life is suddenly turned upside down.
A few nights before Biggs' sendoff party found him and Luke lying on their backs in the lookout loft, watching the stars. This was probably the last night they'd ever spend here.
"Biggs, why'd you grow that thing anyway?" Luke was staring at him through the darkness, his nearly-empty mug of ale clutched in one hand and balanced on his belly.
Recently Biggs had started sporting a neatly-trimmed mustache that made him look far older than his twenty-three years. Luke wasn't sure if he didn't like it because of that or because it just made Biggs look different.
"Because it looks good on me," he replied with easy confidence. Luke snorted. "And because I want to strike fear into the hearts of anyone I might encounter." He looked at Luke with a roguish grin.
"Yeah they'll sure be running from you 'cause it looks like something died on your face."
"Hey!"
They were both laughing but Biggs touched his mustache with some apprehension. It was rare for him to be unsure of himself. Luke seemed to be one of the few people who could get him to do that.
"You really think it looks that bad?"
"Nah," Luke answered. "You just look different, that's all."
"Good." The assuredness with which Biggs said that made Luke suddenly sad. Biggs was changing, maturing, leaving to start his life and do other things away from here, and he seemed pleased with it. And why shouldn't he be? Luke was happy for him but at the same time he didn't like it. They were supposed to go together. This wasn't right.
Luke rolled over to face Biggs and put his mug on the loft floor next to him, frowning softly. "It wouldn't be fair if I asked you to stay, would it?"
Biggs glanced at him and then to the opposite wall, quiet for several moments and visibly thinking through his response. "Give it time, Luke. Your uncle can't keep you here for much longer. Before you know it we'll both have our names out there as two of the best pilots in the Outer Rim, maybe even the galaxy. Then none of this'll matter."
Maybe Biggs was right. In two, maybe three years they'd both be graduated and then they could do all the things they always talked about. Then this short time of being apart would be forgotten, a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.
A silent confirmation passed between them. They agreed but it wasn't a happy agreement.
Then Luke reached across to tug at Biggs' mustache but Biggs smacked his hand away. They were both laughing again.
Never, ever in a million years could Luke have anticipated the things that happened to him this past week. If he'd ever been afraid that nothing exciting would ever happen to him, those fears were now squashed and forgotten. In fact, Luke thought to himself, he could sure use a nap. Biggs had come home to visit after a year at the academy and from that point on everything was a whirlwind.
Now all of the sudden Luke was finding himself standing in the middle of the Rebellion's hidden base, a gargantuan, ancient temple on the fourth moon of Yavin. He'd met a smuggler, saved a princess, and started on the path to becoming a Jedi Knight. If only the guys back home could see him now!
Of course, with the good came the bad. He was trying not to dwell on the deaths of his aunt and uncle but the sight of their charred, smoldering corpses would haunt him forever. They were the only parents he'd ever known. He felt terrible that one of the last conversations he'd ever had with his uncle was a disagreement. When everything's said and done Luke wishes he'd told him, just once, how grateful he was, to him and Aunt Beru. While they both had their faults, and Owen and Luke often didn't see eye to eye on things, they were loving and selfless people. Luke couldn't have asked for more from them.
And then only days after beginning his Jedi training, the man known as Ben Kenobi who'd watched over Luke his whole life, and had been a friend and teacher to his father, also met his demise. Luke vowed he'd see to it that Darth Vader paid for his crimes someday. He wished he could have blasted Vader right then and there but he knew it wouldn't have been that easy. In fact, if he hadn't gotten off that Death Star when he did, he probably wouldn't have made it off at all.
The grief was beginning to well up inside him but Luke couldn't let it out yet. He'd been on the move almost constantly since leaving home and simply hadn't gotten the chance. There'd be time later to reflect and learn to let it all go. For now there was too much to do.
He was a member of the Rebellion now and his life had changed forever.
Luke had only managed a handful of hours in the training sims before the Death Star was detected coming into range. He'd volunteered himself as a pilot and had gotten assigned to Red Squadron. They were flying brand new T-65 X-wing starfighters which were top of the line, fresh off an Imperial shipyard and procured by a rebel team weeks ago. The cockpit and handling were stunningly similar to that of a T-16 skyhopper so it didn't take long for Luke to feel right at home at the controls.
He'd gotten immediate praise from his fellow pilots who were impressed by the skills of someone so young and whose experience was rather limited. It felt amazing to be appreciated and accepted so easily, but the looming battle was wracking his nerves. It was exhilarating but terrifying.
After the briefing Luke got changed into his flight suit and was meandering through the hangar bay towards his fighter. He could see Artoo-Detoo already being loaded into the astromech port. Some new pilots were flooding into the hangar, presumably from another shift because Luke hadn't seen them until now.
He ducked under the wing of his fighter, running a hand along its underside, when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.
"Hey, Luke!"
Luke spun around towards the voice without even thinking. It made his heart leap with instant recognition. It couldn't be.
It was! Biggs' smiling face greeted him as he came jogging over, an arm held out wide. Luke couldn't believe his eyes. He grinned harder than he thought possible.
"Biggs!"
"I don't believe it!" Biggs was grinning just as hard and he clapped Luke on the back. Luke wrapped an arm around his shoulder in turn. He'd known that Biggs was planning on abandoning his assigned position on an Imperial frigate and joining the Rebellion but he never could have anticipated running into him by chance like this.
They bantered and caught up and all the while Luke watched his face, feeling as if it were a dream. Biggs always promised that one day they'd meet up again but Luke couldn't believe it was already happening. It seemed like only yesterday he was just barely refraining from begging Biggs not to leave. Now here they were, about to fly together for the Rebel Alliance, just like they'd always planned.
Then it was time to board and Luke and Biggs promised they would tell each other all of their stories when they returned.
"Hey Biggs! I told you I'd make it someday."
"It'll be like old times, Luke. They'll never stop us."
Han Solo didn't watch the pilots as they climbed into their fighters. He busied himself with loading his hard-earned credits into the cargo hold of the Millennium Falcon while trying to ignore the sideways glances Chewbacca was giving him. They didn't need him and he didn't need them. It was some good business, that's all. He got his money and they got their princess back and that was it. Now it was time to leave.
After the gigantic hangar had long since been emptied of its X-wing and Y-wing fighters, Han finally took the Falcon into the sky. They would be alright, he told himself. They had some skilled pilots on their side, and that kid sure knew how to pull it together when he needed to.
Chewbacca made a low rumble next to him.
Han was snapped from his thoughts and without thinking he said, "They'll be fine."
Chewie looked amused. He gave a questioning growl in response.
"No, you're right, I don't care. I was just letting you know that."
The Wookiee seemed even more amused but he only replied with a dismissive 'wumf'. Han sat for a while longer, letting his ship hover in orbit of the moon. He was waiting for the calculations for the jump to lightspeed, he convinced himself. No rush.
But even minutes after the computer had made the calculations and the Falcon was ready and waiting, Han was still sitting in silent contemplation.
"You know, maybe I'd better turn on the local comm, just to check on things. Can't hurt." Han reached over and flipped on the communicator, setting it to the Rebel base's coded frequency. Soon the chatter of pilots could be heard over the Falcon's comm system.
It sounded like an attack run was well on its way. They were fine. They would be just fine.
Wouldn't they?
Then he heard a transmission that made him frown. "Negative, negative. It didn't go in. Just impacted on the surface." That's alright, he told himself. They'd try again.
Suddenly there were shouts and explosions heard over the channel and Han sat up in his seat. Chewbacca moaned a comment about the pilots in a worried tone, the ones who evidently just lost their lives. That was the second attack group. Now Luke would start his run.
Han exchanged a glance with Chewie.
"Maybe we—" Han stopped himself. No. No way was he getting involved. At least, not yet. He'd gotten his money, he was home free. There was no reason to go getting himself killed now. They could still do this on their own. He'd wait until it sounded like they were really in trouble before he even thought about going in there.
He heard Luke's voice over the comm. "We're going in and we're going in full throttle! That ought to keep those fighters off our backs." It stung just a bit and it reminded him of the last thing Luke had said to him back at the base. 'Take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at.'
It wasn't true. Han had helped others plenty of times.
Except so many of these pilots had already died. He hadn't helped them. They were gone for good, and Luke and his two wingmen were the only ones left. If Han had gone in there sooner, maybe—
That's it. Han gripped the Falcon's controls and manipulated the thrusters. Chewbacca growled a question out of surprise. "We're goin' in, Chewie. Hold on tight."
No one else would die if Han had anything to say about it.
"Fighters coming in, point-three!" Wedge Antilles' voice shouted over the comm. Luke saw them, a TIE Advanced and two TIE Fighters flanking it. They were the only enemy fighters left and if they could just outrun them they'd be set.
Moments after that hopeful thought crossed Luke's mind there was laser fire from behind them. It impacted with Wedge's fighter but to Luke's great relief, didn't destroy it. Wedge was limping along at this point, though, and if he stayed any longer he'd likely end up getting hit again or sideline Biggs' ship and kill them both.
"I'm hit! I can't stay with you."
"Get clear, Wedge. You can't do anymore good back there!" Luke ordered.
"Sorry!" Wedge pulled his fighter up and out of the trench. It was just Luke and Biggs now. Those three TIEs were still back there and slowly gaining. If they couldn't figure out a way to get rid of them soon this would be over long before they could reach the exhaust port.
"Hurry, Luke!" Biggs warned over the comm. "They're coming in much faster this time. We can't hold them."
Luke fought to keep his fighter steady while pushing its speed to the limit. "Artoo, try and increase the power!" The little droid bleeped a confirmation and went straight to work.
The TIEs behind them weren't gaining anymore but they were still close enough that Luke and Biggs had to continuously weave to avoid being fired at. Luke wracked his brain, trying to think of a way to lose them.
"Hurry up, Luke!"
Luke wanted to tell Biggs in frustration that he was going as fast as he could. That port wouldn't show up any faster with Biggs nagging him.
"Wait—" There was suddenly panic in Biggs' voice. Luke felt dread flooding him. What was happening? He glanced out of his rear viewport and saw it. The TIE Advanced had locked onto Biggs' fighter.
No! Luke struggled to control his ship but fear had taken over. One more terror-stricken "wait!" came from Biggs over the channel before laser fire flashed behind him and there was an explosion.
