Luke hugged Leia, who had come with Rey and Ben to see Han, Jaina, and Jacen off.
"I'm happy to hear you're all safe," he said. "I heard about the trouble on Coruscant. I've sent some of my best to take a look into it."
"And me," Rey said with a small smile. "Besides being the Supreme Leader's bodyguard."
Ben rolled his eyes endearingly.
"It hasn't done well for our relations with the Hapes Consort," Ben admitted. "They believe the Remnant was behind the attack. The Remnant believes that the New Republic did it to frame them, and it's just a mess."
"The Jedi I sent, or Kira, will get to the bottom of this," Luke promised. "Mara promised to check it out if none of them can find it."
"Thank you, Uncle Luke, you've done so much for me," Ben said, and he looked to his children. "Be good and stay out of trouble, will you?"
"I'll try," Han said.
"I will," Jacen told him.
"I probably won't," Jaina admitted.
Ben affectionately rumpled her hair like she was ten, not fourteen.
"Try anyway, Jaya," he said. "I love you. I love all of you."
The departure was interrupted by a girl of eleven who tackled Han to the ground in a hug.
"Ani!" she cried. "Gods I missed you!"
"Missed you too!" he managed to squeak out.
"Sorry," the girl said, suddenly realizing her mistake. She leapt to her feet and pulled Han up with her. She smiled and dusted off her Jedi tunic and pants.
"Nice to see you again, Tahiri," Rey said brightly. "I trust your studies have been going well?"
"Very well," Tahiri agreed. "Master Horn-Bridger is teaching me all sorts of things, like how to go into a trance and see stuff like the future and she said she'll start teaching me how to use a lightsaber this week!"
"Sounds exciting," Rey remarked with a sly glance at Ben. "If you ever need any help, ask me. I taught Jaina, Jacen, and Han all they know."
Ben and Luke simultaneously snorted.
Rey rolled her eyes. "Your lack of faith is disturbing. Anyways, Jaina, listen to your father, Jacen, listen to your uncle, and Han. . . You and Tahiri have fun, alright?"
"Alright," the three Solo children chorused. A part of Jaina hated watching her parents and Grandma Leia go. She'd suppressed this ever since she was a child-she remembered all too well the first night she realized that Coruscant wasn't safe for them and Anch-To was.
She plastered the political smile she'd been trained as Rey and Ben smiled apologetically, affectionately before the door of the shuttle had closed. They took off, and the three children, Tahiri, and Luke were standing at the landing bay.
"Come on," Luke said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Jacen, Tenel Ka arrived."
"Oh, thanks," Jacen said, and he ran off faster than either Han or Jaina had remembered without use of the Force. Jaina frowned, hating how he was cutting her off-again. Han glanced at her with an apologetic look on his face.
Can I?
Fine, Jaina replied. Han grinned and turned to Tahiri.
"Mind if I give you some tips on how to use a lightsaber?" Han asked her.
"Please do," Tahiri answered. Han then took her hand and the two ran off. Jaina suppressed what she felt, the pangs of loneliness, the fear of abandonment. Logically, she knew there was nothing to fear, she knew her brothers and parents and grandmother loved her, but the feeling still persisted.
She and Luke walked along the path. The silent contemplative atmosphere made her think of her nightmares. Ever since the attack, she'd been dreaming of a dark-haired woman who resembled her father, one with a robotic tattoo, morphing into an android with a light-whip and very human yellow eyes.
She dreamed of wielding red lightsabers alongside this woman. Jaina hadn't told Jacen about it, but she knew, like she knew anything and everything about him, that he had the same dream, except he was standing in her place.
Jaina wondered if she should tell Luke about it-but a nightmare was a nightmare, and surely she was braver than that-right? Right?
She sighed and kicked at one of the rocks. She was happy to be wearing her more worn boots and Jedi robes rather than the restrictive dress code of Coruscant. Rey always told her that she didn't like it much either, but it was the way things were. Force, she hated that phrase.
Still, Jaina followed Luke to the cottage, where Mara sat inside, cleaning her flamethrower and sharpening her vibroblades. Only a few streaks of red had remained as stubborn as she, and instead her hair had faded to white and gray.
"Hello Jaya," she said pleasantly, looking up from her flamethrower. "Glad to see you and your brothers made it. Want to help me clean?"
"Sure," Jaina said, and she entered the hut, sitting down next to her aunt while Luke sat on the bed cross-legged. Or attempted to.
"Shoes off, Farmboy," Mara scolded.
Luke grumbled something under his breath as he removed his boots. Jaina couldn't help but smile at things like this. While she'd rather be a Jedi Knight, going on grand adventures in the Millennium Falcon, she didn't mind little moments like these. She grabbed her grandmother's DL-44 and began polishing it. She knew the inner workings of such mechanics like she knew the moles and freckles on her face and hands.
They sat in a content silence.