The New Republic world of Nuldarra shone brightly through the windows of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit as it exited hyperspace and entered a designated inbound path to make its approach. The planet was described all over the galaxy as the most beautiful in the entire Outer Rim and even from this far away, you could see the reputation was well deserved. A bright green and blue gem with orderly activity teeming all about, it contrasted remarkably against the cold black backdrop of space. There were four large space stations orbiting this side of the lively world with what looked like dozens of small ships moving between them in distinct lanes. The largest station hovering above the equator of the planet was hosting a huge New Republic cruiser recognizable by its distinctive blue stripes running from bow to stern along with an array of deadly cannons marking all sides of the hull.
Lanes of traffic inbound and outbound to the planet were also visible containing multiple slow moving ships ranging from goods transport to passenger craft and many other types in between. The vitality of the scene in front of them made both Lara and Finn marvel at how long it had been since either of them had been on or near any system that one would describe as "populated"
"I've got a bad feeling about this.", he remarked. "It won't be long till someone here recognizes us and word gets back to Xirane."
"He really doesn't want to come here.", she re-emphasized. "Trust me."
Finn shot her a skeptical look, but did not press the issue any further. Her outward cold confidence didn't make him feel any better about the situation but he was beginning to realize that arguing with Lara usually did little to no good. Instead, he swiveled his seat and flipped on the monitor next to him to start scanning the surface. He had actually never been to Nuldarra and was curious as to what the surface looked like. He wasn't very far into his visual inspection, though, before a voice crackled over the Falcon's comm channel.
"Millennium Falcon", the stern voice declared. "Adjust heading to course 358-B approach vector. Landing pad 12A has been cleared for you."
"Welcome home, ma'am.", it continued. "Madame President is eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"Special Royal treatment?", Finn remarked in an inquisitive tone.
"Something like that.", Lara deadpanned before turning to BB-8. "Follow the course they gave us."
The droid spun around in his station, little metal appendages pressing buttons and flicking switches furiously. The Falcon banked towards the station where the New Republic ship they had noticed earlier was and adjusted course, merging into a moderately busy stream of craft inbound to the planet. As they followed the line of traffic towards Nuldarra, the cruiser became larger and larger until it blocked almost their entire view. It was colossal, with sharp clean lines gleaming brightly in the light from Nuldarra's sun.
"THAT's an impressive ship.", Finn proclaimed as they slowly flew past the giant craft.
"What's a warship doing here?" Lara wondered aloud. "The New Republic hasn't been real keen on patrolling the outer rim since the Civil War ended."
"Maybe it has something to do with the business we just left behind at Anoth", he puzzled. "It isn't too far from here."
Lara had or was offering no answer so they continued in silence, the cruiser slowly disappearing from their view as the Falcon passed it. Features on the planet were becoming visible as their approach vector swung towards a large continent in the south. Large areas of green forests with a complex river system winding through it nestled up against a small mountain range near the coast. What looked like small desert areas dotted the landscape further inland on the other side of the range and a giant lake sat near the center of the landmass. As they exited their inbound lane about two kilometers above the surface, their destination came into view, two very large metropolitan areas at the foot of a mountain plateau.
BB-8 chirped excitedly, breaking the trance that Finn seemed to be in while absorbing the beautiful view on approach
"Yeah, I'm sure he's gonna be there.", Lara answered.
As an excited response from the droid echoed throughout the cockpit, Finn found himself giving up on trying to predict what was coming next.
I hope she's right about this place was about the only rational thought he had left.
Landing pad 12A was actually ON the high plateau, with an expansive view out over miles of the planet's breathtaking surface. Upon their touchdown, Lara and Finn could see all the way to the sparkling blue ocean far beyond the cities below that they saw on their inbound flight. Small craft zipped all around the landing area and in the airspace above the two massive population centers below making the sky here seem just as busy with traffic as the space around the planet.
Lara shut down most of the cockpit controls in front of her and instructed BB-8 to finish up the Falcon's landing cycle while she and Finn made their way off the ship. The droid excitedly beeped and chirped compliance as they got out of their seats and headed out towards the exit. Her heart was beating furiously upon approaching the landing ramp but it wasn't with excitement like her little electronic companion was showing. For her, a flood of conflicting emotions was bubbling beneath her seemingly calm exterior. How long had it been since she had been here…eight years? How were they going to react to seeing her again? How was SHE going to react? It all seemed so overwhelming now that she was actually here. It was way too much to process. Maybe Finn was right, this was a bad idea coming here…she wasn't ready for it. She suddenly felt the need to turn around and sprint back to the cockpit so they could take off, negating the need for her to face this. As that thought crystalized in her mind, however, the hiss of the ramp hydraulics filled the air, breaking her concentration and keeping her from fleeing.
Do this! Lara spoke to herself as the ramp lowered. They're your family. They deserve that much.
Finn ducked his head as he reached the bottom of the Falcon's exit ramp. Lara had already departed a few steps in front of him and as he cleared the ship not only could he see her again, but the entirety of the mountaintop landing area came into his view. The whole place looked like a combination of a stately residence mixed with a military fortress. Facades of regal looking housing units jutted out from the rock walls of the mountains alongside what looked like barracks for the myriad of soldiers and pilots milling around the landing pads. Multiple large open rectangular hangars were cut into the rock face about a hundred meters above where Finn and Lara now stood along with two enormous closed hangar doors above the smaller ones covering holds that could most likely each house a medium sized cruiser. Still higher was a large transparisteel dome sitting on an outcropping with antennas poking out of it in all directions. Finn surmised this dome served as the entire operation's control center….all in all a very impressive sight for what Lara said was her "home".
About fifty meters in the distance Finn noticed a male and female human standing together side by side with a giant Wookie. They looked to be older, maybe in their sixties and Finn was starting to understand that these people were probably of some importance, for standing behind these three was what looked like a small security detail diligently scanning them and the entire landing area. There was also a middle aged man on the fringe of the group wearing an orange jumpsuit who Finn guessed was a pilot of some sort. Lara, who was still a few steps ahead of Finn turned back and silently motioned for him to catch up to her. As he hastened his stride and approached the group, the gray haired human male crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled.
"What have you done to my ship?", the man spoke to Lara in a gruff voice.
He was a tall handsome man with steely eyes and lines on his face that told the story of a lifetime of adventure. Something about him actually seemed familiar to Finn. Looking closer at the woman standing next to him, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her face somewhere also.
"YOUR ship, Admiral Solo?", Lara countered. "Did you forget that you gave it to me? Besides, I've taken care of it better than you ever did."
"Those scorch marks all over the hull….guess they were always there?", he replied pointing behind them in the direction of the Falcon.
"I'm pretty sure they were.", she shot back, nodding before cracking a smile then running towards and embracing him in a strong hug.
"Hi dad.", she continued, pressing her head on his chest.
"Been a long time, Kid.", he commented as Lara raised her head. He returned her smile and gently tousled her dirty hair. "How many years? Six? Eight? I was starting to wonder if we would EVER see you again."
The stately looking woman was smiling at this reunion also, but Finn could see tears welling in her eyes. She stepped closer to Lara as the Admiral released his embrace. Finn was sure that this had to be Lara's mother. He could now see the strong resemblance with them being so close and facing each other. Was Lara almost crying now, too?, he thought as he observed the interaction unfolding in front of him.
"It's so good to see you again, Lara.", the woman remarked while obviously fighting back tears of happiness. "We all have missed you so much."
She stepped closer to Lara and like her father before her, gave her daughter a tender hug. Tears began to flow from both of them as they embraced lovingly, both clinging tightly to each other, neither one seeming to want to break away. The moment was suddenly interrupted, however, by a loud roar from the huge Wookie. Lara turned towards the fur covered creature, but before she could do or say anything it scooped her up off the ground like a child's toy in yet another fierce embrace for the young girl.
"I missed all of you…including you Chewie", she exclaimed, laughing while suspended in the Wookie's arms, her legs dangling about three feet above the ground.
Recognition suddenly came to Finn. Admiral Solo…Chewie, short for Chewbacca, he thought. He now realized who Lara's mother was. She was Leia Organa, former president of the New Republic. Her husband was Han Solo, member of The Rebellion against The Empire thirty years ago, all of them standing here in front of him on this mountainside landing platform. Finn was absolutely dumbfounded. The girl he had saved from death at the hands of his ex-gang's leader was the daughter of two of the biggest heroes the galaxy had ever known. He now understood why Lara had no doubts about the small-time Falleen criminal not wanting to follow them here to Nuldarra.
"Please tell us you've come home to stay.", Leia said to Lara as the Wookie gently set her down.
"I honestly haven't even thought that far ahead.", Lara remarked in a low voice. "The last few days have gone by like a whirlwind. This might sound disappointing to you, but we arrived here because we've been on the run from some trouble."
Both parents' faces soured at hearing this and Chewbacca let out a low growl of what could only have been disapproval.
"But we're here now and that's all that matters, right?", Lara continued with a forced smile, unsuccessfully trying to calm her family's fears.
"What kind of TROUBLE are you talking about here?", Han asked. He folded his arms and scowled again, looking exactly like he did a few moments ago when they arrived. This time however, it was apparent he was much more serious.
"It's a long story…one that I would love to tell all of you over a nice hot meal.", she replied, trying to deflect the tension that had suddenly appeared. "Hopefully, you don't do the cooking anymore, dad. I'm actually looking forward to something edible."
Han shrugged and looked around with an aghast look on his face.
"What did I do to deserve THIS treatment?", he said incredulously to anyone who would want to come to his defense. No one seemed to want to take him up on it, though. Not the least of whom was his Wookie companion. Chewbacca simply let out a guttural belly laugh and slapped the Admiral hard on the back, knocking him forward a step.
"I won't let your father anywhere near a kitchen.", Leia said laughing. "We'll let actual professionals prepare a dinner for us so we can hear all about your adventures"
"Are you going to introduce us to your friend?", she continued, shooting a glance at Finn who had been standing next to Lara with what looked like awe on his face this whole time.
"Oh, yes….yes….sorry.", Lara stammered. "This is Finn. We met just before the…uh…trouble I mentioned earlier"
"You're part of the LONG story?", Leia directed at the young man with a smirk on her face.
"Yes, Madame President.", Finn stated as he stepped forward and to Lara's surprise, bowed his head. "Let me say it's an honor to be in the presence of Galactic Royalty. You, the Admiral and all the people that you fought with saved the galaxy."
"Thank you, Finn.", she said after a moment's pause. "But please don't exalt me or any of us for that matter. We are all normal people, not royalty, and we are happy to have you here."
Finn smiled and nodded when a loud squeal emanated from behind them, in the direction of the Millennium Falcon. Finn and Lara turned to see BB-8 rolling down the landing ramp and towards them at top speed, beeping and whistling excitedly like a pet seeing his master come home after being away a long time.
"BB-!", cried the dark haired pilot that had been standing silently near the security group.
The little droid continued his frantic sprint towards them, but Finn now realized that the rolling blur of orange and white was heading straight for the pilot. BB-8 darted slightly to the right of them and just as he was about two meters from the man in the jumpsuit, the little droid sprung off the ground, launching itself in an arc towards him. The pilot snatched the little metal ball right out of the air and a smile as wide as one of the hangar doors above them appeared on his face.
"Thanks for taking care of him, Lara.", the man said, still grinning as the droid continued his crazy mechanical sounds of excitement.
"I promised you I would, Poe.", she replied. "The little guy has been about the most valuable and loyal droid I have even been around…just like you said he would be. He took care of ME more than I did him."
"Glad to hear it.", he continued. "It's great to see you again. We have a lot of catching up to do."
"Yes we do.", Lara answered, noticing for the first time the colors on his flight suit. "Looks like you've gotten promoted. Bet there's a few good stories behind that."
Poe Dameron, seemingly still one of the best pilots the New Republic had ever seen, spoke in return. "You bet there is. I can't wait to fill you in."
More smiles were exchanged between the family and friends all gathered together on the plateau before the group began to breakup. Poe continued talking to the beeping little droid he had just been reunited with as he turned and headed off to what looked like a small fuel depot near one of the mechanic stations dotting the entire landing area. Chewbacca rounded up the small contingent of security personnel and escorted them in the opposite direction while some gray suited workers shuffled by the remainder of them to start maintenance on the Falcon. Eventually only Finn, Lara and her parents remained.
"Let's get you two cleaned up so you can rest a bit before we eat.", Leia decided. "We'll get you each a room where you can stay while you are here…hopefully for a while."
"Sounds like a great idea.", Lara agreed.
As the four of them began to make their way off the platform and she felt her father draw her close by draping his arm over her shoulder, Lara realized something that she had forgotten. You could grow up, move around the huge galaxy, run from problems and even try to run from yourself. The love of your family, however, would always remain. She didn't believe in fate or destiny and she didn't want to believe in being beholden to things in her life that were out of her control. She had come to believe today, though, that she belonged close to these people and that she needed to remain that way.
