"Wait, what?" asked Leia as she whipped her head around to stare at Luke, her brown eyes wide and questioning as she waited for him to explain himself.

Luke sighed, "I need to borrow the Falcon for a few days."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she set whatever report she had been reading through down and turned around to provide Luke with her undivided attention. It was obvious that she would approve of Luke taking the Millennium Falcon to go gallivanting across the galaxy for some stranger, but he had really no option. The Force was beckoning him to help whoever it was that had contacted him and who was he to disobey the Force?

"Why?" she asked.

"Someone contacted me earlier today," he said before adding, "they need my help."

"Do you know who this person is?" she asked in all seriousness. Leia had always been a suspicious person and she was well within her rights to be so. She was a leader of the Rebellion and she had to be alert at all times for suspicious activity.

"Well no," admitted Luke sheepishly, "but they're confused and scared and they called out to me-"

"And where is this person right now?" said Leia as she crossed her arms.

When Luke had received the message, he had gotten a general sense of where it had come from and although he didn't know the exact location, he was certain that it had come from somewhere in the Outer Rim territories near Dathomir. He had pulled up a Star map and looked at all the neighboring systems before the Force had directed him to two separate star systems not far from Dathomir.

The message had either come from the Ben'alli system or the Mogaru system, each containing a handful of planets that were capable of supporting life.

Luke would simply have to trust in the Force to direct him to the right planet.

"Either the Mogaru system or the Ben'alli system," he said sheepishly as confusion spread over her soft features, "they're near Dathomir."

"Dathomir?" she said with surprise, "that's about a day's travel."

"Yes, and I need to leave as soon as possible," he said with pleading eyes as he stared down at the Princess. This person was scared and confused and they needed his help and Luke could tell that they were in danger, but from what he had no idea.

"Well I guess I can't stop you," she said as she pulled herself up to her feet, "and I suppose that if you're going then so shall I."

"Leia-" he began before she interrupted him.

"No Luke," she said as she placed her hands on her hips adamantly, "either we go together or we don't go at all."

Luke sighed as he shook his head. Leia had a way of getting what she wanted because of her adamancy and determination, and if she wanted to go come along then there was nothing that could stop her from doing so.

Leia was perfectly capable of handling herself and it might be a good thing to have someone else with him in case they ran into danger.

"Fine," he said with a small smile, "be ready in fifteen, I'm going to go get the ship ready."

"I'll go inform Mon Mothma," she said as they both walked out of the room that she had been using as an office for the past few weeks since Bespin. She had practically buried herself in her work ever since the events on Cloud City and losing Han had taken its toll on her.

She was busy trying to find a way to rescue him from Jabba the Hutt and it showed. She had large bags under her eyes and it was obvious that she wasn't sleeping as much as she should be, nor was she eating as much either.

Luke wasn't in a much better state himself and he too was tired and still reeling from the physical and emotional trauma that had been inflicted by his own Father. But at the end of the day, he and Leia had escaped and they would continue to fight, no matter the obstacles.

Luke could always depend on Leia to have his back and vice versa.

Luke made his way into the hangar and walked over to where the Falcon was in all its Correlian glory and he smiled lightly at the memory of Han and how much pride he put into it. This was Han's ship and it just didn't feel right having it here without him or taking it without his permission, but Solo wasn't here and they needed a ship.

"Hey Lando," said Luke as soon as he spotted him and Chewie working on a few minor repairs to the ship.

"Luke," said Lando in greeting as he pulled himself away from his work and smiled up at the blond man, "what can I help you with?"

"I need to borrow the Falcon for a few days," he said, "Leia and I are going on a small mission."

"Where too?" he asked as Chewie roared out.

"Either the Ben'alli system or the Mogaru system depending on where the Force leads us," he said with a small shake of his head, "you ever been to either of those systems?"

"I've been to the Ben'alli system before but there isn't much out there. Just a few settlements and a couple of trade routes, nothing big. What are guys hoping to find out there?" he asked with curiosity.

"There's someone there who needs my help," said Luke as he shifted his weight to the other foot, "at least I think there is."

"How do you know they need your help?" asked Lando with raised eyebrows.

"I can sense them," said Luke confidently.

It felt silly trying to explain the mysterious will of the Force to someone who was not sensitive to it or who had never felt its callings. Some people understood, but there were those who did not and believed the Force to be some sort of hokey religion. There was so much that was unknown about the Jedi and their ways and a lot of people across the galaxy had all but forgotten about the mystical religious sect who had once defended the Republic. It was easy to do so after so much knowledge was destroyed by the Empire after the Purge.

Lando nodded in understanding before a large smile appeared on his face and he clasped Luke on the back, "Well you two be careful, ya hear? If Han ever found out that something bad happened to the Princess then he'd have our heads for sure."

Chewie roared in agreement and glowered down at Luke as if warning him to protect Leia or else. Luke would never let anything bad happen to the Princess, but at the same time, he knew that Leia could easily handle herself in any situation. She was a Rebel and was perfectly capable of handling herself without Luke or anyone else to protect her, and she made sure everyone else knew that.

"Don't worry Chewie, I won't let anything happen to her," he said to reassure the Wookiee.

"Watch out for Imperial scout ships," said Lando in warning, "these last few years they've increased their presence in more remote systems, including the Ben'alli and the Mogaru system. They're looking for Rebel bases and if they find you there-"

"We'll be fine, Lando," said Leia as she came to stand next to Luke, her eyes lingering in distrust on Calrissian. She was still bitter about the events on Bespin and while she tried not to hold a grudge against the man, there would always be a part of her that would associate Lando with betrayal.

"I've just informed Mothma that we're leaving," she said as she diverted her attention to Luke. "We have four days before we are expected back."

"Long enough to get there and find whoever contacted me."

"Do you have any idea who this person is you're going to find?" asked Lando, "I mean you've never met them before, who's to say they don't have bad intentions?"

"They don't," said Luke confidently, "they're scared and confused, but I felt no hostility from them. They didn't even know who I was and the Force is telling me I can trust them."

"Well who am I to question the Force?" said Lando as he picked up Leia's bags and walked up the ramp to the Falcon and placing them down.

Leia rolled her eyes before grabbing the Wookie in a hug and saying her farewell to Chewie and the rest of her friends in the hangar before joining Luke onboard the Falcon, her eyes lingering over Artoo.

"You're taking him?" she said as she motioned towards the R2 Unit

"Where I go Artoo goes," said Luke as he patted his domed friend.

"I still don't understand your attachment to that droid," she said with a playful smile as she took her seat in the co-pilots chair.

Artoo beeped as he bumped into Luke's leg and Luke smiled down at his small friend. He didn't know why he felt such an attachment to Artoo but ever since he had found him on Tatooine they had been inseparable. The Droid was loyal to him but he had no idea why, but he was thankful that he could always depend on him.

"Artoo is more than a droid," said Luke as he revved the engine and made his way out of the hangar, "he's my friend."

Leia said nothing as she leaned back in her seat and stared out at the blue hyperdrive waves that surrounded the ship, her eyes occasionally coming to stare at Luke. She could tell that he was anxious to get to whoever this person was so that he could help them and she couldn't blame him.

Somehow, Leia could sense that Luke was telling the truth when he said that this person was scared and confused, but she was still suspicious. She wasn't like Luke who could just feel and depend on the Force all the time, and she knew that she would never be able to do so like him.

Then again she had heard him on Cloud City. She had felt his pain and his calls to her from where he hung without his hand and in emotional distress.

It had felt so natural and right being able to feel him and it was a feeling that Leia would never forget.

"So where do you think this person is?" asked Leia as she broke the silence between them. She knew that Luke didn't know exactly where the message had come from and that he was blindly trusting in the Force to lead him to the right place.

Luke shook his head, his blue eyes looking far-a-way and Leia could tell that he was reaching out in the Force to find the answer to that question.

"I think they're in the Ben'alli system," he said after a few moments of silence, "but I'm not sure which planet in the system that they're on."

"How many planets are there that are capable of sustaining life?"

"Four," said Luke as he swiveled his chair around, "from what I've been told, it's a remote system with a few settlements and trade routes, but not much else."

"I've never even heard of the system before," said Leia absentmindedly, "I hope this person will be smart enough as to not draw much attention to them, especially if there is an Imperial presence in the system."

Luke nodded in agreement, "it's obvious they have had Force training and I think they may be a Jedi, but I can't be sure."

"If that's the case, we need to bring them to the Alliance," she said as she thought about what it would mean for the Rebellion to have another Jedi in their ranks, "that is if the Empire doesn't capture them first."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen," said Luke as he looked over the navigation panel, "we should be arriving in the system within the next ten hours if all goes well. In the meantime, I think I'm going to go meditate."

"That's fine," said Leia as she began digging around in her bag, "I think I might go read one of my holo-novels."

Luke shook his head playfully as Leia pulled out one of her holo-novels that she passionately loved. The Princess was a bookworm and could always be found with her nose buried in one when she had free time and Luke admired her for that. Luke liked to occasionally read but his passion lied in flying and as of recent he could be found meditating and practicing moves with his saber then he could be found with a book.

Luke made his way into the interior of the ship before settling down on a blanket on the floor and slowly tuning out his physical senses. He opened himself up to the Force and let his mind wander out into the sheer vastness that surrounded the galaxy.

He slowly reached out to the mysterious force user through their bond and waited to see if he would get a response from them. It was strange that they seemed to have a natural bond between them when they had never met each other and Luke wondered why their connection had been so spontaneous.

"Luke," came a familiar voice, forcing Luke to open his eyes and break the connection between him and the mysterious Force user.

"Ben," breathed out Luke as he looked up at the familiar blue figure of his former Master, "what are you doing here?"

"I came because there has been a disturbance in the Force," said Ben as he began to stroke his chin as his face got a far-away look, "a powerful disturbance."

"I know," said Luke, "I felt it."

"I doubt there were any Force users who didn't," chuckled Ben before his face got serious again and he returned his stare down at the blond-haired man sitting on the mat.

"Someone contacted you," it was not a question but a statement.

"Yes someone did. I think they're the reason behind the disturbance," said Luke as she uncrossed his legs and leaned back on his hands.

"And now you're going to go and find them," said Ben as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Do you know who it is?" asked Luke hopefully.

Ben paused for a moment before he nodded his head, "yes, I know who he is."

Ben's face twisted in pain and grief for a moment before becoming stoic again and Luke got the sense that this person had once been a close friend with Ben at one point. It was obvious that the thought of this person brought the older man emotional pain to just think about and it made Luke wonder just how Ben knew this person.

"A friend of yours?" asked Luke softly.

Ben nodded, "once upon a time, yes."

"Do you know where he is?" asked Luke.

"He's on Ben'we, the third planet in the system," said Ben, "he's alone and confused. I would go to him but it would only confuse him."

"I could sense that he's anxious about something," said Luke as he licked his lips. "Does the Empire know that he's there?"

"Yes," said Ben with a shake of his head, "Darth Vader is searching for him as we speak."

"Vader?" asked Luke as he scrambled to his feet, "we need to get to him before Father finds him!"

"Indeed," agreed Ben, "you cannot let Vader find him before us, or I'm afraid it will only spell disaster."

"Just who is this person?" asked Luke as he ran an agitated hand through his blond hair, "and what did they do to cause such a disturbance?"

Ben pursed his lips, "I can't tell you who he is, but I can tell you that he is someone who you can trust. He is alone and confused and in need of your help and it is imperative that he is not found by Vader."

"Because Vader will kill him?"

"No, if Vader knew who he was he would not kill him, at least wouldn't if he had any sense of self-preservation," said Kenobi with a snort. "There is no telling what Vader would do if he found him, but he would not kill him. Of that, I am certain."

"Why not?" asked Luke.

"Because Vader's existence depends on this Jedi. He wouldn't dare kill him."

Luke shook his head, "I don't understand."

Ben shook his head sadly, "the Force works in mysterious ways, Luke. The Force has seen fit the correct the mistakes that were made in the past by showing this Jedi the consequences of his actions," said Kenobi with a far-away look in his glazed over eyes, "but I don't understand why they chose to bring such a young version of him here. He hasn't even completed his trials-" said Ben as his words started to fade away, his mind going deep into thought as he stroked his beard.

Luke could tell that there something bothering the old Jedi, but it didn't seem as though Ben would make Luke privy to just what was going on in that blue head of his, which annoyed Luke to a fault. It was just like Kenobi to go keeping secrets from him again.

"I must go speak with Yoda," said Ben as he finally snapped out his reverie, "he would know why the Force would do such a thing."

"What are you talking about? What did the Force do?" pleaded Luke as he tried to make sense of what the old Master was saying.

"I will tell you in time, but for now, you need to find this Jedi and protect him. Whatever you do you must not let him fall into Vader's hand or I'm afraid everything will be lost," said Ben as his figure started to fade away.

Luke stared at the spot where his old Master had once stood and exhaled as he got his emotions under control. Whatever it was that Ben was hiding from him he would soon know, but just what was it that he would find out?

He could sense that something big was about to happen and he wished that Ben would stop being so secretive with him. It was annoying and irritating and Luke was still angry with Yoda and Ben for lying to him about his own father and he would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling betrayed by them.

Luke shook his head as he stared down at the mat. His mind was far too busy to return to its meditative state and he could only roll the mat up as he made his way into the lounge to see if he could find anything to eat.

Whoever this Jedi was, Luke would find him.

But he had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy