Chapter 142

A loud blaring sound caused Ari to wake with a start. She shifted and then winced, her neck stiff and sore. She opened her eyes and attempted to stretch, which wasn't easy to do in the cockpit. Then she realized what was making that sound. A communication of some sort.

Curious, she played it and saw Luke's features appear on the viewscreen. "Ari, I know you must have done well and are probably tired from all your travels, but there is a change in plans. I am sending you the coordinates for a new location. I assure you that when you arrive, you can get some time to rest. I am sending you the coordinates now. I will see you soon." He smiled and the message ended.

"R4, do you have the coordinates?" She knew there must be a reason that Luke would tell her to meet him elsewhere instead of Coruscant. The question was what? It sounded like it should be something easy to deal with, especially compared to what she had just been through.

R4 beeped in affirmation.

"Can you change our course?" They came out of lightspeed with a jerk and R4 quickly calculated the change. Ari knew she could have done it, but she's wasn't exactly certain where they were and she knew R4 could pin point it in just a second.

It only took R4 a moment before there was the familiar tug as the ship entered lightspeed again. Ari knew she should question where they were going, but instead, she just curled up again and fell asleep.

Ari awoke to beeping and immediately knew the cause. "Thanks, R4." That sound could only be the warning they were about to reenter real space at their destination. The droid beeped in response as the streaks of stars changed. Real space appeared around them, but Ari was focusing on the planet. One she recognized immediately though it had been many years.

"R4?" she asked after a moment. "Are you sure those coordinates are right?"

The droid beeped and affirmative and Ari just nodded. How? Why? Why would Luke want them there? Though she left at the age of eight, there were a lot of memories there. On her homeworld. Naboo.

Ari took over the controls as the beautiful green and blue orb grew larger. She was so happy to see it, but worried the world would be different. Not the same Naboo she remembered. The Naboo she loved.

The sound of the comm. broke her from her thoughts. She sent her information to the air officials, able to use her real name. She had a few aliases she had used during the war, but the war was over.

"Thank you, Jedi Narabe. Please keep your present course. Your docking bay is twenty five."

"Thank you."

As they entered atmosphere, she could see more of the land. From this distance, it looked the same. Blue water, green land with lush vegetation. It looked familiar so far and she felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe Naboo had survived the war without too much damage.

Flying over the capital, she felt her heart leap into her throat. It was all so familiar, yet different from how she remembered it. Yet, she had an eight year old perspective at that time. So much had changed since then.

She landed the ship and just sat there for a moment. She was still tired, but she doubted she would be able to rest now that she was on Naboo. There was so much to see. So many places she wanted to see again.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She was a Jedi. She could be calm. She wasn't going to close control of her emotions as soon as she set her feet on the ground.

She opened the cockpit and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Once she was certain the lightsaber and holocron wouldn't fall out, she stepped onto the wing, balancing until she reached the end. From there, she jumped to the ground, landing crouched, cat like, boots making only a faint sound on the ground. She checked her things. Everything was still there and intact. She turned her attention back to the droid. "R4, you can recharge if you want." She imagined that the droid would need more than that. Maybe an oil bath would follow.

The droid beeped a question and she checked the translator. "No, I don't know where we are going to be, but I know there are charging stations around here."

"Or I could just tell you both where we are staying," a familiar voice came from the shadows. Ari turned and smiled as Luke appeared. He was wearing his dark cloak, though the hood was pulled back. Under the robe, Ari could see the dark clothing that usually preferred.

"That could be helpful," Ari answered, walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him return the hug.

"How did your trials fare?" he asked after a moment, letting her go.

"I did it," she answers. She set the bag on the floor and then pulled out the lightsaber first. "This belonged to Master Yoda." She turned it on and the green blade appeared. She waved the hilt, the blade humming in the air. It still felt clumsy in her hand though it could offer a lot of insight into lightsabers. She pressed the button again and the blade disappeared. She handed it to Luke, who carefully inspected it, just like she knew he would.

"I got this too." She took out the holocron and carefully handed it to him. "A Jedi Holocron. We can learn so much. How they taught other Jedi, the lessons they prepared and even more. The thoughts of the Jedi, the teachings."

"Did you already look through it?" he asked, taking it from her, looking at it.

"No, but it should be there if it has the teachings of the Jedi," she answered, certain of it. Why else would it have been hidden? The Emperor didn't want anyone else to have it.

"We'll go through it after you have some time to rest. You look tired."

Ari gave a deep sigh. "I am. I have a lot to tell you about." Then, she looked around the hanger again. "Though I think you do too. Why Naboo?"

"It's your homeworld."

"I know," she replied. "But we have so much work to do, I thought we'd stay on Coruscant."

"I told Leia we would only be a few days, but that we needed a few days away."

"Everyone could use one," Ari commented. In a way, it felt wrong to be taking a vacation while everyone else was working hard. Yet, she wanted to be here. Needed to be here. It was Naboo. It was home. "And while I was looking forward to sleep, I can't sleep now." She could already feel the weariness leave her body. Yes, there were buildings all around, but the nature shone through. She could feel it through the Force.

Luke smiled. "Want to show me around Theed?"

Ari nodded, smiling. She took Luke's hand, then led the way out of the hanger and into the sunlight.