Chapter 4: Consequences
As they entered hyperspace, the siblings breathed a sigh of relief.
Han did as well, but then turned around as if that was nothing.
"See? Not a problem at all." he mildly boasted with a relaxed posture.
"Ok." Jaral conceded with a friendly smile. "I guess you might be a good challenge even for our pilot."
Han assumed a slightly more serious posture on the seat. "So you two...are the siblings I've heard about? The leaders of the Rebellion?" he asked.
They had already understood that the man had realized it, so they weren't surprised. "I didn't expect you to know about the Rebellion." Ezra still said.
"I've actually worked for some of your cells, smuggling small ships or supplies. But I understand you two might've been too busy to notice."
"So, can we assume that you know that we will keep our promises about your payment and you won't sell us to the Empire?" Jaral asked.
"Relax, oh Great Leader, in my experience, you guys pay way better than the Empire."
"Marvelous." the Grand Marshall concluded. "We'll leave you do your job, then. Come on, Ezra, let's go check on the others."
"Copy that." Ezra quipped as they both stood up from the passenger seats and left the cockpit.
They walked back toward the lounge of the freighter. The dejarik table and the sofa did remind them a bit of the Ghost, but the rest was nothing like it.
The corridors had various rectangular soft tiles which gave it a white color, while the rooms were of simple durasteel and full of various consoles. The lounge, as well, didn't have many other things for relaxing, aside the dejarik spot.
Still, they concluded that they could accept it for the trip.
"All right, we are safe, for now." Jaral declared. "We should reach Alderaan in 20 hours."
Ezra turned toward the astromech, who was standing next to the sofa and just now he was releasing his magnetic locks.
"R2, are the plans still in there?"
The droid beeped affirmatively.
Obi-Wan spoke to Luke. "Then I say it's a good time for you to start learning, Luke. Are you ready?"
Luke didn't hesitate. "I am."
The old Jedi Master thus rose up from the sofa, allowing Luke to exit from his spot, as well.
"You want to join us?" Obi-Wan asked to the siblings.
"In a minute." Ezra replied. "We want to record a brief message for our father and send it as soon as we hit a relatively safe system. To let our people know that we're ok."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Good. I'll introduce Luke to the basics of the Force and of the lightsabers. I'm sure he'll benefit from your assistance as his...senior students."
The siblings chuckled lightly. "We'll see what we can do." Jaral replied before they went to find a more secluded place.
After they found it into the storage room, Jaral turned on her omni-tool and called up her AI.
"Jinx, any chance of reaching the Constantinople?"
"Scanning…" the AI replied, coming back after a couple of seconds. "The Constantinople is actually stationed on Lothal. I might open a transmission, but I cannot guarantee the safety of the signal."
"Then let's stick with the original plan." Ezra said. "Start a recording in 5 seconds." he instructed as they sat next to each other on a closed crate in the room.
Jaral transferred the omni-tool's camera on the palm of her hand, so she could keep it in a more comfortable way and talk at the same time. A video-feed appeared in the inverse mode, showing their faces according to what the camera was capturing. Jaral adjusted it so they would both fit into it and waited until the countdown reached zero.
"Hi Dad." Jaral started in a relaxed and friendly tone, hoping it would reassure their parents. "We just wanted to tell that we're all right. Inform the Coalition that we still have the plans and we just left Tatooine aboard a freighter that we hired to get us to Alderaan."
"We also found Master Kenobi." Ezra added. "And...probably a new friend for the Rebellion, but we can't talk too much, now. We'll try to reach you when we get to Alderaan."
"Please, reassure everybody else." Jaral concluded. "We love you all. See ya." and closed the recording.
After that, they walked back into the lounge, where Obi-Wan had started talking with Luke about the Force.
"As our friends already told you, the Force permeates all living beings. So, first thing first, you need to learn how to communicate with it. Close your eyes."
Luke obeyed.
"Now let your thoughts flow away from your mind. Don't focus on them. Just let the Force talk with you."
The siblings respectfully stood at a distance, but also smiled, as those words were very similar to those that Kanan had used with them.
After a minute or so, as Han and Chewbacca had also entered the room to rest, Luke opened his eyes again, slightly confused.
"There's a weird feeling, but I can't understand. This all seems too vague." he commented.
"Trust us," Ezra said with an encouraging tone. "it was very difficult for us as well, the first time. However, Master Kenobi, since we're short on time, would you allow me to suggest Luke a training program?"
Obi-Wan smirked and made a kind gesture toward Luke. "Be my guest."
Ezra thus stepped in front of Luke.
"Take your lightsaber and ignite it." he invited.
Luke obeyed, took the hilt hanging from his belt and ignited the blue plasma saber, keeping it halfway between Ezra and Obi-Wan.
"Hey, I meant to ask it before," he said. "but why does it feel heavier when I switch it on?"
"That's because of the kyber crystal inside of it." Ezra explained as he took his own lightsaber.
Using the Force, Ezra quickly dismantled his weapon, under Luke's amazed eyes, and quickly revealed the green crystal inside of it.
"Showoff." Jaral quipped down the bond, making Ezra smirk and give her a fleeting gaze.
"These crystals resonate with the Force. To make it simple, if you train with that saber, you'll connection with the Force will slightly improve. To actually strengthen it you'll have to do whole other exercises, but let's start with something practical for simplicity, ok?"
Luke nodded with a serious attitude.
Ezra started to recompose his lightsaber as he kept explaining the basics of the lightsabers that his Master told him, Jaral, even to Sabine when she was training with the Darksaber.
"Remember. Energy constantly flows through the crystal." he said, inviting Luke to swing it slowly. "You're not fighting with a simple blade as much as you are directing a current of power. Your thoughts, your actions, they become energy. They flow through the crystal as well, and become a part of the blade."
With that said, he ignited his lightsaber at a safe distance from Luke, which prompted Han to exclaim "Hey, try not to slash my ship apart, ok?"
"Don't worry, Han, I intend to arrive on Alderaan safely." Ezra reassured him.
"Now be careful." he added to Luke, who was keeping the lightsaber with both hands in front of him, while Ezra was only using one. "The blades will be drawn to each other."
He gently approached his green saber to the blue one, and soon enough they collided. Luke quickly understood what Ezra meant, because his arms moved a few centimeters on their own, unable to withstand the sudden pull that the weapon seemed to give him.
"Can you feel it?" he asked to the young peasant.
Struggling a little, Luke managed to hold his grip. "Yes, I do." he replied with a bit of a strained voice.
Ezra then separated the blades. "I'll put my lightsaber in four points. Left, right, up or down, and you'll have to hit in that direction. Ready?"
The young man in front of him, despite still recovering from the sudden rush of adrenaline, gripped his lightsaber and nodded.
Ezra thus put his saber on the right, and Luke swung in that direction. The plasma rods collided and fizzled together, but then Ezra slid his own downward and Luke lost the grip. The blue lightsaber deactivated before touching the floor.
Luke groaned in frustration.
"Don't be too harsh on yourself." Ezra said to him. "Nobody is born a Master. You'll learn how to hold it according to your needs. For now, though...try to recall it."
Luke was confused. "Recall it?"
Ezra stepped aside and looked at Jaral, who was leaning casually against the nearest threshold.
"Sis?"
The young woman extended her right arm, with the palm open toward the hilt laying on the ground. A moment later, the metallic tube literally jumped into her hand and she clasped it effortlessly.
"Who's the showoff, now?" Ezra quipped.
"Woah!" Luke exclaimed, with even Han looking very surprised.
"You should be able to feel the crystal, now that you handled it." Ezra instructed. "Just focus on the energy calling to you."
After a few seconds to find peace of mind, Luke closed his eyes and slowly extended his hand toward the lightsaber, which was now resting on Jaral's open palm.
It took almost two entire minutes, but then the tube started to roll toward Luke. And while he didn't manage to make it fly toward his hand, the lightsaber still fell on the floor and rolled back until it touched Luke's feet.
The young farmer groaned. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this."
"Don't say that." Ezra encouraged him. "It took me a whole week just to lift a bowl of rice. Come on, let's go at it again."
December 24.
As the brief message ended, the faces of the entire group now sported wide smiles of relief, with probably that of Jordan being the widest.
"See? Told you they would be fine." Zeb commented, unable to remove his grin.
"Please, you went without sleep, yesterday." Kallus provoked him.
"Hera will be so relieved, too." Mira added, implying that she was going to tell her, since it was early morning and she was about to get to work at the hospital, where Hera was now in the last days of wait.
That said, Jordan turned toward Darvos. "Darv, get prepared, we need to get on the Constantinople and inform the Coalition."
"Right away." he replied, jogging back into his and Jaral's home to take out his civilian clothing and put on his uniform.
"I'm coming with." Sabine said spontaneously.
Jordan understood that she didn't want to be cut off from a situation that regarded her husband, so he simply nodded and the mandalorian girl also went to grab some things she had left in her and Ezra's home.
Differently from his in-laws, Jordan had his uniform inside the omni-tool, so he made his change of clothing in the blink of an eye.
After that, they decided to all go with Mira's personal speeder. She simply dumped them in front of the military section of the spaceport before she headed for the hospital.
The three were immediately recognized by the guards at the gate and easily let them in after the routine check on their IDs. Soon enough, they reached the Constantinople, anchored along one of the many docks hosting ships small enough to enter atmosphere and fly near the city without causing an earthquake.
They entered through the airlock that connected to the main door, and once inside, they were saluted by a Batarian and a female Turian guard, then by Raniza, who had been informed of their arrival after the trio had passed the main gate.
"Captain, here for a round check?" she asked, following him as they passed in the almost deserted deck.
"Something even better." Jordan replied. "Call Mon Mothma and Admiral Edrix in the comm room, I have a message to relay."
"Yes, sir." she replied, heading toward Salazar's position, which was now void as the Private was apparently in the Milky Way neighborhood of the capital in the vain hope of finding some Ginjinha from his homeland.
The trio headed instead in the comm room, arriving just in time to see the holograms of the Head of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the commander of the Federal forces in Andromeda appear in front of them. Sabine and Darvos stopped near the threshold so they could simply listen.
"Captain Bridger, you wanted to talk with us?" Edrix asked.
"Yes, sir. I have finally received news about Ezra and Jaral." he calmly replied.
The Turian nodded. "Good news, I hope."
"See for yourself." Jordan invited before lighting up his omni-tool and order the message to be replayed.
After the images of his children disappeared again, Jordan heard Mothma talking.
"I'm glad for you, Captain. The fact they're alive is also of great importance to the Rebellion."
"Thanks, Senator. Has Bail Organa received any news on the Tantive IV?"
"Unfortunately, yes. It seems Princess Leia has been captured. Officially, the Empire has notified him that she is being detained for an investigation to see if she was 'accidentally' aboard the ship during the boarding, but we all know that they will never let her go."
Jordan then turned toward his superior. "Sir, does MI6 have any clue about the actual whereabouts of the Death Star? The plans will do us no good without that info."
"After Scarif, the Death Star had been detected jumping to hyperspace toward Bothawui. I think it's safe to assume they brought it back to the Core region, but aside from that, we don't know its exact location."
"I can take my ship and go on a recon, sir." Jordan offered.
"I appreciate your eagerness, Captain, but your resting period has not ended yet, and I don't want to risk losing one of my best soldiers without even the slightest intel."
"Yes, sir."
"Let's just hope the siblings can reach Alderaan safely, for now. We'll think about the Death Star later." Mothma said.
"I concur. For now we have more urgent matters, like the fact the imperials are still pushing toward Lianna."
"What's the situation, there?" Jordan asked.
"Rhen Var has just been attacked by surprise. I'm afraid we will soon have to fortify Lianna, if we want to keep our bridgehead on the Perlimian Route."
"If you need our help, don't hesitate to call us back, Admiral." the Captain sternly said.
"Noted. Have a good day, Captain." the Turian concluded before closing the hologram, imitated briefly after by that of Mon Mothma.
The eldest Bridger thus turned to his in-laws, who were looking with a neutral expression.
"A pence for your thoughts." he quipped.
"You know me." Sabine replied as she shrugged. "I'm happy that they're alive and I'm sure they will come back in one piece, I just hate to not be there for them."
"I understand, but they're on their way to Alderaan and there's no reason to think that the Empire will manage to track a single freighter. I think the worst is past them."
"I hope so." she murmured.
"Honestly, I'm more preoccupied about the situation at the front." Darvos said on his part. "I thought that Iulius would've already attacked, at this point, after he cracked our defenses, so why is he hesitating?"
"He might've won a battle, but the war is still far from being decided. If he learned from Thrawn, he probably doesn't want to overexert his forces until he will be sure of victory." Jordan suggested.
Darvos pondered for a second. "I guess it's a possibility."
That said, Jordan put a hand on each of his in-laws' shoulders. "Come on, we will discuss about war when the time comes back. For now, all we have to do is to relax and recover so we can go back into the fray better than ever."
Sabine smirked. "My clan would definitely praise you for saying that."
Jordan feigned an air of complacency. "What did you expect? After all, Legionnaires and Mandalorians both have war as their main occupation."
"Speaking of occupation, what are you going to do, today?" Darvos asked in the same positive tone that the discussion had luckily obtained.
"Well, I'm going to wander around the Milky Way neighborhood. Tomorrow it's the Day of Sol Invictus and I would like to buy some offerings."
The two young people looked quizzically.
"Right...how about we come with you so you can finally explain us something more? Because I'm pretty sure I heard one of your men saying that tomorrow is Christmas." Darvos asked.
Jordan chuckled, realizing that he had forgot that they were from Andromeda and still knew very little about the culture of the Imperial Federation, and how two of the main religions of humanity, Neo-Hellenism and Christianity, were at the same time in stark contrast and yet they took much from each other.
"It will be my pleasure." Jordan concluded as he led his in-laws toward the exit.
Still trying to figure out why he had been invited into the control room of the station, Iulius stood calmly a few steps away from Tarkin, watching as the main monitor showed that the station was now getting close to a garden planet, though it was difficult to distinguish the conformation of the continents.
He honestly just wanted to get back to the Admonitor, which he had already ordered to be prepared for departure so he could go back with his fleet.
For now, though, he noticed that two guards and none other than Darth Vader were bringing in the most distinguished prisoner aboard the station: Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.
He had read the report about her capture aboard the rebel ship where the Death Star plans were supposed to be, and he had also heard that she was being undergoing an interrogation with a mind probe, to which she was resisting in a way that even Lord Vader had called 'considerable'.
Right before she was brought over the threshold, Admiral Motti got near Tarkin.
"We've entered the Alderaan system." he announced to the Governor, though Iulius heard it very well.
She was escorted to Tarkin, who turned around with a malicious grin on his mouth. Yet, the Princess greeted him with a proud attitude.
"Governor Tarkin." she said, and Tarkin replied with a small, sardonic bow. "I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board."
Tarkin renewed the smirk.
"Charming, to the last." he commented. Then he pinched her lower mandible with his thumb and index, forcing her to look at him, though she was already doing it anyway. "You don't know how hard I found to sign the order to terminate you." and released her.
"I'm surprised you had the courage to take responsibility yourself." Leia replied with a sassy tone.
"Princess Leia, before your execution, I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational." Tarkin declared, making a few steps away, which forced Iulius to step aside, and also extending his arms. Then he turned around to continue his statement. "No star system will dare to oppose the Emperor now."
Leia wasn't impressed.
"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more systems will slip through your fingers." she replied in an almost whispering tone.
"Not after we demonstrate the power of this station." Tarkin said. Then he raised a finger and walked back in front of her. "In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that'll be destroyed first.
"Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the rebel base, I have chosen to test the station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan."
Iulius understood that halfway through the declaration. So that was the plan: threaten the destruction of Alderaan to make Leia talk. After all, she had seen the effect of the super-laser on Scarif, she surely wouldn't like for her planet to suffer the same fate.
"No!" Leia immediately exclaimed. Her attitude was completely turned upside down. "Alderaan is peaceful, we have no weapons, you can't possibly…" she contested on the verge of panic, before Tarkin spoke severely and loudly.
"You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system." he asked.
This didn't make much sense to the Grand Admiral in the room. There were plenty of systems under the control of the Coalition. Couldn't they have simply moved the Death Star to the front and test it on one of those? And even if the Princess gave away a name, the main base of the Rebellion couldn't possibly still be among its 'secret' ones, considering that the Alliance had established its informal capital on Mon Cala.
Tarkin made a step forward, making Leia fall back and bump against Vader, who was just standing there.
"I grow tired of asking this, so it will be the last time." he threatened. "Where is the main Rebel base?"
Leia gave a terrified look at the monitor, which now had Alderaan in its exact center, as if it was inside a target.
After a few seconds, she finally broke. "Dantooine." she said. Then tried to hide her face in her chest. "They're on Dantooine."
"There, see Lord Vader?" Tarkin asked satisfied. "She can be reasonable."
Then he turned toward Motti. "Continue with the operation, you may fire when ready."
Iulius' mind froze in place. But it was Leia who gave voice to his thoughts.
"WHAT?!" she yelled.
"You're far too trusting." Tarkin said smugly. "Dantooine is too remote for an effective demonstration. But don't worry...we will deal with your Rebel friends, soon enough."
"No!" Leia exclaimed and tried to dash forward, only to be stopped by Vader gripping her shoulder.
No, indeed. What was he thinking? Did he even consider the consequences of such a reckless and stupid action?
Iulius detached his hands from behind his back and tried to raise them, to oppose such a strategically senseless decision.
However, he found out that he couldn't. His arms were not moving.
Why?
"Commence primary ignition."
This was happening. Tarkin, and consequently the Empire, was about to destroy a planet of two billion people. A planet of the Core, and the cultural heart of the Galaxy...for the fault of a handful of its citizens.
'I must say something!' his mind screamed, but he found himself unable to oppose. Perhaps it was the discipline burnt into him, perhaps it was the fear that speaking against it right now would only make him eligible for the firing squad.
The Grand Admiral could simply watch in confusion and horror as in the distance he could hear the super-laser charging and, only seconds later, a green ray of energy headed straight to Alderaan.
The planet didn't even have the time to deform for the impact. It simply exploded like a thermal detonator. The sound emulators of the control room captured the sinister sounds in their entirety.
Silence fell. And Leia, too, fell down on the floor, passing out.
Iulius didn't wait for any comment, any order to leave. After all, he had been simply 'invited' to participate, he wasn't expected to stay. He simply walked outside of the door and headed toward the Admonitor.
And along the way, his mind was caught up into a storm he had never experienced before, with his heart beating faster than ever.
He didn't lie to himself: he knew what the problem was.
All of this wasn't just a strategic error. It was hundreds of errors at the same moment.
He didn't even notice that he had walked along the corridors and already reached the access shaft to the Admonitor.
As the door lifted, two stormtroopers saluted him and let him in.
He headed toward the bridge, but along the way he encountered Qathora, who was walking quickly and loudly, her face disturbed and soothing a rage beneath an expression that was barely holding in.
The two stopped and looked at each other. Iulius wanted to say something, but the Togruta didn't give him time. She simply looked at him with a gaze that he couldn't entirely decipher, and then kept going on her way.
He, too, didn't want to discuss that, so he finally reached the bridge, where the officers were still watching at the visual sensors, where the remains of Alderaan were still splitting apart.
And worst of all. Among those officers, there was Nash.
One of the junior officers near the door, who was still staring with horrified eyes, noticed him and stuttered to scream.
"G-Grand Admiral on deck!"
Most snapped out of their trance and turned toward him, hastily making the salute, but Iulius raised a hand. "Prepare yourselves. We're leaving this place." he said with a calm and glacial tone.
As everybody scrambled to their posts, only Windrider seemed to have not heard it.
Lieutenant Ree stopped a moment, trying to recall him.
"Nash. Nash, come on!"
But the young man could only barely murmur.
Iulius went there and gently pushed Ciena away, signaling that he would take care of the matter and she should return to her duties, which she did.
The Grand Admiral went in front of his Navigation Officer, seeing that his eyes were still gaping, as if he was unable to process what just happened.
"Lieutenant Windrider!" he said, but it didn't work. So he grabbed his shoulder with the right hand. "Nash!" he said again in a commanding tone.
This time, the Lieutenant seemed to regain enough conscience and made the salute.
Iulius sighed. "Listen to me. Set a course for Columex, then go get some rest, all right?"
The Lieutenant nodded very slowly, but at least he also spoke. "Yes...sir."
Iulius let him go. And as Nash went to his position in the pit, Iulius went to stare outside of the viewport. In the distance, the smaller 'pebbles' of Alderaan's crust were already becoming meteors. The Admonitor then sailed away, using the Death Star to shield herself from the debris and reach the position necessary to jump to hyperspace, leaving the Grand Admiral alone with his thoughts.
The wave of cold hit their hearts so violently and so badly, that they had to gasp in order not to pass out. Master Kenobi didn't make any sound, but he had to get a grip on his chest and reached for the nearby chair.
Luke, who was training against a remote with his lightsaber, noticed it and deactivated the weapon.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, finding it weird that all three of them had the same reaction at the same time.
The siblings took some deep breaths, to dominate the cold, which was actually a great amount of fear that the Force was unloading on them, while Obi-Wan explained it to Luke.
"There was...a disturbance in the Force. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced." he commented.
The siblings regained their composure and arrived at the same conclusion.
"It was the Death Star." Jaral commented grimly. "The Empire has just used the Death Star."
R2 beeped alarmed, despite the fact that he was playing a game of dejarik against Chewbacca and was thus getting distracted.
"That super weapon you talked me about?" Luke asked confused. "But...on what?"
"We don't know." Ezra calmly replied. "We'll have to find out once we get out of hyperspace.
Right at that moment, Han arrived in the living room.
"Good news, everyone, we'll reach Alderaan in 10 minutes." he said jovially, but then stopped when he noticed the grim atmosphere in the room.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"We can't exactly tell, at the moment." was Jaral's answer.
Han simply raised his hands. In the last few hours, he had gotten used to cryptic one liners by the siblings and went to take a seat.
Obi-Wan was instead silent. He seemed to be pondering as his gaze stared in front of him.
"Master?" Ezra asked gently. "You all right?"
The old Jedi snapped out. "Oh, yes...yes." then he turned to look at the siblings. "So you have felt it? The cold...the fear?"
The siblings nodded calmly.
"And yet you held your own."
"It's as you taught us." Jaral said calmly. "There is no emotion, there is peace. Whatever negative feeling we find, we need to stay calm, and whatever we will find at the end of this journey, it will be as the Force wills."
She honestly didn't know why she was telling that. In the last hours, while Luke was starting with his exercises, the siblings had talked a lot with Master Kenobi. Not only narrating him their adventures since they joined the Ghost, but also how different their training under Kanan was from the commandments of the old Jedi Order.
Probably speaking about that for hours was making her talk like this, but she didn't care too much.
Obi-Wan nodded slightly at those words.
"Yes. And I think there is no more time to waste." he declared, then he raised from his improvised seat.
Then he went to the sofa and recovered his brown mantle, putting it back on. Everybody looked at him with curious eyes, as the old Master seemed incredibly calm, despite what had just happened.
The siblings felt something in their hearts. Somehow, they had a hunch of what was about to come.
Obi-Wan stepped in the middle of the room, where there was enough free space, allowing him to ignite his lightsaber and keeping it with one hand.
"Kneel." he said to the siblings.
Yes. It was as they figured.
In other circumstances, they might have refused such an offer, but right now they weren't scared. In fact, their minds were as clear as they had ever been, their hearts emanated a comfortable warmth, as if this was a familiar occurrence to them.
They got the invite and went in front of the Master. The eyes and sensors of everybody in the room were upon them.
Obi-Wan finally lowered his lightsaber. First on Jaral's external shoulder, then on Ezra's.
"By the right of the Council. By the will of the Force." and finally put it above their heads.
"Ezra and Jaral Bridger. You may rise."
As Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber, everything seemed incredibly clear to the siblings.
They accepted this passage. They had gone a long way since the day their parents had been taken away from them and they started their journey among harsh difficulties. They were no longer those scared kids, full of doubts, anxieties and uncertainties.
They were full-fledged Jedi, now. They had gone through countless trials and overcame them together, and together they arose above their past selves.
It was time for the Bridger siblings to fully embrace their new selves.
They stood up, at first not showing any sign of emotion, then only a small grin appeared on their faces, the same as that on Obi-Wan.
"Congratulations. Your teacher would have been proud." the Master complimented.
The siblings smiled, as if they thought that Kanan was already proud of them.
They made a respectful bow and said in unison "Thanks, Master."
Finally, the Jedi payed attention at the rest of the crew, who was watching with different degrees of interest. Luke was nothing short of mesmerized. Chewbacca was genuinely curious. The droids didn't actually understand.
Han, on the other hand…
"How cute. You guys should charge people for this charade."
The Jedi ignored him, but Luke couldn't hold back.
"You don't believe in the Force, do you?"
Han sighed. "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's an all-powerful force controlling everything. All of this is just nice tricks and nonsense." and went to check on the console.
The siblings simply shrugged. They didn't need for him to believe in them, after all.
Then an alarm started blaring, recalling everybody's attention.
"What's happening?"
"There's something on our path!" Han exclaimed and dashed toward the cockpit, followed briefly by Chewbacca and the other Humans.
Boy, I really enjoyed writing this last paragraph. Somehow it gives me a sense of accomplishment as well.