Chapter 29

"H-H-How?" Han said as he looked at the Wookiee, who offered him a grin.

But Han didn't reply as memories and emotions came over him after seeing his old friend again. At first, he thought it was a joke of some kind. But he realized it wasn't, as both Chewie and Anakin were standing together before him.

Seeing them together suddenly brought back painful images of Sernpidal. A huge wave of sadness washed over Han, and he dropped to his knees, sobbing.

Seeing this, Anakin and Chewie went over to help Han, moving him to a spare seat. "Dad! Are you alright?" he asked him quietly.

"…N-No son, I-I was a-a monster for h-how I treated you that day. I-I don't deserve to be your father!" Han's voice was barely more than a whisper, but his pain showed his face as he looked at his son.

This shocked Akakin. It was not something he expected to hear from his father. Chewbacca was also stunned. He couldn't believe Han was saying such a thing.

Seeing Han in so much pain was too much for Chewbacca. He approached his old friend and placed a furry hand on Han's shoulder.

Looking up, Han saw his friend's eyes, which looked the same as when he last saw him two years ago. But to his surprise, Han saw no anger at all. Instead, he saw concern and compassion.

Anakin also came over to comfort Han. "Dad, I know this is hard for you—seeing Chewie again after what happened. You should know I, Jacen, and Jaina felt the same when reunited with him days ago. And it was during this reunion that Chewie and I talked, as I thought he would be angry for what happened at Sernpidal," he said.

"But I was wrong. Chewie didn't hate or blame me for what happened at Sernpidal. He told me he values our lives more than his and would have done the same for Mom, our family, and even you, Dad. Because Chewie loves us and considers us family. And I feel the same about him."

Taking in his son's words at first. Han then looked at Chewie, who nodded yes to this, then said a few growls to him, which Han knew was his way of saying stop acting like a sad old man and tell your son how you feel.

Han thought carefully about what to say after hearing this. Then, he gave his answer after taking a deep breath.

"Anakin, I know I said this to you already. But I truly am sorry for both my behavior and the words I said to you. And I promise that I shall be a better father to you."

After hearing this, Anakin smiled, which led him to embrace Han. "Dad, thank you!" he told Han, who held him tightly.

After letting Anakin go, Han got up and looked at Chewie.

"I-It really is you, isn't it Chewie?" Han asked, to which the Wookiee nodded to his friend. This led Han to shed some more tears, which were tears of joy. Then Han watched as he felt a familiar grip that could only come from a Wookiee hug.

Seeing this, Anakin shed some tears as well. As he was happy to see this reunion.

"Okay, Chewie. I'm overjoyed to see you again. But can you let me go? I'm having trouble breathing!" Han asked. After one last squeeze, Chewie released his friend.

"So now that I know it's you, tell me, how did you come to be involved in all this?" Han asked.

Chewie told Han and Anakin that one of the Observers appeared before him before Sernpidal's moon crashed into the planet and took him away to safety. Then he met the other time travelers and was told about the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of the galaxy. Chewbacca agreed to help the others in saving the strike team at Myrkr.

"…Well, that would explain that. Guess I should thank these beings for saving you, Chewie," Han said.

"So I take it the Observers told you about what happened while you've been gone?" he asked next but saw Chewie shake his head at this.

"They didn't, but we brought him and the other time travelers up to speed. Along with the service we had on Kashyyyk for him, Lowie also knows about Chewie being back," Anakin told his father.

Hearing this made Han glad to know his friend had been told this. And that a member of his family knew he was alive.

"When we have the chance, could I contact Malla and your family to let them know?" he suggested, but Chewie said it would be better for him to see them in person.

Understanding this, Han then asked Chewie if there was anything else he needed to know. The Wookiee said yes, wanting to know what Han had been through since he last saw him.

"Well, it's a long story, but since we have time, sit down, and I'll tell you," Han told Chewie as he and Anakin sat down to hear Han's story.

(30 Minutes Ago)
After leaving the briefing room, Leia's group proceeded to find another room in the base, which they did as they located an empty mess hall to continue.

"Threepio, could you please get the tea set from the Falcon?" Leia asked the golden droid, who agreed to do this.

As he left, a new figure entered the hall and approached where her group was sitting.

At first, Leia couldn't see this person's face, hidden by a helmet. Then, she saw the face of a tall woman with light skin, green eyes, and short red hair held by a band. Instead of wearing regular clothes, this woman wore armor, which Mara and Kira recognized as Mandalorian armor. Hers was colored blue, gray, and white in different sections, and Themet had a different visor that was a Y shape instead of the normal T shape.

"Leia, Mara. I would like you to meet the next member of our little group," Juno told the two as she gestured to the newcomer.

"I am Bo-Katan Kryze of Mandalore. I am honored to meet you all," Bo stated, offering a warrior's salute and placing her left arm on her chest plate, which Leia accepted.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Miss Kryze," Leia responded gently. After Mara and Kira introduced themselves, Leia asked Bo to join them. She accepted and sat down across from Leia.

"So I'm sure you're curious about my involvement with this group," Bo stated, to which the other woman nodded yes.

"Like Juno and the others, I'm not only here to help save the galaxy in its fight against the Yuuzhan Vong. I'm here for another reason, and that being to learn of what's become of my people and home world in the decades I've been gone," Bo said seriously to everyone.

Taking in this information, Leia looked over at Mara, who gave her a slight nod, which meant that what she was saying was the truth.

"Well, I think I can help you with that request, Miss Kyrze. But before this, I should ask when the last time you were on Mandalore was." Leia asked next.

"It was around three years after the Empire was created. Their forces had occupied Mandalore since the end of the Clone Wars. A few groups and I tried fighting against them, but we were driven off the planet. This led me to find help, which I did in the form of Ahsoka and Rex. But we were brought here before we could do something," Bo answered.

"I see; well then, you've missed quite a lot, but for now, you should know that the Empire has been driven off Mandalore. And its people are alive and well," Mara said next.

Hearing this brought a smile to Bo's face, as she was glad to know Mandalore was free. However, she wondered who was leading them at this time and was about to ask about this when Leia asked her a question.

"You said you know Ahsoka, is that correct?"

Bo was puzzled by this question at first. But she shook this odd feeling off as she answered Leia.

"Yes. Ahsoka and I have known each other for many years. We first met during the Clone Wars as enemies. But later on, we became allies and later friends."

Hearing this made Leia and the others wonder about their history. But they decided to hold off on asking that as Leia asked another question.

"And who is this Rex you spoke of before?"

"He's a close friend of Ahsoka's who fought with her during the Clone Wars as he was a member of the Clone Army," Bo responded, which caused the eyes of Leia and Mara to go wide. And made Kira's blood go cold after hearing this.

"Miss Kyrze, are you telling us that a Clone Solider is part of this whole-time travel business?" the Vixen asked with concern.

"That is correct, but why are you asking about this, Miss Nara?" Bo responded with a curious look.

"Because...like Ahsoka Tano., I, too, am a survivor of the old Jedi Order. Who watched as the Clones turned against my fellow Jedi and killed them in cold blood!" Kira responded back with anger in her eyes.

Bo and Juno were stunned by this revaluation, as they didn't expect to meet another Jedi survivor from the Clone Wars. Then, she turned to Leia and her family, who confirmed this.

"What Kira says is true. She told us this yesterday before we met Ahsoka," Leia stated as she was concerned about learning that one of the Clone Soldiers is part of the time travelers.

"Jedi Nara, I understand you would feel this way. However, I will say that Rex is not a danger to anyone. He helped save the Strike Team at Myrkr." Juno stated to her.

"She's right," Jaina said next as she spoke up. "Rex is a good man. I worked with him at Eclipse onboard the cruiser I was leading. And during our trip here, he told me some of his stories about our grandfather, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka. Also, don't you think it would be best for you to meet Rex first before judging him?"

Taking in her daughter's words of wisdom, Leia decided to intervene to calm down the situation.

"My daughter does have a point. Many felt the same way about when former Imperials joined the Rebellion. But in time, those who doubted them were proven wrong and came to see those as allies and friends."

"That may be Leia, but there is a difference between former Imperials and Clone Soldiers," Kira retorted.

"In what way, Kira?" Luke said as he entered the room, with Ahsoka and Artoo behind him. "I know you are concerned about this, given what happened on Coruscant long ago. And I will say this: I, too, was cautious upon learning of Captain Rex. However, Ahsoka told me that he was not a danger to anyone. And just as Jaina just said, I feel that I should meet this man before judging him."

After hearing this, Kira went quiet, as she hadn't expected to hear this from Luke.

"Kira," said Ahsoka, "Like yourself, what I went through at the end of the Clone Wars was difficult. But holding on to this pain won't solve anything. It is a path to the dark side. What will help is for us to learn from what has come. And knowing that the one responsible for this tragedy paid for it when he died long ago."

"So what do you say, Kira?" Luke asked as he came over to her.

Looking at him for a bit, Kira thought carefully. Then she gave him an answer.

"Alright, Master Skywalker, I will try to let go of the pain," she said to him.

"No, try not. You must do or do not; there is no try!" Luke stated to Kira, using the words Yoda told him long ago. This startled her initially, but then Kira understood what Luke was saying and nodded to him.

Seeing that the Vixen looked calmer, Luke turned his attention to the two women near him.

"You must be Juno Eclipse and Bo-Katan Kyrze. It's nice to meet you both," Luke said to them as he offered his hand, which both Juno and Bo accepted.

"Thank you, Luke; it's good to finally meet you as well," Juno replied.

"Same here, and I have to ask, do you believe what Ahsoka said to be true?" Bo wondered. As everyone else looked at him, wondering the same thing.

Luke had been considering this a great deal since hearing what Ahsoka told him about her connection with his father. After hearing this, he had made his decision.

"Yes, I believe what she says to be true," Luke told everyone calmly.

(Author's Note)
Well, it happened for those waiting. Han and Chewie finally reunited, and what an emotional reunion it was. I worked on this for quite a while, as I wanted it to be an epic moment.

Having Anakin there to witness this was important, as the pain that started at Sernpidal will start to die down. But there will be conversations between Han and Chewie about some of the stuff Han went on during his grieving process, which will come up in later chapters.

In addition to this, the other characters learn some things that are both good and bad in their eyes. How will they handle this? Only time will tell.

The following chapters will be coming soon. Until then, May the Force be with You all!