Chapter 34

Leia looked back up to see the bright light of a setting sun. The boulders were being effortlessly lifted away, revealing a figure dressed all in grey. With her slowly returning vision, Leia wasn't sure if she trusted her eyes. Luke picked up her cane and reached out a hand to help her, which she took.

"Luke?"

"I'm here."

He pulled her into a hug, one both twins sorely needed. But than Leia slamming the end of her cane into Luke's foot.

"You Nerf Herding fool! You abandoned the galaxy for over a decade just so you can show up last minute to save the day!"

"I almost didn't come; it was Rey who convinced me."

Leia could see that he arrived in a small shuttle that could at most could hold fifteen people.

"Your help is desperately needed, if only you weren't the only one to come to our aid."

"Who said he was?"

Stepping away from Luke, and taking a few steps through the new entrance, Leia was in shock to see that multiple ships had landed, most of which with high crew capacity, and the man who had spoke now stepped forward.

"Lando!"

"Your majesty."

Before she could indulge in anymore of this reunion Leia turned to Connix.

"Run back and tell the troops to strategically retreat so that we may all evacuate and get Dameron over here immediately."

"Yes General!"

Leia now had the chance to take in what was happening. Looking to the sky Leia could see several Calrissian flyers, three T-70 X-Wings, an old T-65B X-Wing, and surprisingly the VCX-100 light freighter known as the Ghost, all circling the airspace above the ravine the mine led out too. On the ground there were ten ships, a modified Sheathipede-class transport shuttle, six Tibanna transporters, a modified Sienar X-C SSSDS 11-A shuttle, an ARC-170 starfighter and-

"Chewie! You made it you big fur ball. How is Han's ship."

Chewbacca gave a little growl, but it was Lando how truly responded.

"She's fine, I just wish I was flying it under better circumstances."

Lando was clearly referring to Han, but Leia knew that there should be no room for him to fly it.

"Where's Rey?"

Luke did not hide from the truth, not this time.

"She went after Ben, she believed she could turn him, and I was too weak to stop her."

"Perhaps, but you were strong enough to come here, and do what is right. And we really needed you, we needed all of you."

Chewie seemed pleased by this, but for once Lando did not take this to heart, instead he seemed quite sad.

"It greatly troubled me to hear what happened to Han. Ben, he was like the son I never had."

Leia took a deep sigh.

"There will be a time for proper mourning later. For right now Lando, I want you to help with evacuations."

He nodded and started directing crew members towards the Falcon. Leia was pleased to see everyone boarding ships, and even more pleased to see who they belonged too. The Sienar X-C SSSDS 11-A's pilot seemed to be a familiar light brown male Twi'lek in his late sixties, but when Suu Leh-Lawquane walked over to him and he hugged her, Leia recognized him as Head Mechanic Jek Lawquane of the Saleucami branch of the rebellion, she was surprised she didn't put the daughter to the father. The ARC-170 Star Fighter revealed itself to piloted by Norra Susser, looking up Leia could see her husband and son flying over head, Wedge and Snap. Two blonde furry humanoids were helping Resistance members onto the Sheathipede-class transport, also known as the Phantom ll. She thought they looked like more humanoid Lasats, and from remembering the original Ghost crew they probably were, she wondered if these two used to be friends with Jacen...

Looking to the sky Leia could see the Ghost, most likely piloted by Captain Orrelios or Kallus, patrolling with Wedge's T-65B X-Wing, and the three T-70 X-Wings that most likely belonged to Snap, Kun, and Pava. Also slowly descending from farther above was a First Order AAL-1971/9.1 Troop Transport, despite the threat none of the ships were firing on it, so Leia could only hope that ship was good news.

Luke sat down on a nearby boulder and gestured her to sit with him. Still weak she gladly welcomed a moment of rest.

"I'm sorry. About Han, if I had been there."

"Luke, you used to always look to the future, but now you are only looking at the past. You can't change it, nobody can, we can only have hope for a brighter future."

"I thought I was finally the wise one."

Leia only chuckled, but after both Luke and Lando mentioning Han, great sadness had resurfaced, and it showed. Luke took Leia's hands in his, she could feel something else between them.

"He might not be with us now Leia, but no one is ever truly gone."

Luke stood and Leia cupped her hands, concealing from herself the item Luke had left. Luke gently kissed her head, and Leia clued in on what was happening.

"You are going to fight, aren't you?"

"They are cramming every soldier that they can into this mine, I'm going to help buy you time to escape."

He turned to head back through the tunnel, but Leia called out to him.

"Luke. May the force be with you."

"And May it be with you, always."

As he disappeared into the base Leia finally opened her hands, revealing the chained together golden sabacc dice Han had used to win his prized ship. Tears began to fall.