Beep! Beep! Beep!

Lenore looked around the main core reactor room. She was aboard the Star Destroyer withUnit 56 had been taken captive. Her vision was blurry and her body frozen, unable to speak as she watched the members of her unit: Harillo, Besa, and Civa hurry around the computer. Where was Rol?

She managed to turn her gaze and caught sight of her damaged droid R3. He had been split into two by a lightsaber. The owner, now deceased, was not important. What was important was the information the feisty droid had downloaded containing the names of children taken by the Empire for experimentation.

"I'm sorry Lenore," Besa spoke, touching the melted metal. She knew Lenore was attached to the astro droid, as he had been her only companion since defecting from the Imperial Forces.

"The computer's gone too," Civa announced as he scrambled to set a timer for the detonators to take out the ship. "Someone's going to have to stay behind and set them off."

Lenore's breathing quickened as she grew flustered. This had already happened. What was going on? Had she imagined it? Had she somehow manifested the terrible event?Why was it repeating?

As she attempted to answer she saw Rol Gwyer, the departed, standing alive as any other day before they boarded the destroyer. He took the detonators remote from Besa. This trooper from Alderaan had a debt to settle. His mind was made up. Lenore realized it was a dream, or more correctly a nightmare.

"You don't have time for this. I'm staying and I don't want to hear any arguments about it. I'm a soldier. Let me do my duty. My duty to Alderaan. Let me have my reckoning with the Empire no matter how small it is. Let me take down this Star Destroyer," Rol said as the room began to fill with flames and the others vanished. Lenore ran to Rol and embraced him one last time.

He was dead. She knew it. But as she could feel him in her arms perhaps she was wrong. Maybe this hadn't happened. Maybe this was a second shot. An alternative universe where she could stop him from sacrificing himself.

"Get going, you buckethead," Rol said as he pushed her away and walked over to R3. He ripped out his memory drive and handed it to Lenore. "Tell Prisa I'm sorry. I won't be able to show her any more ship mechanics…but she knows everything she needs to help R3."

"Rol….no.. don't do this," she finally able to speak. She felt the heat surround them as the star destroyer became engulfed in flames.

"For Alderaan," he smiled, closing his eyes and vanishing into the fire.

"ROL!" Lenore screamed.

Lenore gasped for air and sat up in bed. She looked around to find she was not aboard any ship at all. In fact, she was safe in her bedroom on the Lothal family farm. She looked over to the other side of the bed to find Jord fast asleep undisturbed by her nightmare. She had had bad dreams before, but this one was the most unpleasant of them all.

Rol, she thought full of grief.

The last month had been rough to say the least. She had reunited with Jord at the cost of losing Rol and fracturing the peaceful retirement of Unit 56. It had only been a few years prior she had lost her brother Lee who had also sacrificed himself for her to live a peaceful life. So much loss, in such a short amount of time, she was almost grateful for the new republic house arrest she was under.

She slid out of bed and put on a wrap over her tank. It was chilly this morning. Chilly mornings in the Imperial Forces always had a way of turning into an action packed day. But those days are long gone. She reminded herself and took a deep breath trying to calm herself. She was too alert and restless to go back to sleep. Best head to the kitchen to start the day early.

Quietly wandering into the kitchen, she poured herself a cup of water and sipped. It was strange being back in her family's home. A home that the Empire took from her parents when she was only nine. From the moment the troopers told her to gather her things, she never thought of or yearned to return to this place. That was Lee's dream. A dream he relentlessly chased that pushed all he held dear during the rebellion, including his wife and child, away.

Standing alone, Lenore's heart became heavy. She'd felt like a thief. She knew Lee should be the one here and not her. But the galaxy was a harsh and dangerous place with a cruel sense of humor. As long as she was alive, she decided she would do everything in her power to provide and protect her sister in law and niece. The silver lining was she was able to provide Unit 56 some small version peace. That was until Rol.

For Alderraan!

She shut her eyes tightly and tried to push the image of Rol's face out of her mind. The sadness of his death had not lessened over the last month. She felt it even more once Civa and Besa decided they would leave the farm shortly after Rol's memorial.

At least she still had her partner in command Harillo, who incidentally had fallen in love with her brother's widow Rya. The two married and with the birth of her nephew Lenny Rathos all looked bright. Until she found out that Jord was alive. And even though she had pieced her life back together without him, she could not betray her heart. She set out to find him and bring him home at all costs. She never imagined that Unit 56 would accompany her.

"Did she wake you?" Rya whispered entering the kitchen. She was referring to her daughter Prisa who was up and about in the yard moving droid parts into the barn.

She was nearly nine and precocious just like her father. Lenore at times could see Lee looking out from her eyes.

"No, bad dream. You should be resting," Lenore said, refilling her cup and handing it to Rya.

"Not you too," She said and drank. "I'm done being fussed over."

"What's she doing?" Lenore asked, turning the attention to Prisa who looked frustrated dragging that last bit of supplies into the barn.

"Determined to fix R3. Says she's behind with Lenny being born," Prisa said.

"Do you think it's because of Rol?" Lenore asked, concerned about her niece.

"Hard to say, she's got so much of her father in her," Rya admitted, taking a seat. "Keeps things to herself these days."

"Afraid that's a family trait," Lenore replied and took a seat across from her. "But one that can be unlearned. How's my nephew?"

"Sound asleep like his father."

"Must be the peaceful environment," Lenore remarked. She was happy to hear her partner was taking to farm life and fatherhood. But she had to admit it was a bit strange having him take Lee's place as a brother, husband, and father. But who was she to deny anyone peace after the war.

"How's your….well how is he?" Rya asked, unsure of what to call Jord. She knew the two had been an item back in the day, and that they had also parted ways. She also knew she hadn't made up her mind if she liked or trusted him yet. As far as she was concerned the jury was still out.

"Settling in. It's funny. Jord always said he wanted a quieter life. Mostly the reason why he left the Forgotten, and me. But now it seems harder for him to acclimate and let go of our former life," Lenore explained. There of course was more to the story, but that was hers alone to know.

"Grass is always greener. I'm going to get some coffee going. Tell Prisa to come in and help with breakfast, would you?"

"Of course, Lieutenant ," Lenore teased her sister in law with her old rebellion rank and went to fetch her niece.

"Blast!" Prisa yelled in frustration and threw her tools down on the table. She was within reach of completing the rebuild of the droid who had become her best friend on the farm. She just could not figure out why he kept short circuiting.

"A bit early in the morning for that sort of language don't you think," Lenore smiled as she entered the barn. Prisa usually was glad to see her aunt, but today she was in a mood. She said nothing and tossed the circuit board to the side. "You'll feel better once you have some breakfast. Come inside and help your mother."

"Not hungry," Prisa muttered.

"You know," Lenore took a seat next to her and looked over the droid pieces. "You're dad was very handy with droids. He used to clean them at the University. Tried to get me to join when we were young and scraping by in the encampments during the imperial occupation. But I was more prone to running stolen cargo and passing messages through the backdoors of underground casinos back then. Pay was better, but your father learnt an invaluable skill."

"What?" she said, annoyed. She knew the story well. She didn't want to hear it. She wanted to fix the droid. She wanted to prove to herself she could do it. If she could do it in some small way Rol was still alive through her.

"Never to give up," Lenore remarked and moved the circuit board back in front of the girl.

"I thought it was never to lose hope?" She replied.

"Same difference," Lenore smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"What if I can't fix him?" Prisa asked, defeated.

"Too many if's in that question young lady. Rol told me himself. And there was very little he was ever wrong about. So keep that in mind."

"How did he die? I want to know. I'm old enough," Prisa asked. She didn't know the details, nor the details of her father's death. All she had been told about the two men she had lost was they had gone on a mission and never came back.

Lenore looked at her niece hesitantly. She had had plenty of hard conversations before with Wyb and Sashee. But her niece was different. She was not her mother. Life on the farm was incrementally safer than the environment she raised Wyb and Sashee in. She had to be transparent with them for their own good. But as she looked at the girl in front of her, she was reminded of herself at that age and how she longed to have someone speak to her about the gravity of situations.

"He stayed behind to set off some detonators to take down the Star Destroyer we were captive on. He said it was his duty to Alderaan, his home, to settle the score with the Empire. He was brave until the end and gave us all a second chance to live."

"And my father?" Prisa pressed. She had heard about Alderaan in grown up conversations. No one had ever spoken to her directly about it. Not even Rol. She could understand the need to avenge. But with her father, she didn't know why he'd been gone so much of the time.

"Your father was a good soldier. From what I've heard, one of the best. But being a soldier and then a veteran….well it's harder than many imagine. It's as though some can't find they're way back to the life they once knew, or dreamt of, because of all the pieces they left behind in the fight.. I know your mother told you he was on a mission and didn't return, but he sacrificed himself for me and Unit 56 to escape the New Republic so we could come live here. But I think, his death was a release"

"A release?"

"A release from being unable to let go of the horrors he'd seen during the war. A relief of his frustration from not being able to figure out how to live a civilian life. An end to the pain of feeling lost and forgotten."

Prisa listened intently to her aunt. It was the first time any adult had been so forthcoming with her and in a way she wished she hadn't asked. She felt something shift inside her. She was no longer a child but not an adult either. She was full of sadness and awareness that the galaxy was a large and dangerous place. If she was going to see it and protect the ones she loved she'd need to master as many skills as she could. She picked up the tools in front of her and began to work on the circuit board again.

"I never knew anyone who died until I met you…I'm not sure I like it," Prisa admitted not meaning to sound cruel but regretted the words the moment she spoke them. She looked at her aunt who sat unaffected by the statement.

"You know that tree we have out in the main yard. The one we nail a plaque to each time someone we know goes from this world?" Lenore asked.

"Yes," Prisa said.

"Well ... .That's kinda how I feel about loss… with each life gone, their name, their legacy, all of it sticks with me. I feel their memory, their absences, all nailed into my soul…I carry each of them with me…some days are harder than others…but it won't stop me from living or growing. As long as I keep their memory with me it's not as though they are ever fully gone."

"Today's a hard day," Prisa replied, liking how her aunt put things into perspective for her. It was a hard day. And it wouldn't be the last. But she knew eventually she would have R3 up and running one day, because Rol Gwyer believed in her.

"Noted," Lenore acknowledged.

"Maybe I can call Wyb. He's good with this sort of thing, right?," Prisa said.

"That he is," Lenore smiled. "Now let's go eat something and come back to this later."

The two walked out of the barn to the site of a Ghtroc 720. Lenore peered through the dust that the ship kicked up as it landed and saw it was none other than Wyb and Sashee.

"Sashee! Wyb!" Prisa exclaimed and ran to her cousins deboarding the ship. She jumped into Wyb's arms. Wyb swung his cousin around playfully.

"So," Lenore placed her hands on her hips. "You kids gonna tell me what's going on? What's wrong? What are you doing here?"

"Why does something have to be wrong to come home?" Sashee smirked. Wyb stepped toward Lenore holding Prisa. He could see in her eyes she was worried and angry. There was no fooling her. He placed his cousin down and hugged his mother tightly.

"I need your help," he said, feeling like a child once more.

"Of course," she replied, hugging her son tightly.

"Organa really?" Rya exclaimed, rocking Lenny in her arms as everyone gathered around the table in the kitchen for breakfast. "That's quite the compliment."

"Yes, but I've been stuck with a bunch of bored pilots," Wyb confessed as he ate a spice roll. It was the most comforting thing he had eaten in a month. "Shouldn't I've heard from her by now?"

"You're talking about a politician as though they're honest, kid." Jord laughed as he passed the bowl of potatoes to Sashee. "She probably has her hands tied with other obligations and matters to keep up appearances."

"On the contrary," Rya frowned, "Leia is one of the most forward thinking Senators there is in the Senate. Not to mention one of the few that was on the ground fighting alongside the rebels."

"Takes one to know one," Lenore said. "Why don't you talk your wife into politics Rillo? She could do some good and whip those nerf herders into shape. And I'd feel a lot better knowing Wyb had a friendly face in the core."

"Believe me I've told her," Rillo said as he placed the plate he had fixed for Rya and took their son so she could eat. "But an ex-imperial husband wouldn't sit well with most of the public."

"I've done that you all," Rya stated to the group who continued to eat. "It's another way of life. One I don't miss. But I still have friends in Coruscant. I'll reach out after breakfast to find out anything I can about the information you gave the senator."

"Thanks Ry," Wyb said gratefully. He looked around the table. This was his family. Lenore, Jord, Sashee, Rya, Rillo, and Prisa. His tribe. The ones that had his back no matter what. He felt a sense of calm he had been longing for all his life. The question now was why would he risk leaving them?

"Well kiddo," Wyb said, looking over the part of the astrodroid his cousin had managed to put together. "This is quite impressive."

"I'm nine, not a kid anymore," Prisa said, peering over his shoulder as he inspected her work. "Give it to me straight. Why does he keep short circuiting?"

"Most likely a software issue by the looks of it. The wiring and soldering is impeccable. Where'd you learn that?" Wyb asked.

"Rol," Prisa said sadly.

"Not the same without him huh?"

"No," She admitted. "Why are you back so soon?"

"I missed you," Wyb teased. She giggled but he knew he couldn't fool her. "I came back for R3 actually. Needed to see if he had a backup of that information I gave to the senator."

Prisa took out a small data pad and hooked it up to the droid. She began to run a diagnostic on it.

"You're really good at this," Wyb remarked as she shushed him. R3's light deemed and then flashed as a projection emerged and showed Unit 56 aboard the Star Destroyer. It cut to R3 shrieking with a flash of red and then silence.

"A red lightsaber," Sashee said as she caught the tail end of the recording.

"Is that bad?" Wyb asked.

"It's not great," Sashee said, placing her hand on the droid who was in setup mode. Prisa continued to work on the diagnostics and found the bug in question. "Any luck?"

"Almost there," Prisa said and placed the datapad down. She knew she was within reach of bringing R3 back. She plugged in the datapad to a main source of power. She then watched the status bar complete to 100% and watched the droid light up and click off a few times. "R3? Is that you?"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The spun out of control and pulled out his electroshocker in defense looking around. Wyb jumped in front of Prisa to shield her. The droid scanned the room anxiously and confused.

"He must be confused where he is," Sashee said as she kept her distance.

"R3 it's us," Prisa said softly. "You're alright. You're safe on Lothal. On the farm."

Beep beep beep, he softly confirmed. He had seen too much aboard the star destroyer.

"Hey, long time no see buddy," Wyb affectionately patted the droid on the top of his dome. "Can't imagine what you've been through."

Beep beep beep

"Is that right," Wyb smiled. Him and the droid had a long history. "Well I'm afraid I am going to need your help."

Beep beep beep

"I think that means yes,"Sashee said, relieved. "

I did it," Prsia said quietly to herself thinking of how glad she was that Rol was right.