Of Love and War Book 5: The Tragedy of Hope

Chapter 10: Preparations

"Mother...Mother, we're coming out of hyperspace."

Luke's soft-spoken words roused Zelina from her nap, one hand reaching out to remind herself of the ceiling above the bunk before she sat up. She brushed the hair out of her face and rubbed at her eyes, stifling a yawn as she looked to see Luke still standing beside the bunk with Threepio and Artoo waiting just behind him.

"Did you get any rest?" she asked as she got to her feet, moving to pick her bag back up from where it had been stashed during their trip.

"Not that much, no," Luke admitted a little sheepishly.

"Some is better than none."

The ship gave the familiar shudder of reverting between realspace and hyperspace, telling Zelina that they had officially reached the rebellion. A nervous flutter went through her stomach, as well as a squirm at the thought of all the old faces she could be seeing again, soon.

Ten years she'd lived without anyone knowing her from before—now she'd have her past connected with her name once more...and it scared her, to a degree.

All these people would be expecting a Jedi General from the Clone Wars, but she'd changed drastically while on Tatooine. She could still lead if she needed to, but if they were expecting a tranquil Jedi Master, they were in for a rude awakening.

One step at a time. If you try to plunge right back into things, you're going to drown. Remember how to swim, first.

She glanced at Luke as the thought crossed her mind, making a mental note to teach him to swim once she got the chance.

There weren't exactly ample opportunities to teach survival skills for a range of climates on Tatooine.

"You remember the rules?" she asked Luke casually as they made their way to the Falcon's hall, waiting casually by the landing ramp.

Luke wilted slightly, but nodded. "Don't join the Rebellion yet, and try to keep my name to myself."

Zelina felt sympathy pull at her heartstrings at the downcast edge in his expression. He probably hated that the secrets were continuing, that he couldn't entirely be himself yet like he'd thought he'd be able to once they left Tatooine. Not to mention, he—like his father—valued honesty. Loyalty meant he'd keep secrets if he had to, but he tried to be as honest as possible.

That also probably came from the fact that Zelina had always tried her hardest to be as honest with Luke as possible, maybe even more-so than she'd been with Anakin.

As for joining the Rebellion, he'd been chomping at the bit to get involved, be a Jedi, and make a difference for years now. He wanted to jump right into it now that the chance was finally here. Zelina was a far more experienced, a little more cautious, and—thankfully—the one in charge.

But she also understood his restlessness.

Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Chin up—we can still do our part, and I'm sure they'll have plenty for us to lend a hand with. For now, you should be bracing yourself for a culture shock."

Luke looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

A wry smile played across her lips, and she couldn't help but answer cryptically as her hand dropped away again. "Not every planet is Tatooine."

Personally, she was looking forward to seeing Luke's reaction to a planet—or in this case, moon—that wasn't made up of sand and rock. It would detract some from the plans she had in mind for after this Death Star crisis was handled, but she was sure those plans would still garner a priceless reaction from Luke, too.