Playlist:

❶ "The Swamp"—Band of Brothers OST 

❷ "Building the Barn"—Witness OST

❶ Naluma awoke to the intense heat scorching her skin bright red. Her throat was parched, and the reaction headache from the day's activities blinded her.

A lieutenant shook her shoulder. "Ma'am, the drop ship is here."

Ignoring her discomfort, she jumped up and grabbed her rifle. She said to the twins, "Our ride's here, kids. Let's go."

The drop ship was packed to standing room only. Naluma stood in an aisle between rows of jump seats, spreading her legs apart and grabbing onto an overhead bar for support. The twins stood behind her, following her lead.

Beside her in jump seats, two soldiers discussed their kills. A humanoid with gray skin said, "I still don't know how you took out all those stormtroopers, Wei'ahtt. You must have had forty kills."

Wei'ahtt, a large human whose muscles strained his combat uniform, smiled bashfully at the compliment. "Ah, shucks, that was nothing. They were hardly moving."

"Still, I think I'm going to get my rifle checked. I only hit five of them," his mate said.

Another trooper heard their conversation and said, "You're full of hogwash. Nobody hit forty."

Wei'ahtt's friend said, "He did. Here, check out his helmet recording and count them yourself." He handed Wei'ahtt's combat helmet to the other soldier.

Wei'ahtt grabbed at the helmet to pull it back, but his friend turned in his jumpseat, moving it out of Wei'ahtt's reach.

"I don't believe it. You didn't miss a single shot," he said with the helmet on his head. "What are you, some sort of sharpshooter?"

Intrigued, Naluma eavesdropped on their conversation. She had taken out over forty troops herself, but she had been using the Force. She had never heard of a mere soldier having a hundred percent kill rate in battle before.

Wei'ahtt grinned. "Ah, that's easy. I see where they're going to be right before they move there."

Naluma said, "Wei'ahtt, is it?"

Wei'ahtt stood to attention. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

Naluma examined him. He was not as old as she first thought. His size led one to think he was in his late teens, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw he could be no older than fourteen or fifteen. "At ease, Wei'ahtt. Where you from?" she asked.

"A nerf ranch on Ezzell, ma'am."

"Have you always been able to do this?"

"Yes, ma'am," Wei'ahtt said, shuffling his feet. "Honest, ma'am, that's how it always works."

"Relax, soldier. I believe you," Naluma said with a slight smile. "That's how it works with me, too. You want to use that talent for more than shooting Imperials?"

"I don't rightly know, ma'am," he said with hope in his eyes. "I can't just go AWOL."

"Not trying to get you to go AWOL. Just wondering if you wanted to transfer units to the Jedi Order."

His eyes lit up, and he nodded his head. The drop ship launched with a rough jerk.

With the weapons plant down, the Republic fleet focused their attention on the Super Star Destroyer Ravager. Snub fighters launched their proton torpedoes into every vital area, from shield generators, to conning towers, to stabilizers. The heavy ships surrounded the vessel, ten on each side, launching barrage after barrage of cannon fire.

After hours of pelting the superstructure with heavy artillery, the Super Star Destroyer Ravager plunged to the surface of Jakku. When it hit, the entire planet shook on its axis, knocking it further off its rotation.

Many of the smaller Imperial ships fell to their demise on the surface of Jakku, creating the ship graveyard. Some crashed into each other, while others landed hundreds of kilometers away from the Inflictor. The Republic defeated the Galactic Empire in a decisive victory that day, one year after Endor.

❷ As the drop ship lowered its ramp on Home One, music and cheering spilled into the transport. Twilight Company disembarked, joining in the celebration as friends handed them drinks and escorted them off the deck.

Naluma led her three recruits onto the hangar deck. She felt Master Skywalker's presence across the hangar, the Force-bond intensifying the closer they moved to each other. The potency of the bond pulled at them both. 

Maneuvering through the celebrants delayed her mission. While the others were sampling the gilly juice and partying amid the vehicles, she only wanted to get to Luke.

Master Skywalker spotted her from a distance and waved. Two pilots gathered him, but Naluma's focused on Luke. He gave her a warm smile—one of relief and joy, his love spiking along the bond. She smiled back with the same warmth, becoming intoxicated again on the Force-bond.

When they met, Luke and Naluma stared at each other as the recruits introduced themselves around. Relief flowed across the bond—relief and love and togetherness. He embraced her once more. They held each other for minutes, allowing their Force-bond to resonate between them.

Did you know ...

● I based Wei'ahtt on my favorite Cartwright brother from Bonanza—Hos—but I gave him some brains, too. Wei'ahtt is 14, polite, and not afraid of hard work. He has a big dose of Jedi compassion, but his time in the military has toughened him.

● Although I used to rock on the Atari 2600, I am a little old to play videogames. I've tried the new controllers, but I can never get the hang of them. Besides, I'm always writing, so I wouldn't have time to play. However, if I ever had the time and equipment, I would definitely play Battlefront, the one that includes the Battle of Jakku. 

● Naluma and Luke have spent the last eight months together. Not only have they been together this long, but almost every waking hour has been spent in company together, with no one else. While they grow closer together, the strain can be unbearable. As a theatre arts director, I have witnessed relationships blossom under this type of exposure to one another during tech week (16-hour days for 7-14 days) many times.

● Wei'ahtt is a real nerfherder.

Tell me what you think ...

● How has this battle strengthened Naluma and Luke professionally and personally?

● How will the dynamics in their relationship change now that there are five more people in the Order and living in close quarters with them?