PHOENIX ━ dameron

076 | home by now

"Elgie," Lyra laughed, squatting down to level herself with the droid.

Absolutely horrible, the droid began to explain, swiveling her head to sweep across each of them in turn. Do not leave me with them again.

Lyra reached out a hand, gingerly pressing her fingers to the top of the droid's head. Elgie had been out of commission since Lyra left. Even Chopper knew better than to mess with the deeply upset droid, and they allowed her to roll around and do as she pleased. But with Lyra back, Luke suspected that they could add Elgie to the list of droids that were quickly becoming hazardous to the well being of their ranks. BeeBee Eight and Chopper currently held the top spots.

Lyra turned to address the two of them now that Rey was gone. "I made it to Wynn. I–there's more to it than any of us knew."

Luke's heart broke to hear the admission, but Leia took it in stride. Always more level headed, always better able to set her own feelings aside. "I know you have things to tell us. It's the way of things, but for now, set it aside."

Lyra nodded, already looking past them and outside of the cavern. "I'll try."

"Good," Leia nodded with a sharp sigh. "Now go. Don't tell me you don't have better places to be than sitting in the dark with the old people."

Lyra knew better than to argue. She walked back out and into the sun, glancing back over her shoulder one more time. In the light, her eyes shone with slight disbelief.

Luke knew what that look was. It was one that he himself had worn before; Lyra hadn't thought she would return.

"This is going to change things. Dramatically," Leia said without missing a beat. Always strategy.

"Don't make it sound so dire," he chided.

Her expression softened. "I wasn't, and it isn't dire. The best thing about her leaving was that she came back. All that stuff in between?" She shook her head. "Of little to no importance right now. She's safe, that's all I've ever cared about."

Luke could afford to be a father first, but Leia was stuck in her role as General. For all the years she had borne the weight alone, and Luke still felt the guilt. "I know, Leia."

"It's what we needed. We weren't going to make it much further without her here to tell us the news from the otherside. As much as I hate it, she's the connection, the bridge over the uncrossable gap."

Luke frowned, leaning on the command module in front of him and trying to shake the feeling away. But the necklace, the way Lyra had melted the clasp shut. That was what worried him, perhaps the most. Lyra had made sure nothing was going to take it off from her until the day it split in two, and he hated to think about what that day would be.

A savior complex was something he never wanted to pass on to his own child.

"She's back, and that was the best thing we could have hoped for," Luke said, scratching at his cheek. They had had this conversation too many times.

"It is," Leia agreed, nodding solemnly. Her fingers tapped the command desk. "I have a feeling the problems in our ranks are going to be ironed out, which is good. I need sharp officers when Wedge gets back with those pilots. The Force knows who he's about to haul in."

Luke made a hm noise in response. Wedge Antilles was always a painful idealist. With Norra flying with him, it was safe to assume their prospects would be a bit more realistically handled. Still, it was Wedge.

"What happened to her, Luke?" Leia asked, finally allowing herself to break.

Luke could see his daughter stepping out into the sunlit world beyond, and he said the words he was most afraid to speak aloud.