Naluma struggled in her drug-induced coma, jerking against the other four men in her squad that were bound hand-and-foot and thrown in a corner on the bridge. One of the pirates turned at the disturbance and kicked her in the back. Her entire body spasmed. An unconscious moan escaped her lips.

He continued to kick her—her head, her back, her stomach, her legs. She choked on vomit under her gag as the kicks continued. Two of her squad shielded her by jumping on top of her and taking the kicks for her. Meanwhile, the other two tried to work her gag free and clear her mouth with their fingers.

The First Order lieutenant glanced back at the commotion and said, "Stand down. You know the standing orders for Jedi—they are to remain alive. Unless you seek to displease the Supreme Leader."

The trooper that had been kicking regressed from the corner and stood watch over them instead.

Luke led his group quickly down the ladders to the engine room, disabling pockets of the enemy in each compartment. One of his squads had captured a pirate leader, which turned out to be a stormtrooper sergeant. They took point and held the sergeant as a hostage shield while they progressed through the ship.

As they approached the engine room, troopers lined up on either side of the hatch. The hatch opened as soon as they reached it. Blaster shots streamed through the hatch, hitting the sergeant in the shoulder.

The captive sergeant ordered, "Stand down. Stand down."

Master Skywalker hopped through the hatch. "Drop your weapons and surrender."

The four at the hatch dropped theirs with a clatter as they fell to the deck.

Luke nodded toward the others. "And the rest."

Cruise line crew members clambered out with their hands up. As Luke probed them, blaster bolts strafed him from the rear of the engine room. He drew his lightsaber. "Hit the deck."

The Jedi advanced through the engine room. In the tight quarters he resorted to deflecting the bolts with the bare Force.

As he approached his source, he modified his tactics from deflection to absorption. He could not maintain this tactic long, but his opponent did not know that.

He bluffed, "I can keep this up forever. We can either wait until you're out of charge and I kill you, or you can surrender now. What's it going to be?"

The trooper replied with more blasts. Luke put forth his right hand to absorb the energy while using the Force to pinpoint the assailant.

The Jedi followed the woman as she darted about the engine room seeking to gain cover. At a split second as she passed between pylons, Luke extend his left hand and drew her weapon to himself.

"It's over. Come out."

She sprung at Luke, swinging a machete and screaming.

Luke reached out with the Force, throwing her against the reactor housing. Four of his squad raced forward and took her into custody.

The Jedi scanned the remaining group. "You, you, not you, you, you three, and you are with me. The rest of you, guard the engine room. If we fail, they'll come down to take control."

He left a quarter of the team to supervise what remained of the ship's engine room crew. "Wait here. When we regain the bridge, we'll contact you."

His small squad hefted their blasters, checking for any stragglers in the corridor. Luke took a deep breath, focusing on the Force and the civilians. He dared not let himself think about Naluma.

The bridge stood on the uppermost deck of the ship, a little room on a tower accessed by a set of stairs on the port side. Corpses littered the area, civilians killed in the first waves of the invasion. Blood smeared the sundeck below the bridge, as well as the steps to the command room.

With the Force, Luke searched for the enemy within. Six. One was an officer, obviously. The others were armed. Five captives. One unconscious—Naluma!

Luke locked down that part of his heart. Goal one—secure the ship. Goal two—save the captives. Goal three—Naluma. In that order only. He closed his eyes as he muttered, "Purpose before feelings. Purpose before feelings."

He motioned to his squad, indicating five enemy, and then hugged the wall up the stairs in silence. After waving his arm at the hatch, it slid open. "Freeze!"

The troopers opened fire on Luke. He deflected the bolts with his saber, grabbed the blasters, and shoved the men to the floor in one smooth motion. He caught sight of Naluma writhing on the floor in convulsions.

While his squad moved in to secure the troopers, Luke dragged the officer to him and clutched the man by the throat. "What did you give her?"

The man gurgled. "Who?"

"Jedi Master Fau. What did you give her?"

"Don't know—" the man sputtered, gasping his last breath.

Luke released his corpse and moved to Naluma.

After Luke gestured to two of his men, they rushed to the other captives, untying their ligatures and gags. Luke knelt next to Naluma and severed her bonds with his saber.

She thrashed in her trance, rolling into the vomitus and blood near her head. Blood matted her hair and streaked her face.

Luke laid his hand on her head and sent a gentle probe across their bond. It was the vision again, the one that had plagued her for eleven years now. He watched as Jedi and Padawan were slaughtered—and he watched as she took the last blow herself. It was so real.

With a sharp tug, he broke himself out of the nightmare, unable to watch it any further. Reaching out with the Force, he streamed the tendrils into the synapses affected by the sedative and let the Force sweep it out of her system.

Even though he could feel the pain coursing throughout her body, he dared not touch her. Luma, honey. He sent a probing thought to her. It's a vision. Just a vision. Come back to me. I'm—

She awoke, screaming in terror, jerking around, hyperventilating, sweating, and moaning in pain.

"Shh, Naluma, I'm here. It'll be all right. You're coming out of sedation. Come on, find your center again. You can do this."

She opened her eyes, dilated from the drugs. The bright light of the bridge forced her to squint, but when her eyes locked onto Luke's face, she smiled a tiny bit. She inhaled deeply, then gasped, then tried another deep breath, bringing her mind under control.

Luke kissed her forehead. "I knew you could do it."

"Everything hurts." She moaned in agony.

"Come on. You can handle it."

Luke watched as she implemented the Force techniques for pain suppression he had taught her on Ahch-To.

"You can do this." He fed her more of his Force energy through their bond. "Get it under control. Try not to move."

"I'm stiff," Naluma said.

"This is the last trial. You can do it."

She closed her eyes and ran her tongue over her lips. She recited from The Journal of the Whills. "Every Jedi must face his trials, because his trials do not end there." She winced. "Skill, courage, spirit, insight, and the flesh."

Naluma bit her lip, causing it to bleed. As the blood dripped down her chin, she lifted her torso.

As she moved, Luke pushed her up by the shoulder until Naluma winced at the pressure.

"Ahhhh."

"Can you stand?" Luke asked as his squad escorted the First Order troops and officer down the stairs to the sundeck.

"Help me. Just don't touch my back or my head," Naluma said, still woozy from the kicks to her skull. 

Luke stared into her unfocused eyes, realizing he must be a blur right now. When she extended her arms to him, he pulled her up and let her find a comfortable position to lean as they headed off the bridge.

She winced when Luke commanded his squad.

"Two of you get the chief engineer. Have him get us back to the mainland as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master Skywalker." 

"Squad Cresh, take those prisoners to the brig. Double guard round the clock."

"Yes, Master Skywalker."

"Rest of you, gather any survivors to the parlor."

Naluma collapsed into a chair, holding her reeling head in her hands as Cordé wiped the blood from her face and wound. What she needed was a shower and bed rest, but Naluma knew she had to be at this assembly with Luke.

"Hey, can I have everybody's attention?" Luke asked while on a dinner table. He resorted to whistling to quiet them down.

"The ship's under control. They weren't pirates, though. They were First Order officers and stormtroopers attempting to gather slaves for their factories. We have a few of them locked up in the brig. We are heading  back to the mainland. Please have all your belongings packed. Have your valuables attached to your body, as you may have to abandon your luggage. When we arrive at the port, go directly to the spaceport to evacuate"

Everyone spoke at once.

Luke quieted them down again and instructed, "Now, we don't have much crew. The ones who are alive are operating the ship or standing watch on the brig. I need twenty volunteers to prepare the meals. Another twenty to set up and clean the dining area. I could use forty of you on corpse detail, taking them up to the sundeck."

Sighs emanated from the crowd. Naluma stared at them and shook her head in disbelief.

Luke continued, "No more services. Stay in your own staterooms. No looting, or you'll end up in the brig with the First Order. Any questions?"

Everyone was quiet—either tired or afraid of Luke—but no one dared to disobey either. They saw what Naluma looked like. They knew how many had not come back.

Three days later, the cruise ship limped into port. As soon as the longshoremen had positioned gangplanks, the passengers and crew swarmed off the ship. Some waited for ground transportation to the spaceport, while others ran.

The city panicked. Word had reached Kattada City a few hours before arrival about the First Order takeover, and the evacuation had begun. Spaceships were scarce—many would be left behind.

Did you know . . . 

● I researched many cruise ships and tried to remember the layout of the Nieuw Amsterdam that I sailed on a few decades back for planning out the layout.

● I also took a tour of the Queen Mary a few years before I wrote this chapter.

Tell me what you think . . .

● Is hope all you need to press on through tough situations? Why?