The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 66 - An unexpected Announcement

As promised, Luke had changed the training program. The Jedi taught Nomi the relaxation techniques and with these techniques it was much easier for her to open up to the Force.
Nomi was happy about it and enjoyed the new exercises.
Dash noted his wife's mood swing with relief and enjoyed watching her train whenever his duty at Rogue Squadron allowed.

Dash Rendar picked up the triplets from the floor where they were playing and placed them in a hover pram while his wife prepared for another training session with Luke Skywalker.
Nomi looked at her husband and raised an eyebrow as the three boys began to protest.
"The weather's nice and the boys need some fresh air, darling," her husband said after noticing her reaction while trying to calm his offspring. "I thought it would be a good idea to bring them along so they can see what their mother's doing."
She nodded her head.
"Yes, it's a good idea, but it seems our sons don't approve, Dash."
Her husband gave her a lopsided grin.
"They're going to love watching, after what you told me about the new exercises," he replied, before tickling his eldest son, making the little guy giggle. "Let's go, Luke's waiting I think."
Then he went to the door, opened it and stepped out into Dagobah's misty air. Nomi followed him, the hover pram in tow.

When they reached Luke's quarters, the Jedi was standing in front of it. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the whole family coming.
"Hello everyone," he said, bending down to look inside the pram. "Your sons are developing well."
The proud parents smiled at him. Nomi turned to the pram, picked up the boys one by one and set them on the ground.
"Dash wants them to see what I'm doing in training, Luke," she said, watching Biggs crawl towards a lizard.
As the lizard fled into a nearby tree, the boy pouted. His father suppressed a grin.
Skywalker smiled and looked at Biggs' brothers who were busy exploring the area.
"We should start," he finally said, sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Nomi did the same while her husband watched their sons. She closed her eyes, breathed evenly, and tapped into the Force. The triplets turned their heads. It seemed as if they felt the subtle ripples in the Force being caused by their mother.
Luke was very pleased when he saw the reaction of the Force-sensitive boys.
Meanwhile, Nomi opened her eyes and began one of the levitation exercises Luke had shown her. She stretched out her hand, concentrated, and the leaves in front of her slowly rose into the air.
"Very good, Nomi and now the stones," Luke said, watching her carefully.
The young woman nodded her head, took a deep breath, and began levitating the small stones Skywalker had placed in a circle.
Suddenly, one of the stones was moving steadily towards Corran and his mother couldn't bring it back into the floating stone circle. She lost concentration and control, causing the stones to fall to the ground. Only the stone in her son's Force grip still floated towards him in midair. When the stone was within reach, her youngest son grabbed it and smiled at her.
"Mine, Mama," he said, trying to put it in his mouth but his father prevented it.
Dash couldn't believe his ears, at the age of ten months the first of his sons had spoken clearly intelligible words.
"Corran speaks?" He asked in wonder. "I think it won't be long before Dash Jr. and Biggs start talking too."
With a big smile, he pocketed the stone to keep as a souvenir of that memorable day.
Nomi looked very proudly at Corran, who pouted when his plan was foiled. Meanwhile, his siblings were completely unimpressed by what was happening and continued to play.
"Your sons are smart for their age," remarked Luke Skywalker. "But now you should get on with the exercise, Nomi."
The young woman nodded her head and shortly thereafter the stone circle was in the air again. After a while she let the stones sink to the ground.
"Very good, Nomi," the Jedi said, standing. "What I've seen makes me even more excited for the triplets' training. They are really promising."
Nomi Darklighter also rose, wiped off the dirt and went to her husband, who put their sons in the hover pram.
"It will be a while before you can train them, my friend," Rendar said, turning his head to Luke. Then he kissed his wife. "I'm very proud of you, honey."
Luke smiled when he saw the family idyll.
"I'll be patient, Dash. See you tomorrow, Nomi."
Then he turned and went to his quarters leaving his friends and their offspring alone.
After Luke left, Nomi and Dash walked hand in hand to their quarters, the hover pram floating at their side.

When they reached their quarters, Nomi's comlink went off and she answered the call. It was Wedge Antilles who told her that on Admiral Ackbar's orders, all base members should gather in the command center.
"We're on our way," she answered, cutting the connection before turning to Leebo. "Please take care of the triplets."
"Of course, Captain Darklighter," the droid replied, taking the three boys, one by one, out of the hover pram.
"Thank you, Leebo," Dash said, bending down and kissing his sons' foreheads. "We'll be back soon, cuties."
Then he and his wife left for the command center.
It didn't take long for them to reach their destination.
When they entered the command center, it was crowded and they only found space near the door. But they weren't the last to show up for the gathering. Gavin Darklighter entered seconds after them and gave his sister and brother-in-law a lopsided grin.
Admiral Ackbar had been waiting patiently, and when an aide told him the entire base was assembled, he cleared his throat. All conversations stopped immediately and everyone turned their attention to the Mon Calamari.
"High Command has decided to abandon the base here on Dagobah," the admiral began, causing Nomi to look at her husband in shock.
"Staying in one place permanently is dangerous until the last remnant of the Empire is
destroyed," Ackbar continued. "In three standard days, the base will be moved to a planet in the Anoat system. We will start loading the transport ships today. On the day of our departure we will form a convoy escorted by Rogue Squadron. The coordinates of our destination will be stored in the nav computers tomorrow. That's all...dismissed."

Excitement at the announcement was great among those who left the command center.
For Nomi, the High Command's decision meant that her daughter wouldn't be born on Dagobah. She sighed and looked up at her husband helplessly. Dash took her hand and stroked it to comfort her.
"What shall we do now, Dash?" Nomi asked with a trembling voice. "Our daughter will be born in two standard weeks. I'm not allowed to fly an X-wing in my condition, but we can't stay here either."
Her husband released her hand and smiled.
"I've an idea, Nomi. You aren't allowed to fly an X-wing, but you can still fly a freighter. Our two space freighters are here on Dagobah. One of these can make the journey aboard a transport ship and the other could be flown by you and Leebo. Unfortunately I can't come with you because Rogue Squadron is supposed to be escorting the transport ships. If you take one of our freighters, the problem of how to transport our triplets is also solved."
Dash looked expectantly at his pregnant wife.
"That's a good idea, Dash," she replied, smiling at her husband. "I'll feel safe when Leebo is with me. And I would like to take the Outrider. She has stronger shields and is more heavily armed than my dear old Aquarius."
Dash chuckled.
"You can take the Outrider, Nomi. Only the best for my wife. You never know what you might encounter along the way."
At that moment Luke approached them. He must have been at the front of the crowd during the gathering because they hadn't seen him.
"It looks like all of our planning is obsolete," he said with a frown. "Let's hope we arrive at our destination without incident. We're both assigned to escort the transport ships, Dash. I'll fly Nomi's X-wing. What does Nomi fly with?"
He looked at Dash expectantly, but it was Nomi who answered his question.
"I'll take the Outrider with Leebo as co-pilot, Luke. We can easily take the children with us."
Luke nodded in agreement.
"That's a good choice. I have to go now because there's still a lot to prepare. Don't forget to do your exercises, Nomi."
His childhood friend laughed.
"No, Luke, I won't forget my exercises, I promise."
Dash Rendar bent down and kissed her forehead.
"I have to go too, honey. There's a fighter and a freighter that I need to prepare for flight," he said with a smile. "And I must also see to it that your beloved Aquarius finds a place aboard one of the transport ships."

When the two men left and she knew that the triplets were in good hands with Leebo, Nomi went to her favorite spot near Yoda's hut.
There she sat down under a tree, leaned against it and closed her eyes. She would miss this place very much and she was sure that she would not find anything like it in the whole galaxy.
It was difficult for her to leave Dagobah, but she had no choice.