The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 68 - Hyperspace Journey

After jumping into hyperspace, Nomi gave Leebo control of the Outrider because she wanted to take care of the triplets.

When she entered the bunk, the little ones weren't lying peacefully in their bed as she had hoped. Somehow they had managed to loosen the straps that held them in place. Dash Jr., Biggs and Corran happily crawled around on the cot, trying to somehow get down to explore the freighter. At ten months they felt an uncanny urge to move.
"What are you doing, sweeties?" asked their pregnant mother and sat down next to the triplets on the cot.
Corran immediately crawled towards her and tried to climb onto her lap. Frustrated, he realized that the baby bump was in the way and started crying.
"Mama, arm," he demanded sobbing as tears trickled down his cheeks.
Nomi took the little guy in her arms and he stopped crying. Satisfied, he put his thumb in his mouth. When his siblings saw this, they also crawled towards their mother.
Dash Jr. was next, stretching out his arms.
"Mama, arm," he said. These were his very first words.
Nomi hugged him too, feeling sorry for her husband who couldn't witness Junior's first words.
Now Biggs didn't want to stand back either and crawled towards his mother too. He immediately cried because it seemed like he couldn't cuddle with his mother. But Biggs was resourceful. Somehow he managed to rest his head on Nomi's lap. Happy at his success, he looked up at his mother and smiled. Then, like Corran, he put his thumb in his mouth.
Nomi looked proudly at her sons, stroking their heads before bending down and kissing their foreheads. She enjoyed finally having time for the triplets because she could totally rely on Leebo to fly the Outrider. After playing with them, she did her exercises as Luke asked her to do. The triplets watched her intently, wide eyed, and tried to imitate the exercises while sitting on the floor.
Their mother noted with joy that they were really talented. Together, the boys managed to lift a hydrospanner with the Force. It was truly amazing what they were capable of at such a tender age.

After Nomi finished her exercises, Biggs smiled at her.
"Mama, swory," he said, looking at her expectantly.
Dash Jr. and Corran joined in and clapped their hands.
"Mama, swory," they demanded almost simultaneously.
The pregnant woman picked them up one by one and placed them on the cot before sitting down as well.
As the boys snuggled up to their mother, she began to tell the story of Nomi Sunrider, the Jedi she was named after. By the time she got to the middle of the story, the three had fallen asleep. Their mother smiled at the sight and rose carefully so as not to wake them.
She quietly went to the door, opened it and left the bunk. After pouring a glass of water in the ship's galley, she went into the cockpit, where Leebo sat in the copilot's seat. Nomi sat down in the pilot's seat and took a sip of water while gazing out the cockpit viewport. Outside were still the whirls and streaks of hyperspace, casting an eerie glow in the otherwise unlit cockpit.
"How long before we reach the Anoat system, Leebo?" She asked, taking another sip of water.
The droid turned his head and focused his attention on his partner's wife.
"We are on the right path and should be in the Anoat system in twelve standard hours, Captain Darklighter," Leebo replied in his mechanical voice.
Nomi nodded her head and drank the rest of the water. Twelve standard hours meant she could rest for a while.
She placed the empty glass on the console and stood up.
"I'll get some sleep. Please wake me up when we come out of hyperspace."
"Yes, Captain Darklighter," the droid replied.
The young woman looked at Leebo and raised an eyebrow.
"Would you mind if you didn't call me Captain Darklighter?"
It took a while for the droid to process Nomi's request because it was irritating to him.
"What shall I call you, Captain Darklighter?"
Nomi smiled at him.
"We've known each other for so long, Leebo, just call me Nomi."
The droid hesitated for a split second before answering.
"As you wish, Captain Darklighter - er, Nomi."
The former smuggler turned to leave.
"You'll get used to it soon, Leebo," she said, exiting the cockpit and heading to the bunk.

As she entered the bunk and lay down on the second cot, Dash Jr., who was awake, looked at her with wide brown eyes.
"Mama, arm," the boy said quietly.
His mother got up, picked him up, carried him to her cot and lay down again. Her eldest snuggled up to her happily.
"Dada?" He whispered.
Nomi assumed he wanted to know where his father was.
"Your Papa is out there in hyperspace," she whispered in her son's ear, not wanting to wake the other two. "He, along with your uncle Gavin and a lot of other good men and women, make sure nothing happens to us."
Junior seemed satisfied with the answer.
Suddenly the little boy reached out and gently placed his hand on his mother's baby bump. He looked at her questioningly as he felt his unborn sister move.
"Yes, Dash, your little sister Tasherit is in there," Nomi said with a big smile. "She will be born in two standard weeks and your father and I are looking forward to her. You and your brothers were once in my belly too and now the three of you are so big."
Dash Jr. gently stroked his mother's stomach and smiled.
"Baby," he whispered and closed his eyes. Not long after, he fell asleep.
A little later Nomi also fell asleep.

After several hours, she woke up to hearing Leebo's voice over the intercom.
"Nomi, wake up. We'll exit hyperspace soon."
She got up, went to the cockpit and entered it.
"Shields up, Leebo," she ordered, sitting down in the pilot's seat. "You never know what to expect when you come out of hyperspace."
"I have already done that," the droid replied. "Dash always comes out of hyperspace with shields up. It's an old habit from our days as smugglers."
The young woman had to laugh. Dash and she were really very similar.
"Why do you have to laugh, Nomi?" The droid asked, focusing his photoreceptor at her.
"Oh, there's no particular reason," she replied and stopped laughing when she felt a brief, stabbing pain in her belly.
But the pain passed as quickly as it had come, and knowing that the birth wasn't due for another two weeks, Nomi didn't attach much importance to it. The droid didn't notice anything and turned his attention back to the console.
When the signal sounded, Nomi pulled the lever, and the eerie light of hyperspace turned to the blackness of star-speckled space.
Gradually the spaceships of the convoy appeared alongside, in front of and behind them. Right next to the Outrider was Dash's X-wing. He had actually managed to stay close to his family in hyperspace.
"Hello, darling," Nomi heard her husband's voice after answering his call. "Welcome to the Anoat system. Do you see this little planet, Nomi? This is where the Alliance will set up their new base. But we won't be there."
Hearing this, his wife frowned.
"Why won't we be there, Dash? What is that supposed to mean? We're needed there and we can't just leave."
"Don't worry, Nomi," Dash replied. "I discussed everything with Admiral Ackbar and Wedge and they approved. They agreed that we fly to Tatooine. In your condition you can't help anyway. Our daughter should be born on your home planet, darling. Tatooine is a safe place as the Imperial garrison no longer exists. Everything will be fine this time. But first we'll land on this little planet to say goodbye to our friends and then we'll leave for Tatooine. Just follow me."

Dash Rendar steered his fighter towards the planet and Nomi followed with the YT-2400. After landing, Nomi took a breath mask, after looking at the readouts about the planet's atmosphere, exited the cockpit, opened the hatch and walked down the ramp. Her husband was already waiting for her, also wearing a breath mask.
"Not the best planet, but we'll leave soon after 2-1B examines you. How are the triplets? And most importantly, how are you and Tasherit?"
"We're all fine, Dash," replied his wife without mentioning the recent pain she was experiencing. "C'mon, I've something to show you."
Nomi turned and walked up the ramp, followed by her husband. After both entered the Outrider, Dash closed the hatch to keep Anoat's atmosphere out. He was glad to be back on board his beloved freighter.
Nomi took his hand and pulled him to the bunk where she had left the triplets.
When she opened the door, the three boys were sitting on the cot and curiously looking in the direction of those entering. When they saw their father, they talked excitedly in their own language, but then came a word that was uttered almost simultaneously by all three and brought a smile to Dash's face.
"Dada"