The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 71 - Resumption of Training

After having breakfast with his wife, Dash stood up, grabbed his helmet and headed for the door after kissing her."I have to go to the landing pad to prepare my X-wing, darling. See you later," he said, adjusting the breath mask before leaving.

Dash hadn't been gone long and Nomi had just changed her children's diapers when she heard a knock on the door. She went to the door, opened it and saw Leia standing there.
"Good morning, Nomi," said the princess and entered the quarters after her friend had made room for her. "Are you alone?"
"Good morning, Leia," the young woman replied. "Dash left a few minutes ago. Only the children and Leebo are here. What's so important that no one else should hear it?"
Both women went to the small table and sat down.
"Please send the droid and triplets where they can't overhear us."
Nomi raised an eyebrow, wondering why her friend was acting so secretive. As she looked closely at Leia, she noticed the worried expression on her face. Without asking she poured her guest a mug of tea before calling the droid.
"Leebo!"
The droid came out of the small kitchen and walked over to Nomi and Leia.
"What do you want from me, Nomi?" Leebo asked, aiming his photoreceptor at his partner's wife, ignoring the princess. It seemed that manners weren't part of his programming. Nomi sighed internally. Of course, Leebo wasn't a protocol droid like Leia's C-3PO, but a little manners couldn't hurt.
"Please take the triplets to the kitchen and stay there until I call you," Nomi said, pouring herself a mug of tea.
"Of course, Nomi," the droid replied in his mechanical voice, bending down and picking up Dash Jr. and Biggs. Then he turned his attention to Corran.
"C'mon, Corran, you three can help me in the kitchen. Your mom wants to be alone with Princess Leia."
Then he turned and went towards the kitchen and Corran scrambled to keep up with the droid despite his short legs.

When the droid had gone with the boys, Nomi turned her attention back to the princess.
"What do you want to tell me, Leia?" She asked before taking a sip of tea while noticing that her friend was having a hard time getting started. "C'mon, Leia what's on your mind?"
"Luke told me he's training you to be a Jedi."
"Yes, but I do not know...," Nomi began.
The princess interrupted her, which was unusual for her.
"Do you even know what you're getting yourself into, Nomi? My brother isn't a Jedi Master. I don't think he can train you. He didn't complete his training with Master Yoda. Once upon a time, a Jedi believed he could train another without being a Master. It was a fatal mistake, and the Jedi he sought to train paid the price. You know who the Jedi was whose training failed. It was my father. If Obi-Wan weren't so cocky..." Leia took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want that to happen to you, Nomi. If that happens, I could never forgive Luke. Using the Force is risky. How easy it is to succumb to the temptations of the dark side. Once you have walked this path, there is no turning back. Please stop the Jedi training. Think of your children and your husband, they need you."
Nomi, who had been listening quietly, took Leia's hand.
"I know you're afraid to use the talent you inherited from your father, Leia. You're afraid that you might end up just like him. Luke told me that. I also initially resisted accepting that I was Force sensitive. You don't have to be afraid that I'll fall victim to the dark side. I'm strong and will be able to resist all temptations. Your brother may not be a Jedi Master yet, but he's a very good teacher. I've learned a lot from him and I can't just stop my training now, Leia. There's something else you don't know. Luke foresaw something threatening my family. Only by continuing my training can I protect and defend my family." The young woman sighed. "I have no choice."
Leia looked at her with a strange expression.
"My brother tells you a lot. He seems closer to you than me. But that's understandable because you grew up together. It's true, I'm afraid to use my father's legacy. I hope everything will be fine for you. Forgive me for bothering you with my concerns, Nomi."
She withdrew her hand and started to leave, but her friend held her back.
"Please stay, Leia. You're right in your concerns. I've also often wondered if Luke is suitable for training me. But I just have to trust him."
The princess nodded her head.
"Maybe you are right."

At that moment, Tasherit woke up and cried because she was hungry again. Her mother stood up, went to the crib, picked her up and carried her to the chair, sat down and opened her shirt to feed her.
Leia smiled at her friend before walking to the door.
"I really don't want to bother you any longer, Nomi. I hope you and my brother are doing the right thing."
"I hope so too, Leia," Nomi replied while her daughter sucked eagerly. "It's time to relieve Leebo of his babysitting duties. He will be happy about it. Surely it's easier to herd Loth cats than three little Jedi."
The princess laughed at the remark, waved goodbye and left.
As soon as the door closed behind Leia, Nomi called the droid.
"Leebo!"
Moments later, the droid walked into the room with the triplets in tow. The boys looked like they had made a mess in the kitchen.
"Oh, Leebo," their mother sighed. "You should take care of the boys and by the looks of it you totally failed. When I've finished feeding Tasherit, we'll have to wash the boys."
The droid endured the criticism and didn't argue back.

After feeding her daughter, Nomi grabbed the triplets and put them in the shower with Leebo's help.
When they were clean and dry again, they sat happily on their cots.
"Mama, story!" demanded Biggs loudly.
"Yes, Mama, story!" His brothers enthusiastically agreed.
Luckily, Nomi remembered many stories and legends that her mother told her when she was a child. This time she told her offspring about the Sith Wars.
The young mother was almost at the end of her story when there was a knock on the door. A split second later, the other part of the Skywalker twins entered and heard the last words of Nomi's story.
"Hello Nomi. Isn't this story a bit too violent for such young listeners?" Asked the Jedi and sat down on a chair.
His friend shook her head.
"No, Luke, I first heard that story when I was the same age. As you can see, it did me no harm. But why are you here?"
The young man stood up, walked over to Nomi and handed her a bundle.
"I wanted to bring you this. C'mon, unwrap it, Nomi."
She carefully undid the lacing. The bundle contained black pants made from rough fabric, a black catsuit, a black belt with a gold-colored buckle, and a pair of black undecorated boots. Nomi looked at Luke in astonishment while Dash Jr. put his hand on the belt buckle.
"I want you to wear these clothes during training," said Luke as he walked back to the chair where he sat down again. "They'll remind you how close the light side and the dark side of the Force are. Training will continue tomorrow. I already spoke to Dash about it. He agreed to you practicing with the lightsaber again. Provided you feel strong enough. After all, your daughter's birth was only three standard days ago."
Nomi nodded and stroked her eldest's head.
"Yes, I feel strong enough to continue training, Luke. But does it have to be the lightsaber?"
The Jedi looked at her seriously.
"Yes, Nomi. You have to overcome your aversion to the lightsaber. As a Jedi, you have to be able to handle it. Also, don't forget that your life and that of your family may depend on your abilities."
Nomi sighed and took a deep breath.
"I won't forget it, Luke. Tomorrow I'll train with my lightsaber."
Luke stood up and went to the door.
"Good. See you tomorrow, Nomi."
Satisfied with Nomi's answer, he left the quarters.

The day flew by and soon it was evening.
As Nomi was feeding Tasherit, Dash finally came back. He leaned down and kissed his wife.
"Good evening, Nomi. Hello, sweetie," he said, lovingly stroking his daughter's head.
"Our sons are asleep already?"
His wife nodded and fastened her shirt after Tasherit finished her meal. Then she stood up and put the baby in the crib.
When she came back, Dash smiled at her and held something behind his back.
"I've a surprise for you, honey. Close your eyes."
Nomi did what her husband asked of her. Moments later, she felt Dash put something around her neck. The young woman touched her neck with one hand and felt a necklace with a large stone.
"Now you can open your eyes, darling," her husband said, holding up a hand mirror in front of her.
Nomi opened her eyes and what she saw left her speechless for a moment. The stone was a Corusca gem that matched the jewel in the ring Dash had bought for her on Corellia.
"You must be crazy, Dash," she was finally able to say. "The necklace must have cost you a fortune. You shouldn't give me such expensive gifts. I didn't deserve that."
Dash smiled at her, still holding up the mirror.
"You deserve much more than that, darling. Do you like the necklace?"
"Yes, it's beautiful. Thank you, Dash," Nomi replied, touching the Corusca gem.
Dash put the hand mirror down.
"I have to thank you, Nomi. Thank you for staying with me and becoming my wife. And I have to thank you for our children. I love you, Nomi."
"I love you too, Dash," Nomi said, kissing her husband before heading into the bedroom.
There she dressed in a sea green semi-transparent gown. The necklace with the Corusca gem looked absolutely stunning with it.
When Nomi came back into the living room, she heard an appreciative whistle from her husband. He approached her and kissed her tenderly.
"You look fabulous, Nomi. Let's have dinner. Leebo has everything ready."

During dinner, Dash barely took his eyes off his wife and it seemed to her that he didn't notice what he was eating.