The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 72 - Vision of the Future?

The next morning Nomi dressed in the clothes Luke had brought with him. When she was done, she hooked the lightsaber hilt to her belt.
"Leebo!" She called for the droid.
It wasn't long before Dash's faithful partner entered the bedroom.
"What can I do for you, Nomi?" The droid asked, taking in the woman's unusual outfit. But it wasn't his place to comment.
Nomi lifted Tasherit out of the crib before answering the droid's question.
"Please watch the triplets until I get back from practice because Dash isn't here either."
"Of course," the droid replied.
The young woman shifted Tasherit and put the breath mask on the baby. Then she put on her own mask.
Nomi left the bedroom and entered the small living room where the triplets were playing.
"I expect you to be good boys and follow Leebo's orders," she said to the three boys. "And I don't ever want a mess in the kitchen again."
"Yes, Mama," the triplets answered almost in unison.
Their mother smiled at them before walking to the door, exiting, and making her way to Luke Skywalker's quarters.

With every step she took to get to Luke's quarters, the lightsaber seemed to get heavier. When Nomi reached her destination, the Jedi was already waiting for her at the door. Tasherit has fallen asleep.
"Good morning, Nomi. It took you a long time for this short way. Is it that difficult for you to come to me?" Luke asked with a smile.
His childhood friend shook her head.
"Come in. You can put Tasherit in my bed, then she can go on sleeping," the Jedi said and made way for Nomi.
The Rogue Squadron pilot entered and went to the bedroom, where she placed Tasherit in the Jedi's bed after removing the baby's breath mask. Then she went back to where Luke was waiting for her.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Luke?" She asked, approaching the Jedi.
The young man looked at her confused.
"What do you mean by that, Nomi?"
"You aren't a Jedi Master, Luke," Nomi began. "Your sister is of the opinion that you aren't yet ready for the task that you now have with my training. She's afraid that you and I will fail like Obi-Wan and your father."
The Jedi met her eyes.
"I want and can train you, Nomi. Don't stop your training now. I'm sure you'll be a great Jedi. You've already learned so much. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Nomi wanted to believe him, but she couldn't shake the doubts nagging at her.
"I trust you, Luke," she said, even though she knew it wasn't entirely true. "Can we start?"
He smiled at her relieved.
"Yes. It's best if you go through the individual fighting stances again," Skywalker said, putting on his breath mask and leaving his quarters, followed by Nomi.

Outside, Nomi unhooked the lightsaber hilt, pressed the button and the weapon came to life with a hiss. Concentrated, she went through the different phases of lightsaber combat as Luke had taught her. The Jedi watched her carefully as she wielded the lightsaber. From time to time he corrected the position of her hands or her feet. Finally he made a hand signal for her to stop.
Nomi deactivated the lightsaber and hooked the hilt to her belt.
"That was very good, Nomi," Skywalker said. "You haven't forgotten anything. I told you, when your daughter is born, your movements will be fluid and elegant again. And I was right about that. Before you start practicing with the training remote, I want you to meditate. You'll become calmer and more relaxed. It will help you open yourself to the Force."
Nomi sat down cross-legged on the ground and Luke sat down across from her.
"Now close your eyes. Don't let anything distract you," the Jedi ordered in a calm voice. "Clear your mind of all questions and you will see things and other places. Now levitate the stone."
Seeing the stone in her mind's eye, she grabbed it with the Force. Slowly the stone rose from the ground and floated towards her. Suddenly she gasped, opened her eyes and the stone fell to the ground.
Luke shook his head and sighed.
"You must learn to control yourself, Nomi. You lose control too quickly."
As the Jedi looked at his friend, he noticed that tears were running down her cheeks.
"I...I saw a stranger who wanted to take my children. The stranger was dressed all in black," she continued in a halting voice. "Oh, Luke, it was awful. Dash tried to defend us, but he didn't stand a chance. The stranger had a green-bladed lightsaber and killed Dash."
Nomi swallowed hard and wiped away her tears before continuing.
"When I screamed, the stranger turned on me. There was no face to be seen. I activated my lightsaber and attacked whoever killed my husband. We fought fiercely against each other. In the end, the stranger got the upper hand. I was too weak, Luke. The stranger defeated me and took my children from me. When the stranger left, I heard an eerie voice in my head.
"Your skills are no match for the dark side. The reborn Emperor will be pleased with me. I will raise these four children to be Dark Jedi. Then nobody can stop us. Lord Vader has betrayed his master, but I will serve my Emperor faithfully unto death," Nomi quoted the stranger's words before continuing.
"Please, Luke, tell me the truth. Is it the future I've seen? Did you see that too? Is that why I need to learn to fight with a lightsaber and use the Force?"
Skywalker looked at her and nodded.
"Yes, I had that vision too. It's possible that it's the future that awaits you. But it's hard to see because, as we know, the future is always in motion."
"Does Dash know about this?"
"Yes, your husband knows. I asked him not to tell you," Luke replied and stood up. "Maybe it's better to end the training for today. You're too confused by what you just saw."
Nomi stood up as well and together they walked to the Jedi's quarters.

As they entered, they heard Tasherit crying. Nomi rushed to her friend's bedroom and picked up her daughter.
"She's hungry," said the young woman, sitting on the cot and opening her shirt to feed Tasherit.
Luke, who had followed her, looked away.
"Do you want me to leave until you've finished feeding her?"
Nomi smiled at him while Tasherit sucked eagerly.
"Just stay. I don't mind you being there."
"I feel your fear, Nomi," Skywalker said, still looking away. "Believe me, I'll do everything in my power to ensure that this future never comes to pass. I promise to you."
The young mother shook her head.
"Don't promise anything you can't keep, Luke."
It didn't take long for Tasherit to have had enough. Her mother closed her shirt and stood up, carrying her in her arms. She then walked to the door after putting the breath mask on herself and her daughter, followed by Luke.
"See you tomorrow," she said and left.

When she entered their quarters, Dash was already waiting for her. He took off Nomi's breath mask and kissed her before stroking his daughter's red hair and removing her mask. Then he noticed the look on his wife's face.
"What's the matter with you, darling?" He asked, taking Tasherit from her arms and carrying the baby to the crib.
Nomi took a deep breath before answering his question.
"I now know what you and Luke have been hiding from me for so long. Oh Dash, I don't want to lose you. I'm so scared of that future becoming a reality."
Dash tucked Tasherit in before hugging his wife.
"Luke said what he saw doesn't have to happen," he said quietly, trying to calm Nomi. "I firmly believe we have many more years together, honey."
He looked at his chrono.
"It's time for bed, the triplets are already asleep."

In bed, Dash held Nomi tightly in his arms to comfort her, but she couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She just couldn't get the vision out of her head.