The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 84 - Full-fledge Jedi

Nomi woke up after a restless night. Her husband was already up and on his way to the Alliance outpost at Bestine.
From the kitchen she heard the voices of her sons, who asked their grandmother countless curious questions. She had to smile as she remembered standing next to her mother as a little girl and also pestering her with questions.

Nomi got up, went to Tasherit and got her out of the crib she and her brother used to sleep in when they were babies. It was time for her daughter's breakfast. As she was nursing the baby, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
The door opened and her adoptive father entered the room.
"Good morning. Can I talk to you for a moment, Nomi?" Asked Jula Darklighter and smiled at his daughter.
"Good morning, Papa," Nomi replied. "Of course you can talk to me. Please take a seat."
He gave Nomi a pleased look as she addressed him as Papa, as usual. Then Jula sat down opposite her. Tasherit, undisturbed by her grandfather's presence, continued with her meal while her mother looked expectantly at her father.
"I know that what I told you yesterday must have hurt you a lot," Jula began after taking a deep breath. "But believe me, Nomi, it hasn't been easy for your mother and me to live with that lie all these years. One thing you should know, I love you as if you were my own child. I hope you always felt that."
The young woman was too moved to answer and just nodded.
Jula Darklighter kept talking and it seemed as if the dam had broken.
"Ulic, your father, was a good friend of mine. Silya falling in love with him was only natural because he was tall and handsome. My friend returned her love. At first it hurt a lot to see them so happy together because I secretly loved your mother. When your father heard from Silya that she was pregnant, he told me this with great joy. A short time later he came to me and asked me to take care of Silya and his unborn child. Like many Jedi Knights, he went into battle to preserve peace and freedom in the galaxy. On Chandrila, he and his troops were ambushed. They were all killed despite brave resistance. It was a massacre." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You inherited your father's troubled blood, Nomi. Just like him, you always went your own way. When you joined the Rebel Alliance, we feared for you. We feared that one day you would be captured by the Imps and they would find out that you're Force sensitive. I dare not imagine what would have happened to you then."
Nomi's adoptive father looked at his youngest grandchild.
"It's not surprising that you and Dash have children with such great potential in the Force."
He rose and walked to the door after kissing his daughter's cheek.
"Your mother and I are glad that you don't judge us for what we did."
Then he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

After her father left and she finished feeding Tasherit, Nomi placed her back in the crib before continuing to work on her lightsaber. Knowing that her sons were with their grandmother, she was sure they wouldn't disturb her. She opened the book and flipped through the pages. The diagrams were still a closed book for her, but giving up wasn't an option. She closed her eyes and began to meditate, hoping to use the Force to gain clarity. It took a while, but then she saw in her mind's eye how the components connected. Nomi opened her eyes and immediately began to work. After several hours the work was done and the finished lightsaber was on the table.
She took the weapon and went in front of the house with it because she wasn't sure if she had really done everything right.
The lightsaber felt good in her hand and was very well balanced. Still, she hesitated to activate it. What if it exploded? She took a deep breath and hit the switch. The blade came to life with a hiss before the sound turned to a hum. Nomi stared in disbelief at the 1 meter long blood-red blade made of pure energy. It was the same color as the blade of Darth Vader's lightsaber. The young woman shivered, but at the same time was happy about her successful work. She actually did it and built her own lightsaber. The Jedi held the saber proudly in the glare of Tatooine's twin suns.

At that moment Dash came back from Bestine.
When he saw his wife with her activated lightsaber in the shimmering heat of the Jundland Wastes, he looked at her in astonishment.
"I see you finally made it, darling."
Nomi nodded.
"I didn't think you could do this so quickly," Rendar said, smiling. "You really are an extraordinary woman, Nomi."
His wife deactivated the lightsaber and approached him.
"I'm a Jedi. Now I can say that with every right," Nomi said with a proud voice. "The construction of this lightsaber was the last test for me for the time being."
"I'm very proud of you, honey," Her husband hugged and kissed her. "I hope you never have to use this weapon in combat."
Secretly, Nomi hoped so too, remembering the vision of the faceless figure, but she pushed the thought away.
"What did you learn on the base?" The young woman changed the subject.
Dash released his wife and looked seriously at her.
"I now know that there's a traitor in Rogue Squadron. They suspect Tycho. He must be an Imperial agent."
Nomi raised an eyebrow. Tycho Celchu, an Imperial agent? She couldn't imagine that. Well, he used to be an Imp, but there were many in the ranks of the Alliance.
"This traitor is also responsible for my capture on Coruscant," Dash kept talking. "If it really was Tycho, he should watch out for me."
Nomi saw pure hatred in Dash's eyes. She took his arm reassuringly.
"Please, Dash, don't be so hasty. Even if Tycho betrayed you to the Imps, he deserves a fair trial. You can't just kill him. Besides, I don't think Tycho is a traitor."
Her husband looked at her in surprise.
"And why do you think he's not a traitor? And now please don't tell me that's some Jedi hunch you have."
Nomi shook her head.
"No, not exactly. But when we said goodbye to Rogue Squadron, I was standing near Tycho. I felt no betrayal."
Dash looked at her doubtfully.
"C'mon, Nomi, you don't mean to say that with your barely developed Jedi skills you can sense when someone is plotting treachery. Perhaps Luke can do it, but you can't, Nomi. Don't look at me like that. I believe that one day you will be able to."
It annoyed Nomi that Dash doubted her abilities. She reached out with the Force and began reading his mind.
"You're afraid of my abilities, Dash, and that's why you're in denial. At the same time, you are grateful to me that the very skills you don't want to acknowledge saved you multiple times. Without my Jedi skills, I couldn't have saved you on Coruscant and restored your sight. And now you're wondering how I know your thoughts."
Dash Rendar glared at his wife.
"Damn it, Nomi, stop it," he said angrily. "Yes, I admit you have the skills of a Jedi. But I don't want you invading my mind. You don't want Luke reading your mind either."
Nomi looked down. She hadn't expected her husband's reaction to what she was doing.
"You're right. I promise I won't read your mind anymore. But c'mon now, it's time to eat. You will be hungry and thirsty after the long drive through the desert."
Dash's mood immediately changed and he laughed.
"Yes, I could eat a whole Dewback and a glass of cold Corellian ale would be great."
He took his wife's hand, who hooked the lightsaber to her belt, before they went into the house.

After a good meal, Dash helped his father-in-law to maintain the evaporators while Nomi practiced with her new lightsaber.
She went through the different positions in the glow of the twin suns. The Jedi's clothes were now soaked with sweat, but she saw no reason to stop training because of it. She listened to the faint hum of the weapon and savored what she had created with her own hands.
Meanwhile, the triplets sat under an awning, sipping blue milk and watching in fascination.
Almost a standard hour later, Nomi finished her training and deactivated her lightsaber. As she was about to hook it to her belt, Corran held out his small hands.
"Mama, give," he demanded and at the same moment the Jedi felt a pull on the weapon.
Nomi shook her head.
"It's not a toy, it's a dangerous weapon, sweetie," she replied, clutching the lightsaber.
"Want this, Mama!"
Her youngest son stamped his foot angrily and she felt the pull on the lightsaber increase.
"Please let go, Corran," Nomi tried to persuade her son to give up while his brothers sat next to him, giggling.
It didn't help. The little boy pulled even more. It was incredible how much he could already use the Force. Except for the one lesson with Luke, the triplets were completely untrained.
Unnerved and annoyed, Nomi took the last resort that might help.
"Damn, Corran, let go! Can't you listen to what I'm telling you? If you don't stop right now, I won't tell you a story today."
Finally the pull on the lightsaber stopped. She had won.
Corran began to cry and both of his brothers cried in solidarity with him. Their mother knelt and took the three of them in her arms after hooking the lightsaber to her belt.
"Okay, okay, now stop crying. If I forbid you something, there is always a reason. I'm not doing this to annoy you. A lightsaber is really not a toy for little boys. You could easily injure yourself or others with it. Promise me you'll keep your hands off the weapon."
Her sons nodded.
"C'mon, let's go in," Nomi said, getting up. "It's way too hot out here in the afternoon."
The three boys followed her and after she had showered, Nomi sat down and told them one of their beloved stories.