The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 90 - Back on Base

After a long journey in hyperspace they finally reached their destination.
Nomi was sitting at Dash's bedside when Leebo contacted her over the Outrider's intercom.
"Anoat is right in front of us, Nomi. I sent the codes and will land shortly."
The young woman pressed a button to answer the droid.
"Thank you, Leebo."
Then she looked at her husband.
"Did you hear, Dash? We're home," she said happily.
Her husband felt a little better now, although he was still in pain. Nomi suspected that he had suffered such serious injuries because he wasn't a Jedi and couldn't defend himself against the destructive energy of the dark side. But how could she have protected her husband when Bel-Baal attacked him?
"I want to leave the Outrider on my own feet," Rendar said, snapping his wife out of her thoughts.
Nomi shook her head.
"No, you're still too weak, darling. I'll either levitate you or we'll have medical staff take you to the medbay on a stretcher."
"I don't want that, Nomi," Dash protested.
His wife sighed when she saw that her husband was just as stubborn as their sons. She knew from years of experience that there would be no point in arguing with Dash.
"Ok, if you want to walk, do it."
But that wasn't all her husband wanted.
"And I don't want to be taken to the medbay," Dash said firmly.
"Shouldn't we let 2-1B decide?" Nomi asked with a sigh.
Her husband shook his head but regretted it the moment he felt a sharp pain.
Nomi noticed this but said nothing about it.

Rendar slowly got up and dressed with the help of his wife.
By the time they were done, Leebo had landed the Outrider on the assigned landing pad. When they reached the hatch, the droid and children were waiting there.
As they exited the YT-2400, Dash leaned heavily on his wife. Luke Skywalker was already waiting for them at the foot of the ramp. He looked knowingly at Nomi, who was supporting her husband on the way down.
"You killed Bel-Baal, Nomi. I felt it in the Force when he died. Your father almost killed your husband." He paused for a moment and looked at Dash. "You were lucky to survive that attack, Dash. I can imagine how you feel now."
Then he turned his attention back to his childhood friend.
"Wasn't there a way to bring your father back to the light side, Nomi?"
The young woman shook her head as the triplets and Leebo left the ramp behind them. Laughing, they waved at Luke before heading to their parents' quarters.
That gave Nomi a little time to collect herself.
"I felt like everything that was once good in him was completely erased. He was too deeply involved in the dark side. It wasn't possible to bring him back to the light, Luke."
"So it was different from my father. I'm sorry Nomi," Skywalker said with a sigh.
The young Jedi gave him a sad smile before speaking to him about her greatest fear.
"Tell me, Luke, did I take the first step on my journey to the dark side by killing Bel-Baal?"
Skywalker gave her a friendly look.
"No, Nomi," he replied. "You did everything right and only used the Force for defense. You didn't want to kill your father. The moment he died there was no hate in you."
"Yes," she confirmed. "I was only defending myself when he attacked me."
Her childhood friend gave her a serious look.
"The Force was with you, Nomi. If your father hadn't been killed, he would have killed you. Nothing could have prevented this and your children would be servants of evil. You are not to blame for what happened, Nomi. You have to try to get over it and forget it. Even if you wish it so badly, you can't undo it."
Forget? She wondered how she could forget when the image of her dying father haunted her dreams every night. But she just nodded.
"I should bring Dash to our quarters. He needs to rest, Luke."
"That's understandable. I'll see you tomorrow then."
Skywalker turned and went to his own quarters.
It took a while for Nomi and Dash to reach their quarters. The former mercenary was exhausted and immediately went to bed while his wife took care of the children.

In the middle of the night, Dash woke Nomi up.
"What's the matter with you, Nomi?" He asked softly. "You screamed in your sleep"
His wife opened her eyes and looked at him confused in the dim light.
"Did you dream about your father?"
When she nodded, Dash took her gently in his arms despite the throbbing pain it caused.
"You've changed a lot since your father died. I hardly recognize you. You need to finally free yourself from your guilt. Would you prefer it if you were dead instead?"
"No, Dash, but this guilt is so incredibly difficult to live with," Nomi replied, avoiding his gaze.
"Why do you always talk about guilt, Nomi? Damn, he attacked you. You aren't to blame for your father's death. Be honest."
He kissed her.
"Try to sleep, darling. Everything will be fine."
Dash let go of his wife, slowly turned around and closed his eyes.
In her mind, Nomi knew it was inevitable. But her gut told her that what she had done wasn't right. She shouldn't have fought Bel-Baal. But if she hadn't fought him, she would have been killed by him and her children would serve the dark side and bring misery to the entire galaxy. Still, she found it difficult to deal with the fact that she had killed the man who had once given her life.