The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 104 - A Final Farewell

When Nomi woke up in the middle of the night, she saw the shimmering Force ghost of Ulic Bel-Baal at the foot of the bed.
She gently pushed aside Dash's hand that was resting on her chest and stood up. Groaning, her husband rolled over onto his other side. He mumbled something and raised his hand as if in defense. Apparently he was having another nightmare. His experiences during the war had left their mark on him.
The apparition of Nomi's father didn't say a word and beckoned her to follow. She quickly threw on her hooded cloak, grabbed her lightsaber and followed Bel-Baal out of her quarters.

Her father led the Jedi through countless hallways and up countless stairs until they finally reached the roof of the palace. There he sat down on the balustrade and motioned for his daughter to do the same. Ulic looked at her with a worried expression before he began speaking to her in the Force.
"I've been watching you, Nomi, and I'm very worried about you. You gave in to the dark side and seriously injured your Jedi Master."
Nomi wanted to answer, but her father motioned for her not to say anything.
"You are strong in the Force, my child, and you have learned much from Luke Skywalker," Bel-Baal continued. "Don't make the same mistake I did. Your husband, your children...you would lose everything you fought and suffered for."
Her father sighed.
"I would like to help you, my child, but I can't. Tonight was the last time you saw me. You have to go your own way. I love you, Nomi."
He smiled at his daughter as he slowly disappeared.
Nomi reached out to him, but he was gone. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she knew that her father had now found peace.

Nomi sat on the balustrade in the cool of the night long after her father had disappeared from her life forever. Lost in thought, she stared into the yawning abyss and sensed millions of beings in the Force. It was breathtaking. The entire planet was teeming with life.
The Jedi closed her eyes and began to meditate.
Minutes later, Dash opened the door and stepped onto the roof. He stopped abruptly when he saw his wife sitting on the balustrade with her eyes closed.
Rendar approached her slowly.
Nomi opened her eyes when she felt her husband's presence.
"I had a terrible nightmare, Nomi," he began, sitting down next to her. "When I woke up, I felt for you, but your side of the bed was empty and cold. I went into the child's room because I thought I would find you there. Corran was awake and told me where to find you. Our son also told me that there was another person besides your presence that felt somehow strange. When I heard this, I feared that the late Emperor would have you in his clutches again."
Nomi leaned over and kissed her husband before answering him.
"Everything is fine, darling. The other presence Corran sensed was my father. He wanted to say goodbye to me."
Dash breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his wife closer to him. Nomi leaned her head on his shoulder. They ignored the cold of the night and simply enjoyed the moment high above the city that never seemed to sleep.

Nomi and Dash hadn't realized how much time had passed when the door opened and Luke Skywalker stepped onto the roof. He smiled as he saw the couple in a tender embrace, feeling their boundless love for each other in the Force.
Luke cleared his throat.
"Good morning, Nomi and Dash."
Nomi was very happy to see her friend alive and well.
"Good morning, Luke. Are you okay again?" Asked the Jedi.
"As you can see," Luke laughed. "We'll continue training today, Nomi. I see you have your lightsaber with you, so we can begin now."
"Good morning, Luke," Dash raised an eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. "You can't be serious."
His wife's Jedi Master grinned widely.
"But of course I'm serious, Dash. There's an old Tatooinian saying: The early Womp rat gets the most waste."
Nomi had to laugh because she had never heard this saying before.
"Maybe you're right, Luke, but I'm not properly dressed for training."
Luke looked at her sheepishly.
"Oh, you're right, I don't think this is really the right outfit for our training. We'll postpone it until this afternoon. So at 1500 here on the roof of the palace. I think it's better to leave you alone now."
He turned and walked to the stairwell door, opened it and went inside. The door hissed shut behind him.

Nomi was alone with her husband on the roof again. Dash looked at the door behind which Luke had disappeared.
"What's wrong with him? He was suddenly in a hurry to leave."
His wife also looked at the door and shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe he has a meeting to attend."
Dash leaned in and kissed her tenderly.
"We should go back, honey."
Laughing, he stood up, picked up his wife and carried her to their quarters, where Leebo and the children were already waiting for them.

In the afternoon, Nomi went to the roof for training. When the Jedi opened the door, she saw Luke sitting cross-legged on the floor. When the young man saw his childhood friend, he stood up and walked towards her.
"I think this is a better place to train than the throne room, Nomi," he said with a smile before unhooking and activating his lightsaber. With a hiss, the green blade came to life before the sound faded into a quiet hum.
"I agree," Nomi replied, activating her own lightsaber. The red blade glowed menacingly as she dropped into a fighting stance.
Luke's attack came quickly, but she deflected it with ease and Force jumped over him. She came to a stop behind him, but Skywalker turned quickly and blocked the blow. Sparks flew as the blades collided.
"That was good, my friend," Luke said cheerfully.
"Admit it, it was very good."
"Yes, it was very good," Skywalker smiled.
They continued training in a good mood and without incident.

Nomi hoped that the late Emperor would leave her and her children alone from now on.