Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Eleven

Tahiri comes to with a weight pressing against her chest, something fibrous tickling her nose and bands wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

She lifts her head slightly as she opens her eyes into a mass of blonde hair.

“Noelani?”

The girl makes a short grunting sound in reply. Sighing, Tahiri speaks again, a bit louder this time. “Noelani.”

Noelani bolts upright; her face a mask of fear and shock, and a short yelp echoes in the cavern. Tahiri slowly sits up, and as she does, Noelani nearly tackles her in a hug, squeezing her tightly.

“Oh, I was so worried. They told me that they had killed you, and they were going to apprentice me to a Sith. I-I killed them. I didn’t mean to, but I had to do it to protect you. Please don’t be mad at me.”

Tahiri pries the girl off of her, and holds up her hand, silently prompting her to stop her rambling.

She smiles for her. “I’m not dead, and you did wonderfully.”

Tahiri then looks around the cavern, noticing the three dead warriors. Frowning she gets up, and walks over to the nearest one.

“This one died by amphistaff. Were you using one?”

She turns to see Noelani still kneeling on the floor, her head lowered. When she replies her voice is weak. “Yes.”

“Can I ask how?”

“I asked it to form a Gaderfii, and used it like that.”

Tahiri almost asks how she managed that, but then decides it doesn’t matter. She looks around again, this time searching for her saber. Spying it against a wall, she recalls it to her hand and then snaps it to her belt.

She looks back to Noelani and notices the tattered state of her tunic; Tahiri slips off her outer cloak and puts it around the girl’s shoulders, and then helps her up.

“Come on; let’s find our way out of here.”

Walking in silence, the two girls leave the chamber, and once more find themselves in the darkness of the tunnels.

The wander through the tunnels, letting the Force guide them, hearing the occasional scratching sound of something hanging from the ceiling.

After a while, they find the tunnels lightening once more, and step into a large cavern. Bright lights shine down from above, a thin carpet of grass extends out, and the sound of a fountain is calming to them. But the most surprising thing in this cavern is the house, situated in the dead center of it. A two-story mansion, with wide open windows, everything about it looks inviting, but its very presence sends chills through Tahiri’s heart.

Slowly, cautiously, they begin opening doors, and peering in rooms. Tahiri pauses to look at the marble busts that line the hallways, as Noelani looks into yet another room. A burst of surprise and horror, draws Tahiri’s attention away from the statue, and has her dashing into the room.

It’s a well-appointed medward, complete with diagnostic station, ancient but working medical droids and a full bacta tank.

Floating in the bacta tank, is a woman around Tahiri’s age, her black hair flared out around her, partially obscuring her features, but what Tahiri can see is enough to identify her as Nelani Dinn.

Tahiri slowly walks over to the control panel on the side of the bacta tank, and pulls up Nelani’s vitals. As she is reading them, a machine hums to life, and she can hear a single retort of an electrical arc. Then the bacta fluid begins to bubble, Tahiri looks back into the tank, as she can see waves of energy fluctuating through the vicious medium, and inside Nelani is writhing.

The Force sings a song of agony.

Horrified, Tahiri ignites her saber and shoves it into the machine; the resulting explosion throws both her and Noelani backwards, and shatters the front of the tank.

The bacta flows out, carrying Nelani out of the tank. She comes to a rest in the middle of the floor, and Tahiri rushes to her side, brushing her hair out of her face.

Nelani looks up at Tahiri, pain clouding her eyes. Her voice is a hoarse whisper, “Thank you.”

“Shh. Don’t talk, we’ll get you out of here.”

Nelani gives an abbreviated shake of her head. “Not going anywhere. They made sure of that. Shira. Lumiya. Ja-”

Then the Force sings a melancholy song. A funeral dirge for one of its own.

Tahiri bows her head, and picks the dead Jedi up; she turns around, and sees Noelani behind her, unshed tears glistening in the young girl’s eyes.

Together they leave, never looking back.

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Five days later, Tahiri and Noelani stand before the Master’s Council, giving a report of their mission. As Tahiri finishes talking, she wonders for a split second why Master Skywalker refuses to look at her.

Finally Master Horn looks up from a datapad. “What is your suggestion that we do next Knight Viela?”

Tahiri glances down for a moment. “We need to find out who was torturing Knight Dinn. Before she died, she made mention of some names: Shira, Lumiya and someone else. We need to know what she was talking about. We know Lumiya is a Sith, as my apprentice saw her.” Tahiri looks towards Master Katarn. “And that she is working in connection with a Force-sensitive Yuuzhan Vong. We also need to send a team to find out more about that asteroid or destroy it.”

Master Skywalker nods his head once, sharply. “We’ll look into that. But tell me Knight Veila, how do you feel about having an apprentice? When she was captured, did your first thoughts turn to rescuing her, or how best to serve the Order?”

Tahiri frowns slightly. “I feel perfectly fine teaching my apprentice. And frankly, in that scenario, I thought about rescuing her. After all, you were the one who told me that I was responsible for her.”

She sees the frown which flickers across Luke’s face and wonders about it for a moment, but then the Grand Master is speaking again. “I’m just wondering if we might have been a bit…reckless in assigning one-on-one apprentices again.”

Tahiri shakes her head. “I don’t know about that Master Skywalker, but it is done now.”

Luke sighs and nods his head. “Yes, yes it is. You are dismissed, but please stay on Ossus, the Council is working up your next mission. You will also retain possession of the Stolen Star for use as a Jedi. Please think about changing the name.”

Tahiri and Noelani bow, and then Tahiri says, “Thank you, Masters.”

---------------------------------------------------

Two weeks later finds three of the Council standing in a large chamber in an abandoned mining complex on an asteroid deep in the Outer Rim.

They are three of the most capable, powerful members. The three most skilled members of the Order at finding things and at working their way into places where they’re not really wanted. They are Corran Horn, Kyle Katarn and Luke Skywalker.

Kyle looks between the other two. “We’ve been through every tunnel of this place, and can’t find anything. Nothing like what Tahiri and Noelani described.”

Corran shakes his head. “Not exactly. Look closely at the ceiling; you’ll see where support struts used to be. I think this chamber is the one that contained the house that they saw.”

Luke sighs, turning around in a circle, his glow sending a shaft of light which plays against the various walls. “It doesn’t matter that much anymore. We know the Sith have returned. We know Lumiya is out there. I think that’s more important than what may or may not have been held here.”

Luke looks around one more time, and then shakes his head. “Let’s go.”

The three turn without saying another word, and leave the chamber, heading back to the hangar where their ships are stored.

If they had turned away at that moment in time, then they would have found part of what they were looking for. They would have seen the ghostly form of a human female, one sheathed in a dull silver suit of armor.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Ten

She hangs in the white. It stretches out as far as she can see in all directions. An endless sea of agony and pain, blistering through her neural pathways, chasing down every bit of sane, sapient thought she has.

In short she is going insane.

That is the only way that Noelani can begin to understand it. That is the only thing that she can believe. After all, the pain is everything now.

The pain of not being good enough to evade capture.

The pain of watching her Master get mortally wounded.

Even the pain of entertaining thoughts of joining her captors.

She would curl up and cry, but the Embrace which holds her, keeps her body pulled taut up off the floor, straining the muscles, trying its best to pull her joints of out socket, grinding her ankles together. The only thing she can do is allow the Embrace to pull and abuse her body, while she hangs helpless within its tentacles.

She would scream, but the pain has long since gone beyond even that simple relief. Now her throat is raw and ragged from when she was able to scream, even dreaming of speaking in anything above a whisper causes imaginary fire to flame within her throat.

Yet all of those things are not the reason she thinks she is going insane. The reason she believes she’s going insane has to deal entirely with the presence that she can sense in the Force. The presence that is slowly growing stronger, closer.

The presence that belongs to her Master.

She hears the thrum of a lightsaber coming closer, and for a second she wonders if her Master is going to kill her. If Tahiri will put her out of her misery, end the pain that she is in.

Then the Embrace twitches, pulling against her body even more, the pain she feels everywhere flares higher and greater.

And then she’s lying on the floor.

The cold stone feels wonderful against the cuts and bruises which adorn her exposed skin. As she rests there, she can feel her body pulling itself back into shape, overstressed muscles loosening, joints firmly reseating themselves into their sockets.

She struggles to stand, lifting her head slightly to see her Master.

Hope flairs in her chest.

She watches as Tahiri rushes Ulya, her blade held low, as her body is hunched slightly. Then the hope flickers away as Force lightning shoots out from Ulya’s outstretched hand slamming into Tahiri.

Noelani watches in horror as Tahiri drops to the ground, her saber rolling away with a metallic clinging sound.

Ulya advances slowly, still pouring the Force lightning into Tahiri’s shuddering frame.

Noelani stands, wondering what she can do. How she can help Tahiri.

She reaches for the Force, and feels its warm embrace. She can hear a warm, masculine voice in her head. Attack. Save her.

Noelani doesn’t hesitate.

She dashes forward, interposing herself between Tahiri and Ulya, sticking her hand into the path of the lightning, grabbing hold of it. Agony sweeps up her arm, and Noelani grits her teeth. She focuses on the lightning, on how it feels in the Force, focuses on the Force itself.

And with a snarl, turns it back towards Ulya, redirecting the unnatural energies back towards their source. The blue-white lightning slams into Ulya, scribing dark lines over her armor, wrapping around her, striking her nose and face repeatedly.

In the Force Noelani can feel Ulya’s pain, then she smiles and without meaning to speaks, “This is for hurting Tahiri!”

The lightning stops with a backlash of telekinetic energy which flings both Noelani and Ulya away from one another.

Ulya sits up from the floor, and snarls something in Yuuzhan Vong. The three warriors stand, their amphistaffs uncurling in their hands.

Noelani glances around, and sees Tahiri’s lightsaber. She calls it to hand, feeling the comfortable weight of the hilt, then presses the activator, smiling at the beam of bluish-white light which spills from the emitter.

She can still feel the Force flowing all around her, purer and cleaner than she had ever felt it before. More accessible than she had ever imagined possible.

She pulls it to herself, preparing for this fight, preparing to defend her Master and herself.

And reaches out and can clearly feel each of the warriors as they advance.

She stretches slightly and can feel the other Vong on the asteroid.

Focusing back on the three advancing warriors, she sets herself, her blade held at a mid-guard, waiting for the warriors to make the first move.

Knowing exactly what it will be.

She glances towards the one on the left, and the one on the right darts forward, his amphistaff pushing in towards her exposed side. Without even looking, she twists and positions her blade in its path, knocking the amphistaff out of the way.

They snarl something in their language and Noelani just laughs.

The lightsaber sings in her hand, a symphony of changing pitches as she allows the Force to guide her hands. She is constantly moving, her blade seemingly everywhere at once. But her blade is not her only weapon - she also kicks, and hits and picks up rocks with the Force to throw at them. She uses everything and anything.

The death of one of the warriors catches her off guard. The sudden cessation of life fills her awareness - pulls at her sense of self. As she pulls the saber from his throat, the warrior crumbles to the ground and Noelani just stares at him; a look of shock on her face.

I-I killed him.

Before she can think anything more, something heavy slams into her back, sending her stumbling. She trips over the body of the warrior she had just killed, falling to the floor, Tahiri’s saber slipping from her grip, and sliding away from her.

At the Force’s prompting, she rolls to her right as the tail of an amphistaff slams into the stone floor where she had just been. She rolls some more, as the warrior lifts his blade that way, leaving a shallow scratch across her back.

She looks around for Tahiri’s saber and doesn’t see it, then a hiss attracts her attention, and she glances up to see the fallen warrior’s amphistaff. Without thinking she reaches up and grabs the snake-like weapon, and gives it a subtle flick, causing it to harden into shape.

She rolls to her back, and lifts the amphistaff just as one of the warrior’s sends his in for a killing stroke.

She smiles at the shocked expression on the warrior’s face, and then swipes his legs out from under him, dumping him to the floor.

She gains her feet, just as one of the other warriors rushes her, and she grabs for the Force again, feeling his intentions, discerning what he’s going to do. She twists away from his attack, talking to the amphistaff, telling it through the Force what she wants it to do, what shape she wants it to assume.

The amphistaff twists its neck, angling out away from Noelani as she grabs with her second hand down near the tail. She grins at the two warriors facing her; more comfortable with the amphistaff now that it has taken the shape of a Gaderfii.

The two warriors slowly advance, separating away from one another, giving each other room to attack her. Noelani falls back, allowing them to separate a bit more. She darts to the left, and uses the head of her amphistaff to knock his weapon away, and then slices the tail across the warrior’s throat.

She is prepared for the feeling of death in the Force this time, so she doesn’t hesitate as she twists and slams the head into the stomach of the remaining warrior. He grunts, and she lifts the head up, slamming it into the warrior’s jaw. She rolls the amphistaff, and as soon as its mouth rests against the warrior’s throat it bites.

She pulls the weapon away as the warrior drops to his knees, holding his neck, howling in pain as the amphistaff venom attacks his nervous system.

Breathing heavily and crying silently, Noelani shoves the tail end of the amphistaff into the warrior. Dropping the living weapon as she pulls it out. She turns around looking for Ulya and doesn’t find her at all. Frowning she stretches out with the Force, looking for her that way and can barely make out her presence quickly falling away from the asteroid.

She takes another shuddering breath and drops to her knees. She glances around again, and sees Tahiri still on the ground where the Force lightning had dropped her. She crawls over to her as quickly as she can, and rolls her over.

Horror sets in and bile fills her throat as she absently starts saying a simple mantra, repeating the phrase over and over again: “Please don’t be dead.”

Her hesitant fingers reach out and press against Tahiri’s throat and she feels the steady but weak pulse. Letting out a sob of relief, Noelani lays her head against Tahiri’s chest and just cries.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Nine

Tahiri is settled into a deep healing trance, her body working overtime trying to knit the wound in her stomach. But that is a secondary concern to the young Jedi; her focus is outwards, scouring the universe searching for her lost apprentice.

A chiming noise drags her from the trance, and she opens her eyes, to see the timer on the navicomp nearing zero. She reaches forward, and grabs a hold of the levers, and as soon as the timer ends, she pushes forward, and watches as the hyperspace tunnel collapses revealing a wide expanse of stars.

The system appears to be dead, an asteroid hanging a few kilometers off the port bow, dark and deserted. She punches a few buttons on the onboard computer, and it reveals that this system used to be home of a mining complex, one located on that asteroid.

Tahiri frowns, wondering why Jacen would have come here after visiting Lorrd.

Then pain from Noelani blossoms in the Force, a ripping agony which causes Tahiri to hunch over in her seat. The pain lessens and her breathing evens out as she slowly reopens her eyes. Straightening in her seat, she realizes that she has arrived at the right place. Yet she still wonders the relationship between Jacen, this asteroid and the Yuuzhan Vong hunting pack.

“I guess I won’t get any answers out here.”

Applying power to the engines, she heads towards the asteroid, slowly circling it, until she comes to a hanger. She sends a universal query, and the hanger doors slowly unroll. Frowning, she edges forward into the darkened hanger.

The doors close behind her, and lights come up, revealing a Uumufalh gunship nestled off to the side.

She lands, and confidently walks down the ramp. As she reaches the bottom pain erupts in her skull again, and she has to grab onto the ramp strut.

Grimacing, she straightens, and continues walking, entering the abandoned mining complex through the hanger door.

Tahiri slowly searches through the building, trying to find her apprentice, the flickers of pain subsiding.

She pushes open yet another door, gaining entrance to yet another room. This time all the lights are off, and an expectation hangs in the Force. Tahiri slowly pulls her saber from her belt, and steps forward, her free hand reaching out, brushing the wall, searching for a lightswitch.

Her fingers touch the controls, and she quickly jabs them. Dim lights flicker on, and Tahiri finds an empty room. Frowning, she continues through the room, and pulls open the other door.

And her danger sense goes off, allowing her to duck as a thud bug comes flying out of the darkness beyond. Tahiri drops to the ground in a tumble, rolling forward, surprised that the cool tile of the complex has given way to the rough hewn stone of a mine.

She pulls her roll up short, quickly lifting herself into a half-crouch, her stomach screaming from the abuse. She shifts herself behind some rocks, hoping they provide some cover.

Her eyes slowly adjust to the dim light, and she pokes her head out from her barely adequate cover, looking for the Yuuzhan Vong who threw the thud bug.

She spies him, standing just on the far side of the still open doorway, his eyes still light-dazzled.

Grinning, Tahiri gestures with the Force, causing a pebble on the far side of him to shift. The warrior’s response is instantaneous, as he spins towards the sound.

Tahiri comes out from behind her cover, and pushes her body to close the distance between them in seconds. She shoves her saber against his chin and activates it. The resulting snap-hiss echoes loudly in the mine and Tahiri curses.

She shuts the blade down, as the warrior crumples in a lifeless heap. She bends down, checking the warrior for domain marks.

A warrior emerges from the darkness, standing straight and tall in his voondum crab armor. Tahiri recognizes him as the one who stabbed her.

“You’re supposed to be dead, Jeedai.”

Tahiri’s lips twitch. “Not the first time for that.”

In one smooth motion, she stands, ignites her saber and darts forward, her blade angled away from her body, as she slashes upwards. Her movements are so fast that she appears as a blur, yet the warrior still is able to catch her saber on his amphistaff.

She sees the sneer on his face.

She smiles.

And then slams the coufee she took from the dead warrior into his throat, giving it a savage twist and then yanking it back out.

In his shock, he drops his amphistaff, and Tahiri swings her saber horizontally, taking off his head entirely.

She drops to her knees, the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, her body making itself known to her again, the embers of pain from her stomach wound once more a full conflagration. She hesitantly touches her stomach, and feels the wetness seeping through the bacta patch.

She hunkers down beside the warrior, digging through his belt pouches, and finally pulls out a pale green rectangular pad several centimeters thick. Pulling her tunic out from under her belt, she pulls off the bloodied bacta patch and tosses it to the side. Then she peels a piece off of the pad, and lays it across her stomach wound, not quite covering it. She retrieves another piece, and lays it on the wound as well.

She closes her eyes and smiles brightly as she can feel the cilia of the animal wriggling into the wound, knitting the skin together.

She drops her shirt and stands, slowly walking further into the mines.

She quickly leaves behind the light from the open doorway, going forward in the inky darkness, that curious echo and expectation still throbbing in the Force. The further into the mines she gets, the stronger the feelings grow.

She notices a lightening in the darkness; a dim, diffuse glow coming from somewhere up ahead. Tahiri slows down, creeping forward.

Tahiri rounds a corner, and pulls up short. There strapped into an Embrace of Pain is Noelani. Her head is bowed, her long blonde hair is streaked with crimson highlights - dried blood - and is hanging down covering her face, pooling on the stone floor.

Tahiri snarls a curse, and ignites her saber, sending it flying into the Embrace’s brain.

The animal twitches, and Noelani’s pain flares for a second, before the tentacles unravels and drop the young girl to the floor.

While Tahiri calls her saber back to her hand she belatedly notices a female Yuuzhan Vong and three other warriors within the chamber. The three males are in a back corner, each eating something from an extended stomach. The female is closer, standing only a few meters away from Noelani.

All of them staring at her.

The female grins, her face stretching maliciously.

With a quick hand gesture to the others, she plucks a slug from her belt, one a little longer and thinner than a fully engorged ngidn, and gives it a squeeze.

To Tahiri’s horror a shaft of crimson plasma ignites from the end of the slug.

Tahiri ignites her saber, and lifts it into a mid guard. She takes a step forward, looking the warrior female up and down, wondering where she came from.

Instinctively, Tahiri reaches for the Force, preparing herself for a saber fight. And as another surprise, she can feel the female warrior.

She pauses in her advance.

“Who are you?”

“I am Ulya Tu. And I will destroy you.”

A half-memory flashes through her mind; Anakin telling her about his vision, his vision of a dark version of herself, given over fully to her Yuuzhan Vong heritage and enslaved to her hate and fear.

A possible future where she had embraced the darkest parts of both her Jedi and her Yuuzhan Vong heritages.

As she watches Ulya, she realizes that this is what she could have become.

She looks over at Noelani, and sees the young blonde stirring.

She grins, and darts forward, lowering her body slightly, attacking.

And then the Force cries out in warning as lightning slams into her. The force of the impact drives her to the ground, crushing her down. Her saber skitters out of her hand, rolling away from her towards a far wall.

She doesn’t even have time to scream.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Eight

Noelani struggles in the arms of the two bulky warriors, kicking as they drag her forward so she has a good view of the fight between her Master and the largest of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors.

Then the unthinkable happens. With a grunt, the warrior shoves his amphistaff into Tahiri’s stomach. She can feel the scream burning the back of her throat.

Then the dream dissolves, reality slamming back into her with the force of a Yuuzhan Vong gauntlet.

Noelani whimpers slightly, the taste of blood filling her mouth.

Awareness of the rest of her body comes slowly. Her legs splayed out before her, feet fastened to the floor by lumps of blorash jelly, with another glob of it holding down her arms between her thighs, covering them from elbow to wrist. Her back strains, aching from being forced to hold the curve for so many hours.

Strong fingers grip her jaw, squeezing it harshly and lifting her face up. She tries to pull her face away, but the Vong before her refuses to let her go. She relents, and looks up into the face of a female warrior. Tattoos sketched across her face, her nostrils turned into tatters that flap with every draw of breath, her canine teeth replaced with larger versions, a strip of flesh removed from her cheek, the muscles beneath glistening sickly.

Noelani wants to scream at the horrific sight before her, but instead grabs control of her emotions and speaks in an almost calm voice.

“What do you want?”

“It’s not what I want with you. It’s what my Mistress wants with you.”

Noelani tries to get her chin out of the Vong’s hand again, when she is unable to do so, the woman warrior laughs.

“Your fire is good. You could have a lot of anger. Give into it. Join me; with you by my side we could defeat my Mistress.”

Noelani squeezes her eyes shut, refusing to look at the warrior any longer. “My Master will save me.”

The Vong thrusts Noelani’s face away, one of the warrior’s claws digging into her chin, leaving behind a thin long gash.

Noelani has to fight back tears.

“That’s a shame. Especially since your Master is dead. The commander of my troops killed her.”

Noelani shakes her head, and screams. “No! I don’t believe you!”

A new voice laughs from out of the darkness and Noelani gaps as a human woman walks out from the depths of the shadows, her silver body armor gleaming in the dim lights.

“Welcome to my home, little Noelani. I am Lumiya. Dark Lady of the Sith. And you will be my new apprentice.”

“No! I won’t.”

Lumiya smiles at her. “Good, your anger serves you well. But your defiance I can’t allow.”

Lumiya makes a subtle gesture, and Noelani shivers as the spine of a thin cold blade slides up her back, and with a jerk and a ripping sound, her tunic falls open, revealing her bare back to the cold air of the cave.

Fear settles around her, driving out her anger and despair. “What’s happening?”

Lumiya smiles again – a cold, heartless gesture. “You’re being punished.”

Then fire wraps itself around her back, ending on her throat next to her cheek. A lash of energy which burns and activates all of the nearby pain receptors in her back at the same time.

Noelani screams.

Lumiya hunkers down. “It’s a nuerowhip. Pure energy – leaves no marks or cuts behind. I’m being nice to you; Ulya wished to whip you with her amphistaff.”

Noelani can do nothing but pant, the pain still burning across her back. Then the fire wraps around her again, this time starting at her mid back and writhing across and over her shoulders, crossing across her sternum.

Noelani screams again.

Lumiya walks away, her armored heels clapping on the rough-hewn stone beneath them. The lines of fire and pain being laid out across her back in time with those steps.

She doesn’t have time to scream anymore.

She is reduced to crying and cringing, her jaws locked tight against the pain. She struggles through it, struggles to keep herself from giving her captors the satisfaction of her screams.

Finally it is over.

She shivers; the muscles in her back quivering in pain. The muscles in her shoulders and legs aching from her attempts to pull herself free from the blorash jelly.

She struggles to raise her head, and looks around, seeing the female warrior – Ulya, Lumiya called her - walks around to stand in front of her.

Ulya smiles, and her fist cocks back and slams into Noelani’s temple.

Pain blossoms out from where she was hit.

And darkness quickly follows.

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Tahiri pushes her way into the security office; Lieutenant Samren is seated behind his desk, a stack of flimsies spread out in front of him. He looks up at her abrupt entrance, and a smile flickers on his face.

“Jedi Veila, a pleasure to see you again.”

Tahiri drops into the seat, her hand wrapping protectively around her wound. “I need a transport, a fast one. My apprentice was kidnapped.”

Samren bobs his head once, and stands up quickly. “We just recently impounded a smuggler’s yacht. A Clone Wars vintage, J-type star skiff. Minimum crew is one, but it can hold more people. She’s old, but still works beautifully.”

Tahiri nods her head, and passes over a credit chit. “The Jedi Order is purchasing it.”

Samren hesitates, looking as if he is about to argue. But he stares at her for a moment longer, and then just nods his head, running through the transaction. He digs through a pile of datapads, and pulls out one, plugging it into a specialized component of his terminal. A few moments later, he passes the pad to Tahiri.

“You’re now the proud owner of the Stolen Star. Enjoy, Jedi Veila.”

Tahiri nods her head, and follows Samren out to the impound hanger. He pushes open the door, and there before her is a white star ship with a tear-drop shaped hull and sweep-backed wings extending from the bow. She grins slightly, as she slowly walks around the craft, stopping at the aft egress hatch; she confidently walks forward, and looks around.

Samren pokes his head in. “She should be stocked with consumables and fuel.”

Tahiri walks out from the medical suite, and glances up the short ladder to the cockpit. “Thank you, Lieutenant. May the Force be with you.”

Samren nods his head, and retreats down the hatch. Tahiri hits the close button, and climbs the ladder, settling into the pilot’s station.

Familiarizing herself with the controls, she pulls out the datapad, bringing up the filed flight plan of Jacen’s shuttle when they left the planet. Wincing slightly, she activates the repulsors, and slowly lifts the ship up off the hanger floor.

She inches forward, and with a squeal of metal, rips through a portion of the hangar door. A little different than flying an x-wing.

She sits up a bit straighter, and looks over at that wing, noting the cosmetic damage done. Grimacing slightly, she continues forward slowly, until the thirty-meter-long starship is out of the hanger entirely. Tahiri looks around, and then punches the throttle. The ion engines roar to life, and the Stolen Star rockets upwards, quickly breaking atmosphere. The comm snaps to life, with Lorrdian Ground Control demanding her to turn around and land.

She ignores them, and enters in her course into the navicomputer. As soon as the indicator turns green she pulls down on the levers, and the stars elongate, as the powerful engines propel the ship into hyperspace.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Seven

Tahiri and Noelani step off the transport, the light breeze ruffling their hair, as they both gaze around the spaceport. A man in a security uniform is briskly walking towards them. He stops a few paces away, and gives a half-bow.

He is a heavyset human, with brown hair, and a long mustache drooping on either side of his mouth. Attached to his collar are the pips indicating his rank as a lieutenant.

“Master Jedi! It is a pleasure to greet you. Are you here to replace Nelani Dinn? My name is Neav Samran.”

Tahiri shakes her head. “Sadly no, we’re here to investigate her disappearance. I am Tahiri Veila and this is my apprentice, Noelani Darklighter.”

“Ah. Well I’m afraid that our small planet will not be of much use to you then. We were visited by Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker, and they assisted us with a few situations before finally leaving the planet, taking Jedi Dinn with them.”

From the corner of her eye, Tahiri notices as Noelani tilts her head slightly. And then before she can stop her, Noelani is speaking. “How do you know all of this? Were you with them? Do you know where they went?”

Tahiri quickly raises her hand, and Noelani quiets down, a blush coming to her cheeks. Tahiri gives her a mental hug through the Force, before turning her attention back to Samran.

“My apprentice asks some valid questions. How do you know all of this?”

Samran gestures towards the security office of the spaceport, and Tahiri begins walking that way, with the lieutenant falling in line beside her, and Noelani a few steps behind.

“I was there for the situations that Jedi Solo assisted us with. Jedi Skywalker even saved my life when a Y-Wing exploded. I was there for a lot of their conversations – and I saw when all three of them boarded a transport and left for space. Unfortunately, I am unaware of where they went.”

They enter the security office, and Tahiri gestures to one of the seats. Noelani drops herself in it, her eyes wide as she looks around the cluttered room. Tahiri herself stands in front of the desk, which Samran has sat behind. She smiles down at him.

“Can you get me any information which Jedi Solo, Skywalker or Dinn viewed or accessed during the time that Jedi Solo was here?”

The security officer nods his head quickly. “I’ll get that request into our information department. It might take a day or two though.”

“That’s fine. We have a few other leads we need to check out before we’re through here. Thank you for your time.”

Samran quickly stands, giving them another half-bow. “It is my pleasure Master Jedi.”

Tahiri smiles for him again, a smile she knows makes an impression on men, and turns away, walking through the door. Noelani quickly stands and follows. As soon as they’re outside, she steps up beside Tahiri, her head bowed slightly.

“I’m sorry I just blurted out my questions, Master.”

Tahiri wraps an arm around the girl’s shoulders, hugging her close as they walk towards the street. “It’s perfectly fine. Your questions were good ones.” Then she lets out a little chuckle. “You just don’t need to ask them all at once.”

----------------------------------------------

Pilk Shai hunkers down in the shadows in the alley outside of the entrance to the college. The arched gateway is just a few dozen meters away and he watches it, waiting for the return of the Jeedai.

His trained eye is able to pick out the other members of his hunting party as they lounge around within plain view of the entry way. He grins, excited at the prospect of fighting against the Jeedai again.

A breeze blows from the direction of the college. He sniffs the air, and can smell the Jeedai. He smiles, and makes a subtle hand signal, and watches as it is passed through the others of his party.

Next he can hear the soft murmurs of their voices, then the elder Jeedai’s laughter. Pilk can feel his heart rate increase, and his grin grows larger.

The Jeedai step out through the archway, walking beyond it and Pilk steps out of the shadows throwing a blastbug at the archway. It connects and detonates, causing the massive stone arch to crumble in a heap blocking the Jeedai’s escape back into the college.

The two girls turn and look at the crumbled pile of stone, and Pilk jumps forward. “Do-ro’ik vong pratte!”

The five other members of his hunting party rush forward as well, all brandishing their amphistaffs. Pilk watches as the two Jeedai turn around until they end up facing Pilk.

The elder Jeedai snarls slightly. “What do you want?”

Pilk laughs. “Tchurokk Yun'tchila, Jeedai.”

She snarls and jumps forward, her lightsaber igniting as she comes in to attack. Pilk snaps his amphistaff up, catching her blade, and twisting it down and around.

His fist snaps out, and slams against her jaw. As she stumbles backwards, he makes a quick hand gesture, and two of his warriors move forward, intent on capturing the younger Jeedai girl.

He comes in once more, swinging his amphistaff in a downward arch in towards the elder Jeedai. She catches his amphistaff on her blade, and then she swings in another attack.

Pilk parries, and then stabs forward, impaling her on his blade. He grins at the sheer shock that flickers across her face. He twists his amphistaff, reveling in her grunt of pain, and then yanks it back out.

Her hands clasp onto her stomach, and she falls down to her knees. He glances to the side, and sees his other warriors holding the younger Jeedai. He sees the horror on her face, and gestures for them to take her away.

They walk away, and he turns back to the elder girl. For a moment, he admires the way her pain contorts her face, the brightness of the thick blood as it bubbles out from her wound, rolling over her hands.

“Rrush'hok ichnar vinim'hok.”

She spits on him. He ignores it, and he turns away, heading in the direction of his warriors. He is happy in the knowledge that Ulya will enjoy breaking the young infidel.

------------------------------------

Tahiri can feel the burning in her stomach. A rolling pain washing over her in multiple waves. She glances up and sees the Yuuzhan Vong warrior walking away from her, following the other warriors who have taken Noelani.

In the Force she can feel the girl’s fear and concern.

In her heart she can feel the despair and utter sense of failure.

Noelani, her apprentice, yanked away from her. Dragged away in bonds. Tahiri struggles to stand, finally getting to her feet. She staggers forward, heading in the direction which the warriors traveled.

She gets another dozen meters, and then the world turns dark.

She reawakens, the pain still settled firmly in her stomach. A painful ember, as much failure as the wound she can still feel. Tahiri opens her eyes, and looks up to see the soft blue ceiling tiles of a medical center.

She sits up, and the ember of her pain flares into a raging inferno. A scream erupts from her lips, an exclamation of intense pain.

“Hu-carjen tok!”

An elderly male human rushes to her side, gripping her arm tightly. “Rest easy, Jedi Veila. Your stomach is not fully healed yet.”

She looks at him, and feels a lance of pain driving through her skull. A second scream erupts from her lips, an exclamation of intense pain, but this time it is a pain which does not belong to her body.

“Noelani!”

Tahiri shrugs her arm away from the medic, and slides her feet off the bed. When the medic tries to grab her arm again, she uses the Force to fling him against the far wall, and stalks out of the room.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Six

Luke stands at the front of the room, leaning against the large desk set off to the side of the stage. He watches as the three pairs of people enter the room: Han and Leia; Tahiri and Noelani; and finally Zekk and Jaina.

As they settle into seats on the front row, he gives them a small smile. “I have some missions for you.”

Han speaks up. “Does it involve us bringing Jacen back in line?”

Luke sighs. “We’ve had that discussion. Han, Leia, I need you to go back to Corellia and judge the fallout from Thrackan’s assassination. Find out if they’re more willing to fall in line now that he’s dead.”

He glances towards Jaina and Zekk. “Jaina, Zekk, I want you two to sneak into Corellia and support Han and Leia.”

As he receives nods from the two of them, he turns towards Tahiri and Noelani. “And finally, I need you two to go visit Lorrd. There was a Jedi assigned there, named Nelani Dinn. I want you two to find out what happened to her.”

He smiles as he gets affirmatives from both of the blondes, even as he wonders at the wisdom of allowing this apprenticeship to continue.

“Are there any questions? Good. You’ll find the usual data packets on your terminals, as well as an allowed supply list. May the Force be with you.”

------------------------------------------

Tahiri and Noelani walk out of the meeting room, the younger girl nearly bouncing with her every step. She grins up at Tahiri.

“Aren’t you excited? We’re going on a mission!”

Tahiri chuckles slightly. “You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

They continue the rest of the way to their quarters in silence. Upon arriving, Tahiri quickly throws together a travel bag, and then pulls up the data packet for the mission. Reading over the parameters, where they should start.

Her eyes widen slightly as she reads just who it was that the Jedi was last seen with, and wonders how this applies to Han’s outburst about Jacen during the briefing.

A thud attracts her attention, and she turns to see Noelani standing over two large bags, stuffed to overflowing. Tahiri lifts her eyebrow slightly. “That’s a lot of stuff.”

Noelani bobs her head. “But I need it all. I’ve got dinner wear, clothes for the forest, and clothes for the beach, and then hair supplies.”

Tahiri suppresses a chuckle, and shakes her head. “Nope. You get one bag,” Tahiri points to her bag. “That sized. Just take Jedi outfits.”

Noelani sighs, and drags the bags back to her room, grumbling slightly under her breath.

As soon as the girl returns to her room, Tahiri laughs, and looks back at the datapad, picking up her reading from where she left off. Her eyes widen again, as she comes across the final instruction.

That she is not to question, or inform, Jacen Solo about this mission.

Frowning, Tahiri turns on her terminal, and flips through to her files of holostills. She finds the appropriate one, and opens it. The image flickers into life, showing her and her friends all together on Yavin. Herself, Anakin, Jaina, Jacen, Zekk, Tenel Ka, Rayner, Lusa, Numa and Alema. A group pile of shining happy faces.

What’s happened to us? We were so happy. So innocent.

Noelani’s voice interrupts her thoughts. “I’m ready, Master.”

Tahiri waves the image away, and pockets the datapad, standing up to find the girl standing with her travel bag slung over her shoulder, a slight pout on her lips.

Tahiri bends down and picks up her own travel bag, and starts walking towards the door. Before long, they’re boarding the registered transport which will take them to Lorrd.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Jacen sits in his office on Coruscant, his eyes flickering between the seven flatscreen displays, each displaying a different newsfeed. His mind is flying, trying to work out what act of terrorism the Corellians will attempt next.

His terminal pings. And lifting an eyebrow he turns to it, seeing the message from an anonymous source on Ossus. He opens the file, and spits out a curse. He quickly deletes the file, and all traces to it. Then he pulls out his comlink, and enters in a number.

Lumiya’s voice comes out over it. “Yes, Jacen?”

“My uncle has sent a Jedi to Lorrd trying to find out what happened to Nelani. I need you to deal with that. I can’t leave Coruscant right now.”

“I will do what I can. Do you know which Jedi it was?”

“Tahiri Veila and her apprentice, Noelani Darklighter.”

“It will be done.”

The comlink goes dead, and he stares at it for a moment longer. “Force forgive me. I’m sorry it came to this Tahiri.”

He puts the comlink to the side, and once more starts looking at the flatscreens. All thoughts and concerns for Tahiri pushed out of his mind.

-------------------------------------------------------

Ulya sits in her meditation chambers, the lambents dimmed to a bare orange glow, the smells of the living ship swirling around her, mixed with the acrid smoke of the four tallow candles situated around her. She pulls out a new one from a small bag next to her, and kisses it gently.

“Ahh Tyre, you should have been a better second in command.”

She sets the new one in front of her, and pulls a lighter biot from her pouch, igniting the candle, savoring its distinct smell.

Grinning, she begins her meditations, letting the Jeedai Force flow over, through, around and within her.

Savoring the feelings of agony coming from the slaves in the hold beneath her, their fears, grief and pain feeding her connection and her power.

Then a villip strums, interrupting her meditations and she growls at the thing.

Quickly standing, she walks over to it, and strokes it to life. The leathery ball rolls back onto itself, resolving into the likeness of Ulya’s Master. The infidel who taught her the ways of the Force.

Lumiya.

She bows her head. “What are your orders Mistress?”

“There are two Jedi heading towards the planet Lorrd. Their names are Tahiri Veila and Noelani Darklighter. I have sent images of their likenesses to the Festering Wound’s qahsa. You are to destroy them.”

Ulya bows her head again. “It will be done, my Master.”

The villip rolls back up onto itself and Ulya strides from her chambers, returning to the bridge. As she enters the warriors slam their fists against their cuirasses, a gesture of respect which she ignores. She walks forward to the pilot.

“I am ordering us to head to the infidel planet Lorrd.”

The pilot bobs his head. “I obey.”

She turns towards the commander in charge of the troops. A massive Yuuzhan Vong, his black armor as pitted and scared as his exposed flesh. She grins at him, a sneer which pulls her tattered lips away from her teeth. “Commander Pilk Shai, prepare a hunting party of warriors. Outfit them with masquers. We are to hunt Jeedai soon.”

She watches as the warriors face splits into a fearsome smile. “It will be done, Milady.”

With a bounce to his step, the commander turns from her and as he leaves the bridge, he barks an order to the guards stationed there to follow him.

Ulya turns back to the view of darkspace, a light shining in her eyes as she contemplates her upcoming task.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Five

Leia Organa-Solo stands off to the side, dressed in her usual flowing white robes, watching calmly as her husband works off his frustration. Han Solo is pacing in front of Luke’s desk, an angry scowl clouding his face, contorting his features subtly out of shape.

Of more interest to her is the stillness between Luke and Mara. A strained tension which hums in the room like an exposed power conduit.

Mara notices her stare and Leia quirks an eyebrow at her, her eyes flickering to Luke for a second. An implied question. Mara gives her head a brief shake, sadness flashing over her features for a moment before her face once more settles into the stillness of a Jedi Master.

Han stops pacing, deciding instead to confront the problem he came here for head on. Han slaps his hand on the desk in front of Luke and says, “He’s interning people, Luke. It’s something the Empire did. Shoving folks into jail just because of what planet they’re from. He killed someone while interrogating her.”

Luke shrugs, the only hint of emotion on his face except a slight gathering of his eyebrows. “I don’t know what you expect me to do Han. He’s performing his duties as leader of the Guard.”

Han gives his head a shake of frustration. “I want you to fix it. He’s a Jedi and you’re the head of the Order.”

“My hands are tied here.”

“Don’t you get it? He killed someone while interrogating her. Just like Vader’s troops did to your aunt and uncle.”

Luke sucks in a breath of air, and Leia knows that Han just hit a sore spot. Luke stands up, placing his fist on his desk and leans towards Han. A gesture Leia has seen him use to intimidate Jedi trainees in the past.

“There is nothing we can do here Han. Let it drop.”

Of course Han doesn’t intimidate easily. “This is because he’s training Ben isn’t it.”

Leia shakes her head, putting her hand over her eyes hoping that her husband doesn't say something to fully fracture his friendship with her brother. Han just continues talking. “You’re so worried over making sure Ben knows how to use the Force that you refuse to do what’s right and smack down Jacen for his misbehaving. But tell me this Luke, just what is my son teaching yours these days?”

Without another word, Han turns and storms out of the room. Leia watches him leave, and then turns back towards Luke and Mara, noticing Luke settle into his seat with a sigh. He looks up and sees his sister still standing there.

“What’s your opinion on this, Leia?”

Leia hesitates. She knows what he’s asking. What he is wondering. The question is deeper, more important, than just what she thinks of Jacen’s recent actions. It is a fundamental question of where she stands, on who she stands with.

Luke or Han.

She knows siding with Han now may be damaging to her career as a Jedi. It will hurt her relationship with Luke, Mara, Jacen and probably even Jaina.

But ultimately she knows that Han is right. Jacen is powerful, dangerous, willing to kill and getting more and more out of control with every day that passes.

Knowing that no matter how it may shatter her family, she has to do what she believes is right.

“I think Han’s right. You need to deal with Jacen, before he turns.”

Then she turns and starts to walks away pausing at the door. She stands there for a moment, her back to her brother, her hand over the door release. She bows her head, her heart breaking with what she is about to admit. “If it’s not too late already.”

Then she steps through the doorway, following Han’s path out of the office area. She catches up to Han as he is leaving the Temple, she grabs his hand, and they begin to walk calmly through the landscaped grounds around which are setup around the training facility on Ossus, finally happening upon an open field were the students will do martial arts training.

They step out onto the field, and notice a pair of girls, performing an intricate series of katas with long Gaderfii. The pair’s blonde hair spins around their respective body, each of them dressed in the loose robes of a Jedi, neither wearing shoes, though Leia does see a pair off to the side, out of the way.

She nudges Han. “That’s Tahiri.”

Han grunts slightly. “She’s grown.”

Leia looks at him from the corner of her eye, and sees his trademark grin flicker across his face. Finally with dual thuds, the performance ends, and Leia looks forward to see both of them in matching poses, the club end of the Gaffi Stick embedded in the ground.

Tahiri looks up at them, a wide grin splitting her face. She touches the younger girl’s shoulder, and starts forward. They stop a short distance from them, and Leia can’t help but look back and forth between the two of them.

A blush flickers to life on Tahiri’s face, as she glances at the younger girl. “Leia? Is there something wrong?”

Han ignores the exchange and goes forward and wraps his arms around Tahiri giving her a tight hug. He lets her go, as Leia steps forward for a hug.

Leia releases her, and shakes her head slightly. “No, nothing is wrong. It’s just that you two could be sisters.”

Startled, Tahiri glances over at the younger girl. “Oh. I guess you’re right, we do look a lot alike. Han, Leia, this is my apprentice, Noelani Darklighter. Noelani these are Anakin’s parents, Han and Leia Solo.”

Noelani bows to them, and Leia lifts an eyebrow. “A pleasure to meet you, Noelani. Darklighter? Are you related to Gavin?”

Noelani grins. “He’s my cousin. Well not really, I’m adopted. Gavin’s uncle, Huff, is my father. I grew up on Tatooine just like Tahiri, though I wasn’t raised by the Tuskens.”

Leia notices Tahiri raising her hand gently, and laughs, recognizing the gesture as one which Tionne would give Tahiri when Tahiri was a student on Yavin IV.

Noelani tilts her head, a blush cropping up on her cheeks. “Sorry.”

Tahiri smiles indulgently at her apprentice. “It’s perfectly fine, Noelani.”

Han barks a laugh. “Turn about’s fair play, eh kid?”

Leia and Tahiri both glower at Han, while Noelani gives him a confused look. “I don’t understand Mr. Solo?”

Han smiles lopsidedly. “Call me Han, kid. As for what I’m talking about, your Master here used to talk more than you do. You could barely get a word in edgewise. You know that little hand gesture she gave you, you ought to ask her how many times she got it when she was your age.”

Noelani turns her wide-eyes onto Tahiri, while Leia turns on Han. “That’s not helping Tahiri keep the respect of her apprentice.”

Han laughs again, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Ah, the kid’s crazy about her Master. Besides, what’s Luke going to do to me? Exile me to Dagobah?”

Before Leia can open her mouth to chastise him further, both hers and Tahiri’s comlinks begin to chirp. Leia pulls hers out, reading the message on it, and sighs. “We got a mission.”

Tahiri nods her head. “Us too. Come on Nelani, grab your shoes and let’s get to the meeting room.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Four

Noelani is sitting on a bench at the side of the sparring area, watching her Master and Jaina Solo duel. Their blades flicker in a speedy series of attacks and parries, never staying still for more than a moment at a time. The sounds of the sabers ring in the cavernous room, the ever-changing hum occasionally followed by the crashing sound of the sabers connecting.

It is a sound that pulls at her, causes her to grin. Makes her want to get up, and take up one of the weapons herself.

Finally one of the duelers gets the better of the other, and Jaina’s voice rings out. “Point.”

Tahiri extinguishes her blade, and bows to Jaina, and then the two share a laugh over something Noelani can’t hear as they head towards her. She bounces up, a smile on her face for her Master.

Tahiri gives her head a quick shake. “Hello Noelani, how was your class today?”

“It was great, we learned about all sorts of things. But I didn’t like dissecting the amphibian. It smelled kind of funny. But there’s a starfighter piloting course starting next week that I was hoping I could attend. Do you think I’ll be able to? Please Master?”

Jaina barks a quick laugh, as she looks at Tahiri. “I think she talks more than you used to do.”

Then Jaina leans closer to Noelani. “Tell you what, if Toes here doesn’t let you do the piloting course, come see me, I’ll give you lessons.”

Tahiri smirks at Jaina, and waves her hand away. “You passed on the chance to corrupt a young apprentice, don’t be doing it to mine.”

Noelani watches the two old friends, waiting for a break in their banter to ask her question. Finally it comes.

“Toes?”

Jaina bursts out laughing. “You mean you haven’t noticed that she never wears shoes?”

Startled Noelani looks down and sees Tahiri’s bare feet, the toenails a shining, glossy pink. “Oh.”

Tahiri pushes Jaina away, and wraps her arms around Noelani. “Come on ‘Lani, we get to do something new today.”

Pulling her attention away from Tahiri’s toes, Noelani looks up at her Master with a smile. “What’s that?”

“Gaffi sticks!”

“What!”

“I’m going to teach you to fight with a Gaderfii.”

“Why not lightsabers?”

“Because if we ever visit my adopted father, you’ll need to know how to use a Gaderfii.

“Oh.”

Tahiri walks over to a weapons cabinet, and pulls out two of the long pieces of metal, and passes one to Noelani.

Noelani looks at the thing – a bar about the length of her leg, a lethal looking barbed spike on one end, the other end a bend which ended in a club head, with another barbed spike, but this one tapered to provide a small cutting edge.

She hefts the weapon, getting used to the weight and balance.

“Follow my actions.”

Noelani looks up at Tahiri, and sees her swinging the Gaderfii in a specific arch around her body, even at the slow speed which Tahiri uses, the weapon appears alive and dangerous in her Master’s hands.

Keeping her eyes on Tahiri, Noelani begins imitating the motions, swinging the staff around her body, a complicated series of jabs, arches and slashes.

Tahiri’s voice is strong and firm. “This is the training dance. It is taught to all Tuskens as the basis of fighting.”

Noelani nods her head, as she notices that Tahiri has finally started running through things she had done before. Soon Noelani begins to recognize the movements, anticipating which one Tahiri is going to do next.

She can hear pride in her Master’s voice. “Speed up.”

Noelani gives another brief nod, and begins stepping through the dance faster. She can feel the burn in her arms and shoulders from swinging the heavy weapon around her small frame.

“Faster.”

Noelani starts swinging the Gaderfii faster, keeping the staff moving in the same pattern which Tahiri showed her.

“Faster.”

Noelani grunts, the Gaderfii whirling around her body, a whistling noise accompanying it as it cuts through the air. A sheen of sweat coats her body.

“Faster.”

She has no energy to even reply to Tahiri now. She just begins going faster. A stitch crops up in her side, a pain stabbing deep through the muscles of her chest.

“Faster.”

She lets out a whimper, and starts going faster.

Then it happens.

A combination of the speed of the Gaderfii, the pain cropping up in her muscles, the sweat covering her body and her hands.

Before she can react, the Gaderfii is out of her hands. With the sound of shattering glass the Gaderfii is out the window, falling to the gardens below them.

In shock, Noelani stares at the broken window. Her eyes as wide as saucers she looks over at her Master. She finds Tahiri staring at her, the shock Nelani feels shining in Tahiri’s eyes.

Then Tahiri laughs. It is a bubbling, happy sound, one which Noelani finds infectious.

-------------------------------------

The Festering Wound, deep space, just off the Hydian Way.

Ulya Tu sits in the command throne of her ship. Surrounding her are the lesser Yuuzhan Vong of her crew running their various stations. She watches the stars as they slowly slide past, her hand held low, absently scratching the head of a fero xyn, a large animal nearly the size of a vornskr, with short bristling fur covering its body, interrupted by the occasional underscale poking through.

The meaty sound of a fist thumping against the breastplate of vonduun crab cuirass attracts her attention, and she turns from the viewport to look at her second in command, Tyre Lah, as he stands at attention beside her.

She stares at him for a second, storm clouds gathering on her face. “What is it?”

“I want to know what we’re doing here. Why we’re just waiting. We want revenge against the Jeedai who embarrassed us – who shamed us.

Frowning, Ulya thrusts out her hand and forks of blue lightning flash into existence, striking the warrior. The blast picks him up and throws him against the wall of the vessel. Ulya gets off the throne, and stalks towards him.

“We do things when I say we do them. Not all the pieces are in place yet. I am awaiting word from my infidel slave concerning the state of the Jeedai before we go in for the slaughter.”

Ulya turns her back on the warrior, and begins towards the command chair. She can hear the shuffle of her second in command standing, the slither of his amphistaff moving down his armor.

Every sense she has tingles into ultra-awareness. She can feel the air movements on the short hairs of her arms, smell the fear wafting off a slave huddled in a corner, taste the sweet nectar of an imminent death, hear the pounding of every heart in the room, and see what Tyre plans to do.

She pulls a slug from her belt, twisting under the first slice of the amphistaff. She squeezes the slug, and a beam of burgundy light shoots out from it. She rolls forward and slams the blade through Tyre’s chest, slicing through the vonduun crab armor as if it was mere cloth.

Black blood spurts from his mouth as he coughs raggedly. “Jeedai witch.”

Ulya barks a sharp, harsh laugh. “There are no Jeedai here.”

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Three

Tahiri looks at her apprentice; she hefts the box of the young girl’s possessions, shifting it on her hips as Noelani drops a final tunic into the box at her feet. Noelani turns towards Tahiri, a grin on her face, happy that she is moving from the barracks to their new shared quarters.

Tahiri returns the grin. “You sure this is the last of it?”

Noelani picks up the box at her feet and looks up at her, her blue eyes flashing with amusement. “Yes, I think this is everything. Of course once Papa finds out that I was moved to larger quarters he might send me more things.”

“You do realize that Jedi are not supposed to do the whole possession thing, right?”

Noelani laughs again, a musical tinkling. “Yes, Master I do. But Papa doesn’t quite understand.”

They carry the boxes through the halls chatting amicably, getting to know one another. They arrive at their quarters, and Tahiri sets the box down with the rest of Noelani’s things, and then shrugs out of her over cloak, hanging it on a peg on the wall.

She turns around, to find Noelani holding out a glass of water for her, and Tahiri takes it with a grateful nod.

Noelani beams up at her. “Thanks for helping me with all of this stuff. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to do it all by my self. I guess I really need to get rid of some of it, but I don’t know what Papa would say if I did that. What do you think I should do?”

Tahiri smiles, and for the first time in her life realizes just what her friends must have felt like when they were all younger. She shrugs her shoulders slightly. “It’s just stuff. Don’t keep it because you’re afraid of what your father would think, keep it around because it makes you happy. We’re Jedi; our focus is not on the things of this world.”

“Oh. I see.” The girl looks away from Tahiri, allowing her gaze to flicker around the room. Finally she looks back at her. “Can I ask you a question? A personal one. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I’d like to know the answer. I mean I’m just curious.”

Tahiri holds her hand up, and the girl quiets down with a blush. “Ask your question Noelani. Don’t be afraid to do that. I’m here to teach you after all.”

“What are those scars on your forehead from?”

Startled, Tahiri’s hand reaches up, and touches the scars, her fingers flickering over the slightly raised tissue.

Tahiri walks over to the couch, trying to decide just how much she should tell the young girl as she sits down. Noelani drops in beside her, her feet tucking up underneath her as she watches her mentor.

“I got them, oh, back before you were born. During the Vong War. I was a Jedi apprentice, not much older than you, on Yavin 4. My best friend, Anakin, came back suddenly from the war, and told us that the Yuuzhan Vong were coming. Kam and Tionne rushed us away into the caves until help could arrive, but me, Valin and Sannah stayed behind with Anakin and my Master, Ikrit. It was a poor decision, as Anakin’s defense plan involved him escaping in his X-Wing, which wasn’t big enough for all of us. The Peace Brigade showed up, and ultimately we stole a freighter. Ikrit jumped out to stop those pursuing us, but was killed, and in my grief I followed him.”

Tahiri pauses, taking a deep shuddering breath.

“I was captured, and turned over to the Yuuzhan Vong. And then they shaped me.”

Tahiri can hear the slight inhaling hiss of breath from the young girl, and she looks over at her, seeing the tears in Anakin’s blue eyes. She gives her head a slight shake, dispelling the image of Anakin eye’s from her mind.

“Anakin rescued me, but in the end I choose to keep the scars as a reminder of who I was, and what had happened to me.”

She looks at the girl, noting the grin on her face. “He rescued you? Like a prince in a fairy tale?”

Tahiri laughs slightly, amazed at the young girl’s ability to ignore the bad things in the story, and to focus on the fairy tale aspects. “Just like in a fairy tale. He rescued me from the Shapers, and he rescued me from myself.”

“So what happened then? Why didn’t the two of you live happily ever after?”

A sharp pain stabs through Tahiri’s heart. She looks away from her apprentice, and out the window. “He died. Killed, while being a dumb hero.. A stupid, pointless death, in a stupid, pointless war.”

She can hear the pain in Noelani’s voice. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I won’t bring it up again. I’m sorry.”

Tahiri glances at the younger girl again. “It’s all right Noelani. You didn’t know. He died before you were born, yet I still mourn for him.”

Tahiri stands up, and walks to the shelf where she had already placed her few mementos. She picks up a small device, and returning to the couch, sets it down on the table in front of them.

She presses a button, and a hologram flickers into existence. A boy on the cusp of manhood, his blue eyes shine with the moment of laughter frozen in time by the picture.

Tahiri wipes away a tear from her eye. “That’s Anakin.”

After a couple of minutes, Tahiri turns the hologram off, and stands up; she looks down at the girl. “We need to get this stuff put away.”

With a bob of her blonde hair, Noelani jumps up and rushes to her room, and Tahiri can hear the shuffling noises of things being put away and organized. Sniffling slightly, she turns and heads into her room, taking care to put her few possessions into the places where they should go.

As Tahiri finishes, she steps out of her bedroom, and looks around the quarters they were given. They are simply appointed, three bedrooms, the common room with kitchen and eating area and a shared refresher.

Tahiri walks into the unused third bedroom, and looks around, a grin on her face. She begins the process of taking the bed apart, hauling its pieces out into the hallway. Next she shuffles the dresser out there as well. Then she dismantles the computer in that room, and takes it and the desk it was sitting on and puts them out in the hall as well.

Returning, Tahiri looks around the now empty room, a grin on her face. She goes into her room, and gathers a couple of candles, and sets them on the window ledges.

A crashing sound draws Tahiri out of the empty room, and she sees Noelani with the discarded console in her arms, a sheepish grin plastered to her face.

Tahiri lifts an eyebrow. “What are you planning on doing with that?”

Noelani bites at her lip. “I don’t know yet. But I couldn’t just leave it out there.”

Tahiri shakes her head. “Are you done straightening your room?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Then go put that down, and join me in here.” With that Tahiri walks back into the empty room, and settles into a meditation pose just off the center of the room. She closes her eyes and begins to meditate, allowing the Force to flow over and through her.

A few minutes later, Noelani comes in, and settles into a similar position facing Tahiri.

She watches her Master, and then starts shuffling around, making small noises.

Tahiri sighs, and opens one of her eyes. “Quiet your mind. Meditate.”

Noelani lets out a small sigh of her own. “Yes, Master.”

Tahiri chuckles to herself. She’s a lot like Anakin. Wonder if all teenaged Jedi are?

She pushes the thought away, not wanting to follow it to its logical conclusion. But her gaze lingers on Noelani’s young, earnest face. It surprises her when she realizes that she is still smiling at her.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Two

Tahiri settles onto the couch in the Master’s outer office, the secretary having already announced her. The blonde Jedi takes a moment to watch the Bith as she softly whistles commands to her console. Her eyes brighten at the thought of a new way to interface with the ungainly machines.

She is just about to get up and ask the secretary if she could learn the whistle code, when she senses a bubbling fount of Force energy heading towards the office. Tahiri looks towards the door, and watches as Noelani bounds into the room, her outer-cloak flapping behind her. Upon seeing Tahiri seated on the couch, she pulls herself to a stop, straightening, a blush coming to her cheeks.

“Sorry I’m late Master.”

Tahiri stands and lays a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You’re not late Noelani, and never apologize for being yourself.”

“Master Skywalker will see you now.”

Tahiri turns towards the secretary, and bobs her head, gesturing for Noelani to follow her. She enters the Office to find Master Skywalker and his wife sitting on one of the pair of couches in a corner of the office.

Luke stands and turns towards them as Noelani enters the room, and his face falls into a show of utter disbelief and shock.

Then as quickly as Luke’s face turned to disbelief, it flickers back into his normal smiling features.

Tahiri polls the Force, sensing nothing out of the ordinary, and gives an internal shrug, assuming she is imagining things, that it’s just her nerves over taking an apprentice.

Then Luke speaks. “Tahiri, Noelani, come join us over here.”

Tahiri sits down on the couch opposite of the Jedi Masters, and Noelani settles herself beside her, her nervousness pooling in the Force, so Tahiri sends her calm and comforting thoughts.

Luke looks between them both, and for a second, Tahiri wonders if she had done something wrong.

“I want you both to understand just how important the Master-Apprentice relationship is. Tahiri, you will be responsible for everything Noelani does until she is Knighted and you will be responsible for ensuring that she becomes a Jedi. Do you understand and accept these responsibilities?”

“Yes, Master I do.”

Luke slowly nods his head, and then focuses onto Noelani. “Noelani, you are to learn what Tahiri teaches you. To obey her in all things. You are responsible for yourself, to ensure that you learn what you need to become the Jedi you will one day be. Do you understand and accept these responsibilities?”

Noelani bobs her head, a quick gestures of acceptance. “Yes, Master!”

Tahiri watches the girl, a ghost of a smile on her face.

Luke leans back slightly, settling into the couch. “Have you heard lately from Huf?”

Noelani nods her head. “Yes, he sent me a message a few days ago. Said the harvest was going fine, and that Lok got in trouble in Anchorhead again. And that the garage there had an explosion, took out all the most of the spare vaporator parts that Ms. Camie had in storage there.”

The console on Luke’s desk chimes, and Luke walks over to it and punches a few keys. He glances first at his wife, and then towards Tahiri and Noelani.

“Girls, I’m sorry that we can’t continue this discussion, but something has come up that Mara and I need to attend to.” He picks up a data chit, from the desk, and returns to the couches.

Passing the chit to Tahiri he smiles. “This is the keycode and room assignment for one of the larger quarters here at Ossus. It seems appropriate that we house apprentices with their Masters. May the Force be with you both.”

Tahiri stands and bows, with Noelani quickly following her actions. Together they walk from the room, Tahiri smiling happily.

As they leave the outer office, Tahiri wraps her arm around Noelani, and grins down at the young girl. “So did you ever expect to have an old lady like me for a roommate?”

Noelani looks up at her, her face screwed up in thought. “But you’re not that old.”

---------------------------------------------------

Luke continues to stand as he watches Tahiri and Noelani leave the room. As soon as the door is shut, he collapses onto the couch, covering his face with his hands.

Mara’s voice is soft and concerned. “Luke?”

Luke does not answer, just stands, and walks over to his desk, picking up the third data chit that was left over from his meeting with the three young Jedi this morning. There written in Mara’s precise handwriting is Tahiri’s name.

His fist clenches in anger, and his mechanical hand shatters the data chit. “Shavit.”

“Luke? Talk to me, what’s this about?”

“I gave Tahiri the wrong chit this morning. It had a list of potential apprentices for Jaina on it, rather than the list that I had prepared for Tahiri.”

Mara runs her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him. “And what’s so bad about that.”

“Noelani. She shouldn’t be Tahiri’s apprentice.”

Mara’s hands drop away from his shoulders. “Why? They seemed well suited to me. In fact I don’t think I’ve seen Tahiri that happy since before Myrkr.”

Luke lets out a slight sigh and returns to the couch, dropping onto it, once more placing his hands over his face.

He feels the couch shift as Mara sits beside him. “Tell me what’s going on Luke. What is it?”

Luke lowers his hand and turns face to look Mara in the eyes. “You can’t tell this to anyone. Especially not to Tahiri and Noelani. Can you agree with that? Can you promise me that?”

Luke watches as Mara works through what she’s saying. Weighing things, evaluating his request. Finally she nods her head. “It’ll be our little secret.”

Luke sighs again, and lowers his eyes, turning away from Mara. “Remember shortly after Ebaq 9 when we felt Tahiri spike in the Force and then she went missing from her squadron? I went searching for her. Returned a week or so later.”

Mara slowly nods her head, and Luke can hear a hint of confusion in her voice. “Yes.”

“I told you that I couldn’t find her. That her fading happened so fast that I wasn’t able to discern where she really was.” Luke takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. “I lied.”

Luke can hear the definite confusion in her voice now. “So where was she?”

“A mining complex on Araxxis 3. In their med-ward.”

“Why was that so bad that you felt you had to lie to me about it?”

“It was the maternity section.”

Luke’s announcement hangs on the air, heavy and oppressive. He can hear Mara’s inhaling hiss of breath as she comprehends what Luke is saying. What Luke is admitting to having done.

“Noelani?”

Luke mutely nods his head.

“Tell me that she willingly gave up the baby.”

Luke slowly shakes his head. “No. I removed all memories she had of the pregnancy, and her child. Dropped her off on Mon Calamari, and took the baby girl to the Darklighter’s, Bigg’s parents, to raise, to adopt as one of their own. When I checked the apartment I had put Tahiri up in after dropping Noelani off, she was gone. I didn’t see her again until the night before our trip to the Unknown Regions.”

He feels the couch shift again, and looks up at Mara, just in time for her fist to connect with his face. The force of the punch knocks Luke off the couch, and he sprawls to the ground at Mara’s feet.

“You kriffing lying Sith! How could you do that to her?”

Luke sits up, rubbing his jaw. “I thought it was for the best. I thought she’d be happier this way. She was so young.”

Mara’s stare is cold and hard as she looks at him. She waves her hand in his direction making a guttural noise of disgust, and turns away, quickly walking from him. She pauses; her hand hovering over the door activation plate.

“Who’s the father?”

“Do you have to ask?”

Mara’s mouth tightens a bit, and she opens the door and leaves the room.

Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter One

Luke Skywalker watches the young Jedi hopefuls as they run around the training fields, the sounds of their feet pounding against the hard packed dirt of the track reaching up to the balcony where he stands and gazes out at the groups of students.

As he watches, he has a feeling of foreboding, as if something is approaching which threatens to consume the Jedi and the galaxy.

It is the Dark Man from his dreams.

A flicker of a frown crosses his face, and he shoves those concerns away. Of more immediate importance is the crisis with the Corellians, and how they’ve managed to almost get Centerpoint activated.

What Ben told him he found there.

An android that believed itself to be Anakin Solo.

An android that should not possibly exist, as all medical records of Anakin Solo were lost during the fall of Coruscant.

The soft chime of the door garners his attention, and he turns and walks back into his office even as the door opens.

Three Jedi Knights walk in, and give him short abbreviated bows. He smiles, and gestures towards a couch. “Please sit down.”

The three glance nervously between themselves and Luke has to chuckle. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. I just think it’s time to once more try to pair off the more advanced students to Jedi Knights for training. It’s working well with Jacen and Ben and I would hope you three would be willing to try as well.

The three share a look, and Knight Thann Mithric stands up. “I’d be quite willing to do this Master.”

Luke grins, and picks up a data chit and looks quickly at the label, making sure it has the correct name written on it and then passes it to him. “Look through these files, and choose one of the students listed there. Once you’ve chosen, ask that student if they would like to become your apprentice, if they agree, return with them to me.”

Thann takes the chit and leaves the room. Next to stand is Jaina Solo, as she tugs against her long brown hair she speaks almost hesitatingly, “I’m going to have to pass right now Uncle Luke. I don’t think I’m ready for an apprentice just yet.”

Luke looks at her for a moment, and then nods his head. “If that is your wish Jaina, then I will respect it.” As Jaina leaves the office, he looks towards the final Jedi he has brought in for this, noticing how the young blonde girl is staring at her hands, and gnawing on her bottom lip. “How about you Tahiri? Are you willing to train an apprentice?”

“Yes Master, I think I am. That is if you trust me enough.”

She looks up at him, her green eyes large, and filled with hope and longing. An odd feeling twitches in his stomach, guilt of an old memory, long suppressed, as he reaches down and plucks the second of three data chits from the stack and without looking at it, holds it out to her.

“I think you’ll do just fine Tahiri.”

She smiles hesitantly, and grasps the data chit, pulling it to her quickly. She stands up, looking down at the small device, and takes a step forward, tossing her arms around the Jedi Master.

“Thank you Master Skywalker. Thank you for trusting me.”

Luke awkwardly returns the hug, gently patting her back, as she drops back down to the flat of her feet.

“Choose your apprentice, and then bring whoever you’ve chosen here, and I’ll formalize it.”

She beams at him. “Thank you!”

And then she walks out of the room, a bounce to her step that Luke hasn’t seen since before the Killik fiasco. Since before Mrykr. Luke smiles slightly, and then returns to his work, never glancing at the remaining data chit that rests on his desk.

Never seeing the label with Mara’s neat, precise handwriting spelling out Tahiri’s name.

----------------------------------------------------------

Tahiri walks through the halls, holding the small data chit in her hands. She flips it over, seeing a neat precise script on the label, and reads Jaina’s name there. For a second she looks towards Luke’s office, wondering if she should tell him that she received the wrong data card. Then with a shrug, she turns away and continues down the hall.

She arrives at her quarters, and slips in tossing her heavy robe onto her bed. She sits at the console, and plugs the data chit in, pulling up the roster files for potential apprentices. The files appear on the screen, and she grunts, slapping a button, switching to holographic mode.

A moment later, the icons for the files appear as translucent blue holograms hovering in the air before her.

She grabs the first one, and pulls it towards her. As she lets go it expands, displaying a hologram of a thirteen year old boy. She reads the dossier, his name is Lant Ghyrkson. Her nose wrinkles as she decides she really doesn’t want a male apprentice. Too many potential hassles.

She pushes the file away, and it flickers into non-existence as the icons reappear.

She scans the names, looking for one which calls to her.

Y’lr Hic’kla. Pluor Sytho, Bistam, Noelani Darklighter.

She pauses, her heart jumping for a moment, even as she wonders about that name. The Darklighters are famous on her homeworld of Tatooine, rich water magnates. That would explain why they might have named a daughter after a Tusken term, but there is something about the name which calls to her.

She grabs the icon, pulling it towards her, her heart hammering away in her chest, as the holograms flicker and resolves into the file. She bites on her lower lip, as she stares at the image of the thirteen year old girl, something in her soul shifting as she watches the face.

The Force screams to her. This one!

She continues reading, noting the details of her upbringing. That she was adopted and raised by Huff Darklighter during the Vong War. Born less than a year after Anakin died.

The marks she has received in her classes shows that she has effortlessly blown through them, mastering the techniques quicker than expected. Doing better. Going further.

Tahiri grins, a wide open smile. She twirls a lock of her blonde hair absently as she watches the hologram before her. Then pulling up the girl’s itinerary, Tahiri finds that she should be playing on the Skorch Field at this time of day.

Waving the console off, she stands and grabs her robe as she leaves the room. Her bare feet padding along down the hallway, shuffling against the cool marble floors.

Soon she steps outside into the bright Ossus sun, and walks towards the Skorch Field. The yelling and screaming greets her even before she gets near, and she smiles as she finally arrives, settling onto a bench to watch the game.

It takes a moment, but she finally finds the girl she has come here to see. The diminutive blonde deftly slides in and out of the crowd, ducking and dodging the other players. Almost effortlessly she avoids the bigger boys who try to tackle her.

She moves like a sandpanther.

But the boys working in conjunction corner her, in one of the walls built around the field. Tahiri stands to get a better view, reaching out with the Force to feel what’s happening. The boys close in, as Noelani tucks the Skorch ball behind her, hunching down.

As the boys get shoulder to shoulder, the Force sings, and a wave of energy pushes out from the girl’s spot, tossing the unsuspecting boys away from her.

Tahiri grins. And she strikes like a Krayt Dragon.

Noelani’s laughter is musical as she jumps up, and darts around, keeping the ball away from the other players.

Finally the timer above the field goes off, a loud buzzing sound which startles Tahiri out of her observations of Noelani. Kam Solusar gathers the players around him, explaining how everyone did. Exactly what the rules were this time. His voice echoes over the field, coming to Tahiri as a soft murmur in the background. She sits back on the bench, and waits and watches.

The players wander off, and Kam comes over to her, settling down beside her on the bench.

“How are you Tahiri?”

She smiles at the older Master. “I’m fine Master Salusar.”

“You know Tionne misses you – you could stop by and visit us more often.”

Tahiri looks down, a blush rising to her cheeks. “I know. But it’s so hard. Whenever I see Tionne, I think back to the adventures we had with Anakin.” She glances up at Kam. “It still hurts. You’d think after fourteen years, it wouldn’t hurt so bad. But it does.”

Kam nods his head, and silently wraps his arm around her, giving her a gentle squeeze. After a moment, he looks down at her again. “So what brings you out here today?”

Tahiri looks up, and glances to see Noelani still standing on the Skorch Field, her eyes closed, her arms hanging by her side as she has her face lifted to the sun.

Tahiri nods towards her. “Master Skywalker told me I could choose an apprentice. I was thinking about asking her.”

Kam glances that way, and looks back down at Tahiri. “She’s powerful, with a lot of native talent. I think you’d be a great teacher for her. In fact she reminds me a bit of you when you were that age.”

“Always getting in trouble?”

Kam laughs. “Something like that. Want me to introduce you to her?”

Tahiri thinks for a moment, and then shakes her head. “No, I think I’ll do that myself.” She leans up and kisses Kam on his cheek. “Thank you Kam. I promise I’ll come visit you and Tionne soon.”

Kam stands, and grins down at her. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Standing, he turns and walks away, heading in towards the temple. Tahiri watches Noelani, and stretches out with the Force, feeling it as it flows in and through the young girl. Standing she walks onto the field, coming up behind her, stopping a few paces away.

“Searching for peace?”

The girl lets out a small yelp of surprise, and spins around. Seeing Tahiri, her eyes widen for a second, and Tahiri realizes that they are an ice blue, the same shade that Anakin’s were. A pang of grief stabs into her heart, but Tahiri quickly quashes it. Noelani bows, and then straightens.

“I’m sorry Knight Veila, I did not see you behind me.”

Tahiri just smiles. “That’s all right. I did sneak up behind you. What’s your name?”

“Oh! I’m sorry. I’m Noelani, Noelani Darklighter. I’m from Tatooine, but I’m adopted, and-”

Tahiri raises her hand, and Noelani blushes as she quiets down. “Sorry Knight Veila, I seem to talk too much sometimes.”

Tahiri laughs slightly. “It’s an affliction which many have been burdened with. Can I ask what you were doing?”

Noelani suddenly blushes and looks down at the ground. “I’m resetting myself.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know what to call it. It’s just when I’m on the field, playing with or for or against the others, I can feel the Force rushing through me. Like the rapids over at Istan Falls. Have you seen those? They’re beautiful. I love the water. Anyways, I feel it rushing through me. If I don’t take the time to calm down, to reset myself, it will stay rushing that way for hours.”

Tahiri nods her head, happy at the answer. She probes the Force, seeing if this is the right apprentice for her, and she feels the peace and acceptance the Force sends her in return.

“Did you know that some of your class is being paired up with the older Knights?”

“Well, we all knew that Ben Skywalker was paired off with his cousin, but we didn’t know how that would affect the rest of us.”

“Well, some of you are getting paired up. I would like to know if you’d like to be my apprentice?”

Tahiri watches as Noelani’s eyes widen slightly, and a bright smile suffuses the girl’s face, transforming it, making her look even more angelic.

“I would love to be”

Tahiri grins, her happiness an odd emotion, one she has not felt in too long. “Wonderful, go get cleaned up and then meet me at Master Skywalker’s office.”

Tahiri watches as the girl runs off towards the barracks. Then she turns and heads towards the Temple.

Jedi Adept: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Prologue

Dramatis Personae

• Tahiri Veila – Jedi Knight (female human)
  
• Noelani Darklighter – Jedi Apprentice (female human)
  
• Luke Skywalker – Jedi Grand Master (male human)
  
• Mara Jade Skywalker – Jedi Master (female human)
  
• Han Solo – Captain Millennium Falcon (male human)
  
• Leia Organa Solo – Jedi Knight (female human)
  
• Jacen Solo – Sith Lord (male human)
  
• Lumiya – Sith Lady (female human)
  
• Jaina Solo – Jedi Knight (female human)
  
• Ulya Tu – Commander, The Festering Wound (female Yuuzhan Vong)

---

"To see something new born in you and Tahiri. And to give you whatever small help I am able to give to see that birth arrive."
-- Jedi Master Ikrit to Anakin Solo (Conquest)

Prologue

Tahiri lets out a scream of pain. It is a writhing agony that shoots out from her pelvis wrapping around her body. Every nerve from her head to her toes burns with it.

Sweat covers her body, causing the thin hospital gown to cling to her. Her legs ache from being in the stirrups for hours on end, her body twisted, granting access to her most private parts to the medical droids as they float and cluck to themselves.

The wave of pain recedes, and Tahiri leans back.

The droid hovering between her legs speaks soothing words, words in a language which Tahiri doesn’t understand.

The wave of pain comes again, slashing across her. The intense pressure building, demanding she push.

She grabs hold of the cushioned metal bars beside her bed, handgrips for just this purpose, squeezing them as pain pushes her higher than she could ever conceive of going.

She lets out another growl of pain, as the bar to her right squeals with the sound of overstressed metal.

Again, the pain slides away, granting her a brief respite. She leans back again, still panting. One of the droids places ice chips on her tongue.

Tahiri closes her eyes as she considers the fact that the traditional spot for the father of her child is being taken by a droid.

Anakin, why did you have to die?

It is an old pain, one she has been suffering with for the entire pregnancy. The Tusken in her despairs, her life-mate is gone – never to hold her child, never to hold her.

The Yuuzhan Vong in her cries out in her anger at the gods for taking away her lover.

Then the pain once more washes over her, driving all thoughts away.

“Itlack” The droid’s command is harsh and demanding.

And Tahiri can only hope it means “push.”

For that is what she does. As she pushes, the pressure builds, reaching a crescendo as her body stretches beyond what the fifteen year old Jedi would ever believed possible.

The pain crests for a moment, and then washes in again, not giving her a respite.

Her body demands that she push again, and she does.

Finally the pressure passes, her body shakes at the exertion, and she lets out a small gasp.

A few moments later, she hears the tiny wailing cry of her newborn. She collapses back against the bed, her sweat-slicked hair sticking to her forehead.

The droid gently lays the babe in Tahiri’s arm, and pulls down her gown, directing Tahiri through gestures on how she should nurse.

Tahiri watches as the baby begins to suckle. In the background the droid floats away, shifting the bed slightly to lower Tahiri’s legs as it leaves.

Grateful to be able to closer her legs, she lets out a small sound of relief, half sigh, half moan.

Then finally all of her attention is focused on the small life from her womb.

The end result of that single night on the Exquisite Death with Anakin. Images and sounds from that night flicker through her mind. The ancient Tusken ceremony, the symbolic words they both whispered to one another. Then what they did afterwards – the consummation of their marriage.

She reaches down and unwraps the newborn from the swaddling clothes, tears coming to her eyes as a tiny fist flails in the air. Tahiri gives a half-laugh, half sob, as she tucks the blanket back around her child’s body.

She closes her eyes, and gently blows out her breath, feeling complete for the first time since Anakin died. She glances down at her daughter, her eyes lighting with life and joy, even as she wonders how this small being can make such a huge difference in how she feels.

Before long, the baby stops drinking, and drifts off to sleep, a gentle contentment rolls of the child in the Force, and Tahiri smiles happily as well, the exertions of the past eighteen hours of labor finally taking their toll as she slowly drifts off to sleep.

Three days later Tahiri awakens on a Mon Calamari beach, her body sore and tender, every muscle she has aching gently. She uncurls herself from the tight ball that her body had contorted itself into, brushing the sand from her face and hair.

She looks around, trying to find something, not quite able to.

Not quite sure what she was looking for.

She absently rubs her stomach, as emptiness and loss fills her soul.