Episode 3
She flawlessly landed her ship the Kriegende Ritterin in the Alliance headquarter's hangar on Sullust. As steam misted upward from the remains of the ship's after burn she figured this would be the last place she’d likely be. A smile highlighted her ruby lips. In all honesty she was glad she was there. He was there; she knew it. She didn’t think she’d get to see him again so soon but she was glad for the opportunity. Her absence had only been a day, and she hadn’t wanted to be away from him that long anyway. The fact that the absence had been so short had been even better in her opinion. If all went as she expected, planned and anticipated, she’d get to stick around for a while; that would suit her perfectly. She planned to enjoy spending every last minute getting to know him better, getting closer to him and most importantly spending time together alone with him.
Sharp hisses pierced the air as the gang plank lowered and the brown haired, medium build pilot, dressed in an orange flight suit, holding an Alliance issued helmet under his arm, waited for her top side. Dressed in a comfy oversized gray flight suit it disguised her feminine features and after years of military service secrecy in terms of revealing ones true identity was of paramount importance, particularly in the cover operations in which she’d participated. Her long brown hair hidden beneath the black helmet, she looked more like a disciplined, seasoned pilot and soldier. As she carefully lifted the helmet off her head, the locks of her long, luscious brown hair cascaded like a waterfall down the back of her flight suit. She’s a woman! Wedge Antilles swallowed his surprise.
Slowly she unzipped her flight suit, shedding it off like the shell of an insect revealing the bumps and curves in all of the right places. Then there was the long sexy black dress she wore that emphasizing her slim, athletic figure and shapely long legs. Notably there was a light saber clipped to her belt and Wedge knew she wasn’t someone to be taken or handled lightly. Wedge was taken aback by her beauty and swallowed hard. “Please say you’re here for me.”
Light amused laughter spilled from her lips; her dark eyes danced with pleasure. “I’m flattered, but you’re not Luke Skywalker.”
Mention of his friend’s name made Wedge smile. Luke was one hell of a pilot and a good guy and the Jedi deserved to have something going on with this Jedi woman if that’s what was going on. “Does Luke know you here?”
Her lips twitched with a smile. “Probably.”
“Oh,” Wedge remarking figuring the two Jedis had sensed each other’s presences. “Was Luke supposed to pick you up?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, then,” Wedge extended his hand toward the exit of the hangar. “I better show you the way to the meeting.”
“Peachy,” she murmured following the young pilot’s lead.
**
A thong of citizens gathered in front of the Sullustian Hall of Government. They held signs and their holos as they waited with anticipation for the famous members of the Alliance’s governing body’s arrival. As a result both Sullustian and Alliance security details were on hand to keep the crowd in check and safe. To ensure the goal of safety, they were doing weapon’s checks at the door.
As the princess and the Jedi reached the top of the stairs, the crowd went wild with applause and cheers. The holos whirred taking pictures; several in the crowd reached out to touch the pair but with security keeping them back behind the barricades Luke and Leia were out of reach. Two guards with hard eyes held onto the golden handle at the Government Hall’s two large main doors. Luke slowed seeming to hesitate. “What’s wrong Luke?”
A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "I'm afraid the guards at the door and I are going to have a problem."
He referred to the light saber clipped to his belt. "They shouldn’t. I think they’d be expecting you to have a light saber. After all you’re a Jedi Knight.”
Luke quickly closed his mouth. He wasn’t about to argue with her. Approaching the door, the guards nodded at them respectfully and politely as they entered the hall. “Ma’am. Sir.”
The flags of all the planets that had membership in the Alliance were displayed around the top of the rotunda in the hall. Many of the representatives of the various worlds had already gathered. At the front of the rotunda was a podium and two long tables for key Alliance governmental officials such as Mon Monthma, Generals Dadonna, Riekkan and Madine and Admiral Ackbar, all of whom were already present and conversing with each other.
“See I told you so,” she teased her brother. He grinned in response and then sensed something in the Force. A familiar pleasant presence reached out to him and touched his heart. He stretched out with his feelings through the Force, calling to her telepathically. Trisha. I know you’re here. I feel you. But where are you? His blue eyes scanned the crowded room searching hoping to spot the female Jedi.
The princess noticed his momentary distraction. “Luke, what it is it?” She asked softly. “Are you alright? Are you having another vision? Or just sensing some kind of danger or trouble?”
The sensation quickly vanished as if it had been an illusion. “I …” he lightly shook himself. He managed a smile. “…I don’t know but I think everything’s fine.”
Leia wasn’t so sure; she was definitely worried, but before she had a chance to ask her brother more about it, Mon Monthma, the president of the Alliance, strode toward the Skywalker twins. Squeezing the princess’ shoulders, Monthma kissed the princess on both side of her cheeks. “Leia, you look lovely as always.”
“So do you,” Leia returned with a fierce hug and kiss for the longtime stateswoman who had been both a mentor and a friend.
Luke casually tried to slip away from Leia. He didn't like diplomatic functions. He preferred not to be involved in political or diplomatic dealings. Let Leia deal with this. She had been well trained to handle such situations by her foster parents. Still, Leia had no intention of letting him fade into the background. She kept her hands securely fastened around his arm.
The familiar pleasant warmth and affection he’d felt earlier tickled and tantalized his senses. Trisha! It had to be. He had an undeniable need and desire to find her. Not just because of the vision but he just wanted to be alone with and spend time with her.
His momentary distraction caught the Alliance president’s attention. “Luke, is everything all right? There’s no trouble, is there?”
Leia glared at her brother who smiled in response. His blue eyes sparkled with pleasure. “Madam President, are you expecting someone to be at this meeting today?”
Monthma beamed with pleasure. “I’m not surprised you know that Jedi Skywalker…”
Such formality wasn’t necessary. He liked to keep things simple. “Luke,” he corrected.
“Very well,” Monthma nodded. “Why yes, Luke, I am expecting someone, my trusted advisor and protector, but she hasn’t arrived as of yet.”
Trisha! So he was right she was here! But where was she? Luke could barely contain his excitement as his blue eyes scanned the room. He had to find her! His sister looked at him with concern. “I’ll be alright, Leia.” |
“But Luke…” Leia called after him as he began to melt into the crowd to start his search.
“Just let him go,” Monthma advised wisely. “Personally I’d feel better with him doing a security check.” Her hazel green eyes sparkled. “If the inklings I have are right then he’ll find her, and all will be well.” The princess wondered what the matronly woman knew that she didn’t but before the younger woman could ask, the Alliance president laid her hand on Leia’s arm and guided her toward the front of the hall. “The important thing is he’s here, and we have business to attend to.” Leia took her designated seat at the table of Alliance government representatives. The focus shifted once Monthma, garbed in her flowing white gown, stepped up to the center podium and pounded her gavel. “As duly elected president of the Alliance, I now call this meeting to order.”
"Madam President, if I may I'd like to begin by addressing an issue we tabled last session," Kronos Eldin, the representative from Nirauan Adumar, said rising. His gaze drifted around the room. "And it’ll have to be tabled again for I see that Jedi Skywalker is once again not present."
“What exactly is your problem with Luke Skywalker?” A female voice demanded pointedly. “Why do you dislike him so much?”
“Beg your pardon,” Eldin remarked, his gaze and attention on the lithe athletic female sitting on the top of a tables in front row of representative.
Wearing the sexy, long black dress as she deliberately showed her shapely long legs through the long slits at the skirt’s sides. Flipping back her dark pony tail, her hand rested on the hilt of her light saber at her belt. “You heard me,” she replied. “Do you have a problem with all Jedi or just him?”
“Trish?” Luke’s voice was gentle as he appeared in front of the table where she sat. A memory surfaced. The metal doors of his prison cell aboard The Executor, Vader’s ship slid open and a beautiful dark haired woman, in a sexy black dress with a long slit up the side to show off her shapely long legs, smiled at him. She was attractive and certainly took his breath away. He smiled, holding his shackled hands in front of him. “I don’t suppose you’re here to rescue me.”
“Oh I wouldn’t interfere in your destiny,” she remarked. As she came closer her appreciative eyes swept over him in approval. He stood confidently feeling an undeniable attraction to her. He hadn’t felt that way since he’d dated Cammie. “’Always in motion is the future.’ I don’t want to be guilty of creating some paradox. He nodded. “What are you here for then?”
In answer, she pressed her sweet lips against his warm masculine mouth. “For luck.”
Gently shaking himself out of his reveries, Trisha smiled knowing he had remembered their first meeting as she had. Pleasure danced in her eyes. “There you are Fly Boy,” Luke laughed appreciatively. “What took you so long to find me?”
“You know you weren’t making it easy. You were blocking me,” he remarked with a warm affectionate smile. “I never thought I’d get to see you again.”
The Candalarian Jedi’s smile broadened. “Never say never Luke. Besides you can’t keep a good Jedi down for long.” She winked at him.
Leia smiled at the interaction between the Candalarian Jedi and her brother. It was definitely romantic and heartwarming; the two of them deserved to be together and have happiness together like she and Han did.
“While I find this little Jedi reunion among the two of you rather touching,” Eldin interjected, “Do you think we can return to the business at hand?”
“Like running your personal agenda, Eldin,” Leia sniffed derisively. She didn’t like the Nirauan Adumar’s senator’s dislike of her brother. Trisha’s question about the politician’s dislike of Luke being personal or against the Jedi had some validity. Maybe it was both.
“Well,” Eldin appeared unruffled. “Clearly you’re not a supporter of my proposal to explore setting up the new government seat at Corcuscant.”
“You can’t!” Luke blurted out loudly clearly standing in front of the Alliance government. “It’s evil.”
Eldin laughed. “What a bunch of Jedi hocus pocus nonsense!”
“We won’t be suppressing any viewpoints here today,” Monthma glared sharply at the senator and then glanced at the Jedi. “Luke?”
The young man looked at Trisha. “There’s an evil. Don’t tell me you haven’t sensed it?”
“Yeah,” admitted the female Jedi, “but I don’t have any clue what it is. Do you?”
“Palpatine?” Rising and falling conversations rippled throughout the room. The news had reported the Emperor had died aboard the Death Star and now they wondered if those reports were true or not.
“Palpatine is dead Luke. We saw Vader throw him down the Death Star’s exhaust shaft and there was an explosion. There’s no way he could have survived that.”
“I know,” he remarked quietly, his hands rested casually at his side, “but there’s something evil.”
“I agree,” Trisha returned, “but neither of us knows what or where it is.”
“Well, I’m certainly glad the two of you agree,” Eldin interjected sarcastically, “but can we get back to the discussion on hand.”
“Corsucant,” Trisha mused. “You know there’s some old legend…”
“Legend?” Luke queried glancing at his romantic interest.
“Yeah,” Trisha smiled at him. “I don’t know much about it because I’ve only heard stories about it. The research I’ve tried to do on it has pretty much revealed nothing and my investigations into it have come up empty handed.”
“I know about the legend you’re talking about. Bail Organa told me about it years ago.” Monthma remarked. “It was an ancient Jedi prophesy about a Jedi who would restore balance to the Force. Do you think there’s some connection between it and Luke’s feeling about Corsucant?”
Trisha shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Are you willing to find out?” Monthma asked. “You and Luke could be part of a small task force I appoint to go to investigate whether we should set up the new government seat on Corsucant.”
“I’m in agreement with that,” Eldin remarked, surprised and pleased by how the turn of events had worked in his favor.
The Alliance’s president sharp gaze turned to them. “Well, Luke and Trisha, what do you say?”
The two Jedi exchanged looks. Trisha couldn’t get a sense of what he was thinking. He was deliberately blocking her. Why? “Luke?”
“I’m in if you are,” he replied quietly.
“I guess we’re in then.”
“Good. I will let you know who the rest of your team will be in the next day or so,” Monthma remarked. The matronly woman pounded her gavel on the podium. “I think that concludes our business for the day.”
Luke and Trisha stood within close proximity of each other. He was just itching to touch her; he flexed his fingers of his hands several times to control the urge and another strong desire he had. Sharing his thoughts and wanting the same thing he did, the dark haired female Jedi smiled prettily at him. “You want to do that here, Skywalker?”
Before he had a chance to answer Leia came up to them. The princess interjected herself between them stretching out her hand to Trisha. “I don’t know if you know…”
“…that you’re a Skywalker,” Trisha finished for her. “Yeah, I know, and trust me your secret’s safe with me.”
Leia smiled. “I think you and I are going to become good friends.”
Trisha smiled at her and turned to Luke. “You and I *need* to talk.”
His blue eyes danced with amusement as he smiled. “You want to do that here?”
“I’d like to talk to you too,” Leia told her, “but now is scarcely the time. We have the Queen and her representatives from the Tion Cluster coming for dinner tonight. You two are coming to that, aren’t you?”
“Of course we are,” Luker replied.
She looked at Leia. “Can you and I talk privately?”
“Of course,” Leia replied easily stretching her arm out gracefully. “We can talk in my office. It’s this way.” Trisha followed her lead.
**
In a dark alcove on his ship, Kronos Eldin sent the black device on a holo chess table. The filtered figure disguised in a black cowl appeared and growled. “What is it?”
“You didn’t tell me there were two of them.” Eldin’s tone was accusatory.
“The woman is of no consequence,” the hologram coolly replied. “Kill her.”
“I’ve tried.”
“Not hard enough,” the man replied dryly. “Eliminate her. Skywalker’s the one we want.”
“There’s a bond, a relationship of sorts between her and Skywalker.”
“Yes, yes. I know,” the man remarked with mild impatience. “Since you can’t kill her, use her. She’ll be his undoing and then we can eliminate both of them and we’ll finally bring about glorious demise of the Jedi.”
With that the hologram disappeared and Eldin was left in the dark of his ship to scheme.