Title: Lost and Found
* * * She didn’t know it would end this way. Not like this… not like this… Nova lay on her back in the snow, surround by ice and cold. The sky was a deep blue that was being devoured by darkness as the sun began to set, taking precious heat with it. Every breath was pain, and movement was no longer possible. She could not call out. There were no friends here and no one else to hear her even if she could. The broken bones in her leg and arm and the ache under her ribs were throbbing in time with her beating heart. The crash landing had been a hard one, happening so fast that not even a Jedi could react quick enough. She never should have come here. ‘Oh, Luke, you were right. I never should have left you.’ She closed her eyes in exhaustion, trying to call upon the Force to help her heal, help her move. There seemed to be a rip somewhere inside her where the Force flowed out of her… Nova’s eyes opened to a darker sky. No… not Force. Blood. Her blood… spilling out inside her. She never should have come here. Her fingers and toes felt fuzzy now, where before they had ached. Her feet were numb, her skin bleeding out all its warmth. A punch brought her awake again from a sleep that had snuck up on her. She smiled. A tiny little punch that came from a tiny little hand. She looked down her body and saw the swell of her belly were her son lay in supposed safety inside her womb. The cold would kill him, too. The bleeding that she could not pinpoint would kill him… She had killed him. By not listening… by not being patient. There were only a few days until his due date and, yet, she could not wait to venture here. To find what she had long ago lost. Her eyes sought out the sun in a sky that was giving up the day. The illusion of a green orb was sinking below a nearby hill, turning the ice to emerald. A shadow inched across the ground and covered her fully, hiding her in its darkness. The snow around her seemed to get colder, stilling her warmth… her son’s warmth. “Jaden… I’m so… so sorry.” * * * Luke swung the heavy bag into the hatch of his wife’s shuttle. “I don’t want you to go, Nova. Not this late in the game.” The blonde woman had laughed, rubbing her big belly and smiling contently. “I have to. I want to find him before our little one comes. Don’t ask me why. I just…” He had seen that words had failed her once again and he had taken her in his arms. Strong, firm, loving arms that wrapped around her and his son. “I know, wife. Family. You want your family here for when he comes.” “Yes.” Luke shook his head. “Please wait. It doesn’t have to be so soon. Stay here until the baby comes. Okay?” * * * “Okay…” Nova’s eyes opened slowly, the cold trying to freeze her movements. If only she had agreed with him that day. ‘Oh, Luke…’ His visage appeared in her mind’s eye, making her want to reach out and touch him. Crystal blue gaze, easy smile… the way his eyebrows would give away his thoughts… his dark blonde hair that felt like silk to her fingers… smooth skin so warm to her touch… the sound of his laugh and the rhythm of his heartbeat ever-present in his chest where she would fall asleep listening, entranced. Stars were coming out above her, telling her that her eyes were still open. Swallowing was difficult, the cold seeping passed her outer layers. Her extremities were numb now and without pain, bringing her a fuzzy sense of peace. She was so warm, almost hot… and a new, deep urge to let go and sleep began taking her will. She wondered why the men who shot down ‘Nova Creation’ did not come looking for her. She did not know this world was war-torn… that she was headed into a hot zone… that she would be mistaken for the enemy and taken out of the sky. Falling like a star… * * * “Nova?” The baby stirred in her womb, and she tried to move in response to the child’s discomfort but her body did not want to comply. Her eyes cracked open only slightly, cold tears freezing them in place. “Nova?” The stars stood bright in the sky. So bright… Like specks of fire, contrasts of white on black. Blue embers danced in her vision at her right, and her eyes rolled slowly to focus on the form before her. She thought her face smiled, but she wasn’t sure. “Mother?” The apparition smiled kindly, her face wincing at the squeak of a sound that slipped through cracked and bloodied lips. “You have had a wonderful journey, daughter.” A deep ache blossomed behind her eyes where tears tried to form. Death came to all… it was apart of the cycle of life… a part of the Force… But she did not want to go. Not yet… “Shhhh…” The noise Nova made was unmistakable. It was one of denial, of despair. A new pain struck her, and she was left momentarily blind. When she could once again focus, she stared at the woman who had given her life. The washed-out shimmer of another world was not enough to hide the youthful face, pert features, and hair that was no doubt still fiery as it was in life. The ghost smiled again. “I’m so very proud of you. You still have so much to do. And so much life to live out…” she whispered, cat-like eyes straying to the child who still clung to his life, “…but rest now. You are safe…” Nova stared, soaking up the features that she had not grown up with. She blinked lazily as the face of her mother took on true colors then faded to that of a new visage. Flame red hair to the shoulders with proud and handsome features that bespoke of gentleness and strength. A little joy flowed out of her at seeing this male. Both her parents were here and there was nothing to fear. “Dad?” But he was not smiling as Jade had been. He looked worried and intense, as though he was angry. Big hands grabbed her face and a light was shown into her eyes… human hands. Hard and rough… “Can you here me?” the male with Obi-Wan’s face called. “Can you speak?” Will faded again, somewhere into the icy land around them. Her eyes closed tiredly, a deadly sleep claiming her. * * * Jonald the Healer drug the half-frozen woman as quickly and carefully as possible on the medical board he had taken out with him. He had seen her ship go down and, feeling as though he should check it for survivors, had gone out to search. He had found the shattered personal craft empty but an easy to follow trail leading from it told him where to look. She might have been better off back in her vessel, but from the damaged shelled he saw, he imagined she would have been just as exposed to the killing cold. Winters in Caregiven could be as harsh as the war that raged in this land. He entered his domicile slash medical unit, yelling out for his assistant. Maxil rushed down the steps from another room. “What did you find?” “An offworlder by the looks of her.” “Cold got her?” the smaller man asked, bending over and looking her over. “She’s big.” “She’s dying,” he spat as he laid her in the center of the room. “Get the thermal blankets and a mix of heated plasma. She’s got some broken bones and a rupture somewhere.” As he spoke, he moved about the room, getting more supplies and equipment that could better diagnosis what was damaged. “Jonald?” “Blankets, Maxil.” “Her membranes are ruptured, too.” The male turned sharply and darted back to the woman, peeling back frozen cloths to reveal nothing more than what looked like more wet fabric. But, he understood what that meant for this woman and her child. He undressed her fully as Maxil rushed off to get the other supplies. A table was raised in the center where she had been laid. Scanners crackled to life and relayed information back to them at the monitors nearby. “Liver. Straight up the back.” Jonald sighed and sagged in relief. “That little one is still alive. She’s dilating. The onset might have been caused by the accident, but he’s ready to come out.” Maxil tossed the blankets around and under her, keeping her abdomen open. Jonald set up the IV, quick and effortlessly, trying to beat back the death that was claiming her. If she wasn’t too far gone, they could warm her from the inside out. “Take out the kid while you’re in?” “Not if I don’t have to. She’s not responding to the IV… We cut now.” “Jonald…” Green eyes met brown. Jonald the Healer had been here since he was just a boy, treating the sick, wounded, and dying. Maxil was new and only a learner. It looked hopeless to him, but the Healer had an eye for these things. He nodded and left the room for supplies, returning quickly to help when he was needed. * * * Nova felt waves of agony descend on her body. Her skin felt like it was covered by thousands of tiny cuts, and she burned up on the inside. What happened to her? The Force seemed to reach out to her now, and she grabbed it, focusing herself and deflecting the pain, like grabbing an outstretched hand to help her stand. “Is this your first?” “Hm… wha-?” “Baby? First baby? It looks that way from down here.” The Jedi opened her eyes and looked between her legs to where a strange man sat, face hidden by the blanket that covered her legs. A rolling pain swept over her, and she gasped, the Force slipping away at the sudden attack. “Oh, my… God…” “It’s going to be fine,” he said calmly, looking behind him. “Don’t move around too much. You have a bacta drip in your arm. You had damage to your liver, which we repaired, and your broken bones have been set. We need to go as easy as possible with the birth so you don’t strain yourself. At any time, if you or your child become endangered, I’ll take your baby out surgically. Understand?” Nova was staring at the stiff cloth on her ailing arm. “Yes.” Then, “I can’t have my baby.” The male, hair covered with a pale cap, looked up, showing off auburn eyebrows. “Pardon?” “My husband isn’t here.” The doctor laughed good-naturedly. “ Not that it matters about stopping your labor… but Luke Skywalker is on his way. I promise.” Nova frowned, looking around the tiny closed off room she was in. “You know me?” “Alert chain.” “Oh.” Nova’s hand reached up to her neck where her ID was suppose to be. It had everything about her in one little chip that never left her side. Most everyone had one and kept it somewhere on their person at all times. She sagged, her hand falling limp. She felt big all over, and her pain rose and fell in time with her heartbeat. “I still feel bad.” Green eyes looked up slowly, then away. “I know. Just stay calm and relaxed.” Nova nodded and gathered the Force around her once again. The man stood and walked over to a counter, typing into a keyboard nearby. Nova frowned as she watched him, eyes straying to the red hair that escaped the back of the cap. Red hair… Memories returned to her of where she was and how she had gotten here. And what had occurred out in the snow. “Turn around.” The doctor glanced over his shoulder at the command then turned fully for her view. “What is it?” Lips parted, Nova stared at the man who was a near replica of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, right down to the cleft in his chin. “Ben?” His eyebrows shot up. “I’m… My name is Jonald.” “But you’re Ben Kenobi!” she exclaimed, trying to lean up. “Whoa!” he snapped, rushing forward and forcing her down. “You don’t move. Hear?” “Yes… You’re Ben.” “That was a childhood name. What do you know of it?” “Your father was Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re mother was Jade Blood. I’m your sister… Nova…” She waited for his reaction. She was ready to prove it to him… they would share enough DNA to… “You knew already?” she stated in a voice that sounded as though she was accusing him of something harsh. He had turned away from her and was fixing medicine drops. “Not about any sister.” “About Obi and Jade, then.” “Yes. My foster parents told me.” “Ben…” “Jonald.” Nova leaned back with a tired and strangled sigh, a contraction covering her with that same suddenness as before but lacking in bite. The healer turned back to his charge with compassion in his gaze. “I’d give you something for the pain, but-“ “I don’t need any. I have the Force.” “Yes, well…” “Not a Force-lover?” she joked. Some people didn’t take well to Jedi… they feared them because they did not always understand. “It’s fine.” “Did you ever think of going to Luke? I mean… did you know our father was his first master?” “Yes, I knew. My parents told me that, too. And, it’s common knowledge.” Nova laughed. “That’s odd. My parents didn’t tell me anything.” He looked over at her and she could see the suspicion and wonder in his gaze. “Don’t worry,” he murmured as though hearing her thoughts. “I believe you. Forgive me for not being overjoyed, but I just don’t feel like it right now.” “What’s—” “STAGE TWO ALERT!” a mechanical voice called out through a comm unit nearby. Jonald shot out of the room and, soon, Nova heard the commotion of many people in the room outside hers. Cries and moans reached her ears, and she gathered her blanket about her, biting her lip. Through the Force, she could feel the fear and pain of the new comers. Wounded had arrived to Caregiven… * * * Nova scrunched up her face and was sitting up before she was fully awake. “Hey, settle down,” a deep voice soothed. A gentle hand was at her shoulder, holding her down. A familiar face came into view, and she sighed. “Is Luke…?” “Soon…” Ben answered, rubbing a big hand across his face and sitting down opposite of her. He looked tired now. His light clothing was blood spattered, and his force sense was dull, achingly so. The pain had faded and, now, she watched this man that was her brother and felt the connection to him flare. “Ben?” The male snorted. “Jonald.” With a sigh, she corrected herself. “Jonald. What happened?” “What is always happening,” he said with an exhausted shrug. “War. Death… I’m quite tired of it, actually.” Nova eyed him, feeling his loneliness gather about him. “How long have you been here?” “Always.” Her blonde brows lifted. He chuckled without levity. “Since I was eight. My parents brought me here when I was little… my mother was a doctor. We lived here before the war but… since it broke out… I just can’t leave. My gifts are… I can heal well.” “Like in ways others can’t?” Jonald stared at her with annoyance streaking over his face. “I’m sure as hell no Jedi.” The woman rubbed her sore belly. “What were you told about them? Our parents? What were you told about the Jedi, Jonald?” “Lots. Good people. Saved the galaxy, that sort of thing.” “Then why are you angry?” “Am I angry?” Staring at him, she could not honestly say he was. But that same feeling of loneliness was there. “You don’t want to be here?” she asked, doing what she did best… counseling. “You are trapped here... by your own sense of duty. But, in your heart, you have to blame someone… so, why not both sets of parents? The ones that left you here… and the ones that instilled honor into you. The honor that makes you stay, even when you don’t want to.” The male turned around slowly, his red mane of hair barely tucked into the ponytail at his back. “Maybe.” He looked at her this time. Really looked… as though seeing for the first time that they could be related. Her womb chose that time to clench, and she gasped and tried to roll up. “Ooooh…” “Relax. Relax…. Steady.” Nova nodded, setting the Force about her, breathing through her pain. “Where- where is my husband?” “Here!” Brother and sister turned in unison at the sharp answer. Luke Skywalker, clad in dusty black, hair damp from melted snow, rushed through the door draped by gauze, his eyes focused solely on his wife. “Are you alright?” he asked softly, his arms curling around her as he laid his forehead against hers. She nodded, holding onto him for dear life. “I’m sorry, Luke. I shouldn’t have left—” she sobbed, the urge to remain emotionally strong waning as she felt the comfort of his presence. “Shhh… it’s okay, honey. Everything’s okay.” Luke looked up at the doctor and asked softly, “Is she o-“ He stopped and stared. “Oh my…” Nova grinned, her tears forgotten as suddenly as they had come. “He looks just like—” “Obi-Wan!” “So, I’ve heard. Thank you.” Nova shifted and laid both hands at her belly, looking at Luke. “You ready to be a daddy?” Luke stepped back to her and smiled, his warm hands wrapping around hers. “Yes. I’m ready.” * * * Hours later, Luke stood with Jonald, near Nova but far enough away where she could not hear them speak. “-you need to get her to a better facility than this. She’s not well. Her injuries go deeper than anything I can fix here. I’ve only been able to do enough to keep her from death. But the labor has weakened her.” Luke nodded solemnly, looking at the pale woman who held a bundle of cloth close to her breast. He wanted to say she was strong and healthy… but her strength had waned the further along her labor progressed. He had given her all the energy he could, and it was only enough to see her through for this long. A son! He had a son, a perfect reflection of himself and his wife. A son! Luke turned back, his own exhaustion showing in shadowed eyes. “She will not want to leave without you.” “She’ll have to. I’m needed here.” Luke stared at the stark reminder of the man he knew as his first mentor, protector… and friend. “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?” Jonald huffed and turned away, shooting over his shoulder, “Make this war go away.” * * * Jonald watched the slender ship carrying his sister and brother-in-law disappear into the sky. He was bundled tightly against the chill, and the walk back to Caregiven was a long, hurtful one. Nova needed attention and so did her new little one. Obi-Jaden… She must have loved her parents a lot… or simply admired them. Jonald supposed he did, too. He never hated them… did not even realize he bore ill-will for anyone. But she was right. This life he had chosen was a lonely one. And, as her ship diminished into the night, he realized just how lonely this way truly had become… * * * Three months later…
“Who’s my good boy?!” cooed the blonde woman to the baby in the tiny tub. The boy stared up, a carefree grin on his smooth face.
“He’s going to get all wrinkly,” Nova’s newest apprentice called, her voice sing-songing from where she sat at a nearby table. Tara had been with Luke and Nova for several years now, but only recently had she graduated from group learning to having one master. “Nothing worse than a wrinkly baby.”
The mother laughed, shaking her head, patting her baby’s bottom after getting him out and wrapping him up. “You know, Tara, I just realized a new way to punish you. Forget dishes.” She waited until the girl looked up at her. “Diaper duty.”
Green eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No… way! I’ll be good.”
“Impossible.”
Nova dried and dressed her son, settling him down for a nap, gazing at him as he gazed at the ceiling. So wrapped up in his essence was she, that she didn’t even feel her husband come up behind her.
“Hey…”
Grinning at his voice, she turned. “Hey!”
“Guess who’s here?”
Giving a little frown, she sent out her senses and almost instantly came back with an answer. “Ben? Here?!”
“Yep! He just arrived,” Luke answered, his smile bright. “C’mon!”
Walking by the table, Nova poked a finger at her red-headed apprentice, giving her the look. “Watch him. Got it?”
“Will do!”
Luke had to practically jog to keep up with his wife, the spring in her step only a small indication of her excitement. They had kept in close contact with Jonald since the birth if Obi-Jaden, all through Nova’s recovery and the situation on the world, Turendus, and the land of Caregiven. A pair of Jedi and a New Republic ambassadorial team had been sent in to help defuse the war on the little planet. And, in that time, Jonald had given up his practice and left it to his apprentice, Maxil.
They let out of the academy and headed to the expansive landing field were a newly landed ship sat. Nova recognized it as the ‘Jade’s Fire’ belonging to one Mara Jade, a mutual friend of Luke and herself.
It was nothing to see her ship here… Mara trained off and on in the ways of the Force. Though she had not been expected, she was welcome just the same. But all that was forgotten when her eyes affixed on the silhouette of a man standing near the ship. It was of a tall and slender male with auburn hair and a powerful stance. He stood there, back to them, staring out at the jungle.
“Jonald!”
He turned and, suddenly, his mouth smiled, baring white teeth and making his eyes dance. His long arms stretched out and enveloped his sister in a loving hug. “You look wonderful!”
“So do you! You look different…”
“Oh?”
“Happier!”
He shrugged, leaning forward and shaking Luke’s hand heartily. “I hadn’t realized, until you came, that staying in Caregiven was killing me. When I saw the negotiations working… I left. It felt right. Like it was time to go!”
“Jonald… that’s wonderful…”
“Ben.”
“What?”
The male rolled his eyes and looked away. “I’ve been having odd dreams. About our parents… they feel so real…so… Ben… Ben Jonald Kenobi,” he spoke proudly with a grin. “That feels right, too.”
Nova grinned and stamped her foot. “I‘ve been so worried! You were so lonesome there,” she murmured, staring into his soulful eyes, her hands clutched onto his jacket.
Ben smiled shyly and answered softly. “I was. I was… not now, though.”
“Not now?” Luke asked, taking the hint that the other man gave.
“Well, I left Caregiven a month or so ago… I hitched a ride with one of the people who escorted the New Republic delegation. A wonderful lady. We’ve been traveling around ever since. Seeing all the things I’ve missed being stuck in one place too long.”
“Wow… You mean…”
He grinned. “We hit it off. And she’s a friend of yours, too.”
“Who?” sounded off both Skywalkers at once.
Nova’s eyes rolled to the side where ‘Jade’s Fire’ stuck out like a sore thumb. She blinked, dumbfounded, and Luke, catching on way before her, covered his mouth with a gloved hand. As though feeling their thoughts, Mara came out of the ship, her long legs taking her straight to Ben. Her arm went around his waist, not protectively but softly.
Softly? That was never a word she would match with Mara.
“Hi, Dream. Skywalker,” her smooth voice greeted.
Mara’s hair was a shade more fiery than Ben’s, and it seemed to make them even more striking together. Long, lean, tall, graceful, and both built for adventure.
Mara’s hands slapped together. “I’m starving. Any hospitality, you two?”
Luke lifted a hand. “You know where it is, and you’re welcome to it.”
“Great!”
Nova, still with mouth agape, watched as the two walked off towards the Massassi temple’s main entrance. “Luke…”
“I can’t help you, honey.”
“She’s got my little brother.”
“I know,” he soothed, setting them off to walking behind the new couple.
“She could be related to us, you know. Red hair? Jade? Get it?”
“Oh, yes… he should be warned…”
Nova harrumphed. “Don’t patronize me!”
“Wouldn’t dream of it…”
“He called her a ‘lady’. Did you hear?”
“Yes, I heard that.”
“But that’s Mara. Mara Jade…”
Luke laughed. “I still can’t help you, honey…”
The End
"Nova that was wonderful!!! *nods* I love how you added a bit of Tara in there. *grins*AND NO DIAPER DUTIE!"
~CATWILLOW aka OUILOTTE~
~MONA LEIA~
~Let me know what you think! Send a comment of your own~~
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