A Jedi's Fight - A Star Wars Fan Fiction Story

Chapter 17

Cap_L
uke Skywalker was looking through of the windscreen of the Astræga.
"There's De'olon space port. We're back home, Wedge." He said to his friend in the co-pilot seat.
For a moment he looked aside. Wedge was wearing the full outfit of a Jedi Knight, but he didn't feel really comfortable in it yet. Luke grinned.
"You'll get used to it, Wedge, being a Jedi Knight."
"I hope so, master, it is a strange feeling to be one of the Jedi Order."
"Stop calling me 'master', Wedge. You're a Jedi Knight like me, we're equals. I'm just Luke again," Luke laughed, "I'm going to land the Astræga. I hope Leia has any news about Liane or Han. Hey, look there she is with general Madine... and the Supreme Chancellor herself."
Through the window they could already distinguish the figures of Luke's twin sister, the older man in his uniform and the regal figure of the leader of the New Republic, Mon Mothma. Luke stopped the forward drive engines and the Astræga hovered in position. Slowly they descended, the wings turned upwards and the ship came down in the landing pit. Luke saw how Leia rushed up to the space ship. He quickly lowered the ramp, stopped all the engines and secured the Astræga.
"Welcome home, Luke," Leia said, rushing up the ramp and embracing him.
Luke kissed her.
"Glad to be home again, Leia. Is there any news about ...?"
Leia shook her head.
"Neither from Han nor from Liane, Luke. How was Dagobah?"
"Damp, wet and sometimes dangerous, but like always a great experience for both of us," Luke answered, trying to mask his disappointment, "so I like to introduce a new Jedi Knight to you: Wedge Antilles? The new Jedi Order has three members from now on."
Leia turned to Wedge Antilles, who was standing in the doorway of the control room.
"Welcome home, Wedge. It's so good to know you're one of us now."
She embraced him too. Wedge grinned, for Leia's words clearly embarrassed him, but Leia grabbed his arm and pulled him with her down the ramp. Luke followed. At the foot of the ramp they met general Madine and Mon Mothma.
"General, Ma'am," Luke heard his sister say, "thanks to my brother's knowledge and commitment the New Republic now has three Jedi Knights to protect her future. May I introduce Wedge Antilles, Jedi Knight."
Both officials congratulated the commander of Gold Squadron. Next Mon Mothma turned to Luke.
"Commodore Skywalker, I want you to put every effort in finding Liane Solichor."
Luke looked at the Supreme Chancellor in surprise.
"May I ask, what the reason is behind your urgent request, ma'am?" he asked.
"Marek Grann has reported an attack on him. There is solid evidence that Rand Phylotar paid the governor of Rasth an unexpected visit. To avoid recognition he was wearing a mask. He also threatened the governor with a blaster which ID-number had been wiped out. Nevertheless we could trace the laser blaster to Rand Phylotar.
We also have received an report from commander Dendicott. He says, that he still feels highly responsible for, but has nothing to do, with the escape of Liane Solichor. He is deeply concerned and regrets all the inconvenience her escape has caused. He has told me that he is preparing his elite forces to go after her, arrest her and bring her back to Wegoyy."
Leia looked at the Supreme Chancellor who nodded, and she turned to her brother.
"Luke, during your absence we have arrested Daino Phylotar. He and his brother Rand Phylotar were planning an assassination attempt on Ian, while Ian and I would accompany the Supreme Chancellor on a diplomatic mission to Tambrin. There is also clear evidence that Daino has given his brother the information about the Grann brothers. Rand Phylotar almost certainly has shared the information about the Grann family with commander Dendicott."
For a moment they all silenced.
"If Liane can tell us what really has happened, Dendicott's career is over, for Liane can confirm what we already know through Ian's testimony and your evidence, Luke," Leia said.
Mon Mothma added to Leia's words.
"So Liane is a real threat to both Wegoyy commanders. That's why I'm asking you, commodore, to start looking for Liane Solichor as soon as possible. You're no longer bound by any other obligations. Do you have any idea if she is alive and where she can be?"
Luke looked away for a short moment and recalled his contact with Liane during Wedge's initiation.
"She is alive, and has found a place to live, ma'am. I have seen her, I've even have spoken with her on Tatooine and again on Dagobah. However, she didn't show any sign of recognition. I don't know where she is. The images I saw through the Force weren't revealing good clues about her whereabouts. "
"She did use the pendant, Luke?" Leia asked surprised.
"She did, and during my last short contact with her, I'm almost certain she touched the pendant deliberately, as if she wanted to know if she would see me."
"That's a positive development I guess, isn't it?" Mon Mothma said.
"Absolutely, ma'am, but as long as she is convince I'm must be looking for someone else, she might not tell me where I can find her She's is still believing she's Eilidh Grann."
"Isn't it odd that there hasn't been any readout of the ID-card of Eilidh Grann? Also the balance of credits hasn't recently changed?" the general commented, "Wherever she is, Luke, she doesn't seem to need anything, nor does she has the intention to travel. Could it be that she found passage on an unregistered freighter and has left Rasth unnoticed?"
"I still wonder why she hasn't she told the Granns about her plans." Leia said.
"Because, Leia," Luke slowly commented, "Liane didn't want, the Grann brothers would follow her. I've told you about her note to them. They all were very fond of her. They loved her dearly. In her note Liane said that she didn't want to be the cause of problems among the six brothers or their family. She thanked them for their kindness and hospitality, but wrote that she was going to look for what had happened to her on her own. She promised come back to them when she knew who she really was."
Luke turned to Mon Mothma.
"Ma'am, although I don't know where to look for her, I will leave as soon as possible, if you want me to," Luke said with a concerned voice.
Mon Mothma nodded.
"I do, commodore. I hear in your voice that you're as much concerned about Liane Solichor, as I am," Mon Mothma answered.
"I certainly am, Ma'am, but you shouldn't expect a fast result of a random search. There isn't much, that I can do at the moment. I don't have a clue where to look for her, but I will use all my Jedi skills to find out where she might be. My hope still relies on her use of the pendant I have given her, " Luke said and turned to Wedge.
"Before I leave, Wedge, I want to introduce you to the staff as my representative concerning matters of the Jedi. As long as I'm away you have to take over my duties as Jedi commander in our fleet. Of course my sister will support and advice you, but her main task is to pay attention to her padawan's training next to her duties as member of the High Council. General, Ma'am, could you accept the proposal I just made, for I want to leave and prepare my search for Liane as soon as possible."
General Madine and Mon Mothma both nodded in agreement.
"We will announce an official statement with the nomination of Commander Wedge Antilles as your representatieve, Commodore Skywalker, but does that also mean that you grant Commander Antilles to start looking for his own padawan learner?" Mon Mothma asked.
Luke grinned and winked at his friend.
"We've already discussed that matter during our flight back to Irithim. Commander Antilles has mentioned the name of a certain pilot who might be a good candidate to become his padawan. After he has talked with him, he will introduce him to you. He has already my permission to start with his training. I leave it further up to him to take any necessary steps."
Mon Mothma nodded with a smile.
"I hope that the person of his choice will agree to become one of Jedi Knights in the future. We certainly need more Force users to protect the New Republic and her systems."
"I'm certain that he will, ma'am," Wedge commented.
Luke turned to Leia and his friend.
"Leia, please join me to our appartement for further consultation. Wedge, you too, come with us."
He saluted and walked over a transport speeder. Madine and Mon Mothma watched them go and exchanged a look of understanding. They both wished they could find a way to restore contact between the young Jedi and the former princess of Morantan.
Olon Dendicott looked at the two humanoids who were standing in front of his desk.
"Who are you? And what do you want?
"Who we are, isn't of your concern. Our master wants to talk to you," One of the humanoids said.
"Your master, what does he want of me?"
"You'd better speak to him personally," the humanoid said and activated his holo infocom. The image of a dark cloaked person appeared on Dendicott's desk.
"Commander Olon Dendicott," A soft voice said, "you're after an escaped convict of your prison, aren't you?"
"Not that I know," Dendicott answered, "You're spoiling my time. Who are you?"
"Commander, I'm a high ranking officer in the former imperial star fleet. You were once an officer on a star destroyer. During the Battle of Endor you deserted the imperial fleet and joined the Rebel Alliance. You've given the rebel leaders a lot of secret information about the positions and the whereabouts of the imperial fleet. You betrayed the empire, Olon, you're a traitor. The Rebel Alliance rewarded you and given you the command of the Wegoyy prison, where you're still practising the old imperial ways of torture and interrogation. Those imperial ways are forbidden by the New Republic's administration, and you know they are, but you still carry on the way you have done before."
Olon Dendicott sat down in his chair, not knowing how to respond to the accusations.
"Who are you?"
"Insignificant, Olon, but you and I have a common interest: the daughter of Darth Vader."
"She is dead." Dendicott said snappy.
"She certainly should be, Olon, for you ordered her guard, a guy called Ian Tydon, to bring her to the Wegoyy desert, after you had wiped out her memories with the imperial mind drug. Leaving some one alone in the desert, would mean a certain death, won't it? Didn't you know that sergeant Tydon had befriended her? He intervened in your murder plan and ensured that she didn't die immediately."
Dendicott didn't know how to respond.
"You've sent you're second man, Rand Phylotar, also a former imperial defector, after sergeant Tydon, when he hadn't come back from his furlough. Wrong decision, Olon, for by that time sergeant Tydon had already informed the New Republic leader, lady Mon Mothma about your practices. And I have another surprise for you: the girl has survived your treatment, and is roaming the galaxy with a bunch of space traders. Unfortunately she still hasn't recovered from her amnesia, but that's a matter of time. I fear, that as soon as she becomes aware of what you have been doing to her she will tell her companions about her time at the Wegoyy prison and asked them to find a way to tell her story to the administration at Irithim."
"How do you know all this? I deny any of your accusations." Olon Dendicott said angrily.
"Where is Rand Phylotar at the moment, Olon? Isn't he already away for a long time? Why? What is he up to? Could it be that Rand Phylotar also wants to inform the New Republic's government about what is going on in the Wegoyy prison?"
"What do you want me to do?" Dendicott said.
"Contact Rand Phylotar. He has information about those space traders. Go after them and the girl and bring her to me. In exchange I will make sure that no one of the New Republic administration will ever hear of her. That will save your career, won't it?"
Dendicott frowned and pressed his lips together.
"Do we have a deal, commander?" The soft voice sounded threatening, "Or do you prefer a long stay in detention."
Dendicott nodded unwillingly, "Deal!"
The holographic image seemed to laugh.
"Wise decision, Olon. Go after the girl and bring her to Palomintar Four?"
The image vanished.
"As soon as you have the girl, you will bring her back to Wegoyy. We will take her to our master on Palomintar Four, commander," one of the humanoids said, "You don't have to contact us, we will contact you. Be aware, commander, we will monitor your actions and report them to our master."
divider
Liane locked the door of her new tree house and climbed down a rope ladder. Down on the forest ground she met with Teebo and Logray.
"Hadda kino tanda ciho daga."
['I'll be back within five days.'] She said.
The little bears nodded, but looked very concerned. Liane waved to her two friends and walked over to the lake. She turned right and walk along the water edge.
It was early in the morning and the only sounds she heard was the wind rustling among the leaves and the birds up high up in the canopy. She had convinced the Council of the Wisest that she wanted to see what was on the other side of the lake. At first they refused to let her go, telling her about the dangers, but Liane had showed them the weapons she had taken with her when she had left Rasth. She had reassured the Wisest that she could defend herself and that she would be very careful. At last they had given their consent. Now she was walking in the thick undergrowth at the right side of the lake.
The tree village was no longer visible and Liane enjoyed the peaceful and quiet surrounding of the forest. The village was always bustling with noises and although she was treated respectfully, she had longed to be on her own sometimes. She had promised Teebo and Logray to return to the village in five days. At the moment there weren't any wounded bears, so she could leave without sacrificing her responsibilities.
The morning was already on end, before she took a first rest. She estimated that she was now some fifteen kilometers away from the village. There was no path and she had to climb over fallen trees and cut her way through the bushes. The undergrowth was dense, the ground was moist and damp.
Liane sat down on a dry boulder and looked around. The weather looked good. It seemed to be spring on Endor, because everywhere she noticed small white flowers peeking through the grass. A year, maybe even longer, had passed, since her arrival on Endor, because she remembered that months ago she had seen the white flowers blooming in abundance. This planet didn't have clear seasons. There had been a few weeks when it had been a bit colder during the evenings, but still her own clothes offered enough protection. She also had the fur jacket Logray had given her and she had traded one of her red tunics against two large animal skins with Chirpa. With help from several little female bears she had made herself some pants. For a moment Liane smiled as she recalled Chirpa wearing the red tunic for the first time at a council meeting of the Council of the Wisest. He had looked very proud and dignified.
Endor's star was warm and Liane laid down on her back on the boulder her hands behind her head looking at the sky and warming her face. She dozed off feeling content and happy. Half asleep she still heard the sounds around her.
'Liane,' A soft voice said.
"Yeah," Liane said, "What do you want, father?"
She heard a relieved sigh.
'Liane, do you really recognize my voice? Do you remember who I am?'
Liane sat upright.
"Who's there?" She said aloud but only the wind in the trees were heard.
"I have been daydreaming. I heard that voice again. It called me 'Liane' again."
She shrugged her shoulders, jumped off the boulder and hoisted her bag at her shoulder.
"Come on, Eilidh, on the road again. Don't bother about an imaginary voices."
Slowly she started to walk some steps; a frown on her forehead.
"Why is that voice still calling me 'Liane' and why did I answer with 'father'? Who has been my father?"
Once again she shrugged her shoulders and looked around. The undergrowth blocked her path and she took a broad knife from her bag to cut herself a passage through the bushes and branches. The path went uphill and at the end of the day she stood on a high hilltop looking over the canopy of trees. The Endor sun was setting over the trees and Liane looked around to find a place to make a camp for the night. In a small cave at the other side of the hill she found a safe place to take some rest.
The next morning she rose with the sun and started with her next walk. The trees at the other side of the hills rose high above her and the undergrowth was less dense. It made her progress much easier. After half an hour she stumbled over some rusty machinery. Curious, she walked around, looking at the rusty parts from all sides. It was some kind of engine; parts of it bore traces of heavy burning.
"This is laying here for some years. Look it is rusty and dilapidated."
She kicked the remnants and a cloud of rusty particles spread over the forest floor.
"Who ever used it hasn't probably survived this crash."
She looked around and saw the remains of whitish pieces of armor. Near the armor laid a heavy sidearm. Liane lifted it and examined it. It felt very familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had seen it before. The weapon hadn't suffered from the crash and seemed in good shape. Without thinking, she adjusted the trigger, unlocked the weapon and pointed at the rusty machinery. Then she pulled the trigger. A bluish beam burst from the rifle.
"Just what I thought: an imperial laser gun," She said aloud and turned the weapon around in her hand. Then she suddenly stopped. How did she know this was an Imperial weapon? She didn't remember she had ever seen a similar weapon before. Had she seen this type of weaponry in her lost past. Then she heard the voice again.
'You have learned to use these kind of weapons on Morantan, do you remember? You and I have been living on the Imperial stronghold I had built. Try to remember who I am, Liane? You must have used a similar weapon when you confronted that Jedi Knight intruder. I had told you that Jedi was your enemy.'
Liane frowned.
"Morantan? The Imperial stronghold? Attacked a Jedi Knight with this?" She said, holding the laser gun in her hand, "He was my enemy? When? Hey, what're you talking about? Stop with this nonsense, will you! I have never met a Jedi Knight. I live in peace here, so don't bother me any longer. I'm not the person you think I am."
There was no answer. She put the laser gun in her backpack. As she walked on she heard nothing. To her surprise she saw a lot more of broken and burned mechanisms. It looked like a heavy fighting had taken place on the part of Endor years ago. She saw the remnants of mechanical legs and rotten logs and everywhere were the remains of white armor. She entered a clearing and looked surprised at the ruined walls of a building. Carefully she made an attempt to enter the ruin, but her way in was blocked through heavy blocks of fallen concrete. She turned her back on the building and walked away from the ruins.
It took her several hours before she walked through an unspoiled part of the forest again. She kept wondering what had happened here. It bothered her that this beautiful and peaceful forest had once been the scene of a battle. A battle between whom? Who fought here? Who lost, who won, what about the casualties? Would Logray and Chirpa know about all this, could they explain what happened and would they be willing to talk about it?
"Are there answers to all these questions?," She murmured.
She continued her walk and found a shelter for the night between the enormous roots of the tall red trees.
The third day of her journey brought no disturbances. The high rising trees were dense, but in the undergrowth there were mostly herbs and small plants. After a long walk she found a place for the night again among the roots of the trees.
The fourth day started foggy. She waited for several hours until the warmth of Endor's white star had cleared the fog. It was already near midday before she could continue her explorations. She decided that she would make her way back to the Ewok village. She turned left towards the ridge of hills. Tomorrow she could cross those hills again and go back to her new friends. Nothing disturbed her walk that afternoon and before the night fell she already had reached the foot of the ridge, there she made her last camp.
The next day, after an early start, she reached the hilltop just before noon. She looked around and saw the lake again to her left. If she would walk on at a steady pace she could reach it before night fall. Then it would be a short walk to her new tree house. She took some time to enjoy a simple meal and started her descent an hour after she had reached the top. The slope on this side was very steep at times. She had to carefully make her way into the undergrowth to avoid falling several meters.
Four hours later she stepped onto a large clearing. Tired she sat down on a fallen tree stem and let her eyes cast over the place. Suddenly she rose and started to walk to a spot near the opposite side. The spot was blackened and there were remnants of a pyre, pieces of charcoal and burned wood. She knelt to investigate the ashes and the pieces of burned wood.
"This is really very strange," She whispered, suddenly feeling some anxiety which prevented her to speak aloud. "Has this place been used to sacrifice something or are these the remnants of an Ewok bonfire? Or can it be, that this is the village cemetery?"
She walked around the whole clearing, looking for clues. If this place was normally used for funeral pyres, there should have been more traces of ash and charcoal. Suddenly it seemed as if she saw images of a huge burning fire. It had been a funeral pyre, for on top she seemed to see the vague contours of a corpse. She shook her head, but her intuition told her, that this spot had been used only once. A tragedy had taken place here. The atmosphere was full of strange whirling tension.
"Another mystery!" She said aloud. The sound of her own voice frightened her.
She thought of the ruins, the distorted machinery, the large amount of metal parts and white armor spread everywhere in the forest. How long ago had this happened? What about the survivors, had they left the planet, after burying their casualties? They had to have known a lot about technology.
Liane became more and more curious . She looked around again and suddenly she saw a large block of rock between the trees behind the blackened spot. She walked over to it and looked at it from all sides. It was obvious that it had been put there deliberately. Slowly she walked around the large boulder several times. It had a strange flat side which was facing the clearing. On its surface she saw vague contours some inscriptions. Moss had covered the stone carvings and had made them unreadable. Using a small knife and some fallen branches she cleaned the overgrown words.
After an hour all the words had become visible. Her eyes scanned the complete text.
THIS STONE HAS BEEN ERECTED
TO REMEMBER DARTH VADER,
HE SACRIFICED HIS LIFE TO SAVE HIS SON
AND TO FREE OUR GALAXY FROM THE DARKNESS.
HE HAS RENOUNCED THE DARK SIDE
AND BROUGHT BALANCE TO THE FORCE
HE WILL LIVE ON IN THE FORCE AS ANAKIN SKYWALKER,
OUR FATHER AND JEDI KNIGHT.
LUKE SKYWALKER - LEIA ORGANA.
She looked at the text with a incredulous gaze, holding her breath.
"Darth Vader? Father! You died here? ... This can't be true, can it," She thought.
Once again she read the words. Then suddenly, it seemed as if a heavy dark veil in her mind was lifted and a flood of memories washed over her. Darth Vader! That was the name of her father, wasn't it.
She dropped to her knees by the stone and buried her face in her hands. Darth Vader! Her father! This was almost impossible to understand. The fast flow of memories that rushed through her mind revealed another devastating truth to her. She looked at the last lines at the stone again. Darth Vader, her father, had been Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker had been the surname of Luke, the Jedi, whom her father always had seen as his enemy. Had her father known that Luke was his son. She suddenly reminded the odd changes in her father's attitude if he had spoken about Luke Skywalker.
"He knew," she whispered, "He knew, but he denied, for he couldn't comprehend that he had a son who had become a Jedi Knight."
Luke Skywalker was her father's son, but that meant that ... Is that why he is looking for her, is that why he had visited her when she had been exiled to Wegoyy?
In her mind she saw her prison cell again and she heard the deafening shrieking noises, the flashes of different lights and the hovering droid with the needle.
Moaning she got upright and staggered to the edge of the clearing where she dropped again on her knees near a fallen tree stem.
How long ago had this all happened? When had she last spoken to Luke? All of a sudden she remembered how she had touched the pendant she had in her possession. The image of the young man appeared in her mind. The young man she had seen every time when she had touched the pendant. Her pendant! His gift to her! Last time she had denied she was the girl he was looking for, but it was her Luke had been looking for. She wasn't Eilidh Grann, She was Liane Solichor.
Step by step Liane managed to recall her past. The sun had already set and the clearing now laid in the dark. She felt deadly tired and buried her face against the moss and the herbs that grew on the tree stem. Tears welled up in her eyes and dripped along her cheeks. Her head ached; the overload of information that was still rushing through her mind frightened her. Images of her youth, her life at Morantan, her teachers, her father that Dark Lord of Morantan, the Emperor who had once visited her father's stronghold and the fear she had felt when he had addressed her. Ever faster the images followed each other. She saw her first encounter with Luke, her detention on Dalmaran, Leia, the flight to Ortel, Luke who had been wounded by Zolgathrii, her trial, the verdict and the torture in the SL-chamber in the Wegoyy prison. Sobbing, she lay huddled among the vegetation near the fallen tree. Tears streamed down her face, she sobbed in silence.
'Liane, get up, look and listen to us.' A clear voice nearby said.
Liane raised her head and through her tears she saw two figures entering the clearing, walking over to her. They were surrounded by a familiar bluish light. She stretched out her hand and whispered, "Luke... is that you?"
The figures came closer and now Liane recognize that they were both clad in beige tunics and pants and were wearing dark brown robes, the clothes of the Jedi Knights. One of them resembled Luke Skywalker.
'Liane, listen. Listen carefully,' The eldest of the two said, 'You're wearing a precious gift; you're wearing a Jedi-pendant. Luke Skywalker gave it to you. The Jedi-pendant will help you to reach him again, Liane. Touch the pendant you're wearing, remember its power and reach Luke Skywalker through the Force. Tell him you're on Endor.'
The figures started to fade.
"Wait!" Liane yelled, "Who are you? Don't leave me!"
But the images had gone. She sat to her knees. With trembling fingers she felt around her neck where she knew the pendant had to be, but it wasn't there. The pendant! It wasn't there! Had she lost it during her walks?
In a panic, she began to crawl over the forest floor, groping between the plants with her hands for the hanger.
Her search was in vain and she fell sprawled in the grass.
"It's gone! I must have lost it. I lost Luke's gift. Now I can never tell him I'm on Endor." she whispered, crying again.
'Liane,' a voice said, 'remember my lessons. remember what to do so as not to panic. Take a deep breath, Liane, and think.'
"Father, help me!" she whispered, "I have lost the Jedi pendant. I never reach Luke again."
'Are you sure, Liane,' said the voice again. Liane sat up and tried to wipe her tears away. The Jedi pendant was gone. Without the pendant, she couldn't tell Luke she was on Endor. What could she do?
Suddenly an idea occurred to her. She was able to go to the spaceport and return to Marek and Aaliyah on Rasth. Perhaps they could warn Luke.
Liane looked around and wearily crawled back to the tree trunk to look for her backpack. It took her quite some efforts to remember where she'd put the backpack, but she finally found it next to the stone. She had put it there, while cleaning the inscription.
By now the clearing was completely in darkness.
Liane leaned against the stone, exhausted, and began rummaging through her backpack. She found her ID card and breathed a sigh of relief. She carefully put the card back in place. Her fingers touched the green box containing the figurine Muguro had given her.
Immediately she started to laugh nervously, tears streaming down her cheeks again from exhaustion and relief. Now she remembered that she had put the pendant in the box before she had left her tree house. In the dark and with trembling fingers, she lifted the lid and took the necklace with the Jedi pendant out of the box, squeezing it tight in her hand, afraid to drop it. Nervously she fastened the necklace around her neck. While she took the pendant in both hands she expected that the image of the young man would appear. The young man she had seen every time when she had touched the pendant. The young man who was Luke Skywalker, who was a Jedi Knight, who had given her the pendant and who she hadn't recognized all this months while she had called herself Eilidh Grann.
Nothing happened and in her overstrained mind she thought that Luke didn't want to appear to her anymore, because she hadn't recognized him.
Again tears filled her eyes. She felt lonely now, lonely and desperate.
"Luke!" she whispered, while she turned the pendant nervously between her fingers, "Luke, please, I do recognize you. I know you're looking for me. I am Liane Solichor."
divider
Leia looked at her brother, who was standing on the ramp of the Astræga. Instead of his officer's uniform, he was wearing his Jedi clothes. Artoo was standing next to her. The droid was making disappointing noises, for his master had decided to leave without him.
"I'm sorry, Luke, that you're really leaving so soon. Especially because several guests from recently joined systems have arrived today for their inauguration in the Senate. Besides you will miss again the yearly festivities to celebrate the Alliance's victory and the founding of the New Republic. Some of those new senators have expressed a sincere wish to meet you and me. They will be very disappointed if you're not present."
"I have spoken to Mon Mothma, and asked her, if she wanted me to attend the inauguration ritual, Leia, but she fully has agreed to my point of view that it would be better, if I go after Liane without delay. She really is very concerned about what could happen to Liane, if commander Dendicott or Rand Phylotar would find her. Besides, Leia, you know I'm not doing well as a representative for the New Republic. You're more accustomed to diplomatic chitchat. To be honest, those talks often annoy me."
Leia laughed.
"I know you dislike that small talk, Luke. Where are you going to look for Liane?"
A concerned look appeared on his face, before he shook his head thoughtfully.
"I haven't any clue, yet. I certain will visit the Granns again, maybe they have heard something. I'm also thinking about going to Dagobah. Maybe master Yoda and Ben are willing to help me to find her hiding place, or I can go to Tatooine. In Ben's house I always find a deep connection with the Force, but I haven't made up my mind yet. If these plans doesn't lead to any result I will probably start looking for her again in the Outer Rim Territories."
Leia felt his deep concern. Liane still hadn't consciously used the Jedi pendant, which meant that she still couldn't remember who she really was. The only thing they knew was that she was alive and had found a place to live.
She kissed her brother's cheek and brushed a strand of his hair away with the palm of her hand. Luke grabbed her hand.
"I'm sorry, Leia. Please, understand why I don't want to be here during those yearly Senate meetings. The yearly festivities around these meetings always remember me what we've lost. There's always only talk about the Alliance's victories after the destruction of the second Death Star and the battles near Endor and Jakku. To me the Battle of Endor still doesn't feel as a victory. The destruction of the second Death Star also marks our father's death. His death feels as a great loss and a defeat, for I wanted to turn him to the Good Side again and be the Jedi Knight again he once had been. I wanted to learn from him. He could have been my master as Ben and master Yoda have been," he said softly.
"I understand, Luke. Have a good trip."
Luke looked at Ian Tydon, now dressed as his sister's padawan. The padawan outfit suited the former Wegoyy prison guard extremely well.
"I have heard, that your Force skills have been greatly improving, young padawan, you are doing very well. Leia has expressed her approval about your progress. You get along well with your master, that is gratifying. My sister is also very fond of you, she told me."
"Thank you, master Luke. May the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Ian. Mezorahimed dejan Forka tusale."
Luke boarded the shuttle.
Once in outer space he decided to go to Ben's house on Tatooine to do some Jedi meditation sessions. He did not immediately travel through one of a nearest hyperspace lanes to reach Tatooine, but traveled on auto-pilot through the galaxy at sublight velocity for a couple of days.
Most of his time Luke sat in a Jedi meditation pose in the panoramic room of the shuttle, his father's former meditation room. The broad view connected him with all the stars and planets. He felt how strongly the Unifying Force made him a part of these galactic worlds outside. He relaxed and felt at peace, although he sometimes pondered about a way, how he could find the place where Liane had gone.
It was more than two and a half years ago, since the last time he had spoken with her. Ever since Ian had left her at the canyon ridge in the Wegoyy desert, she hadn't used the Jedi-pendant and he knew she wouldn't use it, as long as she couldn't recall her past.
One thing reassured him; she was alive. He had always been aware of her presence through the Force, so he never had given up the hope of finding her. Moreover he always had felt the tremors of the Jedi-pendant through the Force since her disappearance. More than once he had been sure he had seen her image and twice during Wedge's initialization on Tatooine Dagobah she had answered his pleas. He even had gotten a short glimpse of her surroundings as he had seen her standing in front of a open door. He had reached out to her, but she hadn't shown any sign of recognition.
"Liane, please, let me know where you are? I want to help you." he murmured.
He closed his eyes and turned inwards to the Force again. Every time he hoped, his powerful ally would show him where she had found shelter, but all he saw where images of his own past and present, images of his closest and long gone friends, of his former masters Ben and Yoda and of some Jedi Knights of old, but Liane's image or her current abode never showed up. Yoda had taught him to look at these images from many different points of view and always remain cautious and skeptical. The Force was strong, but the future was uncertain, even for a Jedi Knight.
Suddenly Luke felt a growing disturbance in the Force, when a strong Force wave submerged him. He completely became engulfed and encapsulated with the Force's overwhelming power. He cleared his mind and surrendered himself to the will of the Force, to be taken through the galaxy under the guidance of the Force. His spirit rushed through the galaxy to an unknown destination, while a greenish veil began to surround him. The dense veil finally enclosed him completely. Much time passed, before the veil slowly became transparent again and at last vanished. He found himself in the thick undergrowth of a forest. Through the Force he became aware of all the forest's noises and life forms: the wind in the trees, the cracking of dry twigs and branches, birds singing up in the trees and the rustling of leaves. He could even smell the strong earthen odor of fungi and decaying leaves. However, the Force was still taking his spirit even faster along the trees and through the forest.
Then he heard a desperate voice, calling his name. It was the same soft voice that he had heard, the previous night, while he suddenly woke up from his sleep. Now it sounded much clearer and closer. Not only could he hear his name, but he also heard some stammered words, begging for help.
"Luke Skywalker, please, I know you're looking for me. I am Liane Solichor. Hear me, please!"
The words were echoing among the leaves.
"Liane???"
Again he heard the desperate plea, but this time he was sure. It was Liane's voice; she was reaching out to him through the Force!
"Where are you, Liane? Answer me?" He called out.
He looked around, but the Force was still carrying him further into the forest. Finally he entered a large clearing. At once he recognized the place. Here he had built the pyre to burn the dark life support armor in which his father had been trapped for so many years.
"Endor! Is she on Endor?" He thought.
Once again he looked around and then he saw her. She tried to steady herself against the stone which Leia and he had erected before they had left the forest moon. She sensed his presence almost immediately, for she looked up and stretched out her hands towards his apparition.
"Luke Skywalker? " She screamed. "Luke, don't go away! I know you're looking for me. Please, say something!"
She staggered in his direction, but stumbled and fell, looking up at him in despair with an exhausted face. On her face Luke saw the dirty streaks of dried tears. He rushed over to her, comforting her mind through the Force.
'Liane, stop crying, I will come to you . I know where...'
Abruptly the image of Liane vanished and with a shock Luke realized he was sitting in the panorama room of the Astræga. Still in his Force trance he lowered himself backwards on the floor of the room. For minutes he was looking through the transparisteel dome to the galaxy above him, before he closed his eyes to regain his composure. Slowly he released himself from the Force. He sat up in wonder, still feeling startled and shaken about his unexpected Force vision. All kinds of wild thoughts were whirling in a great turmoil through his mind, but one thing was absolutely clear to him.
'Liane had used the Jedi-pendant again to make contact with him! And this time she deliberately had called out to him through the Force! At last! This meant that she knew who she was. The effects of the mind drug finally had disappeared. He had to set course for Endor immediately.'
A great relief engulfed him and made him utter a laugh.
'Leia! Liane has consciously used the Jedi-pendant! She is on Endor!'
Through the Force he reached out to his sister to share how overjoyed he felt. Leia's response was as thrilled as his.
'Oh, Luke, how fortunate! You have found her on Endor! She is alright?'
'I'm not on Endor yet, Leia. I had one of my Force incorporeal projections, as she used the Jedi pendant and called my name. She has her memories back, Leia! She knows again she is Liane Solichor!'
'At last! She's no longer suffering from the awful effects of that mind drug. Go to Endor, Luke! Go immediately! Go there as fast as possible, for she surely needs your help!' Leia said feeling her brother's deep felt relief through the Force.
'I'm setting course to Endor right away. She looked exhausted, Leia. I saw traces of tears on her face. I'll call you again, after I've found her.'
'This is unbelievable, incredible!' He thought, 'Liane is on Endor! How has she found her way to that forest moon? How has she been able to survive there? Has she found the Ewok village? Have the Ewoks given her shelter? Has she been living among the Ewoks all these long months? How did she find the clearing?'
All these questions and more flashed through his mind, but at the moment the answers seemed irrelevant. More important was that he had to reach Endor as fast as possible.
Quickly Luke walked back to the cockpit of his space ship and fed the navi-computer with the coordinates of Endor to recalculate a new course. The shuttle made a steep turn and pointed its nose in the opposite direction. A few minor corrections were needed before he got the right read-out on the display to go into hyperspace. He pulled the lever and the shuttle disappeared among the stars. Within seven hours he would arrive in Endor's orbit. In the flight control room he looked at the synchron counter, pacing quietly up and down. Constantly he thought about how sad and desperate Liane had looked at his Force apparition. What could have caused her recovery of that mind drug? It seemed like her memories had returned suddenly, and had overwhelmed her. He had seen her near.... Then in a flash Luke recalled the words he had carved on that stone. The stone! Could it be that those words...?
'Oh, no! Not the stone! Not those words! Liane, I always wanted to tell you the truth about Anakin myself.' He thought.
On Endor a little Ewok bowed over Liane's body.
"Kama naga, Aay-lee?"
['Wat is er, Eilidh?']
Liane looked up and saw Teebo. She shook her head, for she couldn't find the words in the language of her new friends to express her emotions.
"Luke, why did you go away! Please, come back!! Don't by angry with me, because I didn't recognize you," She murmured. In her left hand she clenched the Jedi-pendant.
Teebo watched her and carefully caressed her arm.
"Hadda nima sudoma. Diddo maga Logray."
['You're sick. Ik haal Logray']
"Hadda noma, Teebo."
['Dat hoeft niet, Teebo']
She tried to get to her feet, but when she saw the stone, she covered her face again with her hands.
"Luke, please, come back. Hey you, out there, you who talked to me, say something. I'm your daughter. shouldn't a father come to comfort and care for his child!"
Her voice skipped with anger. Teebo rushed over to her and grab her hands.
Hadda nima tara sudoma. Kama timo dogati." Teebo said.
['You're very sick. Ik haal hulp.']
Before Liane could protest, the little Ewok grabbed a vine and vanished among the canopy.
"Teebo, come back! I'm allright. It's just that ...",Liane shouted, but her little friend had already disappeared..

To be continued...