KAYLIRA TRAMINO

Kaylira woke up in a haze. The first thing that she noticed was that she was lying in Luke’s lap, and that he was staring down at her anxiously. She knew that she should have been as red as a Nubian jegol beet, but, oddly enough, she felt no heat rising to her cheeks whatsoever. The second was that he had just said the very words that she both desired and dreaded to hear spoken aloud: “Kaylira, I love you.”

When her vision cleared and her head stopped spinning (both from her unconscious spell and the shock), she pushed herself up into a half-sitting position. She looked at him for a long moment, and licked her lips. There was only one way she could go with this, and all she had been doing by pushing him away was prolonging the inevitable.

Well, here goes nothing, she thought, digging her fingers into his loose Jedi-style robes.

Then she sent her mouth crashing into his.

He jerked, beyond surprised, and she could feel his thoughts. Amazement, then confusion, and finally acceptance. He was accepting that they shared something, something more powerful than any Jedi mind trick: love.

He was kissing her back. She wrapped her arms around him, suddenly conscious that this was her first real kiss. He pulled her closer, one arm resting gently on the small of her back, the other stroking her cheek. This was utterly and truthfully light years beyond amazing.

After a long stream of wonderful kisses, they broke apart. “I love you too, Luke,” she said, “but I don’t know how we can make this work. I want to uphold the Jedi Code, but I can’t do it like this.” She slipped out of his arms, and stood up.

“I get it.” He looked disappointed, but his heart was I his words. “No attachments.”

She was quiet for a moment, reflecting on her actions. Then one detail that she had missed came up to the surface. “But what about Leia?”

“Kaylira, it’s not what you think. I know what you saw earlier, but that’s not it at all.” He stood as well, and gripped her shoulders. “I think it’s best that I show you what I mean.”

He closed his intense blue eyes. And suddenly, she was reliving one of his memories.

She was on a planet with very tall trees, all green and flourishing. But, no, it wasn’t a planet, it was a moon: she could see the looming figure of a red gas planet in the distance, and recognized it. She was on the Forest Moon of Endor.

Leia was there, part of her hair braided into a headband and the rest hanging loose down her back, and wearing a simple beige dress. Luke stood before her, deep in reflection.

“Luke, what’s wrong?” she asked

He turned towards her, and looked at her for a long moment before he spoke. “Do you remember your mother? Your real mother?”

“Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.”

“What do you remember?” He was almost eager to hear what she had to say.

“Just… images really. Feelings.”

“Tell me.” Now he was really eager.

“She was very beautiful. Kind, but… sad.” She looked up at him. “Why are you asking me all this?”

“I have no memory of my mother. I never knew her…”

“Luke, tell me: what’s troubling you?”

“Vader is here… right now, on this moon.”

Leia’s eyes widened in alarm. “How do you know?”

“I felt his presence. He’s come for me. He can feel when I’m near. That’s why I have to go. As long as I stay, I’m endangering the group and our mission here.” He fixed her with a blue gaze. “I have to face him.”

“Why?”

Trying to break it to her gently, he said, “He’s my father.”

“Your father?”

“There’s more. It won’t be easy for you to hear, but you must. If I don’t make it back, then you’re the only hope for the Alliance.”

“Luke, don’t talk that way. You have a power I – I don’t understand, and could never have,” she said, starting to worry now.

"You’re wrong, Leia. You have that power too. In time, you’ll learn to use it as I have. The Force is strong in my family. My father has it…”

“…I have it…”

“And… my sister has it.” Leia was frightened, but didn’t pull away. “Yes. It’s you, Leia.”

“I know. Somehow, I’ve always know…”

The memory ended.