Playlist:

❶ "The Wampa's Lair"—The Empire Strikes Back Extended ST

⊘ Silence

❶ The ships settled on a plain of grass near the western edge of the Teltian City. Initial scans indicated radiation in the atmosphere, with the highest concentration near the city center, not the dilapidated factory.

Luke grounded the Elenium near the Millennium Falcon, in line with the rest of the ships. A stream of transports extended for clicks around the city's perimeter. Herded by impromptu barbed-wire, lines of people disappeared into the cities.

The Jedi Master hustled to General Rieekan. "No one boards a ship unless they've been cleared by me or my Padawan."

"Yes, Master Skywalker. However, two full ships have already left for Hosnian." The general  grimaced as he rested his hands on his hips.

"Well, we'll have to vet them back home then," Luke said. "Contact Hosnian, and detain those refugees."

Rieekan nodded to his aide, who processed the order through the cruisers above them.

The populace streamed out of the city in waves, Republican troops holding them back with riot shields and police batons.

The planet's few ships with lightspeed capabilities launched in waves. Luke picked up a loudspeaker. "After passing the screenings and receiving anti-radiation meds, board the nearest vessel. Anyone seeking to board without passing the screening will be black tagged. Is that understood? Families, stay together."

He scanned the populace spread throughout the area for kilometers, his eyes narrowing as he felt their anguish. "Women and children first." Chaos ensued.

Luke took one half, and Naluma moved a half click down and took the other half. She looked once more at her master as he started the vetting process. He caught her glance. May the Force be with you. His strong emotions for her overlaid that thought, speaking the words he was not supposed to even think.

Naluma smiled, sending a reciprocating emotion pulsing down their bond. She sprinted to her station.

The Padawan placed her hand on the head of the first refugee and had to make a split-second decision. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, no."

The first one she turned away was a youth of twelve. It was one of the hardest decisions she had ever had made.

It never got easy, but she became more accustomed to it as she determined who were planning ill will against the Republic and who were merely angry about their circumstances.

As the ship behind her closed its hatch, a scuffle broke out. Soldiers lashed out, using their blasters as bludgeoning sticks.

When Republic troops fired shots, Naluma reached out with the Force and paralyzed those around her. "Enough! Soldiers, stand down. Citizens, return to your place."

Tension mounted between the forces, but Naluma could not hold that many still any longer. After she had released her grip, two male civilians rushed the soldiers. The Padawan waved her hand and sent them flying across the field against a barricade. "Any more of that, and we'll leave right now."

The hordes in front of her moaned as they watched the ships dwindling, but they controlled their panic.

"Yes, yes, no, yes, no." Using the Force mentally exhausted her more quickly than using it in combat.

After most of the ships were away, they were down to the men. Many of the older men decided to stay to let the younger men leave with their families.

Naluma turned back to her next subject. Since she could not read him one way or the other, she let him pass. She was too tired to do anything else.

"Yes, yes, yes, no, no, yes, no." Will this never end?

At last, only the Jedi shuttle and the troop transport remained on the field. In the distance, she saw the shuttle lift off, hovering over the field. Refugees jumped to reach the open loading ramp as it hovered five meters above the ground.

A mother and her young daughter turned back from the top of the loading ramp. Tears glistened on their cheeks as they stared at the men left behind. A man in the crowd gave an emotionless wave and blew a kiss.

The mother struggled against the swelling crowds pushing her up the ramp. "No! We must go back. We cannot leave without—"

Almost trampling them, the crowds pushed them into the shuttle. Luke hovered over the ground waiting for Naluma.

Naluma sprinted for a couple of clicks. She arrived just in time, Force-jumping onto the closing ramp as Luke pulled the shuttle away from the angry crowd.

Evacuees packed the shuttle beyond capacity ratings—not even a square centimeter of decking could be seen. Refugees sat not only on the benches and the jump seats, but also on every flat surface—storage lockers, decks, and equipment. Almost every lap held a child.

⊘ After weaving through the overcrowded main cabin to the cockpit, Naluma sighed in relief as she lowered her aching body into the co-pilot's seat.

Babies cried, the children whimpered, and the smell of fear permeated the ship.

Luke looked at her with relief as he launched into space. After a few tense moments of the engines straining to break the Teltian gravity, the Elenium jumped to hyperspace.

When the crying increased, she gauged his irritation level. She could quiet them, but she was not sure she would have the energy to do it.

He looked exhausted, drained from having to shield the deaths from his conscience. Naluma hoped he could get some sleep while they were in hyperspace.

She stared out the cockpit screen, rubbing her hand on the console, unable to think. Although lost in her thoughts, she noticed when Luke adjusted in his seat, leaning his head back against the seat.

When she felt his mind drift off to sleep, she leaned back with her knees tucked under her chin and feet on her seat, falling asleep to the drone of the hyperdrive engine.

A few hours later, she awoke to a somewhat quiet ship. The passengers had settled down. The hold stank like a refresher unit gone bad, though. The holding tanks weren't designed to handle this many passengers.

And some of the refugees were in advanced stages of radiation sickness. With the cramped conditions, they could not move to the refresher, even if they had the energy. From the looks of it, those particular refugees would not survive twenty-eight hours. The air scrubbers could not keep up with the onslaught of odors.

Naluma peered over at Luke. He was sound asleep, with his head back against the seat, shivering. She took off her jacket and laid it on him before curling up in the co-pilot's chair. As she watched him sleep, she could feel the Force flowing between them both in a way she had missed during the three weeks they had been separated. The feeling was intoxicating.

Soon after, the sub-light alarm boomed. Luke jumped at the sound, looking around the cockpit. He noticed the jacket on him and handed it back to her. "Thanks," he said. "I was freezing."

"Side effect from the anti-rad meds," she said with a feigned nonchalance. "Happens to the best of us."

"How do you feel? Get some sleep?"

"Yeah. Got a bit of a headache, though."

"Me, too. Well, as soon as we land at the refugee camp, we'll head back to Leia's. By the smell of it, it's going to take us a while to make this ship livable again," he said with a slight grin.

She nodded while tilting her head.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me that way."

"Can't help it." Her gravelly voice betrayed her fatigue. "It's been three long weeks, Master. I'm going to enjoy every moment I get with you, no matter what the circumstances."

He looked at her and softened, a smile forming on his face. "Three long weeks."

"I'm sorry, Master. I disobeyed your orders. I couldn't forget about you. Not one bit."

Luke inhaled sharply. I couldn't forget you either, he thought to himself. His eyes widened when he saw Naluma's reaction—he must have let the thought slip through their strengthening link.

The Jedi Mandate is clear. No attachments. "Where do your loyalties lie, Naluma? To me or to others?"

"If it were only to you, Master, I wouldn't have worked myself to exhaustion vetting these people and getting trampled on the way back to the shuttle."

"But would you choose me over others if you had to? I mean, if you had to choose one other person who could do what I do and leave me there, would you?"

"Unfair question. There is no one else who can do what you can do, Master," she said as she crossed her arms. "The situation will never exist."

"Well, what would you do if it did—hypothetically?"

She stared at him, relaxing her arms and her posture. "I don't know. I know what my heart would want, but duty calls as well."

"Until you can say without a doubt you would sacrifice me for the good of the galaxy ..."

"Understood, Master."

The radio squawked. "Shuttle Elenium, permission granted to make your approach to the refugee camp at sector 3218."

"Copy that," Luke transmitted before turning the craft to the appointed sector.

When the ramp lowered, troops escorted the waiting refugees to the tent city. The medics carried stretchers aboard, transporting those with advanced radiation sickness to triage. Another squad boarded the shuttle with sanitation supplies.

As the Jedi shut down the shuttle, General Rieekan approached the craft, standing at the base of the ramp. Luke hurried to the general, and Naluma followed him down the ramp.

"Master Skywalker, the two ships are waiting for you in that field over there." Rieekan pointed to two cruisers parked kilometers apart on the grass. "It's getting tense on board. They've been waiting for hours."

The Jedi drew on their reserves as they followed Rieekan to his speeder. At over a kilometer in length, the cruiser Echo of Hope was a monster.

These cruisers were designed not only for space battles but also atmospheric landings. However, the last time Luke had seen one on a planet was on Hoth.

Because of the thrust ratio required for planetary launch, the two cruisers had been parked two clicks apart. Luke left Naluma at the Echo before proceeding to the Restoration.

Naluma shook her head, endeavoring to clear the thumping headache behind her eyes, but to no avail. After five hours, she had cleared all except two refugees.

Something bothered her about another refugee she could not read. However, without definite proof of evil intentions, she had no other option but to let them through.

As security officers led the two identified malefactors away in binders, Luke joined them. "What's going to happen to them, General?"

"Are you going to kill them for being traitors?" Naluma asked.

"No. Not this time. They'll have the choice of returning to Telti or lifetime imprisonment. But if they attempt to escape, shots will be fired first and questions asked later." Rieekan scratched his nose while he watched the security forces take them away.

Did you know . . .

● No mention is ever given in canon about the side-effects of using the Force (except for the end of TLJ). I figured there had to be some drawbacks and limitations. Headaches go with psychic strain. Exhaustion with physical strain. 

● Rieekan is my favorite general from the saga. He commanded Echo Base on Hoth and managed the evacuation. In my stories, I have put him in charge of certain ground operations. Madine, another general, is in charge of the troop training and internal affairs in my stories.

● Radiation sickness is debilitating. Watch K-19 The Widowmaker (with Harrison Ford) for a graphic depiction of radiation exposure in large doses. It is a bad way to go. (I also researched medical journals.)

Tell me what you think . . .

● Who do you think the people with a neutral reading are?

● Why do you think that only after two hours the shuttle was contaminated by human waste?

● Do you think Luke is dropping his resolve to maintain the Jedi Mandate? Why?