Playlist:

❶ "Parade of the Ewoks" — Return of the Jedi OST

❷ "Lakeside Campfire" — Virtual Fireplace

Three years had elapsed since they had established the Jedi Academy on Khalkha, and the Padawan and knights were abuzz with activity as they prepared for the third annual survival skills trip into the high country. It was early fall, and the weather had been perfect for the last few weeks.

As they packed their hard-framed packs, Luke could feel Naluma's excitement through their Force-bond. "You're really looking forward to this trip, aren't you?" he asked.

"You have no idea." She smiled at him with a dreamy look. "This is my kind of R&R."

"You're crazy."

She winked at him. "I know. It's part of my charm."

Luke grinned back as he shook his head.

They had held the second graduation ceremony for the Jedi Order a few days earlier. Kalder, Kallay, Wei'ahtt, Jannah, and Tandolleau were now official Jedi Knights. As a final activity for the graduates, the entire academy was going to enjoy the mountains one more time before the snow season hit and the five new Jedi were deployed on missions for the Republic.

After Luke finished stuffing the last item into his pack, he inspected the Padawan packs. A few were having trouble getting everything inside. "Dashka, were you planning on leaving your bedroll here? You're going to want it in the mountains."

The twelve-year-old boy looked up at him. "Well, I can't make it all fit, Master Luke."

Luke took the pack and emptied it onto the table. He sorted through the toys and games that crowded the pack. "Well, maybe if we just kept to the bare necessities, you might have better luck. Start over. Roll your clothes and put them on the bottom."

As he pushed aside the toys and junk, Luke said, "If you don't get your act together, Dashka, you'll stay behind with Lor San Tekka."

"Please, Master Luke, don't do that. I'll get it to all fit," Dashka said, shoving his things back in his pack.

Luke shook his head at his attempts and asked, "Kallay, can you show Dashka how it's done?"

The short, dark-haired newly-knighted Jedi joined them at the table. "Sure, Master Luke." She took the jumbled mess that was the eleven-year-old's bedroll and shook it out. More toys, as well as leaves, sticks, and dried mud flakes scattered across the floor. She shook her head at him and then showed him how to roll it.

In a few minutes, Jedi Kallay had it repacked, and they were all ready to hit the trail.

❶ After hiking northeast from the academy until late afternoon, Master Luke chose a flat clearing for their campsite. "Remember, no one wanders off by themselves. Always move in pairs. No exceptions. Pitch your tents here and refill your canteens from the river. Bring all food to me, now. We've got to store it away from the wildlife." He tossed a hooked rope over a strong tree limb and lowered the hook to the ground.

Naluma accepted the food packs from each camper and arranged them in the kit bag. After she had sealed it, Luke hauled the duffel high above their heads and tied off the rope to a tree trunk.

The Padawan and Jedi set up the tents in pairs. Naluma and Luke set up their tents facing each other's, creating the buffer between the girls and the boys. The other Jedi Knights spread their single tents within the group, providing supervision as well as protection in case the wildlife got curious.

Together, the party numbered two dozen. Over the last three years, twelve more Padawan had joined the group. Even a few non-humans had joined their ranks. The Jedi kept running into them on missions. It's like the Force is leading them to us—and not all at the same age. It waits until they're ready.

Naluma set hers up in a few minutes, her military training and previous camping experience coming in handy. As Luke finished sorting his tent out, she asked, "What's for dinner?"

Luke smiled. "Umqala. Grab your line and find a stick."

Dashka asked, "What's an umqala?"

"A silver-scaled fish about half a meter in length." He raised his hands about a foot a part to demonstrate, then doubled the width. "Some get up to a meter."

The Padawan's eyes widened.

"They have three dorsal fins, a light-colored mouth, and silver spots on the tail. And when you fry them ..." Luke rubbed his belly. "Mmm. Their tender meat is so sweet it melts in your mouth. They should be biting this time of year."

❷ As the stars came out, they relaxed against their packs around the campfire, watching the embers reach the sky. When the temperature plummeted, the Jedi Knights retrieved their woolen cloaks while the Padawan grabbed their insulated jackets. They all huddled closer together by the fire.

When Naluma returned, she grabbed her pack and adjusted it closer to the fire. Luke vacated his own spot on the other side of the fire and sat next to Naluma.

She leaned back against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her torso. She sighed. The close proximity to Luke tonight intensified their Force-bond, and she reveled in the intoxication as his care enveloped her.

In the stillness of the night, two of the girls sang a soft melody from their home world. A couple of the boys who knew the tune joined in. The next song was a round, which got everyone involved.

Afterward, Kalder told a ghost story about an assassin during the Clone Wars who died before she could complete her last mission, returning on nights like this, hunting her last target. He left them all jumping at the least bit of noise.

As he plucked at the blades of grass, Zeke asked, "Master Skywalker, tell us a story."

"What kind of story?"

A Mirialan Padawan with dark hair, dark skin, and blue tattoos on her chin named Benae asked, "About how you became a Jedi."

"Yeah," the overlapping response resounded around the fire amid the crackles and pops of the bark burning.

One of the younger girls screamed, jumping at a noise in the woods behind her. Kalder hid his smile behind his hand.

Tandolleau snickered. He joined in the fun, too. Before long, many of the Padawan were jumping at the slightest noise as pebbles hit them in the back or the fire would spark.

Luke asked Naluma, Should we stop them?

No. Let them have their fun. The Padawan need to stop jumping at their own shadows, anyway. Besides, you have a story to tell.

"A long time ago ... in a system far, far way, on the edge of Hutt Space—the desert planet of Tatooine to be precise—lived a moisture farmer named Owen Lars and his wife Beru. They had no children of their own but were grateful to raise their nephew—although I drove them crazy with my tomfoolery more often than not."

He stopped as the fire popped and sparks sputtered everywhere. "Wei'ahtt, put some more wood on the fire."

As Wei'ahtt grabbed a couple of logs, Luke continued his story. "Every season on the moisture farm it was the same—tinker with the moisture vaporators and hope the droids didn't get stolen by the marauding Jawas or Sand People."

Dashka screamed this time, causing Tandolleau to double over in laughter. Naluma glared at him.

"Though I was grateful for their love, I was restless—unless I was flying my T­16 Skyhopper in and out of Beggar's Canyon, blasting womprats or threading The Needle. I yearned for the day I would be able to attend the Imperial Space Academy on Corellia and become a TIE-fighter pilot."

Another noise from the forest caused two of the younger boys to scream and move closer to the fire. Kalder and Tandolleau could barely control themselves. Wei'ahtt glanced at his friends with a puzzled look. Kallay and Jannah rolled their eyes at the boys.

"Then one day, right after I'd turned nineteen, a Jawa transport pulled up to the homestead. That evening, Uncle Owen purchased two droids to help with the harvest—a golden protocol droid named See­-Threepio and a feisty astromech droid named Artoo­-Detoo."

Some of the Padawan gasped.

"When I was cleaning the droids, I found a message in Artoo. He said he belonged to an Obi-­Wan Kenobi. I thought he meant old Ben Kenobi, a hermit who lived out beyond the Dune Sea."

Luke took a drink of stimcaf from his thermal mug before continuing. "The little droid snookered me into remove his restraining bolt so I could retrieve the entire message. Then during dinner, he disappeared. It was too dangerous to go after him that night, with all the Sand People around. I had to wait until morning."

As the smoke from the fire wafted in their direction, Naluma and Luke both coughed. Naluma raised her hand and sent the smoke upward with the Force and then leaned back against Luke.

"Early the next morning, I pursued him in my landspeeder. Before I could grab Artoo, the Sand People attacked. Next thing I remember, Ben Kenobi was hovering over me."

A loud crash in the woods beyond the campfire made everyone jump this time. Naluma sent to Kalder, All right, cut it out.

That wasn't me.

Then tell Tandolleau to cut it out, she thought.

Kalder slapped Tandolleau's chest with the back of his hand and nodded his head toward Naluma. Tandolleau agreed with a nod toward the Jedi as Master Luke continued his story.

"Ben had scared away the Sand People and rescued me. That's when I found out he was indeed General Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Great Negotiator of the Clone Wars. When we got to his house, he got Artoo to play the whole message. And when he retrieved the message, the most beautiful girl in the whole universe appeared—Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan."

Naluma rolled her eyes at that. Really, Luke? She's your sister! 

Hey, it's only a story.

Sure.

"Wait, that was after he told me my father had been a Jedi Knight and fought in the Clone Wars, too. He gave me his lightsaber." Luke became passionate, pantomiming with exuberance and even making sound effects for the lightsaber.

Naluma giggled when she heard it, especially since his saber hung on his belt.

"Well, the princess begged Obi-­Wan to take the droid to the Rebel Alliance on Alderaan. Artoo not only carried this message, but he also carried the technical readouts to the original Death Star."

"Then Obi­-Wan told me it was my destiny to follow in my father's footsteps and become a Jedi Knight."

One of the young Padawan named Geryl asked, "Your father was a Jedi, too? I thought that Jedi couldn't marry." The spry Mandalorian boasted straight, auburn hair at shoulder length that obscured her emerald green eyes.

Luke grunted. "My father was Anakin Skywalker. He was a Jedi, but not always."

"You mean he quit?" a young, blue Rodian named Miga asked.

"From a certain point of view." Luke thought to Naluma, They sure aren't making this easy.

Naluma, feeling Luke's anguish, asked, "Does anyone want to hear about the time Master Luke spent the night inside a tauntaun?" She knew enough of the details of this story from both Han and Luke that she felt she could distract the kids for a while.

Zolaah, a teal-colored Twi'lek with two lekku that draped down her back, asked, "What's a tauntaun?"

Naluma leaned forward, allowing Luke to blend into the darkness beyond the fire as she related the story.

At the end of the story, Kalder took over the entertainment with a somewhat embellished story of how he had cheated a Hutt out of her prized possession only to find out that it was a hideous beast worth nothing on the markets.

While Kalder drew the attention, Naluma leaned back against Luke, who wrapped his arms around her again.

He whispered in her ear, "Thanks, I owe you one."

She squirmed as his warm breath tickled her before whispering with a sly grin, "You really thought your sister was the most beautiful woman in the universe?"

"I hadn't met you yet." He stole a kiss in the shadows.

You're forgiven, Skywalker.

She rested her head against his shoulder, watching the embers flare and listening to Kalder's entertaining story, as she intertwined her fingers in Luke's.

Did you know ...

● Five years have elapsed since the foundation of the New Jedi Order. Luke and Naluma have been an official couple for three of those years.

● The academy has grown over the years, adding a few new Padawan each year.

● The first Padawan graduated within four years, instead of the projected five years. Their previous military experience and life experience shortened their time as Padawan.

Tell me what you think ...

● How do you think Luke and Naluma's relationship has developed since the last time we saw them together at the Military Ball three years earlier?

● How would Leia be responding on this type of trip? Would she consider it fun?