Luke landed on Khalka, but kept the engines running. Wei'ahtt and his squad exited the shuttle with little more than a few scratches. When Luke spotted Naluma, steam hissed from the thrusters. He parted the haze with the Force and approached his wife.

Naluma's shoulders dropped noticeably. "You're safe. Thank the Force." She stroked his face, running her hand down his jawline. "But why didn't you stop at Koda Station first?"

He checked around the landing pad, to the young faces from the rescue mission. "After everything that's happened, I had to make sure that the crew made it home safely." 

She nodded.

"Anyway, something else in the Force steered me homeward. A kicking. A shifting. A lifeforce, clear as the hunger in my stomach." Luke gazed at her belly.

The X-wings descended from the sky, Kallay waving from inside the cockpit of Luke's ship. Leaves and dirt whirled in the wake, pausing the reunion.

Once the debris settled, Luke placed his hands on her womb. "A boy?" he said with wonder.

Naluma looked at her feet, peeking at Luke through her long eyelashes. She smiled.

Luke allowed himself to forget the dreadful mission for a moment. "Hello ... Anakin." 

He glanced over to the ramp where Wei'ahtt coordinated ordered the group. "Pilar, activate the air group. Zeke, refuel and head back up to the last jump point. The rest of you, take defensive positions until we get a chance to clear the ships and make sure we weren't tracked." His booming voice carried over the landing field as the Jedi Knights and Padawan carried out his orders.

"Relax, Naluma." Luke stroked her strained face. "Artoo stayed with my ship the whole time. No way they placed a tracker on it. Just standard operating procedure."

His eyes searched her, probing. "Are you feeling okay?"

"For the moment. Just exhausted." In answer to his question, Naluma threaded her fingers through Luke's hair, and pressed her lips to his. "Anakin. I like that. Yes, Anakin!"

She set her hands on top of his. "Did you feel that?"

Luke could hardly speak.

"Have you talked to Dr. Kalonia?"

Another blast of steam erupted from the shuttles' engines. Naluma's brow furrowed, and then she smiled.

"Yes, she told me to go to Koda Station for a pre-natal exam."

"And have you?" Luke asked with raised eyebrows.

Naluma stared back at him in answer.

Look inhaled and raised his eyebrows at her. "Come on, we're going now."

"What about Ben?"

Gnawing his lower lip, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her aboard. "He's stable but could use some care that we can't provide here."

They boarded the shuttle and settled in for the quick hop. As Naluma was about to sit in the co-pilot's seat, Luke asked, "Hey, do you mind checking on Ben?"

"Yes, I do," Naluma said with curtness, sitting down with a wave of dizziness.

He looked at her, stunned at her answer. "Hey, if you're not feeling well, go lie down in the captain's quarters."

"I'm fine."

"Then tend to Ben."

Naluma glared at him. I don't want him anywhere near me, Luke, especially not now.

Luke launched the shuttle and headed to the jump point for Koda Station. Naluma, you have to forgive him.

I can't. I know you don't believe me, but I know what Ben did. He might not have intended to kill, but he did put a Force-choke on Hope—that was not accidental. I don't want him anywhere near Anakin. Naluma held/rubbed her stomach and drew in a cleansing breath.

Naluma, your bitterness is changing you. I hardly know you anymore.

Well, it's who I am now. You can blame Ben for that.

It doesn't have to be. He took her hand in his. Please, don't let the dark side consume you with bitterness and hatred. Forgive him.

I can't. I can't forgive, Luke. I would be betraying Hope's memory.

Think of Anakin. Does he deserve a mother consumed by bitterness and the dark side? Do you want him to go down that path? You will lead him one way or the other, Naluma, whichever way you are headed. If you can't forgive for any other reason, forgive for Anakin's sake.

She thought about his words in silence. Then she softened, crying in silence, the hatred rolling away from her.

Luke grabbed her hand and fed the Force to her, filling her with his light, showing her the way past the anger and the hurt.

After a few minutes, Luke observed a change in her. The tenseness she had been harboring for the last year melted away from her face and her back.

Thank you. I didn't realize what it was doing to me. I was trapped by the dark side, and I couldn't even see it.

Luke nodded in agreement.

After a few moments, Naluma admitted with hesitance, I wanted to kill him . . . for what he did to me and to our daughter.

You're not the only Jedi who has been caught in this trap, Naluma, Luke said as he thought about Obi-Wan and his father. But you never took action on your thoughts. Temptation is not a sin. Giving into it is. You resisted this time. I'm proud of you. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Guess I'd better check on Ben, huh?" she asked as she stood up.

Naluma headed to the crew quarters where an impromptu medbay had been set-up. She found Ben lying on a lower bunk, his arm and ankle splinted and elevated, his flesh wounds bandaged.

She grabbed the med scanner and took his vitals again. Pulse was rapid and weak, breathing was shallow, and blood pressure low. Temperature was on the rise, possibly indicating at least one infected wound.

Naluma rummaged in the med kit for a bag of saline and a field-grade intravenous kit.

Ben moaned as the catheter was attached.

"Hang in there, Ben." She covered him in a blanket, tucking him in. She brushed his hair from his forehead softly. "Sh, you're going to be okay."

"Mom?"

"It's Master Naluma, Ben, not your mom." She could sense the emotional pain from Ben as he realized he had been dreaming.

"Where is zhe? Zhe was zust here, talking to me." Delirium slurred his words.

"I'm the only one here besides Master Luke." She grabbed a pillow from the bunk behind her and propped him up. "Now, just relax. We're taking you to Koda Station. We'll be there in two hours. Just rest for right now."

Ben tried to roll over. "Ahh! Can I get anything for the pain at least?"

"Anything I give you will still be in your system when we reach the med center. You know that will mess with their initial assessments."

"Trust me, Aunt Naluma, I can let them know how much this hurts, but I'm going crazy from the pain. Please."

Against her better judgment, Naluma administered a dose Nyox.

Ben was expecting instant relief and was upset when it did not come. "This isn't working, Aunt Naluma."

"It is. It took the edge off, didn't it?"

Ben assessed himself. It was a little easier. "Yeah, but the pain is still there."

"Use the Force to block it from your mind. I gave you all you are getting until you arrive, Ben. It's for your own good."

Naluma closed the med kit and sat on the deck against the gear locker, caring for him during the flight to Koda Station. Fortunately, since she had not eaten or drunk anything in the last few hours, her stomach cooperated for once.

About fifteen minutes later, Luke joined Naluma in the crew quarters, once the shuttle had entered hyperspace. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked, sitting next to her on the deck.

"Not sure. He sustained many injuries and not just from punching out."

Ben appeared to be sleeping as they spoke quietly.

"He may not recover entirely, Luke, at least not where he could return to duty."

"What do you mean, 'not just from punching out?'"

"He's been beaten and tortured, Luke. I'm not even sure he's entirely sane right now." She leaned against his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. "He even thought I was Leia at first."

"What if he doesn't recover?"

"Are you talking death or still living?" Her tone was somber.

"Death's a possibility?"

"Oh, yes." She nodded. "Have you notified his parents yet?"

Luke shook his head negatively. "Not until we know what's going on, have some more information."

"Luke, if this were our son, I would want to know right now, so I could be there with my child."

He did not answer, thinking through his options.

"How could you face them if you don't tell them and he dies?" She shook her head, cringing at the thought. "How could you face them if you don't tell them and he dies. That's not the Luke I know."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, using the Force to show him the future. Something seemed wrong here, even though his first instinct compelled him to call Han and Leia. "When we know something more, Naluma, not before." Luke put his hand on her belly.

Did you know . . .

● I went back and forth with Luke and Naluma's argument being vocal or mindspeech. I ended up going with mindspeech for two reasons: easier to keep Ben from overhearing and the more intimate nature of mindspeech for this very important  conversation.

Tell me what you think . . .

● What's going through Luke's mind when he finds out Ben might not live?