The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 8 - Surprise on Takodana

Nomi was always surprised at how much green there could be on some planets in the galaxy. Granted, Dagobah was not devoid of vegetation, but all the plants on this swamp planet were almost gray instead of green. There was a large lake below and she could already see Maz Kanata's castle on a peninsula. Right next to Nomi, who was finally able to fly her beloved Aquarius again, Dash was flying his Outrider. He had come out of hyperspace just seconds after her.
There was no ground control on Takodana. It was assumed that the arriving pilots would find a landing site near the castle themselves. The Aquarius sank gently to the ground. Dash landed his ship a few meters away. Almost simultaneously, the ramps of both ships lowered and their pilots emerged into the clear air of Takodana.
Nomi faintly remembered being here with Tarik once. But that was a long time ago. Surely Maz Kanata wouldn't remember her. Dash approached her, laughing.
"I never thought I would come back to this place. And especially seeing Maz Kanata again. I sat at the gaming tables in this place for days and nights and earned one or two credits."
Nomi looked at him doubtfully.
"Ok, I admit I lost most of it. C'mon, let's go to the castle."

They stepped through an archway into the inner courtyard of the castle, which was dominated by a large statue of Maz Kanata. Hundreds of flags waved in the wind on the individual buildings arranged around the courtyard. Nomi remembered that it was customary for everyone who was a guest of Maz to leave their flag as a thank you. She swallowed hard when she saw the flag of the vile 501st Legion of the Empire among all those flags.
The Jedi calmed down when she saw the flags of Dash and Tarik hanging peacefully side by side, waving in the light breeze. Maz's castle had always been neutral ground. Anyone who played by the rules was welcome.
The heavy front door opened before them and they were greeted by noise, music and a myriad of smells.
Dash entered while Nomi stopped at the door. She had sensed something, but couldn't say exactly what it was. The Jedi concentrated, and then she had a vision from the past. A battle between Jedi and Sith had taken place a long time ago on the site where the castle had been built. She shuddered as she saw the many dead and wounded on both sides. Dash turned to her when he noticed she wasn't following him. He saw that his wife had turned pale.
"What's the matter darling?"
"Nothing." Nomi shook her head and entered the noise-filled room.

They had just sat down at an empty table when Maz Kanata noticed them. She quickly ran towards them.
"Dash Rendar! It's been a long time since I last saw you!"
She wore glasses and was significantly smaller than the statue in the courtyard. Her little eyes lit up with joy. "And who is your companion?"
"This is Nomi Darklighter, my wife," Dash replied.
Maz adjusted her glasses so her eyes appeared larger and studied Nomi.
"She was already here. I never forget a face I've seen."
Nomi nodded, but Maz continued before she could say anything.
"Those eyes... I knew your father."
The Jedi shook her head.
"Jula Darklighter was never on Takodana."
The little alien laughed at the comment.
"I'm talking about your real father, girl. Ulic Bel-Baal..."

At that moment, a commotion could be heard in one area of the room. Tables were overturned and glasses were broken. Nomi and Dash looked curiously in that direction and could hardly believe their eyes.
They knew the redhead wrestling with a Bith very well.
It was their daughter Tasherit. Many spectators had gathered around the fighters and were cheering for one side or the other.
While Nomi wondered why she hadn't sensed her daughter in the Force, Dash jumped up and shoved the bystanders aside. He gave the Bith an uppercut, causing him to fall to the ground. Then he grabbed his daughter's arm and pulled her to the table where her mother was sitting.
"Stop it, father! I don't need your help!" The young woman screamed and struggled against her father's grip.
Dash gave her an angry look.
"My daughter doesn't fight! Sit down!"
Tasherit reluctantly sat on a stool at the table and glared at her father.
"We're glad we finally found you, sweetie," Dash said, his expression softening. "Luke told us what happened," Nomi reached out and caressed her daughter's cheek. "Where are your brothers?"
Tasherit winced, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Dash Jr. is with me, Mama. I had this fight because of him. I had to defend him."
"Your brother is a strong young man who can defend himself," her father interrupted her.
Tasherit shook his head in despair.
"No, father, he can't do that anymore..."
Nomi looked behind her as she felt a strong Force presence. Behind her stood Dash Jr. who must have suppressed his Force presence like his sister. As she looked at him, she realized why Tasherit was so desperate and why she had to defend her brother. Dash Jr., her husband's favorite son, looked sick and miserable. Nomi looked in horror at the crude prosthesis sticking out of the torn sleeve. Her eldest son had lost his right arm.

The young man looked at his mother, pulled up a stool with his foot and sat down on it. It hurt Nomi to see him like that.
He had always been so strong and confident.
Nomi tried to grab her son's left hand, but he wouldn't allow it. The Jedi saw that her husband was finding it difficult to keep his composure.
Dash had a lump in his throat when he finally spoke.
"How did this happen, Junior?"
"You ask how this happened, father?" He looked at Dash, anger sparkling in his eyes. "My sister was in danger and I wanted to help her. The opponent was faster and more skilled with his lightsaber than me and that's why I lost my arm. There's nothing more to say about that."
Tasherit touched her brother's shoulder to calm him.
"You saved my life, Dash. Without your intervention, Ben would have killed me."
Her brother shook off her hand and glared at her.
"Don't call him that. The man who did this to me has nothing in common with Ben, the Ben we once called friend! He betrayed us!"
Nomi sensed her son's deep trauma and tried to send him calming thoughts through the Force. Eventually, it seemed that Dash Jr. was calming down.
"How did you escape?" The Jedi turned to her daughter. "And where are Corran and Biggs?"
Tasherit hesitated for a split second before answering.
"I was playing dead, Mama. There was so much blood around me, I think Kylo Ren assumed I'd bled to death. After he cut Dash's arm off, he let go of him and disappeared."
Nomi flinched at the name Kylo Ren. She knew the name from her dream. The Jedi quickly regained her composure and continued to listen to her daughter.
"We made it to the academy's landing site where we found some undestroyed ships. We escaped in one of them." Tasherit sighed. "I don't know if Corran and Biggs survived. We haven't seen them since the attack."

Nomi noticed that Maz Kanata was still standing next to the table. The Jedi expected her to blame them for the broken furniture and glass. But Maz had something else to say.
"I felt it immediately, even though I'm not a Jedi, Nomi. The Force is strong within you and your children. It's your father's legacy that lives on in you." She pointed to Dash Jr. "Your son has a will made of durasteel, otherwise he would be dead by now. Make sure he uses this power for good, Nomi."
Then she turned and went to another table to greet new guests.

Dash put a few credits on the table and stood up.
"I don't understand why you haven't contacted us."
Tasherit looked at her father.
"We were afraid Kylo Ren might track us down."
Dash put his arm around her.
"We should fly to Hosnian Prime together."
Tasherit nodded.
"C'mon then, the Outrider is nearby," Dash said, looking at his children invitingly.
His daughter shook her head.
"We have our own ship, Papa, the Sagittarius," she said proudly. "We will meet on Hosnian Prime."
She left the castle with her brother as their parents watched them go.
Shortly afterwards, Nomi and Dash also left Maz Kanata's castle and went to their ships. Now they also noticed the other space freighter standing there, which their children had just boarded.
"Where did they get this ship?" Dash gave his wife a questioning look, doubting that it was the ship their children had escaped from the academy on.
Nomi shrugged, hoping inwardly that Tasherit hadn't stolen it from somewhere.
"Let's go, Dash."

Minutes later, three spacecraft ascended into Takodana's orbit and jumped into hyperspace one after the other.