The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 13 - Family Reunion

When the Outrider re-entered real space after three standard weeks, Nomi and Dash finally saw their destination: D'Qar. On this planet in the Outer Rim regions was the headquarters of the Resistance.
The Jedi was relieved that it was neither a desert planet nor an ice planet. Two X-wings appeared next to them, their design very different from the old Incom T-65 models. They must be the new T-70 models Tarik had been talking about.
Suddenly, the two X-wings waggled their wings to greet them, and then a familiar voice could be heard over the Outrider's comm unit.
"Hello Outrider, welcome to the Resistance. I told you it wouldn't be long before our parents showed up, Biggs. We'll escort you to your assigned landing pad."
The voice belonged to their youngest son Corran, who was flying one of the two X-wings, and his brother Biggs was apparently the second X-wing pilot.
As they entered the atmosphere of D'Qar, they saw lush vegetation. Nomi vaguely remembered that during the Civil War, two Imperial defectors, Thane Kyrell and Kendy Idele, serving in Corona Squadron, had discovered the planet.
There used to be a small Alliance outpost there, which was never developed into a base after the end of the war. Someone from the Resistance must have remembered it, and now the remaining buildings and bunkers have been used as headquarters.

Dash, following his sons, flew the YT-2400 to the landing pad and landed it with half of the repulsors. Biggs and Corran landed next to it with their X-wings. Dash had barely turned off the engines when Nomi jumped out of her seat and headed for the ramp. She could hardly wait to see her sons again. Dash followed her slowly. Meanwhile, the two X-wing pilots jumped out of their fighters and hurried to the Outrider.
Biggs reached his parents first. Nomi hugged her son, who, like any pilot, smelled of lubricant. Then she gently stroked the brown curls from his forehead and traced the scar that ran from his forehead to his eyebrow with her finger.
Like his brothers, he was muscular and resembled his father, except for the color of his hair, which was reminiscent of his late grandfather Ulic Bel-Baal.
Corran joined them and his mother hugged him too. As she was about to ruffle his hair, he ducked.
"Please don't, Mama. I'm not a little kid."
"I see it, Corran," Nomi said, laughing. "You and your brothers have grown into strong men. Where has the time gone?"
Dash had now joined them and was also hugging his sons. It was obvious how proud he was of them.

"Why didn't you contact us?" Nomi asked suddenly. "Can you imagine how worried we were after Luke told us what happened at the academy? We only found your brother and sister by chance at Maz Kanata on Takodana."
Their sons looked down guiltily, but then Corran looked up defiantly at his parents.
"We thought it would be better to stay hidden. Since the massacre at the academy, we have fled from one end of the galaxy to the other. We have always been forced to hide in the Force to avoid being found. You don't know what we've been through.".
"But you still have both arms."
The two brothers hadn't noticed that Dash Jr. had approached them from behind during their conversation.
"And why didn't you tell me that our parents were on their way to us?"
Biggs pawed at the ground, embarrassed, while Corran focused on a point somewhere on the horizon. Neither of them knew what to say. They had simply forgotten about it.
Dash Jr. patted Biggs on the shoulder with his left hand.
"No problem, kid."
"Don't always call me kid. Just because you were born a few minutes earlier than me," Biggs mumbled to himself.

Nomi looked at her eldest son. He didn't look as miserable as he did on Takodana. The young Jedi seemed to be doing better since he got the new arm prosthesis. Dash Jr. had noticed his mother's looks.
"I'm feeling much better already, Mama. And I'm learning to handle this thing step by step. You can't imagine how many things I broke the first time I touched it with my right hand." He couldn't help but grin. "Once I even broke a piece of the conference table when I stood up and leaned on it. But now I can even use my blaster rifle without breaking it."
Nomi smiled. It seemed as if their eldest had come to terms with his artificial limb. "Where's your sister?" Dash asked.
"I think she's on patrol with Red Squadron," Corran replied. "We don't serve in the same squadron. Tasherit really wanted to be part of the Reds, father."

At this point a lieutenant approached them.
"Commander Darklighter, Major Rendar, please follow me. Commander Dameron has learned that you have just landed. He's waiting for you in his quarters."
Nomi and Dash said goodbye to their sons and followed the lieutenant, eager to see which unit the commander would assign them to.