"You shouldn't have done that, you know." Luke said while waiting for Tahiri to finish changing out of her medical ward clothing from behind the screen.

"Umm, he maybe a great technical doctor but his attitude was getting on my nerves. Besides, he hardly even saw me, he left it up too Dr. Bru-nut most of the time." Luke looked around the stark white recovery room wondering how she was going to react to their plans for the next month. "And if he is going to lecture me on proper health practices, then he needs to practice what he preaches and loss about 50 kilograms."

"Maybe, however how would you have felt if he had hurt himself after you little trick?"

"I don't know, vindicated," Tahiri said grumbling as she walked out from behind the screen wearing a gray body stocking. Along with flexible combat armor, the body stocking has been her preferred clothing since her merging that allowed her to live. Tahiri may look like an ordinary 23-year-old human female, but as her red eyes clearly shows everyone that not everything was, as it seems.

Nine years ago, the Yuuzhan Vong on Yavin 4 captured Tahiri Veila, then a 14-year-old human Jedi apprentice who was raise by the Sand people on Tatooine. The Yuuzhan Vong shaper, Master Kwaad, decided to use their biotech to try to replace her personality with one who believed that she was a Yuuzhan Vong Jedi hunter, Riina Kwaad. What the Shaper hadn't counted on was the love that Tahiri Veila felt for Luke's nephew, Anakin Solo, being strong enough for her to suppress the Riina Kwaad personality. Tahiri Veila was able to defeat Master Shaper Kwaad and escape with Anakin Solo. Then Anakin Solo died during a secret missions a year later and leaving Tahiri Veila alone, or so they had thought.

Just as Shaper Kwaad had assumed that Tahiri Veila was gone, they too had believed that Riina Kwaad was no longer a threat. Two years after Anakin Solo had died; Riina Kwaad attacked Tahiri Veila in a battle over who would control the body and who would become extinct. Again, neither one was able to extinguish the bright light that each possessed; instead they ended up merging, to make one out of two. Creating this Tahiri, a child of Yuuzhan Vong and daughter of the Sand People, a creature that had characteristic of both worlds, the best and worst of both cultures imbedded in her mind.

Even after the merging, Tahiri's problems did not go away if anything they were compound. Marked for death by many in the GFFA government, by some misguided Jedi, including Jaina Solo, and by many of the Yuuzhan Vong; Tahiri has spent four years fighting to stay alive and growing more powerful in the Force. Her only allies were the super secret commando/intelligent squadron, Wraiths. Along with the Wraith, she was able to root out and stop disloyal forces within the GFFA, Jedi Knights and Yuuzhan Vong that tried to upset the peace of the galaxy. As well as expose a plan by Sekot, a rogue intelligent, self aware planet to use Tahiri to control this galaxy and turning everyone in to mindless drones.

The price she had paid saving the galaxy was very high, much higher then Luke would have guessed when he first allowed her to join the Wraiths. Tahiri had spent the last year in and out of bacta tanks, Jedi healing trances, and physical therapy recovering from the assault by Sekot. Her injuries were so sever that many were amazed that she survived let alone ever be able to return to duty. Then there was the personal price she paid, the lost of many friends, including her droid Little Brother and her best friend, Ratnena Bora.

The lost of Ratnena Bora had been a extremely heavy blow to the young Jedi warrior; since it was Ratnena who first accept Tahiri without question. She treated Tahiri as an equal, never letting her duel heritage come between them and her pranks. Her commanding officer and friend, Face, had told Luke that within hours the two young girls were pulling pranks on each other and acting like long lost sisters. In many ways, Ratnena Bora was like Tahiri, strong willed, super intelligent, quick thinking, and diving into one dangerous situation after another without a second thought. And like Tahiri, Ratnena though she could live through anything. However, the odds finally caught up with her while on an undercover mission on her home world of Kidriff 5. Her mission was to locate and eliminate the supplier of a drug called Bliss, during her investigation the drug gang captured and then drugged her. Tahiri and the Wraith had been able to locate her; however, sadly, they were too late.

"By the way, the answer is 'no'," Tahiri said as she laced up her boots.

"Excuse me," Luke asked somewhat confused.

"I still have two years left with the military," Tahiri said getting up and putting on her red flight vest and gun belt. "Even though I'm not sure why you would be asking me this early, I just want to make sure you understand I am not leaving the military and return to the Order."

"I wasn't going to bring that up, Tahiri," Luke said with a chuckle at the look she was giving him. "I just happen to have it on good authority that you still have a month of medical leave. I thought that you might come home for a couple weeks to spend time with your family."

"Oh," Tahiri gave Luke a very cheerful, sarcastic smile and wagging her index finger at him, "spend time with the 'family' on Ossus so they can gang up on me. You are getting very devious Grand Master Skywalker."

"Excuse me, Major Tahiri," a medical droid said floating into the room.

"Ah, saved by the droid," Tahiri said with a smirk, "yes, can I help you?"

"I have you discharge orders and exercise recommendations from Dr. Bru-nut as well your scheduled check up before you return to duty."

"Thank you," Tahiri said taking a pad from her gun belt and downloading the information. "Could you pass my thanks on to Dr. Bru-nut and let her know I will be looking forward to my last check up." As soon as the droid floated back out of the room, Tahiri turned to Luke with a hopeful expression. "You know Uncle Luke, if you really wanted to win me over, you could get me out of these medical exams."

"Tahiri, even if I was trying to get back in the fold," Luke stated as he followed her out of the exam room. "I would not do it by trying to bribe you."

"No uh," Tahiri then mumbled, "guess you're not getting as devious as I thought."

"I have faith that you will return on your own Tahiri, one day."

"Yea, right," Tahiri said as they reached the elevators. "So what are we doing for the next month?"

"Well, I know that Ben would like to spend some time with you, get to know his cousin again. The last time you saw him, he was very young." Tahiri nodded sadly, as Luke pushed the button to get them to the lobby. "I am also sure that Jaina would like to spend sometime with you. Try to mend some of the sky bridges between you two."

"Or shoot me again."

"She is not going to shot you again," Luke said with a grin. "We are pretty sure it was Sekot's influence on her that caused her to try to kill you. She loves you like a sister, you know."

"Ha! That is what you said the last time too," Tahiri was wearing a smile so Luke was sure she was just joking, well, almost positively sure. "And where will this family group hug take place?"

"And you know Han and Leia would love to get to know you again as well as Mara and I." Luke skipped over that last question for now. "You have had a busy few years and we really would like to understand everything about your Shaping and its affect on your health and Force."

"True," Tahiri said walking thru the medical doors for the first time in a year out into the sunlight on Borleias. She stopped to raise her face towards the sun and allowed the cool breeze ruffle her short, wavy, blond hair. "Not that I can't tell you everything, you know, a lot of it is top secret, hush-hush kind of things." When Luke nodded his agreement, she flashed another smile and asked, "Where are we going?"

"And I was wondering if you could work with me to see if it is possible for me to learn how to see you in the Force again." One of the side effects of her shaping was her ability to use different shades of the Force, to affect Yuuzhan Vong creatures as easily as other Jedi controlled creatures from this galaxy. It also hid her from the Jedi, as any Yuuzhan Vong person. It was a paradox that Luke would love to solve.

"I hope I can help, Grand Master Skywalker," Tahiri said seriously, as she followed him to a line of air taxies. "I'm just not sure if I can, I am not really sure how I can do it myself."

"Jacen was able to do it to some degree as well as Sekot."

"True," Tahiri said as she climbed into the cab after Luke waved her in, "to a degree, Grand Master Skywalker, only to a certain degree. Jacen Solo abilities were pounded into him after being broken on the Embrace of Pain and spending a year surrounded by Yuuzhan Vong while Sekot is like me, a product of two galaxies. Like me, Sekot was able to 'access', for the lack of better term, It's Yuuzhan Vongsense instinctually. Lucky for all of us, Sekot knew really understood It's potential with the Vongsense. Heck, I don't think about anymore, it just happens; just like the rest of the Jedi can access the Force as you know it."

"Point," Luke said with a smile after telling the droid where to go, "however, we have to be trained to understand the Force, to access it and use it. While I hope I don't have to go through what Jacen or you went through, I am hoping with you guiding me, I will be able to understand enough to 'see' a way to see you."

"So you're hoping familiarly will lead you to understanding?" Tahiri asked while staring out the passenger window.

"Exactly, Tahiri."

"Like I said no problem, Grand Master Skywalker, it will be my pleasure to assist you in your quest."

"Thank you, Major Tahiri."

"You are welcome Grand Master Skywalker," Tahiri responded with an impish grin before adding, "But I am not going to be a Jedi again."

"Maybe," Luke started to say as she turned on him.

"I knew it!" She said letting out another sigh and rubbing her Domain markings.

"Could you at least consider returning after you finish your tour," Luke started as she rolled her eyes.

"I have considered it; after all I haven't been doing much except think for the past year."

"Then I don't understand what the problem could be," Luke asked as they turned down the boulevard towards the Borleias Space Port.

"Gee, I don't know Grand Master Skywalker. Let's look at my record so far. I killed many beings, without the benefit of a trail, in pursuit of my job, which is to protect the galaxy from bad beings. Let us not forget that I am, after all, half Jedi half warrior, a Wraith and, here is the topper, a Planet KILLER! Not exactly the shinny example of a guardian of Justice, now is it"

"Actually it is," Luke ignored the rude noise Tahiri made and plowed on, "you were hunted down by people whom was supposed to be on your side, by your own people and never resorted to using your powers for evil to fight back. You use logic and your powers to bring those responsible, if not to justice, to the light so that others could finish the job. Even when Ratnena Bora was killed, you stayed true to your beliefs and to your training to find those who killed her, again, without going to the dark side. Tell me, Major, what was your first instinct when you found Mr. Yunder with Little Brother?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything?" Luke didn't answer he just waited while she stared out the window. She turned back towards Luke; her red eyes were getting moist. "It doesn't matter now, does it?" Again, Luke just waited patiently for her to finish, knowing that pushing her would only make things worst. With a tired sigh, Tahiri turned her whole body to face Luke and said, "Death by a thousand mouths." When Luke raised his eyebrows in confusion, she went on, "it means a death by thousand mouths. It is a ritual death that fell out of favor except for the most horrendous criminals, sort of like the Sand People's death by the bug."

"Now there is one I do know," Luke said reaching back in his memory. "That is where they immobilize the victim to the ground, usually with stakes and some kind of rope on top of a certain type of insect hive. Then they pour some kind of sweet and sticky substance over the victim and the hive, drawing out the bugs and letting them feast on the victim and the sweet liquid. Between the suns and the insects, the victim is usually dead within hours. Is that what the Yuuzhan Vong does to their victims?"

"Sort of, except the criminal is immobilized with coufee through the wrist and ankles in a spread eagle fashion. This is not only painful but also allows the blood to flow freely and attracting carrion eaters. After they pin the criminal in the bottom of a pit and they then pour a thousand, exactly one thousand, carrion eaters into the pit."

"Why only a thousand?"

"A thousand is just enough for the criminal to feel and know they are being eaten alive but not enough to eat him or her any quicker then two months." Tahiri said with a slight tilt of her head, no doubt wondering what he thought of this kind of punishment.

"It never ceases to amaze me," Luke said with a heavy sigh, "what some intelligent beings feel is justice." Tahiri gave him a small smile, as if he passed some test for her, "Out of curiosity, what kind of criminal gets that kind of 'justice'?"

"Well," Tahiri sat cross-legged facing Luke with a look of concentration on her face. "The last time they planned and actually executed this type punishment was before we left for this galaxy. The records that I have seen before I left Sekot, when I was 17 years-old said the warrior who actually died lasted five months, they kept him feed and with water until then end. He was one of the last 'rebels' groups captured before we unified, in fact you could say he was a Supreme Overlord of that group but the details are not very clear."

"The last time it was planned and executed? So there as been others who were supposed to punish as well?"

"Just one, Grand Master Skywalker," Tahiri said, "and if they ever find out he survive the 'Battle of Yuuzhan'tar' rest assure they have a pit already dug for him."

"Onimi?"

"Nope, everyone's favorite fiend, Nom Anor."

"And you though Darren Yunder should be the second," Luke asked quietly.

"By the Gods, yes I did," Tahiri answered softly. "I just kept thinking about what HE did to Rat and when I saw what was happening to Little Brother, I wanted him to scream so loudly that even the gods would pity him. I wanted …" she closed her eyes and let out a breath. "But he kept denying he had anything to do with Little Brother. And it kept ringing in the Force that he was being truthful! I didn't want to believe, I didn't want any thing stopping me from my revenge! However, he was being honest and …"

"And you had to know why he was there if he was innocent?"

"Exactly," Tahiri said softly. "It was while we were on our way to Dagobah that I started wondering just who would have benefited from me finding him there? Of course, I thought of Sekot. If I fell to the Dark Side or charged blindly to fight It, then Sekot would have me right where It needed me. Or worst It could have convince me to join It. No, don't ask me how but the point is I wouldn't have the 'nukes' to defeat Sekot. Then the Kane a bar had to be so fasing helpful and demanding to see it through to the end. I offer to leave him somewhere, somewhere I knew I could find him again, when he said 'No, I may have exasperated this problem by dealing in Bliss, so I owe it to Ratnena and the rest of the galaxy to follow this out to the end.'" Tahiri covered her face with her hands and her voice got heavy, "I hate him, Uncle Luke, with every fiber of my body, I hate him. He destroyed Rat, he destroyed me but …" she pulled her legs closer to her and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I promised him that I would not kill him that was all. Yet … I am here because many of my fellow warriors believed in me, believed that I would stand tall and do the right thing. They died so that I could live, so I continued to fight the good fight."

"You haven't wasted their sacrifices, Tahiri," Luke added softly while placing his hand on her arm.

"I saw what he did on Kidriff 5 Uncle Luke, but I also saw what he was willing to sacrifice to save the galaxy. How could I turn my back on that and turn him over to Kidriff 5 police?"

"No one would have blamed you, Tahiri. You are not the only one who wanted to bring him to justice."

"Would it have been justice? He would have died in prison …"

"You don't know that …"

"Don't I, Uncle Luke?" When Luke didn't answer quickly enough, she just nodded and continued, "Yea, that is what I thought too. You have granted second chances to many beings that turned the tide of battles for years, beings that have done less for you and commit worst crimes. Could I do less?"

"Like I said earlier Tahiri, no one would have questioned you if you decided to send him off to jail. No one would have thought twice if you kept his parts secret."

Tahiri just shook her head, "I would have, Grand Master Skywalker."

Luke allowed the silence between them build as he tried to put his own thoughts and feeling in order. Could I have done what Tahiri did? That was the question of the hour. After all, 20/20 hindsight made it easy to say yes or no. However, hindsight lacked the feeling of the moment or the thoughts of the person making the decision, or the affects of recent history has on that person. Even after mediation on this very subject, he had to be honest with himself and answer it as I don't know. But did she uphold the idea of justice, did she up hold the very ideas that she had sworn to defend? Was letting a murder many time over run free, with the government protection and money, truly justice or a pay off for his actions? Was sending a child molester to jail, and Tahiri was correct he would have been killed in jail, really justice or revenge? As a blanket statement the answer was simple, 'pay off' and 'justices'. However, in the individual case, the answer was not nearly as clear.

Luke let out a small grunt, as he became aware of Tahiri watching him; giving her a rueful smile he replied, "I was just thinking on how easy it was when I was younger. The good guys were good guys and could do no wrong while the bad guys were evil and incapable of doing good. Sometime, I really wish for the old days." When she failed to reply, Luke reached under his Jedi robe. "Do you trust me, Tahiri?"

"Outside of the Wraiths, Uncle Luke, you are the only person I do trust."

"Then take this," He said pulling out the lightsaber that she had left behind on Denon. "You left in such a hurry that you forgot to take it with you. I want you to carry your lightsaber, not to show the world that you are a Jedi but as a reminder that I have faith in you and believe that you are a great Jedi, whether or not you are part of the Order."

"Thank you, Grand Master Skywalker," Tahiri said quietly as she placed the weapon in her special holster. She then gave him an impish grin, "and if I ever screw up, I suppose you will want it back."

"Of course," Luke said giving her a smile back. "I'll come collect myself, how is that for a deal."

"Good, it will save me money on shipping cost." Tahiri laughed and wiped away some of the tears she shed. "So one last question, if I may Grand Master Skywalker."

"Of course Major Tahiri."

"Thank you, oh great one," Tahiri said with an exaggerated bow, while still sitting cross-legged. "Could this unworthy one ask just where are we going for this recuperating vacation?"

"Oh where? Didn't I tell you already?" Luke asked playfully as a smiling Tahiri cupped her chin in her left hand while shaking her head. "I could have sworn I told you." Tahiri just shrugged while hold her pose and smile. "Well, of course everyone still has some duties to perform for the GFFA so we will be helping you recover on Denon."

"Denon," Tahiri repeated sitting up straighter but still wearing a smile. "Denon as in … the huge abomination … err I mean … the huge city planet Denon?"

"Um yes, I do believe so. Will that be a problem …" Luke started to ask as the droid announced they were approaching Borleias spaceport.

"No, no problem," Tahiri said cheerfully as she adjusted her self to face forward. "Why would there be … naw I am fine. Denon uh … no it will be good to see it again."

"Are you sure …"

"It will be fine; it is just … no this will be a positive learning experience for me." Tahiri stated as she stretched her arms out in front of her. "Yep, a positive … Denon." Then as they got ready to exit the cab, she asked in a harsh whisper, "Do you want the lightsaber now or …"

"Let's give it a day, shall we?" Luke answered with a grin.