CHAPTER 9
BEGINNINGS
Amethyst began to heal rapidly over the next few days. Luke returned to his regular duties for a part of each day. One standard week after he had returned to a part time work day schedule, he sat in a staff meeting. He wasn't sure when it happened, but his mind was no longer on the speaker. A soft but persistent pressure had invaded his mind. He had often felt this in the past – with Leia especially. It was the way Jedi communicated over a distance. But it was so weak he could not tell who it was or where they were.
The meeting was interrupted as the door was thrown opened and C3PO launched himself into the room.
"Master Luke ... Master Luke ... I tried to stop her ... I warned her that Dr. Brenner had not told her she could ... I did everything I could ..."
"Somebody shut that tin can up!" Han ordered.
That caused 3PO to hesitate. Then, as he turned back toward Luke to begin another tirade, Luke suddenly realized that the droid was talking about Amethyst. Faster than most of the members of his staff could follow the motion, Luke ran from the room.
C3PO started after him but Han caught hold of the droid's arm and spun it to face him.
"What is going on," Han demanded.
"I tried to tell her to wait ..."
"Tell who, Goldenrod?"
"Mistress Amethyst!" the droid exclaimed as if he could not imagine who else Han would have thought the droid would be talking about.
"Amethyst! Where are you?" Luke demanded as he ran into his suite. He opened the door of the sleeping area and saw immediately that the bed was empty. Using every ounce of control, he willed himself to be calm. At once he could feel her presence from the balcony.
She lay on the balcony floor, half way between the sleeping area and living area doors, huddled against the wall of the building. Luke knelt beside her.
"How did you get here?" he asked and then added, "Never mind. It doesn't matter," as he saw her struggling to communicate with him.
Mindful of her still damaged ribs, he picked her up and carried her back to the chaise lounge he had placed by the balcony railing so she could sit outside and see the palace's beautiful gardens.
It had been years since she had been able to spend time out-of-doors and now Luke thought she would sleep on the balcony if he would allow it. But to his surprise, when he tried to lower her into the lounge, she clung tightly to him burying her face in his shoulder.
"Okay," he assured her as he straightened, "you don't have to stay out here if you don't want to."
He carried her into the living area and set her on his large sofa, ordering a droid to bring some pillows and a blanket for her. After she had been made comfortable, he set beside her, holding both of her hands in his.
He smiled now, relaxed again once he knew she was safe. "I take it you've had a busy morning."
She nodded slightly.
"You know, it's just going to take longer for you to heal if you keep ignoring your doctor's advice," he chided her gently. "If you keep misbehaving, I'm going to spank you."
She smiled and made a motion like a Jedi using a lightsaber.
"No, not through the Force," he assured her. "I think physical contact would be much more fun!" He stood up. "Now ... as long as I'm here, let's see what we can do about lunch."
"I think we're going to have to re-screen some of these recruits," Lando said. "We just can't have some of these characters around sensitive materials."
Han nodded. "I suppose the first thing to do is crack down on the boot training. Maybe some of the lazier ones will leave on their own. Then we'll have to figure out what to do with the others that we need to get out." He turned to where Luke sat at the head of the table. "If you personally interviewed the recruits, could you use your Jedi skills to help screen out potentially dangerous ones?"
Luke continued to concentrate on a spot on the wall.
"Don't you want to try that?" Lando questioned.
There was still no sign of what Luke was thinking.
"Central Fighter Control to Jedi Skywalker ... Yo, buddy!" Han barked.
Luke looked over at his two base commanders, his thoughts returning to the meeting.
"All right," Luke tried to reclaim control of the meeting, "we need to discuss what we're going to do about some of these new recruits that aren't suitable."
Lando and Han looked at each other and both men dramatically sighed as they turned back toward Luke.
"Does this mean that you haven't heard any of the last fifteen minutes' discussion?" Han asked.
Luke looked sheepish. "Sorry, Han ... Lando – not a word."
"Great!" Han groused. "Can you at least tell us what planet you're on?"
"Here – upstairs."
Han's expression softened as he exchanged an amused look with Lando.
"Now why didn't we think of that?" Lando kidded Luke.
"When 3PO broke into the meeting this morning, it was because Amethyst had collapsed ... and something had really upset her. Normally, she can't get enough of being outdoors. When I was up there, she not only didn't want to stay out on the balcony, she insisted that I shut the doors."
"I'm not surprised," Lando told him. "Even though she's safely away from their grasp, it must be frightening to see that many Imperials running around."
"Imperials?" Luke questioned. "What are you talking about?"
"That group of Imperials we captured when they tried to raid our convoy – you told us to put them to work. This morning they were working on the gazebo in the back gardens."
Luke swore softly. "No wonder she was frightened."
"I'm sorry, Luke ..." Lando began but Luke waved him to silence.
"It's not your fault. I should have thought about that."
"I'll pull them off right away," Lando offered.
"No, that's okay. But in the future, just let me know whenever they are going to be within sight of our balcony. Now – what are we going to do about weeding out some of these rotten recruits?"
"Barracks Sergeant!"
Luke's voice rang out over the noises made by the men in the barracks for the new recruits. There was a moment of sudden, complete silence and then the recruits began coming to attention at the foot of their bunks. One man came running up to Luke.
"Good morning, Star Marshall! We were not expecting you, sir."
Luke made an elaborate display of looking at his chronometer.
"I show 0630 hours. Is my instrument in error?"
"No, sir! It is 0630 hours."
"And isn't it base policy for all units to be ready for duty by 0600?"
"Ah ...yes, sir. It's just ... I mean ... we thought ..."
"Sergeant, do you have something to say?'
"Begging your pardon, Star Marshall Skywalker. We had not anticipated an inspection."
Luke fixed the young man with a cold stare. As had many other recruits and junior officers, the man paled under the cold, grey eyes.
"Are you suggesting that your unit is not capable of passing a surprise inspection?"
"Well ... ah ..."
"Would everyone prefer to draw three demerits and no leave for the next 90 days?"
"No, sir! We await the Star Marshall's pleasure."
Han and Lando had been standing behind Luke during this entire exchange. During their planning session the previous day, the three men had agreed that this was exactly what this unit needed to bring a sense of being in the military to the recruits who, for the most part, had been treating their training like a child's summer camp.
Luke and the two generals proceeded to make a thorough inspection of the barracks. Luke's ensign, Hodges, followed the officers and filled out an inspection report. At the end of the inspection, Luke signed the form, ripped it from Hodges' clipboard and handed it to Han.
"This barracks is a scandal, General Solo. And these recruits are the sloppiest, most disgraceful excuse I have ever seen trying to pass themselves off as soldiers. I expect you to place this base on full alert status until such time as these men can maintain their readiness during a lower operating status. Gentlemen, are there any questions?"
"No, sir," Han and Lando replied in unison, saluting.
Without another word, Luke returned the salute, turned sharply and left the barracks, followed by Hodges.
Han and Lando paced slowly down the length of the barracks. When they reached the end, they turned and addressed the recruits.
"Effective immediately all leaves are cancelled until further notice," Lando announced. "There will be inspection every day at 0600 hours. There will be unit drill every day at 0630. There will be lights out at 2200 hours."
"This schedule will go into effect," Han took over, "as soon as you return from wilderness survival training that starts at 0700 hours today." He stopped and looked at his chronometer. "You have exactly two standard minutes to pack your backpacks and report to your drill sergeant. Any recruit late for formation will repeat the training tomorrow. Move it!"
Han and Lando entered Luke's outer office.
"He still here, Hodges?" Han asked.
"Yes, sir. He's in his office." Hodges pointed to the door behind his own desk.
Lando tapped on the door.
"Come!"
Lando opened the door. He and Han went into Luke's office and shut the door.
"You're even starting to sound like a commanding officer," Han commented as he sat down.
"Do you think we can get this bunch of goof-offs shaped up?" Luke asked.
"Some of them, I guess," Han said with a shrug.
"I'd say," Lando answered, "a little over half. I'm really afraid the rest are going to wash out. I don't know why they weren't screened out before they came here."
Luke nodded. "That's been bothering me, too. And their records are very incomplete. Let's start full security clearances on them.
"All of them?" Han questioned. "That'll take weeks."
"Then you'd better get started," Luke answered. "Oh ... and find out who approved this group of recruits."
With a roll of his eyes and a sigh, Han rose from his chair. "Come on, Lando. Looks like we're going to be working as hard as our recruits for the next few days."
Barely suppressing a smile, Lando followed Han from the office.
Luke was exhausted when he returned to the suite very late in the evening.
He had been up before dawn for the surprise inspection and had spent the rest of the day performing the one duty he hated most about his job – dealing with nit-picking situations that subordinates were fighting over. At the end of every day that had been filled with settling who was going to get what desk, who had the bigger window in his office, who had taken more days off, Luke began to question if he wouldn't be better back on Yavin 4 at the Jedi Academy full time.
He had looked in on Amethyst when he first entered the suite. He had been hoping to spend some time with her after seeing her for only a few moments over the past two days. But she had been sound asleep and he had not wanted to awaken her. Instead he had eaten a quick, cold supper and gone to bed himself.
Luke sat up quickly in the darkness. He extended his arm. His lightsaber flew from the other side of the room, igniting as it came. It took him a moment to remember he was sleeping in the guest area.
He listened for a sound that would explain his sudden fear. Abruptly he realized that the fear was not his but instead was reaching him through the Force. Shutting down his lightsaber, he jumped from the bed and headed for the other end of the suite on a dead run.
Amethyst was tossing on the bed as if she were fighting off an attacker. Luke turned on the bedside light as he sat on the bed.
"It's all right ... you're just having a bad dream."
His words brought no reaction so he took hold of her shoulders and picked her up. She began to fight him, beating at his chest, making harsh whimpering sounds.
"Wake up!"
There still was no reaction so he shook her, once, brusquely. Her eyes flew open. She stared at him without recognition for what, to Luke, seemed an eternity. Then she blinked, bringing his face into focus. She jerked her head around, looking at the room as if trying to determine where she was. She looked back at him.
"You're on my base. You're safe. Do you remember?"
The terror in her eyes was replaced with uncertainly. Then her face crumpled and she began to sob hysterically. He gathered her against his chest and held her while she cried.
It was only a few minutes before C3PO ushered Ralph into the room.
"I wish you would just send a droid for me," Ralph grumbled at Luke about the Jedi mind-trick Luke had used to summon the doctor from his sleep.
Luke smiled slightly in answer as Ralph prepared an injection for Amethyst. Luke started to release her so Ralph could examine her. A sound of terror rose from deep in her throat and she clung more tightly to Luke. Ralph waved him to stay where he was.
"Do you have any idea why she suddenly started having nightmares?" Ralph questioned as he gave Amethyst the shot. "She's been doing so well."
Luke nodded. "I hadn't realized it, but some of the Imperial prisoners were on a work detail in the garden yesterday. She saw them and became frightened. She'd seemed all right last night and this morning." He kissed the top of her head. "But I've had to leave her alone most of yesterday and all of today."
"And you think the nightmare was about the Imperials?" Ralph asked.
Luke nodded. "She thought she was back in the prison when I first woke her."
With an obvious effort, Amethyst patted Luke's arm. Both men immediately turned their attention towards her. Even Ralph could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He smiled gently at her.
"You're fine," he assured her. "I gave you a sedative like you were taking when you first arrived here. You just don't remember how fast it takes effect. Just relax ... get some rest ... I'll stop by and see you in the morning."
Ralph rose and motioned for Luke to stay with Amethyst as he left the room. She nestled against Luke's chest and he kissed her forehead.
"Sleep now," he whispered.
Her hand tightened slightly on his arm.
"Yes ... I'll stay here. I promise – I'll slay any dragon that comes to you tonight."
She tilted her head and looked up at him with heavy, sleep laden eyes. Lovingly he kissed her proffered mouth.
"Sleep, darling," he said again as he turned off the light and shifted so he could hold her as she slept.
TBC