"Belly button," Kendy said.

"Navel," Grhan said.

"Belly button! It's….funner." Kendy insisted.

"First, 'funner' is not a word. Second, 'belly button' makes no sense. A button for what? It's ridiculous."

Kendy slowly opened her eyes. A soft light from the refresher cast a dim glow over the surfaces in the room. She blinked and reached up to rub her eyes – they burned. She noticed her sleeve. I'm in my flight suit?

She thought about sitting up, but something held her back. A voice…

"I love you, Kendy Idele. From the moment you boarded my ship - I knew I would."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Kendy sat up, her hand clutching her chest. The pain crashed down on her and she couldn't catch her breath. It felt as though she was little again, fearlessly facing the waves of the ocean back home, only to find she's swirling under the water and reaching for the sunlight above. But now she wasn't able to find the surface – there was no light. Her arms, her legs – her entire body – it was so heavy! The weight on her chest was pressing her down as she sank into the darkness.

She couldn't make sense of it – and then… suddenly she could. She reached out to her right and found nothing there. Slowly she turned to see the empty space beside her.


Marida flew off of the couch the second she heard the sound she had been dreading. She was beside Kendy in an instant, wrapping her arms around the poor girl as the grief consumed her. Marida understood this sound and where it was coming from – she knew Kendy was falling and the only thing Marida could do was fall with her so she wouldn't be alone. Kendy cried for Grhan, calling his name and pleading to the Force and the Stars - whatever took him - to give him back.

Marida would never allow Kendy to grieve alone, even though she knew all too well there was nothing anyone could do to make it okay. The very thing Kendy needed was the one thing she would never have again.

Marida had watched the young couple in the days after they met. They were both beautiful by any objective measure, but there was nothing superficial about the way they felt. They were funny and spirited and silly. They teased one another relentlessly, but they never argued.

Kendy had been in the sunlight with Grhan - like Marida was once. But Marida had years of memories and happiness to cling to. Would Kendy have enough to pull her back from the darkness in the coming weeks, months – years? With all of the miraculous wonders that could be done for the gravest of injuries and illnesses, there was nothing in the Galaxy that could mend Kendy's broken heart. In a tragic twist of irony, if there was ever to have been a cure, it would have been found in the very hands that were so cruelly taken from her.

For Kendy, to be conscious meant experiencing indescribable anguish. She literally was broken; as Marida had been when she lost the only man she would ever love that deeply many years ago.

The door to the room slid open and Corran slipped in quietly. Marida nodded as he knelt by the bed. He gently wiped Kendy's arm with a solution and injected her with a sedative. Her wails devolved into quiet, almost child-like whimpers as she said Grhan's name over and over. Corran helped ease Kendy back and stepped away to allow Marida to coax Kendy into sleep. Orin watched from the doorway as Marida stroked Kendy's hair until she was quiet and still. Marida stood, wiping away the remnants of her own tears, then slowly stepped away.

The door slid closed behind Marida and she offered Orin a weary smile. "What can we do?" Orin asked.

Marida shook her head and put her hand on Orin's chest. "Was there anything anyone could have done for us in those days?"

Orin dipped his head and cleared his throat. "No… not in those days," he said, shaking his head slowly.

Marida looked up at Orin. She patted his chest gently a few times before leaving him to retreat to her quarters. She wanted a few minutes of solace before they made it to Rebel Victory. As her door slid open, she glanced back at Orin who had taken a seat on the floor outside Kendy's room.

For the first time in all of the years she had known Orin, Marida realized how wrong she had been. Behind his quietness, she had always imagined him being a distant soul. She thought he was solemn and removed, at times even cold. But nothing could be further from the truth, and she wondered how she could have gone all of this time and never seen it before. It was in his eyes, in the way he moved, and – yes, the way he gently leaned against her hand on his chest moments before. Marida sat on the edge of her bed and gazed at her palm.

He's not alone because he doesn't love enough, she thought. He's like me. He's alone because he loved so much… maybe too much?

A pang of guilt shot through her after her last thought, but Marida was too exhausted to think on it anymore. She pulled up the blanket from the end of the bed and rested her head on the pillow. Less than a minute later she was asleep.


Rebel Victory

Thane sat at his desk in his private quarters staring at the empty screen. He had to tell Ciena, but how could he do it this way? He needed to hold her and comfort her when she learned the man that saved her life and Dalven's life – the man they loved like a brother and Kendy's husband – had been killed.

Thane held his grief at bay for over an hour after hearing from Jedi Horn. He had no choice. There was another ship out there somewhere that was a menace to the New Republic. The Fleets had to be contacted and an emergency briefing held. Thane had to be strong and instill confidence in those observing him. But the moment his door closed behind him and he was in the privacy of his quarters, he wept for everyone's loss – including his own.

Fortunately he went undisturbed long enough to pull himself together and erase any traces of his anguish with a cool cloth and twenty minutes of shut-eye. When his door chimed he was ready. He moved to his desk and used his control panel to open the door. "Come on in," he said while pulling up the latest intel on a data pad. A young Lieutenant stepped into his quarters and saluted. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" Thane asked.

"Sir, the Jedi shuttle was just cleared for approach and will be in the primary docking bay in five minutes. The Captain wanted you to know," the young man reported.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Inform the Captain I am on my way." Thane stood and surveyed his desk. He took a deep breath and started for the door. The Lieutenant had saluted and preceded Thane into the corridor, but appeared to be hesitant in leaving. "Lieutenant? Is there something you need?"

The young man appeared nervous. "Go ahead, Lieutenant, I don't bite." Thane smiled and the Lieutenant nodded.

"I was… I was hoping I could accompany you to the docking bay to receive the shuttle, sir," the Lieutenant stated.

Thane was a little slow on the uptake. It took him a few seconds to realize the obvious. "Is there a particular reason you want to accompany me to the docking bay to receive the Jedi shuttle, Lieutenant?"

The Lieutenant's cheeks reddened slightly as he broke into a sheepish smile. "Well, sir, I've never-"

"Yes, Lieutenant, you may accompany me," Thane interjected with a chuckle. The Lieutenant must have been expecting a different response as Thane had a few meters on him before he hurried to Thane's side.

"Thank you, Admiral!" the young man stated with obvious excitement. They walked in silence to the lift. The Lieutenant fell back to walk slightly behind Thane as was expected – a ridiculous protocol in Thane's opinion. Thane was unable to see the enormous smile on the Lieutenant's face. But Thane imagined it was there and it made him forget what he was facing. The lift doors closed and Thane turned to look back at the Lieutenant. Just as Thane suspected, he was smiling from ear-to-ear like a kid whose father let him drive the speeder for the first time. Thane almost laughed out loud when the Lieutenant covered his mouth, feigned a cough, and showed no trace of his glee when his hand came down.

Thane turned back around and silence filled the lift for several seconds. Thane couldn't help himself. "First time seeing a Jedi?" he asked, turning back around to see the Lieutenant's authentic reaction.

The poor kid couldn't keep up the ruse. He nodded and his entire face lit up. "Yes, sir, it is!" he answered with enthusiasm. "I thought I might one day see a Jedi from a distance. I never thought I would actually get to meet a Jedi!"

Thane cocked an eyebrow and the Lieutenant began to stammer. "No, I mean – er, I didn't mean to say meet a Jedi, sir. I wouldn't presume to actually talk to a Jedi or-"

"Lieutenant," Thane interjected. The spluttering stopped, and Thane quickly added, "If you would like to meet a Jedi, we'll make sure you meet a Jedi."

The Lieutenant's eyes widened and he appeared to be at a loss for words. If he truly was, it didn't last. "Wow! Sir – that would be amazing. Thank you, sir!"

The lift doors were opening and Thane stepped out into the corridor leading to the main docking bay. The Lieutenant was still talking when Thane realized the obvious. He paused just before reaching the entry to the docking bay and the Lieutenant nearly rear-ended him. Thane put his hand on the young man's shoulder to steady him. "I promise I will introduce you, Lieutenant. I should have considered the circumstances. They – we – have just experienced a tragic loss. Jedi Solo was killed not two hours ago in space combat. His wife, a dear friend, is on board, and Master Skywalker and Jedi Horn are likely to be uncharacteristically reserved."

"Oh, yes, sir. I can't imagine… That's… well, that's terrible and I… I am very sorry for their loss…and your loss, too, Admiral."

Thane was completely unprepared. Something came over him and he found himself battling a painful lump in his throat. He felt the moisture welling up in his lower lids, and barely turned away in time wipe the evidence of his sorrow away. Surely he was affected by being mere moments from joining his grieving friends. But it was more than this. It was the realization that this was the first time since childhood he was receiving condolences from a person who was unscarred from the horrors of war. Every word the Lieutenant said, and the intensity of his concern, were completely sincere.

Thane's one hand was still on the Lieutenant's shoulder - even after he was facing away and watching the shuttle's ramp lower through the window on the door.

"Sir?" the Lieutenant said, the hesitation evident in his voice. Thane swallowed hard and dropped his head. He took a deep breath to gather himself, and then squeezed the young man's shoulder - much like Geth would have done to reassure Thane.

Thane cleared his throat and reached toward the control panel – pausing before pressing the button. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said quietly. The door opened and Thane entered the docking bay just as Luke stepped out of the shuttle and began descending the ramp. He carried a sleeping Kendy, who should have been smiling and waving with Grhan's arm around her shoulder as it always was, in his arms.