The New Academy

by Dizzy

You know, I don't know what to say of this. It's MY own little sequel to the Trilogy, without Mara or anything like that, mostly because I've not read a single book that tell about what follows....If you're Mara's lovers well, take a look, just to say 'I'

7. Great Year 7

7

It was a lonely morning on Yavin4. Luke was at the table with the apprentices. It was a typical morning for the big family, though all in the enormous dining room felt Irene's absence. Even the food had lost its usual taste. The once noisy apprentices were silently eating, every word sipped like the hot bread in the middle of the table.

"When will she come back?" Finally Valene did the question all in the room were thinking about. Luke's spoon trembled for a moment. Irene'd left the Academy four days before on the Moonlight Shadow, her own spaceship, a tiny old Alderaanian mercantile. Luke had asked her if she wanted a companion a co-pilot a nurse, someone. But she'd smiled and shaken her head softly. The hatch of the ship had closed behind her silently.

"I don't know, yesterday we talked. She only said she had found my and Obi-Wan's house and that she liked my old bed room…"

Adam's mind put together Irene Luke and a bedroom and he was now trying to cover his mouth but he couldn't help it and everyone heard him laughing. Luke silenced. Adam slipped under the table. Luke followed the apprentice under the table. Adam saw the blond head approaching and ran. The other apprentices were all watching the hunting under the table.

Adam gained the exit but Luke didn't want to let him go. His first motivations were slowly leaving the place to a truly wish of amusement. When their Master came out of under the table the apprentices saw a delighted smile on his face. Hujan, Liby and Faje started clapping rhythmically their hands, acclaiming Luke.

"Master Luke, Master Luke!"

Valene and Dakana instead were shouting loudly to incite Adam. The young Wookiee looked at Luke running after Adam in the dining room. He wasn't interested and turned to Derek, near him. The Wookiee growled at the boy. For the first time Derek answered him, he had understood his language.

"Well, friend, I'm Corellian, on my planet there aren't many Jedi, two in our whole history. My father didn't believe in the Force before I saved him, avoiding him to fall down from a ladder. He's still trying to find a rational reason for what I've done." Grrakkj smiled and talked again. "Your uncle knows another Corellian like my father?" the Wookiee barked, "Who? General Solo?! It's impossible, how your uncle can…" but Grrakkj barked again. "Your uncle is Chewbecca?! Wow!" They kept on talking for a while when suddenly Luke jumped over them and landed on the table.

"Master?!"

Luke was exhausted but happy. He was panting, smiling like a child. Adam knelt on the floor, panting too, with the same delighted smile on the face. The game was over. Luke descended from the table and called his apprentices with a gesture of the hand. The group formed around him in a second. Master and apprentices moved, heading toward the outside of the Temple, when the intercom beeped.

"Master Luke, the Moonlight Shadow's just landed. Hangar 2/RE." The children shouted and jumped. Luke wanted to run and after the first meters he did it, followed by his joyful apprentices.

The hatch slowly opened, the ramp lowered. In the silence of the hangar a shadow appeared in the doorstep. Luke was still panting. The other young guys were anxious to see Irene. The hooded figure descended silently when without a word she ran down to Luke. The hood fell behind the head. Luke opened his arms to welcome Irene and the woman threw herself in that warm embrace. Luke's arms closed behind her back.

The apprentices surrounded Irene and Luke. The Jedi Master slowly opened his arms again and Irene moved away, kissing every apprentice embracing everyone again and again. Luke followed the scene with a little smile. He was obviously happy because Irene now was a complete Jedi apprentice, probably a Jedi. But the inner part of his happiness was something that he didn't want to admit. He was happy simply because she was there again, near him.

"Master Luke."

Luke drew a step toward Irene. The apprentices had been dismissed and were playing and chattering in the hangar.

"Yes?"

"Is there a place where we can talk?"

Luke nodded and pointed at the entrance of the hangar. Irene followed him silently.

When the noisy group was far from them Luke stopped and turned to Irene. The apprentice breathed slowly then talked.

"I…I wanted to ask you to test my lightsaber."

Luke relaxed, nodding. For a moment he had trembled listening to her voice. Irene shyly picked up her lightsaber and looked at the bright handle for a moment before to give it to Luke.

The Master examined the handle. It was perfect. Irene had lightly carved something on it. Luke read the basics symbols on the silvery surface. It was the Jedi code. Finally the Jedi Master pushed a little lilac button and a light blue blade lightened his face. The color was pure and uniform. He tested it before him. Finally nodding, he quenched the lightsaber and gave it back to Irene.

"It's perfect…I think…" Irene felt her hearth in her throat. And if…"No, it's better for us to wait." Luke's voice was a thoughtful whisper. The Jedi Master looked straight in her eyes for a moment, forcing her to look in his. "Be careful with it, Irene. You can surely hold it at your belt but keep an eye on it. Don't leave it in a place where the younger Padawan can find it."

"Don't worry Master."

The intercom called Luke again.

"A call for Master Luke. You can receive it in the hangar, Master."

Luke did a light shrug and reached a column in a corner of the hangar. The screen blinked for a moment then Han's face appeared in the little square.

"Han? What's the matter?!"

"Hi kid!"

"I told you not to call me kid…"

"I' know, I know…but kid," Han smiled pleasantly while Luke was shaking his head "I'm here to invite the Jedi of the New Order to the inauguration of Chewo Coruscant."

"It's complete?! It's fantastic! When is the inauguration?"

"It's in…wait I've the invitation somewhere…" Han's head disappeared for a long moment, and then popped up again. His eyes were reading something that Luke couldn't see. "It's in…25 standard hours…"

"25?"

"You know Leia is electric and she's set all a month ago. The party…the transports…everything…"

"But she can't travel in hyperspace!"

"It's what I told her but she repeated that the doctor gave her the permission and he'll come with us on the Falcon so…you see, I've accepted."

"She's a leader…"

"Sometimes I think I married the Emperor!"

They both laughed. Luke then sighed.

"Well, Han, tell me the place for the rendezvous and we'll see in less then 25 standard hours…my ship will precede yours."

"What are you trying to say? Your younger brother is better than my older Falcon?! We'll see!"

They laughed again then Han dialed the co-ordinates of Chewo Coruscant.

"It's in the Core of the Core…" commented Luke, reading on the screen.

"Leia wants it in the same place of the old one…"

"Then friend…see you."

"Bye!"

The screen blinked and turned black.

The corridor was noisy like a stable. The apprentices were preparing their stuff. The Star Horse was waiting in the hangar. Luke and Irene had divided the apprentices in two groups and were everywhere. The younger were, as always, the worst problem. Luke had opened and closed wardrobes for three hours trying to dress up the children who found really funny run around in and out of the rooms.

"Stop!" Luke's voice thundered in the corridor and everyone silenced.

Finally every apprentice had a sack and now was waiting, in an ordered silent row, for Luke to move.

The hatch closed and Luke was on his way to the cockpit, where Irene was waiting for him, when someone knocked on the door. Luke felt a known presence and jumped back to open the hatch again.

"Have you got other two seats?" Lukas's voice made Luke smile.

"Yeah sure, jump in!" Rjssdek threw inside two sacks and gracefully jumped in after them. Lukas needed a little help from Luke but he did it and the hatch closed, not to open again.

"I'm glad to see you Lukas." Then he turned toward Rjssdek and smiled, "Master Rjssdek." Said formally.

"Master Luke." The tall man answered in the same serious voice then they laughed and embraced each other.

Luke's comlink beeped. It was Irene.

"I'm coming, Lukas and Master Rjssdek are here!"

"I know, I know, but we can't waste time, you can talk in the hyperspace."

"Is she the boss now Master?" asked smiling Lukas.

Luke answered with a light shrug and ran away.

The white wall of light lines before him was a quite usual vision but Luke was keeping on looking at it, voluntarily avoiding any contact with his co-pilot. Irene had given up understanding her Master the first time he had closed his mind to her. But she still felt that it was all her fault. She wanted to cry.

The coldness in the cockpit was something more than psychological and Lukas realized immediately that something was wrong. Rjssdek had asked him to go and see and he had gone and seen. Luke was a piece of ice in the Force, a strong cold presence. Irene's desperation had done a big bleeding hole in his heart and he couldn't help her. Stopping on the entrance the young man called Irene with a gesture. The woman turned immediately, glad to see him. Lukas did a light movement with the head and Irene got up, following him out of the cockpit. Luke didn't turn, even if Lukas's presence had touched him.

"What's going on, Irene?!" Asked the man in an accusing voice. Lukas was whispering, as if Luke or the others, wanting to do it, wouldn't have been able to listen to them. Irene sighed.

"It's impossible that you don't know…" Lukas's unbelief was now plain and uncontrollable.

"But it's the truth!" Immediately her eyes fell on the floor. Lukas felt guilty for what he had thought and patted on her shoulder, trying to apologize.

"Irene, I…I didn't mean that it was your fault."

"Probably it is…"Whispered the woman, looking absently at the metallic panel behind Lukas's shoulders. The man startled but Irene spoke again before he could build a comprehensible question. "He didn't want it to happen, but probably there's something wrong with our friendship." The tears that she had kept back until then now were watering her cheeks and Lukas's hand that was caressing them.

Desperate laments soon filled the corridor.

In the cockpit someone else was crying, desperately, lying on the instruments. Luke's face was a mask of sorrow; his beautiful eyes were two fissures and the tears rolled down on the control panels, leaving the salty taste of the pain. Pain that was tearing him apart.

Crying like a child, a frightened child alone in the dark, the marvelous extraordinary Jedi knelt down.

Doubts. It was all about doubts.

What came first?

Himself? No, of course.

Irene? No, again.

The Academy? Yes…probably.

The Galaxy? You've got a point, Luke!

It was like walking on a rope between two planets: balance was fundamental. He had been walking to the bigger planet that needed him, leaving his own little amount of rocks. Was it the right thing to do? A good Jedi whatever it cost?

Irene's doubts came from the same point. Feeling something for each other, and his mind was avoiding classifying that 'something', was somehow dangerous?

Slowly he sank on the floor as if something had hit him.

Ben…Yoda…father…He needed a hand, a warm touch to heal his broken heart.

Son…Luke expected Ben to answer to his pray but, surprisingly, his father's presence covered his shoulders with a fatherly tenderness. Why are you crying?

Father…what do I have to do?

Wait, my dear son. Everyone needs you, needs the Academy. Give yourself the time to rebuild it all.

Yes but, Irene…needs me too.

And you need her. Ask her to help you.

Help me?

Talk with her. Don't make her feel guilty, and don't scold yourself.

The presence left the cockpit as light as a whisper.

Luke was still lying on the ground, lost in his thoughts so deeply that he didn't notice Irene until her hand touched his back. The body was shaken one last time before the man looked up at her and saw her eyes reddened by the tears. The sight of his gloomy red eyes made the woman smile tenderly. Luke didn't reply to that smile so Irene used the soft handkerchief Lukas had given her to dry the tears from his face.

The man was docile in her hands and let her clean his face without moving; every wall he had built up between him and his heart had fallen, in those conditions he wasn't neither able to imagine a movement to take him away from that warm hug and he could only stand motionless while Irene was pulling him up from the floor and leaving gently him on his seat.

He felt he needed that contact only when Irene moved away silently.

His hand stretched out immediately and blindly grabbed hers. The woman stopped, surprised by that reaction, and turned to look at him. Luke looked up at her and the disbelief disappeared, wiped away by a delicate happiness. Her fingers gradually closed around his, unsure like those of a teenager fallen in love for the first time. Luke tightened the hold and Irene came closer to him sitting on his left side. Their hands were still holding each other. For a long moment, out of reality above any perception, they talked without words, reading in each other's eyes.

The slight touch of their lips came as a natural consequence, without hidden motives. The circle closed, the road ended, on the curve of their two profiles lightened by the running stars. Irene slowly slipped on his legs and bent the head down on his chest. Luke's gloved hand gave him the warmth of her back while he was caressing her.

Irene hid their hands under her chin and the man kissed her forehead placing then the head on her shoulder.

Luke's voice breezed above the seat without breaking the unreal silence of the cockpit, suspended beyond reality with them. "Will you help me?"

She answered in a way that only Luke could understand and his lips cropped in a smile when he felt his hand grabbed tightly with a sigh of happiness.

A shadow moved in the corridor. Luke's eyes opened, his eyebrows frowned. Irene's perceptions were foggy and she only felt a friendly phantom not far from her; she was sure it was a friendly person that had gone away because Luke had immediately relaxed, without trying to rise.