Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviews or even simply reads this story!!! And since I'm having to take Spanish for my next undergrad degree, I thought I would tell Katie, who is my Spanish tutor and is my beta reader, something in Spanish - ¡Usted está muy loco pero un amigo bueno! ¡Largo vive la Ciencia Política mayor!! So everyone enjoy this chapter and please leave feedback!
Chapter 11: The Long GoodbyeShortly after the graduation at the Jedi Academy, Luke and Caylee returned home. Of course Artoo and Artie were with them, but so did Jacen and Anakin.
Luke had decided to take a different approach in the way that the training of the Jedi Knights would take place. They were going to try to some of the things that the Jedi Order had done in the past, such as training in Master/Padawan format. But only to a certain extent. There was no way that Luke was going to try and forbid love among other things. He already knew about how great love could be between two people. And he had the most precious thing to come about from it -- his children. But for the time being, only Caylee was there with him. And he knew that he would find Cray someday…
While Luke took on Jacen and Anakin, Jaina wasn't quite sure who she wanted her Master to be. So she decided to tag along with her mother for a while. Leia had just retired as Chief of State. So she would be able to spend more time with her daughter and patch things up between them. Luke had no objections to that at all.
"So where are Anakin and I going to sleep while we're here?" Jacen asked.
"I had another room added onto the house. So you two will share a room."
The brothers agreed to that. But they also figured that they wouldn't be here that often.
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"Caylee! Caylee!" two female voices yelled.
Waiting out in front of the house, Caitlin and Tara were waiting for Caylee. Caitlin and Tara hadn't seen her since the day she was kidnapped, but Luke had informed their parents that Caylee had been found and was safe. But that had been months earlier.
A lot had happened in that amount of time. Caylee had almost died, had her fifth birthday and was growing stronger in the Force. Luke couldn't be more proud of her.
"Tara! Caitlin!" Caylee screamed breaking out into a run. The group of kids all met and formed a big group hug. Luke, Anakin and Jacen all headed inside. Outside they could hear children's laughter. And that was a good sign of things.
"Uncle Luke, have you noticed that there is a strong Force presence from that little girl that Caylee plays with?" Jacen asked once they were settled in.
"Yeah."
"Do you think she is strong enough to be trained?" Anakin asked.
"I'm not sure. But ever since Caylee has met her, I have felt her power grow." Luke said.
"Then you go talk to her parents and we'll help Kandra around here." Jacen said practically pushing his uncle out the front door.
"Daddy where are you going?" Caylee asked, as she and Caitlin ran up to him. Tara had just left to go home for the night.
"I am going over to Caitlin's house to talk to her parents. And I need you both to come with me."
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Joel and Nakota Hendrix were a bit hesitant about learning that their daughter had Force abilities. But Caitlin was thrilled about it.
"Mommy! Daddy! I want to go! I want to do things like Caylee can do! Please. Please!!!!" Caitlin said begging her parents.
"But Caitlin it's so far away. And I'm sure its expensive too," Nakota said to her daughter.
"There is no cost for families to send their children there. The Academy was set up with the help of the New Republic and that is who fronts the bill."
"Yavin is just so far away." Joel said, echoing his wife's concerns.
"I understand that. But also you are free to visit whenever you want and if Caitlin wants to come home at anytime, its no trouble to bring her back here." Luke said, trying to ease the Hendrixs' concerns.
Joel and Nakota still weren't convinced. Then Luke thought of something else.
"We'll be heading back there in a few days. We just came home to get a few things, before Caylee moves back there and starts her training more. Kandra is going to stay here and attend the university in Theed, so we're keeping our house here. Your entire family is more then welcomed to come and visit the Academy."
The Hendrixs agreed.
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Caylee ran as fast as she could. Ran past trees and rocks, and then tripped. There was a scream a few meters away from her that was so horrific that she had to cover her ears. She tried to get back up, but fell down again. Her leg was throbbing in pain and she knew it was broken.
The trees all around her began to shake as one of the ugly white monsters emerged from the forest as was fastly approaching her. She couldn't do anything.
She curled up into a little ball and waited for whatever was going to happen to her. Just as the monster was about to grab her, he was cut into two. Caylee looked up at who had saved her.
Standing on the other side of the monster, was a tall man. He had medium length dark blonde hair and soft blue eyes. And in his hands was a blue light sword like her daddy's. The man knelt down and picked her up, without saying a word, and carried her to safety…
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Caylee sat straight up in bed. She had had this dream before, but everytime she died in it. But this time she didn't. She quietly got out of bed and slipped on her house shoes.
In the corner, Artie beeped softly. "I'll be right back Artie. I'm going to see daddy. I had a bad dream."
Artie shut himself back down as Caylee left her room. She tiptoed past kandra's room then past Anakin and Jacen's room. She finally got to her dad's room. Before she could even open the door, Luke had opened it.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Luke asked picking her up and carrying her into his room.
"I had a bad dream again daddy. But this time someone saved me and I didn't die."
Luke sat down on his bed, with Caylee on his lap. "Who saved you?"
"I dunno daddy."
Luke pulled her close and softly kissed her forehead. "It's on a dream sweetheart."
"I know daddy. But I'm still kinda scared."
Luke didn't say anything.
"Daddy what if someone takes me again?"
"That will never happen again. Because I'm going to make sure that you always have a Jedi Knight with you, until you are old enough to take care of yourself."
"But I don't want anyone but you daddy."
"I know sweetheart. But there are times when I won't be able to be with you. Like when you are training at the Academy and I have to do something for the New Republic."
Caylee looked down at the floor, sadly. Luke tipped her head back up so he could look at her. "Hey don't worry. If Caitlin's parents let her go to the Academy, then she will be in the room right next to you. So you'll already have a friend there."
"What about Tara?"
"She can come and visit anytime."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Now back to bed you go." Luke said standing her up.
"Daddy will you come and tuck me in please?"
"Sure," Luke said picking her back up and carrying her out of the room.
In one of the corners of Luke's bedroom, the air began to glisten as the images of four departed Jedi Spirits came into view.
"Master are you sure that it is safe to send the child visions of her future?" Mace Windu asked Yoda.
"Safe it is." Yoda said.
"But Master do you think we should reconsider sending her mother instead of him?" Obi-Wan Kenobi asked.
"I agree with Obi-Wan. A mother's love is stronger then anything." Qui-Gon Jinn added.
"Save him once before. Helped him return to the light she did…"
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"Come on Caitlin!!" Caylee said pulling her friend off of the Jade's Shadow. They had just arrived on Yavin 4. The Hendrixs had come along to check out the Academy to see if they felt comfortable about sending their daughter there.
While Caylee showed Caitlin all around the Academy, Luke showed her parents around.
"Uncle Kam!!! Uncle Kam!!!" Caylee yelled as she ran up to Kam Solusar. He quickly picked up his honor daughter and hugged her tightly.
"Where's your father?"
"With Caitlin's parents," Caylee said pointing to Caitlin. "She's maybe going to go here too! She's one of my bestest friends."
"Best friends." Kam said correcting her. Then Kam turned his attention to Caitlin. "Do you like it here so far Caitlin?"
The brown haired little girl smiled widely and shook her head yes. Caylee scrabbled out of Kam's arms and the two girls took off running again. Kam just stood by and laughed. He wondered if her father was this way when he was younger. That thought just made him laugh harder.
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"Now Caitlin, if you get homesick you can call home anytime. If you want to come home, you can at anytime. Don't be scared." Nakota said, kneeling down to be at her daughter's level.
The Hendrixs had decided that Caitlin would be best off learning about her powers from a Master, rather then learning from someone who had other intentions for her, such as the Sith.
"I won't mommy! I love you!" Caitlin said as she hugged her mommy goodbye. Then she moved on to hug her father and brother goodbye too.
Luke and Caylee stood bye and watched the family say goodbye. Kam and Tionne had agreed to fly the Hendrixs back to Naboo and bring back some more of Caitlin's things.
They all waved goodbye as the Jade's Shadow took off and flew away.
"Now come on Caitlin. You've gotta get settled in your room." Luke said.
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The next few weeks were a time of trials for Caitlin. Mainly just adjusting to being away from her parents at such a young age. But she was catching on fast in everything that she was taught. Luke had asked Anakin and Jacen to work with her often to help develop her powers more, while he turned his attention to Caylee. Now with her on the other hand, she was already ready to begin to start practicing with a training lightsaber.
Luke had decided to take lightsaber training easy with her. She was only five. He also wanted to focus on her Jedi reflexes. She was very agile and quick. Even more so then him. And in no time, she had managed to learn how to do a forward flip as well as a backwards one.
"Ouch!" Caylee said as the training probe shot a beam out and hit her hand. She shook it to try to get rid of the pain.
"Concentrate Caylee. Let the Force flow through you and use it to see where the beam is going before it does."
She nodded and took her stance again. She did just as her daddy said and managed to block a beam.
"I did it daddy! I did it!" Caylee said smiling happily.
"Good job! Keep it up!"
Luke smiled as he kept on watching over Caylee and her practicing. He knew that someday, she would be a force to be reckoned with. She was truly a Skywalker through and through.
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"I think that was more of a bashing session rather then an informative session," Jacen said.
"I agree." Luke said as he, Jacen and Anakin all sat in the galley of the Falcon on their way to Dubrillion. Han and Chewie were in the front, making sure that everything was all right with the ship. Jacen and Luke had just gone before the Head Council of the New Republic in hopes of re-establishing the Jedi Council. But Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya had other things in mind.
"Do you really think that there are Jedis doing all those things that the council said?" Anakin asked.
"I have a feeling that there is something wrong. And that Lando may shed some light on this. He always seems to know what is going on."
But as Luke said these words to his nephews, the Force was telling him something else. There was something out there, lurking just beyond the horizon. He couldn't quite reach out and touch it, to know what it was…
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Screams pierced the walls of the sleeping Jedi Academy. All the trainees looked out into the hall to see who was screaming. Even before the screams, some of them had felt something happen. But didn't know what.
Tionne and Kam came running down the hall and headed right for Caylee's room. "Everyone back to bed," Kam said as he and Tionne went into Caylee's room. Inside they found Caylee curled up in a little ball on the floor, sobbing.
"What is it Caylee?" Tionne asked, as she sat down on the floor and pulled the little girl close to her.
Caylee didn't say anything, but turned and kept crying into Tionne's nightshirt. "He's dead…he's dead…he's DEAD!!!!!"
She started screaming again.
"Calm down Caylee." Kam said gently. "Who is dead?"
"CHEWIE!!! THEY KILLED HIM!!!" she wailed.
"Who killed him?"
"The white monsters from my dreams!!"
Kam and Tionne just looked at each other.
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Author's Note #2: ok here's the deal…I haven't read NJO, just bits and pieces, but I have read a very detailed outline of it all and I know exactly what all happens. Now I have redone things to make them fit for me, so please no flames. If something is wrong, I'm sorry. Like I said I haven't read the series yet, I have like 3 books left to read before I start reading them. But anyways, please leave feedback!