AN: It has taken me a long time to finish this, but here is the long awaited ending to "Beyond this Night"
"Ari…Arianna, sweetie, wake up."
The eight year old stirred in her sleep, waking up though she was still tired. However, she was fully awake by hearing the fear that was evident in her mother's voice.
Opening her blue eyes, Ari's met with her mother's own blue eyes, that glistened with tears in the dim light.
"Mom? What is going on?" she asked, hugging her stuffed animal, pittin, closer. It was a small feline that was considered a typical pet on some planets. It was covered in grey fur, the paws white. Since receiving this stuffed animal at age four, she had slept with it ever night.
Ari studied her mother a bit more and hugged the pittin closer at what she saw. She had never seen her mother look so scared or so sad, excluding three months ago when Katri's mother had passed away.
"It is alright," Katri answered, glancing over her shoulder anxiously, before turning back to Ari. "Where is your bag?"
"What bag?" Ari asked, rubbing the remaining sleep out of her eyes.
"The bag I helped you pack. The secret bag."
Instantly Ari knew something was wrong, because of how carefully the bag had been packed and hidden in her toy chest. She motioned to the chest, and Katri pulled the bag out from its hiding place.
Confused and frightened by all this, the young girl slowly got out of bed. When her bare feet touched the cool floor, she shivered even though her ankle length nightgown was warm.
"Ari, listen to me carefully," her mother's voice conveyed the importance of what was being said, even though it was slightly louder than a whisper. "Change into these and be extremely quiet," Katri told her handing Ari a bundle of black clothing.
Ari nodded, lower lip trembling in fear and confusion. However, she remained quiet.
Katri kissed Ari's forehead, then paused, as if listening to something, but Ari didn't hear anything out of the ordinary.
"I'll be right back," Katri assured her daughter, then rushed from the room.
Still confused, and now alone, Ari started to slowly change. The bundle consisted of a black tunic, black pants, black cloak and soft soled black boots.
Finally, Ari turned to the pittin. "I'm scared, Star," she admitted, as if the cloth and stuffing could come alive to comfort the young girl, who pulled the pittin close, scared.
While Ari was getting ready and Derin was getting Jett, their three year old, ready, Katri was going through the house to make sure nothing vital was forgotten. She was also waiting for Sabe, Sabe's husband, Tyrele, and their son, Malik, who was a year and a half older than Ari. The two had often played together when their mothers got together.
Katri felt nervous waiting, every little sound made her jump, from the creak of the house settling on its foundation, to the sound of the wind whispering through the trees. She tried to calm herself, but it was impossible. She and Derin had discussed this amongst themselves as well as Sabe and Tyrele. They could see that horrible things happened, and were allowed to happen. The fact that the Jedi were destroyed and disorder plagued the galaxy could not be denied. So instead of accepting what the Force gave them, the four had decided to fight. The resistance was small at first, just a few that remembered how the galaxy worked before the Empire came to power. The missions were small at first, destroying a few ships or cargo, on Naboo and by a few on Coruscant. As news of these attacks were reported, they were just part of the lists of planets were small groups had arisen, fighting the Empire the best they could. Some died, and some were captured. While there were a few that did betray some of their fellow colleagues, more were willing to die than give such information.
While Katri knew it was dangerous, especially because Ari needed her family when she was born, the former handmaiden knew she had to do this. How could she give Ari the life she deserved if the Empire was allowed rule?
"Are you ready?" Derin asked as he came down the stairs, holding a still tired, yet alert Jett, who was looking around with his eyes wide. He could not understand why his parents were up now. It was the middle of the night. Derin was also carrying two cloth packs over his shoulders, one was his, and the other was Jett's.
Katri nodded and motioned to the two bags she had packed. Since they had foreseen this, many of the things that were important were already where they had to be, onboard a small ship that Derin and Tyrele had bought years ago. They claimed it was just a hobby to repair ships, when in fact, they were getting it ready in case they ever had to escape. Tonight, that moment had come.
"Two? Katri, I thought you had already put items of sentimental value on board," Derin spoke as he set Jett down, as well as their bags.
"Well, one has my clothing and blaster, the other has food."
"We have rations and water on board already."
"And we will have seven people to care for."
Derin sighed, but did not say anything else. They could not fight about this. It was too small a thing to argue about when their lives were about to be changed forever. They were leaving the one place they knew home, Naboo, to enter a new world and begin their lives once again.
At that moment, there was a frantic pounding on the door. Then there were three quick knocks and two knocks that had a longer pause. It was a signal that the Katri and Sabe had made up, so that they would know if it was one of them at the door instead of any Imperials.
While Derin, being ever careful, pulled Jett closer, pulling out his blaster, Katri opened the door, her blaster also ready in case it was needed.
Their caution, while smart, was unnecessary.
Sabe stumbled into the house, barely being caught by Katri before she could hit the ground. Her face was tear stained with bruises already forming on her arms and her face. The worst thing, however, was the wound in her stomach. It appeared that she had been stabbed, at least twice by a vibroblade, blood soaking through her tunic.
"Sabe!" Katri exclaimed as she helped her friend to the sofa. The other woman was gasping for air, one hand going over the wound, the other around Katri for support. She collapsed on the sofa, Katri half holding her.
"What happened?" Derin asked, going over to them. He made Sabe move her hand, and immediately his frown deepened. He looked up at Sabe, and saw that she also knew the truth. The wound was fatal. The only way to save her would be to get her into a bacta tank immediately and it was not possible.
"They attacked. We heard them racing down the street." She took a deep breath, and then coughed, blood appearing at the corner of her mouth as tears fell. "Tyrele…Malik. They tried to fight…" Over the pained features came one of sadness. "I had to jump from the window. Tyrele, he was downstairs. I saw him try to save Malik. He ran to me, but before I could…" she was gasping and Katri whispered soothingly to her, like she did when her own children when they had nightmares or were hurt. "They shot him, numerous times…my son," she whispered, tears continuing to trail down her cheeks.
Katri was trying to stay strong from Sabe. From the look in her husband's eyes, she knew that her best friend was about to join her son and husband.
"Aunt Sabe?" came a voice from the stairs as Ari descended, dressed only in black. She seemed to fade into the darkness aside from her golden hair. Her bag was over her shoulder and she was clutching Star tightly.
The young girl rushed to them but her father blocked her from seeing how bad Sabe was. "Go check on your brother." Jett was still looking at them, eyes wide, only a few yards away.
"But Dad…" Ari started to protest. However, she saw how upset her mother and aunt were. She also saw something new in her father's eyes. It was fear. That was enough to convince her to stop arguing and she did as she was told, going to Jett. She offered Star to him, pretending to make the animal talk. It helped calm him down, while she strained her ears, hearing her parents and Sabe whispering.
"Don't cry, Katri. We knew it might happen," Sabe whispered, holding onto Katri.
"It is not fair," she whispered. She had lost her parents in the past few years. Her sister had died when Katri herself was a child. Now she was losing the person that was like a sister to her.
"Life never is…" Sabe whispered. Then she glanced over at Ari and Jett and a look of fear came over her features. "They will be here soon. You should go."
"Sabe…" Katri couldn't continue for a moment and wiped her eyes. "I can't leave you," she insisted. "We will get out of here, then get you to a hospital, I am sure there is somewhere…" she trailed off as Sabe shook her head.
"I will not be able to leave Naboo with you. But soon I will be with Tyrele and Malik. So don't cry…" Sabe told her and Katri knew it was true. There was no way to save Sabe now, but that did not mean she could not be upset. "And your children. You know they are Force sensitive. I fear what would happen to them if they were found." Katri's had trained for a few years and could sense this in her children. They had never been told though, because it was dangerous to have any sensitivity to the Force. Katri and Derin both agreed not to tell them about their abilities.
"How can I leave you though?" Katri asked.
"I'll always be with you," she managed a smile. "Take my pouch…" she instructed. It was hanging from her belt and Katri took it, being careful not to inflict any more pain on the wound.
"It has some holos along with a few other things. My most treasured things. They are not worth a lot of credits, but I would never sell them. Keep them and never forget." Sabe's breathing was more labored and Katri helped her lay down, still holding her friend's hand.
"She is right," Derin spoke quietly. "You know where the ship is. Take the children and go."
"But…Derin you can't stay," Katri insisted, worried. He was not one to back down from a fight.
"I am going to help Sabe stay comfortable," he whispered and they both knew what they meant. Derin, as a medic, could help her be comfortable and help cut back on the pain until Sabe passed on. "Now go." He would come right after them. Either way he wanted his family to get out first.
Katri, clutching the pouch in one hand, Sabe's hand in her other, kissed her friend's cheek in a sisterly way, and then slowly pulled away. "I will miss you."
"Be strong," Sabe whispered. "Remember, the ones we love may leave us, but they are never forgotten." She had told Katri the same thing when Katri's mother had died
Katri nodded and finally let go of Sabe's hand, going to where Jett was. He had given Star back to Ari and was playing the laces on his boots. Ari was holding her stuffed pittin, watching the adults with blue eyes that seemed much older than her eight years. It was slightly unnerving. "Ari, Jett, it is time to go," she spoke, grabbing her bags and Jett's, putting the straps over her shoulder before picking up Jett.
"What about Dad and Aunt Sabe?" Ari asked as she got to her feet as well, holding Star close.
"Your dad will join us later," Katri replied after a moment. "Ari, we need to get going." Was she imagining it or did she hear the uniform clapping of boots on the stone cobbled road?
"But…" Ari paused then shook her head. "I want to stay with Dad and Aunt Sabe," she replied.
"Ari, you have to come with me and Jett," Katri insisted.
"No," Ari insisted. She was usually an obedient child, trying to be helpful. This time was different though. While was did not know for sure what was going on, she saw her beloved aunt hurt and did not want to leave her.
"Arianna," her mother gave her a look and Ari looked away. She knew that with that look, she might cave. She looked over at her father, as if for support.
"I will take her. You will have your hands full with Jett and the other bags," Derin spoke. He had taken a moment to think it over, but as he did he was getting some medicine to help Sabe with the pain. He also took the blanket that was spread over the back of the couch, laying it over her.
Katri looked very worried about it, but nodded, shifting Jett on her hip. The young boy waved to them before laying his head on his mother's shoulder, tired.
Ari watched them go then turned back to her father who was talking to Sabe quietly. The former handmaiden's pain was dulled from the medicine, but it was clear she would not last long.
Since her middle name was the same as her aunt's first, Ari always felt very close to Sabe. Instead of standing back, she went to her and laid beside her, hugging her. She felt tears in her eyes when she saw how sad Sabe looked. She knew that Uncle Tyrele and Malik were both dead. She felt so bad for her that she just wanted to hug her.
Sabe looked at the young girl in her arms, then at Derin a faint smile appearing. She did love Ari and Jett. If she was not wounded, she would have gone with them. She knew this would be the last time she would see her in this life.
The sound of shattering glass caused them all to look toward the sound, even though it was not in the house. It was outside, but it could only be a house or two away. The sound of many beings marching was also heard.
"You need to go, now," Sabe told them urgently and Derin grabbed their bags.
"I don't want to leave you," Ari told her, tears in her eyes.
"You never will. You have my name. Arianna Sabe Narabe," she spoke Ari's entire name then kissed her forehead. "Great things await you."
Sabe's breathing was a bit more labored and Ari did not want to leave. She was hugging Star close when her father grabbed her arm, starting to lead her away.
Ari broke free of her father and ran back to Sabe, putting her beloved stuffed pittin in Sabe's arms. "Star will keep you company. So you won't be alone," she whispered. She had planned on being Star with her, but she felt that Aunt Sabe needed the pittin more.
Sabe gave her a small smile, and stroked the stuffed animal with one hand. "Thank you, Ari."
"I love you Aunt Sabe," Ari called as her father picked her up to carry her outside. Derin knew that time was of the essence. Ari looked over her father's shoulder and saw Sabe whisper the words back.
Just as they managed to get out the backdoor, they heard a pounding of boots as armor clad soldiers hurried to the Narabe's front door. Derin pressed the back of Ari's head down slightly as a way to tell her to keep her head down. While she was eight and capable of running, she would not have been able to keep up with her father. The sound of the front door being kicked in was heard over the sounds of marching and barked orders.
They rounded a corner and Derin froze for a moment, pulling Ari close to him. "Shh…" he barely whispered in her ear, hugging her a bit tighter as he backed under a low hanging archway.
Glancing at the street, Ari bit back a small cry. She could see fires at a few houses and white clad troopers, their armor shining under the half moon came around the corner. They were so close she hardly dared to breath and buried her head in her father's tunic, shaking.
Derin was worried too, and was thankful he had a blaster within easy reach. He just wished that Ari was with her mother and brother. They did not have long before they were discovered. Luckily, clouds were moving, starting to cover the moon. That would be when Derin would make his move. He thought of all the other Rebels that had probably been killed, like Tyrele and Malik. Then his thoughts turned to Sabe. He hated that he had left her, but they would not have been able to take her. She would not have survived the ordeal and would have slowed them down. It did not make it any easier.
Seeing the moon's light fade, clouds rolling in, Derin hugged Ari a bit tighter as they started for the hanger.
Sabe knew what was going to happen. She had remained as strong as possible for them and while she wanted to cry, she would not. She could not. She would stay strong until the end.
After Ari and Derin slipped out, she heard the front door break down, the wood splitting in the process. She could hear troopers enter the house and she knew she was about to be found. There was nothing she could do about that except wait.
She did not have to wait long. "Don't move," a muffled voice came through a helmeted man, a blaster now pointed at her. "My Lord," the man called and Sabe felt a shiver run through her. There was only one person that would be addressed in such a way.
She heard the steady, deep, raspy breathing before the dark helmeted figure rounded the corner. He was an imposing figure, tall with a black cape swirling behind him. His large, unblinking eyes were unnerving as he stared down at her. She would not let him see fear though. He could not do anything to her. Soon enough she would be reunited with her husband and son.
"Where are they?" Darth Vader asked his voice deep and cold.
Sabe did not speak. She would not tell him. They could not do anything to her to convince her. She had already lost her family, the Narabes had escaped, and she did not fear death.
"Where?" Vader bellowed, quickly losing patience.
"You will never find them," she answered with a small smirk. She knew that this creature, for he could not be called a man, was not used to being talked back to. He stared at her for a moment; only the sound of his breathing was audible.
"You will tell me," his voice was now as cold and sharp as a vibroblade.
Sabe did not answer, shifting slightly, and she felt the soft, fur like cloth. Moving her head slightly, she found herself looking at the stuffed animal that Ari had given her. A cute pittin. While it looked just like a simple toy, she remembered when Ari had received it three years ago, when her brother was born. Since then, aside from school, she took it almost everywhere. She had always wanted a pet, and her parents had promised her one at the age of ten, when they felt she would be responsible enough for one.
She did not just see a small stuffed animal with black, unblinking eyes. She saw the little girl that she had loved like a daughter. The young girl who she was sure would go on to do great things. While she could hear Vader yelling at her, she blocked it out easily. Instead, she thought of happier times, with her husband and her son, and her friendship with Katri and the other Narabes. She slowly closed her eyes with a small smile. She saw Tyrele and Malik in her mind. With that as her final image, the handmaiden took a breath, let out a deep sigh and then was still.
Vader stared at the woman for a moment, anger radiating from him. If she had lived they could have taken her in for questioning. Now they could only hope to catch the traitors before they got off planet. They, along with probably the other rebels they were after were going to try to escape. There was no other place they could go.
"Double security at the spaceports," he ordered the troopers. "And take care of…this," he waved his hand at Sabe's body before turning on his heel and leaving the home.
Two of the troopers picked up Sabe and started to carry her outside. A stuffed animal fell from her hands, which one of the men stepped on. With a sigh, the man kicked it out of the way and under the sofa, forgotten about before the men even left the room.
Ari ran as fast as she could, clutching her father's hand. He had carried her for a bit, but they had to slide through some tight places that they could not get through if he was holding her, such as holes in fences, to get to the hanger before more troops came. Derin was certain that there were already many troops, but he had one hand holding Ari's hand tightly, and the other was touching his blaster, ready to grab it.
When they arrived at the hanger, he pulled Ari back and looked around the area. There were troops all over. Had Katri and Jett made it to the ship? He frowned and started to circle the area, keeping Ari close. She was shaking a little, but she was being good by being as quiet as she could.
Finally at one point about one third of the way around the complex, he saw what he had been expecting to see. A stormtrooper lying on the ground, unconscious or dead, he could not tell. The man clad in white was pulled into the shadows of the entryway so others did now see that he had fallen. Picking up his daughter, Derin knew he did not have long before others would come.
Ari clung to her father's neck as he raced through the entry to the hanger. Once in, he hung back. He had his blaster out and ready as they warily made their way from shadow to shadow.
What seemed like years later, though it was just minutes, Derin saw the familiar shape of the ship that he and Tyrele had been working on. He set Ari onto the ground again and started to lead her to where the ramp was open. While it was a good idea, so that he could just walk on, that meant anyone could as well.
He was so intent on the ship that he barely had time to duck out of the way when Ari pulled his arm, hard, seeing movement near the ship. Derin pushed himself and Ari out of the way, behind a cargo box as a lurking trooper shot at them. Ari could not help but give a small shout as they came within inches of her, the box being the only thing saving them, and that would not last long.
When there was just the slightest hesitation, Derin leaned over to the side and shot at the trooper who tried to then shoot at Derin. However, he shot the trooper in the neck, one of the few unprotected areas of the armor. The smell of carbon was in the air and he knew the sound would alert other troopers that they were there.
Ari was pulled up by her arm, somewhat roughly as they rushed to the ramp. She hesitated for a moment, seeing the trooper. Her father had shot him. He was supposed to take care of people but he had just shot someone. It was a shock to her, and she paused for just a moment. She was broken from this as a shot just barely missed her foot. She gave a small yelp before Derin was shooting back at them. He pulled Ari's arm with his other hand and gave her a shove up the ramp. "Tell your mother to start to engines," he called over the firing of the blasters.
Ari ran up the ramp and to the cockpit. "Mom! Start the engines! They are shooting!" she yelled. She entered the cockpit as her mother did as she had said. While Katri wanted to hug her daughter, glad she and Derin were safe, she knew that they had to get away immediately.
Katri started the engines. "Ari, I am going to raise up the ship a little. Yell to me once your father gets on," she told her daughter.
While Ari did not understand what her mother meant, she ran back to the ramp. She would do like her mother told her. She was only eight but she had been given an important task, one given to an adult. She would do it right.
The ship rose a foot, then another. Derin shot the last of the nearby troopers, seeing others coming from the other side of the hanger. He leapt onto the ramp, pulling himself up with his arms in one quick movement. "He is on!" Ari shouted to her mother. As Derin scrambled up the ramp, the ship quickly ascended, nearly hitting the ceiling before streaking forward, for the exit.
Ari attempted to grab the wall to keep from being thrown off her feet as Derin almost was. He hit the button that closed the ramp before running to the cockpit. Katri was good, but he had more practice with this ship. "Check on your brother," he called over his shoulder before disappearing.
It took Ari a moment to catch her breath before going in search of her brother. She knew that Jett had not been in the cockpit so she started to look through the semi small ship. She palmed one of the doors open and found Jett, sitting on one of the beds in the small bedroom, one of the blankets wrapped around him. There were four small beds, the two slightly larger ones bolted to the floor while the two directly above them were securely attached to the wall. One of the larger beds had been for Sabe and Tyrele, the other for Derin and Katri. Jett and Ari would have shared the bed above their parents while Malik would take the other bed. However, things did not always go as planned, as this night had proved numerous times.
"Ari!" Jett exclaimed and quickly untangled himself so he could run to his sister. He almost knocked her over as he threw his arms around her. "It was so scary…" he whimpered. He was shaking, so Ari led him back to the bed he had been sitting on, wrapping the blanket around him again. As she did so, she noticed tear stains that proved he had been crying.
"It is okay," she assured him. There was a sudden lurch then that knocked both the children onto their backs, luckily they both managed to stay on the bed. Ari struggled to sit up, and then tried to get to her feet. However, as soon as she was standing, the ship turned to the other side and she fell to the floor. The ship turned sharply and Ari started to slide to the other side of the room. She screamed, which caused Jett to shout as well. She hit the wall with a small wince, and once she had regained her bearings, she quickly crawled a few feet to where the one porthole in the room was. She gripped to the rim and held on to help keep her balance, bracing herself for another sharp turn. She saw a fighter scream by and gasped. Was the fighter shooting at them? As if the answer her question, she felt the ship rock.
Jett was crying once again and Ari went to him. She pulled him into her lap, hugging him as he clung to her as if she was his lifeline. She would not admit it to him, not wanting to make him cry more, but she was very scared.
Derin turned to ship to the right, hard, to dodge the blasts from the Imperial fighter that was shooting at them. As soon as he had dodged them, another attacked. He was so busy trying to outmaneuver them that he did not have a chance to look up right away when Katri gasped. "Derin…"
When he did manage to steal a glance, his blood went cold. An Imperial cruiser was there, orbiting Naboo. With such a ship, there were a large number of fighters and pilots. There was no way they could win against such a thing. He flew as fast as the ship could handle, trying to get away from the fighting and the slight pull of the planet's gravity so they could make the jump into hyperspace.
He was moving sporadically, but luckily the shields on the ship were still holding, though he did not know for how much longer.
Katri, who was watching the controls and the different systems, life support, shields and other such things, spoke as soon as she saw one of the readouts change. "We are out of the pull of Naboo," she told him. She had a small jump calculated, just enough to get away from the fighting before they could escape to wherever they were going next.
"Ready," Derin spoke after another sharp turn and Katri put her hand on the control, body tense.
"Now!" he shouted as he dodged another fighter, and Katri pulled back on the handle.
In the small bedroom of the ship, two young children saw the beautiful blue planet disappear to be replaced by streaks of light. Ari gasped. She had heard of the ability to go faster than the speed of light, but had never experienced it before. It was a short jump though and soon they came back into real space.
"Are we safe?" Jett asked Ari, voice trembling.
"Yes," she answered, though she did not know that for certain. What she did know was that they had gotten away from the white troopers, for now at least. She just continued to hold Jett, who was hiccupping now, eyes glistening from crying.
Once they reentered real space, Katri and Derin sat there for a moment, nerves shot after such a close escape. Then, at the same time, they turned to each other. They both saw the same look on each other's faces. Sadness, fear and exhaustion.
Katri, who had been strong up until now, started to cry. Sobs shook her body as she wiped away hot tears that were falling.
While Derin was not always one to show his emotions, his eyes were clouded with such overwhelming feelings. He slid to the floor, and then pulled Katri down to him so he was holding her. He let her cry into his tunic, soothingly stroking back her hair as she clung to him.
How long they stayed like that neither of them knew. However, the tears eventually did stop and she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Better?" he asked, pulling her back toward him in a hug, which she accepted, resting her head on his shoulder, weary now.
She nodded. "But what will we do now? Where will we go?" she asked.
Derin was silent for a moment, thinking this over. The two families had discussed it, but after such a close call, the Empire would probably find them in Core Worlds. All it would take would be to have their papers checked and they would all be captured then. That limited their choices and Derin then remembered what Tyrele had told him. He had heard of a moisture farm on Tatooine becoming vacant. The buildings were all there and all it needed was someone to run it. Tyrele had been looking at remote planets that would not be closely watched by the Empire. How he found this farm, Derin did not know, and now he could not ask. He did have some information though, and it seemed as good a plan as any.
"Tatooine," he spoke.
"Tatooine?" Katri repeated as a question.
"That desert planet in the Outer Rim. The Empire does not really control it."
"Oh, Derin, I heard it is dangerous there with Hutts. And so lawless."
"Yes, and I know life will be hard," Derin spoke up quickly. "I know that. But we will be safer there than in the Core Worlds. We have enough credits to buy a place there, and to pay off those who might want to check our papers."
Katri seemed to think this over, and then nodded. "Alright. We will go to Tatooine," she spoke, voice soft, still betraying the sadness she felt.
"We will be alright," Derin assured her. "We have each other, and we have our children."
This caused Katri to sit up quickly. "They must be very petrified." She had remembered the children, but she had been so focused with escaping that she knew she could not comfort them.
Getting to their feet, the couple entered the coordinates to Tatooine and jumped into lightspeed once more before heading for the bedroom.
When Katri palmed open the door, she paused, looking at the two children, a small smile forming.
Both were laying on one of the larger beds. Jett was asleep, a blanket wrapped around him, looking quite peaceful, even though he had just been through a very traumatic experience. Ari was holding him close, also lying on the bed. However, she was still wide awake. She had been looking out the small window from where she had been comforting Jett. He had fallen asleep just a few minutes ago and Ari had watched out the window, seeing the stars go by. It was beautiful, as was flying through the universe so fast that the stars were just blurs as they went by.
When she saw her parents she smiled and moved to let go of Jett and go over to them but Katri shook her head. Instead, she walked to them and sat down beside them, Derin standing behind her.
"Are we okay?" Ari asked, clearly still worried.
"We are, yes." Katri could see the words comforted her because she gave a small sigh, body relaxing slightly.
"Where are we going?" Ari asked.
"Somewhere else," Derin told her. He felt it would be better not to tell her, in case plans changed quickly or in case they were caught.
"It will be an adventure, like those stories I always tell you," Katri added and was relieved to see Ari give a small smile. She looked tired, but her mother knew the best way to help her fall asleep. She gently stroked Ari's blonde hair as she started one of the many stories she knew. "Once upon a time, there lived a young, beautiful princess…" Katri told the story and watched as Ari yawned before closing her blue eyes. Before reaching the end, Ari was sleeping just as peacefully as her brother. "And they all lived happily ever after," she ended the story in a whisper.
"If only life could end so well," Derin commented quietly, as to not wake either of the children.
"Shh, let them keep that dream just a bit longer," Katri whispered as she covered Ari with one of the other blankets. "They will need it after what we have all been through."
Derin paused then nodded. They were both very young. Both he and Katri had tried to protect their children from the war, and had failed. While life on Tatooine might be hard, at least he knew the war would take quite some time to reach them, if it ever did.
"Come, we can have something to eat in the galley, and you should have something, even if you are not hungry," Derin whispered to Katri. He knew that when people had been through a lot, they often did not eat or sleep enough. Katri had just gotten over the loss of her mother a short time ago and that would make this night even harder on her.
Katri wanted to protest, but knew how stubborn Derin could be. "I will be right there," she told him and turned to look at Ari and Jett. She heard Derin retreat to the galley as she tucked the blankets around each of the children, then kissed both of them lightly on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."
She went to the door then looked back at them. She didn't know what the future would bring, but at least, for the moment, her children could dream of happy times.