Standard Disclaimer: These characters belong to G. Lucas and T. Zahn. In other words: not mine.
Dedication: To anyone who loves hot chocolate.
Rating: M
Spoilers/Timeline: After The Corellian Trilogy but before "Vision of the Future".
A/N: Do read and review.

Lightheaded
Chapter 21: Death Mark On An X-Wing

Luke arrived at the Jedi Academy without incident. Touching down about an hour before the initiates arrived, he had just enough time for a quick wash-up and a change of clothes before he had to return to the hangar to receive his new pupils – a male Twilek, three humans (a male Corellian, and two other young girls from Outer Rim planets whose names Luke had forgotten), two female Mon Calamari and a male Devanorian.

Seven new Jedi Knights. Ben, I wish you could be here today. Feeling a pang of sadness wash over him, he concluded his short welcome speech. "I want to take this opportunity to thank Knight Kirana Ti for undertaking the mission to collect all of you from your respective home planets." Kirana Ti accepted the thanks with a slight tilt of her head. Luke continued. "I hope that you will be happy here. We are all here to learn, but it is a very different environment for all of us. Learn to adapt to each other, and respect each other above all." He looked around at the newcomers, and smiled. "Welcome to the Jedi Academy."

The newcomers murmured their thanks, but Luke held up his hand for silence again. "Your first lesson begins here." Eyes grew round as the new initiates took in this information with a start of surprise. Mainly because you guys are too noisy! Luke thought.

He lowered his hand. "This will be your first, but most important lesson – not just for you, but for keeping the order around the Academy. Knight Kam, Tionne, Streen, Kyp, Kirana Ti, Cilghal and myself will be approaching you individually, and teach you how to shield your thoughts from everyone." As he called their names, each Knight stepped forward to one new initiate.

Stepping forward to the Devanorian, he reached out slowly in the Force, and showed the young Force adept how to build and seal his mental shields from the outside world. He undid his work, and encouraged Darren to try it for himself. Nodding in understanding, Darren rebuilt his mental shield perfectly. Luke smiled and clapped his shoulder. "Excellent work." Darren grinned. "Thank you, Master Luke."

"I should thank you instead. All your thoughts were making so much noise!" Smiling at him to convey that it was meant as a joke, Luke turned to the other initiates, who had also completed their first exercise.

"With that shield, you should be able to keep your thoughts private, and it should stay firm even when you are asleep." He stepped back to regard them. "We will teach you other methods of shielding, with varying levels of awareness, but you'll soon find that keeping this shield in place will become as natural to you as breathing." They were nodding their head in agreement, the two young girls wide-eyed with wonder.

"Tionne will show the ladies to their quarters, and Kyp will bring the men to theirs. Along the way, they'll also point out other amenities such as the canteen, the 'freshers, exercise rooms and classrooms. You don't have to remember it all just yet; there's a map of the place in the welcome pack on your beds. Kyp will meet you at breakfast tomorrow, and go over the training schedule for your batch. Remember to wear your training robes; breakfast will be served between seven hundred hours and nine hundred hours, Coruscant Standard Time. Tionne, Kyp." With that, he dismissed the group, leaving them to Tionne and Kyp.

While the rest of the Knights disappeared into the bowels of the Academy building, Kirana Ti walked to Luke's side.

"You look tired, Master Luke."

Luke smiled wanly. "I do? I feel rather strange. I meditated while I was on my way here, but it didn't really refresh me. I think it must have been the rush in which I left." Although there was no rebuke in Luke's voice, she lowered his head. "I'm sorry Master Luke, we should have informed Kam earlier…"

Luke shook his head as they walked down the corridors to the Knight quarters. "I understand, don't worry. Which was the mechanical wizard again? The one who boosted the engines?"

Kirana Ti sighed. "Apparently, being a mechanical wizard is more lucrative than being a Jedi Knight. On our way back, we stopped at Centares for supplies and some minor repairs, and Lucieno was offered a very lucrative position as hyperdrive mechanic."

Luke nodded. "That's along the Perlemian Trade Route; he'll be repairing hyperdrives for a long time."

"I tried to persuade him to come along with us and meet you first, but he disappeared that night, and we could not find him." She sounded frustrated, and Luke turned towards her.

"We never force anyone to come here," he told her gently. "They come on their own accord, or not at all." He patted her shoulder. "You have done your job well, and there are seven added to our number now. Seven more than yesterday." He pushed her gently towards the entrance to the female section of the Academy's personal quarters. "Now please, take a well-deserved rest. I'm sure Tionne has scheduled you for at least a week of rest, after that long trip."

"Yes, Master Luke." She straightened up. "Goodnight, Master Luke."

"Goodnight, Kirana Ti. Remember: seven added to our number."

"Could have been eight, though," he thought he heard her mumble as he turned towards his quarters. Smiling to himself, he reached out with the Force, unlocked his door and stepped in. Home at last.

-----

Shucking his old Jedi robe, he shook it out and hung it in his cupboard. Better take that new one out and hang out the wrinkles too, he thought, walking over to his carryall. Upturning it and dumping all its contents on his bed, he shook out the new robes and hung them up, and returned all the other items to their regular places in his room. Tossing the carryall into a corner, he walked towards his worktable and logged into his holonet account. And grinned. Two messages with Mara's encryption, and two from Leia. Or Han.

His fingers hovering over the data entry pad, he wondered whose message he should read first. Leia then. Selecting the first message, he was surprised to see that it contained no message, but was a recording of the same holoshow that had featured him and the children earlier that week.

Luke stared in morbid fascination as a grainy, black-and-white video of him and Mara outside her apartment played.

"…which was sent in by an anonymous person, showing what looks like Luke Skywalker sitting on the floor, with yet another unknown woman! Looks like the Jedi Master certainly gets a lot done when he visits Coruscant!"

The message ended with no message. Stars, that was hot to watch. Must have been from a security camera. Loosening his tunic, he selected the other message with the Organa-Solo encryption. Another recording?

The screen winked on, and Luke gasped. A finger was holding a black thong up close to the camera. Oh no. The finger and thong receded, and Luke grimaced to see Han's grinning face on the screen. Looking extremely gleeful and grinning widely, Han sat back in his chair, and twirled the thong around his finger. He started nodding in approval.

"Well, well." Just spit it out, Solo. "Well, well."

Luke rubbed his eyes with one hand, still grimacing. Better Han than Leia… I think.

Han stopped twirling the thong, and put it on the table top in front of him. Still smiling. Luke sighed. Cut to the chase, Han.

Han leaned in closer to the camera, nodding in approval. "I'm so proud of you, kid." And grinned wider. "You gonna tell me who she is, or do I have to guess? Although," Han pretended to look confused. "Leia did tell me that you and Jade spent the night together when you were here last, and that's good enough for me." He grinned again. "I tell you, kid, I've never been so entertained by dry-cleaning before."

Dry-cleaning? Han's recording continued without stopping.

"She sent one of your new Jedi robes out to clean, and I had to get them…" One of? She made more than one? "And imagine my surprise when I saw this," he picked up the thong again, "slung over the hanger."

Luke groaned, and covered his eyes, not wanting to endure Han's grin any longer. "However," Han continued. "I'm sorry to inform you that this little thing is as clean as the droids could probably get it." Luke opened his eyes again, wondering when Han would end. "The question that I have for you now, kid," Han leaned forward toward the camera again. "Is whether you want to return the panties, or should I?" He winked, and the message ended, leaving Luke glaring at an empty screen.

Don't you dare, Han.

He selected the first of Mara's two messages, slightly annoyed at his lapse in attention. It was a text message, and very terse.

Your X-Wing is dead, and so are you.

He managed a small smile at her message, and opened the other one.

I'm coming with your Academy's droid spare parts. ETA 5 days. Dinner?

Checking the datestamp on her message, he was happy to see that she was due in only two more days. Must have left right after me, he thought.

His smile grew larger as he moved to reply to her message.

Can't stay away from me, I see.

He sent the message to her account with a wide grin on his face, then stretched out on the bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.