ENTRY 51

Norro was waiting for us when we arrived back to Toprawa. He ran up and gave Sacha a big hug. He turned to me and I sensed he wanted to greet me in the same manner, but wasn't sure if I would tolerate it. I smiled widely and held out my arms. He came forward and gave me a quick embrace. I stepped back and gaped at how much he had changed in such a short time. "You're gaining weight. You look good. How do you feel?"

"Great. I think that parasite is gone." He chuckled before flexing his biceps. "I gained two kilos in the last week. The ear mites are gone and I'm starting to read small words."

"That's wonderful!" I gave Norro a pat on the shoulder before I threw a sidelong glance at Sacha. She was beaming like a proud parent and I couldn't help but remember the vision and how this young man was obviously connected to all of us. Apparently my plan of adopting him out to a loving couple wasn't going to happen…unless Sacha and I were that couple. I turned to my friends and grinned. "Sacha and I are going to see Aren and Degan and get a debriefing."

"And then later on…another debriefing," Den joked. Sacha shot him an angry glare and he quickly shut his mouth.

When we arrived to the Ranger leadership office we discovered a representative of the Alderaan rebels had already contacted them. That's good news for the Rangers and the Rebels. Degan and Aren said they were going to send out Ranger represenatives to various rebel groups to provide training. The Antarian Rangers have been a paramilitary group for six hundred years. They have the knowledge to train future rebels. I'm glad the Alderaan leadership realized what an incredible asset these men and women would be to their cause.

Now I only have to figure out what I should do in the future.

Entry 52

It's been a couple weeks since our return from Alderaan. Sacha and I haven't been trying to hide our relationship and I think everybody is now becoming accustomed to seeing us together. For a while, Norro appeared a little jealous of me. I preoccupied Sacha and that was time she might have spent with him. He wants a mother badly and it appears he has chosen her as his mother figure. I can't blame him; she is a very caring and loving person. I decided we all needed to talk.

I invited Sacha and Norro over to my room. Sacha and I sat on my small couch and I brought a chair for Norro to sit in. It took him a few minutes to open up, but when he did, his thoughts began to flow freely.

It turns out he was scared Sacha and I would marry, have kids of our own, and leave him to fend for himself. "Norro, that's not going to happen," I reassured him. "I would be extremely proud to have you as a son. In fact, I am more than willing to formalize the father-son relationship legally. I'm sure there is somebody here that can make that happen."

Norro smiled widely. "I would love that." He turned to Sacha and grinned. "Does that mean you'll be my mother?"

Sacha smiled. "Of course."

Norro looked to both of us. "Are you two getting married?"

That question caught me off guard. I hadn't discussed marriage with Sacha and now wasn't the time. "Norro, Sacha and I just started dating. Give me a chance to build my courage up to ask her."

Sacha's jaw dropped. It wasn't exactly a proposal, but I wanted her to know I was thinking about it. Norro jumped up with a happy whoop. "I can't wait to tell Geri!" He then ran off to talk to his teenage Rodian mech-tech friend.

When he left she looked at me shyly. "Was that a pre-proposal statement of intent?"

I slipped closer to her on the couch. "It can be, if that's what you want."

"If that's what I want?" She made a face. "The Jedi Order didn't teach you much about wooing women or being romantic, did they?"

I gave her a wounded look. "No, but I thought I was improvising fairly well."

She chuckled. "That's okay. This conversation is a bit premature…no matter what vision of the future you had."

I wrapped my arms around her and leaned in for a kiss. "How about this?" I kissed her neck lightly. "Is this a bit premature?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I think that's overdue."

ENTRY 53

Aren and Degan wanted me to go off on more missions, so I did. I went to Kuat to make contact with an insurgent group last week and was nearly trapped and caught by Inquisitors. Each time I go on a mission it appears it takes less and less time for the Sith to find me. I don't know how they are doing it. I have a feeling Darth Vader is involved. I believe he is actively searching for me. I'm the Jedi that slipped between his fingers and now it's personal.

I have to leave. I have to get away from the Rangers and the rebellion. All I am is a human homing beacon for Vader. Unfortunately, every time I bring this up to Degan or Aren they talk me into staying. I have a bad feeling about this.

Entry 54

I volunteered to look for planets that could possibly act as rebel bases. I figure if I am not meeting up with rebels I am not putting them in danger. My team and I will reconnoiter isolated and sparsely populated worlds. I am also using this mission to see if I am being tracked somehow.

Entry 55

We left Toprawa today with a full crew. Even Norro came along under the pretense of learning how to fly a spacecraft. That is one reason, but I also want everybody together just in case we find a place to settle down. We can transmit any intelligence information to the Rangers and then disappear. I know I am acting just like Obi-Wan Kenobi—who I hold in low regard for running and hiding—but I have a family now…and it's getting bigger.

Sacha is pregnant.

I think I fathered the child while on Alderaan. I am not sure how that happened. Don't get me wrong, I know how children are conceived, but I am on male repress medication. I got a contraceptive implant when I started dating Laranth. It is supposed to work for three years. Sacha had told me she was on female repress meds also. The Antarian Rangers highly encourage their female agents to take the meds just in case they are captured and they are…well, lets just say, abused.

Upon discovering she was pregnant, Sacha was upset and nervous…not about having a child, but not knowing how I would react to the news.

We were aboard the Laranth when she came onto the flight deck and asked to speak to me alone. She pulled me into the cabin we now shared with an alarmed look on her face. "Sacha what is it," I remember asking. She closed the cabin door behind us as she took my hand in hers. "Jax…I need you to see if I'm right about something."

I was perplexed. "Sure, what?"

She guided my hand to her belly. "Do you sense another presence in the Force?" Her breathing became rapid. "Am I pregnant?"

"Ohhh," the word escaped me before I was aware I even said it. I wasn't upset. I was shocked. I slowly dropped to my knees until I was kneeling before her. I pressed my trembling hand against her abdomen and then closed my eyes and reached out with the Force. I felt something reach out to me. It was a strong male presence. A wide grin split my face as I gazed up at Sacha. "Yes!" I quickly stood and pulled her into my arms. "This is amazing."

"You're happy?" I could hear the relief in her voice.

I pulled back to gaze into her gray eyes. "Of course I'm happy. I love you!" I dropped back down to my knees and kissed her belly. "And I love our baby."

I don't think I have ever been this happy in my life.