Chapter 121
It did not take long to reach the rendezvous point. When Ari pulled out of hyperspace, she smiled slightly, glad to see that other comrades had survived. She did not have trouble finding a place to land in one of the docking bays of one of the larger cruisers after identifying herself. She was glad that they had voice recognition on board, since she did not know the code to get through. It had changed periodically, making it hard for anyone to remember the code. It had been necessary, but hopefully they would not have to change it so often now.
After Ari landed, she paused as the fighter powered down. The calling she felt was not leading her anywhere else. She was meant to be here. She could also sense something, or someone, very familiar. Perplexed, Ari took off her helmet as the last whine of the engines faded.
She opened the canopy and slid the flightsuit off so she was wearing the clothing she had worn before. She found herself missing the fresh air of Endor for while the air was recycled, it was not the same.
Ari did not focus on that though, knowing she would adjust to the change. She got out of the fighter and landed on the floor with a muted clang as her boots connected with the metal flooring. She turned back to R4 and smiled slightly before lifting her hand slightly. R4 beeped in response as Ari lifted the droid using the Force to bring him to the floor carefully.
Ari patted R4's metal head and then started out of the hanger. She noticed a lot of other activity. She thought it would be with ships coming in, but it looked as if a number of those in the hanger were preparing to leave. She frowned slightly, and then realized that these beings were most likely the ones going to Bakura. Ari had no doubt that Leia had contacted as many members of the Alliance as possible with orders for all of them.
Walking through the hanger, she exchanged a few words with comrades she had made over the years. It was saddening that so many had lost their lives, but she knew they would be happy to know they had succeeded.
Arfour beeped, bringing Ari out of her thoughts. She glanced at the translator and shook her head. "No. I am not certain where we are going, but we are close."
Another chirped question came from the droid and this time Ari did not have to look at the translator. "I know because of the Force." She had gotten better at understanding what the droid was saying after all their time together.
As they entered the doors that connected to the hanger bay, they found themselves in a hallway. While it looked like almost any other hallway, Ari picked her up pace and glanced around, as if searching for something unusual. Arfour followed, not asking any questions because the answers often had trouble computing.
Ari paused as the hallway branched into three directions before turning to the left, walking with purpose, boots clicking on the metal floor. Once away from the main hall, she noticed that the din of voices had faded while the feeling through the Force got stronger.
She turned right down another corridor, sensing that was the direction to go. Down about a hundred yards, she saw another figure standing next to the wall. The figure was a female with brown hair that fell past her shoulders and the strands were obscuring Ari's ability to see her face. She didn't have to though; she already knew the other woman's identity.
"Taylor?" Ari asked, quickening her pace to close the distance between the two of them.
The other woman looked up and it was indeed Taylor. However, instead of the smiling woman, or the calm Jedi, Taylor's eyes were red and the sadness on her features caused Ari's heart to drop.
"Ari…" Taylor forced a smile to her, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I thought you would be going to Bakura."
"I was supposed to, but the Force was calling me here," she answered. "What is wrong?"
Taylor paused, as if uncertain about telling her. Then she sighed deeply, running a hand over her face before turning to Ari. "It's Siri," she admitted.
A chill ran over Ari when she heard Taylor's tone. "What happened?"
"She got hurt a few days ago and…she told me it is her time to join the Force. She said she was just holding on to be sure that the Alliance won, and to be sure I was taken care of."
"Are you?" Ari managed to ask as she tried to process all of this. Siri was dying.
"My boyfriend and I are going to get married. He proposed yesterday and I said yes. Siri is very happy for me."
"So he is here?" Ari asked.
Taylor nodded. "He had to go help with something, but will be right back. I just…I needed a moment to get a hold of myself. I don't want her to see me cry."
Ari nodded and patted her arm, trying to comfort her. She would have hugged her, but didn't know how the other woman would feel about it.
"She would be happy to see you. You should go in. I will be in once Eean gets here."
Ari offered the other woman a small smile and then glanced at Arfour as the droid beeped a question. "Yes, Arfour, you can come in with me. But keep quiet." She glanced over at Taylor, who nodded to show it was alright.
The door made a soft hissing sound as it opened and Ari stepped inside. It gave another quiet hiss as it closed behind her and Arfour. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer lighting, and when they did, her eyes fell on a bed that was like many aboard space cruisers.
Siri was lying on the bed, head resting atop a pillow with a course regulation blanket tucked around her. While she was awake, her breathing was a bit deeper than usual, which was a result of the injuries she had sustained.
The older woman glanced over when the door hissed closed. She managed a small smile and motioned for Ari to come closer. "I have heard some interesting news. We won," she managed to joke a little. "Did you get to see it?" she asked, serious now. Her voice sounded a bit different, a bit scratchier and Ari saw that she had a cut on her cheek and she was sure there were other injuries that were hidden by the long sleeved tunic and blanket.
Ari nodded. "Well, I saw the Death Star explode. Luke told me about what happened on board. Vader, I mean Anakin, saved Luke's life and killed the Emperor. He was hurt though, but Luke said that when he died, he was good again. In fact, we saw him after with Ben and Yoda. At least, I am fairly certain it was Yoda."
Siri smiled slightly. "I am glad to hear that. I could feel it in the Force when it became balanced again. It has been so long since I last felt it. Probably before you were even born."
Ari tried to give a small smile back, but it was hard. Siri looked as if she was in pain. She hesitated before speaking. "Can't you get better?"
"I could soak in bacta, but it won't fix everything. And the older you are, even with the Force, the more difficult it can be to heal. Besides, I know it is my time. I feel as if I have lived half a dozen lifetimes with all I have seen and done."
"But you are still needed!" Ari exclaimed. She realized how loud she had been, but she had been unable to stop it. She took in a deep breath and then let it out before continuing. "You adopted Taylor as your daughter. She needs you. And all the Jedi that will be trained could do so much with your wisdom and your teachings."
"I will be gone in body only. As Luke knows, it is possible to return through the Force. It took time to learn of it, but I will make sure that everyone I care about is alright."
Ari blinked back tears. She did not know the Jedi Knight well, but respected her and cared greatly for her. She also did not understand how she could return through the Force, but she hoped it was possible.
"And I do have something for you," Siri told her. "I didn't know for certain this would happen, but I have a few more holo disks for you. Some Jedi teachings, as well as a few more personal recordings. Never forget who you are. You will be a Jedi, but you will be more than just that."
Ari nodded. It made sense. "Siri…" she started to speak, but then paused, turning to the door as she heard it hiss open.
Taylor stood there in a simple white dress while another man, most likely Eean was dressed in formal tunics.
"Tay?" Siri asked, a bit perplexed. "What is going on?"
Then a third person entered. It was an older human male who was a member of the Alliance. He was not in uniform though, but was also dressed nicely.
"I know you want me taken care of, and I always wanted you to be at my wedding," Taylor explained. "So we want to have it now. Mom, you and Ari can be witnesses."
"Are you sure?" Siri asked. "You could marry on a beautiful planet instead of a ship."
Taylor nodded. "I want you to be a part of my wedding. It does not matter where it is. Eean found Tarel here. He can legally wed us now that the war is over."
"I was not allowed to do such a thing under the Empire. This will be my first marriage in over two decades."
Ari glanced between all the people. Eean was holding Taylor's hand, giving it a small squeeze. She could tell he truly did love her. Then there was Taylor, who was looking at Siri. They seemed to be discussing this either privately through the Force or just through looks. It was so sweet that it made Ari's heart hurt, knowing that Taylor would lose the woman who had been a mother to her over all these years.
"Ari, would you be the second witness?" Taylor asked her, clearly the private conversation had finished for the moment.
Smiling, Ari nodded. "I would be honored."