Chapter 122

Ari smiled as the ceremony commenced. It was short, yet sweet and showed how deeply they did love one another. Ari glanced over at Siri and noticed that the Jedi seemed teary-eyed, though it was clearly from happiness and joy. It made Ari think of her own mother, wondering if Katri would have cried or not. They had not discussed it before, along with numerous other topics that she felt they would have time for later. The pain of her mother's death came to her again. Each time, she felt the pain of loss. However, the intensity of it was fading and becoming more bittersweet with each passing day.

Tarel smiled at the couple after they exchanged the vows that they had written themselves. However, neither of them looked at the small slips of paper they had written on, so Ari wondered if the vows they spoke were the ones on the paper.

Once Tarel had pronounced that they were now married, Eean pulled Taylor closer and kissed her, hands still holding hers. Taylor squeezed his hands as she returned the kiss. As she pulled away, her grin was certainly noticeable as was the sparkle in her eyes. Sge leaned closer to Eean and whispered to him. Ari averted her gaze at this to allow the couple a moment of relative privacy.

Tarel went to Siri and then to Ari so they could sign their names as witnesses to the ceremony while Eean and Taylor continued to whisper with one another.

Ari smiled slightly. This was one of the first weddings since the fall of the Empire, if not the first. Yet, she knew it would not be the last.

After getting Siri and Ari's signatures, Tarel went to Taylor and Eean to also secure their signature for legal documentation.

As this was occurring, Siri motioned for Ari to come closer. The older Jedi had pillows behind her to keep her propped during the ceremony so she could not tire as easily by attempting to sit up on her own.

"I wanted to give these to you," Siri told her as she pulled three holo disks off the small end table, handing them to her. "They are some lessons to help Jedi, but that is not all that is on them. I wish I could give you more, but this should help."

Ari nodded as she took the disks and she stared at them as if they were almost foreign to her. There was so much information on them. So much could be learned from such small items that were so light that she could barely feel them on the palm of her hand. "Thank you," she whispered, looking back at Siri.

"You are welcome," Siri answered. "Use them wisely to rebuild the Jedi Order."

"I will. I promise," she tried to sound certain, yet she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"We used to be told not to act on our emotions. To just release them into the Force and let that be the end of it. I do not think that would be a good rule to keep. I do not want you to cry for me though."

"I do not know you as well as others might, but I will miss you," Ari explained.

"If you hold tight to a person's memory, they are never truly gone. Like your family and fallen comrades who will never be completely gone as long as you remember them."

Ari nodded at this and managed a half smile in response. She was right.

Siri lifted her hands and took Ari's in hers. "May the Force always be with you."

"And may it always be with you too," Ari replied, offering another small smile before stepping back to allow Taylor and Eean to get closer to Siri.

Ari took a few steps back, so she was on the other side of the room. Tarel was gone; he had probably left while Siri and Ari had been talking. A beep caused Ari to glance over at R4, who had been unusually quiet up until this point. She gave the droid a small, sad smile, patting his metal head.

She glanced over at Siri, Taylor and Eean, who were talking quietly. Ari could not hear exactly what was being said, but she could make out the tone of their voices. Siri sounded tired and in paint, yet she was doing her best to hide that.

Siri spoke to Eean first. The man's look was serious and he was clearly focused on what the Jedi was saying to him. He nodded to a few things she said, and then he smiled slightly, leaning over to kiss Siri's hand. After he murmured a few words to her, he stepped back to allow Taylor to have time alone with her adopted mother. He went to where Ari stood and they shared tight smiles as a way of greeting.

"She refuses to have a medical droid here," he whispered, his voice so quiet, Ari was a bit uncertain if he had spoken until she glanced over at him and saw that he was looking at her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Those were just her wishes," he answered giving a small shrug.

Ari just nodded slightly, not knowing how to reply to that. She knew that the two of them had questions for one another, but now was not the time for introductions. It just did not seem right at this time.

After a moment, they both glanced back at Taylor, who was half sitting and half lying on the bed next to Siri. The dark haired young woman kissed Siri's cheek and it was clear that Siri's strength was spent.

While she had been unable to hear them, she did hear them whisper "I love you" to each other before Taylor hugged Siri. She stayed like this for awhile, whispering to Siri, though Ari could not hear what was said. Perhaps they were memories the two had shared, or things that Taylor had always wanted to say and finally was saying.

All of a sudden, Ari felt a change in the room. It was as if it had gotten dimmer or colder though she knew the lighting and temperature had not changed. She opened up her connection to the Force and could still sense Eean's presence as well as Taylor's, but that was all. Siri's Force signature had been there, but now it was gone. It was as if there was a black hole where there had once been a star.

Taylor started to sob, clutching Siri as if, by doing that, she could bring Siri back. She buried her face in Siri's shoulder, entire body shaking.

Eean rushed over to Taylor's side. He hugged her as best he could even though she was still clinging to Siri's still form. They stayed like this for a moment before Taylor slowly released her hold on Siri. She then turned to Eean, clinging to him as if he was her lifeline. The happiness from moments before was no longer there. The wedding had been so wonderful and happy, yet now there just seemed to be sadness.

Ari watched this scene with tear filled eyes, understanding how hard it was to lose a mother. Even if you knew the end was coming, that did not diminish the pain felt when the death occurred.

Feeling as if she was intruding on something extremely personal, Ari left the room without a word to Eean or Taylor. R4 followed, not even bothering to ask any questions, which would have been normal.

Once back in the hallway, Ari felt as if the lights seemed to be too bright and too artificial, so different from the sunlight that filtered through the trees on Endor, and even different from the relentless beating of the twins suns on Tatooine.

Ari leaned against the wall, back against the smooth, cold metal. She heard the door give a soft hiss as it closed and she slowly slid downward until she was sitting on the floor. She pulled her knees up toward her chin, arms wrapped around her legs.

R4 beeped sadly, realizing what had happened in the room. The droid came a bit closer, so he was next to Ari. She patted his domed head with one hand and noted that from this position, R4 seemed taller. At another time, that could have been humorous, but not now.

Ari did not speak to the droid, though she knew she should say something. However, they both already knew the truth. Siri Tachi, Jedi Knight, was dead.