The trio of humans met in the morning at Anakin's door and headed back to the restaurant to meet Sakhet. They chose to leave Artoo behind, and it was a good thing too, because the speeder Sakhet directed them into only had room for the four. Sakhet explained that they were using food delivery to hide their actual activity.

She gave them all the information she could on the Givin woman and her habits. She also told them of Drusil's guards and their habits.

After their delivery, Sakhet turned to Luke. "Are you the one who helped the Kupohan ship your first trip here?"

Luke nodded. "Yes." She handed him a datachip, and Luke frowned. "What's this?"

"A list if emergency contacts for you to utilize if the need arises," Sakhet replied. "It's a thank you. My son was on that ship, and if you hadn't intervened, he wouldn't be alive today. Please, keep that list safe, and destroy it once you no longer need it."

"We will," Luke promised. "And thank you."

Sakhet nodded and they left the speeder together with her well-wishes and a farewell.

*********************************************************************************

Anakin perused the stalls of various merchandise, keeping himself inconspicuous as he studied the area, especially the two guards standing at either end of the walkway with weapons clearly visible.

He stopped at a trinket cart, picking up a shiny object and turning it just so as if he was inspecting it. In reality he used it to get a better, less obvious read on the guards. They seemed bored by outward appearances, but Anakin knew they were completely alert. And indeed, anyone who veered too close to their side of things was watched like a bird of prey eyeing a potential meal. Anakin also noticed how not very many people were standing on the park-side of the walkway.

Anakin set the trinket down and moved to a food stall, where he purchased a snack. Strolling in a casual manner, Anakin wandered the walkway until he came to the wall where he could view the park. He spied Luke and Nakari on their chosen bench: the pair was to be in the park while Anakin checked things out from the upper avenue. He also saw what could have been Drusil's detail. Anakin leaned against the wall, popping food into his mouth lackadaisically every few seconds. His eyes didn't stay still, though, and he felt more than saw one guard approach him.

"You can't be here: this side of the pedway is restricted right now. Move along," he said gruffly.

"Oh." Anakin allowed a blush to touch his cheeks, and he nodded penitently. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

He removed himself from the restricted side and felt the two guards' eyes follow him the entire way until he was no longer a threat of any form. Anakin maintained his outer calm and casual demeanor until he had arrived at the café he Luke and Nakari had selected as a rendezvous point.

******************************************************************************

Luke and Nakari, appearances altered by facial putty and their costumes, had to avoid talking about anything outside of their cover so close were they to where the Givin woman was. Luke took note of every guard he could spot—six living and one security drone—and studied the Givin as inconspicuously as possible to commit her to memory. She seemed to be in a state of meditation, sitting complacently across from a pair of kids playing with a ball.

When said ball came too close to Drusil Bephorin—the Givin—the security droid darted forward and blew the ball into bits. Luke's lips thinned instinctively when he saw it, hearing the children wail in terror with broken hearts. The peace of the park officially shattered and people started to leave, Drusil yelling at her security for scaring the children so.

"Not so relaxing in this park. I think it best we leave," Nakari said, standing. Luke followed suit with a soft yes, and they made their way towards the rendezvous point, incinerating their disguises along the way.

Anakin, meanwhile, sat in a back corner booth with a drink in his hand, eyes on the door as he waited for the remainder of his party. The waitress was eager to take his order, but Anakin was adamant his friends would show.

Luke and Nakari kept their heads bowed low and hoods shading their face until they finally reached the restaurant. It took Nakari a moment to pick Anakin out of the crowd, though Luke spotted him almost instantly through the Force, guiding Nakari towards the back table that Anakin had taken residence at. Luke slid into a chair across from his father, Nakari taking the seat beside him. "Sorry we got delayed; we had to wait a while to use the incinerator when no one was around."

Anakin nodded, whispering to them when he caught sight of the waitress eagerly coming over.

"Order something to eat, I've been holding this table for a while now, and the waitress has been bugging me for the last thirty minutes.''

"Maybe she likes you," Luke teased with a wink.

Anakin pulled a face. "Force no...she's more than I can stand..."

As if to emphasize his point, a high-octave voice greeted them with an abundance of exuberance.

"Well hello there folks, we've been waiting a while for you now. Can I get your orders?"

Anakin, who'd had plenty of time to peruse the menu, ordered instantly, wanting to get rid of her as fast as possible.

Luke managed to constrain himself from laughing, ordering fairly quickly and waiting until the waitress was gone to snicker. He sobered once more, folding his hands on top of each other. "So...should we wait until the waitress comes back with our food to talk, or should we start now knowing she's going to keep finding an excuse to come over here anyway?"

All right...he was mostly serious.

Anakin threw Luke a sour look. "Let's get our food first; she'll give us more time after that."

Nakari nodded, leaning forward and lowering her voice. "I wanted to ask, since Luke didn't know, but that lightning you produced on Fex...why was it so oddly colored?"

Anakin grimaced. "That was an ability called Electric Judgement. It's usually green...but, ah..." Anakin tugged at his collar. "Well, Sith Lightning is blue or purple, depending on the intensity. So when I tapped into my anger and fear to get rid of those skullborers, I inadvertently used a mixture of light and dark power."

Luke looked down, glancing at Nakari to see how she would react. He had already grown accustomed to his father's darker tendencies, and made sure to learn from them instead of adopt them. He also hoped to help his father overcome those habits.

Still, they did bother Luke. He loved his father unconditionally, but when he tapped into those darker powers, it did make Luke uncomfortable and caused him to worry about Anakin. He sincerely hoped that at least that part of things wouldn't rub off on him. He didn't know if he'd be strong enough to resist those darker powers, and he didn't feel like tempting fate every day.

Nakari nodded. "Well, who wouldn't want to zap a few pests, huh?" She allowed a sly grin. "Though I think you probably could have lessened the voltage, tough-guy."

Anakin snorted into his drink, blushing as Nakari continued to lay it on.

"Cause I would never have guessed that your weakness was tiny purple creatures..."

"Who eat brains and drill through bones like its rice paper!" Anakin defended a little tartly, though he had a small grin playing at his lips.

Luke relaxed as Nakari deflected the conversation away from the uncomfortable topic, snickering as well. "You're not the one who had three on top of you," Luke said pointedly. "But I'll have to remember that for a later date. Maybe I'll have one of those dead ones Fayet hasn't cut into yet stuffed and give it to you for a lifeday present," Luke said with an unrepentant grin.

Anakin pointed his finger at Luke. "You do that and I'll paint your X-Wing hot pink and convince the Rogues to give me a hand keeping it that way."

Nakari laughed openly at them, shaking her head. Their food arrived then, and they all delved into their plates.

*******************************************************************************

Luke couldn't count how many times the waitress checked on them, but they did managed to talk about the observed security detail between her visits. Artoo was going to meet them back at the hotel and provide them with scans that would show anything they'd missed visually and show what the rest of Drusil's schedule looked like. Hopefully there would be an opening somewhere for them to exploit.

Anakin was all too eager to leave the waitress behind, and after a falsely sweet thank you to her he led the group out and back to the hotel where they then crashed in Luke and Nakari's room.

Anakin sank into the first bed he could find with a groan. "I'm so glad Padmé isn't anything like that woman."

Luke chuckled, allowing himself to stretch out on his own bed. Instead of teasing his father, he got down to business.

"All right, Artoo," he told the droid in corner. "What have you got for us?"

The droid whistled, rolling up to the front of the group and displaying a series of maps, all marked with red dots that were guards and an orange dot that represented Drusil

Anakin sat up and studied the image before he pointed to the two dots representing the guards he'd noted.

"These two are openly watchful and I was asked to stay away from the railing on the park-side when I leaned against it." Anakin pursed his lips. "They didn't actively keep an eye on me until I reached a certain point in their security zone. They are going to be an issue if we don't take them out before getting Drusil out."

Luke shook his head. "I think the drone is more of a problem. You should have seen how fast it blew up a stray ball before it got anywhere near Drusil. If we get that drone down, they'll be in disarray. That drone scans all lifeforms in the area, acts as a guard, identifies any threats—they'll be relatively blind without it. And the chaos with a drone being shot out of the sky could benefit us, but I don't think we should snatch her from the park either. There are too many trees obscuring Nakari from clean shots." He whipped through several maps, pausing at one that caught his attention. "What about here?" he asked, pointing at a café.

He grinned, noticing something near the orange dot's position. "And look what we have here..." he murmured, pointing out a sewer system with an opening mere meters away from Drusil's usual seat.

Anakin thought over Luke's implied plan and nodded slowly.

"Artoo could take out the drone, if we upgrade him with a fancy new weapon." He turned to the droid. "How about an upgrade, Artoo?"

The droid whistled eagerly and Anakin smiled.

Luke grinned, pointing out more details. "She'll be here the day after tomorrow so we have plenty of time to work out details. It will be midmorning after the rush hour, so there won't be many people there. Plus Nakari will have clear shots."

Anakin looked to his companions with a mischievous grin. "So now that we've got that established...which of us is the lucky one to traverse the sewers?"

"Nakari gets a pass because she's our sniper and Artoo's needed for above ground," Luke said, casting his father a pointed look. "Guess where that puts us?"

Anakin grimaced. "Uhg...trudging through Force-knows what to save a stranger. She had better be worth it."

"If she can do all that she claims, she will be, but we can test that after we rescue her," Luke said, standing up and stretching. "At least Artoo didn't scan any more guards, so what we saw is all we have to worry about. I guess now all we do is work out the finer details and wait."

Anakin had to agree with Luke there. "Well, let's get this over with."

*******************************************************************************

They stayed up late that evening hashing out details and securing their plan. They then went over it several times to make sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing and when. Anakin oversaw Artoo's upgrade, glad to have a hands-on task and to spend a moment with his metallic friend.

Anakin sat with him now in the room Luke and Nakari shared while the two were out purchasing extra clothing for their upcoming rescue. He kept most of his attention on the droid before him, but when Artoo struck up conversation, Anakin lifted a brow at his opening comment. He glanced at the datapad since it was right by his face.

Master Luke and Mistress Nakari seem to be getting rather close.

Anakin smiled. "They do, don't they?"

And as his father, how do you feel about it? Artoo asked curiously.

Anakin paused in his work, giving his friend an odd look. "Well I'm happy that he has found someone he can grow to love. But mostly I'm glad she seems to love him back. If that wasn't the case, I'd be much less...supportive. I don't want his heart to get broken." Anakin frowned at Artoo. "Why do you ask?"

Artoo let out a soft tootle. Does their growing passion make you miss Mistress Padmé?

Anakin felt a light turn on and he rested a grateful hand on Artoo's dome. His friend had picked up on that, and Anakin wasn't really surprised. Although he had thought he was hiding it better than that.

"You really know me well, don't you Artoo?" he asked before answering the question. "Yes, it makes me miss my wife. But then I always miss her. Even before I was brought to Luke."

Artoo twittered some more. I know you haven't shown Luke a holo of her because you don't have one on you, and her records are all but absent here in this time...

Anakin tilted his head. "What are you getting at?"

I have holos and a few recordings of Mistress Padmé, Artoo explained somewhat penitently. If you wish to view them, or let Luke see her, I would be glad to show them.

Anakin blinked in surprise, sitting back. "You do?" Then he laughed. "Who am I kidding? Of course you would, you sly thing."

Anakin pondered the offer for a moment. "I'd love to see her holo, but let's wait to show Luke until after the rescue. I don't want to distract him when he needs to focus."

Very well, Artoo agreed before he leaned forward and projected an image of Padmé for Anakin to see.

Anakin felt his heart constrict, and he reached out a finger to touch her image, his gaze misting. He drank in her form, from the chocolate hair that was silk between his fingers to her determined gaze that had sent lesser men cringing away. He took in her luscious skin and he wished he could feel her in his arms. He wanted to have her beside him in bed, her head pillowed on his chest while she slept and he lay awake thanking his lucky stars.

Anakin couldn't stop the flow of tears as they slipped from his eyes.

"I miss her so much, Artoo..." he whispered, dropping his hand. "I'd already spent so long away from her, and now I don't know when I'll see her again."

Artoo shut off the image and bleeped apologetically.

Anakin shook his head. "Don't be sorry, I'm grateful for your gift." He looked down and added in a whisper, "I needed that."

They fell to a companionable silence for a moment before Anakin resumed his task, allowing his face to dry on its own.

*****************************************************************************

"You know..." Luke mumbled quietly as Anakin and Luke crouched in the almost complete darkness of a particularly foul corner of the sewers, waiting desperately for Luke's comm unit to squawk to life and tell them to move. Some small creature in the distance thrashed and screamed before abruptly going silent, followed by a loud belch. "Remember when I said I don't ever want to go somewhere I fear I'll catch an incurable disease? I think I've gotten over that.

Anakin had to cover his laughter so it didn't echo loudly and give them away. "I should think so, all things considered."

Their first chirp suddenly came through the comm, signaling that Artoo and Nakari were both in place. The second chirp came close behind, signaling that their target, Drusil, had been sighted approaching the café. They waited for the third ping, their signal that Artoo was about to act and they needed to move, with Luke checking for the fifth time that his blaster was dialed up to its maximum power. He nodded to Anakin, and the pair stood, unconcerned about the security drone picking up their movements now that Artoo was moving—it would keep the drone from noticing Artoo's actions. Artoo, at the moment, would be revealing a small ion blaster installed by Anakin that would be fired at the security droid to disable it.

The third chirp came and the two Skywalkers moved in tandem, turning the corner on the left and closing in on the wide drainage grate that was located just off the curb of the café sidewalk. It sounded like Artoo had already hit his target because there was a sizzle and hiss of electric screams followed by the sound of a loud crash. Soon after was the screams of various panicked beings, which Luke added to by firing repeatedly at the edges of the grate until it fell away, leaving a hole down into the sewer they stood in.

"Drusil Bephorin!" Luke yelled at the top of his lungs, pulling out a glowlamp for their journey through the sewers. "I'm from the Alliance and we have your family! Please hurry! Down here!"

"Where is my family!" she called back as her face appeared over the edge, her voice sounding muffled.

"On the way to Omereth as you wished! We have to move quickly, please jump down!"

To Luke's relief, she did just so, dropping down into the muck without much hesitation after his statement, a pack slung across her shoulders.

"I do not normally follow strange humans into dark places, but considering the quick disposal of my security detail, the probability that you are who you claim to be is quite high," she responded.

Anakin let Luke and Drusil take the lead while he stayed in the rear. He knew it was only a matter of time before Drusil's remaining guards figured out what happened and followed them.

He listened as Luke gave Drusil an introduction via math, and he grimaced. Princess Leia had taught them all the proper way to greet a Givin if you wanted them to trust you. Anakin was impressed that Luke was able to rattle it off so well while on the run.

Luke was also well aware that they were pressed for time, and he rushed his words after Drusil had answered his question in an attempt to avoid having to answer a math question in return. "We need to move quickly through this sewer system to an exit where we have a speeder waiting. We'll take that to a docking platform in the next district where we have a ship ready to take you off-planet. The faster we move the better chance we have to escape before the Empire tries to shut down outgoing traffic."

He could sense the other guards were in the tunnel now with them, and he hurried through the muck of the sewer as fast as he could, none too keen to have to face an entire security detail of ISB agents. Stormtroopers were one thing, ISB agents...that was an entirely new playing field.

Drusil nodded to show she understood Luke's explanation, glancing several times at Anakin but still determined to finish greeting Luke.

"I will certainly move at my best speed, Luke Skywalker," she said, keeping pace with him with relative ease. "While we move, can you math something math math for me with something math?"

Of course, that's what Luke heard, not necessarily what she said.

"Uh, let me see. That would be...three?" Luke bluffed, praying that Threepio hadn't misinformed him about Givins asking non-Givins questions with the answer of three to save the other embarrassment of not knowing the answer.

She made a phlegmy sound that might have been laughter. "Excellent," she said, and then turned to Anakin to exchanged similar pleasantries with him while Luke charged ahead and led them through the dark maze of sewer tunnels.

Anakin, having met one or two Givin Jedi before, knew how to greet the woman, and so their exchange was a little more relaxed, though Anakin cut off his attention to her when the sounds of pursuit came from behind.

Anakin turned toward Luke. "Keep going, I'll follow while keeping our tail busy."

Luke cast him a slightly worried look before he complied and continued on. He wasn't worried about Anakin handling himself, he was fully confident that Anakin was more than capable—he was just still thinking of the fact that they had agreed to keep their status as Jedi under wraps and avoid revealing themselves as Jedi unless absolutely necessary. Luke had brought a blaster along with his lightsaber; Anakin just had his lightsaber.

He led Drusil further into the sewer system, Anakin lagging behind purposely to hold off any attackers but still keep up with the group. Drusil showered Luke with questions, causing him to have to cater to her inquiries as he tried to lead them through the dark tunnels on memory. He informed her of their other two companions, Nakari and Artoo, and let most of what she was saying go over his head until she said something about the probability of their sewer party being intercepted before they reached their rendezvous point being high. Luke found himself suddenly paying the Givin much more attention.

"How can you know that? You don't even know where we're going."

"I do not know for certain—I did say probability, not certainty. But I can make educated guesses as to our destination based on extant variables, and predict that our pursuit shall catch up to us prior to our exit unless they behave stupidly."

"Isn't that one of your extant variables?"

"The worst possible kind. As you may well know, unlike kinetics or time or distance, human stupidity is incalculable."

Luke took offense for about five whole seconds.

"Hey, I—well, yeah, I guess there's no arguing that. Let's see if we can increase our rate and reduce the probability of this confrontation you see."

"That would be wise," Drusil responded and, blessedly, she was silent after that, allowing Luke to concentrate on their route. They picked up their pace, the noise of their movements increasing as well and making them more likely to trip and get a face full of something unspeakable, but Luke felt he'd much rather risk the unspeakable than being shot in the back, even with Anakin providing cover.

However, amidst all the other factors Luke was trying to take into account, he forgot that there were other things dwelling in the sewer. He turned left, and a growl and a flash of teeth warned him—as well as a sharp spike of danger in the Force—just in time to keep his digits, but not leave him unscathed. Some creature with four legs sailed past him as he jerked backwards from its wide jaws, the lamp Luke had been using to produce some amount of light for them disappearing into said beast. The tips of his fingers went as well, judging by the sharp stab of pain he suddenly felt as they were plunged into utter darkness.

"Stay back!" Luke warned Drusil, a hand out to stop her as he pulled out his lightsaber to see. He was just able to spot the rather massive creature again before it attacked once more with a feral snarl, mouth full of teeth headed right for Luke's throat as Luke reacted on instinct and the Force alone.

Anakin had tuned out most of what Drusil said as well, keeping to the rear for the sake of covering their escape route. He had seen the look Luke had given him when he told his son to keep going.

But a Jedi was able to operate without his lightsaber as well as with it. For example, while Luke slowed on occasion to remember their path, this giving their pursuit a chance to catch up, Anakin used the Force to move larger obstacles into the path of the incoming Imperials.

A few curses sounded from the men pursuing them, and Anakin snickered. Once the men were at Anakin's blockade, he caused the lead man to slip.

Several colorful words sounded loudly up the tunnel and Anakin figured he had bought them precious seconds.

When the Jedi turned around, however, he nearly had a heart attack when some creature bit at Luke's hand and the light disappeared.

For a heart-stopping second Anakin thought Luke had lost a limb. But when the young man didn't scream in agony Anakin relaxed.

When the beast lunged at Luke, the youth swung his lightsaber, grazing off part of the creature's cheek and teeth. It howled in fear and darted away, unaccustomed to its meals fighting back. Knowing how close the ISB agents were, Luke lifted the lightsaber a little higher to act as their new source of light and wasted no time getting back on track.

"Come on! Follow the lightsaber. We're turning left."

Drusil, much to Luke's agitation, simply stood there. "There is no need to worry, Luke Skywalker. My vision is somewhat better than that of a human. I can see well enough to avoid obstacles."

A blaster bolt zipped by them, and Luke couldn't helped his sarcastic tone of voice. "I assume you saw that, then? Let's go," he stressed, already moving forward. This time, Druisil followed.

Anakin spun when their tail started shooting at them. He shoved at them with the Force as Luke and Drusil ran ahead. He heard several startled splashes and a multitude of expletives sounded up the tunnel, as well as a surge of outrage.

Anakin snickered despite himself, but grimaced when he realized that the Imperials would only be more determined to catch them.

Anakin sped to catch up to Luke just as Drusil told him to take a turn he had gone by.

Luke, startled that he'd missed his turn, tried to skid to a halt. It was a very unwise move, as he slipped and fell unceremoniously right into something squishy. Forcing himself not to think about what was probably all over him, his injured hand burning, Luke got back to his feet and they made their way down the tunnel. Luke wasn't so worried about slipping and falling in this one, as all that was in its stone confines was the little rainfall from last night. Luke flipped off his lightsaber for the moment to further cover their escape and make it harder for the ISB to catch up. Up ahead, there was the faintest light coming from above; their escape out of the sewer.

Anakin stopped at the entrance to the tunnel they had used to get inside the sewers while Luke and Drusil made for the ladder.

Anakin saw their glowlamps draw ever closer, ready for action. He slipped into the shadows and used the Force to knock the light out of the hand of the first Imperial.

The man shouted in frustration and grabbed at his right-hand man's lamp. Anakin took the opportunity to knock out that lamp too, but the third man saw him and lifted his blaster.

"There they are! Stun them!"

Anakin Force-shoved them once more and put on a burst of speed just as Luke and Drusil reached the ladder.

"Hurry Luke!" Anakin shouted. "Get Drusil out!"

With that, Anakin stopped near the ladder, turned and prepared to use his lightsaber.

Had Luke not known himself that they would be vulnerable while climbing the ladder, he would have protested. "Climb," he told Drusil. Directing his voice towards the opening they were climbing for, he called for Nakari. "Nakari, some cover fire would be nice!"

Anakin blocked the first two sets of stun blasts as Drusil ascended the ladder, holding off more blasts while Luke tried climbing with an injured hand while calling to Nakari.

Nakari heard Luke's shout for help and, once Drusil was free of the sewer, Nakari dropped to her stomach, leaned into the man-hole and began picking off the Imperials Anakin was holding off.

She dropped them one, two, three in rapid succession, thanks to Anakin's help in distracting them.

She then reached down to help Luke.

Luke reached up with the hand not injured or covered in the unspeakable substance, grasping Nakari's hand and thankfully being pulled up out of the sewer in moments. He cleared the hole so his father could get through, wasting no time in peeling out of the formally white tunic now covered in the unspeakable. He was painfully aware he had nothing to hide his brand without that tunic, but he couldn't stand to be coated in the sludge any longer.

Anakin made certain the Imperials were really out so he didn't get shot in the back and then followed Luke. They raced for the speeder and crammed within, then took a circuitous route to get to the Desert Jewel.

Even when they were on the Desert Jewel, however, they weren't out of the woods yet. Luke went right to the cockpit with Nakari and Anakin, strapping in and turning on the ship-wide intercom so Artoo and Drusil could also hear him.

"Artoo, start plotting our course out of here," he said, attention fully trained on the controls in front of him as he started the ship up. "It won't take them long to figure out they're chasing a dummy," he said, referring to the now empty speeder that was on a preprogrammed course curtesy of Artoo.

"They'll have a planet-wide alert for us as soon as they see our ploy, and I want to get out of this system before trouble arrives," Luke muttered as a side note before he suddenly became engaged in a...conversation with Drusil.

Anakin, meanwhile, let Luke and Drusil argue about the best route to take out of the system while he kept an eye on the scanners for signs of pursuit.

Drusil was convinced that despite the blockade being formed they should jump.

"Luke, we can make it if we go now." Anakin said softly.

Luke glanced at his father, realizing he was right. They could, even if he didn't necessarily like it. He sighed, tensing in anticipation as he pushed the Jewel as fast as she could go, which was a rather breathtaking speed, towards the blockade. "Get ready Artoo," he warned, eyes focused on his current task of getting them out alive. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but think of how now their entire trip to Omereth would be a nightmare to navigate through with the Imperials right on their tail. What they were doing would put the Jewel at the top of the list of ships the Imperials were supposed to keep an eye out for.

Nakari tensed in her seat as she waited for the jump. She threw an almost jealous glance at Luke and Anakin, who were always so cool and level-headed in the cockpit.

Finally the Desert Jewel jumped and she sat back with a relieved sigh

Luke promptly left the cockpit, and Nakari followed his form until he disappeared into the refresher, at which point she went the other direction.

As soon as Luke locked the door behind him, he stripped down, running the water on full power. He scrubbed rigorously, starting with the offending arm covered in the filth he didn't want to put a name to. He had to be gentle with that arm as well, though, as that was the one that had been injured by the creature in the sewer.

Luke washed himself of every smell and particle of filth, lingering just a little longer to let the water run over his muscles and wash away any tension. Once he'd stepped out of the shower and toweled off, he wrapped the towel around his waist, taking the time to treat the cuts and other small injuries that dotted his arm. Once he'd washed the filth away, it had been a relief to see his injury hadn't been anything serious or hindering. Still, he took some strong antibacterials just to be safe considering what those minor cuts and such had been covered in. He mentally kicked himself a few times for not thinking to grab clothes before he entered the refresher before he made his way to his bunk as fast as he could with just a towel wrapped around his waist. He couldn't quite run for risk of the towel slipping, and he blushed at the thought of such embarrassment.

*******************************************************************************

"So," Nakari said once Luke was gone and the water had been running for a few minutes.

Anakin eyed her curiously, wondering at her odd form of address. Then he recalled the newcomer onboard, and he decided he couldn't blame her for being cautious around the Givin woman.

"You've got yourself quite the son there," Nakari said without looking up.

Anakin lifted a brow. "Yes. Yes I do."

Nakari finally met his eyes. "He's very likeable."

Anakin held her gaze. "That he is."

"Maybe even...lovable." She finished softly.

"So long as his heart remains unbroken."

There was a lot that passed between them in those simple words, with Nakari effectively asking permission to love his son, and Anakin giving it with a single condition.

Then Anakin reached over and rested a gentle hand on hers.

"You're quite the young woman yourself, I'm sure your father is proud of you," Anakin told her with a pointed look, and Nakari smiled.

That was when the refresher door opened, and they fell to silence once more.

**********************************************************************************

Luke got dressed once more in a clean change of his Jedi-styled clothes, adjusting the collar to make sure that it covered his brand—only because Drusil was on board, as he was now relatively all right with the brand partially if not completely showing around Anakin and Nakari—before he left his bunk, running a hand through his damp hair as he approached the cockpit. Nakari looked up and smiled at him, taking in his fresh appearance.

"Bet that feels better."

"Unbelievably so," Luke admitted. His shower had been as much of a public service as a personal wish, as he was well aware he'd probably still reeked and he was covered in unspeakable sewer filth from when he'd fallen.

Anakin relinquished the pilot's seat to his son once he was back, sniffing theatrically as he has done after their jaunt on the Death Star.

"Yup, that smells far better." Anakin smiled deviously. "You and smelly wet places just don't get along, do you?"

Luke grimaced. "Let's not talk about it, and I might be able to forget about it in the next thousand years..."

Nakari, her interest acutely piqued, looked eagerly between the two Skywalker's. "What's this now?"

Anakin turned to her, his smile widening. "Well you see, Luke likes to take unexpected swims in..."

"No! Don't mention it," Luke said with a blush. "That one wasn't my fault, Leia led us down there! And technically I couldn't help this one either, we were being chased and we missed the turn and I tried to turn too fast, not my fault!"

Anakin laughed outright. "Sure, blame it on the damsels in distress..."

Nakari's eyes glittered with interest, loving how Anakin and Luke ribbed each other, yet there was a clear undercurrent of love.

Luke huffed. "Leia is far from a damsel in distress, and I didn't blame the last one on Drusil, I blamed it on the ISB. Big difference," Luke corrected. He sat down in the pilot's chair, shaking his head. "I just don't want to end up covered in...muck again."

However, their mirth died when, upon exiting hyperspace the first time, they were met with alarms and a warning of other ships in the area.

Luke turned to full attention as he took in the sight of several Imperial ships, including a heavy cruiser and a Star Destroyer. The images were a few minutes old, and the ships wouldn't see them for another few minutes. They could still scan the Desert Jewel, though.

"Calculate the jump for Nanthri, Artoo," Luke called instantly, flipping on the intercom and adding to Drusil, "Perhaps you can pick up some Imperial communication here and decrypt it for us while we wait?"

"If it's low-level communication, certainly. If you will scan the system for some of their communications while I set up my hardware, we will see what can be accomplished."

Luke blinked in surprise. "Your hardware is in that sack you brought with you?"

"Yes. A datapad I assembled myself with associated couplers for interfacing with most alien dataports. It is...unique."

Nakari's hand shot forward to shut off the intercom, shaking her head. "Well, aren't we special?"

Luke couldn't help it. He laughed. "We really should find something for her as a test. It'd be good to know we're not getting conned here."

As he spoke, Nakari tuned into the Imperial's communications, white noise filling the cockpit a few moments later with the Imperial communications. She flipped the intercom back on, and Drusil eagerly delved into her task. It only took a few seconds, not even a minute, and she was reporting.

"Success! The Empire has transmitted orders through their HoloNet originating from Denon. We missed the beginning of the transmission, so I must begin reading in midsentence:...small custom ship, inbound from Denon, search for three humans, one Givin, one droid, highest priority, report sighting immediately to ISB, bounty offered for capture, do not destroy. And what follows is simply an acknowledgement."

"Thanks, Drusil," Nakari said. "Please hold a moment." She flipped off the intercoms again, turning back to Luke.

"You know she could have just made that up, right?"

Luke was quiet for a few moments, eyes distant. "Yes, she could have...but she didn't."

Anakin seconded Luke's claim. "She's telling the truth."

Nakari glanced between the two of them. "Is this a Force thing?"

"Yes," Anakin answered simply.

Luke gave her a gentle smile, reaching over to turn on the intercom once again and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Artoo, can we jump? Let's go if you're ready."

Jumping, the display that fed them Artoo's words said, and in the next moment they were safely in hyperspace.

Nakari sighed, unbuckling and rising from her seat. In another comical imitation of her father, Nakari said, "Pilot! Refreshment is in order! Fly responsibly in my absence!"

As she left she trailed a finger along his shoulder, and Luke grinned at her touch, unable to suppress the reaction as she disappeared out of the cockpit.

Anakin chuckled at the pair of them, taking Nakari's seat temporarily.

"I like her," Anakin said easily. "She keeps you on your toes."

Luke glanced at him, smile widening. "Oh, and you don't do that enough?" he asked teasingly.

"Nope," Anakin declared readily, smile still in place. "Besides, it's different with Nakari."

Luke stared at him, surprised. "Oh? And how's that?"

Anakin turned a semi-incredulous look upon his son. Clearly Luke needed to be brought up to speed.

He reached across the space and laid a half-serious hand on Luke's arm.

"Son, its time you realized that when a woman mocks you—especially in good fun—you don't argue with her." Anakin sat back with a wide grin. "Just agree with her and let her have her fun, and life will be good."

"I don't argue with her, I just tease right back. I save the arguing for you," Luke said innocently, ruining the innocent expression with a wink.

Anakin laughed. "Smart mouthed kid..." he grouched mockingly.

"I wonder who I get it from," Luke retorted, tapping a finger against his chin thoughtfully for a final effect.

"Artoo," Anakin stated firmly. "It's gotta be Artoo, you've been around him for too long."

From the hallway came several raspberries and indignant chirps, and Anakin threw his head back to laugh.

"You are worse than me sometimes Artoo!" he chortled. "Of course he wouldn't get it from me!"

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure I got it from you; unless you're trying to tell me Artoo is my real father," Luke said with a grin.

"All right, what am I missing?" Nakari asked as she returned to the cockpit.

"Artoo's my real father," Luke said seriously, somehow miraculously keeping himself from grinning.

Nakari lifted her brow, but before she could speak they dropped out if hyperspace again...and she let out a startled gasp.

Luke—who had felt a warning in the Force just as they dropped into realspace—banked tightly to the starboard side and accelerated, his brain registering the cruiser and about twenty small fighters coming at them from the port side. Only five fighters on the edge of the formation were close enough to engage if they wanted to, which they apparently did, very much so. Blaster fire was immediately sailing past the ship, and the other fighters were preparing to try and catch up. He flipped on the deflector shields, pushing the ship to go faster as the first volley of shots flew right past them.

"Pirates," Luke stated when he realized the small fleet group wasn't Imperial or Alliance. "They probably think our ship is slick and carrying something valuable. When they realize we're traveling without goods..."

"They'll take the ship and sell us into slavery or ransom us to my father," Nakari finished.

"Or give us to the empire, if they discover the bounty on our heads," Luke mumbled.

"I like that thing you did where you made the ship go faster. You should do it again."

"I'll consider it," Luke replied. He didn't want to pull so far away the pirates were tempted to use missiles—lasers against the shields were one thing, missiles on the other hand...

"Artoo, how long until you can take us to hyperspace?" he called.

Forty-five seconds...mark, Artoo replied.

"Okay, take us as soon as you can: don't wait for my signal," Luke replied, minimizing the Jewel as a target while he spoke.

Anakin looked to Nakari, who had yet to be seated. "Nakari, strap in!" Turning to Luke, he pointed to the scanner. "There's only a few engaging us at the moment, but the other fighters are starting to join the fray."

"I know," Luke told him, glancing at Nakari in concern. He could tell by how tense she was that she'd been in few if any firefights, her comfort zone being on the ground with her slug thrower.

Thankfully, according to the scanners, the fighters tailing them were all models that wouldn't match the speed of the Desert Jewel.

"Forty-five seconds is a long time when you're being shot at," Nakari commented.

"I think we'll be fine," Luke assured her. No sooner had he said that did a shot hit the starboard wing. The shields prevented damage, but it was still enough to put them off of their current vector. Luke managed to put them right back on course, but Nakari's panic still spiked.

"That's not okay Luke! What are you waiting for? Go faster!" Nakari stated, her voice higher pitched now.

"The shields are still fine, most of their shots are missing us," Luke replied evenly. He mentally cursed when another shot hit and threw them off momentarily again, this time with the shields dipping noticeably.

"It's the ones that are hitting us that I'm worried about!"

"Every time I try to reassure you we get nailed, so I'll just fly, okay?" Luke retorted, keeping his tone calm despite the situation.

She didn't get a chance to retort, as the pirates chose that moment to contact them. "Unidentified ship. Surrender for inspection and we guarantee your personal safety. Continue to flee and you will be destroyed."

Nakari snarled, taking out her frustration on the speaker. "Unidentified hole, please shut it and inspect yourself. Continue to talk and you will be ignored."

Luke didn't know whether to laugh or make a strangled sound of exasperation.

Anakin allowed his hands to fly over the controls, and he rerouted unnecessary power from other systems to the shields to prolong their life.

"I've managed to gain us ten percent on the shields," he informed Luke.

When Nakari continued to tense and her fear mounted steadily, he turned around and placed a hand on hers where it rested white-knuckled against the hand grip.

"We'll be fine, Nakari, Luke can handle this," he reassured her.

Nakari turned worried eyes on him, and swallowed, but didn't argue. Anakin spun back around to assist Luke.

Luke, however, was more focused on the fact that after Nakari's exclamation, three of the fighters released their heat seeking missiles, something he hadn't been prepared for. A ship blown to fragments wouldn't be helpful to the pirates. Maybe they were trigger happy or they'd had a rough day. Either way, Luke had to outmaneuver their missiles now; something he'd wanted to avoid

Anakin saw the missiles too, and looked to Luke. "We purchased phosphorus flares, right? Use a few of the flares to throw off the torpedoes."

The flares were their only option. "I plan on it," Luke told him, already getting into position. He had to time the release of the flares perfectly, or else they would either damage their own ship because he released too late or miss the missiles entirely because he released too soon, and the missiles would still be on them. Probably to Nakari's great panic, Luke closed his eyes, reaching into the Force with relative ease. He could feel the worry coming from Drusil and Nakari, the calm confidence coming from his father, the five closest pirates, and the six missiles. He adjusted the Jewel's course in response to the pirates' position and fire, waiting for the right moment to send the flares. When he felt that moment come, he opened his eyes simply to check that his finger truly was over the right button before he pressed. The flares deployed, attracted the heat seekers, and explosions rocked the space behind them, the cannon fire from the ships streaking past them as the pirates launched a new batch of missiles.

"Are we okay? Did you get them all?" Nakari asked anxiously.

"I got the first six, but six more are inbound."

"Do we have enough flares for that?"

"I think we have enough, but we won't need them."

"Why not?" she asked incredulously, as if questioning his sanity. Luke turned to shoot her a grin.

"Because it's been forty-five seconds now."

As he spoke, the stars streaked past as Artoo jumped right on schedule, and Luke felt himself relax once more. Nakari had a little more difficulty relaxing, though she eventually had enough control of herself to open her eyes and look at him again. "I'm sorry for yelling. You two obviously knew what you were doing, and I wasn't helping."

Luke waved it off. "Don't worry about it," he said. "People tend to yell in combat. It's high stress."

Nakari managed to unclench her stiff hands from the hand rests, and she grimaced as Anakin dismissed himself from the cockpit to check on Artoo and Drusil.

She gingerly rubbed her hands together, trying to ease their discomfort, but her left hand especially ached again. She recalled that it was that hand that had been attacked by those skullborers.

She had thought that her aches were gone, but maybe her prolonged death-grip on the seat had agitated a lasting strain of injury. She didn't really know, but she did want it to stop aching, and while her right fingers did their best, it wasn't enough to get her to relax any more.

Sure, the battle was over, but she was still a little shaky from it.

Luke, noticing her discomfort, spoke up. "Are you all right?" he asked, hand hovering just out of reach of her own in a silent offer of support or to give anything else she may need.

Nakari didn't hear him at first, and then when his voice registered, she gave a miniscule jump.

"Hm?" she hummed softly. Then his words sank in. "Oh, I'm just trying to get my hand to stop hurting, and my nerves to stop crawling." She shuddered. "I'm not used to space battle. This ship was designed to run before it fought."

Nakari shrugged self-consciously while frowning at her offending limb. "I don't know."

Luke unstrapped from his seat, kneeling down in front of her and gently taking her hand in his own. "May I see?" he asked, tenderly holding her hand in his own and reaching for the Force. This healing technique was still relatively uncharted territory for him, but he figured if he could heal tendons and sinew, he could dispel an ache.

Nakari gave Luke her hand without question this time, letting him do whatever he was planning. As his eyes fell half-lidded, she found herself focusing on his mouth, but she didn't interrupt him.

Carefully, Luke located the ache within her hand and focused on driving the pain away, willing the Force to heal the pain within her hand as he manipulated it similarly to how Anakin had shown him. He kept an eye on Nakari's pain in the Force as well, pleased when he finally saw the pain starting to fade away.

Nakari sighed as she felt the discomfort fade, and she closed her eyes briefly.

"That feels better," she murmured. Opening her eyes, Nakari gave him a soft smile. "I'm a little embarrassed at how I freaked out, and more than a little impressed with you keeping your cool."

Luke shrugged, pulling himself from the eddies of the Force. "It's a normal reaction. I've just been in a lot of high stress situations by now, and I've received enough training I know how to find a calm center through the Force," he said with a small shrug, her hand still clasped in his own.

Still eyeing his lips discreetly, and looking for an opening, Nakari's lips tugged into a mischievous smirk. He had just unknowingly provided one.

She used her free hand and trailed a finger slowly up his arm and then down his jawline.

"So, can you keep calm under all situations?" she asked with twinkling eyes.

Shivers of pleasure ran up his arm and down his spine, his gaze suddenly locked on Nakari's.

"Now that's not fair," he told her, retaliating by reaching up to gently caress his fingers against her cheek and down her throat.

"Oh, I think it is..." Nakari dipped her head forward and planted a sensual kiss to his lips before she pulled away, her smirk widening.

Luke arched an eyebrow at her, newly aroused by the teasing kiss. "Oh really? Well, two can play at this game..."

Leaning forward, Luke pressed a slow, caressing kiss to Nakari's lips, lingering for quite some time before he let his mouth roam, blazing a sensual trail along her jaw towards the hollow of her throat.

Nakari shuddered at his touch and she sucked in an uneven breath.

"Okay..." Nakari breathed. "I fold..."

He chuckled low in his throat, pulling away to try and avoid his current kiss escalating into something more. Still, he brushed his lips against her cheek, fingers reaching up to twine in her hair as he spoke softly in her ear. "I like that thing you did a few seconds ago where you kissed me. I think you should do it again."

Nakari laughed once and turned her head toward him. She caressed his chin once more and then tilted her head, her lips hovering just above his.

There she paused, teasing him again even as a smile played at her mouth again.

"Is this good enough?" she whispered in return.

Not about to be shown up, Luke ran his hand that was still buried in her curls down the back of her neck. his other hand barely brushed down her throat, trailing a line all the way down to her waist in a gentle touch, slipping his hand down to the small of her back and sliding up her spine to bring her a little closer, glad he was on his knees so that he wasn't straining himself. He mirrored her smile with his own sly smirk, lips barely touching hers for a moment, breath tickling her lips. "Why don't you tell me? Is it enough?"

Nakari laughed softly, but his caresses were too much for her any longer, and so she relented, placing her lips fully to his.

Luke leaned into the kiss with a victorious smirk, cupping the back of her neck in his hand so he could pull her closer to him as his lips moved in sync with her own, losing himself entirely in the moment.

Nakari felt something within her bloom, something she had been trying to figure out for a while now. When they had first kissed she hadn't quite known what it was she felt for Luke.

Now, however, and after their time and experiences together, Nakari understood it much better. She hadn't been lying to Anakin when she had said Luke was lovable.

She was steadily falling in love with Luke Skywalker, and she only feared one thing: if he felt the same for her.

In the passion of this fuller discovery, Nakari wanted more, and she wanted to be closer to Luke. Scooting out of her seat, she gently pushed back against him so she could kneel with him.

Luke took in a sharp breath, his grasp on Nakari tightening as he pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips against her own and splaying his hand against her back. For the second time, Luke pulled her onto his lap, except this time she did not tense and pull away. Luke threaded his fingers through her hair, the silken curls falling over his fingers as he kissed her with a fervor that matched her own. Of course, these sensations were heightened for him with the fact that he could sense her mounting feelings of passion, as well as her longing for more.

He was all too happy to deliver.

Nakari drew him closer still, her heart pounding in tandem with his. She quivered, and she wanted to let him know...

Nakari didn't want to break from the kiss yet, though, so she decided to try another way.

Taking her growing love for him, Nakari imagined it passing from her to him like the process of osmosis, and praying it worked.

Luke had been happily drowning in the sensation of Nakari, breathing her in as he pressed himself too her in response to her own advances.

A small gasp escaped him when, unexpectedly, he felt this rush of love swell up inside of nakari and rush towards him, setting his senses and emotions on fire while his heart and mind reeled, processing what she'd just wordlessly told him. His lips pressed a little more hungrily against her own, breathing uneven and heartbeat erratic.

*****************************************************************************

Anakin was having a difficult time focusing on his conversation with Artoo and Drusil about the likelihood of them encountering more trouble on their route.

Finally, when he sensed that things were escalating quickly, Anakin closed his eyes with a small breath.

Excusing himself politely from their discussion, Anakin stood, making his way toward the cockpit.

******************************************************************************

Something tickled at the back of Luke's mind, but he pushed it away the first few times until he heard the thud of footsteps outside of the cockpit. Startled and albeit a little mortified when he realized his father was about to walk in on them, Luke reared back.

"Anakin," he said quickly, already drawing Nakari to her feet with him.

Nakari, flustered from the sudden end of their moment, tried to reestablish her equilibrium enough to be presentable. She ended up having to sit down and by the time the door opened, she was trying to hide her flushed face.

Anakin entered the cockpit, careful to keep his expression calm. Luke was standing by one console while Nakari looked like she needed a little fresh air.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Nakari coughed and stood carefully.

"I'm going to grab some caf," she said before she squeezed past the elder Skywalker.

Once she was gone, Anakin quietly took the copilot's seat, waiting to see if Luke chose to sit as well.

Luke was still rather flustered himself, and he was all too aware of his father's eyes on him. Still, despite the fact his flight instinct was trying desperately to kick in, Luke lowered himself into the pilot's seat, trying to maintain a semblance of calm. He felt an odd mixture of euphoria and wariness, and he couldn't help but notice he almost felt like a child who'd had their hand in the cookie jar, pulling it out just as the adult turned the corner yet somehow knowing the parent still knew. he forced his thoughts to turn away from the fiery kiss he'd just shared with Nakari, doing his best to dissipate his flushed appearance.

Anakin said nothing for a time, knowing Luke was trying to recover. He sensed something...different about Luke. Something that hadn't been there before, yet Luke also seemed troubled.

Deciding that Luke had taken Anakin's silent lesson to heart, he asked a different question.

"Are you all right?" His voice was soft, inviting. Yet, if Luke chose not to talk about it, Anakin would drop the subject.

What Anakin said had been the last thing Luke was expecting. Still, once he got his bearings he processed Anakin's soft spoken question and wrestled with an answer, his feelings in chaos as he tried to make sense of things again. As bliss-inducing Nakari's reveal had been in the moment, Luke no longer knew how he felt about it. Maybe a little scared? Terrified? Nervous? Worried? Stressed? Caught off guard? Unsure? All around not ready?

Happy, excited, relieved, or euphoric? His feelings were a mess, and he didn't know what to do with himself.

"I...I don't know yet..." Luke admitted. "I might have to get back to you about that when I figure out myself," Luke said, his wariness and emotional turmoil evident in his voice. He winced; he needed to get a grip on himself.

Anakin frowned at his son, somewhat concerned. Luke was an emotional mess, and it worried him.

"Did something happen?" he pressed gingerly, not wanting to intrude, but he also had to be sure Luke wasn't actually hurt.

The question caused Luke's cheeks to flare as the memory came back to him and he had to clear his throat. "Ah...yeah just...I don't know how to react yet," Luke admitted.

Comprehension dawned upon him and Anakin nodded, returning his gaze to the view outside the cockpit. After another long moment in which Luke tried to get himself together, Anakin reached a steadying hand to his son's arm.

"When I can't make sense of something, and I'm far too agitated to clear my mind and meditate," he offered quietly, "I find it soothing to simply sit and let my mind work itself out. It also helps when I gaze at the stars or the mottled lines of hyperspace."

He shrugged. "That's why I'm usually in the cockpit, or at least a room with a viewport."

Luke gave his father a grateful expression. There was no way he was going to be able to calm down with how much was running through his head, though Anakin had a point. Watching hyperspace go by always seemed to help. Maybe Luke could at least start to sort through his confusing emotions. Part of him feared that now Nakari might be awaiting a response, or for him to make the first verbal move, and that was a terrifying thought. Was he even ready for that? Was he sure that was how he felt? Did he even have the courage to say it and put it out there, or would words fail him every time he tried?

With great effort, he pushed the thoughts aside. He could think about that after he sorted out his feelings from the moment itself. Everything had been so wrapped up in passion Luke hardly had time to process it. Now, however, he did have the time, and the silent support and readily available advice and experience of his father should he need it—as awkward as that might feel at first.

********************************************************************************

Nakari sat alone at the table in the galley area. Her cheeks were still flush and she was struggling to come to grips with what had just happened.

She had professed her newly realized love for Luke, and though she wasn't entirely sure if it had worked, his increased take on her lips had suggested it had.

And while she didn't regret the confession, she did feel vulnerable and horribly exposed. She trusted Luke, and Anakin, but...what were they talking about, if anything?

Luke at least had his father readily available to talk such things over with. Nakari, as usual it seemed, was left floundering all alone to find her center.

Nakari was staring blankly into her mug, watching as the tiny white clouds of mixture moved along the surface. Thus when a soft beep sounded next to the table, she jumped, nearly knocking over the drink.

Artoo stood there, having somehow snuck up on her. He now warbled apologetically.

Nakari glanced at the datapad that was rigged to his front for translation purposes.

"That's okay," Nakari assured the droid. "Did you need anything?"

Artoo swiveled his photoreceptor in the direction of the cockpit, and then turned back to her.

I was going to ask you the same thing. Artoo replied.

Nakari blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Artoo rocked slightly. Yes. You seem troubled, Mistress Nakari.

Nakari frowned a little, thinking that she now knew why Luke and Anakin treated the droid like family. This little bucket of parts seemed to have more of a heart than most of the living people she had known.

Nakari smiled softly and patted his dome, then sighed. "I don't know. I...well, I kissed Luke again. But unlike last time...I tried to tell him how I feel about him." Nakari ended with a self-conscious shrug. "I don't really know how it went, and now I'm all exposed and alone."

Artoo tootled softly. You are not alone. And I'm sure Master Luke was just taken by surprise.

Nakari pursed her lips. "I guess so. I mean, I did kind of ambush him with it in the midst of our make-out session."

Artoo made a sound that might have passed as laughter. In my experience, human men need longer to compute things than human women.

Nakari stared at the droid, unable to quite believe he'd just said that. Then, grateful for the tension breaker, Nakari threw her head back and laughed.

Then, because she needed it, she found she couldn't stop laughing. She had to take several uneven gulps of air and wipe tears of mirth from her eyes before she managed some semblance of control again.

******************************************************************************

Anakin heard Nakari laughing and lifted an interested brow, but chose to leave her to her own devices, closing his eyes and letting the peace of space soothe him.

Luke, meanwhile, was staring out the viewport without really seeing what lie beyond. Unconsciously, he smiled when he heard Nakari laugh, the sound soothing while he struggled with himself internally. He'd come to some conclusions, though he was far from decisive as to what to do.

For one, he was overjoyed by Nakari's unspoken declaration. Secondly, he was relieved that he wasn't the only one with his feelings growing in strength.

He was scared, however, to put himself out there, even with everything that had happened. Those few little words held a lot of weight to them, and Luke wanted to be absolutely sure that he was clear with how he felt, and that he truly did feel what he was claiming before he made that commitment.

Still, what terrified him was the thought that he felt cursed to lose everyone he cared about. He was afraid to let Nakari in lest something happen to her after he allowed himself to take that step. It would be just his luck—to finally commit just for her to be permanently yanked out of his life. He shivered at the thought of losing someone else, pained.

Lastly, Luke was afraid of putting Nakari in danger. Anakin had already pointed out that with their growing feelings Luke would have to be the one to protect Nakari from people like Vader and the Emperor. Luke's feelings for her would make Nakari a prime target for the two Sith, and Luke wasn't sure if he was willing to put her in that sort of danger before he was even capable of protecting her from it.

Was he ready for this? Was he ready to return her feelings, to state out loud what she'd only sent in emotions so that it was out in the open between them?

He truly, honestly did not know.