A standard week had passed in which nothing important had happened, but then events came thick and fast.
Nomi looked up from her work when her husband entered the room.
"Have you heard?" He asked and continued without waiting for his wife's reaction. "Rogue Squadron actually managed to corner and defeat Ysanne Isard and Erisi Dlarit. Both were killed."
"That's great news, darling," the Jedi replied.
"Indeed, but wait, it gets better," her husband said with a big grin. "The Lusankya fell into the hands of the Alliance and the Alliance members held on it were freed. And now that we have free access to bacta again, the Krytos plague is finally subsiding. There were no new infections. Nothing now stands in the way of the founding of the New Republic. It seems as if we have finally achieved the goal of our years of struggle, honey."
"Wonderful, but I also have good news, Dash. An amnesty has been issued and my father will be free."
The mention of Nomi's father put a damper on Dash's good mood. He was still having a hard time coming to terms with the man who had almost killed him.
"I'll pick him up together with the children. Do you want to come with us, darling?"
The former mercenary shook his head.
"No, Nomi, you can't ask me to do that. I'm sorry but I just can't forgive and forget and just pretend nothing happened. But you can take the children with you if you want."
Shortly afterwards, Nomi was on her way to the palace's detention block with Tasherit in her arms, followed by the triplets. She hoped that one day Dash would be able to reconcile with her father.
The Jedi hadn't been allowed to see her father the entire time after he was taken to prison. Her attempts to contact him through the Force were blocked by Ulic. Nomi couldn't imagine why he did that.
She summoned the turbolift that would take them to the detention block level. The lift came and the door hissed open. Nomi led the triplets inside and pressed a button. The door hissed closed and the turbolift moved downwards.
"Grandpa will be happy if we take him home with us, Mama," Dash Jr. said, looking up to his mother.
"Yes, he definitely will, Junior," Nomi replied, cradling the sleeping Tasherit in her arms.
Minutes later, the turbolift stopped and the door hissed open.
The Jedi exited the turbolift and entered the brightly lit hallway followed by her sons. As they entered the detention block, a lieutenant approached them and looked at Nomi expectantly.
The young woman activated her datapad after shifting her daughter and displayed the order to release Lord Ulic Bel-Baal from custody. When the lieutenant read the name, he raised an eyebrow and moved the Jedi aside so the boys couldn't hear what he had to say.
"Major Darklighter? One moment please."
Looking at the man's expression, the Jedi felt like he was about to give her bad news.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"I'm sorry, Major Darklighter, but I must inform you that your father is dying," the Alliance officer looked at her sympathetically. "The medics can't do anything for him. He doesn't seem to have any will to live anymore."
Against her will, tears welled up in Nomi's eyes.
"Take me to him, Lieutenant."
"Of course, Major," the lieutenant replied.
The young woman slowly followed the officer through the corridors to her father's cell, after leaving the triplets in the guard room and taking only Tasherit with her. The lieutenant entered the access code and the cell door hissed open.
The room had the usual appearance of an Imperial prison cell and even the Alliance takeover hadn't changed that. Nomi entered hesitantly, overwhelmed by memories of her own stays in such cells.
Under the blanket on the cot she could see the outline of a human figure.
The lieutenant went to the cot and spoke to the man lying there.
"Lord Bel-Baal...your daughter is here."
There was no visible reaction to the man's words, but the Jedi felt a slight tremor in the Force. She went to her father with the baby in her arms and sat next to him. Then she turned to her companion.
"Please leave us alone, Lieutenant."
"Yes, Ma'am," the officer replied, leaving the cell and locking it.
As soon as the man left, Nomi took her father's hand. Ulic opened his eyes and looked at his daughter as he spoke to her in the Force. Apparently he didn't want anyone to overhear them.
"That I can see you again, Nomi."
Nomi could barely hold back her tears. She had come to tell her father the good news of his release and now she was sitting at his deathbed.
"No, don't cry, my child. You have always been so strong. In this respect you are very similar to your mother. Silya... What I wouldn't give if I could undo everything. I loved your mother with all my heart, Nomi. But my love wasn't strong enough to withstand the influence of the dark side."
Her father raised his hand and gently stroked Tasherit's copper-red hair.
"You must have looked just like your daughter at that age. Now I won't see your children grow up."
Bel-Baal sighed.
"You can't die, father. We need you," Nomi replied, sobbing.
The dying man shook his head.
"No, Nomi, you don't need me. And what about your husband? You know he hates me, even if he tries to hide it from you. From a certain point of view I can understand him. Believe me, it's better if I leave this world, my child. I hope I find peace."
The last words were almost inaudible. He was silent for a moment, as if trying to gather strength.
"Nomi"
The Jedi felt her father's presence fading in the Force and had to concentrate to understand him.
"Yes, father?"
"You have brought light into the darkness of my heart. Never succumb to the temptations of the dark side, my child. Promise me."
When his daughter heard this, she had a lump in her throat and could only nod.
"You weren't wrong about me, Nomi."
He sighed deeply again and then there was silence, only broken by his daughter's sobs.
Ulic Bel-Baal was dead.
Nomi was still holding his hand. But then her father's body disappeared. Only his clothes remained on the cot. He had become one with the Force. Lord Bel-Baal had indeed turned away from the dark side and found his way back to the light.
Despite her sadness, she smiled as she saw her father's shimmering figure before her. Just as she had once seen the Force ghosts of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda on Endor, on the day of her wedding and the Alliance's victory.
The cell door hissed open and the lieutenant entered. He couldn't believe his eyes when he didn't see the prisoner.
"Where is he, Major Darklighter?"
The young woman turned her tear-stained face towards him.
"My father died and became one with the Force. Didn't you know he was a Jedi, Lieutenant?"
He shook his head and stared at the empty cot.
"I have a report to make, Ma'am."
Nomi stood up and went to the door.
"Yes, do that, Lieutenant."
She then left the cell, leaving the officer behind.
The Jedi went back to the guard room where the triplets were waiting for them.
Corran looked at her with a serious expression that was too serious for his age.
"Our grandfather is dead, Mama. We felt it when he died."
His mother nodded as Biggs hugged her legs and looked up at her.
"Don't cry, Mama. Grandpa is fine where he is now," said the little guy.
Nomi looked at Dash Jr., who was standing in the corner, crying quietly.
"Come on Dash, let's go home. Your father is already waiting for us."
As she walked to their quarters, she wondered how Dash would react to his father-in-law's death.
As they entered the quarters, Dash looked at his wife in surprise.
"Where is your father, Nomi? Why are you crying? What happened, darling?"
His wife handed Leebo Tasherit while the triplets went to their room.
Dash came up to her and took her in his arms. She leaned against his chest, crying.
"My father is dead, Dash. I was with him when he died."
Her husband gently stroked her hair.
"I know how you feel. Believe me, I know what's going on with you now. It can't have been easy for you to watch your father die."
Nomi raised her head and looked him in the eyes.
"It almost sounds like you're sorry for his death, Dash."
Rendar nodded.
"Yes, I'm sorry for his death, Nomi. Despite everything, your father was a great man. I wanted to hate him for what he did to us and especially to you, but now I can't anymore."
"Is that true, Dash?" His wife looked at him doubtfully.
Suddenly she saw her father's Force ghost standing behind Dash, nodding and speaking to her in the Force.
"Yes, what your husband says is true. There is no longer any hatred for me in his heart. Now I can truly go in peace, my child. I wish you all the happiness in the universe. One day we both will be united in the Force. May the Force be with you and your family, Nomi."
His daughter held out her hand to him.
"Father, please stay! Don't leave me!"
Ulic smiled at her one last time and disappeared.
Dash turned his head but couldn't see what his wife was seeing.
"C'mon, darling, it was all a bit too much for you. It's better if you go to bed now."
He picked up his wife and carried her into the bedroom, where he gently laid her on the bed.
After her husband left, Nomi stood up again, took off her uniform and went to the refresher. There she looked in the mirror and it seemed to her as if she were looking at a stranger.
She didn't know how long she had been standing there looking at her face in the mirror when Dash came up behind her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You should sleep, Nomi, it's already late," he whispered in her ear.
Nomi nodded and slowly followed him into the bedroom, where she fell into bed next to him, exhausted and yet unable to sleep for a long time.