Crippled.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei Wu Wei sat in the shuttle, deep asleep on his way to Talus. Home. He dreamed of his wife, Chariss. Jedi weren't allowed attachments, but back then, he hadn't been a Jedi. Not officially. Now all that he had left was a grave marker on that little planet, some holos, and a lot of memories. Years without her, and she was still his only attachment.

"Pockets..." he muttered in his sleep.

"I can see your pockets, Dear." Wei seated his glasses on the bridge of his nose and squinted. "Yep, they're sticking out from your shorts."

Chariss giggled. "Silly Wei! That's not the point! It's been so hot out, and a lot of the young women in town wear their shorts this way! You're as practical as a Jedi! Besides, I thought you might like to see a bit more of your darling wife!"

Wei smiled and turned a little pink. He had to loosen up. "Well, I do like the shirt. It's a lovely pattern and hugs your figure so. I suppose it's because you had to tie it in the back?"

"Yes, no thanks to you. I had to do the upper one first before I put it on. You don't want to help me get dressed?"

Wei saw his opening. He had to say the right thing. He winked conspiratorially and gave a grin that he hoped expressed roguish humor. "I'd rather help you get UN-dressed, sweetie."

She gave him a playful shove and laughed again. "After the fair." Chariss grabbed her handbag. "Now, handsome husband, let's go try to win a big fluffy bantha at the fair!"

Someone behind him bumped his seat. The Jedi Knight's head lolled around, resting his chin on his chest. He snorted. The sudden change in his breathing woke him. He shifted so his head leaned against the wall of the spacecraft. He let his eyelids shut again.

Chariss had learned by then that her husband was not a man of roaring-flame passion. His affection burned hot, underneath. She likened his love to campfire coals. You had to get close to feel the heat. There had to be close darkness to see the deep orange glow. In the dark, intimate night, held tightly to her man, she always said she could feel the intense love he couldn't seem to express in jocular words and swaggering mannerisms.

Wei was glad for that. It was easier to express his love in deeds rather than words.

As his thoughts meandered across their relationship, from the first meeting, to courtship, to the engagement, then the wedding day, and finally (painfully) her death, his thoughts eventually turned to her parents. What on earth would they think when they saw him in a few days?

[Wei Wu Wei]

On the planet's surface, a click or two away from Wei's hometown, nestled in the foot of the mountains, Matron Yaga rested. Over the decades, the built her strength in the nourishing sleep of the Dark. Though she slept, she did not dream. She saw through the eyes of another. The eyes were a child's. Then a man's. She did not like what she saw. Even in her Dark Slumber, her mind went back all those years.

Matron Yaga! The capstone of the community. She had been around as long as anyone could remember. Without her, there could hardly BE community. She attended ever birth. Presided over every funeral. Families sought her counsel in business, courtship, and life. P'u Wu Wei's furniture business gained its foothold after the man and his wife listened to the sage advice of the Matron, and reached out to the Wookiees.

Her sharp nose, narrowed eyes, and pursed lips sharpened her visage to a vibroblade's edge. When she spoke, you listened. You dare not do otherwise. You gave her the first fruits of your labor, offered her a gift of quality craftsmanship when she visited you in your time of need--whether you knew you needed her or not. She was never out of place, never late, and most importantly she was never wrong. When Matron Yaga darkened your door, you accepted that she was going to help you.

Now she bustled into the hospital at the request of the man and his wife, Te. The couple had gone to one of the bigger cities to invest in some cargo skiffs. No one knew why, but Te suddenly went into labor in the dealership's showroom. Te nearly refused to go to the hospital. She would have her baby at home, under the care of Matron Yaga. The only thing that kept her from speaking her mind was a sudden, sharp pain that knocked her over into her husband's arms. She was out. Not knowing what else to do, P'u called his family and hers, and they dutifully called upon Matron Yaga.

The matron tsked, shook her head, and gathered her things. She did not truck with doctors. Doctors got in the way of the Rites. But this baby would come into the Galaxy with the Matron's blessing, no matter who might complain. She had monitored him for too long to miss his birth. This boy was special.

"Te Wu Wei!" the words were laser-focused and jolted the orderly behind the counter. All policy forgotten, the orderly found the room number.

She swept into the room, filling it with her presence. The doctor turned, but before he could part his lips to speak, the bullwhip crack of her snapping fingers cowed him into silence. She unrolled the small ornate rug. Placed the incense. Laid out the small table, upon which the small, black pyramid rested. LAst of all, Matron Yaga retrieved an ornate bowl and a small, beautifully carved wooden rod from the case.

P'u stroked his wife's hair and whispered in her ear. "Matron Yaga has come! Our baby will be born according to our custom!"

Still unconscious, she did not answer. Her breathing was shallow and even. The doctor's team debated in whispers. Should Te be moved to surgery? No, she should be given more time. She may come around yet. Besides, no one was about to tell the scary old woman to pick up her things so they could wheel their patient out the door.

Matron Yaga traced the rim of the bowl with the wooden rod. When the bowl held its pure tone, she began the Rite.

Elsewhere in the maternity ward, Jedi Knight Broa, a Miralukan, walked the halls. The Jedi only took infants back then, and Broa spent his time feeling out Force-Sensitivity in the newborns of Talus. So far, no child proved extraordinary, but just ahead, he thought he could feel a hidden potential. Then it hit him. Dark energy filled the ward. A miasma to muddy the mind while the Dark Side reached out for the small seed of power resting dormant.

He walked quickly towards it. "What a fearsome, hungering power!"

Matron Yaga stretched bony hands wrapped in cracked, parchment-paper skin. Her fierce eyes held a pale glimmer. All of her concentration lanced towards Te's unborn son. She found his potential power, sealed away inside his fragile body. This good, healthy baby held power. Soon, that power would be hers. She would be Matron a while longer.

Broa barrelled down the hall, radiating Light to ward off the miasma. The Light pushed it away. Those he passed snapped to, like puppets whose master had suddenly jerked the strings. Broa felt the tension in the Force. Matron Yaga felt it too. Suddenly, she paused halfway through her ritual. Her concentration lost, the ritual power slammed shut, and the infant's power was lost to her. It flickered weakly in the hum of the monitoring machines hooked to his mother.

Yaga drew her power into herself and hid it. She finished the rite quickly. She stuffed the pyramid into her bag just as Broa brushed aside the hypnotized hospital staff that were stuck in the doorway.

"May we help you, Jedi?" She sneered. "Or is it common for Knight like yourself to barge in on new mothers?"

"No, ma'am. I just thought I sensed something..." The Jedi could feel the anger rolling off the Matron in hot, thick waves. He felt the fear and concern P'u had for his wife. He sensed the confusion in the hospital staff.

The team decided to operate. P'u asked Matron Yaga to make the bowl sing. "Please, Matron. It would ease my mind."

The Matron feared the worst from the Jedi. He looked upon the bowl with great interest. Nevertheless, she had set the precedent that the bowl would sing for the father's sake during delivery. Every man witnessed his child enter the world with a mind free from worry. As placid as that clear, pure tone. Matron Yaga could direct them as she chose.

As the bowl continued to hold its note, Matron Yaga and Knight Broa both noticed an unusual thing as the doctor lifted the crying infant out of the incision in Te's belly. That power that Yaga had tried to extract was still there. It was only unlocked by the clear tones of the singing bowl.

Yaga left after she got to hold little Wei Wu Wei. P'u held his son, described the little thing to his wife, and laid the child on her chest. Moments later, Te passed on, leaving little Wei motherless, and his father a widower.

"There is no death. There is the Force."

By the end of the next day, Broa had P'u's permission to take Wei back to the temple on Coruscant. The man had been easy to convince. His business had barely gotten off the ground. It took up too much of his time. With the Jedi, Wei would be cared for, his condition studied, and (with luck) taught the ways of the Force.

Yaga had fled back to the village, took some time to settle her affairs, and then left for her hideaway. The incomplete ritual made her weaker than ever. Without Wei's power, the Matron could not continue. Feeling her life force begin to fade, the Sith Sorceress sealed her chamber, drank a small vial of some alchemical substance, and settled in to recuperate the slower way.

How horrified she'd been when just before her mind succumbed to sleep that she was connected to Wei. She saw what he saw! She heard what he heard! And yet, she could not influence him. He was too far away, and she was still too weak.

Now he was a Jedi once more. Darth Yaga knew he could not be controlled. Her eyes snapped open. Couldn't he though? Nostalgia, sad and sweet, bubbled within Wei as he thought of the good old days at home. Yes. She could use that!

[Wei Wu Wei]

The next couple days went without any real noteworthy events. Wei discussed the Jedi Order with officials, re-established means of finding Force-Sensitive individuals on the Allied planets, how to contact the Jedi Order, and moved on. In between planets, Wei's thoughts drifted back to his wife.

Chariss sat at the dining table with the receipts from her parents' sandwich shop to her left, the supply orders to the right, the ledger datapad in front of her, and the utility bills just beyond the ledger. Her father had had enough of the finances; the accounting program crashed when he did a thing to it.

"A thing?" Wei asked again from the kitchen.

Chariss put her face in her hands and yelled her irritation into them. "YES!"

Wei pulled the canister of tea toward him, scooped some into the infuser. He took the teacup he'd been warming (his wife's favorite--the one with the cherry blossoms on it), placed the infuser inside it, then poured the water. He placed it on its matching saucer. Wei placed it on an empty space near Chariss.

"Thank you, Darling."

Wei didn't answer. He focused on the top of her head. Chariss hardly noticed her husband take the pins and clips that kept her braids fastened to the back of her head. He unwound them one at a time with speed and care that made her wonder briefly if he hadn't been a hairdresser in his life before Talus. He pulled her hairbrush from his back pocket and ran it through her hair.

She moaned softly. After a few more repetitions, the petite young woman took her hands away from her face and returned to the numbers. Wei said nothing, only continued brushing. Chariss looked at the teacup, took out the infuser, and brought the mug to her lips. The aroma of the tea helped clear her mind.

"Ok. Let's do this."

One thing that brought a swell of pride to Wei's chest was his wife's ability with numbers. The town was not the largest, but not the smallest. He knew that a great many people came from larger towns to buy furniture from his small shop in town. Others came to see the antiques, take holos, or commuted from neighboring towns to work in his factory. Nearly every commuter ate at the shop on pay day, and on weekends the visitors squeezed in, or sat on the patio, or took a meal to go so they could enjoy the public park and gardens just outside town. Today, the gardens were blooming, and visitors packed in to see the vibrant colors.

The shop had been so busy they finished out the day with hardly any ingredients left. The datapad listing the receipts seemed to scroll forever. Usually, the program added the receipts as purchases were made, transferred the data to the business account, and then from there, expenses could be deducted and payments disbursed first thing on the next business day. Now the program was broken. The receipts were recorded, but not totaled, the payments for deliveries had to be drawn up and ready for payment, and then the account re-balanced before midnight. Chariss had only a few hours left, and she had dashed out the door as soon as the shop closed.

Thankfully, her father did not truck with prices that could not be added up easily. Children ate for 2 credits, the Special Menu items were 5 credits each, A la carte sandwiches started at 3 credits for 1 meat, 1 cheese, and up to 2 extras from pre-selected list. Additional meats, cheeses, and deluxe extras were 1 credit each. Chariss could look at a page, count the orders with identical prices, multiply, count the next set of common orders, multiply them by the price, and so on. She could remember up to 5 products at a time, then added them together and wrote them down. Then she went to the next page.

"It's only grade school math," she had said earlier. "It just takes time."

Now the time was taking its toll, and the poor woman was beginning to stress. Wei knew better than to suggest the calculator again.

"No!" she had said. "I lose track of where I am!"

Wei didn't understand how Chariss could lose track adding down the list. It seemed much more likely that she would miss something by skipping around.

"50 receipts on a page, 10 at 5 dollars, 15 at 20, 4 for 14, 11 for 12, and 10 at 35." There was a pause. Her forehead hit the heels of her palms as she leaned over the numbers. "50, 300, 56, 132, 350." Another pause. "106, 650, 132." A third pause. "238 plus 650 is 888 credits." She entered the number into her running list of sub-totals.

Ah, that was it.

Wei dutifully brushed her hair while she sipped tea and calculated. When the cup sat empty on its saucer, Wei pulled a hair tie off his wrist, put his wife's hair up in a messy bun, and took the cup back to the kitchen to go in the dishwasher.

He returned to the dining room, kissed her cheek, then left her with the numbers.

"We will be landing at Talus Interstellar Spaceport in 15 minutes. Please fasten all safety belts as we prepare to enter Talus' atmosphere. Please remain seated until the shuttle has landed and the captain has turned off the engines. As always thank you for flying--"

Wei tuned out the voice. 15 minutes. Then he'd be home.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Matron Yaga emerged from her chamber and into the larger room beyond. She looked at the black silk dress she had worn for so many years, and the small golden basket that she had worn pinned around her severe bun. Together they had served as a sort of unofficial badge of office: There was something about the austere dress accented by that small finery of gold lattice that made people move aside for her when she approached, look at their shoes when she scowled, and obedient whens he scolded.

Now it had been nearly 50 years. Some of Wei's generation might know who she was from their parents' stories, but by now that generation was having children of their own. They wouldn't know her. She could be stately and strict, but they'd only see a blowhard old woman who needed to get with the times. Better to be a face in the crowd. Play a different angle. She didn't need to contact him. She only needed to be close to Wei. She had made herself stand out before. No one could ignore here. This time, the Dark Side would hide her.

In the meantime, she would mind the visions. Sense Wei's feelings. Find the memories that bring that bittersweet nostalgia full and thick and heady, then she'd drive in her tap. She would bring him down, then in an unguarded moment she would control him and his power, or she would kill him, sever their connection, and then let the Ritual sort itself out.

Until then, she dare not try it again. She held part of his power. The part that kept him connected at all times. Sooner or later, when the bowl sang, chimes jangled, or the lightsaber hummed, he'd be aware of her Darkness in the back of his mind. If his roots in the Light was strong, she'd be no more than a tickle on the edge of his consciousness. If she tried the ritual, there was a good chance the stolen power would be diverted into him--especially if he was in the presence of what she called a "Connecting Tone." But if she could dig into him...

Darth Yaga was a patient woman. She would observe. Out of her wardrobe, she chose a shapeless brown frock, a pair of black flats, a green scarf in a definite shade of regurgitated pea soup to wear as a bonnet, and to top it all off, a simple walking stick any orthopedist might prescribe to someone with arthritic knees who won't take a walker or use a wheelchair.

Yaga tucked the cane under her arm and walked briskly down the hidden path and into the woods. She wanted to be at the town when Wei got there. That meant hurrying down to one of the main roads, waiting for the right moment to insert herself on the shoulder of the road and totter painfully (but determinedly) towards town.

"Oh, no thank you, Dearie. I expect I'll get there directly," she said out loud as practice. If that line couldn't make a youngster give a sweet old granny a ride to town, nothing could.

"Soon we will finish what we started, Wei Wu Wei. Very soon."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei stepped down from the shuttle's exit ramp, down the concourse, through the turnstiles that checked his identification, and finally into the main thoroughfare where he would pick up his one bag, find the exit, and--

A sudden high pitched cry pierced the air like a laserbolt! Everyone stopped in their tracks! Wei fished in his pocket for his commlink and pressed a button. The clear tone of the singing bowl reached his ear, and the Force expanded his sense, searching the area for any sign of--

"Oof!"

A petite old woman clung to him tightly, her face buried in his chest. From out of the Jedi robes came a muffled voice.

"Wei! My boy! Oh, we thought you were dead! They said you were dead! Those horrible men came and asked us where you were! We told them we didn't know, and it was true! Oh, when we found out what happend to Chariss and your father, we were beside ourselves!" The wrinkled face looked up at him with glistening wet eyes and a big smile. "Let me look at you!"

The old woman grabbed the Jedi Knight's face and turned it this way and that. "Unshaven! And what has happened to your hair! It looks like it belongs on an animal at the zoo, not on the top of someone's head!" She tsked and fussed over him, straightening his robes, spitting on the cuff of her long sleeved shirt and scrubbing at a spot on his face.

"Xiwang, that's enough! Our Wei is a Jedi. He must be shown proper respect!"

Wei's mother-in-law released his stubbled chin and put her hands on her hips. "Easy for you to say, Lianzheng! Our boy comes back from the dead, dressed in brown, messy head to toe from those awful passenger shuttles, and you expect me to do nothing! Have we not been married all these 68 years we have shared a life together?"

Lianzheng held up a placating hand. "I only meant that out in public, Wei is expected to behave a certain way. He must be seen as authoritative and respectable! You may tidy him up when we get back to the speeder."

It was something Wei had never entirely gotten used to. From engagement until the end of a marriage, you were family. Not merely in-laws, but real family. You were expected to call your wife's mother "Mother" and her father "Father." They treated you like you were their own child. They loved you, cared for you, and scolded you, and you obeyed and were helpful while under their roof.

Chariss had taken to calling Wei's own father "Papa," since she referred to her own as "Father."

"It's good to see you, Mother. I'm sorry I did not check on you. When I got home and saw what had happened to them, I thought it might be best if I left. The Empire chased me for quite some time, and I hid rather well for several years, but a Jedi must answer to the will of the Force, and I am not chasing them instead. I didn't know when it would be safe to contact you, so I haven't until now. I am sorry."

Xiwang held him out in front of her and looked at him with pride. "It's ok. You are alive. I am going to take you home, put you in some proper clothes, feed you the biggest meal you have ever seen, and give you a nice place to sleep. You will feel more at home than you ever have!"

Wei inclined his head in a bow. "Thank you, Mother. I'm looking forward to it. I missed you."

He looked over at Lianzheng. "Father."

The elder man simply held out his palm. "Son." They shook mightily, then the fat old man yanked him into a hug that rivaled his wife's. When he let Wei go, he smiled sheepishly. "Oh well. So much for proper respect."

"It's all right. Let me get my bag, and we can leave."

Xiwang chattered about all the changes that had take place as they sped along the road towards the town. Wei noticed she did not mention his furniture business or the sandwich shop. Wei wanted to ask, but at the moment it was impossible to get a word in edgewise.

"Oh, I am going to cook for you all your favorite things!" she said for for what must have been the 100th time. "You won't possibly be able to eat it all!"

"Like the wedding feast," Wei thought.

All of Wei's employees from the Details and Fine Work department came, along with a few of P'u's work buddies. The extended family came, along with all of Chariss' friends, family, and extended family. They crammed into that little house and ate and drank for nearly 12 hours solid. It had been Wei's first encounter with strong drink, and thankfully he didn't have to drink any of it on an empty stomach. Both his fathers sat by him, and his fiancee across the room with her mother and her favorite aunt. They looked across the table from one another, smiled, and raised the occasional glass to one another. They never got to speak once the entire night. They were rooted to their spots.

The rest of the guests milled about, found places to sit and eat, or snacked on their feet. Children squirmed between the forest of adults to reach the sweets (Dessert first and no vegetables required!) to eat themselves sick under the tablecloths. Wei met everyone, did their best to remember all the names--of the people and the dishes too--and felt glad that his Zabrak co-worker, Glint, stayed close by to help him out of a social jam.

It was well into the night when the guests left. No! No need to clean up! The family insisted. It would wait until the food had been slept off. P'u, Wei, and Glint carried each other back to the Wu Wei residence, where the eldest Wei crumpled into the recliner, the friend lurched perilously before slamming into the sofa. Wei, bless him, woke up upside down in the bed under the fitted sheet (which was snugly holding the corners of the mattress). Wei pulled his head away from the edge of the mattress, and continued to sleep under the sheet until someone came to peel it back and let him out.

Wei would have to see if Glint was still at the factory.

"Here we are!" said Lianzheng. "Welcome Home!"

[Wei Wu Wei]

First thing, Wei's bag went straight up to the guest room while Wei went to the adjoining refresher. While he washed, the door creaked open after a short knock. Clothes were placed on the countertop and the door shut back. A few minutes later the Jedi Knight turned off the taps. He pulled his long hair over his shoulder and leaned his head back against the tile. Maybe he should have had someone else come on this trip.

"No," he whispered to the dripping shower. "I needed to come. Loose ends here."

He toweled himself off. He knew there was no hurry, and felt free to really look around the guest refresher. A festival of spring colors made the room feel light and warm. Yellow walls, a eggshell counterop, and flower-themed bric-a-brac took their places amongst the hygiene supplies and the back of the toilet. A small glass bottle of sorts sat behind some woodland creatures. Wei picked it up. Not dusty, and the label was new. But this was...he sprayed a little of the contents into the air. The small room filled with a fresh smell of fragrant flowers. That was her smell. That subtle smell that sidled up to you. How was it he could never smell it when she was near him, but if she happened by him when they passed in the hallway the scent would fill his nose the second she turned the corner? It wasn't fair! Still, he smiled. It was one of the many things about her he never could understand, but he loved about her anyway. Xiwang called to him from down the stairs. He dressed and joined his mother and father in the dining room.

Dinner that night was his favorite food--Lo Mein. He loved everything about the dish: the noodles, the vegetables, and the chicken and shrimp, all covered with a savory sauce. Wei ate to his stomach's content, and then ate to his heart's content. His mother stuck to her word: there was enough left for him to eat it twice a day for a week!

"Are you sure you won't have more?" She asked after he had emptied the bowl for the 4th time.

"Oh, Mother! If I eat anymore, I shall have to hibernate!"

Xiwang and Lianzheng both laughed.

"Good!" Lianzheng declared. "The bed is ready when you want it! Until then, will you join me on the porch?"

Wei nodded, placed his bowl and glass in the sink inspite of Mother's protests, and joined his father outside. The porch had room for a person to sit just about anywhere they wanted. The Force Cripple noticed the wind chimes hanging near one corner of the porch.

"We got those as a memorial for you and dear Chariss," Lianzheng said. "Because you loved them so."

"They help me feel the Force, Father."

Lianzheng folded his large hands over his expansive waistline. "It is no wonder you liked them so much. Do all Jedi share your love of wind chimes?"

Wei watched the metal pipes dance in the breeze. Their metal tinkling sounds rang out, helping Wei to sense the surrounding area. "I'm afraid not. I'm a special case. Most Jedi don't need chimes or a singing bowl to feel the Force."

The pair of men rocked in their chairs.

"These are good chairs," Wei said. "Where did you get them?"

Lianzheng laughed. "You have to ask? From your business, of course!"

Wei smiled. It was still going. "I'm glad the Empire didn't seize it."

The older man shrugged. "I never knew why they seemed content to come in, search, and leave when they were clearly intent on visiting violence upon your father and Chariss. Tell me you're going to pay them out for what they did."

Wei sighed. "I have done my best to settle that account. But bringing down the Empire as vengeance would do my soul no good. I can give no heed to the call of revenge if I want to stay a Jedi."

"Yes, I suppose that is correct. So, what brings you to Talus? Why would the Jedi send you here?"

"I'm teaching the hospital directors of the planet in detecting Force Sensitive individuals. We don't have enough trained Jedi to post one on every world, so we're asking for some help from the hospitals. We likely won't be taking children from childbirth, like I was back then, but we can get names and addresses, and send a Knight along when we can to find out. It'll only take an afternoon, but I'll be around for several days after. I want to make sure I get some quality time before I go again."

"Good. Your mother will be pleased. But I thought Jedi had to do away with attachments?"
'"
Wei shrugged and grinned a crooked, sheepish grin. "Well, I let you go for your sakes years ago. It was like cutting off a limb."

After some time rocking quietly, the sky grew dark. Wei excused himself, went to his own room to rest.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Darth Yaga hobbled down the street in the cool night air. Before she had walked with a cane, but did not need to rely on it. It was like a badge of office. It symbolized her authority. Now, the cane served as a tool of misdirection. Appear weak, feeble, but focused on getting to where you're going. They'll look. They'll watch. They might even follow before their internal debate uncomfortably decides it's best to go home, and just hope the old woman got home all right.

She paused across the street from the residence of Lianzheng and Xiwang. Both good people. Model citizens. Helpful, busy, knowing people's business, and maintaining the status quo. Even as the town grew, they helped maintain the status quo.

A dim light shone out of one window in the house. Yaga shut her eyes. "There you are, Wei Wu Wei," she whispered to herself. "Such a mix of emotions in you." She tsked. "Poor Jedi."

She coiled the Force around her will, and with a mental flick of the wrist, projected happy memories poisoned with longing for a happier time. Yaga split her attention with precision, found Xiwang, pressed a worrying need to provide Wei with something, anything, that he might like to see since he was there last. A woman with as much empathy as an ocean has water, Xiwang felt a deep need for Wei to be happy.

Xiwang got up from her knitting and her show, padded down the hall to attic staircase, and retrieved a box from just inside the door. She carried it to Wei and knocked briefly. She was delighted to see her son in the pajamas she set out as she entered with the box.

"I don't know if you're interested, but we still had some of Chariss' things here at the house. I keep them because I like to go through them sometimes. I know Jedi shouldn't get attached to things, but I did wonder if you thought about her at all, and if you did you might like to see these things." She opened the box and took out a plush, feline-looking toy, an old family holo image, and a datapad covered in flower stickers. "This datapad was her diary. She did love to write in it. I don't know the password to it, but I would like to read it."

Wei looked into the box. A few bits and bobs rattled around in the bottom of it. He took the datapad when Xiwang offered it, idly turning it over in his hands. Truthfully, he didn't want to look at any of this. His brain beat about in his skull with more memories than he could sift through. He just wanted to find a way to clear his mind. He sighed. Mother needed to talk about this. Needed to talk about him. She lost children and grandchild all those years ago. Decades ago. No doubt she needed some closure.

"If I find the password, I'll let you know."

She smiled at him. "Wei, I will never forget the night she came home from the shop. We thought it was odd, her shouting 'Thank you' to the shadows! When Lianzheng asked where she had been and if she was all right, she clutched the bag of cash to her chest, smiled and blushed so red, I thought she might burst! She mentioned a handsome man who kept her safe from thieves! He smelled like fresh-cut wood, and positively radiated confidence and warmth."

She sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her: an indication that Wei should sit. "Chariss pressed the money into her father's hands, kissed him on the cheek, and positively floated all the way to her room and shut the door. Probably writing all about you!" And all the while I stood at the window, trying to see you, even though I knew you couldn't possibly still be outside. Lianzheng called the police, vowed to finally order that accounting program and arrange a pick-up service for the cash, and declared that if he ever met you again, you would get fed every day for the rest of your life!" Xiwang chuckled. "Oh, and then there you were the very next day! The dirtiest guardian angel I had ever seen. Dust in your hair, dirt on your face, wood shavings clinging to your clothes. You did her so much good. She was so meek. So quiet. Couldn't ever say 'no' to a person. She'd give and give and cry and cry when she felt she had run dry."

Xiwang leaned against Wei and gave him a sideways hug. "I never understood how a man like you could exist. Now I know. You are a Jedi. It may not be polite to say, but thank you for breaking your rules and marrying Chariss. She deserved a man like you. And you deserved a woman like her." The old woman sniffed and tugged a hanky out of a pocket. She blew her nose loudly. "I am sorry. I have cried every day since they said you were coming to the planet. And then, when you reached out to us and told us you were alive, I started crying twice a day. Your father has been very patient with me about it. He ordered fresh stock for your sandwich. Make sure you come to get one before your meetings tomorrow. We'll have it wrapped up for you."

Xiwang patted Wei's back and stood up. "Ok, I'm going to be fine." This was said as much to herself as it was to Wei. "Wei, thank you for listening."

The Jedi Knight only smiled at his mother. What could he say? Oh. Right! "Good night, Mother. I love you."

Xiwang took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I love you too. Sleep well, my boy."

The door shut with a click, and Wei was alone again. This time, with a lot more to think about.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei laid down and tried to sleep. He lay flat on his back, shut his eyes, and took one long, slow breath in through his nostrils. He held it for a beat, then released that breath in one long, slow sigh. Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale and exhale in the same span of time. He listened to himself breathe, letting the sound of his lungs filling up take his mind off the ideas bouncing around in his head.

"You're doing it again!" Chariss shouted.

Wei's forehead wrinkled. Push it aside. Breathe. Focus on your own breathing. Let your breaths carry away your thoughts like waves cleaning the shoreline.

"Stop breathing!"

"What?"

The petite young woman pressed her fingers to her temples. "You know what I mean! That...that...long breathing thing you do! It's obnoxious!"

Wei tried to settle himself. He needed to focus.

"You never get mad! Or irritated! You just sit there breathing until you're done! Every time we argue, you just stare at me and breathe!"

"Well," Wei said, "Why should I get angry?"

"We've argued about this for weeks, and we still haven't decided! What are we going to name the baby?"

"Tzujan."

"NO! We are not naming him Tzujan! I want to name him Rongyu!"

Wei sighed and took a deep breath. "It sounds like--"

"Wrong you! I heard you! But it was my grandfather's name! You don't get it, Wei! I promised!" Chariss shouted.

"Promised whom?" Wei asked, his voice calm.

"No one!" Chariss went into the kitchen to chop vegetables. "Well, I promised myself! I was very close to my grandfather!"

From out in the living room, Wei could hear the cutting board slam onto the countertop. Fridge door opened. Fridge door slammed shut. Knife sliding out of the block. Loud, fast chopping played the tattoo of Chariss' frustration as she took it out on the produce purchased the day before.

"Wei Wu Wei!" She called. "Please come here! I am not done arguing with you yet!"

The former Jedi stepped into the kitchen. "Yes?"

"You're infuriating, you know that?"

Wei said nothing. He listened.

"Why don't you get mad? You care about this as much as I do! Clearly you do, otherwise, you wouldn't be so insistent!"

Still nothing.

"ARE YOU EVEN THERE?!"

"Yes."

"So ANSWER ME!"

"His name follows the pattern of male names in my family."

Chariss put the knife down. She rested her head against the cabinets that hung on the wall above the counter, which was getting prgressively harder to do as the baby was showing more and more each week. "That's it? That's your reason?"

Wei shrugged. "Well, yes. Apparently I'm the 20th Wei Wu Wei in my family."It's a cycle."

"See? With you, it's 'apparently this,' or 'evidently that.' You don't even know your own family because you were given up for adoption! You haven't actually known your father until the last 5 or 6 years! But you're going to go with Tzujan, because it's what your family does? How does that make sense? I mean, if Tzujan was the name of a friend of yours, I'd get it. But you're not even invested!"

"Ok, so we will name him Rongyu."

Chariss took her head off the cabinet. She turned around, and Wei could see where it was red from how hard she'd pushed it into the cabinet.

"Just like that, you're going to drop it and that's that? It doesn't really matter to me, but poor Chariss has got herself in a tizzy, so I'm just going to let her have her way so she'll calm down!"

"Wait...what?"

"This is about so much more than the baby's name for me, I guess." She crossed the room, pounded her fists lightly on Wei's shoulders and leaned into him with her whole body. He put his arms around her waist and held her tightly. A few seconds of silence, and Chariss started to cry. "You never get angry, Wei! But I do!"

Wei didn't know what to say.

"I hate myself for getting mad at you! You flex, but you don't BUDGE! You never just dig in and fight me about stuff. And the whole time you're probing, searching, learning, and we're arguing, I feel like I'm on the debate team back in school! But this is personal to me, Wei! I have feelings about it! And when you don't, I feel stupid, guilty, and childish because you're so calm and I'm shouting louder and louder even though you're not shouting back! Why don't you get angry?"

She took a sharp, high-pitched gasp, and it came out in a long sob. A longer gasp, and a longer sob.

"I'm sorry."

Wei was definitely frustrated now. Maybe it was the room. He didn't know. It just felt like something wasn't right.

Outside, Darth Yaga stood in the shadows, interrupting Wei's silence by poking holes in the mental dam that blocked out his thoughts so they seeped in one at a time when he wasn't paying attention. She could do this all night!

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei drifted off to sleep that night after settling for a general state of mild unease, rather than total mental peace. He lay in bed, on his back, long hair to the sides so he wouldn't lay on it. He turned onto his side and breathed into his own hair. His hand closed around the corner of the other pillow. In his sleep, Wei pulled it to him, giving a hint as to what went on in his dreams.

"Please, Wei? I need you!"

"You're out to here! How is it going to work?"

"I'll do all the work. Just lay there and look good!"

She straddled him, resting the baby bump on his abdomen. It was a strange sensation. Wei looked up at Chariss. Chariss looked at Wei. They smiled. She leaned forward, pressing the air out of him as she went for a kiss. Their lips touched briefly. Chariss placed her palms on her husband's chest and pushed herself upright. When Wei looked her over again, his eyes went wide.

All the color had drained from her face! The baby--a charred black hole. Bits of burnt flesh flaked off from the edges of the wound and clung to Wei's stomach and chest. Wei felt the scream stick in his throat, blocking the air from escaping his lungs. He thought he might burst and his eyes might pop.

All he could think was, "Nononononononononononononononono!"

"Darling, what's wrong?" Wei looked up into Chariss' face. That look of horrified surprise stood fixed on her face, even as the voice emerged. "I love you, Wei."

Wei couldn't answer.

"It's so cold, Dear," she continued. "Warm me up."

She leaned in again for a kiss. Wei shut his eyes tight. Her weight felt oppressive, smothering now. He had to get away! Had to get away! Her breathing now sounded ragged in his ear. Did she sound like this the day she died, as she lied there on the kitchen floor? Chariss' lips brushed his, then, his cheek, then his neck.

"Noooo," Wei managed a whimpering whisper.

Wei finally woke up. He fought for control. He couldn't catch his breath.

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorace; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; here is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force."

He couldn't have said how long he repeated the code, but he knew later he did until he could say each line in one long measured breath.

Wei Wu Wei was rattled. He didn't like it, and he didn't know what might happen next.

[Wei Wu Wei]

The next morning found Wei waking up sour. He didn't know when he finally fell asleep, but he knew it was dreamless (the Force is good and merciful!) and that it wasn't enough. Still, he had a lot to do. Breakfast was simple, hot, and stuck to his ribs. Along with a cup of caf, and the Jedi Knight found himself feeling much better! He could ignore the nightmares and the ragged edge of exhaustion for the time being.

"Come, Wei," Lianzheng said as Xiwang cleared the dishes. "I need to open the store for the prep line workers, and we can get your lunch made."

They walked the few blocks into the square, where Lianzheng's sandwich shop sat on a corner. One Zabrak worker was already preparing the outside patio: bringing out the chairs, opening the umbrellas, and wiping the dew off the surfaces. The others (a few humans, another Zabrak, and two Twi'leks) waited by the door. Their boss greeted them warmly, shook their hands, and thanked them for coming in to work that day. Wei was introduced, and the prep line smiled. The two women in the bunch giggled. One whispered to the other. Her eyes got big and the laughter redoubled. Lianzheng ended it with a stern look and apologized to Wei.

"I am sorry, Son," he said. "I know why they're chuckling, and honestly..." his voice trailed off. The portly man sighed. "The story of how you and Chariss met has become something of a small legend in town. Young people think our shop is romantic, and so they come here. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but your mother and I accidentally got it all started. After that horrible day, we put up a holo of the pair of you as a memorial, with a little plaque telling your story. We made a special lunch deal out of your sandwich and a slice of Chariss' favorite pie. People thought it was sweet, but somewhere along the way, the story spread. Folks from town would go to the city, write to friends and family, and the next thing you know, people are showing up to share that very meal with their own sweethearts. Had more than our fair share of wedding proposals in the last several years, I don't mind telling you. We've grown. I actually have a wait staff now. Though you can still order your meals to-go at the counter."

Wei's father-in-law opened the door and started toward the back, where the kitchen waited. "I know it's usually a hot sandwich, or at least a warm one, but I don't think it'll be bad--even after an hour or two. Sit tight, son."

Fifteen minutes later Wei had his lunch in a box, directions to the long-distance shuttle to the city, and fare for the driver (even though Wei explained that he had credits with him for this purpose). The Force Cripple approached the small terminal, where a wizened old lady in traditional dress sat on the bench with her hands on her cane.

"Hello, Master Jedi. You must be Xiwang's Wei Wu Wei."

"Yes ma'am," Wei said. "I'm sorry, I've been gone a while. I'm afraid I don't remember your face."

The elderly woman chuckled. "I am new. Spending my retirement in a small, simple town. You may call me Mama Yaga. My 15 grandchildren call me that, and so do all their friends, and so do all my friends. I honestly don't think I would be able to respond to my own name."


Wei chuckled and sat next to Yaga. "Going to the city?"

She nodded. "Yes. I need to visit the hospital. I need some tests done."

The shuttle arrived to pick up the pair. "May I lean on you, sweetie? I'm afraid even with this cane it's hard for me to get around."

Wei dutifully offered his arm, then helped the old woman into the vehicle. Each paid the fare, and then they were off. Wei Wu Wei and Darth Yaga.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"So, Xiwang tells me that you are a Jedi Master."

"Oh? I'm only a Jedi Knight, but I suppose the fact that Jedi are commonly addressed as 'Master Jedi' probably caused her misunderstanding."

Yaga nodded. "She says you taught her daughter to wield a vibrosword, and the pair of you got married. It was quite a story!"

Wei nodded and held his tongue until he felt like he could answer the woman without an embarrassed, inquisitive vocalized pause. After a moment, he finally managed, "Yes, ma'am."

"I saw the picture of you in the store, and ate the Lovers' Special. She was a real beauty, and you were quite handsome! If I had been here, and 50 years younger, she would have had a run for her money!" Yaga chuckled and squeezed Wei's arm playfully. "I wonder if you are much like your sandwich. Bold taste, but no bite. Savory, but also sweet. Balanced flavors working in harmony."

Wei gripped the packed lunch. "I never really thought about it."

"Well, if that young lady was anything like that pie--well!" Yaga whistled low. "I can't imagine. Sweet, of course. Soft enough to melt in your mouth, but the berries give a slight tang in the aftertaste. Smooth texture, and a crust you could eat all by itself!"

The Jedi Knight wasn't sure he appreciated the food-as-metaphor. It sexualized Chariss in a way that made him uncomfortable. Or maybe he was only reading into it because of Yaga's saucy remarks earlier.

"It's a shame," the woman continued, apparently oblivious to Wei's discomfort and determined to reach the end of the thread. "The Empire coming and killing her and your father. I should have liked to have met him. Also, your wife was close to term for your first child. I cannot imagine." Suddenly her hand flew to her mouth. "I am so sorry! Here I am prattling on with no regard to your feelings! What a terrible old woman I am!"

Wei held up his hands. "No, no, it's just the facts. It was painful, but pretending like it didn't happen doesn't help it heal. 'One disease, long life. No disease, short life.' Right?"

"Clever boy! Who taught you that?"

"My father."

"He was a good man! Yes, problems must be confronted, so they do not fester!" Suddenly, Yaga yawned. "Oh, I must be old if I cannot have a conversation without needing sleep! They told me not to eat because of the blood tests! Starving an old woman! Their mothers ought to be ashamed." She yawned again. "I think I'm going to settle in and get a little nap. Be a dear and wake me when we arrive."

With that, the old woman's head bent, and Wei was left alone with his lunch and his thoughts.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei disembarked from the taxi with Yaga still supporting herself on his arm. During the remainder of the trip the old woman snored in a sawing tone that caused a sort of grating vibration in his jaw, like the jigsaws in the workshop. Wei breathed to cope, and was still breathing in measured breaths when they entered the hospital. A young woman, belly like a planet, turned and bumped square into the Jedi Knight.

"I'm so sorry!" She blurted. "I was looking for my husband! I just--" realization dawned. "You're a Jedi Knight! I heard the Jedi were becoming a presence again in the galaxy!"

At that time, a chime sounded to indicate the intercom was about to be used. For a flash, Wei connected to the Force and sensed a simmering anger, full of the Dark Side. Wei's mind prickled as the Force receded. "Yes," was his whole response.

"Oh! Please! Um, will you, uh," she blushed furiously. "I know Jedi sometimes get involved in childbirths. Um, would you...offer a prayer to the Force for me?"

Wei raised an eyebrow. The Force didn't work like that, but it had been decades since the Galaxy last knew what the Jedi were. The Force was as much like any sort of religion. Before the pause in conversation could pass from comfortable and polite to uncomfortable and impolite, he stretched out his hand. "May the Force be with you and your child," He said. Yaga tipped over into him, pushing him forward. Wei's hand made contact with the woman's belly, and suddenly he could feel a series of flutters, and something small move along his palm.

"Oh! He's just going crazy in there! He must really like you! Thank you so much, Mister Jedi!"

The woman's husband found her, they both said good-bye, bowed to Wei, and left the lobby. Wei heard none of it. Instead, he was looking at his hand and trying not to cry.

"Rongyu is kicking!"

Wei's wrist felt the visegrip of his wife's hand and nearly fell out of his seat as he was jerked towards her. Chariss pressed his hand into her stomach and held it there. The smooth skin of her abdomen, stretched tight over the growing baby inside, didn't move.

"Well, he was!"

Wei sighed and tried not to roll out his wrist. It had been going on like this for the greater part of a month.

"I think I should just tape your hands to my tummy. Then it would only be a matter of time."

Wei shook his head. "It's only a matter of time as it is." He got out of his chair, took his wife by the shoulders and gently lowered her into the seat. Then he knelt in front of her and pressed his face into her abdomen. "RONGYU!" He shouted. "THIS IS YOUR DAD! I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU ONE DAY!"

"Not so loud, Sweetheart. He can hear you fine."

Wei pulled back one half of his face to squint up at Chariss. "You don't know that." He put his arms round her waist and hugged her tight, pressing his nose into her and causing his glasses to hurt his face. "WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN! WE WILL PLAY WITH YOUR P'U-PA AND EAT AT YOUR GEE-GEE'S RESTAURANT!"

A dull thud hit him in the forehead. Wei let go of his wife and touched the space between his eyebrows. Then his hands were no longer his, because Chariss had pushed them against her. His palms felt the beat of his son's wild rumpus. He took a sharp breath.

"Wow."

"Pretty cool, right? It feels even more amazing from the inside."

"I love you, Chariss."

"I love you, Wei Wu Wei."

"We made a baby. He's kicking me."

"Yes, we did. I had a great time. And he will probably kick you a lot more before he's done. I hope you're ready, Mister."

"Yeah. I just...wow."

Yaga dug a bony finger into his ribs. "I need to check in. I will be out here when I'm done. You just take your time. Now, don't be late!"

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei didn't remember the rest of the meetings with the Chief of Medicine and all the departments heads. He had had these talks so frequently over the last few weeks, he could give them in his sleep. He had also found out that all the questions were the same. Were there tests that could be run? Would there be markers in the blood stream or DNA? Were Force Sensitive children more aware, or did they show evidence of having more acute senses or reflexes? Were there other changes in biology that determined Force Sensitivity?

He answered all these questions. On the trip back, Wei found Yaga was very interested in going to the sandwich shop. "I simply must meet your family!" she had said, and left it at that.