Shattered Remembrance

Chapter Eleven

"Han, what are we going to do?" Leia lamented. "Luke was barely civil to Wedge today. And you could tell he was forcing himself this morning to indulge the children in their antics. I want to help him so badly, but he's drawing away from us more each day."

"I know, sweetheart." Han wrapped one arm around Leia's shoulders as they rode the lift to their own apartment.

Leia wearily rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Luke's changed so much. I know he used to be cautious, at least he learned to be during the Rebellion, and certainly after becoming a Jedi. And he probably would've been the first to admit he was too trusting at one time. But now he's wary of everyone and everything. He's … skittish."

"Can we really blame him? He has to have his doubts about what he's being told." Han shifted against the lift's wall. "Maybe we have to try to look at this from his point of view, like the doc said. We're still strangers to him."

"We were all strangers when we first met," Leia reminded him. "Luke was the glue that held us together."

"I know, and it hurts like hell to see him like this." Han shook his head. "His life as he knew it has disappeared. In a way, I can imagine him feeling like I did in the carbonite. Trapped. Lost."

"Oh, Han." Leia hugged Han tighter. "You were still the same lovable nerfherder after the carbonite. But poor Luke is still trapped."

"All of you saved me. Now it's our turn to save him." Han stroked Leia's cheek tenderly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, sweetheart, but maybe Luke's best chance is for him to learn to use the Force again as soon as possible."

Leia nodded. "Cilghal did say that any attempt at repairing the damage in his brain would be much more effective if he could contribute with the Force." She slowly led the way out of the lift. "It's just so much to dump on him at once."

"I think he can handle it," Han said, punching in their door code. "He may even be more receptive if he believes we're not holding anything back."

"The big question is, how do we train him? Who will train him? No one is close to his level of mastery of the Force."

Han looked around the common room of their apartment, glad that apparently Threepio had put the kids to bed already. He sat down on the nearest chair and began pulling off his boots before answering.

"We don't need someone at his level, because he's not at that level anymore. We just need someone right now to teach him the basics." He raised one eyebrow at Leia as she sank into her favorite lounger. "Like you."

Leia shook her head emphatically. "I'm too close emotionally. He needs someone with more experience in teaching. Luke has chastised me in the past for not doing enough to instruct my own children. "

"Well, he is the head of the only academy that teaches the Force," Han said slowly, frowning.

"And we plop him in the front row of a classroom of ten-year-olds?" Leia said.

"Back row," Han returned with a wink. "Wouldn't want to block the kids' view." He sighed, leaning back and stretching. "Yeah, I know that wouldn't work. Besides embarrassing him, it'd be nearly impossible to keep his amnesia hush-hush if the whole academy knows about it."

"Maybe we could import one of the teachers," Leia suggested. "Kam or Kyp, for instance."

"I don't know." Han ran one hand through his thick hair. "As much as I want to always give Kyp the benefit of the doubt, I'm not sure I'd want him to be the sole influence on how Luke is trained. And unless Luke miraculously regains his memory soon, this training could take awhile. Kam or any of the other teachers are too important to the academy to be gone that long. Plus, people might start questioning their absence. We're going to have enough trouble explaining what's up with Luke."

"All right, smarty. Then who?"

"Hmm… There's Corran Horn."

"He can't do telekinesis," Leia countered.

"Is that necessary in order to teach someone else how?"

"No," Leia admitted, rubbing her eyes.

"Ya know," Han drawled slowly, his mind turning over the possibilities of a new idea, "we're only considering known Jedi here."

"Are you saying we look for some hidden Jedi Master?" Leia said, accepting the drink that Han handed her. "I don't think we can count on a Yoda-twin being on Dagobah."

Han snickered. "That would be handy, wouldn't it? No, I'm thinking that all we need is someone who's strong in the Force, who has the skill to teach Luke the basics, and who," Han paused, "owes Luke big time for a recent rescue."

Leia's eyes widened in disbelief. "You must be joking."

"Nope." Han's grin widened. "I think it's perfect. She owes Luke. We need someone who owes Luke."

"You're forgetting she wanted to kill Luke. And she disparages the Jedi every chance she gets."

"Ah, Leia, she rescinded that death threat business years ago. And I haven't heard her badmouth any Jedi for months now." Han rose, coming up behind Leia to massage her shoulders. "Don't forget how she hung around the medcenter right after the accident." Leaning around to kiss his wife on the cheek, Han smiled smugly. "I think we could talk her into it."

"I don't know, Han," Leia murmured, her face scrunched up in thought. "Mara is always so aloof, and all business."

"Then we make her a business proposition. We offer to hire her."

Leia sighed heavily. "What if Karrde doesn't want to let her have the time off?"

"Karrde owes Luke, too. And word is that Shada Du'kal filled in nicely as Talon's right-hand woman while Mara was gone."

Leia reached over her shoulder, patting Han's hand, then tugging him around to sit by her. "I don't know, Han. This just all seems so soon."

"I don't mean we have to rush into it," Han said, pulling Leia onto his lap. "But we can start making the preparations. We can go visit Jade and Karrde tomorrow."

"Before or after dropping this bombshell on Luke?"

"Uh…" Han scratched his chin. "After, don't you think? Better to make sure he's receptive to the idea before trying to line up a teacher."

"I suppose." Leia pulled Han's arms tightly around her, nestling her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I just hope we don't end up regretting this."

At least she didn't say she had a bad feeling about this, Han thought, kissing the top of Leia's head lightly. Because for once, I'm having a good feeling about it.

***

"A good idea?" Standing out of sight in the dining salon, See-Threepio's photoreceptors flashed in shock at Artoo-Detoo's agreement of the Solos' proposed plan. "What would make you think having Mistress Jade tutor Master Luke is a good idea? She has always treated him somewhat coldly and unsympathetically, in my opinion. And as I recall, she has expressed disdain for you on more than one occasion, so why you would defend her is quite beyond my comprehension."

Artoo trilled a vague justifying explanation.

"She's changed? It's been my observation that human nature does not change course that quickly."

The astromech's derogatory hoot was anything but agreeable.

Threepio rapped his counterpart's shiny dome in derision. "Just because you have a new outer casing does not mean those rattled logic circuits of yours have improved any." The golden droid gave a dramatic sigh. "Poor Master Luke. Having a memory wipe is traumatic enough for mechanical beings such as us, but it must be devastating for an organic. If only there was something we could do to help him." Threepio tilted his head, listening to Artoo's tweedling comment. "What do you mean, Mistress Jade is the best help he could receive? Honestly, Artoo, I don't think you've been listening to a thing I've said. Why Her Highness would not accept my offer to stay with Master Luke, I cannot fathom."

Artoo warbled a scoffing jeer.

"I would not reveal any confidential information to him, you rolling trash can! Don't forget, I even suggested that perhaps you could be of assistance to him, despite your egotistical personality, and Mistress Leia wasn't enthused of that idea, either."

A pouting whine was Artoo's only comeback.

"I agree, Artoo," Threepio lamented. "We droids are never given the opportunity to serve to our full capabilities. It's our lot in life to be underappreciated."

Artoo-Detoo silently edged closer to the common room, relieved that at last the Solos were on track to help his precious master.