Jedi Council Forums - My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Epilogue posted, COMPLETE!

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Author	Topic: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Epilogue posted, COMPLETE!
mixza Registered: Jan '04	Date Posted: 5/27/04 9:55am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #10 up!
	I fell asleep under the shuura tree in Joram’s arms, utterly content now that I heard the familiar beat of his heart beneath me. Even in war, one can create a small moment of peace. Awww... how sweet! Must be nice for them to be able to spend a little time together before Joram has to go back to war. I suppose they want to make the best of the time that they have. Also loved the part where they meet Padme and Anakin. Padme's not Senator anymore? Hmmm... wonder if that's because she's pregnant... Is that what they were arguing about? -----signature----- "Does that mean there is a woman to be discovered in even Master Obi-Wan's past? Tall, I imagine, and dark-haired. Pathetically desperate to have anyone at all, THAT much goes without saying..." - Anakin Skywalker, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 5/27/04 11:18am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #10 up!
	#11 Joram was gone once more. He had been home for only a week, but the memory of those days was a soothing balm to my heart during the long and lonely nights. I made sure to speak to Keilum about his father every day. He would point to the holo of Joram and scream “Daddy” every morning. He knew he had a father and he knew he wasn’t there, but I made sure that Joram’s face stayed fresh in his memory. The war seemed to be picking up pace, more and more battles dominated the news and our Supreme Chancellor began to speak of this war in the context of years not months. His face was filled with sorrow as he spoke of all the lives lost in this struggle to maintain the Republic. He spoke of the need for order and a strong government to defeat this menace. Since almost all of us had known someone who was lost in the fight we were eager to see it ended. Few of us considered what the final cost might be, we only wanted our loves ones safe and at home with us. My father died peacefully in his sleep a few months after Joram left. Looking back it was a blessing, but at the time I found the pain to be overwhelming. I wanted my best friend and my lover there to hold me and reassure me while I grieved for the man who had taught me to use a slingshot, let me climb the tallest tree in the yard without a word of discouragement, the man who had encouraged me to marry my Joram when he realized what was in my heart. I missed Joram and I missed my father. We didn’t see Senator Amidala again in public. She seemed to sort of fade away and then disappeared. I had seen her that one time in the marketplace and then never again. I often wonder what happened to her. Considering the chaos of the coming year it is not surprising that she would end up being one more casualty but I often wonder if she is living somewhere, raising a family in quiet anonymity. I hope so. Finally a letter from Joram arrived, but it did little to clear up my confusion. My Dearest Merida, So many changes since last I saw you. You would not recognize me, but I hope to get myself cleaned up properly before I come home again. Please forgive me if this letter sounds cryptic, but things are so odd around here now that I find myself confused. If I ask something of you, please promise me that you will not doubt my sanity and will simply just do it. Do it out of your love for me and trust for the love you know I hold for you. I don’t mean to scare you my love, but I must know you and Keilum are safe. I cannot explain it in this letter my love, for a soldier’s communications are never completely his own. Do you remember the friend who came home with me the last time? Do you remember where he was from? I am trusting in your amazing memory, my love, for I dare not repeat the information here. If things should ever seem to get out of control there on Naboo or you feel uneasy about the direction this war is taking, please gather our family and take our son and go there. Go to that place and ask for his family. They will shelter you if the need arises. And if you are worried about me, don’t be. Nothing short of death would stop me from meeting you there, nothing. Please just promise me you will do it. Okay, my love? As I said, so many changes. We no longer have Commander Skywalker. He has been called up for special assignment by the Supreme Chancellor himself! Can you imagine? He’ll have no time for his humble Nubian troops now, but we wish him well all the same. General Kenobi is still here with us. He grows more solemn and taciturn every day. He wasn’t happy with Skywalker’s reassignment that much was clear. Varik insists he is angry, but to me he seems almost sad. Doesn’t make sense does it? Kenobi doesn’t strike me as the type to be jealous that his former apprentice got promoted. And I would think working directly for the Chancellor would be a promotion, wouldn’t you? Anyway my love, I am still puzzled by things I am seeing around me. I no longer feel confident that the Republic will prove completely victorious in this enterprise. There are too many odd orders coming from central command, too many moves that don’t make sense. I am not sure when I will see you, but please just be prepared for anything. At the least sign of something odd do as I asked. Try to see if our parents will go with you but no matter what they decide just do as I asked. Please trust me. I love you. Yours Always, Joram -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Gina Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 5/27/04 5:26pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #11 up!
	Okay, now you've got me worried! Post soon!! -----signature----- A long time ago in a house far away, there was a mother who was strong in the ways of the Force. She "forced" her sons to clean their room, she "forced" her sons to behave. - Part of a story written by my 9 yr. old sons I found while cleaning their desks
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Fate Registered: Apr '03	Date Posted: 5/27/04 6:29pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #11 up!
	Ah - he's making his move at last. Just like him to use all of this horror and death as a way to advance his own interests - funny how history repeats itself. After all, this was all 'a long time ago'. And yet, about sixty years ago, something similar occurred, with equally catastrophic results. prays for Joram's safety Things are starting to fall apart. Great posts, Kimberley. -----signature----- "Lord Sidious promised us a reward! A-a handsome reward!" "I am your reward. You don't find me handsome?" - ROTS WARNING: Only misery lies beyond this link. http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20040924
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AnakinsHeir Registered: May '04	Date Posted: 5/28/04 5:22am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #11 up!
	Palpatine's making his move, Joram is worried and trying to get Merida off the planet. Not good, not good at all. You won't kill Joram will you? Please say you won't! Or Keilum or Merida either. PLEASE? A great post, it is cool to see what an outsider may have thought of Palpatine's play for power, how it would be subtle at first. Great job! -----signature----- Let Me Go http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/18359174/?2 Master to JediCallista_1_6_e54 A Mother's Wishes http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20272243/?0
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VadersMistress Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 5/28/04 8:57am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #11 up!
	I know she loves Joram so she will listen but what if her family doesn't? I do hope she will still go to Tatooine. Please let her. And PLEASE send Joram and his best friend home to their families. I liked the part about Padme. It was very sad. Also the part where Anakin is promoted and Obi-Wan is upset. So sad. A wonderful post. Please post more soon. -----signature----- Harry Potter > Twilight Would I rather be feared or loved? Um... Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me. Persia pwns your face.
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 5/28/04 11:28am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #11 up! - Date Edited: 5/28/04 11:30am (1 edits total) Edited By: VaderLVR64
	#12 Letters from our loved ones came more frequently for a bit, and it seemed as if the tide was turning in the war. Fewer casualties were reported and the red letters slowed to a persistent trickle of grief. We still heard news of the war, but it seemed the frequency of battles was winding down. Broadcasts from the Supreme Chancellor came less and less often, and most of us took that as a good sign. Gradually, the news of the war was interwoven with the smaller, more domestic news every evening. It was such a subtle process that I think many of us missed its significance. The war still raged and the red letters still arrived, but it was almost as if we were being encouraged to put our minds to other things. And most did, except for those of us who had loved ones still fighting the war that seemed to be fading away. I still can’t say why I began to slowly gather our belongings. I didn’t talk to Joram’s parents or my mother about it. But I began to gather the few coins now in circulation that I could get my hands on. I began to hide away what little jewelry I had and I kept a bag packed with the essentials that Keilum and I might need. We began to hear reports of attempts on the Chancellor’s life and the sight of his crimson robed guards became a familiar one to us through the infrequent broadcasts from Coruscant. Rumors soon began to filter through the galaxy about the Jedi. At first it was nothing too horrific, merely a whisper that they no longer served a purpose. A few months of such rumors and I began to notice that the word “Jedi” had become almost a curse. There were stories of how they stole children away to raise them in that forbidding Temple. Soon tales of their “dangerous” powers were circulating and I was amazed at how quickly the tide of public opinion turned against them. And the admiration that most common mortals had always held for them was transformed into ugly envy. Envy makes a heart bitter and hard, and soon the Jedi found it was not safe to roam the streets. For myself, I couldn’t help but admire the Jedi and I knew that General Kenobi was proving to be a wise and valuable leader. I got one more letter from Joram before it seemed the galaxy exploded. It would be the last letter I would get from him. My Dearest Merida, Remember my advice to you of a few months ago? I believe it is time to heed that advice, my love. General Kenobi is gone. Not dead, just gone. He left for Coruscant a few weeks ago and just yesterday his replacement shows up with not a word of Kenobi’s fate. We’ve been expecting something like this, so was he I think. He had taken on a hunted look the last few weeks he was here. I never thought a Jedi could look like that. The most troubling news, for this troop anyway, is that Commander Skywalker is dead. We got word when Kenobi’s replacement got here. Apparently he died protecting the Chancellor during an attempt on his life. There are rumors that it was the Jedi who tried to assassinate him. I am not surprised that Commander Skywalker would give his life to save another, although perhaps he could have found a more worthy cause for which to make his sacrifice. That seems typical for the man I knew. He was brave to a fault my love, and I think this galaxy is a poorer place for having lost him. I’ll always admire him for his courage and his kindness. Please remember him in your prayers my love. But make your prayers as you travel. Keep your promise to me, and I know you promised because you have never denied me anything that is important to me. So keep the promise I know you made and make sure you stay safe. Try to convince the parents and your sister, but do not delay on their account. Tell them where to meet you if they won’t leave now, but don’t stay behind for them. Watch out for Keilum, he cannot protect himself as they can. He is depending on you to keep him safe. I must go, I am entrusting this letter to less than official channels because I hope it will actually arrive. All is chaos here now, my love. Varik and I have vowed to watch out for each other. He’s a good man to have at your back. I love you, Merida, never forget that. No matter what happens, I love you. Yours Always, Joram To be continued... -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Fate Registered: Apr '03	Date Posted: 5/28/04 4:49pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #12 UP!
	What do you mean, 'the last letter she would ever get from him'? Oh, please god, no... Beautiful as always, Kimberley. -----signature----- "Lord Sidious promised us a reward! A-a handsome reward!" "I am your reward. You don't find me handsome?" - ROTS WARNING: Only misery lies beyond this link. http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20040924
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mixza Registered: Jan '04	Date Posted: 5/28/04 8:34pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #12 UP!
	The last letter? [Obi-Wan]Noooooooooooo![/Obi-Wan] -----signature----- "Does that mean there is a woman to be discovered in even Master Obi-Wan's past? Tall, I imagine, and dark-haired. Pathetically desperate to have anyone at all, THAT much goes without saying..." - Anakin Skywalker, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 5/28/04 8:55pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Post #12 UP!
	#13 When it happened, it all seemed to happen so quickly. I got Joram’s last letter and I immediately talked to our families. I was off planet within two days. Not a single one of them would leave Naboo to go the dusty little planet I had proposed to travel to. They all laughed at me and I wanted so badly to stay with them. I loved them dearly and tried to persuade them, but they would not listen to me. Mindful of my promise to Joram I packed up the few belongings I didn’t have ready to go. A humble collection of jewelry and coins, a few family holos, and Joram’s letters. I put out word in the neighborhood that Joram had asked me to deliver a friend’s ashes to his family. Our families laughed at my dogged refusal to break my promise, but I think my mother understood. She wouldn’t leave Naboo, though. This was where she had met and married my father, where she had borne two daughters, and where her husband had died. Nothing would drag her from her home. When I said farewell there were tears enough to fill an ocean. I said good-bye to each one of them. I promised to come home as soon as possible and to keep in touch. We all promised we would see each other again. They promised to join me at the first sign of trouble on Naboo and I think they really intended to keep their promise. Unfortunately, sometimes our plans are tossed to the winds and Fate steps in. ************************************************* I arrived on Tatooine and almost turned right around and went back to Naboo. If Naboo could be described as gentle and green and lush, then Naboo is everything that Tatooine is not. It would be almost impossible to create a more inhospitable planet even if one actually set out to do so. Tatooine is dry and dusty and unbearably hot. Those are the only good things I can say about it. I made my way carefully to the city of Mos Eisley. I almost laughed when I saw what was considered a city on Tatooine. I had remembered Varik’s home town and I did as I had promised. I went to Mos Eisley and asked for directions to the Dunestrider family. It turned out they were on a fairly large farm on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. When a woman with familiar blue eyes opened the door I expected to have to launch in a detailed explanation and apology. She took one look at me and the baby in my arms and threw the door wide open. She ran to me and embraced me, confusing me even further. “You must be Joram’s Merida!” She touched Keilum’s hair and smiled. “And this must be Keilum!” She began to usher me into her home. “Come on in, we’ve been expecting you.” I walked behind her in a daze, hardly expecting this sort of welcome. I could only guess that Varik had prepared them for my arrival. I walked in and was immediately surrounded by five younger versions of Varik in male and female form. There were two brothers and three sisters. They all shared the same bright blue eyes, although their hair color varied widely. Two of the girls appeared to be twins about ten years old. They both had bright blond hair and wide grins. The older sister seemed to be just a bit younger than Varik, so she was probably in her early twenties. Varik’s two brothers were teenagers, one still young enough to have no fuzz on his cheeks and the other about eighteen or so. Their mother, who had greeted me so enthusiastically at the door, simply walked into the room and declared, “Joram’s wife is here!” And immediately a babble of excited voices surrounded us. I felt the bags taken out of my hands and several pairs of hands direct me to a large chair. I was encouraged to sit and soon a friendly pair of arms plucked Keilum out of my lap and began to entertain him. A soothing drink was placed in my hand and I was encouraged to drink. It had all happened in a matter of seconds. I was to learn that the Dunestrider family was remarkably efficient and determined. And they were as kind as they were stubborn. Varik’s mother, Larin, began the introductions. The twin girls giggled behind their hands as their mother introduced them. Their names were Shiri and Tomira and I couldn’t tell them apart. The oldest sister, who was currently holding a very contented Keilum, gave me a wide grin reminiscent of her brother and told me her name was Veroka. The two boys were arguing over who would get to take my bags to the room that was apparently waiting for me. The older boy was named Arix and the younger boy was named Elok. The younger boy blushed when his mother had to interrupt them to make the introductions, while Arix merely grinned and shrugged. Larin shook her head at his behavior but I saw her smile as he turned away to take my bag into my room. I looked at Larin and she must have seen the question in my eyes because she shook her head and gave me a smile. “Oh, Varik’s been preparing us for this for months now! We feel like we know you and Keilum and Joram. You’re more than welcome here. In fact, I’ve got orders not to let you leave until I think it’s safe. And I’ve got lots of help to keep you here, too!” I couldn’t help but laugh as my life was suddenly put into her very capable hands. I began to settle into the Dunestrider’s household and soon made myself at home in their kitchen. Larin hated to cook and I loved it, so she happily put me in charge of the meals. The boys groaned with joy as they ate my first meal and from then on they were my staunchest admirers, claiming I had saved them from their mother’s cooking. A feeling that was close to peace soon settled in my soul. I wasn’t happy for I still missed Joram and our families. But the Dunestrider family put me at ease and loved me like one of their own. So I had a quiet moment to heal my heart, until the news from the war began to trickle onto the dusty little planet of Tatooine… -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Wook Title: Former Albuquerque FF CR Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 5/28/04 9:23pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Merida leaves Naboo
	AND??? That was a killer of a cliffhanger there... Great story, great characters....enjoying this very much!! But, "I've got a bad feeling about this.." -----signature----- Happily ever after is SO overrated - Give to the Boga Memorial Fund "Have fun storming the castle! "- The Princess Bride My TIE armor in memory of Chanel TI-6381
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Gina Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 5/30/04 7:47am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Merida leaves Naboo
	Oh, you've got me worried here... -----signature----- A long time ago in a house far away, there was a mother who was strong in the ways of the Force. She "forced" her sons to clean their room, she "forced" her sons to behave. - Part of a story written by my 9 yr. old sons I found while cleaning their desks
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Jaina_and_Jag Registered: Apr '03	Date Posted: 5/30/04 10:51am Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Merida leaves Naboo
	Why do I have a bad feeling about this??? Can't wait for more!
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 5/30/04 5:35pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- Merida leaves Naboo
	#14 News does not travel swiftly to small, dusty Outer-Rim planets, especially not in the middle of a galactic war. We would hear news but it would be months old. Larin and I would absorb the news together and wait impatiently for letters from either of our men. She agonized over the safety of one son while trying to keep another on the farm and I was terrified that the only man I would ever love might already be dead. There came a new type of soldier to this war. They were called “stormtroopers” and soon their name became synonymous with ruthlessly effective tactics. The Separatists could not stand against them and we began to feel hopeful that the war would end soon due to their efforts. They wore white armor like the clone troops, which were familiar after these years of warfare. I could only hope that the stormtroopers would keep Joram safe by keeping him out of the battlefields. Then came the day that news of Naboo reached Tatooine and changed the way I looked at the war and the leaders who waged it. I still am not sure how it happened or why it happened but the result was the same in the end. Naboo and her people were gone. The planet still orbited our sun and the moons still shone down on the ravaged land. But all that made Naboo my home was destroyed. My mother, my sister, Joram’s parents, all of them were obliterated in one day. I had existed for weeks, going about my daily business and laughing as I always had while they were dead. The gentle, rolling hills and the roaring waterfalls of my planet had all fallen victims to the ravages of war. Everything and everyone I cared about except for Joram and our son were gone. And it had been our beloved Chancellor who had ordered it. There was an official story that the Separatists had an incredibly strong presence on Naboo, but I knew this was an outright fabrication. I could not imagine what would have prompted such an action but it didn’t matter now. Naboo and my family were gone. Larin suggested that perhaps a military action had gotten out of hand and the government’s explanation was skewed so that no one would realize the government didn’t have control over its own troops. I wondered if this is what Joram had feared and why he had been so insistent that Keilum and I make our way to Tatooine. Would we be safe here? Joram must have felt we would be safer here than anywhere else, and so we stayed. Keilum became the much loved, very spoiled youngest sibling in the large Dunestrider family. Elok and Arix were happy to have Keilum with them while they tinkered with machinery. Veroka, Shiri, and Tomira delighted in playing games with him and he followed their every footstep with utter devotion. Larin tried to find ways of distracting me from my worries, although I could tell her fears weighed just as heavily on her. Joram had been watching out for us even from so far away, because I don’t think there could have been a more perfect family to find shelter with. Not once did I feel like a burden or an unwanted guest. From the moment we came through their door, Keilum and I were beloved members of the family. We worked and worried together, each trying to relieve some of the other’s burden. I had lost one family in a horrific way but the gods have given me another. Not to replace the one I lost, but to lessen my pain and teach my heart to be glad once more. But I could not help that my eyes would search the horizons, hoping to see a familiar figure making his way toward me through the dust and sand of the planet we now called home. -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Reihla Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 5/30/04 7:10pm Subject: RE: My Dearest Merida: Love Letters from the Front - Clone Wars soldier (OC)- #14 Life on Tatooine
	This is looking pretty grim. I'm glad Merida has friends on Tatooine to help her through all this. It struck me that she is going through the same kind of sorrow Leia went through when Alderaan was destroyed. You're doing a brilliant job with this story. All the details you managed to convey about Skywalker's "death", Kenobi's disappearance, and the Chancellor's role in all of it. I'm still anxiously hoping for Joram's return. -----signature----- SagaJournal.com - an academic journal celebrating the Star Wars myth http://www.sagajournal.com/rslaughterofinnocents.html
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