Saga Breaking Dawn ~ Aayla Secura, Kit Fisto, Cmdr Bly (angst) ~ Author's thanks

Title: ?Breaking Dawn?
Author: Divapilot
Characters: Aayla Secura, Kit Fisto, Commander Bly
Timeframe: ROTS
Genre: angst
Summary: Aayla Secura, unaware that this is the morning of her assassination, remembers a special friendship.
Author?s Note: Written in response to the JC Title Challenge, here

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Dawn came grudgingly to Felucia. Faint sunlight diffused through the hazy skies, edging back the nighttime. The sky lightened as the grays cleaved apart to let the feeble rays of the sun filter through. Mist rose from the soggy ground, giving out a musty, swampy odor.

General Aayla Secura had been awake for a while. The tremble of the Force kept sleep from her that night, as she sensed the wariness of her troops and the agitation of the local creatures in response to this alien invasion of their territory. Over all of it, however, was fatigue: weariness of war, of carnage.

But something more troubled her that morning, a bitter tang of imminent danger. Her concern for her men and her inability to locate the source of the danger unnerved her. She stood outside her shelter and surveyed the landscape. Stretching out with her senses revealed nothing but the overwhelming tangle of life surrounding her. Still, the feeling of uneasiness lingered.

Everything seemed fine --the troops were prepared, she had received good intelligence from her scouts -- yet she could not ignore that anxiety. Frowning, she straightened her belt, fingers brushing the lightsaber that hung at her slim hip, and turned to attend her early strategy meeting with Commander Bly.

Aayla had only gone a few meters toward Bly?s encampment when a sound captured her attention -- a high-pitched warble that she had not heard in years. Turning her head quickly to the side, she peered into the exotic foliage and saw a flash of blue and a sudden glimpse of bright orange. She was tempted to follow it; but then it was gone as quickly as it came. Aayla shook her head in puzzlement then continued on her path.

The last time she had seen a bird like that was years long ago. She smiled ruefully at the memory. [i]If I believed in signs and omens,[/i] she thought, [i]I?d think Kit was sending me a message.[/i]

***

[i] Aayla sat on a small rock on the beach behind the inn. The blackness of the Ithorian night had opened into the gentle pinks and oranges of morning, and the lake reflected the colors as the sky lightened. She sensed a familiar presence approach as a hand rested on her shoulder. Slowly, she reached up and embraced the hand with her own.

?Good morning,? Kit said quietly as he sat beside her. ?I didn?t expect you to be up this early, Aayla. You were sleeping so soundly.? She glanced at him, then looked away quickly as her emotions twisted.

She stared across the water at the expanding violet and yellow rays. The colors tinted the soft clouds, which in turn split the beams into shimmering rays of light. ?I like to watch the dawn break,? she explained. ?On Ryloth, the sun never sets or rises. Every day is exactly the same, regardless of the hour. So whenever I can, I try to watch the sunrise or the sunset.?

Kit smiled, his face lighting with the motion. ?I like mornings, too. Every new day gives me the opportunity to have a new adventure or see something wondrous.? He turned his head to look at her, but she would not meet his gaze.

They sat for a while, watching the sun climb into the sky. Finally, Kit put his arm around her. ?Tell me what is bothering you, Aayla,? he said.

?It was wrong of us,? she whispered.

Kit took his arm away and sighed. ?I can?t lie. I can?t say I don?t have feelings for you. I think you feel the same.?

She turned to him, her expression shadowed. ?Having a feeling is one thing. Acting on that feeling is another. This is attachment, and it is forbidden. It was a mistake to act.?

Kit?s dark eyes glittered. ?Do you think the Force made a mistake when

 

Heartbreaking but beautiful and she is together in the Force with Kit.

All of life is a dream. Death is just another breaking dawn

That's it, lovely United in the Force

 

Gorgeous descriptions of the dawn. You detail Kit and Aayla's feelings so beautifully in every word and gesture. Their relationship is beautiful and real--but in the context of the "no attachment" rule--what kind of rule is that??? they have to set it aside and continue on with duty and their other commitments. Exquisitely written and touching. !!!

 

Oh Sister-Pilot!! So sad, but so beautifully written. You have brought these minor characters to life-first Shaak Ti and now these two! I hope you'll continue to write these often over looked Jedi for us.

Bravo!

 

I really loved this so much. So poignant and fleeting, just like Aayla and Kit's time together.

He smiled wistfully, then embraced her gently. ?Think of us like that bird, then. Unexpected and soon gone, but the memory is beautiful.? He kissed her forehead softly.

You really know how to cut right to the heart of the characters and their story.

Excellent vig, gal!

 

You've done an excellent job of matching the setting with the emotional background that you're trying to convey. That mix of mist, unease and fatigue at the beginning was really sharply played. I love Kit and Aayla and I love what you've done with them here, particularly in the bit with the bird. I really felt that the spirit of Kit after his death, as brief a moment as it had to be, really showed the love after death, despite the fact that the story has to end with the broken body. It is a really neat portrait of a moment in time with windows into the glimpses of a life.

 

Powerfully written. I enjoyed the mounting tension as she moved toward the moment of Order 66, but didn't understand the source of the danger. I also liked the resolution of her relationship with Kit. Without regret, a beautiful memory.

 

[STUNNED TO UTTER SILENCE]
H-h-how do you WR-WRITE like that!?
I was running dangerously low of tissues.
Wow, Kit is top philosopher.
Wonderful relevation of the title.
I feel so humble.

tapping fish
not so true but no

 

Wow, I've never seen that 'ship before, but it was very well-written. Great envisioning of that moment.

 

Beautifully done! I love Kit/Aayla, and you nailed it perfectly. So sad and yet bitter sweet.

Wonderful job!

 

Earlybird-obi-wan: Thank you! I?m glad you liked it. I wanted Kit?s last words to be dreamlike.

Jade_Eyes: Thank you, Jade_Eyes! It?s an interesting relationship Kit and Aayla had, one that ?pushed the limits of the code.? I think they were too devoted to the Force to risk everything for a relationship. That doesn?t mean they didn?t care about each other.

Jade_Pilot: Thanks, Sister-Pilot! Yeah, I was on a minor character tear for a while there, huh? I could imagine a Jedi?s danger sense jumping on the day Order 66 was issued, and if it was Aayla, who cared so much about the safety of her troops, the irony would be that she would be looking out for the danger to her men, not realizing that they were the danger to her.


Ginchy: Thank you very much, Ginchy! I wanted to write a Kit/Aayla story, but I didn?t really expect it to be the story of their deaths. Kit and Aayla?s relationship was what Anakin and Padme?s might have been if they had been more restrained. But then, what would be the fun in that, right?


EmeraldSpeedster: Thank you! I?m very happy you liked this. I love that you picked up on the shrouding metaphors of the mist and the vagueness of the threat she picks up. And I would think that Kit?s goodbye before he became one with the Force would have been to the person who knew and loved him best, Aayla. I believe love doesn?t die with death, and they would have finally had the dawn they deserved ? to be together in the Force.


Lilith Demodae: Thanks! I appreciate that. The pacing was key here, as you pointed out. We know what is going to happen ? that Cody and his men are going to shoot her in the back ? but the story unfolds from her point of view, and as the moment gets closer, her danger sense starts to scream louder. And I since I don?t know exactly how Kit and Aayla resolved their relationship (other than they decided not to continue because it would be a violation of their responsibility to the Jedi), I decided to make Aayla the one to break it off. She seems more practical than Kit.


Mujapple_juicey: Thank you! Happy that you enjoyed this.


DarthIshtar: Thanks so much! I?m fond of Aayla, and I think her death deserved some dignity.

Miana Kenobi: I think you?re right when you say ?bittersweet.? There was so much that Aayla accomplished, and she cared so deeply about others. But then to be denied the right to have a relationship with the man she loved, and to be executed ? it just wasn?t fair. But then, as she probably would have said, life isn?t fair, and it was the will of the Force, right?

 

It is too bad that Aayla and Kit couldn't be together, couldn't have both a relationship and their duty to the Force. I'm sure they weren't the first (and wouldn't have been the last, had Order 66 not happened) Jedi to feel the way they did, and to make the decision they did. It wasn't fair, but as Aayla and Kit would almost certainly agree, life (and the Force) isn't fair. It just is.

At least the rule against attachments no longer matters in the Force.

I'm sure Aayla would feel something that morning, but as Yoda says, the future is hard to see, and I'm sure that during a war, there is no end of bad things, and resulting bad feelings, to pick up on. And there was no way she could have suspected that her men, who were bred to serve her, would be the danger.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading it, and if you ever feel like writing about the minor Jedi again... Well, consider this a polite and hopefully subtle encouragement.

 

This story is flawless!

 

Wow I was recommended to read this tale and I have to say I certainly wasn't disappointed. This was really well done. I love how you explored the friendship between Aayla and Kit. The love and restraint shown between thema nd the symbol of the bird.

I thought the ending was entirely heartbreaking, but also filled with hope, a silent reminder that even death could not keep them apart. Thank you for sharing this!

 

Pandora: Thank you! I agree with you about the relationships. Aayla always seemed very practical, and a devoted Jedi. She would have made her personal feelings second to her service.

I'm sure Aayla would feel something that morning, but as Yoda says, the future is hard to see, and I'm sure that during a war, there is no end of bad things, and resulting bad feelings, to pick up on. And there was no way she could have suspected that her men, who were bred to serve her, would be the danger.

That's the ultimate irony, isn't it? She risked her life to protect the men who became her assassins.


mujapple-juicy: Thank you again!

BloodRaven77: Thank you for taking the time to stop in and read & reply. Aayla is a very interesting person, and Kit seems like a bot of a rule-breaker. I like looking at how their relationship evolved.