Beyond Family Ties (Sequel to Just Yesterday and Trickster Twins) J/J *May 19, 2005: THE END*

Myra: Great post, Nat! Loved it!

Thanks!!!!

Pwease don't kill Luke...



That was creepy, when Luke went to see Callista... *shudders*

Well, they had to have their final confrontation.

Keep up the great work,

Thanks!!!

Jordan: Ohhh...So Garrett is going to confront Sacur? And you left us wondering what's gonna happen!


Yep. Of course I did!!

oldj: Thanks!!!

Sam: You even made it evil

Of course I did!!

Why doesn't anyone want Luke to die?

Because they aren't any fun

hollynkesten: Callista is screwed! good, as for Sacur, he hurts Garret, hes dead, and i really hope that somsone gets there in time!


You'll see

Gina: Lol. All I can tell you is that someone will die. Two people, actually.

Announcements:

First, as you all know, this story is coming to an end. I do not know how man posts are left, but probably less than half a dozen.

After this story there will be a short story about nyda and Garrett, then a short story about Troy, and then a second trilogy. The second trilogy will not be posted until after the move to the new boards, because I do not want to deal with the complications. Hopefully the move will happen in the next couple months so I can start posting soon.[/b]


~~~~~~

?Then you know what I am here to do.?

Callista smiled. ?You are here to do what you do best?try to convert fallen students to the Light by using your logic and love. It?s not going to work, Luke.?

Luke looked into her eyes. ?Will you let me try??

?Please don?t. It will degrade both of us.?

Luke nodded. ?As you wish.? He thumbed his lightsaber on and swung. The green blade clashed with a deep red one inches from his former lover?s face.

Callista grinned.

******

Sacur was standing in his bedroom when Garrett found him. Sacur frowned. ?How did you get in here??

?Magic,? Garrett ground out, moving closer to the man who had kept him chained in a basement.

Sacur backed away. ?I?m warning you, Sal-Solo, don?t come any closer. It will be your death.?

?No. It will be yours.?

Sacur reached for the blaster that was sitting on a desk behind him. As his hand moved to close around it, Garrett managed to reach out and take it from him. He pointed it at Sacur. ?Don?t move.?

Sacur glared as he raised his hands. ?You won?t get away with this, you know. They?ll investigate this.?

?I don?t think so. Iella Antilles is the head of the NRI, and since you tried to kill her, I don?t think she?ll look into a suicide too far.?

******

Luke and Callista fought for a long time, neither one gaining the advantage. Callista still had a little smile on her face as her attacks became more aggressive.

Luke didn?t know how much longer he could take this. His strength had a limit, and the sun had gone down.

He remembered what Han had once said about trusting a blaster. He remembered what Mara had once said about not being caught dead without one. He remembered what Wedge had said about cheating being necessary sometimes. He remembered the blaster strapped to his waist.

He didn?t want to end it this way. If it wasn?t for Mara and Ben, he wouldn?t. But he had to get out of this alive. Callista was going to die.

Luke drew the blaster and shot her through the heart. The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion. Callista staggered back, dropping her lightsaber. It shut off on its own when it hit the ground. Callista?s hands went up to cover her heart. She seemed stunned at the sight of the blood. She looked straight at look?no, beyond him. ?I?m sorry, Master,? she whispered. ?I have failed you.?

She dropped to the roof as she died.

******

Callista?s master felt her death and screamed in rage.

******

Luke was surprised to find Garrett Sal-Solo inside. ?Where?s Sacur?? he asked.

?Dead,? the young Corellian said.

Luke frowned. ?Did you??

?He committed suicide.?

Luke knew that no such thing had happened, but he nodded. He knew what Garrett was getting at, and knew that the younger man needed the closure that Sacur?s death provided. It would make matters less complicated as the galaxy was starting to rebuild.

?Right. Suicide.?

~~~~~~

Thanks!!!

Shades of Indiana Jones!

I was thinking a la Han Solo so excellent!!

I'm glad Luke listened to his gut and did what he had to do. That would be one of the hardest things for Luke Skywalker to ever have done. Sometimes the only answer is the one you hate the most.

He doesn't seem to do much gut-jumping, I've noticed (at least not in the NJO)

Thanks!!!

Gina: Wahoo! What a post!

Thanks!!!

Wow. That was a great piece.... I realized what he was going to do and went whoa! Good job, Luke!


Thanks!!! I love hearing that

*whistles* Cold. That was cold. Nice going, Garrett!

This was the easiest--and funnest--way to get rid of him

That can't be good.

Oh, it's worse than you think.

Awesome post, Nat! Simply awesome!

Thanks!!!

Sam: Why isn't Luke dead!!!!!!

Because:
a. Mara couldn't be widowed
b. Ben needs a dad
c. He needs to do the 'passing the torch' thing
d. Callista needed to die

Though Callie and Sacur more than make up for it



Jordan: Yep

Tess: Nat awesome posts!!!!!! OMG they were great!!!!

Thanks!!!!

Question to the Authors Note, what is the second trilogy going to be about?

I don't know ALL of the characters, but Jaina&Jag, Natasha&Ganner, Kyp&Danni (I think), Zena&Valin, Troy, Antilles girls, Doran Tainer, Jacen&Tenel Ka, Anakin&Tahiri + all their kids and a bunch of dead people.

hollynkesten: Thanks!!! Yo u won't find out until the next trilogy.

Thanks!!! Oh, he was killed, all right, and everyone will know it, but the offical story will be that he committed suicide.

Yep

Here it is

~~~~~~

Three Months Later

Jaina looked, Han decided, exactly like her mother.

The young woman was seated on an ornate throne in a giant room. There was no one on the dais with her, but the room was packed with military, holoreporters, Jedi, and officials.

Harrar would only surrender to the goddess, so now Han?s only daughter was waiting for him, looking like?well, like a goddess. Her long hair?her mother?s hair?was in one of the elaborate hairdos that Princess Leia used to wear. The one she was wearing when she presented Luke and me with medals after the Battle of Yavin. How long ago was that?

Through Princess Leia had been wearing white on that occasion?and many others?her daughter had chosen a gown of deep purple?the color of Yun Harla. The color of trickery. It looks good on her, her father noticed. He looked over at Jag, who was sitting two seats down from him. I don?t want to know what he?s thinking right now.

Leia patted her husband?s hand. ?So looks so grown up,? she whispered.

Han nodded. ?She looks like you.?

Every other day, Jaina reminded him of himself, far more than his sons did. She had the same reckless, don?t-give-me-the-odds streak that he did. Today, however, she was every inch her mother.

******

Jaina caught her parents looking at her from the audience. She couldn?t smile at them?it would ruin her image. But she did send her mother a mental hug, and felt it returned. You look great, princess. Dad thinks you look like me.

That?s kind of what I was going for.

Jaina caught sight of her grandmother, sitting between her mother and Uncle Luke. Padme and Leia were the ones who had helped her get ready. Her grandmother had given as much advice as her mother on what to do. Jaina had become very close to her grandmother over the last few months. Padme wouldn?t feel a hug through the Force, but she knew that Jaina was looking for her. She gave her granddaughter a smile and a thumbs-up that gave Jaina the confidence to continue to sit as still as a statue.

Jag was sitting between Zena and his father. He could also feel her eyes on him, and gave her his quick half-smile. His love gave Jaina more confidence than anything else. His love held her and soothed her through the most difficult times of her life. She idly wondered what he had planned for tonight. She had promised not to pry into his thoughts, but she had a good feeling about what he was going to do.

The doors at the end of the room opened and Jaina stopped thinking about her boyfriend and brought her attention back to why she was there. Harrar would sign a treaty only with her. The treaty had been drawn up in private, with the help of Jacen and Leia. The Yuuzhan Vong would cease hostilities and live peacefully I the galaxy. In return, they received the planet once known as Coruscant.

Harrar strode down the aisle and bowed when he got to Jaina. She rose and declared in a loud voice, ?Welcome, Harrar, High Priest of the Yuuzhan Vong.?

?I thank you for your welcome, Goddess,? he replied bowing.

?Do you accept the terms of our treaty?? she asked, remembering much-rehearsed lines.

?I accept your offer of Yuuzhan?tar in return for peace.?

?Then let us sign.?

Five years of intense fighting. Three hundred sixty-five trillion lives. Countless start systems. After all of this . . .

Jaina held up the treaty she had Harrar had just signed. One word echoed across the room, and across the galaxy.

?PEACE!?

~~~~~~