Legacy ~*~ ANNOUNCEMENT ~*~ COMPLETED --TAGGED

Nastom better get moving quick. Although I must say that he isnt being much of a good brother! After being away for 2 months, the first thing I would do would be to go and see my sister, not have a lightsaber duel!

Loving it all heaps Em, although I must agree with Eye of I here, the short posts are a killer!

Already hanging for the next one!

 

Well, I am leaving tomorrow and won't be back for a month, so I decided to finish posting before I leave. I'll put up a new one whenever I think about it, and if any of you feel like haunting the thread and replying to each, that would be great.

* * * * *

Kos examined herself critically in the mirror and sighed loudly. "I guess I just have to wait three months, huh?"

Taley's voice was muted by the closet door. "Kos, for the last time, you are not fat!"

Kos rubbed her bulging abdomen. "Right," she said sarcastically. "So what do you call this?"

"I call it," began Taley, but her words were drowned out by the muffled crash of clothing falling. Kos stifled an unladylike giggle at the words Taley muttered, then the older woman stuck her head around the closet door. "I call it being pregnant, Kos."

The bedroom door opened and Eily bustled in, a huge pile of cloth teetering in her arms. "Kos, these are beautiful dresses, as maternity dresses go." She grinned infectiously. "Would you rather not be expecting?"

Kos smiled. "I guess not." She looked at herself in the mirror again. Her dark hair had grown down past her shoulders while she had been away, and Taley had convinced her not to cut it back. Her skin shone with health and her eyes had regained their twinkle.

"Admit it, Kos," Eily added, coming to stand next to her. "You've never seen yourself so beautiful."

Kos raised an eyebrow. "Nor so fat," she added ruefully.

"Oh, can it," Taley hollered from her post in the closet.

Eily turned around and shouted back, "Has she always been this difficult?"

"Somehow," Taley replied, "I have the feeling she's about to get much worse."

Kos laughed despite herself. "Oh? How so?"

Taley emerged from the closet, wiping her hands on her pants. "In about three months you're going to be insufferable. All new parents are."

"Eh, we'll keep her in line," Eily said, placing her hands on her hips and giving Kos a challenging look. "You just wait and see."

"Hopefully by then Nastom will have returned to keep me in line himself," Kos said wistfully.

Eily's good spirits faded visibly. "How long since he ran off after his sister?"

Kos sighed and turned away, hiding the forlorn expression she felt creeping onto her face. "A month."

Taley put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's all right, Kos."

"All right, yes. Here, no." Kos shrugged helplessly, turning pleading eyes to Taley. "You're sure you couldn't come up with any leads when you went off after him?"

"For the fifth time, no. I'm sorry." Taley's smile was apologetic. "I'm afraid it would take a Jedi to find them, and we have none who are experienced enough in the matter in the first place."

None except for Revo. Kos pushed the thought away. It was no good thinking like that; Revo Starr had been gone for well over half a year now. There was no reason to think he would ever return. Taley would have to live with her loss for the rest of her life. Suddenly, Kos felt ashamed at her selfishness. Now Nastia had fallen, too. At this rate, there'll be no Jedi left soon. She crossed her arms and gripped her shoulders. "I hope Nastom comes back soon."

* * * * *

 

* * * * *

Revo stared out the viewport at the whirling maelstrom of darkness before his eyes. The Maw.

The cluster of black holes were impassable, the gravitic structure of the monstrous anomaly so irregular and unpredictable that not even the craziest pilot would attempt to navigate it.

Until now. With the incredible power of the Force guiding his hands, Revo Starr had done the impossible. Now he sat in a little, stolen ship in the center of the cluster, watching it.

Nastom had tried to hide from him the nature of the dark side, yet he had discovered it on his own and flirted with it for the better part of a year. These black holes were the perfect example. They were so dark in and of themselves that the only way he could see them was the glowing gases releasing bursts of incandescent light as they were ripped apart by the inconceivable strength of gravity.

The Maw ate everything that came near it, even light. Everything real and solid was soon bent into a blob of molten material, unrecognizable. Just like the dark side.

Revo had learned to use this power, the power to absorb the darkest emotions and actions, to thrive on his anger at the galaxy. He certainly had enough simmering hatred within him to continue on for a long time.

Yet something within him refused to be completely consumed by the darkness, so it had led him here, where he could feast his imagination on the possibilities. The hunger of the black holes as they devoured everything in sight was enough to convince him of the power of the darkness.

As a young smuggler from Corellia he had learned the value of such immense strength, and had honed the qualities in himself that would allow him to be as ruthless as he needed. Then he had met Taley, and become partners with her. She had led him to give up smuggling for the more profitable job of being an assistant to the boss. He and Taley fell in love, a love that could never have survived any formal boundaries, but thrived on their partnership. Then they had met Kos Corusca, and Nastom, and been taken in by their dreaming innocence. Revo had to concede that it all paid off. He and Taley were well-respected, and as a Jedi he had more influence than he had ever possessed before.

Then when Nastom denied him the right to think for himself, he realized that he could no longer live under the thumb of the other Jedi. He had been called a padawan on Bilbringi, and that was exactly how he had felt; like a slave, a blind follower. Nastom, his teacher and instructor was a master, not an equal. Revo Starr, for the first time in his life, had fled-- abandoning in the process the one person who he had hoped never to part from again.

He hunkered down in his chair, uncomfortably large beneath him. It was more like a dark throne than anything else, from which he had hoped to turn the galaxy around.

The black holes continued to pull light and gas into themselves, voraciously snapping up everything that came too close. Just like the dark side.

Yet, he reflected, it was the flickers of light from the dying matter that gave the sight its beauty. No matter where Revo went, he could never escape the light. It would always haunt him, like the last breath of warmth in the gases before him as they were ripped apart.

And suddenly, he knew. Revo realized that he did not want to be like those black holes, with infinite power and infinite destructive capabilities. For, like the Maw, nothing could ever get close to him without being tainted. He could never see Taley again without fear of ripping away the very core of who she was. He could never meet Nastom and look him in the face and know that the other would emerge unscathed from the encounter.

Revo closed his eyes, determinedly blocking out the sight of the horrible, gaping claws of blackness before him. His hands found the controls of their own accord, and he found himself turning the ship around.

Flying blind was never a good idea, but Revo could not watch anymore. The temptation was too gr

 

Oh no! We're running low on posts here! It's almost over! **Hugs Em** No fair!

Anyway, I loved betaing this, and I think this is one of - no, the - best fic I've ever had the privilege to read .

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[hl=black][color=cornflowerblue][b]Jedi_Anakin_Solo[/b][/hl][/color]

 

JAS-- *sniffle* Yes, it's been a long and wonderful journey, hasn't it? Looking back over the earliest posts, I'm amazed at teh way this all came together. Back when they were all back on Dantooine, I was just writing this story for the heck of it. I had no idea hwere it was going. All I knew back then was that the Republic would be established, and the Jedi Order started.

Only two more posts to go tonight, then two tomorrow. *sniffle*

* * * * *

Nastom stared at the information rolling across his screen. Nothing. He slammed his fist against the panel in frustration, then quickly drew on the Force to calm himself. She had to be here somewhere. After four months, he had finally traced Dev's ship to this system. They were here.

He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, trying to sense her, but he did not know what she felt like any longer. He felt blind trying to search for her darkness. Wherever his light touched, it filled the dark, hiding his sister from him when she needed him most.

Master! Stay there!

He jerked his head up, startled, and projected his question outward. Who is that?

It's me. Revo, your old padawan. I came to make amends, and take you back to your wife, who hasn't seen you for eight months.

Revo! Nastom looked out the viewport to see another ship settling smoothly next to his on the landing pad. A tall, lean figure emerged from it and crossed in front of his viewport, waving.

Nastom hurried outside to join him. "How did you find me?"

"A lot of practice." Revo shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you were covering your tracks." He looked around, squinting in the blinding sunlight. "So, why are you here, of all places?"

"Nastia is here," Nastom said quietly. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Tatooine is the last place I'd want to find my kid sister," Revo said, raising his eyebrows expressively.

"Wherever she is, that's where I want to be."

Revo sighed. "Have you ever been here before?" Nastom shook his head. "All right then. Well, I have, so follow me. And stay close."

He took off, his long legs taking him off the landing pad into the dusty city. "This place hasn't changed for the past hundreds of years," he commented.

Nastom was not surprised. "I doubt the wars would have touched this place. It's not exactly valuable."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Revo said mildly. "More important business deals go on here than I can even guess at."

"I see." Nastom stayed close behind Revo as they hurried through the busy marketplace. Revo turned right and led him down an alley, stopping at the end of it. "This is the center of the city. If she's here, you should be able to sense her."

Nastom leaned against the wall, his face in the shade, and closed his eyes, reaching outward gently. "She's nearby," he said, looking up at the building next to him.

"Oka-- Wait, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Nastom gathered his concentration and strength and leapt, his feet slamming hard onto the roof a moment later. Revo followed him, landing precariously on the edge of the roof. Nastom reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt to keep him from falling. He could sense that Revo had come to a decision during his long months away, but knew not to press him, especially when time was of the essence. "This way." Nastom took off in a dead run up one side of the domed roof and down the other, using the added momentum to boost himself into a somersault that landed him on the next rooftop over.

Without people in their way, it took only five minutes to find where Nastia was. Nastom withdrew his lightsaber and jumped down into the alley where he had sensed her, Revo right behind him.

Nastia looked up at the noise and her blue eyes widened in terror. "I told you!" she screamed hysterically. "I told you! I told you!"

Her companion whirled, and Nastom recognized Dev Hilse. "Run, Nastia," Dev muttered, moving in front of her. "Get to the ship

 

*hugs* not much left to go... so I figured you might need that... *hugs again for good measure*

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[b][hl=black][color=cornflowerblue]Jedi_Anakin_Solo[/b][/hl][/color]

 

*hugs JAS back* I hope someone else shows up for the final countdown . . .

 

*Hugs Em* If not, you can always rely on your loyal beta

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[b][hl=black][color=cornflowerblue]Jedi_Anakin_Solo[/b][/hl][/color]

 

Thanks, JAS. I know I can rely on you. Even if you didn't reply as faithfully as, say, Jedi Girl . . . *ducks and flees*

* * * * *

As soon as Nastom and Revo fell out of hyperspace into Coruscant orbit, Nastom reached out into the Force to find his wife. Though she was Force-blind, he still had a special place in his heart where he could find her. He sent a tendril of thought towards her, establishing a connection.

A wave of pain assailed him, making him gasp, and he pulled away. "She's in pain," he told Revo urgently. "Hurry! I have to get to her!"

To Nastom's surprise, Revo smiled. "I thought she might," he said, pushing the shuttle to greater speeds. Nastom did not try to puzzle that one out; he focused all his attention on their progress to the planet's surface. They touched down and Nastom pushed the ramp down with the Force and dashed down it, following the echo of Kos's pain in his mind.

Revo was right behind him, but Nastom was only partially aware of his companion's shouts. He found himself in front of an unfamiliar building.

"Nastom, slow down!" Revo called.

Nastom ignored him and shoved through the double doors, sprinting down a hall and up a flight of stairs. The hallway was dimly lit, with a closed door at the end of it. Bright light shone out around the edges of the door, and he raced to it and flung it open.

Several people bustled around a single bed, upon which lay his wife.

Nastom caught his breath. Her face was covered with sweat, and she grimaced in exertion. Yet what most grabbed his attention was her burgeoning belly. He stared in amazement. Kos was giving birth to their child-- and he had had no idea.

Revo came through the door behind him and closed it quietly, placing his hand on Nastom's shoulder. "She wanted to tell you herself, but I guess you figured it out." Revo was grinning hugely. He pushed Nastom forward, and Nastom stumbled to the side of the bed.

Kos turned her head to look at him; her eyes widened. "Nastom!" she whispered weakly.

"Kos," he managed, too choked up to speak. She seemed to understand, and brushed her fingertips against his cheek, tracing each feature of his face. "Kos, I--"

"Hush, it's all right," she said softly, then her muscles tensed and she cried out. Nastom had no idea what he was supposed to do, so he merely took her hand and held it firmly. She squeezed until he thought his bones could not take the strain any longer, then fell, panting, against the pillows.

It suddenly hit Nastom that he had not seen his wife for almost nine months. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, stroking her damp hair back from her forehead.

"You're here now, and that's all that matters. I was afraid you would miss this."

Nastom blinked away the unmanly tears that sprang to his eyes. "What did I do to deserve a woman like you?" He leaned down and kissed her gently, apologizing for every minute away from her side.

She responded to the pressure of his lips, then let out a strangled cry and broke away.

"Push," one of the doctors encouraged.

"I am," she grunted.

Nastom reached out through the Force to touch the life within Kos. Their child was frightened, and he soothed it, not trying to feel anything about it other than its fear. He wanted to discover their son or daughter at the same moment as his wife.

He continued to stroke her forehead throughout the contraction, wiping away the tiny beads of sweat that appeared there.

"Almost there!" the doctor exulted, and Kos relaxed again. Nastom leaned down to kiss the top of her head, then rested his cheek against hers, sliding an arm beneath her shoulders to support her.

"I love you," he whispered against her warm skin. He felt her smile against his jaw.

"You too." He felt the contraction build up inside her before it actually started, and reached into her mind to dull the pain, helping tighten her muscles so she would not have to work so hard.

"Here we go!" the doctor exclaimed. "Push again!"

Nastom, completely immersed in

 

* * * * *

Seven Years Later . . .

Alira shrieked happily as her father swung her high in air. "Daddy, Daddy, again!" she pleaded, pouting at him.

Nastom laughed. "No, it's your sister's turn." He looked over at Samria; at five, she was two years younger than Alira. Both girls looked exactly like their mother, with tanned skin and thick, dark hair, but they had their father's blue eyes. "C'mere, Sammi."

She giggled and ran over to him. Nastom grasped her under the shoulders and pretended her could not lift her. "Ooof, you're too heavy, Sammi."

"No, I'm not!" she said, grinning up at him.

Nastom smiled and swung her around above his head. "Okay, you're right."

Nastom heard the familiar swish of the door and looked up to see Kos come in, looking tired but cheerful. He set Samria down and strode over to Kos. "Your turn." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

Her eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do. "No, Nastom, quit it!" He ignored her, winking at the little girls, who squealed with laughter. Then Kos joined them as Nastom spun her around in a circle, set her on her feet, and kissed her firmly.

"Welcome home, Kos."

She swatted him. "What are you doing?"

"Playing with the girls." He smiled. "Keyan's keeping an eye on things for me at the Temple."

She mussed his hair and hugged Alira and Samria. "I'm sorry that meeting kept me so late. Thanks for coming home, Nastom."

"Meetings." He grimaced. "I'm glad that my meetings are more interesting than yours."

"Speaking of." She straightened, Samria in her arms. "How did your meeting go today?"

Alira piped up, tugging on her mother's dress to get her attention. "Daddy said it went well."

Kos smiled warmly. "Success?"

"Yes. The other Jedi agreed that a council of elders is a great idea."

"Not that you really have any elders."

"Well, they don't have to be old; just powerful and well-trained."

Samria, bored with the conversation that she did not understand, threw her arms around Kos. "Daddy made us dinner, Mommy."

"Oh, he did, did he?" Kos's eyes twinkled. "Was it any good?" Samria nodded solemnly. "Did you say 'thank you'?"

"Yup!" Samria said proudly.

"Good girl." Kos shifted the little girl to her other arm. "I'm going to give the girls their bath and put them to bed, Nastom. I'll be right back."

"I won't move," he promised, kissing her on the cheek and settling down on the couch. She swatted at him again, then took Samria and Alira off for their bath. Nastom sighed contentedly and let his eyes flutter closed, remembering his triumph earlier that day.

Half an hour later, Kos returned. "They're getting ready for bed," she said softly, settling down beside him on the couch. He slid his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "So, tell me about your council."

"We have twelve qualified Jedi," Nastom told her, "so we all agreed that was a perfect number. That includes me, Revo, Keyan, Shodak, Nin'cha, and others." With a stab of pain, he wondered if Nastia would have been on the council had she remained in the light. He set the thought aside, returning again to the present. "We just needed a governing body to make the decisions, instead of having me do everything alone as I have for the past decade."

"I agree," she murmured. "I've been telling you those exact words for three years now."

"Yes, well, I used those exact words at the meeting today, so I hope they're good ones." He smiled down at her, and lifted his arm to run his fingers through her thick hair.

"They are," she assured him, chuckling. "I'm glad the other Jedi approved the idea."

"As am I."

He sensed Alira's presence behind him, but let her sneak up on them anyway, and acted surprised when she jumped him. "Alira! What are you doing?" He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her, breathing in her soft, clean scent.

"I came to get you," she said. "We want a bedtime story."

Kos tapped Alira's nose, and the g

 

THE END

 

Wow!

Wow!

Wow!

So how did it feel to write "THE END"?

I cant believe its all over though! An awesome ending, hooray for saving Revo. Most sad for Nastia. True Star Wars style, never the quite perfect happy ending.....

But what to do now? Ive had your story shortcutted on the computer for so long that I wont know what to do with myself !

Em, thanks for sharing with us all your vision of how it all started and inspiring me with your clarity and magical way of writing! I'll be keeping an eye out for what else you come up with. Cause THIS has been a heck of a lot of fun!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on may scales of greatness, WOW!

Congrats!

PS Hey Jedi_Girl et al., where do we go now?

 

just posting so I can remember to finish this when I get some time!

 

Wow... I'm speechless here. Wow wow wow...

I can't believe I missed that many posts tho! Grrr... *kick self* But I guess thats what I get for not checking like I normally do

I'm looking forward to your other fic too. "And the Childrens Shall Leave" It's turning out most excellently.

 

WOW, Em. WOW. Even tho I betaed this, I still read it and just find myself staring at it and rereading it over and over...

Wait a minute... "THE END"? The WHAT!?

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[hl=black][color=cornflowerblue][b]Jedi_Anakin_Solo[/hl][/b][/color]

 

Jesus, I miss a day, and you finish the whole story! But I don't care, cause it was so freakin AWESOME! All in all, I don't think Nastom felt guilty enough...I mean, he let his BABY SISTER, who he'd sworn to protect, turn to the Dark Side, AND he had to kill her Ah, well, at least the Jedi will go on...but if Nastia was so bad at dueling, how do the Sith get strong enough to challenge the Republic?

 

Page 8 . . . *sniffle* The days are over when I can expect to see this story on page five or someplace easy to find it.

I'm here in NC now, and very, very glad that you all enjoyed the ending. I can't reply individually, though, because this computer isn't a Mac and I don't know how to work it.

In response to the question "Where do we go now?": Like Jedi Girl said, I have another story I just started called "And The Children Shall Lead." I would love it if I saw some of you over there. I'm also working on an A/T called "Breaking Through the Silence" which JAS has already started beta-reading for me. That only has four scenes written, though, and I won't even think about posting it until I get back home on August 1st.

How did it feel to write THE END? Very, very strange. Then when I clicked post, I realized I would never be posting more of this. Legacy has been more than just a story for me-- it's been my entire year. I started it last September, and finished writing it after school ended. That's a long emotional journey to take with a story. It has been a major project and something I will not likely attempt again. However, I am going to try to get it Archived, like I've said, and am already working my way through it (or at least I was before I left) and rewriting things. I discovered, upon enountertin Kos for the first time, that she was originally blond. My mental picture of her evolved drastically over the course of writing. Then of course there's little Nastia, who was so sweet as a three year old, then became so much more. *sniffle* Legacy has been a wonderful trip, and I'm glad you were here to take it with me.

 

WOW. WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW.


Its over!

I'd like to say a BIG thank you to Mcili for writing this mammoth story. Three cheers for the author!

 

*coughsequelcough*

 

Blended-- *tears up* Thanks!

Jedi Girl-- *long, low growl* *icy glare* Perhaps . . . and then again, perhpas not. If a sequel hits me, I might write it, but I'm inclined to perfect Legacu and just leave it. When you get so emotionally involved with your characters, and you take them from their childhoods to their adult lives, it's very difficult to keep them going. I've finished them. If I did write a sequel, it would be about other Jedi or other characters-- Keyan, Alira, Samria, Eily, Taley & Revo . . . *shrugs* Nastom and Kos have written themselves to completion, however, so I won't push it.

Just so I know-- would there be any interest in a series of much shorter stories involving Keyan? Because he's the character who inspires the most ideas in me (like him training one of Nastom's daughters). If there is enough interest, I may consider writing these WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT I am finished with Legacy for awhile. These other stories would probably be very short *thwacks a several-hundred-page Keyan plot bunny before it reaches her* and would be posted in maybe half a year. If at all.

 

*stands and applauds*

Excellent ending, Emmy... absolutely stunning...

I love the way you brought in the prophecy! Great work!

*continues to applaud*

 

Stories about Keyan would be awsome! Kinda like Fraiser and Cheers

 

Frasier and Cheers? I'm confused . . .

*hugs Jade* The last post has to be my favorite scene in the entire thing. I love having Nastom as a daddy . . . I may have to write vignettes about this . . . *wishes she were at her home computer*

 

OK, here's some 80's TV trivia for you. (The good old days... )

Cheers was a very popular show featuring a bunch of people in a bar in Boston (I think it was there anyways...) Fraser was a psychologist who frequented that bar. Made for some interesting conversations. Any ways a couple years ago they resurrected the Fraser character and made a television show about him, this time he was working as a radio psychologist. Very humorous. Just reminds me of the Keyan/Legacy thing

(Boy, and you guys are making me feel old, and I'm only 18!)

 

Hey! I'm 27, and actually watched Cheers regularly, and remember when they created the Frasier spin-off show (it was more than a couple of years ago - try 10-15...). Wow, now I feel really old.

Anyway - the important stuff: congratulations Em (I can call you that, right?) on the completion of a true masterpiece. Wonderful original characters, a gripping plot, and great ideas for how it all started. I enjoyed every (well maybe not every) post, and always hungered for the next one.

A few notes on the last two posts. Great suspense, tension and conflict. The resolution was somewhat inevitable, tragic as it was, tho I especially liked Revo's revival. Very nice metaphor work!

I find it ironic that Nastom "trusted the Force" and was forced to destroy his sister (or what was left of her), as opposed to his vision of the redemption of the Chosen One, where the son refused to follow the battle through to its conclusion and thus achieved true victory. Poor Nastom, but he is the original and paragon Jedi, and knows only the Force, which cannot compromise on what must be.

My only gripe about the last post is that it would have been nice to see a little example of the Force-training that Nastom had surely started giving his children (the older one at least). He did promise just before that he would start their training early, to avoid his mistake with Nastia (sniff) - which wonderfully explains the Jedi's obsession with getting the kids as early as possible.

All in all, I loved it, and am already eagerly reading your other fics. Keep it up, you've got a wonderful future ahead of you in writing (I feel old again... sigh).

EDIT NOTE: Would someone please explain to me why my posts on this thread always have "errors" and never up this thread as it so richly deserves? *grumble*