Beyond - Legends The Journal of A Very Married Talon Tantiss [DDC 2014] 2014 Journal Is Complete!

Pranking, a mysterious mission, and now a cliffie. Perfect blend.

 

what a cliff ending.better not leave it like that for too long. More soon

 

Oh my gosh. That is quite the cliff-hanger. And scary. I am worried for Ben and Talon!! You really ratcheted up the tension in this entry, gal.

 

Yikes! Any time you go to a Sith world, expect trouble of this caliber!

 

44-45

*sigh* Somebody would too, if the technology existed. Oh, who am I kidding? Somebody probably does, with whatever technology does exist already.

I liked the Rapid Entry by Jedi as demonstrated by Talon -- it's nice to see him get to come to the rescue and not have it go pear-shaped. The suspenseful exit followed by hovering was perfect (such a picture! )

 

I hate spiders. Can you tell? LOL! I would have gone insane if that happened to me.

Thanks! I'm glad you like it."

My muse came back for NaNo. So I should have at least three or four posts this month.

Thanks! Nothings going to happen to Ben. You have to know if I killed off Ben a horde of Ben-lovers would come down on me hard. We can't have the Skywalker's oldest son getting killed.

Yeah, when I wrote it I thought, "Would Luke be stupid enough to send his Jedi out on dangerous missions without proper security?" Then I looked at the profics and said, "Yes, yes he would."

Thanks. I liked the hovering part also. I can just picture him floating motionlessly, eyes closed and in a deep trance...before somebody knocks on his helmet. lol!

Thanks everybody for reading.

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Entry 55

Of course I wasn’t dead…I’m writing this journal after all. I woke up slowly and found myself lying on the ground in the fetal position with gravel painfully jabbing into my skin...but the real ache was in my head. I have a throbbing headache that is familiar; it is the aftereffects of a stun bolt (my brother Jaden and I once decided to stun each other to see how it felt—It hurt!). As my brain cleared I remembered those spiders. I jumped up into a sitting position and began slapping my clothing, searching for those horrific arachnids.

“It wasss an hallucination.”

I looked over to my right and located the Barabel that shot me. Currently his weapon was holstered as he sat on his haunches. Next to him was an unconscious Ben Skywalker. On the other side of me I heard muffled cries. I turned and located the second missing Jedi. He was sitting on the ground, his knees up under his chin, rocking incessantly while blubbering like a madman.

I turned back to the Barabel. “What was a hallucination?”

The large Jedi cocked his head to the side and blinked its large eyes at me slowly. “Whatever you saw. Whatever frightened you after fighting the Rhak-skuri.”

I tried to stand, but the effort made me lightheaded. “What’s a Rhak-skuri?”

He motioned his scaled head in the direction of the hole I must have entered through. “The large creature with six legs and pinchers. It is a Sithspawn.” He pointed a thumb to his chest. “This one is Sarkik, Jedi Consular. This one researches Sith legendssss,” Sarkik said with a common Barabel lisp that draws out words ending in an S sound. “It produces pheromonesss. It causes humans to have hallucinations.” He pointed a clawed finger to his temple. “Barabel’s have strong minds. We can resist.”

I crawled over to Ben to check on him. I could see his chest rising, so I know he is alive. I looked over to the Barabel. “Why did you stun us?”

The reptilian blinked a few times before answering. “To save you. To save your mind.” He pointed toward his companion. “Jedi Stebar has gone mad. If exposed too long the pheromones will make you insane. I stunned you to keep your mind safe.”

Ben groaned and turned to look at me. “Talon?”

“It’s me.” I grabbed him under one arm and helped him into a sitting position. “Are you the one who got me into this rock shelter?”

He nodded. “I pulled you toward the hole in the wall and then I saw…” He stopped and blanched.

“What?” I pointed to the Barabel. “Jedi Sarkik said that thing we were fighting has pheromones that can give us nightmare hallucinations. What did you see?”

He shook his head. “I’ll tell you later. It’s private.” He glanced over to Sarkik. “Is there another way out of this tunnel?”

“No.” The Barabel snapped his sharp teeth together that I recognized as a sign of irritation. “This one tried to slip by the creature you fought, but it is too strong. Its pheromones have little effect, but it is too physically strong for me. If I die, Jedi Stebar dies. He may recover with neural reconstruction.” He pointed a clawed hand at me. “Are you two the only Jedi?”

“More are coming. We just have to hold out for a few more days.”

The Barabel dropped his head slightly. “Good, because this one is hungry.”

Oh great. I’m trapped with a hungry Barabel. Hopefully I won’t soon be on the menu.


Entry 56

For the last day-and-a-half we’ve been holed up in a tunnel partially blocked off by boulders and rubble. Twice the Rhak-skuri tried to get through the rocks to us but it is too big to reach through the small meter-wide opening. Unfortunately that damn thing has used its pheromones at least one more time. I must be more susceptible than the others because I immediately began seeing the spiders. It doesn’t matter that I know it is an hallucination, when I am under the influence of the pheromones I can’t think clearly. During those frightening moments it is all very real. Ben hasn’t told me what he sees; I don’t think it is because he doesn’t want to tell me. I believe he doesn’t want to talk about it in front of the other Jedi. When the creature attacks us using its pheromones our Barabel Jedi stuns us. I would complain about the pounding headaches the stunbolts produce, but I would rather have a permanent migraine than lose my mind fighting arachnids. I don’t want to end up like Jedi Stebar. He continues to moan and rock back and forth. I’m not certain neural reconstruction will help him at this point.

I’m getting hungry and thirsty. We shared what food and water we carried. I know it may be a couple more days before help arrives. Hopefully we can hold off that long.

Entry 57

Three stunbolts later and we are still waiting. Jedi Sarkik may think he is resistant, but he is now beginning to suffer from the Rhak-skuri pheromones. He is becoming erratic. He mumbles to himself and is very jumpy. I really don’t relish the idea of a hallucinating barabel with a functional blaster. If he did start hallucinating there is little we can do to help him. Barabels are resistant to stunbolts. If he comes after us while experiencing some nightmarish alternate reality…we might have to kill him. I hope that doesn’t come to that.


Entry 58

I was sleeping when a noise woke me. I put my glowrod on low and moved to the opening in the rocks and peered into the dark cavern. I almost screamed out in delight when I saw a glowstick moving in the distance. Somebody was coming to our rescue. Unfortunately it looked like just one person. I crawled over to Ben and shook his shoulder. He mumbled in protest before opening his eyes. “What?”

“Someone’s here.”

“Who?”

“I reached out with the Force and felt a very familiar presence. “My dad.”

Ben jumped to his feet and gazed through the opening. “I sense him also.” He pulled out his comlink. “Mark? Can you hear me?”

It took a few seconds but he responded. “Hey Ben. Is everybody okay?”

“No, we have one injured, but don’t worry about us. There is a monster down here--a sithspawn. You have to get out of here and get backup. Get out of here!”

Ben yelled into the comlink frantic to get my father out of danger. I’m watching the bobbing light in the distance as it continued to approach. Ben yells out the warning once more. This time he wakes Jedi Sarkik who jumps to his feet and pushes me aside so he can look out.

“Don’t worry its my…”

I didn’t get to complete my sentence because I was drowned out by an ear-piercing shriek. It was the Rhak-skuri. I grabbed my comlink and start begging my father to turn around, but he doesn’t answer. I look over the Barabel’s shoulder and I see my father entering the cavern with a glowstick in hand and another attached to his clothing. I saw Sarkik switch the blaster from stun to kill preparing to shoot and distract the beast.

My father sauntered into the cavern like he doesn’t have a care in the world and he’s wearing an outfit I've never seen him in before. It is red armor over a black bodysuit and a cape. A cape? My father hates capes. He used to make fun of Lando all the time (behind his back of course). He was walking toward us when that Sithspawn scorpion intercepted him.

Dad dropped his glowrod and ignited his lightsaber, his blade bathing the cavern in blue light. He thrust out his left hand and Force shoved the creature back. I was hoping he would now get the hell out of there and wait for backup, but he doesn’t. Instead he starts talking to the monster in some strange indecipherable language. As far as I knew my father only spoke Basic. He may know swear words in about a dozen languages, but he was only fluent in Basic. I was completely at a loss as to what was going on. I listened carefully, trying to make out my father’s words.

“Akida zuti salini klase tu'saen!” My father screamed at the creature. Whatever he said caught the attention of not only the Sithspawn, but also our Barabel Jedi Consular.

“He speaks to it!” Jedi Sarkik growled.

Ben and I are trying to elbow the Barabel out of our way, but it is hard to move a Barabel. I had to be satisfied with catching glimpses of my father over Jedi Sarkik’s broad shoulders. The scorpion moved closer to my father, but its head was down and its tail was dragging behind and not in the cocked attack position.

“Mezdi dabar nu xuontai j'us!” my father yelled out while removing his armored gauntlets. “Mezdi dabar nu xuontai j'us!” he repeated before he smacked his gloves across the creature’s head like one would cuff a misbehaving vornskr (not that I ever tried that). The creature cringed backwards before it turned and slowly crawled away with a submissive posture. It looked back once but my dad yelled at it in that foreign language and the Sithspawn turned and fled. My father deactivated his lightsaber as he watched the beast retreat.

I was ecstatically happy, but Jedi Sarkik was now visibly shaken. The large Jedi turned to Ben and me and raised his blaster. “That one speaks Sith! Jedi Sarkik studied the language. He commanded the beast to leave. He is Sith!” He then shoved his blaster out of the opening and prepared to shoot my father. Ben and I immediately grabbed Sarkik’s arm and tried to wrestle the weapon from him, but the Barabel shrugged us off easily. When he went to fire again I reacted. I activated my lightsaber and slashed the end of the blaster off. Sarkik hissed at me and drew his lightsaber. We both stood there saber-to-saber as Ben begged us to put down our weapons. “Talon, you destroyed his blaster. He can’t hurt your dad.”

I wasn’t quite sure if that was true or not. Once my dad arrived at our location he would have to face a crazy Barabel with a lightsaber. I know Sarkik is a researcher, but if my dad is not expecting to be attacked by the people he is rescuing, Sarkik might get the jump on him. “Ben, you and I know our Jedi friend here is suffering from pheromone exposure. He’s become unstable. I can’t risk him hurting my father.”

“He is Sith!” Sarkik screamed.

Ben was behind me trying to make peace. “Sarkik, that is Talon’s father and my former Master he is not Sith.”

The crazed Barabel reached through the rock opening and tried to pull some of the boulders out of the way so he could squeeze through. I shoved my lightsaber between him and the opening. “Put down your weapon or I will make it so you can’t fight ever again.”

“Talon please. You can’t kill a Jedi. He’s sick.”

“He wants to kill my father.” I edged my way to the rock wall forcing the Barabel away from the opening. Jedi Sarkik crouched into a fighting position when I heard Ben’s lightsaber ignite behind me. I could see the green glow of his weapon illuminating the walls and I wondered at whom he was pointing his weapon. I stood absolutely still as my stomach dropped in apprehension. I would have to stand down if Ben was intent on stopping me. I could never hurt my cousin.

I was infinitely relieved when Ben stepped up next to me, his saber targeting the Barabel Jedi. “Sarkik, put your weapon down. You are not in your right mind. We know this man. He is a retired Jedi. He’s here to help.”

“Just because he speaks Sith, doesn’t mean he is Sith. You understand the Sith language and you’re not Sith.” I tried to reason with Sarkik, but his long exposure to the Sithspawn pheromones obviously damaged his mind and paranoia was kicking in.

Jedi Sarkik kept mumbling, “Sith, Sith! He’s here to kill us. He controls the Sithspawn. He will turn us to the darkside.”

We stood there for what seems like an eternity, our weapons activated and pointed at each other. My heart was beating rapidly and I began to perspire from the stress. Sarkik’s eyes were darting back and forth nervously, keeping and eye on both Ben and me. I think he was either trying to comprehend what was happening or trying to figure out the best way to attack.

We all jumped when my father stuck his head through the rock opening, flashed us a big grin and said, “What’s going on?”

Before the Barabel could react my father put out his hand and Force-snatched that lightsaber right out of the Barabel’s hand. He deactivated it and tossed it to Ben. “Stop playing around and let’s get going.”

Ben deactivated his own weapon and clipped it on his belt. “Jedi Sarkik you have a decision to make. Get Jedi Stebar and come with us or stay here alone and wait for somebody else to rescue you.”

Sarkik pointed a clawed finger toward my father who is still grinning like an idiot. I guess he is just happy to find us. “He wears the clothing of a Sith.”

My dad frowned as he looked down at his outfit. “It’s the uniform of an Imperial Knight. I just came from Bastion. Emperor Fel is trying to convince me to train his new Knights. I told him if he gave me a uniform I would think about it.” His grin grew wider as he looked at me. “I think your mother will be impressed.”

I suppressed a shudder. My brother and I discovered my father’s fetish for costumes when we were very young. Luckily for my younger self, I was blissfully unaware that it’s not normal for parents to have Mandalorian and Stormtrooper armor in their bedroom closet.

My father pulled away some the stones to enlarge the opening and motioned for us to follow. Sarkik stared at my dad for a few seconds before he reluctantly walked over to a mumbling Jedi Stebar, picked the deranged man up and tossed him onto his shoulder. We let the two Jedi go first and followed behind with my father.

I glanced at my dad with a million questions in my head. I think he knew what I was thinking because he gave a sheepish smile and said, “I’ll explain everything when we get into the shuttle.”

I couldn’t wait to hear this explanation.

 

Love how Mark just casually pulled the Barabel's saber away.

 

Father Mark to the rescue. Love the witty comments

 

Mark is so himself Comes to the rescue like he's going on errands and hee! I see he and Kira are still fascinated by various get-ups

 

loved the updates and can't wait for the explanations. More soon

 

Fantastic and griping updates! I wonder how Mark will explain that.

 

Mark is probably bigger than the Barabel. lol!

Thanks. I sometimes miss Mark and I need to throw him into the Journal.

Those two are kinky.

Thanks! Talon already suspects as to why his father is there.

This is an easy explanation...but Mark is doing things that would really upset the Grand Master. But that is in my story Secrets...my 2013 NaNo that I haven't gotten around to edit. I guess I have no excuse this time.

Thanks everybody for reading and taking the time to review. I am trying to think of a subject for next year's diary. Would anybody be interested in seeing a continuation of Talon's story? A new Journal for Marcus, Mark, or Jaden? Or maybe somebody completely different. Any suggestions?


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Entry 59


We followed Jedi Sarkik through the dark and winding lava tube we had entered from days earlier. It was a little nerve-racking to have an angry Barabel in the lead and a dangerous Sithspawn creature somewhere to our rear. Eventually we exited the mountain and found ourselves on open ground under overcast sky. I was relieved to see the wind had mercifully died down to a soft breeze and not the sandblasting gales we experienced on our arrival.

In the distance I could see our ships. Next to our StealthX’s and the tiny Consular ship was a large and extremely luxurious Royal Induparian shuttle. It was the ship the Prince of Indupar gave my parents for their personal use. Jedi Sarkik slowed his march toward the ships when Jedi Staber, hanging over the Barabel’s shoulder, started alternating between incoherent muttering and panicked shrieks. The Barabel brought his free hand up and gave his friend a calming pat on his back while whispering something to the injured Jedi.

“Wow,” my dad whispered to me. “He’s in bad shape. Hopefully neural regeneration might help. Your Aunt Mara had the procedure for a brain injury. This was before you were born…before she found me on Wayland.” My father pulled a remote out of his pocket and activated the boarding ramp of his ship lowering it as we neared. When we reached the Royal shuttle, Jedi Sarkik moved away from us and stomped towards his ship.

“Where are you going?” Ben called out.

The Barabel turned and bared his teeth. “This one has a functional shuttle.”

“Jedi Sarkik, you've been affected by the pheromones. I don’t think you’re in any shape to fly.”

The Barabel didn’t stop but walked backwards toward his ship as he pointed an accusing clawed finger toward us. “This one will not travel with…one who talks to Sithspawn.”

“Sarkik, we told you his not a Sith. He’s my father. Come back.” I intended to follow the Jedi but my dad put out a large hand stopping me. “Let him go. He’ll get back all right. Those shuttles practically fly themselves.”

I was going to argue, but I realized there was no deterring a Barabel once they made up their mind. My shoulders slumped in defeat. “Fine.” I turned to my dad. “Why are you here? Did the Grand Master send you?”

My father motioned for us to follow him into his ship. We walked up the large boarding ramp and into the roomy crew area where we moved toward the galley dining area. My father tossed his gauntlets on a table before he squeezed his large frame into a booth seat. Ben and I sat down across from him. “To answer your question the Grand Master did send me. I happened to be in the area when I decided to give him a call. Once he realized I was only a few hours from your location he asked me to check up on you.”

I sat back in my seat and stared at my father suspiciously. “You were simply flying around the outer rim territories?”

A lopsided smile crossed my father’s face. “Bastion is in the outer rim. I told you I was visiting Emperor Fel.”

“Never mind that,” Ben interrupted. “How did you get that creature to stand down?”

My father shrugged a meaty shoulder. “Your Barabel friend was correct. I spoke Sith to the creature and commanded it to go away.” He pointed a finger to his temple. “Remember I know what Palpatine knew. He learned the language from his Master, Darth Plagueis.”

Ben chuckled and gave a disbelieving shake of his head. “I know it was an awful experience for you to be temporarily possessed by the spirit of the Emperor reborn…but your ordeal ended up to be extremely lucky for my family. First you save my mother using a Sith resurrection technique and then you rescue us using the Sith language.”

My father gave us a strange look. “Yep, having old yellow eyes’ memories trapped in my head has been extremely lucky for all of us. It was almost like fate.” He pressed his hands against the table and stood slowly. “We better make a report to the Grand Master and have him put this planet off limits to Jedi…and for everybody else for that matter.”

Ben slid out of the booth seat and moved toward the cockpit. “I’m on it.”

My father went to follow but I called out. “Dad, come here.”

For a second I sensed a pang of guilt emanating from my father before he clamped down on his emotions. “What is it?” He gave me his most innocent look, which is a key giveaway that he is hiding something.

I stood and walked over to him so we could converse without Ben overhearing. “You weren’t just cruising around the outer rim taking in the sights. Why were you here?”

“I told you, I was on my way back from Bastion. Emperor Fel wanted my opinion of his Imperial Knight training program. I wanted to see my niece and great nephew. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that side of the family. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

I shook my head slowly. I know there is no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to my father. “Are you telling me Emperor Fel contacted you and asked you to come out to Imperial space? You weren’t the one who initiated the conversation with the Emperor?”

He blushed slightly. “Now that I think about it, I called to see how Jaina was doing. We got talking about the training of the Knights. She knew I was training the Prince and asked me to come out to compare training regimen notes. I told her I didn’t know if I could break away because the Queen keeps me busy. That’s when Jaina said she would ask the Emperor to make an official request. The Queen wants to keep good relations between the Imperials and the Indupar Crown world, so she sent me to Bastion and that’s the story.”

“Yeah, that is a story.” I scoffed. “I think it is more likely that my son was consulting the time stream and told you what trouble I was going to be in. You two then concocted a plan to make it look like a mere coincidence that you are in the area so I wouldn’t be angry with him for snooping around my possible timelines. That would explain how you didn’t seem at all surprised by the appearance of a giant Sithspawn scorpion! Or three Jedi in a lightsaber standoff.”

My father took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Would you have preferred a mass slaughter of Jedi once your backup arrived? I speak Sith. I can command the creatures. And they listen because they can sense the residual darkness within me. I never lost the psychic darkside stench that Palpatine imprinted on me before I forced his spirit out of my body. His memories haunt me, but if I can use some of the knowledge for good…then what’s the harm in that?”

“I knew it. Marcus is still checking up on me.” I shook my head slowly. “Why didn’t he send you right away before Ben and I had to endure repeated stun bolts! You must have known at least a week ago for you to travel to Bastion…” I pointed to his uniform. “Get outfitted in this costume, fly out to where we were and then save us. Why didn’t he simply send you straight to this planet to save Jedi Sarkik and Staber? Or why didn't he just prevent them from coming here in the first place?”

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. “By the time Marcus discovered the problem the two consulars were already trapped. In the timelines where I go to save the Jedi—and you and Ben are not here—the situation ends badly. Without you two, Sarkik doesn’t calm down. In some timelines he attacks me and I am forced to kill him. In other timelines Sarkik murders Jedi Staber to prevent him from falling into the clutches of what he believes is a Sith and then he kills himself because he is positive I intend to turn him to the darkside. If I don't come to this planet the Jedi backup is slaughtered. The only scenario where all of us survive is when you and Ben are here with the two Jedi and I come alone.”

“Marcus was willing to risk my life and Ben's to save two Jedi he never met?” I wasn't sure what I thought about that. I am proud of Marcus for doing the right thing, but I could have gone the rest of my life without the terrifying images of spiders crawling into my nasal cavities, ears and mouth. I get a chill down my spine just thinking about it.

"It wasn't just the consular's lives on the line." My father gazed at me grimly. "If I told Luke to abandon the Jedi, he wouldn't. A rescue party would be sent, no matter what I told the Grand Master...and it would include his best fighters...Kyp, Valin, Anakin, Jak and Owen Skywalker and Corran Horn as their leader....all dead."

"Ohhh," I groaned knowing it had to be a tough decision for Marcus. I looked up at my father sadly. “Marcus did the right thing, but please tell me you didn’t have to use the darkside to save us.”

Dad shook his head. “I just used the knowledge within me to tell the Sithspawn to leave. You don’t have to worry about a repeat of what happened on Kavan.”

“Good, good.”

What happened on the planet Kavan is not something any of us would want to repeat. My father had used a darkside technique to save my Aunt Mara after she was poisoned by my cousin Jacen. I am still haunted by the memory of my dad’s yellow, Sith-stained, eyes. He later used the Force to wipe Jacen’s memory of the event and his involvement with Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith. It was a horribly upsetting time for the entire family. It was also a secret the entire family decided to keep from the public and any family members who didn’t already know.

“Don’t be mad at Marcus for checking up on you, he's been punished enough.” My father put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “He was traumatized by what he saw in the timelines. He came to me trembling and in tears. If we did nothing, the rescue party, which included three of his cousins, were massacred. If you and Ben are here and I didn’t come to the rescue… both of you die a horrific death.” My father visibly shuddered at the thought.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know, but curiosity overwhelmed me. “How did I die in those timelines?”

He hesitated for a moment. “You were eaten by a crazed and hungry Barabel. Sarkik was slowly going insane from the pheromones. His idea to stun you was working, but he never stunned himself because he knew stun bolts have very little effect on his species. He was resistant to the Sithspawn, but not immune. In the time it would take your Jedi backup to travel from Coruscant to here, Sarkik grows completely insane. He stuns you and while the Sithspawn creature produced its pheromones he finally snaps. He kills all of you and then eats the bodies. Backup arrives, but they are no match for the creature. Eventually the area is put off limits. There is a memorial for the lost Jedi at the temple where your family grieves and never fully recovers from our loss.” He put his other hand on my shoulder and leaned closer to me, his words just above a whisper. “We can’t lose you. You have a wife, son, brother, niece, cousins and two parents that love you dearly.” He gazed at me sadly before he pulled me into a fatherly hug. “I’m so glad you and Ben are alright.” He broke contact and wiped a tear from his eye. “I love you so much.”

“It’s okay Dad,” I pulled away from my father a bit shaken from his emotional display. “We’re fine now.”

Ben exited the cockpit. “I contacted my father. He’s recalling the Jedi and putting out an official decree that all Jedi stay clear of this planet. He will also notify the Galactic Alliance of the danger.” He stopped and looked between my father and me. “What’s wrong?”

I gave my dad a sidelong look, not sure if he wanted Ben to know what Marcus did for us. He gave me a nod and then turned to Ben. “Marcus sent me. He saw the danger in the time stream. It wasn’t a coincidence.”

Ben smiled slightly. “I thought it was something like that.” He hesitated a moment. “Does my dad know about the seers?”

“Sure,” my father said slowly. “Sort of. He’s aware of them, but he doesn’t know Marcus is training to become one.”

“Does he know the seers are trying to control the future,” I asked quietly.

“What?” My dad blanched. “Did Marcus tell you that?”

“No, but it is obvious they are willing to manipulate the future by ensuring certain timelines come to fruition.”

My dad looked down at the floor, shuffling his boots nervously. “The seers want what is best for the galaxy. I don’t know if they were concerned about you and Ben. Marcus was the one who told me. He loves you and wants you alive. If the seers sent me, then I would worry.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Why is that?”

My dad gave a nervous chuckle. “If they are interested in you, then you play a crucial role in the future they are trying to create. In that case you never know if you are the master of your own fate.” His voice took a lower tone. “You’ll never know the extent of their manipulation, and I can guarantee you will be constantly monitored.” He looked at Ben and me and smiled. “Don’t worry, I don’t think you two are on the seers’ radar…just Marcus.”

I was confused at to what he was getting at. “Do you mean Marcus has us on his radar or Marcus is on the seer’s radar?”

Dad looked to the ceiling of the ship and then shrugged. “It’s probably both.”

 

Interesting conversation about the seers...

 

Awesome discussion and revelations about the seeming lucky coincidence that brought Mark there in time. I am glad it was Marcus who initiated events and not the Seers with their unknown agendas.

 

that's an interesting conversation.
Great update

 

Thanks! I'm glad it is not too boring.

The seers in this story have been doing a lot of stuff that people have no clue they are doing.

Thanks!

This update is more of a set up for last years NaNo fic that I wrote about Mark and Talon. I am hoping to post it at the end of this journal. I do make references to my fanfic Second To None: Sacrifices and The Journal of Talon Tantiss. Those stories dealt with Jacen's slide to the darkside with the help of Lumiya and how he was saved from becoming Sith.

I want to thank everybody who has been reading.


Entry 60

From the viewport of my dad’s shuttle we watched the consular ship take off. Ben immediately contacted the Jedi subtemple on Ossus advising them to keep a look out for their returning Jedi. I wanted to get off this Sithspawn planet right away, but my dad insisted on feeding us first. We were starving, so I didn’t protest too much.

As we sat in the galley eating roast bantha sandwiches and fried tubers, I glanced over at my father and admired his outfit. I have to admit, the Empire always had impressive uniforms. “You’re not really considering leaving your grandson to train Imperial Knights, are you?”

My father took a bite from his sandwich and chewed silently before answering. “Not if I don’t have to.”

“Why would you ever have to? You’re not part of the Empire. It’s not like Fel can order you there.”

My dad shrugged. “Ossus is closer to Upekzar than Bastion…I probably could have made an excuse to visit the sub-temple, but Marcus insisted I go to Bastion under the pretense of checking out the training. It makes me wonder why.”

Ben and I gazed at my father inquisitively. “You believe he had another motive?”

My dad chuckled. “The one thing I know about seers is they don’t like telling you their full plan…and Marcus is a seer in training.” He hesitated before continuing. “He’ll deny there's a hidden agenda when it comes to me going to Bastion, but I think he wanted me there for a reason.”

“Why would he keep that a secret from you?” I had to ask because this didn’t make sense. “Marcus can trust us.”

My father shrugged. “I know Marcus keeps secrets from me when it comes to what he sees in the time stream. Keeping secrets is his prerogative. He may be your son and my grandson, but he will be King and a seer…he can literally do what he wants. I can’t control him. The seers can't even control him. He can see their manipulations and he has political power over them.” My dad grinned. “They're wary of him...I can tell. I don’t think they can see him clearly in the time stream. I know he has baffled them a few times. When he snuck out of the palace to stowaway on your ship, Ema and the Queen immediately went to the seers and asked them to locate the Prince, but they couldn’t. He’s in their blind spot. I think that scares them…but they need him. They enjoy the protection of the Indupar monarchy and they like having access to a person with power and money. I think they offered to train Marcus as a seer so he will feel some allegiance toward them.”

“That doesn’t sound like they’re scared of him,” I pointed out. “They just want to use him.”

“That’s what I thought at first.” My dad’s grin grew broader. “But then I discovered the seers have politely requested that Marcus not enter their meditation chambers.”

I shrugged. “So? They wouldn’t let me in either. They like to maintain their privacy.”

My father shook his head. “Not really. I’ve been in their meditation room. The Queen and Ema have been inside. Only you and Marcus have been asked not to enter. Why do you think that is?”

Ben ventured a guess. “Because Marcus and Talon have post-cognitive abilities.”

“Exactly. This means they don’t want Marcus or you to know what's gone on in that room in the past.”

I gave my dad a curious look. “What are they hiding?”

My father finished his sandwich before pausing in thought. “I don’t know…but maybe it’s time for Marcus to find out.”

Entry 61

We said our goodbyes to my father before returning to our StealthX’s. I was disturbed by our earlier conversation. Were the seers up to no good? And if so, would the Grand Master be furious at Ben and me for not revealing our suspicions earlier?

Ben obviously noticed my sullen mood as we walked to our ships. “Are you upset with your dad or Marcus?”

I shook my head. “No, they were doing what they had to do for the greater good.” I paused for a moment. “Do you think we should tell your dad about the seers and what they're doing?”

“Yes…” Ben said slowly. “But I would want to talk to Marcus and the Queen about that first. My father knows the existence of the seers, but he sees them as any other Force user having visions that may or may not come to pass. Once he becomes aware of their accuracy…well then he’d would want to travel to Indupar to visit. Once on planet there is a very good chance he would come in contact with your son.”

“And then he will know about my relationship to the Prince of Indupar.”

There was a short pause before Ben responded. “Would it really be that bad? Mom and dad can keep a secret; you only have to look as far as Jacen and his brush with the darkside to see that. My father would probably be relieved to hear about Marcus.”

“Why relieved?”

“Right now my dad thinks your father left the Jedi Order and Coruscant because of what he was forced to do on Kavan and Myrkr.”

I sighed deeply. “Ben, my father did leave the Jedi Order because of those things. He didn’t even know about Marcus back then. Only leaving Coruscant was because of Marcus.”

"That's true...your dad quit long before he knew he had a grandson." He gave me a strange look. "To be honest, I never believed your father left the Jedi Order because of the fiasco with Jacen."

My brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“We were all in on the cover-up, including my father. The Grand Master asked your dad to perform the memory rub on Jacen. I can’t see him leaving the Jedi order over that.”

I didn’t want to tell Ben that I had the same suspicions. I always believed Jacen had something to do with the plague that killed dozens of royals on Hapes, but there was no evidence to prove the connection. If Jacen was involved, only my father would know the truth since he was able to see Jacen’s thoughts as he did the memory rub. To add to my suspicions, after returning from Myrkr my dad started acting strange. He disappeared with the commander of Tenel Ka’s personal guard for a few weeks without filing a flight plan. That had me wondering if those two were off getting rid of evidence...but that’s pure speculation on my part. I once asked my father where he went and what he did and he responded that, ‘Some things should remain a secret’.

I ran my hand through my hair and turned to my cousin. “Ben, if there was another reason, dad didn’t tell me.”

That was the truth.

“Maybe…” Ben sounded very unsure. “Still, it would help my dad to know that Mark left Coruscant and stayed away because of his grandson and not because of any lingering bad feelings.”

“I have no idea how anybody can think my dad harbors lingering bad feelings…not when he has that constant goofy grin on his face. He’s happy…and he has another costume to bring home to my mother.”

Ben chuckled. “You told me about his little fascination with costumes. I have to admit that uniform looks much better than the Jedi robes.”

I smiled. “Marcus needs to get an awesome looking uniform for the Indupar Knights.”

“I’m sure your father will take care of that.”

“He probably will.” I looked up to my astromech droid sitting behind the cockpit. “R9 open the canopy.” The droid complied and I used a Force enhanced jump to get into the cockpit of my fighter. I watched Ben do the same. Before we sealed out ships I called out. “Let’s go home and back to our ladies!”

 

Can't wait to see what this will lead to!

 

In light of what happended in your Sacrifices, I understand why anyone would think that was the reason Mark left the Order
I wonder if his reasons will be set straight...

 

Enjoyed the speculating and eagerness to get back to Zylie and Valla.

 

great and very intriguing update. I wonder where this will lead and will you be continuing this fic in 2015?

 

Through Ch 49

Well, the end of the Loddite thing was grisly; it's worrying that they seem to keep running into all these things (maybe I'm paranoid in looking for a pattern, but there seem to be an awful lot of fires to put out all over the place...)

... and then Zylie's attempt at a backseat makeout session goes So Horribly Wrong, and Valla and Ben are there, and everything is hilarious. Cannot breathe. And ID10T snitched on Talon and Zylie! I like that droid.

 

Thanks! Hopefully it will lead to me getting off my butt and actually editing my Mark and Talon 2013 NaNo story.

I don't think Mark will ever tell on Jacen unless his nephew shows signs of a relapse. The only think Mark knows that the other Jedi don't is that Jacen was involved in the murder of the nobles. The nobles deserved it after countless attempts on Tenel Ka and Allana's lives...but it doesn't make it right. The truth would only hurt the Skywalker/Solo/Tantiss families. Mark knows if he told Luke, the Grand Master would feel duty bound to reveal what he knows. This would hurt Jacen, Tenel Ka and also the Jedi who knew about Lumiya but covered up her association with Jacen. It would be a mess. Mark left the Jedi just in case the truth did get out. He could say he hid the truth from Luke and hopefully shield the Jedi from unintended consequences.

Those boys love their ladies. Ha!

I want to. To stop writing about Talon and Mark is almost like letting them die. It is a weird protectiveness I have for my OCs. I know I am so far along with this story that anybody new would be confused. I have probably a half million words written about these characters.

ID10T better start learning how to keep his mouth shut or Talon will shoot him out an airlock. As for the Loddites, here on Earth we are always dealing with stuff like that, so in a galaxy of thousands of worlds I would think those types of conflicts would be common. I would have much rather seen the Star Wars profics deal with local problems than those huge galactic wars.

Thanks everybody for reading!
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Entry 62

I got a very warm homecoming upon docking with the Vazy Princess. This time Zylie didn’t try to climb into the cockpit with me, but instead dragged me back to our quarters to celebrate our reunion. Of course I'd been living in a cave for the last few days with no shower or deodorant so she quickly shoved me out of the cabin and told me to take a shower. I went to the ‘fresher but it was locked. I listened to the door and heard the sonic shower on…and then giggling. Damn it! Ben and Valla were doing it in the shower and now I have to wait! We definitely need a second ‘fresher on this ship.

Entry 63

The last week has been somewhat boring. No missions—just simple trading runs. I really want to get back to Indupar to see my son, but we have deliveries set up for the next month.


Entry 64

We will be on Coruscant two days from now. I like it when our work brings us there. I get to see my brother, his wife and my little niece and Ben can see his family. Sometimes the Grand Master has us talk to the younger Jedi about our missions and what it is like to do work as a Guardian or a Sentinel.


Entry 65

We arrived to Coruscant today. Ben and Valla went off to see the Skywalker family. Zylie and I stayed behind so we could make arrangements for Princess. The kennel that usually takes care of her went out of business so we have to find somebody else crazy enough to care for a Vornskr. We called all around, but no luck. We were about to just leave her on the ship and check in with her twice a day when Zylie got a call from her father. Unexpected business brought him to the city-world and he wanted to get together. Of course he has his crew that takes care of his vornskr. His original animals died but I was told he has a new vornskr he purchased from a breeder on Myrkr. He offered to take care of Princess and I was more than willing to pawn her off on him. Maybe if I am lucky I can convince him to keep her. Ha! I’ll never be that lucky.

Entry 66

I went to my brother’s house and was ambushed by my little niece who Force jumped into my arms and gave me a big kiss on the cheek. I hugged her and then gave her a tickle that got her giggling. I wish I had moments like these with my son when he was this age. I held Jessa up above my head and smiled brightly. “How’s my favorite little girl?”

“Good,” came her reply. I see she is getting more teeth. She is cute. I put her on the floor and then gave my brother a hug and his wife Jysella a kiss on the cheek. Zylie greeted the two and then grabbed up Jessa in her arms and snuggled with her. I can tell Zylie wouldn’t mind having a child of her own. She is great with Marcus, but she met him when he was nine years old and doesn’t see him that often. I can tell she wants to be a mom. Maybe I will talk to her about it again. Last time she demurred because she didn’t want to raise a child on a ship and she didn’t want to leave her dad's trading operation. Maybe there is something she could do for the business on a planet like Coruscant…or Indupar. I should look into it.

“I heard you saw dad last month.” My brother gave me a smirk as he led me into his family room. “He had to save you and Ben from being eaten by a Barabel.”

I rolled my eyes. “I wish dad wouldn’t tell people about that disastrous mission.”

Jaden shook his head. “Dad didn’t tell me, Marcus did.”

My brow furrowed. “Marcus was here?”

“No, I was on Indupar. He invited our family to visit. I thought it would be nice for Jessa to see her cousin.”

“Just for a visit?” I asked warily.

Jaden shrugged innocently. “Yeah, why?”

“Because I don’t trust those seers. It seems like every time Marcus asks somebody to visit or go somewhere there's a reason.

“You’re getting paranoid, little brother. We just visited and it was on my time schedule. It was an open invitation."

I sighed. “Okay.”

“Why would he ask me to come there if it wasn’t for a get together?”

“I don’t know. Maybe if you weren’t off planet you and the family would have had a speeder crash and all died.”

My brother’s eyes went wide. “Wouldn’t he just tell me to stay inside that day?”

“I don’t know? I’m not sure how the time stream works.” I looked at him curiously. “How did the conversation get to me and my adventure on that Sith planet?”

“I think he was worried that you were mad at him. He asked me if you said anything. I told him no. Have you contacted him since the incident?”

I shook my head. “It’s not something I want to discuss over the transceiver.”

“Oh…well maybe when you are out for his coronation you can talk to him. You are going, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. Are you?”

“I wouldn’t miss it. It is not often that a relative becomes a king…an Empress maybe or a Queen’s consort…but rarely a King.”

I chuckled. “It is going to be a major change for him and maybe for me and Zylie. We might be able to see him more often.”

Jaden put an arm around my shoulder. “It’s about time. You two need to bond.”

“Yeah. Speaking of bonding. Let’s go out for dinner. I’m buying.”

Entry 67

I had a great time with my brother and his family. The next day Zylie and I went over to the Skywalker home to have dinner with Ben, Valla and my aunt and uncle. The twins and Hanna were out on missions so it was just the three couples. I always enjoy having dinner with my aunt and uncle…especially my aunt who is my former Master. I sometimes think I am closer to Aunt Mara than with my own mother. I am sure Ben feels the same way with my father.

“So, Talon,” my aunt said while picking at her salad at the dinner table. “When are you and Zylie going to make your parents into grandparents?”

“They have Jessa…but I have been working at it diligently.” I gave her a big poodoo eating grin that got me a slap on the shoulder from my wife.

“He needs to get a bigger StealthX cockpit,” Ben said wryly. Zylie started coughing up her drink at that remark. Valla covered her face with her hand to hide a blush. I just stared at my cousin while gritting my teeth and imagining what a beating I wanted to give him right about now.

My Uncle Luke didn’t look up from his plate. “Are you outgrowing your X-Wing already, Talon? Are we going to have to build some custom made fighters for you?”

My mouth drew into a tight line. I wasn’t sure if my uncle was playing dumb or actually didn’t notice the sarcastic edge in his son’s voice. “No…Ben just thinks he’s funny.”

By now my aunt has figured out what must have happened. She turned away with a blush.

I glared at Ben. “We may need to remodel the ‘fresher shower in the freighter. I think it might be too tight a fit for some people on the ship.”

Now it was time for Ben to glower at me. We stared at each other in an awkward silence until my aunt broke the tension. “Stop it you two. I think everybody on this planet has tried to make out in a fighter cockpit or in a freighter ‘fresher at one point in their life. Why Luke and I once…”

“Mara!” Uncle Luke said quickly. “Let’s not bore the kids with stories of our youth.”

Mara laughed before raising an eyebrow. “The story I was going to tell was anything but boring.”

Ben blanched. “Please don’t. I’m sorry for embarrassing Talon. It was uncalled for…just please, mom, don’t reminisce about your love life with dad while I’m at the dinner table.”

Mara rolled her eyes. “I see somebody can dish it out but can’t take the teasing himself.” She turned back to me. “You can’t tell me your parents haven’t been pressuring you about children.”

I shook my head. “No, not yet.”

Mara stared at me for a long moment. “That’s odd. Kira always struck me as a woman who wanted to be a grandmother…but then I guess I am mistaken since Mark and her left their granddaughter behind on Coruscant and moved to Indupar so he could train a stranger.” She gazed at me intently. “I’ve never understood that move. Do you?”

I was getting very uncomfortable with this conversation. “Is there a reason you are bringing up this subject…”, I turned to my uncle, “again?” I have no idea why my father’s departure from the order and moving to Indupar upset my former Master and the Grand Master so much. They didn’t get upset when Jacen left the order to be with Tenel Ka or Jaina departed to the Imperial Remnant to be with her husband.

“I might as well tell you the truth.” Luke shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “I discovered your father is now on the Chief-of-State’s watch list.”

That statement shocked me. What did my father do now? “Can I ask why?”

Luke shrugged. “I believe it has something to do with the Indupar monarchy annexing two more planets into its realm.”

I let out a relieved breath. Chief-of-State Mokk Streke should have better things to worry about than a couple planets wanting to align themselves with the Indupar Crown Worlds. “First of all, the planets were not annexed. They petitioned the Royal House for citizenship in the Crown Worlds. Second, what does that have to do with my dad?”

Uncle Luke leaned back in his chair and took a sip of wine before answering. “Your father has been making multiple trips into Galactic Alliance territories over the last year. He’s been arranging the purchase of Void Jumper suits, ships and weapon systems for the Indupar Crown Worlds.” He put his glass down and scrutinized me, possibly looking for a reaction.

I looked back and forth between my uncle and aunt before throwing up my hands in confusion. “So? He works at the palace. He’s a trained Void Jumper and Jedi. He’s training the Force-strong Prince. He’s a trusted servant of the monarchy there. Why shouldn’t he be the person making these types of arrangements?” I shifted in my seat. “I’m sure everything is legal and on the up-and-up. If he wanted to smuggle stuff into Indupar he could easily do it. After all, he once worked for the galaxy's top smuggler turned legitimate businessman. I am fairly certain Talon Karrde could get my dad anything he wanted under the table. Streke is being his normal paranoid psychotic self.” I took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. I was overreacting and that was suspicious itself. “Sorry…I’ll tell my father he’s being watched.”

Luke nodded. “I wish he would tell me what the monarchy is doing with all that weaponry…and why he decided to live on Indupar.”

I let loose a breath that was half frustration, half disbelief. I felt like I was being interrogated. “Whatever they’ll doing, I know it doesn’t involve you or the Jedi.”

Luke pointed a finger at me. “That’s where you’re wrong. Rumor has it, the Chief-of-State believes your father is possibly working for me and using the Indupar Crown worlds to build a Force-strong army of Jedi Void jumpers.”

Both Ben and I started cracking up. “What?” we said in unison.

“That is the craziest thing I have heard,” I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

“Don’t be dismissive when it comes to the Chief-of-State,” Luke warned me. “Don’t forget that holovid you acquired on Coronet City. Streke is working for someone who wants the Jedi off of Coruscant. He is looking for any reason to get us off planet. Do you recall what that mysterious man in the black stealth suit said? ‘Send them all on a mission, a quest, anything! Just get them off planet’”

“We know it’s insane,” my Aunt Mara said apologetically, “but if he believes we are conspiring against him, he might use that as an excuse to banish the Jedi.”

“And to make matters worse you dad went off to Bastion to inspect the Imperial Knights. I’m sure that kicked Streke’s paranoia up a notch.”

“Jania is his niece. Everybody believes my father is Aunt Mara’s brother. It shouldn’t be odd that he visited family.”

“I know, I know,” Luke mumbled. “The trouble is I have a Chief-of-State who thinks we are plotting against him and I don’t know enough about what is happening on Indupar and your father’s activities to alleviate his fears. I can’t ignore him. You have to remember a majority of the Order’s funding comes from the Galactic Alliance.”

“And you serve the Alliance,” I pointed out.

“That is true.” Luke heaved a sigh. “I would like to be able to prove to the Chief-of-State that his concerns are unfounded. It would help if I had something to tell him. I think you can help me in this matter.”

I bristled in irritation. “Are you asking me to spy on my father?”

“Talon,” Mara said slowly. “That’s not what we are asking. We were hoping you could simply ask your father what is going on.”

I scoffed. “And if I discovered any information and you told Streke, why would he believe anything the Jedi tell him?”

Luke looked down at his plate, taking a thinking pause. “I just want to make the appearance that we are cooperating with him and to prove our loyalty to the Alliance.”

“Why don’t you ask my father yourself?”

Luke glanced over to Mara and I know some form of communication was going on between the two. Finally my uncle looked back to me. “We did ask and he refused to answer stating he was not at liberty to divulge any state secrets. If I told the Chief-of-State that Mark refused to tell us anything it will only pique his interest further. We thought Mark would talk to you.” Luke gave me a pleading smile. “You’re a Jedi. I was hoping you would take on this assignment from the Grand Master.”

His words hit me like a blaster bolt to the heart. Was my uncle actually ordering me to interrogate my father? I looked over to Zylie and gave her a look that I knew she would interpret correctly. We’re out of here.

I stood and placed my napkin on the table. “Thank you for dinner Grand Master Skywalker.” I turned to my aunt. “Master Skywalker…but I think it is time for us to go.”

“Talon, please sit down,” my uncle stood and put his hands out in a placating gesture. “I’m not ordering you to spy on your dad as much as the monarchy. I need information that will dissuade Streke’s belief that the Jedi are in some sort of alliance with the Indupar government.”

I gave a snort of disbelief. “I’m not going to spy on my…my father’s employer. Nothing is happening on Indupar. They are not planning galactic domination.”

“How do you know that?” my Aunt asked.

“Because I have spoken to the Prince a number of times. And if you recall, Ben and I know the Queen. We protected her shortly after her husband’s death. We are friendly with the Indupar monarchy. The Prince has a fascination with everything my father does or did in the military and Jedi. My dad was a Void Jumper and now the prince wants to learn how to Void Jump. My dad was a Jedi and he wants to be a trained Knight for his kingdom. Nothing nefarious is happening out there on Indupar. My father would never be involved in any conspiracy against the Alliance.” I could feel a muscle twitch above one eyebrow. “Has my father ever given you reason to doubt his loyalty?”

Luke’s eyes closed momentarily. “In fact he did. He knew about the Galactic Alliance using the Galaxy Gun to kill an entire race of invading species. He was complicit in genocide. He was the only Jedi that knew about the attack and he hid it from me.”

“Dad,” Ben came to my father’s defense. “Mark said our conventional weapons were useless against these…Vong creatures. The Galaxy Gun allowed the attack to remain hidden until the warheads exited hyperspace and by then it was too late for them to respond. A prolonged war could have cost trillions of lives.”

“What?” I shook my head in confusion. “How come I never heard about this before? When did this happen?”

Ben blushed. “ It happened when we were small boys. He told me when I was his apprentice. It wasn’t something he was proud of.”

“Well,” I said to my cousin slowly. “Since you were his apprentice maybe you should be sent there to spy on my dad, because I’m not going to do it.” I looked back to my aunt and uncle. “I’ll ask him or the prince anything you want, but I will tell them why I’m asking.”

“That’s all we can ask Talon,” Mara said softly.

“Fine,” I turned to Zylie. “Let’s go.”

“Talon, please don’t be like this,” Ben stood and followed me to the door.

I turned and put my hand on my cousin’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper to him. “I’ll ask my dad what’s going on. Okay? But know this, I won’t reveal any information that will put my son’s life at risk.”

Ben frowned at me. “Talon, you and I both know Indupar is not building an army to attack the Alliance.”

I glared at him. “Think about the seers. If the seers saw Streke as a threat to the galaxy they would stop at nothing to remove the threat. You have seen how they work. I can’t guarantee what Indupar is up to with their maneuverings.”

Ben’s face fell. “You’re right.”

“I’ll see you back at the freighter.” With that said Zylie and I left. I know I was a little short with my uncle and aunt, but anytime Indupar comes up in a conversation I get worried. I need to give my dad a call and tell him Mokk Streke is looking at him suspiciously.

 

I was smiling at the progress of events. I agree they need one more fresher on the Vazzy Princess and yup, if they could free themselves of a vornskr... conveniently. Hey! If Zylie got pregnant, Talon would have a strong arguing point. Vornskrs and tiny newborns don't mix.

Then yikes! Everything got way too serious with the Indupar thing and the chief of state who has paranoid fueled agendas. I agree with the line Talon has drawn in the matter, fully.

I also don't like the Jedi being so beholden to the Alliance. They have to kiss butt and keep quiet and let their hands be tied too much for political reasons. That was the downfall in the Republic days too. They really weren't what you could call independent.

 

Why can't the Galactic Government get a proper Chief-of-State instead of a paranoid idiot?

And, yes, that shipping definitely needs another refresher

 

In reality, having the Jedi independent and do Jedi missions will be difficult. Luke's Jedi Order tried to be semi-independent, but they ran into conflicting interests with the GA. I think the Jedi have to be either completely independent (including financially) and individual planets request Jedi assistance or they are completely under the control of the GA. The trouble with completely independent is the GA can forbid Jedi from working on worlds within their realm. It is a complicated situation for the Jedi.

I have a feeling Talon is never going to be free of Vornskrs. lol!

LOL! The Chief-of-State isn't acting any more idiotic than the profic Chief-of-States. In the EU the Jedi were put on probation and had to have an escort and later were quarantined in their Temple. This is mild compared to what the GA did to them in the professional novels.

Thanks for reading. I am trying to get to a certain point in the story before the end of the year. I don't know if I will continue this journal next year or not. I would like to.

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Entry 68

Zylie and I took an air taxi back to the Vazy Princess. She kept glancing over to me with a look of disapproval. When we finally were in the privacy of our own ship she put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “I am assuming your uncle could feel your panic in the Force. I’m not a Force user but I could sense your apprehension. Your reaction to your aunt and uncle was over the top. If anything you made them more suspicious of the Indupar monarchy.”

I shrugged. “He’ll just think I am over protective of my parents, not the Prince.”

“Why don’t you just tell Luke and Mara that Marcus is your son?”

I let out a controlled breath. “Because I promised Ema I wouldn’t tell anybody else. If she discovered I went back on my word she could make it difficult for me to see my son. It’s not like I can go the Indupar court system and petition for joint custody. I am at the mercy of the Queen and Ema. I won’t risk losing my relationship with my son. Uncle Luke and my Aunt Mara don’t have a need to know.”

She blew out a breath while staring at the ceiling in thought. Finally she shook her head and conceded my point. “You’re probably right. What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to get on my transceiver, activate the cryptic scrambler, and call my father.” I moved to my cabin where I had a private transceiver set up.

She followed behind me. “Do you want privacy?”

“I’m not going to say anything you don’t already know…but maybe you should leave just in case Dad wants to keep his answer as secret as possible.”

“Understandable.” Zylie left the room as I punched in the transmission code for my family’s residence. After a short while my mother’s smiling face appeared. “Talon, how are you? Are you at your brother’s house?”

“We’re on the freighter right now mom. Can I talk to dad? The Grand Master requests that I speak to him.”

My mother’s brow rose. “The Grand Master? That sounds serious.” She turned and called out. “Mark! Your son needs to talk to you.”

Within a few seconds my father’s red bearded face filled up the screen. “Hey, Talon. What’s going on?”

“I guess the seers didn’t tell you I was going to call,” I said somewhat sarcastically. “Uncle Luke said the Chief-of-State has you on a watch list.”

My dad grinned brightly. “I’m flattered. What did I do to get the attention of such an esteemed leader?”

“According to Uncle Luke, Mokk Streke now believes you are building an army of Force strong Void Jumpers to attack the Alliance.”

My dad made a big booming laugh. “Where does he get these delusions? We are making a Void Jumper Army, but they are not Force users…I can guarantee you that.”

“And they aren’t preparing to attack the Alliance?” I added.

My father gave me a strange look. “The army is strictly for the defense of Indupar. If the Chief-of-State is foolish enough to attack us we will respond.” He paused. “He’s not planning on attacking us, is he?”

I shook my head.

“Good! Then there’s no problem. I wouldn’t worry about Streke. He’s harmless. He doesn’t have the brains to make a decision on his own.”

“That’s just it. He is working for someone.”

My father’s smile faltered. “Really? How do you know?”

“CorSec planted a bug in a hotel room and caught Streke talking to some masked man. The conversation reveals he's been helped into power by some organization that is very anti-Jedi. He was ordered to get the Jedi off of Coruscant.”

“Really,” my father said slowly. “Do they have any idea who this masked man is? Is it a political leader, a crime lord, a revolutionary?”

“I don’t know. The man was masked and was using a voice modulator. Streke doesn’t even know who his benefactor is. He thinks he’s a bounty hunter.”

“A bounty hunter?” My father looked impressed. “Maybe it’s the legendary Boba Fett. I heard he was seen on Mandalore last year.”

I rolled my eyes. “I hate those gossip holozines and their Boba Fett sightings. He died on Tatooine, but people don’t want to believe a famous bounty hunter is gone. It’s like that rumor that Xizor, the leader of the Black Sun, had his head frozen and his brain is now living in a jar attached to a BT-16 Spider droid’s belly in what was once Jabba’s Palace.”

“That one I do believe,” my father said with a chuckle. “Listen, why don’t I get Marcus to invite Chief-of-State Streke to Indupar for the coronation. That should ease some of his fears.”

I thought about it before nodding. “That may work. Thanks dad.” I cocked my head to the side and looked at him questioningly. “Dad, Luke said he had asked you about this situation and and you refused to give him answers. Why was that?”

His lips curved into a dangerous smile. “He didn’t say please.”

“I didn’t say please either.”

He let out a short laugh. “I didn’t like how he asked me. He’s no longer my Grand Master. He should have had Mara call me.”

“So she could say, ‘Come on,’” I said with a laugh. It was a standing joke in my family that Aunt Mara could get my dad to do just about anything.

Dad grinned. “It works. It’s such a convincing argument.”

I stifled a smile. “Thanks dad. I’ll let Uncle Luke know the Indupar monarchy will talk to Streke and get him off the Jedi’s back.”

“I’ll make sure it happens.” He closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath. “You’re mother is cooking my favorite meal and it smells ready.” He opened his eyes and grinned. “Gotta go.”

I turned off the transceiver and sat down on my bed. I hope this helps the situation, but then I thought of that rehearsal parade I watched a few months ago. There were tens of thousands of troops, armored speeders, ground-to-air lasers…I don’t know if that's going to ease the Chief-of-State’s fears or not.
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Entry 69

The next day we went to visit Zylie’s parents, Zara and Talon Karrde. As we entered their ship, Zara gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Talon did his normal slap on my back. “How’s my namesake doing?”

“I’m doing great.”

He gave me a hard look. “I hope you are taking good care of my little girl.”

“I am.” I turned and gave Zylie a wink. “And if I didn’t I’m sure I would find a vornskr at my throat.”

Zylie's eyes widened when I mentioned her pet. “Daddy, how is Princess?” She looked around her father’s ship trying to locate the animal. Damn, I was hoping she would forget about the creature and we could take off without it. Ha!

“She’s in the cargo hold. Chin’s been taking care of her and Zorn.” He motioned a hand toward the cargo bay. “Zorn is the name of my new pup.”

“Oh, I want to see her.” Zylie started walking down the hallway to the cargo area. Her dad caught up and slowed her down.

“Wait. Let me introduce you. Zorn is not fully trained yet.”

I just about rolled my eyes. That is all I need is a half-trained vornskr to ruin my afternoon. I followed behind Zylie and her father. My mother-in-law fell in step next to me. “Princess is fine, Talon.” She reassured me…like I was worried about the animal that threatens to bite my groin on a regular basis.

I gave Zara a fake smile. “I’m sure she's in good hands.”

Karrde opened the cargo door and I could tell there was a problem. His eyes went wide as he screamed, “No Zorn!”

Now, I am not a fan of Princess, but there is no way in the world I want Zylie to witness her pet getting harmed. I ran to the cargo area fully expecting to see Princess getting mauled by a half trained vornskr. I pulled the lightsaber off my belt just in case I had to fight off the animal. What I found was worse than I imagined. Zorn and Princess were having sex!

Karrde hesitated for only a second before he ran and grabbed a water hose used to clean the cargo bay. He turned on the spigot and sprayed a stream of water at his lustful male vornskr. “Damn that Chin. I told him to make sure they were put in separate kennels!”

I put my lightsaber away knowing Zylie wouldn’t approve of me using the weapon to separate the two.

Karrde kept spraying water on his overheated pet while swearing under his breath. I couldn’t help but laugh. Damn, that Zorn looks like he’s been without a female for some time. He was really going at it. Princess didn’t appear too upset over the male’s affections. Zylie on the other hand looked horrified. I imagine that’s the look a parent would have if they walked in on their young daughter having sex with a heavily tattooed swoop gang member. She turned to me and said, “Do something Talon!”

I raised my hands in a gesture of bewilderment. “What can I do?”

“Pull them apart!”

“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “Zorn will bite my arms off!”

“With the Force!” She threw her hands wide. “Now!”

“Okay, okay!” I reached out with the Force and tried to gently separate the two. This resulted in an ear-piercing screech from Princess. Either they were stuck or she didn’t want to be pulled apart. I stopped and gave Zylie a sheepish expression. “I’m afraid of hurting them. Why don’t we just let them finish?” I pointed to the door. “Maybe we should give these two lovers some privacy.”

Zylie glowered at me. “Princess is not spayed.” She looked to her father. “Is Zorn neutered?”

Karrde was still spraying water on the animals that appeared oblivious to his efforts. “Does it look like he’s neutered? No, I was going to breed him.”

I was going to make a joke about him getting his wish, but then I realized…I was probably going to have a pregnant vornskr when I departed Coruscant. “Stang!” I was ready to make a second attempt to pry them apart with the Force when both animals let out a deep gravely howl. Zorn dismounted, shook the water off his coarse fur before flopping down in a corner of the cargo hold to nap. I don’t blame him. Those were some impressive moves!

Karrde shut off the faucet and dropped the hose on the deck. “Damn that Chin!”

Zylie ran up to Princess and threw her arms around the animal’s neck, giving her a hug. Our Vornskr didn’t look upset…in fact she looked more chipper than I have seen her in months. She looked up to me panting, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. I swear that vornskr was smirking at me.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Zylie,” Her father said as he knelt down next to his daughter. “What are the chances that she conceived after one breeding experience?”

I suppressed a groan. With my luck there was a one hundred percent chance. “Maybe we should leave Princess here with you,” I offered. “You have more experience with vornskrs than we do.” Zylie gave me a deadly look. “Just in case she’s pregnant,” I explained.

She stood and glared at me. “I’ve been around vornskrs all my life. I can handle this, Talon.”

I sighed while giving her a forced smile. “Yes Dear.”

Karrde laughed as he guided Princess into her cage and locked it. “It’ll be alright, Talon. If she’s pregnant I’ll take the litter off your hands. I have buyers lined up for the animals.”

“Thanks.” I turned back to Zylie and gave her a sickly sweet smile. “I guess that means I only have to deal with a moody pregnant female for the next few months.”

Karrde laughed as ushered us out of the cargo hold. “That reminds me…when are you going to make me a grandfather.”


ARRGGHHHH!!