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Beyond - Legends "The Shadow of Fate" (SJRS Challenge: Episode VII) Complete! 29 August

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by JadeLotus, Jun 9, 2014.

  1. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Tags: Gemma

    A/N: I have also been posting this fic on A03, so if anyone had the need or desire to read/catch up over there, you can do so online or A03 also allows for download in various formats.


    Chapter 35



    2 NRE

    When Mara and Luke walked into the training room on the day Leia was due to start her apprenticeship, she was already waiting for them. Gone were the formal Senate robes and beautiful flowing gowns she seemed to favour - instead Leia was wearing attire appropriate for training - a nondescript cream tunic, dark brown pants and long black boots. Yet that was not the only drastic difference to her usual appearance.

    “Leia,” Luke radiated shock and confusion. “Your hair!”

    Rather than the elaborate braids or long tresses down her back, Leia’s dark hair was cut short in a stylish pixie-cut, with short layers framing her face. Mara knew only a little of Alderaanian traditions but she was aware that the length of a woman’s hair was tied to status, meaning the decision would not have been made on a whim.

    But Leia seemed untroubled as she shrugged and ran one hand through the short length. “I thought it was time for something different.”

    Luke regained his composure. “I like it,” he smiled. “It suits you.”

    “Yes, it’s very nice,” Mara cut in dryly. “But we’re here to train, not swap fashion tips.”

    Luke gave her an exasperated look, but Mara brushed him off - if this was going to work she didn’t want to be constantly derailed by their sibling nonsense. Leia shot her a glance that seemed to be a mixture of annoyance and relief, although it was quickly concealed.

    “You’re right,” she said through a forced smile.

    _______

    The three of them rested on their haunches; Luke perfectly still and serene, Mara with only a slight tremble in her legs every few minutes, and Leia, shaky and unbalanced. They’d been in the same position for hours, and Mara wasn’t sure how much longer Leia was going to last.

    “What is the point of this, anyway?” Leia asked as she wobbled precariously.

    “To strengthen your leg muscles and core,” Luke answered without a beat, and his legs didn’t even twitch. “That’s the key to proper lightsaber combat.”

    “Oh, and I thought it was slicing your blade through an opponent’s arm,” Leia said dryly.

    Luke laughed. “That too,” he said. “But only if necessary to end to duel. A violent act should always be a last resort.”

    “Right.” Leia didn’t seem convinced. She wobbled again and grasped her hands together in an attempt to keep her balance. But it was too late, as Leia’s legs collapsed under her from the strain and her rear end hit the mat.

    Mara smothered a smile, even though she knew that Leia had lasted a good deal longer than she herself had the first time. She wasn’t quite sure why she was feeling such a sudden animosity towards Luke’s sister, and on the floor Leia gave her a scowl. Luke had noticed too, and sighed heavily.

    “That was good, Leia,” he said, springing back into a standing position. “It takes practice.”

    Leia hauled herself to her feet, rubbing her quads which were likely burning with fatigue. “Please tell me I don’t have to do it again.”

    “Not today,” Luke said with a smile. “I thought we’d move onto sparring.” He removed a lightsaber hilt from his robes and handed it to her.

    “Now you’re talking,” Leia grinned and took the saber from him. She thumbed the switch and the green blade shimmered to life. Holding the saber out in front of her, Leia fell back into the defensive stance of Form VI. Evidently Leia had been doing some independent study in the past few months, so that when she came to Luke from training she would be prepared. Mara rather admired that.

    Luke did not draw his own saber. “Why don’t the two of you spar, and I’ll observe.” He backed away from the training square and clasped his hands in front of him, nodding to Mara to begin.

    She bounced to her feet and drew her saber in one swift action, illuminating the blue blade and analysing Leia’s opening stance. The Niman lightsaber form was mostly defensive and practical, traditionally suited to diplomats, and Mara could see why Leia had been drawn to it. But it was easily dismantled with an aggressive attack, and Mara shifted into the opening stance of Form V, lifting her lightsaber over her head with both hands. They stood sizing each other up for a few seconds, and Mara could feel a flicker of uncertainty from her opponent.

    She took that moment to strike, launching forward and bringing her blade down in a sweeping motion. Leia blocked, and Mara almost immediately struck again. So the pattern began, with Mara pushing Leia back across the the sparring mat, and Leia blocking each blow but never moving to make a counter strike. It wasn’t long before she had been forced to the edge of the sparring square, and Mara set up a final blow which should send Leia over and ensure victory.

    But then Leia defended the blow with a slash of her own saber while reaching out with one hand towards her. Leia pushed at the air and before Mara could react she found herself flying backwards. As she hit the mat with a thud, Mara realised that Leia had feigned weakness in order to draw her in, and used her own confidence against her.

    In her shock, Mara forgot to keep a firm handle on her lightsaber, and found it ripped from her grip to land in Leia’s outstretched hand. She fell into the two-bladed combat stance consistent with the form, holding her own lightsaber in front of her parallel to the floor, and the other behind her head.

    Mara kicked off against the mat and leapt to her feet, burning with renewed purpose - she wouldn’t underestimate Leia a second time. Luke called to her, and tossed his own saber across the room. It was longer in her hand than Mara’s own blade, and she adjusted her grip accordingly before advancing on Leia. This time her opponent was ready to meet her, and counterattacked with force, spinning to strike at Mara with both blades. Now Mara was on the defensive, but trusted that she had more experience and her opponent would soon tire or make a mistake.

    But Leia kept up the attack, and around her was a swirl of dark emotions. Mara glanced over at Luke, and he looked concerned but made no move to intervene. The split in Mara’s concentration was enough for Leia to strike a blow forceful enough to knock Luke’s lightsaber from her hands and push her again through the Force. Mara fell for the second time, her wrist jarring as she stretched it out to brace her fall.

    Leia held both her blade and Mara’s crisscrossed over her throat, and there was pride and triumph in the woman’s dark eyes. For a moment, Mara feared that Leia would let the blades drift a bit too close, and she backed away slightly. Leia blinked, and the darkness cleared as quickly as it had come. She extinguished both blades, clipping her own to her belt and handing Mara’s back to her.

    Luke gave an audible sigh. “I’m not going to say what you did wrong,” he said softly, as he walked across the room to retrieve his own saber. “Since I’m sure you already know.”

    Leia had the decency to look ashamed, and Mara turned away, her face burning with embarrassment.

    “I don’t know what’s wrong between the two of you,” Luke continued. “But I suggest you figure it out before we go any further.” Then he turned on one heel and walked out of the room, leaving them alone.

    “I guess I deserved that,” Leia said absently, sitting down cross-legged on the floor next to Mara. “Sorry.”

    “Don’t apologise - you beat me,” Mara said in a clipped voice. “Good for you.”

    “But I felt the dark side,” Leia whispered. “It came far too easily. Luke felt it, I know he did.”

    “But he didn’t try and stop you,” Mara said, trying to squash the hurt. “You could have killed me.”

    Leia looked at her with a frown. “I suppose he trusted that I wouldn’t.”

    “Hmph.” Mara wasn’t convinced. “Quite a risk.”

    “Maybe he was trying to scare me off - to show me that I wasn’t ready for this.”

    “Are you?” Mara appraised her. “You just had the chance to get rid of me, and almost took it.”

    Leia huffed, a spike of annoyance felt through the Force, tension crackling in the atmosphere around them. “I don’t understand why you think I don’t like you, Mara,” she said, her voice betraying a note of hurt. “Other than my behaviour just now, I’ve been nothing but nice to you this past year.”

    “Nice,” Mara mocked her. “You try to keep your enemies close, is all.”

    “I don’t see you as an enemy,” Leia replied, and then sighed heavily. “But your point stands. Can you blame me, given your history?”

    “No.” Mara gave her a sideways look. “So are you going to keep being nice to me, or are we going to be friends instead?”

    But Leia smiled, her expression softening. “I’m game if you are.”

    “If we’re training together it will help,” she shrugged, her thoughts turning to the blaze of Leia’s dark gaze as she’d stood above her in stance that was all too familair. “So, what was that about before?”

    Leia was visibly uncomfortable and she looked down at the floor, her finger absently tracing small patterns over the training mat. “I just really wanted to best you,” she said, her mouth twisting bitterly. "I suppose...I've been a little jealous of you."

    "Me?" Mara was shocked. "But you...you're a Skywalker, you have such a raw connection to the Force. You took that saber from me without a thought, and I've been training for almost a year.” Mara shook her head in disbelief. “Do you know how jealous I am of that?"

    Leia seemed surprised by her words, blinking rapidly and then looking away. "Luke asked me to train with him right after Endor,” she said. “But I couldn't - not then. He stopped asking after a while, knowing that I would go to him when I was ready. And it was the right decision...but seeing you train with him, help him build this place…” Leia looked around the training room, a heavy sigh forming. “I feel as if I've missed out on something. He's my twin brother, but when it comes to being a Jedi, he's shared things with you he hasn't with me. And that hurts a little. I used to be the most important person in his life and now I'm secondary. And I know that's how it should be, it's right for him to have his own life, but...I suppose I'm selfish."

    Mara had never seen Leia so vulnerable and open, and felt a strange solidarity with her. "He's your brother, it's understandable,” she said quietly. “I don't want to come between you."

    Leia smiled ruefully and looked back at her. “No, I’ve been foolish. I can see how good you’ve been for him.”

    Fear struck at Mara’s heart then, and she wondered if Luke had told Leia about their liaison. They were close, it would make sense if he had, and Mara winced inwardly at what she must be thinking. But if Leia knew or disapproved, she didn’t show it, and said nothing about it.

    “I’ve never said so, but I appreciate you not telling anyone about Vader.” Leia lowered her gaze to study the floor again.

    “No problem,” Mara replied, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly. “The sooner everyone forgets about him the better.”

    “I hate him,” Leia said forcefully, her eyes still downcast.

    Mara appraised her. “Well, that’s something we have in common,” she said softly. She had never quite understood Luke’s complete love and forgiveness for his father, but Leia’s anger and resentment? She understood that perfectly.

    “I suppose we have to get past it, if we are to become Jedi,” Leia looked back up and smiled wryly. “Although I’m not sure how.”

    “I’m not the person to ask," Mara said somewhat stiffly, resting her chin on her knees.

    "Do you hate the Emperor?" Leia enquired.

    "I don't know," Mara said truthfully after a pause. "I should, right? I should hate everything he did to me, all the lies and manipulations and coercions. But if I’m honest...it felt good to have a purpose. Sometimes I feel like I’m flailing, unsure if I want to be a Jedi, unsure of…” Mara clamped her mouth shut and looked away so not to betray herself. Those were thoughts not to be dwelled on or spoken aloud, but quashed and dismissed.

    “I suppose when the time comes it will either feel right, or it won’t,” Leia suggested. “If you’re meant to be a Jedi, you’ll want it with every fiber of your being. And if you don’t, that’s alright - you’ll still have everything you’ve learned.”

    Mara smiled with good humour. “Luke’s always saying what a good negotiator you are - I see why.”

    Leia shrugged off the compliment, the same way she saw Luke do all the time. Sometimes, the similarities between the two were striking.

    “I wonder,” Leia said softly, “if Vader knew who I was in the end. Luke told me his final words - ‘tell you sister you were right’.”

    Mara nodded in understanding. “He didn’t say tell Leia.”

    “I keep thinking back to all the times I was in his presence - we crossed paths sometimes on Coruscant or Alderaan, not to mention the Death Star. I wonder why he didn’t sense me, why he couldn’t feel the cry of my soul when they destroyed my home, the pain I must have projected when they tortured me on Bespin. Was I not strong enough in the Force? Luke always said that Vader could sense when he was near.”

    “Only after he knew who Luke was,” Mara pointed out. “And as you said,” she added delicately, “his final thoughts were of you.”

    Leia huffed dismissively. “An afterthought.”

    “Maybe not,” Mara suggested. “He wanted you to know - that was his last wish.”

    “So I should forgive everything he did to me, to those I love?” Leia asked, her voice heated. She rose, her fists clenched and a sharpness radiating off of her through the Force. “He killed my mother.”

    “I...thought you didn’t know how she died.” Mara stood up as well, unnerved to see the usually calm and collected Leia a sea of agitation.

    “I know,” Leia said, her eyes dark as her gaze was far way. She was looking at Mara, but seemed to see through her to something beyond. “On Naboo I went to her tomb, and I felt...fire all around me, invisible fingers clutching my throat.” Leia put a hand to her neck as if she was reliving the trauma. “And then I heard his voice - so human, not the mechanical formality I had always heard from Vader. He accused her of betraying him - she went to save him, and he killed her. He was a monster.”

    “I’m sorry,” was all Mara could think to say. Memories came flooding back to her - of hiding behind the secret wall where her mother had put her and told her hoarsely not to make a sound. The small slats through which she could peer out into the darkened room where her mother and the others were hiding as the sound of explosions rocked in the distance. And then, the blur of blue blaster fire caught by the spin of a blood-red shaft of light. She could not see who wielded it but could hear his ominous breath, steady as his red blade cut through air, armor and skin, until he was the only one left. Mara took a shaky breath, the old wound reopening as remembered fear and anguish clutched her heart.

    “He killed my mother, too,” she said brokenly, and bit her lip to stop tears from falling.

    Leia’s gaze refocused, and her Force sense softened. They stood facing each other for a long time, and Mara felt her own pain reflected back in Leia - they had common ground. Then Leia closed the space between them slowly, carefully, as one would approaching a wounded animal, and then reached forward to embrace her. Mara tensed at the unfamiliarity of it, but she didn’t try and stop Leia’s arms from folding around her, and relaxed at the comforting pressure of Leia’s hands pressed against her back. She found herself relaxing into and returning the embrace allowing her tears to fall.

    Neither of them spoke, but Mara felt her pain ebb; it mingled with Leia’s and she could feel the full brunt of the other woman’s agony. And yet shared between the two of them, neither of their sorrows seemed too great to bear.

    _______________________________________________


    29 NRE

    Mara stood defiantly at the entrance to the Jedi Temple, watching as the Star Destroyer dropped row after row of battle droids to the ground to march in perfect formation towards them. Most of the battalions appeared to be relics of the Clone Wars, a range of slight B1 droids followed by row upon row of bulkier B2 super droids - there were even a few droidekas rolling along behind. The sight was overwhelming, and Mara felt fear grip her heart.

    There was no doubt in her mind that they were heading towards the Temple, intent on its destruction. She was almost glad, for it meant that their attention was focused on the Jedi and not civilians. It would only be a matter of time before the Coruscant security forces could be mobilised, which meant they had to hold them off until then.

    She was surrounded by her Council - Kyp Durron, Tionne and Kam Soulsar and Cilghal, as well as a few other Jedi who had been close enough to answer her call - Caleb Syndulla, Arwin Minnix, Octa Ramis and Ganner Rhysode. But Mara knew it was not enough.

    “Tionne,” Mara ordered. “Get the younglings secured inside the Temple and send out the older padawans.” Tionne was of less use in a battle since her strengths lay elsewhere, and Mara knew she would be able to calm those inside the Academy. The librarian nodded seriously, halting only to squeeze her husband’s shoulder before hurrying inside the Temple. Turning her attention back to the approaching droids, now less than a kilometre away, Mara tried to gauge their numbers.

    “How many do you think?” Mara asked her fellow Jedi, lightsaber ready in her hand.

    Kam scanned the horizon. “Maybe two thousand.”

    “During the Clone Wars they used to say that one Jedi was more than a match for a hundred battle droids,” Kyp Durron said with confidence.

    Mara looked around her. “There are eight of us.”

    “Nine,” a clear voice corrected, and Mara turned to see Leia striding towards them purposefully. She was not wearing the formal, flowing robes of her office, but the white trousers and tunic she had once worn as a Jedi Knight, lightsaber and shoto visible on her belt.

    “Spring cleaning?” Mara asked with a smile, immediately feeling more confidant with Leia around.

    “Knew this might come in handy one day,” Leia answered, nodding to the other Jedi and then looked down towards the advancing droids. “Han commed me - apparently the ships are from Bastion.”

    “The Imperial,” Mara grimaced.

    “The Dark Lady went to the person who’d be the most sympathetic,” Kyp reasoned. “Who knew Vlim Disra been hoarding Star Destroyers and droids for the last thirty years?”

    “Questions we can all ponder later,” Kam suggested, nodding towards the droids that were close to being within firing range. “Although I think we can safely assume that the young Zabrak are indeed her apprentices.”

    Mara turned back to the oncoming horde, for the first time noticing that they were being led by two figures in black, each holding red-bladed lightsabers. Mara recognised them from the NRI security footage as Whit and Toula - the Zabrak who had escaped from Micah and Syal, and whose trail Jaina and Zeb had been chasing down in the lower levels.

    Leia drew her lightsaber and shoto from her belt, shifted her weight onto her back foot and into battle stance. She held her blue-bladed lightsaber out horizontally in front of her, and the green-bladed shoto up behind her, a style she had favoured ever since they had first started training together. Over the years Leia had become the ultimate master of Nimu, and seeing how easily Leia fell back into the role of Jedi it was obvious why.


    Mara ignited her own yellow blade, turning to the assembled group with purpose. “The Dark Lady has sent us a message,” she told them firmly. “Let’s return it.”

    _____

    “Rogue Nine, TIE on your six!”

    Jaina banked left at the warning, blaster fire whizzing past her cockpit in a near miss. She dipped her X-wing downwards and then into a reverse-roll, her signature move, coming up behind the TIE and blowing it to smithereens.

    “Good shot, Rogue Nine,” Gavin Darklighter’s voice flowed through the comm.

    “Thanks, Rogue Leader,” Jaina acknowledged. “That’s the last of the TIEs, do you need help with the Destroyers?”

    “We’ve got it,” Darklighter acknowledged, and through her viewscreen Jaina could see that Rogue Squadron had finally been joined by Republic vessels Mon Mothma, Courscant Victory and Justice Call. The Republic flagship Defender was still out of commission, their systems infected by some kind of virus which had also decommissioned the security net around Coruscant airspace right before the enemy ships had arrived. Luckily, Jaina and Rogue Squadron had already been out in space on maneuvers with Blue and Wraith Squadrons and so they hadn’t been affected by whatever had afflicted the rest of the fleet.

    “There was a Destroyer that slipped by us,” Darklighter added. “Think you can handle it?”

    “Copy, Rogue Leader,” Jaina said, tilting the nose of her ship downwards and preparing for re-entry. “Consider it done.”

    She broke through the atmosphere at high speed, the Star Destroyer coming into view hovering above the city. Her scanners revealed high shields but limited firepower, consistent with the ship above which were relics from the Imperial Era. Still, one X-Wing against a Destroyer was a tough ask, even for a Jedi.

    “Try to isolate the weak points in the shields, R6,” Jaina instructed her astromech. In the meantime she swopped experimentally across the bow, dodging the blaster fire which followed her, gratified that it was as slow and inaccurate as the ships above. She looped under the belly of the Destroyer and saw that the lower hull was open and empty. Titling her nose down so she could see the city below, Jaina saw the reason why - at least a thousand droids attacking the Jedi Temple. Jaina reached out through the Force and felt her mother and Mara both in fray, battling against several droids each. She also felt the fringes of the Dark Side, the same shock she’s felt when she’d handled that silver disc, and knew that it was the Zabrak.

    Jaina desperately wanted to land her ship and help them, especially because she blamed herself for not figuring out their plan sooner. But she’d been charged with taking out the Destroyer, and that was what she would do. Somehow.

    R6 warbled from her canopy, and Jaina read the translation informing her of the weak points in the shields. The ship fired on her as she brought her nose up, but Jaina dodged the blasts with practiced ease. She swooped over the Destroyer’s rear, sending a volley of blaster fire into the seam between two shield generators. They burst with satisfactory splendor, and she pulled her X-Wing away from the flames while checking the readouts again. Shields were still at 60%, and hacking away at them would still take some time.

    “Need a hand, my dear?” a rich, familiar voice came through the comm, and Jaina turned to see the Day’s Shadow - Shada D’ukal’s private vessel - on her wing.

    “Shada,” Jaina grinned, flooded with relief. “Absolutely.”

    They tag-teamed the Destroyer, who had even more difficulty firing on both of them - clearly their gunners were either out of practice or woefully inexperienced. It didn’t take long for them to break through the defences and leave the Destroyer utterly vulnerable.

    “Shields are down,” Shada said as her ship swooped across the bow of the Destroyer. “Take your shot, Jaina.”

    But Jaina hesitated - she could disable the Star Destroyer and send it tumbling out of commission. But they were above the heart of the city, and a crashed ship of that size would kill thousands - unless of course the impact could be controlled cushioned somehow. There was only one Jedi on Coruscant powerful enough in the Force to achieve something like that.

    Mom? Jaina called to her mother through the Force and signalled her intention. Catch!

    __________

    Hearing her daughter’s message, Leia looked up at the sky to see her X-Wing make the kill shot, shattering the Star Destroyer’s engines and depowering the repulsorlifts. She decapitated an approaching battle droid, and with a flick of her eyes pushed back three more with a powerful Force push.

    “Cover me!” she called to Kam, and deactivated her lightsaber and shoto, clipping them back to her belt and lifting her hands back up to the sky. She ignored everything else around her, the battle still going on in the sky above, the droids shooting blaster fire and the Zabrak duelling against Mara nearby. All that existed was herself and the Star Destroyer hurtling down towards the city on a destructive path which would cause untold civilian deaths.

    But not if she had anything to do with it. The Force answered her call, flowing through her like an old friend. It hadn’t always been so easy, and had taken years to refine what came naturally, to actually channel the Force and direct it to her intention, rather than using it unconsciously, recklessly, as she had once done.

    It was heavy - a weight she’d never before experienced, pressing down on her, willing her to give up the burden. Her lungs constricted and her entire body felt dense, as if she was being pushed down into the ground, crushed under a million tonnes of durasteel. She recalled Luke telling her of Yoda’s teachings, him reciting every backwards syllable as if believing that the Jedi Master’s wording was somehow superior to his own.

    Only different in your mind.

    She was not holding up the Star Destroyer; the burden was not on her shoulders. It was the Force, and she its conduit, and so how could she possibly feel the weight of the ship? She was not carrying it.

    With that revelation the pressure eased, and Leia was able to breathe again, her hands moving out instinctively to guide the burden down at a controlled pace. When she opened her eyes the ship was hovering just above the ground over the thoroughfare that led to the Temple, and she was staring right down it’s nose. Confirming that the space under it was clear, Leia gently lowered it to the ground with the subtle movement of her hands.

    It was a perfect landing.

    _____________________________

    The streets of Theed were lined with a crowd numbering in their many thousands, watching the annual Unity Parade which commemorated the peace treaty between the humans and Gungans over fifty years earlier. Luke himself had been an honoured guest at the Festival many times before, as the son of Queen Amidala whose brokerage of the accord was considered one of the greatest achievements of her reign.

    This time, however, Luke was milling about in the crowd watching for any potential trouble. He’d had a general feeling of uneasiness about the event, but Queen Nebulla had refused to cancel it, unwilling to bow to threats of Sith interference.

    “Everything alright there, Corran?” Luke asked discreetly into his ear comlink, his eyes still searching for anything suspicious. But the brightly coloured floats, flags, dancers and musicians who made up the parade all seemed innocuous, although Luke noted to himself mildly that the sheer number of people at the event would make it difficult to pinpoint any particular presence, even now that he knew what the Sith felt like in the Force..

    “All clear so far, Luke,” Corran’s voice murmured in his ear from his location with the Queen’s personal security force on the steps of the palace. “The parade’s just reaching us now, they’ve got that weird lightning ball thing to present.”

    “Ben?” Luke asked, knowing that his son was somewhere on the other side of the street in the market district.

    “Nothing here, Dad,” Ben answered. “But there’s some local reporters saying that there’s been some kind of accident out in the lake district.”

    Luke’s throat constricted, and he forced himself to swallow heavily. “Accident?” He’d felt a twinge of pain earlier and dismissed as his unease about the festival, but now Luke feared it had been something else.

    “No one knows anything else,” Ben told him. “Just that local emergency crews have been dispatched.”

    He’d known that the Sith would eventually go to Varykino, but hadn’t been able to leave Theed unprotected during the Festival. Clearly, the Sith wanted to draw him away, which only confirmed his suspicions that something was going to happen at the parade.

    “I haven’t heard anything, Luke,” Corran spoke up. “I’ve just sent one of the officers into the palace to find out.”

    “Thanks, Corran, for now-” The words died upon his lips as he felt his heart constrict, a sharp burst of agony of which there was no doubt as to the cause.

    “Dad-” Ben breathed, and Luke knew he’d felt it too.

    “Maintain your positions, both of you,” Luke ordered, and then shut off his commlink. He knew it was a trap, a distraction, but Luke couldn’t ignore it - whatever the consequences. His feet pounded into the pavement, all but pushing revellers out of the way as he ran to the Old Town where Sola’s house was located, the pain in his heart increasing by the second.

    His worst fears were confirmed when he reached the front door and saw the lifeless bodies of Naboo security forces lying in the entranceway, slashed by what could only be lightsaber burns. There were more in the front hall, and holes from recent blaster fire still smoked in the walls.

    “Sola!” Luke called desperately as he ran into the parlor, only to see Zekk crumpled on the floor, his eyes open and lifeless, one arm missing and cauterised saber burn across his chest. Luke choked back the bile at seeing his onetime student dead, cut down on the mission Luke had tasked him with. Zekk had been Sola’s last line of defence, and he had protected her to the last.

    But Luke couldn’t dwell on the fallen Jedi, not when he saw that Sola’s favourite chair had been pushed askew and her bowl of sweets shattered on the floor - and beside them his aunt herself, lying prone on the rug. Luke scrambled over to her, gathering Sola in his arms as his trembling hand located the wound in her belly. It was fresh and bleeding, not made by a lightsaber or blaster. To Luke’s horror she had been stabbed with a knife’s blade to prolong her pain, and he pressed a hand against the open wound. Warm blood flowed between his fingers, and Luke knew she was beyond hope. Still, Luke tried to ebb the flow and Sola moaned in pain, her eyes fluttering open.

    “Auntie...” Luke said through his tears. This was what they had wanted, he realised. The wound had been deliberate and precise - they had wanted Luke to find her, only to know that he could not save her.

    “Luke,” Sola rasped, her dark eyes drinking him in. She raised a trembling hand to cup his cheek with what was likely her last strength. “Don’t cry, my darling.”

    Then her eyes dimmed as she went slack in his arms, her hand dropping lifelessly to the floor.
     
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  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Terrific between Leia and Mara. Love the contest of skills and the undercurrents and the finding of common ground. @};-

    The now-scenes with the battle droids [face_worried] but coolness! with Jaina and Leia.

    :eek: and :( about losing Sola that way. What a horrific way to send a message.
     
    JadeLotus likes this.
  3. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Nice update. I especially like the interaction between Leia and Mara.
     
    JadeLotus likes this.
  4. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    AUNTIE SO' NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I still loathe you for this. Like rly rly. :p

    This flashback is one of my favorites: you can feel the intensity of Leia and Mara's dislike/tension/awkwardness and Leia's battle with her own inner darkness.

    But then you go and make her a certified bada**. I love you for that!

    Solaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! :_|
     
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  5. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    Thank you! I feel Leia and Mara have a lot in common - they were both raised with high expectations placed upon them, and of course they both have a difficult history with Vader so while they can clash against one another, they can also find a common ground.


    Thanks! Leia and Mara are becoming one of my favourite relationships to write.


    I know [:D] It really hurt me to kill Sola (and in the original plan, she didn't die) but I felt like it needed to happen. And yes, Leia is a total badass - bringing down a Star Destroyer is kind of a family tradition, after all ;)
     
  6. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Tags: Gemma


    Chapter 36



    2 NRE

    Mara surveyed the ballroom of the Raven’s Call, an elite establishment located on the top tier of the Skyline Building. Huge transparisteel windows formed the walls and domed ceiling, and the bustling Coruscant cityscape was visible from every vantage point; the dark night sky and the dense patchwork of stars glittering above them.

    “Mara,” Leia greeted as she approached, holding out a champagne flute with fizzing pink liquid inside. She looked beautiful in a full length scarlet gown and matching gemstones glittering at her throat and in the diadem she wore in her dark hair. The chain of her locket was also visible around her neck, although the pendant itself tucked behind the bodice of her gown. It did not quite match the rest of her outfit, and yet Mara had never seen Leia without the locket around her neck, not even during training.

    “So what’s this party about, anyway?” Mara asked, sipping her wine and allowing it to bubble pleasantly on her tongue before swallowing. She’d been wrangled by Leia and Sidel Ravenlok into attending, and they’d bribed her with the indigo dress she was wearing, made from graded shimmersilk of the finest quality.

    Leia twirled a finger through her dark hair absently. It had grown out over the past few months, the dark locks now falling just below her shoulders.

    “It’s a benefit for the War Orphan’s Trust,” Leia told her. “One of Sidel’s brainchilds.”

    “Of course,” Mara nodded. “So are we going to get the hard sell tonight?”

    “In a manner of speaking,” Leia smiled thinly. “Sidel’s goal is to find wealthy patrons for her orphans, with a hope that they will adopt.”

    “Oh,” Mara sipped her wine again. “I think she’s out of luck with me.”

    Leia laughed and touched Mara’s arm lightly. “I don’t think Sidel had any such illusions, Mara,” she said with good humor. “She just wanted the visible support of the Jedi. I suppose we’re meant to act like a conscience, since I think most of these people don’t have one.”

    “Hmmph.”

    “Han and I thought about it,” Leia said quietly, and Mara looked at her in surprise. “There are so many needy children, and I know more than anyone what kindness from the right people can do.”

    Or lack of it, Mara thought to herself. She’d been left without a family due to the war, but unlike Luke and Leia she had been taken in by the wrong person. But now they were working together for a common goal - the three Jedi orphans, Mara smiled ruefully. She made a mental note to make a generous donation to the Trust later than night. Karrde still had her on the payroll as a consultant, even though she didn’t do much beyond give the occasional advice and opinion over a comm call. She turned her attention back to Leia, who was sipping her wine thoughtfully.

    “Have you made any decisions?” Mara asked delicately.

    “I would like to, but I don’t think it’s the right time,” Leia said, her gaze focused out the window to the shimmering skyline. “After...everything that had happened, I don’t know if I could handle it.”

    Mara put her hand on Leia’s shoulder, and didn’t press her further. Leia sighed and shook off her melancholy, giving Mara a brilliant smile.

    “But enough of depressing thoughts,” she said. “My brother is over there.” She pointed across the room with her glass, to where Luke was standing and chatting with various dignitaries. “Don’t you think he looks handsome?” Leia asked with a teasing lilt.

    Mara gave her a withering look. “I’ve come to expect more subtlety from you, Leia.”

    Leia shrugged. “Sometimes the direct approach is required.”

    Allowing herself a second glance, Mara found she could not disagree with Leia’s assessment. Luke was wearing a well-cut white tunic with a dark teal jacket, his black boots polished and shiny. She noted absently that the color of his coat would complement her dress perfectly, and wondered if Leia had bought it for him specifically to wear that night.

    “So when are you and my brother going to stop fooling yourselves?” Leia turned to her with a knowing smile. “You’re not fooling anyone else.”

    Mara scowled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Leia.”

    “Oh, so that little look just now was perfectly innocent?”

    Mara grew flustered. “What has he said?"

    “Nothing,” Leia shrugged. “But he doesn’t have to. We’re twins, I can feel what he’s feeling. And when I’m around you both I practically feel like I’m in love with you, so whatever Luke feels must be pretty damn strong.”

    Mara blinked, trying to process Leia’s words, but before she could respond with a denial Sidel Ravenlok appeared breezily at their side. “Evening, ladies,” she said as she kissed their cheeks. Mara had grown used to Sidel’s easy manner and overt affection over the past few months - tolerating it more than anything, although she could not deny that the woman knew how to have a good time. She’d had more than one nasty hangover thanks to Sidel’s insistence that they have “just a few more” drinks.

    “What are we talking about?” Sidel asked, fiddling with one of the large diamond teardrops that hung from her ears.

    “How much my brother loves Mara,” Leia said nonchalantly into her drink and Mara gaped at her.

    “Oh, everyone knows that,” Sidel declared airily, waving a dismissive hand.

    “What?” Mara spluttered.

    “I told Oren the other day that I thought you two have been having it off for months,” Sidel continued with a cheeky smile. “But he swears Luke is more of a gentleman than that.”

    Mara cringed as Leia looked at her with interest. More than once Mara had wanted to confide in her about the night she and Luke had shared together, since it still held such confusion. But how could she possibly bring it up without letting slip the circumstances? No, Mara would never cause Leia pain by forcing her to relive the terrible day she had lost her child.

    Sometimes when they were meditating Mara would come out of her trance first, and see Leia, eyes tightly shut and tear streaming down her face. Perhaps she was trying to reach out to the spirit of her baby boy in the Force, perhaps she was seeking answers as to why he had been taken from her. Mara could never bring herself to ask, nor would she deliberately press against such a painful wound.

    “So, Mara,” Sidel prodded her out of her reverie. “Is Luke a gentleman?”

    Mara pierced her with a withering glare, but Sidel just laughed, as ever impossible to offend or intimidate. “Or perhaps he doesn’t have the chance to be?” she pressed. “Luke’s feelings are plain enough, but as Oren said to me, you’re harder to decrypt than Imperial codes.”

    “And what do you think?” Mara asked her, careful to give nothing away.

    Sidel regarded her for a few moments, for once her levity fading. “I think you’re afraid,” she said softly. “And that’s fair enough. Oren and I fell in love so quickly - long before we ever met in person." She looked over to where Oren was talking to Wedge and Iella Antilles, their young daughter Kara hanging onto his leg.

    "When we did it was wonderful,” Kara continued. “But our time together was fleeting - he was with the Alliance and I had to maintain my cover here on Coruscant. We exchanged messages but there was no guarantee they weren’t vetted by Alliance command, so I didn’t dare write that I loved him. I couldn’t even tell him the most precious news I had - I worried every night how he would react, whether he felt as I did. Then Coruscant fell and he came to find me...and I handed him his daughter.” Misty-eyed, Sidel gazed at her family with such open affection that Mara felt a strange tug in her gut. “Then I knew - by the way he looked at her, and the way he looked at me. Sometimes you have to take a chance, Mara,” Sidel touched her hand lightly. “Because it can be worth it.”

    Mara didn’t answer, and the topic soon moved on. But Mara couldn’t stop herself from stealing a glance at Luke every now and then, wondering if what Leia had said was correct. Did Luke love her? He certainly hadn’t given any indication of it. And yet, there was a leap in Mara’s heart whenever he was around, and sometimes she found her thoughts dwelling on him at night when she was alone in her small apartment. She’d always lived a solitary life and had never wanted anything else, but for the first time, Mara felt the desire for something more.

    But she wasn’t sure how to ask for it.

    ___________________________________________________________________

    29 NRE

    Corran stood in the shadow of Theed palace, his nerves on edge as he surveyed the assembled crowd down in the plaza. Queen Nebulla and Boss Trell were standing at the top of the stone steps leading up to the palace, watching the parade approach. Floating on the dais between them was a large transparent sphere containing some kind of iridescent electric charge - the Globe of Peace, according to Corran’s notes. The streets leading up to the palace were filled with bystanders, human and Gungan alike - even some other species such as Rodian and Twi’lek visiting for the festivities.

    Only the small courtyard to the right of the palace was left empty, out of respect. It contained a monument to the Civil War, and in particular those who had fought with the Rebellion or had taken up the dangerous job as spies in the Imperial regime which had taken up residence on Naboo during the Empire.

    All seemed normal to Corran, despite the queasy feeling in his stomach. Luke had dropped out of contact having clearly felt a disturbance, but Corran knew he had to hold his position as Luke had ordered. He had no idea where Ben was, and Corran hoped he was still at his post in the markets - if the Sith were to infiltrate the crowds that would be the logical entry point.

    “Master Horn.” A breathless lieutenant appeared at his side. “I’ve checked with intel, apparently there has been a disturbance in the lake district - the Varykino villa has been destroyed.”

    “Destroyed?” Corran was dumbfounded - he’d been to the villa several times over the years and knew it’s long history.

    “Yes, sir.” The lieutenant nodded. “They think it was a pulse bomb.”

    Hardly the tools of Sith, Corran told himself, and yet they were effective. Pulse bombs could be made by incorporating nanobots into any living or electrically charged matter, which made them near impossible to detect. Electrically charged...

    Corran’s danger sense flared, and he ran towards Nebulla and Trell. “Get away from that!” he yelled at them, pushing out through the Force to send the transparent sphere up into the air and away from them. But his telekenesis skills had always been weak, and the sphere only spun a few metres into the air before it exploded in a burst of fiery light. There were screams as red-hot ashes rained down on the crowd, and a surge of panicked movement began.

    Corran turned towards the parade to see the approaching float made to look like a traditional Gungan catapult, complete with energy balls called boomas. Of course, they were meant to be display only , but Corran’s danger sense spiked again. His cry of warning was drowned out as the boomas exploded, killing all within a ten metre radius.

    The crowd scrambled, a thunderous crush of people trying to flee the city streets. The security force swarmed down the steps, trying to make sense of the chaos and start an ordered evacuation. Corran scanned the area with the Force, this time searching for energy fluctuations but found no danger - all he felt was a heightened panic.

    He heard someone yell for the Queen, and Corran turned to see that Trell was unhurt but being comforted by her aide and Gungan bodyguards. Nebulla however was surrounded by a swarm of handmaidens and security personnel, and Corran rushed to their side. The Queen was on the ground, severely shaken with a bleeding head wound, and cradling the lifeless body of a handmaiden in her arms.

    “Your Majesty,” Corran asked. “Are you alright?”

    Nebulla looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “She pushed me out of the way of the blast.”

    Trell appeared by Corran’s side. “Then she didsa her duty,” she said softly, and Corran was surprised to hear her speak Basic. “Master Horn, I believe weesa should retreat to the palace.”

    Corran nodded, and then instructed the handmaidens to take Nebulla inside and the security forces to create a perimeter around the palace. This was only the first wave, he knew - the Sith were coming for them.


    __________________


    Luke felt the explosions in the city rock him to the very core. There was panic in the streets, the security forces stretched thin to try and direct evacuation of the crowd. Reaching out through the Force, Luke gently touched the minds of the people swarming around him, urging calm. It worked, the hysteria dampening, allowing some people to reach their homes or others to board transports out of the city in case more bombs went off. In the skies above them a rouge Naboo N-16 starfighter rained blaster fire, destroying prominent landmarks such as the Royal Museum and Theed Library.

    “Corran,” Luke flicked on his commlink. “Report.”

    “I’m inside the palace,” Corran responded immediately. “Nebulla and Trell are with me, we’ve barricaded the doors and I’ve put a Force shield up. But one of the Sith is outside trying to get in - I don’t know how long we can hold off.”

    “I’m on my way,” Luke said grimly. “It’s me they want.” Of that Luke was certain now. This had all been calculated by the Sith, all carefully planned. The destruction of Varykino, the bombs in the city and the murder of Sola had been a message for Luke - that the Sith knew how to hurt him, and wouldn’t hesitate.

    But Luke would not be drawn into their web. They had sought to drive him closer to the dark side, to unsettle himself with grief and panic. But they did not understand him - Luke had stood before the burning bodies of his aunt and uncle, had watched old Ben be cut down in front of him, had keenly felt the deaths of so many friends and comrades and yet he had not been distracted from his duty. Loss only fueled his desire for justice, and he had long since learned that justice was not revenge, or retribution.

    The Sith could strike at his heart because they thought his love was a weakness - on the contrary, that’s where Luke was the strongest.

    “Ben,” Luke switched the channel of his comm. “Where are you?”

    “Look up,” came Ben’s reply, and Luke saw his son’s black and orange StealthX streaming across the sky in pursuit of the Naboo starfighter. “Don’t worry Dad, I’ll get him.”

    Not having the time to do anything else, Luke ran up the main plaza to the palace, the same path the procession had taken earlier. He cleared the steps with the ease of a man half his age, in pursuit of the Sith slashing his red lightsaber against the pressure points of the mammoth palace doors.

    Sensing Luke's presence, the Sith turned, and Luke saw that it was the elder, the man whose face he’d only viewed briefly from the ramp of his starship. But since learning his identity Luke had studied his history from the Imperial Archives and had seen countless holos of the man in his youth. Svel Delrond.

    Luke stopped, igniting his lightsaber but not yet moving into a battle stance. Svel’s gaze drifted down over Luke’s robes, where Sola’s blood still stained the coarse fabric.

    “Bad day, Skywalker?” Delrond asked, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

    But Luke would not be triggered so easily, and he looked inward for calm, to the memories of Sola’s warm embrace, to the affectionate way she would brush his wayward hair back to keep it neat, to long, deep conversations under the Naboo night sky and her boundless love evident every time she called him my darling. Even though Varykino had been defiled and Sola killed, Luke still had those memories, and they fortified his resolve not to dishonour them.

    “Was it you?” Luke couldn’t help but ask. “Or did you send your son to do your dirty work?”

    Svel’s smile dropped, clearly surprised that Luke knew about their familial connection. But Kara had commend him from the Fury to fill him in on what they'd found on Dathomir, and everything had made sense. With any luck, they would be dropping out of hyperspace any minute.

    “She was the first,” Delrond declared, stepping forward and brandishing his lightsaber. “My son will kill yours, and I will kill you, Skywalker. You will die in the knowledge that you have been unable to save these people you love so much, that we will hunt down every last member of your bloodline. The Skywalkers, like the Jedi before them, will be purged from this galaxy, and the Sith will rule once more.”

    “No,” Luke shook his head slowly. “They will not.”

    Svel’s eyes blazed orange and red as he surged forward abruptly, swinging his saber in a bold and forceful opening move. Luke slipped instinctively into a defensive stance, blocking the rapid blows of Delrond's furious attack with relative ease, casting aside any anger or sorrow and enclosing himself in the light - in memories of his beloved aunt.

    The two fought across the palace entrance, Luke first allowing himself to be urged back, his blade deflecting Delrond’s blows and giving him the time to study the Sith’s style. He was proficient, but like most dark siders Luke had fought, uncreative. He relied too much on brute force, neglecting a finer technique and leaving himself open to confusion. When Svel’s blade pressed firmly against Luke’s, the impact creating a simmering, crackling electricity he struck, kicking Delrond’s kneecap and then spinning away out of reach. His opponent overbalanced, stumbling forward as Luke stepped in to bring his saber down over Delrond’s wrist to sever his hand.

    But to Luke’s complete surprise, the green blade merely bounced off the armor and he was forced to shuffle back at the force of being repelled so violently. He looked at Delrond in utter confusion, and the Sith merely laughed as he turned back around to face Luke.

    “Made from the hide of a zillo beast,” Delrond declared and beat a closed fist against his armoured chest, brandishing his saber with is other hand.

    “I thought they were extinct.” Luke immediately began to study the armour, searching for weak points.

    “So you thought of the Sith,” Delron declared as he advanced on Luke again to resume combat. “You were wrong.”


    ______________________

    With Theed on fire below him, Ben focused all his energy on pursuing the Naboo starfighter intent on causing so much destruction. He couldn’t think of the panicked populace fleeing the city and getting caught in the collateral damage, he couldn’t think of Corran trying to secure the palace, nor of his father fighting the elder Sith down in the plaza. He especially couldn’t think of the pain in his heart that told him his Great Aunt Sola had slipped away into the Force.

    All he could focus on was Fin Delrond in the starfighter, and of taking him down before he could reap more destruction on the helpless city. That was his duty, and the only thing that could occupy his thoughts.

    Ben had been in the textile market where the stalls had been brimming with life, traders selling brightly coloured fabrics, shawls, hats and scarves to eager customers for the celebrations that day. He’d always found it hard to hone his Force senses in large crowds, but there had been an unmistakable taint throughout the city. Following the trail had taken some time, but eventually Ben had seen a black-robed figure slip through the crowd, conspicuous amidst the bright colours.

    As he’d grown closer Ben had recognised the scent the Sith carried with him - death. Whereas he’d only felt a small jolt to his senses before, when his father had left the parade to return to the Naberrie house, the full realisation of what must have happened had torn such a deep chasm in Ben’s heart he’d had to stop for a moment to calm himself and chase away the grasping fingers of the dark side.

    By the time he found Delrond again it was too late - he’d lain waste to an aircraft hanger, stealing one starfighter and leaving the others as flaming wreckage, along with two dozen security personnel. Ben hadn’t had time to comm Corran or Luke, absorbed with the frantic run to the Palace hangar where his X-Wing was located.

    Now he and Delrond flew over the city, exchanging fire as Theed burned below them. Ben had seen at least two bombs go off in the Palace Plaza, and Delrond had been able to destroy several landmarks before Ben had sent a volley of blaster shots his way. They flew to a stalemate, rolling and soaring through the air; Ben succeeded in damaging the starfighter’s sleek hull, while Delrond managed to knock one of the StealthX’s engines loose. Ben pulled away from direct confrontation as his instruments flickered, climbing up in the atmosphere to get his bearings and assess the damage.

    “Got any tricks up your sleeve, Artoo?” Ben asked - he didn’t know what had happened to his R4 droid, but Artoo had been waiting for him in the hanger almost as if he’d known he would be needed.

    In his canopy Artoo warbled a suggestion, and Ben glanced down at his screen to read the translation. “That’s...risky,” Ben hesitated for only a moment, and then grinned. “I love it.”

    He looked down at the starfighter, which had flown lower with a clear intention to return to razing the city. Ben tilted his X-Wing down and sent a volley of blaster fire to make Fin rethink that plan. It worked, and the starfighter swiveled, its pointy nose now facing upwards towards Ben’s ship, ready to return fire.

    “Okay, Artoo, hang on!” Ben piloted his ship straight down and flew towards Fin’s starfighter, raining down blaster fire as he did so. Rising to the challenge, the starfighter returned fire as it flew upwards - it was a classic game of chicken, but Ben had gravity in his favor. His blaster fire was faster as the distance closed between the two ships, and although he sustained damage it was in the knowledge that his enemy was getting it worse. However Fin did not pull away, and for a moment their eyes met as impact was imminent.

    Never one for a suicide mission, Ben whooped as he pulled his ship away from being skewered on the starfighter’s nose, letting loose two proton torpedos as he did so, impacting directly on the starfighter’s cockpit. He heard the explosion behind him, along with Artoo’s jubilant screeching. Ben spun his ship around again to see that the starfighter was still flying, but badly damaged with the cockpit transparisteel splintered but not yet broken.

    “There’s more where that came from, sithslime,” Ben grinned as he soared in for another pass.
     
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  7. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Woot on the Luke and Ben scenes. They are awesome opponents and very resourceful.

    ~!

    The flashback - love the easy tone and friendship between Leia and Mara. Absolutely applaud the "direct" approach ;) Also agree 100%+ with Sidel's advice. LOL on the obviousness to everyone but themselves. :p Yup, Mara has a lot to think about. :)
     
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  8. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Thank you! Luke and Mara are edging closer to one another, even if they are dragging their feet. Sidel is one person who is going to tell Mara how it is and not tip toe around anything.

    And yep, Ben takes after his father and grandfather!
     
  9. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Tags: Gemma


    Chapter 37



    2 NRE

    The younglings had gathered in the outer gardens of the Jedi Temple for their monthly training session, their youthful exuberance easily matching the nervousness of their instructors. Or at least Leia found herself nervous, since it was the first time she was joining Luke and Mara in giving lessons. But she steeled her resolve, reminding herself that she’d faced down Sith Lord and Admirals and Senators in her time, and a few rambunctious children weren’t going to unsettle her - although she couldn’t quote shake the sadness from her heart.

    But Leia ignored that now familiar ache, concentrating on instructing the youngest about correct lightsaber grip, as Luke had once taught her in the aftermath of the Endor celebration. They'd laughed and drunk berry wine and Leia had demanded he show her, so Luke had given her his saber and guided her hands into the right position. She hadn't known then the significance of the act, or that he had thrown that very weapon away on the Death Star in a show of defiance. He'd explained to her a long while later how much it had meant to him that the first act following his defiance against the Sith and Jedi of old had been one of instruction rather than violence.

    “Very good Arwin,” Leia told the young Mirialan, patting her on the shoulder. “Just slide your hand a little lower, Yollo,” she advised the Rodian boy, and helped him adjust his grip. Leia felt a tug on her robe, and looked down to see young Kara Ravenlok looking up at her with large dark eyes.

    “I is watching, Leia,” the girl told her seriously. At almost three years old Kara was too young to start training, but Sidel had brought her along to observe. She’d told the girl to watch the other students closely, and evidently Kara took the instruction very seriously, her keen eyes absorbing everything.

    “I know, Kara,” Leia said fondly, and patted her on the head. There was a pang in Leia’s chest as she spoke, a reminder of the emptiness that would not go away. Leia touched the locket the hung around her neck for comfort, and then reached into the Force to find solace.

    “You should call her Master Organa,” admonished Meghren, a young Nautolan girl, and Kara stuck out her tongue in response.

    “It’s alright,” Leia said calmly. “Kara hasn’t started proper training yet, she’ll learn.” Kara tugged on Leia’s robe again and lifted up her arms. Leia picked the young girl up obediently and held her tightly, her thoughts drifting once again to all that she had lost. The girl’s hair smelled of snizzle berries and Leia’s felt hot tears behind her eyes.

    “Keep practicing,” she told her young troupe as she turned away. “And when I get back maybe I’ll let you turn the practice sabers on.”

    The three students turned eagerly to their task, and Leia sought distraction, drifting over to where her brother was instructing Caleb Syndulla and Kyp Durron.

    “Your footwork is excellent, Caleb,” Luke was telling his young student, patting the young Twi’lek on the back. Then he turned to Kyp and gave an approving nod as he led them through the stances of Form I. “That’s right, but don’t tense,” he added. “Let yourself move freely.”

    Mara was over the other side of the courtyard, teaching Eren Pax how to handle her saber properly to compensate for the girl’s height. It seemed that Mara had taken quite a shine to Eren, and Leia anticipated that once the girl was sixteen Mara would take her as a padawan. Although Leia reminded herself that Mara was yet to commit to the Order once she completed her own training, something she had sensed Luke was anxious about. The reason, of course, was obvious.

    “Will you take a walk, Luke?” Leia touched his shoulder, and gave him a slight nudge through the Force.

    Luke looked over at Mara, and happy that she had things under control, linked his arm in Leia’s as she shifted Kara to her hip, the girl hanging onto her by the neck. She led him across the gardens where they could still see those training in the courtyard, but were well out of earshot.

    “Mara must be nearly ready to be knighted,” Leia began conversationally as they walked through the gardens, and Luke made a noncommittal sound in his throat. “I know you’re worried she might leave.”

    “I always knew it was likely she would,” Luke nodded, and although he did not pull away his posture stiffened slightly. “I promised I would accept her decision, and not try and convince her otherwise.”

    “In terms of her Jedi training only,” Leia pointed out. “But what if you asked her to stay because you love her?”

    Luke sighed. “Is it that obvious?”

    “After all this time?” Leia smiled ruefully. “Yes.”

    “You should be focusing on Knighthood yourself, not playing matchmaker,” Luke admonished her.

    Leia laughed tugged on his arm lightly. “It may be my duty as an apprentice to heed my Master’s words, but it is my duty as a sister to question them. You love her, Luke, and you must know by now that she loves you too. What are you waiting for?”

    Luke pulled away from her hold and turned away, distressed. “I can’t…have a relationship with Mara, no matter how much I…” he trailed off, running one hand through his hair in frustration. “I mean, how would it look?” he continued in a hushed whisper as he turned back to her. “A Jedi bedding his student? What would people think?”

    “They would think you fell in love,” Leia answered simply, shifting Kara up further on her hip, the girl resting her head in the crook of Leia’s neck and watching Luke silently. “It’s not a crime, Luke.”

    “The Old Republic Jedi eschewed attachments,” Luke countered. “It was for a reason.”

    “The Old Order failed,” Leia argued, a little exasperated by his stubbornness. “This is our new Order, and we can make it however we like. Loving one person doesn’t mean you stop loving everyone else.”

    Luke looked distressed, and Leia could feel his anguish through their bond. But she knew how counter-productive denying love was, no matter how inconvenient. She wanted her brother to be happy, and over the past few months she had come to see that Mara made him so.

    “What kind of Jedi will you be if you are constantly denying your feelings?” Leia rested a hand on his arm. “Denying yourself? Would you have me divorce Han in order to become a Jedi?”

    “No!” Luke protested. “Of course not.”

    “So why hold yourself to a higher standard, when it is a ridiculous standard?”

    Luke sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair again. Kara wiggled, and held out her arms towards him, breaking the tension. Luke accepted her into his embrace, allowing the young girl to pat his face fondly.

    “No sad, Luke,” Kara said, and then wetly kissed his cheek. “No sad.”

    “The wisdom of youth,” Leia suggested with a grin.

    “She has great empathy,” Luke said as he wiped his slobbery cheek and Kara lay her head on his shoulder. Leia felt a great surge of longing emanate from him, and his gaze drifted to where Mara was still teaching the students in the courtyard.

    “It’s not wrong to want something more, Luke,” Leia told him softly.

    “What if she doesn’t want the same thing?”

    Leia smiled ruefully. Her brother was daring and reckless except when it came to matters of the heart. As long as she’d known him Luke had always kept his feelings close, at least when something was important to him. Even when he had been so adamant about redeeming Vader, he had not shared it with her until it had become absolutely necessary and even that had been reluctantly. But Leia felt as if they had grown closer since then, and didn’t want him to shoulder his burdens alone.

    “How will you know,” she pressed him. “Unless you ask?”


    _____________________________________________________

    29 NRE

    In the lower levels of Coruscant Zeb kept to the shadows as he followed the Denizens of Chaos through the streets. He’d been watching them all morning, somehow sensing that he needed to do so - that it wouldn’t be long before they made their move.

    Jaina had no idea where he was, of course. She’d left his apartment that morning with a warm kiss and a reminder that she was flying with Rogue Squadron that day, and that they could continue their investigations that evening. Not willing to wait that long and taking the opportunity to keep Jaina as far as possible from his former gang, Zeb had gone straight down into Coruscant’s underbelly to keep an eye on things.

    The Denizens had patched up the hole in the street Jaina had made with her saber, but they’d abandoned their hidey-hole all the same and moved to the nearby bar where they’d lounged about most of the morning. Zeb had kept his distance, waiting for some kind of word from Mara as to what the silver discs were. Maribelle kept fingering hers, removing it from the chain around her neck and twirling it between her fingers. Eventually, she had jumped as if by electric shock and held the disc flat in her palm, squinting at it as if divining some kind of message.

    Then she had smiled, putting the disc back on its chain and rising with a satisfied smile. “Let’s go,” she ordered her gang, retrieving a pair of black fingerless gloves from her pocket and pulling them on. Silver spikes glistened at the knuckles, giving a dangerous edge to Maribelle’s otherwise fragile appearance.

    As Zeb followed them through the streets Maribelle stalked proudly at the head of the pack, her assorted gang all brandishing weapons including blasters, pulse spikes, batons and vibroblades. It was clear they were anticipating a fight.

    Ducking into a close, Zeb activated his wristcomm and held it close to his mouth. “Mara?” he whispered. “Come in.”

    “Mara’s a little busy at the moment,” the voice of Shada D’ukal crackled through the comm. “Can I help?”

    “Shada?” Zeb was confused why she’d be answering on the Jedi frequency. “What’s going on?”

    “Nothing much,” Shada answered dryly. “Just a fleet of Star Destroyers and a droid army attacking the Jedi Temple.”

    “What?” Zeb shook his head. “Never mind, we don’t have time. I’m following the gang down here, they’re up to something - it looks like they’re headed towards the surface chute, but that doesn’t make sense. They’d never get past security.” At least not without extreme bloodshed, Zeb thought grimly to himself.

    “They might today,” Shada told him. “Those discs contain some kind of virus - they’ve infected all the security systems.”

    “Is Jaina alright?” Zeb asked anxiously.

    “She’s fine,” Shada’s amusement was obvious. “She took down a Star Destroyer almost single-handedly.”

    Zeb breathed a sigh of relief, before purpose reasserted itself. “I’ll have to head them off at the entrance to the chute,” he said, taking off in a run knowing that the gang now had some distance on him.

    Luckily, he knew a shortcut.

    _____________________________________

    Jaina landed her X-Wing by the steps of the Jedi Temple, the landing pads screeching against the paved thoroughfare in her haste. As the ship careened to a stop and the cockpit flung open Jaina launched herself out, igniting her lightsaber in mid air. She took down two battle droids as she landed, quickly assessing her surroundings.

    A group of padawans streamed out of the entrance to the Temple, their lightsabers ablaze as they attacked the droids that littered the steps, so Jaina turned her attention to the thoroughfare where the Destroyer lay, amidst the wreckage of hundreds of battle droids. The rest were being effectively dealt with with by the Jedi - it was simply taking time.

    But Jaina also saw her Aunt Mara in the distance fighting a male Zabrak, and her mother fighting the female. In style and technique they were clearly outmatched, but the Zabrak kept disappearing, blinking into thin air only to reappear in a different position, making them very difficult targets.

    With only a moment’s indecision, Jaina sprinted towards her mother who was closer, and engaged the female Zabrak in combat. She turned to Jaina, surprised, her curly dark hair flipping as she did so. Leia used the distraction to deliver a powerful blow, knocking the woman’s red-bladed lightsaber from her hand. But the Zabrak simply grasped the chain and silver pendant around her neck and disappeared, blinking back into view a few metres away to pick up her saber again.

    Jaina shared an annoyed glance with her mother, who shrugged as if to say: what do you want me to do?

    The Zabrak laughed. “You cannot win,” she said in a high, clear voice. “Not when I can escape your grasp every time.”

    “Get back to me when you’ve escaped a Death Star,” Leia said dryly. “Maybe then I’ll be impressed.” She sent Jaina another look, and she immediately understood her mother’s instruction. Leia advanced to engage the young woman again, while Jaina threw her saber, still lit, in a graceful arc through the air.

    Leia and the Zabrak’s sabers clashed a few times, Leia bringing her green shoto down to hold the Zabrak’s red blade between her blue and green beams. The Zabrak’s eyes widened at the pressure, and she released one hand from her blade to spin away but Jaina was waiting, grabbing the woman’s free hand and forcing it away from her body for she was unable to activate her transporter. Then she caught her lightsaber with her other hand and held it to the Zabrak’s throat.

    “You see Mom,” Jaina called over to her mother, who forced the Zabrak to drop her lightsaber to the ground. “I listen to you sometimes.”

    ___________________________

    Zeb’s heart was racing as he stood at the entrance to the surface chute, the cavernous passageway which would take those with security clearance up to the city above. Usually the checkpoint was milling with security personnel, but they’d been called up to the surface as reinforcements leaving only two paltry guards - and Zeb.

    He’d armed himself with his usual blaster as well as a vibrating baton from the guard’s reserve. It felt comfortable in his hand, a reminder of his own days in the gang when it had been his weapon of choice. But Zeb cast those thoughts from his mind as he saw the Denizens of Chaos approach. They’d been joined by a gang of Gamorreans and a group Zeb recognised from their tattoos as the Midnight Warriors from the Drachili district. That made a total of fifty beings marching towards him, making Zeb swallow heavily. But he held his ground, knowing that if they were allowed to reach the surface they’d rampage and kill indiscriminately.

    Maribelle was at the head of the mob, and she stopped a short distance away, holding up her hand. The crowd stopped obediently behind her, and Maribelle looked at Zeb with a smug smile.

    “I’m going to give you one chance, Zeb,” she called to him in a deceptively light voice. “For old time’s sake. Stand aside.”

    “You know I can’t do that.”

    “You can’t stop us, Zeb,” Maribelle told him.

    “Maybe not,” Zeb nodded, steeling his courage. “But we can slow you down.” On either side on him the guards nodded in agreement despite their obvious fear. “What are you planning on doing if you get up there?” he stalled for time.

    “Never you mind,” Maribelle smiled. Then she turned to her compatriots. “Bring him to me - unharmed.”

    “The other two?” asked the scarlet-skinned Zeltron at her side.

    Maribelle waved her hand airily. “I don’t care.”

    Zeb raised his blaster and fired on the first two men that came at him, hitting both squarely in the chest. This made the group surge forward, and Zeb along with the two guards fired indiscriminately, felling at least a dozen of them. But the rest continued towards them, and Zeb holstered his blaster as it would be no good in such close combat. Instead he swung his baton with remembered ease, cracking a Gamorrean in the skull, and then taking out the kneecaps of a female Rodian.

    His companions didn’t fare so well, and they soon dropped to the ground overwhelmed by the brute force of the group. Zeb was soon overpowered as well, a Gamorrean grasping him by the arms and forcing them behind his back. The Zeltron hit him in the stomach with the butt of his blaster rifle, winding Zeb so forcefully he dropped to his knees. He gasped for air, his lungs burning with the effort and his face warm from failure and shame.

    “Stop.”

    Everyone halted at Maribelle’s order, and the crowd cleared a path for her as she walked towards him slowly. She gently caressed his face, tucking her index finger under his chin and forcing him to look up at her. Zeb remembered that once after a stoush with a rival gang she’d found him bleeding in the gutter - when he’d looked up at her then she’d reached out her hand to help him rise. Then she’d taken him back to her brother’s place and cleaned the cuts on his face and the blaster burn on his arm, not a rebuke passing her lips. But now he only saw harshness on her, as if that compassion had long been drained from her soul and Zeb couldn’t help but wonder if his leaving had opened the wound.

    “I gave you a chance, Zeb,” Maribelle said sweetly, and then punched him in the face. The spikes on her gloves cut deeply into his cheek and Zeb cried out in pain, his neck flicking sideways with such a force it made him dizzy, her strength beguiling her scrawny frame.

    Zeb forced himself to look back up at her, although he could feel hot blood seeping down his cheek. “What do you have to gain from this?” he asked weakly. “Some rampaging on the surface? Is that really worth it?”

    Maribelle punched him again, this time on the other cheek, and Zeb felt his body sag under the agony lancing through him and the metallic taste flooding his mouth. But the Gamorrean held him firm by the neck, forcing his head upright even though it lolled back against the thick grip. Maribelle loomed over him gleefully flexing her hand, and Zeb’s only comfort was that she must have broken it on his cheekbone.

    “It is once people know that it was us - that we helped,” she told him smugly, and then she punched him again, her spikes cutting even deeper this time, making fresh marks over the old scars. Zeb howled in pain, his vision going fuzzy but he willed himself to stay conscious.

    “Helped do what?” he rasped.

    “Destroy the Jedi,” Maribelle almost purred, kneeling down to look Zeb right in the eyes. “All of them - including your precious princess. They may be able to defeat the droids, but that isn’t the only surprise.” Her companions laughed, calling out encouragement and desire to get up to the surface and see it already. But what did they want to see?

    “You’ve put something in the Temple, haven’t you?” Clarity dawned on Zeb as he remembered the gang wars from his youth. “A pulse bomb?”

    “Not even the Empire destroyed the Jedi Temple,” Maribelle said as she rose. “But we will. Not that you’ll be around to see it.” She raised her fist again, but before she could swing one of the checkpoints to their left collapsed, falling to the ground and crushing at least half of the men and women gathered.

    Maribelle looked around, confused, and Zeb felt the Gamorrean’s grip being ripped away from his arms. Freed, Zeb stood and backed up, trying to get his bearings even though his eyes were clouded with his own blood. Shots were fired from the top of a nearby building, someone with a sniper’s precision picking off the Denizens one by one. Then Zeb saw the large purple form of Quix Treelaj, swinging his bo-rifle and taking out gang members with a mighty roar. Zeb bent down to grasp his baton again, fighting off his attackers with renewed fervor.

    Quix was in a rage - Zeb had never seen him fight like that. In fact the Lasat prefered not to fight at all, but Zeb felt his spirits lighten with the knowledge his old friend had come to save him. He knew it must be Petar Sillow up on the roof, and between the three of them they soon dispatched the remaining gang members, the rest fleeing back into the darkened streets. Only Maribelle was left, standing defiantly in the street.

    “Ready for some payback, luv?” Quix asked, flexing his claws.

    Maribelle looked frightened, backing away from them, but Zeb knew a feint when he saw one. He stepped towards her to grasp her arms and keep her immobilised, but she suddenly grabbed the disc around her neck and squeezed.

    “No!” Zeb’s hand closed around thin air as Maribelle disappeared.

    Quix whistled. “That’s a neat trick.”

    “I’ll say,” Petar said as he jogged up to them, long blaster rifle propped up against his shoulder. “We would have kept that disc if we knew it did that.”

    But Zeb’s adrenaline was fading, and the pain in his face burned anew. He stumbled slightly, but found Quix was there to catch him.

    “It’s alrigh’ Zeb,” Quix said uncharacteristically tenderly. “I’ve got ya.”


    ___________________

    Shada sprinted purposefully through the hallways of the Jedi Temple, intent on finding whatever had been placed there to destroy it. A pulse bomb, she’d heard Zeb say through the comm, although what possible form it took she had no idea.

    She had to give it to the kid, it was clever muting his comm but leaving his mic on so that she could hear every word of his confrontation with the lower-level gangs. Shada’s heart had gone out to him hearing the beating he’d been taking, but she’d known she never would have been able to get down there in time to help. Luckily, assistance had arrived and Shada was free to look for the bomb.

    Shada knew how they’d been able to circumvent NRI security - Micah had told her of the datapad which had been stolen from Syal Antilles. None of them could have guessed it could have been used to attack Coruscant in such a way, or that they would have so effectively shut down the Temple’s systems. The orange glow of the emergency lighting still glowed throughout the hallways and the access points were down so she had to search for the bomb manually - but how could she find it?

    Obviously it wasn’t the discs themselves - their purpose was to release the virus and it had been pure chance they’d had one at the Temple. From what she’d heard over the secure NRI channels, the virus had been activated at dozens of locations, NRI headquarters and the Admiral’s Super Star Destroyer included. Which meant infiltration or coercion of NR staff.

    But the Jedi could not be infiltrated or coerced unless it was the dark side, and Shada was sure Mara would have picked up on any of that. Which meant a civilian had planted the bomb. Shada checked the Archives first since that area was open to the public. She swept the scanning device on her wrist unit around the room, knowing that to do a proper sweep could take hours since the range of the device was limited.

    Unless the bomb wasn’t there, Shada reasoned to herself. A surprise, the woman Maribelle had called it, and with a flash of insight Shada recalled Mara’s earlier words: I’m sick of nerf surprise.

    The caterers, of course! Shada realised that this had been planned for a long time - going back weeks when the Academy caterers had been let go due to a case of food poisoning and replaced in the interim by a local company...one who used day-workers from the lower levels.

    With renewed purpose, Shada took off out of the Archives and sprinted down the hallway towards the Temple cafeteria. She could only hope she made it in time.
     
    Jedi_Perigrine likes this.
  10. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_dancing] [face_dancing] Great insights on Luke's stance on holding back :rolleyes: and Leia's points are spot-on! Kara's a darling! :*

    ~!

    Woo, I hope Shada realized the true source of contamination /infiltration in time! And Leia and Jaina - cool teamwork!
     
    JadeLotus likes this.
  11. mattman8907

    mattman8907 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2012
    very nice chapter, but u forgot to updated the title with the new date. i almost missed the next chapter completely.
     
    JadeLotus likes this.
  12. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    I caught up on half a dozen chapters and it was a real, real treat! I'm not going to be leaving a long comment because with this and that it's 1am, but I do want to say how hyper-excited I am at seeing the various plotlines coming together. You do an amazing job at building the background and relationships of the protagonists in the flashbacks. Plus, a ground battle, a space battle and a lightsaber duel is just classic Star Wars. I love it I love it I love it! *thunderous applause heard all the way to Australia*
     
    JadeLotus and Nyota's Heart like this.
  13. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    Thank you! I really enjoy writing young!Kara, and having her around really brings into focus what Luke and Leia want, but are holding back from.

    Leia and Jaina had kind of a strained relationship in Legends which always made me kind of sad, so I wanted to them to be a bit closer in this universe and be badass Jedi together :D

    Thanks for letting me know! This is why I shouldn't update late at night :p



    Many thanks! I love a bulk-read too :D I ended up having quite a few plotlines to juggle and converge so I'm so glad they seem to be working - I love the end of ROTJ with the cuts between the Death Star, space battle and ground battle on Endor and took my inspiration from that, hopefully building to a satisfactory climax after all the setup!
     
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  14. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Tags: Gemma

    Chapter 38



    3 NRE

    It was late evening on Coruscant when Luke retreated to one of the balcony terraces of the Jedi Temple, near the apex of the ziggurat. He’d had the small garden constructed especially, not for any particular purpose, but because sometimes he liked to watch the stars. It adjourned the room he planned to make his private office, although Luke had put more effort into the gardening than furnishing. The other Temple grounds were tended to by staff, but his personal garden Luke cared for alone. He didn't like to keep it manicured and cultivated like the rest of the Temple, but rather allowed nature to run its course with only slight assistance in the growing of wildflowers and the raising of a small vegetable patch.

    The grass was long and wild under his bare feet, and he didn’t mind the sound of night traffic in the distance. The Senate had agreed that the space above the Temple remain a no-fly zone, and through the smog and city lights Luke could see the atmosphere above, the black night sky a dense patchwork of stars.

    He sat down in the soft grass, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the pinprick points of light, wondering about the planets and people those stars shone down on. It was relaxing, not a focused medication, but some time alone with his thoughts as he often liked to do in the evening. However that night he felt a familiar presence, and was surprised that she would violate his sanctum when she had never done so before.

    “Come sit down,” he invited without looking back. There was the soft rustle of grass crunching under boots, and Mara sat down at his side, hugging her knees against her chest and looking up at the stars.

    “Am I intruding?” she asked, uncharacteristically timid.

    “No,” he told her with a smile - he could never deny her anything. “What’s on your mind, Mara?”

    Mara sighed, resting her chin on her knees. “It’s been almost two years since we met.”

    Surprised at her statement, Luke did the calculations in his head and found she was right. “Almost.”

    “Sometimes it feels like a lifetime,” Mara said, turning to him with the quirk of a smile.

    “Does that mean you’re thoroughly sick of me?” Luke asked with a returning grin. Mara bit her lip, laughing, and the look she gave him was so warm that Luke felt his heart flip flop in his chest.

    “I didn’t say that,” Mara teased, and then turned to look up at the sky again. Then she removed her boots and socks, wiggling her bare toes into the grass and brown earth.

    “So,” she said after a long silence. “I think I’m a Jedi, now. I’m wondering if you disagree, seeing as you won’t knight me.”

    Luke sighed and looked up. He’d been dreading this moment for a while, but had known that it was inevitable. He hadn’t been able to think of an inadequate response, and despite all of Leia’s prodding he hadn’t worked up the nerve to broach the subject himself.

    “I don’t disagree,” he said carefully. “The Old Republic Jedi had to pass a series of trials before they could be knighted.” He turned back to Mara and gave her a wry look. “Would you believe that I’ve been working on coming up with a suitable test for you?”

    “No.”

    Luke nodded, not expecting that she would have been fooled. He’d already planned the Jedi trials meticulously, and the only thing stopping him was his fear of what would happen afterwards.

    “You’re right,” he told her, forcing the words out. “I’ve been selfish and unfair to you, because I remember our bargain. I’m a man of my word, Mara. And when I knight you, you’ll leave, and promised I wouldn’t try and convince you to stay.”

    Mara shifted slightly in the grass, the dim light shadowing her face so he couldn’t read her expression. “Do you want me to stay?”

    “Of course I want you to stay,” Luke told her, leaning on one hand to face her fully, and putting the other on her outstretched knee. “You’re a wonderful Jedi, Mara, and I need your help to rebuild the Order.”

    Mara gaze flittered to his hand on her knee, and then back up to his face. “Is that all?”

    “No.” Luke removed his hand quickly and stood up, walking towards the edge of the garden and grasping the railing. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. “I want you to stay because I can’t bear to go a single day without seeing you,” he said as he looked out into the night, finding the words easier to say without looking at her. “Because I can’t imagine how I’m going to live without you.”

    Mara was silent for a long time, and every second that ticked by Luke dreaded her response even more, gripping the railing so tightly his fingers went numb.

    “I thought you weren’t going to try and convince me to stay?” Mara said eventually and it was impossible to detect whether she was angry. Luke found the courage to turn around, and saw that Mara had stood up, her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was impassive, and Luke mirrored her posture, folding his arms and leaning back against the railing.

    “I’m not,” he said trying to keep his voice light. “I’m stating why I want you to stay, not why you should stay.”

    “Semantics.” But the corner of Mara’s mouth twitched and he saw that she was amused. “There’s a flaw in your reasoning, Skywalker,” she said and she advanced on him slowly. “You’re assuming that I would need convincing.”

    Luke’s mouth dropped open in surprise, and he felt his heart beat fast with desperate hope as she drew close to him. Mara grasped his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his, and after a moment’s shock he relaxed into her, his arms winding around her instinctively. All of the intensity he’d felt the night she'd come to him flooded back in a wave of affection, and Luke no longer doubted his feelings or hers. He raked his hands through her hair, cupping the back of her neck as his lips slid over hers, warm and soft and inviting further exploration. At the fringes of his Force sense he felt her, warm and light and everything he was missing.

    When Mara broke away they were both breathing heavily, and Luke pressed his forehead against hers.

    “So are you going to ask me to stay?” she said coyly.

    Luke laughed. “Maybe you should ask if you can stay.”

    “No,” Mara lifted her chin and smiled.

    She was teasing him, and yet Luke wasn’t about to concede defeat just yet. “Well then it appears we are at an impasse.”

    “Well,” she leaned into his chest. “I can’t leave until this is sorted out, I guess I have to stick around for a while at least.”

    “I have a better solution.” Luke pulled back and regarded her seriously. “Marry me.”

    “What?” she asked with a nervous laugh. “That’s fast, Luke.”

    “Well I’m not afraid anymore,” he told her, brushing a red curl behind one ear. “I know what I want.”

    Mara looked unsure, biting her lip. Yet through the Force he felt her affection lain bare, her hopes and joys tempered with deep fears, and the fact she was allowing him to feel her in such a way only strengthened his resolve.

    “Marry me,” he repeated, gazing into her eyes. “Not today, or tomorrow, or even a few months from now. Just…someday. Say you’ll marry me. Because I love you.”

    “I...feel the same way… but….”

    “Mara,” he pulled her close again and cupped her face in his hands. “I know that you’re afraid. But I promise, I will never hurt you. I will always, always love you.”

    The distant city lights played across Mara’s face and it was hard to make out her reaction. “That’s quite a vow,” she said quietly. Luke tilted her chin, and kissed the corner of her mouth.

    “I intend to keep it - no matter what your decision is,” he told her softly. “And if you want to go on like before, or if you want to leave, that’s fine. I won’t ever pursue you, or pressure you - I’ll just be loving you from afar.”

    “Well in that case…” Mara’s face cracked into a smile. “Yes.”

    “Yes?”

    She nodded and put her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. “Yes.”



    ________________________________________________________________


    29 NRE

    Outside the entrance to Theed Palace, Svel Delrond swung his saber wildly, the sturdy red beam countering Skywalker’s green. The dark side was there, his constant friend, pushing him through the weariness in his muscles which strained with use in order to keep up with Skywalker’s precise and powerful attack. The Jedi Master hardly seemed tired at all, and there was grim determination in his face, as if he knew it was only a matter of time before he wore Svel down.

    Svel was no match for Skywalker, he knew that. The Jedi Master was pure Force energy, and not even the power of the dark side could counter it. It was only the zillo hide armor Svel wore which had kept the fight going as long as it had, Skywalker slashing against his arm or chest or back several times with his Jedi blade, only for it to be repelled. But Skywalker had adjusted his technique as they duelled, his attacks coming in swift and close as his keen eyes searched for a weakness. In a fair fight, Svel knew he could not win, and even with his zillo-hide it was only a matter of time before Skywalker bested him.

    But Svel had come prepared this time, he just needed to wait for the right time to deploy his secret weapon.

    He fought against Skywaker with his Sith blade, deploying every ounce of talent and technique he had against the Jedi Master, looking for his opening. It came with a small explosion in the sky, and Svel looked up to see that a black X-Wing had winged the Naboo starfighter Fin had stolen, sending it crashing down through the air and down into the gardens surrounding the palace. Svel cast any concern for his son from his mind - Fin was strong, stronger than Svel could ever be and he trusted that he would survive. But the force of the uncontrolled landing made the the foundations of the Palace tremble violently, causing both Svel and Luke to lose their balance and fall to the ground. Svel’s lightsaber was pulled from his grip by the force of it, rolling down the stairs towards the plaza. Skywalker’s blade was also cast from his grip, but Svel was able to act quickly, and call it from the air into his hand as the vibrations stopped.

    Still on the ground Svel thumbed the activation switch, and yet the blade would not ignite. He looked up to see Skywalker had hauled himself to his feet, a grin on his face.

    “Modified it a few years ago,” Skywalker told him, advancing towards where Svel was still on the ground, a useless saber in his hand. “I’m the only one who can wield it.” Then Skywalker reached out his arm, in an instant calling Svel’s saber to his hand and activating the red blade.

    Thinking quickly, Svel reached into his pocket and allowed Skywalker closer until he held Svel’s own blade to his throat.

    “Do you surrender?” Skywalker asked.

    “A Sith never surrenders,” Svel declared, sliding away from the lightsaber beam and grasping Skywalker’s leg, shoving the poison dart from his pocket into his enemy’s thigh and rolling away before Skywalker could give a retaliatory swing of the saber.

    “What is this?” Luke asked, stumbling back in shock, deactivating the red blade. Svel reached out through the Force and felt Skywalker’s light fade and become lost - as dim as any other being without the Force.

    “Synthesised from ysalamiri blood,” Svel answered, hauling himself to his feet and calling his lightsaber back to his hand - without the Force, Skywalker was powerless to stop him. “It took me years to refine it.”

    Skywalker was breathing heavily, looking at his hands as if they were not his own, clearly disturbed by the loss of the Force. Then he lifted his gaze and Svel saw the naked fear in his eyes.

    "You are not a true Sith," Skywalker accused him. “Sith are masters of manipulation, but such tricks are beneath them.”

    "Perhaps,” Svel shrugged. “But I have my purpose - and you have yours, Skywalker.”

    Skywalker looked at him with dawning comprehension. “This is how your son was able to hide his identity from Ben on Tatooine.”

    Svel’s face must have betrayed his surprise, because Skywalker smiled with newfound confidence, and if he thought he’d found a way to win.

    “Yes, your son,” he pressed. “I know that you love him, and you do anything to protect him, because that is how a father feels - you cannot escape that. Not even the dark side is strong enough to take that from you.”

    Svel’s blood boiled to hear such words - that Skywalker would presume to know him - but even worse was that it was the truth. Everything Svel had ever done had been for Fin - for his son that would be the first true Sith in a generation, that would destroy everything the Jedi had rebuilt, and usher in a new Sith Dynasty.

    “You’re stalling,” Svel spat at him, not about to let Skywalker know how his words had cut him to the quick.

    Skywalker shrugged. “Yes, but it’s the truth. Because you still have a choice, Svel, to turn away from the dark. You may kill me, but that won’t stop you from eventually having to kill the son you love so much - or for him to kill you. The Sith cannot love.”

    But such words were not a revelation. Svel had accepted the truth long ago, that he would never be a true Sith Lord while his son lived, and vice versa. It was all part of the plan.

    He tossed Skywalker’s lightsaber hilt back to him, and allowed the Jedi to ignite it once again and move into a defensive stance. But it was not as confident as before, since the Force had abandoned him.

    “You like to talk, Skywalker,” Svel said as he advanced, brandishing his blade. “Let’s see how you fight.”

    ____________________________

    Mara’s blood froze as she felt the Luke-place in the back of her mind disappear. She couldn’t feel him in the Force, the strength of his presence being ripped away from hers knocking Mara back from her battle with the male Zabrak.

    In her distraction she didn’t notice an errant battle droid to her right, at least not soon enough to deflect the blaster bolt which skimmed her right arm.

    “Ah!” Mara called out in pain as her flesh seared away, barely able to keep hold of her lightsaber. The droid fired again, but this time she was able to send the bolt right back to it. The Zabrak advanced with his red saber held high, and Mara switched her lightsaber hilt to her left hand, deflecting his attack. She had practiced long and hard to build up the strength in her less dominant hand, but it was still difficult as her right was weak from the blaster burn and unable to give proper support.

    Then there was that annoying disappearing act he kept pulling, pressing his fingers together to vanish whenever she was about to make a good hit, appearing beside or behind her to attack again. It was beyond aggravating, but Mara fought, knowing that her skill and experience would win out in the end.

    The Zabrak thrashed at her with his lightsaber, his technique unrefined but brutal. Mara parried and deflected but with her wounded arm she soon flagged under the onslaught. Then the Zabrak disappeared again, only this time to appear directly behind her and wrap his free arm around her neck, crushing her windpipe, the horns on his face digging in to puncture the skin of her head as he tightened his grip.

    Mara squared her feet and ducked, using all of her strength to throw her opponent over her head and to the ground. But the force of it made her drop to her knees, her lightsaber deactivating as she clutched at her wounded throat and felt warm blood seep from the cuts on her head.

    The Zabrak jumped back up immediately, holding his saber aloft as Mara struggled to breathe on the ground. But suddenly both of his hands were severed in a flash of violet light, the saber hilt dropping to the ground along with the sliced flesh.

    Jaina appeared and stood defensively in front of where Mara lay, as the Zarak recoiled in pain.

    “Stay away from my aunt,” Jaina growled, holding out the tip of her lightsaber towards him.

    The Zabrak said nothing, but a wild, murderous gleam flashed in his eyes as he launched himself at Jaina. All that was required was a simple defensive stroke and it was over, the Zabrak’s lifeless body crumpling to the floor.


    ______________________________

    In the gardens of Theed Palace Ben approached the crashed Naboo starfighter cautiously, his blue saber lit and his senses focused. He pushed out all other surroundings and activities - the Palace, the city, even his father, and concentrated solely on the task at hand. Artoo warbled from beside his X-Wing, having ejected himself from the canopy, but Ben disregarded the droid’s warning - he knew Fin Delrond had survived the crash. He could feel it.

    As expected, as soon as Ben drew close enough the canopy of the starfighter popped open and Delrond jumped out, his red lightsaber alight and his black robes flapping as he launched himself towards Ben. Prepared, Ben swiped at Delrond with his saber, deflecting the force of the attack and shifting into battle stance as Delrond landed smoothly.

    The Sith turned, and the two men faced each other as equals for the first time - blue eyes staring into brown as they sized each other up. Ben remembered him from their meeting in Mos Eisley, but he felt different now; surging with the dark side he almost seemed as a black hole in the Force, sucking in all light surrounding him. Bile rose in his throat as Ben realised the raw, untapped power Delrond emanated, the sickening perversion of life itself.

    But Ben was a Skywalker; he was a Jade. He was more than a match for such a man - or so he told himself. And his training and instincts told him to wait, to let Delrond make the first move. His mother had always taught him to let an enemy reveal himself, but Delrond was eerily silent, radiating a quiet menace. He held his saber in his left hand, Ben noted, the one Luke had taken from him on Tatooine. Even with new bionics, he must favour that side. However with his right hand Delrond reached into his black robes and pulled out an old-fashioned knife. The handle was carved from some kind of bone - rancor tooth, probably - and the blade was narrow, sharp and covered with dried red blood.

    Ben swallowed heavily, pushing down the surge of sorrow and anger which rose to the fore all too quickly at seeing the weapon which had ended his Aunt Sola’s life. He focused his mind even narrower, pushing out all thoughts of his family and loss, of the pain he knew Delrond had caused them. All that mattered was victory over the Sith, and Ben had to get there without passion clouding his vision.

    In a flash of red and black Delrond attacked, and Ben met him blow for blow, countering the Sith violent strikes with counter-attacks rather than passive defences. Usually Ben used his height to his advantage to bear down on his opponents, but Delrond was unusually tall and deceptively strong despite his lanky frame. They were of similar build and fought with similar styles, jabbing and thrusting their sabers at one another, the impact between them creating the sound of staccato clashes in the otherwise silent gardens.

    Delrond made use of his dual weapons, holding his knife against his saber hilt when fighting two-handed, but occasionally reaching out to swipe at Ben with the sharp blade, cutting at his robes.

    “Is that the best you’ve got?” Ben called jokingly as the knife tore through his tunic sleeve but left his skin unharmed. “I’m going to send you my tailor’s bill when all this is over.”

    But Delrond didn’t take the bait, and didn’t even answer, instead moving in for another attack, the force of it pushing Ben back against a nearby tree. Slightly panicked, Ben deflected the heavy saber blow, but this left him open to attack from Delrond’s knife. He turned his head and pushed his cheek as far as it would go against the trunk of the tree, but the blade still sliced through the skin between his eyes in a shallow wound. Still, pain blossomed violently and Ben cried out, shutting his eyes and pushing outwards with the Force.

    He felt the pressure against him ease, and when he reopened his eyes Ben saw Delrond’s body being flung backwards across the gardens. He impacted against the hull of the starfighter and then tumbled to the ground, unconscious.

    Ben sighed with relief and clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt, removing binders and allowing himself to open back up to the scope of the Force. But before he could cross the gardens and contain the Sith for questioning later, agony struck Ben in the heart and the back of the neck. His blood ran cold and his mouth went dry as Ben realised he could no longer feel his father through the Force.


    Without a second glance, Ben turned on one heel and ran.
     
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  15. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Meltilicious SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE for the flashback!!!! Only to be balanced by the [face_nail_biting] rivetation of the now-scenes. Wow! Just wow. =D=
     
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  16. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    Thank you! [:D]There's only a few chapters to go, so it's all in ;)
     
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  17. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Chapter 39



    3 NRE

    The ice planet Illum reminded Leia far too much of Hoth for comfort. She pulled her snow jacket closer around herself as she, Luke and Mara crossed the short distance from their ship to the entrance to the Crystal Caves.

    “Usually the Jedi would bring young initiates here,” Luke was telling them. “It was called the Gathering, so that those who would become padawans could construct their own lightsabers. But as rites of passage go, I think it more fitting to act as a final test for Knighthood.”

    Leia shared a look with Mara, and the other woman shrugged. Since she and Luke had finally confronted their feelings for one another, Leia had never seen either so happy or content. But that didn’t mean that she and Mara didn’t still join forces against Luke from time to time - to keep him in line.

    “You didn’t think we could pass a test meant for children?” Leia asked, and winked at Mara.

    Luke didn’t catch the teasing in her voice. “I think it’s exclusionary to give such a test so young,” he said seriously. “Not everyone who wants to train may be able to obtain a crystal, but that doesn’t mean I should turn them away. Having it as a test to become a Jedi Knight makes more sense.”

    “If you say so,” Mara teased.

    “Alright, alright,” Luke threw his hands up in the air. “Enough lecturing, I get it.”

    “You say that, Luke,” Leia punched him lightly in the arm as they halted in front of the cavernous entrance to the ice labyrinths. “But I’ve yet to see you stick to it.”

    Luke sighed theatrically. “Well I guess I won’t tell you that you’ll only have until nightfall to locate your crystal and find your way back out.” He gestured to the wall of ice that was forming at the top of the cave entrance. “Before the door freezes over again.”

    Sobering, Leia looked at the cavernous entrance which was already frosting over at the peak, and then up at the sky which signalled that there was only a few hours before nightfall.

    “The Force will guide you, and test you,” Luke said more seriously, squeezing her arm lightly. “But I have faith in you, Leia. You are ready.”

    “What did you see in there?” Leia asked quietly as she stepped over to Mara, so Luke couldn’t hear.

    “You can guess,” Mara said, her mouth twisting bitterly.

    Leia sighed - the Emperor. So Mara had been tested with visions of her old Master - the one whose power and influence she had still feared. Steeling herself, Leia squared her shoulders and without looking back walked into the black mouth of the cave. Inside was a labyrinth of ice and crystal, with thousands of corridors, chambers and other hiding places it would take a lifetime to search thoroughly. Luke said that her crystal would call to her through the Force, and that was the one she needed to complete her lightsaber.

    She began to explore the caves, choosing random paths and keeping alert and open through the Force to find her quarry. She soon came to an icy crossroad, and gasped as a tall black figure blocked one of the pathways.

    Luke had told her of his test in the cave on Dagobah, how he’d failed because he’d attacked Vader, and found only himself. If Vader was there for a similar test, to try and goad her into giving in to anger, she would not fail. Anger was her weakness, she had acknowledged that, but she was not the same woman who had been so stricken with rage and grief that she’d almost destroyed a medcentre on Naboo. That pain was still there, would always be there burning long and slow inside her heart, but it no longer controlled her.

    She turned and walked in the opposite direction, her eyes studying the crystals as she walked through the freezing corridors and chambers of the ice caves. Nothing stood out to her, and Leia was beginning to get frustrated. She checked her chrono, and saw that she didn’t have much time left. Every now and then she would see Vader again and hear his mechanical breath which echoed off the icy walls, but Leia was determined not to engage him.

    Eventually Leia reached a large chamber, and she swore on seeing the large ice door on the far side - the entrance which was halfway frozen over. She’d been going in circles.

    Leia despaired, but forced herself to journey back into the caverns, searching desperately for a crystal that called to her. Then she saw Vader again, standing at a crossroads, and Leia wondered if she’d been entirely wrong. She had thought her test would be similar to Luke’s, but why would it be? Luke had wanted revenge on Vader, he’d wanted to prove himself, and so his circumstances and motives had been entirely different from her own. She had spent every moment since learning that he was her biological father either denying him or hating him, trying to ignore that terrible truth. Perhaps her test was no accepting him.

    Slowly, Leia walked up to Vader, until she stood directly in front of him. His helmet dipped as he looked down at her, and Leia took a deep breath.

    “Show me?” she asked.

    Vader nodded, turning on one heel and walking down the corridor, his black cape billowing behind him. Leia followed, rounding the icy corners with quick strides in order to keep up. Eventually he led her to a small cavern filled with stalactites, icy droplets of water dripping down from their tips. Leia trod carefully so not to slip on the wet crystalised floor, until Vader turned around to face her again. He was silent as ever.

    “What?” she asked him. “Am I meant to forgive you? Is that my final test?” Leia crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine, I forgive you.”

    But Vader did not budge, and Leia realised he would not be moved by empty platitudes. “Well I might as well give up,” she said through gritted teeth. “Because I can’t forgive you.” She turned around so she didn’t have to look at his mask, at the dark orbs with glowing red centres which passed for eyes. “How could I?” she said into the air, her breath coming out in icy puffs. “You’re a murderer and a coward, and just because you saved Luke’s life doesn’t make up for the fact that you took our mother’s - or that you stood by and let Tarkin destroy my family, or that you massacred so many in your lust for power and dominance.”

    But then Leia remembered again her brush against the dark side on Naboo, about her rage and desire to make the whole galaxy suffer as much as she had in that moment. But she didn’t give in, Leia told herself - she stumbled, but she had not fallen. And yet…she had felt how easily it could have taken hold of her, and what if she’d had a choice, as her father had? Would she have damned the consequences and done anything to save her son, as Vader had done to try and save his wife?

    “I can’t forgive Darth Vader,” she said calmly, turning back around to face the spectre of her nightmares. “And I can’t forgive Anakin for the choices he made to become him.” She swallowed heavily, reaching out to that place inside herself which nurtured her anger. Leia grasped it, and released it into the cold air of the cave where it could not longer burden her.

    “But I don’t hate you,” she told the Vader figure. “Or Anakin, or whoever you were. And you can’t hurt me anymore, because I won’t let you.” She set free her hatred, her dark thoughts which clouded her judgement and made her curse her own blood. The weight she had carried for so long lifted, and Leia’s heart felt light for the first time in over a year.

    Vader disappeared, and on the ground where he had stood lay a small crystal, shimmering and singing to her. Leia grasped it eagerly and ran back to the entrance to the caverns, sliding under the ice wall just in time before it closed behind her. Her brother and Mara were waiting for her, and Mara looked relieved as she clutched Luke’s hand tightly. But he had a strange smile on his face, as if her success had never been in doubt.

    “Did you see?” she asked him.

    His answering smile told her he had. “I’m proud of you Leia.”

    Then he held out an open box with her lightsaber parts, and Leia lifted up her hands, letting the crystal rise up into the air and calling to the remaining parts with the Force. She focused on creating the hilt she’d designed, the one she’d seen in her dreams, the casing made from Corellian alusteel with an edging of Alderaanian opal. The parts came together, and through the Force she felt that harmony within the blade was achieved.

    Leia grasped the hilt and thumbed the switch, a brilliant blue blade shimmering to life. Luke looked somewhat surprised at the colour, but gave her a broad smile.

    “So, any more tests?” Leia asked, swing her blade and testing out the weighting.

    “No,” Luke said. “Just a ceremony.”


    _______________________________________



    29 NRE

    There were less than a hundred battle droids left, and although Leia was weary from battle she wasn’t going to stop until there were none. She fought off the droids with her lightsaber and shoto, feeling the Force rush through her. In this moment she was no Chancellor - she was pure Jedi, and the enemy were helpless against her onslaught. She twisted and turned and spun, deflecting blaster bolts and slicing through mechanical casings and wiring, droid parts littering the ground at her feet.

    It wasn’t long before she stood with her blue blade in front of her and her green shoto held behind her head, waiting for the next attack which did not come. Looking around at the thoroughfare which lead up to the Temple, she saw the wrecked Star Destroyer and its crew who had been apprehended by NR Security, the mangled carcasses of two thousand battle droids and her fellow Jedi who were congratulating each other with joy and relief. Many nursed injuries which Cilghal was tending to one by one, and Leia was saddened to see Kam Solusar holding the lifeless body of a young padawan that had snuck out to join the fight. Scanning the steps of the Temple, Leia saw that there were other dead indicating that their victory had not been without cost.

    Mara was a short distance away being fussed over by Jaina, and as Leia approached she saw her sister in law clutching a blaster wound on her upper arm. The male Zabrak lay on the ground a short distance from them, his hands severed and his chest cut open, the cauterised wound still steaming. The female Zabrak, her hands bound, had crawled over to his body and was sobbing violently over it, and despite herself Leia felt a tug in her heart. The girl could be questioned later, she decided, gesturing to Kyp Durron to come over and take her away.

    “I’m fine, Jaina,” Mara said with exasperation, batting her apprentice’s hands away. Her face was grave, and Leia knew that she had started to count their losses as well, and would take every death as her personal failure. But her sister in law was strong, and Leia knew she would not accept comfort, at least not yet.

    “Jaina.” Leia held out her arms to her daughter, who grinned and ran into them willingly. Tears pricked in Leia’s eyes as she stroked Jaina’s hair and held her tightly. “You did so well.”

    Jaina pulled away, her own face wet but full of pride. “Thanks, Mom.”

    A ship screamed above them in the sky, and Leia looked up to see a luxury yacht climb up into the upper atmosphere and then explode in a violent burst of fire and smoke. Leia turned to Mara with horror, her first instinct to draw Jaina close.

    “Wasn’t that Shada’s ship?” she asked with concern.

    Mara's eyes were on the sky and the flaming wreckage that had once been the Day's Shadow. "Yes," she confirmed in a hushed whisper.

    Still in Leia's arms, Jaina let out a muffled sob. "She helped me take down the Star Destroyer," she said. "And then she was going to try and get the Temple security back on line."

    "I'm afraid I got waylaid," a crisp, clear voice came from behind them, and Leia turned to see Shada walking towards them. "Thanks to a tip-off from Zeb, I found a pulse bomb which had been planted in the Temple kitchens - it would have blown up the whole place."

    “What?” Mara looked up in the sky at the fireball, and then back down at Shada wide-eyed.

    “Don’t worry,” Shada winked. “I’ll put it on your bill.”

    Jaina pulled away from Leia's grip, her face steeped with concern. "Zeb?" she asked. "How did he know?"

    Shada was inscruptable as always, but her eyes locked with Leia's. "There was a...disturbance on the lower levels. This was a coordinated attack."

    "Yes, but what about Zeb?" Jaina insisted, stepping forward and tugging on Shada's arm. Leia too felt distressed - Zeb was so dear to her she didn't know how she would cope if she lost him too.

    "He's fine, luv," a voice with a thick accent called from across the thoroughfare, and a Lasat and human male approached with Zeb held between them, his face a mass of blood and his steps laboured. Leia felt her heart tighten and her lung freeze at the sight - he looked as if he'd faced down an entire army by himself.

    Jaina ran forward and threw her arms around Zeb's neck, throwing him off balance and only the support his two companions keeping them both from tumbling to the ground. Zeb broke into a smile as his arms tightened around Jaina and she sobbed against him, his happiness clear despite his obvious pain.

    Mara turned to her with a small smile, her uninjured arm resting around Leia's shoulders. "At least there's some joy to be found," Mara said wistfully, her thoughts obviously dwelling to Luke as Leia's had turned to Han.

    "Yes," Leia nodded, the pain in her heart slowly turning to warmth and light. "I hope it lasts."

    _________________________

    The Theed Palace gardens spanned the entire length of the Palace, and even running at top speed it took time for Ben to reach the entrance which led out to the Plaza. When he did he saw his father and Delrond duelling a few hundred metres away, a sight which stopped him dead. Although Luke fought well, Ben could see that his movements were not as fluid, and he did not anticipate each strike as he usually would have done. Reaching out through the Force, Ben couldn’t feel his father at all.

    Luke Skywalker was a master swordsman, although he did not have a preferred style of combat as most other Jedi did. Rather, he tailored his fighting style to whatever his opponent used, for he was proficient in all. Ben had once asked his mother what style his father would use if he made the first move, and she had replied simply that his father never started duels – he only finished them. And it was true, Ben had seen his father fight many times, but he had never witnessed Luke draw his saber against another except in defence.

    But without the Force it was another matter - Delrond knocked Luke backward and Ben saw with horror his father fall. For a moment Ben was immobilised by such an unimaginable sight, his father felled and landing harshly on the stone. Without the Force there was no grace to the tumble, no last minute reflexes to make the impact lighter. There was only the sickening crack of bone as Luke stretched out his left hand in a hopeless attempt to cushion the blow, and the tangle of limbs as he tumbled down the many steps towards the Palace Plaza.

    Ben ran faster than he thought possible, his only thought to save his father's life. The vision he'd had on Tatooine swam before his eyes - his father unarmed and defenceless with the shadowy figure looming above him, about to make the killing strike. Ben would not let that happen, drawing his lightsaber as he increased his pace and determined not to fail.
    ______________________

    Pain shot through Luke’s left side as he lay sprawled against the cold stone of the Palace Plaza. He couldn’t feel the Force at all, the ysalamiri venom still pumping through his veins no matter how his body worked at expelling it. Luke leaned against his bionic hand to force himself to sit up, wincing in pain - his left arm was broken and he'd likely shattered half a dozen ribs.

    Delrond loomed above him at the top of the stone stairs in triumph, and he began to close the distance between them with savoured steps, his lightsaber in one hand and the other clenched as if grasping at something. Luke found himself held in Delrond's Force grip, as if an icy hand had grasped his heart and was squeezing the life out of it. He couldn't move, he could only watch his death draw nearer. Without the Force, Luke could not even reach out to Mara and say goodbye, whisper a last I love you to his children. He'd long suspected that his life would end in battle, but Luke had never thought he would die alone.

    But his strength rallied at such thought, and Luke tore himself from Svel's grip, as if somehow he was still able to reach out to the Force, to break through the ysalamiri venom as he'd once tried to teach himself to do. It hadn't been until this moment he'd had the will to achieve it.

    "This is inevitable, Skywalker," Delrond said. "No matter what you do, you are lost." He brandished his lightsaber as Luke tried to crawl beyond his reach, tried to summon the Force back to himself. It was weak, not enough to complete a Force push or call for his lightsaber - all he could feel was a tendril of the Force which he was unable to grasp fully. But in the distance behind Delrond he saw a blur of movement, of a figure running full pelt from the gardens by the palace, his blue saber a whirl of light.

    Ben.

    Instead of relief, Luke felt his vision glaze over as he saw two possible futures - one where Delrond killed him, and another where Ben got to him in time. In both he saw pain and suffering, but only in the later he saw true tragedy - his visions made manifest. Leia with her spirit broken, Mara inconsolable, in tears of anger and grief - the hooded figure with its mechanical arm holding Darth Vader's helmet - Jaina with her blood-red blade. The child crying alone in the woods.

    It all depended on this moment - a shatterpoint - on whether or not Luke would die. He stopped crawling and turned to face Delrond again, this time resigned. He would gladly welcome death to spare his loved ones the future his dark visions foretold. He had prepared his soul as Obi-Wan's journals had instructed, to retain form after death. He looked up at Delrond, without defence and ready to accept his fate.

    But then he saw Ben advance down the steps as Delrond held his saber high, ready to strike.

    "No!" Luke screamed, but it was too late.

    Ben's blue blade slid through Delrond's neck and severed his head in a single movement. The Sith's body crumpled to the floor, followed by the clatter of his lightsaber hitting the stone steps and deactivating. Ben stood above, triumph gleaming in his face. He looked every inch the hero, the late Naboo sun lighting up his ginger hair which wafted back slightly in the breeze like some holostar in a war thriller. There was a cut across his nose and between his eyes with dried blood smeared across his cheek, and even with his tenuous link to the Force Luke could feel his son's glory and relief, tempered by a small hint of darkness which scared him more than his own death.

    But then Ben sobered, deactivating his saber and crouching by Luke’s side. “Are you alright, Dad?” he asked, the triumph in his face melting into concern.

    Luke glanced at Delrond’s body, steam still smoking from the cauterised neck wound and swallowed heavily. It was done now, and they would all have to live with the consequences.

    He cupped the back of Ben’s head and stroked his hair, like he used to do when Ben was small. “I’m fine, son.”

    _______________

    Fin felt his soul tear in two as he felt his father’s presence disappear forever. He’d awoken in the gardens to find Ben Skywalker running away, and so had leapt up to follow him, to make him pay for his cowardice. But he’d been too far behind, only emerging from the gardens to see Luke Skywalker cowering in the Plaza with Svel above him ready to end it. But then Ben had reached them, a cowardly slash from behind to kill Svel in an instant. Fin felt frozen to the spot, unable to move or react but only watch his father's body had crumpled to the floor, his familiar presence which had been Fin's lifelong companion ripped away from him, never to return. He was alone, and Ben Skywalker embraced his father in a sight that made Fin sick to his very core. This wasn't how things had meant to happen, this wasn't the plan, and for the first time in his life Fin felt lost.

    Then the wind swept forcefully around him as a ship broke through the skies above - Fin recognised it as the Jedi vessel Fury’s Lament. It landed down in the Palace Plaza, four female Jedi emerging almost instantly and running to the two Skywalkers, creating a defensive perimeter. Fin knew he couldn’t hope to defeat six Jedi, at least not all at once, and he had not forgotten the Jedi Horn inside the Palace protecting the Naboo Queen and her Gungan counterpart.

    But his blood was boiling with anger and the dark side rushed through him stronger than ever before. Success didn’t matter, all he wanted was revenge, to cause as much pain to those below as he was feeling - Ben Skywalker had killed Fin’s father, and so in retribution he must suffer tenfold. Fin grasped his lightsaber, ready to run down to the Jedi and reap his vengeance upon all of them.

    No! a strong female voice said in his mind. Return.


    It was the Dark Lady, calling him home - and Fin could not defy her. Reason flooded through him, his hatred simmering back down into a manageable state. Slipping back into the palace gardens and away, Fin headed back towards where they’d hidden the Peerless Joy, squashing down his agony until a time he could unleash it.

    And he would, in due time. They would all pay for what they had taken from him.
     
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  18. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Oh awesome, awesome flashback! =D=

    It makes total sense to have lightsaber construction be the test before Knighting. [face_thinking]

    Woot, Leia is a fierce undauntable warrior. :cool: Yay for the Jaina/Zeb thing and relief that Shada survived and was able to pass the news along about the bomb.

    Now the Benn and Delrod and Fin thingy. [face_nail_biting] Ominous bit there and absolutely riveting! =D=
     
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  19. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    I'm soooooooooooooooo behind but I sooooooooooooooooooooo love your fic, all of your fics, and you, lady!!!!!!! [:D] I love the way you wrote Leia's trial, and I had legit shivers over the shatterpoint and Luke's musings that it was done now and they'd all have to live with the consequences. It reminded of of Bail Organa's "And so it is" for some reason. Perfect, perfect. I was also a little teary over Luke's thoughts that he would be alone at his death--something he hadn't expected. I'm just glad he didn't have to suffer that fate, though what's ahead, from his vision.... *someone hold ginchy* [face_nail_biting]

    As always, lady: ^:)^
     
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  20. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Thank you! I quite liked the backstory of younglings finding their lightsaber crystals in The Clone Wars, but it seemed a lot of pressure for children - Luke's order is far more inclusive! And yes, Leia is a total badass - I really wanted her to show her Force skills since she's just as powerful as Luke and doesn't get as much chance to show it (and there's a family history of landing Star Destroyers on Coruscant ;))


    [:D]ILU too, lady, and I miss you! I LOVE that Bail moment - Luke's first concern is his family and of course he'd lay down his life any day for them, but having that choice taken away from him is painful, because he fears the long-term fallout. I gave a great deal of thought to Leia's trial because it seems so simplistic, but in some ways it was the hardest thing for her to accept and overcome, accepting that she had the same darkness in her that Anakin had, but resolving not to make his mistakes.


    A/N: Okay, so here we are, the final chapter! There will still be an epilogue to finish things off, but this the last chapter with the dual narrative structure. I hope you enjoy!

    Tags: Gemma


    Chapter 40


    3 NRE

    Luke had chosen one of the outer courtyards of the Jedi Temple for the Knighting ceremony, surrounded by greenery and brightly-hued flowers. He felt they should be out in the open air, among nature and the Force itself, where they were already beginning to train younglings.

    Mara and Leia stood opposite him, so that they formed a triangle with Luke at its apex. He’d wanted the ritual kept between the three of them, as Mara’s had been. Eventually when they trained new Jedi Luke imagined a knighting ceremony would be a celebration with family and friends, but their new Order was still small and intimate, and Luke felt it was appropriate to reflect that. Besides, Han was busy making the final arrangements for the party that night which would allow them to indulge in revelry, keeping the ceremony itself dignified to reflect the weight of the honour.

    Luke brought back his attention to the task at hand, clasping his hands in front of him. “According to Yoda’s holocron, there were three types of Jedi Knights,” he began. “The Guardians, the Consulars, and the Sentinels.”

    Mara and Leia looked at him with interest, since he had not spoken such words at Mara’s knighting ceremony. But Luke had been waiting until Leia was ready, so that they would fully appreciate the meaning of them.

    “The Guardians,” he continued, “were the Jedi warriors - the first line of defence against outside threats, and Knights of action. They were the peacekeepers, the pilots, and the swordmasters, and were known for carrying blue-bladed lightsabers.”

    He’d been surprised when Leia’s crystal had turned out to be blue, since Luke had always considered himself a Guardian, and had not expected that of Leia. And yet when he’d gone to Illum to make his own lightsaber after Bespin as Obi-Wan’s journal had instructed him to do, Luke had been shocked and confused to find a green crystal. However on meditation, he had come to understand why.

    “The Consular Jedi,” Luke said, “sought harmony above all else. They were the diplomats, the negotiators, the healers, ambassadors and seers - they usually bore green blades.” He gestured to the lightsaber hilt that hung at his side. “I think it’s fitting, Leia, that we embody traits of both these classes. They are true twins as well; two sides of the same credit.”

    “Which leaves me the odd woman out,” Mara noted dryly.

    Luke smiled. “The Jedi Sentinels were a unique and rare breed of Jedi,” he told her. “They were the balance between the other two branches, and the most skilled in augmenting their Force powers with other abilities. They were distinguished by the yellow blades they bore.”

    Mara’s hand moved to rest over the saber hilt on her belt, the one she’d made herself after her own visit to Illum.

    “It is no accident you found that crystal,” he added, before turning back to his sister.

    “Leia Organa Solo,” he said formerly. “I confer upon you the rank of Jedi Knight, and the role of Jedi Consular. May you soothe those who require your healing touch, and unite all beings through the peace of the Force.”

    Leia nodded. “I so swear to do.”

    “Mara Jade,” he turned to her. “You are a Jedi Knight, and I confer on you the role of Jedi Sentinel. May you achieve what others deem impossible, and share your unique skills with all you meet.”

    Mara tilted her chin upwards with pride. “I so swear to do.”

    “And what about you, Luke?” Leia asked. “You’ve trained two apprentices to knighthood, doesn’t that make you a Jedi Master?”

    Luke grimaced. “In the old Order such a rank could only be handed down by the Council,” he told her. “I do not feel I am qualified to take it up myself.”

    “Well we are the Council now,” Mara pointed out. “And doesn’t our new Academy deserve a Jedi Master to run it?”

    “I agree,” Leia nodded. “You’ve earned this, Luke.”

    “Alright,” Luke smiled, and unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. “I, Luke Skywalker, accept the title of Jedi Master and claim the role of Jedi Guardian. I will only use my blade in the defence of others, and for the greater good. I so swear to do.”

    He ignited his saber and held out the green blade directly in front of him. Mara and Leia both followed suit, the three blades of green, blue and yellow crossing over one another. Luke felt a surge of completeness flood him, and an instant he saw all the days ahead and knew he would never be alone.

    “The three of us are the cornerstones on which the New Jedi Order will be built,” Luke said. “May we serve in the pursuit of peace and harmony.”

    _________________________________________


    29 NRE

    Mara ran down the ramp of the Jade Sabre in the Theed Palace hanger, throwing herself into her husband's waiting arms.

    “Oh, Luke,” she stroked his hair. “I’m so sorry.” She pulled back and cupped his cheeks in her hands, their bond fortifying itself as she sent a wave of love to him, softening the sharp edges of his grief.

    “Sola had a good life,” he said softly, though his eyes were shiny. “I think it would make her smile to know that we’re all here together for her now.”

    Mara kissed him lightly, and then stepped aside to let Cilla come forward. For once subdued, she hugged her father tightly and didn’t say a word. Luke stroked his daughter’s blonde hair and held her close as if he hadn’t expected to ever do so again.

    “Micah?” Luke asked as Cilla pulled away and he looked back up to the ramp of the Sabre.

    Mara shook her head apologetically. “He’s still on Corellia and can’t break cover.” She’d argued with Micah for an hour over the comm about it, but understood that he had earned the trust of Thrackan and his Human League, and it would be dangerous and imprudent for him to disappear even for a few days. Nor could they risk his image being captured by the holopress in attendance for Sola’s funeral. With the situation on Corellia ready to explode, they needed someone on the inside.

    Luke pursed his lips but nodded in understanding.

    “Han and Chewie are on their way in the Falcon though,” Mara assured him, rubbing his arm. “And Leia’s bringing Jaina and Zeb.”

    Ben appeared from the far side of the hanger, making Cilla squeal in delight and run to him, her sombreness forgotten. She jumped into his arms and Ben caught her easily, swinging her around like they had done since she was small.

    “Hey there Cill,” Ben said warmly as he set her back on the ground and ruffled her hair. Mara stepped over to her firstborn, her heart constricting as she saw the fresh scar across his face.

    “Hey, Skycrawler,” she greeted him with the nickname Leia had once bestowed upon him. Her gentle touch traced over the healing wound that ran across his forehead, cheek and between his eyes, her expression creasing in concern.

    “I’m okay, Ma,” Ben reassured her, folding her into his tight embrace. “Everything’s okay now.”

    ________________________

    Given the situation they’d been assigned quarters at Theed palace, for which Luke was grateful. He didn’t want to return to the Naberrie house yet, his grief still raw and his mood distracted. Mara offered to give him a shave, teasing that he looked more like an old hermit than a Jedi Master.

    She hummed an absent tune as she carefully dragged an old-fashioned straight razor across his chin. He recalled the song as a lullaby she had sung to the children when they’d been small, and found himself comforted by the familiarity of it.

    “What are you thinking?” he asked while she cleaned shaving soap of the razor in a small bowl.

    When she turned back Mara was smiling. “I was thinking about when we first knew each other,” she said, drawing the razor carefully over his jawline. “How much I hated you.”

    “Yeah, you were mean to me,” Luke said, not missing that thirty years earlier she would have relished using that razor to slit his throat. “Still are, sometimes,” he could help but tease her.

    “You love it, Farmboy,” she kissed his smooth cheek. “Besides, who was the one who fled the room the morning after our first night together?”

    “I was such a fool, then,” he said seriously, recalling those early day when fear had almost crippled him. “Afraid of my feelings...afraid that love would mean I would become my father.”

    Mara put down the razor and regarding him intently. “I told you once that I saw nothing of him in you. That was what I wanted to believe, because I hated him so much and even though I didn’t yet know it, I loved you. So how could you be anything like him?”

    “And now?”

    She brushed the hair back from his forehead, and Luke felt a wave of her overwhelming love.

    “Now I know you carry him with you, and that is not a bad thing. It makes you strong.” She resumed shaving him, and although he appreciated her words there was a niggling doubt. His father had died to save Luke’s life, and so too should he have sacrificed himself to spare his family the darkness the future held. He would have lost his life, but he was sure that between Ben, Corran and the Jedi reinforcements the two Sith would have been subdued. Now Fin Delrond was still out there, likely incensed by his father’s death and more dangerous than ever.

    "I was meant to die there."

    Mara's hand slipped, the razor blade nicking the flesh of Luke's jaw. He flinched, and Mara withdrew her hand, putting down the razor again.

    "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, getting a cloth and holding it to the small wound which seeped warm blood. "But why did you say a thing like that?" she chastised him, thumping his shoulder as punishment.

    "It's the truth," he told her. "It was a pivotal moment, and I saw the ripple effects of my survival. That vision where you were all in so much pain, where I felt only darkness - that is the future now."

    Mara grasped his face in her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. "Shut your stoopa mouth, Skywalker," she said, an old joke that did not ease her stern countenance. "Nothing is written, and I don't want to hear you say you're meant to be anywhere, unless it's here with me, got it?"

    Her Force sense brushed against his, enveloping his heart and driving away any last remnants of the Sith's icy grip. Then she kissed him fiercely, her warm presence in the Force turning fiery hot, enlivening every last corner of his soul.

    "You're right, my love," he said softly as she pulled away. "As usual."

    ________________________________

    In the rooms Queen Nebulla had offered to them in Theed Palace, the gathered Jedi held a small council session. As the most senior Jedi present Corran had taken charge, with Kirana Ti, Tenel Ka and Eren Pax all seated around the table.

    Kara Ravenlok reviewed the gathered assembly and then folded her hands lightly on the tabletop. "Shouldn't we wait for Luke and Mara?" she asked with a frown.

    "No," Corran shook his head. "Let them be with their family - this is just a reconnoiter, we can fill them in later."

    Kara wasn’t particularly pleased with that - she felt that she needed Luke’s counsel now more than ever, and she desperately wanted to ask Mara more about Svel Delrond. The man was dead and yet his passing had not eased her concern, fearing that whatever Svel had planned for her would now be carried out by his wrathful son.

    “Have Coruscant’s defences been secured?” Eren asked the assembly.

    “From what I understand, yes,” Corran nodded. “Kyp’s holding down the Temple, so to speak, and classes have been postponed.”

    “We should resume as quickly as possible,” Kirana Ti spoke up, her face grave. “We must show our enemies that such attacks will not strike at our hearts as they have intended.” She turned slightly to Tenel Ka and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Even though we have suffered losses.”

    Kara felt her heart ache for Tenel Ka, who had lost two of her former classmates in the attack, and could only be thankful that no one she had known well had been taken. To her credit, however, Tenel Ka held her head high and no tears fell from her eyes.

    “We must find those responsible,” she said, a hard steel in her voice.

    “Vlim Disra was captured along with the rest of the attacking fleet from Bastion,” Eren pointed out. “He is no longer a threat.”

    Corran’s mouth quirked into a smile. “Perhaps the silver lining in all this is that the Empire has finally, fully been destroyed.” He drummed his fingers on the tabletop on thought. “But The Imperial never had the smarts or the guts to pull this off alone.”

    “The Dark Lady.” Kara shivered. “We still don’t know who she is, or why she planned this.”

    "What about her Zabrak apprentices?" Eren asked. “I understand one survived?”

    "Her name's Toula," Tenel Ka nodded - she'd had a long talk with Jaina when the Solos had arrived, and had obviously been filled in. "She's being held on Coruscant, but she won't talk."

    "And Fin Delrond?” Eren shot Kara a glance. “He’s still out there, and doesn’t anyone else think it interesting that the attack on Coruscant coincided with the attack here on Naboo?”

    Kirana Ti cocked her head in thought. “You think they’ve been working together?”

    “Look at it this way,” Eren pressed, leaning forward in her chair. “Delrond is without a Sith Master, and the Dark Lady has lost both of her apprentices. Necessity makes fast allies.”

    “Which means finding them both should be our top priority,” Kara nodded, although the thought made her sick to the stomach.

    Corran sighed, rubbing his temple, and Kara wondered if he was anxious to hand back the leadership role to Luke as soon as he could. “I agree.”

    _____________________________

    Zeb had to admit that the gardens of Theed Palace were beautiful - although they were dull and plain compared to those he'd seen at Varykino. It was hard to imagine the villa destroyed and gone, never to host another family gathering or extended holiday.

    "We can rebuild," Jaina mused beside him, as if she'd read his thoughts. "But it will never be the same again."

    Taking her hand, Zeb looked out over the blooming flowers that carpeted the fringes of the Palace. "I remember the first time I went there," he mused softly. "I was sixteen, and had never been off Coruscant. A year earlier I'd never even been to the surface. Sola fed me sweetcakes and showed me the gardens, teaching me about each flower she'd planted with her own hands."

    Jaina sniffed, and tears fell unimpeded down her cheeks. "She loved those flowers."

    "They're all gone now," Ben's harsh voice spoke up from where he was lounging against a tree. "Incinerated."

    Cilla sat next to him and scowled at her brother. "Don't say that, Ben," she scolded him. "We should think of happy things."

    Ben's expression softened, and he put one arm around her. "I'm sorry, Cill. You're right, it's just...can't you feel it?"

    They were in the garden where Ben had duelled with the Sith, their crashed starfighters still marring the otherwise pristine grounds. Even with Zeb's light Force sensitivity, he could sense the darkness in the air, like a bitter aftertaste. It was perhaps by Ben had summoned them to the gardens, not to reminisce as Zeb had assumed, but to feel the lingering presence of their enemy. As if they could somehow draw intelligence or power from it.

    Jaina huffed. "I think you're being superstitious," she declared. "You're just sore, Ben, because he got the jump on you."

    Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm sorry?" he said, although the beginnings of a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. "Hands up who's killed a Sith - a real one, not some tenth-rate apprentice." He rose his hand in the air and wiggled his fingers.
    "Hands up who's taken down a Star Destroyer almost single-handedly," Jaina shot back, languidly raising her hand and making a show of looking around at them all.

    Zeb couldn't help but laugh - the cousins as ever severely competitive. "Okay," he challenged them. "Hands up who's been maimed in the line of duty," he added, indicating the still-healing marks on his face where Maribelle's spiked fist has ripped through his cheeks.

    Ben pointed to the new scar on his own face, and then raised his hand. Jaina shrugged and tossed her hair. "Guess I'm just too good to let myself get hurt," she said with a playful wink.

    "Okay, okay," Cilla joined in, lifting herself to her knees. "Hands up who wasn't allowed to participate in the battle at all and got locked in their room by Tionne to make sure they wouldn't sneak out?" She held her hand up high in the air, her dimples creasing as he face dissolved into a grin.

    Ben laughed and hugged her, pushing down her hand playfully. "You win, Cill," he said, ruffling her hair. "Clearly, Tionne is the most formidable enemy any of us have faced."

    Jaina dissolved into giggles and pressed her face to Zeb's chest, and he put his arms around her with a grin. Their laughter seemed to drive the darkness from the atmosphere, and although their sorrow remained it no longer seemed so hard to bear.

    _________________________

    Sola’s funeral barge moved slowly through the streets of Theed, followed by a procession of mourners. Sola’s children Ryoo and Pooja led with their husbands, children and grandchildren. Then Luke with Leia on his arm, their hands clutched tightly together. Behind them were Mara and Han with Chewie, Ben, Cilla, Jaina and Zeb, all dressed in formal mourning robes. With them were Artoo and Threepio, newly cleaned and polished. Queen Nebulla and Boss Trell had decided against advice to both attend the event, Nebulla stating that no disturbance in her city would keep her from honouring one of their most fundamental traditions. Particularly when Sola Naberrie was one of their most admired and respected citizens.

    Evidently much of the populace felt the same, for they lined the streets carrying funeral candles and watched the procession all the way from the Palace to the Naberrie mausoleum where she would be laid to rest in the same tomb as her husband Darred, and beside her sister Padmé.

    Outside the mausoleum the barge stopped, and Pooja took her place before it to address the crowd.

    “My mother lived a full life in service of her family, the people of Naboo, the Old Republic and the New. We honour her as a leader of her community, activist against the rule of the Empire, advisor to Queens, senators and Jedi alike. But most importantly, we remember her as a dear friend, as a mother and aunt, as grandmother, great-grandmother and great-aunt alike. There is not a life here she did not enrich with her wise counsel and warm affection, and I can guarantee that she loved each and every one of you.”

    It was a moving speech, and Luke gripped Leia’s hand tighter, their shared sorrow and strength merging through their twin bond as Ryoo stepped forward to sing the traditional mourning hymn. When she’d finished the gathering was a weeping mess, Luke included, but he found courage and comfort in his surrounding family

    “Before my mother is entombed,” Pooja spoke again, “her nephew Luke Skywalker has asked to say a few words.” She nodded to Luke, who made his way to stand beside Sola’s funeral barge.

    “This may not seem appropriate in the circumstances,” Luke said. “But Sola…” He looked towards his aunt, as dignified and beautiful in death as she had been in life. “I promised Sola that she would be present for this.” His eyes met Jaina’s in the crowd, and gestured her forward. The girl seemed surprised and confused, but stepped forward obediently, coming to stand before him. Luke held out his hand, and Jaina unclipped her lightsaber and handed it to him.

    “Jaina Solo,” he said so that everyone gathered could hear. “In the recent days you have proved yourself to be a woman of great courage, ability and grace. You have honoured your family and the Jedi Order you serve, and your quick thinking and actions have saved the lives of countless thousands - from strangers to those you hold dear.” He looked across at Mara, his heart lightened at her encouraging nod, and his entire being grateful that Jaina had protected her when it had mattered most.

    “I confer on you the rank of Jedi Knight, and the role of Jedi Guardian,” he turned his gaze back to Jaina, seeing the surprise in her deep brown eyes. “You will be a sword of the Jedi,” he declared, the words flowing through the will of the Force. “Among the ranks of its greatest defenders. As a lightsaber defines each Jedi, so will you define the Jedi Order, your strength and light serving as a beacon to others to follow in the darkness that may come.”

    Jaina’s face lit up in a brilliant smile as she took the lightsaber back. “I so swear to do.” She turned back to the assembled crowd and ignited the violet blade, with the tip pointed upwards in a show of respect, turning towards Sola’s casket and nodding reverently.

    Luke looked down at the assembled crowd - Han with his arms around Leia, openly weeping with pride, Mara standing at their side with the look every master wore when their apprentice moved on; a mixture of joy and sorrow. Ben had his arm around Cilla, both wearing identical wide grins as they looked up at their cousin. Zeb was gazing at Jaina with such unabashed affection that Luke knew Sola must have been right about the two of them. Corran Horn and Kirana Ti stood to one side, and beside them were Tenel Ka, Eren Pax and Kara Ravenlok, sharing proud looks.

    Pooja had her hands clasped against her chest, nodding to Luke as tears slid down her cheeks, and he knew he had made the right decision not to wait to hold the knighting ceremony. It was right that it took place on Naboo, to clear away the taint of the Sith, and in front of Sola who loved her family more than anything.

    Someone in the crowd began to clap, and Luke saw that it was Queen Nebulla. Boss Trell followed suit, and soon the entire crowd were applauding the newly knighted Jedi. Jaina laughed with embarrassment and glee, turning back to Luke as if asking his permission to accept the praise. In answer he put a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave an encouraging squeeze.

    Luke cast aside his doubts and fears of the future, for how could he be sad when he was surrounded by family and friends. There was no force in the galaxy that could tear them apart, he decided - the light would always triumph, for there was the ultimate strength in goodness and love.

    As the old Jedi poem had said - love could ignite the stars.
     
  21. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    *clings to fic* *clings to JL* *clings to Luke* Wait, Mara might forcibly remove me from Luke. Ahem. Lady. LADY. Lady. ^:)^^:)^ I know there is an epi (and two more books!!!!) to come, but this is amazing. It's everything I ever wanted in an Ep VII fic (in Ep VII itself, ahem). You are so! good! at everything you write, and the dual narratives have been amazing. Two stories in one fic--how spoiled are we?! I love the differences in the two knighting ceremonies, but each was just right in its own way.

    I still shiver over Luke's words about his death, and the future they now face. I can just picture that scene between them--I hope Mara is right, but what Luke has seen.... Lady, it scares me, but I am ready for it. You've done an amazing job. I love this fic!!!!!!!!!!! [:D]
     
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  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Oh, lovely! Beautiful flashback. A touching knighting and fascinating about Jedi classes/categories. [face_thinking] Mara is right in the now scenes. Nothing is written and Luke isn't meant to be anywhere but with her. [face_love]

    But the coolest awesomest thing is Jaina's Knighting! [face_dancing] =D=

    If/when there is a sequel, please, please tag me when it starts!

    ^:)^
     
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  23. mattman8907

    mattman8907 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2012
    very nice conclusion to a very well thought-out story. can't wait for the sequel please either tag me or PM when it's up.
     
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  24. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    [:D] We need to get out the brave hat ;) Thanks Lady, the dual narrative has been a challenge, but I've loved re-writing the early EU as well as having a different take on how Episode VII could go down. The flashbacks may have seemed pointless at some stages of the fic, but as you know everything informs on the current events, and the parallel of Leia and Jaina being knighted was what I always wanted to end on.

    Thank you! All of the Jedi categories are taken from The Jedi Path, because I think Luke is drawn to retaining at least some aspects of the old Order, and the Guardian/Consular/Sentinel classification makes sense attuning to an individual Jedi's skills and place in the Order. I'll be sure to tag once the sequel gets started :)


    Thank you! Will do :)
     
  25. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Okay, so here we have it, the end of the fic - thank you all for reading and especially to those who have commented. A special thanks to ginchy, taramidala and ThreadSketch for their support and encouragement while writing, their advance reading of much of the first draft and their on point commentary and advice. Thanks ladies!

    I will be posting a link to a PDF of the whole fic soon once I fix some typos in the early chapters. And yes, there will be a sequel, or "Episode VIII". I have the basic outline in my head, but it still requires fleshing out, planning and actual writing, so it probably won't be posted for at least a few months. If you would like to be tagged when it does go up, please let me know.

    So onto the epilogue! Please let me know what you think :)


    Tags: Gemma

    _____________________________


    Epilogue



    Fin came out of hyperspace above the planet Myrkr, landing the Peerless Joy in the landing bay of the old ruined castle which had served as his home for years. It was situated high in the mountains above the forest, far enough from the ysalamiri that the Force could still be accessed. But for the first time in his life Fin didn’t want the clarity and deepened emotions the Force brought, for there was too much pain and sorrow to bear. It prickled under his skin burning hot with wrath, but he force himself to temper his anger, keeping it simmering until it could be unleashed. A part of him was still not able to believe his father was gone - and Fin knew that he should not lament the loss, that Svel’s death had only shown his weakness, but the absence of his father’s presence caused a gnawing in his heart such that he had never felt before.

    When he reached the throneroom Fin’s pet vornskr bounded over to him happily, licking his hand in comfort. Fin had raised it from a cub, overriding the animal’s natural instincts to incite affection rather than bloodlust from Fin’s Force sense.

    “Hi, boy,” Fin knelt and buried his face in the animal’s neck. The vornskr licked the tears from his face and whinnied at Fin’s distress. It gave him scant comfort, but Fin clutched the animal tighter, not yet wanting to address his Master who sat on the throne before him.

    “So you have returned, Fin,” she said, as every allowing him no respite. Fin forced himself to raise his head from his vornskr’s fur to look upon his Master, her pale white skin and hair making her look almost ghostly on the black gnarled throne. Despite her age she was still a commanding presence, her striking blue eyes appraising Fin, and as always he felt exposed around her despite the firm barriers he had constructed in his mind. But that was to be expected, since she had been to one who’d taught him to shield in the first place. She was the self-fashioned Dark Lady; the mentor who had helped Svel raise him in the black arts ever since his childhood on Dathomir.

    Asajj Ventress.

    Fin regained his composure and stood, trying to affect the steely and aloof persona someone in his position should as he advanced towards his Master. One did not show weakness before Ventress, not if they valued anything at all. Yet his hand rested on his vornskr’s back, stroking the animal’s fur lightly to give himself comfort and strength as he stopped directly before Ventress’ throne.

    “I see your acolytes failed to take Coruscant.” Fin tried to keep his voice even, but it trembled as he spoke. Beside him, his vornskr whinnied and nuzzled his face into Fin’s thigh.

    “I don’t consider anything that has happened to be a failure,” Ventress told him with a smile which exaggerated her high cheekbones. “Coruscant cannot taken by force.”

    “The Alliance did it, thirty years ago.” That was, after all, why Svel had fled to Dathomir in the first place.

    “They would never have succeeded without the insurgency planetside.” Ventress looked at him as he was a child, as always her voice cool and even.

    Fin looked at her curiously. “Then why? Why send them?”

    “To strike at the heart of the Jedi,” Ventress explained, almost choking on the last word. “This is the long game, Fin - first we must make the galaxy wonder if the Jedi can adequately protect the Republic, if they cannot even protect themselves.”

    “So your minions - they were expendable?” Fin hadn’t cared for Ventress’ other apprentices - but at least they had distracted her attention from he and his father in recent years.

    “All except you, my dear,” Ventress said almost sweetly. “You will be the first true Sith in a generation, and I needed to ensure the circumstances were right for your birth.”

    Fin swallowed heavily, his anguish threatening to consume him. “And my father?”

    “He did what needed to be done,” Ventress told him, waving a dismissive hand. “A Sith can have no bonds. Friendship, brotherhood, family – of all of these he must divest himself. Svel knew this.”

    So he’d sacrificed himself, Fin realised, looking down so she would not see the pain it caused him. Svel had gone up against Skywalker alone, knowing that he must either kill the Jedi or allow himself to be killed, so he could no longer keep Fin from his destiny.

    “He was my father,” Fin murmured, eyes filled with hot tears that burned like acid. “But…he wasn’t really, was he?” he looked back up at Ventress, the words bitter and vile on his tongue. “That’s why you sent us there. So that I would know.”

    “And who are you, my young apprentice?” Ventress looked proud, as if she had been waiting for this moment for some time.

    Fin had known since Tatooine; he had felt it. But he hadn’t wanted to believe it. Everywhere he and his father had gone, the Force had whispered to him the truth that had been so long denied. This is your heritage, it had told him. This is your history. And eventually, on Naboo, it had whispered his name.

    “I am Jacen Solo,” he acknowledged, the words brittle and forced.

    He knew now that it was the truth, that he had not been born of Ava Sjo, Dathomiri warrioress but Leia Organa, the peacemaker. His father had not been Svel Delrond, aristocratic heir and Sith acolyte, but Han Solo, a worthless pirate.

    He had seen his own cousin strike down the man he had known as his father. His parents had been those he was raised to hate. He had killed his own family. In that moment as he had oh so carefully dug his knife into Sola Naberrie's belly, he had seen inexplicable recognition in her eyes. Even when he'd fought Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, there had been that glimmer of familiarity. But he could not longer suppress or deny the truth, however much he wanted to.

    "Did my father...did he know?"

    "He died believing that you were his blood." Ventress almost looked sympathetic - if she was even capable of such an emotion.

    "But how?" he questioned, confusion still swirling within him. "After all this years how did he not sense it?"

    "Svel was never a true Sith,” Ventress sighed, leaning back on her throne. “Only moderately talented in the Force, his abilities supplemented by rigorous study...and myself. If he ever sensed distance in you, he dismissed it out of love. You see, my dear, Palpatine's failing is that he didn't understand love, had never felt it, and so only saw it as a weakness. But love is so powerful a force it can be used to bring down anyone."

    Fin shook his head, wanting to make it all not true - to call Ventress a liar, to rage against his own heart. And yet it made too much sense to dismiss anymore. Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber, the familiarity he’d felt in Luke Skywalker, the reflection of himself he’d seen in Ben Skywalker, the way he’d held the charred remains of Alderaan in his hand and had felt an inexplicable pull in his heart. He’d even sensed a memory of Leia Organa at Varykino, mourning the child she had lost - that had been him.

    “So who are you?” Ventress pressed him. “Are you Jacen Solo, or are you Fin Delrond?”

    There was no comfort in the knowledge of his true parentage. There was only darkness. That life had been stolen from him, and he had no desire to reclaim it - not when his blood family had not even realised what had happened to him. It was them he blamed, not Ventress, and all of them should suffer for their grievous mistake. He was beyond blood or family, now, he was a child of the dark side of the Force; its sole heir, and that was the only truth that mattered.

    “I am neither,” he replied, reaching out into the Force and blanketing himself in the dark. He released his hatred and anger into the void, and it poured power back into himself, freeing him from mortal bonds. Inside his veins his blood boiled and congealed, his heart shriveled and petrified. Fire burned behind his eyes, under his skin, but the pain was almost welcome - it felt so good.

    He looked back at Ventress, with all sorrow and doubt stripped away as he was reborn; as he chose his new name.

    “I am Darth Caedus.”
     
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