Saga This Time Around [AU, time travel; Jaina, Kyp, A/P, Obi-Wan] A/N July 18

Sabriel_Orion
It's great to hear from you again! Well... I can't comment on whether or not I am actually killing off Jaina or not. You'll just have to wait and see.

Some good news! Well... good for you and kind of good for me. I've had this week off work because I got sick and they sent me home (trust me, when you're working with people who have poor immune systems, they take no risks at all). So, once I got a bit better, the writing bug bit (unsurprisingly, considering that I haven't written anything on this story since mid-June) and I've written three new chapters. I've sent them to Nat, who's betaing them, and once I get them back, you'll have a fresh, new chapter to enjoy and read.

Thank you all for being so patient with me!

 

Hooray!!! I can't wait! And I hope you feel better soon

 

CHAPTER LV
Skywalker Ties

Anakin slept fitfully, but did not wake. The drugs administered by the Mon Cal medics kept him in a healing sleep, yet did not prevent his mind from drifting restlessly between the confusing, intertwined images that plagued his dreams. One moment he was standing beneath the eaves of a forest, the silver glow of four moons shining down upon him; the next, the sands of Tatooine stretched out endlessly. He was walking, the landscapes around him ever-changing. Deserts, forests, vast expanses of wasteland ? all were the same. He had a fleeting idea that all had to be passed to reached his destination, a place he desperately wanted to see, yet strangely, at the same time, did not want to visit. Every now and then he caught glimpses of people in his peripheral vision ? women dressed in dark clothing accessorised by strangely tribal jewellery. Whenever Anakin tried to get a better look, they would disappear.

Finally, the whirling landscapes solidified into a forest. Anakin?s dream self sped up his pace, spurred on by his desire to find his destination. Farther up the path, the forest dissolved into the mouth of a cave. There was only one moon now. Beneath its light, Anakin could make out strange markings carved into the walls of the cave entrance: a reptilian creature, one that resembled a Duinuogwuin, and a thorned flower.

There were flower petals littering the passage that led inside the cave. They were blood red and withered.

Anakin approached the cave entrance, knowing that he must enter. Blood was pounding in his ears. He could hear nothing but the thundering pulses; it was almost as if he was hearing his own heart beat three times over. He took a step forwards ?

The cave disappeared into a whirl of colour and a rush of howling wind. In the confusion of colour and sound, he saw a pair of violet eyes, burning with fiery power, staring purposefully at him ?

Anakin?

A woman?s voice sounded from far away; a soft, familiar chime almost like music in the distance.

He was surrounded by darkness again. He took a breath.

Anakin, are you awake?

?Padmé??

Anakin?s eyes opened. He winced and closed them immediately as sharp, painful light blasted them. Taking a breath, he smelt Padmé?s familiar fragrance in the sterile air of the med room and re-opened his eyes.

She was sitting at his bedside, her fingers clasped around his left hand. She looked pale and there were deep bags under her eyes, as if she hadn?t slept at all.

?Please tell me you got some sleep and didn?t spend all your time waiting for me to regain consciousness,? he said.

Padmé released a small, unwilling laugh. ?How do you feel?? she asked.

?Like I just got out of a pod wreck at a crash site. Nothing I can?t deal with.?

Padmé arched an eyebrow. ?Anakin??

?I feel fine,? he said, sitting up. He was glancing quickly around the room as he spoke. ?A bit stiff and a bit sore, but perfectly fine.? There was no one else in the room except himself and Padmé. Evidently she had badgered the medics into giving them some time alone. ?How are the others??

?They?re fine.?

?And Jaina??

A dark look passed Padmé?s face. Anakin immediately knew that Jaina?s condition was what had been worrying his wife the most since their return from Kuduran. There was a nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach. If Jaina wasn?t healing? if she was getting worse ?

?She?s fine for now,? Padmé said quickly, reading Anakin?s expression. ?The medics have done all they can for her. She?s a bit stronger now ? or so the medics say. She?s still asleep.?

?Do you know about the Delik-66??

Padmé nodded, her lips pursed together. She seemed to have gone even paler. ?There?s a complication,? she said quietly.

?A complication? Does Yoda know??

?Yes,? Padmé said, ?but even he doesn?t know how her condition could be corrected before it gets out of hand??

?Then find a Jedi Healer!?

?There are none! Besides, we don?t even know if they are skilled enough to heal her of the Delik-66! Yoda has advised us t

 

First! *will edit*


Edit:

Great to see this again!

 

Great update!!

Well worth the waits

Thanks for the PM

EG

 

So pleased to see this lovely story updated. Nice to see some Anakin/Padme and Anakin/Jaina time together after all the recent action. Fingers crossed for a cure for Jaina as I would love to see her and Kyp get together.

 

Wow, that was a lovely chapter. I really adored the conversation between Jaina and Anakin. Some great bonding there. I'm so thrilled you updated, Idri.

 

Anakin and Jaina are actually quite similar, in my opinion (both stubborn anyway).
It's great to see you back!

 

That was so good. GO LEIA!!!!! She is going to be just like her mom. LOL. Can't wait for net chapter!!

 

Fantastic update - I felt like we've finally reached the calm in the storm... everyone's getting healed (well, except Jaina), Anakin gets to catch up with his kids (how old are they at this point in the game again?), Padme has socks for Anakin (so cute!), Kyp snores a lot...

Poor Anakin; I can't imagine how he would have felt if he knew that he was the one who cut off Luke's arm. And he's going to make Jaina a new arm in all his free time! ...Although, I suppose whipping up a prosthetic arm should be a piece of cake for the man who built C-3PO at the age of nine!

Loved it!!

 

all i can say is : CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!

 

You're back yay

and you brought a post with you. Loved the edition and definately well worth the wait

I can't wait for more

 

Great to see this back, Idrelle. A lovely little post, here. at Padme and the socks. I don't think that chemical's gonna adversely affect Jaina... Something's going on with that. Great to hear about Tenel Ka, there. But then again, it's me. [/Han]

Can't wait for more and good to see this back!

 

You're alive!

Great update. The Padme/Anakin/Twins bits made me all warm and fuzzy.

I see what you're doing there Jaina... don't you dare give up.



Cyn

 

Great chapter!! Luke and Leia with their parents are so cute And i love the Anakin/Jaina bond - that's really sweet They've come a long way

 

*giggles at the image of Anakin searching for socks*

Leia was so cute! How old are the twins now?

Anakin making a replacement arm for Jaina is in character.

 

G_Anakin
Thanks for reading! I?m really happy to be writing This Time Around again. Glad that you?re still reading!


EGKenobi
Thanks! I was hoping that this chapter (slightly shorter than usual, lol) would be a satisfying chapter to re-start TTA with. You?re welcome for the PM!


Darth_Nellie
Yes, I?m kind of relieved to be writing it again. It?s been on my mind since I posted the last chapter! Lol. While I really did enjoy work, the inability to write was kind of frustrating at times, especially since TTA is such a large story and I?m nowhere near being finished, even now. The more work I get done on it during the summer the better, considering how crazy my school months.

This chapter was originally the first third of what was going to be one chapter (along with what is now Chapters 56 and 57). When I was writing, the original Chapter 55 got so large that I had to split it into three. I thought that this chapter was a nice break, without anyone really worrying about anything. A kind of breather after all the high-emotions and chaos.

Whether K/J officially happens or not, I?d think we?d all prefer to have Jaina survive.


Serena
Thanks! It?s a nice break to do a ?bonding? chapter rather than an action chapter or an exposition chapter. I?m glad to be updating again.


GeneralKenobi7
I agree completely! Anakin and Jaina are very, very similar. I see that in canon EU material, too. Like grandfather, like granddaughter, I guess. Lol. It?s one of the reasons why I added the part where Anakin describes Jaina as being like a sister, rather than a granddaughter.


Jainasolo101
For some reason, I?ve always seen Leia as the louder of the two. Which is the reason why Leia is talking now and Luke is still silent ? still content to just observe, while Leia feels like blabbing. She?s a lot like her mom ? and her dad! Anakin can?t always keep his mouth shut, either.


Jedi_Sword
I?d say it?s a definite calm. That?s a very apt description. I have no idea where the sock thing came from, I just sort of wrote it. I like seeing Anakin and Padmé act like husband and wife (in RotS, I still was getting the girlfriend/boyfriend vibe and was kind of sad we never got to see them act as a married couple) ? especially considering that they are parents now. Speaking of which, the twins are roughly four months old now.

If you?re curious, Jaina and Kyp have been in the past now for about six and a half months. I?m sure it feels like a lot longer than that to them, though.

Yes, Kyp snores a lot. He?s exhausted, but he doesn?t want to leave Jaina alone. She?s kind of annoyed with him right now, since she wants him to take care of himself and she doesn?t like people worrying about her, which seems to be the only thing her companions can do these days.

I think Anakin would be terrified if he knew that he was the one who cut off his son?s hand in Jaina?s timeline. Thankfully she stopped before she revealed that piece of information ? it?s something Anakin doesn?t really need to know. The more he knows about Vader, the more freaked out he?ll be and that?s not necessarily a good thing for him right now.

It made sense for Anakin to offer to build Jaina a new arm. I?m sure he has a few designs he wants to try out and anything he can make will be MILES better than anything the Empire can offer.


Jedi_QueenBee
Thanks for reading! I?ll be posting something new within a week.


JediFalcon
Yes, I?m back. I?m glad that you?re still reading!

Jon
Thanks, dude! Yes, Padmé and the socks is a bit giggle-inducing. Lol. That?s an interesting proposition about Jaina and Delik-66. You never know, you might be on to something there.

I knew that you?d pick up on the Tenel Ka reference. Notice anything else Dathomirian about this chapter?


Cyn
I?m alive! I survived camp and pushing wheelchairs up and down hills! I did have quite a few power chairs go over my feet, though. It kind of hurts, but not as much as one

 

yey an update!!! i am still hoping that Jaina doesn't die!!

Looking forward to the next.

 

Thanks, Diamond! Yeah, we've all got our fingers crossed for a cure. The characters as well as the readers. As author, I am omniscient.

---

[blockquote][b]CHAPTER LVI
The Departure of Bail Organa[/b][/blockquote]

Anakin?s plans to build Jaina a mechanical arm begun as soon as he convinced the medics that he did not required any more of their attention. He and Padmé went to speak to Ackbar, who directed them to several Mon Cals who could gather the required parts Anakin would need. Having designed and built his own mechanical arm, Anakin knew exactly what he would need to do for Jaina?s. He had a few modifications that he had wanted to put on his own when he got the chance, so he decided that he would try them out on hers. There were changes that would have to be made, as Jaina was female and was also a lot smaller than he was. As the others had planned to hold a meeting to trade information and discuss their options once Jaina recovered enough to leave the medcentre for a few hours at a time, Anakin took the chance to work feverishly on his new project.

Padmé tackled Jaina?s request of getting Kyp to leave her bedside and get himself looked after.

The dream Anakin had had during the time he had been in the medcentre continued to plague his thoughts as it continued to return. Every night, Anakin saw the same forest, the same four moons, the women who seemed to be following him but who would always disappear as soon as he tried to get a closer look. His dream self always returned to the cave. No matter how many landscapes he travelled through, he would always end up at the mouth of the cave and start his descent into it? and then there was a flash of violet eyes and he would wake up.

Anakin had had recurring dreams before ? recurring nightmares, even. However, this time he chose not to be perturbed by his nightly visions as he was wrapped up in building Jaina?s new arm. During the day, Anakin rarely saw anyone besides Padmé and the twins because he was constantly working on the prosthetic. Half a week of solid work had passed when Obi-Wan finally showed up in the room, looking flustered and stressed.

?Where have you been hiding?? he snapped uncharacteristically angry.

Anakin did not look up from his work station. He was fiddling with two very important pieces that if not wired together properly, the entire arm would not function and he would have to start from the beginning. ?What do you want, Obi-Wan?? Anakin said testily.

?Yoda and I have been trying to find you,? Obi-Wan said heatedly. ?If we?re ever going to do something about the Sidious situation, you?d better stop that tinkering and come down and meet with the others. There?s some important information that needs sharing and you better be there to hear it.?

?All right, [i]all right!?[/i] Anakin shouted.

It was almost like having déjà-vu of many moments during Anakin?s time as Obi-Wan?s apprentice. Anakin glared at his former master over the pieces of the half-made mechanical arm and finally set it down carefully.

?What?s this all about?? he asked irritably as he and Obi-Wan made their way down the corridors.

?Debriefing,? Obi-Wan said shortly. ?Jaina has recovered enough that she can leave the medcentre for a few hours at a time. She also says that she is ready to talk about what happened to her when she was imprisoned. A lot has happened since she was captured and we left to rescue her. A lot is still happening.?

?Why are you so stressed, Master?? Anakin asked. ?You?re not acting like yourself.?

Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment. ?I?ve just come from Bail. Breha?s trial is complete. She is to be executed for high treason in ten days.?

Anakin froze. [i]?What?!?[/i]

Obi-Wan nodded and continued walking. Anakin followed, swearing under his breath.

In the flash of events that had occurred since their escape from Alderaan, Anakin had completely forgotten that Breha had risked her life to help get them out of the Alderaanian Palace alive. She had been carted off to Coruscant for letting them escape, and knowing Palpatine

 

Yay! The story has returned! *tosses confetti about*

Anakin had had recurring dreams before ? recurring nightmares, even. However, this time he chose not to be perturbed by his nightly visions as he was wrapped up in building Jaina?s new arm Could this be a welcome character development?

And wow, Bail really let loose. He has a definite point, though - the Jedi were all about rescuing one of their own when the circumstances were near-impossible, yet they don't even consider his wife at all - she's unimportant to them. Jedi sometimes forget that non-Jedi don't know anything of what they feel, and they can come off as very arrogant.

It's kind of nice to take a break from the action and get everyone healed up, though Jaina describing Hett as a good guy made me want to

Can't wait for the next installment!

 

Eeep, I missed a few... love these last two updates! Anakin's bonding with Jaina was so sweet, as was the time he and Leia shared. She'll be a talker, right enough! You wrote those sweet moments really well.

And wow, Bail really lost his patience there! I can't really blame him, though. Poor Breha. I love how you're portraying this whole situation with different viewpoints - the good guys don't all agree and they don't all want to do the same thing, which makes for a really interesting story and for great exchanges as well.

I also really like how your Anakin is developing. He's come a long way from the kid we saw in the movies; he's getting more introspective and responsible, while keeping his impulsive side as well. For once, I find myself actually liking him even though you haven't changed his character completely, just taught him a thing or two. So, y'know, great job writing him!

Can't wait to see what they all do next! Wonderful writing!

 

Ah, Dathomir! No, didn't see that beforehand. Thanks.

Bail's right, too. If it was Jaina, Anakin would move heaven and earth. This is why I prefer Luke's Order to the prequels. He knows how important the non-Force people are.

Anyway... what method does Yoda speak of? Something similar to how Exar Kun was defeated in the JAT? Questions, questions... hopefully we'll get answers. Great post, Idrelle.

 

Poor Bail and Breha I love Bail and Padme for giving the other side, though - the Sidious stuff is important, but a non-Jedi wouldn't understand that as much.

 

Everyone seems to be on edge.

The Nightsisters??

By the way they're rather pathetic in the game Jedi Alliance.

 

Poor Bail and Breha

Problem is Bail doesn't understand that if they can stop Palpatine and his apprentice that the galaxy will never be safe. Thats what Anakin needs to focus on is stopping Palpatine.

I can't wait to see where you go with this now