Beyond - Legends [DDC 2017] The Journal of Talon Tantiss: [Part 5] Secrets Revealed-Vol 2 (updated 12/11/17)

Great explanations why the Seers did all of this.
I love the 'Legends' and how you created this timeline where Jacen is alive and Luke and his Jedi have a future

 

Fascinating and intricate maneuverings from the Seers. Great explanation from Deke too. I bet a diary from Marcus would be incredibly riveting as he tap dances around the Seers

 

Okay! All caught up, and I absolutely LOVE how you are pulling all the story threads together here. So I was partially right and partially wrong in my guesses. I thought that Mark was the mastermind behind the whole thing, in collaboration with the Seers, but I hadn't guessed that Marcus was playing such an important role as well. I had also guessed that Deke was somehow involved, but I didn't think he was one of the men with capes and lightsabers. And, most importantly, I hadn't guessed that the Sith Meditation Sphere was playing such an important role in this story – but in light of your comment above about how this series is following the key elements of the Legends continuity, it simply goes to show that I wasn't paying enough attention.

One entry I really, really thought was fantastic was the scene where Talon is talking to his mother, and he slowly comes to realise what is going on. The moment when she grabs him by the ear to pull him away from her closet is such a Greek-mother-thing, I was laughing out loud. I also really enjoyed the moment when Deke explains why he's loyal to Tenel Ka. He's really a good man, if somewhat irreverent.

And this:

... is the reason you want to continue writing about this family. When there's a character of whom you can say this, it's difficult not to want to keep going with their adventures

 

Thanks. I loved all the characters from the EU but I didn't love the plots and all the destruction.

I would like to continue the story. I have grown to love my OCs.

Mark has never been a mastermind. He is a soldier and a follower. The Seers have been the masterminds and I think I mentioned somewhere in this series of stories that they were haunted by the destruction of Alderaan and the rise of Palpatine. They sat back and did nothing and they said, 'Never again'. What is the use of having the power of foresight if you don't use it for good. Of course, in my mind they knew the former king would die and didn't do anything about it. They are looking at the bigger picture. Ema had voiced this concern to Talon. She had said she didn't know how far in the future the seers can see...but she was sure that they were doing what was best for the galaxy...and that might not be the best thing for a lot of people. She thought they were too indifferent to individuals because they were looking at a big picture.

Once Marcus trained as a seer he would understand why they did what they did and it would be easier for them to gain his cooperation. Marcus had to be brought in as part of the planning because the seers realized they often couldn't see his future. They had to have him on board to ensure he didn't screw up their plans. I figured people would guess it was Deke in the cape because the first time Hanna and Valin met him she pushed him and he called her a 'Kriff'n spook'. Also, Deke was the person who told Mark that some of the Vong survived and were relocated to the maw. Mark didn't know their location and the seers couldn't see them with the Force and in the time streams. So they needed Deke's help.

In The Journal of Mark Tantiss we find out that Mark can gain memories from Palpatine. So I just let him gain some more memories from the Sith Sphere that in the profic novels knew the location of Kesh. And in the profic novels the Sith got off of Kesh on the sphere an then started pirating ships and tried to infiltrate the government and media on Coruscant. So I followed that story-line here.

I think all the secrets are revealed in this entry. After this I just have to wrap up the story.
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Entry 59

My father rose from his seat. “I need to hit the latrine and then see what’s keeping the King. I’ll be back.”

As soon as my father left Deke turned his attention to me. “Hey, I have to ask you something.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “What?”

Deke got up and sat in the seat next to me before whispering. “Why is your dad so adamant about not letting King Marcus and Allana meet?”

I couldn’t hide the look of disgust from my face. “Why is your Queen and Jacen so determined that they do meet? The king is only thirteen and Allana is what…eleven?”

“I know they are kids, but we are talking about a meeting, not a promise of marriage. Just a meeting.”

“Yeah, but to what end?”

“To what end? To possibly safeguard your relatives. You know what Tenel Ka faces every day, don’t you?” He shook his head in frustration. “There are people who want her and her family dead. The few that aren’t planning her demise are hoping to marry off one of their inbreed little hell spawn sons to the Princess…and as soon as she gives birth to a girl-child her husband will probably plot to kill her so his family can rule through his child’s birthright. Hapans are the vilest creatures in the galaxy.”

I laughed caustically. “And you want King Marcus to get involved with that dysfunctional situation?”

Deke let out a long sigh. “I’m getting old. I can’t protect Tenel Ka and her family forever. It would be nice if Allana could find herself a partner…a friend that isn’t trying to use her to their betterment. I have worked with the young king. He is an amazing young man…and powerful. He’s got a battle fleet and those seers.” He looked down at his caf before taking a sip. “Talon, I’m no longer useful to the seers. I trained the Vong and soon the mission will be over. I will lose my source of intel. Maybe if the King and Allana were at least friends he would help keep her safe.”

“Deke,” I said slowly. “King Marcus will continue to help you protect Tenel Ka and her family.”

He ran an agitated hand through his hair. “How can you promise that? Just because your father works for the king doesn’t mean you have any pull with him.”

I leaned forward in my chair and stared the man in the eye. “I promise you, he will ensure Tenel Ka and her family will remain safe.”

I think Deke’s extended time on Hapes has made him a jaded man. In Hapan culture there is no something for nothing.

“Why would he do that?”

“Because she’s family,” came a voice behind me. I turned to find my son standing in the doorway. Marcus entered the room followed by my father who closed the door behind him. Marcus sat down in a seat at the end of the table and grinned at what I was certain was an expression of pure astonishment on my face. “Don’t look so shocked, Dad. I am sure Commander Tavik is a man that can keep a secret.”

I turned to see Deke staring at the king slackjawed and silent.

“Damn,” my father laughed as he sat down next to me. “If I knew the news would render Deke speechless I would have told him a long time ago.”

Tavik shook his head. “What?” He pointed to me and then to my son. “You are his father?”

“Obviously,” I said in the same mocking tone he used on me earlier in the day.

“How did that happen?”

My father chuckled. “In the same way most babies are conceived, I imagine.”

“Wait, wait,” Deke said as he waved a hand. “I researched King Marcus extensively before I took on this mission. Two independent DNA testing laboratories confirmed his paternity. The Queen was carrying the son of the late king.”

“That is true,” Marcus said sadly. “My cousin—or I guess genetically he could be considered my half-brother since my mother and the queen are identical twins—was miscarried. I am the son of Ema Aiti and Talon Tantiss.”

Deke sat back in his chair. “Ohhh,” Deke drew out the word. “This all makes sense, now.” He gestured to my father. “I never comprehended why you left Coruscant. Leaving the Jedi Order I understood, but you had two sons and a granddaughter on Coruscant. It wasn’t like you to leave them behind.”

“I didn’t meet my grandson until he was nine years old,” my father said softly. “I had some catching up to do.”

Deke chuckled under his breath. “Wow, I didn’t see that one.” He looked at me. “Who else knows?”

“From our side of the family,” I said while counting on my fingers. “It is me and Ben, along with our wives. Jaden and his family and my mom and my dad.”

“Well, I can see why you would want to keep that a secret.” He paused in thought before turning to Marcus. “But that would make you and Allana second cousins…and when it comes to royals…that is marriage material.”

“Can we not talk about this?” I interrupted. “I find it disturbing.” I addressed Marcus. “When will the attack on Kesh begin?”

He looked at his wristchrono. “In about an hour my flagship should be exiting hyperspace.”

I nodded slowly as I thought about the mission. “Are you sure the virus really works on all the Sith? What happens if you bombard their planet with the virus and only half succumb to its effects? Even with a battalion of Void Jumpers, you don’t have enough men to attack a planet with possibly tens of thousands of unaffected Sith.”

“We have a couple contingency plans for that,” my dad said. “After we destroy all of the ships they have stolen we can put a planetary blockade on their world…or…” my father’s words drifted off.

“Or what?” I asked him emphatically.

He blanched slightly before answering. “We still have the Galaxy Gun. That is why we needed the Chief-of-State…specifically, one that will do our bidding.”

I let out a strangled gasp. “You intend on blowing up the planet? No wonder you wanted to keep this from Uncle Luke. I have to say I am siding with the Grand Master with this one, that is genocide!” I stared at my father in shock. “Dad, there has to be women and children on that planet. We don’t know if they are all evil. They may not all be Sith. How do you know everybody is a threat?”

My father averted his eyes. “The Seers have told me so.”

I looked to my son. “You’re a seer. Are you contemplating mass murder?”

My son looked down. “It would only be used in the most extreme case. In most time streams where the virus is not 100 percent effective, we can effectively isolate them on their planet. We will destroy their ships and hunt down any remaining Sith that were off planet. There are only a few time streams where the virus and blockade are not successful.” He gazed at me thoughtfully. “You know what two Sith did to this galaxy during the rein of Palpatine…can you imagine what devastation thousands of Sith can do?”

I gave a grunt of disgust. “Marcus, I know you are a trained seer, but your instructors may have tricked you. You are a novice compared to their Head Seer. Perhaps they are manipulating the time streams and allowing you to see only what they want you to see. Why would you trust them without reservation?”

“Because none of us would be alive if it wasn’t for their machinations,” my father said adamantly. “The galaxy would have been devastated by the Vong war leaving trillions dead, including half the Jedi order, your cousin Jacen would have turned to the darkside and end up hunted down and killed by his own sister. The Sith would slaughter countless people on Coruscant. And I…I would have never existed. I would have never rescued your mom and never had children. I owe the seers everything!” My father’s voice cracked with emotion and I could feel his absolute conviction through the Force.

“Dad, you don’t know that. There are thousands of time streams. The possibilities are endless.”

Marcus lowered his head. “He’s right, dad. Without the seers…we wouldn’t be here.”

I looked to Marcus and then my father. Both looked dead serious. “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, what do you mean,” Deke interjected, obviously just as clueless as I was.

“The seers,” my dad said softly and with some hesitation. “They arranged for the second Luke Skywalker clone to be created by the cloner working for Joruus C’baoth.” He smiled sadly. “I guess that is a good thing. I always thought I was created to be a lobotomized Imperial sentinel for a Dark Jedi. Instead I was created without C’baoth’s knowledge and placed in a location where Han and Luke would find me. That explains why I was in a stasis cylinder instead of a cloning tube and why I had military flash training unlike the Skywalker clone Mara killed. It answers all the questions I had since the beginning.”

I was absolutely dumbfounded by his statement. “No, that doesn’t explain anything. Why would the seers have you created?”

My father took a few deep breaths before telling his story. “After Palpatine they saw great danger in the galaxy. They looked and looked for a possible future that avoided all the bloodshed, but they couldn’t find a way to stop the Vong War or the war with the Sith and other horrible dangers. There was no good future. They realized they had to add something to the equation and they knew from the Clone Wars that clones could cloud if not alter the time stream. Clones are anomalous beings that normally wouldn’t exist…and because of that they cause shatterpoints to form. The seers used their influence to have the geneticist on Wayland create me. I was based on Luke’s DNA, but it was altered to make me bigger…but they also requested other changes be made in my genes.”

“What changes?”

My father shrugged. “They wanted certain genetic traits altered to make me less inclined to desire power. They knew I would gain Sith and Jedi knowledge that could potentially make me the most dangerous Force user in the galaxy. They didn’t want to create somebody worse than Palpatine. So my DNA was altered to suppress my personal drive and ambition. My military flash training made sure I was a loyal soldier. Once I was created the time streams changed…now there was hope and through the years I was unwittingly guided to my proper path. Later on they decided to continue their manipulations to ensure the creation of Marcus.” He glanced over to me. “The Seers are the reason I am alive and have my family. I owe them everything. Marcus is a seer and he trusts them…so I trust them. If they say the people on Kesh need to die, then I believe them.”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “It’s a lie to get you to do their bidding. I don’t care what they see in the time stream. Destroying a planet is never acceptable.”

“It was with Byss,” my father said quietly. “Luke and Han were given medals for its destruction.”

I looked over to my son. “Do you believe the story the Seers have spun?”

“I do,” he stood and grabbed something from the corner of the room. He held up what looked like an old stick. “I didn’t believe the story either…until I held the walking cane of the High Seer Tobar. He’s had it for over fifty years. He said to give it to you if you don’t believe my words.” He handed the old wooden walking stick to me. “Now you can verify the truth also.”

He sat back down and watched me expectantly. I held the cane in my hands, closed my eyes and concentrated. Jumbles of images rushed through my mind. I could see the seers discussing the problem with the Sith, Jacen’s turn to the darkside and before that the Vong, the Emperor Reborn and then the situation with the dark Jedi Joruus C’baoth. What I saw next shocked me to my core. So much so, that I dropped the cane and slowly turned to my father. “It’s true.”

“Father,” Marcus said as he drew in a deep breath. “Once this problem is resolved the Seers foresee hundreds of years of peace. Ninety-nine percent all of the time streams foresee an easy and bloodless defeat of the Sith. It is extremely unlikely that the Galaxy Gun will be used. We just need to stick to the plan.”

I felt sick to my stomach. My dad was right about a couple things…I really shouldn’t be here and the Jedi should definitely not be involved. I know I was no longer a Jedi, but I still had my moral convictions. I turned and walked to the door. “I can’t be part of this.”

I expected my son to argue or ask me not to leave, but instead he simply said, “I know. Take your shuttle back to Ec Pand. You have to make sure the Jedi don’t return to Coruscant for another week.”

I nodded silently before I turned and left. It was the first time I have ever walked away from my son without a hug, but I felt like I was suffocating in the room. I was already called the Butcher of Jabiim, I didn’t want to be known as the Destroyer of Kesh.

I need time to think.

 

Wow! Simply stunning revelations. Talon does have a lot to absorb and I like that he stuck to his original decision not to participate in the destruction of Kesh.

 

I hope everything will turn alright without having to destroy a planet

 

It's amazing how you integrate so flawlessly so many elements from the EU – up to and including a neat in-universe explanation for the AU. This is really great storytelling.

I hope too that using the Galaxy Gun won't turn out to be necessary. Now that they're about to settle in a normal family life (or as normal as things get for the Tantisses), something that gruesome would throw a pretty big spanner in the wheels!

PS: After your last reply, I'm realising that I need to go back and re-read the entire series. For some reason I completely missed the possibility that there were two men in capes; I assumed it was Mark all along, both in the mimetic suit and in the cape. I'm sure you planted all the right clues in all the right places though, so now I'm going to read all this with a new outlook and it's going to be twice the pleasure!

 

I had to keep going back and reread my stories to make sure I had put in the proper clues. This is a very long story. The first caped Void Jumper was in that video of him training the Vong. The man looked tall in the video and Talon said that none of the Jedi Void Jumpers could be ruled out based on height since most Void Jumpers (unless they had special skills) were two meters tall. Then a bunch of slave masters were dumped off on Dathomir and Talon and Ben went out there to investigate. They interrogated one man who said the leader of the men who captured him was wearing a lightsaber. They thought this must be the guy they saw in the Vong training video. They asked if he had an amber bladed lightsaber and was two meters in height. The man said the lightsaber was never activated, but the leader was normal height, around 1.7 meters, and shorter than the other void jumpers. In one of the chapters where Talon went to see his son he was surprised at how much he had grown. He thought Marcus was about the same height as Luke Skywalker...around 1.7 meters.

Then Hanna and Valin had their interaction with the Caped Void Jumper and they said he was at least two meters in height. At that point we know that either the prisoner on Dathomir was wrong about the height of the caped leader...or there are two caped Void Jumpers. The Void Jumper that Hanna met up with she said she recognized his Force signature as somebody who was at Talon's knighting ceremony and his wedding. Deke was not on the wedding invitations, but he was working security for Tenel Ka. Deke was mentioned as being at Talon's knighting ceremony.

Then for this chapter you have to go way back to Second to None and The Journal of Mark Tantiss. Mara, Luke, Han and Talon were always wondering why Joruus never used Mark to help defeat Luke and Mara. And why, if he was destined to be a Imperial Sentinel, did they bother to give him military flash training. Now we know Mark was put there to change the time streams. The seers knew Luke couldn't kill somebody who looked just like him...especially when Luke was desperately trying to find Jedi to help him restore the order. This was mentioned in Second to None. Mara said to Luke (and I am paraphrasing), "There were thousands of clones at Mount Tantiss. Why did this clone get spared." Luke then admitted it was harder to kill a person when you see his face...especially when it is your face staring back at you.

As for the genetic manipulation...even Marcus thought there was something wrong with the Tantiss family. When Talon turned down the position of commander of the Indupar Army, Marcus wondered why all the Tantiss men didn't desire power. He actually wondered out loud if whoever made his grandfather changed his DNA to not want power.

In addition, Mark had a theory that clones caused shatterpoints (from the EU) and thought he and his sons were walking and talking shatterpoints. This may explain why the seers sometimes have difficulty seeing the Tantiss men in the time streams. They are shatterpoints that can blur the future. Now, in my mind, the seers didn't pick the cloner in Mount Tantiss to make Mark so they can mimic the Indupar myths of the Mountain god. This was just a coincidence...or at least that is what the seers think. What if the seers have accidentally fulfilled a prophesy? That would be funny. It reminds me of a quote at the ending of the movie "The Shape of Water"...'You are a god!'.

I would think this is a little overwhelming for Talon. Mark and Marcus have had time to get used to the truth, but Talon was blindsided.

That would be a bad thing, but I needed a reason to really keep Luke in the dark and to justify all the secrecy.

Thanks everybody for reading. I am writing the last few entries.

 

Entry 60

All the way back to Indupar I thought about the situation. I wasn’t sure what to tell the Jedi or my family. If things go bad during the Sith mission and Kesh is destroyed or if the citizens of Coruscant discover a biological agent was released on their planet…what will happen to my family? This is very similar to the predicament with Jacen’s turn to the darkside. In that case, telling the truth would destroy my family and could devastate the Jedi Order.

In the end I decided to keep my big mouth shut about the mission to Kesh and the Sith. This left me with the problem of what to tell the Grand Master. How do I keep the Jedi away from Coruscant long enough for the virus to degrade and become nonviable?

I just need a way to convince the Jedi to stay on Ec Pand until the virus dissipates on Coruscant.


Entry 61

I arrived on Ec Pand and landed my father’s shuttle in the docking bay of what would have been the Indupar Knight’s Headquarters. I exited the ship and discovered the new Jedi temple was a buzz of activity. Indupar workers were filling the once unfurnished building with furniture and equipment. I stumbled upon a few teenage Jedi Knights and asked for the location of the Grand Master. I was told that the Masters had meeting on the other side of the building in the main conference area. I traveled in that direction and after a few minutes of searching I finally found Ben walking down a corridor.

“Ben!”

He stopped and smiled upon seeing me. “Does your presence here mean you are coming back to the Jedi?”

I shook my head. “No. I just came back from seeing Marcus in orbit above Coruscant and I need to warn you about something.”

Ben waved me off. “You’re too late. A representative of the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Bureau gave a debriefing to all the Masters about the situation on Coruscant.”

My brow rose in surprise. “Do you know what was said?”

He gave a chuckle. “Ahh…yeah. I am a Master now.”

I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, I forgot, Master Skywalker.”

“You better not forget it,” he said teasingly. “Anyway, the Intelligence Agent said a group of Force adepts had banded together on Coruscant in an attempt to overthrow the government. He described them as a ‘Sith Cult’. They imagined themselves as Sith and even built crimson bladed lightsabers. Once the Jedi left in defense of Ec Pand they decided to go on the offensive. They broke into the Penitentiary’s bio-storage area and attempted to steal the virus the government had been using to Force-sterilize dangerous convicts. Something went wrong and the bad guys accidently released the virus.”

It took me a second to comprehend this new story. “So Mokk Streke is telling the galaxy that the Sith Cult released the virus?”

Ben gave me a nod before looking as me inquisitively. “Yes…are you suggesting that wasn’t what happened?”

I shook my head vigorously. “No! I am not saying anything. I’m just asking questions.”

Ben gazed as me suspiciously for a long moment before continuing. “The Galactic Alliance military and law enforcement had an unnamed informant that knew about the cult and was able to provide the police the names and locations of the gang members. The group was under surveillance for quite some time. When they stole the virus the GA went in and arrested the Sith wannabes. We were shown the arrest videos of a number of the men and women apprehended. They did have red lightsabers, but they didn’t know how to use them or the virus spread fast enough that they were Force sterilized.”

“Was there anything said about the attacks on slavers?

Ben nodded. “The agent did address the situation with the slaver attacks. He claims some mysterious group called the Outer Rim Abolition coalition or ORAC liberated the slaves. Since it was believed these slaving organizations might be associated to this Sith cult, the slaves were put in protective custody until the sting operation was complete. According to the Intelligence agent, Mokk Streke said they would be reunited with their families soon.”

I was impressed with the lies Streke made up to cover his tracks. It appears that I won’t have to concoct a story to keep the Jedi off Coruscant. “And how did he explain the presense of Vong Shamed Ones working with ORAC?”

Ben shrugged. “He never mentioned the Vong. He said the coalition was an assemblage of sentients from throughout the galaxy.”

“And did he mention anything about the Amber lightsaber carrying Void Jumpers?”

I could sense Ben was getting suspicious with all my questions. “He never mentioned lightsabers or Void Jumpers.” He ran a hand though his red hair. “In fact, his explanation doesn’t make sense unless this coalition has the backing of somebody with a lot of money.” He sucked in a breath before gazing at me intently. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

I have no idea what conclusion Ben is jumping to, but I am not going to offer any suggestions. “I doubt it,” I muttered, but quickly added. “You know I’m not good at unraveling mysteries.”

“I think ORAC is sponsored by the Galactic Alliance…off the books. Streke has wanted to abolish slavery for a while, but the slavers are operating outside his jurisdiction. He can’t officially go in and attack them, but he could arrange funding for an abolition organization.” He paused in thought. “In fact, if he truly believed the slavers and this Sith cult were colluding with each other, it would be wise to order lightsaber proof armor and he may have recruited the Vong to assist the abolitionists since they would be ideal warriors where it comes to hunting down Sith. There were some scattered reports of Void Jumpers present at the arrests.” He shook his head with a laugh. “I think I underestimated the Chief-of-State.” He paused for a minute before frowning. “Of course, that doesn’t explain who the Mimetic suited man was or why he wanted the Jedi off Coruscant.”

I clamped down on my emotions before giving a slight shrug of my shoulders. “Well, you once thought the Mimetic suited man was somebody who interacted with Sith…because he stated he had seen a person pull the memories out of a person’s brain…so, maybe he is the informant that helped identify the Sith cult members.”

Ben’s brow furrowed. “Yeah…maybe.”

I decided to change the subject. “How do you like the new temple?”

Ben smiled widely. “The apartments for the Masters are amazing. Valla is in heaven.” His smile faded slightly. “Unfortunately, she will probably be on shipping runs more than I like.”

“Ben, Marcus had offered to pay for a full time crew. Let Valla set up a shipping headquarters here and let somebody else fly the ship. I know Zylie is going to miss you and her sister. They’d see each other more often if we are residing in the same solar system.”

He ran a hand over his chin. “I’ll suggest that.”

I grinned happily. I would love to have my entire family together.

Now I just hope everything goes well on Kesh.

 

Fascinating coherent cover story but Ben isn't buying it completely. Hope the family can see each other more & that everything on Kesh goes predictably.

 

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where we get confirmation that Mokk Streke is a politician whereas Talon is definitely not It's a great cover story and Ben is onto something when he says that someone has been financing the anti-slaver force – but thankfully he's looking at the wrong person... for now.

I sure hope Talon manages not to give it all away before it's all over!

 

I am finally winding down with this story. I have been so busy with work that I didn't polish this chapter, but if I continue to wait it will never get posted.

Nope, it won't be Talon that reveals the secrets. lol!

Thanks everybody for reading.


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Entry 62

After visiting with Ben I decided to return to Indupar. I miss Zylie. I had left her a message telling her I went to visit Marcus and my Dad on Coruscant, but I didn’t elaborate as to why. I was sure she was going to barrage me with questions, but I soon found out she had other things on her mind.

When I entered out apartment she ran out of the ‘fresher wearing a bathrobe, grabbed my arm and practically dragged me into our bedroom. “Talon, we need to make love now! I’m ovulating!”

I have to admit, that comment threw me for a loop. “What? How do you know that?”

She seized her datapad off the bedside table and activated some sort of program. “This is an ovulation computing application. I input the first day of my last period and the normal duration of my cycle and then I take my basal body temperature everyday and input that data. When the prime time to conceive occurs the program will start beeping. It has been beeping for the last hour!” She looked at me in a panic. “Hurry, take off your clothes! If we miss this window of opportunity we have to wait another month.”

“Okay,” I said as I kicked off my boots. To be honest, I was a little put off by an electronic device indicating when I should have sex. “Where did you learn about all this stuff?”

“From your mother,” she said as she helped pull my tunic off over my head. “I guess her and your dad had some trouble conceiving. She said…”

“Stop!” I shouted. “I don’t want to hear anything about my parents having sex.”

She laughed as she unbuttoned my pants. “Okay, okay, just hurry.”

Finally I was stripped down to my boxers and I have to admit I was not in the mood. I looked down below my waist. “Zylie, all this pressure is not conducive for romance. I don’t think I can perform under these circumstances.”

She rolled her eyes and dropped her bathrobe to the floor revealing her gorgeous naked figure. She looked me up and down and smirked. “I think you’re ready for the big performance.”

I glanced down and gave a bashful grin. “I think you are right, Mrs. Tantiss.”

Ha! She was correct. I gave a rousing performance and two encores.

Entry 63

My father and Marcus returned from Coruscant today. I went down to the King’s quarters to find out what happened. I was reassured to find Marcus sitting on the floor and playing with his pet vornskr, Dak. He looked up and smiled broadly. “I think Dak missed me.” He motioned for me to come inside. “Shut the door behind you.”

I did as he asked. “So, were there any problems?”

He shook his head. “No, the planet was saturated with the virus. My crew transmitted a warning for the Sith to abandon all ships. After a few minutes we used an ion cannon to take out all of the starships we could find on planet and we destroyed a number of ships that were in orbit that refused to surrender. There are probably unexposed Sith somewhere out in the galaxy, but I think we got the majority of them. There were minimal casualties.”

I sat on a couch near my son. “Is the threat over? What do the seers see? What do you see?”

His grin grew broader. “I see peace, dad.”

I let out a relieved breath. “Peace. I like the sound of that.”


Entry 64

A week later Jaden contacted me from Ossus.

“Talon, Dr. J’Shan sent me a message stating he’s taken air samples from various locations around Coruscant and reports there are no viable viral spores remaining. We can return to Coruscant…but I would recommend we wait for a little longer, just to be on the safe side. I already notified Uncle Luke.”

“Okay, are you coming to Ec Pand?”

“I really hope so,” he said enthusiastically. “We have to see if the Grand Master is going to keep the children on Ossus or move them to the new temple. I hope we move. The electrical storms here are horrible. I can’t wait to leave.”

“I look forward to seeing you and your family,” I said before signing off.

I love the idea of having the Jedi on Ec Pand, but I wonder how long it will be before my big secret is revealed…that I am the father of the King…a boy that millions of Indupar citizens believe is a living god.


Entry 65

Mom and Dad invited the Skywalkers, Zylie and me over to dinner at their apartment. I wasn’t sure if that is a good idea to be in the same palace as Marcus. When I expressed these fears my father. He waved me off saying I had nothing to worry about.

“Marcus will have a ysalamiri in his quarters. Nobody will sense him through the Force. ”

“Except for you,” said jokingly referring to my father’s acquired immunity to the ysalamiri’s effects. I hesitated slightly before bringing up a subject that might be a sore spot for my father. “Speaking of Uncle Luke....Dad, I have to tell you, Luke blames himself for you leaving Coruscant. He thinks it is because you felt pressured to do the memory rub on Jacen. He doesn’t know about Marcus. Maybe you can reassure him that you didn’t leave because of him.”

Dad ran his fingers through his beard and frowned. “I hate the thought that Luke feels any guilt over what happened on Myrkr.” He flashed a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to smooth things over with Luke and Mara.”

“That would be nice,” I said, not feeling confident that anything my father could say would reassure my uncle. “They were nearly heartbroken when they found out I was leaving. Uncle Luke asked why I was abandoning the Jedi. Aunt Mara even tracked me down before I left to get the truth out of me. Luckily Zylie told Mara I was resigning from the Jedi to start a family.”

My father grinned slightly. “How is that coming along? Mom said she gave Zylie some advice on the matter.”

“I heard.” I blushed fiercely. “I think I can handle that mission without any additional input from my parents.”

My father just laughed and slapped a good-natured hand on my shoulder. “Dinner is tomorrow night at 19:00 hours. Dress casual.”


Entry 66

Zylie and I arrived at my parents’ apartment early to help my mom and dad with setting the table and dinner preparations while we waited for Luke and Mara’s arrival. Dad had sent a couple of the King’s guards down to the Palace docking bay to escort them to our location.

About thirty minutes later the doorbell buzzed. My father went to the entry and ushered my aunt and uncle inside. “Luke, Mara, I am so glad you are finally able to visit,” my father said as he shook Luke’s hand and then turned and gave Mara a big brotherly hug.

“Well, we would have visited earlier, but we weren’t invited until this week,” my aunt said with a slight sarcastic tone.

My dad shrugged his shoulders. “I was told your Chief-of-State was suspicious of the Jedi and with the discovery of stygium crystals on Ec Pand I was afraid that your Jedi-phobic Chief-of-State might find any visit to the Indupar Crown Worlds by the Grand Master…suspicious.”

Mara gave a dramatic sigh. “And knowing our Chief-of-State…you are probably correct.”

While my dad and Mara were talking my Uncle Luke was gazing in wonderment at my parent’s luxury apartment before giving out a low whistle. “Wow, I thought our new quarters on Ec Pand were nice, but you have us beat.”

“A second building is going up next year,” my father said as he took their coats and hung them up in the entry closest. “Maybe we can request grandeur quarters for the Grand Master.”

Luke chuckled. “I wasn’t insinuating our current living conditions were lacking in anyway. It is a mansion compared to what we lived in at the Coruscant Temple.” He gazed wide-eyed at the apartment’s vaulted ceilings, marble floors, with a lavish chef’s kitchen adjacent to a huge dining room with a long polished wood table with seating for twelve. “But this place...” He paused for a moment. “I can see why you left the Jedi. This residence is fit for a king.”

My father frowned at that comment. “The quarters at the Temple were fine. I did spend thirty years there…and I would still be there if I didn’t retire. And if you recall, I left the Jedi years before I moved to Indupar. There is no correlation between the two.” He motioned to his lavish apartment. “This looks like a royal residence because it is. It was once the home of the late King’s mother. After she died it remained unoccupied for almost twenty years until Kira and I moved in.”

I glance over to Zylie and made a face. I really hope this evening doesn’t end up in a family fight.

“Well,” my uncle said softly. “Retirement suits you.”

Aunt Mara closed her eyes briefly and sighed. “Your apartment is beautiful, Kira and whatever you are cooking smells wonderful.”

The corner of my lips curled up. It is obvious that my aunt doesn’t want any arguing tonight either.

“Can I get anybody a drink?” I offered as I moved to my parent’s cooling unit. “We have flavored water, some white wine, and if we don’t have what you want we can make a call to the palace kitchen and have something delivered.”

“Water will be fine,” my uncle said as he walked around the room checking out the fine art hanging on the walls. “Talon, I think the apartment that was given to me and your aunt on Ec Pand was originally meant for you.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Why do you say that?”

He turned to me and grinned. “There is a beautiful sculpted frieze on the office wall depicting a company of Void Jumpers led by an armored jump trooper carrying a lightsaber.”

I laughed thinking it was a joke, but soon realized he wasn’t joking. “Really? That’s ummm…” I stalled, not knowing what to say. “Well, it can’t represent me, since I only recently made the decision to move to Indupar.” I paused for a moment before adding, “And I have never led a VJ company. I have always been a Jedi Asset with no rank.” I walked over and handed my uncle and aunt some bottled water. “The king did develop a fascination with Void Jumpers after training with Dad. It might be in homage to my father.”

“Well,” Luke said with a smile. “It is a beautiful sculpture. The young King obviously is serious about starting his own Jedi Order.”

“Yes, he is.”

I was so relieved when my mother called everybody to the table to eat. The food was fantastic. I always loved my mom’s home cooking. We made it all the way to dessert before Uncle Luke started asking more questions.

He turned to my father. “So Mark, whose idea was it to send the Jedi to Ec Pand? Was it the Chief-of-State’s or that of the young King?”

My father finished the last bit of his cream pie before answering. “It was a little of both. Mokk Streke wanted to place either a division of soldiers on Ec Pand or a fleet in orbit above the planet to protect the crystals. The king might be young, but he’s not stupid. He didn’t want an army occupying his lands. The relocation of the Jedi Order to Ec Pand was a compromise. It provided protection to the crystals without the threat of annexation.”

Mara sipped her wine before raising a curious eyebrow. “We fall under the command of the Chief-of-State the same as the military. Why doesn’t he see the Jedi as a possible threat to his sovereignty?”

I am the one to answer that question. “Because he trusts the Jedi to do the right thing.” My aunt’s comment troubled me. “You wouldn’t invade Ec Pand if ordered to seize the crystal mine…would you?”

I became even more anxious when my uncle had to think about that question before answering. “It would have to be special circumstances such as a breach in the agreement. The Chief-of-State did purchase the crystals and the rights to future crystals mined for twenty years. If the King decided to renege on the deal they made…then something would have to be done to rectify the situation.”

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that,” my mother chimed in obviously bothered by the conversation. “The King isn’t going to default on his contract.”

“I’m sure he won’t,” my uncle agreed. “I’m more worried about him poaching more of my best Jedi.”

My aunt groaned. “Luke, you promised not to bring that up.”

My dad’s jaw tightened. “Luke, the King did not poach me or Talon.”

My uncle heaved a sigh. “Then why did you leave to train a stranger?” He slouched in his chair looking defeated. “It’s because of what I asked you to do on Myrkr, isn’t it?” He shook his head sadly. “I feel awful about what happened, but it was the only way to save our family.”

“What?” Zylie said suddenly. “What happened on Myrkr that was bad? I was told Jacen and Mark killed a Sith. Did something else happen?”

I muttered a profanity under my breath. I guess Uncle Luke forgot that Zylie was never told about Jacen’s fall to the darkside. “It’s better that you don’t know, Zylie,” I whispered to my wife.

Her gaze moved to each person at the table. “It looks like everybody in this room knows what happened on Myrkr but me.”

“That’s it,” my mother said sharply as she stood. “I am tired of all the secrecy. We are all driving each other crazy because nobody wants to reveal the truth.” When she walked to the front door my father stood, but my mother motioned for him to sit. “I will be right back. Stay here!”

My dad dropped back down to his seat and we all sat at the table staring at each other in an awkward silence. My uncle was the first to speak. “Sorry Mark. I didn’t want to cause you family problems.” He looked to Zylie. “Don’t blame Talon for keeping secrets. What happened on Myrkr could devastate our family and the Jedi Order. We all made a pact to keep the events that transpired a secret, but you probably should know.” He turned to me. “It’s a long story. Talon can tell you after dinner.”

It was then my mother returned with Marcus in tow. My son saw Luke and Mara and attempted to back out the door, but my mother whispered something to him that made him hesitate. She put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to the table. Marcus was doing his best to suppress his Force signature. So much so, that I really doubt my uncle or aunt could sense he was my son. “Luke, Mara, this is King Marcus the ruling monarch of the Indupar Crown Worlds.”

Luke and Mara rose to their feet looking uneasy. They probably wondered what my mother told Marcus or what she was planning. I don’t think anybody in the room had any clue as to what was going to happen next. Before Luke could say anything my mom continued her introduction. “He is also the spiritual leader of the State religion—The Bright Path. Millions of worshipers believe he is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. He is The Chosen, the Son of the Great Creator, the knower of all—the past, present and future—and the protector of the Realm.” Mom paused for a moment before continuing. “But to me…he is just my grandson.” She gestured to my father, Zylie and me. “We came to Indupar to be near Marcus because he is family.” She smiled warmly. “And we love him.”

A wide grin split Marcus’ face as he dropped his Force cloaking. He walked over and offered Uncle Luke his hand in greeting. “It is a pleasure to finally meet my great uncle and aunt.”

Luke turned and stared at me dumbfounded. “I knew you had a secret, Talon…but this I never imagined.”

Mara scoffed. “It’s Talon we’re talking about. This doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination.”

I chuckled in relief. I’m glad to be able to finally share my happiness with my extended family.

I’ll write more later. I’m currently in my bedroom and Zylie’s datapad just started beeping.

 

Great to see that he can reveal his secret

 

Wow, that major secret is now revealed about Marcus.

 

I AB-SO-LU-TE-LY love the fact that it's Kira who decides to go ahead and tell Luke and Mara the truth about Marcus. It's so in-character for her to take control of the family situation in this context and to say "enough is enough". It's also very in-character for her to give Zylie all these pregnancy tips – although I do think a beeping datapad would take the wind out of many people's sails. At the same time, it hopefully also postpones the moment Zylie will find out about Jacen, because even though that's something she needs to find out at some point it's not going to be a pleasant talk.

 

I know Talon is glad he can be somewhat open with his family. He is still keeping secrets, but he can't reveal everything at this point.

I am glad Marcus can now meet his extended family.

Thanks. Talon jokes about his mom being the boss of the family...and he's not entirely wrong. Kira really is a powerful force to be reckoned with. She is a non-Force user surrounded by a family of Jedi Knights-- she can't let them intimidate her. She has to stand up for herself and her grandson. She knew all this secrecy was tearing the family apart and she wasn't going to let it happen.

Thanks everybody for being so patient. I have been studying nonstop lately for a big test. I passed it!!!! Now I should have a little more time to write. This is a short little post I wrote today.
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Entry 67

After hours of making love I ran out of ways to delay telling Zylie the truth about Myrkr. I snuggled up next to her in bed and told her about Jacen’s fall to the darkside. I was a little surprised by her reaction. I expected her to be shocked or worried about my cousin relapsing, but she brought up issues I never really considered.

Her brow furrowed in thought. “Is your family susceptible to the darkside? Can it be genetic?”

“What? Why would you ask that?”

“Why would I ask that?” Her tone was one of pure astonishment. “We spent the last two hours trying to make a baby. Your father is an altered Luke Skywalker clone…meaning you are genetically the grandson of Darth Vader, the same as Jacen Solo.” Tension tightened the delicate features of her face. “Then you tell me your dad used a Sith technique to save your Aunt Mara…that his eyes were a jaundice Sith yellow. That means somebody in every generation of your family since Darth Vader has fell to the darkside. If I get pregnant are we going to bring into the galaxy another Sith?”

“No, no,” I reached over and gave her a reassuring hug. “My dad never turned to the darkside. He used the darkside of the Force to save my aunt, but the darkside never had a hold over him.” I stretched back on my pillows and tried to think of a good analogy. “I guess the best way to explain it is to look at spice addicts. Some people take one hit and they are hooked. They become addicted and tear apart their lives and destroy their families. Then there are people who can take a hit of spice and never use it ever again. That is my dad. He used the darkside once, but he never got hooked.”

Worry darkened her expression. “So you are saying only two out of three of your family members got hooked.” She looked down and ran a hand over her flat belly. “In other words, if we conceived a baby tonight he or she has a thirty-three percent chance of being a normal, non-Sith bundle of joy.”

I was getting a little concerned about this conversation. Zylie knew about the Skywalker ties to Darth Vader. I guess she forced herself not to dwell on the possibilities, but hearing about what happened to Jacen and dad has her concerned.

“Don’t worry Zylie…I’m fairly certain any darkside tendencies has been breed out of my immediate family.”

A confused expression crossed her face. “What?”

My shoulders slumped as I realized I had some more secrets to reveal. “I recently found out that my father’s DNA was altered much more than we once thought. He not only was designed to be bigger and more muscular…but ambition and desire for power was clipped out of his genome.”

She regarded me quizzically. “How in the world would you know that? I was told everything under Mount Tantiss was destroyed.”

I drew in a deep breath and let it out before pressing on. “Joruus C’Baoth never new about my father. He wasn’t made for that dark Jedi.” I hesitated knowing what I was about to say would bring forth more questions than answers. “The Seers. They arranged for my father to be created. I don’t know what they gave the geneticist for his cooperation, but my dad was custom made for the Seers to help make a future of their liking.” I glanced over to Zylie, but she remained quiet and focused on my story.” I blew out a frustrated breath and continued. “They have been manipulating my family for generations. They were the ones who sent Ema and the queen to Coruscant and told them to get Jedi protection. They manipulated the situation so Marcus would be created. They wanted to…”

I was going to say ‘They wanted to prevent the late king’s relative from gaining the throne’, but Zylie muttered her own theory.

“…Fulfill the prophecy.” She gazed at me intently. “Remember when we talked about the prophecy of the mountain king? Could the Seers have been trying to create their very own celestial?”

I chuckled at that preposterous theory. “No, they wanted my dad because clones create shatterpoints and allow alternate futures to form. Marcus was needed to prevent an evil man from taking the throne. Marcus is not a celestial. My father is not the mountain god.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How do you know Marcus is not a celestial? According to the local religion The Chosen would be the spirit of a celestial inhabiting a mortal body.”

I scoffed not wanting to discuss religion. “Well,” I said slowly. “If Marcus is a celestial…at least you don’t have to worry about him turning to the Darkside. He’d be above all that.”

Zylie rolled her eyes. “You have obviously have never taken a mythology class in college.”

I sighed. “You’ve seen what he’s done on Indupar and Ec Pand…all the good deeds. Do you really think there is a dark side to my son?”

She shook her head. “No. He’s a wonderful boy…like his father…and his father’s father.”

I smiled softly. “Like I said, dark side qualities have been breed out of us.” I leaned in and kissed her gently. “If you are this worried…maybe we should hold off on trying to have a family.”

“Oh no,” she whispered as she settled her head on my shoulder. “I want to be a mother…and besides, I think my mom and dad are already out buying baby clothes.”

“Well then,” I said in my best sultry voice as I ran my palm up and down the length of her body. “I guess we should get back to baby making.”

I am glad I was able to change the subject back to a more pleasurable topic…but still…Zylie’s words made me wonder. I don’t believe in all of this celestial lore, but do the Seers? Could they have been trying to make a god?

What am I thinking? It doesn’t matter if they were trying to make a god or not. There is no such thing as celestials or gods. There is the Force.

Marcus is a Force user and that’s it.

 

Interesting discussion about the dark side.
Vader was redeemed when he died

 

Zylie is persistent with understandable concerns and a very intriguing theory

 

Honestly, I never understood how his one act of compassion for his son was all the redemption he needed after killing a room full of children followed by twenty years of murder and brutality. I guess it is one of the mysteries of the Force.

She is married to a man who is genetically the grandson of Darth Vader. She was able to put that out of her mind because as far as she knew Vader was the only person afflicted with the darkside. But now she sees it is something afflicting the family. She has a right to be concerned. But Mark was genetically altered, so perhaps his kids also are missing any genetic markers that would make the Tantiss family susceptible to the darkside.
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Entry 68

Things have settled down in the past weeks. I was offered the command of a company of Void Jumpers or to take on the role of a Force instructor. If I chose the latter I would assist my father in training the Indupar Knights…including my son. That was not a difficult choice. I wanted more time with my son and taking on the role of his instructor would allow me to do just that. Also, I would be given the title of Master…so Ben can’t rub his promotion in my face anymore.

My father brought me down to the palace quartermaster shop where I would be issued my uniform. I have to admit, the Indupar Knights have a much sharper ensemble than the boring Jedi Knight robes. The outfit was similar to Imperial Knights red and black armor and cape, but the color scheme was dark blue and black. When I suited up I came out of the dressing room and addressed my father who was waiting for me. “Dad, why don’t you wear this uniform instead of that pompous, gold encrusted get-up you’ve been wearing?”

My father rolled his eyes. “I didn’t want to advertise that I was a Force-user when I was supervising the negotiations for the stygium crystals.” He walked a circle around me as he inspected my new outfit. “That looks good on you.” His bushy red beard couldn’t hide his wide grin. “You’ll make a great Master of the King’s Knights.”

I cocked my head to the side. “I thought that was your title.”

My father puffed out his chest. “I was promoted to War Master and Supreme Guardian of the realm.”

I snorted. “You made that name up.”

He laughed. “Of course I did…but it is still my official title.”

I groaned. I have no doubt that I will see that nameplate tacked to his office wall by the end of the week.

“Where’s Marcus?”

My father put a hand on my shoulder as he guided me to the door. “I’ll bring you to him.”

Entry 69

My father brought me to the local hospital and rehabilitation center. “What’s he doing here?”

"It's his new past time. You'll see." I followed my father into the therapy gym and to a back chamber equipped with two-way mirrors allowing the occupants in the room to view the interior of the gym covertly. Inside my son stood at the non-reflective side of the glass gazing at a number of youngsters doing balancing exercises. Two young males were walking up and down physical therapy stairs under the watchful eye of therapists. Another male was throwing a medicine ball up against a wall while a young female was trying her best to maintain her balance on top of a wobble board.

Marcus looked in my direction and motioned me over. “Hi, I was just checking out the progress of some of the people we liberated from the various slave traders.”

A look of disapproval crossed my father’s face before looking down at his wrist chrono. “Sorry, but I have to go.” He pointed to Marcus. “This is not healthy.”

When my father left I turned my attention to my son. “What’s that all about?”

Marcus made a dismissive wave of his hand. “Nothing. Grandfather is just over protective.”

“About what?”

Marcus blushed slightly. “About my interest in the girl.”

“Oh,” I said with a wide grin. “You have a crush?”

“No, it’s not like that,” he said with a shake of his head. “I worry about her.”

I went to the glass and looked at the young female on the wobble board. She looked about Marcus’ age, with tanned skin and dark curly hair. Her face was a mask of concentration as she practiced balancing. I noticed white scars crisscrossing her face and neck. Her injuries might be more extensive but a one-piece overall hid the rest of her body. “What happened to her?”

Marcus averted his eyes. “I guess the better question would be what hasn’t happened to her.” He reached up and ran his hand over his eyes and cheeks in an attempt to hide tears. “After I led the attack on the Nagai, grandfather lectured me about war and how it changes a person. I didn’t listen. What I did on Ec Pand felt right. In my mind it was was heroic and justified. I didn’t feel bad about killing that general. I thought as long as I was doing something for the right cause I would avoid the traumatic stress of war. For that reason I decided to lead the Vong on their first attack against the slave masters on Karazak. I was doing something honorable and we were going to try to minimize casualties. I didn’t think anything that I did there would weigh on my mind, but I was wrong.” He pointed to the young lady in the gym. “Her name is T’zana. My men found her post surgery. I have no idea what gruesome limb grafting was fated for her, but they had surgically amputated both legs below the knees, both arms at the forearms and removed both eyes.”

I groaned in disgust. “Oh Force, Marcus, you shouldn’t have had to see that.”

He nodded solemnly. “I know...it is something no one should have to see.” He drew in a deep breath. “Anyway, she was still sedated. We evacuated her to the ship and placed in the medical center. She was weaned off sedation and the ventilator. She was still groggy…but at one point she woke up…and screamed. I could hear her screams all the way down the corridor. She was looking back and forth yelling for us to turn on the lights…but they were already on. She must have felt the bandages on her face and tried to reach up to pull them off…but she didn’t have any hands.” Marcus voice cracked. “The screams…” He lowered his head and cried. “I will never forget the sound.”

“Oh, Marcus.” I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “She’s safe now. They are all safe. You saved them from a lifetime of horrors.”

He tried to force a smile on his face, but couldn’t quite manage. “We had to wait until she was fully healed to be fitted with prosthesis. She is getting the hang of her new limbs. It is taking a little longer to acclimate to the ocular implants.”

“Good, good,” I said softly. “Has her family been notified that she’s here?”

He looked at me grimly. “They are the ones who sold her to the slavers for drug money. I would build a dungeon to throw them into, but I discovered they overdosed only days after she was sold.”

I groaned is disgust. “Are you going to offer her citizenship?”

“Yes…and any medical or psychological help she needs along with occupational training.”

“That’s good. So…your granddad doesn’t like you obsessing over her injuries. I can understand that.”

I thought he was going to argue with me but he nodded in agreement. “Seeing her does bring back the memories, but it is a thousand times worse for her.”

We stood there in silence before I draped as arm around my son, desperate to change the subject. “Come on, let’s show Zylie my cool new uniform.”

He smiled broadly. “Now that you are a Force instructor are you going to let me spar with you?”

I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “As long as you promise not to punch me in the groin like you did when sparing with your grandfather. Zylie wants a baby.”

“I can’t promise you anything, but I guess we can wait a few days before sparing.”

My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” he laughed. “I was just joking, Dad.”

I don’t like it when a seer-in-training jokes about the future, but I let it slide. We went to my apartment and Zylie was very impressed with my outfit. We had a great lunch and then Marcus left to do some King business. Once he was gone Zylie and I got down to business…if you know what I mean. Ha!

Entry 70

I got some awesome news today! Zylie’s pregnant! We are both thrilled. Mom and Dad are ecstatic. When I told Marcus he appeared surprised and happy. I believe the happy part, but I have a feeling that he already knew. I guess I just have to get used to living with a seer.

 

T'Zana -- a gorgeous name for someone who's been through WAY too much horrificness Marcus should feel proud that he liberated her and so many others from unspeakable situations. But her parents -- are the true villains!

Then the tone shifts to YAY! Wonderful news for Talon and Zylie And they're settled in one place too, much better for raising a family.

 

What a way to treat that girl with parents like that.
for Zylie and Talon. Now they can settle

 

Thanks. We are coming to the end. Most secrets will be revealed. I was thinking of doing a six month diary from Marcus' POV. It would be when he is older. I was thinking about a love story where we have a multiple number of lady suitors...but I would also have to think of some type of plot. I have a few days to think about it.

I would like to see Zylie and Talon have a couple children.
I think one more post and I will be done. I need an epilogue.

Thanks everybody for reading.




Entry 71

I wanted to go over to Ec Pand and show off my new armor to Ben…but I realized I had a problem. The emblem holding on the cape was the same rising sun insignia we all saw in the anti-slavery videos that Hanna captured on her body cam. As far as I know Ben and the Jedi still believe Mokk Streke’s story about what happened on Coruscant with the virus and the Sith and that the slave trader raids were conducted by a group called the Outer Rim Abolition coalition (ORAC). When he sees the rising sun symbol on my uniform he will immediately know Marcus at the very least funded the coalition. Once he knows I’ve been lying to him about one thing he will dig and dig until he knows the entire truth.

I talked to Marcus about this problem and he gazed at me in surprise (I didn’t know I could surprise a seer) and said, “You haven’t told Ben everything? We no longer need to keep secrets from our family.” He hesitated for a moment before refining that statement. “I guess I should say you don’t need to keep secrets any longer.”

I was perplexed by that comment. “What do you mean by that?”

He gave me a knowing look. “Grandpa has secrets that need to be kept.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure if Marcus was referring to Sith knowledge my dad possessed or secrets involving the Hapan plague. I decided it was best to drop the subject.

I am off to Ec Pand.


Entry 72

I wore my new Indupar armor with gold braid around the sleeves indicating the rank of Master to meet Ben at the new Jedi Temple. I had taken off the cape, folded it carefully and carried it in my hands. I arrived to Ben and Valla’s quarters and stood outside their door nervously before ringing their door buzzer. After a few minutes Valla greeted me at the door.

“Talon!” She said as she gave me a warm hug. “It’s so good to see you.” She looked around me. “Zylie’s not here? I wanted to congratulate you two about the baby.”

“Sorry, I’m here on business. Is Ben around?”

“Sure,” she motioned for me to follow her. She led me down a hallway to a backroom. She opened the door and then pointed inside. “There you go. You’ll have to excuse me. I have some work to do for my dad’s business.”

I entered what was obviously Ben’s home office. There were built-in bookcases filled with old-fashioned tomes, holocrons, Jedi regalia and other assorted knickknacks. I spied Ben sitting behind a large wooden desk. He was wearing his Jedi robes while gazing at his datapad in deep concentration. It had been a couple weeks since I seen my cousin and I was shocked to see he was now growing a beard. He looked up to me and smiled as he stood to greet me.

“Hey Talon.” He moved around his desk to shake my hand and give me a brotherly hug. He then stepped back and gave me an appraising look. “Is that the new Indupar Knight outfit?” He whistled as he walked around me. “Wow, that does look nice.” He motioned to the office’s sitting area. “Take a seat.”

I sat on one of the two cushioned chairs as Ben sat across from me. “I hear you are going to be a father.”

I grinned ear-to-ear. “Yeah. Zylie and I are excited. When are you and Valla going to take the plunge? I know your parents have to be bugging you.”

He smiled with a shrug. “We’re talking about it. She wants to get things worked out with the family business before she makes a decision.” He looked at me expectantly for a long moment before he spoke again. “So, what can I do for you?”

I looked down at the folded cape in my hands. “Ben, I haven’t been completely truthful with you when it came to the events in the last few months.” I pulled in a deep cleansing breath and then let it out slowly as I stood. “I guess the best way to break the news is to show you.” I wrapped the cape around my shoulders and clipped it in place with the emblem with the symbol of the Bright Path on it. I was waiting for Ben to pull in a shocked breath when he recognized the symbol, but he didn’t say a thing. I thought perhaps he forgot about the holovid his sister brought back. “Do you see anything peculiar about the outfit?” I finally asked.

Ben shook his head. “No, should I?”

I pointed to the cape clasp. “I’d thought you would have questions about this symbol.”

A slight smile tugged on his lips. “Oh yeah, I have a question. When were you going to tell me that Marcus was the leader of the Vong Void Jumpers liberating slaves, or that the Sith Cult didn’t release the virus on Coruscant, but it was really Mokk Streke?”

My jaw dropped. “How did you find out?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “I am a Jedi Sentinel and I am a Jedi Master…and you are a lousy liar.”

I could feel my face heat with a blush. “How did you figure it out?”

Ben chuckled softly. “Remember when I told you what the Coruscant Intelligence agent reported to the Masters? When I said the Sith wannabe’s stole the virus and accidently released it you said something like, ‘Wait, is Streke actually saying the Sith cult is responsible for the virus release?’ and I asked you if something else happened? Well you got all panicky in the Force and made some excuse that you were just asking questions. It was obvious that you were hiding something from me. I didn’t question you about it because I knew the only reason you usually lie is to protect family members.”

He leaned back in his chair and gazed at me thoughtfully. “I figured you would eventually tell me the truth. In the meantime I did some investigating. If the cult didn’t release the midichlorian killing virus then maybe Mokk Streke did the deed to neutralize these criminal Force users. This would explain why he ordered the Jedi off planet. Void jumpers were present at the arrests of the various cult members. They were wearing the silver armor that the Vong Void Jumpers were known to wear. Initially I was confused as to how they were involved, but while here on Ec Pand I was able to use their library and I ran a search on the rising sun symbol. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was one of the various symbols of the State Church of the Bright Path. Since the Indupar Crown Worlds are not part of the Galactic Alliance this information was not known outside of the Indupar system. I knew then that you were either protecting Marcus or your father. But that still left the question of who was the Void Jumper that my sister talked to. That man was not a Force user, so he couldn’t have been your dad or Marcus. She said she was sure he was at your knighting ceremony and your wedding. I know you said you looked over all of the invites to both events and all of your Void Jumper buddies had alibis for the days my sister spoke to the man, but I figured you would forget to look at the list of the hired help or security personnel and guess who I found present on both of those occasions?”

I looked down at the floor before answering. “Deke Tavik.”

Ben grinned as he pointed a finger at me. “You got it. You’re dad’s best friend who coincidently supplied us with the holovid of the Vong and warned all of us that Streke was building an army of Jedi killers and that we should leave Coruscant. This is also the same guy who gets awesome intel that has saved the life of Tenel Ka and her family over and over again. My guess is his intel is coming from either Marcus or the seers. Or am I wrong?”

I looked away shamefaced. “No, you’re right…I guess you know everything.”

Ben barked out a caustic laugh. “No, but I intend on getting my unanswered questions resolved now.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. I came over to Ec Pand to reveal to Ben the truth, so he could ask any question he wants and I would answer…well, maybe I would keep quiet about the Galaxy Gun. Nobody needs to know that my father and son contemplated genocide. “What do you want to know?”

Ben leaned back in his chair. “Is your dad the mimetic man?”

I nodded.

“Was Streke actually attacked by a man with a lightsaber?”

“Yes and it was my father that saved him.”

Ben’s brow shot up. “That I didn’t figure. So one of those cult members attacked Streke?”

“No,” I muttered. “I mean yes…sort of.”

Ben ran a hand over his face in frustration. “Talon, don’t make me play fifty questions with you. Just tell me what’s going on.”

I shifted in my chair uncomfortably. “It wasn’t a cult of weak Force users. Coruscant was infiltrated by Sith…actual card-carrying Sith Lords from a planet named Kesh. They got trapped on that outer rim world over a thousand years ago. From what my dad said the Sith Meditation Sphere helped some Sith escape and they were the ones pirating ships in Imperial space. They came to Coruscant and were trying to infiltrate the government. The seers figured it out and came up with a solution such as the virus or using Vong Void jumpers to eventually capture or kill the Sith.”

Ben just sat there dumbfounded. “Why didn’t you tell the Jedi?”

I looked down at the floor. “Because the seers said the Jedi would interfere with ending the problem?”

“What?” Ben waved his hand at me in frustration. “Why would the Jedi interfere with the capture of Sith?”

I blew out a nervous breath. “If the virus didn’t work…then they might have to be killed.”

Ben gazed at me intently. “You and I both know lethal force might have to be used in any apprehension. What is the real reason, Talon?”

Kriff! He knew I was lying about something. “I think it is best that you don’t know the details. It could cause a rift between our families.”

Ben gazed down at the floor. I could tell he was disappointed in me. “Talon, I have kept your son secret from my family since we first discovered his paternity. You know you can trust me.”

“I know I can Ben. That’s not the reason I don’t want to tell you.”

“Then why?” he insisted.

I looked away. “Because my father and Marcus made some decisions that even I couldn’t stomach. I can’t imagine how you would feel about the truth.”

That comment drove him to silence for a long while. “Talon…are we talking about a slip to the darkside?”

I chuckled softly. “No, nothing that bad.”

When I didn’t continue Ben said, “Talon, your father has saved both of our lives. He has saved the lives of my parents and your mother. He was instrumental in preventing the Vong invasion. He helped bring Jacen back from the darkside. He destroyed a Sith meditation sphere and you just told me he helped rid Coruscant of a Sith menace. I don’t think there is anything you can say about your father that will change my view of him. He was my Jedi Master and I love and respect him. Nothing will change that.”

I remained in silent contemplation.

“Come on,” Ben exclaimed. “You know you want to tell me.”

I laughed nervously. “The ‘come on’ argument only works on my father.” I paused. “But I do want to tell you.” I closed my eyes briefly before forging on. “My dad told me that if the virus didn’t work to neutralize the Sith and the government couldn’t blockade Kesh to keep them contained…then there was talk of using the Galaxy Gun to destroy the Sith planet.”

“Oh,” Ben muttered softly. He ran a hand over his chin stubble in thought. “They didn’t have to use the gun…did they?”

“No.”

Ben nodded. “It was a contingency plan that didn’t come to pass. I assume the seers were giving Marcus and your father guidance as to the possible future outcomes. They must have seen the possibility of something very, very bad in the future for your father to contemplate the destruction of a planet.”

“What I worry about is your dad’s response.” I looked Ben in the eye. “You know he still has problems with the use of the Galaxy Gun on the Vong invaders. What will he think if he knew my dad anticipated using the weapon again? It could cause a rift between our fathers.”

“Yeah, I can see your concern.” He gave a weary smile. “Unlike the Vong invasion, the Galaxy Gun was not used. It was just a ‘what if’ contingency plan to handle the worst-case scenario. I don’t see the need to tell my father about that small detail.”

I let out a relieved breath. “Thanks.”

He gave a reassuring gesture. “No problem. Can I assume all the secrets have now been revealed?”

A frustrated groan escaped my lips. “Not really. There is the fact that the seers hired Jorus C’baoth’s geneticist cloner to create my father without the dark Jedi’s knowledge and place him somewhere where your dad and Han would find him so that my father would create Shatter Points that could lead to possible futures without war. Oh yeah, the geneticist also did genetic alterations in my father’s DNA to make him less likely to turn to the darkside because they knew he could gain Palpatine’s memories.”

Ben’s jaw went slack. “What?”

I had to chuckle at my cousin’s surprise. I guess the awesome Jedi Sentinel didn’t see that one coming. Ha!

I spent the next hour telling Ben all I knew about the Sith situation. It felt good not having to hide the truth from my best friend.

 

Ben knew some and now Talon can reveal more about the truth

 

Thanks for reading. I really appreciate all your reviews!

Well, I want to do a mini-DDC starting tomorrow using Marcus' POV, so I better finish this diary.

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Entry 73

The last few weeks have flown by. Ben explained everything to his parents and I didn’t get too much grief from them about keeping secrets. I am fairly certain Ben didn’t mention the Galaxy Gun to Uncle Luke or Aunt Mara because they never brought it up in a conversation.

Tonight my parents, Marcus, Zylie and I are attending the official opening and dedication of the new Jedi Temple. Marcus won’t be the only royal in attendance. There will be Queen Tenel Ka and her family and Emperor and Empress Fel. I am a little nervous because this will be the first time my entire family gets to meet my son.

Entry 74

We docked the royal shuttle in the temple’s largest docking bay. My mother and Zylie were decked out in formal dresses. My father and I were wearing the blue and black armor of the Indupar Knights. Marcus donned a dark blue military frockcoat with gold aiguillette over his right shoulder (which I was told signified royalty) and a red sash over his left. He wore his lightsaber clipped to a black leather belt on his waist.

“How do I look?” Marcus asked as he straightened his coat and belt.

“You look so cute,” Zylie practically cooed.

My father frowned. “Handsome. Boys are handsome.”

“He is a very handsome boy,” my mother agreed happily.

Marcus rolled his eyes and probably wished he never asked the question.

I lowered the ship boarding-ramp and we all filed down. My father and I were in the lead, followed by my son and behind him the ladies. As we walked across the bay I noticed many of the Indupar citizens working within the bay drop down to the floor, prostrating themselves in reverence to my son. I was a little surprised. I have seen his loyal subjects bow or kneel but I’ve never witnessed them dropping to their knees and bending forward until their face was on the ground as I did now. I looked back to Marcus and saw him waving for the people to rise. When he realized I was looking at him he blushed. “They are not bowing because I am king. They are Bright Path followers. To them I am something more.”

When Marcus didn’t elaborate my father whispered to me. “To them he is their god.”

We departed the bay and entered an elevator that would bring us to the main hall on the ground floor. Upon exiting the elevator my senses were assaulted by the blare of brass horns announcing the entrance of the king. This was followed a very loud, baritone voiced shouting, “Ladies and gentle beings, His Majesty King Marcus of Indupar!” At this point the Indupar National Anthem began to play. We stood at attention until the music ended. Marcus then waved to all in attendance. “Please carry on.”

I then acted as Marcus’ Aide-de-camp and introduced him to all in attendance, to include Jaina and Jag and then Tenel Ka and Jacen.

I suppressed a groan when Jacen called his daughters over and introduced them to the young king. “Your Highness, this is my youngest, Princess Teela an her older sister Princess Allana.”

Allana extended her hand in greeting. “I have been looking forward to meeting you.”

Marcus gave her a devastating smile that I swear made the preteen Princess practically swoon. I glared at Jacen who made a ‘what?’ expression.

He knows they are second cousins, but doesn’t care. According to Jacen, just about every eligible Hapan royal male that Allana could marry is related to her in some way. To Hapans second cousins are more than just ‘kissing cousins’; they are marriage material.

I guided Marcus away from Allana…much to the Princess’ displeasure…and over to his other cousins. Anakin and Tahiri were there minus their children. According to Anakin, “We wanted some time alone as a couple.”

I waved to Ben when I saw him. He has a full-fledged red beard going on. He looks like a younger version of my father. “Nice to see you Marcus,” he said as he pulled my son into a hug. I noticed some of the wait staff appeared shocked by my cousin’s familiarity, but they quickly returned to work when they realized their King was smiling warmly and not at all offended.

My father had wandered off and was talking to Tenel Ka’s head security officer, Deke Tavik. When Hanna Skywalker walked by Deke he called out to her. “Hey Hanna, nice seeing you again,” he said with a smirk and a wink.

She shook her head in frustration. “I should stun you right here and now as payback.”

Deke smiled broadly. “I’m sorry about that, but I wouldn’t have stunned you if you hadn’t been stalking me.” He motioned a hand down his body. “But I can understand the allure. I am gorgeous.”

Hanna pointed to Deke. “I don’t know how Tenel Ka tolerates you.” She then turned and stormed off.

“Master Tantiss,” my son whispered to me. “I need to join the Grand Master at the podium.”

I nodded as I escorted my son to the end of the room where I saw Uncle Luke standing. My son and I address each other formally when in public. Although my family now knows our relationship to each other, the general public is still unaware of Marcus’ real paternity.

Marcus climbed the steps up to the stage where the podium was located. I remained at the foot of the stairs acting as security. Marcus shook Uncle Luke’s hand and then motioned to the podium, indicating that Luke should start the ceremony.

“I am delighted to welcome everybody to the dedication ceremony of the new Jedi Temple," Uncle Luke began. "I am greatly honored to have so many regal guests in attendance—King Marcus of Indupar, Emperor and Empress Fel, Queen Tenel Ka of Hapes, along with her Royal Consort Jacen Solo and my sister, the Former Princess of Alderaan.” Luke waited for the light applause to die down before continuing. “I first and foremost wish to extend my thanks to King Marcus for graciously donating such a beautifully designed building for the Jedi to train and live. The facility has all the amenities seen in the Coruscant temple and much more. King Marcus and I have discussed joint training ventures between the Jedi and Indupar Knights and I look forward to a long and rewarding relationship between our two organizations.”

Uncle Luke then turned the podium over to Marcus.

“Thank you Grand Master Skywalker and a heartfelt thanks to all the Jedi Knights and Masters who have pledged to assist in the defense of Ec Pand and ensure the safety of our stygium crystal mines. As most people know, the crystals are used in the creation of cloaking devices. If a hostile government captured the crystals they could become a formable foe with the ability to spread death and destruction throughout the galaxy unchecked. The Indupar Crown Worlds and the Galactic Alliance are determined to safeguard such a powerful military asset.” Marcus looked at the Jedi in attendance and smiled warmly. “The Indupar people and I are dedicated to making the Jedi feel at home. If there is anything the Order desires I will strive to meet your needs. Thank you once again. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in the coming weeks and months.” He turned the microphone over to the Grand Master.

“Thank you King Marcus.” He looked over the crown and grinned. “I’m not going to stand up here and give a longwinded speech.”

That comment was greeted by a loud applause causing Luke to laugh. “King Marcus and I want to keep this informal. We will be milling around answering questions. Also there is an open bar in the next room over.”

Somebody gave out a loud, excited shout. I turned and realized it was Uncle Han who was already moving toward the free alcohol.

As I walked through the grand hall shaking hands with old friends a sense of tranquility fell over me. Marcus had told me when he looked to the time streams he saw peace. I like the sound of that. I will be able to live in peace on Indupar and raise my son…and in seven months Zylie and I will welcome a new life into the world. We haven’t officially found out the sex from the doctor…Zylie said she wants to be surprised, but it is hard to surprise a Force-user. I can sense the baby is a girl. I’m going to have a girl!

Everything is turning out perfect. It was a hard, bumpy road getting to this point, but it was well worth it.

I have a wonderful son, a beautiful pregnant wife and all of my family located in one solar system.

I used to get angry when I thought about what the seers did to manipulate my family, but everything turned out for the best. This couldn’t have worked out better if I planned it myself.

I am looking forward to what the future will bring.

 

@Jedi_Lover -- I adored this wrap-up with the teasing of Marcus, the swooning Allana and the eloquent and short! speeches. Marcus is a very poised and sincere and competent leader.

I share Talon's joy in how well things have turned out.

This has been one well-written riveting ride with many twists and turns & a very gratifying conclusion!