Beyond - Legends Saga "From Such Infinite Space" | UDC X; Multi-era, Ensemble Cast

Thank you! Some of my favorite characters are a bit obscure, so I enjoyed shining a light on them here.

Indefatigable, you could say!

Found family and families of blood and adopted family and families of choice - I love them all, and they're all here.

It just fits, because that is exactly Palpatine's MO. (What's that v_i said about this twisted platonic child groomer? )

Also, I will never be over Maul and Mara and their unlikely bond. Never, I say!

Of course.

Thank you!

!!

To a T!

Leia does have that ruthless Skywalker streak.

Exactly! And something tells me that Ezra gives her ample opportunity to do just that!

Thank you! I loved pairing all of the pretty words with all of the pretty aesthetics and feelings here.

The good stuff all around! I'm happy to provide.

Quinlan is another sassy trash king, long may he reign, and I love writing his smirky, irreverent self so, so much. (Also, Aayla/Bly! )

I agree! I've shipped more than a few immortal/mortal-esque pairings in my time, and this right here is what it all boils down to. It always hurts so good.

Thank you!

THAT'S SUCH A FASCINATING IDEA, I LOVE YOUR RAMBLING THOUGHTS.

Honestly, I ran with the jungle portion of Ossus for its Yavin-esque vibes with the Praxeum, but I love considering this, too. (Also: NEN. )

I HAVE SO MANY SONG!VERSE/NJO MASH-UP PLOT BUNNIES AND THEY ARE RABID, LEMME TELL YOU.

There's so much to love! These absolute darlings.

Exactly! Just as the Light would rejoice in. (I need to write more HSSV just to develop that idea even further. )

It felt good to have all of the Obi-Wan and Skywalker family feels here - in the happiest of ways, for once.

Aw, thank you so much! And an extra thank you for giving me such excellent prompts to work with! It's been an absolute joy so far!

I grinned such a grin for this! Thank you for the lovely compliment.

"What's there to miss about the sand?" ~ Anakin Skywalker (probably)

It was heart wrenching to write, too, lemme tell you!

Thank you.

Exactly! It's a self-perpetuating circle, that love and worry.

Thank you! I am a sucker for Luke and Leia learning about their heritage in any way, and Bail strikes me as the type who would most certainly make sure that Leia knows the truth, no matter what lies the Emperor tries to spin otherwise.

That really is one of the core questions of SW, especially the PT! I am so happy to know that struck you.

Thank you for your kind and heartfelt review. I'm so happy that you enjoyed.

It's what we're best at.

LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!

I agree with this more than words can express. Soft and feminine and badass and brilliant can and should go together! One doesn't negate the other, and I love how you brought up the opposite with preconceived roles about gender, too. People contain multitudes, exactly!! A+ meta is A+!!

I can't see Quinlan having the patience for this kind of nonsense with anyone, let alone with Aayla and a potential love interest, and especially when that love interest is Bly.

*passes tissue*

Thank you!

NEVER RESIST, I SAY. Is there a higher compliment?

They're a top shelf OTP for a reason.

Old way, what old way? Not in this 'verse, I say!

A HUNDRED TIMES, THIS!!! Anakin's head is still in his shebs with disliking/distrusting Maul in this 'verse, but Mara gets what's what. That's exactly why their potential dynamic hit me like a ton of bricks in the first place, and now that I've seen it I cannot unsee it, I just love them so much.

AND THIS, TOO!!! Because Padmé would be such an amazing matriarch, no doubt about it. Since canon failed her in that regard, I love writing these happy AU moments, instead.

This absolute grump is an absolute grump; old habits sure die hard, and all that. Plus, Maul has a voice that is just so extra, and I love writing him for just that reason! After TCW and Rebels, it's almost strange to remember that he said a grand total of two whole sentences in TPM. He didn't even monologue or snark at his enemies once, which is so OOC.

Thank you.

I'm just calling it like I see it.

!!

Thank you! I love writing alien physiology for just that reason whenever I can.

!!

That was one of my favorite things about the Praxeum on Yavin, so that just fell into place with the Temple on Ossus, too. I agree!

One of SW's finest OTPs for a reason.

I WILL SPRINKLE ALL OF THE HAPPINESS IN THIS 'VERSE LIKE CONFETTI, JUST YOU WATCH ME.

Once again, thank you so much for reading, and for taking the time to leave such awesome feedback!

All the good things, indeed!





~ MJ

 

Author's Notes: This week, I have an assortment of Solo/Skywalker Legends family feels to share. My title is borrowed from Battlefield, by Svrcina, which is one of my favorite songs ever and fits a broad assortment of SW ladies.

Enjoy!

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Week V: “I Will Be Your Sword and Shield (and you will be mine)”​

XXI. Undulant

Jaina Solo felt the Force best whenever she was in motion – when past and future and here and now collided and she simply knew what came next, whether she was at the helm of a starfighter or holding a lightsaber in hand. She’d leave contemplating the meaning of the universe to Jacen, and she’d never be on par with her baby brother Anakin, who simply embodied the Force the same as his namesake. Instead -

- she beamed at her aunt, who fought and flew like the dancer she’d once been, and exclaimed, “You’ve got to teach me that next!”

Mara Jade's eyes twinkled in answer.



XXII. Brackish

“Stang it, you son of a Hutt!”

Jaina snatched her hand back from the Falcon’s open navigational console, glaring at the offending wire as if it'd shocked her on purpose. Beside her, Han Solo flashed a lopsided grin. “Enough of that, young lady,” he chided – but not for her language. “Is that how you speak to family?”

“Family? I swear, Dad, this ship is out to get me!”

“Nah, she likes you just fine – and better than most. She’s just a little feisty – a little salty, even – like the best ladies are. Listen closely; she’ll tell you exactly what she needs.”



XXIII. Jettison

She was ready to jettison the Vong ship back into space and be done with it.

Elbow-deep in the guts of the control panel and covered in organic sludge, Jaina was at a loss. It was rare when the mechanics of anything that moved escaped her, but this . . .

“Can I lend a hand?”

Biting back the urge to tell Jagged Fel that he could space himself along with the ship, Jaina growled, “How can you possibly help with this?”

But Jag was already rolling up his sleeves. “I’m used to a different kind of technology. At the very least, I can offer another point of view.”



XXIV. Lugubrious

“Darth Lugubrious, really?”

“Come on, Jace – you and I both know that you’d choose some ridiculously obscure name for a Sith title.”

“Obscure, sure. I wouldn’t call myself something obvious like Darth Horrendous, but can Ben even say Lugubrious?”

“Lugubrious!” their four-year-old cousin chirped, right on cue – much to Jacen’s displeasure.

Haughtily adjusting the blanket wrapped around her shoulders as a makeshift cape, Jaina lifted her broom-handle lightsaber high with a flourish that she’d once perfected in her guise as Yun-Harla. “His Majesty Ben Skywalker has spoken: you are the fiend Darth Lugubrious, and as his most loyal knight, it is my duty to vanquish you!”



XXV. Harbor

It was deep in the night cycle when Leia felt Jaina’s presence at the door.

She waited for her to come in closer – even all these years later, there was still a hesitance about their relationship that required a gentle touch – and was rewarded for her patience. Jaina bit her lip, clearly conflicted, but she didn’t have to say anything aloud – Leia could sense her unease like storm-clouds obscuring the light of a sun. She’d had many similar nights since fighting the Empire (since losing Alderaan; Chewie; Anakin; Jacen), and for every battle they’d waged since then . . .

Wordlessly, she opened her arms, and offered her daughter a haven.



~ MJ

 

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed.

Thank you.

I'm glad you enjoyed.

*takes a bow* I am always happy to share ALL OF THE JAINA FEELS! Thank you so much for your kind words!

Aw, you honor me! But honest to goodness, that's the best thing about our little community and transformative works in general - just how transformative they are.

SO MANY WORDS, SO LITTLE TIME!!

So, so much!

She really is!

That definitely was a line of sibling snark, for all that it could have been a compliment.

It's a wonderful relationship with so much potential, that profic seemed to forget all about! (As it did with so many relationships. ) But that's what fanfic is for.

The three of them really sums it up.

I have a love/hate relationship with Dark Journey as a whole, but my gosh, Jag and Jaina's relationship was such a fantastic element of that book and one of the few good things to come out of the NJO as a whole. Jag's patience (to a point) for all of Jaina's snark and general grief-bordering-on-dark-side bad mood is always something I will enjoy reading/writing about. He's lost siblings, too - he understands. Plus, it's all that Corellian stubbornness playing out for the best.

I didn't even realize that Caedus was based on a real word until years after LoTF. Obscure, indeed!

That was honestly me writing this, too. At first, I thought that I was going to hand-wave canon for some sort of vaguely happy post-NJO AU - as I usually prefer to do - but then the last drabble with Leia sorta crept up on me wrote itself and I was like: yep. That packs a far different punch now.

Because it's just so senseless, you're right.

Thank you so much for your kind words, as always! It's fun to dip back into canon every once in a while, as much as I love all of our AUs.

And, as for this next set . . .

Thank you! I just love their dynamic so much, and it wasn't explored nearly enough in profic, gosh darnit!

The one did lead perfectly into the other!

I promise that I didn't mean for that one to be angsty at all! It just sorta happened.

*passes tissue*

Aw, thank you! I liked Jaina less and less as canon went on, to be honest, but at the core I do adore her character and think that she had so much potential. So it was fun exploring that character - along with so many others - here, as I could.

That is an excellent point, and it makes their dynamic even funnier.

Agreed! I've seen that characterization, too, and I've always been kind of 'meh' about it. Everyone needs a hobby, anyway, and for Mara, imagining that this was one thing that she honestly enjoyed and took for herself from her in all other ways awful and messed up early life . . . yep. I infinitely prefer that characterization.

Then: Mara and Jaina! That's an A+ dynamic with so much potential - one that canon slept on past a certain point, once again. So it's left to us to fix that as we fanfic authors do.

I just couldn't resist.

Exactly! I knew that was the angle I wanted to take with "brackish" from the first. The rest of the drabble just wrote itself.

Just as I was saying in my replies to Vi: amen to that!

Honest to goodness, I only meant to have fun with a prompt like "lugubrious" but then I accidentally made myself - and all of my readers - sad!

Ben: 1, Jacen: 0. They started early, it would seem.

As you wish - see the next set for more.

Again, though, you know I completely agree! There are not enough Solo/Skywaker interactions - especially for simple, everyday family moments like this - in canon. So it's up to us to fix that lack with fanfiction.

You know . . . fair. I walked right into that one. At least it seems that I am in most excellent company.





~ MJ

 

Author's Note: My working title for this was: the one where I let the Solo/Skywalker family (and extended family) be an actual family. So, that said, enjoy all of the bittersweet NJO feels. (The title I ended up actually using is borrowed from Ivan Torrent's Dandelion, which was very much stuck in my head as I wrote. )

Then, this set also includes two bonus drabbles from the extra prompts ViariSkywalker was kind enough to provide. It was only a matter of time before I used them, and here they are.

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Week XI: “Feed the Sun; Warm the Dawn”​

XXVI. Twine

Aboard the Song of War, Tenel Ka watched her mother don her jeweled crown and scaled armor. Over the years, Teneniel had adopted a merging of Hapan and Dathomiri fashions, though she still braided her hair in the style of their foremothers.

Tenel Ka then bowed her head for Teneniel to braid her own hair. A small, girlish part of her wanted to ask how she managed, twining together two such disparate heritages, when she yet struggled to achieve a similar balance herself.

Instead, with so much uncertainty awaiting them at Fondor and beyond, Tenel Ka closed her eyes, and listened to her mother sing.



XXVII. Acrid

The sound of cursing echoed from the Falcon’s flight deck.

Any hesitation Anakin Solo felt for imposing on what was hallowed ground for his father (for Uncle Chewie) disappeared as he ran towards the sound, expecting the worse. He skid to a halt to see Han kneeling with a hydrospanner by the co-pilot’s chair – which he was clearly attempting to remove for its more human-sized replacement, propped up and waiting against the bulkhead.

Immediately, Anakin tasted an acrid surge of bile as his eyes burned. I’m sorry would never be enough, but he so desperately wanted it to be. He wished . . .



Embrace

“I’m putting this in for your mother. The old seat was . . . well, it’s too big for her.” Awkwardly, Han paused. “Do you want to give me a hand?”

Anakin hesitated, even as hope flared like a sunburst in his heart. Seeing his uncertainty, Han frowned, before: “C’mere, kid.”

He opened an arm in welcome, and that was all it took for Anakin to dart forward and cling to his father like a lifeline. “I’m sorry,” tumbled from his mouth, over and over again. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” Han’s voice was hoarse as he held him tighter. “I’m sorry, too.”



XXVIII. Glimmer

Sometimes, it was easy to forget just how young her niece was – no younger than she'd been, perhaps, serving the Emperor, and yet . . .

Well, wasn’t it the goal of everyone who fought as they'd fought, to see the next generation walk an easier path than the one they had trod? That was a sentiment Mara Jade understood all the more so, now that she was expecting . . .

“You’re going to be okay, then?” Jaina’s eyes glimmered, even as she smiled such a smile, radiant in the Force with joy.

“Yes,” Mara matched her smile. “I’m going to be okay.”



XXIX. Havoc

“I’d like to say that the odd hours get better after the baby comes, but they don’t.”

Leia met her sister-in-law’s eyes in commiseration. It was deep in the night cycle, and she’d decided for a cup of tea to remedy her own sleeplessness. A very different reason had inspired Mara to seek out the galley, but it was a refreshing dose of normalcy, something as simple as pregnancy cravings when so much else was chaos and uncertainty in the galaxy beyond.

“On that note,” wryly, Mara joined her, “there are a few things I’ve been meaning to ask you.”



Elusive

There was one good thing about being old friends with the newly crowned Queen Mother: an unlimited access to the palace’s kitchens, no questions asked.

Of course, little would have stopped Jaina from doing as she pleased anyway. She couldn’t sleep – she didn’t want to sleep, for what dreams awaited her (Jacen reaching out and Jacen needing her and Anakin flaring white-hot in the Force before collapsing in on himself like a star gone supernova). Instead, she’d long ago learned that, while a carton of blue-milk ice cream didn’t solve all of life’s woes, it certainly didn’t make them worse.



XXX. Reunion

It was then that she sensed a familiar presence. Jaina felt a pang to see Tenel Ka, lingering by the doorway and clearly hesitant to join her. She’d done that, hadn’t she? She’d spiraled so deeply and darkly, lashing out at everyone around her, when her friend too had lost . . .

(Her friends, her mother, her . . . Jacen.)

“Ice cream for your troubles?” Jaina extended her spoon in welcome. “I mean, technically it’s your ice cream already, but . . .”

Please, she felt burn as a wordless entreaty in the Force. I don’t want to lose you, too.

Tenel Ka reached out, and accepted her offering.

Spoiler: End Notes

Acrid and Embrace are kind of a precursor to Not Knowing When the Dawn Will Come, in my old Constellations collection. (The timelines don't exactly match up, but eh, I'm hand-waving that as trifles. ) I wrote that ficlet in response to Han and Leia's portrayal in the ST, so, um, you can say that salty spite inspired this entire set in multiple ways.

~ MJ

 

That really was this week in a nutshell.

Thank you! I am so glad that you enjoyed!

All the greats, I agree! Thanks so much for reading.





~ MJ

 

Author's Notes: After last week, I figured that I owed you guys some Skywalker family feels without that edge of angst. (Or at least, with less angst. ) My title for this set is borrowed from Heirloom, by Sleeping at Last - which may be more of an Anakin and Luke song than a Luke and Ben song, but . . . yeah, it fits.

As always, I thank you all for reading and hope that you enjoy!

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Week VII: "Heirloom"​

XXXI. Distortion

“Daddy, what’s wrong with your hand?!”

The alarm in his four-year-old son’s voice – along with the way Ben flared in the Force, his presence pulsing with horror and a roiling sense of anxiety – was unmistakable. Startled, Luke looked up from where he'd been calibrating the servos in his prosthetic hand. It was late, and Ben was supposed to be sleeping – he'd thought that Ben was sleeping – but now -

“I’m okay,” Luke gently assured him. He closed the access panel and offered his hand for his son’s inspection. “See? This is just . . . an old hurt, from long ago.”



XXXII. Synthesize

Ben processed his words – undoubtedly remembering what he’d been taught about accepting diversity in all lifeforms, including those with cybernetic implants. Still, Luke keenly felt his worry as he asked, “Does it still hurt?”

It was an old memory: that of a scarlet blade and the rasping bass of an inhuman voice. (Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.) His wrist burned with a phantom pain, even as he inhaled deeply, choosing to remember Anakin Skywalker, restored to the light as Darth Vader died, and -

(You already have.)

“ - no, Ben, it doesn’t hurt . . . not anymore.”



XXXIII. Amplify

“You can still feel me, right?”

With his most pressing fears thus soothed, Ben logically proceeded with his next question. His blue eyes – his father’s eyes and his grandfather’s eyes, as they’d been at the end – narrowed, even as his brow furrowed in an expression reminiscent of his mother. He took his proffered hand, and with slow, deliberate motions, turned his palm over before examining each one of his fingers. Luke fought not to smile as Ben pressed harder than he usually would – as if to make sure that his touch was felt.

“Yes,” he answered. “I can feel you.”



XXXIV. Oscillate

“How’d it happen?”

Luke fought not to laugh for the question – or, more accurately, for the way he tilted his head in a gesture that was definitely all Mara when she was curious – even as he steered Ben away from the subject. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Ben frowned, and Luke held up his hand to forestall any further argument. “How about,” he offered instead, “we get you tucked back in bed, and I’ll tell you another story about Anakin Skywalker?”

Ben considered that.

“The one with the gundarks?” finally, he accepted the compromise.

“The one with the gundarks.”



XXXV. Irradiate

Even after Ben was asleep – and Luke lingered at his bedside, just watching him breathe – his own rest proved more elusive. He’d made peace with his father’s memory, and yet, especially now that he was a father himself, he couldn’t imagine ever . . .

Again, his wrist burned as he flexed the fingers of his inorganic hand.

You’ve been all over the place tonight, farmboy, Mara’s voice finally stirred in his mind. No matter the distance between them, he felt warmed in the light of their bond. Is everything okay?

Yes, Luke turned into her presence like an embrace, it is now.



~ MJ

 

Thank you! I loved writing this family moment for all three of them.

Thanks!

I'm relieved to hear it!

Yes, this! Children quite literally sneak up on you, regardless all of their bells and whistles, so to speak.

(Also, this fits doubly for the Darth Vader being a giant toddler when you boil his character down to its base root. )

I love that you were able to approach these drabbles with your own unique circumstances in mind!

Exactly! Teaching kids to appreciate diversity is so important - and especially in the GFFA with its myriad of different sentient beings.

IT'S HERE! (And also, that comic scan was perfect in all its angsty splendor. Way to make that scene hit all over again. )

Those two lines are a favorite of mine, too!

I second this times a hundred!

Even for a four-year-old Skywalker, it's true. Ben can learn about Anakin Skywalker now, and Darth Vader later.

This is so true! My niece is a similar such pro at counteroffers. It's always hysterical to watch her go when she bucks against bedtime.

AMEN TO THIS!!! Also, your comment inspired a line in my next week of drabbles when I was stuck and further unlocked the whole set. So, thank you.

My goodness, but the sheer angsty glory of this. Now that you point it out, this just fits and I can't unsee it.

I like my angst with a side of warm and fluffy mush, please and thank you.

As always, thank you so much for reading! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed these drabbles and hope you continue to do so!



~ MJ

 

Author's Notes: How is it Week 14 already, and I'm still all the way back at Week 8? Somehow, time just flew, but here I am with my next set of drabbles and every intention of catching back up!

Towards that end, my muse was a bit extra and wrote responses to both the alternate prompts ViariSkywalker gave me and the main challenge prompts. What can I say? I was a sucker for this week's theme, and the muse will have what the muse wants! (They're all über drabbles, too, at about 105-130 words apiece, but I need to catch up and decided not to spend any more time editing them down, so there. ) Now, without further ado, here's a grab-bag of very mixed TCW emotions, all generously flavored with angst. Enjoy!

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Week VIII: “The Weight of Water”​

XXXVI. Assent

In some ways, Anakin grappled with his new title of General even more so than that of Knight. While he wanted to affect change (after all, when the galaxy was safe again, he and Padmé could – ), he faltered to see his newly deployed captain standing at attention before the infinite rows of silent, white-armored men – his battalion, now.

“What are your orders, General?”

(“I’m ready to serve, Master Watto,” he remembered being all of seven and hardly able to stand after his last crash. But his master lost money betting on him, and a useless slave was a dead slave, and - )

Anakin hesitated, and yet: for Padmé. With that, he buried his unease and gave his first command.



Celerity

Their new commander was small and clever and fast – just as fast as an aiwha soaring through the waves and twice as graceful – but, ultimately, a rookie just the same as any other shiny fresh from the rain.

She was proud, too – proud as would only see good soldiers killed on battlefields they may have otherwise survived. So, Rex didn’t hesitate to bruise that pride – pinning her to the training mat with a force that had to ring in her montrals only seconds into their match.

“I told you, sir, experience is everything. Never assume you have the upper hand, just because you’re a Jedi.”

Ahsoka’s blue eyes burned before she finally grinned, accepting his hand up and asking him to show her everything.



XXXVII. Embody

In, and out.

Deeply, Obi-Wan breathed, seeking beyond his conscious self. In that moment, he was one with the Force, just as the Force was one with -

- a sharply drawn breath.

- a snort of laughter.

Obi-Wan didn’t have to open his eyes to know that Anakin and Ahsoka were hardly engrossed in their own meditation. Wearily, he fought a sigh.

“C’mon, knock it off, Skyguy, or Master Obi-Wan will - ”

“ - knock what off, Snips? You’re the one talking.”

- a huff of annoyance.

- a playful shove.

Despite himself, Obi-Wan smiled. Deeply, he continued to breathe.

In, and out.



XXXVIII. Perfunctory

“How are you hanging in there, angel?”

Her first, automatic response of I am well, thank you clammed on her tongue. No, she wasn’t well. She was tired; she hadn’t slept in nights – in years, it sometimes seemed – and she had a crick in her neck from where she’d finally succumbed to her exhaustion slumped over her desk. Her head ached, both literally and figuratively from being so strong for so many for so long, but now -

Padmé reminded herself that she was neither queen or senator here; the title of Amidala had no bearing when she was wife and beloved, instead, so -

“It’s been difficult,” she answered honesty, “but I’m better now with you.”



XXXIX. Specimen

Stops at the GAR medstations were a necessary evil for the battalion. Beyond the stark white lights and the sharp, synthetic smells irritating her nose, it didn’t sit right with her, the way her men were less than themselves around the Kaminoan technicians. Their heartbeats raced in her montrals – their discordant rhythms more befitting the frontlines than a place of supposed healing – no matter that their faces gave nothing away, while the Kaminoans, in their turn . . .

. . . Kami Ra looked at Rex like he was a specimen in a lab, and not a living, sentient being all his own.

“CT-,” the Kaminoan began, and Ahsoka felt her teeth flash.

“Rex,” she interrupted. “His name is Rex.”



Squall

There were times when his Jedi’s temper flared like a squall over calm water before he recognized his anger and grappled to bring it under control.

General Skywalker wasn’t quite like any other Jedi Rex had yet to meet – or any Jedi he’d long been trained to expect – but he was his Jedi. He’d watch his six, even against himself.

The unspoken lines between them didn’t allow Rex to place a hand on Anakin’s shoulder the way he would for one of his brothers. Even so, he stood beside his General without a word, shoulder squared to shoulder and ready to leap into action at his command.



Tide

Padmé quickly adopted Anakin’s Padawan as something of her own. (She’d always wanted to be a mother, and while an apprentice was not a daughter or even a sister, Ahsoka was . . . well, she was theirs.)

As such, Padmé recognized how it felt to shrug free from the pull of a tide and let the weight of the ocean fall from her shoulders. Ahsoka fingered an intricately beaded dress in her wardrobe – girlishly awed and delighted – and Padmé remembered washing the white mask of office from her face and again allowing herself to be -

- well, suffice to say, she uniquely knew what it was to be both woman and child and leader, all at once. Warmly smiling, she took the dress down and invited Ahsoka to try it on for herself.



Depth

Obi-Wan didn’t need the Force to feel the turbulence in Anakin’s spirit as he waited by Ahsoka’s bedside in the medbay. Despite Kix’s assurances that she would mend no worse for the wear, that didn’t change the fact that this last close call was still much too close and there were only further such instances awaiting them on the frontlines.

This was not how a Jedi apprentice should grow into knighthood, forged in a crucible of war as only grieved the Force, and yet . . .

“Does it ever get easier?” Anakin finally asked. His presence swam in the Force, for once out of his depth and hardly realizing the current he was struggling to guide with two mere human hands.

Wryly, Obi-Wan sighed. “Never.”



XL. Salvation

Their casualties on Korpaxis were the highest the 501st had yet to sustain during the war. While tallying the battalion’s ordnance depletion (casualty reports) and putting in an order for supplemental munitions (living, breathing men), Anakin felt his stomach turn.

Their losses were necessary, he attempted to reason – they’d liberated the Korpaxi people and freed a primary strategic target for the Republic. They were one step closer to ending the war, and yet . . .

CT-0633

CT-0634

CP-0641

CC-0653

On and on and on the cold list of designations continued. (Only their brothers would ever remember their names.)

I didn’t come here to free slaves, whispered through his mind – an old seed sprouting sharp thorns – and Anakin added his signature to the end of the report.



Undertow

There were times when Master Skywalker burned in the Force with a scorching intensity that bordered on cold. It was like nothing she’d ever sensed before, even with the Masters of the Council. Through their training bond, his presence in her mind was all a supernova’s glow and immense gravitational pull, and though she never feared Anakin for her own sake, there were nevertheless times when . . .

(Eventually, didn’t all supernovas collapse on themselves?)

Summoning a lopsided grin, Ahsoka plopped down next to Anakin at the tactical table.

“Heya, Skyguy – credit for your thoughts?”

She felt his great star’s heat bank as he wearily returned her smile, and the sun shone in their bond again.



~ MJ