Saga - Legends “And death shall have no dominion", story about Krennic's daughter (canon & legends mix), 27 Ch. FIN

Hooray she recovered! Orson is such a good dad. Odd to hear him mention Lyra Erso’s name, I thought he didn’t like her.


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racing-weekend there too?

 

Glad Cassie is okay now. And sorry I've been such a lurker. You write wonderful stories.

 

Of all people, Aurra Sing wasn't who I expected Orson to consult. Still not entirely sure why her Anzati-style vampirism actually helped Cassie, though it was a good thing the gamble paid off somehow. But boy was that unsettling. Cure about equally as dangerous as the disease and rather traumatic too.

Glad to see that Cassie's on the road to recovery from her illness! It was a really close call there a few times. And Ben Quadinaros was a delight. Too bad that he has such feelings about the Force, but I can totally see that being a thing for many who lived through the Clone Wars -- those who couldn't quite believe it didn't exist but then couldn't see any way for it to be a positive thing when the Jedi were so involved in the war. Which wasn't what they'd ever wanted, but that's a rather hard distinction to make for an outsider.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: Indeed those things are helpful for her recovery.

@Nehru_Amidala: It is actually Agent Callus, who did mention Lyra in the first place. And Director Krennic just reacted to it.

@earlybird-obi-wan: It is always racing weekend for my husband @DarthUncle.

@Cowgirl Jedi 1701: Don´t be. Real life keeps me busy, too, and I have changed my priorities. Fanfic writing is not among them.

@Kahara: Actually, Orson was in search of Bathseba the convor. Who once preformed a Force healing on his father, when Nagina was around:

Bathseba flies straight to the old patient and hops onto his belly, which is covered by a white blanket. With a loud chirp, she closes her wings.

“Great, in an attempt to show me how Midi-chlorians work you let the flea bag contaminate a hospital room,” Orson points out. “You know how fragile the health of a cancer patient is, right?”

“Oh ye of little faith!” I tut.

“Just checking.”

The convor starts to march up and down the fruit farmer's crotch.

“Miracle healing? Through owl poop?” His brows are like thunder clouds, his eyes like lightning. “In some cultures and on some planets you would be burned as a witch right now.”

“Then do your worst, Lieutenant Commander Krennic!” I stretch my arms out wide. “Fire at will.”

“I never will pull the trigger on you, silly, but another Imperial officer might, one fine day.” He shakes his head disdainfully. “A Krav Manga attack on Tarkin. You really have a way with people.”

Having said that, Orson marches out of the room as if for a military show.


But the birdie is nowhere to be found, hiding herself in plain view.

Instead he gets unexpected help from Aurra Sing, who likes to hang out at pod-races now and then.

Okay, here we go. New reading material:


"And death shall have no dominion", Chapter 22:

I feel like some princess, when I am seated in a place of honour with a view screen that has large grip bars.

“The monks run the show here,” Daddy confides to me. “And we all should be glad of it. If the Hutts were in charge of the local pod races, they would charge the fans to use viewscreen channels, which are usually supplied by official repulsor lift race cameras.”

Soon he explains the grey market of cheap channels to me, which exists in other pod racing hot spots like Malastare or Tatooine. Boomer is actually more interested to pee into a corner of the room for which he gets into trouble with Daddy.

“And why do the Dai Bendu keep themselves busy with race sport?” I ask. “Should they not only focus on religion?”

Daddy gives me one of his warm smiles. “They are more anchored in the practice of life than the Jedi ever were. Plus they keep out of political matters, which is as wise as it is healthy.”

I do wonder what makes politics so unhealthy. Ruling a galaxy in favour of its inhabitants should be a bliss. But I cannot follow that line of thoughts, because Uncle Alex digs into his popcorn box, crunching very loudly. “W...a… f… an….”

“Pardon me?” Daddy frowns at my godfather.

With the back of his hand Uncle Alex cleans his mouth. “He wants to forbid it anyway, the Emperor.”

Shadows cross Daddy's face, giving him something dark and dangerous. “It's not clever to ban the things that his subjects love.”

“I'd love to be around when you tell him that.”

They exchange one of their hard, long gazes, which always manage to frustrate me. Of course they had a life before me, but each time they look at each other like that, I feel totally cut of. Not really jealous, no. It's more like not sharing their secrets. They do that to protect me, I know. That doesn't mean it's fair.

“But why are there still races here on Ando Prime?” I enquire.

Daddy picks up his military binoculars again. “Even Palpatine considers Ten-Abu Donba the wisest of the wise.”

A thought pushes itself up to the surface with such a violence, that I have to voice it. “What about Darth Plagueis the Wise?”

Shock widens Daddy's pretty eyes. “Who?”

I beam at him. “He was a male Muun and heir to the lineage of Darth Bane.”

Carefully, Daddy scans my face. “I wonder were you get such fantastic stories from.”

I shrug. “They are inside me, I suppose. Always were.”

While my godfather still looks stunned, Daddy comes into action. He reaches out with both hands and cups my face. “Listen to me, Cassandra!”

His serious tone of voice makes me uncomfortable. We were having so much fun up to now.

“It is not normal for a little girl to know about such things.”

Defiantly, I gaze back at him.

“Do me a favour from now on!” Worry and tenderness fight in his eyes. “Never ever mention your Sith stories or Jedi lore to anyone outside our family unit.”

I bite my underlip. “Just you and Uncle Alex?”

Eagerly, he nods. “The Clone Wars caused our galaxy great harm. The Jedi managed to sow a lot of distrust into the midst of our society. Therefore it is better not to speak about such things. The last thing I want is you to get arrested for sedition.”

That makes me laugh out loud. “But I am not six years of age yet.”

Uncle Alex winces, but it is Daddy who voices his misgivings loud and clear.

“Speaking about Force-users is something foul, unless you can give the authorities a tip were they are hiding and then there are brought in immediately.”

That makes me frown. “Are they brought to prison then?”

The look he gives me makes me worried. “There are other places to deal with those freaks.” The corners of his mouth convulse violently, but then they turn into a benevolent smile. “But enough of that. Let us order some snacks before the race starts.”

Even though the pod-race is fun, a feeling of uneasiness settles down in me. Not only do I know about things that I should not be aware of. I also feel for Force-users, which is unwanted and forbidden.

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(To be continued!)

 

Awesome update, but poor Cassie! Asking about religion and told about the threat of arrest? The Empire wouldn’t arrest a 5 year old, would they?


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Every weekend race weekend? I thought you knew me better, tsk

LOL, eh, yeah. But, should worry sensible men that the emperor is being so nonsensical as to do that.

Aww. Well put - and also, as you know @AzureAngel2, I am very sceptical of most 'I am keeping the full truth hidden to protect you' - partly it leads to such unfair situations, though some of it is just 'you are a kid, we aren not yet discussing everything with you; but also because often it is convenience because the full truth requires inconvenient, not to mention embarrassingly different from the situation you thought it was, answers and explanations, but also because in the end, what you don't know can still kill you. And in stories that use it as a crutch, it often turns out to be the big threat at the end. But, here it is of course quite in-character for Orson and Alex to keep some of the ugly truth out of their cosy situation, and I don't really blame them. Still, a potential source of conflict to tear up the bubble.

Oops. Guess the healing didn't quite remove the info that was there, passed on with the sith artifact the emperor used to make Cassie like Nagina, but maybe it just helped structure it and give it a place so now it doesn't kill her from within?

Awww, so naieve - and my link back to the first bit I wrote above - the truth is out there, waiting: the empire is corrupt, and staying with it requires (willful) blindness, a bit lack of empathy, or a lot of fooling oneself. I wonder whether Cassie takes one of those roads, or will find she has to go a different way.

Yeah, so there it starts I suppose, even though she seems very willfully set to believe in the empire, those ugly sides of it (and the truth about the Jedi, which is out there, perhaps?) might make that a very grating experience.

So, one crisis averted, but not on the dry yet Orson. Good luck!

 

Oooh, indications of mysterious knowledge of Force users -- Cassandra holds these and Orson frowns upon these!

 

Force users and religion bad for Orson and friends

 

@DarthUncle: Time for a pillow chat, you sweet man! I will comment in person.

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: Well, Orson has his issues!

@earlybird-obi-wan: Indeed!


Okay, here we go. Finally new ideas. I have the outlines of the plot, just did not possess the right words to describe them of late. Too much on my mind, too many RL issues going on, @Kahara, @Cowgirl Jedi 1701 & @Nehru_Amidala.

But here I am again:


(Still Chapter 22!!!)

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Ben Quadinaros considers me to be his mascot after winning the pole position for the actual race. Not only do I end up with a lot of pod race merchandise. After his press interview he even lets me sit in his precious pilot seat, but with the engines shut down. His mechanics do not like this and race control is quite annoyed about it. Ten-Abu Donba himself shows up to display his indignation.

“It is one thing to have the anomaly around. But to have her down here in the racing pit, how can you do such a thing?” the Talid thunders with his impressive voice.

Before the pod race star can retort something sharp, Daddy smiles extremly amiable. “Arajne wale badal baraste nahin hain!” he says, his eyes two ice crystals. Those who make the most threats seldom do anything!

The Dai Bendu monk frowns at him. “Who taught you the Holy Language?”

Daddy steps between me and the tall alien, acting as some kind of deflector shield. “My parents belonged to an ashrama on Lexrul. There was a strict routine of Hatha Yoga in the morning hours and in the evening, meditations and various ceremonies. In between all this fuzz I might have picked up the language of the Whills by accident.”

I already know this story. But I wonder why he feels the need a total stranger. Normally, he is very tight lipped about his past. Frowning, I stare at his straight back. Perhaps he has digested an entire broom in the morning when I wasn't looking. He is so stiff right now.

Ten-Abu Donba places both hands together with a slight bow. “That honours you, Director Krennic. But it does not change the fact, that this creature here is not welcome. Bad karma.”

My face goes bright red like a warning lamp.

Karma? He mixes up 'fate' and 'action'. For karma describes an energy created by wilful action, through thoughts, words and deeds. All of us creating karma every minute of our life, and it affects us back every minute. Therefore it's an action, not a result. Like the future is not set in stone, yet.

Deep inside me, my frustration and hurt start to mix. They form a bubbly fountain in my belly. It does not feel very nice.

Why does this Talid, religious leader or not, believe me to be bad? He does not really know me. What have I done to him to deserve such hatred?

“Why is it that servants of the Force are so full of prejudices?” Daddy raises a brow, while the corner of his mouth harden. “I always believed only the Jedi to be notorious.”

The Dai Bendu monk crosses his arms. “In what way?”

“They had pretty narrow minded dogmatic views, if you ask me. Jedi seemed to operate with impunity above federal and local governmental and, even worse, police jurisdiction. In the case of our beloved Emperor they were totally okay with assassination.” Daddy sighs, as if in real pain. “Perhaps the Jedi even falsified history itself when they took the Sith out.”

A violent tremble goes through Ten-Abu Donba, but he remains silent.

Daddy moves on talking, his eyes hooded. “The so-called guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy waged a genocidal war of extermination against an ancient species, because they believed to have the higher ground. Especially their high council.”

Next to me, Ben Quadinaros grows highly uncomfortable. His yellow skin has gotten pale somehow. And all of his three antenna are down.

Even though a part of me badly needs to hear what Daddy has to say, I take the Toong by the hand. He is such a plain, simple guy. His battles are mostly against fellow pod racers like Sebulba.

“Can we buy some ice cream?” I ask, pretending to be as sweet as chocolate.

It works.

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(To be continued!)

 

‘Narrow, dogmatic views’, now where have we heard that before? To be fair, the Jedi Council was severely out of touch with their principles by the time of the Clones Wars, so Krennic makes a good point. Also, who doesn’t want ice cream?


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The Dai Bendu is certainly critical of Cassandra without even knowing her!

 

So little changes between Sio's time and Cassie's when it comes to ideas about cloning. I feel bad for her having to deal with misplaced fear from adults who really ought to know better. Having ethical objections to cloning tech -- well, that's understandable given the uses it has seen in the GFFA's history. No need to despise the clones themselves though! Cassie has access to a rather creepy knowledge base but that is an odd case and not by her choice.

 

cloning is bad as always

 

Thanks a million for liking and commenting!

At present I am a bit stuck with the story again. I know where I am heading, too, but I have little time for writing & less for going online.

There is much to do at work and there had been some private trouble for me & @DarthUncle (such as the theft of my mobile phone last week & a leaking bathroom tube in combination with craftsmen who did not show up to fix it).

I will try to come up with an update next weekend. Because this weekend I am with no other than the sweet @Cem_Fel and getting cool what's app messages from @MsLanna from the Castle Con. She gets to meet the real Billy Boyd while Cem & I will see his German voice actor preform in a live audio play of "Orson Welles War of the Worlds".

Anyway, when I will finally update, I will comment on your feedback, guys.

 

Yikes, sorry to hear about all that. It never rains but it pours. Glad that not all the circumstances are bad though. Hope you have a good weekend and I look forward to reading in the future!

 

@Nehru_Amidala: Well, Krennic joins those who do not like Force users & the Force. And he has populist tendencies anyway.

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: He knows from his own trustful sources that necromancy brought this clone forth.

@Kahara: You know how fear works. And people fear differences at times.

As for the interesting times that @DarthUncle & I are undergoing, they are still not over.

@earlybird-obi-wan: Let´s see what happens next!



(Still Chapter 22!!!)

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With a few bold strides, I step between the squabblers. Automatically, my fingers shift into the Ahamkara mudrā, giving me all the self-confidence that I need for now.

I look up into Ten-Abu Donba's bearded face, which is framed by wiry hair, strung with beads made of bone. “Why do you hate me?” I ask.

It is but one question, but its nature is rather explosive. I can see the Talid's already narrow eyes become small slits. But he masters his anger, puts it in front of me like a cold dish. “You should not exist,” he answers. “It is forbidden.”

I cock my head and before Daddy can ruin everything with his sharp tongue, I defend my case all by myself.

“It is known that the Jedi stole children to freshen up their ranks. Perhaps it is but a silly story somebody made up, because he hated them. We will never know. Fact is that prejudice blinds.” I take one of his hands into both of mine. “I am very sorry for you. Your famous wisdom seems to be based on false facts.”

The Dai Bendu monk shakes his hand off, his face distorted with disgust. “I will respect the wishes of Master Ben here.” He bows to the pod racer, before glaring at Daddy. “But after the victory ceremony...”

A strange noise fills the air.

We all gaze up into the winter sky.

A small avian creature shoots towards us like an arrow. I can tell that Daddy's first instinct is to shoot at it, for his left hand moves towards his blaster pistol. Then he seems to have second thoughts. He lets go of the pistol grip and jerks up his left under arm in a defensive gesture.

Instead of attacking him, the animal lands simply lands on the offered runway. Fluting melodically it folds its slender winds together, before it starts to march around like a stormtrooper. While it does, it produces funny hooting noises.

“Hi, feather brain!” Daddy slurs. “Long time no see.”

The bird chirps several times and it sounds like a row of questions coming forth from its crooked beak.

Daddy's mouth curves ironically. “What ever you say, Bathseba. But I still don't speak bird.”

My eyes widen in surprise. “Wait!” I shriek. “That is the famous Daughter of the Oath?”

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(To be continued!)

 

Cassie tries to reason with the Dai Bendu monk, and we see Bathseaba again

 

The convoy returns- what does this mean?


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Well,indeed. Maybe she should not be there, but she can't help that she is, and I think she definitely makes the point here quite eloquently: there is a lot of stuff said about people, taken as fact so there's no need to really look at them and see them for who they are, and what they want/do, but be able to judge them with less effort, but that doesn't make that truth, or just.

It is true though, that while she's been shielded (and maybe blinkered) from what the empire really is, this same wisdom applies here. In fact, were I Orson, I'd see this as a worrying sign she has gained access to some of the knowledge and intuition Nagina had (hm, maybe Bathseaba is there now because of it? Or only to interfere here to stop them being chased off?).

hm, so, interesting parallel to the "Cauldron born" story there, right? Here, Cassie has regained some of the wisdom and knowledge inherent in the spirit that Palpatine put into her which he got from his niece, via dark and dangerous, maybe even vile, artifacts, but, are they, once created, a tool that can be used for good, or not? And in extension, does Cassie have a right to find her own truth, good and evil, or is her destiny set because of how she came into the world, despite the fact that Orson and Alex have been really good at being good parental figures, mired as they are in the empire's dealings?

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: That we do! Thanks for always supporting me, even though my muse is painfully slow these days! And hardly full of new ideas.

@Nehru_Amidala: We will learn about that soonish. Right now writing is a problem for me. Finding online time is also difficult.

@DarthUncle: As usual I bow in front of your insight and cleverness, dear husband. You always find out what your wife is up to. Unless she calls you to say that she is for example lost in a big Rossmann store in Charlottenburg.


Okay, everybody and especially @earlybird-obi-wan, @Kahara and @Cowgirl Jedi 1701, 2019 is not the easy-going, productive year that I hoped it to be. Somehow my writing has lost it´s easy flow, while I try to solve many RL problems. But somehow I will try to finish this fic nicely.

Here another update, already checked by Ny:


(Still Chapter 22!!!)

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I do not know whether to laugh out loud or cry, so I go for the third option. I remain politely silent. For being polite is always the best thing to do. That I have learned by Daddy's extremely bad example.

Carefully, I eye the conundrum in front of me.

Bathseba is not a great Force witch in Dathomir tradition or a shaman woman. She is but a ball of gold and brown feathers. Her estimated height is less than twenty centimetres. I do not make the mistake to regard her as a mere pet though. The Force is strong in her.

“Daughter of the Oath,” I repeat, this time making it sound more like a statement.

In an instant, she rotates her head almost two-hundred-seventy degrees to meet my gaze.

Her iris is like that of a white dwarf star. All her knowledge hits me like a solar storm.

Bedazzled, I blink back at her.

Bathseba starts hooting. A sad, mournful melody that tugs at my soul. I feel like a little moon bursting at the impact of a meteoroid.

“Why would she say that you will lie and kill for me?” I translate.

Daddy purses his lips. “Fact.”

I wait for more words to come, so do we all, but he has finished his explanations.

The avian turns her head back to Daddy, a silent question in her big eyes.

His lips stay pressed together in a thin line. He can be very stubborn if he feels up to it.

Snow flakes keep falling down on our heads, covering our shoulders, too.

The universe becomes a place of silent lucidity until Daddy finally decides to speak up again.

“Do you want me to be sorry for who I am, lady bird?” His voice is calm. “This girl here is my responsibility and I am prepared to keep her alive by all means. It is called parenting. You should try it, too.”

There is a low tune coming from her, vibrating on deep inside me. It speaks of doom to come, of a myriad of tears that will flow if Daddy does not change his ways.

“I took this child in, when nobody else would. Just being with her makes me extremely happy. Whatever fate will bring, Bathseba, she has made me complete.”

My chest swells with extreme pride and overwhelming love.

There is fever in his gaze. “And Cassandra has combined need and reason for my work. She is the muse that drives me forth. I must succeed. For her. She will prosper from my achievements.”

Another sound comes forth from the crooked beak. Soft as a mantra whispered in prayer.

“She fears for your soul, Daddy.”

He scoffs. “Oh yeah? How kind of you, but I have none to speak of. I am a man of science which comes with a healthy dose of hubris, I suppose.” He shrugs. “In the end I serve the Empire, for better or for worse. I am not a deal breaker. You, of all beings, should understand that.”

Bathseba hangs her head, but not for very long. Instead she hops onto my right shoulder, rubbing herself lovingly against my cheek. While she does, a tingling sensation fills me. Force power flows straight into me, bringing stability into the chaos that is my brain.

I pass out.

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(To be continued!!!)

 

Bathseba is observant, and Cassie faints, leaving us with a health-related cliffie!

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha & @DarthUncle: The two of you know now how this will continue and I do not hope that I anger anybody about it. But I want to deepen her bounds with Vader in ways that I never thought being possible before. This is a space opera, right. What I am about to do is very daring, but recently, it all made sense. Even though I am still not knowing where Episode 9 is leading us, too.

 

Well, I wonder what will happen if I update this snippet today to round up this chapter nicely. A real dialogue, a real exchange is seldom for me these days.



(Still Chapter 22!!!)

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There is glittering mist everywhere. As if some over-active fairy has sprinkled diamond dust into the ether. There is no above or below.

I am not scared though. Why should I? This is not the event horizon of a black hole, in which I got trapped in by accident. Nor is it the inside of a hungry sarlacc. Right now, I am surrounded by the Force itself. Like I was in the Crystal Canyons back on Chandrila. This is a cause for pure joy, not for panic.

With no great haste, I start to observe my surroundings closer, but there is nothing to see apart from mist banks.

I sit down and fiddle around with my fingers. That becomes boring after a while.

“Hallo? Is somebody here?” I call out as loud as I can. “Anybody?”

For some heartbeats nothing happens.

Then the mist shifts and forms the outlines of a figure. This being stands taller than a mortal person.

“Oh hi!” I yelp at the humanoid woman, while I surge to my feet.

The stranger looks very much like a fairytale princess. It's more than her stunning dress or her crown like headgear though. Her beauty is celestial. She glows like a sun. Her complexion is very light. I can see her veins shimmering through her skin. Her eyes are wide and tilted and of the purest green. But the most unusual sight is her extremely long hair. At first sight it seems blond, but it's actually teal.

“Welcome!” She makes a wide gesture with her arms. “I am Daughter.”

Daughter. This is a silly and somewhat pointless name. I have expected something beautiful like Aurora, Bell, Jasmine, Tiana or Merida. Even Niphal would have been fine for me. But then again, names are not freely chosen. They are given to a child by somebody else. In my case it was Daddy and he has made a wise choice that is easy to live with. Not everone is as lucky as I am.

Longing fills me from head to toe. “I am a daughter, too!” I point out. “Which is why I should not be here. Where ever here is.”

Reverently, the woman bows to me. As if I am her equal. “Caring dearly for Orson Callan Krennic honours you.”

As happy as it makes me that she knows Daddy by his full name, she is greatly mistaken. This is not about honour, but about love. Honour is more for soldiers, for those who are the guardians of our Empire.

I think hard about what to say next. Fae creatures and gods can be very vague. For some of them have the bad habit of speaking in riddles only. “Am I dead?” I ask, because this is the thing that bothers me most.

“Not yet.” There is a sad smile on her lips. “But you keep revisiting this place. The Pool of Knowledge.”

I hate to be an intruder. Dravits Draven and Boba Fett gave me a lot of trouble for it recently. “That was not my intention.”

Her gaze turns stern. “Yet you are here. Again. And again. And again.”

She makes it sound like I am a hopeless case of head lice. “Bathseba rubbed herself against me,” I defend myself.

“Bathseba?” she echoes and, all of a sudden, adds another word, “Morai!”

An avian, looking very much like Bathseba, comes flying out of nowhere. I can spot some striking differences though. Her top head feathers are greenish, while some the side beard feathers are bluish.

“Please leave Beyond Shadows!” the woman says to the convor that is circling above us in generous loops. “I want you to talk to the Daughter of the Oath.”


“Why do you not leave this place and seek Bathseba out yourself?” I inquire in a friendly manner.

The woman looks me full in the face, her strange eyes catch and hold mine. “Since my physical death I am bound to this place.”



I remember some Chandrilan fairy-tales. The ones that speak about the Shadowland, the Realm of the Fae. “Are you some kind of mermaid? The keeper of the well?”

That would explain a lot. Her height, her timeless grace, her eyes. Even her teal coloured hair that has a life of its own.

Amusement and sadness light up Daughter´s gaze. “The only keeper I see around here is you, child.”

I have no idea what she is talking about, but I hope that she will give me a clue or two. Soonish.

“The Naboo have a legend about six impenetrable gates that hold back chaos. You, believe it or not, are one of those gates.”

It surprises me that Daughter would say something like that. For I have no roots on Naboo whatsoever. Daddy hails from Lexrul and moved to Chandrila with his parents as a baby boy. As for my birth mother, well she has been a Coruscant street urchin, who had an unhealthy relationship with drugs.

While I try to process what is implied, a single thought steals into my mind. It leaves me no peace and so I utter it aloud. “If I am really a gate keeper of some kind, should I not possess access to knowledge all the time? Just to shield off evil?”

She shakes her head, half ruefully and half laughing. “You have learned nothing in your new life, have you? Still stuck with your old mistakes and failures.” With that she starts walking around, her long robes following her in her wake. “Ask yourself the following: what is knowledge? And: when does it cross the line into being dangerous?”

Unblinking, I stare at her. “Done.”

Daughter staggers and looks down on me, her pupils wide. “Being raised by an impertinent man turned you impertinent.”

I make my back as straight as I can, raise my chin. “The purpose of Sith training is to force the apprentice to struggle for every scrap of knowledge he or she attains. This leaves me to wonder, are you a Sith?”

She pales at my blunt accusation. “This is very dangerous ground that you tread on.”

“Are you sure? You are the one who is as white as a sheet. Perhaps you are the one who is in danger here?”

I feel the abrupt upsurge of power as a writhing blue nimbus gathers about her entire skin.

When the light is too bright to bear for me any longer, I hide my face in my hands and turn away.

“Cassandra!” she roars.

I drop my hands immediately because I have been raised to follow explicit orders by a superior.

Instead of a lovely maiden I am faced with a creature straight out of the pages of my fairy-book. It has the body, tail, and back legs of a feline; the head, wings and talons of an avian. “A griffin!” I applaud enthusiastically. “You can turn into a griffin. These are known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions.”

Daughter shakes her mighty mane, snarling at me. “Are you not at least a little bit scared? It would be the wise thing to do.”

“I was born a bit disabled,” I defend my case.

“You were not,” she denies and leans on her talons. “The circumstances...”

I am so tired of it, even though I know very little about the woman who gave life to me. “Stop blaming her for her bad choices! I am here anyway. That is the only thing that counts.”

A deep rumble goes through the griffin body. It takes me some seconds to identify it as laughter. “Orson Callan Krennic really made you his. You even have picked up his bad habit not to follow good advice.”

I cross my arms in front of me. “You have not given me any yet.”

“This is because you are not listening, child!” Her eyes turn into slits. “Another flaw of yours is that you can feel the Force around you and inside others, yet you claim so little for yourself.”

“I am happy this way.”

Daughter nods. “Yes, you are. But your drive for knowledge remains unhealthy. Knowledge that was never meant for you in the first place but that you cling on to in this new life anyway. It brought you to the brink of death several times over the past few days. Yet again.”

Before I can open my mouth in reply, another person joins us and states, “The laws of celestial mechanics dictate that when two objects collide, there is always damage of a collateral nature.”

 

Fascinating and unique!! I can always count on you to supply those moments for Cassandra.