Drabble Potpourri. For UDC 11.

Title: Drabble Potpourri

Characters: Various

Genre: Drabbles for UDC 11 with humor, adventure, romance

Disclaimer: I do not own any one or anything but am just indulging myself.

Week one's prompts are in order of appearance:
Pierce
Twinge
Tingle
Touch
Pain

---

1. Pierce


To pierce through the half-truths and the morass of subtle insinuations, Mon Mothma had to push past her own immediate perception and weigh that against the intuitive sense she got that the Jedi, and the Republic, were being led and misled by a clever manipulator in the guise of a wise and benevolent leader.

Once she took the plunge and decided to forge ahead, the evidence supporting her surmise was easy to find.

Then it was simply (although this was a daunting task), marshalling allies and convincing them that her vision of current reality was actual fact and not fallacious.

Bail and Breha Organa were easy choices. They were long-time friends, and there were few as clear-eyed as Bail and as strongly principled as Breha.

“Which of the Senators do you think we can draw in?” Bail wondered.

Mothma frowned. “Amidala seems a good one, and Bel Iblis, perhaps. We have to tread carefully though.”

Bail nodded in agreement. “Very, very carefully.”

--

2. Twinge



The idea was something that Padme embraced with some trepidation. It was hard for her to imagine or admit that Palpatine might be a villain, but once the suspicions of her friends were brought to her attention, she saw things through that particular viewpoint.

She felt a strong twinge that she could not, dared not, share her own secret, a source of wonderment and apprehension—her relationship with Anakin.

This became even more problematic as her friendship with Obi-Wan deepened, as it naturally did when Jedi missions and Senatorial agenda coincided.

---

3. Tingle




Mara scowled at her data pad. She was working out scheduling on two fronts: trading runs that she was starting to initiate for herself along with Smuggler Alliance meetings for Karrde. Her mind kept straying to wondering if Luke might be present at the latter, and this made her absolutely annoyed with herself. Why should she care about that? It wasn’t as if he had to be, and what was it to her if he was or was not?

But then her mind would traitorously drift back to their last encounter, a sparring match, a casual lunch, and the inexplicable tingle she felt every time his blue eyes sparkled, and his unabashed grin of welcome showed how glad he was to see her.

---

4. Touch




There was a touch of coolness between them. Qui-Gon was insistent that he would not take on another apprentice, although there were quite a few Initiates that needed mentoring, Kenobi being the most promising.

Tahl was rather sharp with him, telling him that if he were feeling that his past debacle with Xanatos meant he would fail again with another—that was patently foolish. That had been more a feature of Xanatos’ flawed character and Jinn’s understandable lack of seeing things as they were out of hoping things were otherwise.

And, she pointed out further, if he were expecting Obi-Wan to be a colossal bust as Xanatos had been, that was unfair to Kenobi in the extreme. Anyone could see that the two could not be more different in temperament.

Jinn did not want to admit that she was right, so this put a strain between them, one that hurt them both.

----

5. Pain




Thus, when he took Kenobi as his Padawan because of Obi-Wan’s bravery and clever resourcefulness, the pain of their temporary aloofness vanished, and even as she resisted the urge to tell him half-teasingly, “I told you so”, she was not hesitant at all to say, “I’m so glad you decided to take him on.”

As the days turned to weeks into months, Jinn had to admit that he too was glad. The pain of loss and disappointment of failure was replaced by the irrepressible curiosity and open and genuine nature of Obi-Wan. It became easy to give and receive trust and affection and respect over time.

 

Perfect drabbles showing Mon Mothma, Padmé, Mara, Tahl and Jinn and Kenobi and Jinn

 

I think the two about Qui-Gon and the one about Mon Mothma were the most effective for me. Very insightful.

 

They were all great. They all had me hooked. Inspiring! Bravo! So in-depth. I liked the characters and situations you chose for the drabbles and the ways you used the drabble challenge words.

 

Ooh, wonderful choices for each word -- I really liked the character(s) and situation picked for each one!

Really liked getting to see Mothma's POV on all of this, and I just hope that with (possibly?) an earlier sense of something wrong that she will have a little tiny bit less of an uphill battle. Though if Sith are Obi-Wan's specialty, uphill battles are definitely Mon Mothma's.

It's a difficult spot for Padme to be in, caught between all of these secrets and suspicions. It's touching in a bittersweet way that her relationship with Anakin isn't just a source of more worries, even if it's sometimes also that. But it's also a joy that she wishes she could share with the rest of their loved ones.

The tingle of True Love (in progress). Really liked this insight into the growing interest between Mara and Luke; it's wonderful to see them drawing closer and having that electricity between them.

Aww, I definitely felt for Tahl here. I can see how that period in Qui-Gon's life would put a strain on their relationship whether he fully realized it or not -- he's shutting so much out and it makes total sense that would be frustrating in the extreme for her to see that.

Tahl is perceptive as ever, and it's wonderful to see her happiness with the situation when Qui-Gon is starting to move on from his past and Obi-Wan is thriving as his student.

 

Thanks for the lovely reviews.



6. Petition

Weighing worlds’ petitions for entry into the New Republic was a daunting task as first scores then hundreds flowed in. It was heartening to see many previously aligned with the Empire come in.

“There are so many that of course were coerced or victimized into submission,” Leia mused aloud during a Council meeting, “But the ones that are most problematic are those that willingly defected. Of course, they likely could have been swayed by false promises, being in desperate situations, but now the question must be asked how loyal are they? Has their recent experience inspired a deeper loyalty or not?”

“That is the question,” the Senator from Rangoon answered. “Perhaps the best course of action for those would be to have a probationary or provisional admittance for a period of time.”

All the Councilors around the table nodded, feeling the suggestion was viable.

~
7. Report

“I like the way reports to the Jedi ‘brass’ are made nowadays,” Tanda observed to her sister, Jaina. “It’s more informal, not full of being called to the Jedi Council. Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, it’d be hard not to feel like you were under trial being accused of something, or every decision you made was scrutinized and found lacking.”

Jaina chuckled, breaking off a large chunk of fudge and taking a bite before Chew Barka could snag it. “I know. Uncle Luke wasn’t about to reinstitute that kind of daunting rigmarole.”

“He’s kept the best and discarded the rest.” Tanda said with admiration.

"Kam Solusar and Mara have helped in that regard," Tanda reflected.

"Yes, and the histories Tionne has uncovered as well."

~

8. Confession

Confessing his feelings for Sevrina was easier than Kyp might have thought. She made it easy because of her obvious attraction to him. Her warmth and intelligence were wonderfully endearing.

She was a source of light and kept him grounded.

What surprised Kyp was not the ease of confessing but how quickly those feelings blossomed from friendship into something more.

~

9. Account

Han, Luke, and Leia were frankly amused by the accounts of the exploits of Rebels as portrayed in holofilms.

There was little need of embellishment or exaggeration.

Yet, hard as it might be to accept, the stories got wilder and stranger.

“Sabotaging the Death Star droidbrain with Anzellan droidsmiths.” Han laughed. “What will they think of next?”


"Me having a harem of Zeltrons and Twi'leks," Luke replied, with a bemused laugh.


~

10. Court

Mara had always thought she would be brought before a New Republic Judicial court for past war crimes, but then if they had held to such a policy, more than half of the New Republic higher ups would stand trial; yet, none of them had held a position as elevated, and they had willingly defected.

The fact that she actively assisted the New Republic in crucial ventures and won the trust and respect of those who were beyond reproach and whose judgment of character was not to be questioned, made it so that others accepted her, grudgingly at first, warily, then when they realized she was everything Luke, Leia, and Karrde asserted, their reservations dissipated.

Mara felt no small level of gratitude towards Luke and Leia for this support, and she tried not to think or ponder if her gratitude towards Luke was mixed with something else besides.

 

Funny and in some rightful decisions made to do away with the strict rules. And that about the holofilms. Hilarious

 

11. Rapport
[Corran and Iella]

Corran Horn felt an instant rapport with his partner, Iella Wesiri. Their skills meshed perfectly. His no-nonsense and no-tolerance for fools was balanced by her subtler but just as insightful way of getting beneath the facades of deceitful witnesses or criminals, wary apprehensive victims.

When she became single again, and before he met Mirax, there was even a time when he toyed with the idea of starting a romance… Besides the fact that could be detrimental to their working harmony if things went awry, besides being against department rules, he felt honestly they weren’t meant to be in the end.

12. Besotted
[Iella and Wedge]

Wedge was besotted with Iella. Their friendship had originated due to their having mutual friends.

Then it grew because they each knew a thing or two about dealing with careers that had a high risk and where losing your comrades/coworkers was a constant hazard.

Empathy is a great foundation for a growing friendship.

His sense of humor and ability to inspire trust and loyalty won her over.

Her gentleness and resilience had already won him.

Corran liked to tease Iella about pairing with a literal Rogue.

She just rolled her eyes and smirked.

13. Aim
[Leia and Han]

Leia aimed snarky barbs at Han, and he gave as good as he got.

They were in a strange balance with one another; she was friends with Luke and Chewbacca as was he.

Luke and Chewie returned the affection; thus, she and Han cool-running-hot towards one another found a bridge of sorts through their mutual friends.

This made it easy to deny they had affinity for one another.

Han of course did not admit or deny he found Leia attractive and compelling; Leia, on the other hand, would never admit such a thing, until the escape from Hoth’s Echo Base.

Then suddenly, or had it happened gradually?—the true nature of their emotions burgeoned into bloom and could be and was spoken aloud.

Who would have thought Han would prove to be both ‘nice’, ‘scruffy-looking’, and a ‘scoundrel’?

14. Limitation
[Solos]

Tanda and Jaina loved the true, genuine adventures their Mom and Dad, particularly Dad told them at bedtime.

No exaggerations were needed.

The limitation of imagination didn’t even come into play. The narrow escapes, the daring recklessness, all of these things were evident in the tales the two of them drank in with avid eagerness.

The message was clear: we hope you never have to do as much as we did, take as many risks.

But as younglings, the two of them were all wide eyed admiration.

15. Novelty
[Luke and Mara]

The novelty of seeing Luke all discombobulated would never cease to be a source of happy amusement.

Every time Mara came for a stop over on business for Karrde or as part of her trading runs, he’d welcome her with undisguised pleasure.

What was an even larger source of secret delight to Luke’s family and circle of friends was that she was just as glad to be with him, although her contentment was muted, understated.

When Luke asked Mara her opinion on his gift for Tionne as a betrothal gift when Tionne became engaged to Kam, it did not pass unnoticed that Mara was relieved the signs of affection between Tionne and Luke had been platonic.

 

love how you describe the women and their dealings with the men in these pieces.
Corran and Iella and Wedge and Iella.
Han and Leia and their children with their admiration for the adventures
And Mara and her thoughts about Tionne

 

I had all of these quotes lined up and then every time I went to post them the boards gave me an error code.

So imagine that there is a massive line up of quotes, and me gushing about how spot on I thought your characterisation of Tahl and Qui-Gon's relationship is and how much I wanted to take Amidala and shake her to tell her that maybe...just maybe...everyone knows about her and Anakin and so she just needs to actually talk to someone about it?

Or how much I loved how you wove call backs to pre-Empire Jedi into the way Luke runs (or doesn't run) the new Jedi Order, and the beautiful ways you described the different relationships and love in set number 2. Or even how that I don't really know how to describe set 3, except to say that earlybird got it spot on when they said that "They love how you describe the women and their dealings with men in these pieces."

Cos that's what I would have written here...

 

Thanks for the replies.

Particularly LOL
@Kit' -- how frustrating. I love (as a fellow reader & author) those reviews that have a ton of quotes Thanks for hitting the highlights of all the themes and insights I was shooting for.

---

16. Father

It was hard for Luke and Leia both to wrap their minds around being the children of Anakin Skywalker. Luke had always romanticized a father he'd never known but had heard of as someone with courage. Leia had a father in Bail whom she loved and had been nurtured by.

So in very different ways, it was world-shattering for each of them.

Luke was able to come to terms with things as he witnessed the redemption and reclamation of Anakin in the end, but for so brief a handful of moments, which lent a poignancy.

Leia firmly and staunchly spoke of Bail as her Father in every way that mattered.


17. Mother


Beru was like a mother to Luke and Breha one for Leia. Both knew a mother's love and gentle wisdom.

This they could pass along to their children and was a wellspring of examples to follow.

Luke even used this to mentor his students with empathy and patience.


18. Confidant


Ghent felt like a misfit at times. The crew of the Wild Karrde were never dismissive of hims or condescending. They appreciated and complimented his genius with all things tech.

There were no few occasions when his skills helped them in a tricky situation of negotiating or information gathering.

When Mara Jade joined the crew, he was instantly fascinated by her talents at getting to the root of a situation, as to handling a crisis or unearthing hidden intent.

She was reserved and coolly efficient.

As they worked together, she drew him out little by little, as he did her, and they became confidants of a sort.


19. Scion


The Jedi Order Luke established was a scion of the Old keeping its goals and objectives without keeping the things that had led to the former's downfall.

He was at a loss oftentimes feeling like he was starting from scratch. Is this right? Will this work?

Having Tionne as an Archivist Historian helped in this regard.

Mara was an unexpected sounding board. He knew that he would get her honest opinion whenever he raised a question about what a course of action or policy should be.

20. Legacy


The legacy that Leia kept alive for her kids started with sharing Alderaan's deep history and rich culture.

Tanda and Jaina were endlessly fascinated, to her delight.

They loved the artistic and botanical facets of Alderaan, the flowers, the forests and lakes, the wood carvers and grass painters.

 

Confidant and scion: nice to see Ghent and Mara
And Father, mother and legacy: touching for Luke and Leia

 

For this week, the focus is: Sevrina with Kirana and then with Kyp.

21. Gaggle
Sevrina came from a small and affectionate family, and her Force skills were more in the intuitive/empathic range in lieu of the battle and conflict side of things.

She came to the Praxeum right before her teen years and found the group of Initiates to be rather irksome, like a noisy boisterous gaggle of avians, never still and always squawking.

Sevrina was a warm and friendly person, but she was used to a circle of friends who weren't underfoot and always pestering you with questions.

However, after a few weeks, she found a couple of Initiates who were more to her temperament and they branched off from the main group, much to her relief.

These new friends were studious and enjoyed learning and also enjoyed relaxing with fine jizz tunes & sweet snacks.

-
22. Heedless
Kirana kept a close eye on Sevrina Bendal. She observed her interactions with others, kept tabs on her progress in lessons, and made sure she wasn't the heedless, impetuous type.

Thankfully, she found that Sevrina was someone who thought things through carefully, sought out all data points available before making a decision, yet she was proactive when the need arose.

Thus, Kirana felt that she could offer Sevrina valuable guidance as a mentor, so when they paired up, she believed they would make a good team.

Sevrina was very pleased to have Kirana as a mentor. She admired Kirana's courage and forthright manner. She believed Kirana would be fair and candid.

On missions, Kirana's no-nonsense approach was balanced with Sevrina's keen sense of people's underlying motivations.

-
23. Cascade
Sevrina loved the way the sunlit hues over the lake created a cascade of colors of amethyst to palest pink.

She liked to take her holobooks and music disk player to the lakeside.

She dreamed of inviting Kyp Durron to join her, which when her friends learned of this, they teased her relentlessly.

But she didn't have the nerve to do so until the two of them had a chance to work together on a mission or two.

He gladly accepted her invitation, and on more than one occasion, they enjoyed a sunset picnic.

-
24. Reprieve
Kyp found Sevrina's intelligence and warmth to be refreshing. She was lovely, besides.

He had come very close to falling prey to deadly curiosity with Sith artifacts, but intervention from close friends had prevented that calamity.

Now, his friendship with Sevrina was a reprieve from all his immature and ill-advised choices. She didn't judge him harshly but accepted him as he was, which was a great foundation for a blossoming friendship.

Kyp never failed to express by word and action how grateful he was for Sevrina's regard.

-
25. Beaming
When their relationship developed into something deeper, Sevrina's lovely eyes beamed with happiness.

"I can't tell you how thrilled I was when our relationship developed into something stronger," She wrote home to her family. "I've had a crush on him, for forever. It was the sheerest luck that we wound up on a mission together, especially since we weren't on it together to start off with. As events unfolded, his team came to back up mine. A serious 'accident' to him during it resulted in our getting better acquainted. It was a very pleasant surprise to find out how easy to talk to he was and that he was open to pursuing a friendship.

Then as time went on, we spent more time together, found out things we had in common, etc. We became confidantes eventually and true friends."

~

 

I love how you describe in lovely words Sevrina and Kyp with this set of prompts. Perfect for her and him.

 

Week 6.

26. Trinket

To many it might seem like a trinket, a bauble, but for Tanda and Jaina, their matching bracelets showed they were not just siblings but the best of friends. They were lovely, gifts from their parents, with leaf patterns and their names engraved.

When they married, they each added their spouse's names to the bracelets joined with a heart symbol.

"What a lovely romantic idea!" Sevrina mentioned to Kyp. "Let's do that."

He grinned and bought her a bracelet with their names entwined.
--

27. Apprentice
Mara never expected to take on an apprentice. Her journey to being a Jedi was strange and unique to say the least.

And on top of that to take on one of the Solo twins, that was a daunting task in and of itself.

She wondered how difficult it would be to separate the personal from the 'professional.'

That would prove to be a balance but one she was able to achieve.

Luke never doubted Mara's tangible and intangible gifts as a mentor, and she was happy to reward his confidence.

--

28. Tanner

Lorne Tanner was a clerk/receptionist on a resort world and prided himself on being able to accommodate prominent guests.

So when Leia and Han stayed for their anniversary, he arranged a luxury suite with flowers, a whirlpool in the 'fresher, and the best wines and sweets.

He knew if well known guests spread the word that they had had the 'star treatment' that would only be great for growing the business.
--
29. & 30. Clay and Iron

The Jedi reforged and the Republic restored had a particular parallel to one another.

The Jedi had been faulty, flawed, soft as clay easily manipulated by a Sith mastermind. As had the Old Republic.

Then the Empire had arisen clamping down on worlds with an ironlike grip.

Now it was necessary for Jedi and Republic to not fall prey to the traps that had led to weakness and tyranny.

With Luke and Leia as forerunners, this was an attainable goal.

 

Nice pieces with trinket showing the love and apprentice with Mara getting one.
Tanner as a surname and clay and iron decribing what went wrong

 

Week 7.

31. Voice
Leia's sweetest earliest memory of Breha was the soft soothing words of a lullaby.
"Stars sparkle and moon glides
Across the velvety sky,
Nestled in a cozy blanket,
Till the sun peeks over the horizon,
Sweet dreams are yours tonight."

When she sang her own kids to sleep, she sang this same lullaby.
-

32. Echo
The echo of teasing and comradeship lingered after Biggs Darklighter left Tattooine. These formed memories for Luke to hold onto and recall fondly.

Then when Biggs was lost at Yavin, all that was left was memories.

An echo of what never would be again.
--

33. Sound

Growing up, sometimes on the periphery of dreams, a laughing pair of sky blue eyes would tantalize Leia. So familiar, that warm laugh, the invitation to race across the meadow in lighthearted fun.

Who was this who felt so familiar?

When she awoke, the sense of belongingness that permeated the dreamscape faded with the sound of laughter.
---

34. Silence

The Jedi Med ward was quiet. T'Rani Beillane made the rounds of the initiates, soothed their restless sleep.

She checked the Padawans and Masters who were recovering from various ailments/minor injuries.

Her soothing presence was like a warm blanket and aided the recovery process.
----

35. Plangent

T'Rani suggested using Bogling pairs as therapeutic aids for those who were suffering from longer lasting medical challenges.

"What a wonderful idea," Luke said.

When they brought two Bogling bonded pairs, they were very popular and their plangent sounds were soothing and adorable to all that heard them.

Sevrina was so captivated by them that she later insisted to Kyp that they needed a pair of their own.

He could not deny such an understandable request.

 

A whole journey through history with Leia, Biggs and Leia.
T'Rani and Sevrina with the Bogling as an aid is nice

 

This is quite the mixed bag of tones and topics.

Week Eight prompts are:

36. Unction -as in a ceremonial anointing ritual
No one anointed Anakin Skywalker as "the Chosen One." All he wanted was freedom for himself, and for his Mother eventually. The Jedi got so wrapped up in prophecies and destinies that they did not realize the head on collision between an ill-equipped 'savior' and the state the Order was in and the manipulations of Sithly villains.

So when Luke assumed a prominent role in the newly established Order, he made sure not to take on lofty titles or allow grand and uncharted expectations to derail anything he attempted to do.

Being surrounded by wise advisers and colleagues, and eventually by Mara, he felt on sure footing.

-

37. Potion
The concoction being sold at the down at the heels cantina could melt the durasteel off the Falcon's hull.

Han kept a vigilant eye on his contact, not believing the other's bluster and boasting.

Chewbacca's outright skepticism let him know the deal would not go down without 10 kinds of verifiables.

The contact was trying to get Han drunk on the distasteful brew, but Han would have none of it.

When he left the dark confines of the cantina, he commed Talon Karrde with the confirmation requested by the Smuggler's Alliance.

Han's years of dealing with low lifes stood him in good stead as an unofficial liaison.

-

38. Plague
A plague ravaged the New Republic with a sudden shorta of bacta.

This led to a surge of scientific endeavors to find a viable alternative or two.

They found it just in time to halt the spread of the disease from one sector to the other.

Kyp commented to Corran and Luke that he wsa glad that they narrowly avoided planetary quarantines, as the Jedi were asked to aid in the transport of medical supplies.

-


39. Auger
Luke grew up on a world of sand and more sand, so worlds full of oceans and forests never failed to fascinate.

So when he saw one of the Jedi apprentices forging a musical instrument out of wood, he was intrigued.

The melody that came out of it as the finger holes were manipulated was sweet and lilting.


He also noticed that Tionne's stringed instrument was made of a rare wood.

He thus took up the hobby of wood carving and made miniatures for his nieces.

-
40. Flasks

Luke and Mara enjoyed sunset picnics with plenty of thick nerf burgers and sauted vegetable medallions but also flasks of cool liquids in spring and early summer, but as soon as autumn breezes became nippy, the flasks were full of hot chocolate.

Initially, Mara's was full of caf with cream added. But when she tasted hot chocolate for the first time, that became her beverage of choice.

"When did you discover hot chocolate?" She asked.

"It was Lando who introduced me as a connoisseur of fine taste."

Mara smirked, recalling Lando's initial flirting, to which she'd been oblivious. It was beyond dispute, however, that he had inestimable taste in the finest cuisine, drinks, and art.

 

Love how you write about Luke and Mara with Luke not taking a title and starting to carve wood and Mara loving hot chocolate.
Han is helpful to Talon and Kyp and Corran can help with the plague

 

Week Nine

41. Radiance
Pairing: Han and Leia

Han could not wrap his mind around losing your entire world! It just boggled the mind. He'd left Corellia of his own volition, seeking adventure and profit.
Yet and still, he knew it was still there tangibly. He could return if and whenver he chose, which he did on occasional vacations to enjoy the oceanside resort entertainments.

So, to think, hey, returning is not even an option, that just was incredible.

To see Leia stand up and fight in the wake of that indescribable experience, with not just courage, which in and of itself was amazing, but with actual hope and determination, that was just... special.

This lady is all that, he thought. Winning her respect and radiant smile was worth the effort, even if he stoutly denied it mattered.

Whenever friends of his tried to match him up with a lady friend, to their bemusement, he flatly wasn't interested.

None of them could hold a flickering glorwod against Leia's strength of character, resilience, and loveliness besides.

---

42. Mercy

Pairing for the next few: Luke and Mara

When the dust settled after the Wayland events, Mara took a position with the Smugglers' Alliance. This put to rest any qualms she might have had about being tried on Imperial crimes.

Though, she figured, if the New Republic did that with every person who was once affiliated with the Empire, that could become interesting rather fast!

Yet, her circumstances were quite unique, as a blatant and unapologetic understatement.

She expected tolerance, at the best, veiled suspicion at worst.
Yet what she found at least from Leia and her family, and particularly from Luke, was compassion and mercy, two things she was frankly unfamiliar with and didn't know if she merited.

But she accepted it from them as it was freely and gently proffered.

--

43. Equal

Luke always treated his Jedi colleagues as equals, never as subordinates. He always approached them as having things they could teach him, for which he gained their unwavering loyalty.

The communication amongst them all was candid and questions and solutions flowed freely.

This stance he came by naturally as his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru had always been frank with one another, working as a team. This had been vital fur survival, but it also felt like a natural consequence of their genuine devotion and commitment.

--

44. Unspoken

It was unspoken between Luke and Mara, this burgeoning friendship.

They sought out opportunities to spend leisure time together, although they were at great pains to do so spontaneously, not often by prearrangement.

Luke insisted these were not dates, whereupon Han simply smirked and Leia chuckled.

No one dared amongst the Wild Karrde crew, to speculate on what exactly these occasions were, to Mara, even if they speculated secretly.

When Luke's and Mara's relationship took a tender romantic turn, it was a surprise to the both of them how unsurprised their circle of friends/family were by the whole thing.

--

45. Ephemeral

Taking that romantic plunge was something the two of them reached out to do tentatively.

Mara, because such emotions were so novel; Luke because he didn't quite believe Mara reciprocated his affections. Any hint he had towards that was often ephemeral, a soft half-smile, a surreptitious glance.

Feeling rather reckless, they spoke of their feelings and were thrilled to find they were mutual.

 

Perfect drabbles to show the love and admiration of Han for Leia. Luke and Mara are perfect too with Mara and her love for Luke and his family. Luke treating his friends as equals and showing how Luke and Mara getting romantically involved, showing their mutual feelings.

 

I've fallen too far behind to review every single drabble – especially given the variety of topics and genres you have here (!) so I'm going to limit myself to a few favourites.

In week 1, I loved the story of Mon Mothma figuring out that Palpatine is up to no good in "pierce". It feels very much like her to be always on top of things, with her unshakable commitment to the Republic, and of course she would consult with Bail to see which other senators to bring in on the conversation. She's already planting the seeds for the future, even though she doesn't know it yet.

In week 2, the whole shtick about Luke, Leia and Han's adventures being portrayed in holofilms was a fantastic little piece of humour. Now I want to read the story of how they sabotaged the Death Star with Anzellan droidsmiths! (Though Luke having a harem could be interesting too )

In week 3, I loved, loved, loved the idea that Tanda and Jaina grew up hearing very special bedtime stories Hey, when you're the children of the heroes of the Rebellion, you have to keep up!

In week 4, I loved the contrast between Luke and Leia in "Father" and how that gets re-balanced in "Mother"; it was a wonderful way to highlight how deeply the difference in their respective upbringing influenced their personalities. I also squeed out loud when I saw Ghent and his developing friendship with Mara; that's one of my favourite aspects of this character and you summed it up very nicely in just a few sentences.

In week 5, what can I say? Sevrina! She's such a great OC, and you did a great job of describing here how she finds her place in the Praxeum and comes to know Kyp. I especially liked the way you had Kirana Ti take an interest in her and choose her as her padawan because they complement each other so well. In the end, it's the same qualities that will later make bond with Kyp.

In week 6, I am officially impressed by the way you chose to use the prompts clay and iron in a single drabble and managed to summarise a complex political situation about how to learn from the lessons of history in just a few sentences. This was an amazing piece of vey concise writing!

In week 7, because I'm a sucker for stories where Luke and Leia are vaguely aware of each other before they meet, I was all heart-eyes for "sound". It's adorable and sad at the same time that Leia would know of a secret playmate who is just beyond her reach.

In week 8, I was laughing inwardly at the thought of a lowlife thug trying to get Han drunk on cheap booze that could melt the Falcon's hull. The man clearly had no idea who he was talking to

This is a lovely collection for the UDC, and I'm looking forward to what you'll come up with for the following weeks!

 

@Chyntuck -- what a lovely insightful review!

This challenge has led to being able to focus on many characters, contexts, and moods.

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Week Ten

46. Cave

The caves on Ilum were full of crystals of varying hues. It was a feat of mastery for apprentices to find a crystal that was attuned to their thoughts and emotions that could be crafted into a luminous beam wielded to implement peace and justice, although as in most things it could also be twisted and used for harm and menace.

It was a unique and particular achievement of excellence when saber blades were forged not singly but doubly.

Blue, green, amethyst, and silver were the most common hues.

~

47. Village

Village fairs were always entertaining. Bant and Obi-Wan whenever they were on joint missions and a fair happened to be scheduled for their time onworld, during their leisure time, they would frequent the various amusements, go on the offered rides, and sample the totally delicious and unhealthy snacks.

Tahl and Qui-Gon would affectionately roll their eyes at their apprentices' indulgence and join them, to keep an eye on them, naturally.

They would stoutly deny that they enjoyed such things, as well.

~

48. Skyline

Mara Jade was assaulted by memories of her time serving the Empire as she surveyed the skyline of Coruscant whenever she happened to be on world.

But as time went on, past memories were supplanted by newer ones, business contacts and visits to entertainment venues, such as musical and sports events.

She preferred the open spaces of Ossus, the uncluttered vistas where the sun and moon(s) could be enjoyed without hindrance and no problematic memories could linger. Ossus was unalloyed for her, becoming a home where she and Luke loved and worked as a team.

~

49. Summit

Achieving Jedi Knighthood was the summit of an apprentice's journey through various trials.

In the Old Republic, such trials were structured and followed a formalized path. The Knighting ceremony was dignified and had certain parameters laid out.

When the Jedi Order was restored, things were less rigid, more indivividualized. Although knighthood was still celebrated, determination of readiness was more subjective and personalized.

~

50. Glory

Jaina gave the following report on the convoluted connection between Jedi and Sith:

"The Sith always sought glory for themselves, dominance and ruthless oppression. The Jedi sought to serve, to be tools for the good of many. They made too many sacrifices, demanded the impossible, it's this or that, you cannot have both. Attachments of any kind were seen as dangerous, something to avoid at all costs. This untenable nonviable situation led to imbalance and Jedi turning to the Sithly path even inadvertently. Now, we seek a healthy balance, embracing and acknowledging the need to be fulfilled personally and connected emotionally."

"That was very well done." Mara told her.

Jaina grinned. "Thanks, Master."

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