Saga - OT Child of Lasan—Child of Lira San (Triptych) (Zeb/OC, Spectres, introspection, baby, family, AU)

Author: Findswoman
Title: Child of Lasan—Child of Lira San (Triptych)
Era: Saga–OT (2–5 ABY)
Characters: Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios, Shulma Trilasha Orrelios (OC), Ghost crew, other OCs
Genre: One-shot in three parts/vignettes; baby; family; AU
Summary: A momentous milestone for the reunited Zeb and Shulma, in three vignettes (all in one post).
Notes: Part of the Lasan Series, of course. The outright AU material is in the third of the three vignettes. It’s taken me a long time to get to this milestone for both the series and these characters, and I am very excited to finally be here! Many thanks, as usual, to @Raissa Baiard for beta reading.

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1. With Kit

Yavin IV, 2 ABY

When Shulma knew, she knew.

She had not seen any of the medics. There had been no tests, no samples, no mediscans. Those would have done no good anyway; all the medical equipment at Massassi Base was calibrated for Humans and Near-Humans, whose hormones were, of course, completely different from hers. No, it had been just a matter of carefully observing her own patterns, noting the changes. That, and the one morning she had become strangely queasy from her customary queen’s heart and blumfruit tea tended to confirm her impressions. (Fortunately, she had managed to quell the feeling by helping herself to a few of the Mandalorian ginger cookies Sabine had given them—before Zeb came down to breakfast.)

For weeks, perhaps even a few months, she kept it to herself, lest it was a false alarm, lest anything should go wrong. From day to day, she went about her usual work on the base: first her counseling rounds in the infirmary, then helping Lua with the alterations and textile repairs (of which there was no shortage on a base full of semi-ragtag Rebel soldiers). No one noticed any change in Shulma, for there was nothing for them to notice. There was only the tiny, mysterious secret that she alone knew.

She thought about how, and when, she would tell Zeb. When was simple enough: she would wait until she could feel the child’s Ashla spark. (Whatever that might feel like; long ago, Wise Chava had only said that she would know it when she felt it.) But how was more difficult. She did not want him to worry about her, especially not now, in the middle of galaxy-wide civil war, and with all his responsibilities as the base’s chief of security. Her doughty warrior husband could be quite the mother avian when he felt so inclined.

Then the morning came.

It was early, just after sunrise. She was going upstairs to meditate on the rooftop deck of their bijou, human-sized villa in the Marble Ridge Heights residential complex (or Married Rebel Housing, as it was affectionately nicknamed) just outside the grounds of Massassi Base. Just as she sat down to begin, she felt it: a tiny electric tingle deep in her core. She began her meditation as usual to see what would happen—and it remained, sparking and pinging as regularly and rhythmically as a heartbeat.

The spark—the child’s spark—the Ashla spark.

Then, finally, when the sun was up in its fullest splendor, casting golden gleams on the leaves of the Yavin jungle, Zeb came upstairs in his plush purple bathrobe to enjoy his morning caf, as he always did. Just after he put his tempered-glass demitasse cup down on the arm of his lounge chair, but before he sat down, Shulma came up to kiss him as usual.

Then wordlessly, smilingly, she took his large hand in her own and placed it gently on her belly.

First Zeb’s leaf-green eyes bugged. Then they brightened. And then the woods and cliffs echoed with his “Aw, karabast!”

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2. A Warrior, Her Child, and Their Fool

Lira San, 3 ABY

Zeb doesn’t get it.

He’s used to being the biggest. So how could he have made something so tiny? Because karabast, she’s tiny. She barely comes up to his elbow. But it’s no trick, no dream. That little bitty Lasat-shaped thing with the funny grayish-greenish eyes and the thatchy tuft of purple-black hair? Making little gurgly and purry noises as she nuzzles up against his arm muscles? Yup, that’s his child.

He’s used to being the warrior, the strongman. The exiled soldier who devoted his life to fighting the Empire and avenging his lost homeworld. But this time he barely did a thing. This time it was all her. He knew she was strong, but karabast—all those hours of exertion and exhaustion just to bring their first kit into the daylight! She fought hard, and she won. She was the true warrior here. All he did was sit there gawking like a fool.

She’s sleeping now; she deserves it. Every good soldier does after battle. And he kind of feels like he’s about to nod off, too, with that little warm being snuggled up close to him. Funny how she’s the only one who doesn’t show any signs of tiring!

Holding a new daughter on a new homeworld, reunited with the wife he thought he had lost—he never thought he’d live to see a day like this. Karabast, he never thought he’d want to live, period. ’Course, he has to enjoy it while he can, because in another month or two he’ll have to return and continue the fight. But for now, they’re all here together: a Warrior, her Child, and their Fool.

Zeb gets it.

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3. Family Reunion and Hello

Lira San, 5 ABY
(this one is the AU)

Zeb takes a deep breath as approaches the hatch. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s a little nervous. Scratch that—a lot nervous. Has it really been two whole Standard years? How many dust seasons would that have been? (Or wait, sorry, sunstorm seasons, as they say here. He’ll get used to it, eventually.)

There’s no good reason for him to be nervous. The war’s over now, as hard as that is to believe, and he’s coming home. Really home, to a wife and child and everything. To his own kind, the Lasat (or Lira’sat, as many of them call themselves here—he’s still getting used to that, too). Proof, living proof, too long in coming, that the Empire didn’t win—but even after all these years it still boggles his mind. Zeb wonders: will there be a crowd of gold, green, and amber-red eyes watching him now, the way there had been when he first set foot on Lira San? He’ll settle for just two pairs of emerald green this time.

But the main reason he doesn’t need to be nervous is simply that he’s not alone. His best friends, his faithful Spectre family are here with him, surrounding him. Hera and Kanan holding Jacen (karabast, he’s getting so big!), who is fairly bouncing with excitement after having been told he’s finally going to meet his new little cousin today. Sabine with her armor painted in iridescent nebular orange-gold and her cropped hair dyed rich purple. And if he didn’t know this bunch as well as he did, he would barely recognize the strapping young man beside her, with dark hair in a topknot and a scruffily gallant goatee, as none other than his one-time little-space-bro Ezra, because, karabast, he’s grown, too. Even old Chop is there, with a new paint job and an oil bath.

Yes, they’re all together again, after those two standard years and more. All together for him, for this moment, for his beautiful new home, where they will be joyfully welcomed. Pretty amazing. Pretty staggering.

But, yeah, shouldn’t he be happy, for Bogan’s sake?

Well… he is. He’s just nervous, too. Because it seems every time something happy has come up these last several years, there’s always been something, well, not so happy right behind it. The finding of Lira San—followed by the rise of Thrawn and the Empire’s discovery of not one but two Rebellion bases. The miraculous recovery of Kanan after the fuel depot explosion, the incredible liberation of Lothal—followed by Ezra’s sudden and unexpected journey into parts unknown. (They went after him, of course, and eventually found him, but it wasn’t easy.) And of course the birth of Jacen—amid war and destruction and uncertainty.

So, what’ll it be this time, Zeb wonders, now that he’s finally home and the Alliance has finally won? Some remnant of the Empire pops up in some far corner of the Galaxy like an overcooked space waffle and starts wreaking havoc? And somehow makes it to Lira San? And Lasan happens all over again? And this time—

(He and Ezra had talked about this on the journey here. Of course, Ezra had told him he shouldn’t worry about it, to just enjoy the good things happening right now and not get all bothered about the future. Ezra’s been right sometimes and wrong sometimes. But it was just so good to talk to him, just like they did so often in the old times, that Zeb leans toward believing him this time.)

Needless to say, with all this going through his head, it feels like a karabasting eternity standing there in front of that hatch. Zeb figures he’d better take another deep breath.

And how about that—as if on cue, the hatch opens.

The others cluster close around. Zeb doesn’t have to be an Ashla shaman (or adept, or priest, or mystagogue, or whatever they call it here) to feel it. Eyes bulge in awe—yes, he can almost feel that, too. Oohs and aahs and gasps go up, as does an excited yelp from Jacen, who by now is bouncing so much Hera can barely hold him...

Shulma stands there: her strong, graceful stature, her lush, cascading dark hair, her deep emerald eyes, and those swirling arm-stripes he has always loved. It’s like their reunion on the cliffs of Khorassan all over again—but this time with a bonus.

For there, in her arms, transformed from the infant of a few years ago into a lovely girl-kit, is his little Honor: Honor Yokhevleva, kh’s’yai’-Shulma-yi-Garazeb-na, Orrelios. She has her mother’s bright, deep emerald eyes, and they widen with wonder as she asks, “That Da?”

“Yes, Honorlove,” her mother answers. “That is, indeed, Da.”

And Zeb, Garazeb Orrelios, the Child of Lasan, the Returned One, runs to them and engulfs them in strong arms and covers them both with kisses and tears of joy, and stays there. And sure, very soon it will be time for introductions, greetings, idle pleasantries, official check-ins, and tours. (The springapple trees are casting their petals and their fragrance on the central promenade; Sabine will love the ancient whitestone statues, Ezra the nine-lined treescamps.) But right now, nothing exists except the hugs, the kisses, the tears, and a very soft “Aw, karabast!”

the end

Spoiler: Notes

Marble Ridge Heights (Married Rebel Housing) is first mentioned in A Steamy Vengeance.

For Zeb and Shulma’s reunion on the cliffs of Khorassan, see Stand Together on the High Places.

And, finally, everything having to do with Lira San and its scenery, customs, language, flora, fauna, etc. is, of course, my own fanon.

 

I SQUEED SUCH A SQUEE TO SEE THIS POSTED! When you said that we were going to be spoiled with more post-STotHP fic soon, I didn't realize how soon - and I do mean spoiled. This was just so . . . soft and powerful and peaceful, all at once. What a well earned blessing, for all these dear characters, from start to finish!

In particular, I enjoyed . . .

And, just like that, we knew.

Or, rather, we knew from the info bar and title what this story was going to be about coming in, but still: this. What a perfect opening line.

This was another great detail, not only about human/near-human standards in the galaxy, again, but about how this is the beginning of something that had once seemed an impossible end. There is no medical equipment for a Lasat, or way to calibrate what they do have, because Lasan and its people is gone, and for so long Shulma and Zeb were separated, too, but now there's this little spark of something new.

Am I rambling? I might be, for which I apologize! You just really managed to say so much with so little, once again.

There was something so softly beautiful about this, describing that dawning awareness between mother and child.

CHIEF OF SECURITY, YES HE IS!!! I appreciated that detail, just as much as I did the idea of Zeb fussing over Shulma. Of course he always would, it's in his nature to protect, but I can only imagine how strong his mother avian instincts are now with his wife so amazingly returned to him against all odds!

The prose and emotion here were both equally gorgeous!

PERFECT REACTION FROM ZEB IS PERFECT!

I really took more delight from this scene than I can say!

Here lies the author formally known as Mira: dead from all the fluff!!!

I absolutely adored this passage. Zeb's introspection was just so quintessentially himself, all the while being properly awed and wondering and completely smitten as a new father.

I'm running out of ways to say that I couldn't stop smiling. Zeb's devotion and awe for Shulma will never not leap off of the screen, but they did so here especially.

Yep: still smiling! I loved the line about good soldiers deserving rest, and the kit being the only one who doesn't seem tired at all.

I really appreciated the parentheticals, here and throughout this third section, juxtaposing what's familiar and what's not on Lira San! I can only imagine how disorienting that would be, even with as much as there is to love and be grateful for in this new home.

AU accepted.

This was so poignant, and too true! All you can do now is live - live the lives the Empire tried to destroy - and worry about future woes whenever and however they come. I loved this glimpse of a mature Ezra, too! Seeing his and Zeb's relationship from the beginning to where they are now just warms the heart.

Loved this, again.

THEY NAMED THEIR DAUGHTER HONOR. And Yokhevleva, too. What a perfect name!!!

This little detail just hit me from the midst of a very intense, emotional reunion! I could have quoted everything from this scene, as is so often the case, but this bit in particular was bolded amongst several exclamation points for me, so to speak. Zeb's home now, and he's going to stay home.

More fantastic details!

In the end, what more can be said than that? And in uniquely Zeb fashion! This was just so fitting a hero's return at the end of such a long, epic struggle. These two - these three, now, and indeed all the Spectres - really deserve all of the peace and happiness that is now theirs to claim.


Thank-you so much for sharing this decadently gorgeous piece with us! As always, I look forward to any more stories you may have to tell of these characters in the future.

 

Finally getting around to these! Sorry it’s taken me so long. That by no means means I did not appreciate each of you folks’ readership and comments—just that I’ve been a hectic mess lately. Thank you all for bringing happiness to that chaos!

And count me blessed to have you as a reader and appreciator of this series! So glad you enjoyed this, especially Zeb’s viewpoint in part three with everything and everyone coming together—I simply couldn’t resist!

Thanks so much! And I felt exactly the same—I wanted Zeb to see his first child being born but also be able to continue the fight, as I know both would be very important to him. Have your cake and eat it too, maybe, but he deserves it, the old dear!

Then I know I’ve done my job! Thanks so much again. <3

Thank you so much, always love seeing you here! Soft epilogues all around, that’s what I say.

Thank you so much! So glad this brought you squees and smiles—I got it done sooner than I had expected myself, too!

That was, indeed, the idea!

Well, thanks! I had this opening line in mind for a while, because it just seemed right, and I’m so glad it felt just right to you, too!

Exactly—one of the reasons there was no medical equipment around that would work for them to begin with was simply because they were considered a lost cause—people thought there would never be any more of them. But boy were they wrong, at least in my universe!

Hey, no worries—rambling is totally all right! I have been known to do it myself, and if I do say so myself, this is just the kind of rambling I love! And thanks so much! That’s a a challenge I set for myself often in these short pieces, so I’m glad to know it’s successful!

There’s really nothing quite like that stage/moment of the process, and I imagine Force-sensitivity adds a whole different dimension.

Yes, it’s very much that “I lost you once, I won’t lose you again” impulse at work. And given that Chief of Security was his role at the Atollon base, it only made sense to me that it would be his role at Yavin, too!

Thanks so much! Again, the presence of the Force in this moment gives it an added dimension for mother and child.

Thanks, I’m so glad! Again, just seemed to fit for him!

I take that as a very good sign, indeed!

Thanks again! He never stops being the Zeb he is, no matter what comes his way, good or bad—that’s always been my view of this character!

Thank you so much! That’s what I was going for, and I’m glad to know it was achieved!

! And yes, that is about how I remember it being, too!

Thanks! Yes, I imagine there’s a lot that’s sort of semi-familiar but just different enough—I’m imagining that since the first settlers on Lasan were from Lira San, they brought their culture with them from there, but it ended up going some somewhat different directions. Again, just different enough to sometimes be confusing and to need time to get used to! (If one even can!)

Right? Once again, it’s only “alternate” if one wants it to be!

I’ve always loved the big brother–little brother relationship between Zeb and Ezra—that was one of my favorite dynamics on the show (and one that, as I’ve probably said before, they could have done much more with). Ezra has been in the position of giving Zeb that kind of reassurance before in the past (see, e.g., his words of encouragement in “Legends of the Lasat”), so, I figured, why not now, too! Just like old times, indeed!

Thanks! And I am hoping I can write a bit more about these adepts/priests/mystagogues sometime—they too are probably “similar but just different enough” to their counterparts from Lasan.

Thanks! Yes, they did! I knew from the start that I wanted that to be their first child’s name, and that I wanted at least one of the mothers’ names to be part of her name too. And because I couldn’t decide on just one… I mashed them up together!

Exactly my thinking! He so deserves it.

Thanks so much! We never see the surface of Lira San on the show—it’s only ever mentioned in an abstract sort of way, so I like to bring it to life with things like this when I can. And here he is also, inevitably, thinking of the things his family from the Ghost will enjoy about his new home!

Agreed, agreed, amen to all of that! What else can be said but that “karabast” of joy! <3

Well, you are just so welcome, ma’am! Always so thrilled to have you here, and honored over the moon that you have been enjoying these stories from the start. So a huge hug of thanks to you, too!

Thanks so much for reading and commenting—always great to see you here! So, here’s the thing...

Spoiler

…the “Ch. Y. O.” addendum at the very end of Shaman, Traveler, Oracle is by a different Zebma daughter—the younger sister of this one! But if things go well, you won’t have to wait to long to meet her, either.

You know, I haven’t entirely decided yet, and that’s partly because I’ve been taking this series one story at a time rather than planning it out as an overarching arc (even though there is a chronological order). But I at least hope to have set up the possibility here!

Yes, c’mon, indeed, and absolutely agreed!

Part of the point of this series has indeed been to give him a chance for more interiority than he necessarily got on the show, and sometimes I wonder if I make him too much so—I wouldn’t want it to negate or overshadow the characteristics that make him him—so I’m glad you enjoyed this aspect of this story!

Thank you so much, and I’m so glad you enjoyed!

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this—wonderful to see you here!

Thanks so much! It really is a special feeling—I kind of remember it too and was trying to recapture it as best I could. Before all the chaos kicks in when they’re actually born!

Yes, absolutely agreed! It really adds an extra dimension of poignancy to what’s already a super poignant moment, even for us Muggles!

Aw, thank you! Yes, I agree, there’s something about that image—such a contrast of the big and the little, and that eternal power the Little has totally captivate the Big and wrap it, so to speak, around its little finger!

Oh, I am certain he was that and more, more than he knows! <3

Absolutely agreed! It’s no less than such a close-knit family of friends deserve, after everything!

Thanks so much—I certainly try! It can be hard to kick that “shoe is about to drop” feeling when you’ve been through conflict after conflict for so long. But that little voice of hope is still there behind it, and even just listening to it makes a world of difference.

You are very, very welcome—so glad you came by to read, and thank you for such an awesome and thoughtful comment! (And really, that goes for all of you here! <3 )