Beyond - Legends Saga "Our Hearts Were Never Meant to Kneel" | 2023/24 Summer Olympics | Song!verse; Darth Maul, Mara Jade

Title: "Our Hearts Were Never Meant to Kneel"
Author: Mira_Jade

Genre: General (Drama, Humor, Fluff, Action/Adventure)
Time Frame: Song!verse AU; post-RotS - NJO
Characters: Zaed (Darth Maul), Mara Jade, and Ensemble Cast

Summary: The process of unbecoming, told in five ten parts.

Author's Note: Hello, dear readers! Somewhat belatedly, I am here to dive into the 2023 Summer Olympics (and now the 2024 Summer Olympics) with this Darth Maul and Mara Jade pentathlon, which may become a decathlon decathlon. In short, for those who may not be familiar with my work, the Song!verse is an AU where Anakin Skywalker did not turn to the Dark Side. Due to the altered timeline, Darth Maul has also rather diverged from his canon self. He goes by his birthname of Zaed now, and an unlikely friendship with Mara Jade has helped him along a somewhat grudging path to redemption (not that he'd call it that, of course ).

Though you can technically jump right into this collection without any prior reading, the stories Her Still, Small Voice, Blooms in Adversity, Let Every Little Fracture Shatter, and Your Heart Will Catch Its Breath Again, along with the drabble sets Sunlight Warm Upon My Face and How Do We Teach Eyes to Close, Bones to Disappear?, detail the journey Maul (and Mara) have taken in this 'verse thus far. The rest of the stories of the Song!verse are included behind the spoiler tag for anyone who may be curious for more.

Spoiler: Stories of the Song!verse

• “An Old Song, Re-Sung” | The one that started it all! A complete RoTS AU short story where, and I quote: Anakin is not dumb and Sithy. From a certain point of view, at least.
  
  
• “Her Still, Small Voice” | The sequel to AOSRS. A Mara Jade origins story that is, unfortunately, on hiatus.
  
  
• "Even Without a Voice" | My answer to the 2018 DDC. Ahsoka's companion story to Anakin's, picking up right from her leaving the Jedi Order through just after the subverted events of RoTS.
  
  
• "In That There That Isn't Here" | This is something a little different for me. A Sintas Vel diary I started for the 2020 DDC. This is, as of now, another incomplete WIP, but one that I hope to start up again someday.
  
  
• "All That's Unsung" | A complete short story, set 3 years post-RoTS. Featuring Anakin and Padmé trying to have a date night, and Rex and Ahsoka babysitting the toddler twins.
  
  
• "So Few Things" | A WIP novel, set five years post-RoTS, focusing on Bly/Aayla Secura after the subverted events of Order 66.
  
  
• "And Dances With the Lilliadils" | A very special vignette featuring Jesse and Chyntuck's OC Nazmat Koch, written for the 2023 Spring Bingo.
  
  
• "Color Me Pink" | A complete, goofy short story written for the 2020 April Fools Challenge, featuring the preteen twins and Mara Jade building their lightsabers, set about 13 years post-RoTS. It mainly focuses on one of my OCs, Rhysa, and her relationship with Ezra Bridger. With bonus married and happy Aayla Secura/Bly on the side.
  
  
• "Our Hearts Were Never Meant to Kneel" | A Darth Maul and Mara Jade decathlon, written for the 2023 Summer Olympics.
  
  
• "Your Heart Will Catch Its Breath Again" | A WIP short story set 16 years post-RotS, featuring Darth Maul, Mara Jade, and a mission to Abeexis.
  
  
• "We Claim Our Own Landscape" | A WIP short story, set about 20 years post-RoTS, where Han meets the parents.
  
  
• "Antigravity" | A collection of short stories written for the 2023 Kessel Run Challenge.
  
  
• "A Brighter Sun; a Bigger Sky" | A collection of short stories written for the 2024 Kessel Run Challenge.

Then, various odds and ends can be found in “The Rest is Silence”, "Our Love of Constellations", "Cut Into Little Stars", "The Courage of Stars", and "From Such Infinite Space".

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, but for the words. My title comes from Auri's Kiss the Mountain, which has been a Mara Jade song for me since I first heard it, but now dually encompasses Zaed in this AU, as well.

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INDEX OF EVENTS

2023 Entries​

I. "The Nature of Names" (110 Word Hurdle) | 13 years post-RotS | Zaed (Darth Maul) & Mara Jade

II. "Unbecoming" (400 Word Cross Country) | 13 years post-RotS | Zaed (Darth Maul) & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Mara Jade

III. "The Care and Feeding of the Umbaran Selenica: Pilgrimage" (AU Archery I) | Zaed (Darth Maul) & Obi Wan Kenobi | "Interruption" (AU Archery II) Zaed (Darth Maul) & Ezra Bridger | "Oblivious" (AU Archery Coda) Obi-Wan Kenobi/Luminara Unduli & Zaed (Darth Maul)

IV. "The Care and Feeding of the Umbaran Selenica: Unexpected" (200 Word Freestyle) & "Crescive" (bonus 200 Word Freestyle) Zaed (Darth Maul) & Jocasta Nu | "Ballad" (bonus 400 Word Cross Country) Zaed (Darth Maul) & Tionne Solusar & Jocasta Nu

V. "The Care and Feeding of the Umbaran Selenica: Luminous Beings" (100 Word Sprint) | Zaed (Darth Maul) & Qui-Gon Jinn

2024 Entries​

VI. "Though Our Roots Remain in Shadow" (Water Polo Poetry) | Zaed (Darth Maul) & Mara Jade



~ MJ

 

Author's Notes: To kick off these games, I am going to start with the 110 Word Hurdle - where I haven't used my character's name to fulfill the bonus challenge . . . from a certain point of view, anyway. Enjoy!

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I. “The Nature of Names”
(110 Word Hurdle)​

The yoke of Maul now sounds as knives in your ears, where, once, it brought you nothing but pride.

For your title was never a name, but rather a designation of the Master. As such, you’ve since come to loathe the brand – as if you were only ever some scarcely tamed beast whose sole purpose was to tear and rend and devour.

“Do not call me that,” your hear your voice as if from another mouth, yet the words . . . they are truly your own. “Please,” gentleness somehow whets your parched lips to amend a plea from a command; bravely, you meet the question in your aubrett’s eyes, “call me by my name.”



~ MJ

 

Ooh, yay, so glad to see you back at writing! A Mara and Zaed pentathlon—I can just tell this is going to be great. Love how your first entry really is true to the “hurdle” prompt of sidestepping names and packs in so much about Zaed’s self-image and changing identity/ies in such short space. A real step in the right direction for him, and a bit of a jar for him, though understandably so. And yet one I can still hear in Sam Witwer’s voice! Wonderful to have you back, ma’am; can’t wait to see where you take this challenge!

 

Thank you for the wonderful feedback, all!

Thank you! Maul is certainly enjoyable in the narrow role he plays a tropey villain, but I do love writing him on a somewhat more compelling and sympathetic path here. So yay! It's good to know that I've achieved my objective.

Oh yay! I was worried that it was too lyrical and/or too much of a mouthful, but I couldn't shake it to pick another title, so here we are.

And thank you! DRL has had a go at me over the last month or so, but it is great to be able to participate in the Olympics in what a way I can!

Thank you! The entire concept of identity, through one's name and beyond, is definitely a cornerstone of Maul's arc in this AU, so I just couldn't resist playing with this prompt in the most literal sense possible.

That's one of my favorite metaphors to use when writing from Zaed's POV, too! So, of course, I have to come up with variations as often and whenever possible.

I hope that you continue to enjoy! And, until then, I thank you so very much for taking the time to leave your thoughts with such awesome feedback!

MARA AND ZAED, MARA AND ZAED!!!

(I promise that I love these two a normal amount. )

Heck, I never expected as much when I first started writing Maul in this 'verse! He was just supposed to be a convenient character to move the plot along in HSSV, but now . . . he's quite grown into his own, and it's the organic nature of that growth that has helped him stay in character (or at least I try) and proven to be so much fun for me as an author!

Your wish is my command!

As always, I can't thank you enough for your support and encouragement!

Aw, it's so good to be back, thank you! Again, knowing that you can hear Sam Witwer's voice is just the best compliment! I really do love writing Zaed's journey - and his relationship with Mara - more than I can say, and I hope that you continue to enjoy this collection as it goes!

Thank you! I do love giving Maul this future instead.



I'll be back with the next event in just a few minutes!

 

Author's Notes: My title was very much inspired by Starset's Unbecoming.

Enjoy!

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II. “Unbecoming”
(400 Word Cross Country)​

“Are you sure that’s where you want to move your lance?”

He had been sure, but he’d never let his opponent see how his remark gave him pause. Instead, refusing to look down at the board all the while, he growled, “Your move, Kenobi.”

A pike was sacrificed for his error; swiftly, he moved his sickle in answer.

“Very interesting,” Kenobi commented, sitting back to stroke his beard in consideration. “As always, I find your lack of restraint refreshing, Maul.”

A bald insult against the Jedi's maternal line dammed on his tongue before, quite without conscious thought, he found himself correcting: “Zaed.”

The near ambient tension that ever defined their encounters crackled then, like coastal ice warming over some springtide sea, threatening to break. Kenobi’s eyes snapped up from the cu’bikad board, his composure, for once, rippling with uncertainty. Mara, from where she had been working on an essay for Master Regin’s history class, equally turned her attention to him, her expression pleased – and all the more damnably hopeful.

“What was that?” Kenobi asked slowly – carefully, as if he was a rancor about to spook in the glen.

“Zaed,” he repeated calmly. “That is my name. Not Maul.”

Kenobi hesitated, as if waiting for him to rescind his words. Yet, “Zaed,” he finally repeated, and then "Zaed," again, with greater strength.

“Yes.”

“It . . . it suits you.”

Zaed grunted in acknowledgment, and was then, at the very least, more satisfyingly able to take Kenobi’s halberd in his distraction. From there, he thought, a path to victory had been opened, but only if he could capture the glaive standing in his way . . .

But then: “Zaed,” Mara whispered, “your eyes.”

She was staring – Kenobi too, he realized somewhat unsettlingly – her own eyes wide with an expression of awed delight.

Bemused, he blinked. “What about them?”

“They’re . . . they’re brown.”

He started for her words, feeling them land like physical blows. How, he wondered with no small incredulity – why? Too many emotions, too varied to tell one from the other, twisted about his heart and ran through his mind; he would indulge none of them while he was in such company.

. . . yet, there was a strange sort of peace to be found in knowing that he could.

Instead, he gestured at the board and grumbled, “your move, Kenobi.”



~ MJ

 

Ooh, cu'bikad! Love the way you've developed the game, too, with the different types of knife/blade-type pieces; since I don't see anything about those in the Wook entry for the game, I am guessing you came up with that yourself. What a joy to see Zaed and Obi-Wan sitting down together at a gameboard; playing games really can bring out all sorts of things about the real person, as we definitely see here, and for it to be a strategy game like this really fits them both so well. But the most striking moment of observation comes from someone outside the game, namely Mara pointing out his changed eyes—she's noticed the way that this game, despite being very cutthroat and Mandalorian and all that sort of thing, is actually contributing to bringing out the best in Zaed (and as Nyota says, Mara had a lot to do with that herself). Here's to more such moments for all three of these folks, and thanks for sharing another very cool installment of your 'athlon!

 

Oh yay! I'm so glad to hear that - especially as this is definitely going to be a decathlon now.

Thank you! The same as with Mara in canon, Zaed has come to the realization that he was never a student or heir or even a trusted agent - he was no different than a blunt forced object to be used and discarded at will. Reclaiming his name for himself is a big part of unlearning that conditioning.

I'm so happy that stood out to you, because that was my entire reason for using the second-person POV in the first place!

It really proved to be the perfect bookend.

Exactly! You can see where Obi-Wan's teaching style was definitely influenced by training Anakin, but at the same time Zaed is a rival, of a sort, and a friend, of a sort, so he's still going to goad him and use whatever means he can to win the game, so to speak.

When considering how Zaed would tell Obi-Wan his name for the first time, I knew almost from the start that I wanted it to be a nonchalant, almost unremarkable moment - as if it was so natural that Zaed did so before he even understood his intention to do so - and so it was.

She's a smart little bean, and definitely empathetic when it comes to Zaed's growth!

Just so! I love writing this unlikely friendship more than I can say.

He may even win this round!

Thank you! I'm so happy to share the love!

All of this, yes! (I even had a line about him standing in a mirror and processing later that I had to cut due to the word count requirement.) This is definitely a Big Deal for Zaed, but he's distanced himself from his emotions to process in the moment, all the while knowing that he doesn't necessarily have to. His trust - and the friendship that is built on that essential cornerstone - is growing, and that is something Mara uniquely understands.

Aw, thank you so much! Your review completely made my day, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the rest of this collection as it goes!

It really is wonderful, being able to give even more depth to the events of LELFS! I knew from the first that I wanted Zaed revealing his name to Obi-Wan to be a flow-of-conversation, almost accidental but nevertheless still natural moment, and here it was! As was the physical manifestations of such a deep, momentous change.

He's come so far, hasn't he?

And the modification of his tattoos is actually the subject of an event coming soon, right after the next one! I'm actually editing LELFS slightly to say that Zaed makes reparations with another one of his victims, and asks that very familiar face for help in applying the golden marks.

lol! Because Zaed is still Maul in some ways, and once the emotional waters rise too high, it's time to shut down a bit and process more later. Especially when he still has Obi-Wan's butt to kick at cu'bikad.

As always, I thank you so much for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts!

All the good things.

Yep, that's all fanon! (I was actually disappointed in Rebels when cu'bikad was reduced to a hologame - although maybe that was just the only board they had available to them at the time.) We know from Legends that it was a game played with real knives, kinda as a game of checkers on a cube-shaped board? I built on that, just slightly, to give the pieces a more chess-like feel.

Then, I think I mentioned this way back when with HSSV, but I love the idea of cu'bikad being a early form of common-ground for Maul and Obi-Wan, albeit in a distorted way. (With Maul having learned the game from the people he subjected, and Obi-Wan from Satine and then Cody.) Now, it's a truly enjoyable pastime for them, even if they are totally keeping track of their stats when it comes to wins and losses.

Games always do seem to reveal our true characters, don't they? And that's definitely the catalyst here for Zaed to share his name with Obi-Wan for the first time, and all that follows.

Thank you so much! As always, I appreciate your support and encouragement more than I can say.

Thank you! I was ridiculously proud of that line in particular.

*SQUEE!* Exactly! That could be the summary for this entire collection, even.

Indeed, Mara is! She's always seen Zaed for all that he can be - now, he's just showing others, and himself, what she's known all along.

Thank you for reading, my friend, as always!



Alrighty, I will have more up in a jiffy!


~ MJ

 

It just may be.

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Author's Note: So, to the surprise of no one a very few, I am happy to announce that this thread is now officially a decathlon. I have the rest of the events planned out, and can't wait to share them with you!

Towards that end, this next segment contains three events plus a few bonus scenes. I didn't want to feel like I was subverting the word count requirements, so each story can be read alone, but together, they add to the whole. The whole, that said, further explores Zaed taking to horticulture - and tending the Umbaran selenica, in particular - that I started exploring in How Do We Teach Eyes to Blink, Bones to Disappear?

Furthermore, I asked @ViariSkywalker and @Gabri_Jade for prompts for the 200 Word Freestyle and the 100 Word Dash. They answered with enthusiasm - Vi with Pilgrimage and Ballad; Gabri with Interruption, Unexpected, and Oblivious - and, as I am never one to let a prompt go unused if I may, I have more than one bonus event to share. This is also my first time using the AU Archery in a collection that's already entirely AU, but I tried to do so with an aim of highlighting just what is AU about Zaed's story compared to Maul's, most of all. You can decide if I'm successful or not.

Enjoy!

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“The Care and Feeding of the Umbaran Selenica”
​

III. Pilgrimage (AU Archery)

It all started with an attempt to coax Ossus’ native juni flowers to bloom indoors. (They were his aubrett’s favorite, after all, and worth the challenge just to see her smile whenever she looked upon the blossoms.) His success with that one plant was eventually compounded with his further efforts in tending the native seafah-claw and spiked bluepod and rain-apple tree. From there, fasciated Ithorian palm-wort and Felucian heart’s glow joined his growing conservatory, and he even took on a particularly cantankerous semi-sentient reeksa vine from Iego – which Kenobi had dubbed a most fitting companion.

(Zaed had scowled for the comparison – unwittingly proving his point – and even Mara had smiled for the elder Jedi’s words without attempting to gainsay him.)

Now, Kenobi was guiding in a particularly large potted plant – the broad-leafed fronds were even taller than he was, and the trunk of the tree was wide enough that the pot required a repulsor base for ease of movement. It was a striking specimen, was Zaed's first impression, with deep indigo leaves and a faintly bioluminescent shimmer about its stalks and capillaries.

“It's an Umbaran selenica,” Kenobi revealed at his query, “and one whom has been with me for many years.” He hesitated, and then continued, “It's a healthy plant, but it has not flowered since Master Qui-Gon’s death, who was its previous custodian. I thought . . . I thought that you may have better luck with tending the selenica, as you too have a rather unique connection to the Living Force.”

His words fell like stones in still waters, disturbing a seemingly tranquil surface that nonetheless masked many swift currents far below.

It was not a smirk or a sneer that twisted his mouth in reply – not as Maul would have rejoiced in seeing his usually unflappable adversary showing where he was cut and how he bled. Instead, a very real pang of conscience pierced through to his heart, taking his breath with its sudden intensity. Many were the evils attached to his name, no matter what he may have now called himself, and he would never be able to make the vast majority of those wrongs right.

What could he possibly say in answer? What words even existed to express I regret and -

- I wish I had not -

- I was wrong to obey my Master -

- to indulge the evil that I alone desired -

“Kenobi,” he finally managed, saying nothing in an attempt to say everything, “I . . .”

“Please,” Kenobi looked down at the plant. Distractedly, he stroked the nearest velvety frond, “you need not say anything. I . . . I know, and I understand.”

And yet, it was not only necessary, but suddenly imperative that he express his penitence aloud. So: “I am sorry,” he said in a firm, strong voice. He said no more – could say no more – and hoped that those small, impossibly inadequate words properly conveyed even a shadow of his regret . . . and his remorse.

Deeply, Kenobi sucked in a breath; for a long moment he did not reply, before: “I forgave you long ago,” he absolved on an exhale. “Master Qui-Gon has, too, just as she . . . well, Satine always had a kind heart.”

For that, Zaed was silent, even if he was struck, and powerfully so, to know that one of his victims had been reached beyond the veil (as Kenobi had since been able to reconnect with his fallen mentor) . . . and had extended him clemency.

But Kenobi shrugged off his grief even as Zaed struggled to better balance the burden of his sins across his shoulders. It was a weight that he would perpetually carry, no matter how far he came in repudiating who he once was.

“You may even tell him yourself, when you are ready," somehow, Kenobi managed a ghosting smile, “just as you may tell him that the selenica has since bloomed anew, as it perhaps always have should.”



IV. Unexpected (200 Word Freestyle)

The archivist was familiar to Zaed from his years of confinement. From the beginning, Madame Nu was one of the few Jedi who dared venture near the muzzled beast, subdued in his cage, for the sole purpose of seeing his mind exercised while his body was so shackled.

“Take these,” brusquely – as if he was some petulant youngling rather than a Dark Lord of the Sith – she’d ignored his glower to give him a selection of datacards and holonovels from the library. “Tell me what interests you, and what does not; I will learn your preferences soon enough.”

He chose to humor himself – not the archivist, if only to pass the time.

Yet she did come to learn his tastes over the years, even as he discovered what those tastes were for himself – he liked history, fictional and nonfictional; biographies; narrative poetry; and scientific texts on the innermost workings of the galaxy – to the point where, eventually, he came to trust her judgment over his own.

. . . which was the only reason that he was currently enjoying the fictional satires from Naboo's Vicereine period (they were not romances, he assured himself) by Janée Naust – Madame Nu was expecting his opinion, and so, his opinion he would give.



Crescive (bonus 200 Word Freestyle)

Since the easing of his restrictions, he had yet to leave his quarters unless in the company of his aubrett or Kenobi. He was not avoiding the general populace of the Temple, per se, yet neither was he keen to submit himself to their scrutiny if at all possible.

“There’s one way to stop that, you know,” Mara had softly remarked, “and you can’t do that hiding away here.”

“Hiding?” he'd sniffed in affront. "I'm doing nothing of the sort."

“Aren’t you?” was her mild reply. Much to his chagrin, he could not counter her words in full – not in truth, anyway.

Perhaps that was why his first independent sojourn was to the archives. Refusing to snap his teeth at the uncertain ripples and outright spikes of apprehension lashing in the Force – one Dug youngling even rudely gasped aloud – Zaed kept himself calm and still as possible. He even nodded politely at the Dug boy, and was rewarded with a sheepish look in return, before he approached Madame Nu at the circulation desk.

“Greetings, Master Archivist.” He took further strength from the rare look of approval in the elder Jedi’s gaze. “I am seeking information on Umbaran selenicas, and would appreciate your guidance.”



Ballad (bonus 400 Word Cross Country)

It was with some apprehension that Zaed arrived at Madame Nu’s apartment, dressed in his best robes and with a gift of local chocolates (which had been Mara’s suggestion), promptly in time for tea.

He was welcomed by the archivist and her current Padawan – a silver-haired Rindaon girl – and shown to a table already set with tea and light refreshments. He complimented the tea, and years of drinking with Kenobi provided him with enough insight to converse further on the subject, which alleviated some of his initial tension.

From there, he was pleasantly surprised by Padawan Canto – who bid him call her Tionne – and the easy conversation which flowed, especially as concerned literature and history. (She too was a fan of Naust, which Zaed carefully neither agreed to or disagreed.) Then, when she brought out her dual-bellied viol to play for them . . .

Zaed was struck by how her song seemingly thrummed with the Force as much as her voice. He couldn’t remember the last time – or if he’d ever, really – listened to music for its own sake, and he followed the rhythm of her hands at the strings and the arc of the bow with rapt attention, completely taken by her performance.

She was not strong in the Force, or at least, not as such strength was usually measured – before the Reclamation, she wouldn’t have been accepted by the Temple for training – yet Mara had cannily observed that Tionne’s true power was no less than any other would-be Knight for all that her skills were nontraditional. Zaed, for his part, quickly came to understand why his aubrett considered this girl a friend.

“That was The Exile’s Lament for Lord Sion, was it not?” Zaed applauded when her song was through. “It’s . . . different, then how my Mast-Darth Sidious – told the tale, yet your rendition, I find, rings with truth.”

“I spent months getting the lyrics just right,” Tionne delighted for his words. “I . . . I've been endeavoring to translate The Ballad of Revan the Reborn from Old Basic, too.” She hesitated, but then continued, “Maybe I could show you, the next time you visit? I’d welcome your insight, as I suspect you have a rather unique point of view to offer.”

Not just for comparing the lessons he’d learned at Sidious’ knee to the histories the Jedi told, Zaed understood. Yet the thought, rather than irritating him, strangely pleased him, and, as Maul . . .

. . . well, he’d always done as he pleased, had he not?

“If you’d like," Zaed accepted her invitation, "I would be happy to oblige.”



Interruption (bonus AU Archery)

Somehow, on the second moon the selenica was set to bloom – he’d passed the first in solitude, reflecting on his past and present, if not daring to consider his future – he ended up with not only his aubrett, but an entire gaggle of children in his quarters to witness the phenomenon.

The Skywalker twins were a given – unfortunately so, as far as Luke Skywalker was concerned – as was Bridger and the Zeltron girl, Rhysa. Tionne and Kam Solusar, too, were a growing constant in his small circle of associates (friends, Mara chided in his mind), while the two girls from the current Exchange with Dathomir, Teneniel Djo and Kirana Ti of the Singing Mountain Clan, were more of a surprise. They came to accompany their new friends, but also out of no small amount of curiosity where he was concerned. Zaed, for his part, found himself amenable to answer their interest however he could. Now, with no small amount of bemusement, Zaed found his apartment full to the brim as the young ones all crowded around the common-room’s small balcony, waiting for the moment when the full moon would awaken the selenica in all of its glory.

Standing between Master Unduli and Madame Nu, Zaed did not miss how Kenobi watched him all the while – and Knight Skywalker, too – but paid them little heed. He could hardly give them his full attention, at that, when he was distracted from his duties as host (a host – him – how strange a thought that still was) by Padawan Bridger coming too close to the semi-tame reeksa vine. He usually gave the carnivorous plant free range to roam his rooms at will, but had strictly ordered it to its trellis when so many guests would be underfoot.

. . . especially foolhardy guests like the all too curious Lothali boy, the eighth darkness take him.

No, you may not eat him, he pushed the thought – with no small amount of emphasis – against the consciousness of the uncontrite plant. The reeksa hissed and coiled, but before it could make reply -

- yeah, you don’t want to eat me, Bridger himself cut in to add. I’m way too tough and stringy. Now Luke, on the other hand . . .

No, in spite of himself, Zaed swiftly interjected for the impression of consideration he felt pulse from the wily plant, you may not eat him either . . . unfortunately.

But he couldn’t indulge his thoughts on Luke Skywalker too far at the moment. Once he was sure that the reeksa would behave - or was, at least, as sure as he could be - he turned instead to the Padawan.

“You can hear the reeksa?” he asked, not bothering to mask his surprise in the slightest.

“Yeah, sure I can,” Bridger smiled proudly and jabbed a thumb at his chest. “I’m a beastwarden, you know. Usually that means I can communicate with animals in the Force, but there are a few plants I can understand, too. Though not,” he admitted, “as well as you. It would . . . it would be awesome if you could show me how you do it, one of these days? Maybe then, I’ll be able to hear them better too.”

“I do not think,” Zaed reflexively started to demure, before he sighed in resignation against the look of disappointment that dimmed the boy's cobalt eyes. “I do not know what wisdom I have to impart, but you’re welcome to learn whatever you may from me, as you wish.”



Oblivious (AU Archery Coda)

It was with no small amount of amusement that Obi-Wan watched Zaed go about instructing Padawan Bridger in how to communicate with the under-sentience of their galaxy's vegetation.

“Um, I think that it likes me – maybe a little too much.” Ezra had somehow gotten himself entwined in a particularly friendly choking mantis, which showed little inclination to lessen its hold on its new favored host.

“Just be glad it’s the mantis and not the reeksa,” Zaed said wryly – the irritation in his voice as harmless as the plant that was winding about the boy. "This vine wants only a perch, not a meal."

“I don't know," Ezra cheerfully disagreed, "The reeksa is like a bad akk puppy – you just need to swat its nose once or twice and then – hey, watch it!”

With a sputter, one of the reeksa's fanged pods pointedly latched onto Ezra's sleeve. It did not, even Obi-Wan could deduce, appreciate the comparison.

“Tread carefully around beasts with teeth, Bridger, for even an akk pup may bite.” Zaed then bared his own teeth in a manner that, once, would have had Obi-Wan drawing his saber to defend against a great and present danger.

Yet now, no matter the umbrage in Zaed’s voice – the sincere thread of annoyance, intertwined with his exasperation and amusement and a distant, sincerely growing regard for the young man – he carefully coaxed the vine to loosen its hold, muttering under his breath in a language Obi-Wan didn’t understand but recognized as Zaed's cradle-tongue of Dathomiri.

Watching him gently uncoil the vine's tendrils, Obi-Wan couldn't help but huff to recall the one time he’d been ensnared by that same choking mantis. His Master had not freed him, but had rather endeavored to instruct him on how to reach the consciousness of the plant on his own. Thanks to Master Jinn, he could now passably employ the Living Force to commune with both flora and fauna, but not with the aptitude Zaed – or even Ezra – more naturally showed.

Master Jinn, he couldn't help but think with a pang, would have liked knowing Zaed – and Ezra, too – very much indeed.

“Do you think he even realizes how far he has come?” a soft voice remarked from his side, and Obi-Wan looked down to see that Luminara's eyes were equally fixed on Zaed and Ezra.

“I would be surprised if he does – consciously, anyway. For we are always the worst judges of our own growth, are we not?”

For that, he felt as her hand brushed his own – a brief, physical assurance to match the warmth she more fully extended to him in the Force. Long ago, discussions about her self-perceived failures as a Master – a failure he had almost (and once had) shared – had grown into more, moving them from professional respect into true friendship. Their struggles with the Code and their endeavors to uphold the Order's strictures turned into honest and rewarding efforts at reform. She alone knew his doubts and fears – how there were times, in the beginning, when he grappled with his pain and anger and even hate – as far as Maul was concerned. He hadn't even confided those shortcomings with Anakin, as his former apprentice already grappled with similar emotions of his own.

After all, if he could assist this one soul renounce the dark, when, once, he had failed a soul most dear to him . . .

. . . well, in the end, it was not just Zaed who benefitted from his efforts to cast off the shackles that once bound him.

“Master Jinn would be proud of you,” Luminara said, uncannily in time with his thoughts.

“Would he?” it was reflexive of him to offer wryly in answer, no matter how truly he may have appreciated her words otherwise. Qui-Gon had always been a Master slow to extend praise of his own, after all.

“I’m proud of you then," she responded, just as wryly. "For Zaed is not the only one who has walked a long and difficult path and come out a far better Jedi for it – and a better man.”

That familiar warmth in the Force took on an even greater sense of fullness, then – Luminara's presence, to Obi-Wan, was then akin to the heart of the Light itself. Like the moonlight to the selenica, she was . . .

- Zaed was not, he understood then with sudden, stupefying clarity, alone in his obliviousness.

“I am grateful to have you alongside me on that path, Master Unduli,” Obi-Wan whispered, the words wholly inadequate to encompass so much more.

Even still, her blue eyes twinkled. “And I you, Master Kenobi.”



V. Luminous Beings (100 Word Sprint)

Following their mission to Abeexis, Zaed at last joined Kenobi – Obi-Wan – in communing with his fallen Master. On the next full moon, waiting for more than just the selenica to bloom, he felt the Force ripple and shimmer – blinking, almost, as it manifested a corporeal memory of one of its now luminous own.

Though he kept his eyes humbly downcast, he refused to close them outright in his own form of penance. As such, he saw the exact moment when a soft blue glow joined the moonlight, and a warm voice greeted: “Zaed, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Spoiler: End Notes

A Note on the Flora: All of the plants in this story are my own fanon - as is the idea of cocoa beans being native to Ossus! Lucky Luke - but the reeksa is indeed That Monster of a Plant that Anakin and Obi-Wan battled in TCW while seeking a cure for the Blue Shadow Virus. When I was looking through the Wook for inspiration, I couldn't help but laugh to think that Zaed would get along great with such a grumpy creature, and now, here we are.

A Note on Tionne: Does anyone know her canon surname before she married Kam Solusar? I couldn't find one, and it's been ages since I read the JAT, but Canto seemed more than fitting. Also, her grandmother is alive and well in this 'verse, and often takes tea with Jocasta Nu. She definitely knits for Zaed and bakes him cookies, there's no question about it. (I am not done giving Zaed friends in this 'verse, that said, just you wait - that has somehow become the unofficial sub-theme of this collection as Maul is deconstructed further and further. )

The Exile's Lament for Lord Sion: Is all for you, @ViariSkywalker.

A Note on Janée Naust: Is the one and only space!Jane Austen, naturally.

~ MJ

 

Great set! Zaed is making wonderful progress in his new life, and with a new relationship to the living Force (Obi is right that that was always a strength of his). And like Nyota says, definitely an extra treat to see Tionne and co.—and the KOTOR-era references! As a musician myself I am partial to Tionne, and I am not surprised that her music has such a strong effect on Zaed; telling a story to music really does help us understand it in an all-new way (and remember it better, too ). He has acquired quite the nursery, too (mostly talking about the collection of plants, but that influx of younglings may also be said to count). Loved the variety of plants, and especially the affinity that Zaed has developed with the reeksa—kindred spirits, in a way! And the bit of fanon that Ezra’s skills (so fun to see him!) extend to some carnivorous plants as well is just plain cool. And then, once I realized who Janée Naust was, imagining Zaed so engrossed in her novels was definitely the icing on the cake!

Thank you for this wonderful set of stories and all the smiles and laughs they brought!

 

@Mira_Jade Fair warning that I intend to write a novel for a review

And now off I go on my gushing!

What a powerful way to begin this decathlon! The description of Maul's name as a yoke really conveys the weight that it puts on him, and there is that strong sense of the contrast between the pride that his name once evoked in him with the pain that it now provokes in him.

There is a great double meaning with the word "brand" here. It can be both a name and something that burns or leaves a scarring mark, and both meanings feel very appropriate and apt here. You are always so clever and careful with your word choices, and I think that is really showcased here.

Yes, I think there is something rather bestial about Maul as a villain in TPM, and you do a good job tapping into that imagery and feeling here.

I just love your phrasing here and had to quote it to tell you so

What a perfect opening for this story! I could totally picture this exchange happening!

That Kenobi sass always makes me laugh

This moment has a great deal of emotion and weight behind it. Very effectively done!

And if that is not the perfect way to tie this story together and bring the story full circle, I don't know what is! Fabulous

Aww. This is such a sweet sentiment

This is such a poignant passage. I get such a deep sense of his guilt and remorse here. His regret truly resonates through your writing, and that is not easy to achieve.

Very powerful imagery here, and I'm tickled pink that we are getting to see Madame Nu in this story

You got Madame Nu's voice pitch-perfect here, and as someone with a soft spot for our Madame Nu, I am just thrilled.

Yes, archivists and librarians do have a knack for learning people's tastes and preferences and finding ways to meet those tastes and preferences, and so wonderful to have that represented and acknowledged here. As a librarian, it is like being seen

I got such a chuckle out of this

I do love his determination to assure himself that they aren't romances.

A great conversation between these two here.

I just have to say that I love Mara's suggestion to bring Madame Nu a gift of local chocolates because you can never go wrong with a gift of local chocolates!

What a great mental image of he and Kenobi drinking so many cups of tea over the years this produces in my mind!

A very evocative and beautiful description! I felt like I could hear and experience the music for myself, which was lovely.

I always am a fan of world-building details such as this.

This entire exchange with the uncontrite carnivorous plant is pure comedic gold

And I get another hearty laugh at the continued misadventures with plants

A very moving bit of dialogue. I think it is so true that it is easy for people not to see how far they have come, which can indeed make us the poorest judges of our own growth. So it can be so powerful when others see that growth within us.

A beautiful image of the Force here. Very poetic!

I really enjoyed every word of this story! You did a masterful job with this Olympic entry, my friend