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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga - Legends "Rage, rage, rage against the dying of the light" (drama about Palp´s niece, a mix of legend & canon

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by AzureAngel2, Jul 11, 2014.

  1. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Thank you!
     
  2. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    And here a quick update in between washing the dishes and being on the phone with friends, DarthUncle, earlybird-obi-wan, Kahara, DARTH_MU, WarmNyota_SweetAyesha and others:


    (Still Chapter 27!)

    ********************************************************************

    The guitar is his favourite instrument, but he also knows how to play a harmonica and any type of keyboard.

    From the corner of my eyes I can see how Ahetnigac pales. For her delicate lekku the dark, fierce melody must seem like a row of physical punches.

    When Orson starts singing his voice is even more ruthless than his play.

    And if somebody hurts you I wanna fight,
    But my hands been broken, one too many times
    So I use my voice, I'll be so f... rude
    Words they always win, but I know I'll lose”

    I gasp for air, while he continues to beat into the piano keys like a lunatic.

    “And I'll sing a song, that'd be just ours,
    But I sang 'em all to another heart
    And I wanna cry I wanna learn to love,
    But all my tears have been used...”

    Berch interrupts the performance by ramming the piano lid down. Straight on Orson's fingers. “Play something more cheerful, you freking idiot!” my foster brother complaints.

    This is worse than the cake incident during my sixteenth birthday. Never before has their hostility been more visible.

    With tears in my eyes I gape at them, setting Mara down on the floor.

    Ahetnigac hurries towards me, her lekku swinging back and forth in concern.

    I hide my eyes behind my right hand. “He wants to have me all by himself. Like King Haggard wanted his unicorns.”

    Crix is in hearing range, but does not want to come closer. I love him even more for his consideration, for his reserve.

    Most people in this room know what happened in that wine cellar so long ago, but not all. There are also friends and acquaintances from far away – Alderaan and Naboo. Just no Coruscanti connections of mine are around. They have been kept off the guest list in order not to alert Sheev immediately.

    My energy level drops drastically, leaving me small and overwhelmed in the aftermath.

    My Twi'lek foster sister wraps one of her lekku around my shoulder, draws me closer to her chest with her hands.

    “This is why I wanted to leave Scarif so quickly.” The words leave my mouth like water bubbles, slow and wobbly. “At times I feel like I am drowning in his affection, you know.”

    While I talk I am not sure whether I refer to Orson or Sheev. They are both notorious.

    “I can hardly breath,” I confess.

    Ahetnigac smiles, while her left lekku ticks my nose. She breaks skin contact and walks towards the piano. Milow joins her.

    “After so much so much excitement,” the professional musician announces, “It's time for some softer tunes.”

    “Hear, hear!” calls Dravits and claps his hands.

    “The following song is not an original lullaby,” my Twi'lek foster sister moves on. “But it has been sung to many of us by Nagina, when we were tucked up in bed.”

    A hand comes down on my back, touches the point where my Muladhara – the root chakra – lies. “Just lean into me and breath, aanor,” Crix whispers. “Love. You have been through much worse.”

    Gratefully, I do his bidding.

    “There you go,” my Corellian foster brother moves on, keeping his voice low. “We are in charge of the party business now and not Krennic. He can spoil somebody else’s birthday in future. This is your night. We want you to enjoy it.”

    As I look up into his firm face, he nods briefly. But not to me.

    Gracefully, Ahetnigac reopens the lid and Milow starts playing a melody well known to me. He does not need sheet music.

    When the last eagle flies over the last crumbling mountain

    And the last lion roars at the last dusty fountain
    In the shadow of the forest though she may be old and worn
    They will stare unbelieving at the last unicorn”

    Her voice is beautiful. Clan Syndulla back on Ryloth would be proud of her.

    Shortly after the Battle of Naboo Ahetnigac got abducted from her home world. She was sold into slavery straight away.

    “When the first breath of winter through the flowers is icing

    And you look to the north and a pale moon is rising
    And it seems like all is dying and would leave the world to mourn
    In the distance hear the laughter of the last unicorn”

    When she was able to escape the Hutt crime lord, who had purchased her, the Force had a guardian angel waiting for her.

    “I'm alive, I'm alive”

    A very influential clerk of intergalactic Child Protection Services took care of her case.

    “When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning

    And the future has passed without even a last desperate warning
    Then look into the sky where through the clouds a path is torn
    Look and see her how she sparkles, it's the last unicorn”

    Jord Shif is no other than the twin sister of Lufta, who served as the Education Regent in the Naboo Royal Advisory Council under Queen Amidala's rule.

    I'm alive, I'm alive”

    It was also Jord who was present during a certain child crisis conference at the Theed Main Hospital about thirty-eight years ago. The case was a three year old girl who had been found in a waste container.

    Crix remains massaging the area of my root chakra.

    Survival.

    Grounding.

    Stability.

    Gravitation drawing into a point of trust.

    Survival.

    Self preservation.

    “Thank you,” I sigh.

    “You are welcome, Nagina,” he mouthes back softly.
    Jord keeps an eye on me ever since my trials with Grandfather Cosinga. Actually, she stands watch over all the children that she comes across, passed some of them on to my fosters. Sheev tried all to retire her, but she remains in office. Simply defying him with her good health and many connections.

    While everybody applauds Ahetnigac and Milow, I mumble an excuse to Crix.

    It takes me some time to get outside the room. Everybody wants to talk to me before midnight.

    ********************************************************************

    When I finally arrive in the kitchen, the heated talk between Gita and Orson stops immediately. As if an invisible pair of scissors has cut through the air.

    “Ina, I,” he starts with a stricken face.

    Freighting impatience, I wave my hand. “Stop being such a child, Orson! How dare you question my feelings for you?”

    He becomes visibly smaller on the kitchen chair.

    “I love everybody in the living-room. Why should you be an exception? Just because you are flawed, overbearing and power-hungry? Do you think so low of me? Of my feelings for you?”

    “I...” he starts again, his cheeks heated.

    “When I can love my uncle the way he is, what makes you think different rules apply to you?”

    Orson hangs his head.

    “Please no more singing from you tonight! I am not able to bear any more wounds by you. First your rudeness towards your father, then the news about the apple trees and now this. Will you also throw the birthday cake into my face later on? You already have exercise in it.”

    Shyly, he looks up. Not the great military man and engineer any more. “Can I make amends?”

    I let him hang in his misery for several heart beats. “Bay,” I say, hearing my foster mother breathing in sharply. “I want to see Bay before we return to Lothal. And I want better detention conditions for him.”

    His eyes widen in shock. “You want amnesty for Chasdy?”

    I shrug. “The inhabitants of Jedha sure will receive none. Because they happened to be there when your ego got thrashed by Saw Gerrera. That gave you and Sheev the excuse to station a lot of troops there, right?”

    He gets up, both of his hands wrapped in bacta bandages. “Would you like to tell your mother the entire plan behind it?” he thunders.

    “Orson,” my foster mother purrs. “I am right here. And I can hear you.”

    “Forgive me, Mistress Anil, but Ina is impossible.”

    Now it is Gina's turn to rise from the kitchen table. She is about the same height as Orson, but right now she seems much bigger. “You were on the brink of destroying another birthday party of hers! But that is not all. Berch told me that you have been stalking her weeks before Sheev made himself Emperor.”

    “He lies. That jerk never liked me.”

    “Like it or not that jerk is my son and I believe him,” Gita states, her arms crossed. “And Nagina here is my daughter. You are but a guest in this house.”

    “Tolerated, but not welcome!” my foster father, who silently slipped into the room, adds. “You are well advised to keep a low profile around here. Do me the favour to stop thinking you can dictate every tiny detail in Nagina's life. She is a Palpatine, which practically turns her into an Imperial princess of sorts. Her uncle meant for you to guard her, not to terrorize her.”

    “He trusts me enough to share her medical files with me. Even the one from...”

    Dravits comes out of nowhere, smashing Orson against the fridge and holding on to his throat. “There are things we never mention here in this house, Krennic. Not because the past is the past.”

    I hurry towards the two men, trying to make my foster brother ease his grip.

    My foster parents are on stand-bye as if they were busy making observations for a study on aggression between two alpha males.

    “No, Krennic, there are subjects we leave unsaid around here, because this is a safe house,” Dravits grits through his teeth, his brow sweaty. “Those who are bothered by something only need speak up when they choose to.”

    “Argh!” Orson gets blue in the face, but his eyes sparkle fire. “Gah!”

    “If you do not want to end up with a broken collar bone again than shut the freck up about the Naboo incident! It is midnight now! Her birthday has begun.”

    With that, Dravits releases his opponent.

    “Oh sweetie pie!” sighs Gita, not sparing a look for Orson.

    Chetan walks to the table and starts to pull wine into several glasses that wait on a tray.

    “Happy birthday, Nagina!” Dravits beams as if nothing of great concern did just happen. “May you last for at least another fifty-nine years!”

    While he engulfs me in a hug, I cast a glance at Orson, who sits on the kitchen floor and holds his throat. Fingerprints are still visible around it.

    “Bunny,” says my foster mother. “Please get Nagina and the tray back into the living-room! Your father and I will see to Orson and his sore throat.”

    ********************************************************************

    Outside the kitchen “Bunny” Dravits' face drops. “I am so sorry that you had to witness that, but that Krennic creeper had it coming.” He wrinkles his nose. “You cannot expect me to stand down, when all the secret reports on you...”

    “Galen Erso,” I interrupt him. “He is Orson's number one. If you really want to get to him, than find out what that scientist is able to do with kyber crystals.”

    “Kyber crystals?” My foster brother raises one of his fine, blond eye brows.

    “The strongest stars have a heart of kyber. They also fuel the light sabres of Jedi knights and Sith lords.”

    He rolls his eyes. “Do you know that you sound like that dreadful cat character from 'The Last Unicorn'? Always speaking in riddles?”

    I start sniggering. “I am what I am. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, for you have been kind to me. But I am a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer.”

    He leans his brow against the closed living-room door where the chatter-chatter of my birthday guests can be heard. They seem to enjoy themselves even more now that Orson is not inside the room anymore.

    “Nagina, there is no reason to be loyal to Orson or your uncle.”

    “Says an Imperial agent.”

    “About two weeks ago I was part of the Republic. Now it seems I am working for the Seperatists.”

    I stand tiptoe to be able to kiss his nose. “There is a box under our parents bed. It contains some of my notes on the Sith. Look out for their weapons and the heritage of the Celestrials!”

    “Really, Nagina?”

    “It is known that they built weapons that can destroy planets, entire star systems even.”

    Berch tears the door open and Dravits stumbles into the living-room.

    Immediately, the gathered guests start singing a birthday song.

    “Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday, dear Nagina
    Happy birthday to you”

    I beam at everybody and try to grasp every hand that comes my way.

    Suddenly, I gaze into a pair of brown eyes that belongs to a person that I have not seen in ages. Not since he handed me out my exam.

    “Dalus Othona?” I ask the Provost of the University of Alderaan.

    “Nagina, child!” he says with his deep, booming voice, while he pats my cheek. “It has been a while, but when I heard that your birthday was up, I had to come.”

    A slender, light-skinned woman with brown eyes stands behind the elderly man. Even though her normally dark hair is dyed red and she wears emerald green, I recognize Sheltay Retrac.

    “Oh, you brought your grand-daughter along,” I suggest, knowing straight ahead that Bail sends them.

    “And your present,” he adds, his gaze somewhat nervous. “It is upstairs, for your eyes only.”
     
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  3. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Whew, what an eventful occasion. And Nagina's family is defending her with loyalty and firmness against Orson.
     
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  4. DARTH_MU

    DARTH_MU Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2005
    sigh. Orson can be so possessive...

    Although.

    In this instance... Is he just... I don't know half crazy and half severely depressed?

    And the others. His choice of song is very unfortunate. But I wonder.

    For once I am on his side. My gosh. Have I been Imperialized?
     
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  5. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
  6. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Well, with the title bar reading "Dravits Draven smashes Orson Krennic against a fridge" I had to read this straight away [face_laugh]

    I said this before, but I'll say it again: Orson is such a creep. Sheesh! That man badly needs a shrink, someone get him to a psychiatric ward and a lot of stuff in the galaxy will be better.

    Still, it's good to see him get put back in his place – by Berch, by Nagina, by the parents and most importantly by Draven. Nagina is lucky to have all her family at her side, it's a miracle she hasn't Force-choked him after so many weeks of being stalked.

    Am I correct to guess that the next step of their trip will take them to Wobani?
     
  7. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    @WarmyNyota_SweetAyesha: The Anil foster family sure will form a great supply platform for future rebels against the Galactic Empire. ;)



    DARTH_MU: Thanks for having an inch of sympathy for poor Orson. [face_love] He does not get that very often from my readers. (I should have watched "Bloodline" episode with Ben Mendelsohn lately.)





    earlybird-obi-wan: What a spoiler for "Rouge One", hein? :p



    Chyntuck: The longer Nagina is together with Orson, the more her Palpatine heritage (via her grandfather Cosinga), surfaces. She can be very manipulative if she chooses to. So yes, Wobani will be coming up any time soon. But first we need to wrap up some things on Chandrila still.


    (Still Chapter 27!)





    ********************************************************************

    Outside the kitchen “Bunny” Dravits' face drops. “I am so sorry that you had to witness that, but that Krennic creeper had it coming.” He wrinkles his nose. “You cannot expect me to stand down, when all the secret reports on you...”

    “Galen Erso,” I interrupt him. “He is Orson's number one. If you really want to get to him, than find out what that scientist is able to do with kyber crystals.”

    “Kyber crystals?” My foster brother raises one of his fine, blond eye brows.

    “The strongest stars have a heart of kyber. They also fuel the light sabres of Jedi knights and Sith lords.”

    He rolls his eyes. “Do you know that you sound like that dreadful cat character from 'The Last Unicorn'? Always speaking in riddles?”

    I start sniggering. “I am what I am. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, for you have been kind to me. But I am a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer.”

    He leans his brow against the closed living-room door where the chatter-chatter of my birthday guests can be heard. They seem to enjoy themselves even more now that Orson is not inside the room any more.

    “Nagina, there is no reason to be loyal to Orson or your uncle.”

    “Says an Imperial agent.”

    “About two weeks ago I was part of the Republic. Now it seems I am working for the Separatists.”

    I stand tiptoe to be able to kiss his nose. “There is a box under our parents bed. It contains some of my notes on the Sith. Look out for their weapons and the heritage of the Celestials!”

    “Really, Nagina?”

    “It is known that they built weapons that can destroy planets, entire star systems even.”

    Berch tears the door open and Dravits stumbles into the living-room.

    Immediately, the gathered guests start singing a birthday song.

    “Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday, dear Nagina
    Happy birthday to you”

    I beam at everybody and try to grasp every hand that comes my way.

    Suddenly, I gaze into a pair of brown eyes that belongs to a person that I have not seen in ages. Not since he handed me out my exam.




    “Dalus Othona?” I ask the Provost of the University of Alderaan.

    “Nagina, child!” he says with his deep, booming voice, while he pats my cheek. “It has been a while, but when I heard that your birthday was up, I had to come.”

    A slender, light-skinned woman with brown eyes stands behind the elderly man. Even though her normally dark hair is dyed red and she wears emerald green, I recognize Sheltay Retrac.

    “Oh, you brought your grand-daughter along,” I suggest, knowing straight that Bail sends them.

    “And your present,” he adds, his gaze somewhat nervous. “It is upstairs, for your eyes only.”

    ********************************************************************

    Nobody minds me leaving the room. I am the birthday child and can do whatever I please.

    “Your fosters gave us their room because it's the biggest in the house,” Dalus Othona explains.

    “Why have you come?” I ask, still astonished about his choice.

    “I am the one who delivers the parcel!” the Provost entrusts me with a crooked smile.

    'Parcel' is a military term.

    My heart skips a beat or two.

    “His Serene Highness found something that belongs to you and I was around when he did.”

    I have no clue what that could be.

    Sheltay Retrac opens the bedroom door of Gita and Chetan, but stays outside. Obviously, she wants to stand guard. Only Dalus Othona accompanies me inside.

    As I flash the light on and I gaze straight into Lor's pale face. My fiancé has a weak smile for me. “Surprise!” he whispers.

    “What happened?” I ask and surge towards the bed.

    His large, hairy hand closes around mine. “I got wounded on my way out of the temple. It was one of the temple guards.” Speaking is not easy for him. “He left me to die in heap of corpses, meant for incineration. But I had a guardian angel. The Force ghost of Jocasta Nu helped me.”

    I am too shocked to say anything.

    The Provost tries to help out. “To make a long story short, Mister San Tekka made it to the side entrance of Cantham House.”

    A loud noise comes from the window.

    Both men startle, while a little smile forms on my lips. “Bathseba!”

    “This is not possible!” Lor gapes. “The old girl possibly couldn't...”

    “Have a little faith,” I cut in sneakily. “She knows you since you were a little hatchling, right?”

    While Dalus Othona frowns deeply, my fiancé stares at me as if I have grown two heads like a Troig.

    Opening the windows with the Force, Bathseba flies in majestically. Her wings glitter in the moon light as if star dust is sprinkled on them.
     
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  8. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_dancing] So happy Lor survived & is reunited with Nagina. :D Great to meet the Provost and Sheltay. :)
     
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  9. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Ooooh, Lor is back, and what a way to bring him back! Bail Organa sure has a way with people, and I'm sure that to Nagina this is a very welcome birthday gift... also I can imagine some vaudevillesque situations now to keep him out of Krennic's sight.

    And Draven is now warned about planet killers, right? I sense that he won't remain an Imperial for long.
     
  10. DarthUncle

    DarthUncle Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2005
    Very powerful update, sort of dealing with survival, and hanging in there together, at the same time as we explore Orson and Nagina's relationship.

    But aww, you found a way to get Lor and Nagina together - I'm very glad, they are such a nice couple and deserve to have some more time.
    And all the while Nagina puts hooks to later stories into motion, also with keeping the connection between her and Bail alive -well done.
     
  11. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    Whoa, I had lost track of Lor for a while and didn't realize he was in such trouble. :eek: I'm glad he was able to get away; it sounds like he had a really close call there!
     
  12. DARTH_MU

    DARTH_MU Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2005
    So far it looks like the birthday party is still a success. :)
     
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  13. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: Yes, Lor will live until the unfortunate events on Jakku during Episode 7. But for now there is only sweetness and unity.



    Chyntuck: I still need to write those vaudevillesque situations because the next chapter does not exist yet. But it already forms in my mind.



    Kahara: Lor was busy saving Jedi artefacts from the Jedi temple on Coruscant where he ran into the future Sith inquisitor, a former temple guard.


    DARTH_MU: The party is not over yet and will soon make way for an even more exciting event. Mega spoiler alert!

    Anyway, no worries about Nagina. I have some strange plans for the future, but I will continue writing her. In one way or another.



    DarthUncle: You are as observant & cute as usual, husband mine!
     
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  14. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Lor is back yippee
     
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  15. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I wonder what you earlybird-obi-wan, DARTH_MU, WarmNyota_SweetAyesha and others will make of this update that Kahara not knows to its full extend & had no time to beta yet.

    But DarthUncle, not able to hop away on his crutches and in hope that a poor invalid might get granted a hot chocolate, had to listen to the text taking slowly shape this afternoon.



    Chapter 28:

    Nobody minds me leaving the room. I am the birthday child and can do whatever I please.

    Your fosters gave us their room because it’s the biggest in the house,” Dalus Othona explains.

    Why have you come?” I ask, still astonished about his choice.

    I am here to deliver the parcel!” the Provost entrusts to me with a crooked smile.

    ’Parcel’is a military term.

    My heart skips a beat or two.

    His Serene Highness found something that belongs to you and I was around when he did.”

    I have no clue what that could be.

    Sheltay Retrac opens the bedroom door, but stays outside. Obviously, she wants to stand guard. Only Dalus Othona accompanies me inside.

    As I flash the light on, I gaze straight into Lor’s pale face. My fiancéhas a weak smile for me. “Surprise!” he whispers.

    What happened?” I ask and surge towards the bed.

    His large, hairy hand closes around mine. “I was wounded on my way out of the temple. It was one of the temple guards.” Speaking is not easy for him. “Heleft me to die in heap of corpses, meant for incineration. But I had a guardian angel. The Force ghost of Jocasta Nu helped me.”

    I am too shocked to say anything.

    The Provost tries to help out. “To make a long story short, Mister San Tekka made it to the side entrance of Cantham House.”

    A loud noise comes from the window.

    Both men startle, while a little smile forms on my lips. “Bathseba!”

    This is not possible!” Lor gapes. “The old girl can’t...”

    Have a little faith,” I cut in sneakily. “That convor has known you since you were a little hatchling, right?”

    While Dalus Othona frowns deeply, my fiancéstares at me as if I have grown two heads like a Troig.

    Opening the windows with the Force, Bathseba flies in majestically. Her wings glitter in the moon light as if star dust is sprinkled on them.

    ********************************************************************

    Watching Bathseba heal my beloved stuns both Dalus Othona and me. A soft glow begins to spread through the air. Its colour is hard to define. Violet, blue, green and red – they come and go as they please. Fading in and out, they shift and wobble around. It is not like sunset or dawn. It is more like witnessing the birth of a star.

    My heart fills with bitter-sweet pain.

    Normally, stellar nurseries are hidden within towers of dust and gas. Via ancient shaman techniques my uncle brought me to such a place once. There he helped me to gaze straight into the actual cradle, the nidulus. I had never seen light like that. So pure, so perfect.

    But we did not stay there. Sheev had not finished his sightseeing tour of the universe with me. Not after my attempt to end it after Barin had died. He had wanted me to learn a lesson and as a teacher, he always had been exceptional. In handling me, anyway.

    Our souls travelled further until we reached the event horizon of a black hole. There I saw how the space time anomaly attempted to devour a star by stretching it into a ’noodle shape’.

    The words that Sheev said to me back then rise from the depths of my mind.The universe as we understand it is comprisedof both dark and light sides. In the end it is very simple, Nagina. Our feelings play a great part in who we are and we should not deny or be ashamed of them like the Jedi do.

    Shame is a notion that I know too well since Orson has been back in my life. My shanti, my inner peace, is gone. I constantly need to cloak myself in secrecy, even lies.

    I close my eyes and take a series of controlled breaths, Pranayama. This technique was once taught to me by Maxiron Agolerga himself. He had recognized me for what I was, a Force-sensitive child seeking balance. His speech also comes back to me.

    Breath, just breath. Now reach out. What do you see?”

    Even though I try to hold it in, my lips give the answer that I gave thirty-nine years ago inside a Naboo temple.

    Light. Darkness. The balance.”

    Bathseba chirps approvingly and then she starts singing. A sweet melody without words.

    Fear, sorrow, frustration – they all resolve into cold ashes.

    Only I remain, hugging myself.

    But I am not alone. I never will be. Not for my uncle. I am a child of the Force. I am a child of the ancient mother.

    In the pantheon of gods, Shiraya has the highest ground. As a lunar deity she knows about the light, the darkness and all that is in between.

    A Sith might have played an essential part in my upbringing, but I was anointed to to a higher course as a toddler.

    The crescent moon tattoo faded away years ago. Only a very keen observant would be able to see its pale lines above my third eye chakra. I have stayed attuned to the spirit world nonetheless.

    I am a strong woman,” I mutter.
    I am a story woman.
    I am a teacher.
    My soul will never die.”

    Bathseba stops singing and I can hear the rustling of her feathers, as she closes her wings.

    He is not waking up,” Dalus Othona worries.

    I open my eyes and smile at him. “He is under a spell. A powerful spell.”

    The provost blinks at me, not comprehending.

    The guardian put my fiancéin a Force trance,” I re-phrase immediately. “To return from the gates of the Netherworld is a hard journey. That Sith underling has not only injured his body. The damage to his soul is immense. He needs some time to sort everything out for himself.”

    Dalus Othona pales. “His Serene Highness mentioned that the Sith are back. But I had hoped so much that he misunderstood you, Nagina.”

    I straighten my back. “I am so sorry to inform you that not only Alderaan is threatened by a full-scale Sith Empire invasion. This time the enemy is Coruscant itself.”

    His eyes water. “So the Jedi have fallen to the dark side?” he assumes wrongly.

    My uncle Sheev Palpatine is the enemy,” I admit. “The Jedi order was as much his pawn on the Dejarik board as the Republic and the Separatist armies.”

    The old man gapes for air. It takes a while before he recovers from his shock. “This is why His Serene Highness told me to ask you for the specifics.” He scans me. “So much rests on your young shoulders.”

    As an Alderaanian you know about the special link between the Naboo and your people.”

    He nods.

    Then let me tell you one of the most ancient legends we Naboo have. It originates from the time when our ancestors came from Grizmallt.”

    Casually, Dalus Othona sits down on a chair that stands next to the marital bed. He crosses his legs. His pose reminds me of my oral university exams, in which he was present as an observer. But his face looks much more grave now than it did back then.

    I move my nervous fingers into a mudra and start talking again. “Very soon the settlers found out that their new planet lacked a molten core. Instead a conglomerate of large, rocky bodies made up a network of tunnels and dark waters. They called the anomaly ’the Caves of Eleuabad’.”

    He nods along.

    But there was more in the depths. Large, hideous life forms moved around in the abyss. When one of my ancestors saved the crew of his sub marine from one of those sea monsters, a new myth came to life. Ever since it has been known that House Palpatine is the gatekeeper of chaos.” I pause to draw some strength for my next words. “Now that my uncle has become chaos itself, a Leviathan of the worst kind, it is my turn to stand guard.”

    When the elderly man reaches out for one of my hands, there is a soft knock at the door.

    And before I can answer, Sheltay Retrac lets the next visitor in.

    I shriek with delight, clapping my hands together like a small child.

    ********************************************************************

    Nobody on Naboo knows how old Brother Durante really is. Rumours have it that he has been the order’s gate keeper even before the current pontifex was born. While his dense beard is neatly trimmed, his head is bold and hidden underneath his monk’s cap. For this occasion he wears plum-coloured robes embroidered with millaflowers. He is one of the few Force-sensitive members of the Brotherhood of Cognizance.

    Bathseba exchanges a long gaze with the newcomer, then they both nod curtly at one another.

    Namaste, guardian of the Whills,” he says, his eyes twinkling in delight.

    The convor whistles something cheerful, its tail whipping up and down.

    I rush towards Brother Durante, skipping the traditional Naboo greeting of an elder. He does not mind. Instead he holds me as he has held me a thousand times before.

    Darkness surrounds you despite the wonderful ally that the Force itself sent to you.”

    I sniff into his bony chest.

    There is also darkness within you.”

    There is no way that I can stop him from making a complete evaluation of me.

    Could be that since we last saw each other you almost lost yourself in Punnama? And that you were saved by a kind soul at the last moment?”

    I gnaw on the inside of my right cheek.

    You are an initiate of Shiraya,” he says in a friendly tone of voice. “Even when the darkness hurts you so much that you cannot resist it, please keep in mind what the Bhagavad-Gitasays about death.”

    His teachings come back into my mind effortlessly. There are two paths along which souls travel after death,”I offer.

    Name them!” he asks me kindly, and releases me from his embrace.

    Instead of feeling exposed to his gaze once more and lingering on the shame, I quote the words that I have known since my early childhood days. One is the path of the sun, also known as the bright path or the path of gods.”

    Yet there is another,” he suggests.

    I take a deep breath. The path of the moon, also known as the dark path and the path of ancestors.”

    Your honoured uncle gave you only your forename. The one you are generally known by.” His smile is like a ray of sun. “But your mother asked me to give you the other one, when your second birthday had come.”

    My memory of this event is blurred, but vivid.

    Water from the Solleu River touched my brow.

    Then Brother Durante whispered a name, one that only my mother and those close to my heart ever were to know. The name of my true self, of my soul. “You named me after the legendary Cassandra. A seer that nobody believed in.”

    He laughs heartily. “You are wrong. I named you after a hero.”

    In disbelief I stare at him.

    Her dedication to her beliefs was strong,” he moves on. “And so was her persistence in trying to warn her friends and family against adversity.”

    Adversity,” I echo, thinking it is a very harmless word for the darkness that Sheev has plunged all of us into.

    Cassandra, though she ended up as a hostage of war, had the strength to go on with a cursed life.”

    I make a face.

    Just stay true to yourself,” Brother Durante advices me. “The guardian of the Whills would not be here, if you were not.”

    Before I can answer, the door opens a third time.

    Dravits looks as apologetic as he can. “Permission to speak!”

    ********************************************************************

    To see my foster brother shuffling his large feet like a kindergarten child is endearing.

    Of course, Drav!” I offer.

    An ugly shadow falls over his face. “I can have Krennic brought straight to Hanna City.”

    No,” I stress. “You will not cause him to go into allergic shock. That is out of the question!”

    I feared that you might say that. You never liked my pragmatic procedure of solution.”

    You know that I love you very much?” I ask. “For being reasonable.”

    He smirks. “Krennic does not know that he already has the best super weapon in the universe. You always aim for a person’s weak spot and never miss.”

    I let him place his chin on my head, enjoying the scent of his aftershave. “I will allow you to give Orson a sleeping pill though,” I tell him bluntly. “He could use a good-night’s rest.”

    Meaning that we can finally have a real party?”

    I… I would… would like to have an emergency wedding,” Lor cuts in.

    ********************************************************************


    (To be continued!)
     
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  16. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Wonderful recollections about the amazing journey through the universe all the way to the event horizon of a black hole. Loved the talk with the Provst and Durante. And the last line [face_dancing] Looking forward to that! :)
     
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  17. DARTH_MU

    DARTH_MU Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2005
    So Palpatine had no chance? His entire family line is of the Dark Side?
    And I didn't know Nagina was Force sensitive.
    Emergency Wedding! I too look forward to that.
     
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  18. DarthUncle

    DarthUncle Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2005
    Jay, shotgun emergency wedding for Nagina and Lor san Tekka, good to see them find some time together. Dravits is a real angel, isn't he O:)

    I do really like the scene with Brother Durante, and how he helps Nagina reflect on her life, and what path to take, especially as we so often see Nagina showing and telling others a better way to go, now she is helped to, well, help herself. And a hint that that earlier scene (in a drabble, I think?) where she closes the bathroom door was indeed what we feared, but that she got through it. ... and a reward in the form of Lor alive and sort-of-well in her arms (well, almost). You also managed to make Draven an actual warm, if troubled, brother to her, well done, as most of us who read/saw Rogue One probably didn't think him a very nice person.
     
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  19. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Love to see that emergency wedding and Durante was real nice
     
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  20. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Emergency wedding, eh? Krennic is going to like that... when he wakes up :p

    I love how you combine mysticism, seriousness and humour in a single chapter. Nagina has got a lot to process here, and things keep going in all directions. Let's see how Draven gets Krennic out of the way.
     
  21. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: Here you are, my wedding update. A bit different than what you expected, but it will happen.



    DARTH_MU: Of course Sheev had a chance. Instead of guarding ancient knowledge he abused his position. It was a choice!

    As for Nagina, it is sprinkled throughout the story that she has weak Force abilities, which help her to be a fantastic kindergarten teacher, bond with animals and make plants flourish everywhere. But she is neither a Jedi nor a Sith.



    DarthUncle: I did like Draven because his actor was once in a Jane Austen movie. Therefore I can not be overly subjective about his character. Even the hardest warrior has a weak spot.



    earlybird-obi-wan: Their pontifex seemed nice during the AotC movie, so I wanted to make Brother Durante nice as well. But also a down-to-earth character with practical guidance for Nagina.



    Chyntuck:Unfortunately, nobody put Orson to sleep yet. And I loved to dig myself deep into mysticism, one of the few things that keeps me going since Wednesday afternoon after I had a "bad news" talk at work. I will get "transferred" to a new working place next Monday.

    Anyway, this is also for Kahara and everybody who enjoys this fanfic still:


    (Still Chapter 28!)

    ********************************************************************


    A tremor goes through Dravits’ lean body. He remains motionless for a long moment. Then he says, with a hissing sigh of resignation, “Are you very, very sure about this, San Tekka? You might end up as the most hunted man in the universe.”

    I am not afraid.” A tinge of colour comes back into Lor’s pale cheeks. “Neither of Palpatine nor of the dark side.”

    I ask myself whether that is good enough,” my foster brother murmurs, unwilling to contradict my fiancé, but plainly unconvinced.

    For me it is.” I take a determined step closer towards the sick bed and reach out for Lor’s right hand. “I want this man and no other. Barin would agree with my choice. Why can’t you?”

    Dravits’ eyes narrow into thoughtful slits. “Your first husband was a fighter and a scoundrel. His knife was as quick and sharp as his tongue. Sheev respected him a great deal. A Ph. D. in intergalactic history though...”

    I know about the Sith,” Lor interrupts calmly.

    From ancient script rolls and from other written sources, yes.” Dravits keeps staring him down. “The reality that we all have to face these days is much, much bleaker.”

    Once more, I... am not... afraid. The Force will guide my steps.”

    An almost hysterical grunt escapes my foster brother’s throat. “The Force.”

    Yes, the Force,” I say. “It brought Lor and me together in the first place.”

    A lop-sided smile appears on Dravits’ lips. “Love can work a lot of miracles. I have witnessed many of those since mom and dad took me into this household. But the Force...” His face is free from any taint of amusement. “Well excuse me for saying so, but it is a variable that I do not understand.”

    Me neither.” Now it is Lor’s term to smile. He sits up straight. “But I believe in it anyway.”

    Bathseba makes a happy cooing sound and flatters on the metal headboard. There she neatly folds her wings in, but keeps swinging her tail in a waiting attitude. Her eyes are piercing Dravits.

    That still makes you a believer, San Tekka, not a fighter.” My foster brother shakes his head heavily. “Can you keep my sister safe from physical harm like Barin could?”

    The dark night of her soul has already come.” My fiancé’svoice is weary. “I try to keep Nagina in the light with me, make her happy.”

    Dravits heaves a deep exasperated sigh. “Her post-traumatic stress disorder is indeed a heavy burden.” He pauses. “I believe that you are devoted to helping my sister heal from the inside out. But what if enemies like the one you faced on Coruscant appear? Will you throw books into their faces? Start a philosophy discussion with Sith underlings?”

    Please, Drav!” I sob with tears in my eyes. “Don’t be in the way! Lor and I already have to face so many obstacles.”

    His eyes glimmer with sympathy. “I will not deny you a second chance, Nagina. Just ask yourself if now is the right time.”

    Love just happens, Mister Draven.” Brother Durante walks towards the bed, his robes rustling discretely. “I can marry them straight ahead. Dalus can be Lor’s best man and as a foster sibling you could give the bride away.”

    Dravits is quiet for a moment, his ribs rising and falling. Then he leans forward and kisses me gently on the forehead. “You told me once that Palpatine can read minds and also has Sly Moore to do that for him. I want you two love birds to be safe from harm. The fewer people who know, the better.”

    I nod in earnest. “Only our parents, Crix and Berch. Oh, and Old Jho, my neighbour back on Lothal.”

    A wise choice!” His arm slides around my waist, anchoring me to him. “Technically, you are a princesse du sang,a princess of the blood. You cannot marry whomever you want. You need the Emperor’s permission.”

    Brother Durante looks as if he means to say something about that, but then decides to remain silent.

    Suddenly, Dravits starts to fumble around with his leather belt. He takes it off and hands it over to me. I am touched by this gesture. My foster brother obviously knows about the importance of hand-fastening in Naboo wedding tradition.

    ********************************************************************

    The ceremony is quick, but not passionless. And certainly not without dignity. Lor and I say our sacred vows – the Saptapadi. We speak them all in the ancient tongue that binds Naboo and the desert moon of Jedha together.

    His hand in mine feels natural, as if it belongs there.

    For the last and seventh vow, Lor proclaims us as husband and wife for eternity, Om sakhi jaradastayahga.”

    I am about to agree when a loud noise from the outside makes the words die on my lips.

    Bang, bang.

    It sounds like a heavy army boot kicking against the door repeatedly.

    Ina?”

    Orson manages to put all his feelings into the short form of my name – anxiety, alarm and anger.

    Mister Krennic,” booms Brother Durante, casting an appalled look at the door. “I am the father confessor of Mistress Samye. We are right in the middle of taking confession. This has to wait.”

    There is scoffing. “As long as Ina does not tell you about secret weapon projects or conspiracy theories, I am fine out here.” A little pause follows. “Otherwise I’ll blast myself through this young woman out here and through this bedroom door.”

    Dravits’ face turns dark purple. “Oh please try that, you old stinker!” he whispers. “Give me a reason to open fire.”

    In silence, I raise my free hand high above my head.

    Everybody in the room, including my groom, looks at me intently.

    I close my eyes and reach into the jumble of emotions that fills my heart. There is no other way than to take things to a new level.

    Orson Callan Krennic!” I fume, stepping onto a path that I have never used before. “If you dare to threaten my guests any further, I will notify the Red Guard. They can be here in record time.”

    My bloody oath, what for?” he wonders.

    I do not open my eyes. Instead, I try to cling to the blind wrath boiling inside my veins. It makes me sick. If this is how my uncle feels most of the time, then I do not want to be a servant of the dark side.

    Please, Ina!” he begs like the sweet boy he used to be once. “I am a bit of a bastard, I know, but I am not a bad egg.”

    Go away!” I shout. “This is important to me.”

    We all hold in our breath.

    I’ll be downstairs again, okay?” Orson suggests, finally. “Mistress Othona does not need to stand guard here. I will walk her back to the other guests.”

    We remain frozen for a long time after.

    Then I whisper audible to everybody in the room.Attramshe sakshino vadet pade”,which is my agreement to be Lor’s wife. My promise to him that we will love, honour and cherish each other forever.

    I bend down towards his waiting lips.
     
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  22. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    A wedding disturbed?
     
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  23. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Draven is a bright little ray of sunshine with all his concerns, isn't he? But then he's also a good and faithful friend and sibling – unlike, urgh, Krennic, who badly needs to have his head checked. It's not good that Nagina needs to resort to using the dark side to send him on his way though. Quick, someone get a sleeping pill in his drink!
     
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  24. DarthUncle

    DarthUncle Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2005
    Aww, Orson actually went down! Though Nagina had to go deep there, when she really wanted to just have a wedding with her beloved and probably some time with him after. Dravits is still a bit, hm, overbearing, but in a nice way, I will admit - though I don't care if he was in ten Jane Austen movies! /lydia

    As Chyntuck says, you manage to deal with quickly changing moods and events while not making it seem rushed, or overstuffed. Here, you tell us something more about Barin, about Tek/what happened to him, and show us more of Nagina, without making it exposition, filling your world with real Characters.
     
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  25. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    earlybird-obi-wan: At its very end, yes! A bad omen, right?



    Chyntuck: Draven is a careful and considerate man, seeing a lot of gruesome and evil things in his job position.

    Krennic is truly obsessed by Nagina in unhealthy ways.

    As for Nagina, she tries out new and forbidden ways to achieve her freedom.




    DarthUncle: Thanks for the time & wit you have spent writing this razor sharp post. As usual, you are a good observer, husband!
     
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