Saga "Storm Coming" (pre-ANH, vignette, not-quite-OCs)

Wasn't sure how to keyword this . . .

---

[b]Title:[/b] Storm Coming
[b]Author(s):[/b] DantanaSkywalker
[b]Timeframe:[/b] circa 3 years BBY
[b]Characters: [/b]
[b]Genre:[/b] vignette
[b]Keywords:[/b]
[b]Summary:[/b] A mother worries about her children.
[b]Notes:[/b] Written in response to the challenge in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=16064546]this thread[/link].


She worries for her sons.

It's natural for parents to worry, she knows. It's just the way of things.

But she worries more than most.

She worries every day that the eight-year-old will get into a fight with the other children, or that he'll fail at something at school. She worries that the two-year-old will wander away when she's not looking, and fall into the sea and drown.

She worries that the Empire will come. The galaxy isn't safe, like it was when she was a child. There are no Jedi to serve and protect. There is only the Empire, and its sadistic, cruel leader, Palpatine.

And there is Vader.

Naturally, every mother in the galaxy fears Vader.

She fears other things, too. Having to watch her children try and fail, struggle, suffer. She counts the days until they leave her, until she has to let go.

But mostly, for now, she fears being helpless when her children need her.

----------

He worries for his sons.

Standing in the doorway of their small home, he watches as his oldest, the eight-year-old, dangles a toy on a string above the two-year-old, who reaches for it. They are innocent. For now, they are safe.

His wife sits on a chair at the small table, watching them. She is barely thirty, but beginning to show the stress of a colonist's life. Faint lines around the eyes, a thread or two of white in her dark brown hair. His own, he knows, is shot with silver, the black curls unruly, held back at the nape of his neck. His own face is lined. He's thirty-three; he shouldn't be going white this young.

She looks up as he sits, her dark green eyes lighting briefly. "Danel," she murmurs. "Home already?"

"Storm coming," he replies. "Kids behaving?"

She nods. After a long silence, she tells him, "I'm worried."

"I know, Ayra. I'm worried, too. Why else do you think we'd be here?"

She grimaces briefly. "I miss Corellia."

Danel grins. "Who doesn't? Though I wish we still had our ship."

Ayra looks at him darkly. "You're the one who lost it to that Calrissian."

"Sold it, love," he reminds her. "If I hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to come here."

She stands and moves into the tiny kitchen. Her husband follows.

"What's wrong, Ayra?"

"I hate it here," she whispers harshly. "I don't want my children to grow up as [i]fishermen[/i]. They deserve more. I hate hiding. I hate wondering . . . if my door is going to be knocked down in the middle of the night and my children taken from me."

Danel sighs and wraps his arms around his wife. He holds her tightly, buring his face in her brown hair. "Darling . . . I have all the same worries. But you [i]know[/i] why we're here. Ayra, I've seen what Vader can do. I watched him kill my master. Do you think I want to see him do that to our sons?"

She shakes her head, her face pressed into the rough homespun of his tunic. "No," she whispers, feeling miserable. "I just . . . Stang it, Danel, I want my children to be safe."

She pulls away and hurries into their bedroom, before the tears can fall. Suddenly, the two-year-old, for no reason, begins to cry. Danel looks at him in silence, while his brother, startled, tries to quiet him.

He walks into the bedroom. Ayra is sitting on their bed, tears running down her face, holding Danel's padawan braid in her worn, slender hands. It has been almost sixteen years since he cut it off and fled Coruscant for his homeworld. Sixteen years since Vader wiped out everything he'd known. He keeps it as a reminder.

"Ayra," he says softly, brown eyes fixed on her face. "Ayra, stop crying."

She throws the braid at him. "How can you endure this?" she demands. "You act as if nothing's wrong!"

 

This was such a powerful vignette, filled with an eerie foreboding, but at the same time, a thread of hope. The parents' fear for their children was literally palpable. Also liked the bit about selling the ship to Lando.

Amazing work!

 

I agree What a sweet vig and all the depth of emotions here was fabulous!

Well done!

 

Beautifully done, Dana. The image of the woman sitting there with her husband's braid was very powerful. Lovely vignette.

Shaindl

 

Awesome!! I didn't catch on when Zeth's name popped up, but Kyp's sure caught my attention. Yay!! More please! I would looooovvve to read more history and background on Kyp Durron!!!

 

Wow, that was really well-done emotion.

 

Gina - shock This was such a powerful vignette, filled with an eerie foreboding, but at the same time, a thread of hope. The parents' fear for their children was literally palpable. Also liked the bit about selling the ship to Lando.
Amazing work! happy

Thank you. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing when I started this, but I like the way it turned out. And I don't know where the Lando thing came from, lol. But, hey, he had to get the Falcon from somewhere.


Layren - I agree grin What a sweet vig and all the depth of emotions here was fabulous!
Well done!

Thank you.


Shaindl - Beautifully done, Dana. The image of the woman sitting there with her husband's braid was very powerful. Lovely vignette. happy

Thanks. And that little bit of imagery inspired something else, lol, that I'm working on.


AvenKiel - Awesome!! I didn't catch on when Zeth's name popped up, but Kyp's sure caught my attention. Yay!! More please! I would looooovvve to read more history and background on Kyp Durron!!!

Well, that's one of the reasons I issued the challenge I did. And it's also why I wrote "Brothers" and why I'm writing "Catharsis of Sufferance".


DarthIshtar - Wow, that was really well-done emotion.

Thanks.


Dana

 

I can realate to the mom worrying.. it never ends and even if this isn't a real threat I can imagine one. LOL!

Lovely little viggie Dana.

 

Great vignette Dana!!! It's so sad though...I wish Kyp's family hadn't died. :'(

 

Healer_Leona - I can realate to the mom worrying.. it never ends and even if this isn't a real threat I can imagine one. LOL!

Heh. Well, her fears are pretty well-grounded.

Lovely little viggie Dana.

Thank you.


Connemara - Great vignette Dana!!! It's so sad though...I wish Kyp's family hadn't died. :'(

I know.


Dana

 

Very nicely done. Knew you'd find a way to work in Kyp

 

That was really good! I'd love to learn more about Danel... he sounds pretty cool!

And Kyp's in there!

 

Wow. And here I thought you just stuck to the K/J BTS stuff.

Great job, Dana! You had me right there with the characters. It made me want to cry almost, because I wanted the characters to live happily ever after, but I know the ending.

Anyway, well-done. I found it interesting that it was Zeth whose Force talent showed. Guess I always love those little unexpected things.

~*~Austyn

 

padawan lunetta - Very nicely done. happy Knew you'd find a way to work in Kyp wink

Thanks, lol. But if you look at the challenge, it's to write a vignette about Kyp's life when he was 8 or younger, before his family was taken to Kessel. So I was following my own orders.


Myri_Antilles - That was really good! I'd love to learn more about Danel... he sounds pretty cool! happy

I'm going to write more, continuing this theme, but I'll have to think more on it.

And Kyp's in there! tongue

Yep. I'll bet he was a cute two-year-old.


Daughterofflame - Wow. shock And here I thought you just stuck to the K/J BTS stuff. tongue wink

LOL! Nope, this is my 3rd 'fic posted in "Saga".

Great job, Dana! You had me right there with the characters. It made me want to cry almost, because I wanted the characters to live happily ever after, but I know the ending. sad

Yeah. But I tried really hard not to think about that while I was writing this.

Anyway, well-done. I found it interesting that it was Zeth whose Force talent showed. Guess I always love those little unexpected things. happy

What I'm thinking is, with Danel cut off from the Force the way he is, and Ayra not Force-sensitive, they wouldn't know their kids were Force-sensitive until they started doing stuff with it unconsciously. The reason Ayra's really upset in this is because Kyp's just started to show the signs.


Dana

 

This is really excellent. Even having forgotton Kyp's backstory (honestly I try to forget anything KJA wrote), and not read any of the NJO beyond _Vector Prime_, this piece still stands out. It is excellently crafted, a moving story any way you slice it. Thumbs up.

 

Yikes! Saw the name Zeth and had a clue. So Kyp's Corellian, huh?

Very sad and very cool. I especially liked when Ayra said she didn't want her sons to be just fishermen, because of course they didn't grow up to be that way. I also loved how Danel said he would train them when it was safe. Wonder if Kyp would've turned out differently.

 

Anakin Starkiller - This is really excellent. Even having forgotton Kyp's backstory (honestly I try to forget anything KJA wrote), and not read any of the NJO beyond _Vector Prime_, this piece still stands out. It is excellently crafted, a moving story any way you slice it. Thumbs up.

Thank you. Kevin actually happens to be my favourite SW author, so I'll ignore the slight there.


JadeSolo - Yikes! Saw the name Zeth and had a clue. So Kyp's Corellian, huh? grin tongue

LOL, well, it's a pet theory of mine. It's explain a lot.

Very sad and very cool. I especially liked when Ayra said she didn't want her sons to be just fishermen, because of course they didn't grow up to be that way. I also loved how Danel said he would train them when it was safe. Wonder if Kyp would've turned out differently. sad

Dang you! *fights off the bunny* This is your fault!!!!!!!


Dana

 

Would it make it any better if I said I think you are 10 times better (at least) than Kevin J. Anderson?

 

Very nice work.

 

Loved this! Very powerful.

"That's okay, sweetie. He's just tired." She hugs the child, cradling his head on her shoulder. His black curls are soft under her hand. "Shh. Mama's here, baby."

The child's sobs have subsided to hiccups, and he pulls his thumb from his mouth to clutch a handful of her soft dress. "Mama," he mumbles.

She gazes down at her child, as he closes eyes that match hers. "Sleep, Kyp," she murmurs.

That's so sweet!