Beyond - Legends Tales from the Southwest Kessel Run Challenge

Yep, all our favorite heronies, just in a different setting.



Dear Mom,

I could now write you a long and detailed report on the assignment I am currently on, about the hardships me and the girls face. Could tell you about each and every one of their problems and struggles. Just like my countless letter in the last few decades, but... why should I honestly waste my time on that, when I already know you don't care about it in the slightest, when I know that you will just delete them unread and send me the same utterly bland reply you have been using for years now. Oh? Do you think I didn't know that you don't care about me at all? That my loving mother is nothing but a gold digger for whom I am a meal ticket. Oh I do understand it, dad married you for your body, and you married him for his money, despite him being twenty years older than you. A deal amongst adults as it's called. And at least for you I was nothing but an extension of that deal. I first realized that the day I told you I'm trans. You asked me what dad thought about it, that was your first and only question, your first and only concern was whether dad would still consider me his child, so you could continue leaching of his money. In contrast to him, who gave me a tight hug and assured me that he would love me now matter what (as long as I didn't get a nonhuman boyfriend...). Yes, dad for all his faults actually cared about me, he one of the most hateful human centrists of our age actually showed me love... and you? Nothing. Because to you all that matters is getting his money. Do you even realize how dirty that wealth actually is? That it is made from nothing but hate? But who am I kidding, you just don't care. Because you only ever care about yourself. Guess why dad actually let me inherit all of his money, he knew it as well. And you know what? I was actually tempted to cut you off the money completely leave you with nothing, but a job as an underpaid maid in my service... Speaking of which, I know that you have been mistreating our servants forever. That you are rude, haughty and downright mean to them. Which is why I compensated them after dad died before letting them leave our household. And no, you won´t get any new ones either, I left you the droids, that´s enough. Honestly I am tempted to just send you this letter, just as I was with the dozens of similar ones I wrote over the years but then decided not to send... but I feel that even if I did you wouldn´t read it anyway. But should you by some miracle do it, you might actually wonder why I haven´t stripped you of every ill earned credit you are squandering of dad´s money, why I haven´t given the you the punishment you so rightly deserve. Because, despite all your faults and flaws, you are still my mother, and yes I do love you. Because I believe, or at least want to believe that you, on some level maybe do care after all, even if only a little bit. That you expensive if very impersonal name day presents actually are send not just out of obligation... I foolish dream perhaps. But I am holding onto it. Especially now, that I am going to be a mother myself, at least in a way. As Ulrika and I am going to adopt Mira, so finally someone can get her hands on dad's money who actually deserves it. Of course you don't even know how Mira is... a small hint. She is the daughter of the woman who did your laundry for years and our janitor. Yes I bet you didn't know those two where even married, and related to Ulrika... but it was through them I met her in the first place. Through them I got to know my best friend and the light of my life. Yes the girl who put itching powder into your fancy dresses and smuggled all those vermin into your bed over the years, with my help of course. We are going to get married once our military service ends, and no you have no say in the matter. I actually used to have nightmares of becoming like dad in the past, but I guess I can be glad that even then I didn't become like you... and I will make dam sure Mira doesn't become like either of you... And yet... maybe, if I am right and at least a part of you still cares, our door will always be open for you. And Mira surely can have a loving great aunt as well, if you just find the courage to get off your lazy butt now and then to be with your family. Cause in the end its your decision, you can live as you do and die a lonely old hag. Or you can finally become a part of my family and something to make your life actually worthwhile.

Your, despite everything, loving daughter

Elena

 

Yes Elena, that's the way to deal with your mother. Let her decide

 

Its the only thing she can do.



Age of Empires


"You dirty shutta! I knew I should have never trusted you." Ilona said heatedly. Why had she been so naive, so dumb? Trusting Ulrika Grau again?

Ulrika grinned, "oh dear Ilona, I didn´t know it would galvanize you so much. But it seems that at her end even the great and calm Ilona Malek succumbs to passion. Accept that and you can face your fate with greater peace in your heart."

"Slavery you mean?" Elena said, equally heated. "How dare you Ulrika? I thought you above all where an adversary of that practice. Don´t ever expect anyone to forgive you this betrayal!"

"If you are too weak then it's all you deserve, and you have always been a trusting fool Elena." Ulrika replied enjoying her triumph.

"I will have your head for this," Liz said, "or rather my cavaliers will." She issued the command.

The blonde haired woman spun around to her, as she saw the rides emerging from the fog of war, "no way! Where did these come from. My rush crippled you!"

"Seems not completely." Ilona said, gleefully rubbing her hands together. Her village was utterly broken, but the loss was easier to swallow with the knowledge that Ulrika wouldn´t be the winner of this either.

"Kriff, Elena, want to reaffirm our alliance?" Ulrika´s voice became hectic as she gave new orders on her holopad.

"With you? As if..." Elena grinned.

"But Liz will crush you as well..."

"Better than being backstabbed by you again." The blue haired colonel replied.

"Am I surrounded just by cowards..." Ulrika cursed as her forces where destroyed. "Well fine... gg where did you learn to play so well?"

"My lovely wife has been teaching me, she been playing video games her whole life..." Liz said with a smug grin. "And now get going you three. You know the deal, you lose, you work as waitresses in the tavern for the night."

 

Great, playing a game.

 

Even they are taking a break now and then.


Five things I taught her, One thing she taught me

One

Asajj smiled as she noticed the cup raise from the table. Sweat was running over Mira´s forehead as the young girl had her eyes closed, a hand raised her mind focused on the object in front of her. The Dathomirian woman leaned back in her chair but said nothing, she didn´t want to break Mira´s concentration even for just a moment.

"I did it!" Mira cheered as she clearly peeked through her barely opened eyes, it was in this moment that the cup started to struggle, then landed back on the table, spilling its contents. The smile remained on the girls face. "Yes, I can do it."

"Yes you can," Ventress smiled, proud of her apprentice. Then her smile turned into a grin, "but you spilled the water, you know what that means."

Mira nodded as she placed a handful of credits on the table. To give her pupil some additional motivation Ventress had offered the girl to double any amount of her pocket money if she managed to get it done without spilling the water. Mira had been enthusiastic and instantly betted half of this month's credits. Now a regretful expression filled her face as she watched her teacher pocket her money.

"What do you say, double or nothing with the rest of your money?" Asajj teased her a bit. Not that she particularly needed it, but a noble pocket money surely paid for one or two exquisite meals in one of the better restaurants.

"Of course!" Mira said eagerly and placed her remaining credit chips on the table.

Ventress looked at her. She knew Mira for a while now and clearly also how wasteful she could be with her money. If she lost this bet she would probably beg her adoptive aunts for the next coming days until they offered her another round of credits.

She was certainly a spoiled kid, and even if her easygoing and kind demeanor made it hard to dislike her, maybe it was better to teach her a lesson or two.

As the cup began to rise again, Ventress subtly used the force to tip it over. "And lost it again!" She exclaimed in triumph.

Mira looked at her, "you cheated!"

Asajj grinned, "did I? Can you prove it?"

"That is unfair!" The girl protested, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"And life is always fair?" Ventress asked, her voice getting more serious. "Tell me, is it fair that you have been adopted into wealth and nobility while on many other worlds kids your age already have to work for far less credits each months than what you just betted without any second thought?"

"I..." Mira was still pouting but then she lowered her eyes. "That has nothing to do with our bet!"

"No, then maybe we should have a closer look." Ventress stood up from her chair. "Come, now that I made some money I think it's only fair if I invite you for dinner."

Mira´s face lightened up again as she eagerly jumped up from the couch. "Great! Where do we go?"

"To a place you haven´t been before." Her teacher replied.


Two

Asajj jumped back as Mira´s blade moved towards her. Sweat was running over her skin and into her training clothes. She swung her yellow lightsaber at her students legs but Mira easily parried with her blue blade. Asajj had discovered it on the black market of Eriadu years ago, she had no idea where it came from but it served its purpose in providing Mira with a weapon for her training.

The two women clashed again, their blades moving so fast they could barely be followed by the eye, but both of them didn´t need to see, the force guided them, as did their battlefield reflexes. Asajj saw how Mira grinned, at her first training she had hated it. Had screamed, protested and even started to cry at the electro shocks their training blades had caused. But Ventress had insisted on them using them, as any real enemy won´t have mercy on you either. So her apprentice had learned to tolerate the pain, to learn and to grow. And as all apprentices did, eventually challenge her teacher.

Asajj still fondly looked back at the first time Mira had ever defeated her in a fight, it had been mostly luck admittedly but she had been nonetheless proud of her student and the growth inside of her. The cute, spoiled young girl had grown into a good looking, mature young woman.

The force push hit Ventress´s legs and threw her off balance, stumbling backwards she failed to regain her stability as Mira´s blade once again came down on her. Feeling the pain of the shock in her shoulder she fell over and landed on her butt. A second later Mira was atop her and placed her blade at Asajj´s chin.

Ventress began to laugh as she let go of her saber and raised her hands, "enough, you win."

Mira´s grin only grew a bit as she easily jumped off her teacher and offered her hand. "Ten times out of ten."

Asajj nodded as she let Mira pull her up, they had been playing this game for a while now, as Mira had gotten better and better. And now she had done it, won the last ten duels in a row. "I think I can´t teach you anything anymore when it comes to the blade." Asajj said.

"If we where Sith I would now execute you," Mira said, playfully sticking out her tongue at her teacher.

"Be glad that we aren´t if I were I would have sold you as a slave the after our first duel." Ventress replied just as playfully. There had been a time in her life when the mere thought of being surpassed had driven her made, to push herself to higher and even higher heights. Where Mira had been nothing but an enemy to overcome. But now she felt nothing but pride in her apprentice.

"But as a generous winner, let me invite you to dinner for tonight." Mira said with a smile.


Three

They had dinner at Flangth-2-Go like they always did. Ever since the day Ventress had taken a young Mira there the day she had first managed to make a cup float with her mind. It was a fast food restaurant on the lower levels of Phelar. For the lower classes of Eriadu, made for the lower classes of workers. A place no noble would ever frequent, and the place where she had shown Mira how lucky she was.

Most of the workers here where young, usually teenagers who worked here to support their parents. Many who couldn´t even go to school. Some worked already in one of the factories and had to take this second job to stay afloat. It had certainly shaken the young woman to see this. To see how terrible the conditions were for many people, even here, on her oh so beloved homeworld. It was a harsh lesson, Ventress knew but it was one Mira needed to learn. Her gifts gave her a responsibility, as did her status as a noble. And Asajj herself had seen how the combination could twist a person into the darkness. She smiled a bit at the thought what Mira would say if she knew her master sometimes compared her to Count Dooku. But as much as their backgrounds were similar, as different were their personalities.

And yet, Dooku had been a good man as well. Before his fall, before he had been corrupted and Asajj wasn´t naive enough to believe that anyone was immune to this. Well... maybe Kenobi had been. Her smile grew a bit as she wondered what her old rival would say if he could see her now, here, no pushing almost a hundred years training a girl with the dream to become a Jedi.


Four

"Well aren´t you a handsome gentleman," Mira said as she placed a hand on the young man´s chest and gave him a playful smile.

The young man smiled, clearly enraptured by the beautiful, slender woman with the short black hair. "Coming from a lady like yourself, I can only return the compliment."

Mira giggled like a naive schoolgirl and gave him a twinkle. "Oh you are too kind... maybe we should move our discussion somewhere else? Where we would have a bit more 'privacy' so I can see more of that... muscular body of yours."

A bit direct, but it will do. Ventress thought as she watched the scene unfold. She hadn´t just taught Mira how to swing a lightsaber or use the force. She had also taught her how to use her looks and the art of conversation to avoid fights altogether and instead gain what she needed. It had been weapons Asajj had used many times in her life, and so had Ulrika.

The man looked at Mira with dreamy eyes as she took his hand and lead him towards the restrooms of the shady bar. She saw how 'excited' he was for what he believed was to come. She would have almost felt a bit of pity for him, almost. But instead she swallowed the rest of her drink and got up. Quickly moving outside. Leaning against their speeder she opened its trunk and waited.

It didn´t take long and Mira returned. Leading the young man in front of her, his hands cuffed on his back. "What are you doing?" He protested. "Who are you? You bitch!"

Mira gave him a punch to the stomach, "that is no way to talk to a lady darling." She shoved him into the trunk of the speeder. "I hope you enjoyed the flirting, cause for the next few years you won´t see any women. They separate genders in prison."

"I did nothing!" He tried to protest.

"Tell that to the judge, we know everything about your little death stick dealings down here." Ventress said before slamming the trunk shut. "Another successful hunt."

"Another dealer off the street," Mira agreed. "You know, I could get used to the bounty hunter life."

"Hah, you certainly have the skills for it," her master agreed. "Let's get him over to the nearest police station. Splitting the reward?"

"As, always my friend."

Five

"And you thought about this deeply?" Elena asked her adopted niece.

"I did," Mira said firmly.

"So even after all those years you still want to become a Jedi?" Ulrika continued the questions, clearly fighting with her tears.

"I do," Mira said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Asajj, she taught me how lucky I am. Being a noble and a force user. I had a good childhood, have a loving family. I feel there is more for me than just to be a vigilante on Eriadu. That I can do more to help people."

Ventress watched her student, she had known this for a while now, and she knew that it was Mira´s hearts decision, that it, for better or worse would be her path.

Elena managed a smile, "our little girl is growing up to be a heroine." She looked at her wife.

"I only am what I am because of you." Mira admitted. "Following in your footsteps."

"That is what worries me," Ulrika said after a moment. "Our live has never been easy." A few tears run over her face.

Asajj had rarely seen Ulrika this emotional as her friend usually hid her emotions behind confidence and sarcasm. But this was her daughter in all but name.

"It´s not that I´m completely leaving you." Mira reminded them. "If Jaina Solo can be an Empress and a Jedi, I can still be a noble and a Jedi, besides I assume the order would be glad to have someone this close to the coalition within their ranks."

"Just be save." Now Elena had tears in her eyes as well.

"She will be," Asajj said. "I have taught her everything I know and she has learned more by herself. She will manage. Star´s I wouldn´t be surprised if she makes it to the Jedi council in now time."


Six

The forests of Dathomir where filled with the force, neither the light nor the dark side, but a wild independent mix of both. In a way reflecting the two women who quickly moved through the shadows. Both wore the short dresses of Nightsisters and had their faces marked with ancient runes. The pale woman with short blonde hair chasing the black haired one. Eventually reaching her and tackling her to the ground.

"Got you little Jedi." Asajj Ventress said triumphantly.

"You did," Jedi Master Mira Grau replied as she squirmed in the arms of her former master. "Seems you are getting better again."

"Always, besides, Jedi like you are the only prey worthy of my attention," she said as she pulled Mira back onto her feet.

"Without your training I never would have gotten here," her friend said.

"I learned as much from you as you did from me," Asajj admitted.

"You did?" Mira raised an eyebrow.

The Nightsister nodded, "I was aimless for so long, sure I had allies, people to share battles and a bed with. Friends even. But you reminded me of how it was to have a family again."

"Is it for this reason you returned?" Mira asked.

"Yes," after Mira had left to join the Jedi order Asajj had returned here, to Dathomir, her homeworld. Where she had eventually found another coven of Nightsisters, formed by the survivors of her own. Who these days lived in peace with the witch clans. She had returned home, finally after more than a century.

Asajj had recovered her past and found a place to stay, a clan to belong to. Yet she would never forget her friends, especially not Mira, who had helped her rediscover this side of her. The side a life on the dark side and decades as a pirate had almost completely burned away.

Now after so many years and thanks to her apprentice, Asajj Ventress was finally at home again.

 

I love how Ventress and Mira interacted. A great couple. And nice to see Asajj having a family.
Congrats on finishing the Kessel Run