Saga - OT The Blind Chart the Stars (Mostly OCs | post-Endor | Romance, Politics, Showbiz) | Updated weekly

Title: The Blind Chart the Stars
Author: Ewok Poet
Genre: Romance, drama, political thriller, action/adventure
Canonicity: New Canon with bits of Legends and fanon thrown in.
Characters: See Dramatis Personae
Timeframe: Starts about a year after the Battle of Endor, ends approx. ten years later.
Rating: PG-13
Length: Epic
Summary: A bunch of misfits are trying to find their place, their true calling and their true love in a Galaxy fresh out of the civil war. They're, in a way, the blind charting the stars.
Updated: Tuesdays

A/N:


DO NOT LET THESE FIRST TWO POSTS SCARE YOU.

This is the story I consider my opus magnus! But since it might come across as odd at first - feel free to challenge me on anything.

It's a joint sequel of pretty much ALL of my stories, and a prequel to four shorts. It starts roughly a year after the end of The Black Star, which also means that it starts a couple of months after the Death Star II's destruction in the orbit of the Forest Moon of Endor.

I started writing this in 2015 and refrained from starting to post it many, many times. But seriously, we only live once, so...how about RIGHT NOW?

Giving credit, where credit is due...

An immense thank you goes to people who supported me during the darkest year of my life and the dead-like state I was in for months - in the social thread, private messages, both; as well as elsewhere on the internet: Findswoman, Raissa Baiard, Kahara, divapilot, mavjade, Mistress_Renata, Cowgirl Jedi 1701, WarmNyota_SweetAyesha...if I forgot anybody, feel free to yell at me...

...and to those whose work inspires me beyond belief, such as whiskers, Kurisan, Onderon1, leiamoody, Pandora, Mira_Jade...

It's, by no means, required to be familiar with all of my work to read this, but it could come in very handy. Here is the list of all the connected stories.


BEFORE THE SAGA

The Way I Want to Remember Her (short, complete)
How Anaslinea-Hoc came to be. The town appears latter in the story.


BEFORE THE SAGA / SAGA - PT

Midday Darkness / The Light is Me, I Am The Light (epic, 75% done)
Two different accounts of the life of Sacorrian artist, a Drall named Dyeke. Will become relevant.
Will be done by the time anything in it could be spoilered - no worries.


SAGA - PT

Chancellor & I
A toddler by the name of Anjie Mencuri meets a "champion". Just for funsies. (short, complete)

In My Dreams
A character who latter appears in the story listed after this one is introduced here. (short, complete)

Letters Never Sent
Dyeke's life in exile, under the name Lil, and his ultimate tragic end. Will become relevant. (epic, complete)
E-book available.

Quite a Handful
Maris Inesedam Vorr deliberately cheats on her boyfriend, with somebody nicer than him. Will become relevant. (short multipost, complete)

Radiophonic Heart
Teenage Anjie Mencuri joins the wailer-group Steamy Wasaka Stew. Hazing occurs. (short, complete)

Before the Fall
An older and wiser Anjie Mencuri is telling the story of his wasted youth to a loved one. (short, complete)

Not Just Talking Body
The start of Anjie's long-term relationship with the artist named Madelle Griasmaa. (short, complete)


SAGA - OT

Death, Life and Other Goals
Anjie pays a high price for his spice abuse. (short multipost, complete)

Pets, of Course!
Story happens at the same time as the one above it. Just for funsies, introduction to Code:Blue, who will - don't worry - reappear at some point. (short, complete)

Doaba Ke'demii - The Diary of a Young Comradette
Doria Vorr's diary written during her last school year at the First Agricultural Institute of Saccorata. (epic, complete)

My Worst Student, the Young Comradette Vorr
Doria's teacher, Kaya Malokio, shares her own side of the story. (short, complete)

Snowed In
The Ewoks of the Bright Tree Village deal with a supernatural entity threatening to destroy them. (epic, complete)
E-book available.

The Other Moon
Four young Ewoks wind up in a village ruled by an Ewok sect. (epic, 60% complete)
Will be done by the time anything in it could be spoilered - no worries.

The Black Star
Doria Vorr's life changes in a matter of days, and she gets up caught in many dangerous events, meeting new friends as she goes. (epic, ~50% complete)
Spoilers for the most relevant things will be added at the end of this post. The rest will be kept a secret.

E-book of the first part available.

After the Climb
Anjie is struggling to find inspiration when sober. (short, complete)

Breadcrumbs in the Starfield
Actually a chapter from this epic's first part, shush! (short, complete)

A Stranger in Someone Else's Dream
Happens at the same time as the story above it...or, well...never. An outtake from this epic. (short, complete)

Nolevorution, Of Course!
Code:Blue reports a ridiculous event to the Sacorrian Triad. Has a tangent to this epic's second part. (short, complete)

You See Me as a Bed of Nails
An outtake from this epic. (poem, complete)

About a Boy
A feral wokling struggles with his life, until he's bought from the Yuzzums. A tie-in for an event near the epic's end. (short, complete)


SAGA - ST

A Rough Trade
This story may or may not end up as an AU. Features principal OT characters and a ST character. Not a required read. (short multichapter, 50% complete)


SAGA - PT and OT

The Brightest of the Stars (When Teebo Met Latara)
The prologue and the epilogue hint the ending of this epic. The rest is pure fluff. (short multichapter, complete)
E-book available.


OTHER HELPFUL LINKS

TBA

---

SO, WHAT IS THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE?

As per @BookExogorth's request, I compiled...a thing.

In the simplest possible terms: the universe, at its current state, spans the era from about one hundred years Before the saga until around the time of the Sequel Trilogy. It sticks to the Disney Canon events, but borrows some characters and planets from Legends. I firmly believe that all planets will be Canon at some point, not sure about the characters. Apart from the latest story in the timeline, which may end up as an AU, this is not an AU.

The central character of this universe is, technically, a Drall named Dyeke, who also went by some other names later in life. He was born on the totalitarian/authoritarian planet of Sacorria (known as Tendra Risant's homeworld in Legends) and, eventually, he became a famous artist. Sadly, he was caught up in power games between various clans, castes and individuals. He eventually dies, but it's up to you to find out how, where and what has he achieved and whom he met in the meantime.

Everything that happens after Dyeke is gone happens BECAUSE of Dyeke. He is the Forrest Gump of this universe. He did briefly meet and see some canon characters, but what he mostly did was connecting the "unconnectables". And this can lead to trouble for...pretty much everybody involved.


The key "layers" and "players":

- Anything related to the Sacorrian Human family where, eventually, a female named Doria Vorr is born in 15BBY to the engineer Elesandre Vorr and museologist/archaeologist Maris Inesedam Vorr. Maris' side of family is closely related to the R'vanye, through an old friendship from the university days in the previous generation.

- Anything related to the Sacorrian Drall family of R'vanye, heads of the epominous clan - Duchess Branna, her niece Gredda (Elesandre Vorr's supervisor at work) and her young nephew, Ebe. The rivalry between R'vanye and Pelayn clans, where a notable member, Roula of Pelayn, is one of the main villains in this universe, is given a lot of importance to.

- Another Sacorrian character, a limmie player turned politician named Joak Bluestar Shykrill Glisse, nicknamed Code:Blue appears in a couple of stories, mostly as comic relief. He's known for his viral "baby burp" goal celebration.

- Anything related to the Naboo/Hapan musician and occasional visual artist Anjie Mencuri, who was mostly raised on Corellia. Anjie joined a wailer-group named Steamy Wasaka Stew (sws) as their quetarra player, backing vocalist and composer at the age of 18 and got caught up in the business of art and fame with his much older wailer-mates Antonio Nokaarbe, Con "Wompy" Brochet and Dandelion "Dale" Pavan. Eventually, he breaks, leaves the group and descends into drug addiction.

- Anything related to the Nubian pronk wailer-group Deeply Religions: their spunky Human front-being and quetarra player Charon San Valorum, level-headed and melancolic Duros bassoonist Anra Renek and the absolutely kriffin-poodoo-mad Ortolan drummer Koobalt "Master Koobs" Nubes. The group is known for their anti-Empire statements. Charon may appear silly, but...but..

- Anything that happens in/to/around Anaslinea-Hoc, a small seaside town in the Ka'zaan Gulf, on the Corellian Sector's eco-planet Vagran. The townspeople have gone through destruction of their former town Anaslinea on Jumus and disease once they arrived to Vagran. Around the time of the PT, the central characters from this town important to the universe are the Caraway-Kaeni family, descendants of the town founder Ravyd Caraway, and an archaeologist and sentientologist named Taide Lambrin.

- Wait, and why are the Ewoks stories listed here? Aren't most Ewok characters canon and their cartoon series and graphic novel Legends-canon? Yup. You'll see!

What do I read first?

While I compiled an order-thingy-of-sorts, I strongly recommend that you stick to this story, as all of the above will give you some background to it, and since it's the one that ties all the loose ends. And it will be the best one, by far.

The Ewoks story Snowed In can be read without spoiling absolutely anything else. It's available as an e-book, too. Its sequel, The Other Moon, at this point does not spoil anything, either.

Letters Never Sent and Doaba Ke'demii - The Diary of a Young Comradette are better off reading before Midday Darkness / The Light is Me, I Am The Light and The Black Star. The latter is the oldest of these in terms of when I started it, but this order is more logical.

Most of the shorts can be read on their own.


What would you NOT recommend at first?

About a Boy, The Brightest of the Stars (When Teebo Met Latara) and A Rough Trade. Two out of three won awards, all three were nominated for awards, but they might spoil your experience.

Breadcrumbs in the Starfield, because it's a chapter of this fic.


Is there violence?

Yes.

Lots of it: The Other Moon
Some of it: Snowed In
Little of it: The Black Star, Letters Never Sent
+ a couple of disturbing scenes in Death, Life and Other Goals and About a Boy.
This one may feature it later, but nothing of the extent seen in The Other Moon.


Is there sex?
Yes.

Stories containing sex (as per TOS) are:
Midday Darkness / The Light is Me, I Am The Light
Letters Never Sent
Not Just Talking Body
The Other Moon
A Stranger in Someone Else's Dream
This one, duh.


Is there alien/alien sex?
Yes.

Stories containing alien sex (as per TOS) are:
Midday Darkness / The Light is Me, I Am The Light
Letters Never Sent
The Other Moon
This one, duh.

Is there an interspecies relationship or interspecies sex?
Not at this point in time. May happen, may not happen.

Is there Human/alien relationship or Human/alien sex?
No and there won't be such a thing.

Is there a LGBTQ relationship?
Not at this point in time.

And, for the end...

SPOILERS FOR THE BLACK STAR - TRIED TO KEEP IT AS VAGUE AS POSSIBLE

Spoiler

One character is presumed to have perished.

Everybody else makes it, but some are punished for their deeds.

Charon San Valorum proposes to his girlfriend, Deeina Ferry and she proposes a dare - to invite somebody he can't stomach to their wedding.

Antonio Nokaarbe is deported from Sacorria and reunited with his wailer-mates. In the meantime, Sassvar Graba, the Zabrak quetarra player quits. Antonio manages to locate Anjie Mencuri, who brought the wailer-group fame on a Galactic level, who now lives with his father in Keren, Naboo.

Deeply Religious' bassoon player and drummer, Anra Renek and Koobalt "Master Koobs" Nubes, are yet to be released from the Dorthus Tal prison, but they're treated fair.

One well-liked character from Doria's diary reappears for a smaller role.

The second part contains military action and I'll need some help with it (Mistress_Renata, pwetty pwease, 'elp me out when the time comes ).

Some of Keycube characters will appear in supporting roles, per his permission - because I liked them, a lot.

The third part is comical, yet scary at the same time and the story ends with characters looking at what we see at the end of Return of the Jedi.

Mungo Baobab and his wife, Auren Yomm Baobab escort the protagonists to Roon in the Abrion sector, which has been a free territory since about 15 BBY. And yeah, I like some Legends with my canon. Why do they do this? Well, Maris Inesedam Vorr killed a Stormtrooper in The Black Star and...yeah.

Naboo has been liberated, as it's one of the first planets that was according to the New Canon, but many other planets haven't...yet.

 

Dramatis Personae

This list will be updated with each chapter, as the characters appear. Currently up to chapter 11.

Doria Vorr - 19 years old Sacorrian girl, currently living on Roon and remotely studying at the University of Vagran in Abatore, via HoloNet and occasionally holocomming her lecturers and professors. Disillusioned after the events of the year before, her new friends keep her afloat.

Anjie Mencuri - 29 years old Naboo/Hapan man who spent most of his life on Corellia. Wailer and occasional visual artist. Rediscovered by his former wailer-mate Antonio Nokaarbe living at his father's home in Keren, after years of spice abuse and tragical events. He accepts to rejoin Steamy Wasaka Stew, the wailer-group he made famous as their quetarra player, composer and backing vocalist.

Maris Inesedam-Vorr - Sacorrian woman in her forties. Doria's mother, the niece of Larax Antilless and the widow of Elesandre Vorr. An archaeologist currently working on the Taung culture excavation locations on Roon. Cannot go back to the Corellian Sector until she's cleared from murdering a Stormtrooper.

Charon San Valorum - 23 years old Nubian man, currently living on Roon. Frontbeing of the highly political pronk wailer-group Deeply Religious, an active Rebel, now ready to start writing for the group's next album, dedicated to the Galaxy being freed of the Empire's repression. He's missing his friends who are still imprisoned on Sacorria, but their release is close. Has a secret he has not revealed to anybody...yet.

Deeina Ferry - 19 years old Aurean girl, currently living on Roon and remotely studying at the University of Vagran in Abatore, via HoloNet and occasionally holocomming her lecturers and professors. Has yet to reunite with her family, but is about to marry her sweetheart. During her years as an artisan-turned-Rebel, she used her alter ego, a Dathomirian bounty hunter by the name of Druxxa Farr, in numerous missions.

Larax Antilless - Sacorrian woman who emigrated to Vagran, in her sixties. Maris' aunt and Doria's great-aunt. Widow of a Selonian professor named Denaro, Joined the whole adventure in order for the involved parties not to seek revenge on her, ended up on Roon with everybody else. Light-hearted, she sees everything in life as fun.

Duchess Branna of R'vanye - Sacorrian Drall woman in her sixties. Gemmologist. Politician. One of two surviving members of the R'vanye family, the ruling family of the R'vanye clan. Keeps to herself most of the time. Has vowed to somehow pay back to those who killed her loved ones, once back from Roon to the Core Worlds.

Ebe of R'vanye - A pre-teen Sacorrian Drall boy. Bright student. The other surviving member of the R'vanye family. Goes to basic school on Roon. Is taking everything surprisingly well.

Antonio Nokaarbe - The frontbeing of the jizz-pronk fusion wailer-group Steamy Wasaka Stew, in his late thirties. After his unfortunate experience on Sacorria, where he was briefly imprisoned due to a combination of a set-up and a missunderstanding, he's back and writing lyrics for the group's new album. He recently rediscovered Anjie Mencuri on Naboo and invited him to attend an event with him, prior to reuniting with the rest of the group.

Auren Yomm Baobab - A Roon woman in her thirties. The wife and right hand of the famed Manda/Roon merchant Mungo Baobab, who inherited the Baobab Merchant Fleet. Has a son, Nilz. Legends character.

Jar Jar Binks - Former politician, still highly regarded by his colleagues and friends, despite some obvious faults. Appears in a couple of early chapters of this story for a good reason. Canon character.

Yilda Lami Jr. - A Byblos woman in her twenties. The daughter of the notorious journalist, Yilda Lami, from an one-night-stand. Follows Galactic superstars to dig out some gossip for Juicy Blabber, the same celebrity supplement of the Lightyear Holo newsflimsi. Has a couple of aces underneath her sleeve and is not afraid to use them.

Teebo - 19.5 snows old Ewok male. Apprentice to the Bright Tree Village's medicine man, Logray and one of Chief Chirpa's chief trap makers. Known for having caught the saviours of the Galaxy in a trap, and for having been zapped by R2-D2. Shy and private. In relationship with Latara. Canon character.

Latara - 18 snows old Ewok female. Apprentice to the Bright Tree Village's hoodmaker, Fashkaa. Tech-savvy compared to most other Ewoks. Liberated and not afraid to speak her mind. In relationship with Teebo. Legends character.

Lumat - Middle-aged-to-old Ewok male. Chief woodcutter of the Bright Tree Village, member of the Council of Elders. Grouch. Disciplinarian. Husband to Zephee, father to Latara, Nippet and Wiley. Legends character, though he appears in Return of the Jedi.

Snes - Besalisk security woman at the Club Deeja in Keren. Canon character.

Zephee - Young-to-middle aged Ewok female. Lumat's wife. Prefers to let him speak for her. Canon character.

Warok - Young-to-middle aged Ewok male. A guard, a skilled glider pilot and a family man. Husband to Batcheela, father to Teebo and Malani. Legends character, though he appears in Return of the Jedi.

Batcheela - Young-to-middle aged Ewok female. Fisherwoman, a great cook, a loving mother and a no-nonsense being overall. Warok's wife. Legends character.

Mungo Baobab - A Manda man in his late 40s. Known for having established a trade route between Manda and Roon, currently in charge of the Baobab Merchant Fleet. Husband to Auren, father to Nilz. Legends character.

Nilz Baobab - Mungo and Auren's teenage son.

Ygorr - Gungan male. The owner of Bombad Eats in Theed.

Soodar Merek - The dean of Mechanics at the University of Vagran, Abatore (UOVA)

Rogierre - Drall male. The vice-deam of Arts and at the UOVA

Head Elder Kazak -

Logray -

Chief Chirpa -

Deej Warrick -

Widdle "Willy" Warrick -

Wunka -

Rabin -

Fashkaa -

Paploo -

Weechee Warrick -

Asha Fahn -

Aldo Mencuri -

Sooja Brie Mencuri -

Agne Mencuri -

Keoulkeech -

Leektar -

Paneena -

Darglo -

Dandelion "Dale" Pavan -

Con "Wompy" Brochet -

Goldie -

Shaban Sapphyra -

Ranya Adma -


Mentioned only: Lando Calrissian (CC), Kes Dameron (CC), Chewbacca (CC), Luke Skywalker (CC), Han Solo (CC), Padmé Amidala (CC), Prince Jierhook (OC), Kii-sha (OC), C-3PO (CC), Arvel Mencuri (OC), Kiki Sanaka (OC), Madelle Griasmaa (OC), Toora Gan Mencuri (OC), Han Solo (CC), PD-28 "Peedee" (LC), Morag (LC), Wynssa Starflare (LC), Dyeke (OC), Duchess Kasha of Pelayn (OC), Glaunder "Porky" Porkley (OC), Sassvar Graba (OC), Galah Jaywine (OC),

more to come...

TIP:

Spoiler

If a character that has only been referenced yet is not listed as mentioned only, but as appearing, that means they WILL appear, later

 

Table of Contents

Part One - Starstruck (5 ABY)

1. The Wedding
2. Of War and Love
3. Supernova Child
4. A Matter of Choice
5. Solleu Ashes
6. Haunted by the Ghost of Love
7. Rights versus Rites
8. Life is All About Taking Risks
9. The Relativity of Purity
10. Made of Stars
11. The Broken Breadcrumb Trail

 

Part One - Starstruck​

Look at a star in the sky not as something unreachable but as a planet you would visit one day.
- Yoko Ono

A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

DORIA VORR, SHAKENED BY APPARENT LOSS OF HER BEST FRIEND, GREDDA, HASN’T BEEN FEELING QUITE PERKY LATELY. STRANDED ON ROON WHILE WAITING FOR HER MOTHER, MARIS, TO BE FREED OF CHARGES ON SACORRIA AND FOR THE CORELLIAN SECTOR TO BE LIBERATED, SHE STILL LACKS DIRECTION.

CHARON SAN VALORUM HAS SURVIVED THE BATTLES OF VAGRAN AND ENDOR, WHICH LEAVES HIM WITH KEEPING THE PROMISE TO HIS GIRLFRIEND, DEEINA FERRY: TO MARRY HER ON NABOO, HAVE JAR JAR BINKS ORGANISE THE EVENT AND INVITE ANTONIO NOKAARBE AS A GUEST, ACCOMPANIED BY A COMPANION WHO IS NOT A YOUNG WOMAN.

MEANWHILE, ON THE FOREST MOON OF ENDOR, TENSIONS ARE GETTING STRONGER AMONG THE EWOKS OF THE BRIGHT TREE VILLAGE, WHO ARE SUDDENLY EXPOSED TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD.

ANJIE MENCURI, THE MISSING QUETARRA PLAYER AND COMPOSER FOR STEAMY WASAKA STEW HAS RE-EMERGED ON HIS HOME PLANET OF NABOO AND CONTACTED HIS FORMER WAILER-MATE ANTONIO NOKAARBE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF REJOINING THE ENSEMBLE.​

Chapter 1 - The Wedding

Many thanks to Findswoman and Raissa Baiard, for a super-quick beta! Ask if you want to be tagged. I promise that not all chapters are this long, don't let that put you off.

---

Varykino, Lake Country, Naboo – cca 5 ABY/1 ABE

"Why are you dressed in overalls at a wedding?" Antonio Nokaarbe put his hand on the lens of the holocam and grinned at the girl in blue denym overalls and an orange wrap tunic holding it. "Aren't you feeling a bit hot in here? Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?" He almost got into her face.

"Why are you asking so many questions? And why are you wearing a sleeveless shirt?" The girl casually hit him on the hand. The romantic scenery of the former Naberrie Lake County retreat on Naboo did not seem to be doing much for her. She wanted her holocam back.

"What?"

"I respond to dumb questions with dumb questions. I am here to holograph the bride and the groom and you are bothering me at work... Nokaarbe."

"I see that you know my name!"

"Of course. ’Nokaarbe Is Not Handsome' has always been one of my favourite early Deeply Religious songs. Have a nice day."

She walked away in disgust, cleaning the non-existent dust off her camera. Antonio shrugged and decided to snack on something. A lean, bearded man wearing a hazelgreen coat with a red shirt underneath and a pair of cobalt-blue bedizened slacks two sizes too big waved at him from one of the side tables, accidentally knocking down a bottle of something gooey and brown.

"Antonio! I have been here for one standard hour and you still didn't tell me why we're attending this event. Who is Charon San Valorum? Who is Deeina Ferry?"

Antonio shook his head. Getting Anjie out of his imaginary world since he had re-emerged had proven itself to be quite challenging. Getting him not to drink a combination of Gungan mud and the keleekay herbal tea while on Naboo was almost impossible.

“Charon San Valorum is the frontman of Deeply Religious and he’s here to swear to be faithful to Deeina Ferry, who is…let me check the notes…an artist from Aurea and err...a Rebel spy. I mean the Free Worlds’ spy. Whatever they call themselves now, geddit?”

“So, he is the one who once wrote a song about you?” Anjie was now smearing the mud on the tablecloth. “Why would you want to be at his wedding?”

“Silly Anjie.” The hunk paused and added. “Women. Antonio needs his daily dose of simple carnal pleasure. I need to find a woman to bestow my gift on, and one that seemed eligible has just expressed intense disagreement to my delightful proposal. That said, have you seen that…wicked witch of Dathomir yet, Anjie?"

"Witch of Dathomir? Where? I always wanted to know more about their magick!"

"Not that kind of witch, silly boy. It’s a figure of speech. I am talking about the holographer wannabe. She is easily identifiable as one of those cutthroat types. Could not even chat her up. Could not get a good view of her legs or anything. Say, where do they make them so angry?"

Anjie took another sip of the brown drink. This time, he got his curly locks inside of the glass. "Knowing you, maybe she didn't even have legs, as you never look anywhere else, but..."

"She has legs! I know because I could not get a good look of the other attributes of hers, either. Also, I think I would have noticed a hoverchair. I am not you."

Anjie shrugged and got up. Returning to public life had several perks, such as no longer being chased by slythmongers and Hutt crime lords who wanted their credits back and who threatened to blast his brains out. At the same time, at this point, his public life was heavily dictated by Antonio and his exploits. Just like when they were much younger, just like back in the days when he had no idea what he was doing, but he was doing it anyway. Luckily, keleekay tea was still legal; otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to cope with the world outside of his mind just yet.

On top of it all, they were on Naboo. His father was from here and still working in Keren. He had been born in Keren himself. The Lake County reminded him of visiting his grandmother and cousins, year after year, in the early years of the Galactic Empire's reign.

Looking around, trying not to catch the eye of all these people he didn’t know, he spotted an ancient, handheld holocamera, not controlled by a cam-droid. And Force knew he loved all kinds of ancient gadgets! He walked towards it and ended up tripping whoever was holding it.

“I’m so sorry!”

He looked down and his eyes met those of a girl who looked young and who was, just like him, not quite dressed for the occasion. Her dark hair was in a braid wrapped around her head, held by a couple or flowers, the name of which was escaping him. He clumsily tried to help her up, but somehow, he only managed to pull a piece of fabric from her front pocket.

"E-excuse me. You dropped this…piece of lace." He managed to pull an awkward grin.

"Thank you." She picked it up and stuck it back into her pocket. "It's my classy add-on to work clothes," she added in a voice so monotonous that he was immediately confused by it, yet he extended his hand to help her up and did not let go.

“I said thank you. Your grip is unpleasant. It hurts me.”

"Sorry.” He let her hand go. “And you’re welcome.”

She was still looking at him. He awkwardly proceeded to introduce himself.

“My name is Anjie Mencuri. And you are..?"

"Doria.” She rolled her eyes. “…if you really have to know the name of a random stranger you will never see again."

For reasons he couldn’t quite put his finger on, his face lit up.

"Doria what?" He managed an awkward grin that did not seem in tune with the confused look in his eyes.

"Doria Vorr…from Roon. Once the Corellian sector has been liberated, Vagran."

She shook her head. Anjie Mencuri? Where had she heard that name before and why did he seem so familiar? Why did he want to know that much? Why was it of his concern?

Just when Anjie was about to ask the next set of questions, a Gungan in formal attire patted Doria on the shoulder.

“Mesa wanten a pikcur with da newlyweds! Please, Doria!”

“Sure, Jar Jar. Glad you were able to join us on this occasion, on the behalf of Naboo officials. Sorry, comr...Master Mencuri. I have work to do.”

“Please, come back later! I am interested in continuing this conversation. And…I’m not ‘Master Mencuri’. Call me Anjie, please!”

Anjie stood there, confused. Why was she on first-name basis with that Gungan official whom he vaguely remembered from his dad’s stories back and whom he may have met once or twice? And was he really unrecognisable with the beard and long hair?

“So, I see that you met the wicked witch.” Antonio appeared behind him, with a small tray containing some finger food. “And you actually spoke to her. In that case, this is fair game and she’s yours. I am going to find somebody else.” He picked a slice of cheese and a piece of honey-glazed shuura from a kabob. “Somebody who actually radiates beauty. The pretty girls seem to be arriving at last, thank god.”

“I think she’s pretty.” Anjie smiled and took another kabob from Antonio’s tray and smelled it. “What is this stuff, anyway? Is it bio and non-processed?”

The hunk could see that his friend was blushing, despite the beard hiding most of his cheeks. “But of course…an insecure recluse like you goes for a girl with no hairstyle to speak of, overalls and…I guess you saw how stupid that fancy pendant around her neck and a piece of lace in her pocket look in combination with what she’s wearing. Not to mention that she’s too old.”

“Antonio! What is wrong with you? If she’s a friend of the bride, she cannot be older than twenty! And that is not old, that is young! I’m twenty-nine and you are thirty-ummm...Thirty-whatever!” He stopped, realising that he did not remember his friend’s age. “Also, do not call me a recluse! I would not be right here right now if I was a recluse!”

“Didn’t you learn anything about the game?” Antonio shook his head again. “You’re Hapan! Like your mother. That gets girls interested. And I’m Kiffar.” He raised his eyebrows and pointed to the washable qukuuf on his forehead.

“How can you be Kiffar if only one of your great-great-grandmothers was Kiffar? That’s nothing! It’s almost insignificant!”

Antonio was about to respond, but the older woman next to him shushed him. The groom at the main table got up and knocked on a glass.

“May I have your kriffin’ attention, please? I want everybody to join me in the toast to my lovely wife, Deeina.”

The guests got up and cheered on, as the bride waved to them.

"I met Deeina when my whole band got arrested on her home planet of Aurea nearly two years ago. She was present at the performance that got us in trouble with the Empire-assigned prefect who was supposed to report to the Corellian Diktat and alerted a group of Bothan spies. They went along and got rid of the necessary records by the next morning, and the strike team detonated a bomb in the jail, allowing us to escape."

"And then Charon met the leader of the strike team – me!" Deeina continued where her husband started. “Initially, I approached Deeply Religious with a far-out idea of spreading their liberal ideas around the CorSec. I thought I was too young to be taken seriously…but Charon surprised me – he welcomed my plan and wrote an entire new album within a week. The leaders of the Aurean Rebels made a deal with the band. We gave them some weapons and allowed them to access our emergency network, in case they got in trouble."

"But what we did not expect was that we would fall in love with each other. I found myself with Deeina and learned how to love again. It took us a while, as we were apart more often than we were together, but we made it. The last couple of months made me realise that I had to marry this girl before I got in major trouble again." Charon grinned and hugged Deeina. "She saved me so many times and I would like a round of applause for her...now."

As everybody clapped their hands, wings and whatever else they had, Deeina got up.

"And I would like us all to give a toast to my husband Charon, as well. He is already working on something for the next project and I am glad that I will be there to support him in his efforts. A special thanks to the former senator Jar Jar Binks for representing the people of Naboo and showing us your planet's hospitality, too!" Deeina raised her glass and looked towards the Gungan politician.

"Mesa berry berry happy haven yousa hair!" He grinned and raised his glass in return. "Wesa all hopen dat yousa haven una gorgeous life together!"

As Charon and Deeina kissed, Doria snapped a couple of holos. Her two closest friends had just gotten married. How surreal was that, in the first place? And how could it be that so many unknown people found their way to the wedding, like that strange woman in a dress showing a bit too much for her Sacorrian mind to comprehend, and Nokaarbe with his quiet, clumsy companion?

"Doria!" She heard her mother's voice. "Can you take a holo of all of us together? I am sure you will forget to later!"

All fifty guests stood in four rows. Ebe and Duchess Branna and a couple of Charon's nephews and nieces knelt in front of everybody else. Maris commanded everybody present to get closer, and Doria almost expected her to call her stupid out loud, knowing how often she did so.

"All right, this is an old holocamera, no camera droid here, so I am going to step further to the back to get everybody in the view. When I say 'Kashyyyk', you all smile..."

"Wait up!" Nokaarbe's ascetic friend appeared out of nowhere and knelt next to the Drall and small children. Doria smiled and went to adjust the parametres. When she looked at the group again, he was smiling, too. She could swear that he blushed.

"I know who he is!" She thought to herself. "The cute boy from the 'Underlevels' holovid. The same smile, right there, underneath all that beard!"

The holocamera clicked. One more time. And another.

"Thank you and sorry to disturb you. You may go back to your food now."

"But Doria, you are not in any of the holos!" Deeina walked up to her and extended her hand. "Come on, at least one holo with us! Would you mind?"

The nearby stranger shrugged and took a holo of Deeina and Charon hugging Doria, and another of them making Devaronian horns on her head. Then Charon took one of Deeina, Doria and Auren.

"And would you look at that!" Auren pointed to the space in the centre of the columns, where Ebe was playing with Anjie's beard. "Nokaarbe's friend and the little one!"

Anjie didn't quite know what happened, but the tiny Drall youngling's paws on his face did not bother him. He needed an excuse to stick around for a bit more, he wanted to talk to Doria again.

Once he got up, she was gone, so was the dark-skinned woman who had come with the other bearded man, and the newlyweds. Antonio was still there, leaning on the other column.

"So, did you talk to the wicked witch?"

"No. She literally just disappeared!"

“A man has to react fast. Just watch me.” He walked over to the woman in violet plunge dress, with dangling hoop earrings and a beaming smile.

“Hi there, I’m Antonio. And you?”

“Yilda.” She giggled. “Why are you holding my hand?”

“Because I can read from that pretty ring you’re wearing. I’m Kiffar, you know.”

Yilda giggled again.

“Oh, please, I’m here with a task…”

“I am here with a task as well. My task is to do some psychometry on you. Are you up for it?”

“Here and now?” She was confused, but Antonio had already grabbed her hand and dragged her with him.

Anjie had seen this happen too many times before. Ten years ago, he would have done the same, though he never knew why. He did not remember the names of the women he had bedded back then. And this was making him ashamed of his past, to a certain extent. He got up and wandered away to the gardens, hoping to clear his head.

It was getting dark when he finally managed to find Doria. She was sitting on the floor on the stone balcony overlooking the lake and checking the footage on her holocamera, the top part of her overalls now tied around her waist, her hair down and the somewhat fancy orange flats tossed aside.

“I found you!”

“Oh, hi, Master Mencuri…I mean Anjie. Sorry if you get poisoned by the smell of my feet. I cannot stand nice footwear at all; I needed to take them off, in order to be able to walk in the morning.”

“I don’t mind.” He kneeled down next to her. “Do you need any help? Why are you here alone?”

Too many questions, out of nowhere. Or so she thought.

“I needed some peace and quiet, and Jar Jar, the elderly Gungan politician you might have seen, told me where to go. In fact, he told me where not to go and he was a bit worried when I said that I wanted to go there. Silly old guy. The locals say this balcony has some sort of a historic significance and nobody wanted to be here. I have no idea what kind of significance, though. Maybe you know? Are you Naboo?”

“Half-Naboo and half-Hapan, actually,” he reluctantly replied, not wanting to sound like Antonio. “I sort of know, yes. I was a toddler living over there in Keren, when a wedding took place on this balcony.”

“Another wedding in this place! Who got married?”

“Some guy with one mechanical arm and some local, a very pretty girl. That’s all I know. It was a secret wedding. Only two droids were present. Pretty girl was an important person and apparently, she died soon after the wedding. They used to scare us with various stories about their doomed marriage when I was a little boy and-and they used to tell us that the ghost of this woman will haunt us children.”

“That’s some ghost story, all right! I don’t think Charon and Deeina knew that this place was cursed when they picked a location for their wedding.” Doria seemed concerned. “Then again, while Deeina is a pretty girl, Charon is all flesh and bones, no cybernetics. And…this wedding is definitely not secret!”

“I love folklore, actually. One can find a bit of themselves in it. One can be it. Then again, maybe I just know how to be somebody else. I did a lot of rokna blue back in the days. Have you ever tried rokna?”

Doria raised an eyebrow. She recalled nearly cutting herself on rokna fungus. The idea of somebody using rokna as a recreational drug was beyond her. And that question sure came out of nowhere.

“Hmmm, no. What kind of a question is that? Why would one try rokna?”

“There is probably no scene where you live, given that Roon is a backwards planet and that it was somewhat isolated during the war for being neutral and all…and generally, because of those comets and asteroids, but Vagran! You said you’re otherwise living on Vagran! Abatore has one of the best spice scenes in CorSec. They have got to have rokna!”

At this point, Doria was just staring at Anjie. Why was a former spice addict talking about spice as if it was one of the most beautiful things ever? How was she supposed to continue this conversation?

“I saw rokna fungus in real life, you know. It did not seem appealing at all.”

“How? Where?” Anjie seemed excited.

“The Forest moon of Endor. Charon, Deeina and I crashed there...somehow.”

“Charon? Am I supposed to know who he is?”

“The groom! The groom at this very wedding you’re at. Have you forgotten that already?”

“Oh, yes, the wedding. And Endor sounds intriguing. Savage cultures have always been appealing to me and I read some things about those Eulex people…”

“Ewoks, they’re called Ewoks.”

“Yeah, them. I heard that they make bloody sacrifices. I’m intrigued by that.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Sounds way better than being forced to spend time in some of the black nerf systems of the Core…say, Sacorria. That place sounds awful. No freedoms of any kind.”

Doria swallowed a lump. “Ummm, why would you think that? Have you ever been to Sacorria?”

“No, but I read a lot about it and I saw some holofilms. Each person gets a chip in their heads when they’re born and the government is using those chips to read minds. There is no true freedom on Sacorria.”

“So, you believe in spacer tales, Anjie?”

“I believe in a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And the stars, because everything in life comes from stars, including our talents, emotions and knowledge. What do you think about it?”

“There is no other way of breaking this to you, Anjie, so I am sorry…but I’m not sorry. I was born and raised in Saccorata, the largest city on Sacorria. That was where I met the groom…and do not ask me which groom again, because I am going to push you right off this balcony.”

Anjie just stood there, not saying a word.

"You ignored what I said about the stars."

“Huh? You’re supposed to say you’re sorry about prejudice you had against my homeworld…had being the word you’re supposed to emphasize. I will give you a couple of examples. It was the brave Sacorrian doctors who saved so many beings’ lives in the Clone Wars. This resulted in many of the said doctors emigrating, and our own healthcare collapsing to the point where people die of simple diseases. My dad died from a plain heart attack two years ago. Hmmm, what else? We are a world with more Selonian and Drall citizens than Humans and everybody has equal rights. Our Selonians are very different, too. They don’t live in underground dens. Ummm…that last thing was irrelevant, but what-the-kriff-ever. Need I go on?"

“No. I am sorry. I am sorry because I didn’t know you were Sacorrian.”

Was that the best he could do? Was his brain damaged from all that rokna? Was this supposed to mean that he would still think the same about Sacorria, yet not express it around her?”

“That wasn’t particularly good, sorry.” She said and continued looking at her videos.

“It’s alright. I don’t know what’s good anymore. I have been away for too long...” Anjie was trying to get himself out of an uncomfortable situation, but Doria was paying no attention to him. For about ten minutes, he just stood there, trying to peek at the shaky three-dimensional projection from her holovideo camera. At some point, she looked over her shoulder, noticed that he was still standing there and continued the conversation.

“I paused the holovid to show you something, as this datacard contains a lot of older stuff. Here is your kriffin’ rokna fungus in real life. They grow on tree trunks and they’re incredibly sharp. I have no idea how the spice dealers used to get it before the Endor moon was exposed to the Galactic community, but for some reason, I believe that many of them died there. As we determined earlier, the Endorian species are all quite savage and they are not friendly to the outsiders…for all the right reasons. They were invisible for centuries, millennia, yet everybody was exploiting them, hoping that they would never discover space travel, either way.”

“Did you just call me an exploiter?”

“I may have called you an exploiter, yes, as this would make all rokna addicts of past and present exp..."

“How can you say that? I almost died from spice abuse. Addiction is a powerful mechanism and the last thing a spice addict would care about is what damned 'sanctuary moon' the good stuff came from and who died from it. Kriff that!”

He looked at her, with an angry expression on his face. However, less than a minute later, he was giggling and trying to say something. His moods seemed to be unpredictable.

“Would you like to see me again?” he finally asked.

The question seemed strange.

“What was that?” She blurted, the monotonous voice having replaced the unusually cheerful tone she spoke in all evening.

“Sorry, I make no sense tonight. I did not mean to be rude. I was wondering if you would come to see me perform in Keren, tomorrow night. I’ll be on stage at twenty-three hundred.” He shyly added. “I’m a musician. Or at least I used to be one.”

"If only I knew where…”

“Uh, silly me. I’m a performing at a place called Club Deeja. In Keren. It would be a honour to have you in my audience.”

“Doria Vorr! My finally finden yousa!” Jar Jar Binks popped out of nowhere. “Yousa haven missen the weirdest part of da wedding reception! A lot of berry, berry strange things happenen! Also, yousa mama and yousa auntee looken for yousa!”

The Gungan was standing there, tapping his foot. Doria shrugged, put her shoes back on and picked her equipment.

“Guess I will see you tomorrow, then? Can I bring a friend or two?”

“Just one, please. It’s a tiny venue and I would like to keep my audience to a minimum. No more than two hundred beings will be allowed in. How does one spell your last name? W-a-r?”

Jar Jar joined the conversation. “Silly yousa, it’s V-o-r-r.”

“What are you doing here in the first place?” Anjie seemed irritated.

“As I have said before, he is the only being who knew where I was, so it was perfectly normal for him to come and look for me. Also, he just helped you and you didn’t thank him.” Doria looked at her new acquaintance’s face, but she could not make out his expression, from all the beard and hair. “Uh…I guess you’re tired. See you tomorrow, then.”

---

Footnotes

Spoiler

Denym is canon.

The song ’Nokaarbe Is Not Handsome' and many other Deeply Religious' songs have been listed in the Appendix to chapter 1 of The Black Star.

Bedizened is canon. And yes, it's a type of textile in the GFFA.

Keelekay herbal tea is fanon. A hipster fad type of a thing. Think ginseng or kava-kava.

Gungan mud was first used in @Chyntuck's epic, Ἀνάγκη - Necessity Beyond Sway, but I turned it into a health food fad.

Roon was in old canon and now it's back in the new canon!

The story of how Charon and Deeina met is one of the things I am yet to write, as a standalone fic.

It's clear that Anjie is not able to separate truth from fiction, in case of his grandmother's story.

Yes, Sacorria did have at least one field hospital during the Clone Wars.

Rokna blue is a potent spice synthesised from the rokna fungus.

 

EP: First, thank you very much for the kind words. I'm very grateful.

And congrats on the start! Quite fascinating - glad to see faves from your various works crossing paths (and I'd never have pegged Anjie and Doria ... hmm. Glad to see she got out of the Triad eventually, although as you note, Maris' ... activities ... certainly make sense as to why they're traveling).

And Jar Jar! I understand why some people can't stand him, but when he's used properly, he's an excellent addition. Great work.

 

First of all, congratulations for posting this story! I know it means a great deal to you and it’s wonderful to see you returning to form.

This chapter is almost a reunion of all your characters from all over your universe, and how appropriate that it happens at a wedding, as weddings so often do bring people from all over to celebrate with each other. The gang’s all here—from sleazy Antonio, hitting on every female except maybe the bride, to Duchess Branna and little Ebe, plus those mentions of the bloodthirsty Euler—er, Ewoks on Endor. And in the middle of it all, Anjie and Doria, both feeling a little out of place, both not quite dressed for the occasion, both starting new lives but not knowing which way to go. Perhaps given all that, it was inevitable that these two misfits literally run into each other.

I love how you not only bring all corners of your universe together, you tie it into the larger Star Wars universe, too. That lovely Naboo lake country is instantly recognizable from AotC. It’s interesting that the wedding takes place where another fateful wedding took place so long before. How sad that Padmé has become just a pretty girl in a ghost story to scare children, the irony being that the truth no one knows is scarier than any story they could make up. It’s also fun to see Jar Jar here, in his usual sweetly bumbling form...and appropriate, since he too has a place in the EP-verse!

So at last those bread crumbs in the starfield have led Anjie and Doria together, but to quote Shakespeare, “the course of true love never did run smooth.” It certainly gets off to a rocky start here! Not just the awkwardness of their initial meeting, with Anjie pulling out her lace handkerchief and crushing her hand and Doria’s frostiness, but, well, pretty much everything.... he insults he planet and gives a lame apology, she calls him an exploiter for using drugs, he gets defensive and goes from angry to giggly in under six seconds. I have to confess that my reaction to his “would you like to see me again‘ would have been to back slowly away, but Doria must see something in him worth taking a chance on. I have a suspicion, though, that for these two, the path of true love is never going to be exactly smooth.

Looking forward to seeing how things progress!

 

gg

 

I'm so glad you're writing again, and posting such an important work. We've been waiting literally years for Doria and Anjie to finally get their meet-cute. Wouldn't you know Antonio tries to woo her (if one can call it that) first, then when she doesn't unlace her corset and swoon in his arms, he dismisses her as a "wicked witch." Well, your loss, because you can't treat a woman with respect. I think all that trouble she had in Doaba ke'demii with boys taught her not to be impressed with smooth talkers.

I like how they are both kind of misfits here. Doria is out of place in the elegance of Varyinko, and she doesn't even get into many of the wedding photos (at least at first). She's still waiting for her mother to humiliate her in front of everyone. No wonder she is frosty to other people approaching her. She's dressed oddly (is that her orange Saccorian tunic she's still wearing?) and she's literally off to the side. Then there's Anjie, who is pin-balling back and forth emotionally. His drug addiction and his reckless behavior haven't quite stabilized, he still has the dreamer's perspective on art and life, and his head is still halfway in the stars.He doesn't seem to know where to focus.

Does he like Doria because Antonio rejected her? Anyone who would go along with Antonio right away is not the kind of woman he wants? I'm trying to remember The Black Star. - did they meet at a concert where things went very wrong and Anjie and Doria were both swept up in events? Or am I misremembering that scene?

Anjie says things that are profound and nonsensical at the same time. He is fascinated by all the wrong things, stumbles over his apologies and invitations, and is both brazen and painfully shy. He's just the kind of incongruity Doria needs, after all those years of rigidly progressive life back home. He's sad, in a way -

Anjie has been so processed and commercialized and prepared for sale and consumption, it's a wonder he knows who he really is anymore. Maybe that's why he's so disjointed and randomized. Between the spice and the decadent wailer life and the way he's been packaged to make other people rich, he hasn't really been himself in a while. But as Raissa Baiard said, the breadcrumbs in the star field are finally starting to pay off for him, and maybe he'll find himself with her.

I'm looking forward to following their relationship!

 

Wow, that was quite a response to the first chapter! I will post the second one and then go back to comments, since this thing is scrolling in a weird way...and I need to sleep, at least a little bit.

---

Always.

It was planned all along. I don't think you've stopped by the OTP thread, but there were some posts where I subtly hinted it.

http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...-in-space-is-on.50033896/page-6#post-52948578

http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...-in-space-is-on.50033896/page-7#post-53572438

 

02 Of War and Love

Bright Tree Village, Forest Moon of Endor

A large celestial body was glistening in the night, with two smaller ones humbly keeping to their own corner of the pitch black sky. Two distant clouds of golden stardust were visible in the distance. The sky above the Forest Moon of Endor was calm, as if it had not been the site of the largest battle in the Galactic history a month earlier.

The brass telescope was off its stand and lying over a large piece of parchment, which was held together with four rabbit teeth. A couple of blades of grass were tucked below a bottle of ink, next to a large brush. A piece of coal for writing stood on a wooden stool with a cushion on it. The Bright Tree Village observatory looked like the site of hard work, of dilemmas to be solved, and whoever was to solve them had had enough for the day.

A couple of dozen metres below, in the village itself, the lights were going off, one by one. With the last one fading in the royal hut, it seemed that everybody had gone to sleep – all the Ewoks, as well as the remaining Rebel troopers who considered the treetop settlement their temporary home.

Everybody, but one being.

A small shadow with a cracked single-candle lantern sneaked out of one hut and dashed across the platform, over the empty market stalls and up the stairway towards the main square. Leaving a fragrant trace of flowering plants' essential oils on freshly-bathed fur behind her, the graceful Ewok female passed a couple of speeders with the Rebel Alliance logo hovering in the air, shining so brightly compared to the rest of the surroundings. She tiptoed past a chicken coop and the supply hut and giggled upon seeing a dark-skinned Human male sleeping in a bordok cart, his arms and legs hanging out of it. Then she took it to the topmost stairway, leading to the only hut somewhat closer to the treetops, but not close enough to be noticed by the mantrigrues.

Once she had climbed to the observatory, she glanced at the telescope and other items on the platform, shook her head, and entered the small hut. The observatory was a mess. Built more tightly than most other huts, it also served as a humidor for numerous scrolls tucked on one side of the large entrance chamber. The other side was covered in star charts and half-finished ground and water maps of the planetoid. Dividing these two parts of the chamber was a rickety cupboard, which served as a storage unit for herbs and other ingredients used in the medicine man's hut and the Place of Sickness. The smell of dried fungi and fish scales was somewhat unpleasant, but it was still not too strong to overpower the scent of the female Ewok’s homemade perfume.

She proceeded to the smaller chamber, which had no furniture other than a pile of hay in an old bed frame, a single stool and a couple of stakes in the thatched wall – currently occupied by a bulky headdress, a horn, a machete in a sack and a satchel. Her heart beat faster. A large Ewok male was sleeping in hay, tucked underneath a large, patchwork blanket, his head resting on the biggest of the fur-covered pillows.

She stopped for a moment and smiled; she left the lantern on the stool, dropped her hood on the floor and lay down at his feet, hoping to wake him up with the scent of oil she had massaged into her skin. But the effort was futile, as he had got to have been exhausted from the evening spent watching the stars. She proceeded to sneak under the blanket, gently tickling his toes as she went.

"Mmm...What?" He opened one eye and sniffed the air. "Latara, is that you? That tickles and that...that's cold...mmmm...oh, by the Great Tree...what are you doing? What is this? Oh...my...stars!"

"Surprise! Happy one snow from when we got together, honeydrop..." Latara's head peeked from under the blanket. She kissed him on the lips and raised herself on the pillow. "This time last year, you made those wonderful flowers bloom for me on the cliff across from the cave and we promised ourselves to each other..." She smiled and sighed, as Teebo pulled her closer, rubbing his face into her neck and chest. "I made this lovely oil from the very petals of those flowers. Mistress Kaink told me that the oil also produces this tingling sensation. Sure, I didn’t believe her at first, she’s a priestess and all, but I tried it myself and I loved it. It was only fair that I showed you how it works.”

There was no response. Latara winked and put her hands on her lover's cheeks.

"Don't be shy, Teebo. You have seen me touch the stars so many times. Your nature powers had always been an unfair advantage, for you are able to feel what I feel and what I need from you when we're alone, bare-headed and romantic beyond your tame poetry. And I’ve been pondering how to surprise you for a while now. Come on. The night is young. Love me like you never loved me before!"

He tilted his head and gave her his clumsiest, most buck-toothed smile, before leaning in to kiss her lips. More than one snow ago, at this very place, she had thrown herself at him and he had rejected her, because she was drunk and, though he had loved her from that moment they first saw each other as woklings, he could not have imagined holding her as a mate, as opposed to holding her on a pedestal.

One snow ago, after he had spent two moons blind from a battle in which he had protected her with his body, his silky brown and golden fur falling off to make way for the rough, black and grey stripes, they shared a passionate kiss in a flower meadow, watching the sunset. That was the moment when he first figured out his presence outside of a world of colours and shapes, where everything was just floating. The said presence was slightly frightened the first time she rocked herself up and down on his lap, seeing a whole constellation before her eyes, while he took solace in making her happy and seeing only a single falling star. And this happened each subsequent time Latara wanted more than just kisses.

Each time, until now.

A couple of weeks after he was almost shot in the head by a Human, and after a strange, trunk-shaped creature sent lightning towards his rear-end and he bowed to what he thought was a deity, being alive was an achievement. And so was realising that her unapologetic enjoyment was nothing but a sign of trust.

"Ee cha waa ma! I could get used to this..." She whispered, putting her arms around him, as he lay over her and proceeded to kiss her below her ears and on her wrists, where she had also applied the fragrant oil. "Though I am already used to my lazy lover, who just closes his eyes and lets me dance myself to the end of love on his lap."

“Your lazy lover always thought he was too heavy and clumsy.”

"If he can capture the saviour or the whole world in a Gorax trap, sure he can...Hey, that was sneaky! Mmm...chak! Chak!"

​

...​

The light in the lantern was out and some of the candle wax had dripped onto the floor, through the crack. Hay was scattered around the whole back room that smelled of wet fur and flower oil. The two lovers lay in each other’s embrace, Latara resting her head on Teebo's belly.

"This was only the fifth time after we returned from the pilgrimage, the second time after the battle...if we're to count that time on the hollow trunk, that is. And the first time ever that you sailed the canoe."

"Why do you always count these things?" Teebo looked to the window and, with his voice once again shy and lisping, continued. "We are always one, not just when uh...when..."

He looked down and gently pulled her messy barely-there ponytail, growing in place of a former knee-length braid. Still dizzy, with her eyes closed, Latara pinched his thigh, and gave him a little kiss.

"I know. But we should still take off these promise charms and have your master marry us."

"Chak." He grinned and then raised his head. “Wait, how did you know I was meaning to tell you the same? I didn't tell Kneesaa about it...was it my little sister snooping around my satchel again?”

“No, it's obvious. We cannot pretend we’re just holding hands and occasionally hugging anymore." She moved up and laid her head on his shoulder, reaching for his other hand, then kissed his palm. "At first, I thought of you as a sweet friend who happened to have a beetroot. Or, more likely, I was denying that I always loved you, like you loved me, just without the innocence you had back then. And then, the way you see love rubbed onto me and the way I see love rubbed onto you. Now, whenever we're still warm from passion, I want more. I want to fall asleep like this and wake up with you. Make love again and then just look at you while you're drawing your star charts and mixing potions for Master Logray. Sit down and make music from your poems and my melodies..."

"Me too. I want to help you with your numerous chores, sit there with my eyes closed and paint the sky in my mind while you're playing your flute, cook some of my mom's secret recipes for you... I want to take you on a canoe ride to the hot springs, lay you down on a large lily pad and kiss you until you’re nothing but runny honey. K'vark, what did I just say?" He quickly put both hands over his face.

She gently poked the tip of his nose. "My shy poet is becoming a naughty poet. I blame the flower oil."

"I blame love." He declared and started kissing her neck again.

"I like you like this. And I want all that, and a hut of our own, in some place where we won't bother anybody." She bit his earlobe and whispered. "Somewhere where I can actually scream."

Teebo suddenly frowned. He shook his head and sat up, hugging his knees. Latara put her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me, honeydrop, what is bothering you?"

"What? The fellow 'unmarried males of high status' I am now forced to live with. They did not welcome me, they immediately brought up stories of things I did many snows ago, as well as some that never actually happened…as if I wasn’t the one who saves everybody twice, discovered the Wanderer, contributed to saving some Twin Lakers, planned out the phases of the Great Battle and led everybody into it, after Wicket gave me a sign.”

“Let me guess how their evenings look…they swear to the point where k’vark is every other word they use, smoke their pipes when you just want to nibble on your grass blades and then they spend the whole night with no pretty girls and fragrant oil involved, when you just want to sleep, write your poetry or learn this new language our liberators speak?”

“Chak. Recently, they’ve also been trying to learn sah…bucc, now that Lando has taught them to. I don’t like this. And that is why I come here.”

“Somebody needs to teach that Lando how to play burr ball instead.”

“Chak. And, in case you didn’t know, Artoo made me permanently unable to ‘enjoy being male’, whatever that means, eighteen standard hours or whatever they’re called per day.”

She knew this would have happened; she knew that the next time they snuggled up against each other, Artoo would be joining them under the blankets, with his taser.

“There is more to that. You see, the Great Battle has turned us into war-crazy creatures, almost like Duloks. As if…as if nobody had learned anything from it."

"Aren't you taking it a bit too far? If we hadn’t we not defended ourselves, they would've killed us all."

"That is one thing I am aware of...that and the simple fact that we wouldn't have lasted long on our own. If the evil creatures hadn’t brought more of their Gorax-like things along, we would've been forced to retreat. If creatures like me and my Master had been common, the evil ones would've had them, too. Either our kind is not common, or the evil ones kill us when we reveal ourselves. Perhaps... perhaps they can read our minds, too!"

"Now...that sounds scary. And very believable. If the Wanderer traced you from such a distance, what if somebody can trace you from another place where creatures live?"

"That is what I have been wondering about. And there are also Mastalook and Lee-uh. They were looking at something while I was drumming. Something that was in the air. For one moment, I thought I saw a pale pointy ear, but I was probably sleep-deprived."

Latara didn't remember much of the performance of the song they wrote in a hurry; she had been tired from having spent the day of the battle sewing glider parts, connecting stone tips to axes and spears. And that night, she was sitting on the little platform above the percussionists, with her eyes closed and playing her flute, continuing for a long time after singing had ended. By the time she opened her eyes, a lot of creatures she had never seen before were sleeping on the platforms and the fire in the largest pit on the main square was out.

And now it was all coming back to her, as she connected all the fragments into a single story. She shook her head and finally shed a tear that had been there for one whole moon, reliving something she wanted to forget. After the Battle, when she was tasked with making enough bandages to help everybody who was injured, an unusually large number of green-dyed for wrapping bodies was handled by the hoodmaker Fashkaa herself.

Now both she and Teebo were crying.

"The soft tune I played after our song of victory...I dedicated it to all our friends who were lost in the battle. That is why it was so sad. I wish I could remember it again, but it's all a blur. In a way, I'm glad that I don't remember."

"Sadly, I do. And know what's haunting me in my dreams every night? The face of Nanta's widow after Paploo and I told her that he died. While we sang and danced with our Rebel friends, she was crying for him. And other widows, widowers, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters cried for their dead, too." Teebo sighed. "I wrote that we have freedom, but it was a rough trade."

"But we will recover from our losses once again. Many Ewoks perished in the Ewok-Dulok wars, too, and all those Gorax raids." Latara stopped twirling her ponytail for a moment. "Wait...is there more to it? Another vision you cannot quite put your finger on?"

"Chak. And I have a bad feeling about it. I guess...I guess I should wait for the colours to clear." He lay down again. "Come here. I want to dream of you and with you. I know you won't be here when I wake up."

...​

A couple of hours later, Latara was indeed rushing home. It was close to dawn. Once in front of her and her siblings' chamber, she tried to climb in through the window. It took her a couple of tries. She passed by fast asleep Nippet and Wiley and headed to her hammock, when a torchlight lit up the chamber.

It was Lumat, her father.

"This magic lantern is useful for catching disobedient daughters!" He lit up her face, almost blinding her.

"Dad?"

"Your hood is on backwards and your pendant is on your back. And you smell like a whole flower meadow, like one of those feral Ewok women I once met in a forest when I was travelling far as a young man. Dare I guess..."

"I have been...sleepwalking, picking flowers and I fell into a bucket of water. Clumsy me!" she grinned.

"So, that is what they call it nowadays? Sleepwalking?" Lumat was fuming. "You'd better tell me the truth or there will be trouble."

"Arandee...I was with Teebo. This was not the first time and it certainly won't be the last time."

"I knew it! What do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing that would in any way harm others. Why does it matter?" She crossed her two bigger fingers behind her back, her thumb nervously twitching.

"This is what I never liked about Chirpa's rule. He does not rule the village strictly enough. When I was young..."

"You left for another village, because you wanted more freedom. Right? And you just compared me with some poor feral women who were doing this for, likely, food and water."

"That is not relevant to this discussion."

"What is relevant is that I get some sleep. Fashkaa wants to get the measurements for this year's Festival of Hoods early. You sure don't want Nippet to be tired, this will be her big day. Therefore, let me sleep."

Lumat shook his head.

"Besides, Teebo and I...we are going to get married."

Lumat dropped the torchlight. It broke. He walked out of his children's chamber, backwards, mumbling something that sounded like a whole avalanche of 'k'varks'. Latara waited for him to leave, then stuck her tongue out and climbed into her hammock.

---

Footnotes

Spoiler

No, that's not Lando. But admit it, I caught you!

Latara's infamous counting habit dates back to the days of Snowed In, when she counted kisses.

Torchlight would be something like a flashlight. Fanon.

 

Gonna be back to this ASAP - promised somebody something.

---

 

03 Supernova Child

Varykino, Lake Country, Naboo

Charon woke up with a pulsating headache. The shaggy synthfleece carpet in the bedroom of the newlyweds' suite in the villa was not where he had expected to find himself on his first morning as a married man. The bed was empty and the breakfast left on a hovertray was untouched.

Where was his wife and why was he sleeping on the floor?

Memories of the afterparty were a blur. There were some Gungans and they had brought alcohol. There was Nokaarbe, this time on his own, and a large Falleen female lusting over him. At some point, Charon could have sworn that he had seen the flamboyant frontman of the rival wailer-group attempt to sniff his date! There were dares involving mentions of the planet’s core, but by the time anybody could even find bongos – whatever those were – both he and the Gungan challenging him were rolling on the marble floor. His new wife may have been the only sober person present, as Nokaarbe and his Falleen paramour were long gone by the time the party was over.

"Look who's up!" Deeina stood above him, laughing. "Do you even remember what happened last night?"

She tapped her foot. He frowned and then tried to get up. It required some effort.

"Look, I'm sorry. We were supposed to kriff beyond what's kriffin’ possible and I acted like a complete Bith."

Deeina laughed. "The first wedding night thing is nonsense, anyway. When somebody loves her spouse the way I love you..."

"How about now?" He grinned and raised his bushy eyebrows.

"No."

"What? You just said that I didn't screw up!"

"Let me rephrase that: no, because you're yet to see the surprise wedding gift!"

Charon fell down again, and this time it had nothing to do with drunkenness.

"W-what gift? Weren't we supposed to have breakfast and then depart to Bakura for our honeymoon?"

"Yes and we are still going. I packed our stuff and now...stang, I cannot tell you everything. You will see soon. But I will need to blindfold you…"

"Blindfold? And you're still insisting that this is not some kinky couple roleplay?"

"Just believe me, okay? And I hope you're patient, this will take a while." She stuck something into his ears.

"Ear plugs, too? This had better be worth it!" He grumbled. "And what about my breakfast?"

...​

Deeina removed Charon's blindfold. He was in the middle of a hangar at the Kwilaan Spaceport. A large and beautiful Nubian starship stood right before his eyes.

“Am I still kriffin’ drunk?“ he asked his wife. She shook her head and raised both her arms in the air.

"Surprise!"

Doria, Branna, Maris, Larax, the Baobabs and the rest of the couple's friends jumped out from behind nearby trees and bushes and rushed to congratulate their friend.

"I...I just have no idea how this happened! Is it real?" He touched the glossy chassis of the Nubian to make sure it was not a holographic projection.

"It was Numbo and Kumula's idea." Mungo winked at his friend. "Retrieving and repairing Sticks would have cost more than it's worth, plus there is a chance that they may need to pay a ransom for Anra and Koobs. This was a much better option and Nubia Stardrives like the idea of eventually sponsoring your tour! And know what the best about it is? It has been customised beyond all possible beyondness! We all had ideas and we are not going to tell you anything. You will have to discover each little special feature and figure out whose idea it had been!"

“So, I still have to write a new album-worth of music and lyrics?” Charon thought to himself. But still, he finally had something to replace Sticks, lying broken beyond repair somewhere on the Forest Moon of Endor. This ship was almost unreal in comparison. Too good to be true. But did he deserve it? He did almost get killed on Sacorria, then he did almost get killed on Vagran and then he was seconds away from being blasted into oblivion together with the rest of the aforementioned moon...yes, he did deserve it, after all.

Jar Jar Binks stepped ahead carrying a bottle, a huge grin on his face. "My helpen yousa hair. Yousa mashineek needen a name!"

Charon turned his head away. "I don't want to see a bottle of liquor ever again!"

"Relax, it's for the ship, not you." Maris Inesedam Vorr rolled her eyes. "It's genuine Sacorrian whiskey, Seven Rivers. I put so much effort in getting it on the black market.”

"What a waste of a true floor-roller, then."

“Name the ship, name the ship!” the crowd yelled. Charon and Jar Jar walked to the side of the Nubian.

“Kriff it, this is harder than naming a newborn…not that I have ever named a newborn, but you get the idea How about that old Nubian proverb? Black mornings give way to a bright..."

Jar Jar grinned again and grabbed the bottle. "Black Mornings besa da mashineek, then!"

"Jar Jar, no..." Charon tried to stop the Gungan, but the bottle had already been broken. "What kind of a name is that? I meant –"

Everybody clapped and cheered on, chanting the ship's name. Jar Jar just shrugged and pulled his face into a sheepish smile.

"Never mind, Charon." Deeina patted her husband on the back. "Black Mornings is a great name for a ship! You can be sure nobody else has named their Starcruiser that."

"Now go. You don't want to be late to your honeymoon, right?" Larax Antilless nudged the newlyweds. "You don't want to miss on all that..."

"Great Aunt, you're embarrassing me!" Doria interrupted her. "Besides, I need to give this to Charon."

"What is it?" Deeina was curious, too. She grabbed the object from her friend's hands and gave it to Charon. He turned to Doria.

"A datacard? What’s on it?"

"You will see, I put a time mark on it for you. Can you do me a favour and have a look at it when you have the time? I played it for Branna, Mom and Ebe last night and they loved it."

Charon shrugged and scratched himself behind his ear. "Yup, I will have a look. I promise!"

...
​

Keren, Naboo, later that day​

​

It was close to 2300. Doria was standing in the front row in the smaller room of the Club Deeja in Keren. Some Zeltrons were talking behind her and Auren Yomm Baobab and she could feel a particularly thin local woman's arm poking her right below her shoulder blades. Since Deeina was on her way to Bakura and she could not possibly tell her mother, Larax and Branna where she was going to, Auren and Mungo arriving to take the group back to Roon were just what the med droid ordered. In her mid-30s, Auren was the right person to confide to about Anjie.

"So, you are saying that he invited you to see him play after a really, really strange conversation involving exploitation of Endor, spacer tales insulting your home planet, recommending you spice and...?"

"...some stuff about stars. I then spent an hour or so before dozing off reading about his past. I guess that I didn't want to believe my own eyes...this...this bearded beggar was the handsome youngster because of whom I had the ‘Underlevels’ and ‘Take It with You’ holovids on repeat."

"Frankly, I thought he had died some years ago. Mungo likes the band, I am more of an easy listening fan. Their music is so vulgar, in a blunt way. They never came to the Abrion sector, anyway…and we have been a free territory for the past twenty years!"

"They have never been to Sacorria either, it’s a strange story. Anyway...he is cute. Really cute. By progress and unity, I never thought I would say that about somebody who’s almost thirty and whose face I could barely see!"

"Hey, he is only a couple of years younger than me! You will be annoyed by these things when you're about thirty, too."

"If I get to be thirty, that is."

"Doria!"

Just as Doria was about to respond, Anjie appeared onstage, holding his most basic, old-fashioned quetarra. He greeted the audience with a beaming smile. Wearing the same simple pair of bedizened trousers and a white long-sleeved tesh-shirt, he resembled a monk more than a musician.

"You were right, he is kind of cute!" Auren nudged Doria. "Reminds me of my husband when he was that age! Dark, somewhat pale and...I don't know, dreamy!"

Without any introduction or greetings to the audience and only a shy smile to make the artist's presence known, the long fingers strummed the strings of the quetarra. Anjie was singing in a voice ranging from deep, painful growls to falsetto. Every now and then, his singing sounded like an argument within itself.

"My life in the bleeding stars,
And no Force to save me,
I have been mad, I have been bad,
Have you ever looked at the world from the outside?
Have you ever reconsidered your beaming smile?
Have you ever felt you're not one with your own self?
My life in the bleeding stars..."

Once done with the song, he sighed. The audience clapped.

"Th-this was 'Bleeding Stars', one of the first songs I composed for myself and decided not to give to A-a-antonio. Now I am going to sing something newer. This song can be found on my new album, Solleu Ashes, and it's called 'Searching Me'.

"Looking for somebody new,
Somebody not veiled in shame,
I found myself searching me
And I worked hard
Until I found what I wanted to be.
Dreaming of futures past,
And all the promises broken,
I found myself breathing deeply
And I soon realised,
That I have always been me
Now go on, release me!

We all live within each other, all the time,
In a vortex of life and death, so sublime,
I am safe when submerged below
I feed myself on marine snow..."

The audience was divided. Half of them clapped, the others seemed to have been more interested in the first song. Anjie took a large sip of brown liquid from the bottle next to him and then put his elbows on his knees.

"I am sure you all have something better to do. I promise that I won't be long!"

"No!"

"We want to be here!"

"You're the greatest, Mencuri!"

"Yeah, kriff Antonio Nokaarbe!"

Anjie raised his eyebrow at the last spectator's remark.

"No, you are wrong. If it weren’t for Antonio, I would not be here today. I love my wailer-mates. Do you know that we are releasing our comeback album in a couple of months?"

At this news, everybody present applauded, more than they did after any of the songs. Anjie at first looked away, then shook his head and looked down to the dark corner where Doria stood next to Auren. Just like that, their eyes meet again, causing them both to look the other way. He smiled again and announced:

"I am really happy tonight. I may have found something I had been missing for a while." He smiled broadly, overlooking the audience. "It could be right here, right now. But it could also be somewhere far away, in the Deep Core...either way, I hope it does not get away from me. This song is called ‘Mynock Trapped in a Supernova’!"

"What?" Auren was confused. “Did he just…say…that?”

"You are clearly not familiar with the great Mencuri's best work," somebody behind them whispered. "Shut up and listen!"

Anjie took a deep breath.

"You are a mynock trapped in a supernova,
I holograph it all because I still breathe,
Come with me, through the long-lost route.
Blinded by the lights,
Dreams are my skies,
Every single word of this is sick and wrong,
But when I say that I do, it's what I mean,
Because that is how you make me feel,
Supernova child."

The audience almost clapped halfway through the song, but he continued singing, after a lengthy, idiosyncratic solo.

"Do not look away, just not tonight,
Face your inhibitions and dreams,
Love is brighter than the stars,
And once you've figured it out,
You will know where to find me."

He wiped the sweat off his face and smiled.

"You know, the second verse of this song is indecipherable on the s-s-studio recording. And I wanted it to be so. I sung it only once or twice before and not many people got to hear it. I had d-d-decided that you sing it only when you truly feel like, like you are in love, like you have seen something in…umm…someone!"

Some people in the audience seemed displeased. Some others were giggling. Doria caught Anjie’s eyes for a moment and he appeared to have blushed. But perhaps he was just sweating a lot, given the vigour that he had just sung and played with, as if that particular performance had been a matter of life and death?

"Come on. I cannot remain unhappy just to please you." He took another sip of the brown liquid. "Now I am going to sing a Vayad Bantheus song. Which one would you like to hear?"

A bunch of viewers yelled their requests out loud. Anjie smiled. He tried to crack a joke, but nobody laughed, so he took another sip of the brown drink and sung the first of the requested songs that came to his mind, "Holos of Distance". Then another of his solo songs, "No More Time", after which he took a short break.

“Now, t-t-this is new. I only wrote it last night. It came to me in a dream. Not sure how to call it yet. I’m…essentially improvising with music, too…but these are the lyrics.”

"I never learn
And I never will
Everything that saved me
Is the same thing that kills

I never grow
I never know
I am never the one
I thought I would be"

Anjie stopped for a moment, realising that the song was too short and that he had no more than two verses scribbled on the tooka-eared flimsi that was his setlist. He smiled awkwardly, shrugged and continued his improv, oohing and aahing all the way up and down his range.

Twenty-two songs and three bottles of brown drink later, the small, stuffy room was full of beings crying and clapping their hands, gesticulating with their lekku, cracking their mandibles. Anjie stood up and smiled broadly, muttered a shy "thank you" and disappeared backstage. He had given his audience two encores and he was visibly tired, his plain white tesh-tunic and long wavy locks dripping with sweat.

"I didn't expect this!" Auren whispered to Doria. "SWS have all those nonsense songs about women, starships...his words, on the other hand, are almost painful to listen to. There is a lot pain coming from…wherever his songs come from."

"Yeah...whatever he went through must have been awful. Pretty sure I saw him shed a tear a couple of times during the performance."

Auren nudged the girl. "Is that really what I think it is? Your cold heart is melting!"

"Melting? Not convinced. He didn't...he didn't mention the devastating civil war still raging in some sectors of our Galaxy, not once! He only sung about himself and his great pain. Boo-hoo. What if he does not see other people at all? "

"I...don't think so, he kept on looking our way all the time."

"Maybe he could be cross-eyed. Or maybe because you're pretty!"

"Are you joking? I didn't catch his eye for one single moment. He was looking at you. And what on Roon were you looking at?"

"My boots." Doria shook her head. She counted every single piece of thread, every single wrinkle on the leather and traced the outline of the boots with the corner of her eye. Just like many times before, the only thing she could remember about seeing somebody she liked were her own boots. Not their faces, not their smiles, not even the tone of their voice. Just her own boots.

"Nah, he probably just wanted to spread the word of his comeback and solo album, no way there was a reason behind inviting me to his concert. Let's go."

"Doria from Sacorria?" a female Besalisk security guard stood in the two's way.

"I have a last name, too...but yeah, that's me. Is anybody called Maris looking for me?"

"I don't know who Maris is, sorry. Master Anjie Mencuri asked me to bring you to him...if you don't mind, that is."

She shrugged and followed the Besalisk, gesturing to Auren to come along.

"Only you, young mistress. Your friend can wait outside."

The backstage room was blanketed with colourful rugs of various sizes and shapes. The smell of incense masked the odor of sweat. Anjie was sitting in front of a mirror, with two empty water bottles next to him and a towel on his shoulders. Doria didn't want to make herself known immediately; she was surprised by the apparent fact that her acquaintance was pulling faces at his own reflection. She smiled. It was only then that spotted her in the mirror.

"Ah, there you are!" He got up and walked her way. She noticed a small tear on one elbow of his green cardigan.

"Yes. Was about to leave. How come you still remember me?"

"It's only been a day!" He came forward and took her hand, this time in a slightly gentler manner than the day before. "Besides, you're quite memorable. It's hard to forget somebody like you!"

"What are you, a comm marketer?" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "They never seem to forget me."

He giggled.

"I thought about inviting you for a little afterparty with some of my friends that…err, I didn’t know I had…and me. But I changed my mind. Erm…ummm…because…we wouldn't get to talk at all. How about you and I go to Th-Th-Theed for some sightseeing the day after tomorrow? I can show you the art and architecture of the city and we can also eat somewhere nice."

"Is that something like a date?" Doria asked, surprised. She forgot that tomorrow was supposed to be her group's last day on Naboo.

Anjie smiled broadly and blushed again. "Err…I mean…wait for me at this very place tomorrow at ten hundred."

"A-all right!" Doria walked outside as fast as she could. Mungo and Auren were waiting for her by the stage and the only others present were two mouse droids, cleaning the floors, perfuming the room and dissolving flyers, tickets and other scattered stray flimsi.

"You will never guess what happened!" She approached her friends, still shaking.

"Oh, we will! He invited you for sightseeing of some sorts?" Auren crossed her fingers.

"Yes, but how...?"

"One doesn't have to be an astromech droid to figure out the way he aims." Mungo said. "Also, he is not Nokaarbe, he seems to be far more subtle. Word is that he is single and...wait. I thought you would be happy about this?"

"Mungo, three words: Maris Inesedam Vorr. I don't have a father anymore, so classic Sacorrian customs of requiring a permission to date don't apply to me, but my mother makes her own rules. If I tell her about this, she will be comming me every fifteen minutes. And if she finds out anything about Anjie's past, she will be more dangerous than a fully-charged Death Star!"

"No worries. We will have you covered!" Mungo stroke his beard and winked. "We can always find something to do with the three ladies and the youngling!"

Auren giggled. "Yeah, they won't even notice you're not around."

"Also, weren't we supposed to go back tomorrow evening? You have your schedule with the merchant fleet and all..."

"Is that you pulling out of the date minutes after you accepted it? I can always find a reason to spend another day here. Let's assume that I was approached with a deal that I have to sign in Theed and you’ll pretend to be coming with us. The others…well, Jar Jar owes us a favour and he could take Branna, Maris and Larax to Otoh Gunga!"

"Ummm...I guess your idea is good." Doria managed to pull her face into what looked like a smile and swallowed a lump.

The Baobabs hugged Doria and they all headed out of the club. A handful of people outside were waiting for autographs, so it took them a while to get to Mungo's speeder, which was hovering next to three others.

"If only he was still making such songs nowadays..." a Rodian behind them protested, helping his Nautolan friend climb into the vehicle. “Solleu Ashes is an ode to sobriety! And I like my Mencuri on spice! Incoherent, crazy-creative and bold!"

"I get what you mean..." the Nautolan said, fastening his seat belt.” He inspired me so much, and I too created my best pieces of music with a little 'help' involved. Shame he betrayed us!"

Doria looked behind as they were leaving. Wasn't that 'Searching Me' song from Solleu Ashes? She liked it. She liked the one with a mynock, too. What was the difference these people were talking about?

There was another thing she noticed – Antonio Nokaarbe was not present at the performance. Why wasn’t he supporting his wailer-mate?

---

Footnotes

Spoiler

...

 

gg

 

EP! Sorry I didn't reply sooner.

Black Mornings is a perfectly good name for a ship, IMHO. Anyone who's gotten up c. 5:30 a.m. in late December, early January knows exactly what that kind of philosophical resonance is like - the nadir of the year, not necessarily bad, just as if the earth is holding its collective breath in deep slumber before awakening starts in February and March (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway).

Anjie's courage is to be commended. He's clearly struggling, but he's trying, and that in itself is the first, necessary step.

And the Mungos covering for Doria with Maris ... hmm. Well, Doria's got some life experience under her belt, and Anjie's a good guy .. but strong-willed (if well-intentioned) mothers can be more dangerous than Sith Lords, if they choose to be.

 

Catching up on this epic...

Chapter 2
Nice to see my favorite Ewoks together again Teebo and Latara seem to be more secure in their relationship than the last time we saw them. Hopefully, her father will get his nose back in joint and let the two of them marry, so they can have all their happy dreams of a hut together where they can share all the little joys.

Enjoyed reading the Ewoks’ perspective on the Battle of Endor and the mentions of familiar characters...and Lando teaching the Ewoks to play sabacc! Of course, he did! I don’t blame Latara for blocking out most of the memory of the battle, butbit’s good that she can finally recall it now with Teebo and allow herself the release of tears. Love how she puts her unique skills as a seamstress to good use sewing glider wings and, sadly, bandages, and also how her flute is the sweet, melancholy music we hear at the end of RotJ. Teebo’s reflections on Force-sensitive beings and whether the Dark Siders sense them and destroy them is telling...and maybe a little prescient. Nice that he gets a glimpse of that pointy-eared Force-ghost! I hope he and Masta-Look can discuss their common interests.

Chapter 3

I’m not familiar with everyone in the first section, but it sounds like Charon and Deeina had an...interesting...wedding night. at Antonio and the statuesque Falleen (sniffing her, even! ) Sounds like the two of them will have, er, fun together. Charon’s new ship sounds fabulous, even if JarJar predictably messed up and gave it the wrong name. I, too, am curious about what’s on the datacard that Doria gave Charon.

Anjie’s concert sounds like it is quite a departure from what his fans expect of him—and in some cases want or even demand from him. Auren notes the difference between his songs with SWS, of the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll variety, with his new more personal solo work. It’s sad that some of his “fans” feel he’s “sold out” by getting sober and finding a healthier way of life; the price of celebrity—that others feel you belong to them and they have a right to define who you should be! Perhaps this is what draws him to Doria, that she has no real interest in who he used to be and is not afraid to speak her mind to him.

Interesting, though, that at this early stage Anjie is already willing to sing the verse of “Mynock Trapped in a Supernova” that he feels should only be sung “sing it only when you truly feel like, like you are in love, like you have seen something in…umm…someone!" He’s only met Doria once, but already believes he’s “truly in love”? Wow, you fall fast and hard, don’t you Mr. Mencuri? Doria, on the other, is so self-conscious she looks only at her boots throughout the concert, missing the fact that Anjie is looking at her through the entire concert. She can’t believe he could remember her, though it’s only been a day and he invited her there in the first place. And she is already figuring out reasons why it won’t work moments after accepting his invitations. Good for Auren and Mungo for helping her finagle the arrangements.

I’m certain that their date will be an occasion to remember Looking forward to seeing it.

 

I'm on an IMPORTANT MISSION. So, yeah, COMMENT SPACE OMGZ - this time for a rather good reason!

 

04 A Matter of Choice

Warok and Batcheela sat at the table in the main chamber of their hut, with Lumat and Zephee across from them. It was close to dark and they had been arguing for so long that nobody had got up to put a candle in the lantern yet. Nobody was paying attention to the clay plates full of sweet-smelling grains soaked in blasé tree goat milk and decorated with dried fruit, either.

This was going to be tough and they knew it.

Despite that, earlier that day Batcheela was optimistic, almost sure that making Lumat come to his senses would be easy as a honey melon pie and that one of his favourite meals from the village festivals would come in handy. She also thought that his insisting on the four finally sitting down and talking about their children's romantic relationship was a good sign. At this point, she was starting to lose hope. The old carpenter was constantly slamming his large fists against the wooden table and he was barely allowing anybody else to speak. Zephee had not said anything yet and she and Warok were slowly losing their patience. She decided to take over the conversation.

"Lumat, how about you stop offending everybody who ever lived in this village and was vaguely related to us?"

"You remind me of her sometimes. You don't know your place..." he said sotto voce and then continued to yell at Warok. "This was all your doing. My family is better than yours, and this is how you wanted to gain reputation. A fisherwoman's son and a woodcutter's daughter? Clever!"

"What are you talking about?" Warok rolled his eyes. He was slowly losing respect for his potential in-law, whose arguments, which at first had been somewhat logical, were now drawn out of thin air.

"You wanted this all along. And now that we know that my daughter has been disgraced, nobody else will want her."

Batcheela opened her mouth wide enough to swallow a mantigrue. Then she shook her head and slammed her fist against the table, snarling.

"Lumat, by saying this, you are insulting me, too. Your daughter is eighteen snows old. I was the same age when the man I love, whom you see sitting here with us, 'disgraced' me after the Sun King Festival." Lumat raised his hand to say something, but she cut him short. "Don't you dare interrupt me! And know what? I wanted it. I wanted it all along; the same way your daughter wanted my son. You were not there, you were looking all around Endor for a wife obedient enough to put up with you – sorry, Zephee – so, you could not see it. I was the daughter of a fallen warrior who fell in love with a shaggy fisherman's son, who performed numerous silly glider stunts to win my heart. And chak, unlike your daughter, I ended up pregnant. When the snows melted, I gave birth to my first child. He was quiet, it took him a long time to learn how to speak, he never learned to hit other children when they hit him and he rarely ever teased them when they teased him. And then we discovered that he is the first Ewok whom the Great Tree blessed with nature powers in more than fifty snows..."

"I know that. How can you guarantee that he did not seduce my daughter with evil magic?"

"I told you not to interrupt me! And magic does not work that way. Nor is he capable of seducing anybody..."

"Sure he is not." Lumat changed the story. "No woman wants somebody that ugly and I don't know what's wrong with my daughter. And now I know where his vile side comes from...with snarling and all."

"My son almost gave his life for your daughter and their friends. What you call 'ugliness' is what we call honour."

"If nothing else, he looked like a girl with no prominent chest before; now at least you know you didn't have two daughters."

"I sure knew that from day one. You have a son yourself, in case you have forgotten. They tend to mess up everything around them when they..." Batcheela laughed, imagining Lumat with four male babies who had more water than their little bellies could take and who desperately needed a cloth change. Just like her husband, she was now almost teasing the grouch.

"Are you mocking me now, Batcheela? As I said earlier, you don't seem to know your place!"

"Lumat, what are you trying to achieve by insulting my son and turning each thing we say upside down? Let my wife finish!" Warok hissed and gestured to Batcheela to continue.

"There were so many times Teebo cried for Latara. I am sure that there were many times she cried for him as well. Maybe she did not confide to you, for more than a handful of good reasons, but she confided to her friends and that's how we found out that it was mutual. From that moment on, she was welcome in our hut at any given time. I have grown to like her and I realised that she is hiding a big, big heart underneath what everybody knows her for."

"So, it was you turning her against me, again? I had it all planned for her before that magical Yuzzum lurdo came along. Zephee's former village has a handsome prince and we were good with his parents. They were big on beauty and I always wanted..."

"Is Latara a fairground bordok or a girl, Lumat?" Warok rolled his eyes. "Are you saying that Teebo is unfairly stealing her beauty from somebody who may not even love her, somebody who would be showing her around as a precious stone? Somebody who would not see what's below the shiny fur? Somebody whom she has not seen ever since you returned here?"

"I always wanted beautiful grandchildren, and family ties..."

"Did you ever want me to be happy instead?" an angry voice interrupted Lumat. Two shadows, one larger and one smaller, suddenly fell upon the four adults. Latara and Teebo were leaning on the table. She looked angry, he looked confused.

"Is anybody going to ask us anything about this? It's us who want to get married, not the four of you. I don't want anybody's decisions to be made in the name of my head, my heart, or what's below my waist!"

"Daughter! Behave yourself!" Zephee was shocked by Latara's deliberate vulgarity.

"I bet that's the first thing you said tonight, mom."

"When did you get in?" Warok asked, trying to steer away from any argument.

"While you argued. I was hungry for Mom's cooking and I thought I'd bring along my girlfriend." Teebo looked at how Lumat's face changed into an uncomfortable grimace upon hearing the last word. The old carpenter leaned on his walking stick and lunged at Teebo. Despite being taller than his opponent, the young medicine man apprentice felt threatened.

They stood like that, in silence, for a couple of minutes, then Lumat shook his head.

"So, you are not going to hit me, young one?"

"N-no?!"

"And that is the man my daughter wants to marry...the one who disgraced her...a complete wimp."

Latara stepped between the two, separating them. She could feel her father's heart beat fast as she pushed him away.

"If that is what you call it, yes, that is what he did."

"And you wanted it?" Lumat raised an eyebrow.

"Chak."

"Each time?"

"Chak."

"And you don't feel ashamed about it?"

"Not at all, no. There is something you don't get, dad. Our relationship is much more than 'disgracing' me. It's about mutual understanding and respect. Taking each other seriously."

Warok, Batcheela and Zephee looked on while Lumat continued to question his daughter. He tried to smile and change the tone.

"Wouldn't Prince Jierhook have been more interesting to you? You would have been respected in the Green Haze Village."

"Dad, listen. Teebo and I will never be royals, or anything for that matter, but I don't crave these things and neither does he." Latara looked at her boyfriend, who nodded. "Prince Jierhook's respect does not sound like the kind of respect I want."

"Come on, Lumat." Warok finally broke the other three parents' silence. "One day you'll be proudly boosting that your grandchildren have nature powers and that your son-in-law is the village medicine man."

"He is never going to succeed Logray!" Lumat yelled.

"What? Then who is?" Batcheela angrily tapped her foot. "You?"

"I meant to say that he will n-never be capable of his master's heroics!"

Teebo noticed that Lumat stuttered in his response, but before he could think about it, he heard himself say something he never thought he had the courage to say.

"I am tired of this nonsense. Zephee and Lumat, I am hereby asking you for permission to marry your daughter, Latara."

Lumat approached the couple again. To everybody's surprise, his response was positive.

"Fine. You can marry my daughter. But you know the rules. I want you...both of you to appear before the Council of Elders first, like Warok and Batcheela did twenty snows before you."

"A lot has changed in these twenty snows, dad!" Latara protested. "Why would you want that for me?"

"If nothing has managed to tame you so far, that will."

"Is that supposed to be funny? Witty? Because it's not." Latara turned away from her father and looked at her mother, who just shrugged and pulled a sheepish smile behind Warok and Batcheela's backs. She smiled back sourly, then went and picked up two plates of food from the table.

"You are not going to need this, right? I've been sewing all day, Teebo has been helping clear the forest of the remaining debris from the Skull Ones’ evil armour. We're hungry."

"And if you need us, we will be...in a safe place. Honest." Teebo waved to his parents, who couldn't help but giggle. "See you in the morning."

Latara pulled Teebo's hand and they walked out of the hut. To their surprise, they spotted a pink hood underneath the main chamber's window.

"Kneesaa?"

"Goopa, you two...err. What did just happen over there? I was sort of...eavesdropping."

"You? What has this world come down to?"

"I was worried about you after Nippet told me that Lumat woke her and Wiley this morning, yelling at Latara. She mentioned 'spending the night', asked me what that meant...and while I gave her a nonsensical response, I remembered that nobody other than me, Paploo, Warok and Batcheela knew about this. Now everybody will know. And the Council of Elders..."

"Should we be worried?" Teebo asked. "Isn't your father going to overrule whatever Kazak comes up with, anyway?"

Kneesaa gestured to her friends to keep quiet and pulled them by hand. "Come on!"

She didn't stop until they reached the bordok stable. Once they were inside, she ran by each animal and slapped it on its rear. The bordoks started neighing.

"Now nobody will hear us. Sorry about that, I feel like I am being followed, all the time."

"I don't understand...what is going on?"

"Arandee, both of you. Father has been sick with fever for three days now. This is why I haven’t been going out a lot. The reason I was looking for you earlier today was because I needed you, Teebo, to relay the news to your master and ask him for help."

"But why are you keeping this a secret?"

"After what we experienced in the Twin Lakes Village some moons ago, I realise that there is nothing to protect me, my sister Asha, my aunt Bozzie and my cousin Paploo if something happens to my father. We are hundreds of snows ahead of them, but still...all the battle wagons, catapults and big logs have been lost, a lot of gliders have been damaged. We're being introduced to things many villagers are still suspicious about, things some consider to be the doings of the Night Spirit. One never knows how this will affect my family's position."

The princess sat down and took a handful of hay, then tossed it back on the pile. Her friends sat down next to her and hugged her from each side.

"Does anybody else know about this?"

"No. I take secrets seriously, whether they're my own or somebody else's. And you know that much. There is another thing I wanted to ask you before I go back to my hut. Say...any news on Wicket?"

"The warriors are apparently still searching for him. I asked at the circle meeting today, Rabin and Chubbray just shrugged. Nobody has seen our friend since Mastalook, Lee-uh and Genersolo went away. I so hope that he didn't tag along, that would have been a horrible choice!"

"On the other hand..." Latara added. "He liked space more than I did when I made that star canoe come alive with my behind. One never knows it with the most reckless ones...and I consider myself less reckless than him."

Kneesaa shed a tear. Teebo opened his satchel and offered her a clean piece of near-translucent cloth.

"Thank you." She put her head on his shoulder and continued crying for a while.

Latara tilted her head. "Is there something I've been missing? What is going on? Goopa, guys, are you going to tell me what's so sad, so I can cry, too?"

Teebo gestured to his girlfriend to shush. She shrugged and hugged Kneesaa even more tightly.

"Whatever it may be, I'm with you, Kneesaa. And I always will be."

"Now I will go out. The two of you wait for a while and then take two different ways back to your secret place. Teebo, you will stop by Master Logray's hut."

"Chak."

...​

​

After a hearty supper, Teebo was already tucked under the blankets in the observatory's back room, having refused to go sleep at the common hut. Latara joined him and, just as she was about to lie down, a thought ran through her mind.

"Smelly gee-ome udders! Kneesaa is in love with Wicket!"

"That took you a while..." Teebo snickered and hugged her tighter. "And you thought you had it hard before we kissed for the first time?"

"I take that back." She giggled and turned around, facing him. "At this point, I think I am the luckiest Ewok on Endor!"

"I thought that was me." He shrugged and pulled her closer, already falling asleep.

---

Footnotes

Spoiler

...

 

So, before I've caught up with comment replies, a couple of missing footnotes and things completely unrelated to this here story, I thought I'd clarify something.

This looks like a 100% romantic melodrama so far - two strangers meet and notice each other immediately, two people in a long relationship eventually get married and two face forbidden love type of a thing because OMGZ THEY'RE NOT VIRGINS11!!!! I do not intend to go to Mexico or Venezuela and write telenovelas where the actors have earbuds in their ears and don't even have to learn their lines. Plus, yeah, Venezuela has higher inflation than my country did in 1993 and sounds super-unstable. Trust me, we had bombardment here in 1999. O_O

Basically, the set-up does start with romance, which is why I have listed it as the story's primary genre. However, I usually let things unfold one by one, rather than throwing them all in your face, so a) there are many genres covered here; b) there are even more romantic subplots, to the point where it's hard to figure the beta couple; c) hold on to your seats, it's about to get crazy!

...​

Similarly, while it may not look that way at this point now, this story will just drop the theme of "virginity" as most often understood and its importance to the main plot at some point. In fact, I just looked at some latter chapters, where I am subverting and averting a bunch of related tropes like there's no tomorrow. I do understand that most people would not write this word with quotation marks, that it's a big deal for many, but I mostly see it as a state of mind and the way media and some backwards cultures deal with it is outright frightening.

On top of this...TMI in the spoiler.

Spoiler

I was not a technical virgin when I was born. Am I a spawn of Satan? Despite this, I still had troubles getting a doctor to actually examine me when I was younger, and I eventually developed PCOS, a chronic condition that poses a certain (though not huge) amount of risk for ovarian cancer.

So, I'm with Carol Roye here, who says: "Virginity is what the individual thinks it is." And this is what I should have said in a thread elsewhere on the boards back in 2015, when I ended up in a heated argument about this. In Midday Darkness // The Light is me, I Am the Light, I have a situation where a male character in a female-dominated species sees it as a big deal. His first partner does not.

...​

Another thing that I would like to address: why is Jar Jar in this? I DON'T WANT TO READ IT!1!!

He was a guest in the chapters 01 and 03. Relax. If he gets referenced or seen at any given point in the future, it won't be a big deal, but at this point, there are no other chapters featuring him. Plus, he's a misunderstood character and his most recent Canon appearance gives him an implausible resolution. I wanted to do him some justice. On top of that, all of my cast are more or less outsiders, just like in The Black Star. Having a known outsider make cameos in both feels good.

[writing more but keeping it half-done, in case Onderon1 appears out of nowhere and comments, as this is his time of the day ]

EDIT: Done!

 

gg

 

Hey!

I really like your story. I like the way you write the Ewoks. I know next to nothing about any of these characters, but they're very interesting, and I care about what they will do.

I wonder where the relationship between Doria and Anjie will go. Teebo and Latara are sweet together.

 

EP - Sorry I didn't reply Monday; had a lot on my mind. So far, though, no news is good news ...

As to your update: Lumat needs to be smacked upside the head. "Taming," indeed. Latara has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and her (hopefully) future in-laws are delightful Ewoks.

That said, IIRC, isn't Kazak a lurdo ... ?