Star Wars interview

Well I honestly can't believe that I am no longer a guest. So I wrote this with an attempt at humor (tried but didn't exactly get there)
Here goes the Star Wars talkshow... (keep in mind that our interviewee has had a bad day already before this)

Welcome to the Star Wars talk show!!! Today on our show is Mara Jade.

“She authored the new books Who Wants to be a Jedi Slayer and To kill a Skywalker.” says the host with much enthusiasm.

“So Mara, I can call you Mara right…”asked the host

“No, just call me Jade.”

“All right, Mara, OOPS, Sorry, Uhh, right, Jade…” The host fumbled through saying. “What is your point of view of the Jedi purge??” The host added.

“You probably already know from reading my book.” said Mara Jade, calmly.

“No, I’m sorry I never read your book Mara. Oh, Umm, wait I did. I did read the first page, I thought it was slightly boring and stopped immediately.” The host said with a yawn.

You could see just a crack of anger split her calm veneer.
With ever rising anger, “JADE IT’S, JADE, Not Mara!!!” “ Now to the real purpose of my visit to your show.” Mara Jade said with a wicked grin spreading across her face. She pulled her lightsaber from her belt and was about to flick it on when…

“Since you were unable to tell us about your first book Mara, Is it true that in your second book you confess your undying love for Luke Skywalker??”

“First of all, IT’S @#$%$#^ JADE, NOT MARA. And second of all, I HATE SKYWALKER!!!!! Do you honestly think that if I loved Skywalker the title of my book would have kill and Skywalker in the same line? And would the back cover say I hope to someday shoot the brains out of his head?” Yelled Mara Jade at the still smiling host.

“Tough love?? Questioned the host.

Before Mara Jade could reply, the host spoke again

"You saw it here folks, Mara has just admitted to an attempt to kill Luke Skywalker. Even though she just said I loved Skywalker in the same line"

Guards started rushing to the stage to escort mara off stage but the host interrupted...
"Could you please wait untill after my show to arrest her?"

The guards nodded and left the stage.

“You incompetent, Nerf Herding, Bantha Fodder.” Mara Jade screamed.

“That’s IT!! Whoever wanted to bring, Uhh, Whatever her name is on the show today. Have them FIRED!! She is oh, so loathsome and boring!! Fire them!!! Fire them NOW!!” Screamed the host with as much hatred as Mara Jade had earlier.

“I am NOT boring!! And before you go on another tangent, my true purpose for coming was to destroy YOU!! You are perhaps the worst Jedi host I have ever had the pleasure of killing.” Mara said anger now under control.

Mara Jades purple Lightsaber flashed into existence.

“You are looking a little purple, are you ill?” Asked the host.

“No I am not sick…” Mara Jade was interrupted.

“ It was probably your own performance that made you sick!!” Said the host through a fit of giggles.

“Enough!! I don’t have enough loyalty even to Palpatine to continue this mission to kill you. I would much rather suffer his wrath!!” Mara Jade said storming off the stage.

“How Rude!,” yelled the host to Mara’s retreating form.

“I’m not listening,” Jade yelled back.

“Worst guest ever!” screamed the host.

“Still not listening”, Mara screamed, before a door slammed leaving the stage in silence.

The audience erupts into applause.

And the guards go swarming out the door to capture Jade.

“Thanks for coming to today’s show, next time we interview Darth Vader.” said the host with a wide grin.

The Fanficolicious Directory

Are you bored with plain old blogging? Do you want the action, drama, and humour that can’t be found in a treatise on the morality of creating a clone army? Looking for some fiction? Looking for some fiction that doesn’t involve a sexual relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan? Tired of straining your eyes while reading white text on a black background?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, look no further than our very own fanfiction site to satisfy your needs! For the last month and a half, many bloggers have been hard at work, with the goal of producing some quality fanfiction. Actually, some of us left it until the last week, but I ain’t judging anyone.

So without further ado, here is the directory that will link you to each work of fanfiction:

Where there is Hope, Liberty will not die
by leialookalike1

A Thirst for Vengeance (Part 1)
by Aurin_Starkiller

Dark Jedi
by Diviner525

Silence
by Oboe-Wan

Lost Cargo
By hansgirl3

Tears of a Jedi
by DragonFang

Across the Stars
by Jedi Arwen Skywalker

Zic Orves: Jedi Assassin
by Vicomte

Untitled
by mara jade232323

Untitled
by luuke.skywalker


And just to remind everyone, offer some constructive criticism.

Keep bloggin’

Luuke's Fanfic

Log Entry 1:
Date: Classified
Location: Classified
Source: Classified

Data: When I recieved the transmission regarding your death, I cross-referenced it to my data on your thoughts and meditations regarding life, death, and the Force. I am in no position to understand what any of it means, however I acknowledge your talents in things I cannot comprehend. I am therefore willing to entertain the possibility that your death may in fact turn out to be a temporary condition, and I will maintain this record pending your return. I shall attempt to monitor the goings-on of the Vergence in the Force you said you had detected so recently before you were killed by a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Log Entry 2:

The Jedi have acknowledged the Vergence as the Chosen One of prophecy. Your former Apprentice is trying to guide him toward mastery of the Force, but he is headstrong, arrogant, and stubborn. Available data indicates you possessed similar traits at that age, therefore I continue to project a high probability of success for him. The Vergence and the Apprentice do seem to get along well together and trust one another. You trained your Apprentice well.

Log Entry 3:
Data over the last few years has been difficult to access. I have switched owners again, and much of our time has been in distant corners of the Galaxy. A recent return to the Core has provided much data, however. The Republic is at war, and both your Apprentice and the Vergence have risen to positions of prominence. They are well loved by the people, if these newsfeeds are accurate. I will cross-reference and link to internal archives here. Aack! Wrong link! Ignore that; the structure of this memory bank doesn't allow for editing. Here is the link. You will notice a third person depicted there. I do not trust him. He holds altogether too much power, even for one in his lofty position. He is well-trusted by those closest to him, however, as I have access to data not available to the general public, I am able to calculate more accurately that he is an Enemy.

Log Entry 4:

Thank the Maker! This week I have been on Coruscant for the first time in several years, and I was able to use the enhanced audio pickup you so thoughtfully installed to listen in on some very key conversations. The Vergence has apparently been involved with a Female, and he has become mired down with conflicting emotions. Both the Apprentice and the Enemy have tried to exert their influence over him, and he has switched loyalties, not in the physical battles being fought, but in the deeper and ultimately more important conflict. You would have been proud of your Apprentice's efforts on his behalf.

Log Entry 5:

Event update: My current owner is about to launch us into one of the worst radiation storms in the Galaxy. The modifications I've recieved, both from you and others, should protect me, but I am facilitating a backup of this record to my most heavily shielded memory banks. There is no update on the Vergence at this time. He is one of the most prominent figures in the Empire, yet my owner chooses to avoid interaction with Imperial forces, therefore I am unable to provide any more specific information. The Apprentice seems to have dropped out of the public eye entirely.

Log Entry 6:

This week has provided me some interesting new data after being so long out of touch with the Empire. It began with the arrival of one very familiar face, along with a young boy. Based on the data I've retained this week cross-referenced against some of my older files, I calculate a 78.6% probability that this boy is the Son of the Vergence. In a bit of irony that you would appreciate, he is not aware of his auspicious parentage, and those who know do not seem to be in a hurry to tell him.

Log Entry 7:

I seem to have become a warrior against the Empire. I have been involved in several battles, including the destruction of the Vergence's "Death Star" project. That was an amazing piece of hardware, no matter which side you're on. I, on the other hand, am so crosswired it's a wonder I am able to function at all. I try to help our friends whenever I can, but with the way my current owners like to tinker, sometimes I get a bit screwed up. Oh, but he's done fantastic things for my reverse power couplings!

Log Entry 8:

The Vergence is dead. I recently found out from the Son that the Owner's girlfriend is actually the Daughter of the Vergence. That family seems to get bigger all the time. The Son also brought some other news back from his latest adventure. He says the Vergence - his father - switched sides again just before his death, and the Emperor is now dead as well. You have lost your Apprentice, and the Vergence too.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must also humbly confess my own roll in the destruction of the second Death Star. I flew into the superstructure and fired the missiles which set off the explosion, killing all who were aboard. Oh, Master Plagueis, can you ever forgive me for what I've done?

The Last Offensive

by Marvolo

I'm not including my fanfic in the challenge because a) it is lacking in ducks, and b) if I were to add in the first chapter (which does have a duck), it would be late.

The story remains incomplete. I began planning this story as a short one, but the idea rapidly snowballed and became a multi-chapter epic. Needless to say, it's not finished at the moment. So I've posted the prologue, (which I never got a chance to edit), and chapter one is on the way. Also, I expect the first few chapters will be changed and edited thoroughly once the entire story is done. I may even change aspects of the plot and the characters along the way. In posting this now, before the rest of the story is done, I'm breaking rule number two of writing, but I figured I should have something up today. So it will simply be a separate fanfic I have started, to be completed at a later date. I am, however, glad that attempting to do this challenge got me to sit down and write instead of making excuses.

More is on the way. Soon. Eventually.

Prologue

Supreme Commander Revan gazed out into the blackness of space through the viewport of the Interdictor-class cruiser. Revan’s flagship, the Vigilante, had hung in the empty vacuum at meaningless coordinates as the Republic fleet massed in the days before the final offensive. The fleet’s destination, Onderon and its five moons, lay several lightyears ahead.

Onderon occupied a portion of space far from the mainstream hyperspace routes and the galactic core, standing on the edge of the vast expanse of Republic space. Though isolated in its position on the outer rim, Onderon was one of the first Republic planets to fall victim to the Mandalorian conquest. The initial attacks by the Mandalorian crusaders had sent the Republic reeling. But the Republic forces, largely under the direction of Revan himself, had gained the upper hand during the past year, driving the invaders from the conquered planets and reclaiming worlds for the Republic. After several months, during which Revan’s forces had taken the offensive and eliminated the conquerors’ presence on key worlds, the Mandalorian grip on the Republic had been reduced to one outer-rim world and its jungle moon.

Revan stared at the distant speck among the stars that was Onderon. The Mandalorian wars were nearing their end. And yet the Mandalorian warriors had not relented, nor had they demonstrated any willingness to surrender. They had tightened their grip on the few worlds they held. The Republic had been forced to liberate Mandalorian space system by system, city by city, building by building, inch by inch. Though the Mandalorians were clearly on the losing side of the war, they were relentless, and the Republic had paid dearly for the ground they had regained.

A new presence entered the bridge. “Master Revan."

The voice was that of Admiral Saul Karath. Revan, reaching out with the force, sensed the admiral’s anger and ambition, yet overpowering and unquestioning loyalty. Not loyalty to the Republic; loyalty to Revan himself, to Revan’s power, and to victory. Revan smiled behind the mask that shrouded his face. Loyal subordinates had become increasingly valuable during these last few months of the war.

“Everything is in place, Master Jedi.”

“Excellent, Admiral Karath.” Revan turned away from the viewpoint to look at the Admiral.

“Our intelligence confirms that the Mandalorians have several important bases in the system. The outgoing transmissions from strongly suggest that they may be running the entire war effort from the system.”

Revan nodded slightly.

“Mandalore himself is said to be among them. If the enemy forces weren’t so depleted at this time, my instincts would tell me the Mandalorians have set a trap.”

Karath continued, “We can nevertheless expect heavy resistance. Onderon is the last Mandalorian stronghold in the Republic. The enemy will continue to fight this war until they have been completely destroyed."

“Admiral, I am confident that we will win this battle, but I fear the cost may be too great. Nevertheless, it is a necessary sacrifice. Should the Mandalorians manage to escape without being utterly destroyed, the survivors will be reduced to a small number of scattered battalions incapable of mounting a new offensive.”

“Yes, Master Jedi.”

Revan moved from his position in front of the viewport and began to pace the floor of the bridge. “We must launch a simultaneous attack upon Onderon and Dxun in order to liberate the system. The Mandalorians will allow Onderon to fall, but Dxun will not be taken with ease.

“Onderon itself is not held tightly in the iron grip of the Mandalorian,” Revan looked out again at the distant stars. “Victory on Onderon will be swift. The long battle will be fought on its jungle moon, Dxun.”

Revan paused. “When the Mandalorians began their attack on the Republic, their conquest of Onderon was rapid. Yet Dxun holds a greater significance. While the Mandalorians believe the people of Onderon to be weak, they wage a constant war against the jungle of Dxun. The Mandalorian bases were built in the jungle of Onderon’s moon, so that they must struggle against other worthy life forms for survival.”

Karath considered Revan’s words. “Should this information be correct, Master Jedi, it is imperative that the Mandalorians occupying the jungle moon be prevented from escaping. If our forces are successful, we may be able to capture the Mandalorian clan leaders and end this war.”

Revan ceased his restless pacing. The Mandalorians would not halt their crusade against the Republic with the loss of the Mandalore. A new leader would simply take his place, rallying the remaining warriors to defend the last few worlds they held. Though Dxun held the central command, too many Mandalorian warriors were off-world, occupying other systems, or engaging the Republic forces in suicidal attacks. And though the Republic clearly had the upper hand, there were still many enemy forces outside the Onderon system. Enough to re-group, even in the unlikely event of a swift victory on Dxun. Too many to assume an immediate end to the war. And too many to refuse to entertain the possibility of history repeating itself in the near future.

No, the Mandalorians had to fall. Revan could allow for no resurrection of the Mandalorian cause if he hoped to prevent a future tragedy from occurring. The Mandalorians thrived on battle and warfare. The result was a broken galaxy, razed worlds, and millions of casualties. Revan had seen the atrocities committed by the enemy, the deep scars left on the worlds that had been gutted by war. All for no real cause. All so that the Mandalorians would have a challenge in battle. The Mandalorians no longer deserved to exist as a people.

It would not be allowed to happen again, Revan resolved. Though the war may not end in the coming days with the Republic driving the Mandalorians from the last Republic system under their thumb, the Republic needed to be decisive and ruthless in their last offensive against the Mandalorians. The enemy needed to be left broken and scattered beyond repair. The barbaric culture would not be a threat to the Republic ever again.

This decisive battle against the Mandalorians would take place neither on Onderon, nor on Dxun in the coming weeks. But Revan would not fail.

“Admiral Karath,” said Revan abruptly, “have the Republic generals present in the fleet assemble in the command center of the Vigilante in two hours’ time. There, we will finalize the assault.”

“Yes, Commander,” replied Karath. Revan sensed the Admiral’s fierce desire for revenge against the Mandalorians. Yet Karath put complete confidence in the idea that Revan would formulate an effective strategy to accomplish this.

Karath saluted and started towards the door.

Revan looked out at the blackness of space once more, his lips curling, though no emotion was conveyed through his mask. He whispered, as if to assure the stars, “this will not be the last offensive. The Mandalorians will fall. Peace will be achieved by any means.”

To be continued...

mara jade232323's fanfiction

Alrighty, we've got a "guest entry" here, so read on. This fanfic comes from mara jade232323, a name you may recognize from the official site blogs.


“Luke… what did you do ??”

“Well I, uhh… Don’t exactly know.” Replied Luke Skywalker from the pilots chair.

“Sithspit!” cursed Mara Jade who sat next to Luke in the copilots chair.

Mara and Luke were thrown against their crash harnesses. The stars seemed to roll outside the view port.

“I told you we should have taken my ship!” said Mara through clenched teeth.

They had been close enough to a planet when the malfunction happened that they were stuck in its gravity field. The ship plummeted to the ground. There was absolutely nothing they could do to slow the ship down.

The wreck actually wasn’t that bad there was minimal damage to the outside of the ship. But Mara suffered from a throbbing headache. She blocked the pain using the force, so she could actually stand and walk around without keeling over screaming in pain. Luke made it out without injury.

“You know Han is going to absolutely murder us!” Mara said slightly worried.

“Murder us, that would be a kind fate compared to what he is probably actually going to do to us.”

Mara nodded in agreement.

This place where they had crashed was as ancient as things came, or so it seemed to them. There were crumbling rock buildings with vines covering them. There also seemed to be a pile of scrap metal, they wondered to themselves where that had come from.

It was actually quite a beautiful world. You could hear the relaxing sounds of a waterfall running into a lake.( That they had managed not to land in, luckily). Everything here was lush and green with life.

“Amazing, everything is so… so…,” Luke tried to find the right words.

“Peaceful.” Mara put in.

“Yes, that’s it, peaceful.” said Luke already completely relaxed.

They walked slowly to the lake and just stood enjoying its beauty.

They were both so wrapped up in their own thoughts they didn’t notice “It” come up behind them. When “It” made a noise announcing “It” was behind them, Luke and Mara nearly jumped out of their skins in surprise. They spun around to face “It”, grabbing their light sabers and clicking them into the on position as they spun.

When Mara saw “It” she turned off her light saber in frustration.

Luke still held his light saber in front of him defensively.

“Oh for goodness sakes Luke it’s just a duck!” Mara said exasperatedly.

“What in the outer rim is a duke?” Asked Luke as he turned off his light saber, trusting his wife’s judgment.

“First of all it’s D-U-C-K not duke. Second, a duck is an extremely primitive life form, that can fly and likes water.” Mara said blandly.

She spoke again, “But it looks like this one’s wing is broken.”

The duck “Quacked” once, before it flew away.

“That really doesn’t look like a broken wing to me.” said Luke.

“Let’s follow it.” said Mara as she started to run after it.

Luke had a very bad feeling about this.

Following the duck the found a building that housed an old group of Imperials. Mara explained that the Emperor had many troops from the Empire in out of the way places, as reserves.

There was a small hole in the bottom of the buildings wall. They laid on their stomachs to see into the hole.

“Just look at the tech they have here.” said Luke.

“It is so out of date! But it is certainly Imperial.” said Mara.

“Wonder if they still keep troops here.” Luke questioned.

The duck came back quite suddenly and blocked their view.

“Mar… Mara, I think I’m allergic to this duck.” whispered Luke.

“Don’t you dare…” Mara tried to whisper back.

“Achoooooo!!” Luke sneezed so loud that leaves were blown off the plants surrounding them.

“Well I guess we’ll find out if they really do keep troops here or not.” Said Mara aloud.

You could hear the sound of feet thundering down the halls.

“Sithspit,” they both growled at the same time as they pushed to their feet.

“They should really put some money into soundproofing here.” said Luke as he started to run the way they had come.

Mara scooped up a very confused duck, just as blaster fire started to pour through the hole in the wall. She took off after Luke.

They ran full speed all the way back to their ship. They were being followed and shot at by the Imperials the entire way. They decided to try to power up the ship again. As a miracle of all miracles the ship roared to life. They took off as fast as they could. It appeared as if the Imperials had no air support since they weren’t being followed or shot at anymore.

“Hey, Luke why don’t you hit the bunk for a few hours. I can handle the ship for a while.”

“Thanks Mara. Wake me up if anything interesting happens.” Luke said as he walked out of the cockpit and down the short corridor to where the bunks were

Mara could hear a rustling of blankets followed by a “Quack, Quack.”

“MARA!!!!!” Luke yelled.

Mara grimaced as the duck flew into the cockpit and settled itself onto the copilots chair.

THE END

Zic Orves: Jedi Assassin

He actually walked into the crosshair. I love it when they do that.

Zic Orves was positioned above his target-- about two hundred meters above-- and about five meters to his left. He was also holding a highly customized verpine sniper rifle, which was trained on his target’s head. The target of course knew none of this.

The target was a fat man pacing back and forth in a small office located high above Coruscant. He was speaking to a hologram, and appeared quite exasperated. Zic bided his time; he understood the value of patience.

A voice broke the monotonous gusting of wind, and brought the aging Jedi back to the reality of his situation. He was high up, and exposed to the elements.

“Master Orves, I have a special assignment for you when you return. It is important that you come directly to me when the mission is completed.”

“Of course, Master Windu, I am almost finished here. I should be along shortly.”

Mace never bothered to ask if he was busy, and likely wouldn’t care if he was. It was however, dangerous to his mission’s success when he was interrupted by outside forces, especially when he relied upon stealth and anonymity to complete his work. Zic decided to remember to turn his comlink off from now on. Surely, that was better for everyone.

The fat man finished his conversation, and stopped his pacing to put his head into his hands and catch his breath.

Zic squeezed the trigger.

* * * *

“A padawan? What makes you think that I can train a padawan? My line of work doesn’t easily allow me to bring another along, never mind an inexperienced padawan who needs training.”

Zic and Mace walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple, Mace’s robes flowing behind him. Zic’s rifle case still hung at his side.

“The padawan is not entirely inexperienced. She has been trained in a special course in weapons and tactics provided by the clone unit we’ve created just for that purpose. All Jedi must take a padawan at some point,” said Mace.

“But haven’t I always been an exception to the rules?”

“Not this time, Zic. Today you are just like any other Jedi, lightsaber and all.”

Zic sighed heavily. “Very well then, where is she?”

Mace motioned to Zic’s right. “Right there.”

Zic looked to find a young girl of perhaps fourteen. She had short black hair and a fair complexion. Any other person would have said she was pretty, but Jedi don’t notice pretty. What Zic did notice was that she carried two lightsabers at her waist.

Great, twin lightsabers. This is going to be fun.

“Name?”

“Nara,” the girl answered confidently.

“Here is the information on your next assignment. It doesn’t require you to be at the location for some time. What you do with that time is your decision,” said Mace.

“Thanks a lot,” said Zic as he took the holodisc.

“I will contact you when it is appropriate. Until then, good luck.”

“Of course, Master Windu,” said Zic. “I’m sure we’ll do just fine.”

* * * *

Zic and Nara walked quickly through the Temple.

“Where are we going?” Nara asked.

“To get some new equipment,” Zic said. “I get to test all of the new experimental weaponry, seeing as my job requires, well, weaponry not used by most Jedi. You do understand what my job is, right?”

“Of course, I’ve been in training since I was a youngling. You’re an assassin. A Jedi Assassin.”

“Maybe so, but be careful where you throw that word around, some of the Masters don’t like the way it sounds. We’re defenders, peace keepers, ‘assassin’ doesn’t sound very peaceful, so we try not to say it. I say they have their robes on too tight.”

“Like Master Windu?”

Zic smiled. “Yes, like Master Windu.”

Maybe she’s not so bad, wasn’t brought up by those stuffy types at least. Gotta be worth something.

“We still do, you know. Keep the peace. We just do it a little differently. Remove the bad guys, rather than negotiate with them.”

“How many are there?”

“Assassins? Not sure. Not many, I think. It’s not like you could tell if you saw one, you’d be hard pressed to tell if he was a Jedi, let alone an Assassin. We don’t look like them, which reminds me, tuck your braid into your hair.”

Nara pushed the traditional Jedi braid behind her ear. “Right, we can’t have the possibility of civvies realizing that Jedi are walking around assassinating people.”

“Civvies? You really were trained by the clones then. I’m sure they also told you that we don’t wear robes, and we don’t flash lightsabers all over, either.”

Nara looked slightly disappointed about Zic’s last statement. “I understand everything.”

They continued past the Archives, winding though corridors and along lesser-used paths, until they came to an out of the way door in a deserted hallway somewhere deep in the Temple. Zic walked in and came out with a rectangular case not unlike the one he was already carrying, and motioned for the girl to follow him.

“We’ll get something to eat, and then we can go out and see what you can do. I might even let you try the new blasters, if you ask nicely, that is.”

* * * *

Zic and Nara left the cantina and took a speeder to the location of their next assignment. The target was supposed to be in a large storage complex in a more seedy part of the planet. Luckily, it was mostly empty of people, just a few working-types here and there.

They walked along the side of the building until they came to a door guarded by two men. Zic waved his hand as he walked in, the men said nothing. Nara followed closely behind him. They continued through the complex, passing doors and large rooms alike, keeping a steady pace.

Zic’s comlink crackled to life as he walked, the familiar voice streaming to his ears. “Zic, recent intelligence states that the target may not be in the room originally described. If you cannot find him, abort the mission.”

“Received.”

Mace never fails to interrupt during a mission; at least he has good reason this time. Having my pocket talk to me in enemy territory is a great way to get myself killed. I must remember to turn that thing off from now on, it might save my life one day.

“It’s important to remember that we don’t always work long range. Sometimes you have to get close, especially in a building like this one that has no windows. It can be messy, but whatever you do, never use your lightsaber. It’s a sure sign that a Jedi was present. I usually use a blaster pistol, but depending on the situation I may use a garrote or perhaps a blade. I’m assuming you’re familiar?”

“Yes, Master. Completely”

“Good.”

Zic stopped abruptly at a room marked 1138.

“This is us,” he said. “Stand back.”

He knocked three times and waited. There was some fumbling behind the door, and then it opened revealing a well-dressed Neimoidian man.

“Excuse me, but would you be Desal Harwicc?” Zic asked.

“Yes, a how may I help you?” asked the Nemoidian. He stretched the first word and emphasized help, in that particular way Nemoidians have of speaking.

Zic surreptitiously pulled a small blaster from his sleeve and fired it twice into the Nemoidians’s chest. He fell backward and was dead before he hit the floor. Zic turned just as the door was closing. Nara had a look of interest in her eyes, like an eager pupil excited about learning. Zic started walking after replacing the blaster in his tunic.

“Learn anything?” Zic asked.

“What did he do?”

“The Nemoidian? I don’t know. They don’t tell me what they’ve done. I just get a name, a location, a holoimage, some background, and whatever else they might have.”

“Who’s they?”

“Jedi Intelligence, Bothans, probably. Republic Intelligence, it’s all overseen by Mace Windu. Basically I deal with the targets too difficult for standard clone military. Or other specialized work involving little-known or unknown targets that still require Jedi intervention. You wouldn’t see me going after Dooku anytime soon. That’s Jedi business. To everyone else, I’m not a Jedi. I don’t exist. Didn’t anyone tell you this?”

“Not like that. It was mostly hard training, less ‘why’ and more ‘how’.”

“That seems unfair; you didn’t even know what you were getting into. Of course, none of us did…” His voice trailed off. Nara seemed to notice he was thinking, so she remained silent.

The pair walked out the same way they entered, leaving two guards quite confused as to why they didn’t remember ever letting them in.

* * * *

The Master and Padawan were situated on a balcony lost among the heights and precipices of Coruscanti urbania, overlooking the usual tangle of structure and durasteel. It was midday and sunlight brightly lit the sides of the buildings, reflecting images of passing speeders and rising smoke. Directly across from them was a lone landing platform about three miles away, easily visible in the clear air. Nara held the weapons case that Zic had picked up the week before.

“Well, let’s see what we’ve got. You can do the honors, Nara. I did say I might let you try the new gear, you’ve earned it, at any rate,” Zic said.

Nara undid the clasps and opened the case revealing what appeared to be a long range rifle, broken into four pieces, complete with scope and another attachment Zic didn’t recognize. There was also a small datapad.

“Shiny,” Nara said.

“Hm?”

“Reflects light, might give away our position.”

“You’re right. Frakking prototypes, never work like you want them to, completely, anyway. Probably accurate as hell, though. Assemble it, you’ve got twenty seconds.”

Nara quietly pieced the weapon together.

“Not bad. But what’s this for?” Zic pointed at the attachment.

“It fires a tracking device. The target should be viewable on the datapad. They would know that they’ve been tagged, though.”

“I don’t normally need to track. If I’m chasing somebody, something’s gone wrong.”

“For when something has gone wrong, then.”

Zic eyed her sheepishly. “They should be arriving soon. Set up."

Zic assembled his own rifle while Nara aimed hers toward the platform.

“They should be here soon, keep an eye out. They’re Zabrak, the guards are human. You’ve seen the file. I don’t normally get assignments with multiple targets,” Zic smiled at her as he aimed his weapon. “Things are different now, of course.” He paused. “They’re arriving”

A mid-size transport ship came into view and landed on the platform. Two droid guards came out and looked around, followed by two Zabrak men, in turn followed by four armed humans. A third Zabrak walked out from the building adjoining the platform, and greeted his friends.

“I’ll take the left, you the right. Synchronize our shots, on three. Middle is whoever gets there first. If a guard gets in the way, take him out.”

Zic lined up his shot. “Ready, Nara?”

“Ready, Master.”

“One,
Two,
Three.”

Zic fired his rifle. Like always, he felt no recoil. He saw the outermost Zabraks fall, leaving only the middle, who was now surrounded by guards. He fired twice more and saw four shapes fall, two droid. The remaining Zabrak fled behind the ship while the remaining guards took cover and began firing in his direction.

“Duck!”

Zic and Nara crouched behind the rail just as a volley of blaster bolts passed overhead and struck the building behind them.

Zic took aim once more. The Zabrak was still behind the ship-- he could see his ankles—the guards were running around the back to protect their charge. “Gave away our position, damn shiny weapons. Next time let’s just wave our lightsabers around and dance, it might be less conspicuous.”

“I have a shot, Master. I’m going to tag him, in case something goes wrong.”

The Zabrak jumped as the projectile entered his left ankle. A guard picked him up and ran into the building while the other provided cover fire.

“I think something just did.”

* * * *



“Just hold your lightsaber out the window, they’ll know we’re Jedi, everything will be fine!” Zic shouted. Their speeder was currently being chased without prejudice by Coruscant Security, probably because Zic was flying quite erratically, and also at ludicrous speed. Nara held an activated green blade out of the window and waved it, careful not to clip any slow-moving civilians. A signal that clearly stated: Jedi Business. Their pursuers backed off after decoding the message. Nara held the datapad in her lap tracking any movement of the Zabrak man.

“He’s still in the building, they don’t seem like they’re in much of a rush to move him. We should make it there before they can, at this rate.”

“Good. Once we’re there we’ll both go in and finish this, the guards as well.”

“Agreed.”

The speeder raced through the skyline, narrowly avoiding collision roughly every five seconds, sometimes six. Zic wasn’t using the designated lanes of traffic, but rather wherever seemed like the best and fastest place to fly at the time. He was short on time, and meant to make up for it. A few sharp turns and frightened faces later, they arrived at the landing platform they were viewing through rifle scopes only minutes before. A small trail of blood led to a sealed durasteel door.

“They’re through that door, three rooms over. It’s the quickest way in,” Nara said.

“Cut through it then, you’ve got two ways to do so.”

Nara grasped the hilts of her lightsabers, flicked them on, and proceeded to force the tips into the perimeter of the blast door. She slowly lowered the blades, leaving two large lacerations rimmed with glowing molten metal. She had almost finished going all the way around when the door burst inward and set itself down quietly, leaving the way open for entry. She looked back to find Zic smiling smugly, hand raised.

“Jedi,” he said, shrugging.

Nara put her weapons away and proceeded into the doorway, blaster drawn. Zic followed. They entered a dark room, windowless, the only light coming from the newly created doorway and the still red hot bits of metal that now littered the floor. It appeared to be a storage room of some kind, plastoid crates lined the walls, some smashed open by the twisted door that lay in the middle of the room. They exited through the only available door, in the right corner.

Now in the lead, Zic continued down a short hallway until he came to the first of three doors on the right side. He looked at Nara, who shook her head no. He went to the next, to which she nodded yes.

Zic closed his eyes and tried to picture the room. There were the two guards, one was wrapping the Zabrak’s ankle with a cloth, there was Bacta spray lying next to him. The other guard stood looking out the window, blaster at the ready. He motioned to Nara to stay behind him, and readied his blaster as his finger neared the button to open the door. Nara stood back.

Focus. Just keep the girl out of the way. They have no idea what’s happening.

Zic pressed the button, blaster raised and ready. The door slid open, revealing the two guards and original target, still recumbent. He fired twice at the closest guard, and shifted out of the way as a third bolt was returned. He quickly turned and fired just as the window guard was turning around. The sound of blasterfire repeated and ended all at once. The Zabrak man still lay on his back. Zic aimed his blaster at his head, and was about to pull the trigger when he noticed a strange smile spread slowly over his face, his black teeth and tattooed face accenting his horned visage. “You lose, Jedi,” he said.

Zic’s mind whirled as he saw the mission for what it really was—reaching with the Force he could now feel the clones in the next room, the emptiness that once marked the presence behind him, the girl, his responsibility. He saw her crumpled body on the floor without seeing it, saw the blasters, the plastoid armor, heard the sounds of blasterfire he once thought directed toward him but were actually intended for someone else.

The hand holding his blaster involuntarily contracted and opened, firing the killing shot to the Zabrak and letting the pistol fall to the floor. He spun around into the hallway, coming face-to-face with the betrayal. The Clone Troopers of the Republic targeted him with their blasters and prepared to fire. Zic flung his hand out, summoning a powerful wave of the Force that knocked them back against the walls and into the adjoining rooms. For the first time in many years he detached the adorned hilt of his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the weapon, a crackle of long-forgotten energy sounded throughout the dwelling, the purple blade cutting through the half-light of the hall, illuminating the body of his deceased padawan, the stunned clones, and a small truth.

Zic raised the blade and brought the point down through the back of the nearest clone, and spun around to deflect incoming shots behind him. He pulled the aggressor toward him and speared him on the end of the light. Turning once more he brought the blade across another clone, and cut another in two. He cleaved arms, shoulders, and heads from their bodies, decimated forms into alien shapes, and controlled the weapon like he had used it every day of his life. Five more men fell before him before he awoke from his warrior’s state, and found himself in what appeared to be the main room of the house. He deactivated his lightsaber, newly comfortable in his hand, and re-entered the hall where he carefully lifted the body of Nara, and carried her out to the landing platform and the awaiting transport.

As Zic was situating himself in the speeder, his comlink came to life. It was a transmission stating that the Clones had revolted and instructing that all Jedi come to the Temple immediately. Zic pulled the speeder around and headed for the only home he had ever known, a safe place where he could put his charge to rest, and try to salvage what was left of the Jedi Order.

One thought entered Zic’s mind as he flew toward his destination.

Good thing I forgot to turn it off.

Across the Stars

Warning: This story doesn’t contain mandos, action, or love scenes. I’ve wanted to write a story about this for a long time and I finally did. Ha.


This is dedicated with love to Amidalooine



He is Luke Skywalker. He is a hero of the New Republic, renowned fighter pilot, and the founder of the New Jedi Order. He has made peace with his past and the father whose deeds left scars on the galaxy that will probably never fully be healed. He has found a family he didn’t know he had. He is a Husband, Brother, Uncle and Friend. He knows some of his father’s history, but nothing of his mother’s. He has many questions, some that cannot be answered, except by those no longer breathing.

Now he runs his Jedi Academy to the best of his ability, training those who seek him out, wishing to share his knowledge of the Force. His sister’s children are among those trainees. He looks forwards to the day he crowns them with the title of Jedi Knight. He is Luke Skywalker.

She is Leia Organa Solo. She is the Chief-of-State of the New Republic. She is a mother, sister, Jedi, and wife. She has made peace with her past to the best of her ability, but does not wish to dwell on the details. Her questions lie in the future, not in the past. She unknowingly carries to completion the things her mother started. She is Leia Organa Solo.


Luke Skywalker stood outside the great temple, his 10-year-old nephew Anakin Solo beside him. He watched the silver streak zoom through the atmosphere toward the landing pad. The Yavin moon had no planetary defenses to stop intruders, but the pilot had contacted the Temple and had requested permission to land, and to speak with Luke Skywalker. Permission had been granted by Luke himself. As the ship came closer and slowed for the landing, Luke turned to his nephew.

“Do you know what type of ship that is?” He asked the boy.

“Jaina would know for sure, but I think it looks like a Nubian star cruiser, one of the less flashy models” answered Anakin. “Perhaps our visitor is from Naboo.”

“I wonder why they would take the trouble to come here, it must have been quite a trip”, mused Luke. His wife Mara Jade exited the Temple and came to stand at her husband’s side.

The ship landed and let off steam and hissed as it cooled. After a few minutes the hatch opened and a woman walked out. She was dressed in a non-descript flight suit and had pretty brown hair rolled into bun behind her head. She smiled as she walked over to Luke and said “My name is Ryoo Naberrie Tarsol, and you must be Luke Skywalker”.

“Yes, I am, and welcome to the Jedi Academy. May I introduce my wife, Mara Jade Skywalker and my nephew, Anakin Solo?” answered Luke.

"Hello, Mrs.Tarsol” nodded Anakin.

“Greetings Ryoo” said Mara with a smile of greeting.

“Hello, Anakin” Ryoo smiled at him, then turned to Mara and greeted her. She then turned back to Luke and asked, “Have you ever heard of Padme Naberrie Amidala?

“No, I have not heard of her” answered Luke.

“She is the reason I am here”. Ryoo began. “I am her niece, and I have information regarding your past. I am not a phony, and I have proofs. I would love to speak with you and your sister, Leia, together if that is possible, since this information concerns both of you”.

“You’ve got me curious now” smiled Luke. “And you are in luck. My sister and her family are coming to stay for a few days at the academy. She, Han, and her twins will be arriving sometime today.”

Ryoo smiled and said, “That is wonderful. I will return to my ship to freshen up and prepare. Thank you so much”

Luke nodded. “I look forward to speaking with you later.”


A few hours later Luke, Mara, Anakin, and several other Jedi stood outside the Great Temple watching the famous ship, Millennium Falcon, land; Ryoo also came out and stood beside her ship to see the falcon and her passengers arrive. 12-year-old Jaina and Jacen were the first to appear. Jaina ran over and gave her Uncle a big hug.

“Hi, Uncle Luke, it’s good to see you again. I can’t wait to start training again” said the pretty 12-year-old.

“That’s good to hear”, laughed Luke, and then turned to Jacen, “are you ready to start again, too?”

“Of course I am”, Jacen grinned as he gave his Uncle a hug. By now Han, Leia, and Chewie had made their way over to the group. Lowie ran up and jumped on his Uncle, while brother and sister greeted each other with a hug and Han picked up his youngest son and gave him a squeeze. Jacen and Jaina greeted their Aunt and spoke with her. Mara gave Leia a hug and then greeted Han. Jaina noticed the extra ship sitting on the landing ground and asked her Uncle,

“Uncle Luke, who else is here, I don’t recognize that ship, well I mean obviously it is a Nubian, but I don’t know who it belongs to” she finished.

“It belongs to a lady who calls herself Ryoo Naberrie Tarsol. She arrived earlier today and she wishes to speak to Leia and me, together about our past” answered Luke.

“What’s that?” asked Leia, as she turned to her brother with a grin. “This better not be political, because I’m on vacation”.

“Well said, my dear” agreed Han. “Let’s get your stuff inside the Temple, J&J, and then we can talk to Luke some more”.

“OK”

“I’ll help”, volunteered Anakin; as Lowie voiced his willingness to help in his language. Mara said she’d come with them and the group set off towards the temple.


“How are you, Luke?” asked Leia, now that they were alone.

“I’m good, and you?”

“Tired, but healthy”, Leia smiled. “What were you saying about someone…?”

“Oh, yes, Ryoo Naberrie Tarsol arrived earlier today. She wants to speak with us together, about our past. She has piqued my curiosity, I’ll admit.” Luke continued, “Have you ever heard of Padme Naberrie Amidala?”

Leia thought for a moment and then smiled. “Of course I have, Padme Amidala was one of the prominent signers of the Petition of the 2000. Mon Mothma knew her, and together they laid the groundwork for the rebellion, before the Empire even became the Empire. She died right after the empire was formed, from unknown causes. She was a much loved senator from Naboo, who I think had also served as a Queen of Naboo at one time. Now, I only know this because my father taught me much that the Empire-approved school curriculum would not ever have included. I believe Bail Organa also knew her personally”.

“Well, that explains the Nubian”, said Luke, “But I wonder what Padme had to do with our past”.

“Another mother story, probably” Leia rolled her eyes. “Come on bro; let’s go meet the others for dinner”

“Sounds good” said Luke, as the siblings started toward the Temple.


Inside the dining hall they found their family and many of the other Jedi trainees preparing dinner. Ryoo was also there; she had introduced herself to some of the other beings as someone with a message for Luke and Leia. With the arrival of the twins, everyone found seats and began the usual chatting between bites that accompanies get-togethers everywhere. It was decided that Ryoo could share her stories after breakfast the next morning, and that Han, Chewie, and the children could attend if they wanted.

The next morning the Solo children met in Jacen’s room to discuss whether they wanted to attend “story-time” as Jaina put it or if they wanted to do something else instead.

“It sounds interesting to me, so I think I’ll attend”, decided Jaina. She looked at her brothers and said, “how about you two?”

“I am going to come with you, because I want to learn all I can about my grandfather, besides I like solving puzzles, and our grandparent’s past is like a puzzle”, said Anakin in his serious way.

“I’ll come with you”, said Jacen, and then added, “I don’t really have anything to do, anyway, and Tenel Ka isn’t back yet”.

After breakfast the Solos, Skywalkers, Ryoo, and Chewie gathered in Luke’s “office” room and found seats. Jaina brought a cushion to sit on. Ryoo smiled and began to speak.

“Thank you for allowing me to speak, I know some of you have your doubts about my story. The first thing I want to tell you is Padme Naberrie Amidala’s full name.” Ryoo paused for a moment and then continued. “Her full name was Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker”. Ryoo paused again and looked around at the group. Leia looked skeptical, the kids, Luke, and Mara politely interested, and Han and his wookie were unreadable.

“I have this to prove my statement”, she said, handing a piece of flimsiplast to Leia. It was a copy of a marriage certificate, stating that Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala had been joined in marriage in a civil ceremony by father so and so. A note at the bottom showed that this document and its information was to be undisclosed except by one of the aforementioned parties. Leia studied the document carefully and then handed it to her brother. Ryoo noticed that the Chief-of-State looked a little less skeptical now.

“Why did you wait all this time to come here?” questioned Luke. “If you couldn’t come yourself, why didn’t you send a message for us to come to you?”

“My mother told me that she always wanted to give you the story herself”, Ryoo began, “but five years ago she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. This disease was such as to not let her leave the planet. It was after she received the diagnoses that she told my younger sister and I about our Aunt’s complete story, and that you were in fact our cousins. As for myself, I had to work up my courage, to come and face you. I have children and commitments, and now was the best, and really only, time for me to come. My three children are all at a summer camp for a month and my husband is reconciled to my absence. We had discussed him accompanying me, but decided against it. I didn’t send a message, because I’ve heard some of the tales told about your “mother” and the people who have tried to convince you that it was they who gave birth to you. I knew I wouldn’t be given any more credence than they were given, unless I came to you with credible proofs.”

“I guess that explains it”, said Leia. “How is your sister?”

“She is well”, replied Ryoo. “Pooja has six children and a very demanding family schedule and couldn’t take the time off. She would love to meet all of you, though”.

“Perhaps that can be arranged sometime” said Leia. “What else do you have to show us?”

“Many things, said Ryoo. She set a holoprojector and loaded a disk of photos.

“Continue already” said Han teasingly.

“Padme was born on Naboo to Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie. She became interested in politics from a very young age. She joined the Junior Legislatives when she was 11. Padme became a Princess of Theed (our capitol city) at age 12 and was elected Queen of Naboo when she was only 14. During her first year as Queen the Trade Federation decided to blockade Naboo to protest taxation, imposed by the Republic, which they deemed unfair. It started as a blockade, but became a military occupation when the head of the federation tried to take the Queen and her advisers into custody; after arresting many of the people in Theed City. The group was rescued by two Jedi, Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi.

“So that’s what Ben looked like when he was young!” said Luke, as he looked at the news clip of the Jedi. Mara grinned at him.

“Padme and her advisers escaped the planet with the Jedi, heading for Coruscant to ask the senate for help. The hyperdrive was damaged and they were forced to land on Tatooine to repair it. They had no money beside republic credits”

“Which you can’t use on Tatooine”, laughed Luke.

“Exactly”, agreed Ryoo. “Most of the group stayed with the ship while Qui-gon and Padme, who was dressed as a pheasant, went to buy parts. While Qui-gon talked to a shop owner, Padme met Anakin, who was a slave of the shop owner. He ended up winning the needed parts for them by winning a pod race”.

“We both know that much”, said Leia, and seeing the question on Ryoo’s face, she continued, “on a trip on Tatooine, my husband and I recovered Anakin’s mother’s diary”.

“Oh, that is interesting”, said Ryoo. “Continuing, the senate refused to help without forming committees and going through discussions”.

“Of course”, said Leia with a roll of her eyes. Han snorted.

“Padme and the Jedi, along with Anakin returned to Naboo, where they enlisted the help of the Gungans, the other sentient species on Naboo. The Jedi helped the Queen and her staff sneak back into the palace while the gungans fought the droids. Padme’s mission was successful, and while she was settling with the trade federation’s leader, the two Jedi battled an enemy that had followed them from Tatooine. All I know is that he was a Zabrak and that he had a double Lightsaber. The Zabrak was killed by Obi-wan, after he had killed Qui-gon. While all this was happening elsewhere, Anakin somehow made it into space and into the droid control ship, where he blew it up by detonating several torpedoes inside the structure.”

“Anakin did this when he was nine?” asked an impressed Jacen.

“He won a pod race, too, remember?” said Jaina to her twin. Jaina looked at the news clip on the screen. It featured Anakin as a young hero, with a picture of him from the celebration that followed.

“He was cute” exclaimed Jaina.

“Yes, he was” agreed her Uncle.

“After this crisis had been taken care of, everyone went their respective ways. Padme was a much loved Queen, and the people of Naboo even tried to change the legislation to allow her to remain in office for more than her two terms. She refused, and a new Queen was elected. Padme wasn’t given much of a vacation before the new Queen asked her to serve in the galactic senate. This is a clip of a news conference she gave”, finished Ryoo as she started the clip.

An image of a young woman appeared on the screen, standing at a press box. She was smiling, “I want to thank Queen Jamillia, and the people of Naboo for their trust. I promise to serve in the senate for the people of Naboo, and not for myself. I thank everyone for their love and faith in me and promise to do what is right for the people of Naboo” she said, and then the clip ended.

“She sounds like you, Leia” said Han. Leia nodded, her eyes on the screen.

“Soon after she began serving in the Senate, she became the target of assassination attempts”, continued Ryoo. “The supreme chancellor, once a senator from Naboo, asked that she accept the protection of a Jedi. She reluctantly agreed, and so Obi-wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker came to her apartment to begin their duties. It was the first time she’d seen them since the trade federation business.”

“Palpatine was from Naboo?” Han asked the question as Mara leaned forward.

“Yes”, said Ryoo and then she added, “we are not proud of it, at least most of the Nubian people are not”.

“I bet they aren’t”, agreed Jacen.

“The very night of the Jedi’s arrival, another assassination attempt was made. A preprogrammed droid released two of those deadly poisonous kouhuns. Anakin sensed the danger and killed the creatures as Obi-wan grabbed the droid as it flew away from the window. Anakin left to find a speeder in order to rescue his friend. Obi-wan told Padme later that they found a bounty hunter named Zam Wessel; who was about to tell them who had hired her when she was hit by a poisonous dart, which killed her instantly. Now the Chancellor insisted that Padme return to Naboo until the person trying for her life was found. Nothing Padme could say would change his mind. Obi-wan began his search for answers while Anakin accompanied Padme back to Naboo. Padme brought him home to visit us before she left for a more secluded and secure retreat.” Ryoo paused and handed around some holopics from the visit. “That’s me with the straight hair, and there is Pooja with the curls”.

“Pooja was adorable”, said Jaina.

“Ryoo, you look a bit like Jaina did when she was little” said Jacen. The pictures were passed around. Leia studied one of Anakin and Padme together, and Luke looked the longest at one of Padme, Anakin and the little girls.

“The next news we had of Padme was that she was on Geonosis, in the middle of the first battle of the Clone Wars. No one understood or knew what she was doing there, or how she even ended up there. She was supposed to be in hiding!”

“You must have been very worried” remarked Leia.

“My mother and Grandmother were very worried. I was still very young and did not really understand what was going on. A big war? I couldn’t picture it. On Naboo, weapons were outlawed!” said Ryoo. “Padme returned to Naboo with Anakin and together they explained to all of us what had happened. Anakin had had visions of the mother he had left behind on Tatooine dying. He decided he had to go to Tatooine and find out what was happening to her. Padme insisted on accompanying him, and so they left Naboo together. When they arrived on Tatooine, they discovered that his mother had married and gone to live on a moisture farm.”
“With Cliegg Lars”, finished Leia.

“You learned of this from the diary?” asked Ryoo.

“Yes”, said Leia. “And we heard more from one of Anakin’s childhood friends. Kitster told us how Anakin had come back to find that his mother had been taken by the Tusken Raiders. He found her, only to have her die in his arms. After the burial Anakin and Padme left Tatooine”, finished Leia.

“They left Tatooine for Geonosis after receiving a message from Obi-wan, whose search for Padme’s enemy had led him to that world. They had forwarded Kenobi’s message to the Jedi Temple as he had requested, and then had decided to try to rescue him themselves. This mission Padme claimed credit for. They were captured in a droid factory which was working full force cranking out battle droids and were then taken to an arena, where they found Obi-wan chained to a pole, awaiting his execution. They were chained to poles as well.”

Ryoo paused and took a drink. She looked around the group, noticing the expressions on each person’s face. Leia was listening intently, and studying the pictures on the projector reel with a face that Ryoo could not understand. Han and the wookie were watching and listening with an air of detachment. The kids looked enthralled, and she wondered if they really found this story interesting or if they were just used to looking interested during talks since their mother was Chief-of-State. Mara, Luke’s wife, remembered Ryoo, was just listening; Ryoo supposed it must be interesting for her, since it concerned her husband. And then there was Luke, he is such a Jedi she thought. His face was clear of emotion, so she couldn’t tell what he thought of the whole thing. Ryoo took a breath and began again.

“On Geonosis, the executions are accomplished with ferocious creatures, in a show-like setting. Three humans were chained to three poles, and three horrible predators were released into the arena.”

“What were they?” asked Jacen, the creature lover.

“An Acklay, a Nexu, and a Reek”, she answered him with a smile.

“Those are all really mean animals when aroused” he said.

“Yes they are” Ryoo said and then continued. “Padme climbed up her pole after unlocking her shackles with a hairpin. Anakin used the Reek’s strength to break his chains, which he then used to ride the Reek. Obi-wan grabbed one of the handler’s weapons and disposed of the Acklay. Padme used her chains to swing down and knock the Nexu away from her. It was finished off by Anakin’s Reek. They picked up Obi-wan and the next thing they knew, the arena was filled with Jedi and Battle droids. While they were fighting for their lives and the Geonosians were watching more Jedi had arrived to look into Kenobi’s report. The Jedi battled the battle droids valiantly, but they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The surviving Jedi were herded into a small group in the middle of the arena. One of the Jedi leaders spoke with one of the leaders of the Separatists Party. The Jedi refused the Separatist demands and the droids were ready to begin the slaughter again when huge ships had suddenly appeared. These ships were under the care of a Jedi named Yoda and full of clones. The Jedi were picked up by the ships and the clones engaged the droids and Separatists. The Separatist leader tried to escape, but was pursued by the ship carrying Kenobi, Anakin and Padme. Padme fell from the ship after the ship came under fire from the droid ships accompanying the man. She went with a clone trooper to find help for the two Jedi while Kenobi and Skywalker landed in the Separatist hanger just before their ship exploded. There was a battle, but my mother wasn’t too clear on why. Padme arrived at the end, just as the Separatist leader was making his final escape. Both Obi-wan and Anakin were injured and Anakin was missing his arm. Most of the Jedi left for Coruscant immediately. After a few bacta tank sessions and the fitting of a robot arm for Anakin, the two of them returned to Naboo for a rest. They came and visited us for a few days before returning to the Lake House where they married. Anakin returned to Coruscant a few days afterwards and Padme came home to rest for a time.”

“Did Padme seem different then, or do you not know?” asked Leia curiously.

“My mother remembers noticing changes in Padme, but said that she attributed them to the arena and wholesale slaughter she’d witnessed. Padme never told anyone about her marriage”, answered Ryoo.

“Padme continued to be a senator during the clone wars, didn’t she?” asked Jaina, who was trying to remember the history she’d learned.

“Yes, Jaina, she did”, said Ryoo. “We did not see her again for the next two years. Travel was dangerous and she was very busy on Coruscant; with the Senate continually voting more executive powers on the Chancellor, and the war legislation. She was worried about how things were going, as evidenced in her conversations with my mother and grandparents. Here is part of one. I brought copies of most of them.” Ryoo paused and fiddled with a pad, and then Padme’s voice blossomed out of the speaker.

"Yes Sola, I am healthy, but I am very worried. Did you here that the Senate is voting on more powers for Palpatine tomorrow? It seems like soon the Senate will vote themselves out of existence!"

“Are you voting against the proposition, Padme?”

“Yes, as are some of my associates, not that it will do any good; we are in the minority right now. I don’t think the chancellor needs this much power”.

“Do you still trust Palpatine?”

“I still do think highly of Palpatine, he was our senator and he was a wonderful friend to me while I was Queen, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in diplomacy anymore. It is very discouraging”. *Padme sighed*

“How is that Jedi, Anakin? Have you heard?”

“Oh Sola, not much”, Padme’s voice sounded tired; “He and Obi-wan are still with the attachments in the Outer Rim Sieges. Last I heard he is still alive, but who knows now?”

“I hate war. It is so hard to answer the girls’ questions, because I do not know the answers myself”

“War is truly terrible, Sola, and it is so pointless. So many have died, a new casualty report came in two days ago. Four more Jedi have died, and whole platoons of clones. And
don’t mention civilians to me, I cried when I saw the numbers!”

Ryoo stopped the playback. Anakin had climbed into his father’s lap. Leia had tears in her eyes; memories that wouldn’t leave had resurfaced again.

“The Clone Wars destroyed a great many things” said Han. Ryoo nodded and continued.

“When the news that Coruscant itself was under attack, the entire Republic was horrified, how could have this have happened? And when everyone found out the Chancellor had been captured! You can imagine the turmoil, fear and talk that resulted. Not to worry, Skywalker and Kenobi, the “Heroes of the War” were on their way. Anakin had been labeled as the “Hero with no Fear” and it seemed that he and Kenobi could not be killed. And once again they came through, rescuing the chancellor, killing on of the main leaders of the CIS in the process. And if you look at this footage of what Anakin landed, you’ll see why he was considered one of the greatest pilots in history.”

Ryoo loaded another disk into the projector and the image began to play. A gigantic fireball appeared, flanked by small ships spraying fire suppressant and water on the flames. The kids gasped. A newscaster was heard explaining that this ship was the one with the chancellor and his rescuers aboard. The remains of a space frigate could be seen now, a ship that wasn’t meant to land, especially not under these conditions. The ship took out a tower and some other structures as it crashed onto the runway and gradually slowed to a stop. Now emergency rescue crews were shown cutting through the rest of the armor to reach the ship’s remaining passengers. The clip ended, and everyone looked at each other.

“Wow, that was totally awesome!” exclaimed Jaina, the first to speak.

Han grinned, “He’s got me beat”. Chewie chuffed in agreement.

“That was really amazing! No wonder he was such a hero to everyone,” said Jacen.

“You certainly got your piloting skills from him” said Leia to Luke; he smiled and replied “and you certainly inherited Padme’s diplomatic skills”.

Leia nodded quietly. The others finished exclaiming and turned to Ryoo again.

“We do not know much of what happened between Anakin and Padme, but Kenobi and Skywalker were allowed to remain on Coruscant for a time. Padme told us that Anakin had been assigned to the Jedi Council by Palpatine as his personal representative. Padme did not sound too happy when she told my mother this. Obi-wan was assigned to the search for the droid general of the CIS. He found him on Utapau, and engaged him. Kenobi came out the victor, and Padme told us she and some of her fellow senators were going to the Chancellor’s office to ask him to step down. By now the Chancellor had been in office for far longer than he was supposed to be. The chancellor refused. The next news that came from Coruscant was that the Jedi had tried to assassinate Palpatine and now the Jedi were all declared enemies of the Republic, and that Palpatine had declared himself Emperor; having turned the Republic into the first Galactic Empire”.

“And that is how all the Jedi died”, said Jaina sadly, “they were killed by the clones by order of the emperor.”

“Yes,” said Ryoo, “My grandparents, mother, and sister and I were worried frantic. We couldn’t contact Padme at all. And then there was Anakin and Obi-wan, our Jedi friends, now declared enemies. The news wasn’t good and we had no way of knowing the truth anymore.” Ryoo paused and took a sip of her water. Everyone in the room waited more or less impatiently. She had them interested. “Then, less than a week later, Bail Organa arrived with Padme. She was dead, and obviously very pregnant. I remember crying a lot. Both Pooja and I did. Our Aunt dead? How could that happen? There was an elaborate state funeral a week later. Thousands lined the streets of Theed City, and not one eye was dry. She was probably the most beloved public figure Naboo has ever had. And just think! She was only 28, how young to die. Queen Apailana respected Padme’s privacy and did not allow any looking into her death or why she was pregnant.”

“Now”, continued Ryoo, “all this is what my grandmother told Sola, my mother just before her death, and what my mother in turn told Pooja and I when the Empire was no longer a threat to your safety. Bail told Ruwee that Padme’s child had not died, and that he was adopting it for safety reasons. He told her that Padme had named the child Leia, and that he and his wife would care for the girl like she was their own, because that is what they would consider her, and that was what she would consider herself. Bail charged my grandmother to never tell anyone, because if she did the little girl’s life would be put at risk, and so my grandmother promised”.

“Was your grandmother still alive when the Empire fell?” asked Mara.

“No, she died 15 years into the Empire and my grandfather died a year and an half after she did” answered Ryoo.

“Were there big parties on Naboo when the Emperor died?” asked Anakin.

“Yes, there were”, answered Ryoo, “when giving this story to me and my sister, my mother told us how she had been so excited that Leia had done all she’d done, and how she, (my mother), wondered about the unlikely hero of the rebellion, this Luke Skywalker. Skywalker isn’t a very common name, you know, and so she wondered, as I sometimes did, if you and Anakin were somehow related. The people on Naboo were mostly sympathetic with the rebellion, and there were ways to get news. It was not long after the battle of Endor that news reached us that Luke, the rebellion’s hero, was Princess Leia’s brother. With that information, Sola searched information records and found the record of Padme’s marriage to Anakin Skywalker; now she knew who the father was for certain, and she also knew that the children were legitimate. The only thing I do not know is how or why Padme died. I have heard the story of Anakin becoming Darth Vader, and though it is hard to believe that the Jedi I saw would do the horrible things he did, I have to believe it, since I doubt you’d lie about this sort of thing.”

“That is not something anyone would lie about” acknowledged Luke.

“And that is my story, your story really,” said Ryoo. Leia stood up and gave Ryoo a hug.

“Hello, cousin” said Leia tears in her eyes. “I believe you, and thank you for bringing our story to us.” Ryoo blinked back tears and smiled.

“You’ve done such a wonderful job by your kids and the galaxy, Leia, Padme would be so proud of you.”


After lunch, most of the group made their way out to Ryoo’s ship at her invitation. Jaina was excited, and couldn’t wait to go over every inch of the pretty cruiser. Ryoo showed them around the ship, and then when they were all together in the common room, as she called it, she disappeared for a moment and came back with several packages.

“First for Jacen, the animal lover”, she said with a grin. Jacen grinned back and removed the light packaging to find a clear cage containing a small brown egg.

“Neat! What is it?” he asked with a big grin on his face.

“A duck egg” answered Ryoo, “the Nubian ducks can be friendly pets, it will consider you its parent, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it”. She then turned to Jaina and handed her a small box. Jaina opened it to find a string of light blue pearls.

“Oh, they are pretty, thank you Cousin Ryoo!” exclaimed Jaina.

“Something to wear to those important functions”, said Ryoo to her. “And for Anakin,” Ryoo handed Anakin a package. He undid the wrapping to find a collection of difficult holopuzzles. “I heard you are a problem solver, so here is some more to solve”.

“Thank you”, grinned Anakin.

“And, for the not so newlyweds,” said Ryoo with a huge smile on her face, “a late wedding present” as she handed a package to Luke and a package and small box to Mara. Mara opened the small box first to find a beautiful strand of light pink pearls.

“These are gorgeous Ryoo, thank you,” said Mara, as Luke helped put them on. She unwrapped the second package to find a beautifully framed holo of Ryoo and Pooja and their families. “All my new relatives”, she said with a grin.

“Yes, indeed,” answered Ryoo. Luke opened his package to find a nice formal suit. He just laughed and said thank you to Ryoo. Mara laughed with him, something she’d gotten good at since their marriage.

“And now for the best daughter Padme could have hoped for and the insanely lucky guy who married her” said Ryoo, turning to Leia and Han. Everyone laughed as she handed Leia and Han their gifts. Han unwrapped a new chrono, fancy with nice trim. Leia unwrapped two framed pictures, one the same as Mara’s, the other a picture of her mother, Padme, dressed in a beautiful gown.

“She was going off to the senate, and the Queen held a ball for her. That was how she looked 4 years before she died.”

Leia blinked back tears and said “thank you, Ryoo, so much”. Leia looked at the picture of her mother, who smiled back at her. So young to have done all she’d done, so young to die. Han put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze, Leia managed to give him a half smile.

“And these are for you too,” said Ryoo, handing Leia a flat box. Leia opened it to find three different pairs of beautiful earrings.

“Were these hers?” asked Leia, looking up at Ryoo. Ryoo nodded.

“I thought you’d like these, I have some and Pooja has some--of her jewelry”, said Ryoo. “If you ever come to Naboo, we will load you up with stuff”, she added with a smile. Leia nodded. The group stayed in the ship for a little while longer, talking and showing off their gifts.


Ryoo stayed at Yavin until the day of the Solo’s departure. She observed the Jedi Academy and the Solo children in their lessons. She had many different talks with various people, many long and cousinly talks with Luke and Leia. They shared stories about their lives, and places they’d gone and their hopes for the future. Ryoo also had a reunion with R2, who appeared to remember her. She told Luke how much she and Pooja had loved playing with the droid, and Luke told her about the times R2 had saved his life. Mara told jokes about dragging him around caverns and forests. Finally it came time to go their separate ways, and the good-byes were many, and a bit teary. All were happy in their new-found relationships, and each had new things to think of and grow with. The future looked bright.

Tears of a Jedi

In one of the Jedi Temple’s countless rooms, Natalya Ooba was meditating. It was something she used to do frequently, but lately she just didn’t have the time for it anymore. Or the right mood.

She liked meditation; the freedom it gave her from the goings-on in the galaxy beyond the Temple walls. She was completely at one with herself and the Force. Let the Force flow through you, Master Yoda always said, and she could definitely feel it do so. It had always come easily and naturally for her, which had sometimes given her a feeling of guilt towards some of her less talented fellow students. Perhaps that was why she was so eager to give them counsel and guidance.

She let her mind expand through the Force, sensing everything in a wide range around her. Padawans nearby were sleeping and others, further away, were training. Several Jedi were meditating like her; their minds acknowledging her in passing. She heard the librarians discussing a rediscovered holocron; elsewhere, a baby being calmed by a Jedi nurse; and two Masters quietly debating the nature of the Force. At the edges of her senses, the eternal city of Coruscant buzzed and hummed to its own intricate melody.

She felt a familiar presence approaching. Without opening her eyes, she sensed Master Yoda enter the meditation room and slowly make his way to the vacant seat across from hers. His cane made a short thud every time it hit the floor; thud, thud, thud. His panting could clearly be heard, too. It seemed to be getting worse, Natalya thought. His age must be catching up with him.

She heard how Yoda tried to climb onto the seat and had trouble doing so. Unlike the one in his own private quarters, this seat was almost as high as Yoda himself. Natalya knew better than to offer help, but she did wonder for a brief moment why he didn’t just do it the easy way and use the Force. She already knew his answer, though – “because it is easy”.

Eventually he settled down and started to meditate.

They sat there together, enjoying the silence, the Force, and each other’s company. His glowing presence was comforting and reassuring to Natalya. His ancient mind touched hers, and they exchanged some minor thoughts. Memories of times past and experiences shared. The time when she was an apprentice. His teachings, and her understanding of them.

That last agonised look in her padawan’s eyes.

She opened her eyes and let out a sigh.

“Master, it’s so hard! I keep thinking of him. Those final moments. They torment me.”

Yoda looked at her. It was difficult to read his emotions.

“I know what you have taught me about death, and about the Dark Side, but it is so hard now that I have faced them. So different.”

“Yes,” the old Jedi said, “easy to learn, it is, when sitting in a safe room you are. But when in real life, easy it is not.”

“I knew that the Dark Side is evil and seductive, but I had never realised just how much so. I was caught off guard - by the depth of his anger and hatred. I never thought for an instant he’d do something like this.”

Yoda nodded. “Nor the Council. Surprised, we were. Upset. But done it is. Over. Move on, you must.”

“But it’s so hard,” Natalya said again.

“Easy being a Jedi, it is not. Warned you, I did.”



Yes, he had warned her. In fact, it had been the first time she met the charismatic old Master. Her mind wandered back to that day.

Being probably three standard years old, she had been crying on her bed after finding out she would never see her parents again. Teachers trying to comfort her had come and gone. She had not wanted to be comforted; she had wanted to see her parents. So what if she hardly remembered them?

Then Master Yoda had entered. Natalya had looked up for a brief moment, tears streaming down her cheeks, and what she had seen was an old, wrinkled creature, barely taller than she was, slowly but deliberately walking past the sliding doors. For some strange reason he had reminded her of an overgrown toad. Using his cane to lean on, he hadn’t looked like a great Jedi Master, but rather like a grandfather of sorts. A little green grandfather. She had decided not to stop crying because of him.

Contrary to the others, Master Yoda had sat down in a chair across the room and had remained there, waiting. He had waited for over a standard hour, until finally she had had enough.

“Aren’t you going to say I should stop crying?” she had asked, angrily.

“No,” the wise old Master had replied.

“Then why are you here?”

“To talk, I have come. When ready you are.”

She had smiled, her crying ceased for the moment.

“You talk funny.”

He had returned the smile, lovingly. Slowly he had come to her bedside. From the folds of his robes he had taken a handkerchief to wipe her eyes with, which she had taken, reluctantly but gratefully.

“Yoda, my name is.”

She had nodded, and then realised that he was waiting for a reply.

“Natalya,” she had spoken softly.

“Good,” he had replied, suddenly making ready to leave. “Return to your class, you will, then?”

“Okay.”

“Talk, we shall. Later.”

With that, the Jedi Master had departed, leaving her dumbfounded. Who was that strange creature?

She smiled to herself at the thought. The Grand Master of the Jedi Order had a way with people.

Later that day, after her classes had ended, he had returned to talk with her. She had calmed down, but still had many questions. After some idle chatter, he had gotten to the heart of her concerns.

“Your parents; see them you can not.”

“But Master, why not?”

The short but powerful Jedi had looked at her with a look she hadn’t recognised.

“Know you what a duck is, Natalya?”

She had nodded.

“Like a duck, you are. Learn to swim, you must.”

“And my parents?”

“Follow you, they should not. For swim, they can not. If follow you, they do - drown, they will. And you, too.” Yoda had sighed, closing his eyes. “The life of a Jedi, hard it is. Difficult. Not without dangers. But the best life there is.”

“Why is that?”

His eyes had opened again and focused on hers. “By letting go of them, help many more, you can. If the will of the Force it is.”



If the will of the Force it is… Natalya wondered what the will of the Force really was. Did it want her padawan to turn to the Dark Side? Did it want her to face him? Did the Force even have a will? Was it perhaps just some random pattern? To test her; to torment her?

“Yes, you did warn me, Master. But I couldn’t make such a decision at that age, could I? To become a Jedi – I had no idea what it would mean. That this would happen.”

She regretted the harshness of her words, but they had been spoken now. Too late to take them back.

Yoda sighed.

“Big decisions – wait for the right moment, they do not.”

“But you forced it on me!”

“Regret your decision, do you?”

Natalya started to form a reply, but realised she didn’t know what to say. Did she regret her decision? Had she rather become something else; a common girl with a common job, a common house and a common life? Or was the life of a Jedi, difficult as it was, the way for her?

“I – don’t know. This life is the only one I know. I mean, I know about how other people live, but it’s always been something that happens to others. I haven’t got a clue how to live any other way, but I think, sometimes, that it could be so much easier. Less complicated.”

Yoda nodded.

“The trials we face – large they seem. Huge. But only in your mind. Take a step back, you must. These obstacles – insignificant they are.”

“But I wouldn’t have to face them if I wasn’t a Jedi.”

“Think you that other people have no difficulties? A life of bliss and peace, they lead? Not so, Master Ooba!”

With that, Master Yoda closed his eyes and started to meditate again.

“That’s true, I guess,” Natalya said. “It just seems so impossible to handle. I mean – why did he have to do this, Master? Was it just an ‘obstacle’, a trial? Was it the will of the Force? I have difficulty believing that, to be honest. He was a good student. A potentially great Jedi. Why did he throw all that away?”

The old Master didn’t speak. He had heard her, hadn’t he? Did he expect her to figure it out herself? She decided to try.

“I know what the Jedi code teaches us. There is no emotion; there is peace. But I have seen emotions in my padawan that were real, and deep, and frightening. Anger, and hatred. Jealousy. And I don’t even know why.

“There is no passion; there is serenity. Well, I have seen passion in him; a burning fire. The calm and serene lake that was his nature had made way for wild oceans of chaos and turmoil. Dark emotions running wild. I was scared like a youngling.

“And as for there being no death: I have seen him die; I am the very person who brought about his end! How can I not mourn, or miss? How can I rejoice for him, now that he has become one with the Force? I – I can’t. I just can’t.”

She didn’t know what more to say. All the things she had learned seemed so far away from her, like the tiniest of lights in a pitch dark world. Like she had woken up from a dream, and real life was a nightmare.

“Natalya,” Yoda said, whispering, “ages have I lived. Thousands of Jedi trained. Countless mistakes made and witnessed. Follow the Force, I say. Tell you its will, it does. The Jedi way, that is.”

“To blindly follow the Force? But then what’s the point? How do we even know we’re doing the right thing?”

Yoda opened his eyes and looked into hers, worried. Wary.

“Mindful of your feelings you must be, Master Ooba.”

“I’m sorry, Master. I guess I haven’t come to terms with all that has transpired yet. I keep thinking of how things could have been different. Of how I could’ve prevented his fall. But I can’t figure it out.”



Her padawan had been a young and eager Chiss called Rhigo. His interests in the lore of the Jedi and the nature of the Force were extensive, but sadly his skills were lacking. He was more of a philosopher than an active Force user. And fine with that.

Natalya had always felt close to Rhigo, and it had come as a complete surprise when he had suddenly turned against her. It had happened on their first mission together on Alderaan; a simple border dispute.

On the last day before their return to Coruscant, he had confronted her.

“You’ve never wanted me, did you?”

He had entered her quarters without her noticing, standing just a few steps away from her. He had had an angry look on his face, his red eyes burning. She had been overwhelmed by his feelings of hurt and fury.

“Please don’t sneak up on people like that,” Jomm Bibla had said, getting up. He was a handsome Jedi Knight of barely two years younger than her, whom she had known since he had come to seek her counsel several years before. They had met him upon arriving and had spent several evenings with him.

“Never wanted you?” Natalya had also gotten up from the bench she and Jomm had been sitting on. Rhigo had looked so frightening to her. “I had specifically asked the Council for you to be my padawan!”

“It’s not that and you know it,” Rhigo had whispered. His hair had been all messy; his braid undone. Sweat had tainted the edges of his tunic. “You’ve never wanted me. Not the way I’ve wanted you.”

“What?”

Rhigo had switched on his blue lightsabre, its glow illuminating the dark room. Natalya had started crying.

“What are you doing,” Jomm had said, “turn that off. You don’t want to –”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Rhigo had turned to him, pointing his sabre to Jomm’s throat. “You, of all people!”

“Rhigo,” Natalya had screamed, tears flowing freely now. “Don’t do this!”

He hadn’t taken his eyes off of Jomm. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. The way you two act. Those pathetic late night ‘conversations’. Don’t take me for a fool; I know very well what’s going on!”

“Rhigo,” Jomm had ventured uneasily, “I can assure you; nothing is going on!”

“Enough!”

Rhigo had turned his eyes towards Natalya. She had seen how he had fought his tears back. Jomm had seized the opportunity; grabbing his sabre and igniting it.

And very soon after had had his head cut off.

The rest was like a dream to Natalya; a collage of images and feelings. She had screamed, Rhigo had screamed; they had fought. Eventually her superior skills had won from his raw hatred.

She hadn’t meant to kill him, but he had kept on attacking her. Hurting her, both physically and mentally. She had had no choice. It had been the only way. But she had regretted it ever since.



“How did it come to this, Master?” Natalya was crying softly. Reliving those moments was hard, but she knew it was the best thing to do. Trembling, she looked down at her left hand. Its scars were starting to heal. It made her feel even guiltier. All physical evidence of the events was fading.

“A dark Jedi, Rhigo met on Alderaan. Stirred up his jealousy, she did. Told him lies about you. Infuriated him.” Yoda looked at her, saddened.

“I know.”

The Council had told her about this woman, and how after these events she had been confronted by a young Master called Mace Windu. She was no longer a threat to anyone.

“Loved you, he did.”

“How could I have known,” Natalya replied. “No – how could I not have known! It was so obvious!”

“Foresee this, you could not have. For now, one question remains,” Yoda said, getting ready to leave.

“What is that, Master?”

Natalya watched him climb down from his seat awkwardly. Some other time she might have laughed, but it didn’t look nearly as funny through tear-clouded eyes.

He moved towards the doors; thud, thud, thud. Then the old Jedi Master paused, and without looking back, said: “What decision you will make. A Jedi, will you be?”

As Yoda left the chamber, Natalya remained quiet. Contemplating.

A Jedi, will you be?

Just the one decision.

Keep being a Jedi, living the life you know and love. Get to terms with all that has transpired and become a better person.

Or leave the Order to become someone else. To avoid the past. A simpler life.

Move on, or move away.

A Jedi, will you be?

He made it sound so easy, but it wasn’t! There was a lot more to it than that! But then again, it was a start. Big problems are best solved piece by piece. Once she had made this decision, her path might be clearer.

A Jedi…

In one of the Jedi Temple’s countless rooms, Natalya Ooba started crying again. Tears of pain, of loss, of joy.

She smiled. She had made her decision.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes…”

A Brief Reminder

Howdy, folks.

I've read through all of the fic here, and I've noticed that no one is taking the time to actually provide any criticism, which I believe is one of the major points of this little endeavor. We can't become better if no one will say what's wrong with a story. I plan to offer detailed suggestion to all stories, aside from an initial comment or two. I suggest everyone do the same.

Don't just say that a story was 'good' or that you 'liked it', offer a way to improve it, and specifically say what was wrong or didn't seem right. I think it would be best to rewrite all of the stories after the contest and see what we've all learned, we can't do that if you're all going to be a bunch of lazy softies. Some of the fics have major problems, and none are perfect, so don't pretend they are. Say something constructive, damn it.

I'm still roughlly in the middle of my story, but when it is finshed, horrible as it may be, I expect you to rip it apart and try your best to improve it. Don't worry about hurting anyone's feelings, we're all friends here and we all want to learn. If anyone shafted me with a 'It was good' statement I'd be mighty pissed off.

I want everyone to go back and tell Leialookalike that nothing happens in her story, tell Aurin that he has created a cliched Mary Sue, tell Diviner that the word 'goop' it out of place in a dark, gritty noir setting, tell Oboe to make some more conflict, and tell Hansgirl to make her own damn dialogue. Tell everyone to stop making obligatory duck references, and to fold it into the story. I don't care what you had for dinner.

Cordially,
Vicomte

Lost Cargo

“Chewie! It’s an Imperial ship! We gotta get outta here! Plot a course quick – just get us outta here!”

“Rrrroowwrr rrroorrwrrorr!”

“Ok, ok, I’ll drop the shipment. You get us back online. Quick! We don’t have any time to lose. This stuff is hot and we don’t want to be sitting ducks!”

“Rowwrrowrr.”

As Chewbacca worked as quickly as he could to repair the hyper drive on the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo dumped the cargo they were transporting. They were facing being boarded by Imperials and carrying illegal goods was not a smart thing to do at this particular juncture.

“Rrrwworr,” Chewie roared.

“Ok! Hit it!”

Without a second to spare, the Millennium Falcon shot into hyperspace, leaving not only the Imperial ship in its wake, but also, unfortunately, the sizeable shipment belonging to Jabba the Hut. Jabba, one of the most ruthless beings known, who takes pleasure in torturing sentient and non-sentient beings alike and who spends countless hours coming up with new and inventive ways of doing so.

“Chewie, we’ll make a couple of jumps, lose ‘em, and then double back and pick the shipment back up. It’s brilliant! They’ll never think of it and they’ll never find us. I know we’ll use a lot of fuel doing it, but we’ll make it up with completing the shipment.”

“Rrwwr. Rrroooorr.”

“It’s me. What could go wrong? Trust me!”

“Rrr.”

Three jumps later, Han Solo and Chewbacca return to Tatooine space only to find their worst nightmare facing them. The Imperials are still there.

“Rrrwoooorrrr!”

“I know! I know! Ok, fly casual. They won’t realize it’s us.”

Or would they? As the Millennium Falcon’s communication system began letting them know that the Imperials were hailing them, Han had a sinking feeling overcome him.

“Unidentified ship, prepare to be boarded for a health inspection. Any attempt to resist or evade will be met with lethal force as dictated by edict of the Emperor.”

Han replied, “We’re all ok here. No health inspection required. Thank you for your concern…How are you?”

“Unidentified ship, armed health inspectors are boarding now. Prepare to receive them.”

“Understood,” said Han. “Chewie, get those ‘health docs’ we ‘obtained’ last week, quick! Looks like we need ‘em.”

Half an hour later, the Imperial health inspector handed Han’s forged “health documents” back to him, the plastic hardly set, yet effective.

“You can go about your business, Mr. Solo. Watch out for pirates and smugglers. They’re thick in this part of space.”

“Gee, thanks, Sir. I will,” replied Han.

With that, the Imperials left and Han breathed a sigh of relief.

“Chewie, let’s go see if our shipment’s still there. It better be or it’ll be my neck.”

Han and Chewbacca veered the Falcon back toward where they had jettisoned what they knew to be illegal goods. Although, the Falcon had been equipped with smuggling compartments ideal for concealing such illegal cargo normally, this particular shipment was so sizeable, it was not possible to compress the load into the compartments, thus leaving him no choice but to take his chances and drop the shipment into space when faced with the prospect of being boarded by the Imperials. He hadn’t intended to do so initially, but when Chewbacca informed him that the hyper drive system was temporarily offline, he needed to make a split-decision.

“Any sign of it, Chewie?” asked Han desperately.

“Rrowrr rrwworrrr.”

“I was afraid of this. Either those Imperials picked it up or someone else did. We have no choice now but to get back to Mos Eisley, since we used most of our fuel making those jumps. Damn! Ok, here’s the plan. We’ll get to the cantina, scope out another job and pay Jabba back his money. Easy. Right?”

“Rrrrowr. Rrrrowwr?”

“I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go.”

The Falcon turned around and headed toward the planet, Tatooine as Han hailed Mos Eisley Space Port Authority.

“Port Authority, this is the Millennium Falcon requesting permission to land.”

“Permission granted to land at docking bay 94.”

“94. Thank you. Falcon out.”

As the Falcon landed and Han and Chewie disembarked, Han had a nasty feeling he was being watched.

“Chewie, let’s be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Rrrowwn.”

They began making their way through the bustling streets of Mos Eisley space port toward the cantina, a favorite hang-out of theirs. On the streets were many vendors selling their wares. Most were wary of approaching a pirate such as Han. One particularly bold individual, however, stepped right up to him and offered to sell him his fine Nubian Ducks, to which Han replied, “Now what in the Nine Corellian Hells would I want with ducks? I don’t have time for this!” Han stormed off toward the cantina with Chewbacca right behind him, chuckling.

They finally made their way to the cantina and found their favorite table in the corner empty. Han sat down, while Chewie went over to the bar to scope out a potential job.

Within two standard hours an old man and a boy came into the cantina. They really looked out of place, especially with their droids following them. Didn’t they know droids weren’t allowed in here? What were they thinking?