Transcending Fate
Author: BulletinWords
Summary: Starts at the end of Star Wars the Clone Wars Season 4 Episode 14, and follows Lux as he creates his revolution to hopefully bring Ahsoka to Onderon.
Please note: These characters, planets, and some situations are not mine.
Chapter 1
Their hands met on opposite sides of the glass, fingers aligned as if to grasp their counterpart. Lux watched as Ahsoka's pupils swelled inside her irises, feeling his do the same. Her fingernails peaked out just above her skin while his remained encased in his glove. Dirt fell freely off their soiled faces, and for an ephemeral moment the glass dissolved and their hands met, etching their promise into the depths of their hearts – the war failing to reach the ship as this platonic future fell apart; the glass reformed and transferred them back into their distorted reality. The words from their conversation slowly wilted into the corners of his mind as the escape pod detached from the ship as if the Republic was pulling Ahsoka to safety while the Separatists were capturing their prisoner, leaving the galaxy to spin ceaselessly as if the war was nonexistent and doves still flew through the streets of Coruscant. The reddish-brown crafts floated aimlessly through space for a few minutes while Lux and Ahsoka gazed into the endless universe surrounding them. Ahsoka's ship jumped to hyperspace, slipping out of the void and into Republic space once again while Lux continued to watch the stars – a vast ocean filled with planets, some of which now lay in ruins while others played with them like chess pieces in a game where all the pawns are lost and only the strong pieces remain, making rooks and bishops into starships while the queen moved her fleets across the board. He was an enemy to the Republic and a traitor to the Separatists, leaving him as one of the sixty-four black and white squares on a cracking chessboard which both sides trample over and refuse to mend after a thousand stalemates.
He made the jump to hyperspace and felt as the galaxy transcended into a bluish-white haze, molding itself around his ship. Knowing he had plenty of time before he arrived, he let his mind romp through the infinite possibilities of how his conversation with Ahsoka could have been better. He regretted kissing her the way he did, but he did not regret the kiss itself. Her lips, unblemished in their innocent existence, poured into his, locking his heart to her, and afterwards her cheeks exploded into an irresistible blush as he felt his do the same. He may not understand what love is, but that does not stop him from wondering if they could have it. She was his last friend; the only person who would trust him with their life, and he left her, leaving him powerless in a power-driven galaxy.
Though he could continue to imagine their future forever, his reason for leaving her was drawing ever closer – Onderon: his home world and vessel to strike back at Dooku. First, he took his passport and changed the information and picture to not draw Dooku's attention; he would need that later, but now Dooku could kill his rebellion before its conception. As Onderon grew closer he began planning to overthrow the Separatist puppet controlling the throne, knowing the mindless droids would be invincible without public support. He would also need help from the Republic and the Jedi Council at some point, but first he had to prove his rebellion could hold itself together. Finding people to fight would also pose a challenge as he has not visited the planet in over five years. For now, however, he existed in a timeless passage, watching stars and planets slipped past him as his destination unknowingly waited for his ship's arrival.
The galaxy rushed back into existence, leaving its blue robes to wilt into the stars. Onderon rose into the cockpit window, and Lux used the stolen Separatist codes to sneak past the blockade – ten cruisers and one command ship all stationary as if waiting an invasion from the Republic yet remaining completely oblivious to the rebel slipping past its walls. Each ship housed identical cities – lifeless and dominated by hallways and elevators, leaving civilization behind on the construction docks. As he descended closer to the planet, he watched the storm clouds roll across the jungles – lighting exploding out of the clouds as if to penetrate the heart of the jungle – and moved towards the Iziz spaceport on the other side of Onderon. His ship winnowed through the white cotton-ball clouds floating in the pure-blue sky and landed inside the spaceport in Iziz. Despite being trapped in an enemy spaceport, he knew how to disguise himself well enough with the items in the escape pod to get past the customs droids. He took a pure-black cloak out of the wardrobe on the wall opposite to the pilot's seat and used the hood to conceal his face, taking the falsified passport he made during his hyperspace trip on his way out of the ship. Once he was past the customs droids he exited the spaceport and entered the market plaza – a kaleidoscopic mixture of aromas sifting off the fruits and vegetables lining the street and into the breezy air. He had heard of a local revolutionary who has been waging war against the Separatist occupation since the beginning. His mother tried to reason the small group of revolutionaries a few years ago, but the talks collapsed after an explosion almost killed the puppet king. Knowing the cantina would be an ideal place to start, Lux walked across the city and began his search.
The cantina – a fantastic collage of people milling around bar tables and dance floors – was the oasis in the ruined part of the city. People from across Iziz gathered for drinks and dances while the strobe lights exploded across the floor. Time became nonexistent while the bar served its infinite amount of liquor bottles to dancers, reflecting the patrons in a distorted mirror. Lux sifted through the crowds until he located Saw Gerrera in the corner farthest from the door. There were three other people seated at his table – his sister and two commanders. Unknown to Lux, Saw had amassed a large following and was already conducting small scale attacks on the Separatists. Gerrera then took Lux upstairs into the building above the cantina to begin planning a base in the jungle to train and house their small army. They opted for guerilla warfare tactics until they had the support of Republic and the Jedi Council. Their base will consist of three barracks, each of which house thirty soldiers, a command center, and two landing pads. According to Saw, the materials to build the base would be difficult to acquire, but he thinks he should be able to cash in some favors with a few of his contacts.
After Lux was done planning with Gerrera, he left the war room and went to his bunk, not knowing or caring about what time it was. The music from the club continued to vibrate beneath him as he laid his head on the flat pillow while his body shifted to fit in the cold metal bed, letting the world dissolve around him – reality sparing with his imagination until his eyelids lost their daily battle and closed, freeing him from the galaxy - as he sat on the railing adjacent to the staircase, he heard someone walking down the stairs and into the lush gardens below. He rotated his head and saw a girl - confident and at peace with herself while her stride remained unbreakable in its perfect existent. He noticed a metal tube hanging at her side, delicately sweeping the top of her leg, and wondered if she was a Jedi.
Are you a Jedi?
Yes. Why do you ask?
Before the war I was told Jedi defenders of peace and freedom.
And now?
He paused before responding. She looked like an angel with the light caressing her figure while brilliant white clouds floated freely above her. If the galaxy was not at war with itself, he would ask her out. However, the galaxy is engrossed in this war, and she was the enemy.
I don't know anymore. There's a lot of war and killing, and my friends are saying the Jedi are to blame.
I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, right?
Yes.
Look at me; I'm not so bad, am I?
She looked beautiful, and even though she was the enemy he could not help but notice how her eyes radiated an everlasting love for tomorrow as if she was the incarnation hope.
No, not bad at all.
Uhhh, well it seems boys are the same regardless of whether they are Republic or Separatist.
His heartbeat accelerated into a slightly faster velocity as she rendered him speechless, and yet there were so many questions he had for her. He let the silence dominate the breezy air for a more few breaths and then continued:
Wait. How many Separatists have you met?
What?
You think we're all the bad guys, right? But, how many of us have you met, and droids don't count.
She paused for a second, absorbing his question while letting each word of her response dissolve into a sentence before responding. He silently laughed as an infinitesimal crease formed in her forehead, breaking her stride and gaze while she thought.
Well other than military officers like Grievous and Ventriss none. You and your mother are the first.
Well, look at me; am I so bad?
She paused again as his heart accelerated into an indescribable velocity. She studied him, and he could not stop a small blush from appearing on his cheeks.
No, not bad at all.
They laughed softly as the breeze moved them to sit under the white pergola in the center of the gardens. The sunlight bounced around between the honeycomb patterns while they sat in silence, absorbing a tranquility they both had not felt since the start of the war. She leaned in slightly as if she was cold, so he placed his palm on her right shoulder and let his arm touch her smooth, silky, sinless back. She turned her head and stared up at him, blushing. His lips moved towards hers, and as they closed together he felt
LUX GET UP NOW! WE HAVE A SUPPLY RUN TO MAKE IN TEN MINUTES!
