Five Years Later one year before Hypori
Chapter One: Reunion
"Ezzy concentrate on your blade and my movements then you'll be able to master using one blade." River gently instructed her thirteen year old apprentice.
Ezzy was five and a half feet tall with Caribbean blue eyes and golden hair that went a little past her shoulder's. She had been nine when River took her under her wing as her apprentice and they had formed a bond that was almost like mother and daughter. Which River no longer had a void in her know that she had Ezzy for an apprentice.
River was now twenty-eight on the verge of twenty-nine with a few major battles won under her command with a brilliant apprentice that was a typical thirteen year old. She hadn't seen her old master in five years and had pushed him out of her mind and figured he did the same about her. It really didn't bother her because she was too busy to think back on the past and had to concentrate on the future.
"Yes master I am trying," came Ezzy's soft voice.
"That I can sense my padawan for you are strong with your blade, even my old master would agree with me for your age. Your skill surpass' that of most thirteen year old Jedi padawans with a saber." she said giving her the sign with her eyes to stop.
She deactivated her blue saber and smiled in gratefulness at her master for her encouragement. River got down to eye level with her student looking intently into them for she could see she had a burning question.
"What is your question Ezzy?"
"Who was your master and what was he like?"
River sat down in on the window ledge guiding Ezzy to stand in front of her, and sighed deeply as past memories and experiences came flooding back to her. Ezzy never asked before and she never worried about telling her the stuff below the surface, but now that she was asking there was no reason not to tell her.
"You've heard of him before but you've never seen him... My old master was General Grievous." she said as she watched her apprentices eyes grow large.
"Was he mean to you?"
"Hardly... if you knew what he has gone through you would understand our connection. I could relate to his feelings once I understood him better and we got along most of the time. I never made him mad unless I truly deserved it."
"You made your master mad at you?" Ezzy said in shock that her master had ever been nothing but a saint.
"Yes I did, just like when you get into trouble, and I never give you a improper punishment. Unlike some people I know," she said talking about Count Dooku. Fortunately the statement went over Ezzy's head. "Now skedaddle because I have some things I need to attend to, like reporting to the Count."
"I don't like him," said Ezzy as she walked out of the room.
Neither do I Ezzy, neither do I. She thought to herself as she walked through the halls of The Legacy to the little room that contained a transmitter/receiver much like the room she had been in when she found out she was no longer a apprentice.
She walked into the room and pushed a few buttons and a holo-image of Dooku appeared. She bowed humbly in respect and he to her, for she had grown in his favor ever since she became a commander.
"Ahh just the person I wanted to see... Now your next mission requires the help of an old friend of yours. You are to go to the Planet Endor and learn what you can from the Ewoks about the Republic defenses and what the Ewoks supply them with and it will be a long mission so your going to be their for a time and your apprentice will have to stay with your old friend and you will also report to him often with what you find out. Understood?" he said with his smug air.
"Yes understood but who is the old friend?"
"You'll find out this evening because he's coming aboard The Legacy and he will fill you in with the rest. Also you are to go to Nee'port first," he said.
They exchanged farewell pleasantries and she pushed a button and he was gone to leave her to go and get herself and Ezzy more presentable for she was grimy from her lesson with Ezzy. And she had five hours to prepare.
She told a droid to go tell her apprentice to take a shower and put a fresh outfit on preferably her warrior dress that was in the liking of her own, then she made her way to her large quarters. She walked into a room painted in dark soothing colors with a large bed decorated the same. There was a vanity with a large mirror on the wall by the bathroom, the wall by the closet had two cases on it side by side much like the ones back at her home on Kalee.
The largest one had her Kaleesh warrior dress in it with her daggers and swords minus her cloak. The smaller one held Grievous' swords with the holo-image of them on their wedding day switched on she still wore her bone ring on her ring finger. Next to the cases there was a shelf with props on them that held multiple lightsabers of the Jedi Knights and Masters she killed in the past five years which was a collection that even her husband would be proud of.
She pulled the shades over the large window that stretched the length of her room and headed for the shower. She came back out refreshed and smelling of some exotic spice she had no idea what it was it just made her skin soft. She changed into a navy blue skirt and a white peasant top with short gathered sleeves with navy blue embroidery. She let her long curly brown hair hang down like she normally did when she was going to have a visitor, then she put in her crystal stud earrings in her ears and wore her crystal necklace. Then she painted her face in the pattern she always wore.
She put her cloak on with a collection of her favorite sabers, her two double sabers included. Then she headed off to find Ezzy. She walked into Ezzy's room to hear her softly singing the song she had wrote. She smiled to herself as she watched her apprentice/daughter. When Ezzy realized that River was watching her she smiled her sweet innocent smile.
Ezzy was wearing the exact same thing as her minus the jewelry and cloak.
"We have some kind of mind connection Ezzy," said River as she bounced of the wall she was leaning against.
"No we are as close a mother and daughter and I consider you my actual birth mother," she said wrapping her arms around River.
River bent down and lightly kissed the top of the girls head and whispered: "Thank you." as tears weld up in her eyes.
"Master what's wrong?" asked Ezzy clearly showing her concern.
"Oh its just I never thought I could ever call you daughter seemings I'm not your mother by birth."
"Your are my mother because I was only four when she died and I hardly knew her and since then you filled that gap of both mother and father."
"Come on you can come with me to the bridge so that I can tell you why there's a visitor coming."
They made their way out of the room hand in hand walking to the bridge in a loving silence. Ezzy had only been to the bridge a couple of times and was ancsious to see her mother at work, she was also curious about the visitor coming and why.
When they got there they spent the other two hours that remained talking about the mission she had received and carrying out their individual task like directing the Captain and his crew, to watching with interest without saying a word. River and Ezzy were standing in the largest viewing platform staring out into space like they did at times like this when they saw the shuttle that was requesting permission to land.
River walked over to the transmitter and spoke to the pilot giving him permission to land in her hanger bay. Then she beckoned to Ezzy to follow her to the hanger to greet the "old friend" of hers. As they made their way to the hanger River's stomach was twisting and tuning into horrible knots as she ran down a list of people it could be purposely leaving out her old master. They walked into the hanger as soon as the shuttle touched down on the landing pad.
They stood in front of the hatch side by side oblivious to the person who looked out a window and saw them standing their waiting totally oblivious to his watching eyes. He walked to the top of the hatch pushed a button and the hatch started to slowly open. As he stood there waiting he ran over his preplanned greeting and if he could have smiled, it would have been so pleased for this was the day he would see her again over the period of five years.
The hatch started to open and River put her hand on Ezzy's shoulder and they both straightened up. Before River saw him she heard the clinking of his feet on the hatch and a wave of nausea rolled over her and she somewhat swayed and she felt Ezzy's hand on hers. She felt her hand tighten when he came into view.
General Grievous was walking down the plank and came to a stop towering above them just a few feet away and swept down into an elegant bow causing his cloak to wrap in front of him. She slightly relaxed at his gesture of respect as she did the same. When she came up she glanced at Ezzy whose mouth was dropped open slightly. She put her index finger under her chin and closed her mouth to save her from humiliation in front of her old master.
They stood there in silence regarding one another for a short period time. River cleared her throat and cocked her head, Ezzy just stood there eyes bulging, and Grievous well she couldn't tell what was going on inside his head because he was scanning both her and Ezzy with a blank expression in his ever watching eyes.
"And you are?" came Ezzy's innocent inquiring voice.
Both her attention and his snapped to Ezzy.
"Well at least I know were she got that from," he said turning his eyes back on her still talking to River as if she were still his apprentice. "I'm General Grievous Supreme Commander of the Separatists Droid Armies and previous master of Commander Shikura," he said tilting his head in the girl's direction.
Ezzy squeaked in amusement as his attention left her and rested fondly on her master. This deffinatley confused her, oh well another question.
"And how am I to address her?" he inquired.
"Ezzy nothing else just Ezzy," came her master reply.
"And how would you like me to address you Commander?"
She lifted her left eyebrow in annoyance and replied, "I told you five years ago that to my enemies. I was Commander Shikura but to my fellow comrades and commanders it was River just like always if you don't mind."
"No of course I don't mind River," he said playfully.
"Would you meet me in the observation deck because I need to discuss some things with my padawan before she retires."
"Of course."
She looked him in the eyes before she left with Ezzy.