Thanks to Taraum for continuing her editing job for this second story book!
Please note this is ten years after "Life after order 66."
Looking back, I never thought I would be here. I was raised to be a Jedi. But the more I think about it, even if I could, I wouldn't change my life now even for the title of Master.
That night thirteen years ago changed not only my life but also everyone else's. Order 66 was genocide for the Force-sensitives. I had lost most of my friends, my childhood teachers, and my mentors…including the most important teacher in my life, my Master. I knew he was still alive. Every now and then, I would wake up from a nightmare of Anakin's screaming in pain. Often, it would make me wish for his death, just to relieve him of whatever was causing him such pain.
I loved my Master, but I never reached out for him. How could I, after what he had done? I would not endanger my family. I couldn't trust a man who had betrayed everything for an unknown reason. I pray that whatever he was after was worth it.
Through all the hard times, I had managed to learn so much over the past taught me how to be a soldier, teaching me things the Temple would have frown on. But they had kept me alive throughout the years. Above all else, Rex taught me how to love, even in the early days of our romance when he was so patient with me.
The second most important thing I had learned was the value of family from a peach Twi'lek who had taken me into her family and under her wing. Suu had been more than happy to help out the man who had saved her family. Her husband, Cut, was a runaway trooper, like Rex had become. I went from being a Jedi Knight to being a housewife and nanny. It wasn't long before I learned that I had missed my shot and was carrying Rex's child. During my pregnancy, we had found more of our fallen family. Aayla and Bly had survived and were brought home to us.
During my pregnancy with Plo, Aayla and Bly had gone to the Rebel base on Tattooine to inspect the new facility and to make sure the former troopers were taking good care of themselves. During their first visit to the base, Aayla and Bly had found Fives, who had been abused and broken while in prison for not following orders. It took months to get him back to the man we all remembered. Rex and I welcomed Fives into our pack with open arms before they were called off on a mission to save Neno, the first Force-sensitive child in our family.
Two more Force-sensitive children joined us shortly after, Nara and Angel. Nara was adopted by Aayla and Bly, while Angel was given to Cut and Suu, since the two had been denied a child for so long.I had been delighted to learn that one of my best friends had made it through Order 66, and Barriss joined the family, bringing Kix and Chopper with her.
Our pack grew even bigger when Aayla delivered a set of twins, and Chopper and I adopted little Hunter. Soon after, I learned I was pregnant for the second time. I also learned that Barriss was pregnant at the same time as me. During our pregnancies, Barriss and I decided that we should join our families in a co-marriage. We were sharing husbands already, and this action only brought our family closer together.
Barriss gave birth to a sweet little girl who Kix named Daisy only minutes before I gave birth to my third son, Zeke, a name chosen after a bolo player Fives and Echo had once turned out to be the first blue-eyed Mando in our household, since her eyes continued to stay blue well after her infancy had faded. Zeke had all my looks; no one could even tell he was a hybrid unless you noticed that his body language was exactly like Fives' body language. Zeke also had a way of finding trouble when Daisy wasn't around watching him.
Once the twins turned five, Aayla began working more with the Rebellion, carrying information back and forth. As much as I knew my place was with the children, I felt like I wasn't doing my part to destroy the Empire. So, as my children became less dependent on me, I joined the Rebellion. I felt it was time that I became part of the action. Rex or Fives always found a way to accompany me on my trips, and occasionally Nara or Neno would join me, since they were at that time almost old enough to begin their Padawan training.
Shaeeah, now in her twenties, remained the town's midwife. After a three-year engagement, she married Mica in the fall under the beautifully colored trees. As a wedding gift, Cut gave the new family a small part of the farm where they built their house. That way, Shaeeah would never be alone when her husband was away working for the Rebellion. Shaeeah adopted four-month-old Akuh, who was simply handed to Shaeeah by a nun from a neighboring town. Akuh's mother was a spice addict, who unfortunately never stopped using during her pregnancy. A year later, Shaeeah gave birth to a beautiful boy who Cut named Nill.
Jekk, who had just turned twenty, was happy working in the fields and enjoyed the hard labor that came along with it. But after accompanying me on a run to bring vegetables to a Rebellion base, he had come to build a strong relationship with a former trooper named Cutter…although neither was really ready for a commitment just yet.
Nara, now almost fourteen, was turning into a very beautiful woman, who, like her mother, was just as deadly as she was beautiful. She could always be found with her nose in a book. Because of her fascination with knowledge, Barriss decided to make the medical field part of her Padawan training, taking the child with her after hours to the clinic to teach her everything she knew about medicine. Nara loved ever minute of it and would often spend hours trying to explain her day to the rest of us. Thankfully, Chopper loved hearing about her day and would sit with Nara for hours so she could tell him.
Neno, almost fourteen, was a scout through and through. I often spent my afternoons taking him out to hunt dinner. Neno remained an adventurous child, always wanting to ask questions and willing to help anyone he could. He had taken on several of Jekk's personality traits, often stopping his work to help out with the children. His never-ending patience was amazing.
Angel, ten years by now, was the only Force-sensitive child who absolutely refused to use her Force abilities. Once she started school, she quit her training, wanting to be normal like Shaeeah. But she remained the most interesting child, keeping everyone on their toes.
Skylin and Elle, both now eight, turned out to not be Force-sensitive, much to everyone's relief. Being Twi'lek women already made their lives harder than we were willing to admit. Skylin begged to take ballet classes, something she excelled in. Her sister turned out to have a taste for music; Elle would play her mandolin from the time she got home from school until her bedtime.
Like his fathers, Plo was a smart child, quickly able to adapt to any situation. Even at his young age of nine, Plo was showing mental ability beyond his age group. He was a selfless child who never thought of himself first, always putting Hunter and Zeke ahead of himself to prove that his brothers were just as good as he was.
Hunter was my quiet Force-sensitive child, who we believed was very strong with the Living Force. Hunter understood things that no child really should, often asking questions that would keep me up all night wondering how such a young child could ponder such things about the world around him. Hunter enjoyed both his lightsaber classes with Aayla and his long meditation classes with Barriss. He was the only child who could meditate for long periods of time without becoming bored.
Daisy and Zeke, both several months shy of their sixth birthday, shared an odd connection. Everyone firmly believed that the two were telepathic with each another, since the two rarely spoke out loud together. They shared a unique connection; even as babies, the two never liked being away from each another, staying almost side-by-side since the first day. So, it came as no surprise when both ended up being Force-sensitive; and, to this day, both would rather communicate telepathically.
We all went to extra lengths to ensure Plo and the twins weren't left out during Force-training lessons. Often Fives and Bly would take the three out for hide-and-go-seek while their siblings went through their lessons. Other times, we would allow the children to go through the meditation practices and kata lessons, which would help them with self defense, regardless of their Force sensitivity.
Akuh, four months, was a little purple Twi'lek who Shaeeah and Mica adopted. Everyone who saw him instantly fell in love with him. Mica cancelled his next run to rush home and meet their first child, and the couple moved back into the house as the young couple helped the newborn through his withdrawal phase. Afterwards, the only symptom that remained was his weak immune system; for this reason, we had been given permission to homeschool him. Suu would sit her grandson down in the afternoon as I dragged the little children out to the fields to play games.
My sweet little Ecko, was the first daughter I had…she lived only a short month before she fell asleep and never woke back up. It was one of the worst experiences I had ever faced, but, always faithful, Suu sat with Barriss, the boys, and I as we worked our way through the grieving process.
Little Nill was Shaeeah's happy three-year-old, a very smart Twi'lek who every afternoon would crawl onto Chopper's lap for cuddles instead of his nap because he knew Chopper couldn't say no to him.
My second daughter, Penny, was born two short years ago. Penny was, oddly, born with very light hair and neither lekku nor montrals; but her attitude was all Togruta. She was her daddies' little girl though; it didn't matter which father, she would go to any of them, flash a smile, and get whatever her little heart desired. Kix and Fives were the worst; they couldn't say no to her, although I'm sure they would say the same thing about me.
Little Bug, nicknamed for his large eyes, had just turned four months. He had all his mother's looks but often displayed characteristics we all believed to be Kix's, although Fives would claim the child was his. That part never mattered. The relationship between Barriss and me had grown so strong that neither of us minded that Fives and Kix had their own little fire going on, since both of us often got to enjoy the show or even be a part of it. Especially during Barriss' pregnancy, we often shared the bed, as well as husbands, because of her increased libido.
Chopper's stroke over two years ago had left him partially paralyzed on his left side, but with the boys' help, Chopper had learned quickly how to overcome his new disability, especially since the children were always willing to help him. It was amazing how the family drew together to ensure everything about Chopper was taken care of. Every minute of the day, someone was with him to prevent his falling into depression. With Plo and Hunter, both would run home from school every day to sit with buir and tell him stories. Chopper never regained his speech back, but he regained the use of his left hand. The children forced him to color, paint, or play with clay as therapy to strengthen his hand. Jekk brought home several datapads from the library and sat with Chopper for hours, teaching him and the little ones to read and make sign language so they could talk with Chopper.
Once Penny got older, the call to join the Rebellion grew louder. I'd had several talks with Aayla about joining her on her travels. It was time to start Neno's training, and we planned to let him earn his crystal through an akul hunt that he was looking forward to very much.