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Pantorans can be Blue,
I do not own this
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Starbird: Emergence (Book I)
SW KotOR
Starbird series
Chapter One: Prologue
"The starbird (also called a phoenix in some systems) is a legendary avian creature that is thought to be immortal. Starbirds are elusive and exist mainly in legends. Very few have ever been found. Burning cycles of this creature are considered significant and symbolic. When one is discovered in the galaxy before or during a burning cycle, it is considered a sign of war and hard times ahead. When one is discovered after a burning cycle, it is considered a universal sign of hope. The legends state that a starbird never dies, and that if it seems to be gone, it actually renews itself in the heart of a supernova."
~Chronicles of the Jedi, Volume XLVI by Master Ood Bnar
Jedi Lorekeeper and Head Librarian of Ossus
Year: 2 ½ decades \Time: Unknown\ Location: Unknown\ Planet: Unknown
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, there lived a young Human girl on a rural Core planet. She had stars for eyes, wings for feet, and hair like the earth she was born from. She dreamed of seeing the galaxy one day because she had never left her home, and longed to fly and travel on a ship. Her parents had a large family and a large farm that provided income and food, and she and her brothers and sisters worked daily in the fields to support their family. She worked hard during the seasons, with only a little relief from the blistering sun, and returned home at night to rest until the next morning when she would start anew. The young girl traveled in her domain, selling the produce from her farm in the market and learning different trades from other settlers. She attended a local school, and yearned to know more about different planets and cultures. But she could not travel yet.
Many suns and many moons passed, and the young girl grew up into a young woman. She enjoyed her duties. Yet she felt lonely. She had friends who kept her company, but they did not understand how she wanted to share her life with someone, someone who was her equal. The young woman witnessed the tragic and beautiful love stories of her brothers and sisters as they met, joined, divorced, or lost their suami or istri*, and wished that she too could experience a deep love that surpassed the stars. Her mother saw how sad she was and tried to console her, but she would not be comforted. She wanted to marry for love, but many of the men she saw, though handsome, were selfish and wanted her only because of her looks.
Then one day there was a young man who wasn't quite Human. He came from a different planet in the region and had gems for eyes, sapir boughs for arms, and hair like the night sky after sunset. He traveled the stars and traded with treasures from far away, and visited the young woman's stall at the market whenever he was not busy with his own. He saw her desire to travel and see the galaxy, and courted her with gifts that he found on other planets. She loved him, and he loved her. He trusted her, and she trusted him.
After a year passed, the young man became her suami and the young woman became his istri. They bid goodbye to her family, boarded his small ship, and burned trails of fire as they left the atmosphere, ready to face the galaxy together. He observed the joy in her face as she watched the stars fly by for the first time. She observed the glee in his as he maneuvered the ship through wonderful spins and circles.
He took her to his home planet to meet his family, and then departed to continue their life together. He bought, repaired, and sold treasures that he found during their travels to support them, and she used her knowledge gained from years of shop-keeping to help him get the best prices. They disagreed on a number of things and sometimes there was barely enough credits to support them for a day or two. But they were content with the life they led. They needed no roof over their heads; the ship they traveled in was their home and provided shelter for them both.
Two years flew by at lightspeed. The young woman discovered that she was pregnant and told her husband. He was overjoyed and declared that when the time came for her to give birth, they would return to the medical center on her home planet. He was determined that she would be kept comfortable in her ninth month, as he grew up on a planet with disconnected tribes, no capital city, and no resources to help with pregnancy. He did his best to take care of his beloved while her feet slowly disappeared from view, overshadowed by her rounded stomach; she did her best to take care of him.
But even the best-prepared ships tilt sideways when sentients least expect them to: the young woman went into labor in the first week of her 8th month.
The baby had to be born immediately or else risk the deaths of both mother and child.
Year: 3994 BBY or 3998 BBE*\ Time: Unknown\ Location: Unknown\ Planet: Unknown
Elsewhere in space and time, a group of beings walked into a misty, glowing garden at dusk. Their final destination was a circular symbol embedded in the ground, surrounded by lush vines and luminescent flowers. Shapes of black, white, and gray segmented the symbol and gold swirls curled around its edge. The atmosphere was peaceful, but overshadowed by the discussion taking place.
"Are you certain? The chances of this going wrong are astronomical. I do not wish to cause more pain and bloodshed in the galaxy."
"I am. I have walked the paths between worlds, I have foreseen countless futures, and all of them lead in a similar direction. If we do not act soon, despite the risk, the very threads of reality and fate are at stake. We must choose one who will instigate both war and peace, one who will favor neither dark nor light."
"I don't know. We should think before we act. We are talking about the destiny of one sentient."
"One sentient whose actions will define the galaxy for eons to come, my daughter."
"That is what you said about the last one, Father. Yes, he was good and strong and powerful. But look at what he became—a broken wreck of a man who lost the ones he loved and lost his connection to the Force."
"A minor inconvenience, sister. The Force always returns. Must you two debate over moral dilemmas while the fate of the galaxy is at stake? I say we execute the ritual now. We have waited for decades. Gifted sentients are one-in-a-million. We should choose this one and set in motion that which has already begun!"
"Patience is a virtue, son. You would do well to listen and learn. But I agree with you. Time is slipping away. We must act quickly to save what will be lost, or else he will wipe out everything in existence and she will be free again."
"But he does not feel emotions and she does not have emotions like the one we will choose. Are you willing to unleash suffering and heartache on one sentient yet again, brother?"
"I am willing to sacrifice the destiny of one sentient to save billions and even trillions of lives. We are not taking a life, merely allowing life to take its course with a little push. Can you say the same?"
"You have no heart. I wish you could feel and have mercy on just one."
"No, I have no need. You feel enough for me. I do what must be done. That is how the balance works."
"Hush. The two of you must cease quarrelling. We must choose now or wait for years to pass. Remember—the ritual is the only way we can help. No direct interference is allowed. The few who are chosen are the sacrifices to save the many. If we do not choose, then everything we have built will fall. The cycle must not be broken."
"I do not like this. But very well—let us do what must be done to preserve the galaxy."
"You never like this."
"You are right. I never do because I feel what must be felt for both of us. The balance, remember?"
"Yes."
"Very good, my children. We seem to be in agreement. Harmony is needed for the ritual to succeed and for life to flourish. We will now begin. Step forward on the circle at your designated position. Join and alternate open palms and closed fists. Trust in the Force."
"Wait! I must look at her face once more. This sentient is innocent. She has no idea."
"She will not remain innocent, sister. Her fate will be set, but her choices will be her own."
"I know. Still."
"My daughter, comfort yourself with the thought that hers is the face of a sinner… a warrior... a savior. She will succeed despite the odds."
"I hope you are right. Continue."
"Very well. Are you ready, my son?"
"Yes. I am prepared."
"Close your eyes. See the outside from within. Begin the oath."
The group of beings joined palms and fists. Words of a long-forgotten language filled the air. Suddenly the swirls of the symbol glowed golden, and the heartbeat of the galaxy echoed around them in a constant, steady thrum. Misty tendrils of light unfurled from their feet and illuminated the entire garden. As the light grew to rival the brilliance of a star, invisible beams of energy burst through the conduits of space and time to a chosen centerpoint on the other side of the galaxy.
Year: 3994 BBY or 3998 BBE\ Time: 9:00pm GST*\ Location: Unknown ship\ Planet: Unknown
On the other side of the galaxy, muffled noises interrupted the silence of a long sleep. A pair of eyes opened wide and blinked in not-quite darkness. A lifeform inhaled and exhaled, and then muscles slack from disuse began to move.
Year: 3994 BBY or 3998 BBE\ Time: 11:55pm GST\ Location: Unknown ship\ Planet: Unknown
"Unnggghhh!" The young woman moaned. Her swollen belly heaved and her hands fisted the worn coverlet on the tiny ship's bunk. "Frack, this hurts!"
Her husband fluttered around the bed and wiped her damp brow with a wet rag. Beads of sweat rolled down his green qukuuf* tattoos and his eyes widened as he looked downwards again. "You're doing so good, istri. Push! You're almost there!"
"If I hear you tell me to push one more time, I'll castrate you!"
The young man raised his hands in a placating manner. "I understand, I hear you. But I'm not sure what else to do! Do we need any of the hot water yet? Do you need anything?" He moved off the bed to grab a bucket near the door.
"No! Don't leave me!" She grasped his hand before he could walk away and jerked him beside her on the bed. "Please don't leave me."
Despite the threat of castration from earlier, he caressed her face and moved a few strands of hair that stuck to her cheeks. "Never. I'm right here. It's going to be okay. It's all good—"
The woman panted between contractions. "You wouldn't—say that if—your body was—Ah!—pushing out another—living being! Oh blast, I think—it's coming!" She screamed.
He knelt between her legs and managed to catch the baby as it slid out of her in a trail of fluid. His hands shook as he held his newborn child and toweled off the blood. He cut the cord neatly and cleaned the infant while keeping one eye on his wife, who was recovering slowly.
"It's a girl. We have a daughter!"
All of a sudden he realized that the room was too quiet.
"Oh please, no. Frack, frack, frack! She's not crying… She's not breathing. She's not breathing! What do I do?"
His wife didn't respond.
He grasped her shoulder, gasping in relief when she finally opened her eyes. "Baby, don't do this to me. Please tell me what to do! I don't know!"
"Mother said… fluid stuck… thump back…" She whispered and moved her head slightly.
Her frantic husband clapped a hand on the baby's back a few times. A wet coughing sound emerged, and then an infant's mewl filled the room. A few tears streaked his face as he sighed and clutched the child to his chest. "Oh, thank the Maker. You're alive. You're alive."
After he helped his wife deliver the afterbirth and cleaned her, he wrapped the child in a clean blanket and handed her over.
The young woman took the child into her arms with a sigh, leaning back against the pillows. She burst into grateful tears. "Oh stars. We have a daughter, suami. A daughter."
"My two girls. I love you so much." He surrounded them with his arms, waiting for his wife to calm down. "Look at her. Her face looks like yours. She has a dimple in her chin."
The young woman laughed. "Her skin and hair look like yours."
"What should we name her?"
"I like the name Myaa."
His brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why Myaa?"
"It's pretty. It was my grandmother's name."
The young man chuckled. "And here I thought you were going to name her something that had to do with ancient histories or genealogies. You certainly seem to be interested in those."
"If I've learned anything from history, it's that the name shouldn't define the person—the person should define the name."
"That is true," he nodded in assent, "Myaa it is."
She looked at him. "What about a middle name? Would you like to choose it?"
"I guess. Let me think… what about… Revan?"
"Where ever did you hear that name? It sounds unusual."
"I'm not sure. Maybe I heard it while traveling the Outer Rim? Or maybe it was the name of one of the people I conned by accident… I honestly can't remember." He grinned sheepishly.
The young woman smiled up at him. "You're incorrigible. But I agree—it does sound nice."
The young man hummed in agreement and caressed his daughter's forehead. "Hello there, Myaa Revan. Welcome to the galaxy."
A/N:
-Also on my AO3 account as halfblood_jedi_warlock.
*Suami and istri = term of address or endearment in Indonesian. I chose this language to represent what the young woman and young man might speak in their region. I have heard it spoken by some friends of mine who live overseas in the country, and it sounds very beautiful. Suami and istri have a few different meanings (somebody please correct me if my translations are wrong): "husband"/"wife"; or "spouse", "my darling", "my lover", "my partner" (male/female).
*BBY and BBE= Before Battle of Yavin and Before Battle of Endor. Most years in Star Wars are based off of whatever galaxy-changing events happened in recent times (most references state BBY). For my story, I will use BBE and give the corresponding value in BBY, as that is one of the main and last conflicts that ended a period in Star Wars history.
*GST= Galactic Standard Time. I figure that the universal measurement of time doesn't change much over the years in Star Wars. I also am not dealing with specific time zones of different planets at this time.
*Qukuuf tattoos: guess what species the dad is?
-"Sentients" (pl) or "sentient" (sing) is used in the Star Wars universe sometimes when you refer to a living species or being in the galaxy. There are so many different aliens and Near-Human races that it would be inaccurate to refer to every being as a Human being or a person.
-I wanted the first part to start out like a legend or a fairy tale. That is why all the descriptions sound very figurative. Let me know how it sounds.
-"But even the best-prepared ships tilt sideways when sentients least expect them to" is my Star Wars version of a similar saying popularized by poet Robert Burns.
-The garden scene is written the way it is (mostly dialogue) because I wanted it to be a little mysterious. Hope it isn't too confusing.
-Myaa= pronounced "My-" as in "bye," "-aa" as in "uh."