Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I only own a few of the characters in my story, including the Freedom Legion. One-shot. May be multiple one-shots to follow. Auish.
Battle of Endor, 22 years after the Rise of the Empire.
Vedrian swerved his Jedi starfighter left. Firing like mad, he blasted a hole through the seemingly endless waves of TIEs. He was rewarded with multiple explosions. 22 years, and I still have it, Vedrian thought, a smile forming on his face. 22 years since the Massacre, since Order 66 destroyed my order and forced me into exile. Death to the Emperor! "Jade Leader to Violet Lead, come in. Respond, Violet."
"Violet Lead here," Vedrian replied. "I read you loud and clear."
"Violet, we've got two Super Star Destroyers coming from hyperspace. Form your squad up and meet us by Home One. We don't have much time. Jade over and out."
"Violet squad, form up on my wing. You hear me, ten?"
"Little staticy, but I can hear you. I'll get my receiver fixed after battle."
Once all ten were formed up, Vedrian led them to Home One. "This is Jade Lead. All squads report in."
"Violet squad reporting."
"Teal squad reporting."
"Yellow squad reporting."
"Orange squad reporting."
"Good. All squads, form up in claw formation. We've got two Supers that just exited hyperspace. Let's give 'em hell!"
A shout of hooh-ra went up amongst the members of Freedom Legion. While not a Legion in numbers, they were as powerful as one, espically since they had three Jedi masters, Vedrian being the youngest and most famous of them. For who had not heard of Vedrian, the twelve-year-old who was the Bane of Grievous? His story was legendary, to some people. He slew General Grievous when he was twelve. It was a stroke of luck. Just to promote hope and raise moral, however, the Jedi Council saw it as skill, promoted it as such through the HoloNet, and made him a Jedi master.
"Vedrian, you alright?" came Jade Lead's voice. "You're flying in between the Supers!"
"Sorry, Jake. Old memories." Vedrian dived off, heading towards the right Super Star Destroyer, which his squad had engaged. "Knock out the shield generators on the surface, then go for the bridge!" Vedrian barked. He knew it could work. It had to. Lasers flew past him, fired from the dozens of guns situated around the surface of the Destroyer. "Generator in sight, should be down momentarily." He fired rockets, and the generator dissolved into a cloud of orange flames and shrapnel, which he narrowly avoided. "Incoming TIEs, watch your backs." The TIEs screeched overhead, disappearing into the metropolis sized maze that was the surface of the Super Star Destroyer. "Watch it, Violet Two, you've picked up an Interceptor."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Lead." Violet Two dodged every shot the Interceptors fired at him. "Generator located!" He pulled the trigger, and all four of the X-Wing's guns came to life. Within seconds, the second generator was a heaping pile of charred scrap. "Two generators down, one to go! Time to give these Interceptors a good beating." Two pulled up, did a roll, and landed behind his pursuers. Opening fire again, he obliterated two of the three fighters, and chased the third one all the way back to Home One, where it collied with another Interceptor.
"Third generator destroyed, Lead."
"All right. Violets Three and Seven, attack the bridge. Violets Four, Five, and Nine, keep the TIEs busy. Violet Two, get back here. Violets Six and Eight, form up on Two's wings. Two, Six, and Eight, destroy the central command tower. That'll shut down the turrets for good." Minutes passed. Vedrian flew his fighter towards the bridge, intent on blowing it to kingdom come. The next sound he heard was a scream.
"Three here. Seven's gone! New type of fighter, can't shake.." but his comlink burst into static.
"Three! Come in! Three! Everybody, watch out for this fighter. It just got Three and Seven! Be careful, and may the Force be with you." The bridge loomed closer, and Vedrian decided to open fire. The bridge exploded, flames erupting like wild. "Everybody, fall back now!"
Once they were clear, Vedrian had the fighters report in. All except Three and Seven reported. The only losses Violet Squad had suffered since its formation 8 years ago. The men had become, in a sense, brothers. The loss hit them hard, but didn't distract them from their duty. The second Super was beginning to fall, heading straight for the surface of Endor. A wave of energy rippled through the Force, and Vedrian knew exactly what it meant. Palpatine was dead. "This is Jade Lead. Freedom Legion report in."
"Violet Lead here. We lost Jacob and Marth'rai."
"Teal Lead reporting. Thryian, Andrew, and Yastak'g lost."
"Orange Three here. The rest of my squad is gone. Ghosted by some new fighter."
"They took out Jacob and Marth'rai, too."
"Yellow Lead reporting in. Iston and Hvdari were blasted by the turrets. Phreina and Siherra are badly damaged and retreating to Home One."
"Jade Lead reporting. We lost Jedi Master Orren Sol. He sacrificed himself to destroy the bridge."
Out of his eye, Jade Lead spotted something. "New fighter, two o'clock! Evasive maneuvers!" The Freedom Legion split, bounding off into different directions.
They looked like V38 Phantom TIEs, but they had seven wings, each with guns attached, not to mention two guns on the cockpit. There were four of them, and one, Vedrian sensed, was a strong Force user. He noticed they were coming in one direction; they were aiming at him.
Hitting the thrusters, he dived out of the was as thirty-six bolts whizzed past where he was just moments ago. Three of the fighters gave chase, while one just sat there, observing. Weaving in and out of the fighters, Vedrian eventually caused one of them to collide with the side of the Command ship Harbinger, leaving two fighters to give chase. The fighters were cut to burning hunks of metal, however, by the rest of Freedom Legion. "We've got your back, as always old friend." Jade Lead stated.
"Thanks, Jake. Did you see where that last fighter went?"
"No. Figured he was following you."
"There he is!" Orange Three yelled, "five o'clock!"
"This one's a Force user. Leave him to me." Vedrian ordered. "No if, ands, or buts, Jake. Your wife would kill me if I let you fight this guy."
"You're right. Be careful, the Force is strong in him. May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you," Vedrian replied, before breaking contact. It was just him and the imperial. Nine lasers shot straight at him, he rolled his ship sideways to avoid being killed. He tried getting behind his opponent, but was always out maneuvered. Vedrian couldn't get into a position to kill his opponent, and his opponent couldn't hit him. There was only one option. "Jake, Operation Vulture is a go. Good-bye." He turned off his comlink, and went to face his destiny. His last thoughts were of his children. Forgive me my lies. I love you all.
"Jake, Operation Vulture is a go. Good-bye." The words rang in Jake's head as he watched his best friend, who had been like a younger brother to him during their days in the Temple, turn to face his opponent. He wanted to scream, no, it doesn't have to be like this! Think of your children! Of your ex! Remember, she wrote saying she loves you! Don't throw you're life away!, but he couldn't. He knew it had to be like this. How much pain it would cause in the end didn't matter. What mattered was that this new fighter was destroyed for good, and he understood that. Circling around, Jake saw an orange flower of flames erupt from seemingly nowhere, and knew that Vedrian was dead. Of course, the Force sent ripples down his spine indicating that Vedrian had become one with the Force, but he didn't need the Force to tell him that Vedrian was dead. He knew it in his heart. His soul shivered, and a great sorrow for his "little brother" welled up in him.
Naboo, three weeks after the Battle of Endor
Naboo was known as a quite place. A planet of peace and tranquility, where large parties rarely happened, if ever. That was not so, as of this moment. Three weeks ago, Emperor Palpatine was declared dead. The Second Death Star was destroyed, and the Imperial Fleet was in ruins. The Empire was slowly crumbling, making way for the New Republic. Katie Lagin, or Katie Amore, as she preferred to be called, just walked in the door of her home. She had Holo-spaced her ex-husband, Vedrian Amore, over two months ago, admitting that she still loved him after over a decade of separation and that she and the kids wanted him home. There had been no reply, and she began to wonder if he'd even gotten the message. After getting on her computer and Holo-spacing Vedrian for the fourth time in two months with the same message, she decided to go lay down. Her green eyes watered. What if he doesn't love me anymore, she thought, not knowing how wrong she was, what if he's found someone else? What will the kids say? With these thoughts heavy on her mind, she fell into a deep sleep.
Jadee walked in, followed by her brothers and younger sister. Three weeks of celebrating, and at least two more weeks planned. Freedom once more, the Jedi would return, and all would be well. What mattered most to Jadee and her siblings, however, was that their dad would return home. Thirteen years without a father. She and the boys had been five, their sister was just a baby when their parents split. Harsh words had been said, and their mother admitted to telling him to never come around again, or she'd call the troopers. Dad hated the troopers, so he'd stayed away for the longest time. They wanted him home, even their mother. No sign of dad yet, Jadee thought. "I'm going to check on mom. You three wait here."
"Mom, are you okay? Mom?" Jadee walked in, and saw her mother sleeping peacefully. She strode over to where her mother was sleeping, placed a kiss on her forehead, and left quietly. "Mom's asleep." It was some time before she woke up.
Yawning, Katie woke up, stretched, and went to the kitchen. "Have fun at the O'Donnells?" she asked, making some toast. Instantly, Aberthine rushed and hugged her mom.
"We had loads of fun, mom. First, we danced. Then, we had a paint ball fight. Afterwards, we ate cake and drank a ton of apple cider. Lastly, we had the biggest food fight in Naboo history!"
"Sounds like you had fun." Katie replied. "Jadee, Melein called. She wants to know if you'd be interested in going to a party Friday. Kevin, I ran into Amy at the store. Call her when you get the chance." Kevin bounded towards his room, and got on his comlink. "Arthur, Mitch wanted to know if you wanted to play dartball later today. Aberthine, the Jupiter Kings are playing at the Memorial Dome. Want to go?" At this, her youngest child's face lit up. They all went in separate directions, hanging out with friends, going on a date, and two going to see a a blues band.
8:30 p.m.
The family was gathered for dinner. Kevin protested, saying he wasn't hungry, and had some great news. Katie replied, "it can wait until after dinner. Now let's eat, I'm starving." After dinner, Katie went to her purse to get some after dinner mints. It was then that she noticed the strange pyramidal shaped object. Grabbing that and the mints, she went to the living room, where the kids were watching "Darth Revan: The Musical." "What is that, mom?" Arthur asked, pointing to the object in her left hand.
"I don't know, Arthur. It was in my purse." Katie pondered what it was as she handed out the mints. She started fidgeting with it. She tried to see if it would open, if maybe there was an opening or lock. Finding nothing, she started tapping its sides and base. Finally, she was rewarded when she hit a hidden button. A bright light encompassed the room. When the light faded, the family gasped in what could only be described as shock. Vedrian was standing in the middle of the room. "It's a hologram," Katie whispered, almost to herself.
"Hello, my loved ones," the hologram said in Vedrian's voice. "Hello my loved ones. If this holocron has found you, then, I've died before I could return. Some explanation is in order. First of all, I did not grow up on Pyrannae, but on Courscant. I grew up in the grand halls of the Jedi Temple. When the Battle of Geonosis happened, I was one of three padawans that were snuck aboard the transports. I was the only one to survive. My master was killed in the arena of Geonosis, and after the battle, the Jedi Council promoted me to the rank of Jedi Knight. I fought in many battles, including Kamino, Tattoine, Coruscant, Yavin IV, and Rakkatta Prime, to name a few. Some of my friends in the order included Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ashoko Tano, Plo Koon, Kerunda Tal-Nieta, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Plo Koon.
When I was twelve, I slew the monster General Grievous on the plains of Hendrall VII. For that, I was made a Jedi Master, and the youngest member of the Jedi Council. My insight helped take back some key planets, including Onderon and Corellia. A week after my thirteenth birthday, I was in the Jedi Temple med bay, recovering from an annoying wound sustained during the Battle of Coruscant some five weeks previous. That's when Palpatine rose to power. It was discovered that he was the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. After he killed Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tinn, and Agen Kolar, four of the strongest Jedi masters our order had, he declared the Jedi traitors, and thus began the greatest massacre of Jedi since the formation of the Republic."
"I can still hear the clones marching, the sounds of blaster fire in the sacred Temple halls, see the clones cut down Jedi to the left and right of me. I can see Anakin Skywalker, chosen one and hero of the Republic, fight against Dalmora Kly, who later became Darth Vader. I remember Anakin's final orders, to escape the Temple, and don't look back. When Skywalker died, a great ripple went through the Force, and I felt a great wave of dread and hopelessness crash over me. I found a secret tunnel leading out of the Temple, and escaped, and heard the cries of the dying Jedi rang in my ears. The smell of smoke filled my nose, as the clones began setting fire to some of the rooms. I dared not look behind me. Not for a long time. When I did, great pillars of smoke were bellowing out of the place I had called my home. With help from some clones whose loyalty to the Jedi were greater than their loyalty to Palpatine, I escaped. The rest is simple. I planet hopped for some time, eventually landing on Naboo, and settling in Theed. Flash forward to a year after the divorce. I was working as a construction worker at the docks on Thymeria, when the Empire attacked. We were peaceful, but the Empire believed that we were secretly supplying the rebels with weapons. I had my lightsabers with me, and fought the Empire long enough for aid to come. It came with a fleet of Rebel convoys, who were sent to deliver supplies to rebels in the Rivich Mountain range. Since then, I served as a general in the Alliance, eventually leaving to become a pilot after my starfighter was discovered in a cave on Onderon, where I had hidden it over a decade ago. The rest, as they say, is history. The cause of my death most likely will have been in battle over Endor, in an effort to defeat the Empire once and for all. I can only assume that by finding its way to you, Endor was a success, and that the Second Death Star is destroyed and the Emperor and/or Vader is dead. I am sorry for the deception, but there was never a time when it would be safe to reveal the truth. Imperial spies are everywhere. They would've killed you all, and forced me to watch. Sigh, I wish I could've told you sooner. We don't always get what we want though. I had planned on coming straight home after Endor, and can only ask your forgiveness for not making it home. I love you all. May the Force be with you." With that, a lightsaber was activated. Vedrian saluted, a sad smile on his face. Then the holocron cut out. There was not a single dry eye in the room. Pain and sadness flooded the room. None of them could believe it. "I....I'm going to put this in my room," Katie stated, her voice quivering. A hand grabbed her arm. "Yes, Kevin?"
"Mom, what I was going to tell you at dinner..." his voice trailed off.
"Yes?"
"I'm engaged."
In the shadows, the Force Ghost of Vedrian Amore smiled
Look out for more one-shots with Vedrian, Katie, and the rest of their family, though some may not be as long as this one.