Title: The Other Side of Betrayal
Summary: The concluding story of Tristan Kenobi and those around him as he spirals into darkness.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars and I'm not making any money off of this.
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Chapter 1
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Five Years After the end of The Tristan Betrayal
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Senate Building
Grand Convocation Chamber
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Darex Jade reveled in the applause he was receiving as the new Chancellor of the Republic. With Vice-Chancellor Lorcan Orath standing on his left, he held up his hands to quiet the crowd.
"Fellow citizens, as I stand before you, humbled by your vote of confidence, I will make you a promise. Now that I am in charge, this war will come to a swift end."
Applause once again rifled through the chamber.
"Working in concert with my Vice-Chancellor and my staff, I intend to make certain your Republic is run efficiently and fairly."
/
Alderaan
Organa Residence
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Padme watched Leia play with her daughter, three-year-old Rhyna Organa. The young girl was the first, and sadly, only child of twenty-two-year old Leia and her now-deceased husband, Ebran Organa.
Ebran and Leia had been married in a small, intimate ceremony four years ago shortly after Ebran had returned from his second tour of duty in the military. A year later, Rhyna was born and Leia made the decision to leave the Jedi Order to be a wife and a mother.
Just three months ago, the news came that Ebran had been killed in battle. The war she'd started when she chose to reactivate the clones had now taken the life of her son-in-law and left her granddaughter fatherless.
"Another casualty to add to my list," Padme whispered to herself.
"Mom, are you okay?" Leia's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
Padme smiled guiltily. "Yes, darling, I'm fine. I was…lost in thought."
Leia nodded. "Well, I understand that sentiment. I've been in a fog for the past three months. Trying to…move on without Ebran has been…the hardest thing I've ever faced. The prospect of raising Rhyna on my own is daunting, to say the least."
Padme pulled her only daughter into a tight hug. "You're not on your own. I'll always be here for you and Rhyna. You have Bail and Breha. I promise you, you are not alone."
Tears gathered in Leia's eyes. "I miss him, Mom. I miss him so much."
Padme just held her daughter. There were no words to make Leia feel better, nor to erase Padme's guilt.
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Two Years Ago
Naboo
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Pooja Naberrie was the only guest at the wedding of her cousin, Luke. She watched on with a smile as Luke and Mara shared a tender kiss, sealing their vows of marriage.
Luke pulled back from the kiss and smiled at his new bride. "Best day of my life, right here, right now."
Mara smirked. "Of course it is, you just married me, Farmboy."
Pooja chuckled. "Why do you call him that?"
Mara shrugged as she linked her arms through Luke's. "I don't know, really. One day I had the feeling that…somewhere, in another place or…in another life, Luke must have been a farmboy."
After the holy man had left, Pooja fixed a brunch and the three sat down to eat together. Luke and Mara would be leaving for a very short honeymoon before then returning to Coruscant and their duties as Jedi Knights.
Since they'd both been knighted the year before, they'd become quite the team. Their missions had resulted in the capture and arrest of numerous Separatist leaders and soldiers.
The decision to marry had come late one night when they had been waiting to catch a wanted criminal on the Dagu in the Outer Rim Territories, which had long ago been the site of a battle during the first Clone War.
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"How much longer do you think we'll have to wait?" Luke asked, annoyance bleeding through in his tone.
"As long as it takes, Skywalker," Mara quipped. "Silyn is slippery, you know that. He's been wanted for nearly a year."
Luke sighed. "I know."
Mara grasped his hand in hers. "Luke, what's wrong?"
He took a deep breath and turned to face her. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, I promise. I know that…well, this isn't the best timing and certainly not the best place, but…"
"But what?" she asked impatiently.
"Will you marry me?" he blurted out in a rush.
Mara was dumbfounded. "Marry you?"
Luke grinned as he reached out to frame her face in his hands. "Yes, marry me. We've been dancing around this since we were teenagers. Don't you think it's time we do something about it?"
Mara laughed nervously. "Luke, I…"
"Do you love me?"
She answered without hesitation. "Yes. You already know that."
"Yeah, I do," he confirmed. "You know I love you. I already know about all your arguments, too. We're too young. We're fighting a war. We never know when something could go wrong."
"Those are all true, valid arguments," she reminded him.
Luke sat back against the side of the dwelling where they were staking out their prey. He pulled Mara into his arms and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead.
"Do you believe that it will hurt less if one of us dies if we're not married?"
Mara considered his words. She knew deep in her heart that she would be devastated if Luke died regardless of their marital status.
"Okay," she whispered. "Yes. My answer is yes."
Luke beamed and pulled her into a deep kiss, only to be interrupted by his droid beeping, alerting them to the presence of their target.
/
Present-day
The Jedi Temple
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Arik Skywalker had grown into a tall, powerfully-built young man of twenty. He stood at equal height to his father and nearly matched him in force power.
"Master?" the young man called.
Jedi Master Ferus Olin was startled. He was seated cross-legged in front of a large pond in the Room of a Thousand Fountains and hadn't even sensed the approach of his apprentice.
Arik smiled as he took a seat next to his mentor. "I don't recall ever being able to sneak up on you before, Master."
Ferus mumbled. "I was deep in thought."
Arik looked around and immediately recognized the section of the room his mentor had taken refuge within. He'd heard stories from his father about Obi-Wan and Siri and their friends using the pond as a swimming pool, even as adults.
"Missing your Master?" he asked the older man softly.
"Yes," he admitted quietly. "Missing my family, as well."
Arik smiled at the mention of Ferus' family. He'd been with his master more often than not when Ferus had traveled home to Bellassa to visit with his wife, Yashen and children, Tylana and Kyal. Oddly enough, neither child had a midichlorian count high enough to become a Jedi.
"I miss mine, too," Aril contributed. "I haven't seen Mom and Leia in a while. Force only knows where Luke is, and my dad, he's…"
"He's had a difficult time processing what happened with Tristan," Ferus finished. "We all have."
"I know," Arik said. "I spoke with him a few days ago, and he mentioned he's considering taking another apprentice."
Ferus' eyes widened. "Interesting development."
"I thought so, too," he said. "But, maybe he's ready. It's been five years since Tristan fell and left the Jedi."
"It's been five years since a lot of things, Padawan-mine," Ferus said, his gaze having settled on his student.
Arik nodded solemnly. "You mean Master Garen."
Ferus didn't speak. He could see and sense that Arik had already been swept away by memories of his fallen master.
/
In the Council chamber, Anakin stood staring out across the city-scape at the Senate building. Uneasiness was biting at the edges of his consciousness as his gaze lingered on the seat of power on Coruscant.
"Bothering you, something is, Master Skywalker?" Yoda asked from behind the tall Jedi.
Anakin nodded. "Yes, Master. I feel…cold. I sense a presence in the Senate which…it's elusive. I feel like I should recognize it, but I don't, I can't for some reason."
"Hmm, meditation perhaps will light the way," Yoda suggested.
Anakin smiled. Meditation was usually always Yoda's suggestion. "Yes, Master. Perhaps."
Yoda floated away on his hover chair, leaving Anakin once again alone with his thoughts. Within moments, his comlink chirped.
"Skywalker."
An automated voice sounded. "Incoming transmission from Alderaan."
"Transmit to my quarters," Anakin instructed and swept from the chamber and headed for his quarters.
/
Padme went inside when the com station chirped, alerting her to an incoming message.
Within minutes, Anakin's face appeared before her.
"Hello, Angel."
Padme grinned. "Hello, Ani. It's been far too long."
It had been nearly two years since they'd been together, standing face to face. Padme had chosen not to return to Coruscant, opting instead to move from Naboo to Alderaan when Ebran had been killed.
For Anakin's part, he'd taken refuge from both missing his wife and grieving for this lost apprentice with one mission after another. It had left him little time for his family. He saw his children from time to time, but not Padme.
"Yes, it has," he agreed. "How are Leia and Rhyna?"
Padme frowned sadly. "It's been a very…challenging three months. She comes from strong stock, our daughter. She's tough, but she's had her breakdowns as well. Having Rhyna to take care of certainly helps."
As the conversation moved on, Anakin and Padme both realized they were simply making small talk. There was little substance to any other their conversations outside of mentions of their children or granddaughter.
"Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?" she suddenly asked.
Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "I don't know. We've held on so tightly for so long, maybe we've forgotten how to let go of things."
"Is that what our marriage has become? A thing to let go of?"
Anakin's heart clinched when he answered. "Yes."