Love's Divine

A Star Wars Family Epic

Prologue:

Five Years After The Battle on Endor

Zeioka Kenobi sat in her spacious living room in her new apartment in Coruscant. Sure, it wasn't a mansion but it had enough space to occupy herself and her two roommates. Zeioka shared her house with her cousin, Astri Fry and her best friend/ Jedi apprentice, Celeste Talinda. They, along with their families, moved to the former capital of the Empire shortly after the battle on Endor; after Luke Skywalker and Ja'Marra Talinda destroyed the Sith. Now it was up to them to build a new Jedi Order. And if she was to be honest with herself, the twenty-nine year old was nervous about this task. It wasn't that she wasn't up to it- her parents were the best Jedi in the galaxy. But there were some issues concerning the old order that troubled her.

A knock on the door snapped Zeioka out of her thoughts. She used the Force to unlock the door and open it.

"Come in," She says.

Astri Fry and Cole Calrissian stepped into the living room. Astri was Zeioka's cousin on her step-mother's side. She was a Fighter pilot for the Rebellion. She uses her piloting skills for the Jedi Order and fights with her lightsaber now and then. Although he wasn't a Jedi Knight like his mother and sisters, Cole acted as a liaison between the New Republic and the Jedi Order. Seeing how his father, Corliss, and his uncle, Lando handled their business, negoitiating came easy to Cole.

"You know that always freaks me out when you do that, Z." Cole remarked.

Zeioka smirked. "Sorry. Where's Celeste? I thought she was coming."

"She had to help Aunt Jania with Rowan." Astri replied. "He's sick again." Jania Talinda had two grown daughters. Rowan was her third child that came unexpectedly. He's had a series of viruses and had to be taken to the healers.

"What's that, the second time this week?"

Astri merely shrugged. Zeioka sighed and got up from her comfortable sofa and walked to the window. She had an expressionless look on her face, not giving Astri or Cole any notice to what she was thinking After a moment's silence, Zeioka finally said what was on her mind.

"I don't feel comfortable about forming the new Code."

Astri look at her older cousin in disbelief. Cole, however, had absolutely no idea what Zeioka was talking about.

"What Code?" He asked.

"The Code for the New Jedi Order." Zeioka explained.

"Oh." But Cole still had that confused look on his face. "Why do the Jedi need a new Code? What's wrong with the old one?"

"When the Republic dissolved, all of the old Jedi were destroyed along with the Order." Zeioka looked at Cole. "Aunt Cordiyelle never told you any this?"

"Mom doesn't talk about the old days much," Cole explained. "Guess it was too painful."

Astri came over to Zeioka. "What troubles you about it?"

Zeioka shrugged. "My father mentioned several rules in the Code. One of them being, There is no emotion, there is peace, or something to that effect."

"What does that mean?" Cole asked.

"In lamest terms, the old Jedi forbade Attachments." A familiar voice came from behind them.

Astri, Cole and Zeioka turned to see Jania Talinda and Ta'Kina Madras in the living room. They were two of the last old Jedi but their youthful faces mirrored their ages. But they've seen and experienced everything under the sun. Ta'Kina, her older sisters and her cousin were infamous generals during the Clone Wars. Jania Talinda entered the Clone Wars at a young age and faced both Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, on two separate occasions as a teenager. By the looks on their faces, Zeioka could tell that they've heard their conversation.

"When did you two get here?" She asked.

Ta'Kina shrugged. "About 5 or 10 minutes ago. The ride here from the Healer's facility is not very far."

"Where's Celeste?" Astri asked.

"Gavin wanted to meet her at the Mandolore," Jania explained. "She'll be here soon." Jania then turned to the daughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi; her honey brown eyes showing amounts of wisdom in her 44 years of life. "So, why so uncomfortable about forming the New Code?"

"It not that I'm uncomfortable," Zeioka explained. "I'm just worried that some….people might want to have a say at which old rules stay or go."

"In other words, you feel that we're going to take over?" Ta'Kina clarified.

"No, I didn't mean it like that…."

"Zeioka, we were all part of the Old Jedi Order," Jania explained. "The same Order that was destroyed along with the Republic. When that happened, the old Code was abolished."

"Meaning we have no say in what the New Code will be." Ta'Kina added. "We're the last of the old Jedi: Sarallel, Cordiyelle, Jania, Sartaan, Zariel, and I. After we die, that's it."

"So what does that make us?" Astri asked.

Jania rolled her eyes and sighed. "The first of the New Jedi! Have you three been listening to anything we've been saying?"

"Of course we have." Zeioka assured. "But forming the new Code is not why I feel so uneasy."

Jania smiled slightly. She's been living the life of a Jedi since she was three and knew a thing or two. "It's the Attachment part, isn't it?"

Zeioka looked at the Grand Jedi Master. "When you were young, relationships were forbidden to you?"

"Yes," Jania answered. "That is correct."

"Wait," Cole interrupted. "All Relationships?"

"Not all of them, per se," Ta'Kina clarified. "Just the more….intimate ones."

"Aren't all relationships intimate?" Astri said. "Family, Friendship, Marriage, Love. Jedi weren't allowed to have any of those?"

"The superiors in our time felt that any sort of attachment would lead to the Dark Side," Jania explained. "Fear, Possession, Jealousy, Anger; the Sith's power revolved around them. Any relationship was enough to make a Jedi lose his/her mind."

"That's an unfair rule!" Zeioka snapped, coming toward the older women. "A Jedi can't help what they feel. They're people, not gods! I can't believe you agreed with this crap!"

Jania stood up and slowly walked over to her former Master's step-daughter. Although her expression was calm and showed no signs of malice, her eyes displayed a fire as fierce as the storms on Tattooine.

"In case you've forgotten, you're the offspring of two Jedi Knights!" She said sternly. "I respected the Code but that didn't mean I agreed with it. It was one of the rules we screwed up with."

Zeioka started to say something when Ta'Kina cut her off.

"What Jania means is," She clarified. "The Jedi were right to forbid attachment and possession but not love. That's part of the reasons why Anakin betrayed us."

Zeioka turned back to Jania. She could see the guilt in her eyes. Jania never talked about her older brother much but when she did, it brought her much pain. Zeioka put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Master Talinda." She said, softly.

Jania smiled. "No need to apologize, I understand your concern and frustration. Your parents felt the same way."

Ta'Kina smirked as she added: "So did we. Especially Sarallel."

Astri laughed. "Mom hated that rule?"

"Your mother, Astri, had…a one-track mind. If she had an opinion, she'd voice it. If she felt something didn't sit right or was wrong, she wouldn't do it."

Jania proceeded to sit down on one of the sleep-couches as her left knee started to give up on her. She looked at the young adults who were looking at her with anticipation. "Your feelings and emotions can betray you," She told the children. "Love is a powerful emotion that can turn into a weapon made for the Sith. That's what the Jedi were trying to avoid. But what they failed to grasp was that Love can be an ally; a very powerful ally."

"That's what your grandfather realized," Ta'Kina said. "He wasn't a big fan of the Code but he was a passionate man. And he loved your parents, Jania, Anakin and I."

"But I thought Grandpa had 3 daughters and a niece?" Cole pointed out.

Jania laughed. "Yes, he did. But he treated your mother, aunts, and uncle as his own children; as well as Anakin and me."

"But I thought Jedi were forbidden to have a family?"

Ta'Kina Alena Madras just smiled. "Qui-Gon Jinn wasn't your typical, average Jedi Knight."