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Title: Going Beyond Friendship

Rating: PG-13

Author: Flowerlady

Genre: Romance, Angst

Timeframe: Pre- to Post- Clone Wars

Characters: (association is at introduction in the story)

Adelyn Mallane, Engineer/ Ship designer

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight

Nejaa Halcyon, Jedi Master

Nyche Karath, university student

Rostek Horn, Lieutenant, Corellian Security

Scerra Mallane, Teacher

Valin Halcyon (Hal Horn), Child

Yarlet Jenaves, Captain, Corellian Security

(More may be added as they are introduced)

Disclaimer:

The universe and the characters belong to George Lucas and/or the authors who created them. I am not receiving anything but the pleasure of playing in George's sandbox.

Summary:

Corran Horn grew up believing he knew his family's history. Then he discovered that what he knew was a lie. The man he thought was his grandfather wasn't, and a man, a Jedi Master, he only heard about in guarded whispers was the real patriarch of his line.

This is the story that they never told Corran…

Nejaa Halcyon was a good-natured Jedi Master on the trail of a stolen Alderaanian painting, which he followed to his home planet of Corellia. There he met and was paired with CorSec Lieutenant Rostek Horn. They immediately hit it off, and Ros never hesitated at introducing the Jedi to a woman he considered as close as a sister, Scerra Mallane. What he never expected was that the Jedi and the school teacher would fall in love, or that in his desire to protect his friends, he would be embroiled in an elaborate lie that would span 25 years. Nor did he ever expect that his pretending to be her husband and her son's father would have to become a reality to save their lives.

This is the story of three friends and the ruse that put them on a collision course that would test their friendship, fidelity, love and honor…

Author's Notes:

First off, I would like to thank the The Force. Net Literature Board thread Horn/Halcyon Confusion posted by user Iverna for the inspiration. Secondly, I'd like to give credit to Havac and Dawud786 for actually giving me the plot bunny from their responses within the thread. They have given me consent to use their ideas as my basis for this story. Thanks guys!!

I've taken some liberties with Scerra and Nyche Horn. I gave them both "maiden" last names and fleshed them out, so in essence, they're OCs with canon names. I've also used my own idea of when I think Valin Halcyon was born. No, I do not think he was only thirteen when his wife had Corran.

I've strived to keep this as canon compliant as possible, and I've based some things on information found in Wookieepedia, as well as other sources. However, I will bend certain things to fit my story.

Enjoy!!

Going Beyond Friendship

Chapter 1

43 BBY

North Side Academy, Coronet City, Corellia

It was just another day in the life of elementary school teacher Scerra Mallane. Some days she was excited at the prospect of meeting the shining young faces of her twenty students, all wealthy, mostly human nine-year-olds. However, other days, Scerra wondered if she'd make it through. Sighing, she punched in the code to open her third year class room. She loved her students and teaching, but there were some days that she felt very lonely. This was one of those days.

The door swooshed open allowing her to enter. They remained open as she liked them even on days like today when she wouldn't have students in her classroom. The automatic lights came on as she weaved her way around the small green panted desks to her orderly larger desk in the far corner. The room was like most Corellian classrooms. Holocharts and computers lined the walls. Built into each of the paired desks was a datapad, and on low shelves were storage containers of datadisks.

After sitting down and starting her datapad, she looked at the droid in its slot and dreaded activating it. She knew Bookie would insist on discussing the upcoming curricula meeting with the dean of the prestigious North Side Academy.

Deciding she could wait before activating the droid, Scerra began to page through lesson plans from previous years. Although she didn't want think about the meeting in two days, she did have to figure out what she was going to present to Dean Klissinger. It would be easier with Bookie, but she wanted the peace of the empty classroom, and needed the distraction of doing the work herself right now.

She glanced once more at the protocol droid with a mix of affection and frustration, and wondered if, in the five years she'd been teaching, she would be as good as she was without it. She always let her students rename the droid every session. It was her way of making the droid their own. This cycle the winning name was Bookie. He had been named everything from Hyperspace to Droid. Some years the children were very creative, other years they didn't really care. She always kept the name the children voted on for the silver education droid. Sometimes by the second month of school the kids weren't too pleased with their choice, but she never changed the name, until she wiped it from his memory for the next session. It was a lesson in learning to live with the consequences of your actions.

In four months Bookie would again get a new name from a new group of students. It was for this upcoming session that she had to do the curriculum planning. Every year, the school insisted on a new curriculum plan for the new session from each teacher. It was to prevent them from becoming stale and to maintain North Side's status as the top school in all of Corellia.

She had been teaching here since she graduated, at the top of her class, from Corellia University five years ago. She was lucky to be hired on at the private school immediately after graduation without any experience. She earned a decent salary and had status as a North Side teacher, though that didn't really mean much to certain people. This was the academy most of Corellia's leaders sent their children. Her first year as a teacher she had the honor of teaching the prime minister's daughter.

She was happy here, but her mother kept insisting that she needed to move on. Despite the fact that every being had to be taught by someone, teaching wasn't a career that anyone aspired to. Most people, like her mother, felt droids could do the job. In these small minds, the art and science of teaching was only a few steps above being a cantina dancer.

That was really what was bothering her. Was her mother right? Was she wasting her life doing a job a droid could do?

She glanced once more at Bookie. No, and she would prove that she was a far better teacher than he'd ever be. Turning back to her datapad with renewed determination, Scerra decided she'd prove it by giving the dean a plan for next session's curriculum that would simply amaze him.

Conference Room, CorSec Headquarters, Coronet City, Corellia

"Lieutenant Rostek Horn," Captain Yarlet Jenaves said indicating Rostek. Widely s miling, he turned to the Jedi and added, "Master Nejaa Halcyon."

Rostek s miled and shook the Jedi's hand, surprised by the firmness of the man's grip. He had worked with Jedi before, but not for a few years. As he broke the handshake, he said, "Please, call me Ros."

Nejaa gave him an easy lopsided grin and replied, "And please call me Nejaa. The master thing can get annoying at times, especially when one is trying not to announce to the galaxy he is a Jedi."

"I bet." Ros took measure of the Jedi Master. He guessed him to be slightly older than his own 35 Standard Years. He wore the traditional dark green robes common to Corellian Jedi, but had simple dark brown trousers, a simple Corellian cut shirt underneath, and scuffed, worn black boots. Ros got the impression that he only donned the robe for this meeting. His long hair was tied at his nape and was dark brown, almost black. His hazel eyes were steady as they regarded him with the same intensity Ros was giving the Jedi. The only weapon he carried was his lightsaber which tucked away in his belt under his robe and out of sight. Ros only got a glimpse of it because he was looking for it. After only taking a few heartbeats to gather this information, Ros said matter-of-factly, "Something big must be happening if the Jedi are in on it."

Before Nejaa could respond, Jenaves gestured toward the simple drab metal conference table. "Please, gentleman, have a seat."

Ros looked around when he heard a fa miliar beep, in the corner stood a basic R-2 unit. They were often used, not only as astromechs, but as data analyzers, for data and evidence storage and many other police activities which went far beyond being the co-pilot in a starfighter. He easily recognized the unit as Ristoo, his own droid. The droid beeped at him again as Ros and the others sat at the table. As Ros s miled at the green and red droid, he commented, "Nice to see you too, Ristoo. I get the feeling you already know what's going on."

Yarlet responded, "Yes, the droid has been uploaded with the mission perimeters. And only he, you and I know about them. As far as anyone is concerned this mission never happened."

"Oh, I love those," said Ros dryly. He turned to the Jedi and pointedly inquired, "Okay. So, Jedi, what's going on? Now what can't you golden boys handle on your own that you'd come crawling to CorSec for help?"

Nejaa raised a brow and grinned that lopsided smirk. "Inquisitive, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it keeps me alive by not taking suicide missions."

"Horn! That will be enough."

"Sorry, Captain," Ros relented contritely.

"Master Halcyon, if you will please explain the particulars to Lieutenant Horn before he finds himself patrolling the refuse collection areas of our fine city for the next six months." As the captain spoke he looked sharply at Ros.

"Yes, well," Nejaa s miled again as he said, "you are right, Ros, I do need CorSec's help and it has to be kept secret. I've been following an art thief for the past ten months."

"Doesn't sound like the Jedi's usual chore, chasing ordinary thieves." Ros shifted on his chair. Something smelled as bad as those garbage heaps Yarlet threatened to put him in charge of. "I thought you guys never got involved with local law enforcement. Or was it Jedi art that was stolen?"

"No, not Jedi art. And usually, we don't get involved. But when art is stolen from the summer home of a member of the noble Anderaanian Antilles fa mily and a forgery finds its way to the Chandrila Museum of Art, we'll get involved. The painting had just been commissioned and hadn't even been de-crated before it was taken."

Ros sat leaned in over his arms. "Okay. Let me guess. This painting had never been seen before. So when the museum agent seen it, they thought they were getting a great deal. I bet the artist is some well known who has a great name for themselves. The real art then shows up on Corellia—probably in the possession of someone important. And now you need CorSec to help you sniff out either the evidence that would prove that person paid someone to steal it, or whether they are being duped."

"Very impressive deduction, Lieutenant Horn. Yes, that pretty much sums it up." Nejaa sniggered as he looked at Yarlet. "You did say you would team me up with the best, Captain."

"Hey, Horn has an attitude as big as a Hutt, but he knows what he's doing."

Ros grinned smugly at his captain, and, despite his threats, Ros's friend. "Well, that is why you'd never leave me in the garbage heaps for long. I'd know too many secrets of too many influential people, including you. It's best to keep where you can see me. Right, Cap?" Then he turned to Nejaa and asked, "So, how much is this art worth?"

Nejaa pulled a datadisk from his pocket. Using the holoprojector in the center of the table, he called up an image. Suddenly, in the floating over the surface was a hologram of a painting of what appeared to be a royal wedding of two very young humans.

"This is actually a holo of the forgery of The Coming Together and is an artist's interpretation of the marriage between the Organa and Antilles fa milies. The Aderaanian noble Ostus Antilles was planning on presenting it to his granddaughter Princess Breha and her new husband Prince Bail Organa as a post-wedding gift. Because it is from the famous painter Ardan Misk, it's worth a quarter million credits."

"Whoa…That's one hell of an expensive wedding holo. I hope it lasts," exclaimed Ros as he sat back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So, a forgery finds its way into the Chandrila Museum?" Yarlet shook his head and went on, "But you'd think the agent doing the buying would have wondered why a painting of the future rulers of Aderaan would be on the open market."

"True." Nejaa said as he explained. "Unfortunately, the agent disappeared before I could question her. My intuition tells me that she was part of the deal. She'd buy the forgery for the museum and afterward run off with the thief with the real painting."

"What did the museum lose over this deal?"

"Two-hundred-thousand credits," Nejaa answered Ros's question. "Thus, the reason the Jedi was asked to assist in finding the thief. Aderaan's royal fa mily is out its very expensive painting, and the Chandrila government's been swindled and embarrassed."

"And now it shows up on Corellia." Ros s miled. "Well, you've come to the best. We'll find your missing painting, Master Halcyon."

"I hope so. I'd hate to see the head of Corellian Engineering be caught up in a stolen art scandal."

Raging Ranto Cantina, Near CorSec Headquarters

He followed the younger CorSec lieutenant into the smoky interior of the busy cantina, taking in his friendly greetings to pair of passing officers. They had been working for three days on the case of the stolen art, until Ros suddenly got a call from a friend who asked to meet him at the local CorSec hangout. Since it was dinner time anyway, Ros invited him along. Nejaa had taken a liking to the outspoken, good-humored detective, and could easily see why Ros Horn was so well liked and respected by his fellow officers.

Nejaa had traded his Jedi robes in for a more non-descript outfit of plain trousers, white shirt and a long cape. The only weapon he ever carried was his lightsaber, which was tucked in his belt and partly concealed by the cape. All in all, with his long hair and scuffed boots, Nejaa looked the complete opposite to Ros Horn's tidy dark uniform and polished boots.

But the way the two new partners dressed wasn't the only differences. Ros was a half dozen centimeters taller than Nejaa and was leaner in stature. His light brown hair was cut short; his eyes were a bright and inquisitive blue. On his right thigh was holstered a CorSec service blaster which Nejaa was certain he would never want to be on the business end of.

"Hey, Ros!"

"Scerra!" Ros turned to Nejaa and said, "There she is. C'mon."

As the two men shouldered their way through the crowd, Nejaa asked, raising his voice to be overheard the clatter of loud conversation, laughing and music, "This place is packed."

Ros s miled over his shoulder. "It's the last day of the work week for most folks. Also, the band playing tonight is pretty popular around here." As Ros shoved his way past another off-duty CorSec officer, he patted the man on the back and said in greeting, "Hey, Jollen, nice to see that new wife lets you out sometimes."

"Yeah, but I don't mind having to run home either. If you know what I mean," the other man said with a wink and big s mile on his face.

Finally, they made it to a small round table in the corner not far from the dance floor. A band made up of Bith musicians and two Twi'leks female singers were setting up for their performance later. It was clearly obvious to Nejaa why the band was a hit among the mostly male patrons. He sniggered as he watched the two rare Lethan beauties dance around on the stage as they warmed-up, thinking they wouldn't need to utter a sound to draw a crowd.

He turned away from them to watch as Ros disengaged from a friendly embrace with a young woman. She turned her s miling face from Ros, and her bright green eyes locked with Nejaa's. Ros sat down on the chair beside her. She continued to stare at Nejaa. She was not the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, but there was something about her. She tucked a lock of her short dark auburn hair behind her ear, which Nejaa guessed was a nervous habit.

Finally, she broke the spell by looking away. At the same time, Nejaa recovered and sat in the chair across from her. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Ros?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ros leaned back, gesturing to Nejaa. "Scerra, this is Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon. He and I are doing some work together. Nejaa, this is Scerra Mallane. I saved her from a bully when she was still in diapers and we've been friends ever since."

She playfully swatted Ros on the arm as she exclaimed, "You saved me? As I remember it, you were the one who put him up to it." Then she turned an easy s mile to Nejaa that lit her face. She held out her hand, as Nejaa took it to shake, she said, "Nice to meet you, Master Halcyon."

Nejaa returned her s mile with one of his lopsided grins. "Please, it's just Nejaa. And the pleasure is all mine, Miss Mallane."

She blushed as she pulled her hand from his. "Well, please, call me Scerra. I get Miss Mallane enough from my students."

After ordering drinks and food, Ros said over the din, "How did your meeting go today?"

She sat her lum bottle down as she responded, "Actually it went well. I proved to myself that I can think without a droid, that's for sure. Dean Klissinger was impressed. He wants to take my plan to the board of directors. He thinks it's time to standardize things—using my ideas."

"That's great, Scerra," said Ros. Then he added in a haughty tone. "Scerra is a teacher at the posh North Side Academy."

"Ros, you make it sound like I'm a snob," she countered and laughed.

"Teaching is a noble career," Nejaa said in his calm, unassuming way. She turned to him and her entire presence seemed to bloom. "I admire anyone who can open young minds and fill them with knowledge."

Ros rolled his eyes, but Nejaa ignored his new friend, and Scerra hadn't seen the action at all, she was too focused on Nejja. "Thank you, Nejaa. Not everyone thinks that way."

"Well," he said as he leaned back as the service droid sat his plate before him, "I, myself, have taught."

"Really?"

"Yes, at the Academy. It isn't as easy as some folks like to think."

She held his gaze for a moment longer before he said, "This smells delicious. Ros, if it tastes half as good, my opinion of you will be evaluated some."

Scerra's laugh was nearly drowned out as the Twi'leks broke out in song. "Wow, Horn, he already knows you, huh?"

After the meal of spiceloaf and crisped tubers, they ordered another round of ales. The crowd was still loud, but most patrons were either watching the performance of the band, or were on the dance floor. Suddenly, Scerra regarded the two men at her table with an indignant stare.

Nejaa caught her expression and grinned. She was feeling left out. Many couples were out dancing on the wood floor, but no one dared approach her while she sat with a cop and a Jedi. After downing what was left in his ale bottle, he stood and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

She graced him with one of her radiant s miles as she placed her hand in his. "Yes, you may. I was beginning to wonder if either one of you were going to get the message." She pulled him out onto the floor and easily slid into his embrace with her arms around his neck. She then winked as she began to sway to the music. "Now, the question is, can the Jedi Master dance?"

He chuckled and swung her around. "A little late to wonder that, isn't it?"

Thanks for reading...