It was a dark, unusually quiet night in the famous, man-made settlement known as Cloud City. A floating metropolis on the gas giant Bespin, it served as one of the last stops on the Corellian trade route. A short figure cloaked in navy watched as a rare, neutralist freighter docked at the gas platform he hid on. As the workers turned their backs to load some tibanna gas, the figure snuck aboard the vessel and hid. It wasn't long before the ship was on its way again.
As the freighter set a course for Munkan, Jedi Master Si Mon looked back on recent events. He and his student-turned-partner, Aeltenest, had survived the near-destruction of the entire Jedi Order. They were receiving a shipment at the spaceport when order 66 was issued, and opted to flee rather than return to the temple. Anakin Skywalker led an attack on the aforementioned building soon after. Thankfully, the two were safely on a freighter headed to Corellia by then.
It was on Corellia when Aeltenest felt something call out to him through the Force. Hesitantly, the two split up, leaving Si to finish their intended trip to Munkan alone. Meanwhile, Aeltenest snuck aboard a freighter headed down the Corellian Run; his final destination unknown. Now, with Jedi throughout the galaxy being slain, this unexpected separation revived old feelings inside of Si. He knew attachment was forbidden, but he could not shake these new- or rather, old- emotions.
Aeltenest paused as the freighter he was on landed in Tatooine's infamous Mos Eisley spaceport. This disturbance in the Force, one only he could sense, was somewhere in this dirty, abhorrent place; the armpit of the galaxy. Sneaking out of the hangar whilst no one was looking, he crept about the area until coming across another hangar guarded by two burly-looking men. Sensing a Hutt inside, he quietly executed them with his lightsaber and dragged their bodies out of sight.
Staying in the shadows, Aeltenest quietly entered the hangar and came upon a rage-inducing scene. An old Munkan friend, Theo Dore, was surrounded by mercenaries and their vile leader, Jabba the Hutt. Behind him was the forest green freighter he used to travel the galaxy, gathering spices and other supplies for his restaurant. Aeltenest had no idea why the young man had come to Tatooine, but clearly he had bothered the planet's resident slimeball somehow.
Noting that Jabba had chosen mercenaries of lesser skill than he'd have expected, Aeltenest drew his custom blaster rifle. Equipped with a foregrip and a customized sight, he had purchased the weapon shortly after becoming a knight. It was often hidden under his outer cloak; the strap made to resemble the belt of his Jedi robes. Crouching in a dark alcove with a fair line of sight, he took aim at the four mercenaries. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and opened fire.
Within five seconds, two mercenaries were dead. A third fell as he took cover, and the fourth actually fired back before he was out-shot. Jabba shook his head in utter disgust as Aeltenest walked into the hangar and stood by Theo's side.
"Leave my friend alone, Hutt," he growled. Jabba all but laughed; a devilish smirk on his ugly, wrinkled face.
"You may have won this round, Jedi, but you won't be so lucky if we ever cross paths again," he threatened. As the gargantuan blob exited the hangar, Aeltenest and Theo retreated into the latter's ship. Raising the ramp to the main door, the latter Munkan led his friend through the ship.
"So, what brings a travelling cook to Tatooine?" Aeltenest asked. Theo let out a disheartened sigh.
"Well, I was here to make a trade for some rare spices, but Jabba accused me of stealing from him before I could leave," Theo explained, stepping into the ship's bridge, "To make things worse, Ellie could go into labor at any moment!" Aeltenest raised an eyebrow; this was eerily similar to how Nexus Vor-Cal's daughter was born. Before he could think much on it, Theo began entering coordinates into the ship's computer.
"Where are you headed now?" Aeltenest asked. Theo sighed.
"I'm returning to Munkan; that incident has opened my eyes to how dangerous the galaxy is now," he explained. His Jedi friend stopped him.
"Take a direct path. The imperials will be watching the major trade routes," he advised. Theo nodded, inputting a direct course to Munkan in the ship's autopilot. As the craft began its ascent, the two friends headed down the hall to the ship's sole cabin. Inside, Theo's wife, Ellie, lay in bed with a sizeable baby bump.
"Is everything alright? Oh, Aeltenest! It's good to see you!" she remarked. Theo managed a smile.
"Yes; we're on our way back to Munkan," he replied. Aeltenest knelt at the young woman's bedside.
"Mind if I take a look?" he asked, indicating her stomach. Ellie shook her head, so Aeltenest put a hand over her stomach and focused. Inside, he sensed two tiny presences, and peculiar ones at that. Sighing, he turned to Theo.
"When were they conceived?" he asked. Theo turned slightly pale.
"T-There's more than one?" he sputtered. Aeltenest let out a sigh.
"Twins, and they aren't yours, I'm afraid," he explained. Theo gave a nod of acceptance.
"I knew it. There was no way we could have conceived them," he admitted. Ellie sighed.
"So, whose are they?" she asked. Aeltenest let out a sigh, his focus falling on the young woman's large belly. This was what he had been sensing: his own children, conceived by the Force.
"Somehow… they're mine."
It was late in the day on Munkan when Jen-Et Mil'er stepped outside to water her garden in the brisk, evening air. Just as she finished, a reflection in the front window of her home surprised her so much that she dropped her watering can. Turning around, she spotted none other than her old Master, Si Mon, clad in jeans, white sneakers, and a blue sweater. The traditional Munkan garb betrayed his vast intelligence, but fit his fairly young age of twenty-seven solar cycles.
"Si! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Jen-Et cried, locking her old friend in a tight hug. The young Jedi Master hugged back as Nexus and Em-li rushed outside. After all three had embraced the new arrival, Nexus steeled his nerves and asked a question weighing heavily on his mind.
"Where's Master Aeltenest?" Si exhaled sadly, running a hand through his hair.
"We fled Coruscant together, but split up on Corellia. Something called out to him through the Force, and he went to find it," he answered. Everyone's mood was dampened significantly.
"You know, he's not a Jedi Master for nothing; he can take care of himself," Jen-Et pointed out. Si nodded in agreement.
"I know, I'm just worried," he replied, sighing, "Anyway, my old home is just next door. I'll be there if you need me." With a few parting words, the four Munkans returned their homes. Their lives remained quiet for two weeks before they received news that Simon's brother had returned.
Rushing to the hospital nearest the spaceport, Si, Jen-Et, Nexus and Em-Li arrived to find that Theo and his wife, Ellie, were in the maternity ward. Given a room number, they headed down the hall and arrived mid-childbirth. Just then, none other than Aeltenest emerged from a nearby bathroom. He, too, wore traditional Munkan garb: jeans, black sneakers, a dark gray shirt and a black and orange jacket. Immediately, Si pulled the young man into a hug.
"I am so glad you're okay," he murmured. Aeltenest grinned cheekily.
"You know, I can take care of myself, and you just broke the rule against attachment," he pointed out. Si rolled his eyes, but reluctantly released his friend.
"Dumbest rule ever," he groaned. The group turned its attention to the cries of pain that could be heard through the delivery room's thick, wooden door.
"Surprised?" Aeltenest asked. Simon nodded.
"Yeah, I wasn't aware they were even trying," he pointed out. Austin gave a half nod, his mind ahead of the conversation.
"They weren't." Everyone else backpedalled in shock. "Twins, conceived by the Force."
"So… whose are they?" Nexus asked; his own daughter born in such a manner. Aeltenest turned to his bespectacled friend with a serious expression.
"They're ours, Si…" Jen-Et's hands flew over her mouth, and Nexus' jaw hung limply in shock. Si was at a loss for words. Suddenly, a nurse stepped out of the room, her gaze immediately falling on Aeltenest.
"Would you like to see them?" she asked. The young Jedi nodded. He and Si were led inside; the twins just emerging from their post-birth cleanings. They were fraternal, as Aeltenest had already determined; one child of each gender. The boy resembled his elder parent in height, but had a mop of unique, reddish brown hair. The girl was shorter, with a rare gene mutation that turned her hair an almost fluorescent shade of pink.
For the two new parents, it was a whole new version of love at first sight. Austin cradled his newborn daughter for the first time; the girl dressed in an orange hoodie for the sake of decency. Simon held the boy with equal care, stroking his back through the amber-colored onesie he wore. Both babies napped quietly in their parents' arms.
"What are you going to name them?" Ellie asked. Aelenest looked down at the baby girl his entire life seemed to orbit.
"Her name will be Scout," he decided. Si gave a nod of approval as his brother looked down at the boy. The two siblings looked at each other with complicated expressions.
"His name will be Al Vin Seville Jr., after our older brother. Al… was killed in the Clone Wars," Si explained. Aeltenest raised an eyebrow.
"You never told me you had a second brother. What happened?" he questioned. Si held his son close, tears beginning to roll down his face. He could not speak.
"Al was a member of Republic security on Coruscant. He was killed as a result of Darth Sidious' plot to become emperor," Theo explained. Aeltenest's gaze drooped, and he held his daughter a little closer. After a moment, he looked into his former master's eyes.
"I'm sorry…" Si managed a weak smile.
"At least his memory lives on," he remarked, "Thank you." He and Aeltenest shared a brief kiss, eliciting a gasp from Nexus, who had just entered.
"The Order forbids attachment, remember?" he pointed out. Si looked him dead in the eye.
"Then maybe it's time we left it."