Yea! everyone says. She posted another story! I'm glad myself. This is barely a story. More like a snippet. And it will make NO sense, what so ever, if you haven't read Where Stars May Lie in Wait. Without that as a base this will just be the death of another luckless Jedi. If you have read Where Stars May Lie in Wait I'll let who guess who this is about. My little saga is and never will be close to George's, but just in case, George, no one has ever paid me for my writing. Read, review, & enjoy! - Cptn. Suz
Eclipsing of a Star
It was a chill morning on Coruscant. Not the kind usually found on a temperate planet, but the chill of a blustery wind in a large city, foreboding in it's own way.
Lerane watched the uniform lines of traffic navigate above the towers of the city. Inside his home had dimmed the lights and tried to meditate on the near future and the will of the Force.
Nothing had come.
A break seemed in order, and Lerane had gotten himself something to eat before sitting down to watch the midday commuters. Personal airspeeders vied for airspace between massive cargolifts and public transports. Lerane had watched the same Mon Cal food service transport pass by everyday he had lived in his current home.
Reaching out with an idle hand, he ran his fingers about an artifact on the end table; one of many curious pieces he had collected on an expedition. This one...a stone knick-knack from Irendii. He studied the soothing torus-shaped object and let his consciousness delve into the Force.
This time a vision came swiftly, instilling itself into his mind and leading him.
The buzz of the door announcer startled Lerane from his mental wanderings. Having no idea how long he'd been indisposed, he rushed to the door.
Barent Win'Yaul stood in the alcove to the door. His deep tan and dark brown hair belied little of his patience and amiable nature, the sort only someone of Alderaanian decent might have. Like a true holo-figure of the Jedi Order his face was set in a helpful grin, his eyes showing worry however.
"Sorry, if you were waiting long, I was meditating and..."
"You had a vision?" Barent finished.
"I think, my friend. I'd rather not speak of it now. Tanya and the children left for Ysullis?"
"Yes, I saw them off. What a fine brood you've started, Lerane. They'll enchant you when you finally see them."
"Then the sooner we end this, the sooner we can get on with the future," Lerane added, "Come. I'll share my theories with you and we'll bounce ideas off each other like we did when we were young."
"Indeed, it has been a long time since we last acted as bachelors." Barent stepped inside and removed his brown, over-robe.
"The Force is always one's first wife," Lerane replied, "I've found it more easily appeased however."
Both men chuckled.
Beyond the planning and conspiring, Lerane had one other objective on his mind, and was up early the next morning, preparing the details before the council meeting.
When Barent woke later and slowly plodded out from the guestroom, he heard the ending of a conversation of some kind, 'Ashla be with'. But by the time he actually saw Lerane, his friend was putting something into his deep pockets and the commstation was shut down.
Before Barent could speak, Lerane suggested breakfast at The Snoody Taun-taun, one of their old hangouts, before they had to arrive at the Temple. Soon they were bustling about, gathering what they would take with them to the Temple, and Barent forgot his friend's early morning activities.
Eating breakfast at The Snoody Taun-taun brought back many memories. Bouts of food poisoning, swings at shadier characters, and youthful good-willed enthusiasm.
After a hearty, if artery clogging, meal, they took a moment to stretch before moving on.
"Look, why don't you go on ahead to the Temple," Lerane said, looking at his chronometer, "I've got something to do first, then I'll meet you over there."
He patted Barent on the shoulder, and before he could reply, Lerane was hailing a transport.
Months had passed since he'd last spoken to her, but Lerane was certain she'd still be willing to help. When friends weren't Jedi as well, it was hard to stay in the same loop.
The area she lived in was clean-cut, well off. Tidy flats with nice interiors, the kind of place you'd want to be seen among the sub-hierarchy society of Coruscant.
Lerane rode the turbolift to the appropriate floor, strode down the hall, and rung the buzzer to her flat.
She answered the door with a smile, and Lerane pulled two objects from his pocket and began to explain.
Thirty standard minutes before the meeting began, Lerane arrived at the Jedi Temple. With barely enough time to meet Barent, Lerane rushed to confirm their plans, then raced to his ill-used office to find the council meeting information and read it before going.
Very seldom did the council allow others to sit in on a meeting, so Barent was relegated to wander about like an all-too-unimportant sidekick, and busy himself searching for clues in all the obvious places.
He sat down to rest his feet and perhaps take a nap when he saw one of the council members hurry past and turn a corner.
Barent leapt to his feet, and too late realized his fatal mistake. Frozen by an impressive display of dark-side power, someone sauntered casually up from behind and whispered into his ear, "Your family has always been quick to serve the best interests of the council. But your helpfulness is at an end, Barent Win'Yaul."
Then, with sickening ease, the dark-sider crushed Barent's throat and neck with the slightest urging of dark power.
The slow-paced meeting had Lerane nearly asleep. He felt not even the smallest tainting of the dark side. Detrimental to his plans as it was, he barely noticed the vacant seat.
'Force!' he shot up in his seat. They'd gotten Barent! "Barent!"
Lunging for the door, he rushed to reach his friend before anyone in the chamber had even gotten to their feet.
He was too late. He knew it even as he sprinted down the halls.
Upon finding the inert form of his friend, Lerane died a little with the sight of the floppy and bruised neck.
Nearby he sensed the taunt of the dark-sider, and dashed off again in persute as other Jedi began to gather around Barent's body.
Becoming less cautious with each passing moment, Lerane jumped into the airspeeder that the dark-sider was about to take off in.
He rose slowly, facing the back of the cloaked figure. At a leisurely speed the person turned from the automated controls and pulled back hood.
"Athain," Lerane muttered.
"Expecting better things of me?" Athain snickered, while drawing and igniting his saber. "After I found out who my birth mother was I knew my destiny. The dark-side flows in my veins like blood. Why deny myself my inherited power?"
"A person is never determined by their parents," Lerane replied, readying his own blade.
"Then why are you a Jedi?" Athain retorted, "Certainly not because...gasp...your parents were."
"It was a personal choice," Lerane defended.
"And so is mine," Athain launched into an attack, "Anyway, what happened to your blade? Lucky charm prism break on you?"
"I feel confident with any lightsaber I build," Lerane muttered. Then to his horror and a bit of precognition, the blade died in his hands.
"Make your peace," Athain spoke, whipping his saber around for a swing that sliced Lerane two.
Athain leapt from the airspeeder, landing on a balcony. It took barely a brush of the Force to switch the controls of the airspeeder back to manual. A moment later the airspeeder crashed into a Mon Cal food service transport. They careened into a nearby building and through several walls, showering bystanders with frozen seafood in the process.
The day of the funeral was overcast as befitted the death of an important person.
Friends, including the one he had met with just days ago, gathered with Jedi to watch the orange flames feed on what remains had been found.
Lucerene Solo thought Lerane had been right.
Athain hid a smile beneath his hood and thought few were as worthy of his respect as the deceased had been.
And half a galaxy away, a woman cried to herself alone, and thought, now he's gone. Really, truly gone.
???? Told you it wasn't really a story. Perhaps I can put it together in a bigger story with the rest of the history about Ashla's & Ashlan's parents. Now I'm asking for input. If you derive the slightest bit of enjoyment from my Ashla stuff, or any of my writing, please lend me your advice, in a review or e-mail, on what you would like to see me write up next. (Star Wars, B5, etc.) Too many ideas in the brain, maybe you understand. Cptn. Suz