So I've decided that for my Star Wars fanfics, I'll be following a format for each chapter to prepare you, my lovely readers, for what the story is mainly about.
Title: When the Morning Comes
Rating: T
Disclaimer: The only things I own are the four main girl characters, Rosaline, Emily, Brooke, and Marissa (and their families, duh). All of the things that you've heard of in the Star Wars universe (or, more specifically, if it can be found on Wookiepedia) are owned by the mastermind, George Lucas. And I don't own the rights or lyrics or anything to the songs mentioned.
Extra Notes: This story is inspired by "This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go. If you listen to the song, you'll pretty much get an idea of what will happen in this story. It's an incredible song.
Happy New Year, and please read, enjoy, and review!
-ecto1B
When the Morning Comes
A story inspired by "This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go
Chapter 1
News
~You know you can't keep lettin' it get you down~
Rosaline Henry sighed, examining the messily written note that her mother had left her on the counter. Of course, the note was—not only complete chicken scratch—but in Spanish, as well. Taking a deep breath, Rosaline scanned her eyes over each jumble of letters, hoping to discern the message her mother had left her.
"Dear Rosie," she read aloud, translating the letter into English as she spoke, "I forgot to remind you this morning that your father and I were invited to the Smith's house for dinner tonight. Since they live in Indiana, we left early. I know you're having the girls over tonight, and I also know you four will behave yourselves. We'll probably stay overnight at the friend's house, so expect us sometime tomorrow morning. I love you, my Rose." Rosaline smiled at her mother's compassionate closing. "Call us if you need anything. –Mom"
Placing the note back on the counter where she'd found it, Rosaline sucked in a breath and massaged her neck muscles rigorously, like she always did when she was lost in thought. She contemplated a strategy that could take on her newly expanded freedom, for such a perk was scarce in her household. She had to approach it properly.
And what better way to approach such a great opportunity than with the help of my three best friends, Rosaline thought. She retrieved her iPhone 4G from the front pocket of her backpack and instantly speed-dialed the friend programmed on '1,' Emily Regan. The phone rang a few times before an almost whimsical voice answered.
"Hello, Regan residence. This is Emily."
Rosaline smirked. Emily's family strived for perfection, even when answering the telephone. She could remember the day when Emily had informed her about the family spending a night around the dinner table, practicing answering the phone in a correct manner.
"Hey Em', it's me, Rose."
Oh, how I love firing back with a completely non-formal response.
"Hey Rose! What's up?"
Rosaline, still keeping the phone pressed to her ear behind a mass of dark brown hair, strolled from the kitchen to the adjoining family room, where she plopped down on the leather couch. Glancing about the room, she noticed that it was cleaner than how she'd remembered it that morning. Maybe Mom had the cleaning ladies come early today.
"Well, it looks like our sleepover will be a bit quieter than I'd thought."
"What do you mean?"
"My mom and dad left for a friend's house in Indiana, and they won't be back until tomorrow morning. So it'll just be us girls celebrating winter vacation."
She could almost hear Emily smile. "Awesome. You still want us over at five?"
Rosaline tapped her pointer finger against her chin and pursed her lips. The girls had gotten out of school early because of the half day, so it was only twelve o'clock. Preparing for her friends to come over only took about a half an hour, but Rosaline wanted to practice the guitar for an hour or two. Still, five o'clock seemed like a long ways away, and she knew she wouldn't need that long to get ready and play the guitar. "Hmm… how 'bout four o'clock, instead? That alright with you?"
"Perfect."
"Great! I'll call Brooke with the news. Y'think you could call Marissa for me?"
"Sure. You want me to bring anything?"
Rosaline paused again to think. "Eh… bring your DVD copy of The Proposal. My mom lost ours, and I think we need to pay Ryan Reynolds a quick visit."
Emily giggled. "Oh, of course. Sherlock Holmes, too? I haven't had time to drool over Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. since Mrs. Nichols gave us that study guide."
Both girls groaned at the mention of their history teacher's ten-page study guide for the exam.
"Thank God we're out of school for the holidays," Rosaline sighed. "One more word out of Mr. Fernandez's mouth about my Spanish being 'sloppy' and I would've brought my mother into school to yell at him."
"She would've scared him shitless," Emily agreed smugly.
With a laugh, Rosaline brought her iPhone to her other ear and stood from the couch. "So I'll see you in a few hours, then?"
"Yep! I'll call Marissa. Bye, Rose!"
"Bye, Em'!"
After she called Brooke to inform her of the time change, Rosaline went over to the sound system and turned it on. Soon, Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" blared over the house's speakers. She grinned at the beautiful music wafting into her ears, and began to dance about the room. It was much more fun setting up for parties when there was music to dance to.
The tall, bearded man rotated his head so that his astonishing blue eyes settled upon the man to his right. His eyebrows, settled above those peculiar azure irises, remained in their natural curved state, unwilling to communicate any soft emotions to those standing around him. Behind the mask of his reddish-brown beard that covered a great deal of his face, his lips bolted into a thin, austere line. No sort of vulnerability touched him. It was as if the man had been trained for severity, for he played the part flawlessly.
The man to his right, however, was much more relaxed than he, and not as stern. This man was clearly younger, with his eyes wide, awake, and alert. His face was empty of any facial hair, so the numerous pockmarks and blemishes he'd received throughout his lifetime were visible, including one prominent scar trailing vertically across his right eye. He had an unruly brunette head of hair that was slightly longer on the nape of his neck, protruding from his scalp like a cluster of untamed greenery.
The first man, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, met the second man's gaze firmly. "Anakin, I've received word from Admiral Yularen that they've found the location of the missing Jedi holocron." He paused to let the information sink in. "It's on a strange Outer Rim planet that has not yet been fully explored by the Republic. Even the Separatists haven't paid it so much as a backwards glance."
The second man dipped his head. "I'm assuming you're going to have me and my troops go and retrieve it, then?" A lighthearted smirk curled onto his lips.
"You are partially correct, Anakin," the first man replied. "A squad of your men, led by Captain Rex, will be traveling to the planet, while you and I head to Coruscant. The Jedi Council has requested our presence for a matter of discussion."
"You believe Rex will be able to handle it without my help?" Anakin inquired steadily. By the tone of his voice, it was obvious that he was not doubting his captain's efficiency, but only wishing he could accompany the clone captain on a mission instead of visiting Coruscant. On any occasion, the young Jedi would've preferred combat over speaking with the Jedi Council, and his master, Obi-Wan, knew it.
"Of course. Rex is a strong man, Anakin. He can manage by himself." The man's blue eyes widened suspiciously. "I'm getting the feeling you'd prefer going with him instead."
"No, Master, I'm just being careful. We don't want to lose a squad of troopers along with the holocron." Anakin met the man's eyes for a fleeting second. "I'm fine with—"
"General Kenobi! General Skywalker!"
From behind them, a pale, brown-haired man with a narrow mustache lining his upper lip came strolling in their direction. He was the admiral for the Jedi Cruiser they were currently on, the Resolute. Serious but friendly, Admiral Yularen was known for his devotion towards the security of the Republic's intelligence. He was in charge of the Resolute under Anakin's Jedi leadership, though he often questioned the Jedi's tactics.
"Yes, Admiral?" Obi-Wan Kenobi held his arms behind his back as he addressed the commanding officer, faintly smiling behind his beard.
"We are about to enter hyperspace on our way to the location of the holocron," he informed the two Jedi. "It will only take us a few minutes to reach the planet's outer atmosphere. There, Captain Rex and his men will board a gunship and travel to the site of the holocron. When they are deployed, our fleet will return to hyperspace, where we'll be dropping you both off at Coruscant. When Rex and his men manage to retrieve the holocron—which could take days to find—they'll contact us, and we'll collect them as quickly as possible." The admiral ended his summary of the protocol with a slightly content grin.
"How many men are heading to carry out this mission?" Anakin wanted to know, making sure to cover all of his bases with the questions he asked.
"Including Captain Rex, a dozen, sir," Yularen answered promptly.
"Is Rex aware that he'll be without a Jedi?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where is he now?"
Yularen glanced down at the crew pits inside the bridge, scanning for the familiar white and blue armored clone captain.
"I believe he's on his way here as we speak," Yularen said finally, dragging his eyes back up to the two Jedi. "I ordered him to the bridge some time ago, but he might've gotten backed up on his way."
Almost on cue, the doors to the bridge slid open, and Captain Rex strode inside, helmet under his arm.
Clone Captain Rex, or CC-7567, was almost identical to his millions of clone brothers, despite a few minor details. Instead of a full head of jet-black hair, he had bleached his blonde and shaved it down to his scalp. His eyebrows were dark and sharp, and they sat above a curious pair of wide brown eyes that contained vast amounts of perception. His features were tough, from his tanned forehead to his high cheekbones, and even down to his solid, strong chin. One would consider him a very good-looking man, but, then again, Rex shared the features of millions of other men. Only shortly glance across the bridge of the Resolute, and you'd find the exact same face multiple times, with slight variations to each one.
He made his way across the length of the bridge, meeting in the center with the Admiral and two Jedi. His expression—like most always—displayed humorlessness and obedience. Perhaps that was the reason so many Jedi Knights envied Anakin; his captain was extremely well disciplined, but also possessed the ability to joke around when the war wasn't so intense. That was a great factor about the man that everyone noted. He was proof the clones weren't as similar on the inside as they were on the outside.
"General Kenobi, General Skywalker," Captain Rex addressed his two Jedi commanders in a deep, assertive tone. He turned to the third man. "Admiral Yularen."
"What took you so long, Rex?" Anakin asked flippantly, fighting another smirk on his lips. "Yularen said he asked you here a while ago."
Most clones would have taken Anakin's teasing to heart immediately, but Rex was used to his humorous general. He had enough common sense to detect that the man was toying with him.
"Sorry, sir. I had to attend to a situation in the mess hall." Rex also seemed to be suppressing a smile. "A few of the men thought it would be a good idea to start a small food fight, but Cody and I managed to subdue the fight before it got out of hand."
Obi-Wan's eyebrows raised. "A food fight?"
"Harmless, sir," Rex assured him. "Just visual proof of the restlessness my men are feeling at the moment." The corners of his lips twitched. "We haven't been off of the Resolute in days."
"That's about to change," Anakin remarked, his tone lost amidst faint jealousy. "You and your men will be on your way to find the holocron shortly."
The clone captain nodded. "I've heard, sir. When will we be arriving at the planet?"
Yularen glanced down at some of the crew working at the ship controls. "We'll be entering hyperspace momentarily, I believe."
Obi-Wan met Rex's gaze seriously. "Captain, I hope you realize how vital the success of this mission is to the Jedi. That holocron contains very valuable information that could devastate the Jedi Order if in the wrong hands."
"Understood, sir. My men are ready to do whatever it takes to recover the lost holocron, whatever the casualties or the difficulties."
Before any of them could continue the conversation, a voice rang out from the lower level of the bridge.
"Admiral Yularen! We're about to enter hyperspace!"
All four men standing on the walkway dragged their eyes to the source of the sound.
"Good. Whenever you're ready." Yularen itched his mustache thoughtfully, taking a few steps closer to the bridge's wide window. The three other men followed right behind him. Obi-Wan went to stand beside the admiral, while Anakin hung back near the clone captain.
"Rex…" Anakin murmured, keeping his eyes locked on the window and speaking out the side of his mouth. It was obvious he intended for his words to never reach Obi-Wan's disapproving ears. "If you need backup, contact me. We're heading to Coruscant to be with the Jedi Council, but I'd much rather find the holocron."
"If we need help, sir, I will contact you immediately," Rex replied steadily, "but I fully intend on making this mission brief. It'll only take a day or two for my men to locate the holocron."
Anakin sighed and grinned. "I know, Rex… I know…" He patted the captain's armored shoulder. "You'll do great."
Rex dipped his head. "Thank you, sir. I'll surely try my best." He bit his lower lip uneasily as the dangers of his mission played through his head like an old training video. "We will find that holocron."
And with that, the four men standing on the bridge watched—almost in awe, though they had seen the sight countless times before—as the Resolute dove into the depths of hyperspace, with long lines of white streaking outside the ship's hull and a mass of blue light twirling itself around the view window.
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