Sacrifice
Chapter 1: Stargazing
Tahiri stared out of the viewport at the stars and wondered how she'd gotten herself into this mess. She often looked at the stars these days, but not because of their beauty. She had developed a form of semi-meditation while staring at the vast nothingness of space, where she could disconnect from the world, and shield herself from the reality of her life.
She was using this technique now; she quite often did this to clear her mind before an important battle. Slowly, the stars were all blurring together into one large burning light, brighter than all of Coruscant. Tahiri closed her eyes, and she was gone; gone from her war-torn reality, and back to the last time she could remember being happy.
Anakin mussed her hair, the way he had done a hundred times.
"You aren't the same as you were before the Yuuzhan Vong captured you. Neither am I. But you're still Tahiri."
"There's something in you, Tahiri, that no one could ever change."
Anakin found a stray lock of hair across her eyebrow and traced lightly over the raised scars on her forehead.
"I'd rather be here with you"
She took his face in both hands and pressed her lips against his.
"Your timing is perfect. Wait until we're doomed to give me my first kiss."
"Are you sorry, Anakin?"
"Tahiri, I haven't changed my mind. I'm not sorry at all. I don't regret kissing you."
Tahiri smiled as the happy memories warmed every inch of her body. But that was where her happiness had ended. Just a few months later, Anakin, her love, had died valiantly during the mission to Myrkr.
She didn't even kiss him goodbye, or tell him how much she loved him…and now he was gone…
As Tahiri opened her eyes, a single shining tear rolled down her face and on to her GAG uniform. She wiped it away angrily. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things, especially not right before an important battle. The battle…
Tahiri stared out of the viewport once again, but this time she focused on the ever-increasing mass of a planet below, instead of the stars. Anakin's family were down there…her family were down there…
She shook her head and tried to focus her thoughts on the task at hand. They were to take the planet. It was as simple as that. No more skirmishes across the galaxy, no more casualties…no more war. This was where all of the conflict had started, all those years ago, and this was where it was going to end – tonight.
A shadow appeared on the viewport, obscuring her view of the planet and the stars. Tahiri did not glance up; she simply continued to stare out at what was unfolding around her.
Suddenly, thousands of tiny bright specks appeared out of no where in a semi-circle around the planet. The shadow next to her stirred, and Tahiri knew it was time. The end of the war was near.
She turned and faced the shadow, with a hardness in her eyes that was a result of the many years she'd spent fighting war after war. This would be the last.
Tahiri addressed the shadow with as much determination as she could muster: "Let's end this, Jacen."
Jacen nodded and gazed at Tahiri, his hazel eyes full of resolve. "Yes," he said, "Let's."