Full Circle
Part One: Blind Hope
The apartment door lifted open, and a tall, distinguished man with dark hair walked in, looking a little tired and carrying a large luggage container. From across the main living area, a little boy ran over to him.
"Daddy! Mommy, Daddy's home!" screamed the boy.
The man broke into a wide smile and lifted his son into his arms. "Kaden, were you a good boy while I was gone? Did you take care of your mother?"
"Yeah!"
"He did," a soft, sweet voice came from the beautiful exotic-looking woman who just walked into the room. She kissed him on the cheek while he shifted the boy to his hip so he could embrace his wife. "It's good to have you back, Ryk," she added.
"Oh, I missed you, Nella. And you too, Kaden." The boy grinned and wrapped his small arms around his dad's neck. Ryk kissed his son then let him back down to the ground. "I brought you back something. It's in my luggage."
"Cool!" The boy ran off to rummage through his father's suitcase, while the couple went to sit in the living area. Nella looked over at her husband, her eyes betraying a little of her worry, but Ryk watched his son for a few moments before turning to his wife.
"You know, he looks more like you every day, Nella."
She smiled. "Yes, but he still has your bright blue eyes."
Ryk leaned back on the couch. "He's going to be a heartbreaker, I can tell."
"Ryk!"
The man grinned and looked over at her. "What?
She gave him a faux stern look. "I'm sure he'll find a decent and lasting relationship, just like us."
"Oh, yes, of course." He sobered. "I got in touch with a secret Jedi cell on Renduron.
"Will they take him?"
Ryk nodded. "Yes, but they have to test him first to make sure. He's a bit old, at three, but they can't be choosy now. I think we've finally caught a break."
Nella sighed happily and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Just then Kaden ran up to them with something grasped tightly in his fist and jumped up on his mother's lap. "Look what daddy got me!"
"Let me see…" She took the item from the boy's hand. It was a small plasticine figurine of a bantha, a large furry animal. "That's very nice, Kaden. Do you know what it is?"
"It's a banta, Mommy."
"Bantha, but, yes, dear."
"I got more, Mommy." He held out his hand where several other plasticine animals were resting.
"Wow." She handed him back the bantha toy. "Why don't you go play in your room for a while before I get dinner ready, okay?"
He nodded enthusiastically and ran off to his room with his new toys.
Nella turned back to her husband. "How did everything else go?"
"Well, Senator Organa is trying to organize something, get people together. I told him we would support him the whole way. It's nothing formal yet, just secret behind-the-scenes planning, you know. He's trying to gather up all the other senators and politicians he can find who don't support Senator Palpatine's rise to power."
"Good," she nodded. "Maybe we can discuss things civilly, and this can all blow over in a year or two."
"Yes, that's what we hope. It's all we can strive for right now."
Nella smiled, resting her hand on his arm a moment before standing up. "I'll get some food started."
"All right." He stood up, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll go unpack."
They moved off in their separate directions: Nella to the kitchen and Ryk off to their room with his luggage.
Later, at dinner, they ate in silence a while. Ryk was tired from his trip, and Nella was lost in her thoughts. The last few years had been hard on everyone who didn't want to bow to the Emperor's new ways, but hopefully all their work in the next few would make the next few decades and more better for everything. She sincerely hoped so. It would make things a whole lot easier.
She thought of all the other families out there with their children growing up during the war and turmoil and overthrow of the government. Times were tough. Nella couldn't help glancing over at her son, who was busy devouring his food. At least he would be okay, she thought. He'd train to be a Jedi and be able to take care of himself.
Everything they were working for had to continue so he would be able to train with all the best Jedi with whom he belonged, not stuck on some backwater planet in hiding. Jedi weren't supposed to have to hide. She wanted all the best for Kaden, but if he had to hide awhile to capture his dream, it would be all worth it.
"Mommy, why are you staring at me?" Her little boy's voice broke into her thoughts.
"Nothing, Kaden. Mommy was just thinking. That's all."
"About what?"
"Oh, nothing, really. General things. Finish your vegetables." She arched her brow at him.
Kaden looked down at his plate. "Okay…"
Then Ryk looked over at Nella, letting his eyes speak to her, conveying that perhaps they should tell their son what was in store for him. Nella's eyes looked sad for a while, knowing that she'd have to say good-bye to her son and wouldn't know when she would see him again. But then the sparkle returned, when she turned from Ryk, relaying her hope for everything, and turned to her son again.
"Kaden, honey, what would you think about a vacation?"
"A trip? Where?" His eyes lit up with expectation. He had never left Coruscant before and was always jealous of his friends who got to go places.
"Somewhere far away," Nella said softly, adding some mystery and excitement to her voice.
He perked up even more. "To another planet, Mommy?"
"Yes, dear. To another planet, far away from here."
"Do we get to ride on a starship?"
Ryk chuckled. "Yes, Kaden. We'll use a starship to get there."
Kaden's eyes lit up even more. He always envied the people he saw through the viewports whipping around on their speeders and other craft. But a starship? That was even better. He forgot all about cleaning his plate and began imagining all the things he might see. He tried to remember everything his friends had told them when they went on vacations.
"Kaden? Kaden?" his mother's voice broke into his thoughts. He turned his eyes to her.
"Kaden, I'm sorry we can't tell you where we are going. It has to be a secret."
"A secret?" He didn't really care; he wouldn't have recognized many planets anyway if his parents had actually told him.
"Yes. We have to be careful with all the Imperials around."
"Oh. Okay."
Nella tried a brave smile. "But secrets are fun."
The boy nodded, agreeing. He couldn't wait to go on a trip.
Nella and Ryk both knew it was best to keep it a secret and to keep Kaden thinking it was a vacation. That way, if he ever told his friends, it would be completely innocent. They and the other upper classes on Coruscant had been fairly left alone during the exchange of power from the Republic to Emperor Palpatine. He and Darth Vader were mostly focused on rooting out all the rest of the Jedi and squashing any attempts to defy them. As long as she and Ryk went along with everything as if it was all okay and feigned ignorance to the most gruesome parts life would move on as normal. They couldn't let their destination leak out.
In fact, Ryk didn't even know the location of the planet. Senator Organa was going to take them along while he went to talk over things with other resistance leaders who had emerged. She only hoped that everything worked out as planned. They had worked so hard to get to this moment for their son. Nella especially thought Kaden had great potential.
Kaden spoke up then, after spending some time to finish his food. "Are any of my friends going?"
"No, they're not. It's a family trip." Answered Ryk.
Kaden took this all in as if it was just fine. His dad traveled too much lately. He missed spending time with him.
"And you will be there, Daddy? The whole time?"
Ryk grinned. "Of course, son." He wasn't ready to deal with the part where he and his wife had to drop him off and never look back. And, technically, they would be together during the flight over.
Nella stood up and started clearing the table. "Kaden, why don't you get ready for bed? Dad will come tuck you in a moment. We have a big day tomorrow." She smiled at him and finished with the dishes.
"Yeah, Kaden, go on. I'll be there in a minute."
Still excited for his big trip, Kaden jumped down from his chair and ran off to his room to get ready for bed.
Ryk helped Nella clean everything up and then went to Kaden's room. He found him fast asleep in his bed with his new bantha toy clenched in one hand. Tucking his son in, Ryk smiled. "Rest up, Kaden," he whispered before kissing him and closing the door behind him.
The next morning, Kaden ran around his room, excitedly packing for his trip on the starship. Ryk and Nella were a bit more reserved, making sure that Kaden didn't forget to pack anything in his luggage. Nella was actually a bit happy about all Kaden's misplaced excitement; it helped him to not notice that he had a lot more luggage than that of his parents'. A lot of hard to answer questions went unasked.
Ryk placed the last of Kaden's cases by the door next to that of his and Nella's. He stood up, sighing. He tried to tell himself that it was all for the best, but that wouldn't stop him from missing his only son every waking moment.
Ryk knew that Nella felt the same way, but he tried to put up a brave façade for her sake. If he started getting gloomy, then the real waterworks would come. And then Kaden would start getting suspicious. For a three-year-old, he was surprisingly good at reading his parents' emotions. He supposed that that was just all that Force stuff. Maybe Kaden could read his parents through the Force and knew what they were feeling. It was all beyond Ryk. He never understood the Jedi. Yes, he knew they were great peacemakers and warriors when they had to be, but all their philosophy stuff he just didn't understand.
He shrugged and made his way to the dining area for breakfast. Kaden's last breakfast with his parents at home. Ryk pushed the thought from his mind and greeted his wife with a kiss.
Nella had gotten up before Ryk, knowing full well that Kaden would be up even earlier, overflowing with glee about his trip. She made sure he packed all the essentials, along with all his toys. When he wasn't looking, she stuffed in a holo of their family that they had taken a few months before. If she couldn't be there in person, she could at least be there in spirit. Nella didn't want Kaden forgetting who she was or who Ryk was.
"Good morning." Nella smiled at Ryk and motioned to the table where Kaden was already digging into a big pile of breakfast cakes.
"Morning, son."
"Morning, dad!" Kaden answered with a mouth half full of food.
"Kaden, your manners," rebuked Nella.
The boy swallowed quickly. "Sorry, Mom." He ate some more then asked, "When are we leaving? Is it a big starship? How long is the trip? Are we--"
"Hold on, hold on," said Ryk, holding up a hand. "It's a long trip, so you better settle down for a long wait, okay?"
The boy nodded.
"Okay. We leave just after breakfast. We're meeting Senator Organa. He needs to speak to some people on the planet we're going to, so we're traveling together."
"Okay."
Ryk glanced over at Nella, then leaned forward slightly towards Kaden. "His daughter Leia is coming too."
Kaden's face wrinkled up. "Do I have to talk to her?"
Nella laughed. That was her son, all right. But she knew he would grow up quickly enough and out of this stage.
Sighing dramatically, Ryk answered, "No, but I think it would be nice to keep her company part of the time. Okay?"
"Okay… I guess."
"Kaden…" his dad trailed off.
"Yes, Dad. I'll spend time with her."
"Good. That's settled."
The family ate in silence for a while. Kaden was busy shoveling his food in, knowing he was leaving right after he was done eating. Ryk and Nella ate slower, trying to delay the trip by just a few minutes more. When they were done, Nella put the dishes on the counter, leaving them for later. She needed to have something to do when they got back home a couple days later. Nella glanced around the apartment, checking for any last minute details.
Kaden came rushing back into the main living area from the refresher just then.
"I'm all ready!"
Nella walked over and ruffled her son's short black hair fondly. "I know, dear." She looked over at Ryk, thinking that they might as well be on their way. The longer they dawdled the harder it would be for her to let her son go. She took a deep breath and picked up one of Kaden's cases. "Grab a bag, Kaden."
He grabbed one in both hands and went out the door. Nella followed him while Ryk moved the rest of the luggage out. Once he did so, he flicked off the lights and pushed the door button. Ryk thought the clang of it closing was a lot louder than he used to. It jarred him, but he put on a smile and led his family to the nearest turbolift.
At the spaceport, the three of them walked through the mass of people with Nella holding Kaden's hand so he wouldn't get lost. Ryk pushed a hoversled with all the bags and luggage. Kaden looked around beside him with wide eyes. There were so many starships in here. Big ones, small ones, shiny ones, old ones. He wondered which one they were going to be taking.
"Ryk!" A man waved at them from beside a sleek silver ship. It was small, but then again it didn't need to be large.
Ryk waved back, motioning to his family. "There's Bail." They walked over to where the senator was standing.
Bail smiled at them and greeted them with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek, to Ryk and Nella, respectively. Then he turned to the boy. "Well, you must be the Kaden Staal we've all heard so much about." While he had spent much time with the Staals discussing various issues, he had never met the boy.
"Hi," said Kaden.
Bail chuckled, knowing that the boy was probably feeling a little overwhelmed at everything. Ryk had told him it would be his first trip off planet. Plus there was the whole Jedi training thing, but he kept a closed mouth about that. No sense worrying the boy and upsetting him for the entire trip over to Renduron.
"Well," he motioned to the boarding ramp. "Why don't we get settled on board?" A woman in a spaceport uniform took the hoversled from Ryk and started loading the luggage into the hold. The four of them walked on board and got settled in the lounge. Nella strapped Kaden in near a small viewport before seeing to herself. Bail went forward to speak to the pilot.
A young four-year-old brunette girl walked in from the living area and climbed up to sit on the couch beside Kaden. She strapped herself in quickly as if she had done so many times before. Kaden didn't see her; he was busy looking out through the viewport at all the passersby in that area of the spaceport.
The girl laughed. "What are you staring at?"
"All the people." He felt nervous talking to her, though she was just a girl. But he figured it more because of the trip than because of her. "There's so many."
"I know," she nodded sagely. "But there's even more people and species all over the galaxy." She smiled. "I'm Leia."
"My name's Kaden."
"Nice to meet you."
He nodded. "What kind of people?" he asked curiously, wanting to know more about what he had missed by being secluded on Coruscant.
She started talking about one of her latest trips with her father, and Kaden listened intently, wanted to learn about all those new beings and places. He paid special attention to the starships from all the different cultures, asking more details about them. The animals she encountered also intrigued him. He asked about those he knew of, the ones that his father had bought plasticine models of for him. Kaden reached in his pocket to show her the bantha one. He hadn't packed it with the rest.
Nella smiled, watching her son interact with Leia. She touched Ryk's arm, and he nodded, seeing it also. He was adjusting well to new experiences. His little boy was growing up before his eyes. Ryk reached out and squeezed Nella's shoulder reassuringly. He knew she was probably feeling as he was. Just then, Bail came back in and sat down himself, strapping in.
"We're just about ready to go now." The Staals nodded, but Kaden quickly turned back to look through his viewport, wanting to see the entire liftoff. The ship rumbled to life as the engines turned over and the landing struts folded back in. Kaden recognized the sound of repulsors, but these were much louder than any he had ever heard before. He waited, watching for when they would leave the planet behind and be surrounded with stars.
The ship turn slowly around, headed up through the opening in the hangar and shooting off towards the atmosphere of Coruscant. They gained access out due to their cover of being nobles off on a vacation. The Empire didn't bother with the upper class much. As long as they were kept happy, they would continue to live as they always had. The rich and powerful generally didn't bother complaining about who ruled above them because nothing ever changed. It was the middle class and the poor who wanted to rage against their superiors, feeling jilted and forgotten all the time.
They broke through the atmosphere, heading for deeper space. Kaden looked on with amazement. There were so many stars. More than he saw from his apartment window. All he saw was other building lights that appeared as stars because Coruscant was so crowded. But these were real. They flew past a couple Star Destroyers on their way to their hyperspace vector. Kaden thought the big gray hulks were beautiful. He tried to take in more of them when suddenly, it seemed like the ship jolted forward as the stars stretched out in his viewport. But just as quickly the ship returned to its smoother ride.
Bail glanced at all of them. "It's a long trip. I suggest you all go relax for a few hours." He removed his restraints and headed aft to the living quarters. Leia also unstrapped but remained seated.
"Kaden, do you want something to eat?" Nella asked.
The boy shook his head, enthralled with the starlines created by hyperspace travel. Ryk rolled his eyes at his wife as he led her away to talk to Bail about the recent activity he was drumming up in support of overthrowing the Empire. The children were left alone.
"They won't change, you know." Leia said, trying to capture the boy's attention.
It was another moment before he tore himself away from the view. "Why do the stars look like that?"
She shrugged. "I guess we're flying past the stars so fast that they don't look so round any more."
Kaden seemed to take this as a good explanation, and, satisfied, started fumbling with his restraints. Everyone else had gotten up, so he figured it was safe.
"Here, let me help you." She smiled and helped him out. "Now what? I don't think Father wants me to bother him. They're talking about important things," she said solemnly.
"Can you tell me more about the people, the beings, that are out there?" Kaden was interested in everything that had been going on around him. Plus, at three, he hadn't been enrolled in any form of school yet. All he knew he had learned from his parents. The only other species besides human he knew had been Mori, a Rodian, who had lived next door. But he hadn't known her long. Her family had left Coruscant for Rodia, afraid of the Emperor's recent xenophobic tendencies. Kaden had been told that her father had gotten a new job.
Leia nodded and started recalling some more of what she knew, sometimes using her small datapad to illustrate things better. Kaden listened intently. The hours of hyperspace travel literally flew by.
Bail refilled his glass of Corellian whiskey before seating himself next to
Ryk and Nella again. He was bringing them up to speed on all the happenings within the secret rebel groups all throughout Coruscant and the galaxy. He spoke of the support that Senator Mon Montha was trying to drum up against the Empire. It was difficult for all of them because many of the systems just wanted peace. And having just been involved in a war a few years before, those governments didn't want another so soon. Any peace, even under someone of the likes of Emperor Palpatine, was acceptable to them. However, there were a few systems that were seeing the way of the rebels. They were hoping for even more: systems with more influence that could supply a lot of resources. Bail and others knew that their little uprising would likely, in most respects, not be a peaceful takeover of the government on Coruscant. They had a long fight ahead of them.
"Mon Mothma is with some of the rebel supporters on Renduron. I want to check in on the latest developments." Bail nodded to Ryk. "And we can see what further actions you can take within Coruscant itself."
Ryk knew that under that small figure, the Chandrilian woman was really tough as durasteel. She had been and continued to be a strong force in their push against the Emperor's tyranny. He had been doing his own part on his home world, meeting with other politicians, senators and members of the upper class, looking for support, even a small vote of confidence that they would have a friend. Ryk was looking for anything.
He nodded in agreement with Bail. "Good. I've been coming up against a lot of dead ends and wild gundark chases lately. It seems there are a lot of people who don't exactly agree with what Palpatine slowly did to our government over the last few years. But…" he shook his head sadly. "But they also don't want to change anything. They're afraid of ramifications against them, most readily: Darth Vader. Also, they don't want their lives to change. Even with Palpatine taking complete control, the lives for anyone with some influence didn't really change. As long as they pay tribute to his cronies, they continue to live in peace and are left alone." That last statement left a bad taste in Ryk's mouth.
"Yes, I know," said Bail. "Well, at least we know we have the Jedi behind us." The mood in the room lightened. They all knew that, while in smaller numbers than before, the Jedi were still formidable. This would especially help because there was rumor going around that Darth Vader and the Emperor were part of the ancient group known as the Sith. The Sith could also wield the Force as Jedi could. Ryk, Bail, Mon Mothma and the others could work on getting other local system governments to rise against the newly formed Empire. The Jedi could be used to fight against the Sith.
Nella smiled. "Yes, and soon Kaden will be joining them." She looked at Ryk. "And he can help save us all."
Her husband nodded back. He only wished it would be true. But it would be quite a few years before Kaden was up to par with the rest of the Jedi who were hiding away. They would have to wait in secret for a few years before the Jedi could muster up enough of an offensive. Plus they were always in danger of Darth Vader, who was always tracking down more and more Jedi who had escaped the original purge. Many, many Jedi had died already. However, he knew Renduron was secure. Kaden would be safe there. But would there be anything left to fight for in a few years when the boy was a full Jedi?
"I'm sure he'll make us all proud," acknowledged Bail, taking a sip from his glass.
"Just as your daughter will, I'm sure." Nella smiled. "She's becoming quite the little negotiator and politician herself."
Bail chuckled. "Although Alderaan has stayed peaceful and mainly left alone in all this, Leia has seen vid feeds of what is happening all over. The destruction that Vader and his white-armored squad are causing. She may be young now, but she wants to help."
"It's good to see some ambition in our children," said Ryk. "So many children, and their parents also, are too happy with the way things are. They feel that everything is still theoretically the same even with someone else leading Coruscant. We need more people who realize that we need something different, that this tyranny has gone on long enough."
Nella and Bail nodded in agreement. They knew it all too well.
Just then the comm crackled. Bail pressed a button and listened in to the pilot. A few moments later he turned to the Staals. "We're coming up on Renduron now. We'd better go strap back in."
The trio headed back to the crash couches to get ready for the landing. Leia and Kaden had already gotten themselves secured. The starlines shortened and returned back to their normal star forms. Off to the port side lay Renduron, a smallish green jungle planet.
After the ship landed and the boarding ramp descended, everyone was greeted by
a twosome dressed in brown robes. The Jedi introduced themselves as Cryd Wessen and Nev Pon. They led the Staals and Organas out of the spaceport and towards two waiting speeders to take them to the rebel settlement hidden in the jungle. Even though the spaceport was fairly small, it was still visible so they couldn't be too careful.
They sped along the jungle paths, each Jedi commanding a speeder. Kaden looked at all the greenery in amazement. This planet was a stark contrast to all the permacrete and plasteel on Coruscant. Renduron was alive, he could tell. All sorts of animal calls and other noises wafted towards him. He was eager to explore everywhere. This would be a great trip. He just knew it.
Finally a few small buildings rose up from the jungle trees, and the speeders slowed down, parking. Everyone began unloading all the luggage from the travelers. People appeared out of the buildings looking worn and tired but yet also happy. Bail Organa's arrival on Renduron had given them more hope. They were anxious to know what was going on.
"Kaden, why don't you go with Jedi Pon? Your parents and I need to discuss some things with some of the leaders here."
"Okay." Jedi Wessen led the adults off to meet with Mon Mothma and other rebels. Leia followed along leaving Kaden alone with the Ithorian Jedi.
"Why don't I show you around the Jedi quarters?"
Kaden nodded. He knew he might as well keep himself occupied while his parents were doing important business. Plus Nev Pon's voice was pleasant to listen to. It was almost soothing.
Jedi Pon showed Kaden into the building where some of the Jedi apprentices were training with lightsabers. The boy's eyes light up; he had never seen lightsabers before. He watched all the practice duels with wide eyes. Jedi Pon led him off to the side where they could sit and watch. A few moments later they headed off to tour other buildings. Pon had been instructed to keep Kaden busy while his parents left. They all knew why the boy was here on Renduron. It had bee happening quite often now after news spread of the purge.
So Kaden never noticed when some other Jedi came and gathered up his bags and luggage, hailing them to another building that were used as their living quarters. His belongings were put in an empty room. They searched through the bags and removed anything remotely personal to the boy. His toys were tossed away and the holo of his parents was passed on to one of the Masters to do something with later. Kaden was left only with a couple changes of clothes and a sparse room.
Once his parents noticed that Kaden was occupied and going off with the other Jedi, they broke off from Jedi Wessen. Now it was time for the last step in Ryk and Nella's plan for Kaden's new life: the hardest part.
"Have a safe trip," said Bail.
Ryk shook Bail's hand. "Yes. Thanks for everything."
Bail nodded. "You are welcome. I know this must be hard for you, but I think it's better to just break it off now without saying good-bye. The long you stay, the harder it will be. I'm sure all parents of young Jedi felt this way." He tried to smile.
Ryk nodded and led Nella away, heading back to an empty speeder. Nella was trying very hard not to cry. He helped his wife into the speeder before getting in behind the controls.
"He's right, Nella. Saying good-bye would only make it worse."
She sniffed, and he put his arm around her. "Yes. But he'll still think we're abandoning him."
"It'll be okay. The Jedi will explain everything…" Ryk turned on the speeder and headed away from the buildings.
Bail turned back and walked into the building where Jedi Wessen and his daughter had gone. It was a sad moment, but he had work to do. The boy was only one small piece in the larger puzzle to restoring piece to the galaxy. He waved, as Nella and Ryk's speeder headed towards the path back through the jungle.
At the same time, Kaden and Jedi Nev Pon had been going through a lot of the Jedi and some rebel buildings. Pon had been showing Kaden what they had been up, what they were working on in order to bring down the oppression of the Empire. But unfortunately, they had just turned a corner towards the clearing while the boys' parents were just heading off in their speeder.
"Where are my mom and dad going?"
The Ithorian paused a moment, figuring out what to say but decided to just be frank. "I believe they are going back home, son."
"Home? What about me? Mom! Dad!" He tried to run towards his parents but the Jedi grabbed his arm and held him tight.
"Mom! Mommy!" Kaden screamed after them.
In the speeder, Ryk spoke to his wife. "Don't look back. What you do, don't look back." He tried to focus on his driving because he knew his wife was crying quietly, tears streaming down. If he looked at her, he would begin too. Ryk knew it was breaking her heart not being able to run to her little boy as he was calling to her.
"Mommy!"