***Author's Note***
So, another day, another chapter! This chapter is lots more plot, for the most part, with a good bit of lemon-y goodness at the end. I figured they're all married now, but married people have sex, too! Enjoy!
***End Note***
Everyone, though surprised at the sudden appearance of Huur, was pleased to see him (except, perhaps the poor messenger, who looked as though his might faint) and rushed to greet their old friend. Rey rushed into the kitchen to fetch the wooden goblet she'd had made especially for the Togorian's use and filled it with and entire carafe of wine. She handed it to him and sat quietly beside her beloved, listening to Finn chatting happily with his old friend.
"I didn't think I'd see you until Hrii's graduation! I have missed you, old friend. I would have thought that your position as Leader would keep you fairly occupied." Finn raised a brow at the massive, cat-like creature.
Huur rumbled out his distinctive, growling laugh, "Yes, it does. However, being Leader comes with...advantages. Greater, though, are those which come with children." Huur's eyes sparkled with mischief. "It is my eldest son, Yarr that I left in charge, with my Grandfather, Yara, as Adviser; Yarr had expressed interest in succeeding me. The Council, however, would allow no less than a half-dozen of our greatest warriors to accompany me as guards – they are doing their duty outside. Informed the Council did I that no safer could I be, surrounded by Masters, but my words fell on deaf ears."
Finn chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like the Council I remember. At least you're as safe as is possible, though. Now, that brings me to my next question: What are you doing here?"
Huur laughed heartily, running his paws through his shaggy mane, "It was Hrii. A message I received from her; she told me I should come. Uncertain she was as to why, but she was certain it was urgent. I have been around long enough and known enough Jedi to know when the Force is pushing on one's mind, so come I did." Huur shrugged as though it were the most natural thing in the galaxy.
Finn's brow furrowed as he glanced over at Ben and Rey, "I thought as much. Something has been building these past few months; we've all felt it, even the youngest Padawan. It's made things rather...interesting around here. We had no hint what it could have been up until now, but what we did know was that the whole situation has been shrouded by the Dark Side. None of us have been able to glean anything from the Force, which worries me."
Huur's piercing blue eyes narrowed, "Alarming this truly is. If such powerful Masters as yourselves are unable to peer into the truth of this matter, then danger must truly be brewing. Tell me; where is your little Pri'ka friend, Ben? Has he nothing to say regarding this?" As though this were an invitation, Tuk-Tuk squeaked and chattered as he swung down from the rafters, landing gracefully on Huur's shoulder and bowing in respect. Hello, Leader Huur. Came the Pri'ka's distinctive mind-voice. The Chancellor's messenger, who had only ever heard rumors of Tuk-Tuk's existence, jumped a foot in the air and let out a sound that was akin to the squawk of a frightened parrot. Tuk-Tuk glanced disparagingly at him with his amber eyes and shook his feline head, twitching his long tail and playing absently with Huur's pointed ear. Tuk-Tuk is afraid. Many things might happen. There is much danger coming, can't see much. Tuk-Tuk must go, too. He stared into Ben's eyes stubbornly. Tuk-Tuk is old now. Won't leave Tuk-Tuk's bond-mates. Won't.
Ben smiled gently at littlest friend, "No one is asking you to, Tuk-Tuk. I would never leave you behind on something like this; of course you'll come with us. Besides, I'm sure my mother would like to see you." Tuk-Tuk danced a little on Huur's shoulder before launching himself to the couch and running on all fours to Ben and curling up around Ben's shoulders, which happened to be his favorite perch.
Twila rolled her eyes at the lot of them, "It seems that being Leader agrees with you, Huur. Your mane is thicker than I've ever seen it. It's most becoming."
Huur grinned at her, "I have long said, little Blue, that it was a wise choice Finn made, taking you as his mate. I would hear more, however, of this Darksaber. Only rumors have I heard, but it can't be as old as they say...can it?"
Luke sighed, breaking his long silence. "It can, actually. It is the oldest light-saber in existence. Much of its history has been lost, and more has been filled in through educated guess and flat-out conjecture. It was one of the duties of my former Master, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to seek out the Darksaber from his post on Tattooine where he watched out for me until it was time for me to join the Rebellion. He left many datapads and holo-discs on the subject for me to find. He spread them all over the galaxy and left clues for me as to the locations of different bits of information so that, should they fall into the wrong hands before I'd been able to find them, no one would have all the information at once." Luke shifted his position to a more comfortable one and began his tale, "As is often the case with something as old as the Darksaber, much of its history has been lost or forgotten. Who created it, and why, is no longer remembered. What is known is that it once belonged to the Jedi Order during the height of peace under the Old Republic and the height of the Jedi's power, long before Anakin Skywalker and the Emperor. All those hundreds of years ago, the Mandalorians came into power." The messenger made a noise of surprise at that revelation, "Yes, it truly is older than you thought possible. The Mandalorians came into power, and they coveted the power of the ancient weapon. A plot was devised, and the Darksaber stolen. It stayed in the possession of the Mandalorians for hundreds of years, passing from one generation to the next, and always staying with the leader of the clan of Mandalore. It was during this time that the blade of legend gained its current reputation as the bane of the Jedi. The Darksaber, unlike other light-sabers, does not require its bearer to possess any skill with the Force in order to use it well. However, when one with Force Potential does get their hands on it, it is said that the blade amplifies their power and twists it. During the reign of the Mandalorians, many Jedi fell beneath its dark blade, staining the galaxy with their blood. At last, there came a challenger from the outside of the clan of Mandalore. By now, the clan had dwindled down to a pathetic remnant of its former power and glory. The Sith apprentice that killed my Master's Master and was defeated by Obi-Wan himself, Darth Maul, challenged the leader of the Mandalorians and killed him, taking the blade for himself. He was finally defeated during the Clone Wars, and the Darksaber was lost once again. We know now that the Twi'lek known only as the Old One had taken it from the battlefield and hidden with it in the forests of Kashyyk, where it was found by my fallen niece, Padme Solo. She used it to torture, maim, and murder the Old One. The Darksaber has a mind of its own, as ancient things often do, and senses hesitation in its bearer; if it does so, it ceases to obey the bearer and calls to another. When Ben faced his sister on Kashyyk, she had the option of destroying him forever and faltered. The Darksaber sensed her hesitation and balked, giving Ben the time he needed to end the battle. He sent the Darksaber flying, where it vanished once again. There were later reports that a shadowy figure had been seen sneaking around the battlefield at night, looking for something before it sprinted away one night, never to be seen again. Who it may have been, we can only guess. Personally, I am at a loss. However, I do know this: Whoever took the Darksaber has chosen to begin consolidating their power, and that cannot be a good thing. They have been exceptionally patient during these past fifteen years, and that speaks of exceptional willpower. By now, they will doubtlessly have mastered the blade as much as it will allow and will be ready to take whatever vengeance on the Light Side that they feel is owed to them. What that plan might be is hidden from me."
As Luke's voice stopped, a ringing silence filled the air. At last, the messenger spoke, "If this is all true, then the galaxy truly is in grave danger. The Chancellor wishes for you to come to her immediately, if not sooner. I must report to her before I take my rest this evening; when should I tell her that you will be leaving?"
Every head turned to Ben save Luke's; he simply cocked his head to the side to better catch his nephew's words. Ben crossed his arms and sat back before he spoke, "We'll leave at the end of the week. We'll go and hear what Mother has to say, then come back here to plan. The children will stay behind; they're safer here, for now. Are we agreed?" As Rey, Luke, Finn, and Twila nodded in agreement, the elder children began to complain loudly until Ben shot to his feet, raising himself to his impressive height and his golden eyes flashing dangerously, "This is not up for debate! You will stay here, where it is safe until we return. We don't know yet who it is that we're dealing with, or with whom they have a grudge. Until we have further information, you will remain here and protect the younglings. Lilia, you will be in charge of the Neutral Academy while we're away. Luke will appoint his own stand-in, I'm sure. Knowing you, Uncle, you've already got someone in mind."
Luke smiled, "Of course I do, nephew. I was thinking I might leave Master Shellac in charge. Matthew has always shown great wisdom for his youth. To be honest, I trust his judgment more than some of the Masters that are twice his age. I've been thinking that, if no one of greater ability and wisdom comes forth, I might appoint him as my successor. Oh, don't look at me like that, nephew! I may be powerful, but I am not going to live forever! Even if this mission doesn't kill me – which it won't – there will be another mission. And if it isn't a mission that kills me, it will be old age. As much as you'd like to think so, nephew, I am as mortal as the rest of the people in this room. I believe Matthew Shellac will be an excellent choice to serve alongside Lilia as the Supreme Master of the Academy." Ben sensed something from his Uncle just then that stopped his next protestation of his Uncle's planning for his own death.
"Fine. I'll let this go. For now. Until then, I'm sure that young...I'm sorry; I don't think I ever heard your name." Ben turned to the messenger to find that the poor young man had lost consciousness quite some time ago. "Ah; well, I suppose I'll find out his name later. Poe, would you and Lilia find somewhere for our young friend to stay tonight? Finn, Twila? We'll look after the little ones tonight; I'm sure you could use an evening to yourselves, anyway." Ben's eyes glinted knowingly as Finn and Twila thanked Ben profusely and hurried, arm-in-arm out of the house.
Rey watched her husband knowingly as he waited until everyone was out of the house or in their own rooms, including the twins. By the time the talk had wrapped up, even they had begun to nod off; Anakin had fallen asleep hours ago and Finn had offered to carry his younger brother to bed before he and his twin fell into their beds as well. Rey sensed that all of the children were asleep and was going to speak when Thamian, who had been silently taking in all he could in a dark corner of the room and forgotten by everyone but Luke, spoke, "So; what is it that you don't want the littles to know, eh, Ben?"
Ben and Rey turned to the giant in their living room, "To be honest, my friend, I quite forgot you were here. How do you do that!? You're so massive; you'd think you would stick out, but you have the most uncanny ability to hide in plain sight, even though there is absolutely nothing plain about you!"
Thamian laughed quietly, "Ben, I've been a smuggler since your father and I were lads. There are certain things that one learns at an early age when one is as large as I am that allow one to...blend in. Such as staying silent when wiser tongues than your own are wagging." Thamian tapped the side of his nose and winked roguishly. "And besides; I didn't want you to throw me out."
Ben chuckled and shook his head at his old friend, "All right, Uncle. Why Matthew Shellac? Why are you coming with us, now, of all times?"
Luke chuckled, "I've been told many times since I lost my eyes that I see more now than I ever did when I had all five of my senses. Did you not notice the interest Lilia showed when I mentioned Matthew's name? Come, now, nephew; they're of a similar age, they are both enamored with the art of the blade, and they are the two most highly talented Masters on these mountains. I, for one, would be glad to lose a Master to the Neutral Order if it meant that Lilia found her match. There is mutual attraction there, I am certain of it."
Rey chuckled, "That's what I thought you were up to, old man. You can't ever just stay out of things, can you? That's alright; I like it when you meddle. I don't know how you know the things you know, but you really know your stuff."
Ben stared at his wife for a moment, "I suppose in some alternate reality, that made some sick sort of sense, but for me, that was completely confusing."
Rey giggled girlishly, "That's alright; Luke understood what I meant, didn't you, Uncle?"
Luke chuckled along and nodded amicably, "Of course I did, but then it's not terribly likely that I'd say anything different, is it?"
Ben shook his head and tossed his hands in the air, "I give up. I'm going to bed, if anyone wanted to join me..."
From the bedrooms, they heard a chorus of "eeeew" from the twins's room, as well as Anakin and Leia's rooms. Luke tossed up his hood, his right hand glinting in the firelight as he chuckled and headed for the Jedi Academy, alone, while Ben swept Rey into his arms, carrying her to their room.
Meanwhile, Finn and Twila had reached their own house, and Twila had wasted no time in stripping out of her robes and wrapping her arms around her husband's neck, nibbling his ear playfully. Finn groaned as he drew away from her slightly to remove his own outer robe and begin to strip off his tunic as Twila trailed kisses down his torso. Completely oblivious and unable to feel her ministrations, Finn wondered aloud, "You don't think Ben and Rey are hiding something from us, do you? I mean, they did sort of rush us out of there..." Just then, Twila freed Finn's member from his trousers and wrapped her talented lips around it, teasing it with her tongue. Finn shuddered and gasped, "Then again, it doesn't seem so important now.. .Then again, it did seem important – did you see the look on Rey's face?"
On an exasperated sigh, Twila removed Finn's member from her mouth and stood, hands on her naked hips, and her intact lek'ku twitching in irritation. "Of course they're hiding something from us! Lilia is half in love with Matthew, and he is with her as well, and if you had half the brains you were born with, you'd have seen that, as well!" Twila turned on her heel and stormed into their bedroom, her bare backside bouncing and swaying tantalizingly as she moved.
Finn sucked in a breath, knowing he had well and truly put his foot in it this time, "I'm sorry, Twila. You know how I get sometimes," Twila snorted and crossed her arms across her breasts, "Really, love, I'm sorry. Come here, pick up where you were, I'll finish undressing, and I promise I'll shut up."
Twila watched him for a moment before rolling her eyes and scoffing, "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it. You? Quiet? Never gonna happen."
Finn was true to his word, and before long, he could not take any more; he swept his wife into his arms and carried her to the low bed they shared, sinking onto it gently as he stroked her good lek'ku gently, sensuously. She trembled beneath him, and he felt himself go hard as stone. She opened for him and he sank gratefully into her, sighing as he pumped his hips gently, working them both towards a gentle climax. They sighed together one last time as they fell into sleep immediately.
***Author's Note***
Yaaay! Lots of plot. I like plot. Plot is good, don't you think? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Thanks for reading and - you guessed it - leave a review, if you'd like!