Author's Notes at the end:
Chapter Twenty-One: Happy Lifeday
Karia Naberrie celebrated her fifteenth lifeday on Kalarba by throwing a Vong artillery beast onto a group of Chazrack while a joint task force of Jedi in SELCORE armbands and New Republic soldiers tried to buy time to finish the evacuation. Behind her, the air shook with the thrusters of a transport ship, while overhead the once beautiful blue sky took on a reddish hue.
Master Solo's decision to muster the Jedi Order in support of the Senate Select Committee for Refugees proved to be something of a political master stroke. Leia announced the partnership on a Holonet broadcast with some powerful rhetoric. "We know from history what happens when an executive officer attempts to turn the Jedi into an army," she said pointedly. "The Jedi Order is dedicated to peace and the preservation of life. There can be no higher purpose than for us to aid Senator and Chairman Cal Omas in his efforts to make SELCORE a meaningful organization."
And so the Jedi finally deployed across the warzone, aiding the New Republic and the SELCORE members in the evacuation and relocation of billions of refugees. Bleeding into the second year of the war, that high calling found Karia Naberrie, on her birthday, in the middle of a battle on a dying planet.
"It's coming 'round again," Master Horn warned Karia and the rest of the New Republic forces.
It came over the horizon as a red eye, growing larger and larger like some mythical god about to dispense a terrible justice. It was Hosk station, a converted moon, and it was falling as surely as the moon over Sernpidal did.
"Intelligence gives it one more full rotation," Corran called after carefully beheading a pair of Chazrach. This last blow bought them a moment of time. Below, the Vong forces began their steady retreat. They landed solely for the acquisition of slaves, only to discover the population was well defended by SELCORE forces.
"We need to find the dovin basil and destroy it," Karia said.
"We've already found it," Corran said. "Too late. The moon's gravity has been too destabilized."
"We are going to have time to evacuate everyone?"
"No," Corran said with absolute certainty.
"If Dad were here, we could slow the moon down," she whispered.
"You wouldn't want to slow it down," Corran said. "You would want to speed it up. But your dad isn't here, and we are. It's time to go, Karia."
The atmospheric shockwave of the station's passage swept over them. Corran braced himself for the massive wind. Karia simply stood as her red hair whipped about her face. "You're always telling me I'll never know what I'm capable of unless I try," she said when the worst of the shockwave passed.
"I've also told you that right now you are our greatest asset. Leia would literally kill me if I allowed you to risk yourself unnecessarily."
Karia waved at the panicked, terrified humans crowding to get on the transports. "That makes it necessary, Master. I have to at least try."
Corran also looked back at the desperate crowds, and then finally nodded. "All right, Karia. Give it a try. But for Force's sake, don't get yourself killed."
She grinned, and then shot off into the air faster than the Jedi Master could follow. The past few months had seen a change in the young padawan. She used the full scope of her powers much more openly now, and seemed more confident in herself.
In the air, Karia let the burning wind keep the hair out of her eyes as she flew after the moon. Many times she had to duck her head against the fiery winds caused by the moon's passage through the exosphere of the planet. Below she could see the waters of the planet's main ocean swell with its passage. If the main evacuation site had not been well inland, it would have been flooded a dozen times over by tsunamis. Instead it only had to deal with atmospheric turbulence and wracking earthquakes.
Finally, she punched through the worst of the turbulence and found herself in the draft of the moon itself. The structures that covered the station were burned away through combat or the skimming off Kalarba's atmosphere. She moved closer and closer, until finally she found a patch of rocky surface to place her hands.
Karia was a very smart teenager. She studied enough gravimetrics to know that if she pushed too hard, the moon would simply crack in half. In fact, it was likely the moon would shatter before it actually made contact with Kalarba because of the incredible tidal forces. But she wasn't looking to restore the system to what it was. She was looking to buy an hour's time.
Karia began to push. Often times Corran asked her to explain how she was able to lift such heavy objects while continuing to fly. This appeared to violate basic laws of physics. Her best explanation was that it was an act of Will. She took the counter-acting force within her body, just as she pushed the acting force out of her body. The forces involved in an attempt to speed up a moon, even fractionally, was like nothing she ever attempted to do before.
Her ribs began to ache and her head throbbed, but still she pushed with everything she had. The world below and the fire around dimmed down. The only thing she became aware of was the rock in front of her.
Even that began to dim, and then black out. Karia began tumbling loosely behind the moon without even being aware of it. It wasn't until the fiery turbulence hit her that she woke. At first she had no recollection of where she was. She was just starting to get her bearings when she hit the surface.
* * *
Anakin Solo wore the SELCORE armband over his Jedi robes with pride. It felt good to be helping. Although only fifteen, as a Padawan and a skilled pilot, no one questioned his contributions. His Master, Drun Cairnwick, often pointed out to his more experienced SELCORE and NRDF pilots that Anakin, like his sister, piloted better than most veterans.
And so, with Cairnwick nearby, Anakin served as a SELCORE transport pilot. This occasionally meant he and his Master fought on the front lines, since their ship was usually the last out with the actual defenders on board. For this reason, Anakin was on Kalarba when he saw a black object with a red top streak into the burning sky.
He and the rest of the SELCORE relief team watched in awe as the moon somehow continued a full rotation without crashing and in fact even seem to elevate a little, and Anakin sensed through the Force and saw as that black, red-topped object began tumbling uncontrollably through the sky.
He saw Master Horn running, and without a word to Cairnwick, he ran too. The object continued to fall just on the other side of the landing fields. The extra time purchased by the moon's additional rotation allowed the remaining civilians to evacuate.
Anakin was to the edge of the platform when he saw Karia hit the ground with the force of a concussion missile. The resulting crater was easily ten meters wide.
"Anakin!" Corran called, but Anakin was already on his way. Although Corran Horn was fast, he was not fifteen. Anakin easily outpaced him by an increasing distance, until without thought he reached the edge of the crater and jumped in to land at Karia's side.
The black armor she wore was burned and charred in many places, revealing her left foreleg and both her arms. Most of the shoulder braces were gone as well, leaving only the porcelain skin below. She was blinking and her lips were parted in an expression of shock.
"Karia!" Anakin cried.
"Owwie," she whispered.
Anakin stared. "Owwie?"
"It hurt," she explained.
"But 'owwie'?"
He cradled her head in his arm a moment before she sat up. "Anakin Solo," she said breathlessly, "are you teasing me? After what I just did?"
Anakin smiled at her, then before either one of them realized what was happening, leaned forward and kissed her squarely on the lips. When he reared back, she looked as if he had just given her a Kryptonian slap. "That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen," he told her. "You are the most incredible person I've ever seen. I just can't believe you said 'owwie.'"
"You nerf herder!" she said. She pushed him back off his knee just as Corran arrived.
"Karia!"
"Did it work?" she asked.
"It did. Intelligence said you bought us two more orbits. But we need to get out of here, now. Come on, both of you!"
He turned to go, and the two padawans stood. As they started climbing out of the crater, Karia looked at Corran's back a moment before she caught Anakin's arm. "You kissed me," she hissed.
Anakin suddenly blushed. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that."
"You're sorry you kissed me?"
He blinked and stammered. "I mean, I'm sorry if it bothered you. I didn't mean to…I mean, well, it's just you're so pretty, and I thought you were hurt again and I…"
His lips continued to move until hers were firmly planted on them, finally cutting off the stream of gibberish. Heat bloomed through both of them, until finally they parted. They stood there staring at each other for the longest time, not sure what to say, when Corran was there.
"Do I need to kiss you both to get you moving?" the Jedi Master roared. Overhead, the moon approached again, even closer than before Karia worked on it. The shockwave was tremendous. The ground bucked under their feet, and without thinking Karia grabbed each of their hands and lifted them off the turbulent ground.
"Get us to the transport!" Corran yelled.
"Okay!" She sped forward while holding both Anakin and Corran, and in moments they reached the last transport. The whole ship had toppled onto its side because of the turbulence. Stunned Jedi and NRDF soldiers were attempting to right it when they arrived.
With a smile and a wave at the obviously relieved men, Karia gently righted the hundred-meter-long transport. Anakin was already inside heading toward the cockpit. Corran stood by the now righted ramp as the last defenders boarded. As Karia came to him, he took her arm. "Karia, do you know what you're doing?"
She giggled then, and for a moment she was just a fifteen-year-old girl and not the daughter of Kale Naberrie. "I have no idea," she said happily.
"Well, Happy Life Day," Corran said as he hugged her, and the two ran into the transport. It was already flying before the ramp even fully retracted. Karia ran to the cockpit where Master Cairnwick sat with a New Republic navigator while fifteen-year-old Anakin Solo deftly maneuvered the transport through the roiling atmospheric turbulence.
The New Republic taskforce in orbit was already starting its retreat from the superior Vong attackers, but provided sufficient cover for their escape. In the monitors, they all watched as Hosk Station finally struck a glancing blow to Kalarba. The entire western super-ocean evaporated under the glancing blow.
Hosk bounced off for half an orbit leaving a blackened scar on the face of the planet and a red ring of fire as the atmosphere ignited, and then came round again for a more definite impact. The moon split under the terrifying tidal forces, and like that, Kalarba died.
"Happy lifeday to me," Karia whispered under her breath.
"You think that was bad," Corran muttered, "just wait until Leia hears you've been sucking her baby boy's face."
"I bet twenty credits she's fine with it," Master Cairnwick said. He smiled over at Karia. "What mother wouldn't want her son to have such a beautiful wife."
"Wife?" both Anakin and Karia said with sudden alarm.
"It is only proper," Corran said after a moment's consideration. "And just think of the beautiful children these two would have."
"Corran!" Karia cried in dismay. "We're only fifteen!"
"Exactly our point, Padawan," Cairnwick said. He looked from Anakin to Karia. "You're both fighting a terrible war, and it may make you feel older than you are. But remember that, experience aside, powers and abilities aside, you are both still very, very young."
Anakin looked down at the control stick. "Well, now I am sorry I kissed you," he muttered.
With a defiant look at both Jedi Masters, Karia leaned forward and kissed Anakin on the cheek. "I'm not," she said. As the two older Jedi raised eyebrows and Anakin flushed beat red, she said, "After all, it is my life day."
* * *
Two months later, a creature once known as Jor-El Naberrie celebrated his life day by slashing a scintillating green lightsaber across his forearms, and across his forehead. He grimaced in anticipation of the pain, and sighed as the Kryptonite scarred his otherwise immaculate skin. He could not scar himself like his masters, but he could at least show them his loyalty and dedication.
The Warmaster arrived then. The creature fell to his knees before the great Tsavong Lah. The Warmaster stood observing the strange creature. "What is your name?"
"This one is called Qahsel, Honored One," he said.
Lah turned to the infidel named Desh, then to Kwaad. "He has been shaped, then?"
"After a fashion," Kwaad said. "He believes himself to be one of us. We have shown him the lies of his past. But he will never be truly shaped. Just twisted to our purpose."
"It is enough," Desh said.
"Stand, Qahsel," Lah said.
Qahsel stood, but kept his eyes down.
"I give you a chance to prove your worthiness to the gods," Lah said. "It is a great opportunity for one such as yourself. Now, you are as a Shamed One. Prove your worth, and I shall name you a Warrior and claim you for Domain Lah."
Qahsel snapped a cross-armed salute. "I shall prove myself worthy to you, Warmaster."
"Tell me how you shaped him," the Warmaster demanded of Mezhan Kwaad. "Which protocols did you use?"
"We used variants of all of them," Kwaad said. "Desh worked on him as well."
"You violated the protocols?"
"Honored Warmaster," Kwaad said, "surely you knew we would have to in order to shape a creature such as that."
"So you admit your heresy," Lah said with a satisfied smile that looked monstrous on his scarred face. "Domain Kwaad has been unsatisfactory for some time. I know what you did to Vua Rapuung. He has paid the price for his arrogance in flouting the gods. You, however, have not. Not yet. Qahsel!"
"Yes, Great One?"
"Kill Mezhan Kwaad."
"Gladly, Warmaster," Qahsel said.
Mezhan Kwaad had only a moment to show her surprise before Qahsel's fist shattered her skull with greater force than a point-blank blast bug. The master shaper's body flipped backward before flopping to the floor, shattered-face down. Beside her, Adept Nen Yim fell to her knees and bowed her head. "My life is yours as well, Warmaster," she said quickly.
"As it should be," Lah growled. "I task you to be Qahsel's keeper. His servant. His slave. You are to do all he asks. You are his to please, his to kill. If he fails to prove himself worthy, you will die with him. If he is worthy, then your life shall continue. I name you adept no longer. You shall reclaim a new hand, and live to serve Qahsel. If you serve him well with anything he desires, and bring glory to the Yuuzhan Vong, you may be restored. Do you understand?"
Yim looked up into the Warmaster's scarred, sneering face. She realized that, just as he knew of Mezhan Kwaad and Vua Rapuung, he knew of her Yakun Kwaad. She was a shaper no more. Now, she was nothing more than a breeder ordered to capture the seed of the most powerful creature she had ever known.
"I understand, Warmaster," she said with a bow to hide her shudders.
Space
Author's Responses
Well, as always, I'd like to thank dajohu; wahteveritis12; The-Knight2000; Barricade; Lu; RJ; sexyninjalady; Exodus 5, for your reviews and comments. Thank you all for reading.
Now, for questions and answers:
Q: One other thing, in canon, Ursai & Zod had a son that the Kents adopted as Christopher Kent. Would we happen to see something like him pop up later on down the road?
A: Nope. Interesting idea, but truth is I didn't even know that ever happened. I will admit that I don't really follow the comics, which is why the story leans so much on Smallville/movies.
Q:till I see a problem here. If there was that genetic imprint then how did Pal-Awa get out of Krytpon (or was it Krypton's moon? I can't remember but I suppose that the same principle stands)? Kale/Clark/Kal-El could do it because Jor-El found that defect in the kryptonian genotype and corrected that flaw so that his son cold take "Krypton to the stars", before the doom of the planet was discovered.
A: The genetic imprint was, at least for the purpose of the story, an instinctual desire to stay on Krypton. However, like all species there will always been the one-off outsider, otherwise how could Krypton have gathered so much information about the twenty-eight known galaxies? Pal-awa, which in cannon was an early Force user (according to the comics and novels, I believe) was simply an explorer who allowed his personal power to overcome his ethics. Obviously it backfired on him. Still, a very good question. It made me have to think about it even more than when I actually wrote that section.
Q:If you introduced this, will you introduce the Eradicator? The Kryptonian Death Chant? Kale fling into a yellow sun (just kidding with this last one ^_-)?
A: No. In truth, I arrived at the genetic imprint theory on my own. It doesn't surprise me that it was also used in the Superman story line since, if the Kryptonians were all so power, you'd think they would have spread out a more. However, as I said above, I haven't really followed the comic books so I just don't know a lot of that stuff.
Q: Kale was connected to the force in the first chapter and Ben cloaked him like he did with Luke to hide him from the Emperor mind/force probe.
A: That is a good point about Kale and the Force. In LRS: The Empire's Revenge, Kale had to go to the Valley of the Jedi to become joined with the Force. What I should have explained before was that in the GFFA, the Force had a symbiotic relationship to all living things. It flowed within the Jedi. It did not flow with Kale. When he grasped the Force as a young man, he did so as an outsider imposing his Kryptonian will. That's why he could never be a Jedi until after he went to the valley. The fact he glowed in the Force was because he was outside of it. Not like the Vong, who were rejected form it, but as a true alien to the Force, with power that lit him up like a beacon.
Q: According to cannon, at around that age, he is immune to kryptonite. And as far as his children in the various comics/movie, while they have some of his powers, they don't have all, which makes sense as he is pure kryptonian and even stronger than a normal krytonian would be due to his family. I don't mind Jor and Karia having almost all his strength POTENTIALLY, but it should not equal his own potential.
A: I am not a geneticist, but from what I understand of true genecits (comic book stories aside), you either have a trait or you don't. Genetic traits are not degraded or weakened by the introduction of new genes. If a trait becomes dominant, then that trait is what you are. So, when I said that the Kryptonian genome was dominante for Jor and Karia, what I am saying is that they are, for all intents and purposes, fully Kryptonian. I know this may not jive with canon, but it was based on my (admittedly weak) understanding of genetics. That said, Jor and Karia are still children. They are no more powerful than kale was at that age. Kale is MUCH, MUCH more powerful now, and in a fight could easily defeat both his children if necessary. That's not even touching on his superior Jedi abilities.
Q: Why is Kale such a whinny brat?
A: You know what? Kale even irritated me in the last chapter, and I wrote it. Truth is, Kale has been essentially wallowing in luxury for the last quarter of a century. He never left Naboo. Didn't have to fight, while the rest of the galaxy tore itself apart in civil war. Yes, he had reasons. And they were good reasons. But he has not lived the same life of constant challenge that our Superman has. As a result, his character has flagged a bit. Although I'm willing to say that with his Jedi abilities he could probably beat Superman in a fight, at the same time he would also be willing to quit before Superman ever would.
Well, thank you all again for the reviews and comments. I had some really good questions and I hope I answered them. 'Til next time, have a good week!