Naruto: Lunar Eclipse

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Wars.

AUTHORS NOTE:

This chapter took a long while to write due to various plotlines needing to be reviewed. It is called Divergence and leads directly into the spinoff stories Event Horizon and Privateer (both of which need revision). Here is chapter 76. Enjoy!

[ ] Signifies handsigns

{ } Signifies a foreign language

Port = Left

Starboard = Right

Chapter 76

Last time:

Geisterhauf Port; Vengeance' Dock

Ino motioned towards the sleek black and silver Peyotian cruiser and said; "There it is; the Vengeance. She's one of a kind."

Master Cialmar raised his eyebrows. "Remarkable vessel, it is. Nothing like it in the Republic Fleet have I seen."

"Seeing it up close gives a whole new idea of how powerful it is." said Izar who was also impressed.

…As they rode up the boarding elevator; they heard the laughter of a certain Labor Force droid.

"Sounds like Doc is on a roll." said Ino. "He's probably playing around with Sheena-chan."

"Doc?" asked the Shamshir Jedi Master.

The blonde kunoichi nodded. "Doc is the droid in charge of engineering on the Vengeance. He's quite a guy."

The boarding elevator came to a halt and the group entered the ship on the main deck. "I'm back guys." announced Ino.

Hanabi came over and said, "Welcome back Ino …and friends?"

"Thank you." said Izar gruffly.

"Appreciated; your welcome is." replied Master Cialmar.

The younger Hyūga sister raised an eyebrow at Cialmar's unusual method of speech. "Ummmm…"

Sheena came over and bowed properly to Cialmar and Izar. "Welcome aboard the Vengeance Masters; I hope your visit is a pleasant one."

Ino sagged, "You recognized Cialmar as a Jedi Master Sheena-chan? How? Awww; I was going to introduce him to you guys as me and Izar's illegitimate son. He's so short after all."

Master Cialmar and Sheena both got a massive sweat drop and the little redhead said, "Size means nothing when your ally is the Force."

The diminutive Grand Master chuckled and said, "Words of wisdom this young one speaks. Learn from her you could young Ino." Then he gave Sheena a mischievous grin. "Tell me your name child."

"I am Uzumaki Sheena; Master." said the redhead. "It is an honor to meet you."

He replied with a nod, "Cialmar, my name is. A pleasure to meet you as well young Sheena…"

Chapter 76

Brentelliix System, Planet Brentelliix, Geisterhauf, Peyotian Cruiser Vengeance

Naruto was talking with Izar Shamshir and Master Cialmar as they toured the Vengeance. "Well, we had a battle with a squadron of Kuat ships and wanted to check all our systems before returning to Nardil." explained the blonde. "Everything is showing green but it's better to be safe than sorry. Brentelliix's Jedi Temple wants us to take a couple of padawan learners with us and I'm not sure it's the greatest idea."

"Ah; caution for the young you use." said Master Cialmar. "Protecting the next generation; most important, hmm?"

Naruto smiled at the diminutive Master's way of speech. "It just seems like a risky idea."

Izar asked, "So where exactly are you going?"

The orange loving Je'daii replied, "We're going to loop around the nearby Kessel system and come back to Brentalliix system for a post system check. You can ride along if you want. It should take about twelve hours."

"Sounds simple enough." said Izar. "I'll go."

"Agreed." said Cialmar. "Join you too; I will…"

Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector, Maw Nebula

Having checked all of their systems, the Vengeance was declared ready to go and took off for a post repair test run through the nearby Kessel sector where the infamous spice mining prison world was. It was an easy trip and things were going smoothly until they neared the Maw Nebula. Hanabi was taking her turn at the helm when the ship suddenly lurched and dropped out of hyperspace… Right into the center of the Maw Cluster.*① "W-W-what the hell?" screeched Hanabi as the Vengeance bucked wildly into a spin. Fighting for control; Hanabi felt reality starting to bend and reengaged the hyperdrive near the largest black hole within the Maw.

For an instant the group saw the ionizing gasses around the hypermass as they headed into it and feared destruction. Veering off the black hole's event horizon at the last possible second; the entire crew felt themselves being ripped apart and saw the past, present and future all at once before they all blacked out…

…Naruto was the first to wake up and saw everything was in disarray. The ship's AI had brought them to a halt outside the gravity well outside the Maw Nebula; "Gods… I thought I saw other me's in different times and places… I've got to wake up the others." The blonde made a bunch of Shadow clones and gently brought everyone around. Thanking the heavens everyone was alive and okay; Naruto slid into the seat of the communications console and contacted Brentelliix Control. "This is the Vengeance calling Brentelliix Control, come in Brentelliix."

"This is Brentelliix Control Vengeance, we read you loud and clear." crackled the radio. "What is your status? We lost contact with you over the Maw Nebula seventeen days ago and have had ships searching for you ever since."

"Seventeen Days?!" exclaimed Naruto. "Our internal chronometers are showing six hours…"

Brentelliix System, Planet Brentelliix, Geisterhauf Port

…The badly damaged Vengeance docked at Geisterhauf two hours later with a heavy escort of ships from Brentilliix. It wasn't a pretty sight and Doc was fretting like mad as the Peyotian repair droids did what they could. Naruto had a mass of shadow clones working on the ship as well.

Lord Arislan; Lady Peorth and the crew of the Vengeance were at Geisterhauf Castle discussing just what had happened. "Lady Hanabi's flightpath around the Maw Nebula was perfect and well outside the gravity well of all the black holes there." said a bearded Shamshir technician. He activated a holographic image showing where the Peyotian cruiser had been. "If you look to the left of the projection you'll see where we lost contact days ago. This matches the Vengeance's chronometers to the microsecond. That's when things get crazy. The internal clocks and data readouts recorded the cruiser in different places at different times. Depending on the readouts, the time varies." Seeing everyone had swirls in their eyes; the tech paused.

"Different parts of the Vengeance show different locations and times… The bow shows you travelled through the Maw's edge for fifteen minutes and appeared on the other side where we picked you up seventeen days later. The bridge shows six hours in the dead center of the Maw (which is impossible to survive, by the way) and the stern readouts match up with the seventeen day readings here at Brentelliix where you appeared to the right on the hologram."

Hinata said, "So basically our ship travelled directly through the Maw and each part of the ship travelled at different rates; times and places?" Seeing the tech nod she asked, "Why weren't we reduced to atoms?!"

The technician looked at the hologram carefully; stroked his beard and then scanned over the readings one more time. He took a deep breath and said with authority, "Beats me."

Everyone face faulted...

Lord Arislan spoke up. "We should consider ourselves blessed that you are all alive and unhurt. The technical details are beyond my grasp personally…"

Adega Sysystem, Planet Ossus, Jedi Temple, High Council Chamber

The High Council Member Jedi Master Kemlad Orr of Rodia was discussing the possible murders that were committed during the Great Hyperspace War by the human Grandmaster Brel Rokush. Two of the twelve members on the High Jedi Council were not present; the Ortolan Master Noss who was conducting the investigation and Grandmaster Brel Rokush who was conspicuously absent despite being asked to come and defend himself. The remaining Council Members were very torn and their reactions ran from abject horror to total disbelief.

Master Orr was very careful about his wording as he presented the situation. "Fellow Members of the Council; this is an investigation of the known facts by Master Noss; not a condemnation."

"…But the fact that the Augur's true situation was hidden from us all these years is a despicable act in and of itself."

"…The Grandmaster should be allowed to defend himself against this lambasting; the very idea Master Rokush is guilty is preposterous"

"…That is why the Grandmaster was invited to this meeting! …Why is he not here?!"

"…Perhaps he has more important things to do than listen to false accusations."

"…Or perhaps he is fleeing in the face of guilt!"

The debate raged on endlessly and the Council was completely divided as to what they should do….

Jedi Grandmaster Brel Rokush was in the process of marshaling whatever forces he could within the Jedi Order to stop Master Noss from gathering evidence and allies. Rokush felt that the Ortolan Master would bring him to ruin if left unchecked. Brel also knew that Master Noss fled to Nardil where the damnable Shamshirs held sway. The rogue Grandmaster considered the possibility of negotiating with the Fireveil Clan to try to stir up their hatred of the Shamshirs. To that end he sent one of his own former students to negotiate with the obstinate Fireveils; Jedi Master (now Senator) Canra Sotto of Corellia. Senator Sotto was the main liaison between the Jedi Order and the Republic. While she was a decorated and competent Jedi Master; she was an even better manipulator and politician…

With that train of thought in mind, Brel Rokush was speaking to Senator Sotto on a private channel about the situation. "The situation sounds pretty desperate if you want to negotiate with a bunch of darksiders like the Fireveils Master Brel." stated Canra over subspace. "I believe with the proper economic incentives I could convince Grandmaster Cressida Fireveil to join us in destroying the Shamshirs. Planet Saphris is fairly isolated trade wise because of longstanding Republic sanctions. I'm sure that having some of those sanctions lifted would open Lady Cressida's eyes to some new possibilities."

"Can you make it happen Senator Sotto?" asked the Grandmaster.

Canra smiled and nodded. "You will find that everyone has a price my Master. Consider it done…"

Brentelliix System, Planet Brentelliix, Geisterhauf Port

After nearly a month in dock at Brenlliix; the Vengeance was declared space worthy again. The ship was covered with numerous patches and some compartments had to be welded shut to prevent leaks but the cruiser was fit to travel again. Naruto and crew were headed to the one place that the Vengeance could be fully repaired: the city of Sanctorum in the Peyote system. The crew of the Vengeance was reorganized for the trip and included Naruto, Hinata, Sheena, Konohamaru, Hanabi, Noctos and Doc. Yamanaka Ino and Izar Shamshir departed for Planet Nardil along with Master Cialmar to meet up with the Ortolan Master Noss aboard the trusty PF-1600 Misfire that Naruto had so many adventures on.

Joining them from Nardil were Anko, Iruka and the Human Replica Droid Daca. In addition the padawan learners Kali Kirova, Gunnar Landsdale and Coren Shamshir joined them …all they needed now was a Jedi Master for the children…

Naruto was less than thrilled and Hinata was fretting about bringing the children along. The clairvoyants said this was the time for the padawans to learn the ways of the Je'daii (which Naruto and Hinata could teach them) but given the Vengeance wasn't battle worthy it was hard for the ninja to accept…

Flashback…

Naruto and Hinata were at the Brentelliix Jedi Temple speaking with the Temple Master Dolo about the padawans.

The elderly Master smiled at them and said, "Lord and Lady Uzumaki; I welcome you to the Brentelliix Jedi Temple. Please sit with me; there is much to be discussed."

"Thank you for your kind invitation Master Dolo; it is our pleasure to join you." said Hinata. "I trust this has something to do with our daughter's training?"

Dolo nodded and said; "I have spoken to the best seers in the Brentelliix colony and they all agree that Lady Sheena is simply outstanding. Her leadership skills in the Zoloe Cave were beyond exceptional. We would like to have her teammates Kali, Gunnar and Coren train with her. Jedi Master Bree Shamshir has expressed great interest in training them and would like to join you as well.

Hinata sighed. "Konohamaru and Hanabi relayed as much to us. We don't feel comfortable bringing several children onto our ship in its damaged state."

"I foresaw your trepidation but I assure you that the padawans will flourish under your care." urged Master Dolo. "It is no coincidence those four came together when they did. I believe it is the will of the Force."

Naruto put his hand on his forehead to ward off the migraine headache he felt coming on. "…And who would teach them their different lightsaber styles? Lady Hinata and I are still learners ourselves."

"Ah, that is why Master Bree volunteered." countered Dolo. "She is an obvious choice and is well versed in several lightsaber forms."

"She is not an option." replied Hinata. "She does not have a chakra system and cannot learn our ways."

The aged Master stated, "Surely there are other options on our staff."

"I think not." said the Byakugan Princess. "I'm not sure who would be suitable enough for the task."

Naruto thought hard and said, "Master Skaros and Master Talonis don't have chakra. Mifune-sensei can't use the Force… Izar Shamshir would have been my choice but he and Ino are on a mission."

That's when Hinata thought of someone. "Master Calypso Kirova from Pamelor…*②"

Dolo's eyes lit up, "Ah; picking a jewel from the Emperor's crown I see! Hahaha! I agree completely!"

The whiskered blonde raised an eyebrow. "You know of her?"

"Of course I do!" said Dolo. "She is a prodigy and became a Master at only twenty. She won in dozens of inter-colony tournaments and is a virtuoso with the light saber. We tried to recruit her to teach here but she preferred to stay on Pamelor and teach there."

"We had no idea…" said Hinata wishing she hadn't brought the subject up...

Flasback end…

As it turned out; when they contacted the twenty five year old Jedi Master Calypso Kirova; the pretty blonde woman she was very excited at the chance to train Sheena again along with the other three talented padawans. Arrangements were soon made and within two weeks she joined the crew of the Vengeance

Calypso arrived and found the Peyotian cruiser was undergoing the last of her repairs before departure. The Jedi Master was welcomed aboard by Hanabi and Konohamaru who she'd met previously. "Welcome aboard Master Calypso." said a rather tired looking Konohamaru. "Hanabi-chan and I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

The blonde woman smiled and asked, "You have?"

Hanabi looked worn out also. "Yes we have. Keeping up with four energetic children is like herding cats. We are so happy you are here to take over."

The Jedi Master sweat dropped. "Has it been that bad?"

"Watching our niece is one thing but four busy kids is quite another." stated the Sarutobi heir.

"Teaching children must be a calling." added his lovely wife.

Calypso smiled weakly and said, "It's not for everyone…"

The Vengeance rose out of dock late the next evening silhouetted by Brentelliix's setting sun. Iruka said to Naruto, "It should be simple enough to get to the Peyote system and the kids seem happy enough. Anko and I are looking forward to seeing Peyote IV. What's it like?"

Naruto replied, "Konohamaru and I spent most of our time around the mountains on the southern continent so the terrain was a bit steep but it is absolutely beautiful. The vast majority of the world is unspoiled wilderness. I'm sure you and Anko will love it there. As far as the city of Sanctorum goes, you'll have to see it to believe it. There is no other city like it anywhere."

"Sounds great!" said Anko enthused. "Are there and forests like on Dxun?"

The spiky haired blonde thought to himself a moment and said, Well; we did run into an interesting critter called a Pantagruel Worm. That beast nearly killed Konohamaru and I."

The snake princess cheered. "Awesome!" and her husband just shook his head…

Training the children was no easy task but Umino Iruka was nevertheless making a schedule so the new padawans would learn to control their chakra and still have time for their Force training. He was sitting with his wife Anko and Master Calypso discussing it. The blonde Jedi Master said enthusiastically, "How fascinating! Chakra sounds every bit as complex as the Force. It will take a long time to master. I can't wait to start."

Anko chuckled. "Mastery is something people rarely achieve. I don't know what your elements are but you'll find that even mastering one element can take years. It is best to be patient and learn at a steady pace."

"I was in the front lines on Pamelor when Lord Naruto unleashed his rasenshuriken!" said Calypso. "It was as if someone unleashed a god of war!"

"It's an incredible technique; that much is certain." agreed Iruka. "Between wind and shape manipulation; it's the most destructive jutsu I've ever witnessed."

Master Calypso asked, "How long did it take Lord Naruto to learn it?"

The former Academy teacher explained, "Naruto didn't learn it per se; he created it."

"He created it?!" asked the blonde woman bug eyed. "That's incredible!"

Iruka rubbed his chin. "Naruto kind of excels at that sort of thing…"

The four padawan learners were soon gathered before their new Jedi Master Calypso on the recreation deck of the Vengeance that they were using for training. Anko and Iruka were observing from the deck above so they would not interfere. "I am Master Calypso Kirova and I have been given the task of instructing the four of you in the ways of the Force and the art of the light saber." said the blonde woman. "You have all learned under different Masters and are all talented. I wish to test each of you individually to get an idea of your skill levels. The only one of you I've met before is Uzumaki Sheena so I'll test her last. Now I have notes from the Masters at the Brentelliix Jedi Temple but I want each of you to introduce yourselves, your previous Master and tell me the light saber combat style your favor." She pointed at Kali and said, "You seem very enthused. Why don't you go first?"

The black haired girl hopped up eagerly and bowed. Her gold eyes were full of excitement. "I'm Kali Kirova! I'm nine years old and the niece to Lord Arislan and Lady Peorth Shamshir. My Master was Bree Shamshir and my favored style is Ataru*③ because I like being on the offensive."

Calypso pointed at Coren next. The gray haired, violet eyed boy stood up; bowed shyly and said, "Ummm… My name is Coren Shamshir and I'm nine too. I come from a family of Jedi Healers. I prefer Soresu*④ because it's defensive and helps me protect others… Oh, and my Master was Tessa Shamshir."

Gunnar stood up and bowed next and said, "I am Gunnar Landsdale and I like the Shamshir Dancing Saber style*⑤. I was taught by my parents on Marplan and Master Dolo on Brentelliix." Then the platinum haired, almond eyed girl added, "I also use the crossbow but I'm practicing on the bowcaster because it is a more powerful weapon. I'm nine years old."

Finally, Calypso motioned to Sheena who stood up from the seiza position and bowed. "I am Uzumaki Sheena and my light saber Master was Talonis Shamshir among others. I use the Jar'kai*⑥ style but I am developing my own style called Iaido which relies on the speed of the draw. I'm eight years old and a genin kunoichi of the ninja branch."

The blonde Master smiled and nodded. 'It seems I have been blessed with a diverse and interesting little group...'

Noctos was up on the observation deck with Anko and Iruka watching the children demonstrating their various light saber stances. "It looks like Master Calypso has already established a rapport with the children. It's marvelous. As Sanctus's Watcher all I ever get to do is babysit adults."

Iruka chuckled. "Children have a different mindset from adults. They usually aren't as set in their ways."

"On the other hand; brats don't have the same attention spans some adults do." said Anko.

"This is true Anko-chan." agreed Iruka.

"I wonder if I need a change of jobs.' grumbled the Peyotian priestess…

Daca was down on the engineering deck with Doc. The blonde Human Replica Droid was quite happy to be reunited with the Uzumakis. She was pleased to see the cantankerous Doc as well. Doc was holding a gold decorative bracelet in his manipulator and said; "This is designed to look like a bracelet like humans wear." He handed it to Daca who immediately examined the bracelet's size, weight and style. "It's a power converter so you can absorb energy from the Peyote system's sun. It should boost your power capacity in system by an estimated 300%."

The HRD's violet optical sensors widened. "300% is quite a boost! It's stylish too. Thank you Doc." she said with a warm smile. "Perhaps with this I can keep up with young Lady Sheena."

Doc bobbed up and down in agreement. "Sheena-chan is a ball of fire." He said with a laugh. "Keeping up with her will be a challenge no matter how much power we have."

"You have a converter too then Doc?" asked the beautiful blonde.

"Aye." replied the Labor Force Droid. "It's the gloss black panel on my back. It blends right into my casing; see?"

"Nice." said Daca. "It looks very efficient."

"Thank you!" said Doc. "Efficiency is what I'm all about being a Labor Force Droid."

"That you are." agreed the HRD with a grin…

Nardil System, Planet Nardil, the City of Steelhaven

The PF-1600 Misfire set down safely at Steelhaven carrying Master Cialmar, Yamanaka Ino and Izar Shamshir. Waiting for them were Master Skaros Shamshir, the Ortolan Master Noss and the Miraluka Master Jemarr. This group had several varied goals: to clear the Shamshir/Fireveil Alliance of wrongdoing; to prove that Shimura Danzo and ROOT were framing them and to bring Jedi Grandmaster Brel Rokush to justice for the murder of Jedi Lylia Flaredawn. This could very well shake the Jedi Order to the core.

Master Skaros embraced his son Izar and said, "At last we know the truth about Lylia, Izar. It's time to set things right." Much to Ino's shock, Skaros hugged her as well. "I knew you were special Ino; I just was blind as to why. Welcome to our family."

In returned Skaros's hug and said, "Don't go all mushy on me now old man." Then she whispered, "Thank you."

Skaros just chuckled and turned to the diminutive Master Cialmar. 'It's been a long time old friend. It seems we are in the thick of it once again."

Cialmar nodded, "Brel Rokush; responsible for murder. Foresee this; I did not."

Master Noss bowed to Cialmar and said, "Grandmaster; it is good to see you safe. I wish I'd seen this sooner. Brel Rokush has fallen and I didn't realize it until it was nearly too late."

"Set things right; we will." replied Cialmar. He sighed. "A great of work, we have ahead of us. Grateful to be surrounded by friends; both old and new."

Skaros Shamshir nodded. "Come; let's all go inside and trade notes. There is much to be discussed…"

Peyote System

Coming out of hyperspace, the Vengeance was once again bathed in the warm light of her home system's blue giant sun. Everyone aboard felt their spirits and chakra begin to rise as the light seemed to feed their very beings. Sheena and the other padawans were absolutely amazed as the chakra rolled off of them like St. Elmo's Fire. Hinata saw the beacon from Sanctorum on the edge of Peyote IV as they came into orbit around the flourishing world below. Smiling, she said, "It looks like we made it safely home. You can see the lights of the city below."

The children eagerly looked out the viewports and saw the circular city below them as it got larger before their eyes. "It's a beautiful city." said Calypso.

"It's the future home of the ninja and the Je'daii." replied Naruto. "Our future generations will be born here knowing they are safe and protected by the sun itself..."

Planet Peyote IV, City of Sanctorum

As the sun rose in the morning over the city of Sanctorum; the Vengeance gently landed at her berth. The dark haired, horned Makaria took one look at the battered ship with her byakugan and let out a barking laugh. "Ah, the signs of combat! There's nothing like spilling the blood of one's enemies to thrill you! Come Sjel; let us go greet my Herja and her family! They must have tales to tell!"

Makaria eagerly went down the dock where damaged cruiser was and awaited her daughter's appearance on the ship's elevator. It wasn't long before Hinata, Naruto, Hanabi and Konohamaru appeared and were discussing their adventures; particularly the battle with the Kuat enforcer squadron and the disaster at the Maw…

Empress Makaria rubbed her chin. "The Maw you say…? If you flew through that then you probably hit a divergence in space-time. After all, the normal physics of time and space do not apply in that place."

"A divergence?" asked Hinata. "What exactly is that Mother?"

"It's a place where time diverges from its normal path." explained Makaria. "Part of you might be sent to the past or possible futures. It's an incomprehensible concept really. The Maw is the only stable divergence we Peyotions ever discovered. Of course; flying through a divergence can cause multiple copies of yourself in different eras so nobody really knows. It's a mystery that is far too dangerous to study."

Hanabi sweat dropped. "I guess we got lucky then."

The Empress chuckled. "Like the mere laws of space-time could defeat my family."

Now Makaria had everyone sweat dropping…

"…Now show me my little granddaughter!" said Makaria excitedly. "I've been waiting to meet her!"

Hinata smiled and said, "I'll get her." as she disappeared in a body flicker…

Sheena was quietly meditating to calm her thoughts. The little redhead was nervous about meeting Empress Markaria because the woman was more or less a deity in power. It was a lot for an eight year old to handle. That was when Hinata stepped in the room. "Sheena-chan, it's time to meet your Grandmother Makaria. Are you ready to go?"

The little girl stood up and embraced her Mother. "Mommy, I love you!"

The Byakugan Princess smiled and returned her daughter's hug. "I love you too Sheena-chan. Are you worried about meeting the Empress?"

Sheena nodded. "I can feel her power from here. It's scary."

"Don't you worry baby." replied Hinata warmly. "Daddy and I will be there. Besides, she really wants to meet you."

Taking her Mother's hand; Sheena said in her quiet voice, "Okay…"

When they came down the elevator to the ground, Makaria was there waiting for them eagerly in her usual black assassin attire. Her byakugan eyes widened as she looked at Sheena and the Empress said excitedly, "Herja; is this little one the child of your spirit you've told me so much about?"

Hinata nodded and said "This is Naruto and I's daughter Uzumaki Sheena. She is my pride and joy."

Sheena was about to make her introductions when Makaria blurred in front of her and embraced the girl. The redhead wasn't sure how to react and Pirate Queen said to her; "You are such a radiant child! Welcome to Sanctorum little one. I am so happy to meet you. I can tell by your aura that you are as fearsome as you are beautiful. I am so proud!"

The redhead smiled shyly and returned her Grandmother's hug. "I'm happy to meet you too Grandmamma." she said in her quiet voice.

Makaria blinked. "…Grandmamma? Hmmm. Does that make me sound old Sjel?"

Sjel sweat dropped. "You are millennia old my Empress. Such things should not bother you."

"You may call me Gran then." said Makaria to Sheena. Then she smiled. "It sounds much better; don't you think little one?"

Sheena giggled. "Of course it does Gran."

"That's my girl!" said Makaria happily...

Saphris System, Planet Saphris

Grandmaster Cressida Fireveil was sitting with her husband Roland discussing the upcoming birth of their youngest child. Specifically; they were looking at possible baby names. That was when she received a transmission from the Republic Senate building on Coruscant. Cressida rolled her copper eyes and growled, "What could the Republic want? We do fine without them meddling in our affairs."

Roland chuckled. "They are probably going to try to get us to disarm…again."

The Grandmaster sighed and said, "I loathe diplomacy." Opening the channel o Coruscant; Cressida and Roland saw a youngish woman in robes of the Planet Corellia.

The woman bowed and said; "I bid you greetings from Coruscant Lady Cressida; Lord Roland. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Republic Senator Canra Sotto of Corellia."

Roland and Cressida had identical looks of boredom etched on their faces. "And what could the Republic Senate want from a little system like Saphris; Senator?" asked Roland.

Canra smiled warmly and said; "I am glad you asked. It has come to our attention that several systems in the Republic have been unjustly punished for having their own Merchant Marines to protect their own interests. The Fireveil Kingdom is just of many that have suffered from these unjust economic trade sanctions. We of Corellia are championing the cause of bringing honorable systems such as yours back into the Republic Trade Routes and hope to become your future trade partners in the process. It would be both my honor and my pleasure to come to Saphris in person to discuss the possibilities."

Roland and Cressida stole a glance at each other before the Grandmaster said, "This is not the first time the Republic has made offers with the intention of having us disarm. If you think the Fireveils will give up our navy in exchange for Republic Navy control then think again Senator."

Senator Sotto replied, "I assure you that your disarmament is the furthest thing from our minds. We believe you have every right to defend your sovereign territory. Many systems would benefit from this new legislation and given you are staunch and reliable allies of the Republic you should be among the first of those to reap the rewards."

Roland asked, "So when do you plan to come to Saphris Senator Sotto?"

"I would like to come as soon as possible my Lord." said Canra. "The sooner we have our talks; the sooner our new legislation can be enacted..."

Lord and Lady Fireveil were only too happy to sign off once the diplomatic talks were arranged with the pushy Senator from Corellia.

"So how much of the bantha poodoo she was spewing did you believe?" asked Cressida.

Roland stroked his beard and said, "I doubt she even told us her real name. She was using the Force to try to manipulate us. I'm afraid we'll need to be careful with this one…."

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: The Maw Cluster, or simply The Maw as it was sometimes called, was an unstable and mostly unnavigable cluster of black holes located near the planet Kessel. The only reason the Maw is visible is due to the ionizing gases being drawn into it.

*②: See chapters 69/70

*③: Ataru: A speedy, acrobatic, and aggressive light saber combat style that places greater emphasis on using the Force to enhance movements in all areas of combat and requires great room to attack from all directions. Due to its nature, it is considered a demanding fighting style both physically and through the Force.

*④: Soresu: A defensive style that utilizes tight, controlled movements and strict economy of action. Practitioners of this form focus on defense entirely in any situation and committed to analyzing their opponents and openings created, often from the frustration and fatigue of their enemy, while not succumbing to fatigue or mistakes themselves.

*⑤: Shamshir Dancing Saber Style: This is a variation of the Makashi style which is regarded for its elegance, graceful presentation and balletic approach in wielding a light saber. It is notable for its primary focus on facing a single opponent and the avoidance of being disarmed by an opponent while simultaneously working to disarm them.

*⑥: Jar'Kai: The method of using two light sabers during combat, be it single blades or double blades together. Variants of this include utilizing more than two in combat or utilizing double bladed ones at the same time.

Well, I thought I'd ring in the new year with a chapter from my first story. It started 1/19/14 and here it's still going close to seven years later. See you next time. Blue out 01/01/2021