The Force Finder's Prologue (part 1):

Jacen Syndulla the 7th inherited different things from different people.

From his mother, he got the emerald green colour of his hair, his attitude about life and saving it, and his love of flying.

From his father, he received his features, skin tone, build, and connection to the Force.

From his grandfather, he got the second external hint of his Twi'lek blood; the somewhat larger than normal ears that almost came to a point at the tip and were tinged green, just because.

From his great great great grandfather, Jacen inherited the dark blue eyes of the only Syndulla in memory to be blue skinned. Every Syndulla after that born with the blue eyes was of course called Jacen, and Jacen the 7th was no exception. (There was one female once; they called her Jaen.) All of the Jacens had one other thing in common that came with the dark blue eyes; they all had eidetic memories.

Jacen Syndulla, son of General Hera Syndulla and the Jedi Knight, Kanan Jarrus / Caleb Dume, remembered everything that ever happened to him or was said around him. Even events that occurred within the last month before his birth. Some of them didn't make sense until he was older. Some of them just made him happy as they occurred. Some, he wished he could forget.

His very first memories were of his parents, and they were some of his favourites.

D341/1 BBY, The Ghost

Jacen was in a very comforting place within his mama. There was a sense of movement as she slowly paced the hallways of the Ghost. Her melodic voice was singing him a soft lullaby, soothing him to sleep so he'd stop doing the fun cartwheels within her. He sensed her hand resting on her stomach above him and he reached out to touch her hand through the layers of skin and tissue that separated them.

Jacen knew what it meant to feel love and he fell asleep in the warmth.

Later that night, his sense of his mother was still. She was sleeping soundly, arms wrapped around her middle, holding him as best as she could. He remained motionless so as not to disturb her and just absorbed the good feelings in the vast space that he could feel surround everything.

Not long after, Jacen was joined by tiny flickering lights. He reached for one and it settled in his hand. "Hello?" he thought at the light happily, enchanted with it.

"Hello, my beautiful son," the lights replied in his mind.

Jacen blinked at the lights and something his mama had said yesterday about wishing his daddy was here suddenly made sense. "Daddy."

"Yes," the lights thought back, radiating pleasure that Jacen had made the connection.

His daddy came back every night while his mama slept after that, surrounding him with his strong presence and telling him how much he was loved.

Jacen never wanted to leave his happy place.

D363/1 BBY, Yavin 4

Being born sucked.

His day had started off normal enough. His mama moved around a lot. People talked a lot with the usual drone of voices that he generally ignored, unless they were talking to his mama. He dozed most of the time. Practiced his cartwheels and kicks when he was awake.

His mama was sitting still and dozing as well when he felt her startle, bringing him to full alertness.

"General Syndulla, please report to the briefing room. General Syndulla, please report to the briefing room."

Ooooo. The important people want to talk to Mama again.

She got up, saying, "I'm coming," and started moving, slower than she used to, and feeling displeased.

He felt her feelings change to something much happier a few minutes later and he felt the presence of three people near her. One was very familiar and she was called Mothma, Mon, Mon Mothma, or Senator Mothma. Why so many names? (He didn't understand until later.) She was someone his mama respected and followed the orders of. Usually. Another was Senator Organa, or Bail. The last, Jacen didn't know.

"Leia. It's a pleasure to see you here. How was Coruscant?" his mama said with real enthusiasm.

Jacen didn't know this name. Nor did he recognize the pretty voice as she answered his mama. But his mama seemed to really like her, so Jacen paid attention.

"Hera," a soft female voice said. "Coruscant was something to be endured, as always, but the Emperor seemed satisfied with Alderaan's loyalty when I left." Her presence came closer and hugged his mama. "You look... Ummm,"

"Immense," his mama finished helpfully.

What does 'immense' mean? Is it a good thing?

"Not exactly what I was looking for, but I suppose that is accurate," Leia admitted. "I was expecting to have a little Syndulla to cuddle by now. Weren't you due three weeks ago?"

His mama heaved a sigh, making him swish a little in his warm place. "Yes, I was. But this one is stubborn and seems content to stay where he is. And he IS a hybrid, which makes things a little more unpredictable. The medics say we're fine though, so I'm not worried. Just beyond ready to hold him in my arms instead of... well. You get the idea." Jacen wondered why his mama felt frustrated and why the others felt amused.

But she'd got him thinking. Am I not supposed to stay in the warm place forever? Why not? I know it's getting kind of squishy now, but I wasn't going to complain.

The male presence he knew as Senator Organa was talking now. "You ladies will have to excuse me. I was leaving when Leia arrived and my crew has my ship running. Leia, I left Artoo and Threepio waiting in the hangar for you. They can help you with your new mission."

"Thank you, Father. I won't let you down."

Jacen sensed the Leia and Organa presences hugging for a moment while he said, "You never do, my Princess. You never do." They pulled apart as the man started to move away from Leia and his mama. "I'll see you soon, Leia. Good luck with your mission. Mon, General, I hope you don't have too much trouble talking sense into the Council. Now I really must go and tell my people the bad news. Annnnnnd I promised my Queen that I would actually spend some time with her sooner than later, and I'm rapidly approaching later. We both lead very busy lives, as you know, but Breha still likes for us to share the same space every once in a while."

"Father!" Leia said loudly. "Too much information!"

The man was amused. "You'll survive, Leia. You're almost nineteen now, I think you can handle a little grownup humour."

Leia huffed. "Go see Mother. Us women will take care of the galactic disaster that is upon us while you're off having a holiday."

"I doubt very much I've ever actually had a holiday and you know it. As for the Death Star, please keep me informed of what progress is made in regards to making a decision about it. The reports from Cassian and the Erso girl are quite disturbing." That was the last the male said before he left his mama's vicinity.

His mama focused on Mothma. "Did you need something? I heard the loudspeaker summoning me."

"Yes, Hera. I missed you earlier and got sidetracked by General Dodonna and some of the other Council members who disagree with giving up. I wanted your opinion on whether or not we should run a mission to Scarif and attempt to retrieve the Death Star plans. Jyn Erso seems to think we should and could. I think it's a suicide run and I don't like the idea of sending any of our people into a death trap that may not result in anything useful, but I also can't see us giving up now."

As Mothma talked, Jacen felt one of his uncles approaching. He did a little flip of excitement that made his mama put her hand on her stomach. "You don't have to worry about that debate anymore," uncle Alex (or Kal, or Kallus, depending on who was talking) said from nearby. "Cassian, Erso and a bunch of my spies just left in the Imperial cargo shuttle which they dubbed 'Rogue One'. I think they're going on their own, permission or not."

His mama and Mothma sucked in identical gasps of dismay.

"Thank you, Director Kallus, for informing us," Mothma said, radiating displeasure. "I suppose now all we can do is wait and see if they're successful."

His mama shook her head, feeling worried. "No, Mon. I think we need to prepare for battle."

Uncle Alex moved closer to his mama. "I agree. I've done a little research on Scarif. Assuming they get into the planetary shield in their stolen ship, I doubt very much they're going to get back out again on their own. If they do retrieve the Death Star plans, then a battle is worth the risk in my opinion."

Mothma sighed loudly. "I suppose, if the other Generals agree as well, I have no choice but to go along with it." She became very focused on his mama and Leia. "But you two are not going. Hera, you could go into labour at any moment, and Leia, we can't risk losing you."

What is 'labour' and why would Mama go into it? Is that a good thing too? Too many questions! People need to explain things better! At least Daddy tells me what's what when I ask.

But his Mama and Leia seemed very unhappy with their orders, so maybe labour was bad. He felt his mama nod slowly. "Understood, Senator. If there's nothing else?"

"No. You can go. You too, Leia. You have another mission to run anyway. Admiral Raddus has agreed to escort you to Tattooine. Kallus, if you could stay, I'd like to hear more about what you've learned," Mothma said in her commanding voice.

His mama started moving again, her emotions fuming. Leia's presence caught up to her quickly.

"Are you actually going to stay behind if they scramble the fleet?" Leia asked in a whisper.

His mama shook her head, suddenly feeling furtive and gleeful. "Not a chance. There's no way I'm missing this."

Heeeee. Mama is a Rebel, just like Daddy says.

Leia felt gleeful too. "I'm going too. I'm sure I can convince Admiral Raddus to make a little detour. He's always up for a good fight. I'm tired of always being left behind whenever something exciting happens. At least then I can watch from the sidelines. I've never seen a real space battle before. We can go on to Tattooine from there."

Jacen's mama laughed lightly. "Good luck with that. Can I ask what you're doing on Tattooine?" his mama said curiously.

"I think it's safe enough to tell you, of all people. Father's tasked me with retrieving Master Kenobi. He says the situation is too important to not have a Jedi involved and I agree. And right now, Master Kenobi is the only Jedi we have left that's close enough to help. I wish Ahsoka was due back for resupplying right now. She could bring our AWOL Ezra back anytime, too. That would be great. We could really use their assistance."

His mama felt really sad all of a sudden at the name Ezra. Who is he that he affects her like that? The powerful Ahsoka female he'd met a couple weeks ago, along with her bonded mate, Lux, and had really liked her. She was the first live person that he'd ever made a mental connection with. Funnily enough, his mama had seemed kind of afraid when Ahsoka told her that he was already very strong in the Force and that he could already communicate telepathically.

"We could use a whole lot of things," his mama replied quietly. "But having Ezra and Ahsoka back would definitely top my list." She shook her head slowly. "But we don't, so there's no point wishing for it. You just get Master Kenobi back here as fast as you can whether he likes it or not. Whatever his purpose for staying out of the Rebellion until now has been, it can't be more important than taking out that Death Star."

"I one hundred percent agree," Leia said with feeling. "Ever since Father first told me about him, I've been trying to get him to tell me what a Jedi Master could possibly be guarding on Tatooine for so many years, but he refuses to tell me. Just says, 'It's important, and that's all you need to know.' It's so frustrating." Jacen heard her heave a sigh. "Whatever. I guess I should get going. Oooo. Maybe I can get Artoo to tell me. I never thought of asking him."

Jacen's mama laughed at that. "Good luck with that, too. Astromech droids can be ridiculously silent when they want to be. Mine, on the other hand, is the complete opposite, much to my dismay."

Leia snorted. "I know, I've met him. I'll still take your foulmouthed Chopper over Father's wimpy Threepio, though," she said in an exasperated tone. "Oh, well. Try not to have Syndulla junior, there, before I get back. I don't want to miss the excitement," she said as her presence and voice moved further and further away. His mama just laughed and started walking again, increasing the distance between her and Leia.

His mama didn't talk to anyone for a while and eventually came to a stop again in the place that Jacen equated with 'home.' Jacen decided now was a good time for a nap.

When he woke up, everything was different.

There was the sensation of intense movement that he'd figured out meant his mama was sitting still but 'home' was moving rapidly. Jacen loved these times. It was thrilling.

The rest of his uncles joined his mama, concern in their emotions so Jacen took extra notice.

"Hera. What are you doing?" That was the sound of his uncle Zeb. His large presence talked to Jacen a lot and his mama even more.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" his mama answered.

"It looks like you're joining the fleet to attack Scarif," uncle Rex said.

"Then that's what I'm doing." His mama seemed very pleased with herself.

"But Alex said that Mothma said that you were to stay grounded." Uncle Zeb again.

"What Mothma doesn't know won't hurt her," his mama argued.

I'm remembering that one for sure.

"I'm sure she knows by now," uncle Wolffe said dryly. "I can guarantee someone noticed the most distinctive ship in the fleet leaving the landing pad."

There was a chime and Mothma's voice with no presence. "General Syndulla, get your ship back on the ground now!"

He felt his mama reach forward a bit. "I'm sorry, Senator, I didn't catch that, there must be something wrong with the comm. You can debrief me later."

His uncles were snorting with suppressed laughter and resignation.

"Punch it, Chopper," his mama said commandingly.

"Sure thing," the small presence with a short and round shape beeped back in his own special language that no living beings used. Jacen wasn't sure what was up with the one called Chop or Chopper, but he existed and his mama felt deep affection for him, so that was good enough for Jacen.

The pressure around him changed again as 'home' moved into a new dimension of speed. Jacen loved this best. It felt like he was flying and floating at the same time. He wondered if his mama also felt the same way, because she always seemed happiest when 'home' was moving.

Just then, there was a clenching inside his mother that squeezed him and made her gasp, and she put a hand over him.

"Little kit kicking you again?" uncle Zeb asked.

His mama was in pain but she simply said, "Yes."

Why would she say that? I am being good and not kicking at all! Why would Mama lie?

Jacen eventually found out.

His mama quietly suffered through the clenching pains that came regularly after that and increased in frequency. Jacen wished he could help her, but he was being squeezed more and more and soon enough he could barely think from the pressure he was under.

This lasted for a long time. She talked to him once or twice, but her concentration was usually elsewhere. He remembered her saying, "You've picked a terrible time to come into the world, my little miracle. But should I really have expected anything less from a Spectre?" (Years later, he would understand that line and laugh about it.)

Eventually the sense of stoic determination from his mama changed to just the pain that had taken her over. During that time, there had been many voices with no presences talking about 'being hit' and 'we've lost another one.' It was always accompanied by a feeling of loss in the endless space that was the thing that surrounded everything.

Near the end he remembered hearing panicked conversations overlapping each other.

"Did anyone else see that?"

"You mean the giant sphere that just blew up part of Scarif?"

"Yah. I saw it."

"The data file!? Did anyone get it?"

"We think the Profundity got it, but we're not sure."

"But the Profundity isn't with us."

"I know."

"The Princess. The data file. We've lost everything."

"We're doomed."

Once the sense of zipping randomly back and forth changed to the steady forward motion of the fastest flying, that was when his mama gave up fighting back the pain.

She screamed. Jacen had never heard her scream before, and it scared him. Something's wrong with Mama!

"Daddy! Help! Help Mama!"

His daddy didn't come right away, but his uncle Zeb's presence moved from below mama to beside her, muttering, "Karabast!" (A curse word that mama chided him constantly for and Jacen eagerly remembered. Along with any other words that mama scolded the other uncles for using, like frag, shab, and kark.)

Zeb's voice continued, speaking in a strained tone to the others that were further away from them but still inside 'home.' "Does anyone know how to deliver a baby? Because the kit's coming, ummm, right now by the looks of it."

All Zeb received in reply was some very loud sounding shabs from uncles Rex and Wolffe.

His mama basically screeched at Zeb with pain taking over her entire body. "Just get me to the med bay, you kriffing idiot."

He felt Zeb pick them up in his arms and his mama groaned as another contraction ripped through her and squeezed him to the point of being in pain too. Zeb rushed them through 'home' and soon she was lying down. He felt it as she was injected with something and the pain eased considerably, allowing her frame to relax a little and the terrible pressure to ease up on him slightly.

That was the last thing he remembered for a while. (Jacen later assumed that the drugs had knocked him out.)

He woke up again as the sensation of being squeezed became pretty much unbearable and suddenly he was in the cold as his daddy's mental voice said everything was going to be all right now. Cold metal things held him and cleaned him and Jacen didn't like it. At all. Not believing his daddy, he took a page from his mama's rarely used book and screamed his displeasure, using his voice for the first time.

He didn't stop screaming his protestations, ignoring his daddy's pleas to settle down, until the cold metal hands wrapped him in a blanket and handed him to his mama. She held him gently in her arms and Jacen looked at her outsides for the very first time.

Ohhhhhh. She's amazing. And so much better to look at on the outside than the inside.

"I agree, son. but her insides have their uses too," his daddy thought with more amusement than made sense. (Jacen finally got the joke after he learned about reproductive systems and ended up groaning for no apparent good reason in school, earning a disapproving eye from the teacher and laughter from his classmates.)

His mama had brilliant, glistening eyes that looked at him like he was her entire world. And he understood, because she was mostly his too (plus his ghost daddy and uncles). Everything he knew about her; her caring, her love, her fighting spirit; it could all be seen on her face. Jacen loved her with everything he had. He didn't know what 'green' was yet, but that was the colour she was covered in and he liked it very much. It was a soft, cheerful colour that made him happy. As she held him to her chest, her heart beat comfortingly in his ear, just like it had done when he was in the warm place.

Maybe being out of the warm place isn't so bad.

"No, it's really not," his daddy reassured. "There are many good things out here for you to experience."

"Okay."

"Hello, Jacen," his mama said softly, calling him by the name he'd somehow always known was his for the first time. Until now, she'd always called him 'Miracle' or 'Baby', but he'd known that wasn't his name. Her voice was clearer now than before and even more beautiful and soothing. "I wish your daddy could see how perfect you are."

Jacen turned to look at where his daddy's warm glow was floating beside the bed. But he IS here. Can't you see him?

Then his daddy's ghost touched her shoulder and his mama smiled as her body relaxed. "Never mind, sweetie. Your daddy's here. And he loves you too."

Of course he does. He tells me every day.

"And I always will."

"Love you too, Daddy."

His mama inhaled in surprise when the glow that was his father's hand brushed across her temple. "I love you, Kanan," she whispered to the air. "And I take back all the awful things I thought or screamed about you over the last six or seven hours. I'm pretty sure I would never unman you," she said in a teasing tone. "Jacen was worth it. Thank you, love." (Twenty five years later, Jacen's own wife would also curse him in a similar fashion and they would have a similar conversation after the birth of their first child. That was the time when he realized that he was VERY happy to be a male.)

"You're welcome, darling. Stars, I wish I could make you hear me."

"She doesn't hear me either," Jacen commiserated.

"She will once you learn how to talk properly."

"Then I'm going to start working on that immediately."

Jacen looked right at his mother and managed to force out a deliberate, "Aaaaaaaa," as he reached up with one hand.

"Excellent start, son."

"Not as easy as I thought it would be."

"That's all right. You'll get it."

Jacen stared in fascination as liquid fell from her eyes as she let him hold one of her fingers. What was that for? His daddy seemed to know, because his glow touched the liquid on her cheeks and absorbed it. He decided it must be some kind of love ritual, because he could sense the love the two of them were sending to each other.

It was wonderful to bask in.

Which he did until all of his uncles decided that they'd waited long enough to meet him in person. His mama presented him to them with much amusement as his daddy watched proudly.

Jacen met his uncle Zeb first. The sheer size of the purple striped male terrified him at first. But only until he heard his voice. Jacen recognized that voice and remembered that this person was a comforting presence for his mother. Jacen also really liked the soft fur of his arms when he was held by uncle Zeb. Zeb quickly became one of his favourite people.

The next person Jacen met was uncle Alex. The blond man was reluctant to hold him at first, but Zeb talked him into it. Jacen quickly learned that uncle Alex was very dependable and a source of sanity in the chaos that occasionally descended on their home. Jacen and Alex got on famously, as they were both logical thinking people. (Once Jacen grew up a little.)

After that, Jacen met uncles Rex and Wolffe. They were the ones with the similar voices and feels. He wasn't surprised when they also had similar faces. Jacen thought they were awesome and always looked forward to being in their care. (They liked to play soldiers and Jedi vs battle droids with him, and then taught him how to fight when he was old enough, and that was even more awesome.)

He also met Chopper, who just had to come see the 'tiny organic'. Jacen was surprised the thing his mother talked to the most wasn't a person, but the beepy voice was more than familiar and Jacen accepted the droid as part of his family instantly.

The first time he saw his big sister, Sabine, was in a hologram. The tiny image was fascinating but the voice was instantly recognizable as one that his mother talked to frequently. She quickly became 'Sabie' in his mind and he couldn't wait to meet her in person.

Jacen had only been in the outside world for a day when he felt the very air around him cry in terror and then a great void appear in that place he could feel but not see as the terror was suddenly silenced. His daddy was there shortly afterwards, and he told him that he wouldn't let anything happen to him or his mother. It only helped a little, for Jacen felt like the outside world was suddenly a very dangerous place.

He was in his mother's arms another day later when the words 'Death Star' were flying around him endlessly from dozens of different people. There was fear and a sense of doom in the air that enforced his opinion that he wanted to be back inside his mother where everything was warm and safe.

That was the first time he saw his home, the Ghost. His family piled into the ship, along with a bunch of other people that his mother insisted get in too, and Jacen had a front row seat as uncle Zeb held him in his arms while mama flew them away from Yavin 4 and he saw space for the first time. Ten minutes later, the Death Star exploded spectacularly in the distance.

He would never forget the sight.

Or the sound of cheering coming from the ship all around him and over the comms.

Or the feel of more death as thousands more expired in an instant. It was terrible. (Memories like this made him wish that he could forget pieces of his past.)

Over the course of the next day or two, Jacen met many people who would become honourary aunts and uncles. There was Luke, Leia, Wedge, Hobbie, a dozen more pilots and lower level commanders that all loved and respected his mother, and of course, Chewie. The giant Wookiee was another being that Jacen thought terrifying to look at at first. But then he registered how the extra hairy male felt and he realized he was just a giant walking stuffed toy and just as friendly. Jacen especially loved the days that he got to spend with Chewie fixing the Falcon and they laughed together over how much Han loved the wreck of a ship.

Jacen would have liked to say that Han Solo was also an honorary uncle, but he never volunteered for babysitting duty. So Han remained a person who existed and was to be respected, but they didn't become friends until Ben Solo moved to Lothal to train in the Jedi school run by Ezra, Ahsoka and Luke.

Sabie came to see him and his mama too. She loved him instantly and she became his favourite person who wasn't one of his parents. Sabie was full of life and colour and had the most loving arms who hugged him just right and she taught him how to paint and shoot and fight with a wooden sword. One guess as to which was his favourite.

There was that one heartbreaking moment, though, when she first held him and said to his mama, "I wish Ezra was here to see him."

"So do I, Sabine. So do I," his mama said softly.

Jacen didn't understand why they felt so sad all of a sudden. Why EVERYONE in the room felt sad, even his daddy.

Who was this Ezra everyone kept talking about?