Chapter 14: Talon Karrde I

Summary:

I'm aliiiive! (Only half-joking since I went through Hurricane Maria like the rest of Puerto Rico.)

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Talon Karrde had known it would be a particularly foul day since waking up: he'd risen with a gut feeling that somewhere, somehow a massive change would take place in the galaxy and not for the better. His instincts proven right when the hotel's butler droid attempted to give him poisoned hot chocolate on his morning meal. (Uncouth waste of programming, how vulgar of the droid to ruin such a delicacy.). The smell of bitter almonds warned him of the instilled venom, the folded corner of the bedroom's carpet revealed the location of yet another would-be murderer. Six blaster shots and one permanently stained carpet later the old smuggler left said establishment as quietly as he had entered, a wad of credits placed on the bed to pay for the troubles some poor woman or fellow will have to through in the upcoming hours. A storm was coming, the old woman's hysterical prophecies were proof enough to those who remembered the Old Republic or studied Jedi lore: Talon Karrde is a man who lived in the Old Republic and was handed Jedi Scripture by Luke Skywalker himself.

His eidetic memory allows him to place the woman, her name was Dama Whitesun Brunk; younger sister to Luke's aunt if what the Jedi told him is true. (Of course he hides that information to himself when he arranges for her to be quietly released.) Her familial bond to the Grand Master is most likely the reason she can hear his voice clearly when most only hear a woman's voice. The old woman refuses to leave with his men, she is distrustful of Core-Worlders claiming they wish to help. Logical, considering how the Inner Rim has never aided Tatooine, it took a Tatooinian Jedi for the Hutt's multi-centennial slave system to end. He is forced to make an appearance, Dama recognizes him from Luke's wedding as the man who gave Mara on the altar and throws herself at his arms; sobbing that she was innocent of the charges Hosnian Prime laid to the Church of the Force. The smuggler reassures her that all will be well and that she'll be reunited with her family to live in peace soon enough. Dama lifts her face away from his now-ruined shirt and parts her lips to talk, apologizing with her eyes for whatever it is she'll say. Whitesun stares out into nowhere, as if her eyes could see past the walls of his ship and glimpse the twin suns of her planet. Finally she declares "Until Beru's son comes home, no longer pretending to be a stone castle when inside he is a shattered glass angel then and only then I will find peace." She is a Skywalker at heart, that he is certain of.

Ah the Skywalkers: ever a source of peril, ardor, comradeship and fascination. As Luke's home planet fades from view after safely delivering his aunt Karrde's mind drifts back to when he 'visited' Tatooine upon Jabba's death and the subsequent mass-liberation of slaves. There'd been a middle-aged man sitting at whatever Mos Eisley cantina Talon selected to conduct his business. He sat upright in blissful satiety, but the indulgence lied more in the fact he could eat and drink at a table freely than any actual gorging. The man called himself Kitster, peculiar name but certainly not the oddest he'd come across in his treks though the galaxy. Talon expected they'd toast to the actions of Luke Skywalker, a salute repeated so many times and in so many languages on Tatooine that the smuggler was tempted to bring said youth to the planet and crown him king to see if anyone would refuse. (Tatooine always remembers, even when the rest of the Galaxy forgets. It was Tatooine's government that stated refusal to release Luke Skywalker from 'Republic Custody' would be taken as an act of War. ) Instead the prematurely-aged man did something not many beings organic or programmed could boast of: Surprised the man whom none had left shocked in stars-know how many years by toasting 'To the memory of Ani Skywalker, who fulfilled his promise throughout his son'. (The only other person that managed to surprise him that decade was a young woman with anger issues who thought smuggling of all things was a normal civilian job.)

Never let it be said that Talon Karrde passed on a good story, he'd politely asked the man how he was connected to the Skywalker family. Kitster Chanchani Banai was an unexpected well of insight about the Skywalkers, a link to information the rest of the galaxy never saw or never bothered with. Nothing else about the bar was memorable and he'd never seen or heard from the man again, never asked young Skywalker if he kept contact with any of the slaves he'd recklessly freed. Talon Karrde was a man of honor yes but that didn't mean he was prone to sentimentality. (Deep down, he prays the poor man continues to exist in blessed ignorance regarding the fate of Anakin Skywalker, that he can still speak happily of his childhood friend without Vader's shadow haunting what were probably the best days of the ex-slave's life but he places little faith in this. To love is a Skywalker is to court tragedy.) Once the calculations to light-speed are finished he heads to the New Republic, deciding the times for cloak-and danger secrecy he hands General Antilles the recording. Less than a day later he provides sanctuary for Lady Celchu's runaways from Hosnian Prime's blockade and sails far away to see how the pieces unravel.

Contrary to popular belief it is pure coincidence that Talon Karrde was on Coruscant, seat of the Old Republic when Hosnian Prime was erased from the stars. Through the Father's will or sheer bad luck the city-planet endured a great tremor as Alderaan's silence was repeated tenfold. Adrenaline permits him run in time to save a crying infant just before a pillar comes down on the child. He tells the grateful mother of said child there's no need to repay him once they're inside the underground shelter. (Mara was right: I am getting soft in my old age). Some youngsters claim that the massive earthquake is the Force punishing them for their parent's sins against the Jedi, the elderly forgo all notion of blame and fall on bended knee pleading for their respective deities to show compassion, a rare few stand erect; declaring wordlessly their souls are ready if death comes for them now.

Talon does none of this, such blatant onslaughts of emotion are not in his in nature and even if they were he wouldn't risk losing a lifetime's reputation under the influence of one moment of panic. Besides, none of these reactions agree with him: he was never religious in the traditional sense. Knowledge, honor and loyalty were his gods, he's yet to find the cult that worships them exclusively. His adherence to accepting responsibility for one's individual actions provoke him to scoff at the blame-casting leeches that probably cheered when Organa was expulsed from the Senate. The crowd that applauds your coronation is the same crowd that applauds your beheading. The speechless are the only group in this ill-begotten lot worthy of admiration but even they are performing a power display of sorts and Talon Karrde does not nor will he ever believe in demonstrations of power. (He silences the voice in his head taunting that his aversion to these complete strangers has more to do with how their stalwart calm in the face of death reminds Talon Karrde of a young redhead who stood in bellicose serenity amidst chaos and bloodshed. )

His men dig him and his 'companions' out of the caved-in shelter long before the proper authorities come. He returns to the land of the living; to a galaxy now bereft of Han Solo and Lor San Tekka, the New Republic obliterated & Wedge Antilles presumed dead along with Wes Janson and Kor Sella. I stay out of touch for one miserable day and the universe goes to shit. Well, no use wasting time on tears. There's work to be done and power-hunger zealots to overthrow. He flies through the rubble of Starkiller Base to reach General Organa.(There was a time our enemies kept some semblance of honorable conduct towards one another, for all his faults Admiral Thrawn wouldn't have disrespected Galen Erso or the Marek boy's names in such a manner.)

"Unauthorized vessel; please identify yourself."

"Greetings Lieutenant, inform General Organa that the Jade Shadow wishes to land."

Karrde can practically feel the grin on her face as the young woman grants him permission to enter D'Quar. She runs to him once the Jade Shadow's door opens, grateful that he's still alive when so many have perished. Has it really been 15 years already since she came into my life? It feels like it was only yesterday that little girl landed on my doorstep. Just before disappearing from the public eye Lor san Tekka came to the Smuggler's Alliance in the dead of night, carrying a small bundle in his arms. Talon had recognized the girl immediately once the Alderaanian Force-listener allowed him to see her: Tahiri Veila, the youngling that had been 'gifted' to Luke Skywalker on Tatooine by the Sand People. The one Luke and Mara had asked him to protect should something happen at the Academy, back then she was the only infant at the Temple. Veila's presence confirmed the massacre four hours before the most dedicated underground sources brought information concerning the New Jedi's destruction, two days before Skywalker let them take him into custody.

Talon Karrde can still hear the desperation in Lor San Tekka's voice as he plead Hide her please, before it's too late with all sagely composure lost, his face having aged a decade in less than twenty-four hours. The holo-pic showing the Force Listener's face when shortly after Skywalker's arrest he was medically interned for seizures no doctor could explain was even more haggard. They squeezed the youth out of him, just like they've bled Mara's husband dry. I was unable to save Mara or Luke but I can still save another girl from their fates. It was this conviction that ran through his mind as he ensured the Initiate was placed with a normal, loving couple with no children of their own. Over the years he'd often visited Tahiri under the guise of a biological uncle that couldn't take of her because he was being persecuted by the New Republic and First Order alike. As a wise man once said, the best lies always have a bit of truth to them.

Her adoptive parents gave her a new name, giving weigh to a local superstition which claimed ill fortune to children who bore names with unknown meanings. The girl hadn't cared much for how they called her, so the process was smoothly undertaken. Still he'd kept a look-out for any signs that she remembered who she was, what she was taught and by whom she'd been raised. Even now he tests her whenever the opportunity presents itself. To see if the 'haircut incident' was the only time her bond with Skywalker reopened. She'd run out of the hair stylist's chair screaming "NO!Don't cut my hair, Master Luke loves braiding my hair!" A day later he'd contacted Lor San Tekka so he could block out the girl's memory again. Hego Connix, her adoptive father commented how curious that such an unimportant fragment of her past resurfaced instead of some part of Jedi training but Talon understood why that 'insignificant' memory was prized to the girl.

To the Tusken people touch is more than just skin-to-skin contact, it is a way to link the soul which according to their mythology grows strongest in the head. Luke was aware of the connotations braiding Tahiri's hair would imply, the Sand People had made sure of that before placing her in his keeping. If the girl permitted Skywalker to touch her golden locks in such an intimate manner that meant she accepted Luke as father of her spirit if not of her flesh. To cut the tress her father braided meant to cast his love aside permanently and to this day Talon Karrde hasn't met a single being that wished to renounce Luke Skywalker once he/she loved him in their separate ways. Tis no surprise that a child was no exception to this unwritten rule.

Tahiri grew up to be a fine woman; she would have made an extraordinary Jedi. Call her by her new name damn it, it's not like her family chose a horrible one for her. They renamed her Kaydel, a name which meant evergreen in their planet to praise her bright- gemstone-like irises. Eyes she would hide under brown-painted contacts when, against her parents' wishes she joined Princess Leia's Resistance. There's a shortage of naturally green eyes in the galaxy. It's a shame she continues to hide hers from the universe. She had quickly become the would-be-queen of Alderaan's confidant and his best insider on the Resistance. An almost fatherly pride swells in his chest as she puts him up to date on the latest developments, official and non-official news reported indiscriminately whilst they sit in the Shadow's Mess Hall. (He regrets that in spite of all Luke's wayward youngling has done for him he's never felt completely paternal towards Tahiri. The sad truth is that the bulk of his love was for Mara. For sweet, devoted Tahiri there was enough spirit in him left to care for the girl but not to love her unconditionally though he does admit her presence in his life has been somewhat healing.)

Suddenly, a crashing sound surges inside the space shuttle. Access to the ship is restricted and Tahiri informed him all Resistance members save General Organa or Admiral Ackbar were not allowed within a mile of the ship so it must be a thief who broke the codes and entered. Not on my watch you lousy heathens. The Jade Shadow is still Jedi Master Jade's brain child and he will not permit anyone vandalizing the last tangible thing he has left of Mara. Truth be told, he's unsure why his instincts kept clamoring for him to take The Jade Shadow when he had thousands of newer, less traceable ships at his ships at his disposal. (He's barely sure of anything these days, the galaxy's changed so much in so little time that some days he can barely recognize it.) He quietly sets his blaster to lethal mode, contrasting Kaydel's decision to switch from kill to stun now that the battle is over. General Organa's been filling Tahiri's head with sentimentality, meddling woman. They walk towards the computer room where the noise came from, tension marking each step and hear weeping? What exactly is going on here?

He dispenses all caution and bursts into the room, finding a sight he'd never guessed if anyone had told him to. A brown-haired girl, dressed in desert clothing that's badly in need of a wash. There is more child than woman in this mysterious figure who rocks back and forth in fetal position, muttering "please let it be a dream" with a quiet dignity that almost formalizes her words into a chant. She doesn't notice him or Tahiri, the girl is utterly engulfed in her sorrow. Logic abandons him as an involuntary urge causes him to gently walks towards the girl and bends down so he can wipe a tear running down her melancholy cheeks. It is then she returns to her senses and takes him into account. The girl lifts her gaze as he helps her stand up and for the first time in nearly 20 years Talon Karrde looks upon Mara's eyes.

Tahiri is quick to identify the girl as Rey: the Jakku scavenger who found the lost Resistance Droid, retrieved the Millenium Falcon and defeated Kylo Ren with Anakin Skywalker's light-saber. An impressive resume for one so young but for some reason all of that pales in comparison to the fact that Mara's hazel irises are staring back at him. There are other physical similarities to Mara beside this: the shape of her ears, her height, the way she straightens her shoulders when addressed... It takes Tahiri's introduction for him to cease this masochistic analyzing.

"Rey, this is Talon Karrde. He'll claim his only contribution to the Resistance is naming it but in truth his support has been vital to us."

"Naming your group of revolutionaries was the most important thing I did for it Connix. Leia's preferred moniker would have sent half the galaxy packing."

"I still insist the Galactic Alliance was a perfectly suitable name. Rey, do me a favor dear and tell this old coot he's being overdramatic"

"Forgive me Tahiri but I have to agree with him. 'Galactic Alliance' sounds completely ridiculous."

Outliving seven planets has driven him mad. That must be why he heard this girl's mouth pronounce Kaydel's true name, that's why he's witnessed a scavenger blurt a long-buried truth known only to him now that Lor San Tekka & Veila's adoptive parents are dead. But Tahiri heard it as well, Lor San Tekka's trick holds (thankfully) as she kindly tells Rey that is not her name and provides the girl with the lie he helped create. Lt. Connix inquires why Rey would call her by such an odd name, the scavenger shrugs her shoulders and says 'It fits you'. When Tahiri is commed by Organa and runs off Talon performs his own inquiry.

"Why were you crying my child?"

She picks up a data pad from the desk "I just learned from Poe's report that Kylo Ren killed Lor San Tekka. He was my only friend on Jakku, the first person to ever care about me. Part of me can't believe he's gone."

"Understandable. Mind telling me how you broke into my ship without triggering the alarm?"

"I didn't break into your ship. Is that why your blaster's set to kill? Cause you thought I was a thief!"

Well, she certainly has Mara's keen observation skills though her temper's not as bad. "I'm not accusing you of larceny, I'm just curious how you got into the ship."

"With all due respect Sir, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Rey claims the ship let her in once she placed her hands on the hangar, admiring the vessel. Guilt fills her eyes as Rey confesses his ship puts the Millennium Falcon to shame. He gives her a tour; still asking questions as they walk and he marvels at her sweet answers, smiles upon seeing Mara's hazel orbs so openly kind and brimming with intelligence. The girl possesses a creative mind, much like Mara's but her conscience is sensitive in a way that Mara never sought to be, in a way the Emperor never allowed her to be. Half-way through their excursion he stops comparing her to Mara: Rey is hopeful and compassionate and very much a delightful person in her own right. She deserves better than an old man likening her to a pile of ashes. Then for no sudden the girl moves to the opposite direction of where he was leading her. She stops upon the door which opened their room (Luke and Mara's).

"The Pilot's seat is on the left side."

"What's behind this door?"

"Dear girl: I don't know, the owner didn't tell me the codes."

"Well then, I'll just have to open it so we can both find out."

"Best that you don't: the control panel zaps you if you enter the wrong digits."

She doesn't listen to him as her fingers rapidly touch the numbers. He moves behind so he can catch her once the bolt hits, hoping the sting teaches her a lesson. The door opens and dust floats through the air as he glimpses the room no one has entered in almost two decades. Nineteen years, nineteen years. Could it be possible...

"How old are you my child?"

"Nineteen years by Galactic standards, why do you ask?"

"Come here, I wish to show you something."

He takes out a hologram storing cylinder much like the one young Ben Solo had. The first image to appear is Luke Skywalker just after the Battle of Yavin, still wearing his orange jump-suit and laughing with Princess Leia; turning red as a tomato when she kisses him on the cheek. This is Luke before he understood how horrible it was to have a destiny, before he learned with just little sapience or morals the galaxy is run. With foresight this holo-pic is both heartbreaking and wonderful to look at. If applied correctly this relic will provide the answers he seeks.

"Do you know who this man is."

"Of course I know who Luke Skywalker is, I lived on a wrecked AT-AT, not under a rock."

"If you could give him any nickname in the galaxy, what would you choose?"

She bites her lips and smiles with a hint of mischief that also exudes daring, appearing pleased with her chosen moniker. I've seen that smile before, strange though it seems. Older, more brazen. It haunts all my dreams.

"Farmboy."

Mara: my protege, myconfidante, my daughter. You're alive, you cheated death. Oh Mara it's been so long...

"Talon, are you all right? You're crying."

He takes her in his arms and shortly after Talon Karrde falls to the ground to praise whatever magic or deity reunited him with his child.

Notes:

Hands out tin cup: comments please?