Aftermath
Trilla held the printed placard in her gloved grip, doing her best to remain strong as she stood at the head of the group. The texture of it was slick, almost as if it had been laminated, but the make of her gloves skipped against its surface anyhow. It almost resembled the relationship she had with who this sign represented…constant bumps along the way, until it smoothed out just as her hand reached the end, and she held it properly underneath, revealing the name that was printed.
CERE JUNDA.
When she had felt her old master die…she had felt herself break all over again. All that rage she had stowed away after Katarr had come roaring back, and all she could imagine was tearing that wretched machine of a man apart. He had already taken everything away from her, and to not only kill the man she loved as well as the master she had reconciled with…the galaxy had no further use to her anymore.
But when Xur showed himself again…that's when she knew Cere had sacrificed herself to prevent that horrible fate from ever tormenting her again, and to give in to that hatred was to have her sacrifice be in vain. Cere had proven to be the most resilient woman she had ever met, and as she held her memorial placard, she vowed to never forget what she had taught her, and to progress her memory into the future.
Cal gripped her forearm in comfort, as well as reassurance, and she accepted that as her cue to step forward and slide her name into the designated slot on the wall. Above her name was that of Kaidan Alko, Davos Blaze, Mars, Vogel Brutis…and Effa Azulia.
Trilla felt her hand gravitate towards Effa's name, and once her thumb brushed up against it, the fond memories with her returned…all those stupid girly times they ran through the Jedi Temple, all the friendly training duels they used to have. Even when they had both been broken, they had shared moments of subtle normalcy from time to time, which were much more radiant memories now than they were at the time.
Feeling her chin tremble, Trilla leaned into her name and whispered, "I'm so sorry, my dear."
Distantly, she could've sworn she heard her voice…whispering that she was alright. Whether it was real or not didn't matter, as Trilla felt her resolve take root. Returning to her spot in the group, spotting Cal wipe tears from his face while Merrin gripped his hand, Trilla clasped her hands behind her back and adopted a confident pose of solidarity. Xur stood beside her, mirroring her pose, but sending her a nudge of support in the Force.
As the memorial wall aboard the Valkyrie had now been fitted with all the names it needed, Vorchenko stepped forward. "Let us all remember the sacrifices these brave individuals made in our struggle against the dogmatic tyranny of the Empire. While some of them spent most of their fight as our enemies…they died our friends…comrades…and they shall receive recognition either way. Their light may have been stamped from our world…but we will live on, and carry on their sacrifice in memory…
"…if anyone would like to say a few words…now is the time."
The silence persisted as a courtesy, but it did not last. Raven and Lockdown both saluted and recited, "May your nightmares end, brother. Your mission…is over," in reverence to Mars, in which Xur and Vorchenko also saluted.
Petro let his head droop. "Brutis…wasn't exactly a nice guy…but that wasn't the point. Through that hard bravado…he cared, and he had spent his life around so many people who didn't…so he hid his true self…right up until the end. He sacrificed himself to spare anyone else from suffering that experience…and in the end…I learned more from him than I ever did before."
Trilla felt her heart break, and through the crowd she reached to brush his back soothingly with her hand.
"He always did hate that place," Lockdown agreed.
Another silence followed, and this time Xur spoke up. "Kaidan was never the serious one…always the jokester. I never imagined I'd actually dedicate an entire mission to the guy…but I'm glad I was wrong. It's just a…damn shame I couldn't save him."
Trilla took her turn next. "I know Effa was…troubled…in fact perhaps that's an understatement…but before she lost herself, she was a beacon of virtue…someone I had aspired to be like when we were only little girls," she swallowed, keeping herself maintained. "She was kind…compassionate and beautiful…and I only wish…I only wish she received a chance to redeem herself."
It was so hard not to cry…her eyes feeling as if they were bulging pressure valves as she struggled to hold them back, the faces of both Cere and Effa the most prominent of all. Trilla had been no better than either of them…and she could even argue that she had been the worst of them all…so why was she alive, and not them? What was so special about her?
Xur's hand grasped hers for support, although keeping his gaze forward…and that's when she realized that there was no answer. The dead were dead, and she wasn't…so it was her responsibility to be sure to take advantage of that granted fate.
And then Greez shifted. "When I met Cere, she tried to hide it, but I could tell she had a troubled past. At first, I wasn't so sure about her, but once I saw she knew her stuff, we just clicked. It was so hard to explain…but I just knew she and I would get along. She had this fire about her that I had never seen before, and it had eventually lugged me in to rescuing this lousy Jedi," he flicked his head at Cal, who managed a semi smile as his tears showed again. "Best thing that could've ever happened to me. I just hope that wherever she is now…she's at peace."
A tear seeped through her eye, and Trilla made no move to wipe it away.
"Cere taught me how to…move on…despite the odds," Cal trembled, sniveling while Merrin could not keep her eyes dry as well. "And that we can't give up, or the sacrifices of those we love will be for nothing. Even after all she had suffered, she still held out hope that there could be a future not just for her…but for all of us…even for the Padawan she felt she had failed…"
Trilla's chin trembled as the tears burst from her eyes, but she did not sob, and latched her other hand into Cal's free.
"She sacrificed herself to show us that even in the guise of total darkness…the light will always find a way," he finished.
I will never forget your many lessons…Master.
With a silent prayer…the dead were wished off, and they all pressed forward.
The dining hall on the Valkyrie was filled with its entire crew, all invited to eat and drink to their hearts content after such a convincing victory against the Empire. Despite the somber atmosphere, it had livened up quickly once the festivities began. There was no shortage of laughter, slamming of mugs and the occasional claps that came from room-wide cheers.
Xur was just elated he had enough people to play his stupid drinking game.
"You served under the…thirteenth battalion," Xur pointed towards Cal, who in turn sighed and took a drink from his cup, who was already starting to look buzzed just by his inability to focus his gaze.
"Go again," Trilla said.
"Why does he get to go again?" Cal protested, which made Merrin laugh, still nursing her own drink.
"Because I'm the designated referee," she reminded him, which was a made-up role for 'one who cannot drink because they are pregnant'. "Go again," she nudged her zabrak boyfriend.
Xur cleared his throat and filtered his current buzz, thinking of a possible fact from Cal's past. The goal of the game was to guess such facts, and if the guesser was right, then the target had to drink, and if the guesser was wrong, they had to drink. Of course, everyone had stupidly agreed to give Trilla basically unlimited power, who in turn was abusing it to get everyone else as drunk as possible.
"You tried practicing Form Four, but you were so dogshit at it that you quit!"
"No!" Cal smiled, making Xur take a drink. "That was Form Five."
Trilla's eyes paced away from Cal and to Petro. "Alright you. Go ahead and guess from the Padawan."
Merrin laughed while Cal shrugged defensively. "Why can't I go?! And I'm not a Padawan!"
"You are to me!" Trilla giggled.
Petro was struggling to make out what was in front of him…being fifteen and all…but he went, nonetheless. "You…pissed your pants in your sleep after Bracca!"
The entire table was filled with chants of ooooooohhh, but Cal feverishly shook his head. "No, I didn't piss my pants. Take a drink, kiddo."
"Bullshit!" Xur accused, and then pointed to Trilla. "Look at that face! You're telling me you didn't get nightmares? I did!"
Cal paused in recognition, and then turned to Trilla. "I have a guess for Xur!"
"No, I was going to have Merrin go next," she shook her head. "Go on and guess the Padawan."
The red head groaned while Merrin studied him, and he couldn't help but start to laugh under her gaze, especially after all he had drank. She pointed, but her finger aimed away from him, and it took a manual adjustment to actually be in the correct position. "I was the first girl you ever kissed."
He was about to protest, but his hesitation earned the heckling of the crowd. "Okay, that's cheating."
"No it isn't," Trilla shook her head.
"How?!"
"Because I say it isn't! Drink, Padawan!" she laughed as Cal begrudgingly succumbed to his fate, and then probed the table for the next pair.
"Can I go now?" he asked.
Trilla mockingly crossed her arms and looked upwards in thought. "Yes. You can guess me, but since I can't drink, you'll have to drink for me."
Laughs erupted around the table, and Cal was tipsy enough to not even care. "Alright, I'll take that," he accepted, narrowing his eyes as he observed the completely sober Trilla, until straightening his back. "You were made an honorary member of the Five-oh-Second Legion."
Xur knocked his fist on the table. "Damn right she was."
"Drink for me," she tipped her head, and he obliged. "Go again."
Cal groaned, but gave in anyway. "Uh…you had a crush on me after Bracca."
That aroused the table, even Xur, who was nudging her playfully. "You did. Don't even lie!" he accused, and she adopted a feverish look of denial.
"I did not!" she smacked him in the shoulder, which actually stung despite his full-body numbness. "Despicable man…drink, Padawan!"
This time, Cal fumbled the cup from his grip, and that was when Merrin stepped in. "Alright Trilla…I think we should stop teasing him for now."
"Look what you did to him," Xur teased shock, earning him an admonishing look from Trilla that struggled to hide her smile.
"You are such a cunt. Don't turn me into the villain now," she warned, which only made Xur want to tease her further.
"What are you going to do?" he challenged, which earned oooooooos around the table.
Trilla cocked her head. "How about make you sleep alone tonight?"
Xur gulped, scratching the back of his neck as he shut his mouth, the table giving her praise for her quick comeback. "Sorry…"
"You're damn right you're sorry," she nudged. "In fact, Merrin, guess him."
"There he is!" someone shouted from behind, and Xur felt himself wrapped in a bro-hug from behind, and he recognized the gauntlet armor as Raven's. "There's our General!"
Lockdown wasn't far behind, and Xur felt the comradery compound with how little his inhibitions still existed, giving the both of them proper hugs and the clasping of hands. "You guys know you don't have to call me that."
Raven chuckled as he took a step back, redirecting his eyes to the group. "This man…I remember when he was just a little boy on Teth," he wrapped his arm tightly around the zabrak's neck, getting laughs from the group, as well as Trilla, who watched with joy. "When our gunship went down, he dragged me out even when one of my legs were broken. That's when I knew this was no boy.
"That's why all of us…Lockdown, Mars, all those men in the five-oh-first…chose to follow him," Raven continued, roughly pulling him closer. "His arms may be a little skinny…but he's strong."
Trilla shook her head, grasping Xur's hand. "His arms are just fine."
The zabrak mulled that response. "Eh…they're a little skinny."
"No matter what happened, he kept fighting," Raven continued, dogmatic in his efforts to continue his speech, just as drunk as the rest of them. "Whether it was punching clankers or sending inquisitors home in body bags, he kept fighting! He rubbed face paint on and marched into the fucking Fortress! What kind of person would do that? A madman, or our General!"
Xur blushed at the praise, and everyone only added to it, just as Vorchenko walked by and had the unfortunate pleasure of being pulled in by Lockdown. "And this…our shining, brilliant Admiral!"
Trilla rose to her feet to try and free her from his grip, but she was truthfully intoxicated enough to go along with it. "It's alright," she waved off, just as the cheers for her rose as well.
"Ah, yes!" Raven added. "She may be stoic…she may be a hard ass…but she's just as strong as the rest of us. I saw her jam that blaster right underneath that man's helmet and pull the trigger six times!"
Vorchenko scoffed. "It was three times…"
"She convinced an entire ship to tell the Empire to go fuck a krayt dragon! What more proof do you need?" he presented, and Lockdown let her go, part of him knowing what he was doing was less than ideal.
"I did my best," she conceded.
"And then…" Raven turned to Trilla, and she pointed a finger in warning, to which they both obliged to. "Our beloved Commander," he bowed.
"Perhaps not always," Trilla mused.
"No, we always loved you!" Raven insisted, to which she tried to hide herself behind her hand. "May you live happy…and congratulations on your child."
There were claps with that, and that's when Trilla's blush began to show. "Thank you, Raven."
"Now, General…" Lockdown reached behind his back and pulled a massive lidded mug, offering it to Xur. "We have a surprise for you."
Xur accepted it, popping the lid, and then pulling his head back. "Oh my…how much Rancor's Gut did you put in this thing?!"
Raven scratched his head, turning to Lockdown. "What was it…ten shots?"
"Ten?! Six is enough to set off fucking radiological alarms!"
"Ah, you'll be fine!" Lockdown waved off.
Xur grimaced, mulling it anyway with how buzzed he was, and the chants around the table for him to drink began to grow. From what he could tell, they put some kind of sweet chaser to at least balance the taste, but he never liked Rancor's Gut much anyway…and Trilla, a prominent drinker, found herself annihilated after only four of them on Vandor. Sure, it took less for women to get drunk on average, but still…he had no intention to die tonight.
"Not all in one go," he bartered.
"Come on!" Lockdown goaded.
"You can do it," Trilla urged, and even after his expression of worry reached her, she only brushed her hand against his leg. "I'll take care of you."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, of course, now drink!"
Xur took a deep breath and then raised the mug. "All of us then," he offered, and everyone raised their cups, even Trilla with her non-alcohol. "To all of you…beautiful people, making this possible!"
Cheers erupted, and Xur drank the entire thing…and paid the consequences.
Trilla watched anxiously as she scrunched her fingers together in a tough rub against Xur's back, emptying the contents of his stomach for the fourth time. Softening it into a soothing motion, she patted him for comfort, also sitting forward to pull some of his hair out of the way of the toilet. Once he was done, she flushed it for him, and then fell back against the bathroom wall as he hunched over, groaning in discomfort.
"I'm so stupid," he cursed himself as he had many times already, constantly reiterating that his current state was all his doing. "I'm sorry," he apologized, which was also something he had done many times since they had boarded the docked Fury.
"What did I promise you?" she asked, still rubbing his back. "I promised to take care of you, didn't I? And you're not stupid, darling. You just had a little more fun than usual."
"Vomiting is not fun," he mumbled, almost groaning like a child.
She held him close, which oddly didn't disgust her with how many times he had thrown up. "Hence is the price of such things, my love. I remember you doing something similar for me on Vandor."
Xur slapped his hand against his face as he rubbed his eye, his voice unsure what tone it should adopt mid-sentence. "I remember…heh…you were so cute…"
That day was certainly more important than she had appreciated at the time. After Katarr, it was the first time she had sat down and enjoyed herself since Order 66 was issued, and the small act had proven to be instrumental in her subsequent return to finding herself again. She'd loved Xur for doing that for her since, and today only felt like returning the favor. With what he had done on Nur, she just wanted to see him happy.
And after all he had drank, he had been very happy for a while. With enough drinks, everyone began to dance to different tunes played over the intercom, and he had even managed to convince her to try it with him. Neither of them was any good, but neither of them really cared…although it did make her slightly jealous that he was drunk, and she was not. Seeing everyone drinking had been harder than she let on, feeling a constant craving for the taste of alcohol on her lips, and to feel the lightening of inhibitions that came with it. Her mood hadn't been soured, but if she had to do this for another eight to nine months…she imagined it would only get worse.
But she couldn't drink, since that would be immensely harmful to the baby growing within her as she sat beside her zabrak boyfriend…who was throwing up again.
"There you go," she eased, rubbing his back as he pulled away from the toilet, the sound of its flush soon following. He then looked to her, and she had to hold him back before he could press his lips against her neck. "Xur…you're drunk…stop it."
"You said you'd take care of me…" he whined, to which she pushed him back with more sincerity.
"I am…but you are not allowed to kiss me, not when you're like this," she pointed, and the firmness in her gaze seemed to draw him back. Once he realized what he had done, his head drooped, and he covered his eyes in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that," he apologized, and his whimpering almost broke her heart.
"It's alright," she eased, and then pulled him in so he could rest his head on her shoulder, doing her best to entice him to rest. "Shhhhh," she hushed. "You need to sleep it off," she urged, knowing he'd just vomit whatever water she gave him.
His breathing eased, and he snuggled into her like a baby with its mother, making her smile at the adorableness of the situation. Soon, his hand felt its way to her womb, and she couldn't help but place her own atop his.
"Sing me a song, please," he asked. "Your voice is so beautiful."
Trilla smiled, pulling him in closer, and dove into her various arrays of tunes. She had settled for a huttese version of a lullaby, one about a mother who listed all the beautiful things she loved about her child…and the father who had raised them. He couldn't understand it, she knew that, but after his small smile, his snoring had begun, and once the tune had ended, she kissed his head.
Despite outweighing her, she had managed to carry his body to bed with the help of the Force, soon situating herself beside him as a watchful guardian, before the wave of sleep had claimed her as well.
Cal studied the green hued holocron for a long while, long relinquished of the hangover he had nursed away from the day before. Merrin sat beside him aboard the Mantis, and on the other side stood Greez, a smirk on his face and arms crossed.
"Wherever you need to go, Cal, I'll take you," he promised. "My days of gambling and sitting tight are done."
He smiled at that. "Thanks, Greez."
"I do not plan on leaving you either," Merrin made clear, although he felt it didn't need to be said. "If you wish to find your Jedi children, I will help."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Cal grasped her hand, to which she returned the gesture. There was little to consider. Despite the risk he knew was there in attempting to restore the Jedi Order…the Force had mandated this mission through that vision he had witnessed on Bogano
Light the fire that will forge the shield.
It was time to get to work.
"Good luck, General," Vorchenko shook hands with Xur, who tipped his head in respect. "Once I discover what I can about this Greater Imperium, I will be sure to let you know."
"Thanks," Xur crossed his arms. "The sooner we get an idea of who the Benefactor is, the better."
The former Imperial Admiral maintained that stoic arms behind her back stance, but he had known her long enough to know that something was on her mind. She was never one to keep it to herself, however.
"I do hope your sojourn serves you well, Eon…but we're going to need you sooner rather than later," she admitted, and he at least appreciated her honesty. He and Trilla's decision to go it alone for the next nine months or so was mostly for them to maintain secrecy, and to also find themselves without the distraction of the larger galaxy. With Rava's intricacy and their ship, the chances of the Empire ever finding them were basically nil.
But they had no intentions of staying out of the fight for long.
"Take care of Raven and Lockdown for me," Xur requested, to which she obliged with a bow.
"Take care of yourself."
With that, he turned up the loading ramp of the Fury, leaving the war behind.
Short little epilogue chapter for you. Don't worry, got another one coming in hot.
Little update on what will be happening. Writing this chapter, I've realized how sort of "complete" a lot of these characters are, so don't expect long chapters as we transition between main stories. This one especially felt rather aimless, and I think I'm going to use a time skip right after the next chapter. Continuing a story that's basically already told isn't as juicy as I thought it would be.
What to expect? For the foreseeable future, I only plan to be really telling stories about Xur and Trilla, and one arc about Cal, Merrin and Greez, so those side characters have served their purpose for now. My characterization tank needs fresh juice to squeeze!
I also may or may not be doing a tribute chapter for my old stories…mostly making fun of them, but it could but funny…who knows?
One last thing – I'm leaning towards keeping the next story within this one instead of creating a new collection of chapters, that way y'all don't have to search and I can keep it all in one place. The sequel isn't exactly "Star Wars Games", and I really don't want to put it in the Movies category with all the Reylo cringe pieces (ugh). Besides, this community has proven to appreciate what I write more than any other one has, so why try to fix a perfect wheel? I'm pretty sure there's no rules against this…but feel free to let me know if you think I should do something else.
Next: The Date!
