Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never
wish to do less. – Robert E. Lee
A man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so. - Walter Lippmann
Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Chapter 1 - A New Beginning
Reese opened his eyes and looked around the sunlit room. He lay motionless as he took in the unfamiliar setting. In the distance he could hear the sounds of boats in the harbor as the fishermen began their day's labor. Shadows danced on the walls as birds swooped and glided in their efforts to snatch a stray particle of bait neglected by a careless fisherman. The air was thick with the salty smells of the sea.
Sadness set in as he remembered where he was.
Only weeks earlier, he'd been living comfortably with his parents and younger sister in the mining community of Myssin. His father worked as a foreman in the local mines while his mother taught the community children their school studies. In his five years of existence, he'd never been exposed to anything less than love and support from his family and the neighbors of the tight-nit community. Then everything changed. War was raging across the galaxy. Separatists took a special interest in the rich mines of the mid-rimmed world. Republic forces, in an effort to cut off their supplies of ores and metals, waged a deadly assault that had forced the mining villagers to flee their homes.
Now he and his family took refuge with his aunt and uncle in the fishing community of Chryton's Bay. His uncle Pete owned a fishing vessel and hired his father as part of his crew. His mother continued to teach him his studies as his aunt Cyn ran a small dinner, a popular hangout for the port's fishermen and merchants.
His father said this would be temporary, as the Republic forces were currently pushing back the Separatists on the planet. In fact, Republic forces were striking major victories all over the galaxy as they won battle after critical battle. His uncle said it was due to the Republic's renewed strength and determination after the foiled kidnapping of the Supreme Chancellor, and the death of the traitorous Count Dooku. Now the Separatists were in disarray as their remaining leaders squabbled and hid.
Subravien, once loyal to the Separatists movement, now only wished for the war to end. Many of their mines had been severely depleted; receiving little compensation as the Separatists claimed their payment was freedom in a galaxy no longer ruled by the corrupt and disdainful Republic. Disheartened, the Subravienian's disavowed themselves from the Separatists, re-pledging their alliance to the Republic, who'd been quick to answer their call.
Reese looked out the bedroom window and sighed as he watched the fishermen go about their daily work. He dreamed of sailing a vessel of his own, setting off into the forbidden seas and exploring the strange and wondrous islands rumored to be inhabited by magical creatures and mysterious villains with hidden treasures.
"Reese, it's time to eat."
He turned to acknowledge his mother with a smile. His love for her was pure and unquestioning. Fair and beautiful, her smile was a beacon in the darkest of places. Her voice, melodious and sweet, calmed him on the stormiest of days. Her eyes, bright and inviting, promised him she would never leave. Her long red hair was soft and curly, always smelling like the sweetest berries.
"Okay mommy."
She returned the smile and closed the door. After dressing and using the fresher, he settled himself at the dining table and waited for his mother to join him. To his right, Mara gurgled and cooed in her highchair. He smiled as he watched his baby sister play. Red baby food, the same color as her curly locks, was smeared on her face and bib. She looked at him and laughed. Bright and curious, she was a little angel, a perfect replica of his mother and his best friend.
"Oh Mara! Look at you! You're a mess!" His mother said with a smile. She took a towel and gently cleaned her off, much to Mara's dismay. She began to pout, tears brimming on her eyes. After a moment she erupted in a howling cry as her food was taken and her bib removed.
"No, none of that young lady. That was your second bowl, so I know you're not starving."
Reese stifled a laugh behind his hand. His mother shot him a warning glance and he quickly controlled himself.
"Did you wash your hands and brush your teeth?" His mother asked as she wrestled Mara out of her chair.
"Yes ma'am. See?" He raised his hands and opened his mouth wide, showing off his teeth, a couple of which were loose.
"I do see. Thank you," she said with another smile. He smiled in return, sitting straight with pride.
A moment later she carried Mara out of the room and soon returned with his breakfast. He silently ate his warm grain-meal and scrambled brizzack eggs. His mother sat across from him. He sipped his juice as she sipped her stimcaf. His brown eyes crossed as he mimicked her blues. He wrinkled his freckled nose as she wrinkled hers. This was a game they often played. He erupted into a fit of giggles as his mother made a funny face that he could not replicate.
"You win mommy!" he laughed.
"So it would seem," she said warmly. "I love you Reese. You're a good son."
"I love you too mommy."
After he finished his meal, he took his dishes into the kitchen and washed them off. It was time for school, his favorite part of the day. The best part about moving here was that he got his mother all to himself. There were times, back in Myssin, when he felt his mother was neglecting him for the other students. He knew she paid him the same attention as she did the others, but he couldn't help but feel that being her son warranted him more of her time. Still, he would gladly give up the extra attention if it meant going back to his old life. He missed his friends and he missed his home.
In the distance he could hear the harbor bell as it rang, singling the approach of bad weather. The turbulent seas of Subravien were known for producing violent storms with little to no warning.
"Your father may be home early today," she observed as they listened to the bell. He looked outside and watched as dark clouds, illuminated by sporadic flashes of lighting, approached the harbor. Soon the room grew dark as the sun's soft light was dissipated by the approaching storm clouds.
"Winds picking up," his mother said as she looked out with him. "We're in for quite a storm."
Reese nodded sadly. He hated storms. Their darkness turned the whole world gray, swallowing the warm daylight. Their loud thunder shook the ground and made him shiver. Their howling wind brought images of screeching ghosts. Whenever he was frightened, he would think back to his mother's words, 'a storm is just a way of washing the earth, after which, everything is clean and new.'
He turned away from the window and followed his mother into the dinning area. Settling into his seat, he opened his literature book and began reading aloud as his mother listened. Soon his mind was carried away in the story he read and the approaching storm bothered him no more.
Sinnel Jade looked out at the approaching storm and frowned. "Looks like we're in for a bad one Pete," he called to his brother.
"Damn! It looks like we're going to have to cut our day short boys!" Pete said with a scowl. He watched as his small crew began reeling in casting lines and nets, quickly readying the vessel for departure.
Waves began to lap on the ship as the seas became choppy. "Bringing her up!" The engines softly hummed as he elevated the craft just over the breaking waves.
"All lines secure?" He asked as he surveyed their progress. Rain began to fall in thick curtains.
"Aye Captain!" His first mate barked.
"Full speed ahead!"
The ship launched forward, fleeing the approaching storm. Rain stung their faces as they picked up speed. In the distance they could hear thunder.
Pete frowned as another sound caught his attention. Squinting into the distance he strained to see through the sheets of falling water. Sinnel approached his brother and noticed his distress.
"What's up?"
"I thought I heard something," Pete said with a look of concern.
"It's probably the warning bell in the harbor," he mused.
"No, I know that sound too well. It sounded like an explosion."
Sinnel squinted into the distance. "I can't see anything. Are you sure you heard an explosion?"
Pete shrugged. "Out here there's no telling. Sounds travel on water."
The vessel began to shudder as the waves picked up, splashing over the nose of the ship.
"We need to go higher!" Sinnel warned.
"She's as high as she can go! We're just going to have to pull back our speed and take it easy."
The distant horizon lit up in an explosive flash of light, followed closely by thick, black smoke.
"Something must have been struck by lightning," Sinnel said with a hint of concern.
Pete shook his head. "That was no lightning!"
The crew began to gather around as they observed the smoldering horizon. More flashes broke as they beheld an intense battle.
"Those are Republic vessels!" The first mate observed.
"We can't dock there; we'll be blown to bits!" Sinnel said, fear breaking in his voice.
"The hell we can't!" Pete said with a look of determination.
"Pete, you can't be serious!"
"I'm the captain of this vessel and what I say goes! You will best remember that," he warned his younger brother.
Anger flashed in Sinnel's eyes as he fought to control his temper. "You're not seriously going to pull rank on me are you?"
"I'm sorry Sinnel, but we don't have a choice. If we stay out here we'll be bashed to pieces. If there was another port nearby, I would go there, but this is it!"
Sinnel nodded in resignation. "Well then, as the Captain of this ship, it wouldn't hurt if you supplied us with any arms you may have onboard."
Pete flashed his brother a half smile. "You know me too well."
He pulled out a key and handed it to Sinnel. "There's a lock box hidden under the passenger seat."
Sinnel quickly pulled the seat back to reveal the box. Opening it he beheld a small arsenal of blasters, normally kept in reserve for any pirates they may come across. He quickly began to distribute them among the crew.
"There's not much ammo, so use your shots sparingly," Pete instructed. "Battle droids go down fairly easily but if it's anything bigger, don't waist your time. I'm going to bring us in hard and fast. Get to your homes and secure your families! Good luck!"
"Aye Captain," echoed throughout the crew as they prepared for landing.
Without another word, Pete gunned the ship and brought her in with skill that only came with years of experience. They quickly disembarked as blaster fire erupted around the dock. A battalion of clones ran past them without so much as a glance. Sinnel spotted a fallen trooper near an abandoned Republic class speeder bike.
"Pete!" He pointed to the speeder and his brother nodded. Jumping on, Sinnel started its engines as his brother settled in behind him. The craft took off with unimaginable speed as he barely avoided collision with a nearby building.
"Easy Sinnel! We want to get there in one piece!"
Sinnel shot his brother a tested glance before pulling back on the throttle. Fire began to rain from above, clipping the nose of the bike. Stealing another glance, he spotted a pair of S.T.A.P.'s chasing them down.
"Can you hit them?" He asked his brother.
"I can try, but it's hard to aim at such a fast speed!"
"Well I could slow us down some more-"
"No! I'll get them. Just take us into the city for a while. If I can't hit em we need to shake em, otherwise they'll follow us home!" Squinting through the falling raindrops, he took aim and fired his blaster at one of the flying crafts. The shots missed wide. He adjusted his aim and fired ahead of the target and watched with satisfaction as the shots met the front of the lead S.T.A.P., sending it spiraling into a building.
"Got him!" He said with relief.
"Great!" Sinnel said as he steered the bike deep into the heart of Chryton's Bay.
He thanked the gods that the streets were mainly deserted because of the ensuing battle. Glancing behind him he could see the pursuing craft was gaining ground.
"Blast!" He hissed as he took a sharp corner, plowing through a thorny rose bush in the process. The falling rain made it difficult to see, especially at such fast speeds.
He continued to zigzag through the maze of streets. The S.T.A.P. maintained its pursuit as it soared over the one-story buildings. A smile crept on his lips as he spotted the section of town he'd been aiming for. Soon tall buildings, several stories high, towered over them. Their pursuer was forced to mimic their tight maneuvers, bringing it within blaster range.
Pete took aim in tight concentration as he held his breath. A series of blaster bolts flew into the air, narrowly missing their target. The flying craft returned the challenge with a volley of its own cannon blasts. Duracrete exploded around them as the bolts rained down.
"Are you going to do something about that?" Sinnel spat impatiently.
"Hey, you just keep doing what you're doing and I'll take care of him!"
"Okay, it's just that we're running out of streets. I've already had to circle back towards home."
Without a word Pete again took aim. Firing, his blast met its target as the battle droid's head flew off. Pilot-less, the S.T.A.P. continued on its course as they turned a corner.
"Did you get him?" Sinnel asked.
"You could say that," Pete said with a hint of irony.
"Good! Keep your eye out for more. We're almost home!"
The speeder weaved through the cramped streets, narrowly avoiding parked vehicles and trash reciprocals.
Moments later they remerged into the harbor side community. Their house was situated near the east docks. Slowing down, he pulled the bike into the garage.
"They shouldn't spot the speeder in here," he said as they dismounted.
Pete nodded. "I'll keep it locked just in case."
They could hear the battle as it raged a few blocks away, but could tell it was moving away from their home. Without a moment to spare, they entered the house.
"Cyn! Are you here?" Pete shouted into the seemingly empty house.
"Jillian! Reese!" Sinnel called with alarm. His heart nearly stopped, as he heard no reply. Horrible thoughts began to race through his head as he prayed for a response.
"Sinnel!" The bedroom door opened and his wife emerged. She ran and embraced her husband, tears of joy flowing. Reese and Cyn emerged soon after, Mara cradled protectively in her aunt's arms.
"Daddy!"
Sinnel scooped his son into his arms and hugged him. Reese squeezed his father's neck.
"When we saw the battle break out we were so worried," Cyn said with a wave of emotion. She handed a squirming Mara to Jillian before embracing Pete.
"We didn't know if you would have to stay out on the water. We could see how rough the waves were and…" Jillian choked on her words as more tears flowed. "We were so scared."
Sinnel continued to hold Reese with one arm as he pulled his wife and daughter to him with the other. He held his family as they thanked the Force that everyone was safe.
"We hid in the closet daddy," Reese said matter-of-factly.
"Is that so? I bet you kept your mom, sister and aunt safe for us until we returned," he said, jostling his son's dark hair.
"No daddy, I'm too little!" He giggled.
"You're never too little to look out for your family son," he replied. "We all have to watch out for each other because each other is all we have."
Reese nodded evenly as he took in his father's words.
Sinnel put his son down and turned to his wife, kissing her firmly. She smiled at him and wrinkled her nose.
"You smell like fish and you're soaked to the bone. Why don't you take a bath and I'll get you something warm to drink."
He nodded and handed her his blaster. "The battle seems to be moving away from here, but should it return, go back into the closet. I won't take long."
She nodded and kissed him again.
After emerging from the bath he discovered his family huddled around a holo-receiver. Pete acknowledged his brother with a nod and a large mug of stimcaf.
"It looks like Subravien is nearly freed of Separatist command."
"Mommy says that means we can go home soon!" Reese said excitedly.
"That's right! We'll leave just as soon as the Republic says it's safe," he told his son.
Jillian smiled at her husband. He returned her smile with a wink. They too had looked forward to the day that they could return to their home. They only prayed that there was still a home to return too. Word was that Myssin had taken a lot of damage. Regardless, the community would pull together and rebuild.
"In light of this good news, I think it only appropriate that we share some good news of our own!" Pete said, shutting of the holo and putting an arm around his wife's waist.
"Good news? What kind of news?" Reese asked curiously.
"Well," Cyn began. "You know how you've said that you always wanted a little cousin to play with?"
"You mean?" Jillian said, throwing a hand in front of her mouth as she tried to contain her excitement.
Cyn and Pete nodded enthusiastically, beaming with happiness.
"Ha ha!" Sinnel joyously laughed as he clapped his hands together in excitement. "I'm gonna be an uncle!"
He embraced his brother excitedly as Cyn and Jillian did the same. They then switched as Jillian hugged Pete and Sinnel hugged Cyn.
"Congrats Sis!" He told her excitedly.
"Thank you!" She beamed as she hugged him again.
"Hey, hey, that's enough you two!" Pete joked as he again embraced his wife.
"So how long have you known?" Sinnel asked.
"We just found out yesterday," she said.
"Well this is a call for celebration!" Jillian said. "What say I cook us a special dinner?"
"That sounds lovely! I'll help," Cyn said.
"No, no, you take it easy. This is your celebration. Sinnel will help."
Sinnel gave his wife a look of panic and Cyn began laughing. "Really, this is more than just my celebration. We're family! And I'm pregnant, not bed ridden. Besides, we have it easy. They have to watch the children."
"That's right!" Jillian agreed. "They do, don't they?"
"Hey now, how is that fair?" Pete joked.
"Would you rather have it the other way around?" Cyn asked.
"You know, I think we can handle the kids just fine," Sinnel said with a smile.
The evening was filled with excitement and laughter as the family celebrated the ending of a tragic war and the beginning of a new life.