Fate, So Beautifully
A Star Wars Romance
Written by: Nehru_Amidala
Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman's Stardust, Downton Abbey
Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar'alani/Paelleon, Eli/Vah'nya
Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded
Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon
Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar'alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Eli- David Tennant, Vah'nya- Stephanie Sheh, Ysanne Isard- Lucy Liu, Supreme General Bak'if- Mark Harmon, Ar'alani- Angie Harmon, Al'iastov- Liv Tyler, Che'ri- Jessica Brown Findley, Thurfian- Dan Stevens, Aristocra Formbi- Allen Leech, Captain Niriz- Antonio Banderas, General Covell- Michael Weatherly, Lieutenant Tschiel- Art Parkinson, Captain Voss Parck- Matt Smith, Kira- Lisa Maxwell
Author's notes: The opening paragraph is my homage to T.S. Eliot's Old Possums Book of Practical Cats, which was adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber into the musical, Cats. I have never seen the musical, but I have read the poems.
(Spring- Joe Hisaishi)
Stave 17: Resistance on Raxus, Part 1
From what Jaina knew of the battle of Hoth and the following confrontation with Vader, it would take a month (thirty standard days) to reach Bespin, give or take a day or so. Thrawn knew what was coming, as she had told him already. Today was 12 August, so the soonest they could reasonably get to Mustafar would be in the middle of September, maybe the 11th or 12th. Even then, Vader would be more depressed than usual, with Luke's rejection. Then again, Jaina's existence was going to be a major blow to the Jedi's psyche. The revelation would hopefully not change the future. Thrawn knew he was the Hades to Jaina's Persephone, and Leia was going to be hellbent to separate them when they eventually returned to the future. For right now, things were calm, and they were looking forward to the wedding.
That morning, Jaina was typing up a report about the handling of the TIE Defender. Jaina had jumped at the chance to test it out, and Thrawn had given her permission. After all, she was her father's daughter, and the (best) pilot on board. She had found it exhilarating and handled better than Uncle Luke's X-Wing. It was hard to decided which was the superior ship, the TIE or the Falcon. She was weighing her options and avoiding bias when typing up the report. Thrawn was taking a break from paperwork and was sparring with his droids.
"Nnngh!"
Hearing Jaina's pained cry, Thrawn halted the training regimen and was at her side instantly, wondering if Vader had moved his plans up, if what Jaina felt was a remnant of Luke losing his hand and the deep dark secret Vader was formerly known as Anakin Skywalker. Jaina winced, a splitting migraine making it difficult to finish her report for Isard. Thrawn held her gently, "Are you all right? Is it your uncle's confrontation?"
Jaina took several deep, ragged breaths before being able to collect her thoughts. "I felt a tremendous shift in the Force, and it has nothing to do with my family. It's…it's coming from inside Chiss Space, and I can't focus. It's like a burst of light coming forth after eons of darkness." Thrawn wondered if this had anything to do with the Grysks, only time would tell. Jaina asked what the Grysks looked like, and Thrawn described them as tall, bipedal vultures, bedecked in ancient robes that reeked of fine food and stale wine. One of them had replaced their eye with a mechanical one. They commanded troopers of humanoid origin completely made of flames. Jaina wondered if they had something in with their odd kyber crystal. Thrawn said it was a possible theory, and it merited discussion in Lord Vader. Sharing a kiss, Jaina assured him she was fine. She was able to finish her report on time and submitted it.
Over lunch, Jaina and Thrawn were looking at wedding venues that could hold a fair amount of people, and private enough to keep the gossip rags away. Currently, Ar'alani, Al'iastov, Bak'if, Eli, Lyste, Paelleon and Vader were on the invite list, the rest was pending. Veers and Piett were jockeying for invites, and their requests were being considered. She was reading over the reports detailing more crackdowns on former CIS worlds, worlds she had learned about as a child. When she and her brothers had been much younger, they had accompanied their mother on her trips, famously to Munto Cordu. Hearing that Hithrir kidnapped her had royally angered Vader, but
"According to the latest reports, there is a growing resistance on Raxus, and nobody can seem to solve it with a diplomatic response," she said to nobody in particular. Thrawn said it had been over a decade since anyone from the Imperial Navy had set foot on the planet's surface. Jaina wondered if she should volunteer to go. "It would be as a favor to Isard, of course," Thrawn told her. A short call with Isard, and she gave the go ahead.
It took very little time to pack, and after snogging with Thrawn for almost an hour, he saw her off and got back to work putting in a request to take up the much coveted mapping mission to document as much of the Unknown Regions as possible, barring any interdimensional mishaps. Looking at how the timeline would playout, it more or less had the Seventh Fleet away long enough to avoid the fiasco at Endor. Just as well, I will not lose Jaina to the Emperor, Thrawn promised himself as he began to fill out the paperwork. Considering he was from that part of the universe, it made sense to lead this campaign. He knew Moff Gideon wanted to undertake the mission, but he was tied to whatever was going on at Mount Tantiss on Wayland.
The shuttle flight from where the Seventh Fleet was stationed (between the Sereeda Waypoint and Lothal), was about 2 hours. Jaina knew that it had been the capital of the Confederacy during the Clone Wars and was currently under Imperial occupation. Raxus was a planet of beautiful cedar forests and many inland seas and oceans. The capital city of Raxulon was comparative to Theed, but had been rebuilt because the puppet government was an architecture major, and wanted to curry favor as a result. Because of that, it avoided becoming an industrial ghetto. Also, many high-ranking Imperial families had second homes here.
The shuttle landed, and Jaina (who had brought her lightsaber with her) was escorted under the overcast sky to the maglev train station, where she purchased a first-class ticket, and sat inside the cozy cabin as the trees and mountains passed by in washed out colors. Jaina sat on the leather bench, fancying she could see hidden elf villages, like the ones in stories she would read as a child. Before long it began to rain, and Jaina began to drift, her subconscious mind drifted onto what had frightened her earlier…
There was a black plain, reeking of death, and in the center a palace that seemed to be carved entirely of obsidian, suddenly an earthquake, the shadow of some intense eclipse multiplied threefold, then the return of green, life, and in the center of that great expanse, a splendid crystal palace, and inside of it, a pure kyber crystal…
Jaina woke up, that's what the Force was trying to tell her, that the kyber crystal somehow came from this planet, the Force seemed to radiate from it. What would happen now? She decided to keep her faith and let whatever come next come on it's own. A serving droid came by with a snack cart, and Jaina had some tea and biscuits. When the train reached the station, Jaina checked in at the garrison outside of town for the night, a curfew was in place for everyone, civilian and officer alike.
Jaina's sleep was peaceful, and she woke up in a good mood. She sent a message to Thrawn, letting him know she had arrived safely. From what she had seen, Raxus was a lovely world, and hopefully she would explore it more. However, she had business to attend in Raxulon. Of course, she had not been told where she was to inquire. She had two choices, the Governor's Residence or the Planetary Senate building. Weighing her options as she walked along, she figured she would try the Residence.
The Compound was behind the wrought iron gate, with a calming front courtyard. Some stormtroopers were stationed there and inquired about her business. "I am First Lieutenant Jaina Antilles of the Seventh Fleet, fiancée of Grand Admiral Thawn. I was sent her by Ysanna Isard to help figure out a diplomatic situation for the rising resistance." The guards checked her story, and when it was cleared, she was allowed inside.
The residence was warm and well cared for, more living museum than anything else. A protocol droid greeted her and said the governor would see her now. Walking up the staircase with a light tread, she felt a slight tremor in the Force. What was that? Shaking it off, she stepped into the office. The governor was a man not too much older than her father, a glass of wine half finished on the desk. He reminded her of an onion, he was round and bald, used to working desk jobs away from battle. "I see you are here for the diplomatic post. Sit in the window seat, and I will see you get a posting for your visit." Remembering what she learned on Berchest, she sat down and gazed out the bay window, her eyes falling onto the alley out back, and she thought she saw something elfin gazing up at her. She shook her head, and the Gelfling was gone!
"You saw the Fae, also?"
"I think so, yes."
"You would do me a great favor fighting it."
Jaina, who was well versed in folklore, knew it was foolish to fight a member of the Fair Folk, and something was shifting in the Force. She was thankful she had brought her lightsaber with her. She was allowed to stay in the guest quarters of the compound, and she gave thought to what she had been tasked with. She would go alone, and fake the Fae's death.
The rain had let up after dinner, and Jaina used a Jedi mind trick to fool the guards to let her go out alone, and she ran along the empty streets, her cape fluttering behind her in the cool, late summer breeze. The lamps lit her way as she jumped from building to building, down stairs and balconies, until she had reached the city limits. The moon was clouded behind high wispy clouds.
Onto business! She ran deeper into the forest, letting her shielding drop. It was wonderful feeling the Force flow through her again, it was like finding a part of herself long since forgotten and lost. The unknown Force signature was close, she could feel it. Not more than a quarter mile into a thicket, Jaina stopped.
"I am here! Who are you?"
(Love Theme- The Dark Crystal)
There was a light chuckle, and Jaina turned around. Standing at the opposite end of the glad was small, slender elfin humanoid who barely came up to Jaina's waist. The woman's fur was cream colored, her bright brown eyes were shining, the small mouth on the slightly elongated muzzle was amused. Her manner was gentle, and in her hands was a lightsaber.
"I am Kira, a Gelfling, and the Force is with me, as it is with you."