I've often felt like I have trouble keeping Star in-character, but I realized that most of the time, anything I could possibly write sounds in-character for Star as long as I imagine her saying it in the right tone.
Standing atop the hull of the Mentis Mal, the inquisitor surveyed Coronet City, searching for some tremor in the Force that may provide any kind of investigative direction. Rosado's stormtroopers had been dispatched in pairs armed with holos of the two teenage fugitives, instructed to ask every person they encountered if they recalled seeing the human girl and her demonicite companion.
What were you brats doing here? What purpose could you possibly have had on Corellia?
And where did you go...?
"Oh, Thomas! Janna!"
Tom gave a small wave in greeting. "Hi, Senator Butterfl- erk!"
Letting her walking cane fall to the walkway, Eclipsa threw one arm around Tom and the other around Janna, squeezing both of them in a group hug. "How lovely it is to see you both!"
Tom was once again left gasping for air when the senator released them. "It's nice *gasp* to see you, too, *gasp* Senator. Man, I can see where Star gets her hugging skills from."
Eclipsa chuckled. "You can just call me 'Eclipsa', dear. I'm afraid I'm not a senator anymore."
Janna bent down and retrieved Eclipsa's cane from the floor. "What happened to you?" she asked as she handed it back to its owner.
"Well, it's quite a long story..."
From behind her, King River piped up. "You two must be tired from your long trip."
"Starving, too!" Tom put in.
River chuckled. "Indeed! The royal chefs are almost finished preparing lunch! Why don't we all adjourn to the dining hall? Eclipsa can catch up with Janna and Tom, and you two can tell us all about your adventures on Corellia!"
"No adventures!" Janna interjected just a little bit too quickly. The others stared at her quizzically. "I mean, barely anything happened. Not much of a story to tell."
River looked disappointed. Moon, however, smiled happily. "Well, it will be nice to have so much company for lunch!"
Having been quietly watching from behind, Star and Marco squinted at Janna as the others followed Moon and River through the castle's main entrance.
"I'm not buying that one bit," Marco said.
"Me neither," Star agreed. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Oh, Janna Banana, what are you hiding...?"
As the group sat down to second meal, Eclipsa retold the story of her encounter with the Empire on Endor to Tom and Janna. Star and Marco were uncharacteristically quiet, watching their friends carefully...while also holding hands under the table. They watched their friends like a hawk-bat watches it's prey, observing their reactions and body language, Star trying to feel their emotions change with the Force.
"...so now my side is just a bit sore, and I'm still a bit unsteady when I walk, hence the cane," Eclipsa finished.
Tom swallowed a bite of his lunch before speaking. "You really had quite an ordeal, Sen- uh, Eclipsa."
"Indeed. It certainly was..." She closed her eyes, attempting to block out the memories of the pain. She quickly snapped back to the present, smiling at her young smuggler friends. "So! Star and Marco told me all about the adventures the four of you-"
PY-HD whistled indignantly from the corner.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Pony Head! I heard all about the adventures the five of you had escaping from Coruscant and whatnot from Star and Marco. How was your trip to Corellia?"
"Perfectly uneventful," Janna said, calmly taking a forkful of Mewni corn in her mouth. Star squinted at her. She could sense a tremor in the Force, suggesting that Janna did not actually believe the words coming out of her mouth.
"Well, tell us about it!" King River pleaded.
Janna carefully wiped her mouth on a napkin. Marco didn't think he'd ever seen Janna move so meticulously. It were as if she were trying very hard to act normal.
Don't say anything that technically isn't true. "Well, we landed in Clefttorch Spaceport, took the maglev to Coronet City, and met up with my old friend, Han."
"You have other friends besides us?" asked a genuinely surprised Marco. Star elbowed him in the ribs, frowning at his rudeness.
"Ow!"
"Marco!" she scolded.
"Go easy on him, Star," Tom laughed. "I thought the same thing."
Janna ignored them and continued. "Han recommended a place where we could get the parts we needed for the Raventalon-"
"And let me tell ya, the customer service at this place was off the hook!" cut in Tom.
"Yeah, it was. So we bought the parts- Thank you again, River- And then we picked them up with the shuttle and came back here." None of that was a lie. It was all true.
Marco gently set down his fork, taking a deep breath. "Janna?"
His tone sent a wave of anxiety through Janna's body. She desperately attempted to mask it on her face. "Yeah?"
"Why are you lying to us?"
A chill ran down Janna's spine as her entire body tensed up, not at all expecting a question so blatant. "Wh-why would you ask that, Marco?"
The three adults watched with equal parts surprise and utter confusion.
Star sighed. "Janna, we know you aren't telling the us truth. I can feel your emotions in the Force, you are totally lying. You have got some 'splainin' to do, girl."
"I can't believe you guys!" Janna said, hoping she sounded sufficiently annoyed to warrant storming out. She stood, knocking her chair backwards as she leaned over the table toward her friends on the other side. "You would seriously accuse me of lying? I haven't said a single word that isn't true!"
Marco looked at Tom. The demonicite appeared worried. "Tom? You were there. Is Janna telling the truth?"
"Uh...well...she isn't lying."
Star abruptly stood up, knocking her chair over just as Janna had, leaning toward her and squinting into the Captain's already narrowed eyes.
"Star, what in the name of Mewni are you doing?!" Queen Moon exclaimed as she watched Star and Janna stare each other down. She started to stand up herself, but River put a hand on his wife's arm and stopped her.
"Hold on a moment, Dear. Let's see where this goes." He hungrily took a bite of his meat without ever averting his eyes from the two teenage girls staring each other down from opposite sides of the table.
Star was reaching out with the Force, focusing on Janna's mind. She had never attempted this before, but she knew it was possible to read another person's thoughts, and, since she could already feel Janna's emotions, she figured it was worth a try. "You're not angry..." she whispered.
"You're right. I'm furious."
"No. You're not. You're trying to hide your true feelings. You're worried. Embarrassed. No...ashamed."
Janna leaned even further over the table. Only about six inches separated her from Star. "You can't read me, Star."
"What are you ashamed of? Something else happened on Corellia, didn't it?" The young Jedi fell silent for a moment, focusing on her friend.
"This is ridiculous," Janna muttered, and she started to retract, but Star grabbed her by the cheeks and pulled her face closer until their foreheads and noses touched. "Star! What are you-?!"
"You lost something. Something important."
Marco glanced at Tom, who seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with everyone in the room. Whatever Janna was hiding, the demonicite definitely knew. He turned back to the girls. Janna no longer looked angry. She looked worried.
"What did you lose...?" Star whispered dramatically. "It was something...something that didn't belong to you..."
"Star, please..." Janna sounded like she was pleading for the Padawan to stop her interrogation.
Star ignored her, replying in a nearly inaudible whisper. "Your thoughts will betray youuuuuuuu..."
"Star-" Tom began, but he was cut off. PY-HD was madly bleeping from the corner.
Tom and Janna froze at the astromech's binary translation. Star's eyes went wide. She slowly released Janna and they each retreated to their own side of the table.
Marco was lost. He was the only one who didn't understand astromech binary. "Uh...did Pony Head say something...important? Or something?"
Star folded her arms and glared at Tom and Janna, the latter of which hung her head in shame. "Well? You gonna tell us what happened?"
Janna sighed. She turned around and picked up her chair from the floor, sat back down, and slid back up to the table. "Remember that thing that attacked you on Coruscant, Marco?"
Star picked up her own chair and resumed her seat. "Don't tell me you ran into it on Corellia!"
"We did. I don't know how, but somehow it knew that Tom and I are the ones who helped you guys escape. It attacked us on the subway."
Janna went on to tell the tale of their encounter with the Inquisitor. Moon, River, and Eclipsa listened with shock and bated breath as she recounted being Force-choked on the subway station platform. River cheered when she told of how she stabbed the Imperial Officer in the leg to escape. She spoke slower and slower as the story closed in on the events she most wanted to keep a secret.
"...So...that thing had Tom pinned down on the floor, it's lightsaber across the back of his neck...I didn't have any other choice..." Janna sighed yet again, falling silent as she reached the point of no return.
Marco looked from Janna to Tom to Star. They all appeared to already know what was coming. His eyes widened as he remembered what Janna had still been in possession of and realized what must be about to happen. "No...you didn't..."
A slow nod from Janna confirmed his assumption before she answered. "Yeah. I used your lightsaber."
"You actually dueled against that thing?"
"Yup."
The story continued, Janna detailing the events of her duel with the inquisitor and eventually making her way up to the roof of the maglev. She stared down at the table as she reached the part of the story she dreaded most.
"So...I tried to trick it by pretending to surrender, but..." She swallowed nervously. "When I tried to surprise attack, it got the better of me. It was going to cut off my arm, and...I had no choice..." She fell silent again.
Tom already knew what was coming. Star now knew because of PY-HD's spoiler.
Marco watched them grimace. "No choice but to do what?" he asked hesitantly.
"I had to drop it..." Janna shut her eyes. "Marco...I lost your lightsaber. I'm so sorry."
The dining hall became so silent it may as well have been a tomb. Janna opened one eye and nervously checked to see how Marco was handling the news.
"You...you lost...Master Fisto's lightsaber?" he said slowly. He sounded as though he were about to cry.
"Marco, I'm really sor-"
"I trusted you...with the only thing I have left of my friend...and you lost it?!" In the span of one sentence, Marco's tone had shifted from sorrow to anger. The last four words came out as a yell.
"I'm sorry, Marco, I didn't have a choice!"
Star started to reach for Marco's arm, to touch him, to offer him comfort, but she froze in fear when she noticed his eyes. Gone were the warm, brown iris's she was used to. As if someone had flipped a switch, his eyes had suddenly become a sickly yellow. A chill passed through her body like a wave. It was familiar, and she knew exactly what it was.
The Dark Side of the Force.
"I trusted you, Janna! But you don't care! You've never respected me!"
"That's not true, Marco, I- Whoa!" Janna let out a surprised gasp as she realized that she was suddenly levitating off of her chair. In fact, everything in the room was beginning to float into the air. The cutlery, the chairs, the table, Star, Tom, Eclipsa, River, Moon, and even PY-HD in the corner were all slowly rising into the air. The three adults cried out shock.
"JANNA!" Marco screamed. "YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR IRRESPONSIBILITY!" Marco raised his arms, aiming his palms toward Janna. If she were not already scared enough, pure terror struck when she caught sight of Marco's yellowed eyes staring through her like a plasma cutter. As the others in the room screamed Marco's name, begging for him to stop, Janna clenched her eyes shut, prepared for the worst.
But then, everything abruptly dropped back down, the plates and cutlery clattering back onto the table, the people grunting and gasping as they roughly landed back in their seats.
Star looked at her best friend beside her. Marco's entire body trembled as though he were shivering, his lower lip shuttered. Tears streamed down his cheeks from his eyes...
His eyes. They were brown again.
Everyone stared at him silently, no one sure how to address what had just occurred. Marco slowly pushed back his chair and stood, turning and hurrying out of the dining hall, his prosthetic leg clicking softly on the carpeted floor.
"What just happened?" Tom asked of no one particular.
"Was Marco just levitating all of us with the Force?" Eclipsa asked. "All at the same time?"
Star nodded, clearly worried. "Yeah...he was..." Wow...that's twice now that Marco suddenly became more powerful...like, WAY more powerful...with the Force while he was angry... She stood up from the table hesitantly. "I'll go talk to him," she said slowly.
Moon raised her hand, signaling for her daughter to stop. "Star, perhaps that isn't such a good idea."
"I'll be fine, Mom," Star assured her as she walked past her parents at the table head.
"But what if-"
"Moon." Eclipsa cut her sister off, clasping a hand on the Queen's wrist. "Star could not possibly be safer with that boy. He would never, ever do anything to cause her arm. Trust me."
Moon looked away and watched her daughter disappear through the doorway. "If you say so..."
A few moments of awkward silence passed. Eclipsa clapped her hands together, smiling. "Well! This has been a most eventful lunch!"
Star found her best friend in his guest room. Marco was sitting on the side of the bed, his hood up, his face hidden in his hands.
"Marco?" she called quietly. "Are you okay?"
As she approached with respectful caution, Marco moved his hands away from his face, but he stared straight ahead, not looking at her. Star could see that his cheeks, and his brown eyes, were moist with tears.
"What just happened, Star?"
She sat down beside him, draping an arm around his back and pulling him to her. He rested his head on her shoulder. "You...got upset."
"That wasn't just upset. That was...anger, Star. I've never been so angry before. I..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I felt like I had no control over my actions."
Star knew why. She had felt the chill of the Dark Side in her best friend. She wondered if he knew, too.
"I guess Darth Bane's ghost was right," Marco moaned. "There really is darkness in me. A lot of it." He looked up at Star, and she saw pure fear in his eyes. "Star...I was going to hurt Janna."
"But you didn't."
"But I could have. What if...what if I turn on you?"
"Marco-"
Marco pushed himself away from her. "I already know what you're going to say, Star! Don't say I never would! You don't know that." He got to his feet. "I can't stay here...it's too dangerous. I have to get away from here before I hurt you or anyone else!" He started quickly for the door, not daring to even look at Star.
"Marco!" She jumped to her feet and hurried after him. "Wait!"
Marco pushed open the door and leapt backwards with a start, startled by Glossaryck floating directly in front of his eyes on the other side. "Gah!" he yelped, and crashed to the floor on his back.
As Star knelt down at his side, the little blue man silently sank toward the floor until he was hovering a few centimeters above Marco's face. "Marco, my boy! Wherever are you going?" His tone was mocking.
"Ugh, Glossaryck..." Marco slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it made contact with the floor. He refused to look at Star despite the fact that she was now holding his arm as if he would float away if she let go. "I...I can't...tell you."
"Hmm? Tell me what? About the Dark Side of the Force writhing around inside of you like an angry vine snake?"
Both Padawans were stunned. "You...you knew?" Marco asked.
"Of course. I sensed it the moment I met you."
Marco pulled himself up to a sitting position. Star loosened but did not relinquish her grasp on his arm. "And you didn't say anything about it?! You weren't worried that I might lose control and hurt someone?"
Glossaryck stroked his beard, smirking to himself. "Well, no, as a matter of fact. I wasn't. Because your counter is here."
The Padawans exchanged a confused glance. "'Counter'?" they asked in unison.
Glossaryck casually floated in a slow circle around their heads. "Oh, that's right! You two aren't aware of the prophecy."
Star frowned. "Um, yes we are, Glossaryck, and I really don't see what the prophecy of the Chosen One has to do with this."
"No, no, no, not that prophecy, the other prophecy."
"What other prophecy?" they demanded in unison again.
Glossaryck chuckled and turned away. "After I left the Jedi Order, I had a premonition of the future that I never shared with the Order. And I think..." He abruptly spun around as dramatically as possible, pointing to the pair of Padawans before him. "...this prophecy is about the two of you."
A confused glance passed between Star and Marco for a second time. "Um...okay?" inquired Star, motioning for Glossaryck to elaborate.
"My prophecy went like this:
"A pair of beings, their presence shared,
Matched inverse power when compared.
A perfect balance is achieved,
When their singularities are cleaved."
The Padawans blankly stared at the little blue man.
"Yeah, I think we're gonna need more than that," Star said.
"Why? I don't think it could possibly be any more clear. Think about it."
Star frowned. "Um...well...you said 'A pair of beings.' Obviously you think that's me and Marco."
"That is correct."
"'Their presence shared.' So we both have to be in the same place?"
"Physical location is not what that line refers to."
"Okay, well then what does it refer to?"
Glossaryck smirked at them. "Have you ever been able to sense the presence of another being in the Force and you know exactly who it is without seeing them?"
"Sure. I always feel Marco's presence when he's nearby, even if I can't see him. And occasionally I could sense Master Fisto."
Marco shrugged. "I usually can't sense anything."
Glossaryck nodded at Star. "Do, uh, 'Master Fisto' and Marco's presences feel the same to you?"
"No, they're totally different."
"Understand now?"
"Less than before, Glossaryck."
The little blue man chuckled. "Every living being has a unique presence in the Living Force. Except for you two. To me, the two of you feel exactly the same. You share an identical presence in the Living Force."
Star and Marco both turned pale, each taking great care not to look in the other's general direction. "Uh...does that mean...?" Marco began.
Glossaryck laughed. "That you're related? No! No no no! Absolutely not. Boy, that would have been really awkward, what with you two always making out when no one else is around."
They both turned even paler, chorusing "You know about that, too?!"
Glossaryck could not help but laugh again. "I know lots of things, kids. But rest assured, no two beings share an identical presence in the living Force, even if they are related. Except for you two. Though, I can differentiate that you exude light-" He pointed to Star, then Marco. "-And you are filled with darkness."
"Okay..." Star said slowly, not sure that she entirely understood. "Well, then you said 'matched inverse power.' So...if you can sense it, I guess I'm light and Marco is dark, but our powers aren't matched."
"Yeah," Marco concurred. "I'm barely Force-sensitive. Star is way stronger than I am."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you just made everyone and everything in the dining hall float."
"Oh...yeah..." Marco rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I did. Wait, how did I even do that?!"
"The Dark Side of the Force is very powerful. Your midichlorians may be low, but when you utilize the Dark Side within you, it can make you just as powerful as Star."
"No offense, Glossaryck, but that sounds like a terrible idea," Star deadpanned.
Marco concurred. "Yeah, doesn't the Dark Side tend to, you know, corrupt its users' minds? I literally just tried to kill Janna because I was so angry!"
"That's the brilliance of your weak connection to the Force. The Dark Side can't take hold enough to corrupt you. You stopped yourself before you hurt Janna because you still believe in your Jedi ideals and subconsciously knew that it was wrong to seek revenge. It is actually possible to learn the ways of the Dark Side without being corrupted, but it requires a ridiculous amount of discipline. You, on the other hand, should be able to learn it quite easily."
"I don't know...still sounds really dangerous."
Star sank down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her weary eyes. "Oh, my head hurts. This is soooo much to take in. What was the rest of that dumb rhyme?"
"'A perfect balance is achieved when their singularities are cleaved,'" Glossaryck repeated as he floated himself down to her eye level.
Star threw up her hands in frustration. "What the heck does 'singularities cleaved' even mean?"
"Well, the way I figure, since you two share a presence in the living Force, and one of you is light and the other dark, the two of you together make one complete Force-sensitive being, one who makes the living Force within you, and likely anything you focus on, perfectly balanced."
"And...?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "What exactly does it mean...if we're perfectly balanced?"
"I would imagine you would be able to use the Force to its fullest potential."
Star frowned. "Hang on. I thought the Dark Side is what makes the Force out-of-balance."
"Yeah, Master Fisto used to tell us that the 'hidden Sith Lord' they'd been searching for - which turned out to be the Chancellor - was the reason that the Force was unbalanced."
Glossaryck nodded. "An incredibly powerful dark Force user could cause the Dark Side's influence to grow and eclipse the Light. That is why the Force is and has been so out of balance. The Sith have disrupted the natural order of the universe. But the Dark Side will always exist whether the Sith do or not."
Star and Marco exchanged a glance. As far as they were concerned, this prophecy was more like a riddle than a premonition. What exactly were they supposed to do with this information, anyway?
"Glossaryck?" Marco asked. "I am putting everyone in danger by being here?"
"I don't think you're a danger to anyone, my boy. Especially not with Star here. She's your counter."
"My counter?"
Glossaryck massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We just went over this. You're two halves of one whole Force user. Star balances you out. Her natural alignment with the Light Side of the Force helps keeps your darkness in check."
"Oh." Marco considered this. "That actually makes a lot of sense."
Star raised an eyebrow. "It does?"
Marco took a seat on the bed beside her. "Yeah. Remember back on Coruscant, I told you that I was so angry and wanted revenge on Palpatine so badly that I was ready to go run off and kill him?"
"Oh, yeah...you said you stopped because I came in."
"Yeah. As soon as I saw you, I calmed down. I guess you, uh...countered me."
"That actually reminds me of something else. Remember that same day? You were doing some pretty impressive things with the Force that I'd never seen you be able to do."
"Oh, yeah...I was angry about Kit's death again...I must have been drawing from the Dark Side without even knowing it."
"Huh..." Star took Marco's hand. "I guess it's possible that prophecy is about us."
"Yeah."
"So," Marco asked of Glossaryck, "What do we do now?"
The little blue man smiled. "Well, I've been around a few thousand years, I've studied the Dark Side and the Light myself. I will do my best to train you, and hopefully together, we will be able to figure out how to harness the abilities that you two have, whatever they may be."
The two Padawans turned to face each other, both apprehensive to accept Glossaryck's proposal.
"Well...what do you think, Marco?"
Marco stared into his best friend's vibrant blue eyes. He could almost feel his anxieties and fears melting away. Glossaryck was right. Star was indeed his counter, the light that restored his positivity and restricted his darkness. "I think...I will be more likely to not put my friends in danger if I learn how to properly channel my emotions..."
"A true statement," Glossaryck interjected.
"And..." Marco squeezed Star's hand in his own. "...if you and I together have the ability to harness some kind of massive power...maybe we would be able to defeat Palpatine."
Star squeezed his hand back as she looked back into his warm brown eyes. "Master Fisto did say that you and I make a great team. I've always believed that together, you and I could do anything. Now it seems like we were actually meant to."
Marco smiled. "You're the Princess. I'll follow you wherever you lead."
Star shook her head, softly chuckling. "No, Marco. Neither of us is the leader. You and I are best friends, just like we always have been. We'll do this together, just like everything else we've ever done, and we'll defeat Palpatine and we'll save the galaxy from the Sith!"
"I don't know how you could possibly say no to that," Glossaryck quipped.
Marco laughed. "Okay, Star." He squeezed her hand again. "Together."
Star couldn't help herself. She threw arms around Marco's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Their lips only touched for a second before Marco quickly broke away.
"Star! Glossaryck is right there!"
They both looked at him, and the little blue man gave a teasing wave.
"Dude, he already knows, remember? He told us."
Glossaryck waggled his eyebrows at them.
"Yeah. Good point." Marco pulled Star to him this time, much to her delight, as they embraced each other and kissed happily for nearly a full minute. "Aw, man," Marco groaned mournfully when they parted.
Star frowned. "Okay, not quite the response you hope to get after kissing."
"What? Oh! No no no! It's not that! I just remembered that I...don't have a lightsaber anymore. I'm not much of a Jedi without one."
"I may be able to help with that."
The Padawans jumped in surprise at the voice. Eclipsa was standing in the open doorway, smiling warmly as she leaned on her walking cane.
"Has that door been open this whole time?" Glossaryck wondered aloud.
"Aunt Eclipsa!" Star exclaimed, blushing madly. "H-h-how long have you been standing there?!"
Eclipsa chuckled. "Long enough to confirm my suspicions. I always suspected there were sparks flying between you two."
"Wait a minute," Star said, shaking her head, "You knew Marco and I had feelings for each other, and Tom and Janna both figured it out before we did..."
Marco covered his eyes, his face just as red as Star's. "Are we just the two most oblivious people in the galaxy?"
Eclipsa slowly made her way closer, chuckling as she leaned on her cane. "Marco, I am sorry that your lightsaber was lost. I know it meant a great deal to you, being that it belonged to your mentor. I know it probably feels as though you've lost the only thing you have to remember him by, but Master Fisto will always be with you." She gently lay a hand over his heart. "In here."
Marco sighed. "I know. You're right."
"As for you being short of a weapon..." She reached into the pocket of her dress and retrieved Master Rhombulus's lightsaber. The Padawans' eyes went wide, both having forgotten that Eclipsa was in possession of the late Knight's weapon. She held it out to him. "I think Rhomby would want you to have this, given the circumstances."
Hesitation gripped Marco as he reached for the lightsaber, his hand hovering an inch away from the weapon, afraid to take it. Looking past Eclipsa, Star gave him an encouraging smile.
Eclipsa understood his apprehension. "Go on, dear. Take it."
Marco's fingers closed around the cool metal of the hilt. He slowly held it up to his face, examining it closely. It was quite a bit different than either his or Kit Fisto's; thicker and more elaborate, with a gemstone resembling the Jedi Knight's crystalline head set into the bottom end.
He looked away from the weapon, meeting Star's eyes. "But what if I-?"
"You won't."
His best friend sure had a lot of faith in him. Pointing the emitter of the lightsaber away from Star and Eclipsa, Marco tapped the activation plate and the azure blade ignited, humming as he stared at it. He merely watched the blue glow for a moment and then extinguished the blade again. "Thank you, Aunt Eclipsa," he told her, managing a smile. "You're the best."
She held open her arms, tossing her cane onto the bed. "Come here, Dear. I think you need a hug."
"Yeah. I do."
Eclipsa wrapped him in a loving embrace and Star came around and hugged him from behind. Glossaryck watched with interest, thinking to himself that, in his thousands of years of life, he wasn't sure that he had ever seen such genuine affection.
"Now then," Eclipsa said when they parted. "I think we should probably go back downstairs."
"Yeah...I should probably apologize to everyone," agreed Marco. "Especially Janna."
"Indeed." Eclipsa retrieved her cane from the bed and led the way out of the guest bedroom. "Come along."
"Hey, you won't tell the King and Queen about me and Star being a thing, right?" Marco asked as he followed behind his surrogate aunt.
"Haha, of course not! I won't deprive you two the enjoyment of sneaking around!"
"That's not quite what I meant..."
Marco's voice faded from earshot down the corridor. Star still remained in the guest room.
"Aren't you going with them?" Glossaryck asked.
"Glossaryck..." Star sank down onto the side of the bed again. "I know you think the Jedi's rules are dumb, and, I mean, so do I, but...they always told us that emotional attachment, especially to another being, was a bad thing."
"Well, it can be. Losing the thing or person to which a Force-user was emotionally attached often causes anger, which can, unchecked, lead down a very dark path. One that is nearly impossible to return from."
"You didn't seem very concerned about me and Marco being...in love...Marco is already aligned with the Dark Side just naturally! You don't think that's dangerous?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"You weren't listening. You and Marco are two halves of one whole. If anything, the two of you were destined to have a-" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "-'romantic connection.' You two quite literally complete each other.
"The Force works in very strange and mysterious ways, Star. The ripples of destiny in the cosmic stew of the universe are always changing and shifting, bringing things together and moving other things apart. But when it comes to you and Marco, the two of you are quite literally bound together by the Force."
Finally, 32 chapters in, the prophecy from the opening title crawl is finally revealed. This chapter was extremely difficult to write, hopefully it makes at least some sense. I'm sure in the context of Star Wars it doesn't make much sense, but hey, it's a crossover, it's hard to combine all this stuff in a way that works perfectly sometimes.