Author's Note: Just a quick note before I upload this, then go to bed. . .after this chapter, there will be no more flashforwards. Jacen/Cadeus won't be appearing again until we reach the reset version of Revenge of the Sith. . .but that isn't to say he won't be trying to influence the past. There will be one more flash into the Force-afterlife before Jacen's next appearance. I wanted to include more observations about the change from the perspective of the Force spirits, but realized I would only give myself a migraine. And I get enough of those at my job. So, for your reading enjoyment, here's Chapter Eight!
Chapter Eight
The Illusion of Safety
If the arrival of the Solo siblings into the past was wet, then the arrival of the Kenobi father and daughter was painful. The voyage through the Force wasn't the issue, the landing was. They slammed hard into the unforgiving ground of an unfamiliar planet. Aidan hit first, and Amidala dropped onto her father, driving soft grunt of pain from him. She quickly rolled off, apologizing, but Aidan waved her off. It was hardly her fault. He rolled over and sat up, looking around. Well, he thought, the good news is, we aren't on Alderaan or Naboo. I don't think Ami would have taken kindly to either planet. The bad news is, I have no blasted idea where we are. Or, for that matter, when we are.
"Papa!" the child cried out, warning Aidan at the same time the Force did. Aidan was on his feet immediately, drawing his daughter behind him protectively as he glanced around warily for the threat. And then he saw it. Not behind him, but above them. Two figures with lightsabers, warding off blaster bolts. Ami grasped his hand, exclaiming, "We have to help them, Papa!" Aidan nodded, oddly grateful that things were happening so fast, too fast to think about the leave-taking with the only family he had known for the last several years. Pulling his only child into his arms, Aidan Force-leaped from boulder to boulder, up to the assistance to the two Jedi. They were Master and Padawan, Aidan discovered as he stepped up to assist the Master, a man a little younger than himself.
Ami! Help the girl! Aidan instructed his daughter over their bond, even as he released her. Ami nodded and bounded over to assist the Padawan, a girl a little older than herself. The two Padawans drove back their assailants as the two older Jedi did the same. Aidan glanced over briefly a few times during the battle, pleased to see Ami using Force-pushes as well as her lightsaber. She was fighting just as he and the others had taught her, defending her companion's back and flanks. The years of living and fighting alongside the Solo team had taught Ami to adapt her style of fighting to whomever she fought beside. Like her great-grandfather before her, she favored the Soresu fighting style. It was best suited to her age and circumstances.
Finally, the last of the attackers had been driven off, and the older Jedi turned to face Aidan with a smile. He was a tall man, like Thane Solo, but unlike Aidan's friend, he was big and muscular. Aidan returned the smile as the other man said, "I've not seen one of my Jedi brothers in some time! I told you, Asajj, they would come for us eventually! I'm Knight Ky Narec, and this is my apprentice, Asajj Ventress."
The girl approached, smiling shyly. Aidan stared in shock. This was Asajj Ventress, the feared assassin who had captured and tortured his grandfather during the Clone Wars? This shy young girl became the bane of the Republic? Ami gasped, but Aidan put his hand on her shoulder. He knew the adult Asajj had approached his daughter before they went back in time, but now was not the time. Instead, he said with a gentle smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Knight Narec, Padawan Ventress. I'm Jedi Master Aidan Kenobi, and this is my daughter and padawan, Amidala." Narec frowned thoughtfully, obviously confused by Aidan's Coruscanti accent, his last name, and the fact that he had a daughter. Aidan continued, "It's a long story, but suffice to say, I'm not from Corellia, I am a widower, and my daughter is no relation to the young queen of Naboo."
"There's something odd about them, Master," the padawan said, tilting her head to one side in consideration, "they don't. . .they don't feel like you. Or me, for that matter. He feels sad, and she. . .she looks younger than me, but feels older." Aidan blinked at the girl, who flushed and looked down at her feet. Narec grinned and put his hand on her shoulder, though he looked confused as well. Aidan looked at his daughter, who hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"There is more to our story, and your padawan is quite correct. Do you have a shelter where we can converse without interruption?" Aidan asked. The Knight stared at him, then nodded sharply. He led the way to a cavern, and Aidan reflected a bit ruefully that his situation hadn't changed much. He was allying himself, however briefly, with another set of Jedi. His mind was working quickly, trying to remember what he knew of Asajj Ventress and her past. According to journals that belonged to his grandfather, journals his mother found on Tattoine, Ky Narec was killed by a warlord on the planet of Rattarak, where he had crash-landed years earlier. So, they were on Rattarak. It was his death which sent his apprentice spiraling toward the Dark Side. So. Save Ky Narec, Aidan thought, or at least change his fate, and we save Asajj as well.
Once the Jedi were seated, Ami happily began munching away on rations the pair had on hand. You would have thought she hadn't eaten in days. Aidan eyed his daughter affectionately, then began, "The first thing you need to understand. . .is that my daughter and I are from the future. About a hundred years, give or take a half-decade. We. . .my daughter, our two friends, and I. . .were the only remaining Jedi in the galaxy." Asajj went very pale with horror, and only now was it starting to hit Aidan. They escaped into the past, but their own time was left vulnerable to Darth Cadeus. What had they done?
Ami laid her hand over his and in a hushed voice, explained to their new friends, "Our friends, Thane and Merit Solo. . .their father is Darth Cadeus, the architect of the Second Jedi Purge. He's a Sith who has taken over most of the galaxy. Last night, while we were testing out a flight simulator, Merit had a Force Vision, which told her the way to put the present to rights was by fixing the past. We actually planned on using a portal on the planet of Dagobah, but our time-table was moved up when Darth Cadeus learned of our intentions and attacked our base."
"Then your plan was blessed by the Force itself," Knight Narec observed, "and you shouldn't fault yourself, Master Kenobi, for doing its will." Aidan looked at the knight in surprise, and the other man smiled wryly, "I could see the guilt in your eyes. You blame yourself for following the will of the Force, and leaving your galaxy to perish. But did you ever think that perhaps you have already made things better?" Honestly? No. The thought never crossed Aidan's mind. . .until he looked again at his daughter. Ami had returned her attention to her food and was quietly talking with Asajj Ventress. Perhaps Ky Narec was right. . .and maybe Aidan could take steps right now toward saving the future, by helping to save both Ky Narec and Asajj Ventress.
SWSWSWSWSWSWSW
Across the galaxy, on Coruscant, talk of the future was also the subject of discussion within the Jedi Temple. However, Thane Solo wasn't focusing on the Jedi Council. Rather, after he rested and while his sister slept, he did some fact-finding. As Padawan Eerin told him when first they met in the Hall of a Thousand Fountains (a very appropriate name, in his ever so humble opinion), Finis Valorum was the current Chancellor of the Republic. Master Dooku was one of the most respected Jedi in the Order, as was his former padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn, though the latter was considered something of a Gray Jedi. Thane hadn't quite figured out what that meant, though the name implied someone who walked the line between the Light Side and the Dark Side.
Perhaps it was the years he spent on the run after the deaths of his granduncle and cousin, trying to finish his sister's training and keep them both alive at the same time, but Thane wasn't inclined to trust a so-called Gray Jedi. And the Force's little revelation about what to expect when the Council 'refused' to train Anakin didn't exactly endear him to Thane, either. And he received the shock of his life (this made what, five or six now?) when he encountered another familiar face in the Archives: a much younger man than the one he remembered seeing during their trip into the past, but he was identified as Xanatos Verras, a fallen Jedi, and the padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn.
However, none of that was important now. Forty-five minutes earlier, his sister finally awakened and though she had a terrible headache, she was already recovering. When her headache didn't disappear, Thane disappeared into the 'fresher and returned with a cold cloth, which he gently placed over Merit's forehead. She smiled sleepily up at him, rubbing at her eyes like an overtired youngling. Thane couldn't help but smile back. That eight-hour sleep session he mentioned to the Council members ended up being twenty-four standard hours. He slept for ten hours, and began his fact-finding once he awoke. Evidently, Master Yoda was anticipating that.
Padawan Eerin and her Master, Kit Fisto, were designated as Thane's escorts, he learned as he left their quarters. Thane supposed he could have resented it, but it would have been foolish. The Jedi didn't know him, and as yet, had no reason to trust him. Even if the Force, acting through his sister, told them to do so. . .one simply couldn't force trust. (No pun intended) In addition, he would rather earn their trust. Besides, he liked his two escorts. Padawan Eerin. . .Bant. . .was a gentle, cheerful individual who reminded him somewhat of his late mother before his father's second and final fall. Thane could easily imagine her liking Bant, and the feeling being mutual.
He soon learned that Kit was actually Bant's second Master. . .her first Master, Tahl, had been killed a few years earlier. Thane didn't comment on the sadness in her silver eyes when she spoke of her original Master. Instead, he gently redirected the conversation toward the topics of interest to him. Namely, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yan Dooku. Bant reminded him that the former two Jedi were on a mission to Naboo, but Master Dooku was here in the Temple. Sensing that Thane was greatly interested in meeting the revered Jedi Master, Kit offered to speak with the man on Thane's behalf.
Thane wondered aloud why Kit would do such a thing. The Nautolan laughed aloud and replied, "You appeared out of nowhere, quite literally. The Council spent an hour after you carried your sister from the Chambers, questioning my padawan. So the two of you are important somehow. You both shine in the Force, so I know you aren't Dark Jedi. I simply would like to help a brother-Jedi, who seems to be quite lost." Satisfied with Kit's answer, Thane acknowledged he would very much appreciate that. Kit grinned again (the Nautolan did smile a great deal. He wondered if it was common to his species) and escorted him next to lunch. . .apparently, a favorite among certain Jedi, Dex's Diner.
Dex, as it turned out, was a Besalisk, and a Besalisk with an interesting past. Thane, the grandson of a former smuggler, quickly felt at home. The phrase 'sensory overload' seemed perfect for the Jedi Temple in particular and Coruscant in general. It was just so blasted busy! Not simply in terms of its pace, but its skyline. There was too much!
But in Dex's Diner, he felt at home. He wouldn't tell Merit about that just yet. Instead, as Merit finished waking up, he told her about his upcoming meeting with Master Dooku, which had been arranged for two hours from now. She listened in silence, then said when he finished, "Based on what you've said, part of what drove Dooku mad was the loss of his former padawan on Naboo, and what he feared was happening to the Republic. He really didn't say much of that to me. Only that he truly regretted his part in what happened and wanted to redeem himself."
"Anakin told me a little, likely while Master Dooku and Uncle Luke were with you. He had a lot to say about Dooku, actually, not all of it complimentary. Evidently, Count Dooku made repeated attempts to recruit Master Kenobi and our great-grandfather didn't take kindly to that. He is. . .was. . .is. . .quite protective of Master Kenobi. I think he's actually more protective now than when they were alive," Thane said. He caught his sister's lips twitching as she fought valiantly against a smile and growled, "Oh, hush! I know, we're in the past when they actually were alive. . .are alive. . .MERIT!"
His sister's response, whatever that might have been, dissolved into helpless giggles. Thane glowered down at her, which made her laugh even harder. He couldn't keep up his scowl forever, not when it had been such a long time since he heard her laugh like that. In fact. . .he allowed the scowl to dissipate, but his wicked grin was the only warning she received before his wiggling fingers attacked. Merit shrieked and squirmed away from the tickling. Unfortunately, as she always did, she found his own weak spots and Thane yelped in surprise. Merit giggled again, sounding like a little girl once again.
"I've missed you," he blurted out as he managed to pin her wrists before she could start tickling him in earnest. Merit frowned up at him, looking more than a little confused by his statement. He could hear her thoughts over their bond, 'missed me? But I haven't gone anywhere!' Thane released her wrists, and backed away before she took it into her head to start up their tickle-battle again. However, he sat on the edge of her bed, saying, "No, you haven't gone anywhere. . .well, aside from into the past, but I'm here, too. . .but it's been a long time since I heard you laugh. It's been even longer still since I heard you giggling like a little girl."
"Haven't had much reason to laugh," Merit said simply as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. Thane just hugged her fiercely, wishing he could have done more to prevent that, but his little sister murmured, "Don't think like that, Thane. You were just a kid yourself when Uncle Luke and Ben were killed. You did the best you could, and it wasn't your fault. Don't ever blame yourself, not when you were the best big brother I could have ever wanted, anyone could have wanted." Thane once more tightened his arms around her. There had been one moment, when he encountered one of the Council members (whose name he couldn't remember, even though Kit told him twice) while Kit and Bant were giving him the tour.
He knew from talking to Anakin and Uncle Luke both that the Jedi of now had a rule against attachment. It was one of the things that was to be changed, not just for Anakin but for the Jedi themselves. . .or rather, redefine what 'attachment' meant. Love was good. . .obsession, on the other hand, was very bad, as both Thane and his sister had reason to know. But apparently, the Jedi of now didn't understand the difference between the attachment between a brother and sister, and someone who wouldn't take no for an answer, as the Master chastened him for his obvious protectiveness toward Merit. Thane had been too shocked at the time to respond. . .and, of course, five minutes later, thought of a perfect response. Five minutes later and five minutes too late.
But Merit was his little sister. . .she was all he had left. Of course he was protective of her! Weren't most Masters protective of their Padawans? There were times when he really didn't understand this time. Or these Jedi. Was the time in which he and Merit (along with Aidan) raised, so very different? Well, yes, there was the matter of their father and the war, but had Uncle Luke changed so many things? Of course he had. Once Thane considered what his grand-uncle had done. . .effectively re-created the Jedi Order and started from scratch. . .he began to understand. Not just the differences between the times, but also what he needed to do to save the future.
Perhaps it was the Force whispering to him, or perhaps simply fate. . .but a chime at the door alerted the siblings that someone wanted to speak with them. Thane released his sister, and together, the pair made their way to the front door of their temporary quarters, to find most of the Jedi High Council standing there. Thane's blood ran cold, even before Yoda said, sounding almost apologetic, "Come to take up your offer, we have, Knight Solo." Thane wanted to protest, wanted to tell them that she had been awake for only a little while and she was still gaining back her strength.
But before he could say a word, Merit replied, "Of course, Master Yoda. Please, come in. I'm guessing that since you've come to us, you don't mind if we can conduct this mind scan here, instead of in the Council Chambers?" Master Yoda inclined his head as the entire group marched into the common room. Thane ground his teeth. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. But he recognized the determined light in his sister's eyes. Merit would do this, with his support or without it. So he bit his tongue and sat beside her on the davenport, taking her hand protectively, as the Council found seats.
"Wish you to be as comfortable as possible, we do. Most unpleasant, this will be," the little green troll advised her. Merit merely nodded and closed her eyes. Most unpleasant for her, yes. . .but what Yoda and the others failed to realize was how unpleasant it would be for them as well. They wouldn't just be seeing her memories, but what she sensed and 'saw' through her bond with Thane. Oh, no. It wouldn't be pleasant at all!
SWSWSWSWSWSWSW
Okay, that's odd.
Xanatos Verras looked up from his intense study of what was happening in the past, to find the newest member of their group (and the source of that comment), Ral Treveri, eyeing Darth Cadeus and his troops. Xan didn't bother asking him what was so odd, as he actually had a pretty good idea. Ever since they successfully got the children into the past, Cadeus had lost more and more of his men. He entered the compound with fifty men. He now had twenty. No one was sure if they had been erased entirely from existence or if difference choices had left to different lives for them.
And then there was the whole matter of Jedi Knight Ky Narec showing up in the Force no more than fifteen mortal minutes after the children reached their respective destinations in the past. Asajj Ventress had taken one look at the brown-haired, muscular Knight, and threw herself into his arms, weeping and begging his forgiveness for failing him as a student. To date, no one knew exactly what the Kenobi father-daughter team had done (or were doing) on Rattarak that allowed Narec to join them in the Force.
Really, Xan didn't care either. . .he was actually still somewhat unnerved by what the Force had shown Merit Solo when her fingers grazed Asajj's. He could understand Anakin's reaction. The man was viciously protective of people he considered family. However, Xan seeing himself hold a heavily pregnant Merit Solo as they stared out over Coruscant only resulted in a conversation along the lines of, 'don't even think about letting your past self know about that. I don't want your hands anywhere my great-granddaughter, unless it's in the form of assistance.'
Xan had no intention of arguing with him. While Anakin couldn't kill him, he could make life (or rather, the afterlife) very miserable for Xan. And that wasn't taking into account his formidable son-in-law or his downright terrifying daughter. Add Merit Solo's very protective mother into the mix and even Darth Sidious would think twice about his obsession with the Skywalker clan. Besides, Merit was an appealing child, but she was also sixteen years younger than he was in that timeline. And even thirteen years before the dark curtain descended over the galaxy, Xan was still a mess, trying to work out his problems. He wouldn't wish that hopelessly confused idiot on anyone, much less on a girl who had daddy issues of her own.
So he tried to forget what he saw (good luck there), and instead, concentrated on the fallout among the Jedi within the Force. If he was still the boy he was when his father died, he would have gloated over the way most of the Jedi avoided his former Master. However, he wasn't that boy anymore, and hadn't been for quite some time. He was simply tired of the entire mess. And sad. He really didn't have much to do with his old Master, though they had a war of words after Qui-Gon tried to turn Lisseth against him. What a turnabout that was. Unlike the others in the Force, Xan really didn't care why Qui-Gon turned into a bitter, selfish old bastard within the last few mortal decades. He just didn't want him hurting anyone else. They both hurt people, between the two of them, and it had to end somewhere.
Wanting to distract himself from that whole mess, Xan turned his attention back to Ral Treveri. The Resistance commander was watching in fascination as Jacen Solo tried repeatedly to get even a slight kernel of information from the destroyed databases. Quite frankly, Xan thought that was a nice touch. No point in making Darth Moron's job easier. And while it was perhaps cruel to say, it was also true. . .the four Jedi were doing far more good for their time in the past than they could possibly do in their time. Too many in the time of the Four expected others, like the Jedi, to do for them. . .and weren't willing to take on responsibility for themselves. This would force them (no pun intended) to finally do something.
While he didn't know about Aidan Kenobi's guilt over 'abandoning' their own time, it wouldn't have surprised Xan. While Aidan had been known to tell opponents expecting Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, "My grandfather was called the Negotiator. . .I'm not my grandfather," he had inherited the elder Kenobi's guilt complex. It seemed to have skipped a generation, as his mother Cyrilla didn't seem to suffer from it. Then again, given the way she grew up, perhaps it wasn't so surprising.
With luck, it would skip another generation before dying out entirely. Or maybe, he mused, thinking of Cyrilla Kenobi and her granddaughter, it's only passed along the males in the line. He hoped that was the case. The last thing he wanted for Amidala Kenobi was a misplaced sense of guilt for her mother's death. He knew there were some men who couldn't deal with the loss of their beloved, and so took it out on their innocent children. Aidan Kenobi wasn't among them, of course, but sometimes, children still blamed themselves for things they couldn't control. He hoped Ami wouldn't fall into that trap. There was already enough pain in the galaxy. . .there was no reason why she should take on pain that didn't belong to her.
Hmm. Enough of that. He turned his attention once more to his brothers and sisters within the Force. Unlike his former Master, he never studied the Order of the Whills. And yet, here he was. Not because of Anakin Skywalker (unlike the Organas or Ranya Labun). There were many individuals from the waning days of the Old Republic here, individuals whom Anakin hadn't even liked, who were utterly unfamiliar with the Order of Whills. He was here, Asajj Ventress was here, Mace Windu was here. He was always under the impression that it was his former Master's study of The Order of the Whills that allowed him to maintain his consciousness within the Force. And yet, he was the only one from the Old Republic, aside from Yoda and Obi-Wan, who did so.
You think too much, someone said, drawing Xan's attention. At first, he thought his new companion was Obi-Wan, until he realized that the being in front of him resembled Obi-Wan at the start of the Clone Wars, instead of the end of the Republic. Ah. Interesting choice. He wondered briefly if his former Master had seen this. The selfish little boy within him hoped so. It was twisted and warped, but where his former Master was concerned, it was also typical of Xanatos, even now. The personification of the Force continued, Why can you not simply accept this is my wish? If you simply slipped into oblivion, you would never learn. It is more than the study that grants you the gift of keeping your consciousness. But even here, after the death of your mortal body, you still learn. . . or you stagnate. And that is good for no one.
Which doesn't answer my other question, Xan observed, though he did appreciate what the Force-personification had just told him. The Force looked at him expectantly, and Xan continued, Why Obi-Wan? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. . . I'd rather see him when I'm talking to you than my former Master, but why? The Force merely smiled. Again, it wasn't Obi-Wan's smile. It was more than a little odd, seeing that un-Obi-Wan smile on Obi-Wan's face.
Because I want to, the Force said simply. Well, he couldn't argue with that. Nor would he try. He rather liked having his consciousness, thank you very much. And what the Force had given to him, the Force could also take away. After a moment, the Force continued, Obi-Wan's refusal to take part in this past Council is why most of the Jedi here feel as if they can go to him. He seems not to take sides, even though he actually does. He is the closest individual who can be classified as a neutral party during most disputes that crop up. Interesting point. . .one Xan hadn't considered, but it made sense.
Just out of curiosity, Xan asked, since they were having such an open conversation anyhow, what form do you use when you're talking to the Skywalkers, since you created Anakin Skywalker? It really wasn't any of his business, but he was curious. How exactly the Master/Mistress of them all appear to the Chosen One, to its son and his children? Did it appear as Anakin's mother, as his Master, as his former wife? Or did it take its normal form, that vaguely humanoid form of pure energy?
I choose the form of whoever Anakin needs at that moment. . .even if he needs me to be Palpatine, the Force replied. Xan suppressed a shudder. Uhm, ew? The Force actually laughed, before saying more seriously, All of my servants are Chosen for something, Xanatos of Telos, even if they do not carry the name, 'Chosen One.' That is a silly affectation, which means nothing. The Jedi created the name, just as the Sith created the term 'Sith'ari.'
There was something hidden behind the words of the Force-personification, but Xan was missing it. If that was true, then why was Anakin Skywalker even created? Why did all this happen? The Force-personification again smiled, this time almost sadly, and said in answer to Xan's unasked question, Sentient beings have free will. This is the result of that free will. It cannot be revoked. The Kenobi and Solo families were sent back in time to provide more information for those choices.
They could get into a whole new debate over how much free will was involved when the consequences of those choices was introduced into the conversation. However, Xan knew that sometimes a choice was as simple as whether or not to believe a warning. He hoped the Jedi of his own time were wise enough to heed the warning they were being given. He wondered briefly if his own younger self would heed whatever warnings he was given. He hoped (though he wouldn't bet any credits on it). Oh, how he hoped!
SWSWSWSWSWSWSW
Her father and Knight Narec were talking. By rights, she and Asajj Ventress were supposed to be sleeping. . .after eating their rations, the two girls practiced against each other. However, Amidala Kenobi couldn't sleep. Too much had happened today. . .Ral's death (she hadn't seen him die, but she knew he was gone), her father finally admitting how much he cared for Merit, saying good-bye to the Solo siblings, meeting her great-grandfather, going into the past. Yes. . .it had been a very eventful day, and trying to quiet her mind was proving to be more difficult than usual. She was starting to understand why Merit sometimes meditated before sleeping. Sometimes, it seemed, that was the only way you could quiet your mind enough to sleep.
Ami looked at her companion, who was as wide-awake as she was. Asajj Ventress. . .a teenaged, innocent version of the Force-spirit she had met earlier that day. . .who would grow up to be an assassin and the woman who tortured Ami's great-grandfather, the woman whom he had forgiven and wished he could have saved. Maybe, though, saving Asajj, and her Master, would fall not to Obi-Wan himself, but to his grandson and his great-granddaughter. The girl in question looked back at her and asked softly, "You can't sleep, either?" Ami shook her head, and Asajj murmured, "You and your father have given Master and I so much to consider."
"If it helps at all, I think my father and I are still sorting it out ourselves," Ami answered in an equally soft voice. Twice now, she caught herself looking around for Merit and Thane, only to remember that not only were they not on a mission with their long-time friends, but they weren't even in their own time any more. Going back to the past was no longer a wizard possibility, but a rather painful truth (Ami wasn't sure about her father, but her ribs still hurt from their impact. . .and if Ami hurt from her landing, she could only imagine how much pain his landing and her landing on him caused her father).
Returning her attention to the subject of Thane and Merit, Ami and her father had no idea where or when their friends were. There was a possibility they weren't even sent to the same time. She whispered, "I never realized how much I would miss them. . .Thane and Merit, I mean. I never really thought about what going into the past might mean. I suppose I figured that the four of us would still be together. We've been a team, the four of us, ever since I can remember."
"You love them very much," Asajj observed and Ami nodded. Perhaps the older girl was stating the obvious, but the two girls had just met today. So maybe it was Ami who was being obvious. . .not that it really mattered to her, in the past, where it couldn't hurt anyone. The Solo siblings were as much her family as her father was. Thane was a combination of a big brother and an uncle (more of an uncle, since her father was only about ten years older than Thane), while Merit was a combination of big sister, mother, aunt, and whatever female relation you could think of. She supposed it was because Merit was the only member of her own gender in Ami's life.
"I do. Did you know your mother?" Ami asked. Asajj nodded, though her bright blue eyes reflected a still-fresh grief. Ami wasn't entirely sure about Asajj's past, but she supposed they were only a few years removed from the deaths of her new friend's parents. Ami's mother, on the other hand, had been dead eleven years. . .but there were times when the grief was as fresh as the first time her father had told her about her brave mother and her wholly unnecessary death.
The younger girl continued, "I didn't. . .My mother died when I was born. My father tells me sometimes that I look like her. Her name was Erszebet, and she was killed by an Alderaanian descendent and a bounty hunter." She winced at the bitterness she heard in her voice. So much for Jedi serenity. But remembering her father's expression as he told her about the day her mother died. . .seeing the anguish and the guilt he still felt. . .Ami really couldn't help herself.
"But Alderaan is a peaceful planet. . .they're as pacifist as the Naboo, from what Master tells me," Asajj protested softly. Ami snorted. Yeah, that was the trouble! She had no trouble with pacifists who wouldn't defend themselves. . .if they wanted to get themselves killed, that was on their head. However, she didn't like pacifists who prevented others from self-defense. Pacifists like the little brat who had gotten her mother killed.
"In about twenty or thirty years, depending on when we are, because our system of dating is completely different from yourself, and is based on something that hasn't happened yet . . .in any event, in about twenty or thirty years, Alderaan will be destroyed by a super weapon called the Death Star. The only survivors were those who were off-planet at the time, including Thane and Merit's grandmother. Another was the ancestor of the boy who my parents were looking after in the months before I was born," Ami explained. Asajj's eyes narrowed when she mentioned the destruction of Alderaan.
Her eyes narrowed further as Ami explained what led to Erszebet Kenobi's death eleven years earlier . . .and how Shae chose her daughter's life over her own. Asajj didn't say anything . . .but her slim fingers reached out and covered Ami's hand as the younger girl explained. At last, Ami said softly, "That's why I don't like Naboo or Alderaan or pacifists. I don't care if they don't think their own lives are worth saving . . .but when they prevent someone else from a successful self-defense? That's another thing entirely. So far as I'm concerned, pacifists are a waste of space."
She kept her voice low, knowing that her father would chastise her, but at the same time, she didn't really care. Not enough to keep from saying it. She thoroughly despised pacifists, whom she considered worse than the Sith. Asajj asked softly, "Is it all Alderaanians and Naboo you hate, or just the one who is responsible for your mother's death? Because if your friends' grandmother is Alderaanian, too. . ." Funny. She knew from her conversation with the future Asajj that the former Sith witch had become close friends with Leia Skywalker in the Force-afterlife. . .and here, the teenaged padawan was defending someone who hadn't even been born yet.
"The individual. Leia Organa Skywalker Solo would have defended my mother. I don't know much else about her, but I do know that. Besides, just because a given planet is largely pacifist, doesn't mean anything. One of the nastiest Sith in the last few centuries came from Naboo. . .the planet which has no defenses to speak of," Ami answered readily. She couldn't believe it when Thane told her that this morning, before Merit's screams signaled the end of the time in their own present. Naboo, at the time of the Trade Federation Blockade, had very little defense. They were practically inviting some nasty sort to invade their planet!
"That reminds me. . .you share your name with the current queen of Naboo," Asajj pointed out. Ami was only just able to keep herself from baring her teeth, choosing instead to focus on the clue Asajj just gave her. So, Padme Amidala was the current queen of Naboo. That narrowed things down. As for her name. . .that was something she didn't particularly enjoy or appreciate. She would never say so, of course, but she had no interest in being named for a woman who told her advisors that she wouldn't condone an action which led to war. . .even if war had already been declared against her planet! Oh, she wished she had never read the memoirs of one of the handmaidens who had been there that day! But she had been eight and curious. She tried to forget what Thane sometimes told her, when he was in a particularly gloomy mood. . .curiosity killed the nexu. Unfortunately, he seemed to be right a lot of the time.
"My mother was from Naboo. My father had never really explained why I was given this name, just that she thought it was pretty," Ami admitted. In a way, she envied Thane, who was named after his granduncle Luke and his grandfather Han. Merit was only partially named after someone else. . .her second name came from her grandmother. Even so, she envied them both, as she would rather share a name with Leia Organa Skywalker Solo than Leia's mother.
Asajj was silent, and Ami allowed herself once more to think about her friends. Were they all right? Did they arrive in the past safely? If they were in the past, they were safe from their father and Andriu. . .if they made it into the past. The girl glanced back at Asajj, who had fallen asleep. Ami smiled and closed her own eyes. In the past or in her own time, Force-spirit or flesh and blood Jedi Padawan, maybe it was fate that she and Asajj would become friends, if only for a time.
SWSWSWSWSWSWSW
For a long time, he stared at the simulator. In the last fifteen minutes, since his remaining children passed through the portal created by the Jedi of the past, he had lost more than half of his troops. Darth Cadeus had no idea what his children had done. . .had no idea if they had done anything. He only could see the results. Just as he had seen the results when his first-born daughter lay dying in her sister's arms. He ignored the voice in the back of his head, which sounded like Allana, reminding him that he had wielded the lightsaber that took her life. It didn't matter. Allana wouldn't have died if it weren't for her sister. Why did she never understand that?
Because you never pay attention when I tell you the truth. You never pay attention to me, why should I pay attention to you? Darth Cadeus. . .Jacen Solo. . .turned to face the owner of the voice. Allana stood beside the portal that drew her brother and sister into the past. Her arms were folded over her chest, and her red hair was drawn back from her face. Allana continued, I told you once, Father. You cannot control me. You cannot make me be what you want to be. And when you finally accepted that particular truth, you killed me. Not Merit. You.
"I was trying to save you!" Cadeus exclaimed, taking a step toward his willful daughter. As soon as he did, he realized it was foolish of him. It wouldn't have done any good. He couldn't touch her. . .couldn't shake sense into her. She was a Force-spirit. Allana smirked, but there was no humor in her eyes. There was no hatred in her eyes, either, though. . .only sadness.
Let me see. . .my little sister was already injured from her fight with your idiot apprentice at the time. . .a fight she won, I should point out. She was incapable of defending herself, and you had a lightsaber ready to run through her. And I was simply supposed to stand aside and let you kill her? Please! Would you have simply stood aside and let anyone kill Uncle Anakin if you had a chance to save him? Of course not! So why would you expect me to do the same? Just because you said so? Allana asked incredulously. She shook her head in disgust, adding, And need I remind you that I stood in front of Merit for several moments, warning you that I wouldn't move. You want someone to blame for my death, Father? Look in the mirror!
She shook her head one last time, and then said, You claim to have more pure motives for turning to the Dark Side than Anakin Skywalker did. And yet, when all was said and done, he turned back because of his son. You? You would kill all three of us, because you can't admit your own wrongdoing. Now, I don't know what Thane and Merit are doing in the past, or Aidan and Amidala Kenobi. But this I can tell you. They'll finally be happy. You took Lucina away from Thane, before he could find out whether he could have genuinely loved her. . .and you prevented Merit from even getting as far as Thane, with Commander Treveri and Master Kenobi. They'll finally be happy, and free from you. I can't ask for anything more for either of them.
With those words, she began to fade. Darth Cadeus tried to call out to his daughter, tried to beg her to come back. Why, he didn't know. . .to argue more? It would do no good. While he was in another part of the galaxy, thought to be dead after his duel with Jaina, his daughter was being raised by his parents and called 'Amelia' to protect her. His mother had raised her. . .just as she had raised Thane and Merit after he regained his memories. Allana was lost to him, had been for some time.
"Sir? What are your orders?" one of his troopers asked. Darth Cadeus continued to stare at the simulator that his two remaining children had used to thwart him. He remembered what Allana had said about Thane's might-have-been lover Lucina, who had died with his grandmother's planet Naboo. He remembered her assertion that her brother and sister would be safe from him in the past, that they would be happy. Jacen Solo. . .Darth Cadeus. . .was alone now. His parents had turned against him, as had his twin sister, both of his wives, and his children. He would never be happy. . .so why should his children be permitted to be happy?
"Send Darth Heinous to me, once he lands. I have a new project for him," Cadeus replied at last. His eyes never left the simulator. The Jedi of times past had used the Force, and the simulator, to send his children and the Kenobi family back in time. He would find his own way into the past. One thing was certain, though. . .so long as he lived, neither Thane nor Merit would ever be permitted to draw a breath without fear.