I had a whole spiel planned for last chapter, explaining some of the more nuanced concepts of this fic, but my laptop betrayed me and made me lose about half an hour of writing. In any case, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy - Darthkvzn
For the first time in thousands of years, the Republic was truly destabilizing.
The Jedi Order, severely depleted by the recently ended Clone Wars, could not keep the peace, even if they hadn't been dealing with their own internal turmoil, caused by the revelation that their Chosen One did not quite follow the Jedi way.
Sure, the Separatists striking out on their own had been a hefty blow, but the assumption had always been that, win or lose, the Republic would survive the war mostly intact. And yet, a great many dissenting voices began to speak out, about what they perceived as the cowardly nature of the peace treaty with the CIS. It didn't help that racial issues had been mounting up, with non-humans being treated as second class citizens when compared to humans and humanoids. Palpatine's human-centric agenda had been more far-reaching than many realized.
The discontent eventually boiled to a full-blown revolution. Not a bloody one, as even the most bloodthirsty of dissident races were tired from the Wars, but the results were worrying enough. Nearly 90% of the Republic's member species and their respective systems seceded, hoping to eek out a better living on their own.
The Republic was left in rather empty shambles. But there were, as always, people willing to rise up to the challenge. After a few weeks of reorganization, and a fair few months of deliberation, the New Republic was born from the ashes of old.
A light sheen of sweat covered Leia as she stepped from one kata to the next for the 26th time.
She could still feel the Dark Side, nipping at her metaphorical heels, a constant pressure willing to overtake her. Leia knew that feeling well - being near her father felt similar, though Anakin kept the Darkness firmly in check. What she'd felt aboard the Tantive IV, though...that was unchecked and unbridled, the kind of raw power and emotions described by Jedi Holocrons as that of a Sith Lord. Her Master's demure confirmation said volumes.
A short visit to the 'fresher later, Leia felt at least somewhat better, making use of old Jedi techniques to let go of her mundane burdens.
"Your presence feels brighter in the Force." -said Ahsoka, staring entranced at the Hyperspace 'tunnel' surrounding the Daughter.
Leia hummed. "Classic Jedi techniques are somewhat useful." -she quipped.
Ahsoka gave her a dirty look. "Sometimes I wonder why you even bothered applying for an apprenticeship. Having Anakin for a father seems to have gone to your head, youngling."
Leia groaned. "Please don't remind me, Master. I really don't care for having half the other Padawans look at us in awe and wonder. Or the ogling."
The Togruta chuckled. Leia had developed quite well upon reaching 17 years of age, and thus gathered her fair bit of attention - neither of which she particularly liked. Ahsoka herself being a very attractive Togruta with a rather revealing set of armor and clothes didn't help matters much.
"In any case, we should be coming up on Coruscant soon enough. Tell you what: I'll invite you over to Dexter's for a decent cup of caf after debriefing." -said Ahsoka, wanting to cheer her up.
Leia sighed. "Maybe next time, Master. Luke's around, and I haven't seen him in a while."
"Ah, yes. I heard Master Kenobi and Luke were back." -Ahsoka recalled.
Even though Obi-Wan Kenobi was admittedly graying at the temples, he was still very much the template of a classic Jedi. Fiercely loyal, yet incredibly detached, and a master duelist not even Anakin had managed to beat in years.
Luke's choice to accept Obi-Wan's tutelage had been fairly controversial, to say the least - he'd chosen a fully Light-sided, older teacher, over his own father. But Leia knew that Luke was somehow largely immune to the Dark Side, and thus unfit to learn under Anakin Skywalker. Leia wasn't, but she'd easily connected with Ahsoka from a young age.
It's not that she didn't love her dad. He just hadn't been around all that much.
"Strap yourself in. We're coming out of Hyperspace in 10."
And so they did. The capital of the New Republic shone with the glow of a true ecumenopolis, bands of inbound traffic glowing like tiny rings around the planet-spanning city.
The Daughter sailed across the Home Fleet blockade - Venator-class Star Destroyers being the most iconic, aging in design yet well retrofitted to exceed modern standards. Kuat Drive Yards had not yet presented an adequate substitute for the balance between speed, power, and toughness of the Venator, even with the newer Victory-class. Instead, they focused on updating the old design, and improving and innovating on the other ship classes surrounding and including the Republic's most iconic ship.
"Venator, Arquitens...there's one Victory. See the shape and positioning of the bridge and gun emplacements?" -asked Ahsoka.
Leia nodded. "Victory-class Star Destroyers are powerful, tough, and slow. They are also well suited for orbital bombardment operations." -she recited from her teachings.
"Well done. Now imagine a Star Destroyer twice that size. Whoever's in charge of that warship has a lot of power at their fingertips."
Leia glowered. "A lot of blood, too."
Ahsoka put a comforting hand to her pupil's shoulder. "Come on. Let me see how you handle reentry."
Leia nodded, beginning the blazing trail through the upper atmosphere swiftly.
I love Clone Wars era warships. They look the absolute coolest. Not that Civil War era ships don't look cool, but damn. Munificent are my favorite. What's yours? I kept the old ships around for the same reason the various militaries in the world still keep old war machines for a long time. It's costly to renew! Better to update, at least until the tech jump is worth it. As you read, the New Republic is much smaller than the Old Republic, so it stands to reason that its military is a bit dated, although retrofitted appropriately.
Questions, suggestions? Leave a review or send me a PM!