Flashback: 13 Years Ago
Location: Sundari, Mandalore
Aurora's Age: 8 Years Old
Aurora sighed as she stood off to the sidelines while watching her mother speak with dignitaries from other worlds. Since her mother was a true pacifist, she held annual gatherings within the palace in Sundari for their entertainment and amusement. Balls and galas were held usually almost every night during these gatherings, and while her mother enjoyed them, Aurora hated them. For starters she hated the fact that she had to wear an extravagant gown, that usually was itchy, along with the fact that she had to wear a tiara as well…which she hated even more so than the gown, since as she got older the crowns got more elaborate with the jewels making it more heavy on her head.
She crossed her arms and leaned back against one of the pillars in the ballroom. She longed to get away from the party, but she knew that wouldn't be possible.
"You look bored." A familiar voice said.
She rolled her eyes as she glanced to her right to see Crashun standing next to her.
"So do you." She retorted and he nodded.
"I hate this." He explained gesturing to the party. "For what reason are we doing this?"
"To quote my mother it is to 'further our diplomatic relations with monarchs and reagents from other worlds'." Aurora replied in her best Satine voice making Crashun laugh.
"I'm uncomfortable, my parents aren't but I am." He explained.
"What about Cira?" She asked.
"She likes the parties." He explained as he gestured to his little sister who was closer to Aurora's age than he was, since he was 5 years older than Aurora, and 6 years older than Cira.
"How can one enjoy something like this?" Aurora asked in annoyance. "It's literally people in itchy clothes standing around doing nothing but drinking for several hours."
Crashun nodded. "You have a point."
"I literally would rather be thrown into a Sarlaac pit than be here right now." She explained.
"That's…specific." He said with a slight pause in shock at what had come out of the younger girl's mouth.
Aurora sighed again before her mother gestured to come over to her.
"Duty calls." Aurora explained with an eye roll. "Crashun, always a pleasure."
"Princess." He said giving her a slight bow making her give him a slight shove.
"Don't start." She called back before walking off to her mother to see what her mother needed her for.
Present Day (1 Month after the Citadel)
Location: Sundari, Mandalore
Aurora's Age: 21 Years Old
Aurora's POV
I sighed in frustration. "This is harder than it looks."
"It is because you are not concentrating hard enough." Obi-Wan's holographic image explained through the holocall the both of us were on. "Try lifting it again, but this time, concentrate on your thoughts to lift it."
I sighed in frustration before trying to lift the pen off my desk. Since the Citadel, and per the Jedi Council's request, I had been going to therapy every time I visited Coruscant. Turns out my therapist was none other than Obi-Wan himself, per his request. As to why he wanted to be my therapist…I have no clue…honestly, I feel like he wants to learn my problems then report back to Anakin with the information. Our sessions weren't that traumatic for me to relive, he genuinely just wanted to know what happened to me and why I don't trust people, which I was grateful for because I didn't want to get into the logistics of what kind of torture I underwent over the years.
When we were not talking about my past however, he was teaching me on how to control my abilities. So far, I still pass out when trying to heal someone…and the way I found that out was when Fox tripped and fell during an assignment and got a cut on his leg…me being the overachiever that I am tried to heal his leg…but ended up being in a coma for 3 days. So, our training has resulted to more simpler techniques, like trying to lift a pen with my mind…and so far, it wasn't working that well.
I extended my right hand out and focused on the pen. I concentrated with all my power to only focus on the pen. The pen began to shake, and I slowly adjusted my hand to see if the pen would lift off the desk…surprisingly it did. It only got a few inches off the desk before I lost control making it fall.
"Better, you got it higher this time." He explained.
I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. "Not high enough to do anything."
"Aurora," He began. "Your powers are still developing, they've been dormant for so long, so they are not at their full maturity…have you told your brother yet?"
I shook my head. "No, the only thing he has is hearing like mine…so far at least."
He sighed. "You're going to have to tell him."
"Allow me to worry about that, you worry about the other two morons." I explained.
"Anakin was requesting your presence on Fleucia." He explained. "They requested deployment from the 252nd."
"Without my authority?" I questioned.
He shook his head. "No, Anakin want's you on Fleucia…he says he needs your help."
"With what?" I asked.
"He didn't say, he said if you can get there in the next two days, he'd greatly appreciate it." He explained.
I sighed. "I'll see what I can do…it might be early tomorrow morning, my mother has a ball she's been planning for the Council of Neutral Systems, after she's heading somewhere across the galaxy to meet with a world that wants to become neutral."
"Which one?" He asked.
"I have no clue; I can't even keep track anymore." I explained glancing to the tiara I was supposed to wear tonight along with the gown I was wearing. The gown was midnight blue, and strapless, that had a see-through midnight blue cloak that wasn't attached to my shoulders, but was attached to the back of the dress, so it created a long train, and my tiara was encrusted with dark blue stones that complimented the dress.
"I'm sure Anakin can wait a while for you to arrive." He said with a small sigh.
I nodded. "I'm sure he can."
He then nodded back to me before he ended the holocall making me sigh in response. I slowly got up from my desk to start getting ready for this stupid ball. After I took a shower, I started to do my hair and makeup to make me at least somewhat presentable. Unfortunately, Zara wouldn't be at the ball tonight since she was down with the flu…which made me envious of her because she got to miss the party, and I must go. I practically begged her to cough on me to get me sick. I did my makeup rather minimalist, just to accentuate my natural features, along with covering up my tattoo. I placed my hair up into a neat bun, and placed the crown on my head, along with the matching earrings and necklace that went with it. Once I was fully dressed, I looked myself over in the mirror. I looked beautiful.
"Ew." I murmured in disgust before walking out of my room and heading toward the ballroom where the ball was being held. According to Korkie, him and my mother were already down there mingling with guests, and my mother had already announced to enjoy the party and its amenities.
I walked down the stairs that led into the ballroom and at the base of the first set of stairs, was Loren, the guy who announced everything at these big events. The guy had my uttermost respect, especially for the fact that he always dealt with me being fashionably late all the time to these things.
"Your Royal Highness." Loren said with a bow.
I smiled. "Loren…you know what to do."
He nodded with a smile before announcing. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Aurora Kryze of Mandalore!"
Almost everyone in the ballroom turned to look at me as I descended the staircase, being extremely cautious to not trip and fall down the stairs. Once I was at the base of the stairs, everyone went back to whom they were speaking with, or drinking with, and the orchestra that my mother hired continued to play. I looked around and just from the site of all the people, I was already feeling overwhelmed. Like I could feel my anxiety kicking in, just from looking at all these people.
"You, okay?" Korkie asked snapping me out of my trance.
I shook my head. I didn't even notice him come up to me.
"I'm fine, I'm just thinking, I'm…going to go get a drink." I explained to him.
"Don't get drunk." He whispered and I smirked at him.
"Me?" I questioned innocently. "Never."
That was a lie. I was so getting trashed tonight…at least I was going to try to.
I walked over to the bar and asked the bartender for a glass of wine. As soon as he gave me the first glass, I downed it in seconds, before placing the glass on the bar. The bartender looked at me in shock.
"What?" I asked in annoyance. "I don't get drunk easy. Give me another and make it the stronger version."
The bartender nodded before turning his back to me to make my drink order. I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"I saw that." A voice said.
I turned around and my eyes widened with excitement and happiness when I saw the person in question, it was Crashun's younger sister, Cira.
"CIRA!" I practically screamed with excitement before we pulled each other into a hug. I hadn't seen her in 8 years, so with all due respect, I had a right to be like this.
We pulled out of the hug, and I grabbed onto her hands with excitement.
"I can't believe you're here!" I exclaimed.
"I'm so happy to see you!" She said with glee. "Some people were saying that you weren't coming but I knew you'd be late."
I laughed. "You know me so well."
She shook her head with a laugh. "I do, you look stunning by the way."
"Thank you, so do you." I explained. "Is your mother here along with Barron?"
She nodded. "My mother yes, Barron didn't want to come. Is Zara here, I saw that Korkie's here, but I didn't see Zara."
I nodded. "Zara isn't here, she has the flu, I begged her to give it to me, but she declined."
"How rude of her." She said with a small laugh, and I nodded. "Crashun and Helga are here as well."
My smile immediately dropped as I grabbed my drink from the bartender before walking with Cira away from the bar.
"Oh." I said in slight annoyance.
"He told me what happened when he went to talk to you…nice job threatening to kill him." She said with a smirk.
I smirked back at her. "Really? I would've thought the otherwise."
She rolled her eyes. "You know how he can be, always trying to value honor over everything. If you ask Barron, or I, he takes after father too much. He said that I shouldn't be friends with you even though you worked for a terrorist organization and are now helping the Jedi."
"What did you say in response?" I asked with slight humor.
"She told him to kiss her ass and that she could do whatever she wanted." Another familiar voice said making my smile grow as I turned around to see Cira and Crashun's mother, Octavia standing behind me.
"Lady Ordo." I said greeting her with a small curtsey before she engulfed me in a hug.
"Aurora stop with the nonsense." She said with humor as she pulled away from me. "My dear you have grown into a beautiful woman."
I blushed. "Thank you."
"You look flawless tonight." She explained. "I can't believe how much you've grown."
"It is amazing to see you." I smiled. "I am so sorry for your loss."
Octavia nodded. "You are too kind."
As Octavia began to talk to me, my overly sensitive ears overheard Crashun talking to someone across the ballroom, probably his wife.
"I have no respect for a woman of her kind." His wife said in anger. "She was raised with the silver spoon, what can she do for the poor? She doesn't care about any of the lower clans. The only thing she cares about is herself, she was raised with privilege and wealth, whereas my family relied on eating hand to mouth."
"I agree, she's too privileged, but she has done things for the poor here in Sundari and on Kalevala. The Aurora I knew as a child is different from the Aurora now. She's helping the Jedi." Crashun explained.
"What a traitor…does she know what they did to our people?" His wife asked.
"Yes." Crashun replied. "But evidently they helped her get out of working for Dooku and Death Watch."
His wife huffed in a tone of anger and amusement. "See, always looking out for herself."
"I'm guessing you don't want to meet her then?" He asked in amusement.
"Not tonight, maybe when both of us are in Beskar, that way if she says something that ticks me off, I can rough her up a bit." She explained.
"My mother and sister won't like that." Crahsun explained.
"I don't care, Aurora is not a Mandalorian like us, and she will never be like us." She replied.
"I will speak with her tonight." He explained.
As I came back into consciousness, I noticed that Octavia and Cira were now talking to Korkie who was distracting them.
"Excuse me." I said with a small smile. "Can I speak to my cousin in private for a moment."
Both nodded with smiles before walking through the crowd.
"Thank you." I breathed in relief.
He nodded. "I knew you were zoning in on people's conversations, I was doing it earlier in the evening."
"I was zoning in on Crashun and his wife talking, who were you listening in on?" I asked.
"Almec and his date." Korkie explained. "Just a heads up, don't go near his room tonight."
I nodded in disgust. "Noted. Crashun's wife is not a big fan of me."
"I heard." Korkie replied and I frowned.
"How? You just said that you didn't listen in to their conversation." I asked in confusion.
"I might've heard her inner thoughts." Korkie explained and I tilted my head to the side.
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "When I stare at someone for a long time, I can hear what they are thinking, or at least I think I can."
He was starting to show more of his powers…I needed to alert Obi-Wan and the Council as soon as possible, along with telling him about our family.
I nodded. "Impressive."
"I also know that Lady Ordo and Cira are not big fans of Helga." Korkie explained.
"Crahsun's wife?" I asked in confusion.
"Yes." Korkie said with a nod. "Not because she is alien, but the fact that she is an outsider, and views our entire family as lower life forms and uncaring and uncompassionate, even though we are."
"I gathered that." I explained. "Come on, let's get through tonight together."
"Agreed." Korkie said in response before we both walked away from each other and began to speak to others in the crowd.
Eventually the party began to wind down and we all headed upstairs to our rooms. I locked my door, to ensure that my mother or brother would enter as I didn't want them to see my death threat towards Crashun or Crashun's death threat towards me. I had quite a bit to ask him so when he landed on my balcony with a clank from the beskar I rolled my eyes and ushered him in.
"Sit down." I ordered in annoyance.
"No." He replied as he took off his helmet. "You can't tell me what to do."
"I can and I will, now sit down." I explained and he rolled his eyes before sitting down.
"What?" He asked.
"What are you doing on Dxun?" I asked bluntly.
"How do you know about Dxun?" He asked.
I crossed my arms. "I have my ways."
"Aurora, we are doing good for Dxun." He explained.
"Really, because I heard that there may be a possibly Civil War being broken out." I said in annoyance.
"Aurora." He began in annoyance.
"You are a hypocrite for saying I shouldn't be working with the Jedi, but here you are mobilizing your own personal army to fight the Separatists!" I exclaimed.
"It is for the best of Onderon." He explained. "There is a Civil War going to break out there as well as it is becoming under CIS control."
"Of course, it is, and I suppose when all of it is done you are going to assassinate the King?" I asked.
He shook his head in annoyance. "Of course not!" He then stood up and walked towards me. "I am making it so there is not a trace of Separatist scum on the damn planet! And once that is done, I will make sure that no one touches Onderon again. Enough support to my cause will allow me to have a greater following, not just of Mandalorians."
I frowned in anger. "So, you can take the throne?"
He frowned in anger this time. "I will state myself again, that throne that you're so fixed on is not what makes one Mand'alor. It is only a seat that has not done what the indivduals who were Mand'alors have accomplished. It is only yourself that determines whether that we follow and call you Mand'alor."
"I don't want that throne!" I shouted at him in anger. "You of all people should know that I have the weight of the world on my shoulders! All you've ever wanted is to rule!"
"You and I both know that is a lie!" He countered. "I don't care if I end up with the Darksaber or not but has the Death Watch reveled any of this to you, or was it your aunt that filled you with the idea that a throne determines if you are Mand'alor or not?"
"I am the Crown Princess of Mandalore! I am heir to the throne by birthright, I have no choice but to sit my ass on that damn seat!" I snapped at him.
"Pre Vizsla certainly believes the same thing, as he believes he should be the next Mand'alor, and his conquests are only adding more fuel to his ambition. Make no mistake Aurora, I will claim that title if it means preventing others who have no idea of responsibility, and I will make sure that I will protect our people from wiping ourselves out." He explained.
"So, you're saying if I rule, I will cause destruction to our civilization?" I asked in anger. "So, you would wipe my clan out so that you could rule?"
"I am not saying that." He began.
"Yes, you are." I said with a sigh "You…"
I trailed off because I heard screaming coming from down the hall. I knew that scream all too well.
"Ro?" Crashun asked with concern.
I slowly turned towards him. "Korkaran." I practically whispered before running out of my room and down the hall towards my brother's room. Crashun ran after me. Once I reached his room, I burst through the door, and low and behold Korkie was tossing and turning in his bed as he was having a nightmare.
"Korkie?" I asked as I gently shook him, so he'd wake. "Korkie? Korkaran?"
His eyes then snapped open, and he sat up. His heart was racing, and he was hyperventilating.
"Korkie, it's okay, you're okay." I said in a calm voice. A complete contrast to the voice I was using to speak to Crashun.
"Ro, I'm sorry…but it was so real this time." He began before turning to Crashun. "Crashun?"
Crashun smiled. "Hey kid."
Korkie turned to look at me. "He kills you I'll kill him."
I smirked before I stood up. "I know."
I started walking toward the door. "I'll be back…come on Crashun, I haven't finished giving you a death threat."
Crashun sighed before walking out of the room and following me down the hall. Once we were back in my room, I closed the door.
"I think it's best if you leave, I need to make sure that Korkie is ok." I explained.
"He's just your cousin Ro, I'm sure he'll be fine." He explained.
I sighed. "He's not just my cousin."
Crashun frowned, and I knew internally that I shouldn't be telling him this, but deep down I knew Crashun wouldn't dare hurt Korkie…he loved Korkie like his own brother.
"He's my brother." I explained and Crashun's eyes widened. "He's my twin brother."
"How?" Crashun asked. "You're not the same age?"
I nodded. "I know, there's a lot of variables that I haven't figured out, but he's my biological twin brother."
"I won't hurt him Aurora, or your family, I promise you that." He explained and I was silent as he put his helmet back on and walked toward my balcony.
"Wait." I explained and he turned around to look at me.
"Ret'urcye mhi, Crashun." I said in a quiet voice.
He nodded. "Ret'urcye mhi, Ro."
He then activated his jetpack and flew off. I sighed before walking out of my room and back down the hall and back into my brother's room.
"Did you threaten Crashun?" Korkie asked as I closed the door.
I shook my head as I sat down on his bed. "No, not today. What was your dream about?"
He sighed. "It was so real. I saw war, here on Sundari, a being with glowing yellow eyes and red and black skin, he had a duel bladed red lightsaber, I then saw Auntie Satine lying dead on the floor with you crying next to her body…Ro what does this mean?"
I sighed. I knew what it meant, because I've had that dream all too many times over the years. I didn't learn what it meant until I had Yoda do an evaluation on my dreams, and he told me that it is a dream of the future, it could be a force illusion or not.
"Korkie." I said with a sigh. "There is something I need to tell you."
"Why do we get these dreams and are able to hear people?" Korkie asked.
I sighed again. "We have these kinds of abilities because we're related."
He nodded. "Of course, we're cousins."
I shook my head. "No, it's because…I'm your sister."
His eyes widened. "What?"
I nodded. "Yes, it's true. I felt the same way you did when I found out."
"Wait does that mean that Auntie Satine is…my mother?" He asked. "Did you know?"
"Yes, she's our mother, and evidently we are twins, and no I did not know, I found out when I was on a mission with the Jedi." I explained.
"She never told us?" He asked and I shook my head no. "Does that mean that you know what our abilities are?"
I nodded. "According to what I've learned from the Jedi, our father was Force-sensitive, meaning that our abilities are…"
"Us using the force?" He asked and I nodded. "Does that mean that we are Jedi?"
I shook my head. "No, far from it. I've just started to learn how to use some of my powers, but evidently with both of our powers there are some limitations to them."
"Like what?" He asked.
"I don't know." I shook my head as I stood up. "We can discuss this tomorrow before I leave for Felucia."
"Are you going to help the Jedi?" He asked and I nodded. "Can I come."
I smirked at him. "Not a chance."