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The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Ten Now Up

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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby notl33t » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:49 am

Whoohooo!

And Tara's past is coming to nip her and Willow on their collective bum, I suppose. I love that you've kept the timelines and plots of Star Witches and Star Wars essentially the same, with a well-plotted insertion of our favorite two witches.

I'm glued to this thread . . .

:kgeek
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby Willowlover » Fri Aug 25, 2006 8:32 pm

I cant believe how much i missed! Sorry i havent been keeping up or leaving feedback. I love how you finished the end of Episode one and began episode 2. I cant wait to read more. BTW im still working on those pics and with this last update i think i might have to do another one after i finish to show Willow without her padawan braid.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby Darth Pacula » Sat Sep 02, 2006 4:49 pm

G'day Alex!

My first impression of this last update is how well you've captured the spirit of the scrolling text at the start of any proper Star Wars experience, simply through the use of color and centering the text. Nice job!

Sodding Kieran Maclay! Why couldn't they have just shot the bugger in the back of the head when they caught him? And now, he's been sprung from clink to do the bidding of some mysterious third party. Now, who could that possibly be? I wonder. :grin

I am a little confused here though - is Beth a redhead or a blonde? It seems to read as if she's both.

Willow and Tara on the other hand seem relatively blissful ... except for the usual niggling doubts, and fears that their relationship might be brought to light. Little do they know what is about to come.

Though with Tara on the Council, and Willow raised to the rank of Jedi Knight, I have to wonder how much time they can have together. Speaking of which, trust Willow to be late to her own 'graduation' ceremony.

One nitpick, I don't imagine that Yoda actually touched the blade of his lightsaber to Willow's shoulders, given that her robes and actual shoulders weren't burnt through. :p

Nice job, mate. I'm sensing that this story will diverge from the events of the movies more than the first one, which sounds good to me.

Cheers,
Paul.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby SithLordWiccan » Sun Sep 03, 2006 4:41 pm

notl33t: Yup, the past is definitly going to come back and haunt Willow and Tara in this fic, though it's not nearly as bad as what will end up happening in the future, with the Clone Wars about to break out.

I too enjoy the fact that I'm intertwining my fic with the actual events of the film, though I won't be doing as much of it here than I did in the first one. In fact, aside from one little reference in the next chapter and the end stuff, I'd dare say that much of this will end up being original.

Glad to see you're onboard.

Willowlover: Glad to see you're enjoying the fic, and I can't wait to see the artwork you're working on.

Paul: Ah, yes. The scrolling text crawl. I'll admit that I love this one a lot more than I do the one I wrote for Episode I. And if you think I did a good job here, you should see the graphic Chris whipped up for it over @ Looking-glass (and the one he did for Episode I). I must ask him for the addresses of those graphics so I can insert them into the respective posts.

Well, I'll admit that shooting Kieran may have been the right move to take, though if I did that, we wouldn't have a fic, now would we? :kdevil As for whose the one who sprung him...well, you may think you know, but are you right? Well, time will tell on that, now won't it? :D

As for the issue with Beth's hair...yeah, I'll admit that it was a goof on my part. Y'see, I was trying to remain consistent with the presentation of the characters. I thought that Amy Adams (who played Beth) was a blonde during the filming of the episode, but it turns out that she's a natural redhead, so I decided to go that route. But I guess I forgot to remove that one mention of her as a blonde, which I've done here (and hope Chris has @ Looking-glass.) Thanks for pointing that out.

Yeah, I'll agree that life for our girls has been good, despite the fear that their secret "more than Master/Student" relationship may become known. And yes, with both of them now taking on new responsibilities, it'll be interesting to see whether or not it can make it work, especially what we, as the reader, knows is coming.

And as for Yoda's lightsaber antics...have you seen Anakin's knighting ceremony in Clone Wars volume 2? Guy comes close to slicing Anakin's ear off when he doffs the braid. He also comes dangerously close to slicing his own ear off when dueling Sidious in ROTS. While you can call it a nitpick, I prefer to think of it more as keeping with tradition with Yoda's nine centuries of lightsaber misuse. :p

And yep, like I've said before, though events in the movie will be referenced to, most of this will be my original work. Hope you enjoy it. :D
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby Useful_Oxymoron » Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:09 pm

Whoa, holy opening crawls, Batman! No offence, but the bright yellow with the blue blackground screwed up my rods and cones. :D But then again, I have a form of color-blindness which can cause certain colors to blend together, and these two colors were two prime examples of that. And interesting experience...

Anyway, time to reply on the story, on which I have fallen behind somewhat. I apologize for that...

Kieran seems to be a bloody piece of work. Would it be too much to hope for that Darth Vader 'accidentally' parks his shuttle on top of his head in the near future?

Of course, he also has my personal approval to land on top of cousin Beth. :)

Funny thing, after seeing Maul, I thought all Zabrak looked like that, but those colors were just tattoos. I never realized until I saw Bao'Dur that Zabrak weren't actually black and red... and never guessed Agen Kolar was a Zabrak either.

Tara having a seat on the council! Well, she's moving up in the world, it seems. :) Though, in many ways, she'd probably be better off being demoted instead of promoted.

Coruscant has a sea?!

Yoda placed the ignited blade of his lightsaber on Willow’s right shoulder, then moved it to her left. As he brought it back to her right, he casually flicked his wrist, slicing the neatly woven Padawan braid from her hair.


Eeep! What have you done to Willow's lovely long red hair, you senile old overgrown frog-thing?! Bloody Yoda (*Me has thing for long hair*)

Well, she gained knighthood, but lost her long hair... I don't know if it was worth it... or at least, Yoda should have asked first. :kdevil
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby SithLordWiccan » Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:25 pm

Useful_Oxymoron:

Kieran seems to be a bloody piece of work. Would it be too much to hope for that Darth Vader 'accidentally' parks his shuttle on top of his head in the near future?


Hmm...maybe. ;) I can promise you that by the end of this, he'll be dead. Who does it, however, is a secret. :smug

Tara having a seat on the council! Well, she's moving up in the world, it seems. :) Though, in many ways, she'd probably be better off being demoted instead of promoted.


Indeed. I wanted to put her on the Council in this fic because (aside from attempting to justify some of the shuffling around that actually occurs between the two films in the EU), it would provide a bit of angst to the fic, something that I hope carries on throughout the fic.

Coruscant has a sea?!


Yes, it does. So, too, does it have a mountain range. Like Watty, I do my research. ;)

Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Paul. I'm still waiting on getting the first chapter back from Chris, so I can't give you an idea as to when it will go up.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II PROLOGUE NOW POSTED!

Postby SithLordWiccan » Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:16 am

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter One: Part 1)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*

[hr]

[center]Chapter One[/center]

Jedi Temple Quarters
7 Days Prior to the Battle of Geonosis


Tara sat cross legged on her bed, looking at the image currently playing on the holoprojector sitting on the table near the door. She normally kept it offline when she was in a troubled frame of mind, finding it a distraction during those times. But she realized that the news she had heard was likely to be a much bigger distraction, so she decided to keep it on, choosing to replay, ever since it was first transmitted, the most recent transmission from the Galactic Senate. This was the twelfth time Tara had seen the recording that day, and it still tore open a hole in her soul each time she watched it.

The holocams of the Senate focused their image on the Supreme Chancellor, whose face was not the kind and gentle one that he often presented to the media, and that Tara had come to recognize during the past ten years. Given the seriousness and importance of his position, Palpatine was not a man who smiled often, so any instance in which he did was regarded by others as a noteworthy occasion, especially giving the current times. His expression had made Tara concerned when she had first saw it, and upset upon subsequent viewings. After all, this was a man that popular rumor said went without sleep for days on end. There seemed to be little that could trouble him.

His words did a great deal towards crumbling that fantasy down around her.

“I have just received some tragic and disturbing news. Senator Amidala of the Naboo system…has been assassinated!”

When she had first heard those words, Tara had felt as if someone had blasted her straight through the heart, and had, on reflex, tenderly rubbed the spot where she had inflicted such a wound years before. As one of the few people who shared her vision of a galaxy governed by those who preached peace and freedom over subterfuge and selfishness, Padmé Amidala had been the closest thing Tara could consider a friend, though they had never spent any time together. Her honest desire to do something about the growing discord in the galaxy, while most of the other Senators put their own interests before others, made the young woman the perfect image of what a Senator should be: someone who could look past the potential for credit vouchers lined with the money of the people and the backhanded deals that often went towards obtaining them and do whatever was necessary in order to make the galaxy a little bit safer for the average person.

It was the same mission that she, as a member of the Jedi Order, had been ordained to accomplish since birth. But Tara had often felt that she was no better at attempting to maintain the peace than the Senate was at attempting to enforce it.

There were Jedi, of course, who truly appeared to have the best interests of the galaxy at heart, but their methods usually treaded the line of the Dark Side, which, not surprisingly, went against the Council’s orders. Of course, there were often varying degrees to which this presented itself. On one side of the argument was the famed Master Jorus C'baoth, who had long preached that the Jedi were inherently superior to others. Tara had often listened to him talk that way, realizing that while he had the right idea, his application of it had been seriously misguided. Though they were superior, they should use that power to help others reach their full potential and be better people, not use that power to rule over others, as C’baoth often preached.

She had not shed any tears when she had found out that he, along with five other Masters, twelve Knights and fifty thousand men, women and children, had been lost during the unsuccessful Outbound Flight mission five years ago, though she had done so for the others. From what Master Kenobi had said, they had suffered a great deal under C’baoth’s leadership, and though what happened to them remained as much a mystery now as it did back then, it didn’t make what those who had suffered all the less painful to deal with.

Tara watched as the Senators bickered at the announcement, most of their complaints, not surprisingly, focusing on the continued debate over the creation of an army that had been going on for months and how this incident served as the perfect justification to do so. Of all of their comments and shouted accusations, one particularly stood out and stung her greatly.

” Why weren't the Jedi able to stop this assassination? We are no longer safe under their protection.”

The Jedi Code preached that there was no emotion, only peace. But there was no way that Tara could feel at peace when she heard that. One thing that the Senators seemed to have gotten accustomed to was that the Jedi were meant to be the Republic’s personal police force, a view undertaken by the fact that, for much of the past century, they had been called upon to deal with all sorts of planetary disputes and isolated conflicts. Tara had always believed solving the problems of others in such a heavy handed manner was not what she believed the Jedi Order was meant to do.

But on the other hand, if she hadn’t been sent on one such mission ten years ago, then she never would have admitted to herself how much she truly cared for Willow.

The thought of her former Padawan brought a smile to Tara’s face, though it was soon replaced with a look of contemplation as she thought about Willow’s new place in the Jedi Order. She had yet to choose a Padawan of her own, though she was not required to do so unless she wanted to become a Master. Though she was rather impressive as far as her studies were concerned, there were still areas in which she lacked the proper disciplines and training in order to be able to successfully teach another.

In all honesty, Tara was glad about that. As Willow’s own training had been haphazard at best, it would not do her any good to impart what knowledge of the Force she did know to an impressionable youth who could misinterpret the redhead’s enthusiasm at doing so for something else.

And as much as they had tried to spend time together in the last month, it had proven rather impossible to accomplish given the mess the galaxy seemed to have created for itself. Tara had often wondered if they would ever be able to recapture the atmosphere they had shared when on that mission to Naboo. Whether or not they could was still a question very much in doubt. But regardless of that, the image of her former Padawan at that time would be one that would remain with Tara for the rest of her life. She had great feelings for Willow, and would forever love her, even if the Jedi Code and the crumbling galactic situation prevented them from proving it as much as she wanted.

The holorecording had reached the point at which Amidala had made her unexpected appearance before the Senate, surprising the assembled Senators, and Tara brought her attention back to it. Despite the somber mood of the message as a whole, it was this point that truly stood out for her, making her smile each time she heard it.

“Less than an hour ago, an assassination attempt was made against my life. One of my bodyguards and six others were ruthlessly and senselessly murdered. I was the target but, more importantly, my opposition to the security measure before you was the target. I have led the opposition to build an army, and there is someone in this body who will stop at nothing to assure its passage.”

The majority of the Senate had erupted in a chorus of boos at that moment, which was not at all surprising to Tara. After all, Amidala had just publicly stated that she had nearly been the victim of a brutal attack against her own life. And as one of the few Senators opposed to the creation of an army, a position that the majority of her contemporaries and peers vehemently supported, it didn’t surprise Tara in the slightest to find them accusing her of using the incident to justify why the critical decision such as that should not be allowed to occur.

“Wake up, Senators! You must wake up! If we offer the Separatists violence, they can only show us violence in return! Many will lose their lives! All will lose their freedom! Vote down this security measure, which is nothing less than a declaration of war! Does anyone here want that? I cannot believe they do.”

Tara certainly didn’t want the situation to come to that. But as she reached to switch off the image, she knew that when it came down to it, it didn’t matter what she wanted. She could preach to the Council and to others much like Amidala had done, and it wouldn’t make a difference. When the time came, and war against the Separatists was officially declared, she would be forced to join her fellow Jedi in leading the attack against them.

It hadn’t been the first time. Going back over the history of the Jedi Order, Tara could recall many instances when they had been forced to defend the Republic against some threat to its existence. And every time, the Jedi had been hurt badly, barely being able to recover from the harm one battle inflicted upon it before the next occurred. Tara really hoped that this situation would not turn out that way, mostly for Willow’s sake.

As she shut off the image and moved to shut down the machine itself, Tara noticed a blinking message on the machine’s display panel. Moving to activate it, she saw Willow’s face appear in front of her.

”Hi, Tara. I know we haven’t had a chance to talk recently, what with having my own missions and all, but I hope that things will change. I’m on my way back to Coruscant. I should be there tomorrow. And I’m bringing a surprise with me. I hope that you’ll enjoy it.”

The image disappeared, and Tara lay down on the bed, wondering just what surprise Willow could be giving her. It couldn’t be anything that she could keep, of course. They both knew they couldn’t do anything that would ever cross that line. Even ten years after it had happened, the Council still debated with her the merits of frowned upon the merits of using Temple credits to purchase a broken down astromech droid, even if Willow had managed to put it back together and get it working far better than it had before.

As she closed her eyes, Tara’s curiosity at what Willow’s gift might be gradually dissolved into a warm sense of happiness, knowing that, regardless of what she was doing, what she had gotten, and whether or not they could get away with it, Willow still found the time to think of her and give her something special.

**

Willow walked down the ramp of the civilian transport freighter that she had taken from Mon Calamari. It was not the way that she usually traveled, but it helped her to connect to the citizens that she felt morally obligated to protect. After all, as a Jedi, she could consider herself above ordinary people. But she didn’t. There were those who certainly did, of course, but Tara had taught her that it was not power or the Force that would win her the respect of others.

She could recall ten years ago when she had foolishly asked her Master why she was resorting to the seemingly ridiculous method of rubbing two sticks together to create a fire. Tara had said that the Force wasn’t a tool to be used to make life easier. That had really struck a chord in the redhead, who, given her lack of fighting skills at the time, had usually resorted to using the Force in order to protect herself.

Since then, however, Willow had improved in her training, making her weaknesses, particularly lightsaber combat, important areas for her to improve in. And she had grown as a person, realizing that the galaxy truly needed her if it was going to survive the coming crisis. That alone made what she was doing worthwhile.

Heading towards the public transportation system hub, she paused and looked out at the skyline, seeing the sun rising over the distant Senate Building. Smiling as she continued on, Willow took solace in the fact that she was bringing her former Master something special.

She only hoped that it would arrive in time.

**

Tara stood on the steps leading into the Jedi Temple, waiting for Willow to arrive. The cool morning air prompted her to keep her cloak on, hood raised over her head. It had been like this a lot lately, and it was something that she was beginning to become quite worried about.

Willow was coming home after a two week trip to Mon Calamari, helping a team of Jedi diplomats mediate the dispute between the planet’s two races in the recent conflict. The Mon Calamari were staunch supporters of the Republic, while the pragmatic Quarren were leaning towards siding with the Confederacy. In fact, the recent defection of their representative in the Senate to the Separatists all but confirmed that a conflict between the two races was inevitable.

That was why Willow had been assigned to help the team. They were already on the planet mediating the dispute and had requested additional support upon hearing that Senator Tikkes had escaped the planet following his house arrest. The Council had decided to send Willow to help, knowing her finely honed diplomatic skills would be an asset.

The time that Willow had spent away, however, had made Tara feel uncomfortable. It wouldn’t have been that difficult for her had the event not occurred shortly before everything on Coruscant had begun to unravel. For being the most heavily protected world in the galaxy, the planet had been the location of several major terrorists attacks in recent times, including the attempted assassination of Senator Amidala the previous day.

And, she had learned earlier this morning during the Council session, another attempt on her life during the night. Thankfully, that attempt had been curtailed thanks to the efforts of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Tara couldn’t help but chuckle at hearing how they had managed to catch up to the assassin. Somehow she just couldn’t picture Obi-Wan hanging on for dear life from a small security droid miles off the planet’s surface or watching him walk into a bar and sampling the local lum.

In all seriousness, however, the situation was important enough for the Council to order Anakin to escort Amidala back to Naboo and keep her safe while tasking Obi-Wan with the mission to investigate who was behind the attempts on the Senator’s life. Tara was confident that both of them would succeed in their tasks, though she did harbor doubts as to whether or not the end result of their actions would be worth the expenditure they underwent.

The hum of repulsorlifts cut into her thoughts, and Tara became aware of an approaching air taxi, recognizing its passenger instantly. Lowering her hood, Tara walked down the steps as Willow left the taxi and headed towards her. Enveloping her former Padawan in a hug, the two allowed themselves the opportunity to take in the touch of the other in as proper a manner as they could, given that they were out in the open where anyone could see them.

“I’ve missed you, Willow,” Tara said.

“I know, Tara,” Willow replied. “But it couldn’t be helped. As one of the best diplomats in the Order, I go where I am needed in order to put out the brushfires that could threaten to burn away the forest that is the Republic.” She smiled. “I guess you trained me a bit too well in dealing with the problems of other people.”

Leaning her head on Tara’s chest, Willow managed to miss the look that crossed the face of the blonde, indicating her uneasiness at hearing that. As much as she wanted to see Willow improve, Tara didn’t like that her newly improved skills would keep the redhead away from her. Of course, she had always known that Willow would not remain under her care forever, but that didn’t make it any better to deal with the times they were separated.

“I got your message,” she said as she let go of Willow. “You said you had a surprise to give me?”

Willow nodded. “I did, Tara. And if I’m right, it should be arriving in orbit right now.” Running up the steps to the Temple entrance, Willow beckoned Tara to follow her. The blonde followed, her curiosity growing by the moment.

**

Walking into one of the Temple’s hanger bays, Willow and Tara watched as one of the new Delta-7 Aethersprite Jedi interceptors land on the platform outside. As the ramp retracted back into the hanger, the canopy of the fighter opened and a figure emerged, a figure that Tara recognized immediately.

“Master Halcyon!”

Rushing forward, Tara enveloped her former Master in a hug, one that the Corellian Jedi Master returned. Willow watched the sight with a smile on her face. During her time on Mon Calamari, she had contacted him over the Holonet, telling him how much it would improve her former Master’s mood if he were to come back to the Temple. By coincidence, he had said that he was returning to the Temple to face the Council after recently failing a mission and to accept a new one the Council would be giving him as a consequence of his actions.

Willow didn’t know what this new assignment was, or how long it would be before he would have to leave. But for the moment, she was happy that Tara had the opportunity to converse with her old Master.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter One: Part 1 No

Postby diamondforever » Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:07 pm

Awesome update. That was sweet of Willow (everything, really!). :)
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter One: Part 1 No

Postby SithLordWiccan » Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:09 pm

diamondforever: Glad you liked the first half. Second half coming up in about a half hour. :)
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter One: Part 1 No

Postby SithLordWiccan » Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:51 pm

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter One: Part 2)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*

[hr]

Hours later, Willow, Tara and Nejaa sat in Tara’s quarters, each of them going over events of the recent past, though no mention of Nejaa’s recent incident involving the Scarlet Thranta was made by either woman, who didn’t feel the need to break with the happy atmosphere that had been established. For Willow, it was certainly the most animated she had seen Tara in their time together. Though hints of a vibrant and extraverted personality had often manifested themselves before, they were almost always completely just as quickly buried afterward, and treated as aberrant to her true stoic personality. It wasn’t until after Naboo that Tara had begun to let those instances occur more often, for far longer and with less hesitation. Despite that, there had still been times when she kept to herself, especially in situations when her emotions would have been detrimental to the situation.

But as she watched Tara talk to her former Master now, it was hard for Willow to imagine that Tara had once been so closed off from the world that she appeared to be no different than a droid. It was a happy sight, and one that she hoped would last forever.

After a few moments of further conversation, Nejaa got to his feet and made his way to the door. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, Tara. But the Council has requested my presence, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to keep them waiting.”

Tuning to look at Willow, Tara smiled faintly. “Oh, I don’t know. Sometime’s it’s worth it to be late. Just a little, mind you.” Willow smiled back, but said nothing.

Catching the look that passed between them, Nejaa chuckled slightly. At the nose, the two looked away, and Nejaa could tell that they looked…ashamed? Deciding that it wasn’t terribly important for him to figure that out now, he stepped out of the room.

As soon as he left, Willow got up and moved to sit down beside Tara, wrapping one arm around the blonde’s slender waist. “Enjoy your gift?”

“Very much,” Tara whispered in response, before asking, “How did you get into contact with him?”

Willow shrugged. “I got a message from him while I was on Mon Calamari. He told me that he was coming back to Coruscant to meet with the Council about the failure of his mission to…well, to deal with the crew of the Thranta. So I decided to contrive an excuse for me to return to Coruscant so that I would get here before he did and be able to…”

Willow continued to explain her actions to Tara, though the blonde was no longer paying attention. When she had asked that question, she knew that Willow would give her an answer. After all, Willow always had a reason for doing what she did. But it did concern Tara a great deal that reason involved contriving an excuse in order to get away from the situation on Mon Calamari. Not that Tara really believed that Willow would have made any real difference in the situation there. For all of her skills as a diplomat, not even Willow could patch up all of the galaxy’s problems. It struck her rather ironically then that the two of them had pledged themselves to defend a galaxy that seemed all too willing to tear itself apart.

Realizing that Willow had finished speaking, Tara got to her feet and straightened her robes. “I’d better go, Willow. The Council will be meeting soon to give Nejaa his new assignment.”

Willow nodded. “When you come back, do you think that we could spend some time together before...?”

Tara smiled. “I promise, Willow. We’ll spend some quality time together. I’ll make sure of it.”

Tara stepped out of the room, and Willow took some comfort in hearing that before beginning to actually think about it. The tone in which Tara had said them had sounded neutral, but Willow could detect a faint glimmer of anger in them through the Force, something that was highly uncharacteristic of her former Master. Though it was rare, Tara did become heated and often flustered when things got too confusing for her to try and deal with, and especially if things did not turn out the way she envisioned them, though she often felt regret about doing so.

Something told Willow, however, that things would not turn out so differently this time.

**

Nejaa Halcyon stepped into the High Council chamber and looked at those who would be judging him. He knew that his failure to stop Slayke and those who stole the Scarlet Thranta would be on the forefront of their minds, and that he would find no mercy in their words.

As his gaze continued to crest the room, Nejaa found his eyes meeting Tara’s, who looked back at her with comforting support. Though he was caught off guard for a moment at seeing his former Padawan on the Council, he knew that, at least as far as she was concerned, he would indeed have some support on this issue.

“Step forward please, Master Halcyon.”

At Mace Windu’s command, Nejaa took his place at the center of the circle, prepared to hear whatever the senior members of the Council had to say, and knew that it would not be pleasant.

“The Council has decided that, though you were not inherently responsible for the situation regarding the Scarlet Thranta, that excuses you from any wrongdoing in the situation. Many on the Judicial Department force has sought to blame you for this incident?”


“Yes, Master Windu.”

Mace nodded in understanding before continuing, “You are aware of the current situation involving the Separatists?”

Nejaa nodded. “Yes, Master Windu.”

“Then you are aware of the fact that it would be a mistake to keep you here during this time,” Mace clarified, his voice taking on a dark edge. “If others were to become aware of the fact that we have not punished you for your transgressions, the public would consider us to care more about protecting ourselves than them. Therefore, it is the judgment of the Council that you be sent on a mission that will…keep you out of the way until such time as the current crisis resolves itself.”

“Thank you, Master Windu.”

“Heard you the rumors of the escape of Kieran Maclay?” Yoda asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nejaa could see Tara twitch slightly at the mention of her father’s name, and the Corellian suddenly felt ill at ease, wondering about what the mission he had just agreed to.

“Yes,” he replied in as neutral a tone as he could manage, and hoping that the anger he was beginning to feel wouldn’t be that noticeable.

“Rumored to be on Nar Shaddaa, he is,” Yoda continued. “Familiar with that sector, you are. To recapture him, your mission will be.”

Nejaa heaved a sigh, and turned an eye towards Tara, seeing his former student clearly distressed by what was happening. From the look on both Master Yoda and Master Windu’s faces, they clearly knew of this as well. He knew that they would confront her about this, and he prayed that they went easy on her when doing so. It wouldn’t do him much good for them to realize that the reason for her distress was the fact that she was afraid of her own father, a man that, by all rights, she shouldn’t even know about.

But perhaps there was a way to dissuade Tara’s fear. “Master, perhaps there would be someone else more…suited to the task.”

Mace raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps there is, Master Halcyon, but there is no one among us who knows him better than you.” He purposefully cast his glance towards Tara, a look that could mean one of several different things, none of which made Nejaa feel any more comfortable.

“I…understand, Master.”

“A refugee transport is scheduled to depart in a few hours for Bothawui,” Mace added. “That planet is the closest to Hutt Space, yet still within friendly territory. I’m sure you’ll be able to make your way to Nar Shaddaa from there.”

Nejaa nodded. “I understand. I’ll leave immediately.”

“May the Force be with you,” Yoda replied with a wave of his hand.

**

Willow continued to sit cross legged on the bed, using the time before Tara came back in order to meditate, something she rarely had the time to do these days. Too often she was dealing with bickering Senators and squabbling diplomats in order to truly relax.

She never could seem to relax, especially when she was younger. And the more Willow thought about it, it seemed that as she got older, the less time she had to truly be at peace with herself.

It made her wish to be ten years younger, when she could truly enjoy being not so much relaxed as having less weight of the galaxy placed on her back. But at the time, she was too infatuated with her own Master and trying to convince her to reciprocate those feelings to pay much attention to her own wants and desires. Not that she was supposed to have them, being a Jedi and all. But there were times when she just wanted something that she could claim as her own, without having to share it with anybody.

Her mediations were interrupted by the sound of the door chime. Opening her eyes, Willow got up off the bed and went to the door, a smile on her face and in her heart.

Her happy mood was dashed somewhat when she opened the door and found, instead of Tara, Master Halcyon waiting for her. While it did disappoint her somewhat, she knew that Tara would be back soon, so there was no real need to be concerned.

That is, unless whatever it was Nejaa wanted took a long time. If Tara came back while he was here, and he started asking questions, Willow was going to have a difficult time trying to explain things.

“Hello, Willow,” Nejaa said. “May I come in?”

Willow nodded and watched as Nejaa stepped inside, making his way to the bed. She could feel through the Force that the elder Corellian Jedi Master was distressed about something. “Master, what is wrong?”

Nejaa looked up into Willow’s eyes. “I’ve just come from the Council, Willow. They said that they wouldn’t be punishing me for…for an incident that recently occurred, but that, in order to make sure those involved don’t resort to...dangerous acts, that I should be kept out of the way.”

Willow didn’t know what it was that Nejaa was talking about, but decided not to ask, given how upset he appeared to be. “Well, that’s great…isn’t it?”

“No, Willow,” Nejaa replied. “It’s not. The mission…involves going after Tara’s father.”

This brought Willow’s good mood to a complete halt. She remembered the way in which Tara had described the man, and recalled how upset she had been when she had, rather carelessly, blurted that out in polite conversation during one of their brief times together.

“How does Tara feel about that?”

“She didn’t say anything,” Nejaa answered. “But she didn’t need to. The entire room could tell how she felt.” Seeing Willow’s horrified expression, he quickly added, “But I’m sure that there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I hope you’re right,” Willow said, clearly not satisfied with what she had been told. Then, as if surprised by the sound of her own voice and realizing what she had said, quickly added, “Not that I have anything to be worried about. After all, we haven’t done anything wrong. I mean, yes, there have been times that I’ve gone off the path of a Jedi, but Tara has always been there to pull me back, so there was never any harm done…”

Realizing that she may have let out more than she intended, Willow suddenly clammed up, hoping that he didn’t pick up anything that shouldn’t have been revealed in casual conversation. Luckily, he didn’t say anything, and she couldn’t pick up any hint through the Force that he had come to any sudden realizations.

“Willow,” Nejaa smiled warmheartedly, getting to his feet. “Tara needs to feel comfortable, and she won’t be unless someone deals with her father. And the Council is right. There is no one better suited to the task than me.”

He looked at the redhead’s sparking green eyes, and added, “But I don’t have to go alone.”

Willow realized what it was that Nejaa was asking her…or rather, what he was not asking her. “You…you want me to go with you?”

“No,” Nejaa insisted. “I don’t want you to come with me. I’m asking you. The Council has ordered me to go, but said nothing about whether or not I could ask for assistance. And knowing Tara as you do, I do believe that you’ll be able to put your best effort into helping me if it means apprehending a man that could very much do her harm.”

Willow had to think over the decision she had just been given. Tara had promised that they would spend as much time together as they could. And yet there was an opportunity before her to do a great service to the well being of her former Master. Both would be helping to make Tara feel better, but which one would truly do more for her in the long run?

“All right,” she said after what felt like an eternity. “I’ll come with you.”

“Excellent,” Nejaa said. “The transport that will take us part of the way there will be leaving in a few hours. We’ll need to get everything that we’ll need together.” As he moved to the door, Nejaa looked back to find Willow sitting down on the bed.

Looking up, Willow noticed the expression on his face, and said, “I’m coming, Master. I just…I just need to take care of something…before I do.”

Nejaa nodded. “Go right ahead, Willow. But don’t take too long.”

As soon as Nejaa left, the door closing behind him, Willow moved to the holoprojector, activated it, and began to recite the most heartbreaking message she would ever have to make in her life.

**

As Tara left the Council chambers, she hoped that she could avoid a confrontation with Master Yoda or Master Windu. When they had mentioned her father’s name, she couldn’t help but feel frightened. The news that he had broken out of prison had shocked her, and the fact that he had made no overt attacks on Republic territory made her nervous. What if he had been gearing up for a major attack? If he had the backing of the Confederacy, he could pull off something disastrous to some innocent beings. What could she do if he did that to the population of a neutral planet? What would she do if he did it to Coruscant?

What if he did it to Willow?

A tug at the hem of her robe prevented her from answering this question, and she turned to look down at the diminutive form of Master Yoda. “Master Maclay, I would like to speak to you for a moment.”

Getting down on one knee to look at Yoda, Tara swallowed, knowing that something bad was about to happen. “Of course, Master Yoda. Is…is something wrong?”

Yoda let out a sigh, an act that Tara knew meant that whatever he had to say would be unpleasant, yet necessary for her to hear. “Sense I could your feelings earlier, Tara. This is unfortunate, as I know you have felt this way for quite some time. Admit I must my concern about this. Now be honest with me, Tara. Are you afraid?”

Knowing it was useless to lie to the head of the Council, Tara nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“About your father, does your fear arise? Are you afraid at the prospect of having to confront him?”

Tara nodded.

Nodding slightly, Yoda leaned against his walking stick. “I am not surprised that you know about him, yet admit I must that I am disappointed that you allow yourself to be easily overcome by fear. That is why I hoped that this day would never come.”

“So did I,” Tara mused.

Yoda sighed. “I have discussed the matter with Master Windu. Feel we do that until Master Halcyon apprehends your father, of no use you are to the Council.”

“You mean…?” Tara said, her tongue catching in her throat. “I’m…I’m going to be…going to be…”

Sensing Tara’s rising concern about her position on the Council, Yoda moved to lay a hand on her shoulder, the touch comforting Tara enough to allow her fear to slowly dissipate. “No, Tara,” Yoda answered. “You have truly earned the right to sit amongst us. Of great service to the Republic, you are. That is why Master Windu and I believe that until this crisis is resolved, you not subject yourself to having to deal with the pressures that being a member of the Jedi Council brings.” Turning to head down the corridor, Yoda concluded by saying, “Suggest I do that you spend time doing something that would help to calm your mind, Tara. A Jedi must be at peace at all times, lest he or she become too emotionally involved to think clearly.”

Despite the severity of what had been said, Tara could not help but feel happy. The thought of having to deal with the potential threat her father represented while being part of the Council did not need to haunt her anymore. What was more, she would now be free to spend as much time with Willow as she wanted, making sure that the redhead would be all right in whatever situation she managed to find herself in.

“Thank you, Master Yoda.”

Getting to her feet, Tara walked calmly down the corridor to her quarters. The minute she knew she left Yoda’s eyesight, however, she broke out at a run, heading as fast as she could towards her room. Arriving at the door moments later, she walked inside expecting to find Willow waiting for her.

Instead, she found the room deserted.

“Willow?” she called out needlessly. Searching the room, Tara came to the holoprojector, seeing one message waiting for her. Despite fearing what she would find in that message, she pressed the transmit button.

A quarter sized image of Willow appeared in front of her, her head turned down. ”Hi, Tara. If you’re reading this, you’ve discovered that I’m not here. I’m not anywhere inside the Temple. I’ve…I’ve gone with Master Halcyon to…to help deal with your father.”

Tara’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear as the image of Willow continued, ”I’ve taken R5 with me, and Master Halcyon has assured me that nothing bad will happen to me while I’m gone. Don’t worry my beloved. I’ll return soon. And when I do, I’ll make sure that we can spend as much time together as you want. No restrictions, no prior commitments, nothing. It will be just you and me, however we can manage.”

Willow reached out of sight, and her image disappeared, leaving Tara alone in her room, with nothing to comfort her but the growing fear she felt for Willow’s safety growing in the pit of her stomach.

How could she? Didn’t Willow realize that by doing what she was doing, she was putting herself in needless danger? Regardless of the reasons, there was nothing in the galaxy that could justify that. Sadly, this was not unlike Willow, who often went around the rules if it meant that she could get what she wanted. It was a lesson Tara had accepted in limits, but had always attempted to try and temper.

Obviously those efforts had not worked as well as she liked.

Getting to her feet, Tara was glad that Master Yoda had effectively given her a free pass from dealing with the responsibilities of a Council member. It was the only way she was going to be able to get away with what she knew she must do.

As she moved to the door, Tara recalled the words Yoda had spoken to her mere moments earlier.

”A Jedi must be at peace at all times, lest he or she become too emotionally involved to think clearly.”

It was clearly apparent to Tara that she was too emotional about what had just happened to think clearly, and that it was clouding her judgment. It also became obvious that she couldn’t make this decision on her own in her current state of mind. And given the nature of her problem, there was no one among the Jedi she could turn to for help.

But perhaps there was one who could help without having to reveal the secret of her relationship with Willow. One who felt as she did towards the nature of the universe, and could understand what it meant to do what needed to be done for the greater good.

Stepping out of her quarters, Tara made her way towards the Temple entrance, hoping that it was not too late for her to gain an audience with Senator Bail Organa.
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SithLordWiccan
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter One: Part 2 No

Postby SithLordWiccan » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:32 am

Before I post the next update, I must be honest about something. I am incredibly disappointed that in the two weeks between posting the update above and the update I'm about to do, no one has left any feedback. I know that this story is being read (Actually, given that nobody has left feedback for it in over two weeks, I don't know that this is being read by anyone, but I'm choosing to believe at least that because...well, frankly, I don't want to think that my best efforts in writing this story are going to waste. I already think along those lines about too many other things, and I seriously don't want to start thinking that about this. The last time I did that, I never bothered to finish the story I was working on), so I would like to think that the reason nobody has left any feedback is because you're too busy.

Anyways, here's the update, and I hope that those people who are reading this story (wherever you may be) enjoy it.

[hr]

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter Two)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*

[hr]

[center]Chapter Two[/center]

Even at this time of day, when the varied forms of entertainment available on Coruscant, legal or otherwise, ensured that airspeeder traffic across the planet wide city was at its peak, it was always easy to get where you wanted to go. For while the majority of that traffic sped across predetermined lanes, air taxis that were smaller than the average transport and could easily bypass the better established travel routes were available to those who wished speed in reaching their destination.

It was onboard one such craft that Tara found herself now, having departed the Jedi Temple and en route to Cantham House, the residence of Senator Bail Organa, one of the few people outside of the Jedi Order that, over the past ten years, she had come to know rather well, becoming as much a father figure to her as Master Halcyon had been.

And in some ways, becoming much more of a father figure than Master Halcyon could hope to be.

Stepping out of the taxi as it arrived outside the building, Tara walked up to the entrance and stepped inside. Blinking, she took a look around the room and smiled. The walls of the atrium were, as always, surrounded on all sides by opulent works of art, the ceiling extending high into the air, each of the succeeding floors crisscrossed with walkways that allowed people to cross between each side of the building with enough space to gaze onto the ground floor.

Tara found herself now, as she had the dozens of times she had been her previously, enjoying the sight. Having been raised in the Jedi Temple, a building whose rooms, though as expansive, often eschewed opulence for functionality, it was rare for her to see this side of the planet, and so she took every opportunity she could to which represented a lifestyle that she had been taught from birth to protect, but not become a part of.

Knowing her intended destination, Tara didn’t bother to give the droid stationed at the reception desk a second thought as she made her way to the turbolift. After boarding it and pressing her destination on the keypad, Tara allowed herself to relax, the first time in the past few hours when she truly felt that she had the right to do so.

The turbolift door opened several minutes later, and Tara moved to leave, pausing slightly as she noticed three other senators moving to board, each of them giving her a disgusted glance as she made her way out.

Tara wasn’t at all surprised by the reaction they gave her. Anti-Jediism had always been present in the public consciousness, but only in recent times had it become so obvious that it had begun to be publicly displayed. Tara couldn’t help but agree with some of the arguments brought up by the Jedi’s more vocal opponents, but she also knew that she could never bring herself to openly voice what she truly thought to anyone else. As one of the more prominent faces among the Jedi, particularly since her appointment on the Council, her voice carried a great deal of weight, which could easily be misused if she dared to say anything that would try to convince others, who most likely would see such an attempt as a means by her to believe a scenario that simply wasn’t true.

There was only one person she could talk to that could possibly help to put her conflicting emotions into check. If nothing else, he would be able to provide Tara with the sense of calm that she desperately needed to find and cling to at the moment.

Walking down the corridor, Tara stopped in front of one of the doors, pressed the call button and waited. The door opened a few moments later to reveal a tall human with black hair and brown eyes clad in the finest Republic Classic clothing, who smiled broadly at seeing his guest. “Tara, I hadn’t expected to see you here.”

“It…It was kind of a last minute decision on my part, Senator Organa.”

Bail smiled. “Please – Bail. We’ve known each other for years.” Stepping aside, he continued, “Come on in.”

Tara stepped inside the room and moved to sit down on one of the couches near the window, which offered her an expansive and rather spectacular view of the Coruscant skyline. Bail came over a few moments later and sat across from her, a BD-3000 luxury droid following behind and holding onto a tray upon which rested two glasses. Reaching for one, Tara took a sip of its contents as the droid walked over to Bail, who took the other glass and set it down on the table.

“Is there anything I can do for you, Tara?” Bail asked.

Setting her drink down, Tara looked out the window. “I…I wanted to talk to you about something, Bail.”

“About what?”

Reaching for her drink again, Tara swallowed, wondering why she was finding it difficult to talk to Bail about this. She always seemed to be able to talk to him about everything else that bothered her. Maybe it was because of the fact that they shared the same home world. Or maybe it was the fact that they shared similar views of the Republic and how it should truly act in the current crisis despite their widely divergent backgrounds.

Either way, Bail was the only one whom Tara could seek reassurance from when she felt troubled, especially on things that concerned Willow. There had been times during the redhead’s apprenticeship when Tara had felt troubled whether or not she was doing a good enough job at teaching Willow all that she needed to know in order to become a Jedi, fears that were allayed after talking to Bail, who seemed to understand and sympathize with her in matters such as that.

“You’ve…you’ve heard about my…about my father?”

Bail’s face grew stern. “Yes, Tara. And I can assure you that I completely sympathize with you in your current situation.” At Tara’s curious look, he continued, “To have to deal with a personal situation that you’re ill equipped to handle at a time when the rest of the galaxy is falling apart.”

Tara nodded. “That’s…That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Bail. The Council has decided to...send my former Master…to capture him.”

“I see.”

“And…he took Willow with him.”

Bail’s eyes widened slightly at hearing that, though otherwise he remained composed. A realization dawned on him at that moment. Tara had visited him quite often in the past several years, and it was, more often than not, about only one subject.

“Is that why you’ve come here, Tara? Are you having more problems with Willow that you can’t seem to deal with?”

Tara’s uneasiness about confronting Bail with her problem grew deeper with that question. She never would have thought him to be this accusatory towards her on any subject. But she could understand, on some fundamental level that she truly didn’t want to admit, where he was coming from. She was acting very much like an overprotective mother who, although well meaning, truly did not know when to back away and look at the big picture.

Reminding herself that this was exactly why she had come, Tara explained, “Bail, you don’t understand. I…I’m not sure what I should do. I mean, I trust them to do the right thing. To…to not get hurt...or…or…But we’re talking about my father. I know that he would stop at nothing to kill me from that moment on. I don’t know how I know, I just…I just do. And…”

“You’re afraid that, despite the fact that you trust her, Willow will get hurt?” Bail prompted, his features softening and his voice sounding more sympathetic than it did a few moments earlier.

Tara nodded, ashamed to admit that, even to him. Her love for Willow had done a great deal towards strengthening her and helping to melt away the shreds of her introverted personality. It was somewhat disconcerting for her to realize that one simple thing could do a lot towards undoing nearly ten years of hard work. But on the other hand, it had also made her overprotective, fearing for Willow’s safety at a time when she should be letting go of her. It was tough to balance those two sides of her being: the one that wanted Willow to succeed yet wanted her to fail so that they could remain together.

Taking up his drink, Bail looked out the window. Getting to his feet, he walked over to it and looked out. “Tara, I can’t talk to you as if I was your own father about this. You need to make this decision on your own. All I can tell you is this. Your father is a very dangerous man, and a threat to the already shaky peace and stability that this Republic has enjoyed for a thousand years. Not a threat on as grand a scale as the Separatists are, perhaps, but a threat nonetheless. Who knows what could happen if he were to decide to join them. And even if he were not, he could still do a lot of damage to the Republic’s image.”

Pausing for a moment, he gestured with his hand at the window. “Look out there, Tara,”

Tara got up and looked out the window, seeing the expanse of Galactic City beyond, the home and workplace of billions upon billions of individuals.

“Every single person down there is scared right now,” Bail continued. “Afraid for what the future might bring down upon them.” He turned to look at Tara. “The Senate feels that the creation of an army is the only way to stem the tide of the approaching darkness.”

“Perhaps they’re right,” Tara found herself saying. “The Jedi don’t seem able to handle the situation.” She was somewhat shocked to find that she believed this far more than she would normally have allowed herself to, but if the alternative meant letting Willow be seriously harmed, then it suddenly didn’t sound that crazy after all.

“I don’t think you’re thinking about how much of a difference you and the Jedi make in the galaxy, Tara,” Bail reassured her, moving to put his glass on the table before taking Tara’s hands into his own. “For all the negativity the general public have towards the Order, you do serve a useful purpose to them. At least, I and others I know believe you do. Those who support the Military Creation Act seem to think that the only way to deal with force is with force. But I believe that sometimes it is the gentlest touch that causes the greatest difference.”

Tara gave Bail a comforting glance, letting him know that his words had affected her, and smiled faintly. “Thank you, Bail. You’ve…You’ve given me a lot to think about. I’d…I’d better be going.”

Moving to the door, she stepped through it and into the hallway, pausing as the door closed behind her. It was true that Bail had given her a lot to think about, and the picture that her thoughts were forming was one she did not like. As much as she cared for Willow and wanted to protect her from the dangers the galaxy offered, the redhead was more than capable of defending herself.

She didn’t feel any animosity towards her for deciding to go, nor did she towards Nejaa for giving her the option. The man had treated her in every way like a daughter, and it was hard for her to have strong feelings of anger towards him.

The Council, on the other hand, was a different story. She knew it was foolish of her to think that way, but the way in which they had treated it made her think that they thought of it as little more than a casual assignment that would have little to no impact on anyone.

That wasn’t true, naturally. The situation greatly affected her. It ironic thing was, of course, that she wasn’t supposed to. This was, in her view, little more than the Council once again overstepping the bounds she had thought was necessary in order to prevent them from becoming a dictatorship. History had, after all, proven how much the honest intentions of the Jedi have proven disastrous, and it was all Tara could do to stop herself from wondering about the potential fallout that would result from their decision on this manner.

She also recalled the question that she had failed to answer when she was first appointed to the Jedi Council. At the time, she had wondered if she would be able to continue to feel the way she did for Willow given their new responsibilities. Now Tara found herself realizing that putting that question off may have been a critical mistake.

The situation currently being played out reminded her too much of an incident that happened on Taris years ago. She and Nejaa had gone to the planet in order to investigate some smuggling group operating out of the planet, supposedly in the employ of the Trade Federation. While they were waiting for their contact in one of the cantinas near the spaceport, however, an argument between two people had erupted, one of them pulling a blaster on the other.

The last thing she felt was a pain in her chest and a reverberating shock up her body as she collapsed to the floor. She didn’t regain consciousness until days later, realizing that Willow, whom despite her objections, had accompanied them at Nejaa’s insistence, had stayed in the hospital the entire time. Knowing that the redhead was obviously in a great deal of pain at seeing her like that, Tara put up a brave front, giving Willow the appearance of someone who knew that everything would be all right.

But in all honesty, she was scared, perhaps the most afraid she had been about anything in a long time. That experience had reaffirmed Tara’s needed to protect Willow, no matter the danger. And even though things were substantially different now, the need for her to protect Willow had never really faded. And it was somewhat amusing to find that the boot was now on the other foot, with Willow going on a dangerous mission and she the one on the sidelines

It was that need to protect Willow that made Tara decide to find some way to accompany them. Of course, she wasn’t about to let either Willow or Master Halcyon know that, and since Yoda had insisted that she spend some time to think about how to deal with her feelings, she felt no need to talk to the Council. And if anyone did ask, she was reasonably sure she could invent some reason for leaving. There were certainly enough brushfires going on in the galaxy that required stamping out which could serve as a possible cover story.

Tara found herself rather annoyed that, in order to protect the one she loved, she would have to do the one thing she vowed never to do. But in this instance, she managed to convince herself that if it meant Willow would be safe, then she would have to go against the principles she had worked so hard to maintain.

But if it meant protecting Willow, Tara would move the very stars themselves. Anything was important, as long as it meant Willow would be all right.

**

Standing amongst the crowd waiting to board the transport, Willow was beginning to get nervous. And when she got nervous, she tended to babble to anyone within listening distance. And unfortunately for him, Nejaa Halcyon happened to find himself the recipient of the redhead’s latest babblefest.

“And so I was sitting by myself…well, not really by myself, but with over a dozen dignitaries, trying to figure out how I could diffuse the situation between them, and I suggested that we get the high ranking officials together in a room and have a dinner. And it was all going well until one of the younger aides suggested that we serve the body parts of the others. Of course, she meant it as a joke…at least, I think she did, but that was all it too for a full scale fight between the two to erupt…”

Nejaa paid the redhead’s words only a cursory amount of his attention, looking down at his chronometer as Willow continued, “...and the cleaning droids took hours to restore the room to its former state. And I had to make a public apology to Tundra Dowmedia, promising that it wouldn’t happen again…”

“That’s nice, Willow,” Nejaa interrupted, seeing the R5 droid that the redhead had brought along trundle between them and board the freighter, making its way towards one of the ramps.

As Willow prepared to follow him, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she looked into the eyes of Master Halcyon. “Don’t worry about Tara, Willow. She’ll be all right as soon as we capture her father. And the sooner we do, the sooner things between the two of you can get back to normal.”

Nejaa hefted his own travel bag and moved to follow R5 onboard the freighter. Willow stood for a moment before joining them, a sudden thought sparking in the back of her mind.

What exactly did Nejaa mean by “things between the two of us?”

Shrugging that aside for the moment, she took up her own bag and moved to board the ship.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Two Now Up

Postby diamondforever » Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:29 pm

SithLord Wiccan, thanks for the update. I know from experience how it feels to not get feedback, and I'm sorry that this has happened to you. But I really enjoyed this chapter and can't wait to see what will happen to what is seeming to me our star-crossed lovers!
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Two Now Up

Postby Artemis » Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:38 am

I've been neglecting my feedbacking duties of late :ashamed

Naturally the storyline for this episode's still in the process of building up, though the basics are in place. But what got my attention this chapter (thinking back to when I first read it in the beta, too) was something I'd suspected in the movies too - the Jedi aren't quite with the program they way they think they are. I liked the scene between Tara and Bail especially, partly because I thought Bail was a neat (and criminally under-used) character in the movies, but also because it gives her a perspective outside of the Jedi Order. And that's something worth having, I think - for all that they tend to get glamourised, I find the Jedi to be almost dangerously out of touch with the galaxy around them. So sure of themselves, and of their ability to instantly understand and 'fix' anything they walk into, but when push really comes to shove, they're really... well, ignorant. The reference to anti-Jediism was well-placed, because that backed up that suspicion of mine - not that I'd necessarily give it that much weight (let's face it, there'll always be people who resent those like Jedi, just on the basis that they've got neat skills and high public profiles), but I can see how that situation would arise. I mean, thinking about it - I'd feel a bit peeved if a bunch of monks who live in an isolated temple and pride themselves on not having emotional attachments to anything popped up and started lecturing me on how to live my life, which is essentially what the Jedi do, on a diplomatic level. Makes you wonder.

I liked Nejaa's little zone-out when Willow was babbling - but I'm still wondering about him, you know. He's very sure of himself, almost to the point of disregarding people around him because he's sure what he's doing will turn out to be good for everyone concerned. I found the way he recruited Willow to be a bit unsettling, and I'm not entirely sure that his way will turn out to be for the best.
Chris Cook
Through the Looking-glass - Every world needs a Willow and Tara.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Two Now Up

Postby Devi Crystalseeker » Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:29 pm

I've been neglecting the feedbacking too :blush , so here's my catch-up -


Star Witches: Art of the Saber


Such a lovely interlude. R5 is such a cutie! And willow building her new lightsabre to be like Tara's made me squee out loud. ^_^


Star Witches: Seeds of the Future

Excellent introduction to the baddies. As the big Grievous fangirl I am, I (of course) enjoyed this. :)


Star Witches Episode II Prologue

What a good read! I really enjoyed how your portrayed our two Jedi. And I honest to goodness squeed at Willow's knighting. ^____^

And the last two lines? Perfect.


Star Witches Episode II Chapter 1 pt.1

What a lovely read again!

As Willow’s own training had been haphazard at best, it would not do her any good to impart what knowledge of the Force she did know to an impressionable youth who could misinterpret the redhead’s enthusiasm at doing so for something else.

Is it just me, or do I see an adorable touch of jealousy on Tara's part there? (As in, her worrying that the hypothetical "impressionable youth" might develop a crush on Willow.)


Star Witches Episode II Chapter 1 pt.2

Excellent! It's very moving - Willow's decision to do what she'll do, and Tara's feelings and all.

Opening her eyes, Willow got up off the bed and went to the door, a smile on her face and in her heart.

I love that line. Says a lot that just expecting to see Tara at the door makes her react this way. ^__^


Star Witches Episode II Chapter 2

Again, an excellent read. In particular, I enjoyed seeing Bail Organa.

Maybe it was because of the fact that they shared the same home world.

So she does think of Alderaan as her homeworld? Well, she would. Which makes me wonder how she'll react to the destruction of Alderaan (you will eventually write an Episode IV to this, right?).

Also, lots of anxious wibbling on my part at Tara's decision...

Once again, I love the chapter ending. I suppose Nejaa knows... and understands, given his own married situation.


So yeah... I'm enjoying this greatly. Clichéd as it may sound - write more please!
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Two Now Up

Postby SithLordWiccan » Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:11 am

diamondforever: Thank you for reading this, and for leaving those comforting words. It truly means a lot. And you won't have to wait very long. Update about to go up.

Chris: I agree with you that the Jedi are pretty much out of it. Though it really wasn't covered in either "Phantom Menace" or the EU material set before or after it, it was really at this point that love for the Jedi starts to go south. I really wanted to expand upon that point, using a scene and dialogue cut from the movie to help express how Tara herself feels about that. The line that I felt most contributed to this was the one where it was asked why the Jedi aren't doing enough to protect the Republic. It really is a fact that by this point in time in the history of the Star Wars universe, the Republic was acting on sheer force of inertia, convincing itself that there couldn't be any problems and that the Jedi would be capable of handling any that popped up. Which I think was a mistake.

I'm glad that you enjoyed the scene with Tara and Bail. It was one of my favorites, too. (I too feel that he was a criminally underused character, which is why you're going to be seeing a lot more of him in this fic and the next. And possibly later on. ;) ) As much as I wanted to get the point across that the majority of the people hate the Jedi at this point, there are those who see them for what they truly are, and trust that they will be able to make the right choices to do what they have to do. (Though I'm not sure in this case it'll turn out for the best.

The zone out with Nejaa was a particular thing I wanted to get across, for reasons that will become obvious later. But trust me, it'll be a good one. :)

Devi: Thanks for the feedback on the short stories, along with what has happened so far here. I wanted to introduce R5 as a sort of R2-D2 lite, since he won't be making a signfiicant appearance here, and I think it must be one of the unwritten rules of Star Wars to have an R series astromech around who can be able to jump in and save the day when necessary (whoops, did I just reveal a plot point? ;) ) And making it an R5 was my attempt at trying to be funny, since the R5 is the least dependable of all the R series, though I would have to say that this particular one has gotten an attitude adjustment after Willow poked around inside it. ;)

Is it just me, or do I see an adorable touch of jealousy on Tara's part there? (As in, her worrying that the hypothetical "impressionable youth" might develop a crush on Willow.)


It really is jealousy, but it's not so much because of the possibility of Willow developing a crush on said person as much as it is a fear that said person might be negatively influenced into using the Force out of emotion, a rather embarassing event not only for Willow, but for Tara herself.

So she does think of Alderaan as her homeworld? Well, she would. Which makes me wonder how she'll react to the destruction of Alderaan (you will eventually write an Episode IV to this, right?).


I think I had mentioned back in the first fic that she had been born on Alderaan, which will indeed make it interesting when it gets blown up in about twenty years (fic) time.

Glad you're all enjoying this. Update going up in a few minutes.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Two Now Up

Postby SithLordWiccan » Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:12 am

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter Three)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*

[hr]

[center]Chapter Three[/center]

Botajef Freighter-Liner Screeching Hawk-Bat
Outbound to Nar Shaddaa via Bothawui
6 Days Prior to the Battle of Geonosis


The trip that the two Jedi and their droid companion were undertaking would take two days. Willow, at least for the first few hours of that journey, took the time to familiarize herself with their intended destination.

Bothawui, located in the Bothan Sector of the Mid Rim, was a unique place, in that the planet had sided neither with the Republic or the Confederacy, preferring to remain independent. Despite the fact that either side could easily occupy the planet and force its citizens to actively contribute to their goals to the exclusion of all else, neither side had made more than the barest of token offerings to the planet before abandoning any real full scale military action, effectively leaving the world to its own devices. The fact that Bothawui was home to one of the largest information and spy networks in the galaxy no doubt played a key role in that decision. The information that the Bothan spy networks provided would be of great importance to both sides should open warfare break out, so it made sense for the Bothan government not to officially declare itself as more favorable to one side more than the other in order to maintain a certain degree of neutrality, since no matter what ended up happening, they would profit a great deal from it.

After she had done that, Willow decided to talk with Nejaa, both of them agreeing that, in the little time that they had before they reached their destination, it would be a good idea for them to talk about whatever was on their mind. Since she was going to be spending a lot of time with the man, Willow agreed, knowing that it would be a good idea for her to get to know him better beyond what Tara had told her. Having spent the better part of her childhood with the man, she knew a lot about him, but those tales, from her point of view anyway, always seemed to have gotten mixed up with the telltale signs of hero worship that made their credibility questionable, and thus made them, more often than not, get turned into something that wasn’t meant to be created. It would be nice to hear those tales from someone who was more modest.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting down at one of the many makeshift tables inside the freighter’s common area, Willow casting her glance around the room at the other passengers who were also in the room. Most were humans, but there were the odd smattering of nonhumans, including an Ithorian family and three Kubaz that looked rather shady. She made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

Turning around as Nejaa returned with two trays, she smiled as the food was placed in front of her, only to have it slip as she looked at the offerings. “I know that the galaxy has its problems, but I didn’t think that shipboard food service was one of them.”

Nejaa smiled as he took a drink from the glass on his tray, making a face as he set it down on the table and swallowing painfully. “One thing you can always count on, Willow, is than when times get tough, so will the food.”

Willow chuckled and picked up her fork, tapping her meal with it several times, then deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, placed the utensil back on the tray. Nejaa amused by Willow’s antics, decided to show her that it couldn’t possibly be as bad as she was making it out to be. Dipping his own fork into the meal, he brought it up to his mouth, but the smile on his face dropped quickly as he found out first hand how bad it truly was.

The look on Nejaa’s face made Willow smile, but she then decided that now was probably as good a time as any to broach a topic that concerned her more than the content of their meals. “Master Halcyon, do you think that Tara…that Tara will hate me?”

Nejaa looked Willow directly in the eye, a curious expression on his face. “For what?”

Willow swallowed, mostly to fight down her growing gag reflex at the smell of the food in front of her, but partially to prepare to ask the question she had been asking herself for the past several hours. “Because…Because she might think that I’m being…selfish by coming with you without talking to her first. I mean, I know that we were together for a long time, but when I became a Knight, I knew that there would be a lot of changes to our relationship, and even though we love to spend time together and truly want to spend time together, I would like to think that I have gained the right to be a little more independent when I need to be. I mean, I know we promised each other that we’d try to be together as much as we could, but with the galaxy the way that it is…”

“Willow,” Nejaa interrupted, the redhead’s babbling attempt at an explanation immediately dying. “You made the choice to come with me. No one forced you to decide to come.” Not wanting to continue the conversation out of concern that he may say the wrong thing, he changed the subject by asking, “You can understand how important this is, Willow?”

Willow nodded, unsure as to the direction this conversation was about to take.

“And do you realize why I gave you the choice to come with me?”

Willow shook her head.

“I can accomplish this mission on my own,” Nejaa answered. “I have no doubt of that. But I felt that the mission would be easier if...if I had the support of someone who knew Tara better than I did. Someone who could know Tara better than I know her, perhaps even better Tara knows herself. Someone…who loved her a great deal, as much as I know you obviously do.”

Willow’s eyes subtly, but very noticeably, widened at that. That statement, along with his comment prior to their boarding the transport, made her question once again just how much he really knew about her relationship with Tara. She figured that, for the moment, the best way to find out was to try and remain coy.

“Love? I…I don’t know…”

As Willow attempted to defend herself against Nejaa’s words, the Corellian reached over and took her hand into his own, a firm expression on his face. “Willow, please don’t try and fool me. I can tell that you care for Tara deeply. That’s why I gave you the choice on whether or not to come with me. After all, I too know how it feels to love someone, and I also know how it feels to do whatever is necessary in order to help them.”

Curiosity overrode caution in Willow’s mind at hearing that. “You do?”

Nejaa nodded, a faint smile on his face. “Thirty years ago, I met a woman on Corellia named Scerra. It was love at first sight. A year later, we got married in secret. We had a child some years later.” At Willow’s surprised look, he clarified, “The Jedi from Corellia are considered somewhat…eccentric in regard to their service to the Order, Willow. We don’t hold on to the Council’s belief that separating ourselves from our emotions makes us weak or easily tempted towards the Dark Side.” He smiled faintly. “In fact, I would say that the love I have for my wife and my child makes me stronger.”

Willow absorbed the information she was hearing with great interest. For the longest time, she had felt that she needed to keep her feelings for Tara a secret from everyone out of fear that others would frown upon her decision to have that emotional connection, especially due to the fact that the person she felt that way towards was her own Master.
Even Tara, prior to their mission to Naboo, had steadfastly refuted any attempt on her part to act on what Willow could easily tell were the rather obvious, yet suppressed, true feelings she felt towards her Padawan. Afterward, when she had decided to come out of her self-imposed shell a bit and admit what she truly felt, she also knew that they would have to be more responsible around others, lest anyone, especially the Council, found out about what was going on between them. The past month had truly been the most trying time of their relationship. With Tara on the Jedi Council and herself on various peacekeeping and goodwill missions in the name of the Republic, Willow had cause to wonder whether or not their relationship, strained enough as it was, could continue.

“And…you’ve never told the Council?” Willow asked, mentally kicking herself in the head as the question left her lips. Of course he wouldn’t have told the Council. How foolish would that have been?

Nejaa simply smiled, accepting Willow’s faux pas in stride. “No, Willow. And I won’t tell them about yours, either.”

Willow chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure that the Council wouldn’t mind if I asked a stupid question. It’s certainly not the first time I’ve done it…”

“No, Willow,” Nejaa interrupted. “That’s not what I meant.”

Willow paused and frowned, hoping that she could have avoided this for a few minutes more. But apparently, the Force would have none of it. Willow truly realized at that moment that the game was over, and that there was no way she was going to be able to weasel her way out of it. Somehow, he knew that she and Tara were in love and had a relationship that was anything but professional. But how did he find out? Perhaps it was the fact that he himself had some experience in not only finding the love of someone else, but in keeping that love a secret from the Council. In that sense, he sympathized with Willow, especially since his former Padawan was the object of her affection.

It seemed that the only way to confront it was to do so head first. As usual.

“Thank you,” she said.

Nejaa nodded, then set about trying to make Willow feel better. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Willow. I think that the love the two of you share is something special and precious, and it’s obviously done her a great deal of good. In conversations past, I could tell that there had been a certain…weight that lifts from her shoulders whenever she mentions your name. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s almost as if when she mentions your name to me, that she feels…happy.”

“She’s always been like that,” Willow mused. “It’s only after Naboo that it became…different between us.”

“I know,” Nejaa said, adding at Willow’s surprised look, “We talked once before some years ago. When I asked her what she thought about you, she brought up what had happened on Naboo, telling me only that it was then that had started a change in attitude towards her situation with you. And having experienced a similar situation myself, I couldn’t help but detect the underlying meaning of what it was that she was saying, even though I kept it to myself for her benefit.” He smiled faintly. “And I want to thank you for that. For her to have done that means that she can trust you with anything. This will be good when we get to Nar Shaddaa, because I will need to be able to trust that you will do the right thing when the time comes.”

Willow kept her mouth closed, lest she let it slip that she was afraid of traveling to that world. It wouldn’t do Master Halcyon any good to realize that she had been in constant fear ever since learning of their destination. She had not wanted to say anything, however, out of a desire to help Tara. The coming days would truly be a test, not only for her, but for Tara, as well. They would both have to face their deepest fears. Whether or not they would live through the experience was a question best left to the Force.

“You can count on me, Master Halcyon. I won’t let you down.”

Nejaa nodded. “I know you won’t, Willow.”

Willow nodded, casting her glance towards the Kubaz once again and noticed that they were beginning to make their way towards a trio of insectoid Verpine who, along with a heavily armed Trandoshan, had entered the room from the doorway at the opposite end of the mess.

”Uh oh…”

**

The Drunken Dianoga
Red Sector of Nar Shaddaa


“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Kieran was the bravest of individuals. The type of work that he did often required him to have nerves of steel, a quick trigger finger and to be in complete control of the situation, three aspects of his personality that had gotten him through more than one tough scrape in the past.

And three aspects that had, over the course of the past three hours, slowly began to desert him.

Not that he was afraid of being in this squalid little hole in the ground, far from it. Over the course of his career, he had made it a business to frequent such establishments, not only to partake in what passed for the local beverage selection and the female company, but in order to conduct some of his more disreputable business transactions. After all, it was the boldest of tasks that were carried right out in the open, under the noses of those who could do anything in their power to stop it.

Times like those, he was in control. Times like those, he had the upper hand. Not like now, when he was forced to sit and wait on the convenience of others.

”Well,” he absently thought as a lithe Twi’lek female passed by the table in which he sat, casting him a very flirtatious glance. ”If I have to wait, at least I’ve got nice scenery to look at.”

Moving through the crowd, Beth sat down opposite her uncle and handed him a glass. “I take it that the place isn’t unappealing to the eye?”

Taking a swig from the mug his niece offered him, Kieran’s face contorted into a frown. “I’d like it a lot more if I knew what the kriff I was doing here, Beth. I mean, I am grateful that someone out there apparently likes me enough to get me out of that prison, but then to come here and find out what I’ve got to do in return? I don’t like it.”

Beth turned her head to look past her uncle and towards the other side of the room, where the rest of their party sat as casually as they could given their surroundings, one of the Rodians and the humans holding their blasters in plain sight, letting anyone who walked know that they were not a group to be trifled with. Of course, the fact that they were accompanied by a rather thuggish Wookiee helped a great deal, even without the weaponry.

“To be honest, uncle, we never really asked.”

Kieran fixed his niece with a glare that could melt ice. “What do you mean ‘you never really asked?’”

Beth shrugged. “All we were told was that our benefactor would be willing to provide us with the ability to break you out of that place, but on the condition that we agree to do a service for him. And that we would learn what that service was by coming here to meet with a representative of his.”

Kieran, who had taken another sip from his drink, brought it down with sudden quickness, the noise attracting the attention of several other patrons. Leaning over so that Beth was the only one to hear this words, he hissed, “You what?!”

Beth, who normally was well composed in the face of danger, suddenly found herself in a rather uncomfortable position. She had heard from her companions the tales of what happened to those who had crossed her uncle. And she wasn’t willing to become part of that legacy. “I…I only did what I thought was in your best…”

“What you thought?!” Kieran was growing more incensed by the moment, any hopes he had of controlling the situation rapidly slipping from his grasp. He knew that he was going to draw the notice of the other patrons by acting irrationally, but he didn’t really care. It wasn’t as if any of them would be dumb enough to try and take him out. After all, they were the same kind of people. “Beth, don’t you realize what’s going on here?”

Beth involuntarily rested her hand on the butt of her holstered blaster, her general reaction to being threatened in this manner, regardless of who it was by. “Quite frankly, Uncle, what’s going on is that you’re off that prison asteroid and looking to get back at those who did this to you. And if that means we have to do somebody a favor, then if you ask me, it’s worth it.”

Kieran made a concentrated effort to compose himself as he sat back down, giving himself the opportunity to think about what Beth had said. Oovo IV was one of the most heavily fortified security centers in the galaxy. There were few people that could have gotten away with what had happened that day. And despite all he had said, he was truly grateful for whomever it was that had set about his freedom.

He just didn’t like having the situation so out of his control. But Beth wasn’t the type to undertake an action like this if she didn’t think it was worth it. That helped to allay his fear, if only to make him feel less ill at ease.

Just then he heard a double chirp and watched as Beth reached down for her comlink. “Go ahead.” After listening to the person at the other end, she put it back on her belt and motioned to the others at the table, who got up and made their way to the door.

Grabbing Beth’s arm, Kieran looked into her eyes, a dark gleam in his own. “Now what?”

“We’re leaving.”

“Where are we going this time?”

The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Beth’s lips. “To meet our employer.”

**

As he walked down the street towards the group’s intended destination, Kieran recalled the times during his incarceration when he would be escorted under guard to the mess hall, the gymnasium or any of the other destinations on the asteroid prison where he and his fellow prisoners were allowed to congregate. Though it was as close to being free as his situation allowed, it was still a time in which he had no control over his own destiny, and where his decisions and fate were decided by others, the power over his life was held not by himself, but by men that, were the situations reversed, he would not hesitate to vaporize without a second though if they simply looked at him the wrong way.

The group rounded a corner and stepped up to the door of what appeared, on the outside at least, to be one of many similar apartment complexes that ringed the area. Stepping inside, they were greeted by what appeared to be a 3D-4 administrative droid, which looked terribly out of place in the otherwise shabby dwelling, and escorted them to a conference room on the building’s third floor, where the droid said the one who summoned them would be waiting.

Upon stepping into the room, Kieran cast his glance around the area, taking in the worn down carpeting, the broken furniture and the cracked glowpanels on the ceiling. The room was, for all intents and purposes, exactly what the building’s outward appearance suggested: one of a series of disreputable, unreliable and putrid wastelands dotting the surface of this planet.

Terms that could also be used to describe the room’s lone occupant.

“Gunray. You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face to me after what you and your boys did to me.”

Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, sat behind a large desk at the opposite end of the room, the only piece of furniture that was not in a state of disrepair. His face contorted into one of utter disgust at hearing Kieran speak. “Believe me, Kieran, were it not for the words of a mutual friend, I would not be here at all. If I had chosen to come here on my own free will, I would have done so with enough battle droids to wipe you and your friends off this planet. Instead, I was sent here to deliver this.”

Reaching into his robes with a hand that Kieran noticed looked considerably different from its counterpart, he withdrew a small hologram projector and placed it on the desk, activating it with a flick of a finger. The image that appeared was that of a man with white hair and dark clothes. Kieran thought he looked familiar, but the scraps of memory that helped to form a name to that face eluded him as the man began to speak.

”Greetings, Kieran Maclay. I am Tyranus. I have a proposition that may interest you.”

**

Several minutes later, the hologram winked out of existence, and Kieran found himself looking slack jawed into the lidless eyes of the Neimodian in front of him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I assure you that I am not ‘kidding’ you,” Gunray hissed in reply, his features that of a being who had just stepped into a rather unpleasant substance. “Our mutual friend…thought it would be amusing for me to deliver the message, considering our past history, along with the…history…you have with the subject.”

Kieran scoffed. “Then our ‘mutual friend’ must have a poor sense of humor.”

“I would agree,” Gunray mused, the fingers of his hand tapping the table in front of him, a sound that was eerily unnatural to Kieran’s ears. “But as you have no doubt already assumed, I have already suffered a grievous wound of the flesh at the hands of those like our friend, and I for one do not have any desire to lose any more of my body due to foolish mistakes made on the part of others.”

“Yeah,” Kieran chuckled. “Heard what happened to you during the Naboo thing. If you ask me, that’s the one good thing she’s managed to do in her pathetic little life.”

Incensed by the fact that Kieran was finding humor in his misfortune, Gunray decided to play the trump card that he had been saving in case he proved to be uncooperative. Those who sent him here would never have approved it, but then again, it was highly unlikely that they had ever dealt with people of the lowbrow caliber of this man. He reached under the desk and brought a finger down onto a panel hidden under it. The moment the button was pressed, four panels, two each on the opposite sides of the room, withdrew, revealing behind them two meter tall battle droids, with built in arm blasters, which they immediately raised and pointed at the assembled group. The droids were fresh off the factory lines of Geonosis, and were designed for maximum lethality with minimal effort.

Beth and several of the others reached for their blasters, but stopped when Kieran raised a hand. “Don’t.”

“But Uncle…”

“I said don’t!” He looked at the others and held his gaze on them until their hands moved their hands away from their weapons, Beth reluctantly doing the same.

Gunray smiled, a rare act these days. “It would seem that you have some sense, Kieran. Perhaps that’s why you managed to survive all this time, while we were able to hunt down the rest of your crew and expunge them from the universe.”

Kieran brought his head back to look at Gunray, an angry look on his face. For a moment, he thought about telling Beth and the others to go for their guns again, but thought better of it. There was no way that they could arm themselves quick enough to kill Gunray before the droids opened fire. And there wasn’t any guarantee that if they were, through some miracle, able to take them out, their situation would improve. They looked a lot like new models, and for all he knew, they sported some fancy upgrades like shield generators or something. And even though four were presently in the room, there was no way of telling how many others may be in the building.

One way or the other, he was caught up in this little web. That left him little choice but to go along with this plan. Whether he liked it or not, he was once again having his life being dictated by the whims and wishes of someone else.

But at least this time, he would get something out of it. Doing the wishes of someone else would see the man who had put him here die a horrible lingering death at his own hands.

That, if nothing else, made the situation one he would enjoy.
Last edited by SithLordWiccan on Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Three Now Up

Postby sacinema » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:37 pm

Thanks for updating again. I've not read it yet. Just wanted to step by and ask for forgiveness of not leaving FB before. I can assume how hard it must be not getting FB for your work. And you so deserve it. This is a great story idea and very well written. But I must admit I only catched up to the short stories and the knew Episode in the last few days. Furthermore english is not my mother tongue so it takes me even longer to leave FB than others. And more often than not there is so much lack of time.

Anyway I try to be a better reader and leave some real FB soon.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Three Now Up

Postby Devi Crystalseeker » Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:08 pm

Once again, I enjoyed the read. You have a sense for creating atmosphere.

Loved that bit with them complaining/making faces about the bad food - just one of those little details that make a story come alive.

And you know (well, I hope you know) that I love the way you write Willow-babble. :)

And Nejaa calling Willow someone who "know[s] Tara better than [he knows] her, perhaps even better Tara knows herself"? Made me melt inside.

As did this - "In conversations past, I could tell that there had been a certain…weight that lifts from her shoulders whenever she mentions your name. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s almost as if when she mentions your name to me, that she feels…happy."

Liked the part with Kieran too (if, obviously, in a different way). Showed a lot about his character - the need for control and all.

Though I had already figured that the Sith had to be behind Kieran's new-found freedom (if that word applies...), seeing Dooku (well, his hologram) still made me go "w00t!"

"Gunray hissed in reply, his features that of a being who had just stepped into a rather unpleasant substance." - I just love that description! (Heck, I like the way you write that Neimodian slime, period.) And the revelation of the battle droids was one of those moments that make one go "Eeep!" in a good way.

Given that Gunray and Kieran both are slime, this is one of those delightful situations where you can hope for both sides to suffer before the fic is over. (Yes, yes, I know Gunray can't die in this since we know how and when he died in canon, but he can suffer, right? :smug ;)) )

More, please! :flower
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Three Now Up

Postby diamondforever » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:33 pm

That was a great update. I loved the interaction between Nejaa and Willow - the parallels, the older generation wisdom, their shared love for Tara...it was done really well and punctuated with appropriately-timed humour (the food). :) I wonder what Kieran's job is...

Need I say it? Please continue ASAP!
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Three Now Up

Postby notl33t » Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:49 am

Whoo! Ye gads, I can't believe I almost missed another installment of Star Witches . . . shame on me!

This was a lot of fun to read, mostly because I wanted to know about Nejaa and Kieran (and, I guess, Beth as well . . . ). Interesting characterizations. Nejaa and Willow's conversation about love really resonates with the wrongness of expecting people to act as if they had no desires. And is it just me or does it seem that Kieran is a "good guy"? Hmmm . . . . the plot thickens.

I'm gonna be sitting on the edge of my seat until you update again.

*sigh*

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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Three Now Up

Postby Artemis » Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:53 am

Hmm, Nejaa's quite a rebel (which I guess shows you I didn't look him up on wikipedia, or I'd have known that) - but that's encouraging. In all honesty, the whole deal with Jedi having no personal emotional connections, makes me deeply suspicious of them. I'd rather trust someone flawed to make the right choice - even if they're capable of making the wrong one - than put my fate in the hands of someone who thinks that austere philosophy is a substitute for actual social behaviour. It's all very well in theory to go on about universal love, but... well, we are what our blood makes us, which is social animals. Heinlein would go through Lucas like the Death Star through Alderaan...

Anyhoo, I'm liking Nejaa more now - though I can see more clearly why the Council's on his case like they are. Feh to them, I say.

And I'm really pleased to see Gunray back and in business. Which may be an odd thing, given what a tool he was in episode one, but... well, he never did anything in eps II and III, even though he was always there. This is much better, with the effect of his prior meeting with Tara being felt (and physically obvious - gotta love the hand-chopping-off motif) - there's a sense of continuity that's more than just lip service.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Three Now Up

Postby SithLordWiccan » Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:09 pm

sacinema: I really am sorry if my earlier comments upset you in some way. I guess I was more than a little irritated about the fact that in a space of two weeks between fic updates, nobody bothered to reply. I guess I was a bit spoiled in my early days when I happened to get a lot of feedback more often. I know that my work isn't exactly up to the caliber of other people's (especially Chris), but it would kinda help if, every now and then, I got somebody saying how good a job I'm doing with the story.

Hope you continue to enjoy the fic.

Devi: I'm glad that you're enjoying my attempt to create a deeper atmosphere in this fic. The first one, being the first time that I've actually written fanfic in about two and a half years, was pretty much leeching off the original movie and adding the bits I think would make it a more "Willow/Tara Star Wars uber" story instead of a "Bad attempt to write Willow and Tara into a Star Wars fic" story. This time, I knew right from the start that I wanted to keep up the good work I had done before, but move more away from having to depend on the movie in order to tell my story. And knowing that, I had to do my best to do what Lucas did in the original movies: create a story in which things happen, most of which you only know about through the casual mention of it by others through memories and talk. There's been a bit of that thus far, and it shows up again here.

And speaking of things showing up here, there's another little comedic moment. Knowing where the story is going, and that it's heading to a rather dark place, I tried to put into the story places that would be humorous, if only in a sight/visual gag-ish way. I'm pretty sure I picked up that one from somewhere, but I'll be damned if I know where it is.

I'm glad that you liked the interaction between Willow and Nejaa (and that you like my Willowbabble :blush ). What I'm trying to establish between the three of them is a sense of family, that Nejaa is to Tara the father figure that she never had as far as the Jedi go (with Bail being the father figure as far as culture goes), and Willow being the Girl-Next-Door type that Tara has a crush on and Nejaa approves of, even if he thinks that the two of them don't make the right decisions as far as their relationship goes (as hinted at in this chapter).

And I love that you enjoyed how I handled the villains of the piece. I must admit that I enjoy working with the villains more than the heros, because it gives me a chance to show them in a way that I feel that the films didn't. (As shown in how I handled Darth Maul in Episode I and Gunray both there and here.) Kieran is especially a character I'm proud of, since he's the most original of the characters I'm using (even if he is based on Tara's father as portrayed in canon). That need for control is something I wanted to insert into the narrative because he's a character that I feel is a lot like Count Dooku: someone who plays a part in Palpatine's whole scheme that doesn't realize the true scope of the role they play. There are, of course, some differences. Dooku genuinely believes that he's helping the galaxy out by leading the Confederacy while living a double life as a Sith, while Kieran is rather upset at the fact that he's gone from one sort of bondage to another, even if he does get what he wants (namely the opportunity to off his daughter and the one responsible for putting him to jail to begin with) out of the whole scenario.

And yeah, both Gunray and Kieran will end up suffering by the end of this fic. And one of them will actually be dead. (I won't tell you who it is, though it might be obvious. But then again, I knew pretty much the whole story about the three prequels before I ever saw them, and was more surprised about seeing how it happened rather than knowing how it happened. ;-) :smug )

diamondforever: That was kinda what I was going for, yeah (re: the earlier mention of how the three of them are sort of a family unit). As for Kieran's job, well...I think it's rather obvious that it has something to do with Tara and Nejaa (re: above comment), but how it will happen? Well, wait and see. :smug

In the meantime, hope you enjoy the update below.

notl33t: Glad to see you still reading, and glad you like how I'm handling the characters, especially Beth, as she hasn't really gotten that much characterization yet. I do have this whole backstory for her (she was raised by the Mandalorians, which I'll admit is little more than a shameless excuse for me to put to work that handy Mando'a language guide I downloaded from starwars.com a while back), but it's rather unlikely that it will actually be mentioned in the fic.

As far as Kieran goes, he's what I like to call an "anti-hero" character. He's not a good character, but the way that other treat him (especially Gunray in the past chapter), almost make you want to cheer for him. And especially given what happens to him later on, he's really meant to be a character to be pitied rather than hated. Because, like most everybody else at this point, he's nothing more than a pawn in Sidious' scheme.

Hope you're off the edge of your seat, cause the update's below.

Chris: Yeah, Nejaa's not the typical Jedi, though that's mostly due to the fact that he was a character made up during the period in Star Wars literature when the rules of the prequels weren't fully established yet, leading many a fan to have headaches in a desperate attempt to make it all make some sort of sense. And they (meaning the Lucasfilm continuity guys) can never seem to get it to the point where we don't have to try, either. (I mean, look at the Battle of Coruscant as compared to Labyrinth of Evil and Clone Wars Volume II: same info, different takes on it.) I'm glad that you've come to like him as a character. It will make what's to come that much easier to enjoy.

And yeah, including Gunray works on a lot of levels: it maintains continuity with the first fic, establishes the fact that both he and Kieran are part of Sidious' plot (even if they don't know it) and establishes him as having learned from his experiences. Though I should point out that as of now, he stands to play no real part in this story (and the next one) than he does in the actual movies. Note that I said "as of now." That could end up changing, but I wouldn't count on it.

Anyways, glad you're all enjoying the story, and hope you enjoy the update below. (I'm not terribly sure it should go up now, but I've been through it three times already, and nothing seems out of place. Though if something is out of place, I'm sure that Chris won't mind fixing it on Looking-glass if I get told about it after it goes up.

[hr]

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter Four)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*

[hr]

[center]Chapter Four[/center]

Botajef Freighter-Liner Screeching Hawk-Bat
On approach to Drev’starn Spaceport, Bothawui
4 Days Prior to the Battle of Geonosis


“I told you not to do anything, Willow,” Nejaa said, looking out the viewport of their quarters and seeing the mottled sky of hyperspace passing them by.

Sitting across from him, Willow shifted uncomfortably, her head downcast. “I know, Master Halcyon, but if I didn’t try to stop them, who knows what could have happened?”

“Maybe nothing would have happened, Willow. Then again, it may have very well ended up causing a far greater disaster. I guess we’ll never know now.”

“They were Kubaz, Master Halcyon. Everyone knows that bugs form the majority of their diet. And the minute that those Verpine entered the room, they were going to be all over them like drool on a Hutt. I knew I had to do something to stop them.”

“But did that have to involve telling the Trandoshan that there were Kubaz in the room? Didn’t you think that instead of leaving the room, he would raise his blaster and start firing at the Kubaz, which would lead to them in turn firing back? And that the whole situation would get out of hand because of that?”

Willow sighed theatrically and rested her shoulders on her knees, propping her head up on her hands. She and Nejaa had been confined to their quarters when ship’s security had been called to the mess hall to quell a disturbance between some of the passengers that had apparently gotten out of control. And much to their chagrin, the responsibility of the incident had unfairly been dumped on their shoulders when they had been immediately recognized as Jedi, despite all of the effort Willow and Nejaa had put into making themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Naturally, once that bit of information came out, everyone else in the room was quick to blame them for causing the incident despite the very obvious fact that four of the people in the room were holding blasters which were not only pointed at each other, the Jedi themselves appeared to have taken no hostile action whatsoever, and that the blasters were still smoking.

Willow didn’t like the line of reasoning that had brought the guards to that conclusion, but she had to accept the fact that it was something that was becoming more commonplace, especially since the Battle of Antar IV five months ago. That battle, much like a lot of local sector conflicts across the past few years, started off with the Jedi heading to the planet to deal with the Roshu Sune, a radical faction of the planet’s native Gotal race that had pledged themselves to the Separatist cause. It was always assumed that the cone headed aliens would eventually join the Confederacy, but some of their number had apparently decided that quicker action was needed, and had set off bombs near many of the Antarian Ranger chapterhouses on the planet. The Rangers, who supported the Jedi from time to time, took exception to this, and had descended on Antar IV in full force. A group of Jedi, headed by Council members Saesee Tiin and Coleman Trebor, were sent to assist them.

By the end of that battle, however, there had been massive casualties on both sides of the conflict, which had only come to an end when the Jedi had touched off an electromagnetic pulse weapon, allowing them to claim victory, at the cost of alienating the Gotal, whose sensitivity to electromagnetic emissions had caused them to experience great pain upon the weapon’s deployment, and seen over five thousand worlds join the Confederacy because of the incident. More importantly, public opinion of the Jedi had soured significantly, making them near pariahs in the public eye.

There were some who thought that the Jedi would never recover from that incident, which was why Willow had worked especially hard at presenting a positive outlook on the Jedi by her own actions, in order to show the galaxy that not all Jedi were bad. But for ever time she thought that she had been able to put a positive spin on the Jedi to the galaxy, there was a time when she had felt as if the actions of others had taken her efforts ten steps back.

Willow had tried to explain to the security guards that they hadn’t been involved in what had happened, but all that seemed to accomplish was convince the guards that they were trying to use a Jedi mind trick on them in order to tilt the situation in their favor. They had then been not-so-gently escorted back to their quarters, and ordered to stay there until the ship reached port, at which point they would be required to disembark and find their own way off-planet. When Willow had asked why, their escort had unceremoniously replied that it was done in order to prevent any other “accidents.” Not particularly liking the tone of voice in which she had gotten the answer, Willow decided not to press the issue.

The irony of what they were being asked to do was not lost on the two of them, as they had very much wanted to be left alone. Granted, the reasons for doing so were not the ones they would have picked given the circumstances, but one took the advantages one was offered.

Once they were in their quarters, Willow had confessed to Nejaa that the whole incident had stung her greatly, and that it made her think that she had failed Tara. Although Nejaa didn’t agree with that statement, he did say then, just as he had now, that Willow had perhaps mishandled the situation. Had they simply informed security of the situation in the first place, instead of trying to handle it themselves, then perhaps they would not have been ostracized as being the cause of the problem.

Willow couldn’t help but agree.

To help pass the time, the pair decided to talk some more, their choice of topics ranging from their activities over the course of the past ten years to the people who were special in their respective lives. Each could sympathize with the other about how they felt when it concerned their special love, in that their duties as Jedi meant that they had to be apart from those they truly loved a great deal of the time. Nejaa pointed out, however, that Willow was in a unique position, given that her love was a fellow Jedi, and one that he himself had known his entire life.

That made the three of them, in a sense, as close to a family as their situation would allow.

At the foot of the bed, R5 let out a twitter that interrupted the pair’s latest conversation, letting them know that the ship had come out of hyperspace, and that there was someone approaching the door.

Seconds later, the door itself opened, revealing the guard who had escorted them earlier standing in the doorway, blaster in hand and pointed in their direction. “On your feet.”

Willow and Nejaa complied, the redhead giving the man a hard stare. “Why are you treating us like prisoners?”

“Look, lady,” the guard scoffed with a dismissive hand, “If it was up to me, I’d let you get off without any problems.” He gave Willow a look that, given her current attire of a crop top and figure hugging pants, made her wish, not for the first time, that the undercover role she had decided to take and the destination she and Nejaa were going hadn’t forced her to wear it. “But frankly, there are some of us here who have a rather negative opinion of…of you people. And unfortunately, they happen to be the ones who write my paycheck, which means I gotta do whatever they say. And they said that you had to stay here until we hit port. And now that we’re about to, you’re free to go, on conditions that you already know, so I won’t repeat. And I would suggest that you don’t try any of your Jedi tricks to get back onboard. No telling what might happen if you do.”

Taking the implied threat directly to heart, Willow, Nejaa and R5 left the room and headed down the corridor towards the ramp, the guard following behind them, reminding the two of them every so often that he was the one in charge of the current situation and that they were to exit the ship with a minimum of fuss. By the time that they had arrived, the ship had already touched down, the passengers already disembarking. As soon as they had joined the others, Willow took in a deep breath in order to center her mind and perform a trance that would help calm her nerves…

…and immediately wished she hadn’t as she began to gag, an unfamiliar aroma working its way into her nasal capillaries.

Nejaa laughed at Willow’s misfortune. “Not used to the smell of moldy cheese, are you Willow?”

In the midst of a coughing fit, Willow looked up at Nejaa, an angry glint in her emerald green eyes. “It’s not funny, Master Halcyon.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Nejaa replied with a chuckle. “We could have gone to Kothlis instead. I hear the smell is actually worse there.

Willow glared at Nejaa as she tried to make herself feel less nauseated about the smell (having decided that she could not, and would never, bring herself to admit that she would get used to it). Succeeding at her attempt, at least for the time being, she looked around the area. “So now that we’re here, how are we going to get to Nar Shaddaa?”

“I’ve contacted an old friend while you were asleep, and asked him to meet us here.” Nejaa answered. “I’m sure that he’s here by now. Willow, maybe you and R5 should go into the city and see…”

Suddenly, Nejaa spun around, feeling a familiar presence nearby. It was a female presence, but it was very faint, almost as if whoever that person might be was trying to mask herself to the two of them. And while he was assured that the attempt succeeded as far as Willow was concerned, Nejaa knew that whoever was doing this was in too much of an emotional state to make the effort to completely mask herself from him.

And somehow, Nejaa knew that Tara didn’t particularly care if he did notice her. All that mattered was that Willow didn’t know she was nearby. But ironically, her efforts to try made her presence through the Force all the stronger to him. Realizing this, he wondered for a moment if, despite his earlier assumption that Willow was unaware of what was going on, the redhead did indeed feel Tara’s presence. If she did, she had made no outward reference to it, and he could feel nothing from her that indicated that she was hiding something from him.

He let out a sigh. Tara should have known better than to sneak onboard the ship and follow them here. He also wondered why he hadn’t picked up on it until this moment, though with the commotion in the mess hall, it wasn’t that much of a surprise that other things had been on his mind. And it also wasn’t that much of a surprise to him to find that she had managed to hide her presence from him for that long. He had taught her well, but apparently he had done too well of a job. Tara was, after all, skilled at using the Force, even though she normally detested doing so in a manner such as this. But when she decided to do something, she would do whatever was necessary in order to accomplish it.

Looking at Willow, he pointed into the city with one hand, giving Willow a scrap of flimsiplast with the other. “Willow, take R5 and go wait for me at this address. I’ll join you shortly.”

Willow, clearly seeing that Nejaa was distressed, yet deciding that now perhaps was not the best time to argue, headed off without complaint, R5 following behind her, letting out a slightly concerned whistle.

As soon as they were out of his sight, Nejaa took a few steps towards the nearby alley, trying to act as casually as he could make himself appear, giving off the appearance of a man casually strolling around the street. Upon reaching the mouth of the nearby alley, however, he suddenly reached out with one hand and grabbed the arm of someone who was hiding in the shadows. Dragging that person out of the darkness, Nejaa fixed his glance on her face, hidden as it was underneath her long blonde hair.

“Honestly, Tara. Secretly following us and skulking about in the shadows? I thought I taught you better than this.”

Tara, for her part, didn’t try to deny what she had done. “I…I had to do it, Master Halcyon. Willow…I wanted to make sure that she…that she…”

Nejaa fought hard to control his temper, not wanting to set a bad example to Tara even in these circumstances. She hadn’t come out and actually said it, but the unspoken accusation behind those words was that she thought he wasn’t capable of protecting Willow on his own. This stung him a great deal. Through all that they had shared, they had come to regard one another as family. And although he had told Willow that he had been proud of the relationship she had formed with his former Padawan, he was more than a little distressed at seeing her here, apparently deciding to take matters into her own hands. It was nothing more than a selfish action on her part, and no amount of convincing him of any wrongdoing that she had done would make the situation any better.

“That she what, Tara?” he asked rather forcefully. “That she would be safe? Do you truly have that little faith in my abilities?”

Tara looked away, clearly confirming to Nejaa that this was indeed the reason which had prompted her actions. Shaking his head, he brought Tara back into the shadows of the alley, hoping that nobody passing by had noticed them.

Once they were back under the cover of darkness, Nejaa affixed Tara with a glare that made absolutely sure she knew his displeasure. “I can’t believe you, Tara.”

“Master Halcyon,” Tara began. “If you can give me a chance to explain…”

“You have an explanation, Tara?” Nejaa asked, spreading his hands apart rather dramatically. “I’d be glad to hear it.”

Brushing aside a few strands of her hair that had gotten into her eyes, Tara looked into her former Master’s face and decided that the truth would be the best thing to say. “Master Halcyon, I know that you’re a capable Jedi, and that Willow…that she has grown a great deal in the past ten years. But you’re going up against a man I know can be dangerous. And if anything should happen to Willow, I’ll…I’ll never…”

Nejaa sighed, realizing now that, no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not be that angry with Tara. “Tara, your intentions are noble, I will not deny that. You have a special relationship with Willow, and that’s not something that I would ever think of intentionally destroying. But what you’ve done here is a very bad idea.”

“In what way?” Tara asked, the tone of her voice clearly telling Nejaa that she truly did not see the inherent danger about the situation that he himself did, and hiding the surprise she felt at discovering that, somehow, he had learned about the relationship between her and Willow.

Starting to pace out of genuine nervousness, Nejaa continued, “Tara, the reason why I decided to ask Willow to come with me was because I wanted to make sure that the two of you managed to find the best of this situation. I wanted you to feel comfortable that Willow was with someone who would be as adamant about making sure that she was safe as you do, and I wanted to make sure that Willow had an opportunity to contribute something to this situation, in the hope that it would make both of you happy. The fact that Willow already feels strongly negative about the man makes that obvious to me, at any rate. It obviously made her decision a lot easier than I had expected.”

“That was irresponsible of her,” Tara muttered. “She should have asked me first.”

“Perhaps,” Nejaa agreed. “But sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is by being irresponsible.” He chuckled slightly. “There’s been many a time I’ve learned that lesson.”

“And so I hope you can understand that I don’t want Willow to learn that same lesson, Master Halcyon,” Tara said. “At least…not in this fashion.”

This drew a rather irritated groan from Nejaa. “Tara, I know what you want to ask me. And the answer is no. You can’t come with us,” he stated. “This mission is dangerous enough as it is without having you come along to complicate things.”

This finally broke Tara’s calm. She had been willing to listen to Nejaa’s attempt to justify putting Willow in danger, but he clearly wasn’t about to give her an explanation that would satisfy her. This, combined with the fact that she was still sore about the Council’s unilateral decision on their part to give him the assignment in the first place, finally sent her over the edge. “With all due respect, Master Halcyon, I fail to see how my presence could make any difference.”

Nejaa slammed an open palm against the wall, an act that, given that it was out of character for him and also occurring with sudden abruptness, caused Tara to jump noticeably. “By the Minions of Xendor, Tara, it could make all the difference between success and failure!”

“Then explain it to me how!” Tara all but shrieked. “Explain how my not being with you makes any difference!”

“Because it can distract Willow!”

Nejaa had wanted to explain to Tara why she needed to be kept away from this mission, but he had not wanted to do it by shouting it at the top of his lungs so anyone within hearing distance could notice. Yelling at Tara had never been an option, even when she had seriously displeased him. It was one of the main reasons why they had managed to get along so well.

Tara looked away from Nejaa, the obvious shame she felt at hearing this making any form of rebuttal impossible. After a few moments of silence, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Running one hand through his hair, Nejaa blew out a breath. “I know you are, Tara. And so am I.” Fishing into his robes, he produced a few credit vouchers and handed them to Tara. “Here. I want you to take these. I’m sure that you had to tell the Council some genuine reason for leaving Coruscant. Even though I don’t plan on telling the Council that you followed me, I would suggest that you stick to whatever reason it was that you gave them in order to provide a reasonable cover story as to why you have returned to the Temple earlier than you may have planned.”

Taking the credit vouchers, Tara nodded in acquiescence to Nejaa’s wishes. “Of course, Master Halcyon. Good luck on your mission.”

Nejaa smiled and put one hand on Tara’s shoulder. “May the Force be with you, Tara.”

“And with you, Master.”

Tara stood rooted to the spot for several more moments as Nejaa made his way into the city, rubbing the credits between her thumb and forefinger. Doing a quick count, she realized that she had been given nearly two thousand credits. Obviously, Nejaa had thought that would be enough to get her wherever it was that she had told the Council she was going, along with enough to make sure that she was comfortable for some time afterward. And he had obviously given them to her thinking that she would use them to do just that.

But Tara knew that no matter how much she wanted to believe what Master Halcyon had said, she couldn’t just leave Willow alone. Her feelings towards her former Padawan were such that she was unable to look at the grander picture, always boiling things down to a simple concept: Willow plus potential for danger equals trouble.

And that meant that she would need to find some way to follow the two of them to Nar Shaddaa. And knowing also that she couldn’t sneak onboard whatever ship they would use to complete their trip without drawing their attention, she would have to hire someone to take her there, preferably before they arrived themselves.

Heading into the city, Tara decided that the best thing for her to do now would be to find transportation without drawing either Nejaa’s or Willow’s attention. And there was only one place in the immediate vicinity where that could be possible.

**

Every five seconds since departing Master Halcyon’s side, Willow had thought she wouldn’t make it to her destination, the pathway between there and the spaceport choked with various marketplace businesses, the people running them trying to hock their wares to any and all that would stop and listen. And seemed to take great pleasure in doing so to those who wouldn’t.

”Guess they don’t call this Merchant’s Square for nothing,” she thought as she entered the building whose address matched the one on the flimsiplast she had been given and was instantly assaulted by the most horrendous noise she had ever encountered.

Supposedly, it was music being played by the band truncated in the far corner of the room, but it bore only a passing resemblance to any musical compositions she had heard in her lifetime. It sounded more like the sound of a roaring rancor grinding two durasteel plates together without pause.

The effect it had on her senses was about the same.

Walking over to the bar, she ordered a glass of blue milk and, once the glass was handed to her, took a rather large drink from it, hoping that it would help to dull the pounding in her head. Unfortunately, it had apparently been chilled for far too long, as the liquid immediately caused her brain to freeze the moment it traveled down her throat.

Employing a Jedi healing technique in order to help clear her mind, she made her way towards a booth, sitting down just as she saw Nejaa arrive and make his way over to her.

“Everything OK, Master?” she asked as he sat down.

“Hmm? Oh, yes Willow. Everything’s OK.”

Willow could tell that he was lying to her, having picked up some faint impressions from Nejaa’s mind as he moved to make himself comfortable. But as much as she wanted to get him to voice those concerns, she knew that in order to do so, she would have to admit that she had used the Force to do so. And that meant admitting to him that she invaded his mind, even in the fleeting casual way that most other Jedi were prone to do.

Wanting to change the topic, Willow took a look around the cantina, trying to find a different topic of conversation. “So…how exactly are we going to get to Nar Shaddaa? You said that you had hired someone to help us get there.”

“I did,” Nejaa confirmed, looking at his chrono. “And I told him to meet us here. He should be here by now.”

Willow scanned the crowd, taking in the patrons, none of whom looked trustworthy enough for Nejaa to have hired for this task. Then again, looking for someone trustworthy in a place like this was akin of looking for a drop of water on Tatooine. “What do you think? Do you think we can trust any of these people to take us there if your friend doesn’t show up?”

Nejaa glanced around the room, ignoring Willow’s question. His eyes came to a stop at the doorway as a figure entered the room, a slight swagger in his step as if he were already inebriated. The red tinted skin and horns immediately made Nejaa identify him as a Devaronian, and the one whom they had been waiting for.

Getting to his feet, Nejaa made his way over to the Devaronian, extending one had as he came into his eye line. “Why, Villie, nice to see you again.”

The Devaronian flashed a toothy smile. “Too long, Halcyon.” The smile immediately turned into a sneer, as he reared back and sent a punch directly into Nejaa’s gut, causing him to double over in pain. Grabbing Nejaa, the Devaronian followed up by throwing him across the room, the Corellian landing in a heap onto one of the nearby tables.
Last edited by SithLordWiccan on Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:41 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Four Now Up

Postby Devi Crystalseeker » Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:20 am

Good/interesting chapter once again!

I especially liked how you wrote Tara getting all - how shall I say? - intense with Nejaa about the whole thing. I mean, Tara is often - and not without reason - characterised as the "still water" of the cast, so when she does get intense, it has an impact; and you pulled it off well, IMHO.

Walking over to the bar, she ordered a glass of blue milk and, once the glass was handed to her, took a rather large drink from it, hoping that it would help to dull the pounding in her head. Unfortunately, it had apparently been chilled for far too long, as the liquid immediately caused her brain to freeze the moment it traveled down her throat.

Knowing the feeling of drinking too-cold milk (or too-cold anything), I appreciate that detail.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Four Now Up

Postby SithLordWiccan » Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:37 am

Devi: Yeah, I've noticed that, too. (Re: Tara being the voice of calm and reason.) So of course when Tara loses it, as she has here, there's going to be problems up the whazoo. And you'll notice in the next chapter that she's not likely to remain all that calm, either.

I'm glad you enjoy the detail I'm putting into the story, and is what I think differentiates it from my earlier work, in that I've started to not rush to tell the story and get down to going into detail about certain things, which I think makes it more enjoyable.

Glad you love the story. Next part coming up either tonight or tomorrow morning.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Four Now Up

Postby Artemis » Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:53 am

Heh, Nejaa got knocked on his ass :lol Sorry, but there's something about Jedi Masters (excepting the hot Tara-like ones) that just makes it funny when they goof up.

I liked the opening scene - it seems very realistic that there'd be that kind of resentment of Jedi, even if the Jedi are trying to solve problems, and everyone knows it. Jedi are outsiders by nature - they insist on it - and no-one likes outsiders messing in their internal affairs, even if said internal affairs consist of people throwing punches and making a mess. It's their mess, and it's easy to imagine how they feel to have some high-and-mighty mystic busybody turning up and trying to fix their lives for them. So the Jedi are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
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Through the Looking-glass - Every world needs a Willow and Tara.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Four Now Up

Postby SithLordWiccan » Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:41 am

Chris: Yeah, that scene at the end was one of those "humorous situations that needs to be in the story, even if the situation its required for doesn't call for it" that I said needs to be in the story. I hadn't really planned on working the scene as you described it, but I guess it sorta works in that context, even if I didn't mean for it to come out that way.

As for the opening scene...yeah, I continually wanted to build up the fact that the galaxy hates the Jedi at this point, because it shows us what sort of characters Willow and Tara are in this universe: Tara as the calm, serene individual who tries her best to be right, even when she knows she's wrong, and Willow trying to live up to the expectations that she thinks Tara has for her, even if they do seem a little...unrealistic.

Glad you guys continue to enjoy this. Next part's below.

[hr]

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter Five)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*

[hr]

[center]Chapter Five[/center]

Willow was on her feet in seconds, her initial hesitation born out of the fact that she was caught off guard not only by the action, but by the suddenness with which it had occurred. She should have felt something through the Force that would have alerted her to what was about to happen, but the act had happened too quickly and too innocently for her to be able to detect any distrust or foul intent. One minute, the two were shaking hands in a friendly manner; the next, Master Halcyon was halfway across the room.

Seeing the female get up from the chair in which she was sitting, the Devaronian turned to look at her, a devilish smile on his face. “Ah, what have we here, eh? Little girl thinks she can stop Villie?”

Willow swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat, and hoped that this confrontation would not turn out as bad as she was thinking it was going to. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I…if I have to.” She spoke this with a confidence she didn’t really feel, and looked towards the bar, mind racing at lightspeed, to try and find way to solve this problem that might actually work.

“Or we could…we could sit down and have a drink…instead?”

The Devaronian’s smile, defying all laws of humanoid anatomy, stretched further at hearing that. “Ah, yes. Villie would enjoy sharing a drink in the company of a beautiful woman.”

Choking down the reflex to vomit that threatened to engulf her, a reflex she knew was brought about by her recollection of breathing the air outside as much as the comment she had just heard, Willow made her way over to the bar and withdrew some credit coins from her belt, placing them down in front of the bartender. As he placed two mugs in front of her, she dropped several more and tilted her head towards the broken table at the far side of the room.

The man nodded in understanding and collected the coins as Willow turned back to the table, finding that the Devaronian was already sitting down, one leg propped up on the table and giving her a look that she had seen others give dancing girls. Fighting down the urge to comment about that, Willow took the seat opposite him, placing one of the mugs down in front of him.

Reaching out to take it, the Devaronian lifted the mug to his face and took a drink of its contents, setting it down in front of him several moments later, his tongue flicking out from between his lips to savor the liquid that remained on his lips. “Ah, that’s the spot. Y’see, miss, that’s the best thing about this galaxy. For all the problems it has, there’s nothing that can beat a belly full of good drink.” Giving Willow another look, he added, “Well, perhaps one thing.”

Willow closed her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead, mostly out of the fact that she was beginning to get a headache despite her attempts to try and fight the ruckus of the music, but also to keep the Devaronian from seeing how much his shameless self promotion was beginning to irritate her.

Thankfully, Master Halcyon’s return saved her from actually voicing those thoughts. Sitting down beside Willow, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so, he glared at the Devaronian. “Nice to meet you, too, Villie. Though I think I’m getting a bit too old to get that sort of greeting.”

“You should see what I do to enemies, Halcyon,” Villie snickered, moving to take another sip from his drink. “They don’t exactly live to get chance to say hello again.”

Willow decided to interject herself into the conversation at that moment, before the situation could be further thrown out of control. “Master Halcyon, you know this…person?”

“We’ve worked together before,” Nejaa muttered under his breath.

Villie let out a laugh. “’We’ve worked together?’ Why, Halcyon, Villie thinks you give yourself too little credit.”

At Willow’s questioning glance, Nejaa clarified, “We’ve done some…undercover work in the past, Willow. Top secret, hush-hush sort of missions for the Jedi Council and the Supreme Chancellor, you know the kind. Stuff that can’t…that really can’t be discussed out in the open, if you catch my meaning.”

Villie snickered. “That’s only because you’ve already got a lady, Halcyon. Villie under no such restrictions.”

He gave Willow another leer that made the redhead’s stomach twist into knots. Her mood was not at all improved by the fact that, although he remained calm on the outside, Willow could detect a subtle change in Nejaa’s mood at hearing that. She wondered whether or not it would be a good idea for the two of them to remain here.

In an even voice that belied the tension that he was currently feeling, Nejaa said. “You mean…you actually told people about what happened…that night?”

Villie smirked. “Of course I did. Nobody believed me, of course. They said that a Jedi wouldn’t stoop that sort of low.”

Willow, quickly deciding that something needed to be done in order to stave off the confrontation that declaration promised, interrupted, “Well, then. I guess there’s nothing more we can do here. Guess it’s time to go…”

“Sit down, Willow,” Nejaa stated, his tone making it clear that his words were an order to be followed without question, not a suggestion open for debate. As Willow did so, the Corellian Jedi Master affixed the Devaronian with a neutral look. “Villie...Vilmarh, we’ve been through a lot together. And I have to ask you…to do one more thing.”

The smile vanished from Villie’s face as he stared directly into Nejaa’s face. “Villie remembers what happened the last time I did favor for you, Halcyon. Villie not in great mood to go through that again.”

Nejaa let out a breath, and reached into his belt, producing several large denomination credit notes. “Do you think these might change your mind?”

Villie picked up the credits and counted the notes. “Well, this convinces me to at least listen to you. Whether or not it convinces me to help…well, that depends on what it is that you want.”

“Passage to Nar Shaddaa.”

Villie, who had set the credits down on the table in order to take another sip of his drink, spat out the liquid he had thus far consumed, which, rather unfortunately, was sent directly into Willow’s face.

“Villie always figured you were funny man, Halcyon,” Villie said after wiping his hand over his mouth. “But Villie never think you stupid enough to tell me to do that. You know I can’t go there after what happened last time. No amount of credits in the galaxy will change my mind.”

Nejaa, ignoring Willow’s questioning stare as she set about drying her face, rested his head on his propped up hands, knowing that if he wasn’t willing to accept a bribe, it was going to be very difficult to wrangle the Devaronian into getting him to agree to this.

Willow chimed in at that moment. “Maybe we could work out…a…a bargain.”

Nejaa was about to interrupt, but thankfully, Villie took an apparent interest in what Willow had to offer. “Villie would like to hear what kind of…bargain you have to offer, pretty lady.”

“Well,” Willow began, but before she could continue, her voice caught. She then began trying hard to force the words from her mouth. Nejaa could detect the distress she was feeling at trying to say the words she wanted to voice without having to use the Force, making him instantly aware of the fact that whatever it was she was going to say wasn’t that great of an idea.

“Well,” Willow tried again, her words managing to come out this time despite the look she caught from Nejaa that all but told her not to say them. “Maybe in addition to the credits, maybe there’s something else we can…we can…offer you.”

Nejaa had seriously begun to not like what Willow was implying, and seeing the ashamed and embarrassed look on her face as she spoke that phrase immediately told him that what the redhead had in mind had been exactly what he thought she was going to say.

And like he predicted, he didn’t like it one bit.

“Willow, no!” Turning to look at Villie, his own face took on a cold countenance that suggested doom if he were to say the wrong thing now. “Don’t even think about it. If you can’t take us where we want to go for what I’ve offered you, then we’ll find some other…”

“Hold on, Halcyon,” Villie interrupted, placing his hands down on the table as he got to his feet, looking at Willow with a smile on his face, one that Nejaa fought with all of his self control not to wipe off. “If this pretty young thing is suggesting what it is I think she’s suggesting, then Villie fly you wherever you want, no charge.”

Reaching out, he took one of Willow’s hands into his own. The act came so quickly that neither of the two Jedi was able to react to it. Jerking Willow to her feet, Villie made his way to the door, an uncharacteristic spring in his step.

Falling into step behind them, Nejaa gritted his teeth, telling himself that they didn’t have a lot of time to accomplish their mission, and that if certain…questionable activities had to be performed in order to help get them on their way, then that was the way it had to be.

He was just glad that Tara was not here to witness this. While there was no doubt that she would have tried to justify it as he had, there was little doubt that she wouldn’t have been as calm about it.

Getting to his feet, he moved exit the cantina and made his way back to the spaceport, Willow and Villie ahead of him and R5 trailing behind.

**

Tara had made her way back to the spaceport without incident, passing by an incalculable number of locals that appeared as if they were the type that frequented Hutt Space. She only hoped that the few credits she had on her, in addition to the ones Master Halcyon had provided, would be enough to convince any one of them to take her to Nar Shaddaa without having to promise them something else. After all, even in a situation as dire as this, there were certain moral boundaries that she would not cross.

Looking across the way, she saw a rather thuggish looking Quarren flanked by two Gamorreans standing by one of the area’s many docking bay doors, obviously waiting for a client to arrive. She was thankful that they appeared to already have a charter, as the last thing she wanted to do at this moment was to have to put up with any trouble that the pig faced aliens were likely to cause. Ignoring them, she made her way to the next docking bay, pausing as the door opened, revealing a rather annoyed looking Duros in freighter togs and a sour expression on his face.

“Yeah? Whadda want?”

Tara suddenly found herself without the ability to speak. “I…I…”

Grunting, the Duros shoved Tara aside rather forcefully and moved past her, muttering as he departed, “I don’t have time for this.”

Turning to look at the departing Duros, Tara was thankful that he had other business to attend to. She wasn’t terribly sure that she wanted to be in his company for the period of time it would take to reach the Smuggler’s Moon. And besides, he reminded her too much of the Neimoidian who had, ten years ago, put her through so much agony and suffering that all she had wanted to do upon encountering him was to end his life. It was only because of Willow that he still lived, though he had suffered the loss of one of his limbs at her own hand.

He should consider himself lucky. Tara wondered if he knew how close to the end he had come that day. But at least he would be in constant fear for the rest of his life, never attempting to do to anyone else what he had done to Willow and herself.

No, he wasn’t of any danger to either of them anymore. That was, however, not something she could say about her father, a man she knew was capable of untold horrors and would do anything he could to satisfy his desire for revenge should he ever be wronged.

That was what made finding transportation off planet important. Tara knew that her father would do anything he could to threaten her life or the lives she loved, which meant that she had to make sure he wasn’t able to do that, even if it meant confronting him once again. She didn’t like that idea very much, but she liked the idea of seeing Willow get hurt once again a whole lot less.

Tara found herself standing in front of another docking bay door. Looking around, she entered it and was instantly greeted by the sight of one of the most interesting ships she had ever seen. It appeared to be made up almost entirely of a single wing, no real evidence of a cockpit other than a small ovoid attached to the center of the ship at its stern. Two large engines provided a brace between the hull to which that cockpit was placed and the wings. From the look of it, it was the typical smuggling ship: fast, lethal, and the type to expect trouble wherever it went.

Tara knew that the owner of this ship was the person she wanted to contact, and turned around to head for the door, hoping the port authority would be able to tell her who the ship was registered to. As she did, she could feel a set of very familiar presences approaching, one of which was keenly aware of the fact that she was here, though the other was, as of yet, not.

Tara instantly threw up her defenses, knowing that she couldn’t leave now without being seen, and left with no other recourse, ran to the nearby storage area. She closed the door and threw the weight of the Force behind her defense mechanisms, hoping that the combination of the two would make her invisible to those about to enter. She left the door open as far as she could, however, in order to hear whatever scraps of conversation between Master Halcyon, Willow and the third person as she could.

“This ship best of its type,” a heavily accented voice said. “No finer ship in the galaxy than the Inferno.”

That’s a ship?” a voice that was distinctively Willow’s asked. “That looks more like an oversized hang glider.”

“The most powerful of things can be contained in the most deceptive of packages, Willow,” the voice of her former Master replied. “We are the perfect example of this.”

“Indeed,” the foreign voice mused. “Though the ship’s not as good as it used to be since Pit Droids muck around with hyperdrive. Onboard computer also more trouble than she worth sometimes. Now, get onboard ship while Villie take care of final preparations.”

The hissing of hydraulics indicated the lowering of the ship's ramp and was soon replaced by the sound of feet on metal, indicating that someone had gone up the ramp. Assuming that it was Master Halcyon and Willow, and with the fear of being seen by either of them gone, Tara abandoned her hiding place, her defenses against being probed still in place, and made her way to meet the one to whom the third voice belonged, finally seeing that it belonged to a male Devaronian.

Turning his head at the sound of her approach, the Devaronian let out a toothy smile. “Ah, another nice lady. If you’re looking to hire me for a job, you’re a bit late. Villie already got an assignment.” He gave Tara a cursory look, almost as if he were treating the blonde like a piece of nerf meat. “Although…if the right offer came along…”

Tara rolled her eyes and reached into her robes, withdrawing the credits Master Halcyon had given her, along with some of her own small earnings. “Look, let’s cut through the pleasantries. I know who hired you for your current job, and I know who the other ‘nice lady’ is.” Waving the credits she had in front of the Devaronian’s face, she continued, “I’m going to give you these credits on the condition that you do the following things: first, the ‘nice lady’ in question is not to be harmed in any way or treated as your kind are known to do. Second, when you get to where you’re going, you’re to stay with them no matter what happens…”

“No, no, no,” Villie protested. “I told them, and I tell you. Villie’s not staying around on Nar Shaddaa longer than he has to. As for the first request, I’m afraid I can’t honor that, either. That part of the fee I’m receiving for this little adventure, and no way I intend to let that slip away.”

Tara suppressed a shudder, disgusted that Willow would allow herself to be treated in that fashion by someone like this Devaronian. Things must have been pretty desperate for the two of them if Willow had even thought that was a good idea, since she knew that Willow wouldn’t immediately make that the first offer in any bargaining position. Trying to shove aside the bad feelings this news brought her, she tried to figure out if there was any way that she could convince him to do what she wanted.

There was a way, but she would not resort to that. Using the Force in that fashion was as bad an idea as what Willow had thought was proper payment for this voyage. Tara would not easily compromise her principles for what she thought was right, even if Willow herself thought it was a good idea.

Tara realized then that the longer she delayed him, the more likely it would be that Nejaa would come to see what the holdup was. And she was acutely aware of the fact that he would be greatly displeased at seeing her as the source of that delay. “Look, I want you to do anything you possibly can in order to ensure the safety of your passengers. If they are harmed in any way, either by you or by…somebody else, I will find out. And if I do find out, I will make it my life’s mission to find you and make you pay.”

Despite the obvious threat being directed his way, the Devaronian flashed a lecherous grin that on a normal human being would have passed for charming. “Ah, Villie always know you Jedi were rather emotional. Tell you what, pretty one. Villie take you up on your request if you do something for me.”

“What?” Tara sighed.

“Tell me about the redhead. She any good in bed?”

On reflex, and completely unaware of what she was doing, Tara grabbed the Devaronian by the scruff of his collar and slammed him into the landing gear. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that, you miserable Sithspawn!”

“My, my,” the Devaronian snickered, seemingly unaware of the fact that his life was in apparent danger. “Seems like someone has a rather nasty temper about a certain redhead.”

Hearing the Devaronian speak those words to her felt as if she had been thrown into a vat of acid, and never in Tara’s entire life had she ever heard something so excruciating painful. All she felt at that very moment was the urge to do something…anything that would cause him to suffer for what he had just said.

That brought the rational part of her mind to the surface, making her instantly realize how close to the Dark Side she was getting. Letting go of Villie, she scrambled to apologize. “I’m…I’m sorry…”

Apparently uninterested in hearing anything that approximated an apology, the Devaronian straightened his collar out and moved to the ramp. “Best you not be here in few minutes. Ship exhaust do bad things to people dumb enough to be where they shouldn’t.”

Tara took the hint and turned to leave, wondering for the first time if Willow’s continued safety was really worth all of the trouble she was going through.

**

Nejaa wondered, not for the first time since this trip began, whether things were getting too far out of control. What had began as a simple mission meant to redeem himself in the eyes of the Jedi Council was fast becoming a dangerous situation that he had never intended to create. And what made things worse was the fact that he had asked Willow to accompany him. When he had given her the option to come with him, he had made it clear that she was in no way honor bound to do so. In fact, he had seriously hoped that Willow would think of some reason to stay behind, even one as pathetically flimsy as preparing to return to Mon Calamari to help with the diplomatic efforts there. After all, it was clearly obvious that the situation there was out of control, and not even the most skilled diplomats could put that shattered picture back together.

Not that it particularly mattered, since he knew that whatever excuse Willow would come up with would be a pretext in order to explain why she would want to spend time with Tara, knowing as he did that she would need to be as calm as she could get before he returned to Coruscant with her father in tow. Unlike the last time he had done that, when she had been young and naïve enough to believe that what was going on around her was little more than a random attack by an unknown individual, she would know full well who the person was and why he was doing it.

It seemed that the whole situation, one way or another, was his fault. When he had captured her father the first time, he had expected that he would be carted off to the maximum security wing of one of Coruscant’s many detention facilities. Of course, he should have known that legal red tape and the court system would have found a way to finagle the whole thing. He should have stayed until he was safely detained and was no longer a threat to anybody.

But he hadn’t counted on things getting that fouled up…or the eagerness of his young Padawan…or the maliciousness of the man who claimed to be her father but was anything but.

He had, of course, been planning on telling Tara everything about the man and his familial relationship with her, but he had been hoping to do so at a time when he knew that Tara would be capable of handling the information. As a rule, Jedi were discouraged from learning about their past lives prior to their commitment to the Order, but Nejaa knew that Tara had a right to know about this man and what he meant to her. But she definitely did not deserve to learn it in the manner in which it had.

Ever since then, Nejaa had hoped to find an opportunity to atone for that mistake. He had hoped that this would be the time. But things had quickly spiraled out of control, and as before, what he had wanted was not what he had gotten.

And now Willow was going to be at the tender mercies of a male Devaronian. Of her own choice, certainly, but that did not make the scenario any less appealing. He hoped that Willow knew what she was doing. When they all got back to Coruscant, he hated to be the one to have to tell Tara that her love had given herself freely to another, even if it was done in order to make her feel better.

**

Willow sat on the bed, as nervous now as she had ever been in the past. When she had made that offer, she certainly hadn’t expected that he would take her up on it. As a matter of fact, the only reason she had spoken was because she wanted to find some way to solve the friction that had developing between the two. And that, unfortunately for her, had been the first thing that popped into her mind.

She knew that Tara would be ashamed for what she was about to do, which was why she would never tell her about it. Tara would all but go supernova if she were to learn that she had given herself to somebody else in such a manner. Willow wasn’t sure she would be able to forgive herself, either.

“I’m sorry.”

Willow jumped slightly at hearing the voice, a smooth sounding feminine one that didn’t appear to have any body attached to it. “Who’s there?”

”I am NT 600,” the disembodied voice replied. ”And I must apologize for the behavior of my master. He can be rather…stubborn.”

Willow recognized who the voice must have belonged to; the onboard computer that the Devaronian had mentioned earlier. Calming down, she allowed herself to lie down and stretch out to her full length. “I can tell. Is he always like this?”

”Most times, yes,” NT replied. ”That is why I exist. I act as his conscience, always ensuring that he always does the right thing.”

“Do you think that you can do it this time?” Willow asked, a faint glimmer of hope in her voice.

”I’ll certainly try,” NT answered. ”Though I doubt I will have that much of an impact.”

The door opened at that point, and Villie walked in. Getting up, Willow tried to make herself feel as comfortable as she could about what was about to happen. “So…you’re here now, so I guess that you’ll…”

“No.”

Willow, who was in the midst of undressing herself, suddenly stopped. “What?”

Moving over, Villie said, “Villie take you to Nar Shadda, then Villie make sure you and Halcyon don’t get hurt.” He gave Willow a glance. “Go join Halcyon. We lift off soon.”

Willow finished redressing herself and moved to join Nejaa and R5 in the common area of the ship. Clearly surprised to see her, Nejaa asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Willow said, a little shell shocked.

Nejaa got to his feet and started off the way Willow had come. “I swear, if he’s harmed you…”

“No,” Willow said with a bit more force than she wanted. Realizing that Nejaa had misinterpreted her, she quickly added. “He didn’t do anything.”

Stopping, Nejaa turned to look at Willow. “What do you mean?”

“He just came into the room and told me to get out,” Willow clarified. “He also said that he’ll take us there and make sure that we didn’t get hurt.”

“Did you do or say anything that might have made him say this?” Nejaa asked, clearly surprised at hearing the Devaronian so suddenly change his attitude.

“No,” Willow responded. “And he had seemed so adamant before. I’m not certain what could have made him change his mind.”

**

Standing a safe distance away, Tara watched as the Inferno lifted out the docking bay and sped into the sky. Raising the hood of her cloak, she moved off into the crowd, hoping to find someone either heading to her destination or someone she could convince to take her there.

”I’m sorry, Master. I know you won’t like this, but I have to do it. I need to make sure you and Willow remain safe. You’re going after a man who is capable of doing anything. Who knows what he’s doing at this very moment.”
Last edited by SithLordWiccan on Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Five Now Up

Postby Devi Crystalseeker » Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:16 pm

Have I mentioned that I love your writing?

I was surprised how "drastic" you dared to make this chapter, with Willow being prepared to (bluntly put) whore herself out to Villie in order to "pay" for their passage (good thing Tara was there to interfere!). Mind you, I think it added to this fic. What lines characters are to willing to cross and when can tell us a lot about them.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Five Now Up

Postby Artemis » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:30 pm

Powerful chapter, I like it. Both Willow and Tara willing to make sacrifices in order to secure the greater good - Willow sacrificing herself, Tara sacrificing her self-imposed standards. It's an interesting moral conundrum, though if you ask me, Tara shouldn't feel too guilty - if ever someone was asking for a Jedi Mind Trick to pave the way to galactic peace, it was Villie. And it's very true to Tara, that she's willing to take the anguish on herself to spare Willow. Very true to the Jedi as well, as that's basically what they are, the 'men on the wall' as whatsisname from A Few Good Men put it. That's the positive side to Jedi - they're the ones who do what needs to be done, and live with having to do it, so that everyone else doesn't have to. And Villie makes a nice stand-in for much of the Star Wars galaxy - ultimately, on the grand scale, the Jedi are helping him too, but to do so they keep having to barge their way through bits of the galaxy that aren't interested in being helped.
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Through the Looking-glass - Every world needs a Willow and Tara.
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Five Now Up

Postby SithLordWiccan » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:37 am

Devi: Yeah, you've told me how much you like my writing before, but it never hurts to keep hearing it, especially when you have so few readers (well, so few readers that actually leave feedback, that is.) And I have to agree with you that making this chapter "drastic" was something I enjoyed, but I have to admit that this is probably as close as I've come to actually breaking the Kitten rules as I have yet come. Thankfully, I have Chris as a beta for this (who is one of, if not the, best person here when it comes to following said rules), and since he didn't find anything particularly troublesome about it, I decided to post it and see what happened. Glad you liked it.

Chris: Yeah, I liked the idea of Tara helping out Willow in this way, even if she (Willow) wasn't aware of it, which I think might be a good thing considering how angry Tara got. Tara feeling guilty about the whole thing is more about losing her temper than in actually using the Force to get Villie to do what she wanted. I established in the last story how she has great powers, but a real reluctance to use them, especially when it comes to getting what she wants. For her to have done so now, even in the name of saving Willow, doesn't make her feel that she's done something good.

Thanks, Chris. Update below.

[hr]

• Title: Star Witches Episode II: Sins of the Future (Chapter Six)
• Author: SithLordWiccan (Alex)
• Email address: decepticons_4_ever@hotmail.com.
• Feedback: I'm a feedback whore. I live on feedback, so feed the beast. It’s the only way I keep going.
• Distribution: Through the Looking-glass, Extra Flamey. If you want to put it anywhere else, let me know
• Spoilers: No real spoilers, since anything that might be mentioned has been out for at least four years. Still, it bears noting that this fic references stuff that happened in "Star Witches: Episode I", along with stuff that happened in “Attack of the Clones” (though for the most part, it's on the periphery) and a whole bunch of Expanded Universe material that I’m not even going to begin mentioning, since I’ll most likely be adding to it as I go along.
• Rating: PG-13.
• Disclaimer: Willow, Tara and other “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” stuff that may show up belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm (though if you ask me, I’m doing a lot better with it than he has in recent times.) No money is being made off this fic, and I don’t have anything anyone would want anyway, so don’t bother suing me, OK?
• Summary: On the eve of the galaxy’s greatest conflict, Jedi Master Tara Maclay and newly anointed Jedi Knight Willow Rosenberg face a more personal crisis.
• Note: Special thanks to Chris Cook (Artemis) for beta’ing this fic, hosting it on his site, for being an overall swell fellow and for putting up with me (I know from experience how difficult it is for anyone to do that.) Also thanks to all the readers who liked the first one enough to leave feedback, and for providing me with the inspiration and strength to keep going. You guys rock. *hugs*
•Additional Note: For a handy guide to understanding the Mando'a phrases used in this (and subsequent chapters), feel free to download the Language Glossary and Grammar Guide located here.

[hr]

[center]Chapter Six[/center]

The Drunken Dianoga
Red Sector of Nar Shaddaa
3 Days Prior to the Battle of Geonosis


Kieran looked across from his opponent, a neutral expression on his face. This sort of confrontation called for nerves of steel and a quick mind, and though he had more of the latter than he would care to admit, the events of the past few days had worn the former down to as dull a point as one could imagine. True, this sort of task wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the one he had been wrangled into performing, but, like that task, it was something he often enjoyed doing, even if he was only able to do the former in the arena of his mind.

That would change soon, however, and while he was waiting, he decided to pass the time by indulging in one of his more popular pastimes: cleaning other people out of their credits.

The nearby interference field fluctuated, shifting the cards in his hands. Looking down at his hand, he saw that, in addition to Queen of Air and Darkness and the Two of Flasks he held in the neutral field, he now held Demise and the Three of Coins.

“Stars’ End!” The Twi’lek to whom Kieran’s gaze had been directed threw down his cards in disgust, having obviously been dealt a hand that had caused him to go over twenty three. Taking his glass, he downed the contents in one gulp, got up from the table and walked off.

Kieran fought hard to keep the smirk that threatened to form on his face from appearing as he watched the man depart, taking the opportunity to look down at his cards. The hand he now held equaled twenty. In order to win the Sabbac pot, which contained the majority of the credits into which the players had put their bets, he would have to get either a positive twenty three, a negative twenty three or the much more rare Idiot’s Array, which was the ultimate hand one could obtain in Sabbac and would automatically trump any other hand the other players had, even if any of them managed to get a Pure Sabbac.

Kieran placed the Two of Flasks and Three of Coins into the table’s neutral field, handing his remaining cards back to the CardShark droid bolted above the table. Cards that were placed into the neutral field had their values frozen and would not change the next time the interference field pulsed. By giving up the higher valued cards in favor of the lower ones, he was taking a big risk. In the next round, players would be able to call the hands of the others, so if any of them took that opportunity, his only chance of winning would be if he was dealt the Idiot this round.

It was a high risk gamble, but if it worked…

The remaining players made their choices on which cards to hold and which to return, and the CardShark began the next round, dealing them all their new cards. Kieran picked up the cards he was handed, discovering that he now held the Four of Sabres…and the Idiot!

Kieran couldn’t believe his luck, and immediately called the hand. Placing the Idiot down beside the two cards he held in the neutral field, he calmly declared, “Idiot’s Array.”

The other players grumbled at what had just transpired, two of them getting up to leave, clearly seeing that their luck had run out. Kieran collected the credit chips, indifferent to what they thought. This was the fifth game he had played in the past day, and he had won as many credits as he had lost, but he was having fun. Almost as much fun as he knew he would have when Halcyon arrived, and the real game started.

Moving to sit down beside her uncle, Beth took notice of the credits he was collecting as several other individuals began to arrive. “Ori'jate, Uncle.”

Kieran looked up at Beth. “Speak in Basic, Beth. You know I don’t like it when you let Mando’a slip into your vocabulary. I thought I taught you better than that.”

“You taught me to survive, Uncle,” Beth said, hand patting her holstered blaster. “And I think I’ve managed to do that quite well, even if I had to run with the Mandalorians for a while.”

“Glad you had the smarts not to get involved with something like what happened at Galidraan,” Kieran replied, as the CardShark dealt the players their cards. “If anything else, I can be glad to say that I taught you not to stick your neck out on some dangerous undertakings.”

Beth knew that was a jab about her role in getting them into the situation they now found themselves involved in, and made her feelings about that known. “Would you rather be back in that prison? Can’t imagine they get any fresh lum or opportunities to shukur other people in Sabacc on a regular basis.”

“I dunno,” Kieran sighed, discarding a card into the interference field and giving two others back to the CardShark. “The Podracing usually gave the prisoners a good reason to come to blows over badly made bets.”

Beth could only imagine the sort of altercations that her uncle found himself in while in prison. If any of them resulted in serious harm, it apparently didn’t show. Then again, there were other ways to hurt somebody. Like keeping them locked away in a high security wing of a prison asteroid.

Beth had been ten years old at the time it happened, and his capture has especially hurt her, since she considered Kieran to be as much a father as her actual biological father, a man she knew little of and cared even less to learn about. That had been one of the things she had learned during her time with the remnants of the once proud Mandalorian clans:

Aliit ori'shya taldin. Family was more than blood.

Her family had its heart cut out long ago, and she had wanted nothing more since than to get it back by whatever means necessary. So when she and the small group she had formed over the years to cause trouble wherever the solar winds blew them had been contacted by the man named Tyranus to free her uncle, she had jumped at the opportunity, at no point bothering to consider the consequences that might occur when Kad Ha’rangir decided to sweep in and enact change on the galaxy, as the ancient Mando’ade deity was known to do to its eternal rival, Arasuum, in order to keep the warrior culture from succumbing to self inflicted destruction. Even when Kieran had gone off on her, saying he was wondering why she would be foolish enough to do something so incredibly risky, Beth had stood her ground, saying that nothing really mattered to her as long as he was free.

And it didn’t hurt that the price they had been asked to tender for their help was something that she knew would interest Kieran greatly, even if it meant having to be a cog in the large machine of someone else’s plan instead of his usual position as head of the whole operation. The ease with which he decided to go along with the plan indicated that this reason alone was the one that told Kieran to go along with it. Beth knew that her uncle would never have gone along with it otherwise.

Well, if their information was correct, he should be arriving within the next day or so. And when that happened, both of them would have their opportunity for revenge. Both of them took what had happened personally, but as much as Beth knew it hurt for Kieran, it was worse for her. She knew that if she had the opportunity in the next few days, she wouldn’t hesitate to take the life of the one who had taken her uncle away from her.

After all, he certainly hadn’t hesitated when he took him away from her.

Inferno Engine Room
Outbound From Bothawui to Nar Shaddaa


Willow tried to shield her face from the shower of sparks being flown in her face, an act made more difficult by the fact that the rain of melted metal fragments was of her own doing, the fusioncutter she held in her right hand one of many tools she was attempting to use as she worked feverishly to try and repair the hyperdrive, which had malfunctioned for the third time on the trip. It wouldn’t have bothered her all that much if it wasn’t for the fact that they were only two hours outbound from Bothawui, which didn’t give the redhead all that much confidence that the three of them would be able to make it there in one piece.

Still, the experience was rather thrilling to a Jedi with a high aptitude for mechanics, and Willow knew that if she could get a worn down and malfunctioning R5 astromech back to proper working order (though she knew that there were those who often questioned what exactly was “proper” about the normal workings of a R5), she could put a hyperdrive motivator back together, even if she had to do it by the seat of her pants.

“OK, R5,” she told the droid as it trundled over to help. “See if you can’t stop the alluvial damper from overheating while I try to keep the paralight system from blowing itself apart.”

The droid twittered a reply and got to work as Willow set about her task, a faint memory from somewhere in the distant past coming to the surface as she set the fusioncutter down and reached for the hydrospanner.

”Willow, you’re doing it all wrong.”

Willow looked up from her latest attempt to fix the malfunctioning holo imager set up in the Temple spire to the bright eyed face of Anakin Skywalker looking down at her, the look on his face indicating his displeasure at what she was trying to do.

“And how would you know?” she retorted indignantly, almost regretting her act. After all, Anakin was as intuned when it came to mechanices as she was, so if he thought that she wasn’t doing a good job, then that indicated a lack of skill on her part. And if there was one thing that frustrated her most, it was not being good when it came to mechanics and how to fix them.

Anakin knelt down beside Willow and picked up the multitool from among the scattering of instruments lying near the open toolbox beside her. He got to work resetting the focusing lenses on the projection panel, and readjusting the controls. With a smug grin on his face, he pressed the activation controls, the image of the Battle of Lehon, the conclusive battle of the Jedi Civil War nearly four centuries prior, previously fuzzy and grainy due to reglect, appearing as clear as if it had been recorded the previous day.

“How did you do that?” Willow asked. “It would have taken me hours to figure out what was wrong with the projection systems.”

“Just gotta know where to look,” Anakin replied, the faint smile on his face indicating that it really was as easy as he had made it, making Willow’s attempts to fix the problem look foolish by comparison.


Willow held onto the scrap of memory as she went back to work. She remembered Tara talking about the nine year old boy that Master Qui-Gon had found on Tatooine shortly after the Battle of Naboo, and how he had helped her to see past the fear she felt about potentially losing her then Padawan. Since then, Tara had made it a point to keep abreast of his progress, perhaps seeing in him the same thing she had seen in Willow when they had first met: a strong potential for good that, nurtured in the right way, could bring about balance to the Force.

If the ancient prophecy of the Chosen One was true.

Of course, Tara said that she didn’t envy Obi-Wan, who had the unfortunate task of doing that, in the slightest. Tara had told her that if Anakin had been anything like Willow had been during her apprenticeship, then Obi-Wan was likely to have his hands full.

And she had been right. Though Anakin often displayed the same tendencies as Willow did, going beyondthe rules whenever it suited him, he had become as much the model Jedi as Willow had become herself.

But there were times that Anakin truly irritated Willow, and she could feel that, no matter how much both she and Tara tried, there was no way that she could ever be friends with him. Aside from the fact that Willow feared it could lead to something more, there was the fact that Anakin was always closed off from the world around him, moreso than a Jedi should normally be. He never really liked to talk to most of the Jedi at the Temple or consider them as either an equal or a friend, and he didn’t exactly get along all that well with those he did talk to or consider his peers, even his own Master.

And besides, she didn’t think of him in…that way. After all, Willow had successfully won Tara’s heart, even if she had to keep their relationship a secret. She wasn’t about to throw that away over somebody like Anakin. After all, he was becoming more and more like Tara used to be every day, and she didn’t really want to assoicate with anyone who reminded her of how Tara used to be. She was different now. And that was the way that Willow would always see her.

Willow knew that he would do something one day that would impact against the rest of the Order, and she hoped that when it happened, she and Tara were light years away and out of danger.

”How go repairs?” she heard Villie say over the ship’s com system.

“Fine,” Willow grunted, trying to tighten the few loose bolts back into place as R5’s repair work showered sparks in her face. “We should be back to normal in a few moments.”

”Or at least as normal as it will be before it breaks down again,” she thought to herself.

**

Inferno Cockpit
Outbound From Bothawui to Nar Shaddaa


Villie watched as the hyperdrive readouts lowered steadily from the red zone back to the comfortable green zone and breathed out a sigh of relief he didn’t even know he held. “Ah, that better.” He leaned back against his chair and looked out the viewport, the mottled sky of hyperspace beyond, turning slightly to look at Nejaa, sitting beside him with a sour expression on his face. “What? I say hyperdrive not work as well as it used to before you come onboard.”

“I know that,” Nejaa admitted. “But did you have to keep the ship going while Willow worked on it?”

“You said you wanted to get to Smuggler’s Moon quick,” Villie shrugged. “Best way to go is nonstop without any time for layovers.”

Nejaa acquiesced, turning to look at the readouts. He had intended to keep from speaking to the Devaronian for the whole of the trip, but there was something gnawing away at the back of his brain, and it just wouldn’t shake loose, no matter how hard he tried to forget about it.

“Why?”

Villie spun around to look at Nejaa. “What?”

Swallowing, Nejaa tried again. “Why did you decide to come with us? You seemed so adamant on not going to Nar Shaddaa that you had to accept…” He stopped himself from speaking about what Willow had said before, once again thankful that it had not come to pass, and continued, “And then you come onboard saying that you’d not only fly us there, but make sure we don’t get hurt. I wanna know why you changed your mind about that.”

Villie shifted uncomfortably, and Nejaa could immediately tell it was a topic that deeply concerned him. That was troublesome enough, for there were few things that could trouble an individual of his reputation. “Blonde woman came up to me, told me I had to do it.”

Nejaa sighed, realizing who it was that Villie was talking about. Despite what he had said, Tara still felt the need to get involved with this. He was thankful however that, at least in this case, it had actually turned out for the better.

But something still felt wrong. “You wouldn’t have changed your mind that quickly. What did she do?”

Villie turned to look at Nejaa with an expression that the Corellian could clearly see as one of concern and barely restrained fear. “You have dark moments, Halcyon. And I walk into dangers that scare hardened criminals. But that woman…” He trailed off, finishing in a hushed whisper, “She dangerous, Halcyon. You Jedi say you have no emotion, but she living proof of how wrong that statement is. Villie don’t want to be on receiving end of her bad temper.”

He turned back to the controls. “That why Villie accompany you. Have to make sure you two be safe, otherwise I feel her wrath. And that not something I wish on worst enemy.”

Nejaa sat back in silence, going over what it was that he had just been told. He had been thankful for Tara’s interference in this manner, happy that it had adverted a rather embarrassing situation that he wouldn’t have felt comfortable having to explain later. But the manner in which she had done so clearly disturbed him. In all of their years together, she had never really shown any real hint of negative emotion. That was, perhaps, the entire reason why she had closed herself off after learning of her parentage. She didn’t want to feel strongly negative in a situation that clearly didn’t call for it.

But she had, in this case. And although it had turned out for the best, it was still wrong. Lashing out emotionally in that fashion was the first steps towards the Dark Side, and if there was one thing that Tara feared more than the thought of confronting her father, it was succumbing to that which she hated most.

He was glad that she had seen reason and had decided that it was for the best not to accompany them. If how she had acted towards Villie was any indication, it was a sure testament to how the current situation was affecting her, and it would make anything she decided to do an act based on not thinking things through and not seeing clearly.

Nejaa promised himself that after this trip was over, he and Tara were going to have a long serious talk about that. Being that influenced by negative emotions wouldn’t help her in the long run, and would only lead to her doing something that she would later regret.

**

Trader’s Nest Spaceport
New Vertica, Nar Shaddaa


Tara stepped down the ramp of the YT-1300 freighter, hood upraised to conceal her identity from any passersby. She was thankful that the captain of the freighter had decided to take her without asking for payment, saying that he had business on the planet anyway and that he would be happy for the company while en route. She was also thankful that the ship had been heavily modified so that it could get to the moon in half the time it would have taken other ships.

By her accounts, Master Halcyon and Willow wouldn’t arrive for another few hours. Time enough for her to blend in and get comfortable.

**

The Drunken Dianoga
Red Sector of Nar Shaddaa


Beth reached for her comlink as it chirped, putting the sabacc cards she held face down so as to hide their identities from the other players. “Go.”

A person Kieran couldn’t hear spoke something that caused Beth to break out in a smile.

“What is it?” he asked.

“He’s here,” Beth replied.

Kieran smiled. At last, the object of his revenge had arrived. Giving his cards back to the CardShark, he got up from the table. “Sorry, folks, but I’ve got another high stakes game to play. And it’s time to collect my bet.”
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SithLordWiccan
21. Geek Infested Roots
 
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Re: The Star Witches Saga: EPISODE II Chapter Six Now Up

Postby CaptMurdock » Sun Jan 21, 2007 6:00 pm

I hadn't caught up on this story in a while.

Truly getting interesting....looking forward to the next part.
Love is an angel, disguised as lust
Here in our bed until the morning comes
-- Patti Smith, "Because The Night (Belongs to Lovers)"
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CaptMurdock
7. Teeny Tinkerbell Light
 
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