*This is a series that rewrites the Sequel series, all three have been written, and this is the first part of it*
Latest Update:COMPLETE
Summary: It is a time of relative peace. The GALACTIC REPUBLIC, guided by CHANCELLOR LEIA ORGANA, works tirelessly to spread democracy to a galaxy that has suffered from decades of tyranny. The Galactic Senate debates the ratification of a new Constitution that would eliminate corruption and strengthen the rule of law.
The Chancellor's efforts have drawn the ire of her opponents, who decry an influx of refugees fleeing mysterious catastrophes on the Outer Rim worlds. Republic intelligence pursues solutions to the refugee crisis out of political expediency while leaving a handful of mysterious clues unexamined.
The reborn JEDI ORDER, under the guidance of JEDI MASTER LUKE SKYWALKER, maintains neutrality from the REPUBLIC. As the new Jedi work to rebuild the storied order, Luke becomes increasingly preoccupied with a whispered threat of a new darkness rising...
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40241100/chapters/100792806
Word count:89k
Chapters:30
Chapter 1: The Final Battle
Commander Vax Antilles stared out from the viewport of the Raddus, watching as hundreds of Republic ships slowly overwhelmed the last remnants of the once-mighty Imperial fleet. The battle had raged for two days and two nights, and the dawning of the third day heralded a decisive victory for the newly reformed Republic. Antilles smiled tightly as another Star Destroyer succumbed to Republic fire, an occurrence now happening with greater frequency with each passing hour. Observing a new breach on the left flank of the Imperial armada he was tasked with subduing, Antilles pressed the Republic's advantage, ordering, "Move the Second Fleet into position on the breach; full fire on that quartet of Star Destroyers."
A flagged communication pulled the Commander's focus away from the emerging breach, eliciting a frown. The notice read: The Aldera requests escort to the planet's surface. A wave of impatience arose as he considered the request against what he felt was the more pressing tactical demands on his attention. He had specifically ordered that the Aldera remained docked until the Imperial fleet was neutralized, but somehow the Aldera had convinced flight command to clear their departure anyway.
Commander Antilles uttered a terse order, saying, "Belay that request, flight command. It is not yet safe for the Aldera. . ."
The officer on the other end of the transmission cut off the Commander's explanation, saying, "Admiral Drayson has requested six ships from Rogue Squadron, including Captain Antilles for escort."
Commander Antilles's annoyance spiked at his superior overriding his order to divert his brother from spearheading the action against the crumbling Imperial resistance. He looked up and watched as another Star Destroyer burst into flames. Over the past six hours, it had become apparent that victory over the Imperials was imminent, yet the Empire seemed determined to fight down to the last ship. Thousands of Republic crew and pilots had died as a result, and Commander Antilles felt a deep resentment at a side mission occurring when every man and woman was needed to end this nightmare as soon as possible. Knowing that he could not disobey a direct order, he murmured a terse "confirmed" into his commlink as he redirected his attention away from his resentment and back to the battle.
***
Flight crews on the deck signaled to the Aldera's pilot that it was cleared for takeoff. The angular freighter, an Alderaanian design modified with heavy weaponry, rose from the deck on the strength of its repulsor lifts, and it turned toward the ship's docking bay. The pilot nudged the throttle, and the ship glided out of the dock, past the ship's shields, and into the frenetic chaos beyond the safety of the Raddus. Republic and Imperial ships darted through a web of turbolaser blasts interlacing the space between Republic cruisers and Imperial Star Destroyers. Republic cruisers, including the new Starhawk-class battleship, launched volleys of turbolaser fire into the flanks of enemy ships. Imperial cruisers and destroyers burned and broke apart, attempting to fire back even as their systems failed.
From the vantage of the Aldera's pilot, the battle was nearly over, and a mission of greater urgency awaited. The pilot gunned the thrust, and the Aldera shot forward, descending toward the barren desert planet below, an escort of six X-wing fighters flanking it on either side. The group of ships cut through the battle with the X-wings occasionally separating from formation to shoot down approaching tie fighters. A Star Destroyer maneuvered into a position directly before the group of ships, and a barrage of turbolasers from several Republic frigates cut through its bridge. A spectacular explosion decapitated the ship's command structure, and the triangular wedge of the ship's body plunged toward the planet. The Aldera and its escort shot past the sinking ship, clearing the battle.
As the X-wings peeled away to return to the battle, the Aldera shot toward the planet's surface, from which countless plumes of black smoke rose from the wreckage of hundreds of Imperial and Republic ships. The smoke had reached the upper atmosphere, and the atmospheric winds had dispersed the smoke through the troposphere, obscuring the sun at the planet's surface. The freighter penetrated this veil of smoke from above, losing altitude steadily before pulling up a mere 100 meters above a vast sea of sand dunes. The ship's sub-light engines kicked into full power, and with an echoing boom, it shot across the dune sea, deftly weaving through the wreckage raining down from the space battle above.
The ship slowed as it approached a formidable line of mountains. With its speed greatly reduced, the Aldera entered a deep declivity cut into the mountain. A distant explosion caused the walls of the canyon to shake, dropping house-sized rubble from above. The ship's pilot steered the Aldera gracefully around the tumbling debris to avoid the avalanche. As the canyon narrowed, the ship gained altitude, rising through the upper reaches of the canyon before its forward momentum halted. Clusters of turbolasers on both sides of the ship transitioned into attack position as the ship rose over the lip of the canyon to face a burning structure that appeared to have exploded only minutes ago.
The ship hovered for a moment, waiting for emerging threats. Then, apparently satisfied that no such threat awaited, its turbolasers receded, and the pilot nudged the ship forward to land on a rocky shelf. A ramp below the ship's nose lowered, and a pair of cloaked and hooded figures emerged. The taller figure stepped forward cautiously, while the slightly smaller figure followed close behind. As they reached the bottom of the ramp, the taller figure surveyed the flaming wreckage of the building before them. The Imperial insignia was barely decipherable on the building's scorched, smoldering exterior. A silent understanding passed between the two figures, and they knew they had arrived too late.
The pair stepped away from the ship and watched as the structure burned, wondering whether anything on the interior might have survived the blast. As they rounded the corner to approach the front of the burning facility, the smaller figure froze, sensing a presence a dozen meters away. The taller figure sensed the presence a moment later, and both turned to see a young girl slumped over a woman's body. The smaller figure reached out to touch the mind of the child only to recoil at the waves of grief, pain, and anger coursing through the girl's psyche and body.
The child froze, her crying and rocking ceasing instantly. Both cloaked figures felt a sudden shift from grief and pain to fear and rage. The child raised herself slowly and turned toward the cloaked pair, revealing a young girl with delicate features and a slight, undernourished frame clothed in a simple tunic. As the girl regarded the two figures, her fear peaked, giving way to a horrible rage. Her face contorted as she reached both of her hands outward. A chain of blue-white lightning cascaded from her fingertips toward the cloaked figures.
In unison, both figures withdrew lightsabers and ignited them. The taller figure's lightsaber glowed green, while the smaller figure's saber glowed purple. The two figures caught the lightning with their blades, and the energy dissipated harmlessly. Shock flooded the young girl's face. She lowered her hands and regarded both figures with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. The smaller figure extinguished her lightsaber, while the taller figure, apparently uncertain whether another attack might come, kept his ignited, ready for defense. The smaller figure gestured to him to lower his blade, and he did so, keeping it ignited. The smaller figure took a tentative step forward with her hands raised in a gesture of peace. The girl backed away, apprehensive, and the smaller figure paused, lowering her hood. The small girl stared across the rocky flat into the soft, brown eyes of Leia Organa. Leia turned to the taller figure and nodded. He lowered his own hood to reveal the face of Luke Skywalker, a light brown beard covering his face, his hair long.
Instinctively, Leia understood that the girl possessed little-to-no language ability. She reached out through the Force to touch the girl's mind. She felt the rapid vacillation of emotions from fear, suspicion, longing, grief, sadness, and pain. Through the Force, Leia reached out with pure emotion, communicating to the girl her benign intention to comfort and protect. The girl responded back to her through the Force, wordlessly, conveying fear, mistrust, and a deep well of pain and grief. Leia connected the girl's grief to the body lying on the sand, and Leia understood the woman to be the girl's mother.
Recognizing that the girl had been abused, even tortured, Leia knelt to the ground and opened her mind to the girl. The girl tilted her head curiously, and gradually, gently, her mind touched Leia's. With their minds bridged, Leia shared images of her own mother passing and her own torture at the hands of Darth Vader. Leia's mind opened further, sharing images of the Death Star destroying her planet, her recognition that Luke was her brother, and the birth of her son, Ben. The girl registered Leia's pain, and silently through the Force, she reflected understanding that Leia had also suffered, and thus would be kind. Leia sensed the shift as the girl let down her guard. She appeared shaken, but no longer suspicious. Her rigid, defensive readiness yielded to a helpless grief – a longing to be comforted. Leia moved slowly toward the girl, and when Leia reached her, she allowed Leia to embrace her.
***
Using the Force, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa lifted a large mound of dirt, which drifted toward a hole where the shrouded figure of the girl's mother lay. The girl had been able to impart two words to the Jedi: her own name, Kira, and her mother's name, Amaya. Luke lifted a large boulder and set it about the head of the grave. Leia, igniting her lightsaber, carved the Aurebesh letters spelling "Amaya" into the rock.
For a long time, the girl sat, crying at the grave of her mother with Leia's hand on her shoulder. Luke had vanished into the ruins of the burning facility, only to emerge later empty-handed. Even as the last Imperial Star Destroyers fell to the planet trailing debris, flame, and smoke, the trio sat vigil at Amaya's grave as the blazing Jakku sun set red through the dense cloud of smoke. Hours later, the trio rose and made their way to the Aldera.
Kira took one last look toward the grave before boarding the ship with the understanding that she would never return to the place that had been nothing but torture, fear, and rage but for the gentle reassurance of her mother.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40241100/chapters/100792806