A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
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Our young heroes have struggled to rebuild their lives. Anij and Daerin were wed alongside their friends Iocina and Allekhin. Although a veil of peace seems to have crept over the galaxy, an old enemy still haunts the memories and dreams of those who were his greatest triumphs and who ultimately brought the fall of his empire. Iocina and Anij meet again for the first time in many years to renew their bonds of friendship and draw strength from one another as an old fear insinuates itself into their lives once again...
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Tucking a strand of crystalline hair behind her ear the young woman looked out over the fast sea of buildings and vehicles that crawled over the surface of the planet like a giant web work of metal and stone.
For four years, she had lived on the capital world. A planet so different from her childhood home of Ceylon, which was all green grass and carefully preserved wildlife. Here everything seemed dead and yet so choked with life that she wanted to claw at her mind with frustration. Her husband Allekhin became caught up in the duties of being a Jedi Knight, leaving her to wonder what it was she wanted from her own life. She already knew that further training in the Force was out of the question; she couldn’t bear the thought of it and wished she could put all of those things behind it. Now Allekhin wanted to become the one thing she hated.
She had left him seven months ago, much to the surprise of the few friends she had made. Everyone insisted that everything would work out but she knew that it wasn’t that simple. She couldn't spend the rest of her life struggling between her insecurities and her ambitions.
For too many years, she had let everyone else decide what was best for her. First, her parents pressing her into service as a royal handmaiden. Then it was him making the decisions, she didn’t dare think without his approval. After that, it was the Jedi, and then her husband who only wanted to protect her whether she wanted protecting or not.
Now she was on her own, working for her living and paying her own way. Living the life of a lower middle class citizen of the galactic republic. She had a comfortable apartment on a respectable level of the city, and a steady job as a secretary for an asteroid mining firm. Not the most eventful life, she conceded silently, but it’s my life.
‘Cina smiled as a familiar presence brushed her own.
Anij clasped her hands beneath the folds of her flowing senatorial robes as she stepped into the turbo lift and pressed the button for the highest level. Her shining brown curls tumbled down the back of her ivory cloak and over her shoulders as she shook her head. So much had changed for the queen as well. She no longer lived in the frame of mind suitable for a Jedi Knight of high rank. She breathed in the recycled air that had entered so many lungs before hers and tried to clear her mind of the intangible dread that dug its claws into her subconscious.
Reaching her destination, she regally stepped out of the lift and moved to the clear glass doors of the exclusive café. Anij flattened her hands against the clear window, holding onto the icy coolness radiating into her palms to steady herself as her eyes sought her dear friend. Iocina sat alone, gazing out the massive window/wall of the restaurant. She looked content, although the lines around her impassive mouth belied sadness deep in her soul. Anij well knew that sadness, as she herself carried it with her each day of her life.
She pushed the door open and smiled at Iocina who gave a small wave, several platinum bracelets jingling with the movement. Anij weaved through the scattered tables and patrons and stood smiling down at her friend. She hesitated a moment until ‘Cina stood and opened her arms to embrace her. They simply stood still, not speaking, two survivors taking comfort in each other’s presence.
"It’s been a long time ‘Nij." Iocina whispered as they separated and sat opposite one another.
"Too long." Anij agreed. "We should have done this sooner my friend, these interminable years have been difficult not knowing how you were."
"Yes." Iocina smiled wearily, "How are things at home?" She asked as the waiter returned and was dismissed with a wave of her friend’s hand.
Anij sighed, "Hectic as usual. Daerin is upset with me, I send Niccolo away to a private school. I don’t want him growing up to be a Jedi." Her eyes darkened briefly. "I’ve forbidden him to pursue it. Daerin will get used to it and everything will be fine again. How are you and Allekhin?"
Iocina flushed and looked down at her hands as they twisted the loose end of her braided belt nervously. "I left him, several months ago. It just wasn’t working out. You know how it goes." She laughed flatly, not wanting to meet her friend’s eyes but looking up anyway. "I guess it wasn’t meant to be."
Anij wanted to answer that it was meant to be; Allekhin was the only one for her and Allekhin and ‘Cina were two of the only things she could count on. However, the look in Iocina’s gaze was deeply sincere. Her blue green eyes begged for acceptance and understanding.
"You are a strong woman ‘Cina, to have struck out on your own after what you have been through. I’m here for you." She said firmly, grasping Iocina’s hand and giving it a squeeze.
"I’m glad you understand, no one else did." She shook her head and chuckled, her fine hair fanning out around her face. "Oh, here we are being so serious and I so wanted this to go smoothly. What do you say we go shopping? I could use a new outfit to cheer me up." ‘Cina stood, pulling Anij with her. "I know just the place and it isn’t far from here."
Anij grinned. Pulled into the positive influence of her friend, she stifled the mounting anxiety that had been digging its claws into her mind for the past several days. She opened her mouth to speak but her words were stillborn as a pair of sapphire blue eyes mocked her from across the room. A face from her worst nightmares, and a bone-chilling smile that haunted her every breath and followed her into her dreams stood facing her. Dimly she was aware of Iocina’s fingernails digging into her palm sharply enough to draw blood, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the living incarnation of every bad feeling she’d ever had.
As suddenly as he appeared he was gone, a phantom in black silk robes. Both women looked wildly about them, too horror stricken to speak. Finally Iocina rushing for the door, pulling Anij with her down the hall and into the nearest fresher. Releasing her friend’s hand, the younger woman entered a stall and emptied her stomach into the unit.
Numbly, Anij turned the lock on the door to bar unwelcome entry and slid to the floor. Her white robes pooled around her and trembled with the choking sobs that wracked her whole body. Iocina dropped to her knees at her side, her emerald silk shirt dappled with dark water spots from the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"’Nij, please tell me that was an act of our combined overactive imaginations." ‘Cina gripped her friends hand as if she held on to her own sanity. "You killed him, he’s dead I was there. Isn’t he dead ‘Nij? Isn’t he?" Panic rose into her voice and she realized her own danger zone too late as the mirror above the line of sinks shattered into thousands of brilliant fragments. She threw herself over Anij to shield her from the flying glass but the tiny shards bombarded both women.
Iocina forced herself to her feet and moved to one of the sinks. She held her handkerchief beneath the tap and soaked it with cool water. She wiped her bare arms free of blood and rinsed it out again, this time offering it to Anij. Blindly, Anij did the same and stood up shakily.
"What are we going to do?" Anij asked, her voice echoing weirdly off of the smooth tiles of the ‘fresher.
"I don’t know." Iocina whispered, "I don’t know yet. But we will come up with something." As if acknowledging her rebellion against fate would change her destiny, Iocina took her friend’s hand in hers and unlocked the door. The women stepped into the quiet hall and made their way to the turbo lift, and onto the ground level outside.
Anij finally came to her senses and hailed an airbus. She and Iocina slid inside and Anij confidently spoke to the driver. "To senate building 17 please."
Iocina stepped out of her ‘fresher and into the hallway of her mid-level Coruscant apartment, a blue and green silk kimono wrapped around her slim form. It was amazing what a long hot soak could do for her state of mind. The afternoon’s fear had dissipated with the soap bubbles, and ‘Cina could hardly believe she had mistaken some strange man in a restaurant for the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Seating herself on a couch in the main room with a small stack of files left uncompleted from the previous day, Iocina ran a brush through her hair and tucked the loose strands behind her ears.
A scream ripped through the apartment as strong hands gripped her wrists...
Damaerydyn held his former apprentice’s arms tightly as he calmly walked in front of her. A quick blow silenced her screams and sent her reeling, she bit her lip and tried to shrink away but he held her fast. The dark lord pulled her closer one hand gently caressed her face while the other firmly held her hands between them. She bit her lip and whimpered slightly as her feeble mental barriers collapsed at the barest touch of his mind. He ripped through her fearful surface thoughts and waded into the deeper waters of her memory. He was surprised to find that they began only five years ago, almost all of her previous life as Aerina had been eradicated by the shock of Anij’s "betrayal" that fateful winter day. He was even more surprised (and not so very little embarrassed) to realize that she still felt pain from the lightsaber wound that he had caused and then tried his best to heal.
The Jedi had a saying "do or do not, there is no try" much chagrined he made a mental note that if his young apprentice survived this meeting he would redouble his effort to heal her.
Working his way up he saw her recent separation from the Jedi and the slightly bitter divorce from Allekhin. Damaerydyn smirked slightly and released, letting her curl up in a corner of the couch as he admired her in a new light. His twisted grin melted into an almost sincere smile as he noted that she was not so young as he remembered. Not as innocent or naïve. And not as forgiving. Still... he hadn’t seen her in nearly four years and the dark spirit of Exar Kun could not have done a better job at cultivating her dark nature than she had done herself.
Her eyes rose to his as he dropped casually onto the opposite end of the comfortable couch, and a flicker of recognition and almost... respect rose in the pale green orbs as they appraised the threat that had invaded her home and her mind. Her heart leapt in her chest as he finally spoke.
"I could have told you this would happen Iocina." He smiled as he saw a flush creep over her pale cheeks. He knew that her name sounded different coming from the one who had given it to her. It had a new meaning and a new life as it rolled off his tongue. "The Jedi didn’t deserve you Deinara."
Iocina’s eyes half closed as he so casually offered her the title he had given her in secret so long ago. The position he had never even offered to Anij, no not even to Courinne. Deinara. Priestess. She knew he was watching her, waiting for her to respond, but she was suddenly confused. Caught between a past that never quite released her and a present that had trapped her.
A cool hand touched her face and she felt his warm breath on her ear. "He didn’t deserve you." She closed her eyes as his mouth found hers...
To be continued...
Coming up: Sith illusions, a division in the Jedi Council, and an interesting revelation...
Authors Note: the first story starring Iocina, Damaerydyn and friends was way to complicated and didn’t make as much sense as it could have... so here is a recap of what has happened to the characters... Damaerydyn was the dark lord, Damaerydyn wanted to turn Anij Qel-Nerai to the dark side, Anij was the queen of the planet Ceylon and a descendent of Cay Qel-Droma, Damaerydyn kidnapped her best friend Aerina to lure Anij to his stronghold, Aerina fell in love with a sith apprentice named Allekhin, Aerina became Iocina, Iocina and Anij dueled and Anij ran her through with a lightsaber, Iocina was not happy, Allekhin defected to the Jedi and took Iocina with him, Iocina was once again not happy, Big War, Anij killed Damaerydyn... they all were going to live happily ever after... the end. There now you know what is going on so here is the real story.
DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction written in appreciation of Star Wars; to promote the Star Wars franchise and to keep it alive. All characters and settings original to the Star Wars movies and/or novelizations are copyright to Lucasfilm, Ltd. The rest is copyright to the story's author. No profit was gained from this story.