Star Wars the Force Unleashed: Moment from and Old Dream
ONESHOT: This is a oneshot based between 11 to12 years after Initiate of Light. Galen sits with his wife Juno on their home planet of Corulag watching their children and Graddick in the distance during a well deserved break in the forests surrounding the capital city of Curamelle and he can't help but get a sense of déjà vu that he had seen this moment in his mind years ago and through the mind of those present and around him.
(Also a quick overview of events that have taken place over the years and should be apparent in stories to come).
13 ABY – In the forest outskirts of Curamelle
Galen revelled in the sweetness of the fresh air as he felt the cool breeze pass over him and blowing through his short hair as he was lying down on the thick rug that the family had brought with them to eat their pre-packaged lunch in when they had arrived to the meadow on the bamboo forest plain. He then felt contact of a different kind as a gentle hand stroked down his cheek and laid itself upon his broad chest. Galen opened his eyes to look upon his beautiful wife Juno who was sitting up and smiling at him with her bright azure eyes. Galen sat up with her and wrapped his arms around her torso and smelled the sweetness of her hair as she laid her head on his chest and underneath his chin. The husband and wife looked into the distance happily at the commotion taking place quite a few metres away.
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Graddick
The unofficial member of their family who stood at 7 ft 2 growled and roared playfully as he was chasing two smaller figures across the field. The great Wookie guardian Graddick whose fur now had bits and pieces of grass and bush in it from rolling around with his small charges had spent every moment with his family ever since the life debt he had made with Galen all those years ago. After Galen's mother Mallie had sacrificed her life to save and protect the young Wookie only moments after Graddick's own mother had been killed by the Trandoshan slavers he had been indebted to Kento and his small son Galen ever since.
Graddick had been made somewhat of an orphan that fateful day on Kashyyyk as his father had been taken into slavery only a few years before by the Empire like so many to serve as a slave labour force for the Imperials. After Mallie had fallen in battle Graddick had flown into an uncontrollable rage and had run off into the forest for hours on end killing slaver after slaver until his clean fur was matted with mud, dirt and Trandoshan blood not to mention his body was riddled with wounds that had been inflicted by the slavers during his rampage. About three days later the young Wookie had wandered back to his home again only to be found unconscious on the ground by Kento Marek who had only buried his wife only a day before. Though he was still in great mourning for the loss of his love Kento took it upon himself to care for the young Graddick as he was very fond of him.
Graddick woke up the next morning to find that most his wounds had been healed by Kento and at the insistence of his new carer ate a hearty meal of local produce as he had eaten nothing for three days. After he had finished eating Kento's little son Galen had toddled up to the large adolescent and hugged into the fur of his long leg. Graddick had great affection for the little human and had known him since birth and picked up the small child into his lap. It was at that moment that he swore his life debt to Kento who had said there was no need but Graddick insisted. Ever since even after Kento had been killed and Galen had been taken Graddick had always known in his gut that Galen would return to Kashyyyk one day he just didn't know that Galen would also be bringing Juno and Setra with him. As the years had passed by and with the addition of the young ones he was now playing with Graddick had found his own family with the Marek's and yelled down happily to Galen and Juno who laughed and waved back to him.
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Juno
Juno sat back revelling in the warmth of her husband's body as she cuddled up to him looking at the pronounced features of his face. She still could not believe how quickly 12 years could pass by in a heartbeat but she kept in mind it had been a heartbeat worth of political struggle and fighting to try and bring the New Republic to some form of what could be called stability after the fall of the Empire 9 years before. It had still seemed like yesterday when she was the young and upcoming star of the Imperial Navy and she had just met the cold young apprentice who was now the wise Jedi Master and husband whom she had fallen so deeply in love with.
Juno these days still remained a commander of the Rebel Alliance and helped Leia Organa Solo to manage its leadership after the former princess had taken the post of Chief of State of the New Republic which came with a whole new level of responsibility and at the same time still managing as a wife and mother of three young children. Juno smiled at the thought of her and Galen's god children the twins Jaina and Jacen and the newest addition Anakin who was still only months old but who were so much like their parents. Thinking of this Juno then thought to the two smaller figures of in the distance who were themselves like smaller versions of their parents her daughter and son.
Taya was the spitting image of her mother Juno save her dark and unruly hair which came from her father but it was apparent that the girl was hers as Galen would say that no one else had her eyes save Taya. Their middle child had been born into the midst of victory and then battle again where she had spent most of her infant life strapped to the chest or tightly held within the arms of her mother or father who had been constantly on the move from one planet to another aiding the Rebel Alliance in their cause for freedom and at the same time running away from the Empire.
Something that Taya had inherited from her father was his strong Force signature and though not as powerful it was still quite high for a child her age. Juno had remembered the first time she had proven her Force abilities which had in fact been on the same day she had started taking her first steps. Juno, Galen and Setra had been cooing to the small toddler and kept encouraging her to walk until she started and then fell down again but to the amazement of her parents and her sister had slightly levitated in the air by a few centimetres and had landed on her feet again. Galen had cheered out in happiness and had scooped up the small toddler in his arms and had kissed her all over her face eliciting a great deal of laughter from the small child while Setra laughed herself and had cuddled next to her mother watching the scene unfold before them.
Now at 12 years of age Taya had become somewhat of a free spirit and was headstrong like her father but was still well-behaved and mature, with long, dark hair that reached down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a loose shirt and cargo pants and was running barefoot away from Graddick while in her arms she carried the smaller figure of her little brother Kento Rahm Marek. Kento was named after his grandfather and was already the spitting image of his father even at the tender age of three and was already proving that through his personality and actions like his sister had inherited his father's natural abilities with the Force. The toddler had literally been born only a day or two before Leia and Han's twins Jaina and Jacen right in the middle of the battle between New Republic Forces and the Imperial Remnant at the time led by Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Like the young force sensitive twins the mad Dark Jedi Joruus C'baoth had wanted in his possession the infant son of Galen Marek who knew that his father was a prodigy among the new and fledgling Jedi Order. Juno remembered that night in the Imperial Palace when the Marek family had come for a holiday to see the new twins of Han and Leia but only ended up resulting and a near full scale invasion of the building by Imperial Remnant forces who had attempted to kidnap the three infant children. She had remembered how scared she had been for her newborn son but here he was safe and sound. She also remembered the feats of strength performed by her husband as he sent stromtroopers flying here there and everywhere with the use of his dual sabers. What she remembered even more was after Taya had come running to her and Galen absent their eldest daughter and then looking through the window and seeing Setra free falling towards ground troops wearing her sleeping attire with lightsabers in hand shooting down torrents of Force Lightning at ground forces below.
Juno smiled at the thought of her eldest daughter Setra. The day would be completely perfect only that she was absent from this day of family bonding currently spending her last weeks of the current year in schooling at Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV. Setra had been going for the past few years now and Luke had been very proud to tell both Galen and Juno recently that next year he wished to put her up for knighthood. Juno had never been more proud of Setra in her life and she could see the same look on Galen's face when they both received the news from Luke. Setra had called immediately afterwards and spent a good hour talking to her parents about her time and experiences that she was getting from the Praxeum. Even through the holographic image of her daughter Juno could see in her eyes how much she missed being away from home and away from her family.
It was the changes in Setra that seemed to amaze Juno most of all. She still remembered the day that she had met her aboard the Executor when she was no more than 4 years old and had just touched the height of her waist, now her eldest was a young woman of 18 who stood at her own height. As of late Juno had really missed Setra herself as the mother and daughter seemed to be inseparable and had very similar personalities. Setra had grown into a woman who was vastly mature for her age, kind and generous of heart, capable and courageous when she was depended upon but still was like any other normal girl her age. Setra always stood as the most important reminder to Galen and Juno that as a family they had been able to surpass every obstacle that had been thrown their way and had still been able to come out the other side not always completely unscathed but alive to tell the tale.
Juno's train of thought was broken as she tapped Galen's shoulder and spotted a familiar figure on the hill in front of them but couldn't really believe it was her.
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Setra
She had spent about an hour walking through the thick forests of bamboo since Kyle had set her down in his and his wife Jan's new ship the Raven Claw. Setra was elated still even days after her godfather and Jedi Master Luke had informed her of her great achievements and told her about the probability of knighthood in the coming year. Setra was a beautiful young woman of 18 years of age and looked quite typical to the Nubian appearance inherited from her biological mother, long and thick dark brown hair, dark eyes and somewhat of a peaceful nature though this also came from years of Jedi training under her father and godfather. As a reward for her recent achievements Luke had sent his goddaughter home early and thought no harm could be done with only a month left to spare of the current semester of Jedi training.
The walk to where she sensed her family was situated was quiet and peaceful the only sound she could hear were the small mechanical sounds coming from her metal prosthetic arm which had once been her left biological arm. She had received the substantial injury during the Battle of Courascant in 8 ABY, the campaign that had finally secured the peace that the Alliance had been looking for, for over 20 years of civil war would end with the retaking of the galaxy's capital. Setra had only been 13 at the time but possessed skills that a padawan at her age would have spent a matter of many months trying to achieve and accompanied with her father Galen the two had stormed the ruins of the Jedi Temple in an attempt to secure another front and headquarters for the Rebel Alliance, unbeknownst to them that a number of Sith apprentices and an unknown Dark Jedi were expecting their presence within the dilapidated monument. Galen and Setra had been able to deal with the sith apprentices easily enough but it was the Dark Jedi himself who proved challenging.
Galen could have easily handled him but for Setra the dark warrior was more skilled then she and matters didn't help when an internal collapse within the structure of the temple separated father from daughter. While Galen was frantically trying to find his way back to Setra using another route Setra had no choice but to keep going forward all the while keeping alert of her surroundings until she finally made her way to an old but still operational elevator which took her directly to the ruined remains of the former Jedi Council Chamber and surely enough waiting for her was the shrouded Sith. Setra utilized every force and lightsaber technique that she knew and proved to in fact be the equal to the supposedly better skilled Sith but was hit back by a Force attack and before she could open her eyes all she could remember was hearing the swing of a lightsaber, the smell of burning flesh and the severe pain that shot throughout her body until she finally opened her eyes and saw that her left arm had been strewn across the chamber.
The Sith warrior had laughed at her evilly pointing his own saber in her face. Even though in a severely weakened state Setra used whatever strength she had left and generated a powerful Force Repulse that shattered the left quarter of the former council chamber and sent the Dark Jedi screaming as he fell to his death toward the expansive metropolis below.
She still remembered regretfully the moment that her father had gotten through the debris and had found her sprawled across the floor of the council chamber, still in shock from the blow and the large amount of blood that was coming out of her wound. Galen had gathered her up in his arms, used as much Force Healing as he could and ripped off his own jacket turning it into a tourniquet around her shoulder to stop the rest of the bleeding. Though the Alliance had achieved victory that day while their comrades celebrated Juno, Galen and then 7 year old Setra waited anxiously for Setra to come out of bacta treatment and wake up again. Surely enough within a few days Setra woke up with Galen's sleeping form in a chair at the back of the ward in the Imperial Palace infirmary and in the comforting hands of her mother Juno.
As she sometimes did Setra rolled up her sleeve and gazed upon the work of metal and wires in front of her. Juno had insisted to the medical droids that if any prosthetic was to be placed on Setra it would be made by her own hand to ensure that it would last for the rest of her daughter's life. Juno spent two weeks straight working on the prosthetic limb taking great care and made it with great precision, Kyle even gave Juno a large sample of the rare metal known as Cortosis from a series of missions fighting against former Jedi and sith apprentice Desaan and his apprentice Tavion. Jan had even been presumed dead for a time but this lead was proven false as she was just a prisoner much to the relief of Kyle and their two children their eldest and only son, 10 year old Morgan named after Kyle's father and their 8 year old daughter Lena.
Setra remembered when she awoke after the operation that had the advanced custom prosthetic grafted to her body. To this day Setra still regarded the arm as a work of art, her mother had gone to no expense on any details and had even crafted it too resemble the muscle structure of a biological human arm. It had taken some getting used to at first but eventually the prosthetic became as much a part of her as the rest of her still unmechanical body. Now a few years on Setra had become an incredibly promising padawan within the Jedi Praxeum not suprising Luke that she was the top student in her classes and even volunteered her time teaching fellow students at the academy, having had the advantage of a master since she was a young child.
She finally reached the final hill where she felt the force signatures of her family and surely enough there they were in the meadow where they would usually spend time together. Her younger siblings were the first to reach her. She swept up her small brother in her arms and marvelled at how big Kento had gotten over the past months and then took her sister Taya into the embrace and within seconds was followed up by Graddick who gave them all a tight bear hug literally squeezing out any remaining remnants of oxygen from their lungs. Graddick took away the kids attention as Setra looked to two of the people that she had missed more than anything. Juno walked forward and enveloped Setra in her arms hugging her tightly to her and kissed her forehead long and tenderly overjoyed that Setra had returned home for the remaining six months of the year.
Her dark eyes looked over the shoulder of her mother and met the matching pair of eyes that belonged to her father Galen who looked on happily.
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Galen
She was home again. Galen looked on overjoyed at the scene before him. Certainly being a Jedi Master he had seen Setra a few times every month at the Jedi Praxeum buy also held other responsibilities as well and Juno had not seen Setra in a solid 4 months since the last time she had transported Galen personally to the Praxeum. Galen felt something tugging at his leg and looked down to see his small son. Happily Galen picked up the toddler followed by his daughter and hugged his arm around her shoulders. He brought them forward and the entire family embraced one another happily together once again after six months of separation.
Suddenly a feeling swept over a Galen, a gut instinct that told him at the back of his mind that he has somehow witnessed this moment before. Galen felt Setra looking into his mind as well to see why his attention had been diverted. Galen then remembered all those years ago, only hours after he and Juno had consummated their love for the first time, when Setra had been the same size as Kento, he had been granted the vision of this very moment in his life. He knew that he and his family had many other moments like this within the same meadow being overlooked by the bustling capital but none had felt as sure as this. Galen then turned his gaze to his eldest who looked at him with knowing eyes. He smiled at Setra kissing her cheek. He then looked over the shoulders of his family and thought he saw two very familiar figures in the distance one that wore a custom made Jedi tunic, brown in colour and saw the eyes that he had inherited from the figure staring back at him, the other figure a lean female who had unruly and thick brown hair with eyes the colour of emerald.
Galen's breath caught as he recognised the two figures and he replied back to them in his mind.
Thankyou both so much for watching over me and guiding my family and I. Mother, father, I love you.
The force ghosts of Mallie and Kento Marek smiled back at their son overjoyed that after so many years of not being able to reach him through the darkness that had ruled his young life they had been able to grant him that one dream. The one dream that had given Galen hope through helping to start the Rebel Alliance, hope through Krant, Geddes, Dantooine, Dac and Kamino, hope through the civil war from the destruction of the first Death Star to the death of the Emperor above Endor.
The dream that had shown him this one moment and constantly reminded him that his destiny though guided by the invisible hand of the Force had always been his own.