114

A Young Girl’s War Between the Stars

114

33 BBY/967 GSC. Serenno.

I lay still as I came awake, extending my senses outwards. I was intimately aware of the soft, warm body pressed tightly against my back, soft curves spooning my form and cool breath tickling the back of my neck. A pair of arms circled my waist, squeezing just a bit tighter as I woke. The legs tangled with mine shifted back and forth slowly, the warm, silky back and forth feeling soothing against my skin.

“It’s early, yet. Go back to sleep, love,” Mina murmured quietly into my ear, before planting a soft kiss against my neck. One of the hands around me moved, stroking my stomach in a very intimate way that I enjoyed—perhaps too much.

I had never been treated quite like this before.

Satine cuddled and was friendly, but she wasn’t this affectionate.

Obi was equal parts affectionate and standoffish, like a cat. She wanted attention, but not too much or she felt bad and complained about her oaths.

Aylin was in it for sex and friendship, taking whatever I’d give her when and how she could get it and giving back whatever I gave, letting me define our relationship almost entirely and mirroring my own investment.

Mina was very giving as a lover. She took her time, drawing things out and savoring the experience. In the aftermath, she was extremely affectionate. But it was more than that. She was not just happy, but content. I wouldn’t say she felt like a woman in romantic love—I knew what that felt like and this wasn’t it. There was a care there that I could feel. I’d felt it from time to time occasionally and could place it as being distinctly motherly.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

On the one hand, it was nice. Very, very nice. But it left me vaguely uncomfortable. Almost like I was stealing something that wasn’t meant for me—especially because I didn’t return those feelings and wasn’t even sure I could. It was hard to explain, but it didn’t feel quite right.

On the other hand… it felt kind of like finding an oasis after being stranded in a desert for ages. I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I had it and the thought of pulling away was physically painful.

Eventually, I allowed myself a moment of weakness to indulge. Yawning, I stretched slightly, before relaxing again and turning my mind towards the events of yesterday and what still needed to happen.

I’d spoken to everyone I needed to, in order to send out the order for a ‘training exercise’ to multiple fleet groups and the Kandosii—a mixed group comprised of a small number of the veterans from Naboo mixed in with a much larger number of crews that had no real experience fighting anything other than pirates, if that. They had left in the night and were on their way to the Japrael system and Caloma, a gas giant and the sixth planet in the system, where they would set up in orbit just over the horizon from the inner system and send out droids to monitor things using passive sensors. The Redoubt was waiting for me and would ship out as soon as I was aboard later this morning.

As for the Senate meeting… the tone had shifted when we returned. Several of them still wanted to shift their witch hunt onto my handling of the gungans, while others wondered if I had gone far enough. The majority seemed to believe my response to the gungans was within reason and legal under galactic law, so moved to dismiss that issue and get back on track.

After that, the entire operation against the Trade Federation lost much of the impetus behind it. It was hard to argue that I had committed any supposed war crimes against droids when I had much more reason to lash out against the gungans for killing our men and attacking us unprovoked, and then had conducted the operation in a manner that most of them found acceptable. The unspoken pre-trial trial came to an end quickly after that.

With Mina having brought the issue with Onderon up over lunch, I’d taken my chance and brought it up and asked Mina to join me, to explain everything as she’d explained it to me. Then I’d pointed out that under Confederate law, we were obligated to help any member state that asked for aid, provided that there was a legitimate need. As Mina predicted, both the Corporate Alliance and Commerce Guild backed taking immediate action and sending a fleet just in case, which was enough to put it to a vote. Unfortunately, there just weren’t enough people convinced that it was an immediate concern. Moreover, they were worried that sending a larger fleet to reinforce the one already there would be interpreted as a sign of aggression and lead to war.

Shortsighted idiots who can’t grasp the bigger picture. We’re already at war, you fools! I mentally grumbled, frowning and idly considering finding a way to have them replaced.

You complained about the Republic’s Senate and how they did their damndest to hold up any actual action or decisive response to a threat with weeks or months of talking in circles, and here you are doing the exact same thing. Now, when a member state begs us to intervene, here you sit worrying about how the enemy will interpret our defensive maneuvering. You aren’t tacticians. You aren’t military or navy. You have no business having anything to do with military affairs.

Isn’t that always the case, though? Liars and worthless fools. Politicians who know nothing of war and care nothing for those under their command, giving orders to march soldiers across land they’ll never return from. Lives vanishing with pitiful ease and handing out medals forged from hypocrisy to their surviving families as consolation. And no matter what is lost, they’ll say it’s a small price to pay.

…I am beginning to think that having any sort of elected governing body thinking they should insert themselves into every aspect of the country and either slowing things down or sending men off to die pointlessly is a mistake. Perhaps we’d get things done faster and spend fewer men doing it, united under a single ruler with unilateral authority and either no Senate at all, or if we keep them, they’d serve in an advisory role with no decision making power. It works for Mandalore.

In response to my frustration, Mina’s hands tightened around me slightly and the light stroking of her hand on my belly shifted lower, turning teasing as her lips pressed into the back of my neck. I shifted back into her and sighed. She wasn’t even touching or doing anything overtly lewd, and yet I could feel my body begin to react as her fingers worked their magic.

Then there’s the issue with Onderon itself. I can’t let it fall—either into enemy hands or to whatever scheme the Republic is playing at. At the same time, because of the Senate, I can’t be seen as the aggressor, otherwise I’ll be right back here defending myself.

But what they don’t understand is that the Confederacy doesn’t technically have a navy or an army—Mandalore does.

We recruit from other planets to fill non-critical roles, but in the end, those are Mandalorian ships and Mando crews for the most part. On paper, I am the ultimate authority over all of them—even if the reality is that, given that Mandalore is a Confederate member state, I am technically under the command of the Suzerain. The Senate isn’t anywhere in my chain of command and has no authority to actually command troops and the fleet.

That I give them even this much say is a courtesy, to smooth along relations and make this Confederacy work. This is all just circus to keep them happy.

One day soon, I’m going to have to enlighten them on that.

Mina’s fingers dug in particularly forcefully and I gasped as it felt like every nerve ending in my body lit up in pleasure—my eyes rolling in my head as my body tensed and a moan escaped. Her lips, which had been so gentle up until now, were replaced with her teeth as the woman bit me. My thoughts fled my mind in favor of what she’d done to my body. “Hnng~.”

A dark chuckle escaped Mina’s lips as her tongue rolled over the spot she had nipped. “If you’re going to be awake, let me give you something to remember me by before I send you on your way, love.”

I rolled in her arms, turning to face her and shifting our bodies to pin her against the bed. Capturing both her hands, I pinned them above her head, her wrists clamped tightly in one of my hands.

“There it is~,” Mina sighed, her green eyes locking with mine as she arched her back and presented her chest. Her breasts were large and full, surprisingly perky in spite of being a mother, with large, dark nipples that stood out proudly and begged for attention. “That’s the face I wanted to see. It’s even more beautiful than I imagined.”

Smiling up at me, she closed her eyes as she spread her legs, one of them coming up to lock around mine. “Do what you must, I have already won.”

“Is that what you think?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “We’ll see if you still think it’s such a prize when you’re still walking funny a week from now.”

Mina’s smile shifted into a teasing smirk as I felt her emotions—excitement, arousal, and anticipation as she dared me to make good on my threat. Leaning in, I kissed her lips as I set about doing just that.

This I understood at least. Much simpler.

“How do you feel, Anakin?”

Anakin considered for a moment as he took a seat in the cockpit. Reaching up, he scratched at his freshly cut hair and the small lock that had been twisted into a braid on the side. It was the first time he’d had a haircut in over a year and his head felt all cool. After a few moments, he said, “The robes are kind of itchy.”

Mr. Qui-Gon—or Master Qui-Gon, actually—chuckled. “Yes, new robes from the temple are always a bit stiff and sometimes itch. They take time to break in and get used to.”

“There’s a trick to it,” Obi-Wan smiled. “Run them through the sonic washer on high for a few cycles and it’ll fix it.”

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon sighed, sending the brunette an exasperated look. “You’re not supposed to tell them that. They’re supposed to learn self-discipline and how to tolerate minor annoyances, so that they grow to be better able to tolerate progressively larger ones over time, without showing their frustration.”

The older girl smiled and leaned in. In a conspiratorial whisper, she told Anakin, “It’s a bit of hazing. The Service Corps do things like this from time to time. Especially to new Padawans.”

“Oh,” Anakin nodded. Looking out the window at the planet below, he asked, “So, where are we?”

“That is a surprise,” Qui-Gon shook his head.

Anakin looked to Obi-Wan, who smiled and shook her head. “Don’t look at me.”

The boy crossed his arms and glared, as the girl giggled and muttered something about ‘cute pouting.’ He wasn’t cute! It was a manly frown!

Eventually, the ship slowed and came in for a landing at a spaceport. Anakin felt something he sort of recognized brush against his sense of the Force, another strong presence sensing his own. A shiver ran down his back and he knew it was her. Asajj’s Master, Tanya.

The woman scared the crap out of him.

Which was weird, because he didn’t get the feeling that she was actually a threat to him, or that she even disliked him. It would be more accurate to say she tolerated him. They weren’t close, but she had been nice enough when they met.

And yet, the Force screamed that she was dangerous. Even that Sith guy who’d taken him hostage didn’t compare.

Yeah, but Obi-Wan said he died in like one exchange. So maybe he was just weak?

Shaking his head, Anakin stood as Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan did, following the pair to the ramp and out of the ship. Looking around, he spotted the pretty (but scary) red woman—Obi-Wan had called her species a ‘zeltron,’ he recalled. And standing right beside her, smiling up at him was—

“Mom?!” Anakin yelled, before running down the ramp. His mom knelt down and opened her arms, catching him as he crashed into her and giving him a hug.

This text originated on the site the author publishes on and was copied without permission; the author's page supports their work.

“My Ani,” his mother sighed, scooping him up. “Oof! You’re getting heavy. Did you hit a growth spurt?”

“No way! I hasn’t been that long!” Anakin shook his head as he smiled. His eyes were wet for some reason, but he ignored it. “How are you here? I thought Watto…”

“You can thank Ms. Mereel for that,” his mother explained, and Anakin looked up to see the white haired woman glance away from her quiet conversation with Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan at hearing her name.

The woman nodded. “I thought it would be best to get her off of Tatooine, so I bought her slave contract, freed her, and relocated her here to Serenno. You are welcome to visit any time, so long as Master Qui-Gon agrees.”

“T-thanks,” Anakin murmured.

“You are welcome,” she said, before turning back to Master Qui-Gon. “As I was saying, it’s unfortunate that I can’t stay, but a matter of great importance has come up. I’m leaving Asajj and Allaya here for shore leave. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see Anakin again. Feel free to borrow them to aid in his training, if you’d like. They’ve been getting a bit cheeky recently and think they’ve seen the worst I have to offer in terms of training, so by all means, don’t go gently on them.”

Master Qui-Gon laughed. “I’m sure we’ll think of something to keep them all occupied.”

“What’s the emergency,” Obi-Wan asked.

Tanya opened her mouth and drew a breath, before closing it again and shaking her head. “Classified at the moment, I’m sorry to say. It involves the Trade Federation making aggressive moves against one of our member states along a politically volatile border. I need to be there to respond immediately.”

Gesturing at the man in Mandalorian armor that had accompanied her, she said, “This is Sgt. Freed,” she introduced him, and the man snapped off a salute. “He’ll be your guide and escort. If there’s anything you need, ask him.” Glancing back at Master Qui-Gon, she added, “Master Dooku is expecting you for lunch, by the way.”

“Well then, let’s go pay him a visit. Good luck and safe travels, Tanya.”

“It’s a shame we can’t spend more time together,” Obi-Wan sighed, sending Tanya a smile. “I’d tell you to try to stay out of trouble, but I know you won’t. So instead, I’ll say, be safe.”

“You as well, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan. Enjoy your sabbatical,” the zeltron woman nodded, before turning and hurrying away, entering a shuttle parked nearby.

Turning his smile on Anakin’s mom, Master Qui-Gon asked, “Shall we?”

“By all means,” Anakin’s mom nodded.

“This way, please. I’ve already arranged transport,” Sgt. Freed said, motioning them towards a large transport.

They climbed into the large speeder and the sergeant took the wheel, driving them out of the spaceport and into the city. Sitting beside his mom, Anakin looked around, taking in the streets and buildings, businesses, other speeders passing by, and people going about their daily lives. It was clean. Orderly. Peaceful. Nothing made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He didn’t get a bad feeling from anyone.

“It’s so different from Tatooine,” he murmured.

“Yes. It’s lovely here,” his mom nodded, reaching out and petting the top of his head. “You cut your hair.”

“Obi-Wan cut it,” he answered absently.

“It looks good,” she smiled. “When we’re done with lunch, do you want to come home?”

Anakin nodded, before turning to send her a curious look. “Where are you living? In the city?”

“Oh, no,” she laughed, shaking her head. “Outside the city. I have a nice little cottage on a lake. My home is the only one around for miles, aside from a lake house belonging to Master Dooku. I think you’ll love it.” Turning to the front, she spoke up, “Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, you’re welcome to stay. I have spare bedrooms.”

“Thank you, Ms. Skywalker. I believe we will take you up on the offer,” Qui-Gon nodded. “The seclusion will be helpful with Anakin’s training.”

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan echoed. Looking to Qui-Gon, she asked, “How long do we plan to stay, Master?”

Humming, Qui-Gon eventually shrugged. “That depends on young Anakin. We will begin his training with the lightsaber and stay until he advances enough to construct his own. Then, we will take him to go collect his crystal.”

“Ilum?” Obi-Wan asked.

“It’s a possibility,” Qui-Gon nodded.

“What’s Ilum?” Anakin asked.

“It’s an ice planet where Jedi younglings go to collect their lightsaber crystals from the Temple there.”

Obi-Wan turned in her seat, grinning back at Anakin. “It can be very dangerous. When my friend was just a little older than you, we took her to collect her crystal and she had a little adventure and nearly died a few times over. In the end, she wound up half frozen, a bit starved, and bathed in blood from head to toe. Not hers, thankfully.”

Anakin’s eyes went wide and Qui-Gon chuckled. “Obi-Wan, don’t scare the lad. Tanya’s experience on Ilum is far outside the norm for a typical youngling. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“…Wait, she nearly died?” Anakin asked.

“Well, it is a minor Trial,” Qui-Gon admitted. “Being a Jedi means facing and overcoming your fear—growing and mastering yourself to such an extent that you no longer feel fear. Though, I find a little fear is healthy for humans. It makes us sharper. I find that it is much better to face your fear and let it pass, than to try to force yourself not to feel it at all. Fear, anger, love—these are all normal, healthy emotions for a human to have and not allowing yourself to feel them will stunt your growth. At the same time, you must learn to master your emotions and not let them master you. Our emotions can make us do foolish, shortsighted, self-defeating things if left unchecked.” He quietly sighed, before shaking his head. “It is one of the failings of the Temple, I believe.”

“Master?” Obi-Wan asked, and the man turned a sad smile on her.

“Yes, Obi-Wan. I disagree with that part of the teachings.”

“…You’re starting to sound like Tanya,” the girl pointed out.

Qui-Gon chuckled. “It is something we agree on,” he admitted. “She researched where those teachings came from at one point and shared her conclusions. They were written by a member of a non-human derived eusocial reptilian species who don’t feel emotions the same way human-derived species do. He was a well-respected Jedi Master and researcher at the time, but within his own species he was effectively equivalent to a worker bee—and we believe the Jedi at the time didn’t take that into account, or consider the ramifications of…” He hesitated a moment, before a wry smile crossed his lips, “Trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole.”

“But the teachings say—”

“I know,” the man nodded. “But Obi-Wan, you are a Knight now. You must think for yourself if you are to survive in the coming war and beyond. Sometimes, that means disregarding or going against the teachings entirely. Wisdom is in knowing when to bend the rules, and when to break them—and which rules should be bent or broken.”

The speeder slowed and Anakin looked away from the argument to see that they had left the city and were approaching a tall building of some sort. They descended into a garage full of speeders and other vehicles before getting out. Their escort led them to an elevator, and from there up into the building, then out and across to another elevator and up several levels.

“Hello, everyone,” a woman sitting at a desk nodded. “They’re inside. Go on in.”

“I’ll wait out here,” the Mando said, taking up a position beside the door.

Anakin followed beside his mother as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan entered. Looking around, he took in the large, open room with the tall green windows. A desk sat at the far end of the room, with a table and chairs off to the side. Sitting at the table were an older man with gray hair and a somewhat younger woman, who looked maybe a bit older than his mom.

“Ah, there they are,” the older man smiled.

“Master Dooku, Countess Jenza,” Qui-Gon returned the smile.

The woman sighed. “Qui-Gon, please. We’ve talked about this.”

From the way Qui-Gon smiled, Anakin suspected he would continue doing it. Master Qui-Gon turned and motioned for Anakin to come forward, putting his hand on Anakin’s back as he did. “Master, allow me to introduce my new Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.”

Master Dooku studied him for a few moments before nodding. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Anakin. Please, all of you, be seated. Lunch will be brought out shortly, now that you’re here.” As they started sitting down, Master Dooku turned to Obi-Wan and said, “Congratulations on becoming a Knight, Obi-Wan.”

“Thank you, Master—”

“Just Dooku is fine now, Obi-Wan,” he chuckled. “Don’t be like your former Master.”

“I’d consider it an honor to be like Master Qui-Gon,” she smiled.

“We met with Tanya briefly on the way in. Is something going on?” Master Qui-Gon asked, and Master Dooku’s smile fell a bit.

“The war spreads with every passing day, and our allies come under threat. But let us not sour our meal with talk of politics and war,” the old man shook his head, as a group of four people entered and brought in platters covered in bowls of food.

Anakin’s mouth watered at the smell. He recognized all of the parts involved—noodles, individual dishes of vegetables, individual bowls of meats, and sauces—but he wondered why it was all separated out. The question was answered when the others began taking up tongs, spoons, and so on and assembling their bowls to their own taste.

His mom put his bowl together and picked a sauce for him. “Here you go,” she smiled down at him.

“Thanks, mom,” Anakin smiled back, taking up the chopsticks and digging in. “Mm!”

“I’m glad it’s to your liking,” Master Dooku nodded.

“So,” Jenza spoke up, sending Anakin a smile. “Qui-Gon tells us you were something of a pilot on Tatooine?”

“Yeah! I was a pod racer! The best!” Anakin grinned.

“How many matches did you win?” Obi-Wan asked, and Anakin’s grin shifted into a frown at her teasing tone.

“I almost won, but I got ran into a wall,” the boy complained.

Nodding, Jenza asked, “Have you ever flown anything bigger?”

Anakin shook his head. “No. Not yet. I want to, though!”

The older woman grinned. “That’s good, because I was thinking, we have some training craft…”

Anakin’s eyes went wide as he turned to his mom. “Can I?!”

“You’ll have to ask Master Qui-Gon, dear,” she reminded gently.

He turned to Qui-Gon and the man reached up, stroking his beard. “Piloting is a very useful skill to have. I think it would do you good to learn. Study hard and dedicate yourself to your training, and I’ll allow it.”

“Yes!” Anakin cheered.

Just then, the door opened and Anakin looked over as Allaya and Asajj hurried in. The redhead called, “Sorry we’re late!”

“We lost track of time. Sorry,” Asajj echoed as they took the empty seats beside Jenza and Dooku.

“It’s good to see you girls again,” Master Qui-Gon greeted as they began fixing their bowls. “I hope you don’t mind me asking your help in getting Anakin up to snuff? He could use a sparring partner his own age.”

“Sure!” Allaya agreed around a mouthful, as Asajj nodded.

“It’ll be fun,” the blonde girl agreed.

Swallowing her bite and washing it down with tea, Allaya added, “He can join our training, too!”

Raising an eyebrow, Qui-Gon asked, “Oh? What does Tanya have you doing?”

“Live fire training with the soldiers,” Asajj answered absently as she scooped up a bite.

Anakin blinked, before eyeing the blonde skeptically. “You mean like we did on the ship?”

“Yep,” Asajj confirmed.

Allaya nodded. “Except with more guns, and in different training grounds. It’s like a camping trip combined with a game of tag.”

Anakin’s mother paled. “A camping trip… where soldiers with guns shoot at you?”

“Mhmm,” the blonde agreed.

“It’s really fun,” Allaya grinned. “They get really annoyed when you hit them with their own blaster bolts.”

Anakin’s mouth opened and closed as he listened. Part of him wanted to say no, but if he was being honest… it did sound kind of fun, assuming the guns were going to be set for low power mode. Obi-Wan spoke up before he could decide one way or the other, however.

“Why don’t we try basic camping and fieldcraft first, before we jump straight to… that?”

“I agree. Let’s start with something a little more reasonable,” Qui-Gon nodded.

Master Dooku chuckled. “Unfortunately, I believe their idea of what constitutes ‘reasonable’ was skewed from the very beginning. Tanya only exacerbated a preexisting condition. Both of the girls were born on Dathomir, to the Singing Mountain Clan and the Nightsisters respectively.”

“That’s definitely it,” Jenza murmured.

“Speaking of Dathomir,” Allaya spoke up, looking to Master Dooku. “When can we go visit mom?”

The older man frowned minutely. “I would love to, however, I am quite busy with the start of the war and expanding the Confederacy. You’ll need to wait for Tanya to return, I fear.”

The redhead didn’t look happy about it, but she nodded. “Alright.”

“…I may have a solution, if you’ll bear with me and have patience,” Master Dooku offered. Allaya nodded again and he turned to Qui-Gon. “Now, how are things at the Temple? I hear you’ve been offered a position on the High Council.”

Qui-Gon winced. “I have. I’m still considering the offer. However, I think I may take Master Fay’s example and remain apart from the rest of the Jedi for some time. Enough to train Anakin in peace, without undue influence or attention from the others. I find myself ill suited to the dirty business of politics, and I would be doing Anakin a disservice by exposing him to the politics of the Council this early. It would also mean dealing with the Senate.”

“I don’t envy you,” Jenza sighed where she sat. Her chopsticks idly spun her noodles in her bowl as she complained, “Even after breaking away from the Republic, our own Senate is little better. And it grows worse with every new member. Time wasters, the lot of them—with very few exceptions.” A smirk pulled her lips upwards as she looked to Dooku and asked, “Did you happen to catch Mina’s walk of shame this morning?”

“I don’t think that was shame,” the man shook his head.

“You may have a point. She and Tanya seem to have become good friends rather quickly,” Jenza murmured, and for some reason Obi-Wan looked away at that, an annoyed look on her face as she stabbed her noodles a bit harder than necessary.

“Mina… Bonteri?” Qui-Gon asked, and Jenza nodded. “The senator for… Onderon, I believe?”

“That’s her,” Jenza confirmed.

Obi-Wan frowned at that, looking up from her noodles. “Master—”

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon sent her a patient smile as he raised an eyebrow.

The brunette continued, “Isn’t Onderon on the border with the Republic? Near Kuat?”

“Yes, it—” Qui-Gon fell silent, blinking twice, before turning to Dooku. “No. They wouldn’t.”

Master Dooku took a breath, then let it out in a sigh as he nodded. “They are.”

“Now I see why she didn’t want to say, and why she was cagey with the details,” Qui-Gon sighed as he sat back in his seat. “So this is it, then. The battle that will see the Republic joining and set the tone for things to come.”

“Quite,” Dooku agreed.

Sounds scary, Anakin mused, but kept the thought to himself. I hope she’ll be okay.

33 BBY/967 GSC. Onderon Conflict, +???

“Incoming missile!”

“…Negative!Enemy contact! I repeat, enemy contact!”

“She’s on your hull! She’s on your hull!!!”

“I can’t shake her!”

“Ahahahaha~!”