The group of Jedi were making their way to the ship. Talyc was standing nearby waiting for the Mandalorian transport that was going to usher Void and him to Mandalore.
‘Shadie,’ Void said sternly, ‘please, I insist, allow me to accompany you to Nar Shaddaa!’
‘Void, I honestly think you should sit this one out. We don’t know what Maranna thinks of you and if we’re to protect her from Awgro, she needs to feel safe and comforted.’
‘It could be dangerous!’ insisted Void.
‘That’s why the Protectors of the Force will be there too,’ said Shadie. ‘Look, I’m worried about Talyc. It’ll be good for you both to travel to Mandalore. You can guide him. I know he’s not Force-sensitive, but you could help him with his temper. It’s his greatest folly. Besides, I need him to be accompanied by someone who can keep an eye on him and keep him safe.’
Lord Void bowed his head, nodding. ‘All right, I’ll go with Talyc. But I want to know what’s going on.’
‘I promise I’ll share any news we’ve got.’ Shadie smiled and clasped the Sith’s hands. ‘As soon as Maranna and the boy are safe, we’ll let you know.’
‘Boy?’ Void’s eyes changed and Shadie thought she saw a light shimmer in them.
‘Alegna says there is a Chiss boy with the human woman, perhaps two years younger than Thera, in her estimate, which fits the timeline. Thera’s five, going on six; the boy would appear to be about four, given his Force affinities, though he can’t be much older than three. Alegna reports he walks, he talks, and I can only assume he can already use the Force.’
‘Relsor had the Force before he was born,’ said Void, ‘and I was sending lightning and draining at one, thus I needed proper training and discipline. That boy could learn a lot and have great potential.’ Void got a wistful look in his eyes. ‘A grandson,’ he whispered. ‘Perhaps he would be the son I never had? Is it foolish of me to hope that he is not like his father, that he would allow me into his life?’
‘We’ll know soon enough.’ Shadie gave Void a hopeful smile. ‘And it’s not foolish.’
‘Shadie,’ Void quickly took her arm before she could go yet. ‘Remember, the boy is Chiss. While he may be three, he will look and act the equivalent of a five or six year old human.’
‘I’ll remember,’ Shadie reassured. Void seemed satisfied with that. She walked up to Talyc and gave him a warm embrace. ‘Take care of yourself, yeah?’ Talyc nodded.
Knarf embraced his friend as Brenum and Trylia returned from inside the ship to announce it was ready for takeoff. The two Jedi bid their farewells and the four departing entered the ship.
Shadie felt excited and kept double-checking her chrono the whole time they were in hyperspace.
‘Alegna says that the woman she believes to be Maranna is going by the name of Maureen. She’s waiting on tables at the Slippery Slopes Cantina on the Promenade where Alegna used to dance. She and the girls have made sure to make her feel welcome.’
‘Is Alegna really pretending to work for that scum Hutt again?’ asked Knarf.
‘Nah, she’s claiming to be there to negotiate an understanding on behalf of Clan Kandera. Financial matters.’
‘And the boy?’ asked Trylia.
‘I hear he’s helping one of the girls dealing cards, making himself useful and earning for his mother as well,’ said Shadie. ‘That is not a life I’d want, and I hope they remain safe until we find them.’
‘Their predicament,’ said Trylia, ‘it is our fault. I hope they can forgive us.’
* * *
Maranna as a waitress on Nar Shaddaa (from Connections in the Force, Story 11, Star Wars Fan-Fiction by Celinka Serre)
The ship settled into one of the hangars and the Jedi made their way to meet Alegna at the Promenade. She led them to the cantina.
‘This table of Pazaak is available,’ she said, winking at them.
The young girl at the table dealt some cards. Alegna left and placed herself in a corner, watching the crowd.
The Jedi sat down. Shadie looked around, clocking Storimbu in another corner of the cantina. He must have sensed her, or seen her through the Force, as Miraluka do, for he nodded and very slightly cocked his head to one side. Shadie followed the direction and saw several whom she recognised from Korriban in other parts of the cantina. She smiled and let her gratitude permeate into the Force.
‘Can we get some drinks?’ Knarf called out, trying to get the attention of any waitress.
A tall lean woman who fit Maranna’s description came by. She was dressed in typical cantina waitress clothing; it was elegant and covered more of her body than what the dancers were made to wear.
‘What can I get you?’ she asked, sounding a bit nervous.
‘Four glasses of your house wine and whatever you’re having,’ said Knarf.
‘Oh, that’s very kind of you, but–’
‘I insist, join us, you’re allowed a few minutes for a break, aren’t you?’ Knarf placed some credichips on the table. ‘We’ll tip generously.’
The woman perked up and left with their order, walking quickly. Shortly after she returned and took a seat next to Trylia. She furrowed her brows at her, as though there was recognition on her face. Shadie had no doubt that Maranna knew what she and her friends looked like, and no doubt she knew how Relsor had felt about Trylia before he’d met Maranna. Either the woman was merely recognising the Jedi who had saved the galaxy on countless occasions, or she was good a pretending.
‘Thank you for joining us…?’ Shadie left the question open-handed.
‘Maureen,’ the woman replied in a flustered manner. She carefully took a sip, as Knarf drank from his glass. Shadie simply smelled the wine. She probed the woman a bit, though it seemed her reach went right through her.
‘Friendly staff,’ said Brenum a little too awkwardly. The woman smiled meagrely. She kept looking at Trylia, her expression betraying judgement.
‘Have we met before?’ asked Shadie. ‘You look familiar.’
‘Oh?’ the woman seemed flustered. ‘I’m Shadie, by the way. This is my husband Knarf, and my friends Brenum and Trylia.’
Shadie saw the shadow cross the woman’s face as the confirmation set in her mind; “Maureen” swallowed hard, then she smiled again.
‘Oh, are you those Jedi?’
‘Yes,’ Shadie nodded. The woman’s face turned to worry. ‘It’s okay; we’re not here to make trouble. We just want to help you.’
‘I don’t know what you’re on about,’ the woman said. ‘Why would I need help?’
‘Because we know that your name is not Maureen, and there are others who might also know this,’ said Brenum. ‘We would like to offer you our aid.’
The woman scowled. ‘I don’t know who you think you are, but…you must be mistaking me for someone else.’
At that moment, a young Chiss boy came running towards the table. ‘Mama, mama, look what I made!’ He showed her some credichips. The woman blushed.
‘Very good.’ She patted him on the head and he returned to another table. Indeed, he looked like a mature three or four-year-old Chiss child.
‘I know what we might look like to you, Maranna, but the Sith Awgro has put a bounty on you. We don’t want any harm to come to you or the boy.’ Shadie hesitated. ‘I believe Awgro means to capture your son and train him as his Sith apprentice.’
‘You think you can come here and claim to want to protect me when you killed my lover?’ Maranna’s upset was apparent, and this confirmed it was her. ‘And you want my son to be a Jedi?’
Shadie shook her head. ‘No, we don’t want to force anything on him. We just want to help keep you safe from Awgro.’
‘Awgro, Lord Void’s apprentice,’ said Maranna. Shadie didn’t miss the disdain in her tone, enough to confirm she knew very well who Void was to Relsor and her son. ‘And I hear that you have allied yourself with Lord Void.’
‘Clearly, you have not heard the story of how Relsor was conceived, or you would know that he did not wish to create a being who would need to be defeated for the galaxy to survive.’
‘And clearly, you don’t know what it’s like to lose the man you love to self-righteous Jedi who think they know better!’ Maranna spat back.
‘Fair point, but I,’ Shadie began carefully, ‘am no longer a Jedi. I am Mandalorian now.’
‘And where is Jedi Fane, he who has slain my passion? Can he not show himself to me? Or is he too much of a coward that he must hide away?’
Shadie swallowed. ‘He’s been missing for some time. We don’t know where he is.’
The young boy returned with more credichips. He stared at the Jedi.
‘I heard you talking,’ he said. There was an awkward silence. ‘Mama says that Jedi Fane killed papa because papa was too sick and that it was making others sick too.’
Shadie nodded. ‘We’re very sorry that it had to come to that.’ She genuinely meant it.
‘Mama is angry, but I don’t remember papa. Only from the holovids he made for us,’ said the boy. ‘I don’t think I’d want the galaxy to die.’ He paused. ‘Mama says that Jedi are as bad as Sith.’
‘Maybe she’s right,’ said Shadie. ‘So it’s a good thing I’m Mandalorian.’
‘What’s a Mandalorian?’ the boy asked.
Shadie started to give an answer when all of a sudden the lights in the cantina dimmed as a haze set in, and lightning flickered all around the room, as a large group of Sith approached the table. The Jedi-Mandos stood. Maranna ushered her son close to her to protect him.
‘I might have known I’d find you here,’ Awgro sneered. ‘No Fane?’
‘Awgro,’ said Shadie. ‘I won’t let you hurt them.’
‘Hurt them?’ Awgro looked at Maranna and the boy. ‘These are the Jedi who killed Relsor. Whereas I trained with him. I can teach you what he taught me.’
The boy took a step back, even closer to his mother. She wrapped her arms around him more tightly.
‘Back off, Awgro!’ demanded Shadie. ‘Leave.’
Awgro ignited his lightsaber. ‘Not without the boy.’
‘I don’t want to go with you!’ the Chiss boy cried.
‘You’ll be happy I saved you from these Jedi later,’ said Awgro.
He sent a stream of lightning towards Shadie. She was quick to react and ignited her lightsaber with a snap-hiss, and caught the lightning on her blade. At the same time, the Protectors of the Force leapt out of various corners and began fighting the Sith Awgro had brought with him, while her friends fended off more of Awgro’s Reformed Sith.
Some of the lightning made its way towards Maranna but was immediately extinguished before it hit her. Shadie snapped her head her way in astonishment.
‘I need to learn to absorb like that,’ she said. ‘Jedi train for years to be able to achieve a fraction of that ability.’
She caught Awgro’s lightsaber on hers and pressed forward, backing him up and away from Maranna. He used the Force to choke her. She gasped for air. Knarf rushed in and kicked Awgro’s shin, sending the Sith to the floor. Shadie regained her composure and the Protectors of the Force closed in on Awgro.
‘You’re surrounded, Awgro,’ said Shadie.
Awgro used the same tactic he had on Dromund Kaas, the same tactic he had used when he arrived at the cantina, and the room dimmed again, this time as though there was smoke all around, just like on Dromund Kaas. When the room cleared, he and most of his Sith had gone.
‘We’ll search the area for any stragglers,’ said Storimbu.
‘I’ll join the search party,’ said Alegna, clasping her blaster. ‘I may not be good use in a fight against Sith, but I’m good with searching and finding.’
Shadie turned to Maranna. ‘It’s not safe for you here. Please come with us. At least let’s talk.’
‘Where will we go?’ asked Maranna.
‘The Crypt. Lian would very much like to meet you both and we can explain everything, about Lord Void, about Relsor… You don’t have to like us, just please trust us.’
‘Trust you?’ Maranna was incredulous. She looked at Trylia. ‘Trust her?’
Knarf extended his hand. ‘Trust a Mandalorian?’
‘The safest place for you right now is at the Crypt,’ said Brenum.
There was a long silence. Storimbu returned. ‘The area is clear,’ he announced. ‘The Protectors of the Force are ready to serve and await your next command, my Lady.’
‘Protectors of the Force?’ asked the boy.
‘Yes,’ said Storimbu. ‘We protect the Force so that both the dark side and light side can coexist. We were once Sith, as Shadie once was before she became Jedi and before she became a Mandalorian. We follow her for we believe in her cause. Without the Force, we as living beings cannot exist.’
‘Is that why papa had to die?’
Shadie looked down. She did not know what to answer. It was Knarf who did.
‘Yes,’ he said in a gentle and soothing tone.
‘We…are sorry.’ Shadie turned to Storimbu. ‘Storm, it looks like they’ll be staying. They need protecting. Stay on Nar Shaddaa for a while longer. Make sure Awgro doesn’t come back. Then, when they leave, let them go.’
‘Are you sure?’ asked Storimbu.
Shadie sighed. ‘I won’t force them. We’re better than Awgro.’
‘Lord Void won’t be happy to know we left them behind,’ said Knarf.
‘Yeah, well he’s not the Master of the Crypt. We also need to find Fane. Let’s focus on that.’
‘Jedi Fane?’ asked the boy. ‘The one who killed papa?’ Shadie nodded. The boy turned to his mother. ‘Mama, they can tell us more about papa.’
‘They killed your father, people who kill others are not our friends,’ Maranna told her son sternly.
‘But papa killed a lot of people too,’ said the boy. ‘You said so yourself.’
‘Your papa killed those people so he could stay alive,’ said Maranna.
‘Is it true?’ asked the boy.
‘At the end,’ said Shadie, ‘yes. But before…it doesn’t matter. When your father learnt the truth about how he became what he was, it changed him.’ She looked at Maranna. ‘He was a different person. He helped us on Ziost. And we wanted to be allies, friends, but it was too late to reconcile. We chose to stay out of each other’s way. But people began dying, falling very sick. We were trying to save the countless lives of the people of this galaxy.’ Shadie looked back at the Chiss boy. ‘The only way to stop the deaths was to destroy the source of the illness.’
‘So he used to kill people without reason?’
‘Uh…’ The question threw Shadie even more off guard. No one seemed to know what to reply.
‘Your father,’ said Storimbu, ‘was sadly destroying the Force. It is the source of all that lives. It had to be protected.’
‘Mama, I want to protect the Force.’
Maranna’s eyes grew wide. ‘You will not make a Jedi or a Sith of my son!’ she glared at Shadie.
‘Mama, please. They can protect us. It’s so lonely and I have no friends.’ Maranna closed her eyes. ‘They saved us from that Sith. Papa said he doesn’t want us to be friends with Jedi or with Sith, but he didn’t say anything about Mandalorians. I want to learn more about the Mandalorians.’
‘All right, we’ll accompany you to this Crypt and talk there, but I am not promising anything,’ said Maranna. ‘It’s clear you have no ill intent, despite my judgements about you. My son has more understanding about the Force than I ever did. His father’s holos are educational and he seems to just pick things up. He feels people, feels them in the Force. And now he is attracted to the idea of protecting it. He…he never believed his father was blameless and he said that he could feel it even through the holos.’
‘He sounds a bit like Thera,’ said Shadie.
‘Who’s Thera?’ asked the boy.
‘She’s Lian’s daughter,’ said Shadie. ‘Maybe a couple of years older than you. Already knows more about the Force by just feeling it than from us teaching her about it.’
‘Jedi Lian, the Twi’lek?’ asked the boy. Shadie nodded. ‘I’ve never had a Twi’lek friend before. Can I meet her?’ Shadie looked at Maranna and the woman nodded. The boy perked up, his red-magenta eyes glinting brightly.
They began walking out of the cantina. Knarf took the lead with the boy, talking about Mandalore, and answering all the little boy’s questions.
‘He told me,’ said Maranna, her eyes on her son, ‘that soon there would be someone he would be able to practice with. He can do a bit of lightning, you see, but it’s very unrefined. He’s had dreams of a connection he’s felt in the Force.’
‘You mean like a Force-bond?’
Maranna nodded. ‘Everything he’s needed has brought us to this point. I’m beginning to believe that he is approaching the source of this bond. It pains me, I don’t like it, but I cannot deny my son his true calling. I’ve seen too many things happen in my lifetime to ignore the fact that something is calling to him and that the Force is working its way to unite him with his purpose. My son does not see you as the enemy I see you as.’
‘And I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove to you that we are not the enemy you think we are,’ said Shadie.
‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ replied Maranna. ‘But my son comes first.’
“Connections in the Force” is written by Celinka Serre (2023).
Disclaimer: The Characters in this Fan-Fiction are new and have original names. The story is an original written work. The story is derivative and consistent of Fan-Fiction since it borrows the franchise world of Star Wars. Certain jargon and places, or concepts mentioned, along with the SW Old Republic universe belong to Lucasfilm Ltd. and Disney. No characters or story lines from the films are used. No story lines or characters from the games or books are used. A handful of characters from the games may be referenced, but are not the main focus in this fanfic story. This fan-fiction story falls under Fair Use.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
You might also enjoy other SWTOR fanfics, Dragon Age Fan-Fiction short stories, Mass Effect Fan-Fiction, or Stardust Destinies the High Fantasy Fiction series.
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