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anchanted-one · 5 years

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Eternal War. 20. Love in a Time of War

“So… Lord Commander Senya Tiral! You’re ‘Duty’?” Koth looked more than a little intimidated.

“Lieutenant Commander Vortena. Charmed.” Senya responded in a neutral voice.

“Senya here has been working with me since the bombardment of Koru Neimoidia,” Lana informed them. “Where a hundred and seventeen thousand innocents were killed as punishment for a large protest.”

“That was almost the year the war ended! She’s been with you that long?”

“Yes.” Senya answered. “Lana had already been searching for her husband for a year; even with a war going on. On top of everything else, I was seized by how romantic the idea was. Oh, on that subject Lana--”

“Yes I remember our bargain,” Lana said, blushing crimson.

“I get to write a song about your epic search for your lost love.” Senya said, in tones of deepest satisfaction. “You will provide me with the cliff-notes as soon as we reach Asylum.”

The whole room burst out laughing; Koth, the eight Knights of Zakuul and even TeeSeven.

“Indeed that does sound romantic!” Knight Wodar said. “May we see it when you’re done, Commander?”

“What? No!” Lana screamed at the same time Senya toothily grinned, “Oh Yes!”

In response to Lana’s look of utmost horror, she arched an eyebrow. “What did you think this would turn out? Of course I’m going to sing my most epic love song for the whole galaxy to hear.”

Lana stood with her mouth open for a moment, then composed herself. She shrugged, appearing suddenly carefree. “Oh well, I did get Arro back, so totally worth it. The things I do for love!”

To which everyone laughed again. Everyone except Arro, who looked supremely happy and touched, lips moving wordlessly for a few seconds.

“Come here, you!” He choked, pulling her into a tight bear hug, to which the Knights cheered.

So good to see everyone so happy!

“So you’re Arcann and Vaylin’s mother?”

“Yes. And Thexan’s too, of course.”

Arro looked around to find that he wasn’t the only one who was surprised; Koth and seven of the Zakuul Knights had looks of varying levels of stupefied. Only Lana and the eldest Knight, Comar were unsurprised. He had decided to tell them about Valkorion’s presence in his head. Lana, who had taken a stance of full disclosure among allies since Rishi, had been relieved by his decision. After his story, Senya had fired off a confession of her own.

“So you expect us to believe that you’d fight against your own children?” Koth glowered.

“I can’t deny my responsibility for what Vaylin and Arcann have become. I have to end their bloodshed.”

“But you… You were the Emperor’s consort!” Farya, one of the Knights who seemed to be as old as Lana, said. “Or were you the Lord Commander first?”

“I was Captain of His Honor Guard when He noticed me.” Senya said, eyes staring off into the distance. “I suppose I caught His attention by being unafraid to speak my mind. He was fascinating. Bold. Always completely certain of his next step. What we had wasn’t a child’s notion of romance. But we were happy!” She looked wistful, tears welled up in her eyes.

“Uh-huh.” Koth was looking even less certain. “So when are you going to convince us that you aren’t working for them?”

“Koth-!” Lana admonished.

“I’m serious! You say she was working with you almost from the start? Well she still hounded me and my crew for years! Hunted us like animals!”

“I had my orders,” Senya said smoothly. “I considered resigning earlier, but I had already given Lana my word. When I was told to capture deserters who had abandoned their posts, I had to make it look good.”

“Make it look good?” Koth said, looking less afraid and more angry with each word. “You almost killed several of us, before we managed to shake you off! Dozens of times!”

“Yet I didn’t. And believe me Vortena, if I was trying, most of your crew would have died in those first two encounters. Instead, I made you all realize the importance of keeping your head down.”

“This was before you and I even met,” Lana reminded him. “The two of you were hardly on the same side.”

“Indeed,” Senya affirmed. “The only reason I was so lenient was because I sympathized. What you did… sparing civilians, disobeying a direct order to do so. I admired that. But if it wasn’t me hunting you, it would be someone else. Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill every last one of your command. I promise to earn your trust as we work together. May I continue?”

Koth mulled her words over in silence. He nodded.

“When Arcann and his twin Thexan were born, I loved them so deeply! But no matter what I did, they wanted nothing to do with me; and Valkorion wanted nothing to do with them. His mind was somewhere else. He didn’t speak to us for weeks at a time. And then Vaylin was born. She was troubled from the start.”

“She possesses such raw power…” Wodar said. “She must have manifested at quite a young age! Been difficult to manage.”

“Oh you have no idea!” Senya said. “She was powerful, but volatile! She made furniture move when she was still in the womb. Scrapped droids as a toddler. A guard dropped a ball she tossed and she crippled him. I begged Valkorion to help her, and to help his sons; but His solution was to lock her up and train her to obey like some animal.” The memories brought an expression of resurfacing old pain to her lined face.

“Vaylin showed me her scars,” Arro said softly. “What was done to her was monstrous…!”

Senya sniffed. “The rest of us he ignored outright. I couldn’t bear to see what was happening, so I gathered the children and tried to leave. The boys laughed, called me weak! Even as children they were more powerful than I was by far. I couldn’t force them to go! And Vaylin… in the few short days she was being tortured, she changed completely! When I tried to break her out of her prison, she looked at me… it was so cold. So hateful... So hurt. She would rather submit to her father’s minions than go anywhere with me for betraying her. So I left” Tears poured down Senya’s cheeks.

“Lord Commander,” Comar said. His companions looked shaken and Cana was clutching her head. “We didn’t know… did the Emperor really do that to His own blood?”

“Wasn’t His first time,” Arro assured them. Turning back to Senya he said “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for you.”

Weeping silently, Senya took a moment to speak again. “It was better than staying there, helpless. I transferred to the Outer fringes of our Empire. Worked my way up on my own. Valkorion never spoke another word to me. Since then, I’ve only seen my children in broadcasts of public events. Like Thexan’s funeral. I doubt they even remember me. But I will always love them. And that is why I have to help now.”

Everyone around the table had expressions of varying horror and sorrow. Even Koth. One by one, they all nodded.

“I’m sorry, Senya,” Lana whispered. “I didn’t know it got that bad. If I did… I’m sorry. I wish I had been there for you, in these last five years.”

“Thank you, Lana,” Senya laughed shakily. “But I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. That changed after what Arro told us about Valkorion. Saying that even today, He still remembers me; still cares. Since I know better than most what he is, I can’t believe how happy that makes me.”

Lana was thankful that there were still so few of them on the ship; This meant that they could have their pick of the Officers quarters. She and Arro had of course jumped at the chance for whatever time alone they could get together before they reached Asylum. And she had waited five years to be with him again—their brief romantic date in the Eternal City had been far too fleeting. Soon she and Arro would have to return to saving a Galaxy apparently too helpless to trek on without them. But for now she wanted to spend time alone with her husband and damn the Universe if it tried to get in their way!

“Mmmhhhhh-!” Lana moaned as she shared a desperate kiss with Arro. He purred in her arms, as eager for her lips as she was his. Had it truly been five years? It had felt like an eternity! How many nights had sleep found her yearning for this feel? His fingers gently ran through her hair, traced her ear…

And at the psychic level, their minds had met, joined—almost fused into one single entity. They quite literally shared each others passion. Each kiss sent a wave of intense emotion surging through them both—echoing to and fro across their bond, amplifying until every moment was pure heaven.

Breaking off the kiss, Lana quickly hoisted off her robes as Arro did the same. She led him to their bed and as she lay down, Arro leaned in and kissed the hollow of her neck—where the nasty scar that normally hid behind her scarf was. The sensation of warmth brought another moan through her lips and her arms wrapped tightly across his head for the moments before he worked his way higher and their lips met again.

They made love twice before she collapsed on top of him, fully content for the first time in years. For the next ten minutes they just lay there panting, catching their breath in silence. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “I love you so much!”

“I wish we could just stay here—forever and ever!” Lana remarked. She suddenly felt a little selfish. Surely, the Galaxy didn’t need them? Accomplished people though they both were, they were by no means unique. Others could rise to take their place in this fight. Hadn’t they given enough? They had both suffered, endured and vanquished powerful threats to the Galaxy. Surely they deserved a quiet retirement?

And it had survived for millennia before they were born, seen plenty of catastrophes and upheavals, and it was still here. And most of the worlds-shattering events that had probably seemed so pressing in their time were barely even remembered today. Why did they have to bother at all?

She firmly pushed aside her momentary frustration. If nothing else, she had given her word to people she valued. People like Theron, Koth, Senya, and Shara. For that reason alone she would give her all for their mad venture, just as she had promised.

“Once the Eternal Empire is overthrown I want to retire somewhere quiet, like we wanted to before Ziost.”

Arro was quiet for a moment. “I’m afraid we don’t have that choice, my Love. I have tried to ignore it before, but I have this feeling… Ours is an unending battle. This is our destiny. I’m sure you have felt it as well.”

Lana recoiled sharply. “Fuck that!” She felt a white-hot rage course through her blood. “We don’t owe anyone that much commitment! The Force is my servant—and yours—not the other way around!” She sat up in the bed, hands trembling and balled into fists.

Arro looked unsurprised by her vehemence. But still terribly desperate and sad. “The Galaxy has been at war for half a century now. People are tired, all worlds ravaged. Once we defeat Arcann, deal with the Eternal Fleet, there will be a power vacuum to fill. And that could escalate. We have to make certain that the Republic and Empire don’t just return to their own conflict.”

He sat up as well, looked her straight in the eye. “In the previous war we were soldiers, We had the luxury of looking only at the short run. But we are the leaders in a war now. Once we seize the throne, it will be our responsibility to fill the void. To foster peace, however brief.”

“No,” Lana implored. “Please! I can’t do this for much longer, Arro! Haven’t I told you? Even during the Revanite incident, when Darth Arkous—whom I deeply trusted—betrayed us… betrayed me… that alone was enough to make me yearn for quiet… And then we had to fight Revan, spent months tracking and thwarting his cult! After what I did to Theron I was on my last legs, and all I wanted was peace; to leave this life behind forever. Yavin was supposed to be the end, but then the Emperor came back, and Ziost happened and our wish kept getting postponed-!” she was on the verge of tears, breathing hard so as to not lose control.

She looked back at him. “Please Arro… The only thing that has kept me going all this time is the hope that we can have our quiet little life. I can’t bear the thought of doing this forever!”

Arro was silent, and he also seemed deeply upset. Not with her, but with the strings of fate. He took her in his arms. “If that’s what you want, then so be it my Love,” she pulled back in disbelief and stared at him. “I mean it.” He assured her. “You are more important to me than the rest of the Galaxy combined. It can live on without us after all, right? I was ready to leave the Jedi and the Republic behind to be with you before. I will do so again, and won’t regret it one bit. After we lead our coalition to victory, I promise—”

“No!” Lana interrupted him. What had come over her? Was she truly so desperate for peace that she was willing to turn away not just herself but her husband as well from their path?

Peace? Her? She was Sith! Peace is a Lie! Of course her life was going to revolve around conflict and power. And Arro’s too! Jedi though he was he understood the way of things.

“Forgive me, my husband,” She said, more clearly. “I suppose I was just feeling the weight of these last ten years. It has all been so much—!” She took deep, steadying breaths. “You will face your destiny, and I will always be at your side. After all, it’s not peace that I want—it’s you!”

“Are you sure about this Lana?” Arro looked at her uncertainly.

“Positive.” She affirmed. She meant it with every fiber of her soul. He gave her a smile. Terribly sad, but relieved as well. “Thank you so much, Lana.”

If you liked this, you can read the whole story on AO3

#star wars #swtor #Anchanted-one #Eternal War #Original OC: Arro #Lana Beniko #Senya Tiral #koth vortena

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