Chapter Text
46.8 ABY
Entry 1
It is the beginning of a New Standard Year and therefore the start of a new journal. I assume this diary will be read far in the future by my great, grandchildren or some historian wanting to write an unauthorized biography of one of the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever known. Ha! That would be Luke Skywalker and I do mention him often in my journals.
In case my other journals have been lost to time I will give a brief synopsis of my life and my family up to this point.
My name is Talon Tantiss—the son of retired Jedi Master Mark Tantiss and Kira Starkos Tantiss. I am married to Zylie Karrde, the daughter of Talon Karrde and Zara Maru. I work closely with my best friend and cousin, Ben Skywalker, who is married to Zylie's older sister Valla. The Karrde sisters work in the family trade business and fly a huge Wayfarer-class medium transport cargo ship for their father's company. Over the last year Ben and I have been acting as a roving Jedi. We have our StealthX fighters stored on the freighter and are given Jedi missions in the areas we travel. Having us on the ship lets us to spend time with our wives while allowing us the freedom to work as Jedi.
Most of the galaxy believes my connection to the Skywalker family is by marriage and that my father, a redheaded giant of a man, is the brother of Mara Jade. In reality, my father was a mutated clone created by the Dark Jedi Joruus C'baoth. When my father was pulled out of a stasis chamber on Wayland back in 9 ABY he looked just like Luke Skywalker. Over the next few months he grew taller and more muscular. My Aunt Mara believes he was intended to become an Imperial Sentinel—a giant, muted and chemically lobotomized warrior completely subservient to the will a Dark Side Adept. Lately I have wondered about this theory. If Dad was supposed to be a brain dead sentinel then why did he get military flash training? Why did C'baoth create him and then not use my dad in defense his secret base on Wayland? I guess I may never know the answer to these questions.
My father decided he didn't want people asking him if he was related to Skywalker so he died his hair red and his irises green, the same as my Aunt Mara. He then claimed he was her long lost brother. He was one of Luke Skywalker's first Jedi students.
My father met my mother while on a mission to Byss. He rescued her from the Emperor Reborn's citadel shortly before the destruction of the Imperial planet. They have been together for thirty-five years now.
I have an older brother named Jaden who is a Jedi healer at the Temple on Coruscant. He is married to Jysella Horn, another Jedi healer, and they have a daughter named Jessa.
I don't have any children with Zylie, but I did father a child almost thirteen years ago while on a Jedi Mission. Ben and I were assigned to guard Queen Kaie of Indubar and her identical twin sister (and body double) Ema Aiti. The King of Indupar died when the queen was a two weeks pregnant. Since she was not of royal blood her child would be eventually crowned. She feared her husband's relatives might want to kill her or the baby, so she fled with her sister to Coruscant and requested the protection of the Jedi Knights. While guarding the ladies I had a brief affair with the Queen's sister, Ema. I didn't know she was pregnant when they returned to Indupar. I also didn't know the queen miscarried on the way back to their planet or that Ema traded places with her identical twin in order to put my son, Marcus, on the throne. At first I was furious at the duplicity, but I was later convinced it was in the best interest of the Indupar Crown Worlds. It wasn't until the last year or two that I have had any relationship with my son. He was officially crowned as King on his twelfth birthday. Hopefully I will now have more freedom to visit my son.
Meanwhile I have been working as a Jedi Guardian and trained Void Jumper. Most of the time I take on missions ordered by the Grand Master, but often I am loaned out to the Galactic Alliance military as a 'Jedi Asset'. In these cases I work for the military. When I am not doing Guardian details I help out my cousin Ben in his Sentinel duties. A Jedi Sentinel is similar to a law enforcement officer. Ben loves dragging me along on difficult cases because I possess a rare Jedi talent. I am a post-cognitive. I can touch objects and tell who last held it or events tied to the object. Unfortunately, when he asks me to use this talent, he is usually handing me a weapon used to torture and kill some poor soul. I really don't like having visions of such sadistic brutality.
I think I will cut this entry short. We (Ben, Valla, Zylie and me) are going to a New Years Day party on the planet Kuat. I have been told the Kuati people know how to party. Hopefully my next entry doesn't have me complaining about a hangover.
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Entry 2
The New Year has been very, very interesting so far.
Ben, Valla, Zylie and I decided to attend a New Year's celebration held at an upscale hotel convention hall on Kuat. It was expensive, but we hoped the hefty cover charge would keep out the riffraff. Unfortunately, this was a costume party so the ladies dragged us men to a costume shop. Ugh. I hate shopping.
We went to a warehouse store that sold costumes, uniforms and party supplies. Ben and I walked the rows and rows of costumes like two men on a bored-to-death march. I guess the ladies got tired of our whining because they pulled us to the dressing room area and had us sit down while they picked out costumes for us to try on.
Zylie was the first to return with a outfit. "This looks so sexy," she purred as she held up a package. "It is a Savage costume. We have to purchase a fake sword separately, but it is sooo perfect." She hands me a very small plasto bag with a small piece of fabric inside. I tentatively reached in and pulled out a small loincloth.
"Stang!" Ben started laughing until his face was as red as his hair.
"Really, Zylie?" I stood, legs apart in a warrior stance, as I held the loincloth up in front of my crotch. I gave her a sidelong glance. "Be serious. First off, if I went to the party dressed like this I would be swarmed by women and second this is not enough fabric to contain my manly assets."
Ben snorted and began laughing again. I turned and threw the costume at him. "But it may fit my little cousin."
Before he could give a scathing retort, Valla showed up with a much larger costume. "It's a Hapan Prince!" She says excitedly.
"Valla, I hate to break it to you, but your husband is not handsome enough to be a Hapan." I grabbed the costume with a smirk and checked out the sample image on the package. It showed a male model wearing tight, bun hugging purple pants, an effeminate white puffy shirt, along with a vinyl black belt and a toy blaster. I grinned at Ben. "This is perfect for you. It emphasizes your manly qualities…or lack of."
He folded his arms across his chest and glared at me. "Funny Talon. Perhaps the ladies can find something to fit your personality. Maybe you can go as a feminine hygiene product because you can be such a d…"
"Ben!" Valla warned her husband. "Be nice. We'll get you boys something you'll like instead of something we want to see you in."
"Thank you!" I said sarcastically as I picked up the tiny loincloth and shoved it back into its package. When the ladies were out of earshot I said to Ben, "We should go as Jedi."
Ben crooked a smile. "We could. That would save us a lot of money and embarrassment."
The women returned with two other costumes. Zylie handed me a light plasteel set of mandalorian armor. I liked it for a second, but then I shuddered as a horrifying childhood memory surfaced. I was eight-years-old when I woke up late one night from a bad dream. I remember rushing into my parents' bedroom only to find my father wearing boxer-briefs, a Mandalorian helmet and cape. Yuck. I don't want anything that reminds me of my parents' weird dress-up fetishes.
Ben's costume wasn't much better. It was a Wookiee get-up. I'm sure he really doesn't want to walk around in a suffocating full body costume all night. He shook his head as he handed it back to Valla. "Talon and I decided to go as Jedi Knights."
They gave us their best pouty faces, but they didn't argue. I think they were just happy that we agreed to go to the party in the first place. I turned to Ben and grinned. "Now we get to pick their costumes."
Ben's face lit up. "Oh yeah."
Zylie held up her hand. "Stop. I don't trust Talon to pick out my costume. Ben, you do it." She looked at me. "And you pick one out for my sister. This way we'll know it'll be modest."
I laughed. "Are you assuming I wouldn't want to see your sister in a sexy costume?"
Opps! That was the wrong thing to say. All three of them glared at me. "I was joking!" I turned and quickly walked down the store aisle. "I'm off to find a modest outfit. Maybe I'll find a Boushh the bounty hunter costume. That worked for Aunt Leia when she snuck into Jabba's palace. There is nothing more modest than that."
I looked through the costumes and found something perfect…perfectly inappropriate, that is. I brought it back just as Ben was returning with a costume for my wife.
Ben held out what looked like Stormtrooper armor, minus the helmet. It was basically a big-breasted white plasteel armor push-up chest piece. The lower part of the costume was knee-length skintight shorts with a small piece of white armor over the front thighs. He handed it to Zylie. "I thought you might like this. It's modest, but I think Talon will like it also."
"I love it!" Zylie snatched it up and then looked to see what I brought for her sister.
I bit my lower lip trying to contain my laugher as I pulled the costume out from behind my back. "Look what they had. A metal bikini!"
Both the ladies groaned and rolled their eyes. Ben tried to look mad but eventually started laughing. "She can wear it, but only if you pay for my therapy afterwards."
"Put it back, Talon," Valla insisted. "Get something appropriate that doesn't remind my husband of his Aunt Leia. And that means no Boushh the bounty hunter, no princess outfits and definitely no metal bikinis."
They're no fun! I eventually got Valla a sexy female Imperial officer costume that she and Ben liked.
So we are set to party tonight!
By the way, I did buy that Savage costume…but that is for later when I get Zylie in our cabin alone. HA!
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Entry 3
Party! You know, Ben and I really haven't partied much since we left Coruscant. Nowadays we are either cooped up in a freighter or on Jedi missions. We should go out on the town with our ladies more often.
Ben and I wore full Jedi robes with lightsabers while our wives were dressed like sexy Imperials. Ha! I love it. We had ID10T take a holo of us before we left. The ladies did look enticing. I told Zylie, "Aren't you a little sexy for a Stormtrooper."
As we entered the party our ears were immediately assaulted by loud techno music. Its high-energy rhythmic beats were synchronized to dazzling strobe lights that filled the darkened room with a fantastic light show. There was a large dance floor at the center of the room where dozens of partygoers danced; most wore glowing gloves or self-illuminating body gel and little else. I suddenly felt overdressed among the scantily clothed attendees.
Zylie turned to me and shouted over the music. "See, the Savage outfit would have been fine here."
I watched a group of young ladies dressed as pleasure slaves walk past me clad in sheer Lashaa silk and Jerba leather. "I see that."
Zylie punched my shoulder and I had to smile. "Admit it, you're glad I didn't wear the loincloth."
Her face pinched together trying to hid a smile. Eventually she laughed. "You're right. I don't want other women ogling over you while we dance."
"Speaking of dancing," Valla shouted to be heard. "Lets find a table and then get on the dance floor."
We elbowed our way to one of the few available tables located far from the MC's sound amplification system. That was fine with me. At least we could hear each other without screaming. We sat down and ordered drinks from the table's computerized menu touchpad.
"Shall we dance?" Ben smiled as he offered Valla his hand. She stood, her eyes never leaving his as she leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth. It wasn't a lingering kiss, but it was long enough to get my cousin blushing.
"Get a room!" I joked.
Ben flashed me the smuggest grin. "We probably will before the night is over." He wrapped his arm around his wife and guided her to the dance floor.
Zylie looked to me. "Aren't we going to dance?"
I shrugged. "Let's get a drink into me first. You know I dance like See-Threepio when I'm not relaxed."
"Fine." She gave a slight roll of her eyes before she changed the drink order to add a Flame-out—the strongest alcoholic drink that a licensed establishment could sell.
I gave her a shake of my head. "Zylie, that has spice in it."
She grinned. "I know, I am hoping to get you drunk and get lucky tonight."
"You don't have to get me drunk for that." I smirked. "You're always lucky to have me."
"Ohhh," she moaned with a hint of teasing in her voice. "You are so vain."
I chuckled. "Zylie, I only have eyes for you." Ironically, at that very moment three young ladies caught my eye. I gave Zylie a nudge. "We have more Jedi Knights."
Zylie looked in the direction I indicated and burst out laughing. "Are you sure those aren't Jedi Lap Dancers."
I had to grin at their costumes. All three women wore Jedi tunics, but it appeared they either forgot the trousers or they could only afford half a costume. The tunics didn't even reach mid-thigh and barely concealed their thong-covered bottoms. They also had strange looking lightsaber replicas hanging from leather black belts. I stared at the bogus weapons, trying to focus in the dim light. "Those are toy lightsabers they are wearing, right?"
Zylie gazed at the women for a moment before she blushed. "Those are toys, but not lightsabers." She burst out in hysterical laughter before she started coughing and hyperventilating. Unfortunately she only brought attention to us. The ladies looked over to me and then whispered something to each other before bouncing over in my direction. "Kriff! They must have heard us, Zylie. They're coming over here."
"Oh my stars!" One buxom blond said to me while pointing at my Jedi robes. "We must have shopped at the same place." She turned to her equally blond friends. "We're Jedi too!"
These women were young, probably just over the eighteen-year-old drinking age. "Yep, we're all Jedi. " I somehow managed to say that with a straight face while their phallic shaped lightsabers practically swung in my face.
One of the women with a plunging neckline leaned closer to me, scrutinizing my face before she hopped up and down with a shriek. "I know you!" She turned to her friends. "Do you remember that boring holonet news report our professor had us watch about the fighting on Treemar?" She pointed to me. "This is the Jedi in that story!"
"A real Jedi!" the other Jedi impersonators squealed. One woman with platinum blond hair looked at me earnestly. "We are the biggest Jedi fangirls in the galaxy!"
"Thank you," I muttered while stealing a glance to Zylie. Her eyes narrowed and I could feel her irritation through the Force. "Well, uh, have fun at the party," I said with a dismissive wave of my hand.
"Before we go, can you answer a couple questions we have about the Jedi?"
I groaned inwardly. Usually these questions involved Force-enhanced sex or Force-enhanced foreplay. I shook my head. "I really want to get up on the dance floor with mywife." I emphasized my marital status hoping these women would take a hint and go away…of course, they didn't.
"Pleasssseee!" The three women begged in unison.
I blew out a frustrated breath. "Okay, one question."
There was another squeak of delight before the women huddled together to come up with the one Jedi question that their curious Jedi Fangirl brains absolutely needed answering. They turned back to me and said, "Do you know Ben Skywalker?"
My jaw dropped and I could see Zylie struggling to keep a straight face. I was going to lie and tell them no, but Zylie chimed in. "Yes he knows him. They used to be roommates at the Jedi Temple."
That announcement was rewarded with more ethusiastic shouts and then a steady barrage of questions.
"Oh my stars, is it true that he is one of the strongest Jedi?"
"I heard he has a great sense of humor!"
"And that he has the highest Intelligent Quota of all the Knights!"
"He can see the future."
"And the past!"
"He's really fun to be around."
"He's unbeaten with a lightsaber and is a master of hand-to-hand combat."
"And he's a generous lover."
"And soooo incredibly sexy," another added.
Zylie had her hand covering her face as she tried, but failed, to hide her amusement.
"I wouldn't know about the last two," I commented dryly. "That you would have to ask his wife."
The three women gave pouty expressions. "We heard he was married."
"We were crushed," one of them moaned while holding her hands over her broken heart.
"I could have been the next Mrs. Skywalker," the platinum blond said dreamily.
"I just wanted to meet him." The woman with the cleavage whispered.
I grinned. "Well, you are in luck ladies. He's here!"
Zylie gave me a warning glare that I completely ignored. I pointed to the dance floor. The song had ended and my cousin was now headed towards the bar while Valla walked to the ladies' 'fresher. "He's right there at the bar. You should go up and say hello. He loves meeting his fans."
The three women sent out another earsplitting squeal before they ran across the dance floor towards Ben.
"Get jealous much?" Zylie asked.
I chuckled. "Please, this is payback for letting his parents know we got stuck in the cockpit of my StealthX during our impromptu romantic rendezvous."
A slight smile tugged on her lips. "They did tease us unmercifully about that one."
"Anyway, how bad can it be meeting three fangirls?" I looked over to where the three women had surrounded Ben. One of the ladies pulled out a permanent marker from her pocket and it looked like they wanted Ben to autograph their tunics. At least, that is what I thought they were going to ask until they pulled down their tunics to expose the top of their breasts. "Oh kriff! They want him to sign their breasts."
Zylie shook her head and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "And here comes my sister out of the 'fresher."
I grimaced as I saw my sister-in-law glare at Ben and his little entourage of fangirl groupies. My cousin didn't miss a beat. He took the hand of one of the women and signed his name on the inside of her forearm and offered to do the same for the other ladies.
I blew out a breath. "See, emergency averted. We won't get blamed. He'll just think they spotted him like they spotted me."
Zylie sighed deeply. "Think again Jedi-boy."
I looked back to find the ladies talking to Ben before pointing in my direction. I flinched before I realized ducking under the table was not a viable option. I instead gave Ben a sheepish smile as he glared at me.
"You are so dead," Zylie said with a chuckle.
"You are so right," I groaned.