𝕮𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄
━━𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑹𝑬𝑷𝑼𝑩𝑳𝑰𝑪'𝑺 𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑭𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬
❝ 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 ❞
━━ 𝘊𝘌𝘝𝘈𝘙𝘠𝘈
𝟭𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝟭𝟳 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝟭𝟲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀
𝕿𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗘 moments in life where change begins.
A spaceship floats through vast darkness, ready to begin its journey into a galaxy of endless possibilities, a new dawn, first sunbeams, bright starlight before closed eyelids.
Change is bravery. A pull into the right direction, fate forming a new path.
Change is the stars whispering: Don't hesitate. Go.
Eyelids flutter and open, taking in a whole new universe, starlight dances on untouched skin. Lungs expand to take a first breath, inhaling stardust. Ears pick up a new melody, music arises that only you can hear, it sends shivers down your back. Lakes mirror the pattern of stars and your path in them.
Can you remember it? The moment things started to change?
Fate whispers into an universe made just for you: I'm coming. Inevitabely, terrifyingly, world-shattering.
Neira Alberya is afraid of change.
For her it is courtiers offering their condolences, her mother breaking before her eyes, ashes being sent to moons fararway. It is a four-year-old girl looking up to the stars and wondering when her father will take her there, waiting for him to finally come back as her world grows colder.
Change is a threat to the walls she built. She doesn't want to look back, not anymore, she doesn't want to think about what she is doing – the risk is too high that she might come to the conclusion that she is lost, that her walls might crumble. She doesn't want to dream, doesn't want to question – because what if she can't stop?
Change is bravery and she is so afaid.
Obi-Wan doesn't like change either. He relies onto codes so much more older than him, onto rules and tradition. Order is what he needs, order and patience is what the galaxy needs to find peace again. Rational thinking, harmony, clarity.
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
But there will be chaos. There will be emotion. There will be change.
Change is the courage of us, of our choices.
It is the stars promising that we will find our way back to them at last.
𝕹𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 finished her first meeting – her palms still hurt from pressing her fingernails into the soft skin in order to keep her calm facing the most decadent and most stubborn finance minister she has ever seen. She walks around a corner with her fists still clenched and a few seconds later EZ-4 follows as fast as the little droid can go.
"No, I am not gonna explode, ezzie," she sighs. "It is just a saying, no need to be worried."
The droid slows down, processor still whirring from the excitement, and he beeps in a way it almost sounds like a relieved oh.
Neira is supposed to meet Bryaenna in a few minutes, but to her surprise she is already waiting for her in the hallway.
Two pairs of heels tap over the polished marble floor as they pass the wide, arched windows. Outside the sky is colored in a brilliant spectrum of bright orange, yellow and purple during one of cevarya's most spectacular sunrises – a part of Neira wants to slow down and admire the view upon her beautiful home, but her mother's expression – even more serious than usual – makes her hesitate.
Bryaenna turns around, so that her back faces the sunrise. "Neira, we have a problem," she says. "A problem with the plan."
Their plan.
Thought of by a mastermind, brilliantly executed, and their only way to save Cevarya from what is to come. So of course she remembers how it started, how could she forget?
It is the end of winter, they have a battlefield of chessfigures in between them, but Neira does not pay attention to it anymore. What her mother is saying is so much more interesting than any game of chess can ever be.
Because Bryaenna is about to introduce a new figure, a new plan. A whole new strategy and now the game will be taken from the board into real life.
"Overthrow the council," Neira whispers, not sure if she is surprised or not. She looks up to her mother. "You must be kidding. Are you insane?" A rather rethorical question, her mother does not joke.
Bryaenna smiles. "You know I'm not. And you know that this war is not good for Cevarya, and it's even worse with the wrong leaders." She leans forward, eyes burning with a sudden fire. "In this council that is supposed to protect Cevarya are two members openly supporting the Seperatists! What do you think will happen if we let them do what they want?"
Neira shudders.
"The council is old and it is rotting, it has been for years. A relict of another time which is no longer adequate. We have to replace it with something better, something stronger, we have to destroy every bit of it. It's what they deserve."
What they deserve.
"Think about it," Bryaenna continues. "Your little project with the grasslands, it could be approved in a just heartbeat! No ministers, no stubborn councilmembers to convince anymore, just you and me."
Bryaenna has found Neira's soft spot and she knows it. The grasslands-project which helps Cevarya's poorer regions is something very dear to Neira, especially since it was originally initiated by her father. And yes, the promise of unlimited power is tempting...how often has she already complained about the slow processing of the council, their endless debates, their decadency and their corruption?
Approved in just a heartbeat.
What if...what if she just could do it? What if she could just end all this hypocrisy and actually bring this planet peace?
She thinks of the people - not the elite, they deserve to rot -, no, she cares about the innocent people living in the capital and grasslands, of which she has already met so many and whose good words she holds close to her heart.
It's what they deserve.
They do deserve it, they deserve a good leadership, someone in charge who actually cares for them.
"And when the time comes you will be the one to succeed me."
Another strange thought. Age is from great importance on Cevarya, so the future councilmembers spend a long time preparing for their role in the council. To succeed her mother. Can she really do that?
"What do you think?" Her mother lays her hand on Neira's cheek, a rare gesture of affection. "One last game. Just you and me, mother and daughter."
Oh, she doesn't know how much Neira is longing for those words. Mother and daughter. She doesn't know how desperately Neira wants to make her proud, how desperately she craves her affection.
Neira arises from the board of chess, carelessly tossing the figures back into the box. They don't need them anymore, the game has just become even more real.
"I think this sounds like an amazing plan."
In the time to come they start their game, Neira takes on smaller jobs in her mother's big plan, strings are pulled and they come closer and closer to their aim. The winter fades into spring, and while the weather gets warmer her mother grows colder. The icy winter is Bryaenna's favorite season even though Neira never asks why.
It is probably because of her father.
Isn't everything because of him?
But as warm winds arise in the bay and while the snow melts dinners are manipulated, information is carefully planted and their plan is executed further and further. Everything goes well.
Until now.
"A Jedi," Bryaenna interrupts Neira's thoughts. "A Jedi is sent to Cevarya."
"A jedi," Neira's eyes widen. „Why is he coming?"
"He comes to observe the riots," her mother sighs."Which is good, of course, we don't want to them to escalate any further, but-"
"-our plan," Neira finishes her sentence. "He might come in the way of our plan."
"That's what I was thinking," Bryaenna agrees. "He will be staying in the palace, as a special guest, and he will be attending our dinners in the evening as it is tradition for any high-ranking ambassador, politician or Jedi. I think most of the time he will be watching and taking care of the riots, as well as protecting the council and the court, but if there is the slightest possibility that he might find out what I am up to-"
"He could endanger everything we worked for," Neira decides. "Which makes him dangerous."
Her mother leans against a pillar, crossing her arms before her chest. "He might protect us from the riots, yes, but we cant risk him prying around and finding out more." Her eyes shimmer. "I think we should include the shadow."
Neira nods. The shadow.
Her mother smiles. "We got this. I will see you later. And, Neira, be careful – Maris and Teron have been behaving weirdly lately and I think they might be up to something."
𝕿𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 republic's last defense on Cevarya: Bryaenna Alberya, N'ulo Seylaar and Neira. Two councilmembers and a valezny who fights tirelessly, giving all her fire to maintain peace in her home. They haven't given up yet, they still resist the growing tendencies of violence and war, they stand up against the dark shadows emerging on the horizon that is the future.
N'ulo is an extraordinarily massive Twi'lek, skin like green leather and clothed in expensive robes. His voice is surprisingly low for his size, but nonetheless one that everybody pays attention to. Since he and Bryaenna mostly fight for the same things he is her ally in the council – two other members demand that Cevarya joins the Seperatists while the last two ones stay neutral in that cause.
The three of them are in one of N'ulo's private meeting chambers: an unnecessarily huge room, the westfront is - apart from a few pillars - open towards the mountains while the shiny floor is almost completely hidden by expensive indigo carpets. The wall opposite the windows is covered by bookshelfs with real and exetremely rare books, made out of paper and gold-painted leather covers.
For the first half of the meeting Neira is rather absent, tracing lines in the wooden surface of the table they sit on – her mother and N'ulo are discussing political strategies and agendas as well as Cevarya's finances.
Even though she doesn't admit it, part of her is almost excited for the Jedi's arrival – since Cevarya is quite isolated she has never met anyone from another planet, let alone a Jedi. But this part is silenced by her mother's worries from earlier pretty fast: they cannot risk anyone, not even a jedi, find out what they are up to.
It is when her mother starts discussing the riots that Neira leaves her state of being half-present. The rioting has gotten worse, Bryaenna reads out from a guard's report, and the probability of them turning into a rebellion or leading to more violence increases with every day.
Neira's heart aches at these words; she knows the people in town, most of them from her project in the grasslands and some even since she was a child – they have been nothing but kind to her, they are the reason she is fighting to maintain peace in her home. But as much as she wants to, she can't ignore the fact that there is a growing part of them that is angry and unsatisfied and demands change.
A few angry voices will always be stronger than the peaceful majority. That's how it always is.
"We are lucky that it's only Maris and Teron who openly support the idea of Cevarya joining the Seperatists," N'ulo says, referring to two other members of the council.
"Two members supporting the Seperatists are two too much," Neira points out. "And if another one joins their cause they would have the legal majority."
Her mother shots her a glance, smiling slightly as she raises an eyebrow. Neira knows that they are thinking the same: Good thing that we have a plan.
"Neira is right," Bryaenna says aloud and slight warmth creeps up Neira's cheeks upon her mother's praise. "We cannot let that happen. From now on it is our main priority to make sure Orin and Shi'ra stay on the right side. I will talk to them later to ensure their neutral position or to even convince them to join our cause."
N'ulo nods. "We won't give up like that. This war brought to Cevarya would endanger everything we worked for in the past few years: stability, peace, freedom." He slowly shakes his head. "We have protected this planet from the war for so long. It would be a shame if it's downfall would be coming from the inside."
Once again acid seems to burn inside Neira's stomach as she realizes how real this danger is – her beautiful home could turn into an outpost of war if she and her mother won't succeed.
They are the republic's last defense, but even that defense is crumbling under the weight of war.
𝕺𝗕𝗜-𝗪𝗔𝗡'𝗦 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗜𝗦 in Coruscant's orbit, the nightside of the planet glistening with shining lights directly beneath him, forming orange circles and paths on it's rusty brown surface. It is quiet in space, quiet and dark, he can only hear the gentle hum of the engines and the low hissing of the oxygen tank in the cockpit.
His red and white starfighter shudders as it gently attaches to the hyperring that will provide him with enough fuel to travel through hyperspace throughout his long journey. R4 beeps through his commlink and he can see her red head rotating on her spot on the starfighter's wing.
Obi-Wan looks back to Coruscant one last time and then exhales. He leans forward in the leatherseat, just like an animal ready to jump, on the edge of it all, muscles tense, preparing to let go and vanish between the stars. Then, he slowly pushes the control stick forward.
The stars around him stretch into bright white lines, the hum of the engines increases and the starfighter vanishes into the awaitening galaxy, leaving an empty void and the glistening orb that is Coruscant.
The stars shiver. Be brave.
Be courageous.
✧･ﾟ:* 𝕬𝘜𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘙'𝘚 𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌 *:･ﾟ✧
not me finishing this off wayyy to late in the night...pls I got so tired and kinda forgot the English language so I googled every word with goOgle translate to make sure that it really means what I it thought it would 🥴🤩 love to see it
anyways im tired and talking shit but YES HERE WE GO PLOT SLOWLY STARTS OFF NOW
hmm no Neira and her mom is not someone I would like to be enemies with...NoOpe thank u
but yeah I hope u liked it & feel free leave a comment on what u think! reading them always makes me so happy!! 🥺💗
oh and i wanted to try an edit for them mother n daughterr so here u gooo,,,not this kinda turning into a graphic portfolio lmfaoooo