Private Carry On My Wayward Son

[KitKatt]

Location: Aviprine
Objective: Flesh out Katarine's backstory
Tags: None
Title Song: Here

Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.​

- The Princess Bride​

---

22 BBY

The Battle of Geonosis spilt the blood of dozens of Force users and marked those dark grounds forever as a sight of tragedy and dark power. During this great battle across the stars the small agricultural planet of Avirpine was experiencing it's own sacred occasion. The twin moons were in the sky for the first time in a century, and one young woman had gone into labor. The planet waited in high anticipation, wondering if this was the day that the doppelganger prophecy would be fulfilled with the birth of twins under the twin moons. In the Temple of the Angels, Anastasia Ryiah was on her back, with matrons around her. Her husband Troy was holding her hand and pushing her long hair off her sweaty face.

"You are doing great my love. Just remember your breathing."

Anastasia screamed and closed her eyes as another contraction rippled through her body. She could feel her body pushing, and hear heart racing. A moment latter tiny cries sounded and she opened her eyes. She could not see the baby yet, but the screams sounded as though they came from healthy lungs.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to thicken and time suspend as everyone held their breath. The planet Avirpine had very little technology so ultrasounds were not practiced. There was no way of knowing what Anastasia was carrying. The hopes and prayers of thousands of Aviprinians were with her tonight, for if the prophecy was not fulfilled on this eve it would not come for another century. She felt Troy's hand clasp hers a little more firmly as tension mounted in the room. Finally another little cry sounded and Troy and Anastasia laughed in their joy of the miracle birth. The matrons were praying, but the only sound in the universe that mattered to Anastasia was the two little cries she could hear, but still could not see the source of.

Finally a matron came over and handed one twin to Troy, and the other to Anastasia. Both parents were crying with happiness as they gazed at the new lifeforms wrapped in little blankets. They heard the heavy stone door of the Temple open and felt the rush of outside air. A cloaked figure had entered the temple. Instinctively Anastasia clutched her daughter closer to her body, as the cloaked figure cast yellowed eyes upon each child.

"Please."

Troy whispered the word, holding his son tightly to his chest and staring at the tall cloaked figure. "We beg you. One night. Please."

Anastasia was openly weeping now, her tears falling upon the little baby girl in her arms. When she spoke her voice trembled.

"Katarine.... Daxium...." She could not contain her sobs as the heavy stone door opened again and several black masked figures filled the room. They took the son from his fathers arm, and the screaming daughter from the distraught mother. Both parents wailed and tried to clasp the children, but rough hands pushed them away.

The tall cloaked figure took a twin in each arm and cast dark yellowing eyes on the parents for a long moment. Both parents were sobbing and Troy had hit his knees.

"Please.... please..."

The cloaked figure turned and walked slowly towards the heavy stone door. As the light from the twin moons fell upon each child's face the sound of lightsabers and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The cloaked figure sat each child in a specially designed bassinet attached to the swoop bike. Moments latter the black masked followers returned and straddled their own swoop bikes. With a roaring sound they departed the scene, leaving the matrons to clean up the bodies of the parents whose final acts had been naming their children.

 

[KitKatt]

Location: Aviprine
Objective: Flesh Out Backstory
Age: Six Standard Years

"Praise the innocence of childhood soon forgotten."​

-Will Leamon.​

---

16 BBY

With a loud thump the little girl hit the ground for the third time that session. She sighed in an exasperated way and remained laying on the ground, waiting for the explosion. Sure enough a moment latter a woman's cold high pitched voice was heard.

"You are not working hard enough! Get up! Get up you silly girl!"

Katarine sighed and rolled over and up onto her feet. The six year old was covered with dirt from all the times she had fallen down that day. Across from her in the makeshift dojo space was her twin, Daxium. He had no dirt on him as she had not once managed to unbalance him. His prestigious skill was something she envied, not because she wanted to fight but because she hated being yelled at by their instructor Lady Sinistra.

Lady Sinistra was a dark Jedi master who had been training the twins since birth. Each day was a different lesson on combat, skill, agility, and all other things Katarine had lost track of. Dax was a natural but Katarine hated all of it. She could not tap into the darkside the same way her twin could and Lady Sinistra never let her hear the end of it.

"We are done for the day. You should spend the afternoon reviewing you worthless little girl."

Katarine kicked the dirt and started walking through the field towards the forest. There were all sorts of animals in the forest and she liked to spend time with them. She heard the footsteps falling in line next to her but sped up, not wanting to talk about what had just happened. She was faster than Daxium and she reached the small river that always seemed to be their final destination before he did.

Kat sat down on the bank and started throwing rocks into the river. She could feel her twin watching her but still wouldn't look at him.

"She's right you know. You really need to try harder."

"I am trying. I just can't do it."

"You will. It's easy."

As if to demonstrate he held up his hand and all of the stones she had been holding floated into the air and hovered in front of her eyes. Katarine knocked them away from her and hugged her knees against her, watching the other side of the river with gloom in her eyes. After a second he sighed and joined her.

"You really don't like it here do you?"

"Do you?"

"I think we are learning a lot of valuable information that will help us complete our destiny."

Katarine rolled her eyes but said nothing. A second latter a flower floated in front of her, touching her nose and tickling it. Despite her desire to remain in a bad mood Katarine giggled. She lay flat on her back and looked up at the clouds, and a moment latter she felt him lay down beside her.

"That one looks like a Nexu."

"When have you ever seen a Nexu?"

"I seen one once!"

"If you had it would have eaten you!"

"Psh nothing can eat me."

"Only because it would get sick and throw you back up."

She burst into a fit of giggles and he growled at her and sat up. After a moment she joined him, still grinning slyly. He was glaring at her with his dark yellow eyes and eventually her grin faded and was replaced with a look of innocence. He narrowed his eyes at her but seemed satisfied and turned to watch the river again. She watched it with him for a few minutes and then got up.

"Where are you going?"

"To look for your Nexu." She giggled and started running down the riverbank. He scowled and took after her.

 

[KitKatt]

Location: Aviprine
Objective: Flesh Out Backstory
Age: Thirteen Standard Years

Some dance to remember, some dance to forget​

- Hotel California (The Eagles)​

---

9 BBY

"The darkness is powerful. You waste potential by not tapping into it."

Daxium was now a tall lanky teenager. His hair was longer, falling into his bright golden eyes when he bent his head. He was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the stone wall next to his sister. The expression on his face was difficult to read as he watched his sister. Kat was looking out of the stone window, lost in thought. She too was taller now, and thinner. Her hair reached her waist and as he stared at her his eyes lingered over her developing chest. She was growing up, they both were, but still Katarine clung to childish dreams and acted irrationally. It angered the young teenage boy, and just yet he wasn't always in control of that anger. He was about to shout at her, but she spoke first.

"That darkness is dangerous. It will consume you. There is another side to the Force."

"The Force? Have you been sneaking off to see that crazy hermit lady?"

"Her name is Isabelle and she's not crazy. She was a Jedi."

That was it. Dax pushed off the wall and grabbed his sisters wrist, roughly swinging her around to face him. He was taller than her now.

"A Jedi? But you know what they are! You know what they've done! You are not a child anymore! Stop wasting time with fairy tales. Do you really think a Jedi knows what your destiny holds?"

Katarine ripped her arm out of his grasp. "I am so sick of hearing about my destiny. Don't you understand it's a lie? We don't have to fight a war for these people!"

"It is NOT a lie. Why won't you accept it?"

"Because it's ridiculous Daxium! You honestly believe you are the reincarnation of some god and I am the reincarnation of some goddess from billions of years ago? Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds? "

"Our religion is not crazy! You are disrespecting Zedi and Alys with this blasphemy!"

"How can I be disrespecting some god and his wife when WE are supposed to be those people?"

He looked confused for a second and then angry. "Stop twisting things around! We aren't supposed to know the entire story yet. Our wedding isn't until the eve of our sixteenth birthday. Before that there will be things we don't understand. Lady Sinistra told us that."

"And thats what you want is it? You want your entire life chosen for you? You want to marry one of the only girls you've ever seen, and train your brains out until you are strong enough to fight some holy war and die trying to do the bidding of Sinistra?"

"That is my destiny! I am not foolish enough to try and escape it!"

He knocked the stone vase of flowers out of the niche in the wall and it shattered on the floor. Placing both his hands on the windowsill, he hung his head, still breathing heavily with rage, but trying to control it the way he was supposed to.

Katarine watched him with a look of pity and sadness on her face. She hadn't meant to hurt him. For a long moment she just watched his tall, lanky frame, and finally she sighed and walked over to him. She rubbed his shoulder gently, trying to calm him down.

"Dax... I'm sorry. I just don't want my entire life chosen for me. I want to travel the galaxy. I want to help people. I want to fall in love and..."

The words never made it out of her mouth. He howled and spun around, pushing her into the stone wall by her throat. He was holding her so tightly she couldn't breath, and her feet left the stone floor. Her deep green eyes were wide with shock and fear. He had never choked her before, even when they were sparring. His face was contorted with rage and inches from her own frightened one. For the first time in her life Katarine realized that he could easily kill her if he wanted to.

"You are mine and I will slaughter ever last man who touches you. If I ever hear you talk that way again..."

His lips tightened and he let her go. She fell to the floor gasping and clutching her throat and for a second there was sorrow and guilt in his eyes. He stood there, panting with rage, watching her crumble on the floor and seemed just as shocked as she was. Finally he turned on his heel and left her quickly. She watched his tall frame disappear down the long hallway.

---

"He's never.... I.... he.... he.. believes I'm his wife... he... he believes all of it."

Katarine was sitting in a small stone hut clutching a warm cup of tea and sobbing. An elderly woman was administering bacta to her throat, which was already bruising.

"He has been brainwashed into a very evil mindset. To question it now would disrupt everything he believes he is. It's not an easy thing to do."

"But he's never hurt me before. Even when we are practicing. He.... He.... I thought he was going to kill me."

Katarine was sobbing and her hands shook so badly the tea cup fell to the floor. The thirteen year old girl trembled from head to foot, the weight of adult problems crushing down upon her. Her long brown hair swung forward to hide her face, as the tears fell down onto the stone floor.

"He will try."

"What?" She snapped her head up and looked at the old, wrinkled face with such kind eyes. Isabelle looked as if this knowledge made her miserable, and sharing it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"That is the end of the prophecy. Zedi and Alys battle for the heavens and in the end one must kill the other. Neither can truly live while the other is alive."

Just then the door of the stone hut flew open. Daxium was standing in the doorway, and in his shadow was the tall slender form Lady Sinitra. Her red hair was blowing in the evening wind. It had started to rain since Katarine had come to the Jedi's hut. Daxium was glaring at the elderly woman, but there was no shock on his face, nor did Kat feel any surprise coming from him.

"You knew? You knew this was how it ended?"

Dax couldn't meet Kat's eyes, but the guilt written on his face was enough to answer her question.

"So the rumors are true. We have a snake in our den." Sinistra was smiling in a way that Katarine had come to associate with immanent misery.

"Katarine you are not to let this Jedi scum poision your mind. She has ben lying to you, a sin she will now pay for."

"Don't!" Katarine got to her feet but three black robed figures came in and grabbed her.

"Get her out of here."

"Don't hurt her! Isabelle!" Kat was struggling against the men pulling her toward the door, but the elderly woman did not look scared. She simply smiled calmly at Katarine.

"Trust in the Force Katarine. The Force will be with you. Always."

Katarine screamed as the men finally pulled her over the doorstep. The last thing she saw was Sinistras red blade, and Daxium's black one ignite before the door slammed shut.

 

[KitKatt]

Location: Aviprine
Objective: Flesh out Backstory
Age: Fifteen Standard Years

​

Running Away Will Never Make You Free​

- I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man) by: Kenny Loggins​

---

Katarine was sitting on a window ledge looking down over the grounds. The window held bars preventing it from opening, but she still liked to sit here and try to hear the birds calling. Sometimes she could if they were close, but mostly there was just wind. She was in a higher tower in the castle and had not left the small room in almost two years. There was a small bathroom off to the right, and a closet to the left, but the main room was a large room featuring a bed with elaborate hangings. The walls were decorated lavishly and there was fruit and other snacks on a table near the door. Several jugs of juice and water were also present but the foot looked as if it had barely been touched.

She felt her twin coming before he opened the gleaming wooden door, but she did not turn to greet him and gave no sign she had even noticed his entry. He looked at the barely eaten food and sighed. She could feel his annoyance and smirked, but did not look at him.

"You aren't eating."

"Being held prisoner doesn't work up much of an appetite."

"This is hardly a prison cell Katarine."

"It might look better and be more comfortable, but I'm still not free to leave."

"You would be if you would just stop this nonsense."

She finally turned to see his frame leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Most of the boyish appearance had gone from his face. His attractive features had hardened over the summer and he had put on several pounds of muscle, the result of rigorous training she assumed. His yellow eyes held anger in them, seething just under the surface. It broke her heart to see him like this and know how much pain she was causing him.

"It's not nonsense. I don't believe you want to go through with this when it could cost your life."

"I am prepared to die for my destiny."

"I'm not prepared to kill for mine."

She turned away from him and looked back out the window. He crossed the room and sat down on the bed, staring at her intently but she didn't look back towards him and eventually he got up to leave. He paused at the door and glanced over his shoulder.

"Sinistra is having a designer come in the next few days."

"For what?"

"Your wedding dress."

She blinked back tears but gave no indication that she had heard him and eventually he left, locking the door once more.