Letters between Dory and Jolee, part one

Dear Jolee,

I found out how to get ahold of you! Quan said that Draco said that Leia told him that you were on the Millennium Falcon and eventually I got them to give me the communication frequencies for the ship. Hope you don't mind. You kinda left us all of a sudden back on Yavin.

Anyway, just in case you really don't want to talk to me, I won't write much. I was just wondering if you could tell me what the Battle of Yavin was like from your perspective and what happened afterwords? We're all really curious where you went off to. We're taking bets on what you've been doing. Zane has this crazy story that you ran off with Odak Aan and have a baby with points on its head. I think he only tells it so much because it makes Quan's eye twitch. Draco thinks its funny though. His guess was that you were living the "high life" on Cloud City. Quan guessed you were on Naboo. I thought you were with Solo, and I was right! I win! Now I get first pick of rooms when the new temple is built. Unless you actually were doing one of the other things and I'm wrong.

Anyway, hope you don't mind that I wrote to you! Please write back.

<3 Dory
2 ABA, 5th month, 6th day.

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Dory-

Of course I don't mind that you wrote me. I know I pretty much fell off of the known galaxy after the Battle of Yavin. I'm glad you found me enough to send me a message though. I should try to see people more often. I honestly don't know why I don't. Maybe trying to pretend the years spent fighting the Empire didn't happen?

Well, you asked for my version of the Battle of Yavin, especially the aftermath, and a run down of what I've been doing since, correct? I don't know what to say about the battle. The entire experience was bizarre. Being on board the Executor, Vader being peacefully aboard the Wayfarer, fighting the Emperor. Actually, you know what the funny thing is? I can't even remember seeing the Emperor. I know he was there, I vaguely recall him speaking, and I especially remember getting hit by his lightning, but I don't remember ever really paying attention to him. I recall tumbling up to right in front of him and hitting his guards with a surge of Force energy, but then the rest of the battle I spent defending myself from Vader and the Stormtroopers. I suppose I'm guilty of not really focusing on the main objective of the mission. What can I say, I'm easily distracted.

I do, however, remember the honestly terrifying leap off of the top of the temple. I think I'd planned on hitting one of the steps on the way down, but I jumped from the top with a bit too much force (hurr hurr) and ended up landing on the ground of Yavin. And by ground I mean a bunch of trees. It took a bit to get unstuck from the tree and to the ground, and by the time I did I realized what Pel was doing. From there, it was mad dash to the Omwati compound, where a lot of energy was exerted to keep the Executor from killing everyone.

The image of the Executor crashed in the jungle of Yavin is one that will stay with me forever, though. In the immediate aftermath of the battle, I remember being a bit stunned. Ships were landing all around us, and more and more people joined the area right around the destroyed temple. Escape pods from the Executor were being picked up everywhere. Everything blurred together until late at night. The Omwati were playing music and everyone was on the ground, mingling, dancing, and having a good time. And then I felt the presence of my father. I walked to the very edge of the cleared area, and saw my father's Force ghost, standing next to Master Kenobi's. It was actually the first confirmation that he was dead, although we all assumed it. A few seconds later another Force ghost appeared, though I didn't realize who it was until I saw Luke and Leia a few yards away and realized it must have been Anakin Skywalker. The ghosts stuck around for only a few minutes, long enough to pass along messages of pride and thanks.

I never rejoined the party after that, I was too exhausted both physically and emotionally. The next day was chaotic. I remember the realization that I was wearing the totality of my possessions. It was overwhelming to realize that everything from my data pad of journal entries to Egon's tool box to all of my Life Day gifts were sitting under the wreckage of the Executor. It sounds so petty and shallow, but the rush of relief I felt when the Millennium Falcon landed and I realized that I had a change of clothes on board bordered on ridiculous. It's strange what seems to important in the aftermath of catastrophic events. I'm sure most people eventually realized that I left the next day, when the Millennium Falcon departed. People were already talking about taking back Alderaan once and for all and building a new academy there, and I confess I just didn't want to deal with it. Han offered me a spot on the Falcon as long as I wanted, and so I left.

If anyone wonders what happened to him, Odak An came with us. We dropped him off on Nar Shaddaa. I've run into him once or twice since then. I'm fairly certain that he hasn't taken up piracy again. Smuggling, yes. Possibly even bounty hunting, but I doubt he's become head of a pirate gang again. In the year since the battle I've been mostly on the Millennium Falcon. I've spent a few weeks with my family on Naboo, and they've highly encouraged me to settle there. I've also spent some time on Cloud City, and Tattooine, and pretty much every disreputable spaceport. Tell Zane he would have loved it. Let me know what you and everyone else has been up to. I still don't know if I have the fortitude to throw myself into the academy life again, let alone the continuing war effort. Life on the Falcon is easy, simple, and fun, and I'm being un-regretfully selfish.

~ Jolee
2 ABA, 5th month, 18th day.
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Dear Jolee,

Thanks for writing back! I hope you don't mind that I showed your letter to Zane and Quan. I needed to prove that I won the bet. Quan says that he was at least a little right, since you said you spent time on Naboo. He didn't think Draco was a little right though, even though Draco guessed Cloud City. Hold on, Quan said he wants to add something to this.

Jolee: you are running away again. Stop being an emotionally stunted idiot and get back here. -Quan

Er, sorry about that, Jolee. He's been cranky lately. He says its because he's tired of people moping. I'm not moping. Maybe he's talking about Zane. Zane doesn't like being here on Alderaan, and he wants to go help the fight in the Core. I think we should get the Academy set up. A lot of people are Force sensitive now. They think it has something to do with the destruction of the old temple on Yavin. I heard rumors that Yavin IV is dying. Like, all the life is just being sucked out of it. They said that an Ithorian herd ship is there trying to take samples of the life, so nothing dies out.

I've been good. The fight for Alderaan was pretty intense, especially at first. But then the Empire just kind of left the space around Alderaan, and the ones stuck on planet just surrendered. The Alliance high ups think maybe there is a power struggle going on in the Empire, and they're fighting with each other. So, we (me and Zane and Quan) have been here on Alderaan. Leia and Draco have been here too, since this is their planet. The others from the old academy come and go. Thank you for writing about the Battle of Yavin. I'm writing an account of the battle for the archives at the new Jedi temple we're building. It seems important. Anyway, there is a one year celebration of the Battle of Yavin here on Alderaan in two and a half months. You should come.

<3

Dory
2 ABA, 6th month, 2nd day