Taryn's letter to Quan

Quan! Thank you for the letter and the parts. Especially those pulse wave cannons. This is going to be very useful for that letter you sent on from Zak. I imagine those are hard to get a hold of these days. With the new shop flying I often find myself short on parts. It was a bit easier getting my hands on bits and wires when we were all still borrowing Imperial ships and throwing everyone birthday parties, but I’ll take that victory over spare engines any day.

After the fight I spent a lot of time having no idea where to be or what to do. I helped fix things to keep busy, ate the food that was handed to me, and celebrated when my family figured out how best to get me into the revelry - the young ones stole my tools while I was focused on helping Dual see if we could get the black box from his ship working. He and a few of the older of my sedge offered to help me look for them. Before I realized we were in a crowd of people and I was becoming aware of how strong the drink in my hand was, after I’d had already had several.

To my embarrassment I spent most of the evening singing children’s songs from my home world. I learned others I had not known, as well as more colorful songs once the younglings had fallen asleep in a pile near the camp-fire. Looking back, I think Dual was in on it from the start. I managed to avoid cornering Pel all night, thank the Force, though I do remember him talking me out of trying to jury rig some scrap from the executor and seeing how far into the woods it flew. From there it gets fuzzy but I remember bits and pieces of dancing and cheering and stories and eventually I drifted off next to the puppy pile of my sedge.

The dreams were not so peaceful. I saw the fight. I don’t know what went on inside of that temple, I ran for the Omwati compound. I suspect I should feel guilty for not helping my friends but my help was needed elsewhere and I needed to know my sedge was alive. I am glad for Zak’s help. I do not think we would have been able to push back the storm troopers without him. Zak managed to get us to the compound and inside quicker than I could’ve managed with some help with the Force and it froze me cold for a moment to see the youngest of my sedge huddled and crying in terror. It was like I was back on the base above Omwat and Tarkin was still alive and my teachers were outside ready to destroy what kept me going. I took rage and bravery from that. I am glad for all that was going on at that point so that no one could have seen or sensed the fury and hurt and pain I exhausted defending my home. There was hate behind the explosions I caused and it left me empty for a moment.

In that moment I forgave many people for many things and found a kind of peace I can’t explain. I used to envy your ability to connect with the Force. I do not have the ability to touch the things with my being as you do, and for that I have come to be thankful. I do not wish to be able to affect those around me so directly by my emotions and have not the calm you and the other Jedi have to manage it.

After the troopers had been driven off, I have no knowledge of how I managed to follow Zak up the side of the temple to the observation deck. I darted from window to window, causing a distraction I hoped my friends could use. I was as surprised as the Emperor when I realized I had just hit him with a thermal detonator. It didn’t hurt him much, but it hit and he flinched before going back to the fight inside.

I remember Pel being hurt and helping him, then he said to run. I had no idea what was coming but I was not going to question the tone and look in his eyes. We ran, every one of us, leaving the Emperor and Vader behind. Down the side of the temple, across the space to compound and suddenly every one of the Jedi were using everything they had to protect us from blast the Executor caused.

If you could have seen it from my eyes, from the Omwati children’s eyes…this was what the stories and legends and tales that we had heard from fledglings on where. You were the protectors, the champions. It is not hero worship that makes me say this. It is pride. The Jedi Academy as one used the force to save a small group of refugees and set free the known universe. I sat in awe watching this unfold, taking in my surroundings and remembering clearly the silence after the blast, the long minute of realization and crying, the peace after the storm. We were free.

The next day the Omwati and I and many others went to Naboo. They were warmly welcomed. I wanted to help them settle in, but couln't let go of the fight. There were places that had not yet shaken off their chains and I wanted help, wanted them to have that silence and peace I had. Zak didn’t ask me to come, he knew would. We went off, to help where we could and explore. He taught me the more nuanced bits of the Miraluka language. It is a colorful language, and if you ever want I can teach it to you as I have been the Omwati children.

Eventually I needed to come back home. I had decided to set up a shop outside the new Jedi temple on Naboo near my family. I will admit a large part of this was knowing Pel would be nearby. The Jedi temples would need instructors and even if he wasn’t on as a full time Master, he would visit often. I didn’t know what would happen, but my heart lead and I decided to follow. Now I’m one part shop manager, one part tinker, and three parts teacher. The Jedi academy owns the shop and in return for letting me run it I teach tech classes, and I love every minute of it. I've come up with a few more training bots for the masters to use in classes, though I have been known to throw a few surprises in them to keep the masters on their toes too...its become something of a game now.

Thank you for letting me know of Zak’s letter to Zane. I had managed to find one of the Madalore that followed Eagon and he helped me to reconstruct and improvise the missing parts of the Basilisk schematics I received on Life Day. I have a few more ideas that might work well and could use your input…I would also really appreciate any help you could offer putting these together. I’d also be obliged to you and a few of the others being up for a trip to Dreau, I’d let you keep the Basilisks in return for the help…? I’m also sure they wouldn’t mind a chance to get out of teaching for a bit to help take down a pirate camp on a distant planet and undertake a daring rescue mission.