What Comes After

[Malon]

Lah'mu.

The ringed, agrarian planet was located far from major hyperspace lanes and was virtually inaccessible anyways. Leon had found it; he specialized at finding things that weren't meant to be found. The lifeform scans revealed no settlements... none that had been inhabited for long spans of time, anyways. The ground was fertile and the abundant presence of clean water promised thriving wildlife to be hunted and fished for food. It was no paradise and yet it was... perfect.

And, so, five years later, Kalen exited the beachside hut he, Leon, Giles, and Natalia had built and stared out across the volcanic beach which stretched for miles around them. The cool breeze rolling off the sea brushed black locks out of his eyes. Natalia and Eve had risen before him and were enjoying the morning breeze further down the beach. He smiled blissfully as he watched them run through the darkened sand.

The past five years had aged Kalen somewhat. His hair was longer and had begun to curl; a small, black beard now graced his countenance. But the most significant change was that he had not touched a lightsaber since he left the Unknown Regions. The only memory of his past life as a Jedi was a small, translucent kyber crystal which hung around his neck. He wore comfortable robes, similar, but darker in tone to his former Jedi robes. But while his appearance somewhat echoed his former life, he did not miss it in the slightest. The past five years with Leon had been... relaxing. Fulfilling. Two things the Jedi Order had never been.

The Force felt calm for the first time since Kalen could remember. He didn't know whether that was a result of being this far removed from the galaxy, at peace with himself, or the result of the final defeat of the Sith. Either way, he was sure the Republic and the Jedi were doing just fine without him. Here he farmed, fished, and enjoyed life with people who mattered to him. That's all he wanted.

Chancing one final glance at his adopted daughter and his friend, he slipped back into the cottage. Giles was likely out in the makeshift garage behind the hut where Leon kept his old ship; he liked to frequent it, though Kalen had never figured out what exactly he was doing back there. That meant the hut was his and Leon's alone. Kalen found his husband still predictably asleep in their room. Light trickled through fluttering sheets that were used as curtains, dancing across Leon's sleeping figures. Kalen couldn't help but smile.

He slid into bed next to Leon and brushed a lock of hair out of the former pirate's face. "Planning to stay in bed all day," he said softly, a light grin twisting up the corners of his mouth. "It's beautiful outside."

@Deviant

 

[Deviant]

Of all the worlds, Leon least expected Lah’mu. Essentially inaccessible and implicitly incognito, it was both the strangest, and the most perfect, place to be. While there was no hum of the city street, or the flashy glamor of a lavish club or casino, it was serene. There was no Republic, nor Empire, breathing down their necks. No wayward Sith or Jedi sniffing their noses up either of their asses. And, most of all, there was no godforsaken, giant, man-eating spiders lurking in the shadows. Just him, Giles, Natalia, Genevieve, and, of course, a particularly annoying Kalen.

Leon shifted beneath the sheets, stirring from his sleep. Except, he wasn’t asleep. Just lazy. While his days as an infamous pirate lord were long gone, he hadn’t changed a bit. Hair still tousled, stubble clinging to his jaw, and body still sound and lean— although the endless supply of Skycorn was starting to get to him. “Too much starch,” he can already hear Genevieve reiterate over the dinner table. “Next thing you know, you’ll end up like Uncle Giles.” Who, in fact, rolled his eyes as she (and a nodding Natalia) laughed, before inspecting himself— embarrassed.

To say things had changed would be both an understatement, and a mistake. They each had retained their own exclusive charm: Natalia with her spunk, Giles with his salt, Leon and his unremitting sass. At the same time, they all had evolved in different ways. Kalen, having abandoned the manacled fate of a Jedi Knight, had become more self-assured, content. As for Genevieve, she grew out of the shell of her past. Like Natalia and Leon, she acquired a similar wit and nerve, but like Kalen, she was keen, crafty. The perfect mix, the perfect daughter.

They had become one strange family, and that made it all the better.

Leon’s eyes wilted open. “Why go outside when I have everything I need right here? A bed, a blanket—” He turned to Kalen. “And you.” Rolling through the sheets again, he chuckled. “Also, I think I’m paralyzed from the waist down. Eve has been forcing me to jog around the fields again.”

“I’m getting old, Kalen. Why can’t I be fat and lazy for once?” He bit back a smirk, knowing that he was only thirty years old and had been living beside his pillow for the past week. “You should go talk some sense into her or something.”

 

[Malon]

Kalan smirked. His head drooped and a small chuckled escaped. "Just be thankful she can't feel the Force. If you think big Jedi are terrible, you should meet the little ones. Besides," He lightly patted Leon's belly, which had begun to go soft over the years, through the covers and his smirked widened. "I think she's just looking out of your health."

Through the Force, Kalen slowly peeled back the curtains in their room, allowing the sun to filter in more fully and the rings of Lah'mu to become visible. Even after all this time, the sight of the planet's rings was stunning to him. Beautiful. Awe-inspiring. They reminded him that he didn't need to be a Jedi to appreciate the Force and the wonders of the galaxy. He just needed to be himself—in the moment. And he was most himself when he was with Leon.

"I know you didn't like this place at first," he said, "but I hope it's growing on you. It isn't perfect, but" He smiled. "it's us."

@Deviant

 

[Deviant]

Making an exaggerated gasp, he glared at Kalen before shifting further from his looming smirk. “My health? I am perfectly healthy, thank you very much.” His eyes briefly glanced down to his stomach, and he rubbed his fingers along the edges. He puffed his cheeks. “Well, okay. Maybe I’m putting on a few pounds too many, but hey— blame the Skycorn. I mean, it wasn’t my idea to settle down on some backwater agri-world. In the middle of nowhere, no less! Now that I think of it, there isn’t a cantina within a thousand miles of here.”

Leon sighed. “But, alright, I’ll admit… living here, with you, with Eve… it’s been good. I’ve always been on my feet, hopping from planet to planet, jumping from one corner of the galaxy to the other. And it’s good to finally rest.” He pressed his feet into the cold, hardwood floor and gazed out through the window. Outside, he could watch the waves of the ocean ease in and out from the shore. He could see the sun’s reflection sparkling against the tide, the faint glow of the stars. He smiled.

“Lah’mu is beautiful, Kalen. The air, the view— everything.” His voice lowered. “But I miss the stars. I miss roaming the galaxy, and the thrill of it all.” He breathed in, softly. “I don’t want to be a pirate again. I left that life a long time ago. But I’m a man of adventure. And as much as I love you, and as much as I love Genevieve, I can’t just ignore who I am and who I've always been.” He sighed again. “I know, it’s selfish of me, but I can’t help it. I want to go back out there, Kalen— traveling. And I want to show Eve too.”

Leon turned around and eyed the former Knight. “Well, say something.”

 

[Malon]

Kalen wasn't in the least surprised by this news. Leon was a pilot. He was meant to be among the stars. Not... here. The former Jedi folded his arms, but his smile was still there. "It is not selfish of you, Leo. It was selfish of me to trap you down here. You always have enjoyed adventure. And... Eve deserves to see more of the galaxy." His expression softened. "She can't stay here forever either."

He too rose from the bed and strolled around until he was in front of the window, staring out at Lah'mu's spectacular rings. The breeze that brushed at his hair was soft and welcome. "You have to do what you need to do—I won't stand in the way of that. But come home some times? And maybe you could show me a bit of the galaxy too from time-to-time." He stroked his beard now. "I've seen a lot of it as a Jedi, but you've seen another side of it entirely. Besides, I think I want to see it as it is now. At peace. Not torn by war."

He turned and smiled softly at Leon. "Sure you're not too rusty for a trip? It's been awhile since you flew."

@Deviant

 

[Deviant]

“Of course I’ll come home,” Leon answered, rising off from the bed. He drifted to the other man, wrapping his arms around him as he gazed out the window. Resting his chin on Kalen’s shoulder, he followed his eyes out to the horizon and smiled again. “My days of blowing up shit and drinking into a stupor are over, Kalen.” He paused. “Mostly.” Planting a soft kiss on the man’s lower cheek as a sign for reassurance, Leon retracted out from the embrace and moved for the closet.

“And pfft, of course I’m not rusty. Sure it’s been a while, but I’ve been flying since I was a kid. How could I ever forget?” He sifted through several dangling clothes before he stopped short at his old smuggler’s jacket. Frayed and worn, perhaps, but still up to snuff. It may have been a while since he donned on the jacket, but that didn’t make him any less Leon slipped it on, pinched the collar, and brushed the dust off his shoulders. “Aha— a little tight, but it fits!”

“Just wait ‘till Eve hears,” he chuckled and wandered back to the bedroom door. “She’s gonna flip.”

 

[Malon]

Kalen smirked, remembering the first time he had seen Leon in that jacket. The memories were fresh, even if they were buried by years in the past. And, though it was indeed a little tight on him, Kalen couldn't help but marvel at how good Leon still looked in it. There was still some of the scoundrel in him that there was when they first met.

"She's going to tell you to lay of the Skycorn," Kalen said in jest. Then he added with a wink, "Don't worry, though, I still think you look good."

Turning briefly, he glanced back out the window. Once again, the winds of change had come. The Force had not changed a bit—even if he wasn't a Jedi anymore. Stagnation and complacency were never allowable. Eventually, change came even in the most comfortable of situations. Kalen could only admit to himself the anxiety he felt. Though his heart told him he would never lose Leon, his mind allowed itself to worry every so slightly; and when he turned back to his husband, his gaze was considerably softer. "Where will you go first?"

@Deviant

 

[Deviant]

“Wherever you and Eve want,” Leon replied, hand on the doorframe. He glanced back to Kalen and smirked. “What? Did you really think I was just going to leave you stranded here? Alone? Or with Natalia and Giles?” He waved one hand dismissively. “Don’t be silly. You’re coming with me, whether you want to or not.” Leon moved toward the other man, grabbed him by the hand, and pulled him away from the window. “I think you’ve had enough of longingly gazing out of that damned window. Why look to the stars when you can sail among them?”

He continued to pull Kalen out the room and into the narrow hall of their cottage. Old paintings, souvenirs, and relics of the past hanging on the walls, but those were just distant memories. To Leon, it was about time to start making some new ones. So, regardless of what Kalen thought, he was deadset on driving the family back out into the galaxy. Meanwhile, Natalia and Giles would remain, keeping an eye out on the farm until they returned.

“When I said 'Of course I'll come home,' I meant, 'Of course we'll come home,'" He affirmed, smirking along the way. And as he just about skipped onto the cottage patio outside, Leon called out to an outlying Genevieve, her silhouette floating through the meadow.

 

[Malon]

That answer put Kalen's heart at rest. It was daunting to think about going out into the galaxy again. He momentarily wondered if he would run into any ghosts from his past. Would the Jedi Order even be looking for him? Wouldn't he just be numbered among the deceased Jedi lost to the Sith? He didn't really know and, when he saw Leon's eagerness to get started, he didn't really care.

He put those thoughts behind him at once. The galaxy was a big place and Leon had seen more of it than Kalen ever had. Together, Kalen hoped to change that—to see more of what the galaxy had to offer. He wondered what beautiful worlds they would see first. What adventures they would embark upon. Would they ever have to run from the authorities? Perhaps dodge the Jedi Order itself? Kalen found the thought both worrying and exciting. There were endless possibilities and no way to discern which outcome they would face.

But, no matter what happened, he knew without a doubt they would get through it as a family. The future was bright. The Force was warm. And, for the first time in his lifetime, the shadow of danger and war did not loom upon the horizon. Sighing softly to himself, Kalen knew that that was enough. Then, with a slight smirk on his lips, he turned to Leon who had just finished calling out to Eve.

"Let's just avoid the Unknown Regions, shall we?"

And time went on...

@Deviant