Star Wars: Thy Kingdom Come

Book Two of the Darth Somina Chronicles

Kylee Jain Ridley

Foreword

When I began Star Wars: Hearts of the Fallen, I honestly wasn't expecting to have it grow into the behemoth it became. I just wanted to tell a story about a character I love, and since one didn't exist yet for the time frame I wanted to explore (I honestly didn't even know about Ahsoka coming out at the time), I sort of dug my teeth in and went for it. Well, two months and 32,000 words later (and for reference, Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a little over 46,000 words, and my book Allison's Game is over 60,000 and climbing), the story of Darth Somina began, reintroducing old favorites and introducing new members of the Star Wars fan-fiction family. It took on a life of its own, and I am fairly sure some of you enjoyed it as it unfolded.

Now, the intrepid crew of the Two-Hearts returns, and they're in sort of a bad situation. What will happen? Right now, as I write this, I have absolutely no idea. So let's take this journey together, and catch up with Somina and Enuma.

As always, I do not own or assume to own any terminology, characters or indicia relating to Star Wars, and these writings are in no way intended to be redistributed except as they are read from this site.

The last jump concluded, the Two-Hearts dropped out of hyperspace, its primary drive system almost sighing with relief. Darth Somina and her companion, the Twi'lek Enuma, had been on quite the adventure. Somina, once known as Ahsoka Tano, Jedi padawan, had changed immeasurably in just the few days that they'd known one another, having liberated the young Twi'lek from an abusive master, embracing the Dark Side within herself, and then losing her heart to the sweet innocence and love that Enuma brought into her life. She had faced nearly-unbeatable foes, and discovered shocking revelations, revelations such as Mace Windu's survival, and somehow still managed to stand strong. The only threat to her strength was the disarming power of Enuma's smile. The Twi'lek's natural sweetness and love made Somina almost weak in the knees at times, and though she could never admit it, she enjoyed being able to have such a vulnerability. She felt more safe with Enuma than she'd ever felt, even as a Jedi.

That feeling of safety was always only paper-thin, though, because although Somina was more free than she'd ever been in her life, she knew that there was still a leash tied to her neck, and that leash was held by Darth Vader, who would not hesitate to choke the life from her if he suspected disloyalty. This feeling of insecurity was compounded by Somina's involvement with a conspiracy to assassinate Emperor Palpatine himself, a conspiracy apparently headed up by Mace Windu and Palpatine's former apprentice, Maul. Add to that the idea that Vader was training her secretly as a weapon against the Emperor as well, a weapon that would easily be destroyed by the Sith Lord should he find out what Vader was doing, and you had someone that was more nervous than someone who was in the assassination business should be.

"Beloved?" Somina's attention returned to the here and now as the almost-musical voice of Enuma cut through the grim musing and macabre thoughts. Enuma had a way about her that Somina couldn't deny. Every time Somina thought that there was no hope, Enuma always convinced her that there was not only hope, but that good fortune was close at hand. Enuma's optimism wasn't contagious enough to convince Somina that the crazy scheme Windu and Maul had dragged her into was going to actually work, but it was at least enough to give the young Sith apprentice some sort of peace. The Sith way, at least as Vader had explained it to her, was to give sway to one's emotions, but Somina felt that there was something to be said for giving sway to one's positive emotions as well as negative; love, desire, and joy were as valid as hatred and rage to her, regardless of Vader's views. Somina began to wonder if there was enough of a man left in that shell to feel anything at all. Surely there was nothing left of the one she'd loved so passionately as his student, but she could not say. Vader did not show much emotion, primarily since his face was always hidden.

Enuma crept up behind Somina, and slid her arms around the Togruta, resting just below Somina's neck. "Beloved, you promised." The Twi'lek's annoyance was clear, and though Somina didn't immediately remember what she had promised Enuma, she knew Enuma well enough to know that she would only have to wait a moment before Enuma would remind her. "You promised me that we would practice with the bright-swords today!"

Somina laughed, mostly at Enuma's lack of an attention span. "Lightsabers, Enuma. They're called lightsabers."

Enuma's face crinkled in irritation, and though Somina could not see her expression, she felt it all the same. "I call them bright-swords, and I don't care what the bucket-head told you!" Somina worried every time Enuma referred to Darth Vader as 'the bucket-head'. Vader had been known to punish those beneath him for less, and though she was certain that Vader was not aware of Enuma's Force-sensitivity, she knew it was only a matter of time that someone in Vader's employ would betray her. She had to prepare Enuma for the inevitable conflict, one that in which Enuma may very well have to hold her own.

Somina relaxed slightly into Enuma's arms, nuzzling the Twi'lek gently. "Can't we just spend all day in bed?"

Enuma was the one to laugh this time, her hearty chortle echoing inside the command center of the ship. "So that we can once again NOT make love, Somina? I've never spent so much time in bed with someone who did not want to touch me!"

Somina recoiled slightly, hurt by Enuma's response. "I told you, I'm still…Enuma, I'm just…not ready. We've talked about this."

"You've talked about this, Somina, and I have listened. You have not heard my thoughts on this matter, though, and I am under the belief that this involves me as well. Do you not wish to know how I feel?" Enuma sounded quite exasperated, and Somina could not blame her. How long had they been close, even together as a couple, and yet still hadn't been intimate? Why the idea of intimacy with Enuma scare her so much? What was there to be afraid of, when all Enuma wanted was to be physically close to her in addition to emotionally close? Darth Somina didn't fear much, but the idea of physical intimacy terrified her.

"Of course I want to know, but you've never said anything on the matter. Please, Enuma…please tell me." Somina stood, leaving the comfort of Enuma's arms, and turned to face the Twi'lek, who, to Somina's surprise, was in tears.

"I have tried to be beautiful for you. I have tried to be gentle, and patient, and kind to you. It is not that I crave only touch with you, Somina, but I am afraid you do not trust me enough to let down your guard." Enuma's irritation had fully given way to sadness, and the tears flowed from her eyes. Somina felt her heart break as she looked upon the Twi'lek who had given her life to her, but what could she do? Enuma was right; Somina didn't fear the intimacy as much as she feared the vulnerability. "Why can you not break down your walls, beloved?"

Somina's head hung in shame, though the orange tint of her skin wouldn't show any sort of blush. She knew Enuma was right, and she knew that it was within her ability to move past all this insecurity, all this damage she'd suffered over the years. The Jedi had betrayed her. Barriss had betrayed her. Tarkin had wanted to see her executed. Palpatine had ordered the eradication of her entire way of life. All around her, Somina saw betrayal, and she feared that if she should allow Enuma that close, that intimate, that Enuma would one day betray her as well. Somina's heart was still the heart of Ahsoka Tano, fallen though she was, and Ahsoka Tano could not, would not, allow a day to come where she would lose the gift Enuma had brought into her life.

Somina was only capable of a thin murmur, and even that took effort. "I want to…I'm afraid."

Enuma, seeing what the current line of discussion was doing to her beloved, placed both of her hands on Somina's shoulders, getting close to her, but not too close, trying not to smother Somina. "Let me help you face that fear. Please, beloved…tell me why you are afraid."

Somina, her eyes starting to tear up slightly, raised her head, locking stares with Enuma. Her mouth opened to speak, and she had every intention of speaking, but a loud beeping sound shattered the moment. Somina, secretly relieved that something had happened to put a premature end to the conversation, quickly looked over the command displays. It was as she feared; she'd come too close to a large ship, and they'd detected the Two-Hearts. Somina checked the tactical scanners, and determined that it was a Mon Calamari vessel, but not military. Somina thought this quite odd, as they were currently quite a distance from any planet the Mon Calamari might have been interested in. In fact, Somina had planned to visit Mon Cala with Enuma soon, thinking that a beach holiday might be in order, but today, there really shouldn't be a ship out here, much less a Mon Calamari ship.

Somina slid back into the command chair, and activated the communications array. A signal was coming through, but it was weak, and it's amplitude was fluctuating. A voice could barely be made out through the static, and it sounded panicked. "…if you can hear…Mon Calamari vessel…attacked by sp…rates…need assistance desper…"

Somina flicked on the transmitter, and spoke clearly and calmly. She secretly enjoyed high-pressure situations, as they prevented her from having time to think about her life. "This is the cargo vessel Two-Hearts. What are your coordinates? We are within range, and can assist you."

"Thank the…er Two-Hearts! Our coordinates are…" The voice, greatly relieved at the sound of someone close by that could help, listed off the coordinates, and Somina punched them into the navigational computer, noting that they were relatively nearby. The Two-Hearts spun around to its new heading, and popped into hyperspace.

Once they dropped out of hyperspace a few seconds later, Somina saw why it was that the signal from the Mon Calamari vessel had been so weak; they'd been attacked, and left for dead in space. From what she could assess visually, which wasn't terribly much, the emergency force fields were holding, keeping what precious atmosphere they had in the ship. Otherwise, it looked like it had been torn apart with a meat hook, with a massive tear down the dorsal surface of the ship. Somina was greatly surprised by this; what could possibly tear a ship apart?

Somina piloted the Two-Hearts up to the closest docking port she could see, and locked on to the larger ship. She and Enuma both climbed down from the Two-Hearts and into the Mon Calamari ship, unsure as to what they would find on the other side of the airlock. When the massive airlock door swung open, what they saw startled them more than they could prepare for.

Dozens of injured littered the corridors of the ship. Most were minor injuries, shrapnel and burns, but some looked incredibly severe. The ones that were less injured tended to the more damaged ones, and the very few that hadn't been injured in the attack were frantically trying to get the ship's systems back on line. Somina and Enuma walked through the injured and dead, looking around but trying to keep their composure. Soon, a Mon Calamari came up to them, clearly stressed. "Thank you for helping us. We were trying to get to some sort of safe haven after fleeing the Imperial strikes on Dac, and we got ambushed by pirates. They had some sort of weapon I've never seen before, some sort of energy hook, that they used to rip open our hull. If we hadn't been quick on the emergency force fields, we'd likely not be here. Any assistance you can give us would be most appreciated." The Mon Calamari took a moment to catch his breath, and continued. "I forget myself. Gial Ackbar, captain of the Homeward Star."

Somina began almost instinctively. "Dar…" Stopping herself midsentence, she thought for a moment what the reaction from this particular group of individuals might be upon hearing the title 'Darth'. Thinking better of it, Somina continued. "Somina. Dar Somina."

Ackbar, his enormous eyes seeming skeptical, continued to be cordial, if not grateful. "That's an unusual name. May I ask where you are from?"

Somina grinned, and pushed back the bottom of her tunic, revealing the lightsaber slung there. "Coruscant, originally."

Ackbar seemed to understand what she was getting at, and the need for an assumed name, for his eyes widened slightly (at least, as far as Somina could tell), and he seemed to grin as well. "Understood, Miss Somina."

"So what happened, Captain Ackbar? What could have possibly done this to your ship?" Somina's tone was all business, all of a sudden, and Ackbar seemed almost relieved at that.

"We just don't know. There were several small ships, nothing remarkable. Our deflector shields were more than enough to defend against the small-scale energy weapons the smaller ships had." Ackbar seemed almost panicked as he began the next sentence. "But then…a larger ship, a Corellian Corvette, came out of hyperspace almost on top of us. They deployed some sort of strange weapon, almost like a gigantic hook of some sort, but energized with some strange sort of power I couldn't recognize. It sliced through our hull like it was melted wax! We managed to get the emergency fields in place, but not before we lost a few to the pressure loss. Miss Somina, I have to tell you, if I didn't know better…it almost seemed like the hook was similar in many aspects to your weapon. The odd glow, the ease with which it cut through durasteel…it was like a giant lightsaber."

"You said that you were attacked by pirates, Captain Ackbar." It was Somina's turn to be skeptical, and a quick glance to Enuma confirmed that they both suspected more than a simple pirate attack.

"I assumed that's what it was, though it is strange that they didn't actually take anything. We aren't even hauling cargo, beyond food and survival supplies. It seems more like…"

"A trap?" asked Somina.

Ackbar glared at Somina for just a moment, things starting to sink in. "A trap. We were supposed to be disabled. But why? We are just peaceful refugees."

Somina, lost in thought for a moment, then looked around the corridor they stood in. "If this weapon is like you describe, functioning similar to a lightsaber, it would involve technology that, honestly, only the Empire currently possesses. I've heard of the Empire lending out weapons to bounty hunters in their employ, especially ones hunting Jedi, but I've never heard of them installing a capital ship weapon on a ship that wasn't theirs."

Ackbar audibly gasped, suddenly terrified. "Then it was the Empire itself attacking us. That makes more sense, but it still doesn't explain why they would just leave us adrift, instead of capturing us, or more likely blowing our ship into atoms."

Somina, her face grim, closed her eyes, reaching out into the cosmos with the Force. "The trap…wasn't for you, Captain Ackbar." She opened her eyes, and the others saw the worry in them. "Do you have enough escape pods to evacuate the survivors?"

Ackbar, beginning to worry even more than he had, nodded. "Just barely. I'll start getting everyone sorted out." The Mon Calamari shuffled off, barking orders to what few officers remained on their feet.

Somina, however, had other concerns. "Enuma, we need to get out of here!"

Enuma, already running back to the ship, playfully shouted to Somina. "I've got a bad feeling about this!"

Somina and Enuma sprinted back to the airlock, and slammed shut the hatch once inside the Two-Hearts. Somina leapt over the back of the command chair, and landed hard in the seat, strapping herself in as quickly as she could. Enuma clambered into the makeshift tactical station, and immediately began running local sensor scans. "I am detecting nothing in the immediate vic…oh, no." Enuma gulped.

"Don't tell me 'oh no', Enuma, what is it?" Somina was frantic, trying to disengage the docking clamp and fire up the engines simultaneously. Even with Force-enhanced speed, the machinery could only go so fast.

"Fighters, incoming! Coming in 112 mark fourteen!" Enuma shouted over the din of the igniting engines.

Somina looked up from her console and into space, seeing dozens of what appeared to be Imperial TIE fighters approaching them. Forcing the urge to panic down, Somina began powering up the ship's defensive systems. Using her anger, anxiety, and fear to give herself focus, she punched the final codes into the ship's computer systems, and took the controls in hand.

"Hang on to your cute little ass, Enuma!"

The Two-Hearts blasted away from the Mon Calamari ship smoothly, and Somina maneuvered the ship into an attack vector, ready to take on the incoming fighters. Enuma, manning the targeting systems, prepared herself for firing. Somina quickly signaled to the Homeward Star. "Captain Ackbar, on my signal, start launching your escape pods. I'll take care of the fighters."

"Understood, Somina. May the Force be with us." Ackbar closed the line, and Somina went into action.

She started by maneuvering the ship into a tight barrel roll. "Fire all guns in a spread around the fighter group. Don't target anything in particular, but make sure we have a lock on at least three of them at all times," Somina barked as the ship spun rapidly along its axis. Enuma fired a few shots randomly, grazing a couple of the fighters, but not inflicting very much damage.

"Beloved, I have not destroyed any fighters! What should I do now?" Enuma's level of panic was increasing rapidly, and Somina could sense her heart rate increase just as rapidly. She still blindly squeezed the actuator triggers that fired the main cannons, without rhyme or reason.

"Keep shooting!" Somina waited until she'd entered the swarm of fighters, and then pulled up hard, shooting up through the top of the swarm. This time, the seemingly random shots started hitting fighters from behind, where their deflector shields were weaker. Several fighters spun off seemingly into oblivion, while others managed to bring their craft back under control.

"I am a badass!" screamed Enuma with an almost crazed glee, several TIE fighters meeting their end at her barrage.

"Keep it up!" shouted Somina over the din of debris smacking against the Two-Hearts' deflector shields. Her maneuvers were less random now, and much more practiced, as they managed to destroy almost all the fighters that attacked. After several tense moments, the few fighters that remained fled, returning to the larger ship that loomed just at the very edge of the fighters' range. Somina knew from this that whoever was behind these attacked didn't want to be identified, and did not expect someone with any particular piloting or dogfighting skill to have taken the bait. This was a strange modus operandi, and Somina wasn't sure what to make of it.

Somina leveled the ship off, and headed back to the Homeward Star, for she needed to make certain that the escape pods had managed to make it away from the ship safely. She attempted several times to contact Captain Ackbar, but without success. She nearly had given up hope when a crackle of static came across the comm channel, followed by the weary voice of Gial Ackbar.

"Two-Hearts, we're alright. All pods are away and safe. We're heading to Nalebron, and we'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mind escorting us there."

Somina smiled, and clicked on the transmitter. "Absolutely, Captain Ackbar. We'll rendezvous with you shortly. Two-Hearts out."

Somina swung the command chair around, only to see that Enuma was standing, her back and head turned awkwardly to look at her backside. "Do you really think my ass is cute?" Enuma asked, almost innocently.

Somina couldn't repress a giggle at the scene, but stood and walked over to Enuma before she could take her laughter the wrong way. Somina put her arms over Enuma's shoulders, crossing them just behind Enuma's head, pulling Enuma closer to her. "I love you."

Enuma's eyes lit up, and started to have small pools of tears well up within them, as she always did. "I really needed to hear you say that to me, beloved." They kissed, a kiss of love and affection, one that allowed no boundaries between them. Somina had never experienced the like before; intimate acts with another Force-sensitive opened you up to each other in ways that, as a Jedi, she would have found uncomfortable. In some ways, she still did, but for Somina, this kiss with this lover was everything she had been denied as a Jedi, and had embraced as a Sith. Even if they never allowed things to become more physical, Somina knew they would always have a special bond. Bonds like this were hard to come by, especially in the days of the Empire, when she and Enuma were constantly on the move.

Jabba the Hutt had placed a sizeable bounty on Somina's head, regardless of Somina's threats, and though the bounty hunters that came looking for her usually were no serious threat for her, there were some that came closer to Enuma than she'd have liked. They were usually dispatched with severe prejudice, although Somina did allow one to limp back to Jabba to deliver a simple message: next time, she would come for him. Even so, the Hutt was persistent, throwing minion after minion at the erstwhile Sith, even as she eliminated them one by one. Some day, Somina knew, a reckoning would have to come, and the business between she and the Hutt would be settled, one way or another.

That, however, took second place to her primary duties, which entailed whatever Darth Vader told her to do. She was his apprentice, after all, and he did not tolerate insubordination. He had an uncanny way of knowing when she was straying from his instructions, as she'd found out when she'd gone to Malkryss with Enuma to swim in the famed darkwater pools. This particular instance was more humiliating than most, as she'd very nearly given in to Enuma's charms, but just ended up standing there nearly nude, dripping wet, and being dressed down by a hologram of the Sith Lord. It was this shock and shame that led to Somina's current fear of physical intimacy, and though it was by no means fair to poor Enuma, Somina couldn't get past it.

An electronic noise shattered the moment, as the all-too-familiar tone of the communications system announced an incoming transmission. Enuma, flustered by another interrupted kiss, checked the display, and then turned a much paler shade of blue than normal. Enuma turned slowly to look at Somina, her face grim. "Beloved, Lord Vader wishes to speak to you."

Somina turned on her heels, and headed to the small room in the back of the ship that she'd retrofitted to serve as a holographic imaging chamber. Vader preferred that those he speak to see him, likely to ensure that they showed proper respect. Vader seemed less like Anakin every time Somina spoke with him, and she wondered, as she always did, what had happened to change him so much.

Somina shut the door tightly behind her, and faced the imager, falling to one knee. The form of Darth Vader coalesced from light and static, and though the signal was experiencing some interference, the image was clear enough to see Vader's arms crossed in a display of impatience.

"My master, you asked for me?" Her tone was deeply respectful, for even when she questioned him, she dared not insult him.

"I have sensed something in the Force, something I have never experienced before. A power that is familiar, and yet new. It appears to have originated near your current position. Have you found anything unusual?" Vader sounded almost uncertain, as if he had discovered something he truly didn't understand. Somina's connection to the Force would never be as deeply-ingrained as Vader's, but she too had felt something odd, when she had first encountered the Homeward Star.

"Yes, my master. Earlier today, I encountered a disabled Mon Calamari ship, one that had been attacked by whom they believed to be pirates. They described a capital ship, a Corvette, that had some sort of weapon that they described as being 'a lightsaber hook'. I intended to investigate this, but the ship was attacked by what appeared to be Imperial TIE fighters, or more correctly, what were intended to appear to be Imperial. They didn't pilot with the usual Imperial precision. Their maneuvers were impulsive, imprecise, amateurish. They were easily defeated with basic tactics. Those that managed to escape retreated back to the Corvette, which immediately jumped out."

Vader remained still and silent for a moment. "Those are definitely pirate tactics, but the use of fighters intended to look Imperial troubles me, as does this 'lightsaber hook'. Kyber crystals are proscribed materials, and all known sources of them are firmly under Imperial control. Which means, either there is a new source we were unaware of, or someone in the Imperial hierarchy is a traitor. Either way, I am tasking you with discovering the source of this weapon, and to either assume control of it, or destroy it. Fighters are easily purchased by anyone with sufficient credits, but kyber crystals are forbidden by order of the Emperor himself. Find who is providing these crystals, and eliminate them."

Somina, her head still bent, responded. "As you command, my master."

The image of Vader flickered, and then vanished. Somina stood, as silently as she had knelt, and left the room, shutting the door behind her. She returned to the command center, where Enuma stood, looking worried. Her look of worry only worsened when she saw the grim look on Somina's face.

"Are you alright, beloved? What did Lord Vader want?"

Somina, her face dark, cast her eyes down slightly. "We are to find out who is behind the fighter attacks and the attack on the Homeward Star. Lord Vader believes there is something at work that he finds…troubling."

Enuma, dumbfounded, just looked confused. "What could possibly trouble him?"

Somina turned away, her eyes closed. "More than you can imagine, Enuma." Somina looked off into the distance for a moment, then turned back to Enuma. "We begin with speaking to Captain Ackbar again, so we're landing on Nalebron for the moment. Station."

Somina slowly sat in the command chair, and Enuma returned to her station, suddenly worried that things were about to go very, very wrong.