A/N: There had been an extra scene at the beginning. It has been moved to the previous chapter. It involved Luke and Bwua'tu, among others, discussing things after Irisia left. Some readers may have missed that bit.
Errant Venture
The entirety of the Skywalker/Solo clan, along with a few others, had gathered in the pilots' lounge. The Imperial Head of State, whom Han had nicknamed Zed Gat, which had elicited an eye roll from Luke, was about to give a speech. Unlike most government speeches, this one would not be broadcast for regular civilians. That would have made it far too easy for the Destroyers to intercept it. The heavily encrypted data bursts would be beamed directly, via hypercomm., to a number of specific vessels in various nations. Those vessels could, in turn, beam this message to other vessels. The Turk Brand would be sent one of these data bursts, and would be sending it to the Venture, along with a number of other vessels.
"I think it's called a crush," Ben teased with a bit of a smirk, before taking a large bite from his sandwich.
Luke an eyebrow. "She looks like she's your age."
"But she's not," Ben said, his voice slightly muffled from the food in his mouth. "If you like her-" Luke gently, playfully smacked the back of his son's head. "Do you think I'd like her?" Ben asked.
"Oh Void, Ben," Jaina groaned. "She's probably at least sixty."
Ben shrugged. "Got no problem dating an older woman."
"She is pretty cute," Luke admitted.
Leia shook her head at the ridiculous exchange. "I can't wait til Zed Gat's speech..." She trailed off as the official Imperial seal appeared on the previously blank holovision, set to a previously blank channel. The seal was soon replaced by a view of a podium, behind which stood Imperial Head of State Moff Gatterweld. He was a tall man with lean features, and dark hair.
"Only days ago, our galaxy was attacked by a great evil. An ancient army of monsters called the Nephilim. They forced us to put aside our differences, and to fight as one. And we learned an invaluable lesson, that we are far stronger together than we are apart. We learned that there is no human or non-human. No Empire or Galactic Alliance. There are just people. Our newfound unity is what allowed us to vanquish these demons.
"Now, as many of you may know, the Celestials have just returned to our galaxy. They bring with them grave news of the return of an ancient and powerful enemy they call the Destroyers. These same Destroyers are the ones responsible for unleashing the Nephilim. These Destroyers were complicit in all the death and destruction caused by the Nephilim. I fear that these Destroyers will be even more powerful.
"These Celestials, who call themselves the Terrans, have sent envoys to other nations so that we may launch a coordinated attack. These Destroyers are a cancer, and we must destroy that cancer before can spread."
The Moff's speech seemed to devolve into near gibberish as he continued to drone on. Luke found Irisia stuck in the forefront of his mind. Maybe he did like her. But was he ready for that? He knew he'd never be able to get over Mara.
Luke found before him the great, endless void of space, dotted with innumerable pinpricks of silver fire. The Jedi Master felt himself being taken forward, to a pair of these stars. But these were not stars; they were eyes. There just seemed to stare at him.
A sense of profound unease descended upon him, like a heavy, suffocating blanket, as those eyes began to fill with a peculiar inky blackness. Could it be Abeloth? It was quite possible that just a part of her had been destroyed by the Mortis Dagger.
But as those eyes continued to darken and fill completely... It just didn't feel right. This presence was darker than Abeloth. She had become a monster because she'd been tormented. But this was a monster because it did the tormenting. It despised Luke Skywalker; he had never felt such hatred. Had never imagined such hatred could even be possible. The black eyes seemed to glow, but with darkness rather than light. And the toxic smell of sulfur hung heavy in the... air.
Luke thought back to a few days ago, when he'd led that boarding party onto that disabled Nephilim ship. The day the Jedi Order learned their was something other than the Force. Something in complete opposition to the Force. It was death, and it wanted to destroy everything.
Luke was lying in his bed, soaked with sweat. He found that he wished Irisia was lying beside him. He'd have found comfort holding her, and looking into her beautiful eyes. Eyes glowing with light, not darkness.
Turk Brand
Once again, Luke Skywalker, Admiral Bwua'tu, and Jaina and Jag Fel had joined Irisia in the ops room. "I'm not sure what it all means," Luke was saying. "But I know I can trust you; the Force showed me that. And... you seem to have an idea of what I'm talking about."
"I am glad you trust me," Irisia said. "And, burning waters of Styx, I do know what you are talking about. My people call it the Aether. Based on our conclusions, we believe it wants to destroy everything that the Force has created. And some even believe the Aether wants to create something of its own."
"Well, that's worse than I expected," Jaina commented. "And if something as horrible as Abeloth exists in the Force... I don't even want to know what something created by this Aether would be like."
"Neither do I," Irisia agreed. "I have no memories of anything created by it, but I recall rumors that the Aether had begun to... subvert the Nephilim. Which you, Luke, have confirmed. The used to exist in the Force. They became increasingly depraved, and the Force had no choice but to abandon them. The Aether eventually took notice."
"That's what happened to the Yuuzhan Vong, except for that last part," Luke commented.
Irisia frowned. "There are stories of Yuuzhan Vong being corrupted by the Aether."
"We've never encountered any like that," Luke said, growing more concerned by the moment.
"Then the real threat has not have come yet," Irisia warned.
"Could that be what the Destroyers are?"
"I do not believe so. These Destroyers used mechanical ships. The Destroyers must have reactivated the Nephilim to weaken this galaxy's defenses, and so that these yet-to-arrive Yuuzhan Vong did not have to deal with them." An eerie silence fell over the group, punctuating Irisia's grim words.
"Well," Luke said, a bit awkwardly, "since you've given us a whole lot of bad news, I think it's only fair that we give you some of our own."
Irisia nodded, with a cute, little smile. "Please, tell me how else this galaxy is going to Hades."
"I'm guessing you spoke with a Moff Gatterweld," Luke said.
"I did, via comm.," she said.
"Ah. So neither you nor any of your people have met with him in person," Luke reasoned.
"No."
"None of the Jedi have met him in person, either. He goes out of his way to avoid the Jedi."
Irisia frowned. "He is hiding something, then."
"He must be concerned that a Force user might be able to learn his secret," Luke agreed. "He could be working with the Sith. It does make an odd sort of sense. With his apparent animosity toward Lecersen, whom we know is working with the Sith, Gatterweld would be one of the last people one would expect."
"And we don't know much about the bloke," Jag commented. "A few decades before I was born, he was an ensign aboard an Imperial vessel, a Super Star Destroyer called the Iron Fist. And just few years ago, he became a Moff."
Irisia seemed mildly alarmed. "And you do not know what he was doing in between."
Jag shook his head. "But maybe it has something to do with why he refuses to meet with Force users. I've met him once before, when Jaina was conveniently occupied elsewhere. He's a bit of an... oddball. He always seemed to have his hand in his pocket. And he had this bizarre, mildly macabre sense of humor. He'd get this stupid smirk on his face whenever he told a joke. It was a bit... disturbing."
"This may sound a bit off the bulkhead, but what if Gatterweld is one of these Yuuzhan Vong Irisia mentioned?" Admiral Bwua'tu asked.
"It would explain why he seems to be fighting against Lecersen and, by extension, the Sith," Jag pointed out.
Luke groaned. "So those eyes I saw were Gatterweld's. If that's the case, then we'll have to do something."
"Without Chief of State Dif Scaur finding out," Jaina added. "He's practically in Gatterweld's pocket. Which is ironic given that Scaur supported using a biological weapon against the Yuuzhan Vong."
"Well," Luke said, "whatever the case, I still think we should go ahead with our attack on these Destroyers."
"I am glad to hear you say that," Irisia commented. "So perhaps we should discuss our respective assets, and determine how to best use them."
"Is there someplace we could talk?" Irisia asked Luke, after the briefing had ended.
"I'm sure we can find a place," Luke assured her. There was a deep sadness within her that Luke could relate to. He assumed it was related to Andromeda. "How about my ship?"
"Lead the way."
Luke brought Irisia to a sleek, silver-gray vessel. "This is the Jade Shadow. It belonged to my wife, Mara Jade. She's... not here anymore."
"I am so sorry," Irisia said.
"Thanks," Luke said, grateful that she didn't seem intent on prying. "So, shall I give you a tour?"
"That would be nice," Irisia responded.
"The entry hatch is Force-activated," Luke said, reaching out toward the SoroSuub Horizon-class Star Yacht. "It really helps cut down on unwanted visitors." The hatch opened, allowing a boarding ramp to unfold. Irisia followed Luke into the ship.
"Is there a place I could put my armor?" Irisia asked.
"I just met you," Luke responded.
She sighed. "There is a flight suit underneath."
"Right. I knew that."
Irisia raised a somewhat doubtful amethyst eyebrow.
"You can put your armor somewhere by the boarding ramp," Luke said.
Irisia nodded and began to remove her armor. She placed the various components in neat pile. Underneath was a black flight suit, to which her weapon remained attached. Next, she removed her gloves, and placed them on a small shelf. Luke picked one up; it had a sort of flexible connection ring, somewhat resembling a rubber band. Luke picked up a piece of her armor; he was surprised by how light it felt. "It is a non-magnetic carbon fiber alloy," Irisia explained.
"That's what I thought."
"I am sure it is," Irisia said dryly. She unzipped the top part of her flight suit some, but remained modest. She then reached behind her, and unfastened something on the back of her flight suit. A long slender tail, ending in an arrowhead-shaped stinger, appeared behind her. "She starts to protest if I do not let her out often enough."
"That's really cute, how you refer to your tail," Luke commented, with a smile.
"Tails have feelings, too."
"I'd imagine, so."
"This is a beautiful ship," Irisia commented, after Luke had shown her around.
"She sure is," he agreed, not quite sure what, or whom, he was really referring to.
She smiled, revealing a number of small, dagger-like teeth. "You are attracted to me."
"I won't deny it," he answered, as he brought two cups of caf to the table in the galley, and sat down on one of the bench seats. "I haven't been interested in anyone since..."
"I know what it's like to lose someone you love," Irisia said, becoming more serious.
"Andromeda?"
Irisia nodded, a certain sadness coming over her expression. "That is what I was hoping to talk to you about. Andromeda was somewhere between a daughter and a sister to me. She lost her parents at an early age, so I took her in and raised her as my own."
Luke placed his left hand over her right. "If you don't want to…"
"I need to talk to someone about this... before we face the Destroyers."
"Well in that case..."
Irisia regained consciousness with a horrible throbbing in her temples. Having such an extensive memory wipe apparently tended to do that. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Irisia opened her eyes to see Andromeda seated beside her.
"I'm going to stay with you until you've recovered," Andromeda told her. Irisia didn't want to recover. Not when she knew what it would mean for the person she loved most.
Irisia could see in Andromeda's expression that there was so much the younger woman wanted to tell her. "Don't you dare," she said, her tone torn between playfulness and sorrow. "I'd hate to have to go through another memory wipe. I feel dreadful." After a few minutes Irisia was able to sit up. Andromeda hugged her; when she pulled away, Irisia could see the fear in her eyes.
"I don't want to do this," Andromeda said, trying not to cry.
"It doesn't mean we'll never see each other again," Irisia told her. "After you help these people defeat the Nephilim… I won't be far behind. I'll find you again, Andromeda. You'll just have to get to know me all over again. That won't be so bad."
"I know, but… I'm still scared."
"I'm sure I was scared before I did this," Irisia said.
"You were."
"And now I don't even remember being scared. You are going to be alright. I promise." Irisia moved her legs, experimentally. "I think I can walk, now."
"I'll help you up."
"Thank you," Irisia said as she used Andromeda's arm for leverage. The two hugged each other again, before Andromeda took her seat where she had been. Irisia kissed Andromeda's forehead before leaving the room. She wasn't allowed to see the technician who would be erasing part of Andromeda's memory. Irisia returned a while later to find Andromeda still unconscious. She wanted to just sit there, and watch her precious girl sleep. But Irisia had to get her into the pod before she woke. She kissed her daughter's forehead once more and, refusing to allow anyone to help her, got Andromeda into the pod. Irisia could feel her heart shattering as the pod was sealing itself up several minutes later.
Luke saw tears forming in her eyes. She turned to him. "I promised her we'd see each other again."
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen," Luke said gently.
"But I knew it was a possibility."
"You were trying to comfort someone you love." Tears were falling down her cheeks, now. Luke felt bad that this beautiful woman was crying. She'd volunteered to tell him this, but he still felt like it was his fault. Luke slid over to her, and wrapped his arms around her. They just sat there like that for a few minutes. Irisia looked up at Luke, and he suddenly found that her mouth was pressed against his. She pulled away, apparently a bit surprised at herself. "It's okay," he said softly. "I just happen to have that effect on women."
"Of course you do," Irisia said, not entirely convinced. She was silent a moment. "Was Andromeda loved when she was here?"
"Very much. She became one of us, and became romantically involved with one of our Knights, Seff Hellin."
"How is Seff, after losing Andromeda?"
Luke sighed. "I honestly don't know. The Nephilim managed to capture him, and they transferred his consciousness to one of their mechanical bodies. He turned against the Nephilim, and rejoined us. But... he's different."
Irisia made a sad groaning sound, and Luke thought she was going to start crying again. "This will not end well. He is eventually going to completely cease to be the person you've known. I know this isn't what you want to hear." She sighed. "Nephilim brains don't have a region devoted to emotion. He'll eventually cease to feel anything at all."
Luke nodded sadly. "I've come to the same conclusion." He blew on his steaming beverage, and took a small sip.
Irisia sipped her caf without blowing on it. "This is quite good," she said, not quite managing a smile. She finished the rest of her steaming drink in a couple of gulps.
"That was really hot," Luke commented, apparently meaning two things at once. Irisia shook her head in amusement. "Andromeda's staff weapon is actually aboard the Venture right now," Luke said.
Irisia smiled. "I'd love to see it again."
"I thought you would; I'll take you to it after I finish my caf."
"Do you... have any proficiency in its use?" Irisia asked.
"Uh, I have practiced with it some. Why do you ask?"
"I used to spar with Andromeda quite a bit," Irisia said a bit sadly. "It's something I really miss doing."
"So you'd like to spar with me," Luke reasoned.
"If you don't mind using Andromeda's weapon."
"I don't mind at all," Luke assured her. "Just go easy on me; I'm an old man."
"Older than seventy six?" Irisia asked, with a playful, little smirk.
Luke shook his head. "I'm only seventy five. So, you're about a year older than me." Irisia nodded. "You look great."
"Thank you."
Luke made a point to finish his drink, and then stood up. "Are you ready, yet?" he joked.
Irisia quickly wiped her eyes and cheeks to make sure they were dry, and stood up. "Certainly. But are you?"
"I guess we'll just have to find out," Luke said, leading the way out of the Jade Shadow, and then closing the ship up. "So, what is your people's philosophy on the Force?" he asked, as they walked down one of the Venture's corridors. "I used to believe that the dark side is evil, but things have recently happened which challenge that belief."
"The dark side is not evil at all," Irisia explained. "It can often seem evil, but this evil comes from those who see the dark as supreme to the light."
"Like the Sith."
Irisia nodded. "The dark side is mostly raw power, and without the influence of the light side it will corrupt the user."
"So the light side is still good," Luke reasoned.
"Yes, and it also contains the Force's wisdom."
"This is all pretty much what I've started to believe. Then the Force isn't about balance between good and evil."
Irisia frowned. "Evil must be gotten rid of."
"I agree with that," Luke said, stopping at a door.
"I can hear Andromeda's weapon," Irisia said excitedly. "Terran staff weapons are made to vibrate at a frequency other beings cannot hear."
"I can see where that would come in handy," Luke said, leading the way into an empty gymnasium. Dark gray mats covered most of the floor of the light gray room. The Jedi Grand Master walked over to one of several an equipment locker, and used the Force to unlock a hidden latch. He swung its door open, revealing a beautiful, multicolored crystal with three pieces of a dark alloy curling around it and joining together at either end.
Irisia made an exciting sort of squealing sound, and snatched the object up. She stroked it as though it were some small pet, and then held it against her chest for a short moment. The purple haired woman held the crystal out in front of her, and then clenched her fist. The pitch of the weapon lowered, to the point where Luke could hear. A soft pulsing came to life withing the crystal. The three light black 'fingers' surrounding the crystal began expanding outward. A pair of bulges appeared on either side of the crystal. Within each bulge formed a psychedelic point of light, which solidified into an almost-matter state. The ends of the weapon seemed to almost melt into sharp, serrated spear tips. Irisia tossed the spear to Luke, who caught it deftly. He gave the weapon several experimental twirls.
Irisia pulled her own weapon from her holster. The crystal was purple like her hair and eyes, and held sparkles of silver within. She clenched her right fist, causing the weapon to unfold quite like Andromeda's. But only one end formed into a spear tip. The other end had a short cylinder leading to a small sphere. The cylinder grew longer and gaps began to form so that it started to somewhat resemble a chain. Numerous gaps also appeared as the sphere expanded. Spikes, resembling skinny pyramids, pushed outward through the gaps. And a purplish pinpoint of light appeared inside the sphere. The chain unfurled, with the sphere stopping mere millimeters from the floor.
"Well, dang. This outta be fun. If I survive, that is," Luke said, with an awkward laugh.
Both combatants took a moment to center themselves in the light side of the Force. "One must center oneself in the light side before touching the dark," Irisia explained.
"Makes sen..." With a subtle tingle at the base of Luke's skull the only warning, Irisia came barreling forward. Luke blocked a brutal downward slash, and felt himself being pushed back. He barely managed to block a rapid flurry of blows, but couldn't stop Irisia from gaining more ground. The spiky fell upon his weapon, nearly tearing it from his grasp. It was like fighting against a wookiee.
Luke draw on the Force to enhance his strength, and managed a violent blow of his own. He landed a few more blows on Irisia's staff, pushing her back a couple feet. She seemed mildly surprised, and Luke could feel her begin to draw on the dark side. But the vileness with which he'd associated the dark side wasn't there. In its place was a beautiful unity between the two sides of the Force. A strange, disturbingly calm rage came upon Irisia. She began pushing Luke back, now.
Luke responded by drawing more heavily on the light side. He surrendered himself to the Force, letting it guide his movements, and make his movements more efficient. Trying to match Irisia's brute strength would be a mistake. He began letting Irisia push him back, but then she stopped, apparently thinking it was some sort of ploy. But by doing so, she was falling into Luke's trap. He rained down a series of savage blows, and almost knocked her off balance a few times. Irisia began landing slightly heavier blows, trying to tire Luke out.
Luke's plan didn't seem to working that well. Realizing he had to make a big move, he suddenly dropped to his knees. He swung the staff toward Irisia's legs. She suddenly leapt into the air, just before Luke could make contact. He spun as she landed behind him, and managed to point a spear tip at the center of her chest. Irisia was just a bit later pointing her spear tip at him. Both she and Luke lowered their weapons, signifying the end of the match.
"I won," Luke said.
Irisia frowned. "Your shot would've taken me in the chest. But before I died, I could've gotten you in the head. So it's a tie."
Luke laughed. "You just don't wanna lose to an old giezer."
"That, too," she said with a flirtatious wink. "I really should be getting back to the Mons."
"And I should be heading back to my quarters so I can flop down on my bed and pass out," Luke responded, making his way back to his feet. He did have a few more questions, but they could wait.
