Chapter 6: Initiation

Korriban, 3 BBY

After Xur's Journey

Xur felt everything. It had happened so fast, so much at once. He remembered how little he knew about Revan before he began, but now he knew everything. His memories intertwined with Revan's, and merged together into his conscience, and he was still yet to discover it all.

He recalled Revan's days during the Mandalorian Wars, working with Malak and Meetra to bring an end to the war. He remembered Malachor, and the mass-shadow generator decimating Republic and Mandalorian forces alike, even where he hid Mandalore's Mask. It then came to his journey to the Unknown Regions, where he first met the Emperor, or Darth Vitiate. He remembered the pain of his thoughts no longer becoming his own, and his will shattered to oblivion. He remembered becoming a Sith.

It came to him, Revan's campaign with Malak against the Republic, his fall, Bastila's strike team and then nothing, just nothing. Then, becoming a Jedi once again, the Star Forge, killing Malak, and his feelings for Bastila came in like a wave, and Xur cut it off.

He needed to focus if he was going to make it off Korriban without going insane. After he earned his right to Revan's legacy, he found himself next to his ship, completely unharmed. However, as soon as he was dropped in, he felt that rush of mental overload, but he would prevail. He always did.

Xur hopped into the cockpit and sat down for a second. How long had he been gone? What had happened between the warring factions? Among all of the other questions that spun through his head, one still stood out the most: Was Ahsoka OK?

He had no way of telling until he returned to the New Order. With that thought, he activated his fighter and slowly took off, blasting into the atmosphere. However, as soon as he broke from the planet's grasp, his mind took off on its own again. He saw Revan once again with Meetra, but was accompanied by another, a Sith species.

Scourge. That was his name. Xur remembered how he was the Emperor's Wrath, and without him, Vitiate may never have fallen.

They believed they could defeat him, and I believed them too. But my vision told me they would fail. I cut the Exile down and presented Revan to the Emperor as a gift.

Xur shook his head, seemingly trying to force the voice from his conscience. He knew that was Scourge, but at the same time, he didn't. It was too surreal, feeling like he had met all of these different people, but in reality he had never personally. He had to find a way to distinct Revan's memories from his own, and only then would he find peace. Perhaps he should try meditating, even though he personally found it useless and rarely ever did. Ahsoka always urged him to try, but he was too stubborn to open up.

He couldn't meditate, not now. He had to get back to the New Order and finish off the Empire once and for all. He didn't have time to drown in Revan's memories.

Dromund Kaas.

Xur growled at the voice in his head once again. Frustrated, he plotted a course for the nearest system with a fleet controlled by the New Order. He didn't care where; he just had to be away from here.

His navigation computer came up with Geonosis, which to his joy, had been taken by the New Order in his absence. However, that meant he had been gone for 2 weeks at least, which could definitely warrant many different possible events happening in that time frame.

Nonetheless, he wanted to know what had happened, so he punched in the coordinates and made the jump for Geonosis.

Secret Imperial Facility, 3 BBY

After Ahsoka's Capture

The room was dark, it smelt of wet paint, and it was dead silent. Ahsoka had been there for days, weeks, maybe even hours, she couldn't tell. She hadn't received food or water since she had arrived, and he throat was dry as a rock. She lay, strapped to a metal plate, and looked upwards towards the corner of the cell.

She meditated most of the time to let the time pass and reached out into the galaxy, trying to latch on to something or someone of significance to her. She looked over the many people that could possibly fill that role, but the only ones who she could possibly reach were Kanan, Obi-Wan, Xur, and…Vader.

Ahsoka had no problem sensing Vader's presence, and she knew he was still in her area. But she didn't want to know where Vader was, she wanted to know what Xur was doing. Her bond with him was stronger than anyone else, which meant she could still feel his presence in the galaxy. But, he was shrouded in the cloud of the Dark Side, an area of the galaxy a Jedi couldn't breach telepathically without the right training. She had never learned how.

She was alone, without anyone to talk to or lay her issues onto. It was truly a terrible feeling. She began to realize what Xur had said to her orbiting Shili. The light was becoming cold and harsh, without any benefit to her well-being. He had said that the dark was warm and inviting when he had no one…and that was becoming the case with her.

She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let Vader win. This is definitely what he wanted: for her to feel helpless and lonely, and welcome the Dark Side. The togruta swore to herself at that very moment that she would never let that happen. Death would have to come first.

Footsteps were heard outside, and the dark and shadowy presence was undeniably Vader on the other side of the door. The cell door slid open upwards, and light filtered into the room. She couldn't move her hand to cover her eyes, so all she could do was squint and wait for the adjustment. The dark lord of the Sith entered and shut the door behind him, turning on the lights inside the cell.

For what seemed like eternity they stared at each other in silence, Vader's respirator was the only sound in the room. Then, Vader spoke in the deep and ominous tone that he possessed. "Comfortable?" he asked.

Ahsoka moved her shoulders and felt the pain in her shoulder blades from the metal plate that kept her up. She kept her eyes on Vader however. "It would be wise if you would let me go," she attempted to reason with him, but expected no such compliance whatsoever.

She received absolutely none as Vader took one step closer to him. "Eon can't save you here," he said in an ominous and lethal tone. Ahsoka was never one to be in distress, but she knew full well that this time she wouldn't be getting out of here alone. She definitely needed someone to break her out.

The togruta rolled her eyes. "I don't need Xur to save me," she partially lied, but still hoped that she could find some way out on her own. "You'll have the entire Rebel Alliance and New Order looking for me, and when they do, not even you will be able to fend off the attack."

Vader was once again expressionless, and Ahsoka didn't know what to expect next out of him. The monster in the suit of armor always failed to register one.

The sith then pulled out one of her new lightsabers and examined it, feeling the smoothness of the grip with his cybernetic hands. "I see you have constructed a new lightsaber," he observed. Suddenly, he felt memories flood his mind as he gripped her saber.

You're a reckless little one. You never would've made it as Obi-Wan's padawan…but you might make it as mine.

Vader grasped the lightsaber tighter, attempting to fight back the memories that reminded him of Anakin Skywalker, but they kept coming.

The Jedi Order is your life! You can't just…throw it away like this!

Vader ignited the green blade and slashed at the wall, leaving a deep, smoldering gash in the side. He replaced the memories with anger, hatred, and jealousy, which reignited the Dark Side inside of him. He placed the saber back on his belt.

Ahsoka had no idea what had happened to him, but she had to take a guess. "You feel it?" she said. "The call to the light? It isn't lost in you after all is it, Anakin?"

Vader growled and grabbed Ahsoka by the throat with his own fist. "That name no longer serves any meaning to me!" The togruta gasped for air, but none came. She felt the murder, the hatred in Vader, and knew that now may not be the best time to turn him. When she felt as if her lungs were on fire, he let her go. She gasped for air with huffs and puffs she didn't know she could muster from her lungs. The togruta almost felt a tear roll down her eyes, but fought it back the way it came.

The Sith growled. "You will tell me where Eon has gone, or I swear that you will die in this cell." Vader seemed like he was serious in every way, and Ahsoka didn't deny it. But, she would never tell him where Xur had gone, not while she didn't know if he was safe or not.

Ahsoka still gasped, but uttered, "Go find him yourself," and braced for Vader's wrath.

Geonosis, 3 BBY

Recently Conquered by the New Order

Xur's ship rocketed out of hyperspace and the planet of Geonosis came into view. The dust ball was riddled with ship debris, some New Order, but seemingly mostly Imperial. It looked like they had taken the forces by surprise and decimated planetary defenses. He looked ahead and noticed the fleet he had conjured together specifically for this invasion blockading the planet. He expected some sort of escort to meet him, and his expectations were soon found to be correct. Two Starfighters quickly came to his port and starboard sides.

"This a restricted area identify yourself," he heard through his comm channel. Xur thought of a few witty things to say to his men, but decided to forget it.

"This is Supreme Commander Xur Eon requesting permission to board the Retribution. Landing code Delta-Omega-Epsilon-Alpha," he repeated the code he did so often. There was a short silence in the comms, but they eventually returned with a response.

"Code checks out, welcome back Commander," the pilot replied. Xur nodded and watched the escort ships fly off and back to their posts, just as they were supposed to. He smiled behind his mask as he increased speed towards the main hangar of his flagship. He didn't want to wait any longer.

He detached his hyperspace ring just outside of the ship and came in for a soft landing. However, he did not expect the line of troops awaiting him to be battle droids; in fact, he didn't expect a line of troops at all. His ship landed with a hiss and he popped the cockpit open, stepping out. The battle droids were exactly the same that the Separatists had used in the Clone Wars. The created a sort of path for him to follow, and at the end was General Raven, his clone captain in the Clone Wars, and right hand man in the New Order.

However, Raven was taken off guard by Xur's new appearance and looked at him quizzically. When Xur finally reached the end to meet him, Raven crossed his arms. "I was expecting Commander Eon."

Xur laughed. "This is him, General," Raven still didn't look convinced. Xur then pulled down his hood and pressed a small button on the side of his covered head. Revan's mask then almost de-materialized as Xur's face was revealed.

Raven gulped. "Oh, my apologies Commander, I didn't expect your appearance to change so drastically." Xur shook his head and then began to walk towards the exit of the hangar, Raven coming up to his side. "The Invasion of Geonosis was a complete success Commander, and as you can see we have implemented the droid army into our ranks. We are nearly up to the numbers that the Empire sustains. However, I doubt these droids are nearly as capable…"

Xur cut him off. "Where's General Tano?" Raven was then silenced faster than he had ever seen. When he didn't respond quickly, Xur turned towards him as they both stopped. Raven didn't know what to tell him. Xur growled. That could only mean one thing. "What happened to her?!"

Raven sighed. "It was on Takobo, she went with the crew of the Ghost to rescue younglings, but they didn't expect…."

"Vader," Xur snarled. He felt a twitch for his lightsaber, but he was able to fend off the impulse easily. He realized that becoming Revan Reborn had given him an unequal mastery of his emotions, and he found it much easier to control almost everything inside of him. Thus, he was able to stay calm and formulate a reasonable response. He looked at him straight in the eye. "Did they kill her?"

Raven looked to the side. "I'm…I'm not sure sir," he then moved his eyes back to Xur. "But if Vader is who you say he is, then I doubt he would kill her before given a real reason."

Xur shook his head. "I don't know Raven, he's a monster now," Xur wanted to do nothing but find Ahsoka, but he knew how futile that would be. It would take weeks, if not months to track her down, and that was time he didn't have. He sighed. "Do you have any good news?"

The clone of Jango Fett shrugged. "We have intelligence that tells us that the Jedi General Rahm Kota has been imprisoned on Cato Neimoidia after a failed Alliance mission. We can arrange a rescue party."

Xur knew who he was. He was one of the Jedi who created the Rebel Alliance in the first place, while Ahsoka took over for him. Despite never joining the New Order, he was still a Jedi, and Jedi were always allies to his cause. They were all worth the risk.

But, he didn't have time to assemble another invasion fleet to a heavily Imperial planet right after Geonosis had been taken. They needed more time. However, he did know of a secret hyperspace lane that originated from Mimban and was a straight shot to Cato Neimoidia. Ahsoka and Anakin used it during the Clone Wars to surprise the Separatist forces on the planet in the Republic's waning years. He could use that by himself, rescue the General, and get his fleet to extract him if needed.

"Alright General, I'll inform the fleet of the plan, and we'll proceed." Xur concluded.

Kamino, 3 BBY

Cloning Facilities

Starkiller knelt under a cell hatch that had four, long holes to peer through. Light barely existed on the planet and the only thing he could hear was the pounding rain on the roof of his chamber. He had held the same position for what seemed like an eternity, and his body was definitely taking its toll. His muscles were cramped, and his bones threatened to crack from holding the same, stressful position.

The only thing he could do was wait, and use the force to retrieve the needed elements to sustain life. He remembered the rule of three: 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. Food wouldn't be an issue, since Vader had never kept him in isolation past 2 weeks, but water was definitely an issue. He used the force to heal himself, but he never quenched his thirst. His throat was dryer than a rock, but he was alive, at least for now.

He then looked upwards when he heard the door open and sensed the dark presence of Vader approaching. His black mask then came into view through the holes of his cell. "You're alive," he said in his mechanical tone.

Starkiller trembled with weakness. "H-how long this time?" he asked. He could barely speak as his throat failed to move the way it usually did.

Vader was expressionless as always. "Thirteen days in isolation. Impressive," he complimented, which he rarely did.

With this spark of confidence, Starkiller replied. "The force…gives me all I need." He then sensed Vader's anger inside of him grow, almost as if he had recently dealt with a similar idea that he had brought up.

"The force?" Vader growled, looking for the proper term.

Not wanting to anger his master, Starkiller looked down at the ground. "The Dark Side…my master," he corrected himself. While he was partially lying, since he did use elements of the light side during his isolation, he did in fact channel the dark side to help him push away the terrors of being alone.

Satisfied, Vader removed the roof of his cell with a flick of his hand. "Come," he said. The platform under Starkiller then rose, allowing him to slowly stand. His muscles protested as he felt them whine as they stretched out after so long. He was barely able to walk as he approached Vader slowly with bonded arms. Vader then spoke as he approached. "Starkiller's Jedi mentor has been captured."

Memories surfaced in Starkiller's mind he didn't know were his, and he remembered that name. "General…Kota?" he asked.

Vader nodded. "Yes, when your training is complete, you will travel to Cato Neimoidia and execute him."

Vader thinks he's turned you…but I can sense your future…and Vader won't always be your master.

Starkiller tried to decipher what it meant, but that wasn't the first time he had heard the man's voice. He was beginning to grow tired of the voices in his head. Vader shifted. "You are still haunted by visions?"

The clone of Galen Marek sighed. "Yes master," he decided that Vader wouldn't be satisfied with yes, and he needed to know more as to why he has these flashbacks. "I sometimes…smell a forest on fire. I see the General falling and I feel the ground shake as a starship crashes around me," Starkiller then gulped. "I hear…a woman's voice when I try to sleep."

Vader quickly responded with intention. "They are memories of a dead man, a side effect of the cloning process and the memory flashes used to train you. They will fade," he described.

Starkiller shook his head. "And if they don't?" he feared the absolute worse if they didn't. Vader was not one to be patient in the slightest.

"Then you be of no use to me," Vader concluded. Starkiller knew what that meant. He needed to make sure that he didn't let these visions take him over…for his sake. Vader then removed his bonds with the flick of his hand. "Starkiller's emotions made him weak," Starkiller saw PROXY droids begin to surround them, but turned his attention back to Vader when he held out two identical sabers. "You must destroy what he created," He then saw the droids take forms of soldiers, which he was able to identify the armor of Kota's militia. Vader then finished, "And learn to hate what he loved."

The final PROXY droid then took the form of a woman all too familiar to him, or at least in his visions. He couldn't remember her name, but he didn't have time as a blaster blot flew by his head, and he instinctively deflected it with the crimson blade that he held. Using the reverse-saber technique, he activated his second and began to cut down the droids posing as soldiers.

He didn't care about them, why should he? They were just droids, not human beings. So, he did as instructed, and used his hate to destroy what Starkiller had created, bot by bot. They were absolutely helpless against his superior deflections and dodges, along with his electrical discharges that he laced with his sabers. After he had ripped through the soldiers, he charged towards the woman and raised his sabers to strike her down with all of his hatred.

"Wait!" she pleaded.

Starkiller stopped in his tracks as he heard her voice. He tried in all of his anger and strength to strike her down, but he couldn't. "Juno?" he asked.

"Yes!" she said.

Vader came out of the shadows. "Strike her down!" he ordered.

Starkiller tried once more to force himself to kill her, but he couldn't find the strength to do it, and he stood, motionless. "I can't!" He looked up to her and the memories flooded back to him. He just couldn't force himself to do it. Groaning in defeat, he deactivated his lightsabers. Vader approached in anger and cut down the woman without a single doubt and the robot collapsed, losing its form.

Vader sighed in disappointment. "Then, it is as I feared."

Starkiller was almost hyperventilating in fear for his life and confusion as to what was happening to him. "Why is this happening to me?!"

Vader shook his head. "The accelerated cloning process is still…imperfect. Those who came before you went mad within months," Starkiller looked towards Vader. He had no idea that some had come before him. He then sensed Vader's anger growing. "I hoped that you would be the first success, but it seems you are to suffer the same fate."

Starkiller turned away, disgraced. "What will you do with me?" When he sensed Vader's movement, a memory flash came to him, and he saw Vader's saber protrude through his chest and he fell forward, at the edge of life itself. He knew exactly what Vader would do with him. With a burst of anger, he turned and fired force lightning at the Sith Lord, overloading his systems and causing him to kneel in pain and dysfunction. Starkiller then turned towards the outer wall and used the force to create a massive hole and he jumped through, into the pouring rain. Below, he was able to make out a bridge and landing platform just ahead, where he saw a ship awaiting his escape.

He used a roll and the force to soften his impact with the ground and then broke for the ship, not wanting to allow Vader to reach him. Stormtroopers attempted to stop him, but he sent them over the edge with a powerful force push. With the bridge clear, he climbed the stairs for the ship and hopped in, quickly manning the controls and took off, away from Vader's clutches.

As he exited the planet's atmosphere, he felt free at last. But, where could be go? He barely knew anything about the outside galaxy. Then, he remembered General Kota, and Vader mentioning his location: Cato Neimoidia.

With nowhere else to go, he punched in the coordinates for the planet and made the jump to hyperspace.

Another long one, it turned out. I never thought I'd right around 4,000 word chapters again after The Clone Wars, but it turns out that it's necessary. With this, Starkiller now is a full addition to the story! If you enjoyed, please follow/fav and leave a review! Thanks for reading!